Something really fun has been brewing over at Art Gallery Fabrics! Head on over there to check out all the details on their latest adventure, the Fat Quarter Gang! I'm proud to be one of 12 official members!

It's going to be a year chock full of weekly project tutorials from members and giveaways all featuring Art Gallery fabrics! It's going to be such a blast, you won't want to miss it!  I'll be sharing my first project later this summer!  And... here is my gang photo, haha! I'm Jeni 'Seam Busta' Baker!

AGF Fat Quarter Gang, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Please note my fabric "cash", scissors necklace, and most importantly, open rotary cutter! I think this is quite possibly the toughest I've ever looked! ;)

You can find more information and meet all the members here.  There might just be photos of all the other members too... just sayin'!

Happy Tuesday! 

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop Book + Giveaway

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters Blog Tour! If you aren't familiar with Fat Quarterly, it's a popular e-magazine for  modern sewists! The e-zine and now this new book are put out by the talented Katy Jones, Brioni Greenberg, Tacha Bruecher, and John Q. Adams.  Lynne Goldsworthy has also recently joined the FQ team!

Now, on to the book!
 

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Flat out, I love this book. In my mind, most quilting books can be put into two categories: books with quilt blocks, and books with quilt patterns.  Lucky for us, this book has both! The book is divided into six sections, each focusing on a different shape: squares & rectangles, circles, triangles, stars, polygons, and diamonds.

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

In each section, you'll find quilt blocks from the four authors featuring that shape, all done in the same combination of fabrics. Makes it easy to visualize the similarities between the blocks, and great sampler ideas too! Then, each section has quilts and projects as well! I love the idea of having 60 modern blocks at my fingertips as well as full project patterns! :)

I combed through the book and narrowed down my favorite project from each author! Let's take a look!

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

John Q. Adams - Cub Crawl Baby Quilt - I am always on the lookout for quilts that have large blocks or leave large sections of fabric intact. Perfect for showcasing those extra special prints!

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Katy Jones - Orange Soda Quilt - I generally shy away from applique, but this quilt has me wanting to give it a try! The patchwork is so fun, it's just such a cheerful quilt!

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Tacha Bruecher - Fast Forward/Rewind Quilt - Who can resist a good flying geese quilt? I sure can't! The different sized geese in this quilt did me in right away!

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Brioni Greenberg - Starry Hanging Storage - I'll be making room for one of these for sure! So much patchworky goodness, I love the star piecework especially!

There is a little something for everyone in this book, whether you're a seasoned quilter or you're just beginning.  I think this is a must-have book for any modern quilter! You can find the book for sale here! I encourage you to check out the Fat Quarterly blog and e-zine issues as well!

Lark Crafts has kindly offered up a copy of the book for one lucky reader! To enter, just leave a comment! One entry per person, I'll choose a winner randomly. Giveaway ends Friday, June 1st at 5pm CST.

Giveaway is now closed, thanks!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour!

5/18 Kickoff at FatQuarterly.com and LarkCrafts.com!
5/21 Lily Quilts
5/24 Handmade by Alissa
5/29 In Color Order << you're here! :)
5/31 Comfort Stitching
6/4 Generation Q
6/7 Sew Mama Sew
6/12 Pat Sloan
6/14 WhipUp
6/18 Sarah Fielke’s The Last Piece
6/22 Fat Quarter Shop
6/26 Diary of a Quilter
6/28 Amy’s Creative Side
7/3 A La Mode Fabric
7/6 It’s Sew Kiki!
7/10 Craft Buds!
7/12 Craft Foxes
7/16 {sew} Allegorical
7/18 Wrap-up Party at FatQuarterly.com!

Good Luck!

Mother's Day Quilt

Mother's Day Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Happy Weekend! I'm popping in here quickly to share a finished quilt with you! This quilt is a belated Mother's Day present for my Mom! My family is here visiting this weekend so I held onto it until now.  I made my parents a quilt for their bed for Christmas last year, but I figured my Mom could use a throw too!

This quilt is made from vintage blocks made by my maternal Grandmother.  They were all different sizes so I knew I didn't want to do a traditional grid layout.  I had to make one block (the giant churn dash) to round it out to 8 blocks, I used some vintage fabric from my stash so it would blend in!  I fiddled with the arrangement for a while and finally landed on this.

Mother's Day Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Mother's Day Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

For the background and sashing I used Kona cotton in Light Parfait! I wanted something pretty neutral but with a bit of peach to tie all the blocks together.

Mother's Day Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

The backing is a vintage sheet I thrifted a few weeks ago.  I free motion quilted it with doodle loops using my favorite shade of Aurifil 50wt thread, Beige #2310.

Mother's Day Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

It's bound up in a vintage floral cotton fabric. It finishes at 66"x76"!

