Whirly Girl Intro!

Have you ever had to take the backseat to let someone else shine? Let them demand all the glory and attention of the center stage? Whirly Girl was actually intended to be my third pattern release, but in order to work on my Lovebirds' Garden pattern, allowing enough time for testers, she had to graciously step aside. Then a small window opened up only to have Home Sweet Home quietly tiptoe right past her... yet again!?!

... but now she has dusted herself off and is ready for the limelight! 

Perhaps you might even recognize her from behind?

Do you remember me mentioning going through my "purple phase"?... well, if we are giving credit where credit is due, then Whrily Girl most likely takes the blame for starting that trend.

Whirly Girl will be my first pattern without applique!?! I know, hard to believe, but I decided that I had to make up for it some way... so she is my first pattern sporting partial (or inset seams) Once you realize how easy partial seams are, you'll think that someone should feel guilty for having given them a bad rap.

Be looking to hear more about her in the weeks to come. Right now she is in good hands with my pattern testers now, but you don't have to wait much longer to have her in yours... Whirly Girl is scheduled for a March 14th release! If you just can't wait to see more, then be sure to check out what my pattern testers are up to on Instagram #whirlygirlquilt.

Quilt: Pattern: Whirly Girl, Campbell Soup Diary - scheduled March 14th, 2019 release
Started: October 2016
Fabrics: Alison Glass, Anna Maria Horner, Carolyn Friedlander, Cotton & Steel, various other designers.
Finished quilt size: ca. 60" x 75" in. (ca. 152  x 190 cm)

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Whirly Girl Release + Shop SALE!

Oh, there's so much to share about the release of my Whirly Girl quilt, where do I begin? How about if I just jump to the good stuff first?...as part the of Whirly Girl release, I am offering a 20% discount on ALL my patterns in my Payhip shop, just enter the SALE CODE: Whirly. Sale ends Sunday, March 24th (GMT+1)

So, just in case you missed it yesterday, join me on the Whirly Girl blog hop, which starts with me today! Tomorrow, she'll show up with:

Melanie – March 15th
Sandra – March 16th
Alex - March 17th
Judith – March 18th 
Sharni - March 19^th

I suppose it's been said, never ask someone to do something that you would not be willing to do yourself, right? And since I asked my testers to make at least a 3 x 3 row Whirly Girl quilt, I thought I could join in with them too!

In all reality, the truth of it is that a while back I ordered a few precious Cotton & Steel fabrics that had caught my eye, and you know how it is sometimes... some fabrics shout a little louder than others that they need to be made into something, and NOW! (am I the only one with talking fabrics?) Have you noticed that soft grey seems to have grown on me?

But somehow no matter how you slice it or dice it, the weather in Northern Germany has just not co-operated with me when it comes to taking photos... she won't pull back that thick veil of grey!?! Ok, well in all fairness, she did for about four days, but three of those four I was out for the count on the couch with a not so pretty cold. I think in some of these pictures you can literally see how thick it is.

I'm just glad that spring is on the way despite the weather... these little blooms are one of my favorites - "Märzbecher" in German, and they are the absolute perfection of spring daintiness.

Not only have I been battling the dense grey, but also the wind. I would have to say that we are give the "Windy City" a good run for their money!

Be sure to follow along on the blog hop this week, and hop on over to Instagrm to check out what my other patterns testers have whipped up - under the #whirlygirlquilt hashtag!

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Whirly Girl To The Test

The countdown clock has officially started... in just a little over a week, Whirly Girl will make her public appearance! As I mentioned before, I have a really great group of pattern testers, and since I'm stuck behind the computer instead of the sewing machine, I thought it would be fun to share of few of other Whirly Girl versions...

Cecilia decided to use these fabulous Quantum fabrics from guicy_guice... I've been drooling over them for a while, and trying to convince myself that a girl can never have enough fabric.

Hildy had me at low volume and Basic Grey grunge... what a perfect combination for a sweet baby quilt. I've heard that there's already a new little bundle of joy wrapped up in this soft, pastel Whrily Girl quilt.

It's no secret that I am a big Alison Glass fan... give me a highly saturated fabric, and I am a happy girl. Jennifer put a fun rainbow twist on her version of Whrily Girl.

Are there any Tula fans in the house? Then Regina's yummy greens and teals are just the thing for to make #tulatroopsunite.

Bright, fun, and juicy is the only way that I can describe Erica's fun version. Lots of vibrant Cotton & Steel teal, citrons, and fuchsia, make this a fun summer quilt.

