Sci Fi Fabric and a Birthday Pillowcase

 I received a beautiful new collection from In the Beginning Fabrics last week - two months earlier than it was scheduled to be here! Believe me, that is a first of late! I am still missing orders from March, April and of course May of this year. 

First the fabrics - Sci Fi fabric collection:

I used the border print to make a pillowcase for my boy for his birthday last week.

All of these fabrics are available both in my physical shop and in the online version of my shop. Click here to see them all in my online shop. The panel is huge at 54" by width of fabric (about 43" wide). Since it is so large there are fewer on the bolt so if you like this don't wait too long to order.

Stitched Pin Cushions

 I have been playing around more with my "Kanwandiko" stitching. I am leaning toward the name "stitched meditations" now or "mindful stitching" instead of a weird, made-up word. I have finally perfected my technique to one that is more my own rather than following someone else's ideas. Here are the few I have made so far.

The two above are now finished pin cushions.

These two below are just stitched but have not yet been turned into completed pin cushions.

The one above I made using only solids. I thought I would like it more than I do. Maybe if I had just used a single color of fabrics in various shades I would like it better. I'll try that at some point. Or maybe I it's the white thread I don't like. I could have used a different color thread for each fabric. Maybe I'll try that too at some point.

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.