Quilt Dad

Blogger's BOM | Block 5

2012-01-25T05:45:00.002-05:00

Hello, and welcome to everyone participating in Jackie's Blogger's Block of the Month quilt-along! I've really enjoyed seeing the designs that have been posted so far, as well as all of the fantastic blocks filling the quilt-along's Flickr pool.

I'm excited to bring you January's block, the 5th block in the program. Because it looks like an hourglass, I call it the Sands of Time block. Finishing out at 8" square (8.5" unfinished), it's a quick & easy block to make -- something I thought you'd all appreciate as you catch up from the holiday rush.

Ready to get started? Here we go ... !

First, cut 8 - 1.5" x 8.5" strips from assorted prints. You don't necessarily need 8 different prints -- you can see that I used 5 prints here, and just repeated 3 of them.

Sew the strips together into two sets of 4 strips each. This will yield 2 rectangles, each measuring 4.5" x 8.5".

Find the spot along the bottom edge of your first rectangle that is 3" in from the left hand side. Mark it lightly with a pencil. Using your rotary cutter and straight-edge ruler, make a cut from the top left corner of the rectangle to your pencil mark. Repeat on the right side of your rectangle, making a slice from the top right corner to a mark along the bottom edge that measures 3" from the right side.

This sounds really confusing, but just take a look at the picture below. It's way easy, and only sounds complicated.

As you can see in the photo, you'll do the same steps with your second rectangle, but this time you'll be measuring in 3" from the left and right sides along the top edge of the rectangle, and cutting from the bottom corners.

See? It's actually very easy.

OK, from a background fabric, cut 4 rectangles measuring approximately 4" x 6". You'll see in a moment why it's not important that the measurement is exact, as long as you have enough surface area to square up the block later. If (unlike me) you're obsessive about not wasting fabric, trial & error should help you determine the exact measurement that you'll need to minimize waste.

Place your rectangle along one edge of your trapezoid as shown below, eyeballing that you have enough overhang on the top and bottom edges to allow this rectangle to "replace" the triangle you just sliced off. Again, this sounds more complicated than it really is! The pictures help ...

With right sides together, sew the rectangle to one side of the trapezoid, and press open.

With your ruler and your rotary cutter, and using the top and bottom edges of your trapezoid as a guide, trim the edges so that the height of your pieced block is back to 4.5".

Repeat these steps for the remaining 3 sides of your trapezoids. You should now have two strange looking pieced shapes that look similar to the ones in the image below:

Line up the two smallest strips and, with right sides together, sew the two pieces together. Press open. The height of the pieced block should now measure 8.5".

Now all you have to do is trim the width of the block down to 8.5". Be careful to center your block as best you can. The block should now measure 8.5" square.

And there you have it -- my scrappy Sands of Time block! I hope you enjoy making this block, and I can't wait to see all of your color and print variations. If you make a Sands of Time block, be sure to add it to the Blogger's BOM Flickr group. And, of course, I'd love it if you also added it to my Quilt Dad is my Homeboy group.

Big thanks to Jackie for asking me to be a part of this wonderful quilt-along. As a reminder, here is the full schedule of the other amazingly talented bloggers taking part in the Blogger's BOM quilt-along:

September - Sherri McConnell - A Quilting Life

October - Vicki Welsh - Field Trips in Fiber

November - Stephanie Dunphy - Loft Creations

December - Pat Sloan - The Voice Of Quilting

January - John Adams - Quilt Dad (<--------- that's me!)

February - Amy Smart - Diary of a Quilter

March - Allison Harris - Cluck, Cluck, Sew

April - Amy Lobsiger - Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

May - Cathy Underhill - Cabbage Quilts

June - Pam Vieira-McGinnis - Pam Kitty Morning

July - Victoria Findlay Wolfe - Bumble Beans Inc.

August - Amy Ellis - Amy's Creative Side

September - Sarah Fielke - The Last Piece

October - Jackie Kunkel - Canton Village Quilt Works

October & November Quilting Bee Blocks

2012-01-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

I've been working on getting a bunch of new things finished up and should be able to get some pictures posted soon, but in the meantime I thought I'd catch up on sharing some quilting bee blocks that I made in late 2011.

October was my last month in the do. Good Stitches charity bee. We made string x-blocks using this tutorial with bright modern scraps for the center part of each block, and any shade of grey for the background. I had a great time raiding my scrap bin for these blocks and, when all was said and done, I wound up making seven!

I had a bit of a panic attack when Amisha requested hexagons for her blocks from members of the Bee Tweet group, inspired by Rashida's quilt from the Block Party book. I had only tried making hexagons once before, for Tacha in the bee inspired quilting bee back in 2009. Let's just say that hand piecing was not my thing, and I vowed never to attempt English paper piecing again.

Lucky for me, Amisha didn't care how we made our hexagons, as long as we just made them! So, while I was at the Triangle Modern Quilting Guild retreat at Wrightsville Beach NC last fall, I cooked up my own way of completing the task. I used cardboard templates to cut and fold under the edges of the blocks, pressed the hexagons liberally, adhered the hexagons to the background fabric using fusible interfacing, and topstitched around all of the edges. I actually kind of loved making them, once I devised my own strategy to get them done. I also LOVED Amisha's palette -- Habitat prints by Jay McCarroll against a background of Moda Cross-weave in Natural.

With my group in the do. Good Stitches officially done, my only November bee commitment was for Bee Tweet. Jen (aka bettycrockerass, my favorite Twitter handle ever!) sent us all a kind of super awesome holiday assortment that wasn't red and green and traditional, but very hip and retro cool. Here's what I came up with:

Modern and improv-y log cabin variations -- my favorite kind of block.

As you can see, my quilting bee commitments slowed down towards the end of 2011, but 2012 is a new year with some new groups that I'll be playing with! Along with the continuation of Bee Tweet, here are a few new groups I'll be sewing for:

Free Bee -- led by the always fabulous Lynne from Lily's Quilts, this group is filled with an eclectic bunch of modern quilters with an emphasis on free piecing.
The Bee Bee -- I'm very excited about the row robin bee, where we'll all be sewing with one of my most favorite fabric lines: Melody Miller's Ruby Star Spring. (Note: The Bee Bee got its name from that fabulous large cross-stitched bee print!)
The Traveling Quilts -- I've teamed up with my PIC (partner-in-crime) Heather to start this new group, which is kind of a new concept in virtual quilting bees. I think it's going to be GREAT (and with the likes of Jacquie, Ashley, Alissa, Monica, Amber, Elizabeth, Faith, Penny, and Kerri taking part, how can it not be??) I'm sure I'll be posting more about the Traveling Quilts in an upcoming post.

So what does that mean? Lots of great more monthly sewing (and monthly sewing posts) in 2012!

The #SSSwap

2012-01-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

Before the holidays, I participated in one final swap for 2011: the #SSSwap (a shortened Twitter handle for Secret Santa Swap), organized by the super fun (and funny) Amy. Over 40 really talented quilters and designers signed up for this swap, in which we were free to swap anything we wanted -- handmade or not -- up to $15 in value with a secret partner.

It was great fun and a wonderful lead-in to the holidays. As you might expect, quilters and crafters also happen to be FANTASTIC gift-givers!

WHAT I GOT

I must have been a very, very good boy last year, because I was fortunate enough that Rachel pulled my name in the swap. Imagine my surprise when I opened my swap package and pulled out not one, but four gift bags!

Yes, that's one big bag for me, and a smaller bag for each one of my children! Now how thoughtful is that?! The drawstring bags were made using Jeni's great tutorial.

The smaller bags were filled with some fun goodies for the kids. (I am sure there were more things in the bag, but they made off with their bags before I could take any good photos. I tried to gather everything back up to take some pictures, but their gifts had already been cast to the dark, far corners of their rooms.)

As for my big, dad-sized bag? First, I LOVE that it was made with some of my most favoritest Joel Dewberry & Patty Young fabrics. And inside I found ...

AN AWESOME KNIT SCARF!

A NEW MUG RUN AND KNIT DISHCLOTH!

SOME FUN TOYS!!

(Including the LEGO guard at the top of the post, as well as these fun Superhero Squinkies to keep me company in my sewing room. It's not a well-kept secret that I'm kind of a LEGO and comic book nerd.)

Thank you so, so much, Rachel. Words can't really express how much I truly appreciate how thoughtful and generous you were to me and my family during the holidays.

WHAT I SENT

I had the pleasure of pulling together a holiday package for Elizabeth Hartman (who you probably already know from her amazing quilting blog, Oh, Fransson!) Here's what I packed up to try to surprise Elizabeth:

I also made a drawstring bag using Jeni's tutorial. I used a cheater patchwork Echino print and some solid Essex Linen for the top and interior of the bag. I also used a favorite woodgrain print by Joel Dewberry for the drawstring.

I also made this needle book, using this tutorial and some of Melody Miller's Ruby Star Spring fabric (love those bees!)

I stuck some coordinating floss and needles inside.

I hope Elizabeth enjoyed her gifts as much as I enjoyed making them for her! And I also hope there will be a #SSSwap 2 next year.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I know it's been a bit quiet 'round these parts. I wound up unplugging and taking an unexpected (but much-needed) break from most things electronic over the holiday break.

We had a great Christmas here in the Quilt Dad house -- we actually stayed home for the first time, and it was a joy to see the kids wake up in their own beds on Christmas morning. After Christmas, we headed up to New York City, where we visited with family, saw the tree at Rockefeller Center, and took the kids on their (now annual) pilgrimage to the American Girl store on 5th Avenue. We stayed in the Big Apply -- more specifically, Brooklyn -- through New Year's, and returned home on January 2nd.

While I work on gettin' my groove back, I wanted to let you know that I put together a new block pattern to celebrate the start of the new year! I call it "Modern Starlings", and the free pattern is available over on the Generation Q blog. I was excited that Scott, Jake, and the crew at Gen Q invited me to be a Guest Block Designer as part of their Playdate series, and quickly actualized this block that had been rattling around in the back of my head for weeks. I think it's a fun block with a lot of potential -- Scott and I have even been batting around some full quilt pattern ideas using this block.

I hope you like the block, and if you make any, I'd love to see them. Be sure to add them to the Quilt Dad is my Homeboy Flickr group.

Oh, and P.S. thanks for all of the love on my Hey Girl post. I am so glad that it was able to provide some laughs to so many of you over the past few weeks. I literally received hundreds of positive comments via the blog and Twitter, and one really ugly, nasty, negative email from someone who I clearly offended. Oh well, you can't win them all. I haven't had any flashes of Hey Girl inspiration since before the holidays, but who knows ... Ryan may make another appearance here on the blog soon.

Hey, girl ...

2011-12-17T23:56:00.013-05:00

Please tell me you've seen this site. If not, you need to go read it. Go on, I'll wait for you.

OK, now that you're back, let's talk a little bit about this Ryan Gosling meme that's been making its way around the internet. It involves photos of (of course) Ryan Gosling, accompanied by short statements that are about as likely to make the ladies swoon as they are unlikely to be coming from such a macho man. It's pretty clever. My PhD student wife saw Feminist Ryan Gosling, and Sara pointed me to Law School Ryan Gosling. And Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling is worth a peek. But, of course, my favorite is the Handmade Ryan Gosling one. Hilarious.

It's definitely been making its way around the quilting blogosphere. Amber got a blog post up about it. So did Monica.

Well, I don't know what came over me on Saturday night, but I couldn't stop thinking of new "Hey girls" for the quilting community. And once I started posting them to my Twitter account, I couldn't stop. I was doing some grocery shopping (yes, on a Saturday night. yes, I'm lame), and I kept pulling the cart over to tweet something ridiculous or read some of the other contributions that were popping up on my timeline. It was actually A LOT of fun. Contrary to popular belief, I was NOT drinking.

Jennifer (@Sweet_Liberty), Melissa (@yummygoods), and Amanda (@heyporkchop) all got in on the fun, too. And Michelle (@MichelleBencsko) and Jaclyn (@UrbanCrunch) took it a step further by flipping the script and coming up with some "Hey, guy" posts, more appropriate for us manquilters.

Due to popular demand, and for the benefit of those of you who aren't following along on Twitter, I've compiled all of my "hey girls" for quilters here on this post. I'll probably keep posting them to my blog -- hey, who knows when inspiration will strike? -- so it might be a good time to jump over and follow me.

In the meantime, get comfy and check out my "hey girls" from the past couple of days. Some of them, frankly, still make me chuckle out loud. Have a favorite? Let me know!! I'd also love to eventually put them all on photos, the way the real sites do, but that just seems like an awful lot of work. Anyone want to help??

Hey girl. Of course I want to watch Love Actually with you again. It's our annual tradition.

Hey girl. I think I'll call you Ric-Rac. 'Cuz you're cute & I like your curves.

Hey girl, you're way too creative to be wasting your time on something so monotonous. Step aside & let me cut those sashing strips for you.

Hey girl, of course I don't mind if all of our kitchen appliances have Hello Kitty on them. I love her too.

Hey girl, how did you know? There's nothing I wanted more than a mug rug. It's even better than those Dr. Dre headphones I asked for.

Hey girl, it looks like we have enough money left to buy either a new flat-screen TV or a Blythe doll. You decide, 'kay?

Hey girl, don't you worry about where you're gonna store all that new FMF next month. I've already started cleaning out my Xbox cabinet.

Hey girl, this infinity scarf is totally going to impress the guys at work. especially because you used AMH voile ... AND velveteen.

Hey girl, you're killin' it with those curved seams.

Hey girl, I talked to the guys & we'd love to open up our weekly poker game to the girls from your MQG. they're really cool.

Hey girl, I skipped my workout today & instead organized all of your quilting magazines alphabetically by title, & then by date.

Hey girl, I just love our bedroom this time of year. It's when we can switch from our mermaid quilt to our unicorn quilt.

Hey girl, I know you're unsure about it, but you know what I always say: you can never have too many ruffles.

Hey girl, wld u mind putting fabric in some embroidery hoops & hanging them in the garage? I'd love to look @ something pretty while lifting.

Hey girl, I just read that the price of cotton is going up. You know what that means: I'll start packing my lunch to bring to work.

Hey girl, I've decided 2 take up scrapbking. U left behind a lot of great stuff when u started quilting, & I wouldn't want them 2 go 2 waste.

Hey girl, I'm so glad you signed up for another round of that pillow swap. I think 14 is the perfect number of pillows to have on our bed.

Hey girl, I think it's cool that you hang out with that tall, mysterious guy at quilt market. I mean, he doesn't intimidate me. Much.

Hey girl, lets totally hit that quilt shop today. You know -- my favorite, with the comfy chair & the old Sports Illustrateds.

Hey girl, no one rocks a honey cowl like you do. No one.

Hey girl, go ahead & bring me what you're wearing to work tomorrow. I'll press it as soon as I'm done getting these FQ's ready for you.

Hey girl, I'm nearly done packing for my business trip tomorrow. Thanks for whipping up these drawstring bags for me: one for my shaving kit, one for my computer cords, & a third for snacks on the plane. Oh look, you already filled it w/ goldfish crackers. You're the best!

Hey girl, I'll turn this game down. Siri just reminded me that@QuilterPatSloan's podcast is about to begin, & I wouldn't want to disturb u.

Hey girl, I hope you like that pincushion in your stocking. I had my grandma teach me how to hand sew just so I could make it for you. xoxo

Hey girl, there's a bag for you on your cutting table. Notion were 50% off at Jo-Ann and I just couldn't pass that up. Rotary blades, too.

Hey girl, every time you tell me you're sewing with Innocent Crush, it reminds me of how I felt when we first met. It should be *our* line.

Hey girl, 2nite was supposed to be date night, but ... oh, OK! Invite the gals over for a sew-in. I'll whip up some fruit salsa & a pitcher of margs.

Hey girl, I know they look alike, but you totally posted a picture of that quilt before she did. She's obviously a poser. And fat.

Hey girl, I know we're short on floor space, so feel free to drape your quilt rows over my Bowflex. I think it looks festive.

Hey girl, I can't think of anything I'd like better to hang in my cube than some bunting. Our office colors are grey and grey.

Hey girl, you'll never guess what happened to me today. My boss asked me what my coffee cup was sitting on and when I said it was a mug rug, she brought me to HR for a harassment claim. Looks like I'm off this week -- I can help you sew!

Hey girl, it doesn't matter how big you make that quilt, as long as we can both fit under it while we watch The Good Wife.

Hey girl, go on and enjoy dinner with your friends. I'll stand on this Sample Spree line for 4 hours. I brought my Kindle.

