Naturescapes Winner!

Wow! Thank you all for your positive response to our first gift give away! It is nice to know who is actually checking into the Idea Book and to know there is a real audience out there. The winner of Noriko Endo's lovely new book, Naturescapes, is "momto2wasd"! Congratulations!! We are planning to do this every few weeks, so stay tuned.

While you were enjoying Noriko's work, we were enjoying another snow storm, so now the landscape is white and gray again. But here in the studio the colors are as brilliant as ever. The pastels have been irresistible this season, which is an unusual attraction for me! I was one of those women that rejected the color pink for many years. It seemed like a frivolous and airheaded color. But now I feel differently! Now I see pink as extravagant and heart achingly optimistic.

Pink and green is always a refreshing combination, so here I have teamed two fabrics
( Lively Silhouette, Blush and Dragonfly Moon, Peacock) from the Garden Divas line for the Reversible Party Napkin pattern. The coordinating Button-Down Napkin Ring is made with the Dragonfly Check, as is the old fashioned styled tablecloth. The English Tea Cozy, another of our Pint Size Patterns, teams up the Lively Silhouette, Aqua with a finishing band and yo-yo with the Dragonfly Check again.

Yes, optimism is the mood this week. I think this is a very pretty combination and I really enjoy the mix of critters, too. Perhaps the new seed catalogs have helped to sprout this spring like project.

Our house is trimmed with honey colored oak woodwork, so I am always looking for blonds baskets and accessories. But, of course, we crafters have to add our own touch. This handsome tea tray is from Ikea with a little extra decoupaged lining of Sassaman fabric... perfect for a summer celebration in January!

Noriko Endo Book Give Away!

It is ironic that the latest FreeSpirit fabric line, Garden Divas, is just arriving in stores and I am already deep into designing the next collection! When I am in "the designing zone" all my energy is focused on my pencil and paper, instead of my sewing machine, so this week I have decided to get my "fabric fix" by sharing the work of a new friend and fabulous quilter, Noriko Endo.
Our paths had crossed before, but this year at Houston Market, we really had a chance to talk and get to know each other. She is a very quiet, lovely and gracious woman with a surprising sense of humor and many tales to tell about her quilting adventures.

Noriko was at Market to introduce her lovely new Dragon Threads book, Confetti Naturescapes: Quilting Impressionistic Landscapes. I am always fascinated by work that is so different from my own and this colorful book takes you through her inspirations, explains her collage techniques and gives you a glimpse into her "real life" in the studio and at home 

(I always enjoy seeing where other artists work and live).

This is a wonderful picture of Noriko in her studio. She looks very peaceful and happy working on this giant quilt! I'm afraid my expression would be much different!! But I don't have a George, either, and I suspect that may help her attitude.

I'm sure this little tour of Noriko's work has stimulated your crafting instincts this week. It certainly has made me anxious to do some stitching. So to keep the creativity flowing,  Dragon Thread's has generously donated a copy of Confetti Naturescapes for us to give away! So post a comment below before next Tuesday, January 18, for a chance to win this inspiring book.

PLUS Dragon Threads is having a reciprocal drawing on their blog!  They are giving 2 pieces of the new Garden Divas fabric, as well as the new Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse Pattern to a lucky reader. 

Garden Divas Celebrate the New Year!

It is the new year and Garden Divas is finally arriving at your quilt store. So we are celebrating this week with some optimistic colors and designs! Here is one of the quilts which we made for the line's debut in Houston. I call it Nature Baby because it would make a lovely crib quilt for babies of any persuasion. The construction is easy, so its not too precious for real use. This is one of the free patterns available on the website. It uses two colors of the Life Totem and Dragonfly Moon fabrics and all three color variations of Willow Wands.

You can see some of the same fabrics in this Butterfly Quilt, too. Many of you may have made this pattern in other lines, so you have discovered that these Simple Silhouettes are an ideal way to feature some of your favorite "personality" prints.

I like to make the back of quilts less formal, but still interesting. On the back of this Butterfly Quilt, I made a large checker board, really just an elongated nine patch, edged with the Exotic Dragonfly Check. Pink is the color that flows throughout and holds it all together. I love the electricity that the contrasting blue blue patches create.

My friend Mellissa Peda, proprietor of the 100 Billion Stars Etsy store, has also been busy playing with her new Garden Divas stash. These are two new pillow covers that she is featuring in her delightful e-shop. I really like the simplicity and crispness of her designs.

Notice the embroidered embellishment that she has added in this detail. Quilting could also add some nice texture. The fussy cut Spring Wreath creates a nice kaleidoscopic effect and I can imagine the block being repeated for a larger quilt, too.

So we begin the new year with fresh colors and lively shapes. Stay tuned for new Diva ideas to brighten your winter in the weeks to come.

Christmas Baking

It's so nice to have a baker in the family, especially during this season of celebration! Willow always makes us treats for the holidays. Last weekend she made three kinds of croissants... bacon and tomato, onion and apple. I can't remember the last time I've baked because I'd rather be quilting. But when the kids were little baking was a favorite activity.

