Easter Greetings!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope the Easter Bunny put all the dark chocolate in your basket!

This week we are celebrating the season with a new table setting done in Early Birds fabric, of course.
The scene is filled with plenty of easy "do-it-yourself" projects. Let's begin with the basic tablecloth of the Pink Curlicue fabric... just measure, cut and hem. Over sized ball fringe would be a perfect finish on the edges.

Melissa Peda's table runner is so cute! It is made with six inch blocks that feature fussy cut Bleeding Hearts (from the Strawberry Serenade fabric) down the center and Primrose Posy triangles down the side. The bright white and blue blocks add a sense of humour.

And I love the addition of the buttons. Look at the detail below of the white baby buttons dangling from each blossom and the yellow daisy buttons in each corner. Our bleeding hearts are the pride of the garden right now.

The lamp shade is covered in the red Poka Dots fabric, which always make me think of Betty Boop and gives me a chuckle.

The elegant curtains are made with Prairie Poppies in the blueberry colorway. They look great against the gold wall.

The English Tea Cozy also models the Strawberry Serenade fabric, anchored by a band of blue Poka Dots and topped with a yellow yoyo and felt beads.

And finally, we have Melissa's little pin cushion pillow. It is done with tiny cross stitches in the letter "J"and surrounded with the Prairie Poppy design, in the strawberry colorway this time.

I know there will be little time for sewing today. But perhaps tomorrow when the guests have gone and all the dishes are done you can escape into the sewing room and indulge in some fabric fondling.

Who is the Winner?

Here in the Midwest and probably anywhere in the States the weather is a month ahead of itself. Even the lilacs are beginning to bloom. Its wonderful, but a little disturbing, too. There are weeds we have never seen before spreading over the lawn. Their little seeds must have lain dormant for ages just waiting for the right conditions to sprout. It must be my Iowa roots that keeps me waiting for the inevitable spring snow storm to even the score.

But you have to rejoice when the daffodils come out! They seem to be the most optimistic and refreshing of all the spring flowers. So here they set the scene for some equally enthusiastic little bags. They are made from our Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse pattern and some of the Early Birds fabrics.

The wonderful details show nicely in this photograph. The pocket is lined with the daffodil yellow Curlicue fabric and outlined with mint green rick rack. The long hand stitches add to the one-of-a-kind sensibility.

The top and back panels are decorated with a fancy machine stitch in variegated colored thread. The body is made with the Berry Patch Border fabric in the plum colorway and quilted in a scalloped pattern with top stitching thread.

We chose different quilting stitches for this Pocket Purse variation. I love how the pink rick rack sets off the blue lining. The happy Strawberry Serenade fabric in blueberry makes the body of the purse. Again there is variegated thread to ornament the top and back panels. Both bags have a felt bead as a zipper pull and some fun trim.

On the left we used common ball fringe and for the other we added a row of confetti colored felt beads. Perfect accessories to celebrate spring.

This is another wonderful bag pattern using the Early Birds fabric. Look at all those pockets!!! A lot of thought and engineering has gone into this marvelous Studio Kat design. This looks like the ideal traveling bag, as you can use each unit individually or combine them into a single bag. The green lining also makes it easy to see what's inside. Bravo! It is great to see the fabric put to such good use!

And finally, thanks to all of you who left comments this week. It is encouraging to know you are all out there! The winner of the drawing is lucky Martha Lorshbaugh of New York state. Congratulations!

Check it Out!

The book is finished! The deadline was tight, but the timing was just right. Barely hours before my spring teaching schedule began, the final version of the manuscript was approved. It is on its way to the printers and should be available by June. Isn't the cover grand? Kim at Dragon Threads did a fabulous job with the layout and design.

In honor of this occasion, I will be giving away an Amaryllis pattern and an Early Birds Fabric Kit to make it with. For a chance to win, just leave a comment here by Sunday March 25. A winner will be announced Monday the 26th.

Feels like Spring!

Another fabulous storm began Friday night. It was very heavy snow and weighed down all the trees and grasses. Ice coated everything. Yesterday it began to warm and the icicles slowly disappeared. It sounded like someone was pounding on the roof all last night from the heavy clumps of snow falling from the trees. Today is sunny and warm! It feels like Spring!!!