Hey girl, I know you've got 6 bee blocks to catch up on tonight. Sounds like a Starbucks run is in order. Want whipped cream on your mocha?

Hey girl, I don't care how many times you make wonky log cabin blocks. They look rad every. single. time.

Hey girl, I know you agonized for nights over whether to use Kona Snow or Kona White. I think you made the right decision. You always do.

Hey girl, come here and check out this episode of Storage Wars. Is that a featherweight? I love when you teach me about sewing machines.

Hey girl, these christmas stockings have been in my family for generations, but we can totally swap them out for those ones you just made.

Hey girl, you still have 322 hexagon templates to cut out? Stick them in my briefcase. It'll give me something to do during my conference calls.

Hey girl, I know that girl in your bee asked 4 a really tough block this month. It's only b/c she knows u can make it better than she could.

Hey girl, I know you're busy, but could you crochet me a set of golf club cozies? With fox ears? That would be rad.

Hey girl, thanks for that Apple store gift card. I went to get my iPad 2, but instead left with a credit card reader. No no no, don't protest -- you've got those 2 craft fairs coming up.

Hey guy, I went ahead and had that flat-screen installed in your sewing room. That way, you can watch the game AND finish up your quilt.

Hey girl, of course you can leave all of your sewing stuff there. Who needs a formal dining room, anyway?

Hey girl, I love how you hung a wall of mini quilts in our living room. And kitchen. Think you have enough left to do my home office, too?

Hey girl, I think the crochet amigurumi vegetables that are on top of my dresser are getting lonely. Just sayin'.

Hey girl, I think my office Christmas party is the perfect occasion to debut that tie you made me from upcycled cloth diapers, don't you?

Hey girl, I love that u think highly enough of my mom to not make her holiday quilt from Jo-Ann fabrics. She may not notice, but I'll know.

Hey girl, my offer still stands to drive you to your quilt retreat. I can haul firewood, and I make a mean omelette. Just say the word.

Hey girl, I'm so glad we spent the day walking that craft fair together. And thanks for surprising me with that hand-screened American Apparel skinny tee. I love pictures of kawaii dessert characters.

Hey girl, I told my mom that a gift certificate to the @FatQuarterShop is like a gift for both of us b/c quilting brings you such joy. And when you're happy, I'm happy. Now come here so I can give you a hug.

Hey girl. You, me, a roaring fire, a bottle of wine, & your Hoop Bag. Add in the Pinterest app & we've got the recipe for a perfect evening.

Hey girl, I'm as excited as u are that Amy Butler's husband is designing fabric now too. And you're right: that is one ruggedly handsome man

Hey girl, I love my new shirt -- and I don't care what they say, kimono tops are totally appropriate for men. Plus, you made a matching one for my Blythe doll. You know the way to a man's heart.

Hey girl, I know #talknt is tonight, so I took the liberty of lighting some candles, pouring you a glass of wine, & hiring a sitter. Enjoy.

Hey girl, I only booked us a 2-BR condo, but of course I don't mind if you invited all the Yams to our weekend getaway. I'll take the couch.

Hey girl, there's nothing more relaxing than falling asleep in your arms as I listen to u debate the merits of Kona vs. Bella. Come closer.

Hey girl. Done w/ your workout already? I've got 10 min's left on the treadmill. Mind switching the TV to Project Runway on your way out?

Hey girl, come lay down next to me on this faux bear skin rug that you made. I <3 that u used Flower Sugar for his belly & inside his ears.

Hey girl. You, me, Buble, and the hum of your sewing machine. You sure know how to make a house a home. xoxo

Hey girl. I know that's your "super secret" sewing project for me, but do I spy a scoodie? Oh, it's going to be a very merry Christmas.

Hey girl, the Jo-Ann coupons are right over there under the new Anthro catalog. And yeah, I've already dog-eared the pages of things I think you'd look great in.

Hey girl. I brought you a bottle of champagne. Why? Oh, don't be so humble. I saw you got 25 comments on your blog giveaway. Rock star.

Hey girl, I can really see the difference in your quilts since you painted the room soft violet. It totally brings out your creativity. And your eyes.

Hey girl, I've noticed that you bind that quilt much faster when I'm rubbing your feet. So kick 'em up here & let me take care of the rest.

Hey girl, I'm at the park wearing the yellow knit Pikachu hat you made, all ready for the photo shoot. You're totally gonna make the Etsy front page with this one.

Hey girl. So that's called "oilcloth"? Sweet. Now you can sew *and* chill with me in the hot tub.

Hey girl. You know how much you love the new Nani Iro line? Well, that's how I feel about you. x 10.

Hey girl. That chick's blog comment was wack. Your free tute looks nothing like that one on the @ModaBakeShop.

And here are some of my favorites from my friends ...

Looking for a great Christmas gift?

2011-12-16T10:40:00.002-05:00

In my 4+ years of sewing and quilting, I've discovered many tools and products that I absolutely love. One item I've never fallen in love with, however, is an iron.

It's almost ironic, because I am an almost obsessive presser. As I've mentioned before, I'm largely self-taught ... so I don't really have a sense of how other quilters do the very same tasks that I do. It wasn't until I started talking to (and sewing with) my fellow Triangle Modern Quilt Guild members that I realized just how obsessive a presser I am. I press every seam, after every run through the machine. I use spray starch like a madman. I like my iron hot, my seams neat, and my quilt blocks flat. You might think I'd prioritize a high-end, highly functional iron.

Not so.

Typically, I've purchased and used fairly low-end irons from big box retailers, and have never found one that I'd recommend or would even purchase again. In most cases they're ... fine, I guess ... but nothing to get excited about. I think that the game may have changed ...

I was recently contacted by the team at Panasonic about a new iron that is now available for sale: the Concept 360° Freestyle Cordless Iron, which seems to have been designed and built with sewists, quilters, and crafters in mind. They offered to lend me a sample of the iron to use on a trial basis, so that I could let them know what I think. Instead of just telling them, I thought I'd share it with all of you as well. After just a couple of uses, I am definitely impressed.

First, the iron comes with this highly practical & portable carrying case. 90% of the time, my iron just sits on my ironing board ... but, having just attended my very first quilting retreat, I can appreciate this great feature. Plus, for quilters whose sewing spaces pull double-duty and have to break down and store their iron and ironing board after sewing, this is an even more valuable feature.

Another reason why it seems this iron is made with quilters in mind is its unique elliptical shape. It doesn't have a pointy front end and flat back end like most irons. With no official forward or backward motion, I've found that this makes it easier to truly move the iron back and forth, pressing the full length and both ends of each seam easily.

I will say that the shape of the iron takes some getting used to. For me, ironing is a completely mindless task, and I didn't realize until using this iron that it's normal for my mind to drift off and for my body to fall back to routine motions. So, I had a few scares when I tried to set the iron down on it's backside -- of which this iron doesn't have one! I nearly dropped or fumbled the hot iron on more than one occasion but, once I trained myself to place the iron back into its dock, I didn't have any more issues.

And did I mention that this iron is cordless? I didn't understand what a huge convenience this would be. I have never been able to find a good ironing board / outlet / plug & cord configuration that didn't lead to some awkward movement or tangled cords. Having a cordless iron takes away those concerns completely.

I used to iron with steam all the time but had too many issues with irons spitting black gunk onto my quilt blocks, so I've only used dry irons for a long time now. So far, I've only used this iron on its dry setting, so I can't yet comment on its performance as a steam iron.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic tool for quilters and sewists. It currently sells for $99.95 on the Panasonic site -- not too bad by Rowenta standards, but certainly more than I am accustomed to spending on irons. However, with its unique design, cordless nature, and practical carrying case, I think it's a great value for the money.

Plus, I am excited that Panasonic is allowing me to offer you guys an additional $20 rebate on this iron through 12/21 (that's next Wednesday), while supplies last. That brings it down to $79.95, which may be a great idea for a last-minute Christmas gift -- and Panasonic is currently offering free shipping! To take advantage of this deal, simply enter the code FREESTYLEQUILTER (case sensitive, so be sure to enter all caps) at checkout.

Here's the link to purchase.

(For a not-so-subtle hint, feel free to forward the link to this post to your moms, dads, husbands, wives, or anyone who may be doing some last-minute shopping for you!)

Disclaimer (only because it seems like bloggers who review products are increasingly being criticized or scrutinized for their positive reviews of gratis products):
From time to time, I am contacted by companies, publishers, business owners, etc. to "test drive" or review their products. I only review or endorse products that I truly like, and would want to share with my readers. I am contacted about many more products and services than the ones that make it to my blog -- some I turn down outright, and others I try but choose not to review -- so you can be confident that I am only recommending products that I myself would (and do) use.

Timeless Treasures Stitch Star Giveaway

2011-12-12T15:40:00.001-05:00

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while may have already seen a mention or two about my love for reality TV. While I do love a good episode of the Real Housewives every now and again (don't judge me!), the shows I am really drawn to are the competition shows where the contestants actually have some real talent. I'm talking about shows like Top Chef, Project Runway, Design Star, and Work of Art. In all of these shows, those competing bring true talent, skill, and creativity to the table -- OK, well most of them do -- and it's exhilarating to be able to observe the creative process in action.

That's why I'm SO excited that the wonderful team at Timeless Treasures Fabrics -- home of some of my favorite fabric designers (such as Mo Bedell, Rashida Coleman-Hale, and the Dear Stella gang) -- has invited me to be one of the judges in their Stitch Star contest!

So what, exactly is Stitch Star? Well, like those competition shows I mentioned, it's a way to earn cash money and amazing prizes by doing something you already love -- showcasing your creativity by making a one-of-a-kind quilt. And while it won't be televised, your quilt will travel to my hometown of New York City to be displayed alongside all of the other entries.

I'm thrilled (and a bit nervous, to be frank) to be judging the contest alongside Lorry Chwazik (who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting), and my friend Susanne Woods of Stash Books. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be the Simon Cowell of the panel or not, but it's more likely that I'll play the Paula role ("I love them ALL!")

Timeless Treasures asked each of us to create a short video introducing ourselves to the contest entrants. I'm not a huge fan of being on video so I stressed and stressed about this right up until 11:30PM on the night before the deadline, when I finally decided to stop worrying about it, sit down in my kitchen, flip on the webcam on my Macbook, and wing it. I hope I didn't come across like too much of a tool. Wanna see it?:

OK, that was embarrassing.

Earlier, I mentioned some great contest prizes (and cash money). Here's what's on the line in the Stitch Star contest:

1st Prize: $5,000 and a Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP Sewing Machine by Janome, a $2,999.00 value!
2nd Prize: $1,000 and 20 yards of our newest fabric.
3rd Prize: $750 and 20 yards of our newest fabric.
People's Choice Award: 20 yards of our newest fabric.

Worth playing for? Well, d'uh. There's a lot more to know about the competition, including how to enter and more specific information about the quilts that will be considered.

To celebrate the kick-off of the Stitch Star contest, Timeless Treasures and I would love to offer up a giveaway prize here on my blog. All of the Stitch Star contest entries must use at least two pieces of fabric from Timeless Treasures' new Plume or Orange Crush lines, or one fabric from each collection, along with their Stitch Star complements basics collection.

I'd love to inspire you to start creating, so one winner will receive four pieces of one of TT's newest collections as well as a “teaser” piece of Orange Crush or Plume. All you have to do for your chance to win is to first head over and “like” the Timeless Treasures Facebook page. Once you've done that, come back and leave a comment here on my blog telling me about a dream project that you would love to make out of these vibrant fabric collection. (In your comment, please indicate that you completed the Facebook step already.)

I'll pick one lucky winner sometime before Christmas day. And stay tuned for more updates about my journey as a Timeless Treasures Stitch Star judge. Good luck, & Happy Holidays!

The Pillow Talk Swap | Round 6

2011-12-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much time to participate in online swaps lately, but when the sign-ups for the Pillow Talk Swap Round 6 opened up, I couldn't resist. This is one of my favorite swaps, not only because of the vast talent and creativity of its 100 swappers, but because I think that pillows are fun (and relatively fast) projects that allow me to play with fabrics, design, color, and shape.

My secret swap partner for this round was Jill, who listed Hope Valley as one of her favorite fabric lines, and who specifically requested "no white fabric" as she has young sons and is sure the pillow will be "well loved". Any parent of young children knows what that means!

I pulled the above selection of Hope Valley from my stash and paired it with one of my favorite solids, Moda Cross Weave in a charcoal grey.

I decided to make a rectangular pillow -- as I have in past rounds of the swap -- because, well, I just love rectangular pillows. I made up the pattern as I went along, but it was heavily influenced by the general look of Denyse Schmidt's Stacking the Odds quilt pattern. (Bought that pattern, by the way. I really want to make that quilt!)

I backed it with an envelope closure in a favorite Anna Maria Horner print, which isn't an exact match to the fabrics on the front, but I like the way it coordinates and it's a bit unexpected (which is something I like when backing anything!)

I sent the pillow form along with the cover, since it was a bit of an unusual shape and I didn't want Jill to have to hunt for an insert. I purposely removed about 1/2 of the filling because I like my pillows to be soft and mushy instead of really fat & firm. I was really happy with how this pillow turned out, and even happier to know that it's already being well loved in Jill's home! (See evidence here : )

When it came time to receive the pillow made for me by my secret partner, I was absolutely THRILLED to see that the box was from a return address in Portland. You see, I was (not so) secretly coveting a pillow that had popped up in the Flickr group that had a back just as amazing as its front. And it was screaming my style, so I really really hoped it was coming to live with me.

And it did!

The pillow was made by the amazing Caroline of Trillium Design (who, funny enough, was who I sent these pillows to in round 4 of the swap!) The raindrop pattern on the front of the pillow is simple yet unique, with negative spaced used so elegantly for a modern effect. I immediately spied some of my favorite prints in there from Cloud 9 Fabrics, AMH, Heather Ross, and (eeep!) some foxes from Monaluna's Anika line.

Speaking of foxes, remember I mentioned the back? Well, Caroline included a little surprise on the back of the pillow in the form of a fox, made from Sonja's Woodland paper-piecing pattern. Isn't it just the best?

So, once again, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the whole swap. Round after round, my partners always seem to nail it and send me something that's a perfect fit in my home -- which is exactly why I keep signing up for this great swap!

Giveaway winners!

2011-12-06T23:20:00.001-05:00

It's time to close out a couple of my recent giveaways. Thanks, as always, for all of your wonderful comments and support of me and my blog. It makes me happy to be able to provide the opportunity for you all to win free stuff!

Without further ado, let's see who just won an extra treat this holiday season ...

The winner of one of my favorite new books, Little Bits Quilting Bee is Jules, who said:

Jules said... 34: loving the look of this book, as a beginner....thank you for the chance; November 21, 2011 11:19 AM

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The winner of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from today's top designers magazine is Nancy Sue, who said:

Nancy Sue said... 128: I have vol #2 and vol#3. I have them so dog-eared you would think my 4 yr old son had been at them. But no, lil ol' me is making a bucket list. I'm a novice quilter, so my bucket is empty but my list is ginomous. Congrats on your first of many blocks to be included, I'm sure!!; November 9, 2011 9:14 PM

The winner of a fabric prize in celebration of Sally's Blog Tour of Quilts is Charlotte, who said:

charlotte said... 66: I like the red and black quilt. I didn't see a name, but I think you said it was with your 100 blocks submission. It has a very clean line to it. My husband would love something like that.; December 4, 2011 7:36 PM

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Congratulations Jules, Nancy Sue, and Charlotte! Please contact me via email with your mailing address, and I'll get your prizes sent out to you ASAP.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful week!

Sally's Blog Tour of Quilts

2011-12-02T07:00:00.008-05:00

First, thank you SO MUCH for all of the kind words that you've sent me about my book here on my blog, on Twitter, and over on Flickr. After working on the book for such a long time, it's incredibly rewarding to hear all of your thoughts on it. Oh, and guess what? Jeni has already made something from one of the book's patterns (Kaye's wonderful advent calendar pattern). Go check it out on her blog!

Today, I'm very excited to be participating in a Blog Tour of Quilts organized by Sally of Sally's Quilting Corner, and to welcome all new visitors here to Quilt Dad. Sally's tour is a virtual quilt show that includes 8 quilting bloggers and features a wide variety of fantastic quilts. There are even a few giveaways scattered throughout the tour, including a great Fat Quarter Shop prize over on Sally's blog ... so be sure to go enter! (Pssst ... I'm also offering a small prize, so be sure to read through the end of this post.)

I've been on a bit of a tear lately completing quilt tops, but first I want to share a quilt from my book.

