Flower Boxes Quilt

Even before Happy Land was in my hands I was planning on what to do with it. I surprisingly won 6 yards of it from commenting on the freespirit blog and was excited to see what the colors truly looked like. I don't know how Jennifer does it, but all these colors play off each other so amazingly. I really do get my inspiration from a single fabric and run with it. After all, these fabric designers are the experts at color- especially Jennifer! I started cutting up the fabric and wanted to do a different design for this line and the Flower Boxes pattern took shape. I only had a few blocks done and had to wait for a gap in receiving the rest of my order, so they sat Washi taped to my wall for a few weeks. Once I received the rest of the yardage, the fun began. I tried to mix up each block, not matching the fussy cut flowers in the center too exactly if possible. If you can let go, you can find some amazing color combinations just playing around. I quilted it with an Aurifil thread that is a fuchsia variegated #4660. Every fabric from Happy Land was used in this quilt! I truly get too distracted on a daily basis finding new fabric combinations as a happy accident from a sudden inspiration! :) I have put this quilt in my shop~ a rarity to have a ready made quilt in the shop, but this one is here in case it speaks to you! :) Its a 45x63 which would work as a throw, or toddler bed or baby quilt. I am so honored that Jennifer featured this quilt on her blog today!!! She is such an amazing, supportive person and I love the beauty that she brings to the quilting world with every new collection! I had never sewn clothes until recently because I found I had to wear these amazing fabrics, too! :)

Happy Land & Best of Jennifer Paganelli Quilt Done!

I was finally able to finish a custom order for a customer using the Happy Land fabrics with the best Jennifer Paganelli fabrics from her past lines that coordinate. I used Aurifil thread #5006 to quilt it. It was fun pulling out my Loopy scraps for this one. I love how the navy and fuchsia are great contrasts with the other colors. That's me in my newest Devon, a larger picture on flickr. I used Candice in sky and love how it looks with jeans. The fun has just begun with this fabric line! You can find it everywhere~ Hawthorne Threads, Etsy & Quilt Home to name a few. Marie Madeline will be carrying it soon. 

Charming Dolls

I gave my friend, Christina, some Jennifer Paganelli scraps and look what she did! Aren't they just adorable?? I'm trying to convince her to open an etsy shop. Right now they are up for sale at her Art Quilt group's exhibition. I went to the night where there was a reception and got to see all these amazing art quilts made by her as well as others. So inspiring!

Here she is helping me sew a Crazy Love quilt. I love our time to sew together! :)

What I'm Working On

minky blanket

barcelona skirt

quilt WIP

Just some projects I've finished or are currently working on. I have posted all these in instagram, so I feel like I neglect the blog! It's like mini blogging. First pic is a blanket I made with my freespirit winnings plus adding past Jennifer fabrics. 

Second is Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt, altered. The original length to cut is 28" & I changed it to 23". I just prefer the skirt to go above my knee. Also, I don't line it. I worry that the bulk will make me look wider, so I just omit that step and attach the zipper as directed & just finish the top edge myself. Now, the pattern is perfect in my opinion & I plan on making a bunch to match my cardigans!

Last is the quilt pattern I'm working on for my shop using Happy Land. I have in the past used 8" squares or random patchwork, but felt like adding a different design. I am fussy cutting flowers from the line and mixing it all up with the small inner and outer borders. I'm calling it Flower Box, so If you are interested in having one of these, let me know. Right now my plans are to make this a 40x56 as that works as a small throw, toddler bed or baby quilt size. I can always make it bigger! ;)

Happy Land, Part 2

I got more Happy Land in, and as usual, I had to play with the colors. I am most intrigued by the last combo. There is something about that green background with the pinks, reds and touch of aqua that just feels amazing in person! The middle one with the warm browns seemed decidedly sophisticated & the first one is classic Jennifer Paganelli at her best in fuchsias & aquas. You can see my other combos on my flickr page. I still have more I want to order, but this will get me started! I'm planning some clothing for me and some quilts for the shop. The combos will be listed in the shop later today!

Happy Land preview

Midnight colorway includes navy, aqua, fuchsia, golden yellow & green

Hand quilted using Aurifil thread #2588

back

Ta Da!

