snapshots block 3 - put the kettle on

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Welcome to the third installment of the Snapshots quilt along with Fat Quarter Shop! This month's block is a kettle. That's perfect for me because I'm a big fan of imported teas here at Grey Dogwood Studio, and my vintage kettle is in constant use.

In case you haven't heard about the sew along, the Snapshots blocks help us to capture life's photo-worthy moments in a quilt. You're invited to sew along with us! We'll sew a new block each month this year, and we'll have a finished quilt top in December! The monthly block pattern is free, but a donation of just $5 is requested for St Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I'm using the Snapshots kit and customizing it to make it a little more unique. For my kettle, I've used the kit's Daysail fabric, and I added a navy solid from Bonnie & Camille's Miss Kate collection for the center star.

And who doesn't like to have some cake with their tea?! Doesn't the kettle look cute next to January's cake pattern?

Ok, so here are all the links that you need. You can get the whole scoop on the sew along from the Jolly Jabber blog here. The free pattern download for the kettle is here, and you can make a donation to St. Jude's here. Use your favorite fabrics from your stash, or purchase the kit from Fat Quarter Shop here. Finally, there's a new video tutorial to help you with your block construction here.

Be sure to check out the Snapshots blocks from these fun quilters!

fig tree mystery sampler

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I think that one of the best parts about quiltmaking is when I start a new quilt. There's all that new potential for discovering and creating and learning new techniques.

You're probably wondering about my other quilts-in-progress, right? I've finished the Moda Modern Building Blocks top! Yes! That thing is huge. I've been waiting for a sunny day to take some photos. Today was sunny... but I completely forgot to get out my camera. You'll see it soon.

So a few months ago, Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree and Company announced a mystery sampler block of the month. Well, I couldn't make up my mind! I was afraid of another block-of-the-month commitment so I stalled until it sold out (I was already working on the Modern and Snapshots BOMs). And mystery quilts scare me. I like to know what I'm getting into before I sign up and commit to that monthly charge on my credit card. What if I don't like the patterns? What if I don't like the fabric? But I love everything Fig Tree, and when the blocks started popping up on Instagram I felt like I was missing out. Joanna was nice enough to find enough fabric for me to get started... so here I am with a third BOM project. I was determined to finish the Modern quilt before I started this one. So, now is the time!

I've created my very technically advanced chart with fabric swatches. Haha! But seriously... we will be using the leftover bits of fabric in future months, and this little grid will help me to remember the names that Joanna uses for each print. It's just copy paper and a glue stick but it works. There are some great prints coming up soon - even some prints from other Moda designers, so I'm excited about that.

I love churn dash blocks. One of my all-time favorite blocks. So easy and classic and you can vary the dimensions to freshen it up. (This reminds me of a Civil War churn dash block-of-the-month that I discovered in a quilt shop in San Antonio and got hooked.) Then there's the rolling stone block...

I love the rolling stone blocks! But because I'm a little crazy, I started thinking about the block name. Rolling stone? Hummm, these blocks don't look like Mick Jagger or Keith Richards. I prefer to think of them as glamorous, like Mick's exes, Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall.

And then there are the Mini Stems blocks. Kinda deja vu-ish since I just made the Christmas Mini Stems quilt a few months ago. They're simple, time-consuming, and really cute.

The first month is done! (Well, almost... I'm going to temporarily skip the applique clamshell blocks and return to them later.) Now I need to complete three more back months and I'll be caught up. And just in time, because I've already signed up for the upcoming Fig Tree Christmas mystery sampler!

Thanks for checking up on me while I was away last week. I've been super busy at work - it's fall market time for the cosmetic industry - and I've had client meetings and dinners. I squeezed in an hour of sewing wherever I could last week. I've got a few more weeks like this before I return to normal. Those few minutes of sewing make me happy!

modern building blocks - almost done!

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I'm almost finished sewing the Moda Modern Building Blocks. Finally! It's been a seven month journey. And I have just TWO 6" blocks left to sew! I cannot wait to begin assembling the blocks into a quilt top. I have plenty of leftover Fig Tree and Moda Bella Solid fabric, and I'm already thinking of some pieced border options. 