I named this quilt "Christmas in the City", and I'd call it a non-traditional holiday quilt. Rather than using reds and greens, I used purple, teal, and aqua, which I think can be considered secondary Christmas colors. You see, I grew up in New York City, and my childhood memories of the Christmas season are comprised of scenes of chilly nights at Rockefeller Center and Times Square, and shopping trips with my grandmother to FAO Schwartz and 5th Avenue. My quilt made primarily of prints from Jay McCarroll's Habitat line, along with two different shades of purple shot cottons. All of the circles and dots remind me of blinking city lights and, while making it, I kept thinking that this would be the perfect Christmas quilt for a downtown loft.

This next quilt top was assembled from blocks made for me by members of the bee inspired virtual quilting bee. The blocks are made from one of my favorite collections -- Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley -- and I asked my fellow quilters to follow Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville's pattern for Pineapple Blossom blocks. I bordered the top with two shades of Moda Grunge.

Recently, my friend Thomas Knauer sent me some bits and pieces of his fabulous new collection for Andover Fabrics, Pear Tree. I love the colors of this line and wanted to make those bits and pieces stretch as far as they could. I decided on a fun Sweetwater pattern called Make Life ... Fresh and (again) added two borders of Moda Grunge. I love how the prints look like rows of bunting flags laid across the quilt top.

My final quilt for the blog tour is this next top, which I made primarily from the quilt block I designed for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine (you can read more about my block here.) As you can see, I chose to orient my blocks differently than the way it was photographed for the magazine. I again used the Olympus line by Clothworks, which resulted in a quilt with more of a Japanese feel than I would typically be drawn to, but I do like its bold and masculine nature.

I'll be back to share more pictures when I get all of these quilt tops finished up.

I hope you enjoyed this stop on the blog tour! The next stop is with the fabulous Heather Jones over at her blog, olive and ollie. Be sure to head over and check out her amazing quilts ... and tell her I said "hi"!

And to show my appreciation for checking out my quilts today, I'm offering a prize pack of some Moda Fabrics to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment below and let me know which of my blog tour quilts is your favorite, and I'll randomly select a winner next week. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays

2011-11-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

This evening, just a few short days after Thanksgiving and the unofficial start of the holiday season, I'm sitting here enjoying my first bowl of peppermint ice cream of 2011, listening to some Christmas music, and excited beyond words to share some great news with you all ...

Yes, that's my name on the byline ... I wrote a book! And better yet, the book is available right now ... but more on that in a minute.

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays is the second book in the new Pretty in Patchwork series by the publishing team at Lark Crafts. (Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts by my friend Cathy Gaubert was the first, and I still need to blog about my project from that fun book!)

Holiday Surprise Reverse Applique pillow, by Angela Mitchell of Fussy Cut

Pretty in Patchwork brings together handmade items and original patterns and project ideas from a wide variety of sewists and quilters, all united under a single theme. The theme for my book, obviously, is the holidays -- and, more specifically, the harvest and winter holidays of November and December (including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah.)

Sugar Village Tea Towels, by Jennifer Davis of Sugar Stitches

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays features 32 (yes, 32!!) project tutorials from 22 of my favorite fellow crafters and bloggers. The projects range from small ornaments to pillows to quilts, with lots of great ideas in between. They are perfect both for gift ideas for others as well as plenty of great ideas to treat yourself, or to decorate your home for the holidays. From beginning to more advanced sewists, I worked hard to make sure there is something in this book for everyone.

Christmas in the City quilt by ... me!

OK, so this is the part of my post where I name drop. Here's the full list of contributors whose projects are featured in the book, all of whom I invited because I have mad respect for their skill, talent, and creativity:

Kelly Lautenbach of Thinking Out Loud ...
Amanda Woodward-Jennings of Hey Porkchop!
Angela Mitchell of Fussy Cut
Christina Lane of The Sometimes Crafter
Monica Solorio-Snow of The Happy Zombie
Amanda Carestio of digs & bean
Marilyn Butler
Kaye Prince of Miss Print
Nicole vos Van Avezathe of Follow the White Bunny
Jeni Baker of In Color Order
Charlie Scott & Ryan Walsh of Patchwork Squared
Jessica Kovach of Twin Fibers
Mo Bedell of lime gardenias
Sonja Callaghan of Artisania
Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios
Jennifer Davis of Sugar Stitches
Cathy Gaubert of handmade ... cathygaubert
Dorreen Agres
Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye

An impressive list, wouldn't you agree? And let me tell you, they all brought their A-game for this book!

Hedgehog Holidays Patchwork Pillowcase and Stuffed Toy by Nicole vos Van Avezathe of Follow the White Bunny

I am very, very proud of this book. Not only do I feel like it's a wonderfully rich book (did I mention that it includes 32 project tutorials?!), but Lark has established a beautiful visual style with the new Pretty in Patchwork series. I hope that the images I've included in this post -- all taken directly from the book -- speak for themselves! And about those 32 projects, I can honestly say that I don't think there's a "filler" project among them.

Drawstring Gift Bags, another of my projects!

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays will be printed in the summer of 2012, but if you're inspired to sew up some holidays items this season, the book is already available in e-book format, perfect for computers, laptops, and iPads. The best part is that you can browse the entire book -- yes, you can preview ALL of the wonderful projects inside -- by visiting the Zinio page and clicking on the image of the book's cover. You can't zoom in close enough to see the full instructions, but you can literally flip through the entire book, enjoy the beautiful photography, and decide if this book's for you!

Harvest Vine Table Runner by Jessica Kovach of Twin Fibers

I'll be featuring more projects from the book in the coming weeks, and you can be sure I'll be back with more about the book when it's printed in 2012.

I hope you'll consider adding Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays to your sewing & crafting library. If you download the digital version, I'd love to hear what you think of it!

The Misfit Quilters Hoop Swap

2011-11-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Posting a bit of embroidery today! I recently participated in the Misfit Quilters Hoop Swap, in which we swapped completed pieces of embroidery, completely mounted in their hoops and ready for hanging. The Misfit Quilters is a fun bunch of sewists, quilters, and swappers that I chat with often over on Twitter. I was in the mood for both a swap and to work on some embroidery, so this came around at the perfect time.

First, let me show off the fabulous piece I received from my partner, Christine (@creationsforems):

I absolutely love this piece! The pattern, the colors, the stitching -- everything is just perfect and so me. When signing up for the swap, I listed Cate Anevski as one of my favorite artists and embroidery pattern designers. I was quite literally jumping up and down when I saw that Christine stitched up one of my favorite patterns, Ghostly Paisley.

Thanks so much, Christine! This piece has earned a prominent spot in my sewing room. It's sure to inspire me every day when I look at it!!

Here's the piece I stitched up for my partner, Ella. In her swap preferences, Ella indicated "I love tuxedo cats, bellydance, pirates, kraken, and ninjas...but I'm cool with whatever excites ya!" That was great direction and a lot to work with, but to be honest none of those things are in my usual bag of tricks, so it was a bit out of my comfort zone.

So imagine my delight-slash-relief when I came across this great pattern on the Urban Threads site! Who would've guessed that I could hit 2 of the requested images in one single pattern?

It was a lot of fun to stitch, and I am glad that Ella seemed to really enjoy it.

Have you been enjoying any hand embroidery lately? I'd love to see it!

Oh, Thank Cuteness

2011-11-26T21:06:00.003-05:00

Hello & happy belated Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrated! (Happy belated Black Friday to all of you who celebrated that, too : ) We had a great Thankgiving here in the Quilt Dad home -- we hosted family at our house for the first time, and it was a wonderful day. Actually, a wonderful couple of days, since our houseguests arrived on Wednesday and left on Friday!

As for me, I've stayed off of my computer since logging off at the office on Wednesday, and I must say that these last couple of days "unplugged" has been ... blissful. It's a nice reminder that sometimes I need to slow down and take a moment to enjoy time with my family, without the distraction and hamster wheel that my laptop sometimes seems to embody. I have so much to blog about ... but I think it can wait another day or two.

And speaking of my family, I popped in this evening to write a quick note of thanks for them. You see, the team over at GenQ Magazine had a great idea for a blog series called "Oh, Thank Cuteness", where bloggers can simply show off their children, pets, or anything at all that brings cuteness to their lives. The picture above is of my wife, my 7 year-old twin girls, and my 5-year old son, taken about a week and a half ago during a holiday kick-off celebration. (No, the fat guy in the red suit is not me.) Not only are they cute, but they are a true blessing and the best family a guy could ever hope for. I am thankful for them not only during the Thanksgiving season, but on the other 364 days of the year as well.

Want to participate in the "Oh, Thank Cuteness" series? Check out this post over on the GenQ blog, and tell them I said "hi"!

Sew to Swap Book Tour

2011-11-21T15:45:00.002-05:00

This post was originally intended to be posted over on Heather's blog this morning, but the poor girl had to (unexpectedly) have her appendix removed. So, until she can re-post this on her blog or link back to it, I'll keep my write-up of our participation in the Sew to Swap book project live here on my blog.

Feel better, Heather!

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Hi everyone! I'm John, and I blog over at Quilt Dad. That's me in the picture above with Heather from when we first met in person at 2011 Quilt Market in Houston. We've been great bloggy buddies ever since, which is why I was so excited to join her and 15 other fantastic bloggers in a collaborative book project called Sew to Swap. Chrissie Grace was the ringleader for this wonderful project and, with the book now available for purchase, for this book tour as well.

So what's Sew to Swap all about? Well, Chrissie basically organized a bunch of fun swaps -- similar to the ones we all know and love over on Flickr -- and documented every step of the process. The result is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in swapping, participating in virtual quilting bees, organizing different types of swaps, or just enjoying beautiful photos of some really fun quilts.

And since the book is all about swaps, Heather and I decided to swap blog posts for our dates on the book tour!

Here are some of the projects that I contributed to for this book:

My Favorite Things, inspired by antique redwork embroidery quilts. My block is the owl on the top right:

The Diamond Quilt, with blocks made from some gorgeous Anna Maria Horner voile fabrics:

The Scrapbuster Quilt, featuring Corey's famous block:

Here's a quilt made from wonky star blocks. Every contributor made one and we used them as signature blocks as a way to commemorate our combined efforts on the book:

Throughout the book, all of the bloggers provide some of our favorite tips about swapping, as well as answer some fun questions. Here's an example in which I confess to my most vicious vice:

In addition to block swaps, the book includes a couple of other types of swaps. Chrissie asked me if I would be interested in swapping doll quilts. I made the Flight of the Bumblebee mini quilt (pictured below), which is one of my favorite mini quilts that I've ever made. The pattern is included in the book.

I knew the book was going to be great, but was really blown away when I saw the final product. Big thanks to Chrissie for inviting me be a part of it, and thanks to Heather for swapping blog posts with me!

If you're interested in getting your own copy of Sew to Swap, there’s a special deal for all of you participating in our fun blog hop. For a limited time, you can get Sew to Swap now for just $14.99 ($10 off the retail price!). Visit the Martha Pullen Online Store and use promo code SEW2SWAP to get your exclusive discount. (Offer expires Nov 30, 2011 at 11:59pm EST.)

Be sure to visit all of the stops on the blog tour:

November 7 Lovely Little Handmades
November 8 Stitches & Scissors
November 9 Cluck Cluck Sew
November 10 My Three Sons
November 11 Twin Fibers
November 12 Stitchy Quilt Stuff
November 13 The Creative Juices of Ariel
November 14 Texas Freckles
November 15 Quilt Dad
November 16 Artsy-Craftsy Babe
November 17 Little Miss Shabby
November 18 A Cuppa and a Catch Up
November 19 A Quilt is Nice
November 20 A Little Sweetness
November 21 House of A La Mode
November 22 I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts
November 23 Little Bit Funky
November 27 In His Grace

Little Bits Quilting Bee

2011-11-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

I know I've been blogging a lot about new book releases lately. I think we're just in the middle of a great season for quilting books. Modern quilters seem to have a large appetite for visual inspiration and new project ideas in the form of books and, for the most part, I think the publishers are really stepping up to the plate with well-written, high-quality books with original ideas and beautiful photography.

Having said that, I am especially excited to blog today about the new book Little Bits Quilting Bee. In so many ways, this book is different. From the moment I opened the envelope, I knew this book was special.

Little Bits Quilting Bee was written by Kathreen Ricketson, who provides creative inspiration to thousands of people every day via her blog Whip Up. Little Bits Quilting Bee features 20 projects for small fabric scraps and bundles including jelly rolls, charm squares, layer cakes, and fat quarters.

So what makes this book special? More than anything else, Kathreen and her team at Chronicle Books have simply put together a beautiful book. It's a hard-covered book that feels good in your hand. The design of the book -- from the colors to the photography to the fonts used -- is spot on. And, of course, the quilts themselves and the fabrics used are inspired.

As I mentioned, the book is broken out by projects that use the various kinds of pre-cuts -- from jelly rolls to charm squares to layer cakes. Although I feel like my own personal style has moved a little bit towards a more scrappy style, I still have a weakness for pre-cuts. Something about making sure I have every print in a collection appeals to a little piece of me that must have a severe case of OCD.

Plus, I feel like pre-cuts -- and patterns that use them -- are often quite approachable for beginning quilters ... an audience whose libraries, I think, would benefit greatly from Little Bits Quilting Bee's inclusion.

Of the many great projects in this book, two immediately jumped out as my favorites.

First is the Constructivist. Not only is the triangle pattern featured in this project a lot of fun (full templates are provided), but it's made up with some of my favorite fabrics. (The quilting on this project is also amazing.)

The quilt I am most likely to make -- and soon! -- is Squadron. The main block of this quilt -- an improvised strip-pieced block -- is designed to resemble an airplane, but I was struck by the secondary patterns that emerge when many of these blocks are sewn together. I'm a big fan.

This write-up of Little Bits Quilting Bee comes with my highest recommendation. With the holidays fast approaching, I think this book would make a great addition to any quilter's wish list.

I'm also very excited to be able to give one copy of Little Bits Quilting Bee to a lucky Quilt Dad reader. Simply leave a comment on this post and say hello! I'll randomly select a winner next Friday, 12/2.

Be sure to visit the other stops on the book tour for even more chances to win this great book. Good luck!

Monday, November 7 – The Long Thread
Tuesday, November 8 – Craft Nectar & Comfort Stitching
Wednesday, November 9 – luvinthemommyhood & Elsie Marley
Thursday, November 10 – True Up
Friday, November 11 – House on Hill Road & CraftyPod

Monday, November 14 – Handmade by Alissa & Hello My Name Is Heather
Tuesday, November 15 – West Coast Crafty & Foxy Art Studio
Wednesday, November 16 – Patch Andi & The Last Piece
Thursday, November 17 – In Color Order & Duo Fiberworks
Friday, November 18 – Kristin La Flamme & Camp Follower Bags & Quilts

Monday, November 21 – Quilt Dad <----- YOU ARE HERE
Tuesday, November 22 – Pat Sloan & Pleasant Home

A tale of two fat quarter bundles

2011-11-16T10:58:00.004-05:00

Recently, while working on some Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt blocks (note to self: share pictures of new blocks on blog soon!), I pulled together some small bundles of fabric and immediately fell in love with the color combinations. Both began with some favorite prints from the Terrain (Kate Spain) and Prince Charming (Tula Pink) collections.

The first bundle combined shades of blue, red, and purple, resulting in what I believe to be a very rich and warm palette.

Here's the Farmer's Wife block I made from the bundle:

Block #4, "Basket Weave"

The second assortment was a bit more unusual and unexpected. One of the colorways of Prince Charming features gorgeous tones of teal and honey. I paired them with another of Kate Spain's leaf prints and another shade of houndstooth. The solid was a complete fluke, but I love the earthy stone color that somehow grounds the palette.

I even made mention of this color combination over on the GenQ blog today!

Here's the Farmer's Wife block I made with this bundle:

Block #73, "Rainbow Flowers"

Well, after making both blocks, I was still itchy. I wanted to play with these fabric bundles even more. It just so happens we were working on issue 7 of Fat Quarterly at the time, and I decided to draw up a pair of mini quilt patterns to showcase the fabric assortments. After all, the entire issue is all about color! I decided to name my project "Duet".

Issue 7 of Fat Quarterly, the color issue, is now available for purchase.

HIJACKED!! Sew to Swap Blog Swap

2011-11-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

Oh no -- my blog's been hijacked! Actually, I'm just swapping blog posts today with my friend & fellow blogger Heather; read on to find out why we're swapping today ...

hey there kids! my name is Heather or { House } of A La Mode or trouble maker or one of Johnny's partner's in crime, you can decide! ;) we did a little project together last year that has just recently been published and released for your buying pleasure...

