Blind Stitching & Sneak Peeks... Again!

There comes a point where you have so many secret projects in the works, that something just has to give... you can't keep everything under wraps forever, right? Don't you think it's about time for yet another teaser from the medallion quilt I am currently writing the pattern for? This is actually the bonus project that will be included with my medallion quilt pattern, and I decided to finish the applique shapes with a blind stitch. I love applique, but I don't love a zig-zag finish. I love a smooth, finished edge, but find that a straight stitch gets me to my end goal quicker, BUT... there are those times that I want the finished stitches to be seen as little as possible, and a blind...

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Applique Sampler Teaser

Are you ready for yet ANOTHER secret sewing project? Well, it would appear that I am. It all starts with that one little spark... you know, that spark that lights the first big idea, that leads to another, and then spreads like a wildfire until it is all consuming and cannot be stopped? I've had it in my head for quite a while now to work on my own ALL applique pattern. I usually keep a few cluttered folders around with sketches and such when I work on a pattern. I don't always have an end result in mind at first, but the general direction is always clear. So, one little sketch turned to two, which turned into four, and by the time they had made it to six, they had made into EQ7 and you...

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August Design Wall

Do you have a specific and defineable quilting style? Can people look at your work and identify a follow-the-thread color scheme? a design style? perhaps that certain something that makes it obvious who you are?... like a Tula Pink, Red Pepper Quilts, Bonnie and Camille, or a Carolyn Friedlander? I would say that each of these designers have a very distinct and easily identifiable style, and there's no questioning whose work it is. Despite the fact that some of what I do could be picked out in a line up, it does feel like I am not particularly married to one specific style. My heart beats for color, which I assume is more than painfully obvious, but there is something about the traditional...

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#30daysoffabricstacks Take IV

So, I realized that I was more than a little behind on sharing my fabric stacks here on the blog, but hey, better late than never, right? As you can imagine, there are several fabric stacks that come quite easily, and some of them I had to work, re-work, and even re-re-work multiple times. #Grey is what I consider a non-color... and arguments in agreement or disagreement be what they may, this almost non-existent "color" in my stash, made this fabric stack one of the hardest. But ahhh... that little pop of citrus saved this stack for me, and was actually a weekly winner! (thanks @stitchedincolor and @bobbieloufabrics) We all have 'em... those fabrics we hoard. Because I came to the quilting...

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10 BEST Starch Applique Tips

It's great to have another quilter in the family that you can simply "talk shop"... favorite fabrics, projects in the works, proud finishes, and a variety of techniques, tips, and tools. On my recent visit to the States, I was able to catch up with my aunt, and let's just say that there was a flurry of conversation that would put any non-quilter to sleep. Of course the topic of applique came up because I had taken my Summer Garden blocks with me to work on. When I asked her about starch applique, knowing that she is a master appliquer, I was puzzled by her hum-ho response... in my opinion, starch applique is THE best thing since sliced bread... how could she not love it and not want to applique...

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#30daysoffabricstacks Take III

I'm still stackin' on the 30 Days of Fabric Stacks challenge from Stitched in Color, and I've been enjoying exploring various themes and colors that I might not have come to on my own. Missed my other stacks?... see what I've come up with so far here and here. For the theme Scale I ended up thinking about a good bit before I pulled it together. I love big scale fabric, but they don't always translate into a good quilt when there are too many around, so that's why I wanted to use both large scale and small scale prints in this fabric pull. You may recognize these fabric pull from an already existing project, but as I was making the pillow for my husband, I realized that I liked the pull...

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The Other Side of the Pond

Have you ever sewn with jet lag? Well, I have. Maybe you've noticed, but then again, maybe you haven't, but I've essentially been gone this whole past month. A very, very long overdue trip to visit my family in the States was just what this girl needed this summer. Ahhhh.... As much as I soak up the time being with my family and friends, not to mention the language, I've really missed being at my sewing machine. Does anyone else out there have creative/sewing withdrawal issues in those summer months when the kids are home and are in constant need of entertainment? It's actually a rather strange feeling when you first walk in your house after being gone for such a long time... even odd...

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