I just happened to have a new apron design made with the Garden Divas fabric. My tomato red kitchen opens onto a saffron and yellow dining area, so the Exotic colorway is perfect for my kitchen color scheme. The apron is reversible and both sides have side pockets.

This pattern was designed to cover both your front and back because I don't like having my backside sticking out, like it does with most aprons. Willie is so slim, though, that she doesn't have that dilemma!
It was fun picking out the fabric combinations and I am quite pleased with the contrasting trim on the pockets and ties. The blue willow fabric really adds some zip.

Here you can see the apron during construction and pinned to my work wall. Basically, I made 4 apron halves, two with pockets and two without. Each fabric was cut to take advantage it's symmetry. The scale of the little dragonfly check also adds some interest. I just love these colors!

Happy and Healthy Christmas to you all!

New Bouquets

Last weekends storm socked us in for a few days. But that was fine! The kids where up and took over the studio to stitch some Christmas gifts from the Sassaman stash. The timing was right because I had about a billion threads to bury while the sewing machine was occupied. I have been making a few new class samples for the 2012 teaching year and still working on the big salamander quilt. It is rare for me to work on several quilts at a time, but the balance seems to be working.

Above is the latest little broderie perse project for the Bountiful Bouquets workshop. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit are fussy cut from last years Sunshine & Shadow line, as is the central background. The border and the butterflies are from the new Garden Divas. I think the combination worked well.

The Jack fabric had a black background, so when I cut out the characters, I kept about a sixteenth to an eighth inch of a black outline because I knew it would blend in with the black Sprigs fabric. All quilters know how hard it is to work with black on black because the details disappear, but in this case, it is just what I wanted to happen. The extra edge also allowed me to keep the whole shape intact and not eat into the design. The black finishing satin stitch also dissolves into the background nicely, too.

Even the borders are appliqued, so the construction was pretty straight forward. I have chosen to simply follow the existing outlines for the quilting because the fabric is so graphic and pictorial.  As usual, I am using heavy 12 weight thread for quilting. It adds just a little frill to the edges, too. Perhaps it will get finished this weekend.

I hope you are all taking advantage of the season of good cheer! It is so easy to be overwhelmed with good intentions during the holidays. So remember that fondling fabric lowers stress and promotes positive thinking!

Celebrate the Simple Things

It seems like the weather changed gears overnight. Autumn was mild and lasted longer than usual.
But on Friday we began preparing for the first snow storm of the season, which started around midnight.
We went to bed anticipating the new world morning would bring and looking forward to being stranded
 for the weekend. We weren't disappointed.

This kind of weather heightens the nostalgia of the season, especially since we are "empty nesters" now. There are just a few decorations which have become necessities, among them are the Christmas stockings, even though we have never had a mantle to hang them on.

The stockings, no doubt, were inspired by this little tree that I made at our Brownies meeting in third grade. I can remember sitting around the big table at Cindy's house and stitching it together. It was a gift for my mom and she kept it in her jewelry box for 50 years. I just loved this little tree made of pinked green felt, sequins and seed beads. I don't really know why it still tickles me so much, but it does.

Also, my mother-in-law had made felt stockings for each of her seven children and my husband was very fond of his. So when my kids came along I got out the felt, beads and sequins to keep the tradition going. The things a mother will do for her kids!!

I will admit I had a great time sewing these goofy stockings. And the kids do take notice of them every year, probably hoping they will be filled with golden chocolate coins again. I wish we'd had access to all the great wool felt and beads that we have today. Perhaps I'll have to make one for myself.

So the seasonal basics have come out of the closet and I plan to just enjoy these few weeks that slip by more quickly every year. We will celebrate the simple things this year.

Season's greetings to all of you who check into this blog! Your friendship and support keep this quiet quilter in stitches all year long!

New Pattern for the New Year

Winter is settling in today. It is delightfully dark and dreary and I suspect we will have out first flakes of snow today. But, as you know, I love this kind of weather, especially if I am in the studio and fondling fabric. One of the first projects of the season has been to write and illustrate this new purse pattern. I call it the Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse and it is the bag that I actually use everyday. I have had so many people admire it, that a pattern was the obvious outcome.

I love this little bag (11" wide and 12.5" tall) because it is just the right size. It holds everything I need and the front pocket is great for all the things you want close to hand, like your keys and your cell phone.
But I like it, too, because it's just FUN! It make people smile and the felt beads are the icing on the cake.

Both of these are made with the new Garden Divas fabric, which will be available in stores this January. But it is perfect for featuring some of that fancy fabric already in your stash. The other fun thing about this pattern is decorating the front pocket to make it personal and unique. On the first bag I quilted it and added she-sha mirrors. On the turquoise bag I quilted it and then added clear sequins and pink French knots. The front pocket is your creative canvas... beads, buttons, ribbons or paint. If you can't find felt beads for the bottom, ball fringe will work just as well.

It takes a lot of concentration to put a pattern into production, so it is a good feeling to see the project come to life. We added it to the Sassaman Store this week, too, for those of you have taken the "handmade pledge" this holiday.