Sew to Swap by Chrissie Grace

(ps ... F+W Media is offering to any of our blog readers a special discount during the blog tour if you'd like to purchase the book. Just use promo code SEW2SWAP to get the book for $14.99 -- that's $10 off of the cover price.)

we thought we'd be clever and swap blogs, since this was a book about friends, swaps & swapping! are you amazed yet...??? yeah... we are really THAT good! LOL

me & johnny boy at quilt market, houston 2010

You can check out all our other fabulous friends that contributed to this book here!! It was quite the party!

November 7 - Lovely Little Handmades

November 8 - Stitches & Scissors

November 9 - Cluck Cluck Sew

November 10 - My Three Sons

November 11 - Twin Fibers

November 12 - Stitchy Quilt Stuff

November 13 - The Creative Juices of Ariel

November 14 - Texas Freckles

November 15 - Quilt Dad <----- YOU ARE HERE!

November 16 - Artsy-Craftsy Babe

November 17 - Little Miss Shabby

November 18 - A Cuppa and a Catch Up

November 19 - A Quilt is Nice

November 20 - A Little Sweetness

November 21 - { House } of A La Mode <----- You may find John here. Just sayin'.

November 22 - I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts

November 23 - Little Bit Funky

November 27 - In His Grace

Thanks John for letting me come by your blog for a visit!! :)

X, Heather

Desperate Housewife's Quilt | SpinOut Block Tutorial

2011-11-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to all of the Desperate Housewives!

Today I'm offering up a block tutorial as a guest blogger in QuiltJane's Desperate Housewife's Quilt project. Unfamiliar with the Desperate Housewife's Quilt? Jane is offering 100 8" block tutorials -- 50 of her own + 50 from guest bloggers -- over the course of 50 weeks. Quilters from around the world can choose to make all -- or just some -- of the many blocks. It's shaping up to be a wonderful resource for a wide variety of quilt block designs.

I'm calling my block SpinOut, and I made mine with two prints from Sarah Fielke's new line for Lecien Fabrics, St. Ives, along with a buttery yellow Bella solid. Ready to get started?

From a solid background fabric, cut 4 - 2 1/2" squares and 2 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles.

From print 1, cut 4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles.
From print 2, cut 4 - 2 1/2" squares.

Place a solid square atop the right side of a print 1 rectangle with edges aligned as shown above. Stitch a line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the solid square, as shown. (If you prefer, you can first draw a faint pencil line from corner to corner to ensure a straight seam.)
Repeat with your remaining print 1 rectangles and solid squares.

Trim the corners off of your sewn units, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press your seam towards the solid square. Repeat for all 4 units.

Set these units aside.
Repeat these same steps, but with your solid color rectangles and print 2 squares.

Pair each of your print 1 rectangle units with a solid color rectangle unit. Sew the units together as shown above, creating the four quadrants of your block.

Lay out your four quadrants and sew together as shown above, first creating the top half and then the bottom half of your block, and then sewing the two halves together.
Press well and square up to 8.5".

I hope you enjoyed the SpinOut block pattern! If you make one, I'd love to see it. Be sure to add it to my Quilt Dad is my Homeboy Flickr group.

Pooches & Pickups Winner

2011-11-10T09:22:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to the winner of the Pooches & Pickups fat quarter bundle! Special thanks to Laurie Wisbrun and Robert Kaufman fabrics for providing the prize.

The winner is #54, Reen, who blogs at Laney Family Crafts.

Reen said... 54: I have two grandsons who would love these fabrics! I like the gray/blue/green combination and would add a stripe, and a "green light" block to your darling quilt.; October 25, 2011 10:49 AM

Congratulations! I'll look forward to seeing what you make for your grandsons! Please contact me with your mailing address and I'll get your prize out to you ASAP.

Hope you're all having a fantastic day!

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour

2011-11-09T07:00:00.009-05:00

I'm so excited to share the news that one of my original block designs is featured in the newest issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from today's top designers magazine! I've been a loyal customer of this magazine since its first issue because of the many unique and interesting block designs that it offers. Not only would each block make for a spectacular quilt on its own, but the magazine is perfect for someone like me who participates in a lot of online quilting bees and block swaps, because it really broadens your options for fun & interesting quilt block designs.

It completely made my day when I saw the cover of the magazine because, not only is my block included inside, but it even appears on the cover!! If you look at the image above, it's the first block in the second row of 4 blocks (right under the colorful "x"-looking block.)

Here's a better photo of my block:

It's a pretty simple block to construct but creates a really cool graphic effect, especially when you start to play with light and dark tones to create contrast and shadow-like effects. I also love that it can be oriented either vertically or horizontally, and pieced in rows or columns. It's also a great block to show off some favorite prints. (And for those of you who think it looks a little familiar ... it was the process of designing this block that inspired my Ziggity Mug Rug -- a nod to how versatile this design can be.)

For my block, I used an interesting Asian-inspired line called Olympus by Clothworks. You can't really tell from the picture, but many of these prints also have a lot of texture to them, with raised stitches and interesting weaves. I'm currently making a full quilt inspired by my block -- stay tuned for that soon.

To celebrate my first (but hopefully not last) entry into Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine, I'm sending a copy of issue 4 to one Quilt Dad reader. Simply leave a comment on this post and let me know if you've purchased an earlier issue of 100 Blocks and where / how you've used the block patterns. I'm looking forward to seeing some inspirational photos!

August & September Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-11-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged about the bee blocks I've been making over the past couple of months. October's will be posted soon -- I'm still working on hand sewing some hexagons, which isn't really my forte -- but in the meantime, let's catch up on August & September!

August was Amy's month in the Bee Tweet group, and she helped us all get into the holiday spirit a bit early by requesting Christmas-themed blocks. One of the ideas on Amy's wish list for a block was little Christmas houses, and I was more than happy to oblige:

The August block for the Comfort circle over in the do. Good Stitches charity bee was the Greek Cross block, made in blues, greens, and greys. Here are the two I made:

Back in the Bee Tweet group, Rachel sent out her stash of Bliss and requested log cabin / square-in-square blocks -- my favorite! I was able to make two blocks for Rachel, though the second block is shy just one log on the bottom to make it square:

And finally, Jennifer coordinated September's do. Good Stitches quilt and requested blocks made from Alissa's fantastic tutorial for July in the Modern Block of the Month, found on Sew Mama Sew! Because Jennifer was making two small quilts -- one for a boy and one for a girl -- she requested one block in pink, orange, and yellow, and the other in blue, green, and grey:

These blocks look really warped in the photo, but I promise they were straight and square!

Have you guys been having fun in your quilting bees lately?

Back from market

2011-11-06T21:49:00.004-05:00

So, I'm back from market a week now, and with being thrown right into a crazy (rainy) Halloween with the kids and then a crazy work week at the day job, I haven't had time to stop for a moment and even think about it, much less blog about it.

And here's the thing: I didn't take any pictures. Not a single one. I didn't even bring my camera. Go ahead, call for my blogger card to be revoked.

That's OK though, because Katy is doing a FABULOUS job blogging all about Quilt Market. Besides, she's cooler, smarter, and wittier than I am -- not to mention her kick-ass camera that takes way better pictures than mine -- so her posts are sure to be more entertaining than anything I could write. And since she and I were pretty much joined at the hip (along with our other Fat Quarterly partner in crime, Tacha), Katy's stories and observations are pretty much the same things that I would write anyway.

So go ahead, check out Katy's posts -- it'll be like you were there, hanging out with us the whole time:

quilt market - schoolhouse sessions

quilt market - the booths (part one)

quilt market - the booths (part two)

quilt market - the booths (part three)

... with more to come, I believe.

I will leave you all with a picture of something I was able to grab at sample spree. My bags came home noticeably lighter than from prior markets -- my stash simply can't handle much more until I actually start sewing with some of what I have -- but I couldn't resist this fat quarter bundle of Salt Air, a new fabric collection by Cosmo Cricket for Moda. I love it. I really, really do.

Here is a picture of some of the quilts that Moda had hanging in their booth, made from the line:

Photo by Katy, of course.

My only other acquisition from sample spree was a fat eighth bundle of Aneela's new line, A Walk in the Woods. It's fantastic. Foxes -- gah! Photos soon.

Join my Flickr group!

2011-10-26T15:40:00.001-04:00

So I've realized that, with so many of my patterns and project ideas now out there in the blogosphere, in our Fat Quarterly issues, and starting to pop up in some books and stuff, I don't have a good way of seeing what everyone is creating from my patterns. I don't always get to see what you've made, which is the most rewarding part of being a pattern designer.

To that end, I've created a home for all of your photos by starting a Flickr group specifically for these projects. Here is where you can add all of your photos of items made from Quilt Dad patterns: the Quilt Dad is my Homeboy group!

Please join and add any and all of your photos -- I'd love to see them. Plus, I may use the group for some fun activities -- giveaways, quilt-alongs, swaps ... who knows? We'll see where it takes us. Join the group now so that you don't miss a thing!

And, for your reference, here is a running list of all of the different patterns & projects I've made, and where you can find each one:

ABC Menagerie (free pattern on the Free Spirit Fabrics site)
Bloggers' Block-a-palooza blocks & quilts
Carousel (from Fat Quarterly Issue 4)

Confetti (from Fat Quarterly Issue 5)
Country Cabin Quilt
Cushion Couture (from the Moda Bake Shop)
Flying Fish Table Runner (from Fat Quarterly Issue 1)
iPad Sleeve (from the Moda Bake Shop)

Off the Grid (from the Moda Bake Shop)
One Stoplight Town
Peeps Flag (from the Fat Quarterly blog)

Quilt Uber-Fest - Block 1
Rock Garden Quilt (from the Fresh Fabric Treats book)
Rooted (from Fat Quarterly Issue 3)

Rubans Pour Les Cheveux (free pattern on the Free Spirit Fabrics site)
Sanctuary (from Fat Quarterly Issue 2)
Super Sewing Scissors (from Fat Quarterly Issue 6)

Turning Corners Table Runner (from the Moda Bake Shop)
Wonky Log Cabin Blocks (from the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt-along)
Ziggity Mug Rug (featured on Sew Mama Sew!)

One Stoplight Town | A free pattern!

2011-10-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, designer Laurie Wisbrun sent me a bundle of half-yard cuts of her adorable new line, Pooches & Pickups for Robert Kaufman fabrics. I immediately fell in love with the vibrant primary colors of the line and the versatile prints that are appropriate for little and big boys alike!

I was inspired to design and make an original quilt pattern, and today I'm making the pattern available for all of my wonderful readers! It's a quick and easy-to-assemble pattern, with nice big blocks to show off the line's large-scale prints.

The retro vibe of the vintage pick-up trucks and the big dogs riding in the back called to mind summer afternoons, drive-in movies, old school gas pumps, and the very best laid-back country music, all of which combined to inspire the name of my pattern: One Stoplight Town.

I selected several shades of Kona cotton solid fabrics to complement the prints, and incorporated them into the design.

I also have the perfect recipient for this quilt in mind. A childhood friend of mine and her husband had their first baby -- a boy -- a little over a year ago. I've long been wanting to make a quilt especially for baby Mason, but lacked both the time and the perfect selection of boy-friendly prints that could grow with him. I'm glad I waited, because Pooches & Pickups is the perfect match!

Interested in making your own version of this quilt? Download a PDF of the free pattern here: One Stoplight Town

If you make One Stoplight Town, I'd love to see it! Please send me a photo or a link to your blog or Flickr stream.

And Laurie was generous enough to send an extra fat quarter bundle of Pooches & Pickups for a lucky Quilt Dad reader. Want a chance to win? Simply leave a comment on this post and let me know another fabric combination that you think would really bring One Stoplight Town to life!

I'll randomly select a winner next Friday, 11/4. Good luck!

Foxes afoot! My Spoonflower fabric

2011-10-24T07:00:00.004-04:00

Rewinding a bit to New Year's Eve 2010, my wife and I made a list of goals that we had for 2011. In retrospect it was a pretty ambitious list (though I did recently complete a Warrior Dash. Check that one off the list!) Another goal was to take some of the designs that I worked on in Heather Ross' class and actually get them printed on some fabric.

Ta-da!

Thanks to the magic of Spoonflower, I was quickly and easily able to upload my design files, make a few choices about pattern repeats, size & scale, and textile and -- voila! -- I had my very own fabric in my hands within a few short days. (It probably helps that Spoonflower is literally just down the street!) It was so quick and easy to do, in fact, that I wondered why I was so intimidated to try it out in the first place.

To start with, I just got a small cut of each of the three different fox designs that I showed you yesterday:

I'm not quite sure what I am going to do with them yet. I am sure they will eventually make their way into some of my patchwork projects but, for now, I'm happy just to hold them in my hands and feel satisfied seeing something that I created come to life in such a special way.

Fabric Design with Heather Ross

2011-10-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

Fellow bloggers: have you ever had a post that seemed so big, so overwhelming, and so daunting to write that you just keep putting it off and putting it off, until you eventually realize you may never write it?

My Quilt Market blog posts have fallen into that category in the past. It just seems like it will take hours to upload all of the photos I want to share, edit them all, and write the perfect blog post in which every word is witty, selectively chosen, insightful, and entertaining. It seems like a tall order.

Well, this is another one of those posts. After sitting in my blog dashboard as a draft for the past 15 months, I'm just going to write a few words and click publish. Because, you know, I have this OCD thing going on that won't let me have closure on an event until I blog about it.

So yeah, that's me and Heather Ross in July 2010. Heather, who has been pregnant, carried a child to term, given birth, and survived her first few months of motherhood, all while this post has been sitting in my draft folder. No big deal.

Last July, I traveled to Portland, Oregon (for the first time ever) to take Heather's class, Introduction to Fabric Design using Photoshop, at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Heather was a GREAT teacher -- fun, laid-back, super patient, inspirational, full of tips & tricks, and HILARIOUS. She was pretty tickled that a man was taking her class. In fact, I seem to remember that she called me "THE MAN" all weekend. Did I mention that she was hilarious?

Heather started the class by quickly walking us through her design process by quickly drawing up a design, coloring it, moving it around, and setting up a basic repeat. It was a basic, but very Heather Ross, sketch of rainbow-striped toe socks. Looking around, I could see everyone's jaws were hitting the ground at about the same speed that mine did. We all agreed that, within 20 minutes or so, Heather had just designed a fabric that we would all happily purchase.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending a few days in Portland. The city was everything I had hoped it would be, and was extremely welcoming of us east coasters. And the PNCA was the perfect venue for a weekend of creative thinking.

Here's the Whole Foods that was just about halfway in between my hotel and PNCA, right in the heart of the Pearl, where I had breakfast each morning. I still drool when I think about the beignets they had there. Our Whole Foods here in NC doesn't carry beignets. : (

It was during this trip that I also got to meet some of my sisters from some other misters, the Sweet Hot Yams themselves. They were like my personal welcoming committee in Portland. Here we are on a beautiful July evening enjoying a yummy dinner at the Paragon. From left to right, that's Mo, Monica, me, Terri, and Violet. It's funny -- looking back, I can remember how very nervous I was to meet them all.

Monica even slipped me some cuts from her not-yet-released (at the time) fabric line, Holiday Happy. Of course, when I had planned on writing this blog post 15 months ago, this was going to be the "nyah nyah, look at this super top secret fabric that I got from the designer herself and it's not even out yet" picture.

Here's Violet and Terri again with another super sweet and amazing Yammie, Ms. Traci of Hip Fabric.

Here's a picture that Violet took of me at dinner that night.

Um, so I just realized that my photos kind of reveal the type of traveler that I am. Notice that I made it a point to not only visit, but to remember for eternity by taking pictures of, both a bakery ...

... and a cupcake shop. Hmmmm, guess I'm not too good at keeping my sweet tooth under wraps.

(Fun fact: the photo below of Cupcake Jones was recently spotted on Flickr by a company putting together a visitor's guide to Portland, and they asked if they could include it. Sure!)

Here's a photo taken by Abi of the classroom setting. One of these things is not like the other! Can you spot me sitting over there by the window, deep in design thought?

Here's a pic that fellow classmate Megan of Lucy & Norman took when Heather was showing me something in Photoshop. It probably had something to do with repeats, which is why I look so bewildered and am trying SO hard to remember everything that she was telling me.

BTW, it was great to meet Megan, a long-time Flickr friend of mine, in person for the first time. Here she is with Heather. She doesn't look quite as bewildered as me.

Megan designed a really cute cheater print featuring pigs and bacon.

