A Little Arrow Mini

Hey y'all! How's everybody doing? I've been crazy busy, but thought I'd pop in to share this little mini I made.

I made this little guy for Kayla for the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap on Instagram. Ever since I released the Orion pattern, I've wanted to make a mini just using the paper-pieced arrow portion. After reading over Kayla's list of likes I dislikes, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to do just that!

One of the big "likes" on Kayla's list was Denyse Schmidt, so other than the low-volume neutrals and the arrow shaft (because wood), all of the prints featured come from one of Denyse's collections - I think there are three different lines represented in all.

I made one teeny mistake when paper-piecing this one that I didn't notice until I was quilting (and don't worry, the pattern itself is fine, this was all me), but I don't think it's terribly noticeable right away and you know, it makes it unique and stuff *wink*.

 Orion's Arrow Mini

For: Kayla

Finished Size: 7x24"

Completed: 15 January 2015

Full Orion pattern can be found here.

Photo courtesy of Rita, taken at QuiltCon

P.S. If you happened to me at QuiltCon a few weeks back, you might have just spotted the original Orion quilt hanging in the Massdrop booth. It just arrived back home last night and I'm so happy to see it again. Loaning out quilts/sending them anywhere without me makes me incredibly nervous!

SMS: My Favourite Quilt

Hey y'all! Just popping in to let you know that I'm participating in the "My Favorite Quilt" series happening right now over at Sew Mama Sew. The series is curated by Jessica Skultely of Quilty Habit and will feature designers and bloggers talking about their most favourite quilt (made by them).

I chose Orion as my favourite (love it so much I can't use it). If you'd like to read more about my favourite quilt, and see who else is featured too, head on over to Sew Mama Sew!

Pre-Holiday Sampling + a Pattern Sale!

Hey y'all! First off, I just wanted to say that the reason I haven't been blogging much lately is that my computer crashed the week before Sewing Summit and I still haven't been able to get it fixed. I wrote my last couple of blog posts using Alex's old laptop that is so slow (and the space bar doesn't work properly) that I want to gouge my eyeballs out every time I use it! I seriously have so much to share with you guys, I have been sewing up a storm lately, plus I want to share some pictures from my Sewing Summit class; I'm still getting pictures from my students over Instagram as they work to finish their pillows and it is awesome!

This is just a quick post because, seriously, I can't stand to type on this computer for long, but I wanted to do a little something special! With Chrismakkah and the holidays just around the corner, I know that many people are already starting to look at making gifts and things for their homes. I've already begun on a couple of gifts and have more plans that I will, hopefully, be able to execute in time. To get everyone in the holiday crafting mood I am offering up a little discount on all of my downloadable PDF patterns. How does that sound?

For my Etsy shop the coupon code to get 15% off (downloadable patterns only, please do not use on finished items such as quilts) is: HOLIDAY2013. Now unfortunately, Craftsy does not have a way to accept coupon codes, however, if you wish to purchase from my Craftsy shop rather than my Etsy shop please send my an email after you purchase including both the email you use for your Paypal account and your Craftsy screen name and I will refund you 15% through Paypal. The coupon code/refund policy are in effect for two months (two whole months!!) and will expire on December 18, 2013.

Here is just a sampling of the patterns you can purchase:

Nordic Christmas! This is the cover from the "series" where you can buy all three patterns together at a discounted price, however you can buy them individually too. And don't forget about the tutorial for turning one of the blocks from Ornament Sampler into a finished ornament!

Orion! Seriously, I am still pretty much in love with this quilt. I know it's not cool to think one of your own patterns is awesome, but seriously, this quilt makes me smile every time I see it! And don't forget, that the paper pieced arrows (all templates included in the pattern) can be used on their own and built out to create a cool pillow, or to form a portion of another motif.

Itching to be Stitching! This pattern is still one of the most popular in my shops. It was originally designed when I was asked to be the first guest designer for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery; after it went out of print with the folks over there, I revamped and re-released it. It gives me no end of pleasure to see people stitching this little guy up and hanging it in their craft room/studio space.

