Friday, February 24, 2012

Always Learning New Things


Have you checked out Craftsy yet? So much fun going on there! They not only have tons of online workshops and classes, but also have a vast online community of people who love to make things. You really could get lost for hours on there looking at everyone's projects. And the patterns! I've bought a couple of patterns for knitted headbands since my daughter keeps borrowing the one I got as a Christmas gift. I figured if I make here one (or two) maybe I won't keep having to look for mine.

I've been seeing a lot of blocks posted in the projects from the Craftsy Block of the Month. When I saw that it was a free class, I decided to sign up and see how it went - after all, it wouldn't cost anything and it might be fun, what did I have to lose? A fat quarter bundle was recommended - I had a set of 8. I figure if I need more fabric, I'll just find some pretty solids or tone on tones to complement my bright fabrics - so far so good!

Yep, definitely fun! First we made this Asterisk block! I've seen this around the internet a lot, and it's so much fun to make. Just a square of pretty fabric and some white strips make this one up in jiffy!

The next one for January was a Wonky Pound Sign. A square of white and strips of color. Even more fun - no measuring at all! Just slash and sew. I was a little intimidated because I like measuring. Love precision. Had a ball throwing it all to the wind and sewing this baby up! What a blast!

Since I was on a roll I went right into February's blocks! Half square triangles were the theme of these lessons. The first one used a method I have never heard of before - Magic Half Square Triangles. You take two squares, sew them together around the outside edges and cut in half diagonally both ways - this makes 4 half square triangle units fast as can be. The downside is that they are all on the bias, so a little tricky to handle. My square came out great!
And the last block is a Chunky Chevron. Very graphic! We did this making half square triangles using a drawn line method. It was fun, too. I love the bright fabric in this one! I'm excited about next months lesson, looks like a spiderweb block. It's not too late to sign up, so head on over and join in the fun!

Let me know how it goes, hope you have as much fun as I am!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Etsy Treasury - Front Page Alert!

What a fun surprise this morning, my Zig Zag Baby quilt was on the front page of Etsy!



Thanks to Jacqueline of Ruby Kelly for featuring my quilt!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Crazy Busy!

Yes, it's been a crazy busy week for me. The quilt shop asked me to come up with a new sample for Quilt Run and I ended up with two ideas that were just begging to be made. Of course, with the original samples, there had to be patterns as well, so I had to piece, and quilt both samples as well as writing patterns this week. It was a challenge, but I rose to the occasion and now have two new patterns to show you!
The first one is CityScape. I designed this to use the fat quarter bundles we have made up for the shop that use the Bear Essentials line of fabrics. This one is in teals and blues. I love the way it came out, and my daughter would like to have one for her bedroom! The quilting is really simple on it - just straight lines - yet it really adds to the overall effect of the quilt. I have included every size from baby to king size in this pattern, so whatever size you would like to make, I've got it covered!
The second one is Daisy Garland. It uses the Simple Pleasures line from RJR fabrics by Debbie Beaves. Such pretty prints! The border is purple daisies and it is as sweet as it sounds! I loved working with these fabrics, like a shot of sunshine on a rainy day here. It features strip piecing and an easy no waste technique for the flying geese that make up the stars. It goes together pretty fast and looks great!

Another neat announcement - I have been featured on Stitched Stories. Jenn just wrote up the neatest little article, and it just made my day to see all the nice things she had to say! (Made me blush, too! What a sweet-heart!) She has a wonderful Etsy shop full of great fabrics patterns and fabrics - Little Shop of Stitches. I think this charm pack would look absolutely fabulous in my Windmills pattern - I might have to try it!
Hope your weekend was lovely - my grandsons were here and I had a wonderful time with them (and their parents, of course). I'm looking forward to a good sewing week, and hope you are, too!

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Downright Dangerous!

This is what I say I'll be in twenty years! As forgetful as I am now... I can't imagine how I will be then. I totally forgot about Quilt Guild tonight! I was thinking about it earlier today - planning out how to deliver all the secret sister gifts, leave and go to my dance team meeting, but for some reason as the afternoon wore on, I spaced it out. My husband had me help him do some repair on our fence and I was working out some ideas for some new samples for the shop and before you know it, I had to leave for the Dance team meeting. I didn't even think about the Quilt Guild meeting until I was cozy in my chair for the evening! So irritating.

On the other hand, I got that butterfly quilt ready to be quilted, just have to do some minor repairs and replace a few of the black bodies. I played around with EQ7 and managed a pretty good copy of the block, then printed the templates and made one of my own in some of my Amy Butler scraps. I'm loving it! If you click on the picture, you can download my free pattern - I warn you, it's a little tricky and involves lots of templates, but if you are up for a bit of a challenge give it a try! Let me know if you try it and tell me what you think of my instructions. I didn't want to write a long explanation, so I tried to keep it simple. (You do have to sign up for an account, but my pattern is free.)

Well, I need to get busy and get myself ready for a long day tomorrow. I'll be riding in a car for 3 1/2 hours, spending another 6 or so hours at a dance competition, then spending another 3 1/2 hours riding home. It's gong to be a very long day, with no quilting. Unless I decide it would not be bad manners to bring some hand sewing to work on in the car while the other mom drives. Hmmm. What's the etiquette on that? I wouldn't bring a book, but I can stitch and chat at the same time. Oh, I don't know, I guess I'll tuck a few blocks in my bag in case. I'll let you know what I decide!