I'm happy to report that the quilt was well-received! It feels good to finish up a few works-in-progress! My grandmother sewed these blocks approximately 40 years ago, so this quilt has been a long time in the making! :)

Geared For Guys Blog Tour + Giveaway

Happy Friday everyone! Today I have a fun book to share with you! Do you all know Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies? We met briefly at Sewing Summit last October and again this past weekend! Among other things she designs fabrics for Michael Miller and just completed her first book, Geared for Guys! As the title implies, the book focuses on quilting for the guys in your life and includes 8 original quilt designs!

When I think about sewing for others, I immediately turn to color and fabric selection to suit the recipient.  The quilts in this book not only use more masculine color combinations but the actual quilt designs are "geared for guys", which is really cool! For me, it's a totally different way of thinking! Even though the quilts were designed with guys in mind, I'd like many of the quilts for myself too! :)

My favorite quilt in the book is called Helix! It looks like it would be a great stash buster, and the construction is really clever!

On top of the quilts designed by Emily, there is a quilt pattern designed by John Adams of Quilt Dad! It's called Urban Decay! This quilt is ultra-guy in that the pattern was designed by a guy, for guys, using fabric designed by a guy, David Butler! How cool is that!? Now say that five times fast! ;)

You can find the book in paper and PDF format in Emily's shop here.  You might also be interested in  Emily's fabric lines for good guy sewing material: Hall of Fame, Going Coastal, and her newest line, Shore Thing!

Emily has kindly offered up a copy of the book for one lucky reader! To enter just leave a comment! One entry per person, I'll choose a winner randomly. Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 29th at 5pm CST.

Giveaway is now closed, thanks!

Don't forget to stop by and see Shannon of It's Sew Shannon tomorrow for the next stop on the tour!

Good Luck!

Spring Quilt Market 2012

Team Ninja, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

So you may have noticed that it was a little quiet around here last week.  Don't worry, it was for a good reason! I was at Spring International Quilt Market in Kansas City! This was my first time attending the show, so I was pretty excited!  I went along to help Vanessa Christenson with her booth (and so did Megan & Deedee!)! She debuted her first fabric line with Moda, Simply Color! I may be a bit biased since we're friends, but it's super awesome! Take a look for yourself:

Simply Color by Vanessa Christenson for Moda, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Super cute right? :)

Okay! Now I have a mini recap of some of my favorite parts and you can see lots more photos on my flickr, here.

Ruby Star Vinyl by Melody Miller for Kokka, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Booth I wanted to live in: Melody Miller's

Liberty of London Lifestyle Fabrics, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Fabric I was most anxious to see: Bloomsbury Gardens by Liberty of London Lifestyle Fabrics (quilting cotton!)

Myself, Anna Maria Horner, and Sara, a photo by Kim.

Biggest fan girl moment: Meeting Anna Maria Horner

Diamond Ring Quilt by Green Bee Patterns, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Favorite quilt pattern I saw: Diamond Ring Quilt by Green Bee Patterns

Sample Spree Loot, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

First and biggest stop at Sample Spree: Art Gallery Fabrics of course! 

Out to Sea by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Absolute cutest booth: Out to Sea by Sarah Jane

Picnic Pals by Alyssa Thomas for Clothworks, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Fabric that made me squeal the loudest: Picnic Pals by Alyssa Thomas of Penguin & Fish

Art Gallery Fabrics Booth, a photo by Art Gallery Fabrics

Most beautiful booth: Art Gallery Fabrics (Oh how I love things in color order, hehe!)

Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Booth that made me want to run home and sew: Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt

Upcoming Fabric Lines, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Upcoming fabric lines I'm most looking forward to: Field Study by Anna Maria Horner, The Birds and the Bee by Tula Pink, Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt, Indie and Rock 'n Romance by Pat Bravo, Out to Sea by Sarah Jane, Heaven & Helsinki by Patty Young, Liberty Lifestyle Fabrics and Bella by Lotta Jansdotter.

Business Cards, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Coolest trick I learned: Hole-punched business cards (thanks Erin!)

Phew! Hope that wasn't too photo heavy for you! If it wasn't and you want to see more, go here!

I'll be back on Friday with a fun book review! Until then, happy sewing! :)

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day!

Happy Monday! It's about time we had another giveaway around here, and it just so happens to be Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day!  If you're new here, welcome! I'm Jeni! I like to blog about my sewing and quilting adventures, thrifting finds, and my tiny pet bunny George! I enjoy providing tutorials and informational series like The Art of Choosing to my readers! I hope you'll take a peek around!

I'm giving away 2 copies of my PDF patterns, the Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern and the Vintage Nine-Patch Quilt Pattern! I'll choose two winners and you'll receive a copy of each pattern via email!

To enter please leave a comment letting me know your favorite color! One entry per person please! Winner will be chosen randomly, all entries welcome! Giveaway will be open until Friday, May 25 at 5pm PST. :)

Giveaway is now closed!

Good luck!

George Bunny Videos!

It's been a long time since I posted any George videos on here, and I've been able to take a few cute ones lately! I was so excited to get another video of him running around and washing his ears! It can be hard to catch him at it. As soon as he sees the camera he stops! Enjoy! :)



Happy Bunday!

Favorites

Favorites, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

1. Curvy clutch in Heather Ross' Meadow, 2. Sherbet Pips finished quilt, 3. Quilted!! Please excuse the wrinkles. Backed in voile (so hard to baste!), loosely quilted to keep it soft. Can't decide if I should FMQ hearts where the safety pins are. Thoughts?, 4. The Geese Have Landed!, 5. New York Beauty Mini Quilt, 6. samples, 7. Circles mug rug stitching closeup, 8. Far Far Away 1 Quilt, 9. Zakka Style Sewing Kit

Every Friday I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here.  These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please feel free to email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend! :)

Summer Sewing Goals

Patchwork Prism, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

After I shared my Vintage Sheet Patchwork Prism Quilt last week, it got me thinking about what I want to sew this summer! So I decided to make a little list of summer sewing goals! Okay, maybe it's not exactly little, hehe! I do love to sew! :)

Hand Dyed, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

1. Sew a quilt using my hand-dyed fabrics! I'm planning on doing another batch of dyeing in early June, still need to figure out what pattern I want to use. Maybe Sparkling Cider again? :)

Darling Ranges, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

2. Branch out and try some other garment patterns! I have the Darling Ranges dress and Banksia top both by Megan Nielsen lined up! Picked up a few new Simplicity patterns last time they were on sale too!

Scrappy Mendocino Quilt Top, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

3. Finished up some works-in-progress! I have quite a few quilts and other projects in various stages, it would be nice to wrap a few up and make way for new!

Sewing in the kitchen this afternoon, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

4. Sew curtains for our apartment! This should really be first on the list, considering we moved in last August! It's high time to have at the very least valances. Thankfully we have roller blinds, but it's made it hard to get motivated to sew actual curtains!

Traveling Handmade!, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

5. Sew a Weekender Bag (pattern by Amy Butler) for Sewing Summit! I still need to find just the right fabric for it, and hopefully a good deal on it too! I've been eyeing this pattern since we did Travel Handmade last summer! (For more on all the bags above, see this post!)

Spring Carnival!, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

6. Wrap up a few of my hand stitching projects. I have quite a few half-finished embroideries, cross-stitches and a knitting project. Just need to work on them more often!

Pincushion Collection, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

7. Sew at least one new pincushion for my collection! :)

That sounds like I've got plenty to keep me busy!  

What are your summer sewing goals?

Monday

Froggy Tova, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

I've been bit! By the clothing bug! When Ashley was de-stashing some of this Far Far Away frog print by Heather Ross last weekend, I knew I had to have it for a top! It's double gauze, so I think it will be the perfect weight for summer.  It's not super fun to sew with, but I'm happy with how it turned out! It's such a nice color of Lilac!

I used the Tova pattern by Wiksten again, pattern can be found here.

Pj Pants, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

I manged to snatch up some voile on clearance for a steal from Fabric.com last week, and decided to make another pair of pajama pants with it! They come together so fast and easy, and oh my, these are so soft! I can't wait to wear them!

Fabric is Prince Charming by Tula Pink, pattern is from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.

Bloom, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Between sewing, I managed to pull fabrics for a new quilt this weekend. This pretty palette of pinks and purples came together very late Friday night! Sometimes I do okay half-asleep, hehe! I'll be stitching up Aneela Hoey's Bloom quilt!  You can find the pattern here!

Hello Kitty Liberty of London, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

Ee! Look what arrived on my doorstep today! HELLO KITTY LIBERTY OF LONDON! Please excuse the all-caps, but it's necessary! I don't even know what to say about these, they are so over the top cute! I bought mine from Washimatta on etsy, here!

Garden Progress, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

I finally got to plant in my garden this weekend! It looks a bit bare at the moment, I still need to plant a few more things. I'm growing a few flowers and herbs and lots of veggies!

George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.

George bun!

My etsy shop is closed this week because I'll be out of town! I'll reopen next Wednesday, May 23rd with lots of new goodies! Thank you to everyone who supported my sale! :)

Today I love the..
Smell of: Lilacs
Sound of: New Keane album!
Taste of: Diet Coke
Sight of: The gardens
Feel of: Warm sunny day

Good Things about Today:
- Skyped with Amanda & Darci!
- Spent some time sewing!
- Beautiful day out!
- Happy Hello Kitty mail!