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Astrid by Erin McMorris

MelissaP — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:08 +0000

Continuing with the Quilt Market sewing, here’s a small quilt in Astrid by Erin McMorris. If you liked Erin’s Irving Street, you will love Astrid.The colors in this collection have a very retro feel to them. If your stash needs bits of unexpected color, Astrid could be just the thing you need.I modified this quilt pattern (which will be a free pattern available through Free Spirit in the near future) to make it a bit smaller than the pattern specifies. It goes together quickly, which was important for the up to the last minute deadline I was working with.

This collection will be in stores in July. Just enough time for you to plan a project and decide on which pieces will enhance your stash.

Wild Child

MelissaP — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:36:42 +0000

Back in February, I started on the first batch of my assignments for Free Spirit’s Spring Market samples. Imagine my delight at being assigned to Jane Sassaman’s Wild Child collection. I’ve been waiting all this time to share that delight with you. It hasn’t been easy. But now that it’s been revealed at Market, let me show you what I got up to with this colorful, lively collection. First up, Jane’s free pattern, Prayer Rug Quilt. Available through Free Spirit’s website soon.This one goes together easily and provides a powerful punch of color. It acted like a magnet for Stinka who tried to get in every shot. Nothing like a black cat to accent bold colors. Here’s more of the quilt.This Koos pattern (Vogue 1311) sets off the large bold prints perfectly. It’s a huge bag with a fun silhouette. I quilted the pieces for the top, bottom and sides and used strong webbing for the handle. The stripes of this collection are just begging to be put to work. If you’re looking for a print that will do the heavy lifting, these stripes certainly fit the bill.Of course, there’s another print perfectly suited for heavy lifting and that’s Jane’s harlequin diamonds. I am over the moon about these. So many things you could do with them. For the rectangular pillow, I left the print to speak for itself and softened the geometric look with a frilly, floral ruffle.A second pillow combines several prints and adds pom poms to the mix. I created my own “ribbon” to cover the center strip using the same print as the one on the outer sides. Both of these pillows will be available as a free pattern from Free Spirit in the near future.The last of the projects I put together in this collection is this floppy shopper bag. It will also be available as a free pattern from Free Spirit. I wanted a bag to showcase large prints but also reflect the wild child, carefree vibe. No fussing, no hard angles. It needed to be something you could easily pack away, but would also hold a lot of stuff. Perfect for taking along to the farmer’s market, the beach, a picnic, you name it.You’ll be seeing more Wild Child pop up around here over the next few months. I am certainly not done playing with this collection. I’ll be stocking up on stripes and diamonds just as soon as these show up in shops.

I hope these photos jump start your imagination. There’s nothing like pops of color and fun prints to get a new project off the ground. Thanks for sticking around and sharing my enthusiasm!

Fabric Play

MelissaP — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:35:21 +0000

If there was only one piece of advice I could give to those starting out or even on their way but struggling to create, I know exactly what I would say. Always make time to play! Always. It doesn’t matter what medium you are using–fabric, paint, pencils, film, etc. Set aside time to play. No limits on what you produce. No expectations. No rules.

Deep inside each of us is a loud voice, our internal editor, our harshest critic. This voice likes to be the driving force in all things, at all times. It takes a lot of patience and a lifetime of practice to keep it in its place. The very nature of play is foreign to the internal editor, which makes play the perfect exercise to exorcise that pesky devil.

This is yet another reason I love fabric scraps. Having a little stash of scraps at the ready means I can play whenever I have a free moment. I admit, I spend a great deal of time playing. This is where the ideas come from, where the sparks of creative fire reside. Everything that says “Melissa P” comes from this spirit of play.

Play has no hard and fast rules, except one….let go. Let go of every negative and critical thought. Let go of every past triumph or failure. These are obvious enough, although not necessarily easy. But there’s one more thing to let go of, something you might find counter-intuitive, even anathema. You must let go of your dreams and fantasies for the future. Yes, you read that right…let go of the dreams of glory.

Oh, I know this not a popular idea. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone pinning this thought on Pinterest boards, that’s for sure. In fact, our culture seems to teach us that our lofty goals and dreams of our 15 minutes of fame are the only thing that will make us better, more important people. If only we reach far enough, all our dreams will come true.

It’s deceptive. And very harmful to reaching your full potential, not just as a creative but as a human being. You see, our potential doesn’t lie out there in the stars waiting for us to grasp it. It lies within us. And we must turn inward to reach it.

Play is a way of making room for our potential. It isn’t about pretending to be something we hope to be one day. It isn’t about presenting a different face to the world, trying on masks and personae. It’s about being authentic and true to ourselves in an atmosphere without judgment or rules. It’s from this place that growth begins, releasing the possibilities that have been lying dormant all our lives.

If I could wish one thing for all of you, it would be for you to know the liberating joy of play.

English Paper Piecing In The Heat

MelissaP — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:28:58 +0000

A heat wave rolled through this weekend. I don’t know what it is about paper piecing and hot days, but they do seem to go together. My octagon pieces with wedges arrived on Friday and I couldn’t wait to get started. Surprise, surprise–they’re just as addicting as hexagons.These measure about 9 inches from side to side. Just one more and I’ll have enough to put together a large pillow cover. Some hand quilting with pearl cotton will complement this nicely.

The weather should drop 10-15 degrees tomorrow. At which point, I can get back to some sewing that requires pressing and ironing. In the meantime, I’m enjoying some EPP under the fans with plenty of iced coffee at my side.

A Winner And A Wish

MelissaP — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:14:22 +0000

First, we have a winner of the Bijoux Fat Quarter Bundle. Congratulations to Margaret who said, “I agree — AGF fabrics feel so luxurious.” Margaret, check your Inbox. I’ve sent you an email. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter and leave a comment about Bijoux. And “Welcome!” to my new subscribers. I’m so glad to have you here.Second, it’s Mother’s Day here in the US. We’ll be driving out for lunch, taking the leftover pulled pork and some black-eyed pea salad for the family potluck. While many people can say their mother taught them homemaking and cooking skills, I am not one of them. I learned those things after I left home.

But what my mother did teach us was more important. She raised six children (with 24 years between eldest and youngest) to be strong, independent individuals who value the intangible things–humility, hard work, compassion and courage. These things are far more important to me than anything else she could have taught me and I’m grateful for what she instilled in me.

To all of you mothers out there, I’m wishing you a day filled with love. Have a happy Mother’s Day!