This quilt features our Canoe Lake fabrics. These fabrics are batik.
The "plain" squares are fussy cut from the main print. It's a little hard to see in the photo but it shows a canoe on a lake at sunset (or sunrise) with a tall pine tree on the left. You can see it better in the photo below.
And I used the main print for the backing.
I need to write up the pattern as it is one we came up with in-house. Once I do we will kit this quilt. The kit will be available in store and in the online shop.
Before Christmas I ordered a few laser cut kits for my shop, but held them back until recently when we had time to make samples. I started with just two styles: Gone Quilting and Happy Camper.
Above is Gone Quilting. This one finishes at 48" by 30". The kit includes all of the applique pieces that have been laser cut with fusible already on the back, instructions, and a full size pattern for placement or if you want to make another one you can trace the pieces onto fusible yourself and cut them out the old fashioned way.
Below is Happy Camper in the Coral Canyon color way. I am currently out of the Coral Canyon color way but do have the other two in stock. Click the link to view the other two color ways.
This one finishes at about 18" by 30". For the Gone Quilting we just fused the pieces in place on the background and quilted it. The applique was sewn down with the quilting. For the Happy Camper we used a straight stitch or a zig zag stitch to sew all the pieces down before quilting. The quilting is just simple diagonal lines about 1" apart.
These are great as a stand alone project or use it as the center of a larger project and add pieced blocks and borders around it until it is whatever size you want it to finish.
I placed another order from this company over the weekend. I got a resupply of the Happy Camper Coral Canyon color way. And I got a few copies of each that are not kits, just the patterns. When those arrive I will put them in my online shop.
I recently tested another new pattern. This one is for a quilt.
The pattern is called Wind Drifter and the cover is shown in the photo above. The pattern includes instructions for two sizes of finished quilt: 32.75" by 32.75" and 65" by 65". I made the smaller one for a shop sample and to test the pattern.
The pattern uses fat 1/8s and yardage for background. I made the smaller size because it is so much easier to display in my shop. There is really nothing very difficult about this pattern. It is mostly rectangles and half square triangles. The center is a quarter square triangle and the quilt goes together using partial seams. If you have never tried partial seams it isn't very hard and is a good skill to have. Basically, the first seam you sew only part way (hence the name "partial" seams). Then you sew the remaining seams as normal. Once they are all sewn you go back to the first one and finish the seam.
I like the way the pattern shows you a diagram of the fabric with all of the pieces you need to cut from the fabric shown on the diagram. This makes it so much easier to know that you are cutting your fabric correctly. I wish the pattern had better pressing instructions but not many patterns have good pressing instructions so I won't hold that against this one.
Just like the bag I shared with you last time, I've ordered copies of this pattern for my shop, but they won't be here for another week or so. That seems to be the way it goes for me: I find a pattern that looks interesting and order one copy. Sometimes it takes me a little while to find time to try the pattern. Once I do and like it I order copies for the shop but often they are backordered by the time I get around to ordering them! Oh well! At least I know that when they do arrive I have a sample already made. More importantly, I know that the pattern is a good one.
I'm always on the lookout for a good, new bag pattern. This one caught my eye and I finally had a chance to test the pattern.
The bag has a top zipper closure and customizable interior pockets.
The handles can be made short like I did or longer to go over your shoulder. This is a shop sample and short handles are easier for me on a display bag so I went with the shorter handle length. If I was making this to use myself I would make them a little longer.
The wallet has plenty of pockets for your cards, a pocket for bills and a zippered pocket for change. It has a magnetic snap closure.
I have ordered patterns but they won't be here until next week sometime. When they arrive the patterns will be available in store but also in my online shop. I also went ahead and added this to my shop class calendar too. If you are an experienced bag maker then this pattern is very easy to follow. If you aren't an experienced bag maker you might need a little help but don't let that discourage you from trying this pattern.
Both of my Sue Spargo pin cushions are now actual, useable pin cushions!
Top: Canna Blossom Pin Cushion Kit or Canna Blossom Pattern
Bottom: Circle Play Pin Cushion Kit or Circle Play Pattern
Both of these were kits. They came with all of the required fabrics, even the fabric for the crushed walnut shell inner "pillows" and a piece of wool for the back. I opted to put the wool pieces for the backs into my stash and use a cotton fabric instead for the backs.
Of course, I have these kits and patterns in my shop, Alamosa Quilt Company. I don't have a lot of them, but I do have some. I am ordering more though since I just finished the shop samples!
I'm making progress on my Canna Blossom pin cushion. I have finished the hand embroidery.
I just need to turn it into a pin cushion. My Circle Play pin cushion is also waiting to become an actual pin cushion. Hopefully I will get some time to get both of these finished up soon.
If you want to see what it looked like before the embroidery click the following link: Canna Blossom before embroidery.
My mom pieced the top of this quilt and sent it to me to finish and donate to charity.
For the back I used this adorable elephant fabric.
To quilt it I used a few different rulers.
In addition to the two above, I also used a straight ruler for stitching in the ditch. I stitched in the ditch around all of the blocks first. Then I used Elvira to quilt the nine patch blocks.
The nine patches were made from 2 1/2" strips and Elvira is designed to quilt this pattern on 2" finished size pieces.
I used Chevy to quilt on the plain green squares.
I went from one side of the quilt to the other then came back to get the other side of each square. Then I turned the quilt and repeated the process so that every plain square got quilted the same from all four points. It created an interesting pattern on the plain squares.
It finishes at about 40" by 50". Here is the finished quilt again.