Maybe you've wondered why I've been so quiet this past week. Well, I love sharing what I'm working on with you. But blogging also helps me to remember what's going on in my life at that very moment. This past week, I spent countless hours doing some secret calculating, secret drafting and secret sewing. I've always hated when bloggers have secrets! Here's what I've been working on. It will be just between us, ok? I've worked up a quilt proposal for a magazine! I've never really thought of myself as a quilt designer, and yet I had so much fun (and a few sleepless nights) working on this project. I'm happy with my design. I've mailed it off and now I'll just have to be patient for a few months. I hope they'll select my pattern. And now I have plenty of time to get back to sewing!

single wedding ring quilt

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Hi everybody! I'm back today, blog hopping with Fat Quarter Shop and their new Single Wedding Ring pattern!

When I first started quilting, I fell in love with traditional and vintage quilt blocks. My style has evolved over the years, but my heart will always belong to those classic block designs. The Single Wedding Ring pattern is one of my favorites.

In fact, I like this block so much that I purchased a vintage Single Wedding Ring quilt in Newport, RI many years ago. I loved the happy 1930's feedsack prints and the lilac sashing. But sadly, I didn't realize that it wasn't in very good condition (I was too new to quilting, and I was blinded by the fact that it was a vintage quilt!) and it didn't survive. Actually, none of the dry cleaners in my neighborhood would clean it, and it fell apart when I washed it, revealing a blanket used as batting. And so, now I've recreated that quilt, in modern-vintage fabrics by Pam Kitty Morning.

I started with Pam Kitty Garden fat quarters in the Aster colorway. Then I added assorted white backgrounds, also from the Pam Kitty Garden collection. Next, it was time to make half-square-triangles. Each block needs 16 HSTs, and I chose to make the lap quilt with 12 blocks. That's 192 HSTs, a nice, manageable number. I trimmed a few each night as I cooked dinner.

They're cute, right? Like candy.  And then there's just a simple assembly and you get the block!

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Now make as many blocks as you'd like, and add simple sashing and a matching border.

The Single Wedding Ring block measures 13" square (12 1/2" finished). The block pattern is a FREE download and is available here. If you'd like yardage and instructions to make a quilt in a variety of sizes, there is a low-cost, downloadable pattern available here. Kimberly Jolly has a fun tutorial video on YouTube, and she demonstrates an alternate way to construct the HSTs. You can watch it here. (I made my HSTs using the method shown on the pattern.) Make the Single Wedding Ring quilt as a gift for a newlywed couple, in fabrics to match their décor. Or make it for yourself JUST BECAUSE!  There's also a beautiful kit using the new Whitewashed Cottage fabric by 3 Sisters for Moda, perfect for those of you who love romantic, cottage-y quilts (I myself have been known to stalk the Shabby Chic store in SoHo, and one day I will make a pale quilt for myself!)

If you make the quilt using a fat quarter bundle like I did, you will have PLENTY of leftover fabric for other projects. Add that fabric to your stash to make more scrappy vintagey quilts. You all know how much I like making bright, happy, controlled scrappy quilts. And look how nicely this Single Wedding Ring coordinates with some other recent finishes!

Thanks for visiting, and have fun making your very own Single Wedding Ring block!

snapshots february block - sewing machine!

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Are you ready for block 2 of the Snapshots Quilt Along? We're making a sewing machine!

Now why don't we have cute sewing machines like this? I'd love to have a gingham print sewing machine. Or maybe rose print... or polka dots!

Well, you can make your very own sewing machine block, and it can be gingham or roses or dots! Sew along with us!

This block is super easy to sew, with mainly squares and rectangles, and a few stitch-and-flip corners. And there's even a space to put a few strategic, fussy cut motifs like these "dials."

I love how it looks alongside January's layer cake block.

