50 Fat Quarter Makes + a little blog hop

Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? I am exhausted, as I just returned home from a 10-day trip to Scotland (more about that in another post). One of the many secrets I've been keeping is that I was asked to contribute to another book, and I finally get to share it all with you!

50 Fat Quarter Makes is edited by Ame Verso and published by David & Charles (an imprint of F&W), it features 11 designers (including me) and we've decided to do a little blog hop to celebrate its release - links for all the designers at the end of this post!

50 Fat Quarter Makes is divided by the number of fat quarters each projects takes to complete - from one singular FQ up to 10. My first pattern, the Charming Coin Purse, uses only one FQ and features a faux leather bottom and tab.

My second pattern, the Colourful Clutch Purse, uses just two FQs and features a wide strap that not only secures the clutch in its foldover position, but can also be slipped over the wrist for a little added security. Just a note: somehow the instructions for adding the faux leather tab were added to this pattern too; just ignore that part, although if you do decide to add it, it will totally still work as the tab is highly decorative.

My third pattern, the Elegant E-Reader Case, uses three FQs and features a front pocket that is secured by a handmade button. The case is padded, quilted, and perfectly fits a 7" reader.

My fourth pattern, the Cool Colourblock Tote, uses six FQs and features boxed corners and a small inside pocket. It is interlined with fusible fleece and I quilted one of the outer colourblocks (the gray) to add some extra texture. Because of the construction of this tote, it is fully reversible allowing you to feature different colours/prints depending on mood.

My fifth and final pattern, the Double-Sided Star Pillow, uses 10 FQs and is reversible.

I used eight prints in two colourways from Tula Pink's Saltwater collection, as well as two gray solids. This pillow is huge - about 30" square-ish - and would be great for lounging on!

Phew! Now that's a lot of projects! I am really happy with the way the book turned out and am enamoured with all of the other patterns created by this talented group of designers. Here's a list of the other blog hop participants and their dates (I'm right at the end, so be sure to check out their blogs/previous posts to see their patterns):

Monday 1st June - Jo Avery -  myBearpaw 
Tuesday 2nd June - Liz Betts - BetsyBetts
Wednesday 3rd June - Ali Burdon - VeryBerryHandmade
Thursday 4th June - Jesse Fincham - MessyJesse
Friday 5th June - Louise Horler - SewScrumptious
Monday 8th June - Kevin Kosbab - Feeddog
Tuesday 9th June - Emily Levey - StrawberryPatchRamblings
Wednesday 10th June - Cynthia Shaffer
Thursday 11th June - Kaye Prince - MissPrint
Friday 12th June - Ame Verso - StitchCraftCreate

Sew Pretty for Little Girls + a Liberty Fabric Pull

Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? I am so thrilled to have been asked to participate in the Sew Pretty for Little Girls blog hop - it is one gorgeous book!

Just to nip any confusion in the bud straight off, this lovely book by Alice Caroline is also known as "Little Lady Liberty" in the UK (which is a title I just adore by the way).

This book is just full of lovely Liberty goodness, and you know I love me some Liberty! While the book is marketed as projects for little girls, I think many of them (such as the Isabel Baskets, Rosie Floor Cushion, or Zoe Lampshade) could work for just about anyone depending on the fabric choices.

Case in point, my Grandma is turning 85 in June and I'll be making her the Mia doll! She absolutely loves this type of doll, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to make one for her.

These are the fabrics and trimmings I'm thinking of using for the dress portion of the doll. All of the fabrics are Liberty quilting cotton and I'll be using the pink for one side of the dress and one of the blues for the other (I'm leaning towards the pale blue in the middle right now).

I'll also definitely be making myself a variation on the Orla Pencil Case, because I have this...

Liberty scraps! This is just a snippet of my Liberty scrap stash and I think making an Orla would be the perfect use for them (I'm also contemplating some EPP clamshells). Yep, this book is giving me all kinds of ideas!

If you're interested to learn more about the Sew Pretty for Little Girls (or if you want to see some more lovely pictures and drool over all of the Liberty goodness), be sure to check out the list of hop participants here.

Fat Quarters: Small Fabrics, More Than 50 Big Ideas + a Giveaway!

Hey y'all! So, as usual, over the past while I have been up to some secret antics and I finally get to reveal one of those secrets!

I'm in another book and I'm so excited about it! Fat Quarters: Small Fabrics, More Than 50 Big Ideas, edited by Lark Crafts, features over 50 fat quarter friendly projects. Many of the contributors are well known in the craft world and I'm super-happy to be among them. I have three projects in this book and I can't wait to share them with you.

© Lark Crafts

This is my Arrowhead Clutch. It requires three fat quarters and features paper-pieced triangles. I absolutely love the way they photographed it for the book - it looks so fancy! I used fabrics from Indian Summer by Sarah Watson and Kaufman Quilter's Linen.

© Lark Crafts

This is my Flex Frame Sunglasses Pouch. It requires two fat quarters and is super-easy to make. For this one I used fabrics from Briar Rose by Heather Ross and Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander. I've actually been using this ever since it came back because I dropped my iPod and now the screen is cracked. See, it works for so many things!

© Lark Crafts

And last, but not least, this is my Cheers Coaster Set. I love these so much, I can't even tell you! This pattern requires four fat quarters and features a little bit of sketchy applique as well as a few lines of quilting. For these I used the same fabric from Architextures, as well as Constellations and Pearl Bracelets by Lizzy House.

