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

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*

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!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

Hey y'all! So, it's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day - one of the funnest days of the year. For everyone that has been around here before - hi! - for anyone new to my world, pull up a chair, put up your feet, and feel free to stay awhile!

Since Giveaway Day snuck up on me there this year, I've decided to give away a few of my digital patterns. I'll pick five winners and each winner can pick one pattern of their choosing from my Etsy shop. Here's a little sample of what you can choose from:

This is Orion and it's the most popular of all of my patterns. It features giant stars and paper-pieced arrows.

This is Winter Chalet and is part of my Nordic Christmas cross stitch collection.

Itching to be Stitching is the first pattern that I released as an independent pattern (if you'd like to see some of the free patterns that can be found on this blog or in magazines and books please see my full pattern page). And remember, there are more quilt and cross stitch patterns in my shop to choose from if you win!

So I betcha want to know how to enter, right?

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 holiday traditions. We celebrate

Christmukkah around these parts, so we've got lots going on.

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 on December 12th and announce the winners 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).

Be sure to head on over to Sew Mama Sew to see all of the other wonderful giveaways that you can enter! There are supplies and handmade items to be won!

*the giveaway is now closed*

The Second Euclid

While browsing some pictures on my phone, I realized I had never shown pictures of the second completed Euclid that I introduced in this tutorial! Since my computer was crashed at the time (and still is), I used my phone to take photos of the finished quilt and for the tutorial, since I wouldn't be able to transfer my photos off of my DSLR. I think with all of the planning and excitement around teaching at Sewing Summit, heading to the UK for work, and the lead-up to Christmas just pushed the finished quilt right from my mind!

Many of you know that the original Euclid quilt was made many moons ago and a picture of it accompanied me to my first ever quilt market (the quilt itself actually accompanied me to the UK this past fall). After I revealed it on the blog, I received many requests for a tutorial or pattern. At the time, I fully intended to do just that but then it slipped away. Fast forward to the Summer of 2013 (a full three years after completing the first quilt) and there was a resurgence of people asking about the pattern.

In the end, I decided to offer Euclid as a free tutorial on my blog and gave the completed quilt to my godmother when she got married in October. Two birds with one stone - woot!

When I was originally thinking about making a second Euclid, I was intending to make it much bigger (which would be super-easy)! I had bought all of this Botany with that idea in mind, so I incorporated a bunch into the backing and used different brown-hued strips for a scrappy-ish binding. There is also one piece of Flora & Fauna (also from Lauren and Jessi Jung for Moda) in the backing since the two lines matched so well.

Name: Euclid

For: Kim and Mike

Size: 48x64"

Completed: October 03, 2013

The full tutorial can be found here.

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!

Fat Quarter Idol + a Giveaway!!

Hey everyone! What's up? So I have two very fun things for you guys today - one is a great  "contest" that you can participate in and have the chance to win something that is really you (emphasis on the "you" - I'll expand on that in a moment) and the other is a giveaway right here on this little ole blog.

First up: Do you think you have what it takes to be the next (er, first) Fat Quarter Idol?!

Oh, this is going to be tons of fun guys!! Here's the gist of it: each week for the next four weeks you will be given a theme, you then select 12 fabrics that evoke that theme for you from Sew, Mama, Sew's shop, pin them to a special board on Pinterest, and you'll have the chance to win that bundle chosen specifically by YOU (remember emphasis on the you)! Now doesn't that sound fun?

Here's the short version of the rules and what you need to do; the full details as well as the place where you sub,it the link to your special board can be found over here on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog.

So why, you might ask, am I so excited about this? Well, because the super-fabulous Heather and I are the judges! Here's how it will go down: each week Heather, the Sew Mama Sew team, and I will narrow the field down to 10 semi-finalists, the winner will then be chosen by public vote. So what will I be looking for when I judge the boards? Well, I'll be looking for interesting colour combinations, selections that aren't all from the same collection (or designer, or company), boards that evoke the theme in interesting ways, and above all I'll just be looking for that unique quality (I know, not overly specific but it's hard to put it into words)! I really can't wait to see your boards guys!

And now onto the giveaway!!!

Basic Grey has just released their first five patterns... and I have all five for one lucky winner! Here they are in all their glory:

Hello Zig Zag

Happy Churn Dash

Sunday Basket Brunch

Sweet Starlet

Promenade

Ohhhh, pretty! These five patterns (as well as a free download for the pillow featured on the Promenade cover) are all available in the Basic Grey shop, as well as several online retailers, and I'm sure you can also find them in local quilt shops near you... but you'd rather win them right?!

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

1. Leave a comment letting my know which of these five patterns is your favourite.

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 (on April 23rd) 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*