Snapshots is a sew along to benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The sewing machine pattern is available as a free download, but a $5 donation per pattern is requested. So far, $11,772 has been donated by generous quilters. We have already exceeded the donation goal! The pattern download is available on the Jolly Jabber blog here, and you can make a donation to St. Jude's here. Snapshots would be cute in lots of different fabrics from your own stash, or you can purchase a kit with Daysail fabric by Bonnie and Camille here. I'm using the kit, and I'll enhance it with some other Bonnie & Camille fabrics from my stash in future months. I'll also use the backing kit with a pieced camera block. I've heard that backing kits often sell out quickly. Watch a fun video tutorial with Bonnie and Camille and Kimberly Jolly from the Fat Quarter Shop here. And if you share your block on social media, be sure to use the hashtag #fqssnapshots so that other quilters can see your block.

And there several other bloggers participating in the sew along. Check them out to see all their cute sewing machine blocks.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to visit me tomorrow because I have another top secret project that you won't want to miss!

backings and bindings

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It's time to send some quilts out to my longarm quilter. Do you know that it's been over a year since I've sent any tops out to be quilted?! I actually called my fabulous longarm quilter Melissa a few days ago and asked if she remembers me. That got a big laugh!

So let's talk about why I've been so delinquent.

Backings and bindings are my least favorite part of quilt making. I love choosing fancy coordinating backings. But it's nearly impossible to cut, pin and piece 9 yards of fabric together for a queen-sized backing in my small apartment. And so I put it off for months. But then I want to use those quilts, so I eventually make it happen.

I learned this week that I need to mainly use small scale (or very busy) prints for backings. I think that the aqua Kate Spain hot chocolate mug print is really cute, but matching the seam on the cups required more fabric wrangling. The Fig Tree Avalon white floral print was much easier since I didn't need to worry about matching the print on the seams.

Bindings are easy. Regardless of the pattern, I always cut my strips at 2 3/4" wide, which produces a finished binding of about 1/2". I always make approximately 36" more than what's actually needed JUST IN CASE. Then I wrap them around manila folders to keep them flat and smooth while being shipped across the country. (I see other quilters making cute honeybun rolls with their bindings, but I think that they'd just become a squashed mess in transit!)

Now I will package each quilt top with its matching backing and binding separately. This will make it easier for my quilter to know my intentions. We also discussed quilting designs on the phone, and I'll enclose a few inspirational photos. Sometimes we go with fancy custom quilting (she knows that I love feathers) but other quilts really just need a simple, unobtrusive pattern. The plan now is for vines and feathers on the Strawberry Social quilt, Baptist fans on the Homestead quilt and steam swirls on the In From The Cold mug quilt.

I'll get these shipped out right after President's Day, and then I can get back to doing the fun stuff - piecing more blocks!

I'll be  back on Sunday with the February Snapshots quilt along block. It's an aqua and red sewing machine! So be sure to come back on Sunday. Until then, have a happy weekend and stay warm if you're in the deep freeze!


modern building blocks month 6

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I'm getting near the end of this quilt! It feels good to have finished this month's collection of blocks. Last night I celebrated this with a midnight snack. Leftover Christmas fruitcake, anyone? (I am so not kidding. There's another fruitcake in the fridge that I'll eat in July while sewing Christmas quilts!)

Each month there's one block that proves to be a challenge. This month the culprit was this 18" block. I wasn't happy with my block - it was 1/2" too big, and then I realized that I used the wrong fabric! - so I remade it. Now I love it. The rest of the blocks were a piece of (fruit) cake.

I completely love the Somerset houndstooth and teal star, and I don't even like teal! See how the houndstooth pieces all face in the same direction? That took some careful planning and fabric waste. I had a tiny bit of the houndstooth left that I wanted to use in another block. After much procrastinating, I altered Joanna Figueroa's color suggestion for the next block.

There are just 8 more blocks to go! Yay! I still need to make a 36" star (eek!) and some smaller, simple blocks, and then the big assembly can begin. Now I'll just sit here quietly and wait for the fabric to arrive. Kidding! I've got more stuff to sew!