So I thought I'd show some bright and sunny pillows to honor this happy mood. These were made by my talented buddy Melissa Peda. They are inspired by traditional quilt designs but the results are very contemporary. The fabrics are all from the Early Birds line for FreeSpirit. I'm finding that the bright yellow Curlicue fabric adds some punch to many projects.

This is a busy week as the new book, Patchwork Sassaman Style is nearing completion. It looks beautiful and I can't wait to share it with you! Dragon Threads and I will keep you in the loop, so stay tuned!

Stormy Weather

After a very busy week in the studio we were rewarded with the second real snow storm of the winter. I was out of town for the first one, so this was a welcome event for me. The snow came in the evening and watching it by the yard light was like watching buckets of white ribbon whipping and dancing by the bedroom window. The next morning was so still and white I hated to be the first to disturb it as I wondered down to the studio. But what better place to hang out in the winter?

I showed you this sneak preview a few weeks ago. The piece is finished and I will share it with you now. It is almost a whole cloth quilt, but not quite. Sometimes a fabric is so pretty that it deserves to be left alone to make a statement all by itself. So the body of the quilt is a selvedge to selvedge cut of the plum Primrose Posy fabric from the Early Birds collection for Free Spirit. The print is large and graphic, but also very feminine.

So I simply framed it with apple green sashing and a border of the Strawberry Serenade, also in the plum colorway. The circular quilting is the icing on the cake. It turns a very simple quilt into an elegant one.
On the chair is another "whole cloth" quilt made from another selvedge to selvedge cut of the Potato Vines and Rose Hips fabric from the Prairie Gothic line from a few seasons ago. Hopefully these will encourage you to dig some of those big beautiful prints from your stash and give them a chance to shine in one of your creations!

Lots to do this week, too, since I have some big teaching adventures coming up soon. Check my schedule... perhaps I'll see you in class!

Winter Color Fix

Photography for the new Dragon Threads book, Patchwork Sassaman Style, continued this week. The skies have been heavy and gray, so it has been nice to be absorbed in so much color indoors. Here is a picture of a new quilt made with the Early Birds Fabric. It is a traditional Cross in a Diamond design.

It uses two colorways of the Strawberry Serenade fabric, one with a dark background and the other with a white ground. They are five and a half inch finished squares divided by 3 one inch strips of the Curlicue fabrics, for a 14" finished block. The border is made from the Berry Patch Border design. It was quite the perfect subject for Valentine's Day photography.

A Week of Contrasts

Wednesday I returned from a wonderful teaching trip to Florida. I had workshops in Sarasota, Naples and Lakeland. As always, the hospitality and camaraderie was amazing. One afternoon I got to visit the Naples Botanical Garden and this little display of Air Plants was fascinating!

They were simply suspended on weighted fish lines. Each one had a personality of its own. They looked like weird and wonderful pieces of jewelry.

Needless to say, I was drawn to all the curlicues and spirals... some of my favorite shapes.

Look at the movement in this one! It looks like a wild green whirlwind.

I just wanted to wear them all. There are definitely some quilt ideas brewing from this dramatic display. The sun was shining everyday in Florida, but when I got back home the skies were leaden and grey. What a contrast! But I like contrast, so it was fine with me. It's always nice to be home.

So back in the studio there is lots to do, as the book deadline is coming soon. Plenty of writing and finishing of quilts will occupy my time this month. Here is a new Early Birds top that needs quilting. But look as this great view from my studio window. What a better place to work and play?

You may enjoy the special Valentines blog at Quilt Inspiration featuring hearts "Sassaman Style". Guess I'd better start thinking about some new Valentine ideas for 2012.

Early Bird Napkin Project

This has been a wild weather week! Wednesday it was 50 degrees and sunny. Thursday it was 15 degrees and we had the first snow storm of the season! But it's all fine with me.

I promised a little project this week, so let's get to it! We are going to make some Early Bird napkins to spice up your dining settings. I had collected some nice colored cloth napkins at an outlet shop with the intent of ornamenting them. I pulled them out the other day, because they were just the right colors to go with the new Early Birds fabric.

To make these pretty napkins with a front pocket, we started by cutting a 9" square from some coordinating Early Birds fabric. Above is Leaf Dance in Lime and below is the Primrose Posy in the Blueberry colorway.

Then we folded it in half, with right sides together and stitched a quarter inch seam, but leaving a hole so we could turn it right side out. Clip the corners.