Don't you just love how a quilt can take on a completely different look, just by a few fabric changes. To see more of what my pattern testers have done, be sure to check out the #whirlygirlquilt hashtag. 

Whrily Girl releases next Thursday - March 14, 2019!
 

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Whirly Girl Blog Hop Announcement

^{Tomorrow is the official release of my Whirly Girl quilt pattern... so, are you as excited as I am? To kick things off, I'm announcing a little Blog Hop that starts with the pattern release! I had so many talented pattern testers, and what was particularly exciting for me was that I had so many German testers in the mix... it really makes me feel more a part of the community where I am living!}

So, here's where Whirly Girl will be taking you this week...

• ^{March 14th, Allison}
• ^{March 15th, Melanie}
• March 16th, Sandra
• March 17th, Alex
• March 18th, Judith  
• March 19th, Sharni

 
So before the official release tomorrow, I thought that I would leave you with a few color combinations as inspiration for your own Whirly Girl quilt...

I find that a cool color combination is one that I come back to over and over again when I am playing with colors. You'll be seeing more cool colors with my next pattern. (can you believe it's already in testers hands!?!)

Vibrant, warm, popping tones cooled down with grey accents are sure to keep things spicy...

^{I love gradient quilts, and what could make them better than using some highly saturated Alison Glass fabrics?}
 

^{Things are super dramatic when combined on a dark background. I usually tend for high popping contrasts on white, but this version has me rethinking things...}

^{But, not all quilts have to knock you over with a powerful punch of color - these sweet and soft pastel fabrics from Heather Ross are on my wish list... those strawberries are just too cute to pass up.}

<sup>So, be sure to stop back again tomorrow for the official release, March 14th! (and a few other surprises) But before I see you again, I wanted to leave you with a few things that my pattern testers actually had to say about the pattern:


"For me the directions where easy to understand. I would call myself an intermediate quilter and it was fun to sewing the pattern. Because of the directions of the flying geese it is still interesting to sew and its great for chain piecing and comes together pretty fast but looks stunning at the end." - Christa

"The pattern has been a joy to make, I love the partial seam element - not too tricky and your instructions are really clear. Just a little challenge for a confident beginner. I also like how you can make it your own with colour placement.". - Helen

"What a great, easy pattern. I did a mini quilt early on in my quilting journey with partial seams and it has scared me ever since. (I do not recommend partial seams with 1 1/2" wide pieces!)  So, there was a little trepidation but when I got to this step it was sooo easy. I will not be scared of partial seams again!" - Naomi
 
"The directions were clear and easy to understand. I feel that intermediate/advanced quilters would still find this pattern very interesting. Although the blocks are simple in construction, the design comes together in a way that feels very modern and looks complex.

The cutting tables were easy to use. I loved that you broke each section into separate segments. This was a very useful feature because I like to break up the cutting and sewing into sections. It was also helpful in being able to choose colors as I went because I was able to audition fabrics for each section". - Erica

"I enjoyed making this quilt - I will make another in different colors for sure". - Suzanne

"The construction pictures made it very simple to follow and the block comes together great. The partial seam will never stop me again from sewing a particular pattern." - Regina

"Ich bin von dem Pattern sehr angetan. Es sind viele traditionelle Blöcke miteinander vereint. Sie ergeben zusammen ein verspieltes Layout. Die Anleitung finde ich besonders für Quiltanfänger toll aufgebaut. Du erklärst jede Methode genau und nachvollziehbar. Die einzelnen Schritte zusätzlich mit der entsprechenden Schnittabelle zu versehen, finde ich wirklich klasse". - Judith</sup>

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Instagram Birthday GIVEAWAY!

It's really not intentional, but somehow my quilt pattern releases seem to line up perfectly timed with my birthday. Even though it's no special number this year, it's still fun to explain to people that I've been 35 for 11 years now... so, you wanna celebrate big with me?

To participate in the giveaway then just pop on over to my Instagram page for a chance to win a 3" x 6" Flying Geese ruler from Bloc Loc PLUS a copy of my latest pattern, Whirly Girl!

When I approach a company about sponsoring a giveaway, for me it's about endorsing products that I actually use and am passionate about. I think I've shared before about my general dislike of HST's (half square triangles)... until a friend introduced me to Bloc Loc rulers. Talk about a game changer!?! So, I was really excited to hear that they also offer a ruler for Flying Geese.

 ... and since Whirly Girl has so many Flying Geese units, I thought it would be a perfect pair up for a giveaway.

Remember that my 20% discount in my entire Payhip shop ends on Sunday, March 24th (GMT+1)... just end the Sale Code: Whirly.