If you visit my blog often, you know that I'm a devotee of all the fashion exhibits that we have in NYC. Yves Saint Laurent + Halston Fashioning the 70's opened at the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology this past weekend. Eighty ensembles and accessories are displayed in a gleaming white space filled with disco music. The show compares and contrasts their highly influential work - Halston's clean, deceptively simple American sophistication and Saint Laurent's opulent, fantasy dresses, each leaving a permanent mark on 70's fashion and continuing to echo in today's fashion. It's a perfect show.

sashed butterflies

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Thirty butterflies are now captive within their sashing! Haha. I always forget just how long it takes to attach sashing. Not difficult, just time consuming. For my sashing posts I've used Moda Bella solid in 30's Yellow, and I think it sets them off perfectly. Those white-on-white Sunrise Studio dots kinda remind me of the snow that continues to fall here in NYC. So I have butterflies in the snow. (Hummm, maybe that's what I should call this quilt!)

A few butterflies are all perfectly matched and contain only one wing fabric. They blend in really nicely with the contrasting butterflies, and they only become visible with close inspection. 

And now it's time for me to pick out a border fabric. I'll admit that I'm a bit stumped. My quilty friend Susan would probably remind me that the quilt will take on whatever color I use in my border. And I know that she's right. So that means that I won't use red, because I want the red butterflies to just be little pops of brightness. I think that too much yellow can overpower a quilt. And pink will make it, well, pink. What I might choose is one of the pale blue prints - the gumballs or the lifesaver flowers. What do you think?

I'm using fabrics from the Greg Jones Blogger's Choice fat quarter bundle (hehe shamless plug again!) that you can get at Fat Quarter Shop. I'm starting to see my fabric bundle popping up on Instagram and it makes me SO happy to see that people are adding it to their collections. Remember, you can treat yourself for Valentine's Day! I do! And I'm using the Painted Ladies pattern by Fig Tree and Co.

No more sewing for me tonite. Friday night is sushi night around here! Have a great weekend everybody!


GIVEAWAY WINNER!

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I have a winner for the Greg Jones Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle giveaway, sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop!

The winner is Kaylene Parry. Kaylene wrote:

“I would use Gigi Thimble’s Fresh Cut pattern. I think the tulips would look amazing with this fabulous bundle. I think the colors are screaming Spring to me.”

And I completely agree! I looked up the pattern and it's fabulous. Congratulations, Kaylene. Please email your address to me so that Fat Quarter Shop can ship out your bundle!

Thanks to all of you for playing along. I enjoyed reading your comments and can imagine all your happy projects. A special thank you to Fat Quarter Shop for generously providing the prize. And please be sure to let me know if you make something with this bundle.

I've been busy sewing my butterflies onto their sashing. I'll be back tomorrow with an update for you all!

butterflies with blogger's choice bundle

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Thank you all SO much for the Greg Jones Blogger's Choice Bundle love! I've enjoyed reading all your comments. And for those of you who purchased the bundle, thank you, thank you (you can get yours here). The GIVEAWAY will remain open until the end of this week, so you still have time to enter. Here's a link to the GIVEAWAY post.  

Ok, so now what to sew? Actually, I had one specific quilt in mind when I chose these fabrics. It's the Painted Ladies quilt pattern by Fig Tree & Co. I'm using the full-sized pattern with 7" butterflies, but there is also a mini version available.

I bought this pattern when it was released a few years ago, and it's been waiting for the perfect fabric. And then in November I had a run-in with a whole big bunch of butterflies.

I met my butterfly friends at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. They were in their own butterfly pavilion. And they clung to visitors, landing on people's arms, legs and heads. (The butterfly show was apparently so popular that tickets were issued on a timed basis. While awaiting our turn, we visited the Hope Diamond, which has been reset into a new necklace.) I said goodbye to the butterflies (really) and I knew that I needed to finally make the Painted Ladies quilt. I kept that in mind while selecting the fabrics for the fat quarter bundle.

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It's nice to have a really easy quilt block to work on. No need to worry about cutting off any points here! I added the grey gingham butterfly bodies from my stash, but otherwise, I'm using every print and solid fat quarter from the blogger's choice bundle. I bought yardage of the white dot for my background.

I love this blue Wildflower Meadow print by Melly & Me with little hummingbirds and Queen Anne's Lace flowers. Kinda perfect for a butterfly quilt!