Here's Heather towards the end of the class, when we all printed out our fabric designs and laid them out on the floor to really take in what we had accomplished in just a few short days. Here, she's giving some advice to Amy from Amy a la Mode, another Flickr friend that I was glad to have the chance to meet in person.

So do you want to see the fabric that I designed? Here's my print -- a couple of cute foxes that I sketched in different poses, along with some floral rings that I drew and designed. I began with a few pencil sketches and, with Heather's help, learned how to digitize and color my art, as well as create repeats in the pattern.

I also played a bit with each sketch and auditioned different color combinations. You can see better here how Heather influenced our work -- she taught us how to keep the rough pencil sketch feel to our art, which is the technique she follows when creating her own designs. She also taught me how to do the shadow effect that you see here.

What an amazing experience. Even now, 15 months later, I can still recall how grateful I was to be able to take 4 days away from my everyday life to take some time for me -- to feed my creative soul, pursue my passion, and imagine what might be possible in the future.

We've set up a Flickr group, so if you want to see more photos from the weekend and my classmates' designs, just click here: Fabric Design with Heather Ross Flickr group.

(Whew. Y'all, you don't know how much of a relief it is to finally press publish on this post!)

Book tour winners

2011-10-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who visited my book tour posts. I'm always happy to pass along free stuff to all of you guys who read my blog and support me in what I do! There were some really good prizes this time, so let's get right to it ...

--

The winner of the Deploy That Fabric book & eco-friendly messenger bag is MaryAnn of Maire Sews! MaryAnn said:

MaryAnnB said...54

I recently read about this book and would love to win it. Our daughters and son in law all served in the Army and we've always wanted to do some things with their uniforms, and this book would definitely provide us with great projects! Thank you for the give away!

OCTOBER 10, 2011 12:21 AM

There were 5 prizes in total from my Scrap Republic post. The winners are:

Book: stephmabry of Hope Sewing is Genetic

stephmabry said...124

I'm always disappointed that I have a tough time finding gray flannel - I love backing quilts with flannel but my local shop doesn't carry it :(

I love any print that's white-on-black, though, particularly dots!! :)

Thanks for the chance to win!

OCTOBER 10, 2011 5:31 PM

Eco-friendly tote: Sharon from KC

Sharon said...175

I used Ta Dot and Metro Living prints in a quilt for my niece. They work well with everything.

OCTOBER 11, 2011 11:03 AM

Robert Kaufman bag o'scraps: Alli of B. Yazoo

Alli said...94

Ohhh, my favorite grey print is the teacups and plates one from Melody Miller. It's so expensive that I only let myself buy a fat quarter, though! >_<

ROY G BIV Essential Cotton Thread from Connecting Threads: Kris from Kris Loves Fabric

krislovesfabric said...13

I have a pretty great stash of black prints but my fav is probably from a line called Half Moon by Moda with white scissors on it. Love the Katie Jump Rope line also...thanks for the chance.

OCTOBER 10, 2011 8:01 AM

Mrs. Roy G. Biv quilt pattern from Carolina Patchworks: Lisa of The Quilty Home

Lisa said...57

I just got a grey on white from sandi henderson that has little keys all over it....don't know the name...it is the first grey fabric I've ever owned! Looking at this I see I have a LONG way to go!

OCTOBER 17, 2011 9:32 PM

--

Modern Mix book + Kingdom fat quarter bundle: Katie from I really need a better name for this thing ...

Katie said...130

I'm going to say #2 is wrong! Thanks for a chance to win!

OCTOBER 16, 2011 8:42 AM

By the way, Jessica's lie was indeed #2. Duran Duran was Jessica's favorite band and her dad did make that deal but, sadly, Jess misspelled one name and wasn't able to go. : (

--

Fresh Fabric Treats book: Courtney of CCQuilts

Courtney Q. said...26

I have to agree that Scrap Republic looks awesome! I'm hoping to win this copy of Fresh Fabric Treats :)

OCTOBER 17, 2011 12:05 AM

Congratulations to MaryAnn, Steph, Sharon, Alli, Kris, Lisa, Katie and Courtney! Please send me an email at adamsjohnq -at- gmail.com with your mailing information, and I'll make sure your prizes are sent to you ASAP.

A very special quilt

2011-10-18T13:50:00.004-04:00

I know it's been a bit giveaway-crazy around these parts lately, so I wanted to step away from the book tours for a moment to share a very special quilt that I just finished up and bound over the weekend. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you've seen this quilt top before, but I recently received some news that was the motivation to finish it up and ship it off to its new home.

Me (guess which one?) and three of my closest cousins

I grew up extremely close with my extended family. Holidays, birthdays, and pretty much any major family event were all spent with my aunts, uncles, and cousins -- so much so that my cousins and I were closer than I believe most cousins tend to be. They're like my other brothers and sisters.

I always shared a special bond with one cousin who was only 5 months younger than me. When we were both in high school, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and began a battle to overcome the disease that lasted for several years. She went through more than any young person should have to go through, but emerged victorious with (to her credit) no interruption to her academic progress. She went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame, build a successful career, and marry a great guy, and she never lost a bit of the beautiful light that shines so brightly inside of her.

Unfortunately, after several years of crystal clear test results, cancer has once again reared its ugly head in the life of my young cousin. Without going into too much detail, she has had to resume her fight with the disease at a very rapid pace and without too much time to prepare. One thing I know about her is that she's a fighter and my money's on her every time, though I wondered what I could possibly do at this time of need, from hundreds of miles away, to express my love and support. In short, to help.

We quilters know that the items we create can't cure a disease, or right a wrong, or solve the world's problems, but they can help. They can blanket someone in a hug when distance prevents a real hug from taking place. They can offer the gift of a small bit of oneself when it seems that nothing else can possibly make a difference.

I immediately knew that this quilt, so beautifully quilted by the fantastic Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works, was meant to be for my cousin. It's made from a mix of prints from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern collection. The quilt's generous use of pink is my subtle way of expressing that the quilt might, in some capacity, help my cousin once again conquer the cancer in her body.

The quilt is currently on its way to Connecticut to be with my cousin as she prepares for her second surgery in as many months. I hope she uses it and feels the love and warmth that it's meant to provide.

One more, just for fun

2011-10-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

I hope you've all enjoyed the impromptu "book week" here on the blog. With so many new (& great) books coming out, I've enjoyed sharing a peek at some of my favorites -- as well as a chance to win a copy -- with all of you!

To wrap up the week, I'm offering up a prize of my own:

That's right -- a copy of the Moda Bake Shop book, Fresh Fabric Treats, from Stash Books. This book was the very first time that one of my projects was featured in a book, so it holds a very special place in my heart.

Oh, and it's a very special copy of the book ...

I had several of my fellow contributors sign it for a very special Quilt Dad reader! Here we are in Salt Lake City during the signing:

Thanks to Kim Walus for posting this great pic from the signing!

To win, simply leave a comment and let me know which upcoming sewing or quilting book your are MOST looking forward to, or your favorite book that has come out recently. And don't forget that I have THREE other giveaways going on that are still open:

Deploy That Fabric by Jen Eskridge

Scrap Republic by Emily Cier

Modern Mix by Jessica Levitt

I'll draw ALL winners later on this week, so you still have a few more days to enter. GOOD LUCK!

Modern Mix Blog Tour

2011-10-15T10:30:00.004-04:00

I told y'all it was book week here on the blog. What can I say? There are just a ton of really fabulous books all coming out in the coming weeks and months ... which is actually a really great thing, since it's almost time to start working on our Christmas lists!

I'm really happy to be sharing a sneak peek of the new book Modern Mix: 16 Sewing Projects that Combine Designer Prints & Solid Fabrics by my friend Jessica Levitt. Jessica, who blogs at Juicy Bits, is a mom, sewer, crafter, and fabric designer with two amazing collections (Timber and Kingdom) already under her belt. With the release of Modern Mix, Jessica can now add author to that list. And even though she went to Dook University, we get along pretty well. ; )

So what's Modern Mix all about? The book contains 7 quilt patterns along with other project ideas for other home decor items (like pillows), bags, fashion accessories, and other gift ideas -- 16 in total -- all with a single focus: mixing and matching prints with solids to discover new and innovative design possibilities.

The projects in Modern Mix are broken out into four distinct sections, based upon how the patterns incorporate solid fabrics:

Back Me Up -- projects that use solid fabrics as a background for your favorite prints
Strips and Stripes -- projects that add strips of solids to highlight your gorgeous prints
Accentuate the Positive -- projects that introduce little bits of solid colors to bring out the best in pattern
Steal the Show -- patterns that feature solids as the focus of the project

I've spoken with many quilters who are hesitant to mix and match fabrics across collections and selecting solid tones to help bring their projects to life. Large scale prints in particular seem to pose the biggest challenge. Within Modern Mix, in addition to a wealth of fresh, contemporary sewing patterns (and beautiful photography to match), Jessica offers her readers several design tips for pairing solids with large-scale prints.

Want to get to know Jessica a bit better? I've asked her a few (very random and silly) questions for your enjoyment!

Q: What's your favorite jam from the Billboard Top 100 of 1984?
http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id223.htm

Wow, what a trip down memory lane. I'll answer it straight up and go with Thriller, but it may have something to do with Halloween coming up. However, this list inspired the "2 truths and a lie" below.

Q: If you could choose a single pair of Converse All-Stars to wear every single day for the next year, which color / print would you choose and why?
http://www.converse.com/?CSID=44_kwid/#/products/shoes/women

This would make me very VERY unhappy. I'm not against All-stars, I've owned a pair, and love them on my kids....but one pair of shoes for a whole year?!?! I think only a man could write that question. :)

But to play along, I'd say these leather boot-like ones fit my style the most. I'm going for the most versatile here and I could see wearing these even when more dressed up. But they would cause a problem in the summer. Guess I'd just have to go barefoot...

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring 3 DVD's, which would they be?

The Princess Bride
Beauty and the Beast
French Kiss

OK, so let's talk a bit about the giveaway. Stash Books will send a copy of Modern Mix to one lucky Quilt Dad reader, to be selected randomly from those who leave a comment on this post. And to sweeten the pot, I'm throwing in a full fat quarter bundle of Jessica's newest fabric line, Kingdom.

I love this line. In fact, I made a full quilt from Kingdom for Jessica to help her showcase the line at Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City back in May. I designed this pattern specifically for Kingdom, and I named it Kingdom Courtyards. I was thrilled and honored to see my quilt hanging in the Windham booth!

Here I am wrestling to get some good photos of the quilt on a particularly windy day here in North Carolina. Thanks to Mrs. Quilt Dad for patiently bearing with me as I tried to get the "perfect shot"!

So want to win your very own copy of Modern Mix PLUS a full fat quarter bundle of Kingdom? Simply leave a comment on this post and answer the following question:

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: two of the following statements from Jessica based on the Billboard Top 100 Songs of 1984 are true, and one is a big fat stinky lie. Let me know which one you think is the untruth in the comments below, and you could win!

"Self Control" - by Laura Branigan (#24) -- The first concert I ever went was Laura Branigan, and when I got home I sketched the different outfits she changed into.
"The Wild Boys" - by Duran Duran (#25) --Duran Duran was my favorite boy band, and my dad finally took me to see them after I proved my love by naming and spelling correctly all the members' names.
"Legs" - by ZZ Top (#65) --I dressed as the lead singer to ZZ Top (beard and all) for Halloween in 5th grade

Here's the full blog tour schedule -- many of the posts still have their giveaways open, so visit them all for more chances to win!

10/6/11 - Sew Mama Sew

10/7/11 - Jaybird Quilts

10/8/11 - Blue Nickel Studios

10/9/11 - Handmade by Alissa

10/10/11- Stop Staring and... Start Sewing

10/11/11 - Quilting is My Therapy

10/12/11 - Stitch Magazine Blog

10/13/11 - Oh Fransson

10/14/11 - Gen Q Magazine

10/15/11 - Quilt Dad (<--- YOU ARE HERE!)

10/16/11 - Confessions of a Craft Addict

10/17/11 - Amy's Creative Side

10/18/11 - Pink Chalk Studio

10/19/11 - Connecting Threads Blog

10/20/11 - Keepsake Quilting Blog

10/21/11 - Juicy Bits

Outfoxed Mini Quilt

2011-10-13T00:09:00.004-04:00

Lizzy House's new line, Outfoxed, isn't even out yet, and I'm already convinced that it's going to be my favorite line of the year. To get myself through until the fabric is available, I picked up Lizzy's Outfoxed embroidery patterns and decided to make myself a mini quilt featuring the titular fox himself. I used a custom Cosmo floss bundle from The Workroom and a selection of Kona Cotton solids that will coordinate with the line. On a whim, I threw in some leaves from Kate Spain's Terrain collection.

I love it. Among so many ongoing and in-process projects for others, it was important for me to take the time and make this for myself. I can't wait to quilt it and finish it up.

Scrap Republic Blog Tour

2011-10-10T07:00:00.009-04:00

Turns out it's book week here on the Quilt Dad blog! Yesterday I shared a bit about Deploy That Fabric by Jen Eskridge, and my giveaway of that book and a matching eco-friendly messenger bag is still open.

Today I'm happy to share a bit about another C&T Publishing title, Scrap Republic by Emily Cier. I am lucky enough to count the talented Emily as one of my friends in the industry, as well as a former neighbor here in the Raleigh area and fellow founding member of the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild (before she relocated to Seattle!) Scrap Republic is Emily's second book, following the success of Quilt Remix.

Fun fact #1: when I first started sewing and quilting, I quickly found Emily's blog and was enamored by her amazing quilts and modern style. I was also in awe of the fact that she quilted her own quilts, at a time when I was so intimidated that I never believed I'd ever be able to quilt my own quilts. In fact, I think my introductory email to Emily was an inquiry about how much she'd charge to quilt my quilts for me. I remember that her response was something like, "errr ... uhhh ... you know you can totally do that yourself, right?" (OK, I'm paraphrasing.) She did, however, ask if I wanted all of her leftover scraps of batting for my doll quilts and minis. I'm still pulling from that stash to this day!

Anyhow, back to the book. Scrap Republic is all about creating beautiful quilts with -- you guessed it -- scraps! Emily begins with a introductory chapter with tips on organizing your stash, categorizing your scraps by color, and block piecing ideas. That's followed by 8 original project ideas that are designed specifically to incorporate ALL of your scraps, regardless of color, pattern, or size.

Love the patterns but don't have a stash to shop from? Have no fear. Emily includes yardage requirements for every project so that you can can exactly what you need to make each quilt.

Fun fact #2: if you're an iPad user or otherwise prefer e-books, you can purchase PDF versions of both of Emily's books via the C&T site!

Be sure to also join the Scrap Republic Flickr group to see others' quilts made from the book's patterns, and upload your own.

As part of the book tour, each blogger on the tour was asked to represent a color of the rainbow. I selected indigo. Indigo?? Hmmmm ...

From Wikipedia:

Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet.

OK, not much help. Well, for the purposes of the tour, the indigo "family" also includes browns, blacks, and greys. Perfect! Since the book is all about pulling from your stash, I thought I'd do a quick tour of some of my favorite fabrics in the color family ... straight from the Quilt Dad stash!

First up, Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope line!

Photo courtesy of the workroom

Seed pods in brown from the Chrysalis line by Sanae!

Droplets by Tula Pink (from both Full Moon Forest and Hushabye)!

Grey dandelions from Patty Young's Flora & Fauna line!

Photo courtesy of sara ~~ thesplitstitch

More prints from Denyse Schmidt (Flea Market Fancy + Hope Valley)!

Photo courtesy of Cara { Me? A mom? }

Grey and black elephants!

Black & white prints from the Mingle line by Monaluna!

Photo courtesy of Get Stitchy with Sarah

And finally, some Miscellany by Julia Rothman for Cloud 9 Fabrics (a recent acquisition and instant favorite!)

Photo courtesy of pink chalk studio

Thanks for indulging me in a quick tour through my stash! How about you? Have any favorite brown, grey, or black prints? Let me know in the comments below, and you could win a prize. There are some amazing prizes in this blog tour!:

Scrap Republic from C&T Publishing (printed version for US residents, e-book for my international readers)
Scrap Republic Eco Tote from C&T Publishing (open to US residents only)

Bag of fabric scraps for your next scrappy project, courtesy of Robert Kaufman
ROY G BIV Essential Cotton Thread in Red, Pumpkin, Butter, Lime, Cerulean, Midnight, and Red Violet from Connecting Threads (open to US residents only)

Mrs. Roy G. Biv pattern from Carolina Patchworks (the pattern that inspired the book!)