I was super excited to win some of Jennifer Paganelli's soon to be released Happy Land fabric! It got shipped to me yesterday & I decided by the end of the day the first thing I would make is a purse for myself! It is my own pattern & I used fusible batting so I could hand quilt some details & machine quilt the rest. I have found that Aurifil #2588 is usually an awesome match for the fuchsia in Jennifer's fabrics. I used that so the quilting would stand out more. When ever I get her new fabric, I am itching to make something asap! :) It is supposed to be released Oct 1, but sometimes they are early. I know that Hawthorne Threads is planning to carry it. Next up is (of course) a baby blanket using Happy Land midnight and other previous JP lines.

Spinning Stars

So, before joining a quilt along, hosted by Katy I thought I'd make a test block to see how I liked it. Some blocks, which shall remain nameless, are just so time consuming in planning fabric placement. I need something I can come back to when I am able without getting stressed out each time. I'm also not super good at getting everything lined up when there's lots of pieces to put together. This block fits the criteria for me! The 2 issues I had was stretching along the bias & my seam allowances are too small on the finished block after trimming. I can adjust accordingly for future blocks. I pressed the joining seams open and the pie pieces in opposite directions so they'd nestle nicely. This way the block should lay flatter for quilting.You can find the free, downloadable pattern on Anna's blog.  Now to decide which fabrics to choose . . . :)

Green!

I can remember the summer between 4th and 5th grade when I took my first sewing class. We were supposed to pick out a 'simple' pattern to make an article of clothing. I picked a one piece romper with a zipper, of all things! My favorite color at that time was green. I found a green calico at the local fabric store, Rags to Stitches, and was so excited to sew it up. Needless to say it was way over my head and I can never remember wearing it! It kind of soured me to sewing and I had no desire to sew again until I got married. The moral of that story is give someone a super super basic pattern to sew as a beginner so they feel like they could actually see themselves sewing again! The good thing about that class is that I met a friend that I still keep in touch with to this day, so she is my 'oldest' friend. She is the one who first told me about etsy and encouraged me to open up my shop 4 years ago. So that's the good that came out of that class! :) My favorite color has changed over the years, unlike some people who keep the same favorite their whole life. In high school, purple became a favorite until around the year 2000 & then I was into red. About 3 years ago, thanks to Jennifer Paganelli, aqua has been the forerunner! So swinging back to the blanket I made above from various fabric designers, it is an ode to my childhood sewing class I took so long ago! It is now available in my shop. :)

What I've Been Doing Lately

Fashion Formula Skirt pattern by Kay Whitt

Jennifer Paganelli twin quilt set

I've had lots of different projects I've been working on. I took some time off to have some surgery (hysterectomy) & realized that I needed to wear either drawstring, loose skirts or dresses. I sewed up some skirts using Kay Whitt's pattern from her Fashion Formula Skirts booklet which I LOVE! The strip skirts only require 8-9" strips, so you can easily use up some half or quarter yards you have laying around. I used Anna Maria Horner's Field Study in the aqua/yellow combo as well as a mini check from Michael Miller. The second skirt is all from Queen Street (Jennifer Paganelli). There are lots of other variations to try & I'm really looking forward to it. There are lots of drawings, so there was never a confusing part as I was sewing. I didn't do a good job distributing the gathers with the first skirt, but learned for the second one. I also bought some of her dress patterns- the Diane Kimono & the Bebe dress which Kay modeled so beautifully at Quilt Market. I also have the Monique dress, but haven't tried it yet. You can find all of her patterns here

Next up is a twin size quilt I finished along with matching pillowcases (not pictured) & pillow shams in Jane from Super Fly. As always, I love mixing Jennifer's fabrics & I used Crazy Love & Super Fly with some blue and green additions from Honey Child & Queen Street. It feels so good to be back sewing again and to immerse myself in this creative world again!

Field Study

I am swooning over Anna Maria Horner's Field Study fabrics. I love the intricate designs, the unusual color combinations. They play well with her other fabric lines and it's always fun for me to pull from other designers for that perfect match. This group is on my floor and still needs tweaking, but I'm having fun with it!

I have put together other combos on my flickr and have put a few in the shop as quilt possibilities. What lines are you looking forward to??