It's funny that I'm sewing butterflies, because as I write this, NYC is just beginning to feel THE blizzard. Will we really get 30" of snow? I hope so! Bring on the snow!

blogger bundle GIVEAWAY!

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UPDATE - GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Yes, yes, yes! It's my first GIVEAWAY ever! I'm so proud to introduce you to the Greg Jones Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle for Fat Quarter Shop!

I was excited when Fat Quarter Shop asked me if I'd like to curate a collection of fabric. Actually, that's a huge understatement. I was completely over-the-moon excited! It's the closest that I've gotten to my "gee wouldn't it be fabulous to be a quilt fabric designer" dream. So here it is, my first group of fabrics just for you! 

My goal was to put together a collection that would give you the full Grey Dogwood Studio fabric experience. I try to incorporate dots, plaids, florals, and an occasional novelty print into every quilt project. And in the past year I've been experimenting with white-on-white and colored backgrounds. They really do add a whole new layer of interest to quilts. So of course, we needed some of those fabrics for you.

Here we have three of my favorite Moda Bella Solids in Fuchsia, 30's Yellow and Amelia Green, atop a classic white-on-white dot by Sunrise Studio / Lakehouse. Pure vintage color, just like the quilt that I WISH I would find at the flea market or antique shop.

I added in 11 brand new fabrics from Just Dreamy 2 by Zoe Pearn for Riley Blake, Pam Kitty Morning for Lakehouse Dry Goods and Wildflower Meadow by Melly & Me for Riley Blake.

Ok, so here's my little insider secret that won't be a secret anymore. I chose these fabrics by scouring/stalking the designer's websites, because the fabrics hadn't even been printed yet. And I had to just hope that they'd all work together. When the first blogger bundle arrived from Fat Quarter Shop last week I just couldn't believe how beautiful they are and how well they all play together. I've already started to cut mine up and very soon I'll show you a butterfly quilt that I'm working on.

I hope that you like it as much as I do. I hope that you hop over to Fat Quarter Shop to pick up your Greg Jones Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle. (And don't forget that it's ok to buy yourself a Valentine's Day gift!)

And those lovely people over at Fat Quarter Shop have given me an extra blogger bundle to give away! All you need to do is leave me a comment here (not an email) and let me know what you would make with this bundle. No need to do anything tricky, although, of course, I'd love it if you choose to follow me via Bloglovin' or subscription (links on top right column) or even over on Instagram (I'm greydogwoodstudio). Easy, right? And make sure that your email address is included when you comment so that I can notify the winner. I'll leave the giveaway open until Saturday, January 31 midnight EST. (UPDATE - GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.)

moda modern building blocks update

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How did I let nearly two months go by without working on the Moda Modern Building Blocks, Fig Tree Style? It's time to get caught up!

It's fun to receive the block-of-the-month fabric packets from Fig Tree. My challenge is that if I don't start sewing them immediately, then I move onto something else. (Kinda like magazine subscriptions, right? I'm reading January issues quickly, before the February issues arrive.)

I love watching the contrasts develop each month. I'd probably never put these colors together by myself, so in this case, it's nice that somebody else has made the fabric selection for me. These fabrics are Fig Tree's Somerset, Mirabelle and Moda Bella Solids. But I'm getting itchy and might start to shuffle some of the block colors, because, you know, I'm a quilty rebel. Haha.

Look at those two super-easy blocks! A big 'ol 6" half square triangle block in grey toile and coral dots. It almost seems like it's a cheater block because it only took 5 minutes. It should be a component of a block instead of a real block! It was a treat to sew after some of the more difficult blocks, and it gave me a chance to showcase the entire white flower.

The orange and green star block nearly killed me. I spent an entire night on that little 6" block! It was all about sew, unsew, repeat, and yet I love the finished star. I won't think about how many of those magazines I could have read in that time!

I have 30 blocks done! Just 19 to go. And the January fabric pack has new colors, like teal and a frosty green houndstooth.

Today marks my 1 year blogging anniversary! Another anniversary is about to arrive soon, along with a few milestones. I think that this calls for a celebration. Stay tuned!

