Connections

Without sounding totally cliché, it really is amazing to me the connections that you make online... especially within the quilting community. When I first moved to Germany, I never would have imagined that one day so many of my daily contacts and friends would stem from relationships with people that I had met online. Even just a few weekends ago, I spent the weekend with the ladies from our HH Modern Patchwork Treffen for a retreat in Denmark... all of them, with the exception of one, I had met online!  I think I "met" Magda about the same time that I "met" Melanie... it was a WIP Wednesday connection, back when Freshly Pieced was still hosting. Before I knew it, the three of us...

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THANKFUL Pattern Sale

Thanksgiving is not just a time to drool over the scrumptious and perfectly browned turkey, but I dare say your favorite fabrics and projects too! I've been drooling over the new Alison Glass collections, Seventy Six and her 2017 Sun print fabrics, and I can't wait to get my hands on them! You too? Can't you just imagine my Jeweled Kaleidoscope pattern made with them? To celebrate the spirit of the holiday, I would like to let you know how grateful I am for your support by offering 20% off my Jeweled Kaleidoscope quilt pattern November 24 - 28th! Simply enter the sale code: THANKFUL in my Payhip shop. What are you thankful for today? ...

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Merry & Bright

Are you a pre-holiday project planner? As much as I would like to say that I belong to this category, the honest truth about things is that I usually think about making a holiday project when I am already in the middle of that holiday. On our recent sewing retreat to Denmark, I did, however, have to have several projects planned ahead of time, and I wanted to have a hand project in case I needed a break from the sewing machine... what was I thinking, right?!? a break from the sewing machine? HA! (big laughing here behind the scenes) This past weekend, the traveling sick bug hit everyone in the family except for my husband. It's almost torture for me when I am too sick to make it to...

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Where The Heart Leads

Ten years ago today, the decision to step on a plane to Germany completely changed the rest of my life... in every way that could be imagined. It was on my granmother's 80th birthday that I was flying halfway across the globe to be with the man who had captured my heart. Almost a year later, I started blogging about my life in Germany, and the feelings and emotions about living in a country that was not my own. Talk about not being in Kansas anymore?!? Those first years were very much processing what it means to experience daily life in another language, another way of doing things, and another culture... all different from mine. At the time, there is no way that I could have possibly...

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Denmark Weekend Show & Tell

A weekend away from the daily rush, snuggled up in a cozy cabin in Denmark with your sewing girls, and nothing on your hands but time to sew sounds pretty much like a dream, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what my past weekend looked like! Usually when we get together for our monthly HH Modern Patchwork Treffen, it always feels like we don't get very much accomplished. Usually chatter and the exchange about fabrics, patterns, techniques, quilting ideas, etc. distract from the actual time at the sewing machine. But, I think that everyone left this time quite pleased with the amount of things that we got accomplished. Perhaps it might have helped that the WiFi wasn't working in our cabin. On...

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Finish Line In Sight!

I've been working really hard on my second quilt pattern, and am now almost finished with the quilt top! I just have to add a border and some additional applique circles to finish it off. Generally when I work on a pattern, I make it first to see if my idea will even translate into a usable pattern, and then I backtrack to write the instructions. Perhaps it might be a little backwards in my thinking, but it's somehow the way I work best. I suppose it could also be because I procrastinate on the computer work, much preferring to sew than to calculate math... you too? Of course there is still the quilting ahead, and as usual, this will be no small quilt. It would appear that the apple...

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Pattern Testers Finishes

The last couple weeks have been an absolute whirlwind with my new pattern release, two giveaways, and preparing for my upcoming sewing retreat... and I realized that I had not officially shared what my pattern testers came up with. They not only came up with some really fantastic projects, but gave me the feedback that I needed to make improvments on my pattern that hopefully translated into a very clear, understandable, and usable pattern. It's always nice when credit is given where credit is due, don't you think?   1. I love Elina's idea to put my pattern on point, and her well thought out details and accents complete this beautiful cushion. 2. Melanie used her blocks to make a lovely...

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Cut, Cut, Snip, Snip

This week has been more about cutting to prepare for my upcoming Denmark sewing retreat than it has been about sewing. Even though I understand the benefit of time saving when you cut, sew, and iron all at once, etc., the reality of it is that I have never cut all the fabric needed for a quilt all at one time. I'm so tempted to stop in between and stitch up a block before cutting some more, but I suppose that would leave me with having nothing to work on during our trip. I'm nearing the finish line for completing the quilt top for my second pattern, and I wanted to whip up a smaller project in second colorway. I keep grabbing for this essex linen over and over again, and why not? Another...

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