Create Whimsy

A few weeks ago, Create Whimsy asked if they could interview me about my work. Since Create Whimsy is known for sharing stories and journeys of makers and their work, "providing inspiration for living creatively every day," it felt like a good fit.

So if you're new here, or would just like to know a little more about my quilting journey and current process, click here.

Create Whimsy does Spotlight Stories on all sorts of creatives, in addition to modern quilters - fiber artists, art quilters, embroidery artists, and much more. Take a look!

Good and Better

Yesterday started off well enough. The MOD-Q newsletter popped into my email inbox, and there was my Follow the Dots quilt in the Quilt Stories: Headline News feature. Editor Helen Butcher of the Quilters' Guild of theBritish Isles, had written a while back asking if she could include it, so I knew about it, but it was still a fun surprise to see in my feed.



And then things went uphill from there, when I got notification that Follow the Dots had made it into 2018 QuiltCon in the Small Quilts category. Oh yeah. I would have loved if our guild quilt had gotten in but that didn't happen. With over 1430 quilts submitted and room for 360, it is what it is. Honestly, I'm thrilled to have even one in the show.

A bonus was hearing that my Bee Sewcial beemate Felicity/@felicityquilts had her #felicityquiltswinter accepted! It's a group quilt, made in collaboration with the 2015 #beesewcial women @shecanquilt, @marci_girl, @spontaneousthreads,

@quiltsforthemaking, @weshallsew, @spontaneousthreads, @entropyalwayswins, @diane_stanley_sews, and myself. Considering I wasn't there when my own Bee Sewcial quilt, Mod Mood, was in the show, I'm hoping to get in on the group photo with Felicity and her "Winter."

So back to Instragram to scroll through and see what got in and what didn't. They are all equally inspiring!

Half-Square Headlines

It's not often I can say my name is in the headlines, but I can today! It's the Half-Square Headlines, an absolutely delightful newsletter published by Michelle Bartholomew.

Michelle's is one of just a handful of newsletters I receive in my email inbox, and for good reason.... the Quilter's Spotlight - a glimpse into the lives of fellow creators, a captivating round-up of interesting quilt-related links, "Quilt Crush" where she highlights a favorite beautiful quilt, and the clever "Text & Textiles," a new themed fabric-grouping each issue. And more! So nicely done and curated with care, I have no doubt you'll enjoy it too.

It's an honor to be the subject of Michelle's Quilter's Spotlight in her latest issue. If you'd like to get to know me better, see where I sew, or just take a few moments to enjoy a lovely collection of quilt-related content, take a look.

Click here to subscribe to Half-Square Headlines!

Out in the World

There are a couple of cool features that I keep meaning to tell you about. The first was a contact last year by The Quarto Group in London. According to their website, "The Quarto Group makes and sells great books that entertain, educate and enrich the lives of adults and children around the world."

Quarto was in the process of reissuing their Encyclopaedia of Quilting Techniques by 
Katherine Guerrier. The step-by-step photography and Katherine’s text would remain, but they wanted to update the gallery portion of the book... and include some of my quilts! So you'll see several of my quilts in The Encyclopedia of Quilting & Patchwork Techniques - here are a few.

A Step Towards Home 

Sizzling

Snooze Alarm [block pattern by Amy Gunson]

The next feature was something I'd totally forgotten about, but luckily my friend Sophie/Luna Lovequilts - who wrote an article on her visit to QuiltCon - pointed it out to me and gave me a peek. It was in a column on The Modern Quilt in the French patchwork magazine, Les Nouvelles.

Offbeat [pattern by Ellyn Zinsmeister]

Unfortunately, even with an online translator, I couldn't really read the article, but oh well! Fun just the same....

And that's not all!

By last night I knew another random post was in order, like now. I must have a second sense for cloth napkins lately, as I came across these Handmade Napkins with Mitered Corners by whipstitch, which also comes with a helpful size chart . . .

 

And these delightful and surprising Mind Your Manners Napkins from Gingercake, which give me such a smile.

On the topic of quilt labels, I realized the shop where I got mine isn't accepting new orders, but the following shops were recommended on Ig. 

• Jennifer's Jewels
• Worldwide Labels
• Tagtopia
• Eyluldesigns

Another option mentioned was that of printing your own on Spoonflower. If you go that route, here's a two-part tutorial by Jaybird Quilts (one/two). I'll update this list as I hear back from a few feelers I have out.

And seeing the new January 2014 issue of American Quilter magazine yesterday made my ho-hum day (read: carpet delay) into a much more fun one.