(And before I forget to tell you, I added photo links to my new Blogger's Bundle at Fat Quarter Shop and the Snapshots quilt along. They're near the top of the right column. Click them for more information. More about that Blogger's Bundle soon!)

snapshots quilt along starts now!

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I'm so excited today! Why? It's the first month of the Snapshots Quilt Along! I'll give you the full scoop in just a minute. But first, I gotta show you this month's block! It's a LAYER CAKE! 

Just what we need right after the holidays, right? A big piece of yummy cake. Except that this cake has no calories. None whatsoever. And we can all feel good about having our cake because the Snapshots Quilt Along is a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

On the 15th of each month for twelve months, Fat Quarter Shop will post a block pattern that you can download. The link to this month's pattern is here. The blocks represent snapshot-worthy moments in our lives, such as sewing (of course!), food, entertainment and pets. (My cats can't wait for me to hurry up and get to the kitty block!) The patterns are free, but a donation of $5.00 per pattern is suggested. St. Jude will benefit from the funds raised, and Moda Fabrics and Fat Quarter Shop will match donations, with a goal of $10,000. As I write this, donations are already at $2040, and today is just the first day!

I'll be sewing with the Snapshots kit. It features Bonnie & Camille's hot new Daysail fabric collection for Moda Fabrics. I'll also add in some of Bonnie & Camille's Miss Kate just to be a little different from the kit. The kit is available for preorder here, and it even includes a spool of Aurifil thread and some buttons for the cat and dog eyes. There's also a backing kit which has a camera block. But you can definitely get creative and use your stash or your own customized fabric collection. All you need to do is download the pattern each month and you're ready to sew! I'd love to see this done in Me & My Sister's new Bandana fabric, a grouping of Fig Tree fabrics, or Bunny Hill's new Mistletoe Lane.

Bonnie & Camille have even filmed a tutorial on how to assemble the cake block along with Kimberly Jolly from Fat Quarter Shop. You'll see that the block only looks complicated. It's easy to do when broken down into simple steps. And there's no applique and no templates!

Each month, I'll be sewing along with a group of amazing designers and bloggers. I'm honored to be included with this talented group of ladies. Be sure to hop over to be inspired by their cake blocks, too.

Even more details can be found here, along with a preview of all the upcoming blocks! I do hope that you'll join us. It will be fun for a good cause!

christmas in january?

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It's a little weird to work on a Christmas quilt in January. It seems appropriate since this quilt has lots of little snowmen prints. And it's c  o  l  d here in NYC. As I write this, it's 13 degrees in Central Park (3 blocks from my home) and it feels like NEGATIVE 3. It's going down to 7 degrees tonight. I'm one of those crazy people because I love winter and snow and snowmen and ice! (Ok, the sleet on Saturday was not fun.) 

This blurry pic was taken with my iPhone this past weekend. I always like to do a test layout before I sew my blocks together. I originally planned to have my strips of geese flying in opposite directions. But when I did that it just looked like a confused, directionless mess with no visual focus. Carrie Nelson's pattern is perfect just the way it is. The individual pattern seems to be out of print, but it can be found in the book A Touch of Rosie, which is what I'm using. It's full of good stuff!

So here's the look that I'm going for. Mostly. I'm going to simplify the border slightly.

These prints still make me happy! Anne Sutton's Bunny Hill Designs prints are always fun. This collection is Winter Wonderland, and it completely reminds me of candy canes. Anne has another Christmas collection coming out this month that I've already preordered! And Anne is offering a free monthly ornament pattern on her blog here. Just wait till you see her cute appliqued, embroidered snowmen angel ornaments.

And now the geese get sewn into strips! Lots of simple sewing, just perfect to do while listening to iTunes and drinking hot tea!

playing dressmaker

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Nine happy, springy dresses are all sewn into the quilt center! The best part has been coming up with each color combination. Really, it's hard to go wrong with these Pam Kitty Garden prints. I love how the For The Frill Of It pattern requires NO sashing! The blocks all nest together perfectly with no seams to match. Love that.

And now it's border time. The pattern has a scalloped, postage stamp style border. I'm just trying to decide on my fabrics so I can get them ordered! Aqua? Pink? Red? Decisions! The kit features red, white and blue borders... but I might go with pink and fuchsia. Or maybe scrappy? 

