So much of the first part of my year has been the push get ready for Nadelwelt, which included finishing my fourth pattern, Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler. I was able to pre-release the pattern for the show, and it officially releases next week! Right now the dust has not yet settled, and I've not even really had time to fully process the whole event, but I can assure that I had a blast!
The first day of the show I taught a class on the starch applique method. I really have it in my head to possibly put out a couple videos on this fantastic technique, but everything in it's time, right? I ended up taking my two latest quilts, as well as a good number of smaller applique project samples.
... you may have already noticed that my patterns are now available in print! I'm
also excited to that a few shops in Germany
will be carrying my in-print patterns. I'll be sharing details very soon!
Even though the class was listed that I would teaching in English, because there were only German speakers in the class, I actually found it helpful to flip to German... talk about a challenge - try explaining a technique, using technical terms in a foreign language... but I'm glad to say that I came out on the other side without any major injuries.
I got the feeling that my class participants really enjoyed a different approach to applique, and I was asked by a couple of shops to offer courses with them too... keep your eyes peeled for more on that as it develops.
So, start your one week countdown clock... I've got some pretty exciting news to share next week with the official release of my Home Sweet Home quilt pattern... and it has something to do with fabric!
Really happy to check this first finish of the quarter off my Finish-A-Long list!
It's been said that in life you should always take time to stop and smell the roses... but what about the tulips? The past weeks have been a whirlwind of preparations, and I will be crossing the finish line this week! I've been so consumed with finishing my Home Sweet Home applique sampler for release, printing patterns, Nadelwelt preparations, and too many other things to list, that it's left me feeling a bit buried in work. A few weeks ago my mother-in-law asked if I would be interested in visiting the Keukenhof tulip gardens in Holland. Of course the answer was immediately yes, until she told me the date... the weekend before Nadelwelt! But in spite of my mile long to-do list, I decided to go with her. So this week instead of sharing my latest projects in the works, especially since I am so short on time, I wanted to keep things simple and send the reminder your way to stop and smell the tulips.... or perhaps even tiptoe through them if you prefer.
The countdown has officially begun... I'm about a week away from heading out to Nadelwelt, and I couldn't be more nervous and excited at the same time. So much to think of... pack... plan... check off the list, and that's exactly what I'm doing.
I shared last week my two latest kicks that I am somehow needing to get out of my system - felt and reverse applique. Both of these projects are blocks from my Home Sweet Home applique sampler, which releases in May!
I usually make a lot of pillows with several factors in mind. Firstly, I always like to show smaller sample projects that can be made for a large quilt pattern... it gets ideas flowing for how a pattern can be translated into a smaller and more doable piece - not everyone likes doing long distance marathon quilts, you know.
Secondly, it gives me the opportunity to experiment... so far I've been in my safe "swirls" free motion quilting bubble, and it gives me room to try other quilting motifs. For my "Blooms" pillow, I branched out a bit and did a combination of flowers, leaves, and swirls. I don't always feel confident with connecting one movement to the next, but that's why you practice... right?
Thirdly, I find that I actually need smaller in between projects as a breather when I am working on a bigger one. Sometimes my sewing time is a bit here and there, and if it takes too long to get back into a big project, at least I'm still sewing on an easier to pick-up-where-I-left-off project... I'd say that's killing a lot of birds with just one stone!
So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to check here in next week since I'll be super busy packing my bags, but don't go too far because there's a lot coming up in May... my Home Sweet Home applique sampler is finished, and releases May 16th!... PLUS I've got a little surprise coming up on Instagram.
Hope to see you at Nadelwelt - be sure to say hello if you are there!
Linking up for the Q2 Finish-A-Long
I'm pleased to say that I seem to be right on track with my
progress from the last FAL quarter even though that means that I only got one
quilt finished... but it was a biggie! The best part about this quarter is that I know that I will definitely
have at least one sure finish... the quilting is finished,
and binding is all that's left to do for my Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler. (pattern releases May 16th!)
I have two small spin off projects that I'm adding to the list, and reverse applique circles are my current flavor of the month, but I really like the way it highlights these applique blocks...
I usually don't like to give myself self imposed deadlines because I enjoy quilting more when I can work on what I'm in the mood for. On one hand my biggest deadline in May has been pushing me pretty hard, and I found that while quilting, there were a good number of times that I found it really unenjoyable... hey, isn't our hobby supposed to be enjoyable? On the other hand, it's nice for me to have the deadlines to push myself towards finishes... and that's a good feeling too!
Even though I have more projects in the works than are on my list this quarter, I am keeping my FAL list relatively small this time. My Whirly Girl pattern has been bumped to the back burner twice - the first time so there would be enough time for pattern testing Lovebirds' Garden, and then again when the momentum of finishing Home Sweet Home to introduce at Nadelwelt cut line. But after the dust settles, I'm pushing this one for a fall release!
Summer Smoothie has made it to my list again. This is pretty high up on the priority list too because I am queen bee coming up soon, and it's a good feeling to finish one bee quilt before starting another.
Lovebirds Remix quilt top is so close to being finished, but there are a few "I'm a perfectionist" things that are standing in the way. I keep trying to convince myself that I don't have to unpick the whole applique vine that is already stitched down. (but I'm not so sure that I won't just do it anyway)... we'll see.
That's it... doesn't seem like much, right? How are you coming along with your quarterly goals?
Even though I'm usually quite the chatty gal when it comes to writing, today is about short and sweet... I really should be quilting right now to meet my Nadelwelt deadline, but not without stopping in and saying hello first.
... and like I shared last week, felt is the flavor of the month (at least for me it is), but this week it's about mixing mediums. I love combining fabric and paper, and kraft paper is usually my paper of choice - it's natural, it's simple, and it's not fussy. I love adding little decorative stitches to paper too, and this little awl has been a must in my sewing bag for quite some time now.
How about a closer look? Once I finished the applique and hand stitching, I sewed it onto the front of a simple journal... so fun, don't you think?
... and of course I just had to add a few Alison Glass sun print fabrics to give it that strong pop of color... I suppose once a color girl, always a color girl, right?
I've had several questions about how I made and finished this, and I had thought about putting together a little video series after the dust settles... how would you like to join me?
When I was a little girl, I would take a peanut butter sandwich in my school lunch everyday... and I really mean EVERY day. No jelly, just peanut butter. I suppose this went on for years, and I have to admit that I smile inwardly when my littlest asks for a cream cheese sandwich, yup, you guessed it... EVERY day.
While I no longer eat peanut butter sandwiches on a daily basis, I do notice that I have a tendency that when I get in a phase, that I stick with for a while... just like my peanut butter sandwiches. I suppose that the need to get it fully out of my system sometimes doesn't just stop with the first project. And it would appear that felt applique is the current flavor of the month.
I had shared little sneak peeks of my washing symbols project last week, but now they are finished up and ready to go to Nadelwelt. I really wanted to focus on more detailed quilting, and love the way these turned out once they were framed... see, I don't always make just pillows ; )
But as you can imagine, one project snowballs into another, and then into the next... like a potato chip, I couldn't stop with just one, right?!? I shared this sneak peak on Instagram this week of yet another felt applique project that I am working on... quilted up and ready to be turned into? what else...
... another peanut butter sandwich. You can see it coming now, can't you?
Do you have a tendency to get stuck on one favorite technique, pattern, favorite fabric pull like a favorite sandwich?