When it is right side, whip stitch the opening. Then stitch along the long side of the triangle before pinning it to one corner of the napkin and stitch down the two short sides to make a pocket.

So here are a few others that we whipped up...

Very cheerful colors for a cold winter day! These would be lovely for a Valentine's place setting.

Early Birds Pattern Give Away This Week!

Aren't these the cutest aprons? They are being featured on the FreeSpirit Blog this week. So to read all the details visit their site. This week they will be sharing a free pattern for the new Early Bird fabrics. Also check out the Fat Quarter Shop's blog, the Jolly Jabber, to see some studio shots and read a short interview.

Lots to do in the studio this week. Next week we will post a little home decorating project, so stay tuned.

Another New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! After a busy week of socializing I am exhausted. Having fun has made me tired! I have washed LOTS of dishes and made up quite a few beds. But today is New Year's Day, the wind is whipping through the trees and it is dark and snowing now and then. A good moody day to ease into the long list of projects that need attention. A quiet day for reflection and resolutions.

I have managed to escape to the studio everyday for a little "quiet time" and some quilting. In fact, I have been going in circles... lots of circles. I will show you the rest when it is all finished.

And today we begin to get organized for a new year of positive possibilities. These wonderful file satchels were designed by my friend, Melissa Peda. They are quilted and lined and perfect for the serious fashion follower. They would be perfect laptop or iPad covers, too. You can buy the pattern  or purchase them ready made at Melissa's Etsy shop, 100 Billion Stars. These were made with fabrics from the new Early Birds collection. Left, Primrose Posies in the Plum colorway, right, Leaf Dance in Lime and Primrose Posies in Blueberry.

Our new life begins tomorrow. But those leftovers in the fridge still remain!

A Tree for the Birds

A beautiful dusting of snow appeared over Friday night. Yesterday was delightfully gray... a perfect studio day. After a foggy evening we awoke to bright blue sky and a sparkling coat of frost over everything. It is never boring here!

This week I worked on the new book and did a little holiday shopping, very little. I like to keep the holiday simple, especially after such a busy year. Handmade holidays are always best. Greg found a nice tree, as always, with room for ornaments to dangle. It looked like the perfect tree for birds to nest in. So I went to work making nests.

I went through my scraps and cut random squares of brightly colored fabrics. Then I piled them in loose stacks and free-motion quilted a big spiral in the middle of each one. After that I slashed them all around the edges and popped them into the washing machine.

Next I sent them through the drier twice to fray and tangle the flaps until a grand bouquet of nests emerged.

Melissa Peda made us a bunch of sassy birds for our Early Birds booth at Houston Market, so of course, they will warm all the new nests. After the birds are all settled in we will add the next layer of ornaments.

It's starting to feel like Christmas. Remember to take some time to stitch this week... and bake and wrap...

Jack Frost Arrives

This week we had our first sprinkling of snow and the chill felt blistering. The scarves, hats, gloves and boots were put into service. I had many good work hours in the studio, but it has been hard to adjust to it getting dark so early.

For this weeks "show and tell" I'm keeping with the holiday color theme. Here are two purses made with the Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse pattern. This is the purse design that I use everyday. It's just big enough for everything I need. These are both featuring fabrics from the new Early Birds collection. Above is the Primrose Posy and the Poka Dots, both in the Strawberry colorway accented with yellow rick rack, red ball fringe and felt balls on the zipper pull. Both bags were made by my quilting buddy Juanita Whiting.

The extra little details make all the difference. The primroses have been free-motion quilted and there is hand stitching around the pocket and top band. She has also enhanced the black fabric with a simple, but very effective, machine embroidery stitch done on the "to die for" Bernina 830. The back of the bag is also black and covered with the same embroidery.

This pattern is fun because the front panel is like a little quilt that you can embellish any way you'd like.
This version uses Prairie Poppy with gentle echo quilting with top-stitching thread. The pocket lining is made with the lime Curlicue design. Ball fringe adds to it's optimistic attitude.

This time we chose a hand dyed green cotton for the top band and back. Juanita used a variegated thread for the machine embroidery detail. Again the hand stitches really give this little bag some class. Wonderful workmanship!

So this is your little dash of seasonal color from the Sassaman studio this week. Next week we hope to feature the Christmas tree decorated with a few Early Bird ornaments.

Thank you, too, to everyone who put in your scarf vote over at the Dragon Threads blog. Looks like the Spiderweb design was the big winner.