To win one of the prizes above, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me about your favorite brown, black, and grey prints. I'll randomly select 5 winners towards the end of next week. Good luck!

There's only one more stop on the blog tour, so be sure to go visit my friend Allie tomorrow and say "hi"!

Tuesday October 11: Violet/Purple

Allie Heath @ Robert Kaufman

http://www.swatchandstitch.com

Deploy That Fabric | Book Review + Giveaway

2011-10-09T07:00:00.005-04:00

I was so excited when I first heard about the book Deploy Your Fabric by Jen Eskridge, known by many as the talented sewist behind the ReannaLily Designs blog, and even more excited when Jen and the team at Stash Books asked me to take part in the blog tour to spread the good word about the book.

So why was I so excited? First, I was just so happy to hear that Jen had written a book! I've been admiring Jen's work via her Flickr stream for quite a while, and it's always good to see someone with a unique perspective get a chance to express themselves via a book.

More importantly -- and I don't think I've ever brought this up on the blog before -- but the military has a major presence in my family's lives. My father-in-law was a career military man, and I currently have two brothers-in-law and a sister-in-law all on active duty. So for me, as someone who has admired all of the crafty projects that incorporate military uniforms for years, it's great to finally be able to get my hands on a book that breaks down how to make such projects and provides plenty of visual inspiration to plan some holiday gifts for my family!

Before diving in to the book, let me tell you a little bit about Jen. A long-time sewist and quilter, Jen is a military spouse who also happens to have a degree in apparel design. She began her company (and her blog), ReannaLily Designs, to share her love of sewing (and sometimes with military uniforms) via her original quilt and purse patterns.

OK, so now a little about the book. "What matches a uniform? Everything." I love that Jen immediately eases the reader's concerns about how to select fabrics that can nicely complement a military uniform. Her advice? "Treat it as a neutral, and choose bright, bold fabrics to contrast with the subdued uniform colors."

I was also happy to see that the book starts out with some quick directions on how to break down a military uniform to usable pieces of fabric. Having recently requested unused uniforms from some of my family members to use for Christmas gifts, I simply didn't know where to begin. Jen's directions are perfect for getting me started.

The projects in the book are broken down into four sections:

Purses & totes -- 9 great patterns, ranging from a coin purse to the "Military Monster Tote", a giant bag that can double as a diaper bag!
Home for the Holidays -- 4 project that include a tree skirt and stocking.
Quilts & Baby Items -- my favorite part! There are 4 patterns in this area, and while the quilt patterns themselves may seem pretty familiar to most quilters, it's great to see how Jen mixes modern fabrics and prints with the camouflage.
Accessories -- a potpourri of additional projects, containing 6 patterns including a checkbook cover, note cards, and an accent pillow.

Don't know anyone in the military? At a loss for how to get your hands on some camouflage uniforms? Don't fret! Check out these super cool Urban Camo fabrics by Urban Chiks for Moda. Now anyone can make the projects from this book!

Want to win a copy of the Deploy That Fabric book? How about the fun eco-friendly messenger bag seen above? Both are being donated to a lucky Quilt Dad reader, courtesy of Stash Books. Simply leave a comment on this post and let me know why you'd like to win this book. Do you have any ties to the military? Have a friend or loved one who would love to receive something made from a pattern in the book?

Be sure to check out all of the other stops on the blog tour for even more chances to win!

Quilt Uber-Fest | Block 1

2011-10-01T09:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the Quilt Uber-Fest, organized by my friend Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios! I'm excited to be hosting the first block of this fun quilt-along. Want to learn more about the Quilt Uber-Fest? Check out Scott's post here.

Throughout the month of October, 16 different bloggers will each be posting a free quilt block pattern on their site. To unify all of the blocks, we've all come up with designs integrating elements of log cabin blocks and half-square triangles, and ours will all be made from a selection of prints from the upcoming Sleeping Beauty line by Nel Whatmore for Free Spirit Fabrics along with some Kaffe Fassett stripes and a print or two of each designer's choosing (though you can, of course, quilt along with any fabrics that you choose.)

I'm kicking the quilt-along off with a fairly basic, beginner-friendly block that I'm calling Taking Flight, and I've made the pattern available in PDF form. Download the full PDF.

I hope you enjoy it! I can't wait to see what you make. And if you're quilting along with us, please be sure to add your blocks to the Quilt Uber-Fest Flickr page.

Tomorrow's block will be posted by my friend Kaye Prince over on her blog, Miss Print. See you there!

11 hours left to support a fellow quilter!

2011-09-30T10:31:00.004-04:00

First, thanks so much for all of your generous comments and nice words regarding my announcement of the Fat Quarterly book. It's truly an exciting time and I appreciate all of your support. Quilt Dad readers are THE BEST!
Today, I am happy to give a big plug for an amazing sewist, quilter, and craftsperson. Many of you may be familiar with Alexia Abegg, who blogs at Craftopia. And if you don't, you should. Her work is amazing and I have drawn much inspiration from her beautiful creations. I've also been fortunate enough to meet her at Quilt Market, and she is as sweet as she is talented.

So many of us dream of how we can turn our creative passions into a career. Well, Alexia has taken the proverbial bull by the horns. She submitted a proposal to Kickstarter to raise funds to get her pattern business, Green Bee Pattern Co., off of the ground, and she was accepted!

(Not familiar with Kickstarter? They bill themselves as "a new way to fund & follow creativity." They help people kickstart their business ideas to the next level.)

She's nearly reached her goal but, with only a few hours left, she needs some help.

So, my plea today is this: help a fellow member of our vibrant sewing & quilting community realize her dream. Consider checking out Alexia's Kickstarter page and learn more about what she is trying to do. Let's demonstrate how we continue to support one another.

Thanks, all ... and good luck, Alexia!

Stash Happy Patchwork winner

2011-09-28T13:39:00.005-04:00

D'oh! So I am totally late in getting this posted -- thanks for the reminder, Jennie! (And P.S., congrats on the good news : )

Guess what else, Jennie? -- and I swear, I can't even make this stuff up -- your lucky number got pulled by random.org:

Jennie said... 155: Oooh! I love the looks of that book. I am always on the lookout for boy-appropriate quilted gifts. Panda pillow is a must have I think..; September 20, 2011 10:56 AM

Congratulations! I call that fate. It was meant to be. And if you make the panda pillow for your baby-to-be, I totally want to see it!!

Shoot me over your mailing information and I'll get your book out to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who entered! I've got some more book-related giveaways coming up soon, so stay tuned ... : )

This is EPIC!

2011-09-27T22:40:00.001-04:00

(... as my 7 year-old daughter would say!)

We let the cat out of the bag with some big news yesterday on the Fat Quarterly blog:

Yes, that's the real cover of a real book right there. With my name on it. And it's already available for pre-order on Amazon.

What?? I'm on Amazon?! I'm still pinching myself.

I wrote all about it over on the Fat Quarterly blog, so head on over there to read more.

There's a whole lot more to come about this book but, for now, I'll just state for the record that I am humbled. I'm grateful and excited and appreciative and nervous and humbled.

And I'm on Amazon, and I can't stop smiling about it.

Blogger's BOM | Starting tomorrow!

2011-09-24T11:00:00.002-04:00

I have a soft spot in my heart for online quilt-alongs and block of the month-type programs. After all, it was Amanda Jean's quilt-alongs that really got me sewing and blogging in the first place! That's why I'm so excited to tell you about a new block of the month program that I'll be participating in ... and it's kicking off tomorrow!

The Blogger's Block of the Month quilt-along was put together by the fabulous Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works, and it features original blocks by 14 amazing and diverse quilters from some of our favorite blogs.

Because this is a monthly program it's a great long-term project. And with only a single 8" block each month, it's TOTALLY manageable for us time-starved quilters.

Here is the packet of beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabrics that Jackie sent to each of us to design our block ... though, of course, you can use whatever fabrics you choose for the quilt-along.

The quilt-along kicks off tomorrow on Sherri McConnell's blog, A Quilting Life, and each new block is posted on the 25th of the month. And since it's a monthly program, have no fear if you don't have your fabrics together yet -- you've got plenty of time to catch up. This is also going to be a GREAT stash-buster project, so why not just pull out some of your favorite leftovers from your other projects?

You can learn all about the Blogger's Block of the Month program (and grab your very own blog button!) on Jackie's blog post. She's even set up a Flickr group for everyone to post their blocks and progress. And here's the full list of block designers, along with the month their block will be posted:

September - Sherri McConnell - A Quilting Life

October - Vicki Welsh - Field Trips in Fiber

November - Stephanie Dunphy - Loft Creations

December - Pat Sloan - The Voice Of Quilting

January - John Adams - Quilt Dad (<--------- that's me!)

February - Amy Smart - Diary of a Quilter

March - Allison Harris - Cluck, Cluck, Sew

April - Amy Lobsiger - Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

May - Cathy Underhill - Cabbage Quilts

June - Pam Vieira-McGinnis - Pam Kitty Morning

July - Victoria Findlay Wolfe - Bumble Beans Inc.

August - Amy Ellis - Amy's Creative Side

September - Sarah Fielke - The Last Piece

October - Jackie Kunkel - Canton Village Quilt Works

I hope you'll join us on this fun journey! And I'll see you back here in January for my block pattern.

do. Good Stitches Charity Quilt

2011-09-20T23:25:00.000-04:00

One of my ongoing quilting bees is do. Good Stitches, which is a charity bee. Each month, a different member of the group asks the other members to make a specific block or style of block from their scraps or fabric stash. Then, the requester collects all the blocks, puts them together, and sends it off to a charitable organization.

Back in April, I asked the other members of my group to make a shoo-fly block from Malka Dubrawsky's great free block tutorial in shades of green and blue. My group members made a whole bunch of amazing blocks and sent them to me to assemble into a quilt.

I have to thank my very patient group members, because all of this happened right around the time of my move. I wasn't able to get the quilt assembled in as timely a manner as I had hoped, but it was my first order of business after getting my sewing space set up in the new house.

And since the quilt came together in a way that, to me, made it perfect for a young boy, I finished it in the way I like to make baby quilts: by using an ultra high-loft batting, sewing it together right sides together and flipping it out, and tying it instead of quilting it. The result is a super soft, almost duvet-like quilt that's great as a floor mat for baby as well as for snuggling as the child gets older.

So, 5 months after requesting the blocks from my group members -- again, thanks for your patience, y'all! -- I finally got it all packaged up and sent this week. I decided to send the quilt to a very worthy cause: my friend Victoria's Bumble Beans Basics Quilt Gather. If you have any quilts that you're willing to donate to needy families in the NYC area, please visit Victoria's site and learn more about the quilt gather.

Authentic Mini Quilt | Mini Quilt Monday!

2011-09-18T23:40:00.001-04:00

So I'm just squeezing in under the wire, but I wanted to get this posted in time to link up to Faith's Mini Quilt Monday series on her blog, Fresh Lemon Quilts! I figured it was a great opportunity to blog about a mini quilt that I recently completed, and the swap for which I made it.

A couple of weeks back, Sharon (who blogs at Craizee Corners) asked me if I'd like to be a guest blogger this month on her blog in celebration of Sweetwater month. Sharon likes to feature a fabric designer each month, and invites her friends to come talk about their experiences working with that designer's fabrics.

"Sure", I thought. "I love Sweetwater's fabrics, and I'd even like to make something to show off on Sharon's blog!"

At the same time, I was planning a mini quilt for Kait as part of the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild's mini quilt swap -- a perfect opportunity, I thought, to pull out my small but beloved scrap stash of Authentic, Sweetwater's first line with Moda. These scraps were my leftovers from my pillow project featuring the line on the Moda Bake Shop.

I also decided on the perfect pattern for my quilt: the Bay Breeze pattern by Monica Solorio-Snow, a.k.a. the Happy Zombie. It's an oldie but a goodie -- I originally found it in the Summer 2008 issue of Quilts and More magazine. (I've made a mini quilt from this pattern once before -- WAY back when I first starting sewing!)

I really, really loved how this little quilt came out. You can read my full Sweetwater month post on Sharon's blog here, and see Kait's blog post about receiving this quilt here.

I mentioned this quilt was made for a swap, so want to see what I received in return?

Julie, a fellow TMQG, made this amazing and beautiful mini quilt for me. Isn't it fabulous? It's made from hexagons -- which she machine pieced! -- from Tula Pink's "Prince Charming" line. (Oh, so she caught on to my weakness for Tula Pink fabrics. I guess I don't hide it too well.)

With those birds added and framed so beautifully with a chocolate brown binding, it's a beautiful addition to my wall decor.

Thanks so much, Julie -- I LOVE my quilt!

For more mini quilt love, be sure to check out Faith's Mini Quilt Monday series.

Stash Happy Patchwork Book Review + Giveaway

2011-09-14T11:30:00.002-04:00

I recently received a review copy of the book Stash Happy Patchwork: 25 Sewing Projects for Fabric Lovers by Cynthia Shaffer from my friends on the Lark Needleworks team. After having the chance to browse through the book and its many project ideas, I wanted to pass along some of my favorites ... and also give you all the chance to win your very own copy!

So what's this book all about? As you may have gathered from the title, it's all about sewing from your stash -- you know, all of those treasured little bits and scraps left over from your finished projects. According to Cynthia, the book features "a collection of projects to feature your favorite fabrics, make the most of your scraps, and offer fun ways to upcycle things you've never considered part of your stash before."

This adorable project is called the Panda Bolster, and it's definitely something I could see myself making for a newborn baby or a child's birthday present ... similar to my other favorite softie project, Owlie McPillowpants! The instructions look totally do-able, and there are even some notes on how to modify the project to be a pig, dog, or tiger.

I thought this Bento Box project idea was a clever twist on the homemade lunch bag, and it looks great made up with those Joel Dewberry fabrics.

A scoodie? I probably won't make be making one of these for myself, but I thought it was a really clever and unique idea. With the right fabrics -- maybe some Lisette prints, Ruby Star Spring, or even some coveted Liberty fabrics? -- I think this could make a really fun Christmas gift idea.

Perhaps my favorite project in the book is this Log Cabin Bucket, made from four log cabin blocks and some study canvas & burlap.

The book says that it would work great as a toy tote or for car trips, but I can think of so many different ways that this can be used. And since I've already mentioned Christmas gifts in this post -- it's September, so isn't it about time we start thinking about them?? -- how cool would it be to "wrap" your gifts in these fun totes?

There are many more projects in the book -- 21, to be exact! -- and they range from aprons to children's garments, from bags to pillows, and from quilts to a wide variety of home decor items. I would certainly say that there's certainly something in this book for everyone.

So what's my verdict? Overall, I think that Stash Happy Patchwork would make a solid addition to a sewist's library. Given the current price of single patterns, I consider most books a pretty good investment even if only 2 or 3 project ideas appeal to me. While there are certainly a few projects in the book that I won't likely make, it easily passes that threshold for me. Even better, I see a lot of versatility in the book's patterns -- with some new color and fabric selections, you can really personalize them in your own style.

Would you be happy to add Stash Happy Sewing to your library? You can win a copy for yourself, simply by leaving a comment on this post. Let me know what it is you look for in a sewing or quilting book, and what you wish there was more of in quilting books. I'd love to hear what you think!

I'll pick a random winner next Friday, 9/23. Good luck!

August & September Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hrm ... I notice that I haven't shown much sewing in my last few posts. I've been staying pretty busy on the crafty front, though! I hope to have some more finished products to share in the coming days, but for now I'll settle for some quilting bee blocks.

In August, I made these two Greek Cross blocks in shades of green, blue, and grey for the do. Good Stitches charity bee. We used a tutorial by Faith of Fresh Lemons Modern Quilts for these great blocks.

I'm a little ahead of the game for September and was able to whip up these two blocks, also for the do. Good Stitches bee. We used Alissa's free block tutorial for her Modern Block of the Month quilt-along, hosted by the great folks at Sew Mama Sew! The pink, orange, and red block will be used in a quilt for a little girl, and the blue, green, and grey for a little boy.

And finally, these blocks aren't for a quilting bee, but they are for a very special project. They were made for the sweet Amy Lobsiger and her daughter, Annabel. As you can read here, Amy's husband -- a prominent journalist who covered the Detroit music scene -- recently passed away. And because quilters are the most awesome group of people together, Amy's great friends Sarah and Katy began rallying people to contribute blocks to a quilt project to honor Dan Sicko.

Amy loves Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Dan loved and extensively covered the techno music scene in Detroit. And so Sarah designed these blocks -- and the quilts they will become -- to suggest the stereo bass line of a techno track.

