Customer Show and Tell

 Sue R. stopped in recently to share these cute blocks her elementary school kids made.

They read the books and then each child made their own nine patch block using scrap fabric Sue provided. Some kids were more into the project than others, but they all did fabulous!

On a personal note, I'd like to wish a happy birthday to this guy.

This is the most recent good photo I have of him. He is posing with his high school graduation quilt from April 2020. Those of you with teenage boys will understand how hard it can be to get them to take a serious photo! He turns 20 today. Happy Birthday son!

Beading Class Fun

 Last week we had a beading class at my shop. The ladies were learning to bead while making mitten ornaments. We had two kits - a snowflake mitten and a pine branch mitten.

One of these ladies had never beaded before while the other one has done a little beading in the past. Can you guess which one is the newbie? I know, but I won't tell. And I bet you can't guess based on their workmanship because they both did great!

In Progress :: Samples

 Here is what we are working on at my shop.

This is the center of the quilt. We still need to sew the blocks together then figure out borders and such. This quilt uses the new Woodland Winter collection we just received recently. We want to incorporate the side borders from the panel somehow, but haven't quite figured out exactly what we want to do with them.

Next is a new pattern I just ordered called Starlets. It is a great pattern from Modernly Morgan, but I decided to make it up in traditional style fabrics instead of my usual bright, modern style fabrics.

Most of the fabrics I am using are from the new collection by Julie Letvin from Robert Kaufman called 6th Street Cottons. I also pulled one or two fabrics from her previous collection, Homestead Harvest.

This is a really great pattern! There are diagrams for how to cut out your pieces and clear photos in the piecing section. The pattern has information for 4 sizes of quilt from Baby size (which is the size I am making) up to Queen size. If you follow the pattern then you need yardage for the stars because those are all the same fabrics, but you could easily make scrappy stars instead. All of the rest of the fabrics are fat quarters so it's a perfect pattern for that fat quarter bundle you bought without a plan.

Summer Song made with Favorite Things

 I just pulled this quilt out last week to display in the shop.

Check out the great quilting pattern my long arm quilter used.

The fabrics I used are from a collection called Favorite Things and the binding fabric is my current favorite binding fabric, Magic Stripe in Black and White.

I have a few kits available for this fun quilt and enough fabric left to make a few more, Summer Song Kit.

Customer Show and Tell

 I took this photo a few months ago when I taught at Monarch Quilters in Poncha Springs, CO.

Laurie purchased the pattern, Family Tradition, and the fabrics from my shop. You can view the pattern and the fabrics we have left from this collection by clicking the following link: Home Sweet Holidays.

The next one is also a photo I took a while ago, but it is just too awesome not to share. This was made by one of my customers, Michele S.

Michele stopped into the shop for advise on this project. She had the wools she planned to use for the dog but needed a background fabric and finishing ideas. We found this awesome white print and Michele added the hand embroidery right over the top of the printing on the fabric. I suggested that she frame it and should found this shadowbox frame at a big box store.

This is the best part of my job! Getting to help customers make incredible creations like this one.

Another Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch

 I finished up my "kanwandiko" sample and have turned it into a Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch. Unfortunately, I am currently out of the patterns, but more have been ordered. It was more popular than I expected!

This is the last photo I took of my piece before turning it into a bag.

Here it is finished. It measures about 5" by 5" by 5". This is the "storage cube" size from the pattern.

For the inside I used a scrap of backing fabric from a previous quilt.

Developing a New Class

 I made this notebook cover several months ago. I thought I had shared it with you but I can't find the post so I guess I forgot!

The notebook cover above is my first attempt. For it I used some Essex Linen Denim color, scraps and size 8 pearl cotton in four variegated colors. I just laid the scraps on the linen and left the edges raw. A running stitch holds everything in place. The scraps are not fused or appliqued to the linen, just sewn on with the running stitches. I like working with the pearl cotton but don't really care for the raw edges on the fabric scraps.

Below is the start of my second attempt. I am using a mix of techniques: Sashiko, Kantha and Kawandi stitching. I'm trying to come up with a name for this technique. My current favorite is "Kanwandiko".