I knew it was coming, but still, seeing Common Affection in print along with the other modern quilt challenge winners from AQS QuiltWeek Des Moines really gave me a thrill. I think I'll ride on that for a while.

The Name Game

Ever wonder about the name I chose for my blog? Well my friend Cindy asked me about it and invited me to play The Name Game. Stop by Live a Colorful Life and I'll tell you all about it!

Sew Lux Design Challenge :: The Tutorial

Accepting the Sew Lux Design Challenge consisted of several steps. First was picking a bundle of fat-quarters from the shop at Sew Lux Fabric & Gifts.

Next was the interview! 

And finally, creating a new project for you! The tutorial is now available for my Mod Angles Cushion. Head on over to Sew Lux, then let me know what you think!

Linking up with {sew} Modern Monday and Fabric Tuesday.

Sew Lux Design Challenge :: The Interview

Chrissy of Sew Lux and I have been stitching together in the FAITH circle of do.Good Stitches for a year now. Recently she asked me to join in her Design Challenge Series! 

Today, there is an 'interview' with me over on Chrissy's blog {here}, and in a few days, there will be a tutorial for my challenge project. Part of the fun, of course, was choosing the fabric from Chrissy's shop!

My fabric bundle is now available in the Sew Lux shop, and is even on sale through November 2! You can check it out here. And thanks to Chrissy and Sew Lux for this fun opportunity! I'm anxious to share my project with you soon!

More Sightings!

Here I've barely sewed a stitch the last week or so, but I've been entertained by more Triple-Zip sightings! You may be sick and tired of hearing about these, but for posterity {or whatever!} I feel compelled to tally them up here on the blog.

The tutorial itself has been spotted at Tipnut and Make: Craft. And Maria of Mia's Creations made a second triple-zip.

And then, yesterday I got several emails from bloggy friends telling me about seeing triple-zips over at How About Orange. I hurried on over and yup, there were two! Made from Jessica Jones' own Outside Oslo, they were actually made by Jessica's mom, Grandma G, from A Photo's Worth!

You can read all about them from Jessica and Grandma G here and here. And as if that wasn't enough for one week, Grandma G made another one today!

It's a pretty nice compliment when folks make one pouch from your tutorial, let alone more. But when they say things like, "They may just be the most fun sewing item I've ever made." Well that's just plain cool.

Some Randomness and A Table Winner

There was a feature last Friday that I haven't mentioned yet! My Triple-Zip Pouch was listed as one of the 4 Favorites 4 Friday on the Sewing Summit website. It was an honor to be among such lovely projects.

If you want to read an insightful article about taking better blog photos, check this out by Bijou Lovely. I found it really helpful.

Source: bijoulovelydesigns.com via Debbie on Pinterest

TWO of my blog buddies have recently opened etsy shops! 

First was knotted thread by Jennifer, who blogs by the same name. She has some quilts and other handsewn items as well as a bunch of Riley Blake chevrons and dots.

Then there's Winding Bobbins by Heather of Crafting..., who has some quilted items in her shop.

Consider supporting both of these new shops as they begin their new ventures!

And about that September Tuesday at the Table winner!

That would be Katy of The Littlest Thistle and The South Beach Pinterest Project. Congrats, Katy, and thanks for sharing your new recipe adventures this month! I'll be emailing you so I can send that Chicopee bundle your way!

Speaking of Pinterest, thanks for all who pinned my bundle from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics earlier in the week. You may have heard that there was a bit of a snafu, much to the disappointment of many. I can see how things got out of hand, and will just be putting this little incident behind me and moving on. Thanks though for your support! Hope you have a great day!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

All Sorts of Random

There's several odds and ends to share from the last week or so, the first being that {Sew} Modern Monday is back! Visit Canoe Ridge Creations each Monday to share your latest modern finish!

There's also a couple of fun bits coming up this fall. First, I was invited to participate in the Sew Lux Design Challenge, and my project will be up towards the end of October. Fabric just arrived, so now . . . what to do??

And in November, A Quilter's Table will be one of the stops on the UR Priceless blog hop. I'm really looking forward to putting my touch on this little pouch! (I hear there are still blog hop openings - if you are interested, contact Katherine at Sew Me Something Good.)

I really appreciated this article by badskirt this week, all about checking the accuracy of your cutting mats and rulers. Really, it's worth checking out!          

It's always a please to see one of FAITH Circle's do.Good Stitches quilts completed, and this week Rachel posted about the finished Scattered Gems quilt we made blocks for in July. The blocks I contributed, made with this tutorial, looked like this:

You can see my blocks in the top and bottom 'rows'.