A wonderful idea, and one to which I am proud to contribute.

My latest FQ bundle

2011-09-09T09:38:00.005-04:00

I had such fun putting together my last fat quarter bundle with the Fat Quarter Shop that I've been itching to do it again. And with bees on the brain, it's no wonder that I built my latest fabric pack around Melody Miller's Cross Stitch Bee print from her Ruby Star Spring line. I loved playing off of the shades of pink, plum, orange, teal and raspberry to pull together this fun mix.

Want to read more about it? Check out my post on the Fat Quarterly blog. You can also see this fabric pack -- and learn more about me! -- on Sharon's blog today.

Want to purchase this fabric pack? It's available at the Fat Quarter Shop.

Have a wonderful weekend! Me? I'll be playing host to 12 7 and 8 year-old girls tonight. It's my twin girls' 7th birthday, and they begged and pleaded for a sleepover party. Wish me luck ... and send me strength!!

Skirts (& bees) on the brain

2011-09-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

Image by Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle

I've had skirts on the brain lately. And no, I am not talking about making some new kind of fashion statement. At 6'5" and XXX pounds, I don't think anyone needs to see me in a skirt.

I've been thinking about skirts for my twin girls. About how much they love to wear simple, elastic-waisted twirly skirts, and about how great they would be to highlight and use some of my favorite new fabric lines and prints. Unfortunately, I've also been thinking about how terrified I am to make any type of garment, no matter how "simple" everyone claims them to be.

Fortunately, a few of my Twitter friends have offered to help me out. I've set up a few swaps that will provide a few new skirts for my girls, let me scratch the itch of selecting the fabrics, and allow me to once again avoid any type of sewing that frightens me. Thanks, Jacqueline & Rachel!

I've also had Melody Miller's newest line, Ruby Star Spring, on my mind. I can't get enough of that giant bee print, and the linen-blend base cloth that the line is printed on is amazing. I'm totally inspired by the recent quilts that Heather & Ashley have posted using the line (check 'em out at the links), and I can't wait to make something with my small stash of the line (that is sure to grow.)

So with skirts and Ruby Star Spring on my mind, imagine my delight when Melody pointed me to an adorable little video she created featuring a free pattern by Deborah of Whipstitch for ... wait for it ...

... a bee skirt!!

And even though I won't be making one, I can watch the video again and again. It's just that cute.

Coming soon: Quilt Uber-Fest!

2011-09-06T16:40:00.004-04:00

Ever since the Block-a-Palooza Quilt Along wrapped up a few months back, I've received a few questions about when the next quilt-along would take place. Though I'm not quite ready for a round 2 of Block-a-Palooza (yet), I don't want all of you would-be quilt-alongers to fret. That's because my buddy Scott Hansen from the Blue Nickel Studios blog is stepping up to host another awesome quilt-along to help tide you over.

He's calling it Quilt Uber-Fest, and the festivities kick off on October 1st right here on my blog! That's right -- I'll be designing the first block of the sampler quilt and hosting the tutorial, and then 15 of my awesome fellow bloggers will follow suit throughout the month. Consider it our Octoberfest celebration for quilters. Oh yes, there will be beer involved ... at my house, anyway.

To get us in the spirit of the season, we'll all be using some beautiful fall-inspired prints from a new line called Sleeping Beauty by Nel Whatmore for Free Spirit Fabrics. Scott's got a whole lot more information on his announcement post today, and there's already a Flickr group set up for all participants.

Hope to see you there!

--

Quilt Uber-Fest Schedule:

Oct 1 John Adams

Oct 2 Kaye Prince

Oct 3 Karen Linton

Oct 4 Konda Luckau

Oct 5 Amy Lobsiger

Oct 6 Ryan Walsh

Oct 7 Scott Hansen

Oct 8 April Rosenthal

Oct 9 Cara Wilson

Oct 10 Amanda Jennings

Oct 11 Susan Sobon

Oct 12 Jan Peoples

Oct 13 Erin Singleton

Oct 14 Charlie Scott

Oct 15 Emily Cier

Oct 16 Rachel Locke

July Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-08-25T13:30:00.000-04:00

It's been pretty quiet on the sewing front around here. The move and subsequent unpacking & settling in combined with, well, the mere fact that it's summer has kept the whole family busy, and me -- generally exhausted from both all of the work associated with the move and the blasted HEAT -- away from my sewing room.

Thank goodness for at least a little bit of "obligation sewing" -- it gets me back to the machine when I might otherwise choose reruns of "The Millionaire Matchmaker" or some other such drivel on Bravo. (PS. Does anyone else fail to see any "real" in the lives of the "Real Housewives"?)

I took one evening last week and banged out two spider web blocks in a red & aqua color scheme. I know this is an EXTREMELY popular color combination these days, but I (surprisingly) had to dig pretty deep into my scrap bin to find enough pieces to make these two blocks. I guess it's not a palette that I naturally gravitate towards. Love 'em, though!

These blocks were made for the do.Good Stitches charity bee.

(P.S. these pictures were taken on my new back deck. Not a bad substitution for my old back deck, where all of my other pictures have always been taken, huh?)

My Bloggers' Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2011-08-22T15:10:00.001-04:00

If you read my blog regularly, you could probably tell pretty easily that my favorite part of the quilting process is choosing the fabrics for my projects. I love focusing in on a color story, or a print, or a pattern, and mixing and matching different fabric to make the project come to life.

The piecing, quilting, and binding? ... yeah, that stuff gets done mostly out of necessity.

I was flattered to be asked by Kimberly at the Fat Quarter Shop to take part in their newest program, the Blogger's Choice Bundle series. This series features fat quarter bundles, made up of 12 prints and 3 solids each, selected by several different quilt bloggers. After browsing the site for some inspiration I began gravitating towards this mix of navy blue, dark forest green, teal and white, with charcoal grey as my solid of choice -- quite different from many of the brighter quilts I've been seeing made lately. I think this somewhat masculine mix of colors would make a really great quilt for a boy's bed.

I was VERY excited to receive one of my bundles recently, and I'm trying to decide what kind of quilt to make with it. What do you think? Do you like it? What type of project would suit it best? For a few more days, you also have the opportunity to win one of my bundles! Head on over to the FQS' Jolly Jabber blog and leave a comment for your chance to win.

Oh, and while you're there, can you let me know what type of quilt I should make? I listed a few early thoughts in my post over there, but can't decide ...

TMQG Pillow Swap

2011-08-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

In my role as "swap swami" for the Triangle Modern Quilting Guild, I try to organize fun activities and swaps for the guild members. Earlier this summer, I introduced the idea of a pillow swap where everyone makes the same size pillow cover. By keeping the format consistent, I thought it would be fascinating to see the different directions that everyone would pursue in their designs.

We decided on a standard travel-sized (12" x 16") pillow form to keep the project relatively small and manageable. I had a lot of leftover scraps of Kate Spain's Central park line and the coordinated shot cottons that I originally selected for my Carousel quilt, originally featured in issue 4 of Fat Quarterly, and decided on a half-square triangle pattern that really highlights the different colors and patterns in the fabrics.

I tried something a little unusual for me, which was to use a colored thread for my quilting. I took a risk and quilted the pillow top in orange thread with an all-over meandering free-motion pattern. It certainly made the quilting pop off of the pillow rather than subtly recede into the background.

I finished the pillow with an envelope back that featured some leftover HST units and some contrasting prints. Overall the pillow was a ton of fun to make, and I think / hope the recipient (Bethany of Crafty Geeks) really liked it!

Want to see what I received?

Caitlin (who blogs at salty//oat) made this adorable little pillow just for me! I love Caitlin's modern sensibility and her minimalist approach to the design of this pillow. She based it on this free block pattern by Ashley of Film in the Fridge, and I feel that her liberal use of white and the carefully selected solid shades is spot on perfect.

Of course, the stars of the pillow are the little Heather Ross-designed girls playing with their toy horses. Caitlin is actually works at Spoonflower (lucky girl!) and was able to score these scraps from Heather's recent line with the company. The two vignettes of the girls on the front of this pillow make it extra special for me because of the reference to my twin daughters.

Speaking of my daughters, I am sure you can imagine how many times this pillow goes missing, only to be found in one of their rooms!

Thanks so much for my amazing pillow, Caitlin -- it is much loved here in the Quilt Dad household!

Quilters Take Manhattan Event

2011-08-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

I'm back from New York (OK, for over a week now .. but who's counting?) I had a fantastic time at the Alliance for American Quilts' Quilters Take Manhattan event. It's always great to be back in my home town of NYC, and even better when I can spend time at an event surrounded by so many people who share my creative interests. And, on top of that, one that takes place in a setting as beautiful as the huge loft apartment of Victoria Findlay Wolfe (of Bumble Beans fame).

Photo taken by Heather Jones (olive_and_ollie)

I attended the Modern Stories: Documenting the Modern Quilt Movement event on Friday evening, which began with some free time to mingle and I MET JAY MCCARROLL! Which was great, other than the fact that Jay told me that he expected me to be in my 60's and wearing a sailor hat. Hmmm, not sure how to take that one, but meeting Jay was definitely a highlight of my summer (as was hanging with Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom, also in the picture above!)

Photo taken by Heather Jones (olive_and_ollie)

I was there to be part of a panel of creative folks to discuss the modern quilting movement. Guess which one in the picture above is me? The other panelists (in order from left to right) were Jennifer, Kim Hyrniewicz, Melanie Testa, and Nancy Soriano. Amazing, amazing women. I know what you're thinking, and I'm not quite sure how I found myself on that panel either ... but it was a blast!

It was also great to catch up with Heather, Jackie, and Thomas, and to meet some online friends like Heide and Heather from Jennifer's Connecticut quilting posse.

Speaking of Heather, she has already written up a wonderful recap of the weekend that I couldn't even hope to match, so I'd encourage you to head on over to her olive and ollie blog to read more!

OK, so enough with the schmoozing and gratuitous name-dropping for a while. I've (finally!) unpacked my sewing space in the new house and have eased back in to making some blocks and stuff. I'll be back soon with some actual sewn goods to share.

Big Apple Bound!

2011-08-04T17:31:00.006-04:00

I'm so excited to be heading back to my hometown of New York City tomorrow for the Quilters Take Manhattan event, sponsored by the Alliance for American Quilts!

What is the Alliance for American Quilts? From its website:

The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) is a nonprofit 501c3 organization established in 1993 whose mission is to document, preserve, and share our American quilt heritage by collecting the rich stories that historic and contemporary quilts, and their makers, tell about our nation's diverse peoples and their communities.

In support of this mission, the Alliance brings together quilt makers and designers, the quilt industry, quilt scholars and teachers, and quilt collectors to further the following goals:

to promote the understanding of the quilt as an important American grassroots art form
to make information about quilts available to a broad public
to educate Americans about the importance of documenting quilts and quiltmakers so that their stories will not be lost

I am so honored to have been invited by the AAF and my friend Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Bumble Beans to participate as part of a panel discussion on Friday night. The topic of the discussion is Modern Stories: Documenting the Modern Quilt Movement, and I'll be joining my pal Jennifer Paganelli and some other fabulous quilters on the panel. Moderating the discussion will be one of my all-around favorite people, the fabulous Jackie Kunkel of Canton Vi llage Quilt Works. I hope you'll go easy on me, Jackie!

And then on Saturday afternoon, Marianne Fons and fabric designer extradordinaire (and Project Runway season 1 winner) (oh, and our Fat Quarterly Modern Madness winner!) Jay McCarroll will host a fun event at FIT.

I'm really looking forward to spending some time both at home with my family and with so many fellow quilters and artists in New York City. Heather and Thomas will be there, and I'm hopeful that Kate Spain can make it too.

With so many fantastic people all in one place, how can it be anything but a blast?! I'll try to take some good pictures!

Have a great weekend, all.

Let your peeps flag fly!

2011-07-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

Want to see the first thing I sewed at my new house? Yes, the boxes are not yet unpacked ... but I set up a makeshift cutting table in order to make this, my newest original creation: the Peeps Flag!

In case you missed it, the fabulous Lizzy House asked the Fat Quarterly team to serve as camp counselors for 1001 Peeps Summer Camp, her series of free project ideas made by guest designers from her newest fabric line, 1001 Peeps.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the fabric (LOVE the peeps!!) and immediately came up with this project idea. I posted the free tutorial over on the Fat Quarterly blog (link below). Hope you like it!

-------> Peeps Flag Tutorial

Here's a helpful hint: if you start making a Peeps Flag at 10PM the night before it's due, you'll finish it at around 4AM. Ask me how I know this.

If you make a Peeps Flag, please let me know -- I'd love to see it!!

Guess who's in the new Modern Blocks book?

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to announce that I'm going to be featured in my second title with Stash Books. I had a blast working on the Moda Bake Shop book, Fresh Fabric Treats, and can now announce that I am included alongside many other talented quilters and bloggers in Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers.

This book is as straightforward as it sounds: nothing but block patterns, and lots of 'em. All of the blocks are designed to be 12", which makes this book a great resource for anyone making sampler quilts or participating in quilting bees.
My block's not on the cover and I'm not able to share it just yet, but the book is scheduled to be released in October 2011 ... which seems far away, but is right around the corner. I can't wait to see the other 98 fantastic blocks in this book!

June Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

June was an interesting sewing month for me, as I tried to figure out everything I needed to finish before packing away all of my fabric and sewing materials into boxes -- which, as of the time of this writing -- are still not yet unpacked.

Luckily, I was able to squeeze in my quilting bee commitments for the month before moving.

First, Darci asked for wonky star blocks for her month in the Bee Tweet bee, made from some cuts of Kona Grass and an assortment of bright scraps -- including some precious cuts of Heather Ross' Far Far Away II, which Darci asked us to use as the star centers.

I was able to make 2 blocks for Darci, and used a square from Modern Workshop by oliver + s as the center of the block on the left:

Over in the do.Good Stitches charity bee, Jenn asked for triangular log cabin blocks inspired by this quilt (fantastic quilt, BTW -- you should really click over to check it out!)

Keeping with Jenn's requested orange + aqua color scheme, I first made these blocks ...

... which look great, but weren't yet cut to size when I took the picture. After trimming them down, I was afraid that the outer border was waaaaay too narrow and in danger of getting lost in the seam allowance, so I made two more:

And I felt much better about sending them along.

On to July, and I'm a bit worried about finishing my blocks for the month, what with all of the aforementioned unopened boxes and all.

My poor, neglected blog ...

2011-07-18T09:10:00.001-04:00

So, it's been over a month since I last posted. Sorry for the long (and unintended) hiatus. I know that the quickest way for a blogger to lose readers is to stop posting regularly, so I hope that there are still a few of you out there reading this. I've been really busy, mostly because of this:

Yep, we moved! We're still in the Raleigh area, but just moved from one suburb (Cary) to another (Holly Springs). We were outgrowing our house at a rapid rate and it was time for a move.

As many of you probably know, moving a family of 5 is no small feat. It's been exhausing, both physically and emotionally. I'd like to think the worst is behind us, even if we still have a LOT of unpacking and settling in to do. I haven't unpacked a single sewing or fabric box yet!

In between all of the manual labor, we've also been trying to do some of this:

... enjoying the summer! Here's a picture of the kids at the pool this past weekend. We finally saw a drop in temperature from the high 90's (just in time for my move, of course) to a much more reasonable mid-80's, which was perfect for some summer fun.

Alas, probably not too much new sewing in the immediate future either. We're off to my little brother's wedding later this week -- the wedding is next Saturday in Brooklyn, NY, and I'll be serving as the best man! Time to start drafting my toast, I guess ...

I do have a bunch of draft posts just waiting to be written and pushed live, so I'll be trying to get those out over the next few days. Thanks so much for sticking with me!

Mug Rug Swaps

2011-06-12T19:00:00.001-04:00

So, have you been bitten by the mug rug bug yet? Since I first posted about mug rugs a few months back, I am now able to type out the full name without giggling like a grade schooler. I've also participated in a few mug rug swaps that I heard about over on Twitter.

First, I joined the Mug Rug Madness swap where I received this adorable little mat from Alissa (alissadumont). So simple in its design, yet so effective with its color combination, its adorable prints, and its white binding -- seriously, I would NEVER think to do that!

And Alissa really spoiled me with all of the goodies that she included with the mug rug. I haven't participated in an all-out swap like this in a while, so it was fun to both send and receive a package filled with fun extras.

Then, Jacqueline (who blogs at Handmade with Love) started a Muggy Ruggy Swap on her blog and I couldn't help but jump in. I was extremely lucky to receive this beauty from Hilde Klatt, who blogs at Ildicolor. Hilde is a new-to-me quilter, and her work is just amazing.