At least my dresses aren't all black, like the dresses that I saw on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in NYC this past weekend. Let me explain.

Death Becomes Her features a century of dresses, accessories, illustrations and photos related to mourning. Thirty outfits are displayed, representing the impact of fashion on mourning attire from 1815 to 1915. It was fascinating to learn about the informal rules governing how women dressed, starting with simple black crepe and gradually adding touches of white, grey, lilac and embellishment. There were even shops that sold only mourning apparel and accessories! Mourning gowns worn by Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra are included. The exhibit runs through February 1. (It's actually been there for a few months, but who wants to see mourning gowns during Christmas happiness?!)

for the frill of it

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It's finally here! I am so excited that the new Pam Kitty Garden fabric has arrived!

How perfect is this? The colors and patterns seamlessly coordinate with all the previous collections by Pam Kitty Morning. But now she's added AQUA to the lineup. I love those cute little bluebirds with umbrellas. (I'm sure that they are singing in the rain.) And then there's the vintage seed catalog with an overprint of flowers and tiny strawberries. The plaid will be the perfect binding fabric. Pam Kitty Garden comes in two colorways, Aster (aqua/red/yellow) and Pansy (navy/pink/green).

Ok, so now what to make with it?

How about For The Frill Of It by It's Sew Emma?

This pattern features 9 dresses in two different styles - a wrap top and a sundress. Maybe if Diane Von Furstenberg made dresses in Pam Kitty Morning's fabric they would look like this. (Or maybe I'm just crazy, or perhaps I've been overly influenced by Diane's reality tv show "House of DVF" that just wrapped last week. Haha. Get it?)

Where was I before that digression?!

Oh, the other dress! It's a sundress.

As I was sewing the sundresses, I cracked up at how funny the partially completed blocks were... see, it looks like I was making something else, right?

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I used a solid Kona White background for all my blocks. The plainness feels fresh right now. Most of my recent quilts have had print or white-on-white backgrounds.

I also really like how the navy prints help to cut the sweetness factor, and I used them sparingly.

The pattern is fully pieced, with stitch-and-flip corners. No triangles, no templates and no paper piecing either! I found that they were much easier than I had expected... especially the sundresses.

All nine dresses have been made, and now it's time to stitch them together into the top. I also need to order some fabric for the pieced border, once I figure out which prints to use!

Meanwhile, I'm already working on a second, secret project with more Pam Kitty Garden fabric! There are LOTS of half-square-triangles. Here's just a sneek peek. I'll have the full quilt to show you in late January.

Pam is also working on a few projects using her new fabric. Have you checked out her blog here? She always has something entertaining going on!

When I was writing this up, I discovered that Fat Quarter Shop has even created a kit for this same quilt, which will be available to ship in January. It has the same fabrics as mine, but different placement, and my border will probably be different colors. Or of course, you can use your stash and personalize your dresses.

In case we don't have a chance to talk tomorrow, Happy New Year! Have fun and be safe! I'll be at home watching tv - New Yorkers don't go anywhere near Times Square! I used to live on West 43rd Street, RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. Now I like seeing it... from afar! (The ball was installed today! Here it is!) 

 

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Happy New Year!

snapshots quilt along!

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I've joined the Snapshots Quilt Along! I will be sewing twelve novelty blocks that capture life's happy snapshot-worthy moments! We all take pictures of our pets and our food, right? Well, this quilt includes cat and dog blocks to go along with cake, ice cream and picnic food! We'll also create some outdoor-inspired blocks, such as a hot air balloon, bicycle, sailboat and Volkswagen.

All twelve blocks, borders, binding and backing use Bonnie & Camille's hot new fabric collection for Moda called Daysail. I love the happy aqua, red and navy in this collection. And look at the cool white-on-white print! Would I be weird if I said that the white print reminds me of sequins? Here are some of my very favoritest prints in the collection.

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But maybe the best part is that the Snapshots quilt along will benefit St Jude Children's Research Hospital to help advance cures and preventative measures for children's illnesses. Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will match up to $10,000 of the donations that are received during the quilt along. I love that, and I'll be making monthly donations right along with everybody else to help reach this goal.