For this one I am using a base of a Moda Bella Solid. The color doesn't matter as it will be completely covered by scraps. I am using six stranded floss for this one (Aurifloss) in a neutral color and a sashiko needle. I am turning the exposed edges of the fabric scraps and tucking raw edges underneath other pieces. I am building it as I go. Nothing is really planned. The only thing holding everything together is the stitching. I am going to turn this one into a Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch. 

You will be seeing more of this in the next few months as I try various methods and perfect my technique before adding this to my class calendar.

Customer Show and Tell

 The Exploding Heart pattern has been a popular pattern and class at my shop. This is Vicki R.'s version. The link will take you to the pattern in my online shop.

She used purples and pinks for her "colors" with a white background. She took our class on this and I helped her to downsize the pattern to make a small wall hanging that finished at 36" by 36".

*****

Janet D. spent a week last month at the Alegre Retreat in Gateway, Colorado. She took a class from Sheila Frampton Cooper and this is her completed class project.

Janet is a very talented artist! She has been entering major quilt shows for years and she wins often. You can see why. This is just a class project and her first project following the technique taught in her class.

Crimson Tweed Update

 I might be done with the embroidery and ready to baste it together for quilting.

But I'm not sure yet. I just hung this up on my design wall and I will think about it for a few days. If I get a great idea for more embroidery I could do in the border then I will do it. If nothing occurs to me within a week or so I will just baste it together with backing and batting and start quilting.

Finish It Up Friday

 I got my Wind Drifter shop sample quilted. Patterns are available by clicking the link: Wind Drifter.

I quilted this very simply but I love the effect. I started by quilting a straight line from corner to corner diagonally in both directions. Then I used a ruler and quilted lines in a "V" shape to fill in each section. The lines are 3/4" apart. I used my Q20 longarm and a straight ruler but you could easily do the exact same thing with a walking foot on a regular sewing machine.

My other finish for this week is a Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch.

This is a new-to-me pattern and a new pattern that I have in my shop. There are several patterns on the market right now for these little duffle style bags but this is the only one I have found that has all the information you need in the pattern to make one in any size you want. It includes all of the information and measurements for three sizes of bag PLUS the fill-in-the-blank formulas so that you can make one whatever size you want. You do have to do a little arithmetic, but you don't have to start from scratch to figure out what size to cut your pieces so that you end up with a specific size bag. Very handy!

The pattern is very well laid out and well written with plenty of diagrams to help you out. It stands up nicely because you use interfacing and fusible web. I don't recommend using batting or foam batting like Soft and Stable. Those are just too thick for this pattern. I made my own pull tabs instead of using grosgrain ribbon as the pattern suggested - this was a mistake. I made my pull tabs too thick and had trouble sewing over them along with the zipper. I was able to make it work but on my next one I will either use ribbon or make the tabs with less layers of fabric.

Customer Show and Tell

One of the best parts of my job is getting to help folks choose fabrics and patterns for their projects and then getting to see the finished item!

This was made by Sharon M. as a Christmas gift. She is starting early for this Christmas!

 She purchased the panel and a few companion prints from another shop but needed a few more fabrics to round out the pattern she chose and those came from my shop. Great job Sharon!

This one is just a top by Joan D. She purchased a lot of the fabrics from my shop.

I wish I knew the name of this pattern or if she just made it up. If you know would you please leave me a comment. Joan came into the shop on a Monday and I wasn't there so I couldn't ask her.

Great job ladies! If you are ever in the area I would love for you to stop in to my shop and show off what you have been working on. All of the contact information and address for my shop can be found by clicking here.

March Madness Challenge Winners

 My shop sponsored a little challenge recently. I called it March Madness because it's cute, catchy and you had to be a little bit mad to give it a try. You can click the following link to read the challenge rules: March Madness Challenge

We had eleven folks brave enough to give it a try AND bring their item back in for voting.

There were some really creative items made using those little 1" finished size units! Visitors to the shop were able to vote for their favorites all month in April and I tallied the votes on Saturday, April 30th. Here are the winners:

That fish was hands down almost everyone's favorite but all of the entries received several votes each. There were only two votes separating 2nd place and 3rd place. It was fun and I'm already thinking about what kind of challenge I can give next.

Scroll back up and look at the first photo. I'm really impressed by my employee, Leah, who came up with such a cute and unique way to display such a wide variety of items. That was a challenge in itself!