Even more amazing was the thoughtful package she sent that included some extra special gifts. See those cute little mouse ribbons? Hilde sent one for each of my children!

Oh, and I guess I should show what I sent in return. Here are my two mug rugs, both variations on the same pattern.

For the Muggy Ruggy Swap, I sent this guy to the swap organizer herself, Jacqueline. I used one of my favorite new lines, From Little Things by Sarah Fielke, and featured some of Sarah's little partridges up top. It's kind of long for a mug rug, I guess ... though I prefer to think of it as just some more room for cookies.

And here's the one I sent to Amy (needled.fig) for the Mug Rug Madness Swap. I made this one from Jessica Levitt's fantastic new line, Kingdom.

And the pattern? I called it the Ziggity Mug Rug and wrote it up for a little guest post over on the Sew Mama Sew blog. If you make a Ziggity Mug Rug, I'd love to see it!

May Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-06-11T23:15:00.000-04:00

I don't usually venture into circular territory, but the do. Good Stitches quilting bee has been pushing me into somewhat uncomfortable territory the past few months. And I think that's a good thing.

I made these 5 striped circle blocks to help Angela realize her vision for her charity quilt. I followed her tutorial which (quite cleverly) results in these CD-sized blocks having the sticky side of some fusible interfacing exposed on the back. Angela's going to fuse all of these circles onto a solid background for a fabulous quilt inspired by Kristen's.

May was the kick-off month in the Bee Tweet bee, and Erin asked us for colorful scrappy blocks in kind of a 5-sided log cabin style (loosely based on Aneela's block tutorial). I had a lot of fun playing with some of my favorite scraps here without too much thought of matching or coordinating. This block finished out HUGE -- about 17.5" square -- and I'm so excited to see how Erin's quilt turns out.

I expect someone will ask, so I hunted down a link to the fox fabric that I used in the center of my block here. It's called "Flora Fox" from Farbenmix, and I got mine as a present from the ever-fabulous Katy.

LouLouThi Giveaway from the Fat Quarter Shop

2011-06-08T09:25:00.001-04:00

There's a big giveaway of Anna Maria Horner's new line, LouLouThi, over on the Fat Quarterly blog today. Are you coveting this fabric as much as I am?? Be sure to jump over and enter, and BIG THANKS to Kimberly and her team at the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway.

See you over on the Fat Quarterly blog!

Farmer's Wife Quilt-Along

2011-06-05T23:40:00.000-04:00

OK, so by now I totally embrace the fact that I'm a little bit crazy. The latest bit of proof? I decided to jump in to the Farmer's Wife Quilt-Along, being hosted by Amanda and Angela. The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt is the basis of a book by Laurie Aaron Hird that features 111 6" block patterns. Every block is made by templates, which are found on the CD in the back of the book. You can check out Laurie's website to learn more.

I really wanted to jump in to the project because I am always so inspired by Amanda and Angela and the beautiful things they make, so I thought it would be fun to join them -- and a bunch of other Twitter buddies -- in this long-term project. The plan is to make 2 blocks per week, encouraged by all of the other quilt-along members.

The sampler quilt in the book is made from more traditional fabrics in muted tones, but I wanted to put a more contemporary spin on the quilt. I was lucky enough to get a FQ bundle of Terrain, Kate Spain's upcoming new line for Moda, at Quilt Market last month. (Thanks, Katy, for braving sample spree for me!) I decided to use these amazing colors and prints as the jumping off point for my blocks -- not sticking to this line exclusively, but including at least a bit of the line in each block.

I was so eager to get started this weekend that I made 4 blocks. No, I'm not an overachiever -- I just know that the next few weeks are going to be crazy here in the Quilt Dad household so I thought I'd get a bit ahead while I can.

Here's block #2, called "Autumn Tints", featuring some Terrain, Habitat by Jay McCarroll, and some Heather Ross horses:

This is block #21, called "Contrary Wife". I used Terrain, Moda Bella solid in a deep blue called "Terrain Iris", and a pink woodgrain from Joel Dewberry's original Aviary line:

Here's block #9, called "Box". It features a Moda Bella solid called "Terrain Cactus", a brown print that I don't know the name of (!), and a center square from Modern Workshop by oliver + s:

Finally, I decided to make block #48, "Homeward Bound", with more of the Aviary woodgrain, Terrain leaves, and 2 prints from Lizzy House's Castle Peeps line:

I'm having a great time already with these blocks, and it'll be fascinating to see how everything starts coming together over the next year.

Want to join us in the quilt-along? It would be great to do this along with all of you! Be sure to join the Flickr group, and leave me a comment if you decide to jump in. I'd love to see your blocks!

My "Cover Quilt" on Spincushion

2011-05-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

So yesterday I asked what you think I have in common with Taylor Swift. You guys are hilarious (and I'm particularly lookin' at you, Jackie!) Some of my favorite responses:

You're both strongly influenced by Shania Twain?
You can really rock a minidress?
You're secretly a singer/songwriter in Nashville?
You've been interrupted by Kanye West while accepting an award?
You both have long legs?
Who's Taylor Swift??!

Well, it's not really me that has anything in common with Ms. Swift -- except maybe the long legs? -- but one of the quilts I recently featured here on the blog shares her sense of style.

Let me introduce you to Leigh Ann, the creative mind behind my favorite new blog, Spincushion. Leigh Ann recently contacted me to see if I would mind if one of my quilts was featured on her blog as part of her Cover Quilts series. I replied "of course" (because I am always flattered when others want to feature my photos on their blog), but I must admit that I wasn't very familiar with the Spincushion blog.

Well, one peek and I was hooked. The Cover Quilts series is only one of Leigh Ann's ingenious creations. Color Cues, If a Quilt Lived Here, and Swatchtower are just a few of her other series of posts. High on style and beautiful imagery and low on a lot of unnecessary words -- I can probably take a few tips from Leigh Ann on this one -- her blog is pure eye candy for the fabric lover. I hope you'll check it out.

Here's my Cover Quilt. First, the cover ...

... and then the quilt photo that so magically complements the magazine cover. Isn't it cool how the colors and style can be presented in two totally different -- yet surprisingly similar -- ways?

What a fun game. Do you have any Cover Quilts in your collection?

Fabric Winner & a Free Tutorial

2011-05-24T13:34:00.002-04:00

Hi, everyone! Hope you're having a great week. There's been a LOT happening here in the Quilt Dad household -- the types of things that might cause much upheaval for us over the next couple of months. All good things, though! I'll share more as it all unravels ...

In the meantime, I wanted to announce the winner of my Mother's Day fabric giveaway. The leftover blocks will be going to Bailey, who said:

"I just ordered the bundle - I love the fabrics! As comment #4 says - "hey, it's Mother's day right?" Thanks for the chance to win some extra fabrics to go along with it!"

Congrats, Bailey! I can't wait to see what you make. I'll email you shortly for your mailing information.

Also, I wanted to point you to a new tutorial that I wrote up as part the Fat Quarterly team's guest series on the Sew Mama Sew blog. I made two cute little mug rugs for some swaps recently and decided to share the pattern with you all. Click over to the post on the SMS blog to access the tutorial. Enjoy, and please let me know if you make one!

Ziggity Mug Rug tutorial

Until my next post, I will leave you with a riddle: what do I have in common with Taylor Swift??

April Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-05-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you enjoyed the Bella Solids parade! Now, back to regularly scheduled programming. It's time for my monthly round-up of my quilting bee blocks...

First up is my block for the do. Good Stitches { Charity Bee }. April was actually my month in that bee, which means I determined the blocks I wanted the other bee members to make. I am also responsible for assembling and finishing the quilt top and making sure it gets donated for charity.

I decided to ask each member to make 4 shoo-fly blocks using Malka Dubrawsky's pattern (free pattern here), because I was so inspired by the gorgeous quilt she made that is featured in her book, Color Your Cloth. I asked everyone to stick to shades of green, blue, and purple. It's been great fun seeing everyone's fabric selection as the blocks roll in.

Here's my contribution to the quilt:

Can't wait to see this one come together.

In my other bee, Buzz Cuts, Sudi-Laura asked for large (15.5") square-in-square blocks. It's my absolute favorite block, so I had no trouble whipping up this one for her:

With this month, sadly, Buzz Cuts is coming to a close. The group has been a rarity -- two years going strong with little to no flaking or major issues. The Buzz Cuts gang included some of the most reliable and highly inspirational quilters that I've met on my quilting journey so far. Thanks to everyone in the group for all of my wonderful blocks and for letting me stitch with you. Special thanks goes out to our fearless leader, QuiltinKimmie. Love ya', Kim!

But you know what they say: when one door closes, another one opens. And as Buzz Cuts draws to an end, Bee Tweet will be getting started in May. I'm excited to join some old friends and get to know some new ones as this bee gets up off the ground.

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 7

2011-05-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Today's the last day of my Expert's Picks over on Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade. What did you think? Did you have as much fun playing along as I did making all of the picks?

Today's inspiration color is Yellow and, really, who couldn't use a little more yellow in their life? : )

Moda Bella Solid in Yellow (9900-24)

For this bundle, I started with the partridges in green from Sarah Fielke's From Little Things line, and built the collection from there. You can see that I had a hard time limiting myself to 3 solids and 3 prints, so I gave myself some leeway to make today's bundle a bit bigger:

Top row: Bella Solids in Purple, Lime, Etchings Slate, and Summer House Lime
Bottom row: Lime Partridges and Grey Dots (sold out) from From Little Things, Modern Workshop Citron Yellow Textile Wave, From Little Things Purple Bell Flowers

What do you think? Does my (admittedly eclectic) combination of yellow, purple, grey, and lime green work?

So I have a crazy idea. I love all of the little fabric collections that I've created this week, and since I know I will never have the time to make quilts from each one of them, I'm thinking of something a bit more manageable. Mini quilts, maybe? Do you also have little bundles of fat quarters just waiting to be made into something beautiful? I'm sure I'm not the only one. Is anyone interested in a Mini Quilt Parade quilt-along?

Let me know, and if there's enough interest I'll pull something together ...

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 6

2011-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

The parade is almost coming to an end! Today's inspiration color, Rust, posed another tough challenge.

Moda Bella Solid in Rust (9900-105)

The rust led me to the Max & Whiskers print on the bottom left, which helped me to introduce the golden wheat and turquoise. The golden wheat allowed me to pull in the ukeleles which, by default, opened the door for the dark brown. Ty Pennington's spicy stripe helped pull the solid rust back in and -- voila! -- another fun bundle.

Top row: Bella Solid in Golden Wheat, Bella Solid in Brown, Max & Whiskers Blithe Grunge
Bottom row: Max & Whiskers Fur Abbott, Impressions Spice Wave, Beach Mod Circa 60 Ukeleles

Play along with me! What would you add to this collection?

Visit Shruti and see more over at 13 Woodhouse Road for the Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade!

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 5

2011-05-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

I really loved working with today's inspiration shade, Earth:

Moda Bella Solid in Earth (9900-106)

Here are the 6 fabrics that I selected:

Top row: Max & Whiskers Fandango Grunge, Bella Solid in Washed Black, Bella Solid in Blue Raspberry
Bottom row: Max & Whiskers Blithe Patches, Beach Mod Circa 60 Mineral Mod Gulls, Max & Whiskers Elafin Maybley

Visit Shruti and see more over at 13 Woodhouse Road for the Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade!

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 4

2011-05-12T07:00:00.004-04:00

Ooooh ... I can really take a bite out of today's color (no pun intended!) The inspiration color is this deep shade of Orange:

Moda Bella Solid in Orange (9900-124)

The Art Gallery Fabrics botanical print on the bottom left was my jumping off point, and I love where I landed with this little fabric bundle. It has a bit of Japanese flair, don't you think?

Top row: Bella Solid in Terrain Cactus, Bella Solid in Baby Yellow, Bella Solid in Paper Bag
Bottom row: Bohemian Soul Mellow Ditsy, Sherbert Zen Garden, Aviary 2 Aqua Sparrows

Here's where you get to play along: what would you add to this fabric pack?

Visit Shruti and see more over at 13 Woodhouse Road for the Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade!

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 3

2011-05-11T07:00:00.006-04:00

Today's jumping off point was this deep shade of brown, fittingly called Hershey:

Moda Bella Solid in Hershey (9900-41)

This bundle was a classic case in failure to self-edit. When it came down to it, I just couldn't make the hard decision of which solid and which print to cut ... so I left them all:

Top row: Bella Solids in Etchings Stone, Pink, Together Tan, and Weathered Teak
Bottom row: Central Park Lawn Zoo, Modern Workshop Courtyard Green Roundabout Dots, Bohemian Soul Hay Endless Dream, Tammis Keefe White Later Alligator

This is my favorite bundle so far, and just might just be my favorite of all of them. What would you add to this combination of prints & solids?

Visit Shruti and see more over at 13 Woodhouse Road for the Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade!

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 2

2011-05-10T00:01:00.002-04:00

Today's inspiration color is Peach. Not an easy challenge! This isn't a color I am accustomed to working with.

Moda Bella Solid in Peach (9900-78)

Here's what I pulled together. What do you think?

Top row: Bella Solid in Terrain Cactus, Bella Solid in Bluebell, Bella Solid in Etchings Charcoal
Bottom row: My Happy Nursery Shell Leaves, Silent Cinema Pink Intermission, Tammis Keefe Multi Cage Free

Visit Shruti and see more over at 13 Woodhouse Road for the Fat Quarter Shop Bella Parade!

Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 1

2011-05-09T14:00:00.003-04:00

Have you heard about the Moda Bella Solids Parade that fellow blogger Shruti is hosting? Shruti, who blogs at 13 Woodhouse Road (great blog name, right?), had a fantastic idea:

All month long, Shruti's highlighting a color and shade represented by a Bella Solid fabric and asking her readers to share inspiration photos that somehow feature that color. In addition, there are contests, giveaways, quilt-alongs, and more from Shruti with support from the generous folks at Moda and the Fat Quarter Shop. You can see more here.

One of the other activities is to show fabric bundles that are built around each color to showcase the (sometimes very) different ways in which a particular color can be used. Each bundle is comprised of 3 additional solids and 3 prints to complement the day's color. I was thrilled when Shruti invited me to participate in her "Expert's Pick" series to create some of those fabric combinations.

(I know, I thought the same thing you're thinking right now: me? An expert?!)

Over the next several days, I'm going to share my fabric combinations both on Shruti's blog and also here with you. I'd love to hear what you think of each, or any other prints that you might add in to the mix. These posts will be auto-scheduled to go live while I'm at market too, and I can't wait to check in with you all when I'm back!

Before showing my first fabric combo, let me share a brief intro that I wrote for Shruti highlighting my thought process when putting these together:

--

Hi! My name is John Adams and I blog at QuiltDad.com. I am also a founding member of Fat Quarterly, a popular e-magazine written by and for modern sewists. Come learn more about us and our magazine on our blog, which always has fresh, fun content about the modern quilting community. I live in Cary, North Carolina, with my wife, 6 year-old twin daughters, 5 year-old son, and dog named Tula (named after one of my fabric designers, Tula Pink!)

I've been sewing and quilting now for about 4 years, and one thing has become clear to me in that time: my absolute favorite part of the entire quilting process is selecting my palette of colors and prints for my projects. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy making small project like pillows, mini quilts, and mug rugs so much -- I can scratch that creative itch and try out new fabric combinations on quick & easy projects. I love Shruti's Bella Solids Parade project and I jumped at the chance to submit my expert's picks!

Shruti's challenge was a bit, well, challenging for me. When pulling fabrics together for a new quilt or project, I typically start with an inspirational print or two. I then draw complementary prints and colors, including solids from that starting point. However, here I was asked to start with a solid, which is a bit different than my usual approach. What I found is that each focus solid would still lead me to a "focus" print or patterned fabric, from which I drew the rest of my palette.

This challenge was GREAT fun, and I hope you like my fabric bundles as much as I do! For those who read my blog, you know that I often have a hard time editing myself, so for a few of my bundles I couldn't help but throw in an extra print or solid or 2. Now I am inspired and already planning projects with each of my new bundles!

Thanks for the opportunity, Shruti!

--

And now, on to the parade! Today's inspiration color is Sunshine:

Moda Bella Solid in Sunshine (9900-130)

And here are my coordinating picks:

Top row: Max & Whiskers Blithe Grunge, Bella Solid in Magenta, Bella Solid in Willow
Bottom row: Alhambra II Buttercup Spanish Petals, From Little Things White Partridges, Silent Cinema Blue City Lights