So here's how it works. Fat Quarter Shop will post a pattern pdf which can be downloaded on the 15th of each month. There will be twelve monthly block patterns. The first pattern will be posted on January 15 and will be a yummy, layer cake (y'all remember my cake obsession, right?!) A donation to St Jude of $5 is requested each month when you download the pattern, although, of course, you may donate whatever you wish. And trust me when I say that these highly detailed patterns are well worth your time and donation. I've already started to work on the layer cake. Everything is rotary pieced! Here's a little peek!

You can use your own fabric! So get creative and clean out your stash! Or go ahead and sew with the Daysail Snapshots kit to make a quilt that looks like mine.

I'll post my block each month on the 15th, along with a link to the pattern. Fat Quarter Shop will also have a fun, tutorial video each month to help you sew your blocks. Here is a link to an introductory video that Kimberly Jolly taped with special guests, Bonnie Olaveson and Camille Roskelley to introduce you to the quilt along. (It is fun to finally hear Bonnie and Camille speak!)

I will be sewing along with a great group of talented designers and quilters. I'm honored to be a part of the group, and I can't wait to see their fabric combinations. Find even more detailed information about the Snapshots quilt along (and a preview of all the blocks) here.

I do hope that you'll join me!

(Do you see how I've loaded so many links onto this post? That's because my new computer works quickly and efficiently!!! Yay! Adding posts to my blog is fun again!)

snowman stars

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Hi everybody! I have been busy in the past few days finishing up those red and white flying geese for my Due South quilt. And they're done! Whew! I was so happy to be able to move on to the stars. But... to make these eleven stars, I first needed to make another 44 mini flying geese!

Flying geese. Hummm. I really like interesting birds. I even went on a boat to a deserted island in Maine to see puffins! But not pigeons. There are waaaay too many pigeons in this city. I'm not surprised that quilters don't have a 'flying pigeon' block!

I also decided on a setting which will be slightly different from the pattern. My geese are going to fly in different directions that represent my own migratory pattern. I promise to explain that very soon!

The stars will alternate with the geese, like this.

In non-quilty news, my new laptop computer arrived today! I am sure that this will make it more enjoyable for me to write my blog. It will replace a 7 year old laptop that has become slow and unreliable in the past few months. Most of this post was written on my phone. I hope that my next post will be done from the new HP touch screen! 

bring on the snowmen!

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I love red and white quilts at Christmas. And I love the Winter Wonderland collection by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda with happy snowmen, stars and trees!

I bought a fat quarter bundle when it first came out several months ago. But I had no idea how to use it! Most red and white quilts seem to be in solid fabrics, or else they're in vintage turkey reds. I searched though photos from the Infinite Variety show of red and white quilts in NYC a few years ago. That didn't help... most of the quilts were done in solids. Then I bought several patterns but none of them were exactly right. Finally, while reading A Touch of Rosie Quilts by Carrie Nelson, I came across this quilt.

Miss Rosie's Due South pattern cover.jpg

I thought that this might look like shattered peppermint candy if it was done in red and white prints. And of course I love peppermint candy! So I had my pattern. 

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Once again, I'm using the Fit To Be Geese ruler to create accurate flying geese. There is very little wasted fabric when using this ruler, and even the trimmings look pepperminty!

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Winter Wonderland sold out quickly. There is some on the Bunny Hill website, and there is plenty of it on Ebay. If you're lucky, you might even find a few bolts at your local quilt shop. I'll need to buy yardage for my backing before it disappears!

The quilt will need 212 geese, and I've finished 152. The repetitive sewing and trimming is actually a nice break from my previous quilt project - no thinking involved! Just cut, sew, trim, repeat! The quilt will also have a sprinkling of twinkly stars.

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Oh, and in case you thought I just made 152 geese instead of sleeping, well, I didn't! I've been quietly working on these over the past few weeks, in between other projects.

A Touch of Rosie might be out of print, but Carrie has just reissued Due South as an individual pdf pattern. It can be purchased for download on her website.