Introducing Holly Marie Cases

I am so proud to show you my daughter, Holly's new shop on etsy called hollymariecases. A while back when I got my iphone I wanted to purchase a clear case so that I could put fabric it~ I know, that is a surprise! I chose the Loopy Vintage Floral in fuchsia & loved it! Holly has an iphone and she inserted floral fabrics for her phone and got lots of compliments on it. Studding clothing has been really popular and she and some friends got together and ripped and studded some shorts together. Next, iphone case studs! Her friends all wanted one, so she decided to open an etsy shop. It is a perfect partnership since I have a boatload of fabrics! Another great use of my beloved scraps! Pictured above are an assortment of Jennifer Paganelli fabrics as well as a Tanya Whelan. She has had so much fun creating each one and matching stud colors as well as figuring out new combinations. If you or someone you know is in the market for a cute iphone case, please check out her shop! :)

The Birds and the Bees

I got a few of the Birds and the Bees prints from Tula Pink's latest line. I really love the color combos she has in this line! Either grouping would make a colorful, show stopper quilt. I love how her designs incorporate animal or people within the designs. You could really have a quilt on your lap and have fun discovering the hidden treasures~ young or old! In the second grouping, #7 called Bees Knees, I didn't notice until I received the fabric that are bees in the form of flowers. So clever! Can you imagine wearing a dress you made from that fabric and then someone noticing that hidden treasure! Sewing is even more fun! :) I got mine at Hawthorne Threads, but I have seen this line everywhere!!

Cameo

I got Amy Butler's new Cameo line in yesterday and it was fun to play with! I love how it works so well with some of her cherished older lines, like Belle. I'm glad I still have a little bit left of a few of those prints. I have been looking at that olive green in Belle and wondering what I want to combine it with and then here is Cameo! It has that great olivey green, chartreuse & pretty blues that Amy is known for. The red looks great with the Wallflower red as well as the newer Souvenir in the last photo. Harriet's kitchen (the large one in the last photo) was especially fun to pull coordinates. I love busy prints with lots of color and finding just the right combo to bring out their beauty. Which prints are you planning on getting?

Dorm or Twin Set Ready to Ship

I just finished making this set that would fit a dorm bed or twin bed. It is 60x72, so the length is slightly shorter than a twin mattress, but you can pull the blanket down a little to make room for the pillows. It is pictured on a queen size bed positioned horizontally. I've included a pillowcase & 14" throw pillow cover. The sham is not included. It's all ready to ship in the shop! :)

Quilt It!

I love the opportunity to free motion quilt some swirls. I use a Juki TL-2000 Qi. I love how it quilts~ it's a workhorse! For this eclectic mix of fabrics I chose a variegated pink Aurifil thread. The backing fabric is Natasha in red & the binding is Cecilia in brown. I think that sometimes one of the hardest decisions is choosing the thread color for the quilting. Often, the backing fabric has a greater influence on the choice for me. I like it to somewhat blend when I am doing the swirls as I sometimes feel like I am scribbling all over the fabric designer's artwork! I love the crinkly goodness that results after washing when it's quilted all over. I hope Kristin enjoys her quilt!
Additional info: it is available as a made to order quilt in my shop. :)

A New Purse for Me!

 I started thinking about this purse when Anna Maria Horner released her Loulouthi line and I saw her fabulous pillow she embellished with hand quilting using the Summer Totem print. (I tried to find it in my favs on flickr, but it was too slow and I became impatient!) I was thinking it would be fun to use that print as a flap on a purse and hand quilt/embroider some details on it. I did that on the flap, sides and then just did a running stitch through the squares on the front and back. I am not a good hand quilter, and this was my first attempt at embroidery, but I love the results despite the imperfections. It is my own design using 4.5" squares, 4.5" sides. It will hold quite a bit for my summer travels. I decided against using a closure on the flap as I don't really like pulling the flap off each time. It's long enough to where things aren't going to fall out. I used the grapefruit color of the Summer Totem as I love the hint of pink and the colors Anna Maria chose to go with that light pink. I knew this would be a summer purse, so I focused on pulling out the lighter colors. I'm so glad to get this UFO off my list! :)