Now, I bet you want to know about the giveaway, right? Well, here's your chance to win a copy of the book!

You have two chances but please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry. Here's what you've got to do:

1. Leave a comment letting me know about your favourite use for fat quarters.

2. Leave another comment if you are a follower of my blog.

That's it! Two easy-peasy ways to enter! I will close the comments in a week (March 25th) and announce the winner here on the blog. International entries are, as always, welcome! Also, please remember that I have comment moderation enabled so if you don't see your comment right away it just means that I haven't had the chance to approve it yet (duplicate comments will be deleted).

*the giveaway is now closed*

Washi Tape Christmas

Hey y'all! A couple of months ago the folks over at Stitch Craft Create in the UK asked my if I'd like to participate in a little Christmas ornament blog hop, of course I said yes, and today is my day! I worked with the US side of Stitch Craft Create many, many times before it became a UK publication (four issues in a row to be exact and have had a couple of my patterns republished in the UK edition too), and I must say that they are really fab people to work with!

Since I have more washi tape than can possibly be good for me, I chose to make one of the ornaments from Washi Tape Christmas by Kami Bigler. Although, who am I kissing? I love books and SSC has so many fun looking holiday craft books (I already own Handmade Scandinavian Christmas and it is awesome).

This book is super cute and has lots of ideas for using up all that spare washi tape; there's cards and gift wrapping, ornaments and decorations, and so much more. Very, very cute!

I decided to make the Jolly Holiday Baubles and they were so simple! The best part was digging through my washi tape and deciding which tape should be next to which. Since I don't own any circle punches, I cut all of my circles out by hand so there are a few that are a little wobbly. I still think they're cute though!

Just for fun, I decided to make two baubles using different colour schemes. This one is red and white with a little gray thrown in (which sort of matches my holiday theme for this year.

The second one I did in turquoise and pink for a vintage Christmas feel! I think this colour scheme also makes this bauble less Christmas-y - something that you could make for decorations for a baby or bridal shower.

Go here to see all of the bloggers participating in this hop - many have blogged already but there's still a few more to go!

SSC is also hosting a little contest...

Hop on over here for all the details! There's only a few days left in the contest so be sure to check it out soon if you're ineterested!

Simply Fat Quarters

So by now you may have heard that Fat Quarter Shop has released their own, independently published book of fat quarter-friendly patterns - Simply Fat Quarters! Well, over the next month and a half or so there FQS will be hosting a  fun little mini blog tour and I'll be one of the stops along the way!

Each participating blogger has made one quilt from the book using fabrics of our own choosing (oh no, I'm not going to spill the beans on that one yet!) and we'll be showing them off on each of our stops. There will also be a ton of fun and fantabulous prizes - trust me, they're awesome!

So be sure to check out each of the stops every Monday for the next little bit - you will not want to miss what is going on!

10/8      Sherri McConnell at A Quilting Lif

10/15    Natalia Bonner at Piece ‘n Quilt

10/22    Jane Davidson at Quilt Jane

10/29    Simply Fat Quarters at Quilt Market Special Feature!

11/5      Kaye Prince at Miss-Print  <<< That's me!!

11/12    Katy Jones at I’m a Ginger Monkey

11/19    Pat Sloan at Pat Sloan’s Blog

11/26    Showcase wrap up at the Jolly Jabber

Recently...

Bread was risen and baked...

Some early cuts of a new fabric line - Flock - arrived from a lovely friend...

Homemade taco seasoning became a football favourite...

Two bottles of red wine were enjoyed with friends over a dinner of lamb and quinoa...

Followed by a buttermilk cake layered with homemade whipped cream and 

raspberry Bonne Mama - inspired by a lovely lady that I truly admire...

Some books were read... and more than these besides...

A new one begun...

And another perused at leisure...

Yards and yards of binding were sewn down and a special project completed...

...but that's another story for another day.

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays

So remember a few days ago when I said I had some news to share but I needed photographic evidence? Well I've got it and...I'm in a book and stuff...

Yup, that's right! Awhile back John asked me if I'd like to contribute to a book he was writing - of course I said yes! The result of this is the above book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays! It is currently available as an e-book and will be released in print in the summer of 2012...which means that I will of course be blogging about it again when that happens! The book is full of really amazing projects and designers (I'm sure you will recognize most if not all of them) - contrary to what you might think not all of the projects are Christmas-related... there are also projects for Hanukkah and Thanksgiving as well as variations for even more.

This is the project that I designed for the book - the Countdown-to-Christmas Advent Calender! The tree is made using paper pieced hexagons and the letters are stamped onto the fabric using number stamps and an ink pad suitable for fabric. The pockets are just big enough for a small toy or small chocolate and are very simple to make.

Jeni (who also had a super-cute bunting project in the book) has already actually made a variation on my pattern and blogged about it - it's so awesome! You  can buy the e-book here if you'd like and one neat feature is that you can actually flip through the whole book before buying and see all the project - did I mention there over 30 of them?!

Geez guys, I'm so excited! It's so awesome to finally see it and I know I'll be even more excited when the print version comes out - you can be guaranteed there will be some goofy picture of me holding it in a bookstore (I mean, really, have you guys seen the pictures of me from Quilt Market with the Sample Spree sign?)! So what do y'all think?