There are a few more patterns available in my both my Etsy and Craftsy shops, but I won't inundate you with any more pictures for now. Don't forget the code for the Etsy shop is: HOLIDAY2013

I can't wait to see what everyone stitches up for the holidays - let's hope it's a good one!

Orion Star

Hey y'all! First off I just want to say a big thank you to all of the people who have already purchased a copy of my Orion quilt pattern - you guys totally rock my world! On the first day alone, you guys managed to get it trending at #3 on Craftsy. I can not thank you guys enough and really can't wait to start seeing versions of the quilt popping up!

In the pattern, in the extras section, I mention enlarging one star portion and turning it into a baby quilt. Well, I decided to do just that on Friday and this little quilt was born.

Orion Star measures approximately 40" square and features prints from Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee, Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow, Oliver + S' City Weekend, and Laurie Wisbrun's Tufted Tweets. I just love the colours so much!

The backing features Kona Ash, a repeat of the print from Chicopee, and a print from Tula Pink's Parisville. The binding is from Lizzy House's Outfoxed and is the same print that I used for the interior of my Art Student Tote (I also have it in the yellow colourway) - just love those little triangles!

I love those little birdies in Tufted Tweets - they are way too cute! I quilted this one using a light grey cotton (almost an exact match to Kona Ash) using straight lines that form different sized rectangles. I finished this quilt in one day, other than hand sewing the back of the binding, and am super-happy with the way this turned out!

Since there are no little girls in my life right now or being born anytime soon (at least that I know of), I've decided to put this little quilt up in my Etsy shop - I really hope that it finds a good home!

Once again a thank you to everyone who has purchased the Orion pattern, and to those too who have left me some many wonderful comments here, on Flickr, on Facebook, and on Instagram - you guys are awesome!

Introducing... Orion!

Oh guys, I am so flippin' excited to share this with y'all - please meet Orion!

Eeeek, I love it so much!! I was lucky enough to receive some of Lizzy House's new line Constellations from Andover Fabrics (check out their Facebook page and give'em a thumbs up if you like what you see) and this pattern was totally inspired by the fabric. I knew that I wanted to make a quilt, and I knew that it just had to have some stars. Then the idea of paper pieceing arrows sort of just popped into my head out of nowhere and so Orion was born - named after the Orion constellation also known as The Hunter. I know that you can't tell from the picture but this baby is 57" square - the stars are, obviously, huge!

The back features even more Constellations fabric as well as some Kona Ash (used in the front also) and my extra little arrow that I pieced while testing out the templates I drew up.

The test arrow is a bit scrappier than the ones on the front of the quilt, but still has at least two Lizzy House prints in it!

More arrow-love! I have to admit that I had a lot of fun drafting up the templates for these babies and I am so happy with the way they turned out!

Yes, this is what it's all about...

Action shot! Hehehe! It was so seriously windy while I was taking all of these pictures that (once again) the quilt was pulled off the fence and I had to chase it down. Fun though, even if a little cold.

The pattern including step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and the paper piecing templates is now available as a PDF in both my Craftsy and Etsy shops (remember: if you purchase through the Craftsy shop it is an automatic download and you don't have to wait for me to email it to you) - woot!

The pattern features instructions for two different sizes - the lap (pictured on the cover) and the double/queen (finishes at 84" square); there is also a couple of extra little ideas in the pattern for utilizing portions of the pattern in different ways. The pattern does assume that you understand the basics of paper piecing, but if not, there are a lot of really great tutorials (including video tutorials) on the net - that's how I learned myself.

And now the two winners of a free copy of the pattern! For guessing the correct pattern name first the winner is: Kasey of Stitch Bake Run and for just being an awesome follower of my blog the winner is: Needle and Nest (sorry, I don't have your real name). Please email me ladies and I will email you your copy of the pattern - I hope you enjoy!!

Just another big thank you to Andover for being awesome - you guys totally rocked my world!!