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The Year Of...

If January is any indication of what this year will look like, then 2018 will be "The Year Of The Quilt Top"... perhaps a small step up from last year's "Year Of The Pillow". In any case, January will boast at least THREE finished quilt tops... last week I shared my Summer Smoothie finish, today is Green Smoothies' turn, and the next flimsy finish this month, thankfully has nothing to do with smoothies... I just picked up on the repeating theme myself. 

With that being said, it looks like 2018 will also be "The Year Of Quilting"... with so many tops, what is a girl to do? I suppose I've been collecting so many quilt tops because quilting is my least favorite part of the whole process. I put it off, and I find that I really have to push myself and get mentally geared up to even get started.

... but January is the moth of goals, planning, resolutions, and good intentions, and since I've missed out on the last two Finish-Along quarters, there's no time like the present to get back on track... wanna a preview of what you'll be seeing with me? 

The first half of my year is pretty full and pretty planned out. The next quilt top you'll be seeing is my Home Sweet Home applique sampler quilt. This is my only quilt with a deadline... just in case you missed it - if you are in Germany (or close by), I am planning this quilt release parallel with teaching two classes at the Nadelwelt in Karlsruhe in May. It should be a good push to get this one quilted and written up by then, especially considering the fact that Lovebirds' Garden (also on the list) will be released in March - lots of corrections to do until then, but just to keep your appetite whet, check out what my pattern testers are doing in Instagram... don't you just love the diversity of projects?

The next pattern to be released will be Whirly Girl.... I suppose I better get a move on with this project considering how much progress Mell has made on her pattern testing version. Once I get a little further with the pattern, I will be looking for testers - no applique on this one! (how else do you think I could get Mell on board!?!

Lovebirds' Remix, which is a spin off pattern from my Lovebirds' Garden, is the next project lined up for a flimsy finish. My applique shapes are finished and just have to be glued on and stitched down... more than halfway there. Hmmm... maybe "Year Of Pattern Releases"  would be an appropriate title to throw into the lot? 

For fun, just to over promise, and under deliver, I'll throw my HST project on the to-do list... notice another recurring theme for one more title? "The Year Of Purple" Four purple quilts in one year, how did that happen?!? Seems a little fitting since it's Pantone's color of 2018, don't you think? Trust me, I couldn't have planned it even if I'd tried. 

Linking up with Finish-A-Long... so, what's on your 2018 list?

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I've Got Your Back Covered

I wanted to talk about a quilting topic that doesn't get a whole lot of coverage (no pun intended) in the quilting scene... and that's the back of a quilt. So, what's your approach for the backside of your quilting masterpiece? I thought that it would be fun to share the current backing that I am working on, as well as sharing in one place all those quilt backings that are supporting the "stars-of-the-show"...

Pieced backing planned for my Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler quilt pattern to be released in May at the Nadelwelt in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Since I've been quilting, I've ended up piecing the good majority of the backings for my quilts. Somehow, stitching two big pieces of plain fabric together, with a seam smack dab in the middle, was never very appealing to me. However, I find that I piece my backings often for quite another reason than putting orphan blocks to good use, although this is a fantastic way to give even those rejects a piece of the pie... this one for example.

  
Back of my "Chrunstile" quilt... I actually sleep under this one.

Often I might not have large quantities of a single fabric on hand that match my current project, and if I don't want to eat up all one favorite fabric "just" for the back, then I find that piecing is a good option. I'm always taken aback when people tell me that they actually like the back of my quilt better than the front, but I'll just leave that in the "things-that-make-you-go-hmmmm" category.

"Facing East" backing... this one actually got the "I like the backside better" comment.

... and perhaps we should just leave the topic of double-the-price fabrics that one pays in Germany on the backburner. This coupled with high shipping cost, and long waiting times, pushes me again in the same direction of pieced backs.

Back of my "Swell" quilt... another one that adorns one of my beds.

The stars are the "star" of my Penny quilt, but a simple backing was a good choice for a pieced backing.

I've always like adding just a little bit of the unexpected...  it's a little bit like ordering a crossiant at the bakery, getting it home, and realizing that it's filled with chocolate when you bite into it.

I was able to use up even more scraps not only for the front of my Scrappy Windmill quilt, but the back too!

So how about if I end things by sharing a little things-yet-to-come backing... the back of my Whirly Girl quilt. Just a little more quilting, and I'll be ready for my big reveal!

Looking for some more quilt backing inspiration? Check out my favorites on Pinterest.

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