 
Lastly, I was really pleased to see my Zakka mosaic included in Rashida's wrap-up post on the sew-along! And of course it was pretty cool to see my little Triple-Zip Pouch being listed as one of 4 Favorites 4 Friday on the Sewing Summit blog!    

News Travels

Browsing flickr last Friday, I caught sight of Melissa/Mama Missa's triple-zip pouch and I could hardly believe my eyes! SO cute! The tutorial had been up just a few days, and it was so affirming and exciting to see that someone had actually used it!

 

triple zip pouch

Then last night, I got an email that the tute was up at Freebies for Crafters. And this afternoon, it was featured at Totally Tutorials. These sites are a treasure-trove of tutorials for all kinds of projects, and it's pretty cool to have mine included.

   

So things are looking good for the triple-zip!

Love a Feature

DS Doll Quilt Swap top, a photo by flickrdeb50 on Flickr.

Loved seeing my scrappy Pinky-Swoon along with a host of other beautiful quilty things in Camille's Summer post this morning! (A post on this mini, including pictures of the finish, can be found here.)

Hopping Begins and Bee Blocks

Just a reminder that there's a new blog hop starting today! Sponsored by Beth of Plum and June, it's all about getting to know some of the newer bloggers out in blog land. They'll all be sharing a bit about themselves, as well as a project using novelty prints.

So first up today is Kelsey and Erin - stop by and encourage them along!

May
May 22
    Kelsey from Kelsey Sews - her post is here

    Erin from Billy Button Designs - her post is here

May 24

    Nik from Boldgoods

    Alyssa from Pile O Fabric

I have have a couple of bee blocks to share. First up is "Set Sail" from Modern Blocks and designed by Susanne Woods. This block is for Lizz in the Modern Blocks Bee.

Next up are some Ohio Stars made for Kelsey in the FAITH Circle of do.Good Stitches. The tutorial for these blocks can be found here.

Oh and lastly, I just saw that . . . 

My little potholders were included in a feature of fun projects from the last week. There are some other great projects there too, so take a minute and check them out {here}.

Monday

It's always an eye-opener to wake up to see your project in a feature, as I did this morning over on LRstitched. Check out some more fun pouches here, as well as over at 33stitches, where Julia Bravo, the pattern designer shares some of her originals.

If you happen to be Zakka Along-ing, Ayumi of Pink Penguin is the designer of week 3's project, and posted some very helpful hints here.

I got side-tracked from Hopscotch this weekend, but at least the blocks are all done!

And I had hoped to have my hst quilt ready to post today, but it still needs its binding hand-stitched. So soon . . . but here's another progress pic while you wait.

Oh, and thanks for helping me with week 45's list yesterday - I really appreciated your chiming in, and enjoyed your comments!

W.i.P. Wednesday

All sorts of odds and ends to share for W.i.P. Wednesday this week, which is kind of surprising with a busy {read: awesome} weekend with family.

Completed projects
Windows Improv table runner - After really struggling whether or not this project was going to 'work', it did! I posted and shared more pics here.

"The Everything Bag" - A little project I snuck in and can't resist showing off again. Yup, it's another one from Jeni's pattern {here}. Love it!

Zakka Style Sew-Along project #1: Zigzag Tote - Completed, posted here, and gifted already, plus featured as one of Sukie's favs {here}! Can't beat that!

Modern Blocks Bee April block - a "Potager" block from Modern Blocks, designed by Yvonne Malone of Yvonne Malone Studio.

 

Ongoing projects

First and foremost is Hopscotch - I have 58/77 blocks pieced, the backing purchased, and an appointment with my long-armer. Need to keep pushing through to get this top done!

Festival of Half Square Triangles - Still just pressing and trimming, while focusing more on other projects.

April do.Good Stitches - This month the FAITH Circle is making two zigzag quilts. I'm enjoying putting together my contribution - one gray zigzag strip, using 4" hst.

Hollywood Boulevard table runner for a friend - the focus fabric being French General by Moda. (I'll be using the same pattern as this runner.)

Upcoming projects
* FAITH Circle Pouch Swap
* more Zakka
* a quilt to coordinate with my Christmas tree skirt - On a Whim ??
* DS Quilts Doll Quilt Swap project - waiting on fabric
* scrappy Metrolink
* tutorial for pieced binding
* a zip pouch w/o zipper tabs - want to know this way too

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday . . .