Dreamin' Vintage is Here!

Happy Tuesday! Dreamin' Vintage has officially arrived! I have been keeping a running list on the Fabric page (link can be found at the top of each page!) of shops that I know have received it! If you're a shop carrying Dreamin' Vintage and want to be added to the list, please email me or comment here!  Here is the list so far:

Online:
- The Sewcial Lounge
- Pink Castle Fabrics
- Fat Quarter Shop
- Hawthorne Threads
- Intrepid Thread
- Stash Modern Fabric
- Pattern Crush
- Westwood Acres
- Vintage Modern Fabrics
- Fabricworm
- Sew Me a Song
- Butterfly Kisses Fabric
- Winter Creek Cloth
- Village Haberdashery (UK)
- Shabby Fabrics
- Llama Fabrics
- Suppose
- Lark Cottons
- Sew Modern
- Fanciful Fabrics
- Fern Fabrics
- Owl & Drum 
- Thimble Fingers
- Heirlooms Forever
- Drygoods Design 
- Sew Fine Fabric
- Material Girl Chic
Brick & Mortar:
- The Sewcial Lounge (Madison, WI)
- Pink Castle Fabrics (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Intrepid Thread (Milpitas, CA)
- Franklin Mill Store (Franklin, MA)
- Drygoods Design (Seattle, WA)
- Stitcher's Crossing (Madison, WI) 

I'll continue to add shops, posts, project ideas, and all other things Dreamin' Vintage to the Fabric page for your convenience!


Also a quick reminder that our Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party is next week! Join me at The Sewcial Lounge May 7th from 6-8pm to celebrate the arrival of Dreamin' Vintage! There will be treats and prizes! You can see the Facebook event here. Hope to see you there if you're local! It's going to be lots of fun!


Another fun thing happening with Dreamin' Vintage is over at Pink Castle Fabrics! I've designed a couple quilt labels to go with the collection, and you can get one with any Dreamin' Vintage bundle or kit purchase! Pink Castle Fabrics is carrying kits for Golden Afternoon, the free quilt pattern I designed for the collection! Find the kits here.

(Above photo by Pink Castle Fabrics) 


Okay, back to sewing for me! Have a great day!

Favorites

1. Untitled, 2. Quilt top done., 3. warms + cools baby quilt, 4. Macaron Top, 5. Finished pillow top for my niece - not sure yet how I'm going to quilt it., 6. Radiant Circles, finished, 7. Shape Shifter blocks ~April, 8. do good stitches Hope, 9. Seeing Red Quilt

Every week 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 email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Friday!

Five Tips for a Successful Craft Swap Experience

There are lots of great craft swaps happening these days, especially on Instagram. It's also common to see swaps organized for quilt retreats and quilt guild meetings too. I've participated in a number of swaps over the years, so I thought I'd share my top five tips for having a successful craft swap experience!

1. Be Flexible

Generally in a swap you get paired with someone (who you may or may not know) and are asked to provide a list of things you like and dislike. Keep an open mind and make it easy on your partner by being easy to please. You want your swap partner to have just as much fun as you, so let's avoid the stress of being super specific. Share your favorite colors, describe your style, and maybe make a Pinterest board or mosaic. It's cool to receive something you wouldn't necessarily make for yourself. That's really half the fun!

2. Try Something New

I like to take the opportunity to try something different when I'm working on a swap. Maybe a new technique or style, depending on my partner's tastes. I always tend to want to do something extra special for swaps, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Be realistic about what you can complete within the given time frame and what kind of expectations you are going to have for what you receive.

3. Practice Good Swap Etiquette

Swap etiquette is really important. Try your best to abide by whatever guidelines you are given and be timely. If you are unable to meet the deadline or simply cannot finish out the swap, let the organizer know as soon as possible. Communication is key! Things happen, but be considerate and take responsibility for it.

4. Go a Little Overboard

I think the hardest part of a swap is knowing just how much to make/send. Sometimes there are very specific guidelines on what is appropriate but other times it it is up to you to make that decision. My gut feeling is usually to go a little overboard but not by too much. You want your partner to feel excited but not embarrassed!

5. Have Fun

My last bit of advice is to just have fun. I try to pull my enjoyment from the making and giving, and I find this helps keep my happy with whatever I receive in return!


Be sure to check out Stitch 'N Swap. It's super cute, and I happen to have a project in it. That's my pincushion project on the cover! It's one of 25 projects in the book that are perfect for swapping along with tips and tricks for organizing and participating in swaps.

Behind the Scenes: Sweet Meadow Print

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another Behind the Scenes post for Dreamin' Vintage! You can find the first post here. The collection is arriving this week, so look for it at your favorite shops! Today I am excited to share the story of my very favorite print I've ever designed! Let's chat about the Sweet Meadow print!


This was the first print that I designed for the collection and also the most involved print.  I wanted to design it first because A. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, and B. I wanted to be able to pull elements from this print into the rest of the collection. 


I spent about a week just drawing different types of flowers. I would sit down when I had a minute or two and sketch 10 or so flowers/shapes of the same type. I use a Wacom digital tablet and Adobe Illustrator to draw directly into the computer for all my hand drawn fabric designs. Here is one of my sketches for this print, where I have lots of different elements going on at once.  Also, I love to draw outside the artboard, haha.


The inspiration for this print is from my absolute favorite fabric of all time.  It's a vintage quilting cotton from my Mom's fabric stash.  So ridiculously good.  There is a meadow filled with flowers and animals.  I knew I wanted to do something similar with this print! I of course still love the original version, but I love the way mine turned out too.  It still has the same feel, but it's different!

I only have a small scrap with no selvedge information, if anyone knows anything about this print or has any to spare, please let me know! :)


I looked to other small vintage florals from my stash too when I worked on this print.  There are so many good ones out there!


Sweet Meadow in Rose.


Sweet Meadow in Orchid.


If you're a shop interested in carrying Dreamin' Vintage, it can be ordered through Art Gallery Fabrics.  Find your sales rep here, or call toll-free (888) 420-5399.

Happy Sewing!

Happy Easter Bunday!

Happy Easter from George the Easter Bunny and I! :)


"What are you looking at?"


"Are there any real carrots around?"


"Get out of here, I haven't hidden the eggs yet!"


"Seriously, where are the carrots?"


"Hmm, what is all this silly stuff?"


"Get me out of here, I was alseep!"


Thought you might like to see a behind the scenes shot, haha! I'm sure my neighbors think I'm a crazy person :)

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy Easter!

Favorites

1. My first finish this weekend! 2013 #sugarblockclub all done! I didn't bring backing or anything to quilt it, so quilting will have to wait. #kmqg #kmqgretreat, 2. New Euclid Court Quilt Pattern!, 3. All laid out. #trianglequiltalong #thesassyquilter #timetoquilt, 4. Klee's Trees, 5. Spring Meadow Quilt, 6. T-Vibrant, 7. DSCF0133, 8. Diamond in the Rough Quilt, 9. Prism Parkway Quilt

Every week 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 email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Friday!

Dreamin' Vintage Coordinates

Happy Thursday! Today I'm here to share the coordinating blenders and solids that match Dreamin' Vintage! Art Gallery Fabrics has lots of beautiful blenders that work well with this collection!


Pure Elements: PE-405 Cherry Lipgloss, PE-411 Quartz Pink, PE-420 Crystal Pink, PE-438 Coral Reef, PE-406 Burnt Orange, PE-449 Mandarin, PE-444 Peach Sherbet, PE-435 Banana Cream, PE-448 Canary, PE-409 Light Citron, PE-416 Lemonade, PE-414 Dark Citron, PE-424 Mirage Blue, PE-434 Tranquil Waters, PE-415 Parisian Blue, PE-425 Mauvelous, PE-453 Purple Pansy, and PE-401 Verve Violet, PE-433 Snow.


Squared Elements: CST-3101 King's Road Fuchsia, SE-600 Watermelon, SE-601 Rosewater, SE-615 Mandarin, SE-602 Honeycomb, SE-609 Citrine, SE-603 Lemongrass, SE-610 Lime, SE-605 Turquoise, and SE-612 Blueberry.


Oval Elements: OE-913 Cranberry, OE-910 Sweet Pea, OE-922 Parfait Pink, OE-904 Petal Pink, OE-928 Tangerine Tango, OE-901 Papaya Orange, OE-911 Golden, OE-902 Green Apple, OE-907 Chartreuse, OE-920 Mist, OE-933 Powder Blue, OE-932 Sapphire, OE-902 Amethyst, and OE-908 Crocus.


Nature Elements: NE-111 Hot Pink, NE-109 Veiled Rose, NE-106 Orange Peel, NE-119 Sweet Mango, NE-105 Mimosa, NE-116 Lemonade, NE-101 Blue Light, NE-110 Orchid Bloom, and NE-127 Cyclamen.


Floral Elements: FE-515 Shocking Pink, FE-528 Bubblegum, FE-502 Blush, FE-525 Tangerine, FE-517 Sunset, FE-520 Custard, FE-506 Sunflower, FE-524 Kiwi, FE-527 Lettuce, FE-519 Icy Blue, FE-508 Aqua Haze, FE-510 Lapis Lazuli, FE-531 Grape Jam, and FE-512 Iris.


Lace Elements: LAE-1301 Cherry Lace, LAE-1304 Pink Lace, LAE-1300 Gold Lace, and LAE-1307 Plum Lace.

 
I hope this was helpful for you! I promise there won't be so many posts next week! :)

Happy Sewing!

Dreamin' Vintage Quilt Market Projects Part 2

Happy Wednesday! Time for more Dreamin' Vintage Projects! Today I want to share the quilts and home decor projects!


First up, a baby plus quilt made using my Arithmetic Quilt Pattern.  I love making these quilts, this is the first time I've made a baby size! It's quite cute!


A simple strip quilt.  I cut different size strips, all the width of the fabric.  It was quick, easy and cute! Would make a lovely gift!


Another pattern quilt, I used lots of blenders along with Dreamin' Vintage to stitch up this one using my Half-Square Triangle Sampler Quilt! I even squeezed in some Color Me Retro for the border!


This quilt is one of my mini patterns that I released earlier this year, Lazy Daisy Quilt Pattern! Super simple and fun to piece!


I always make lots of regular pillows for market, but this time I made a few quilted ones as well.  Two framed in solids and one using scraps!


Fabric bowls are always a fun projects! I used Nova's Fabric Nesting Bowls Pattern for these! I followed the instructions at the end of the pattern for making them square.


Finally, a few cute jar pincushions! I filled them with the scraps leftover from trimming half-square triangles for the sampler quilt! They were too pretty to toss!

You can see more photos of these projects in the Dreamin' Vintage Flickr set.  I'll be back tomorrow with the solids and blenders that match the line!

Dreamin' Vintage Lookbook

Happy Tuesday! I told you it was going to be all Dreamin' Vintage this week, right? Well, I'm happy to keep that promise! Dreamin' Vintage is on it's way to your favorite shops! The lovely folks at Art Gallery Fabrics have just revealed their Look Book for the collection, and I must say, it's awesome! I'm sharing some of my favorite images here in this post (it was really hard to choose though!). Make sure to check out the entire Look Book here, or click the image below!













The free quilt pattern I designed for the collection is called Golden Afternoon! It features giant half-square triangles in a warm/cool diamond arrangement! A little homage to my warm/cool quilt along! Download it here, or click the image above!

Happy Sewing!

(All images taken by Art Gallery Fabrics)