Shop Reminder

Happy Friday! Just a reminder that my online shop is closed from now until January, 5th. If you'd like to order one of my PDF patterns between now and then, you can order them from these shops: Pink Castle Fabrics, Pink Chalk Fabrics, and Fat Quarter Shop. I will also have limited/no access to my email during this time, I will get back to you starting January 5th, thanks!  

(Side Braid Quilt Pattern shown above can be found here.)


See you all in the new year!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Cheers, Jeni + Michael + George!

Favorites

1. Volume quilt, 2. Bright Sky quilt hanging in Harvest of Colors Quilt Show. #jibberishdesigns #coastalquilters #luckystarsbom, 3. Purple diamonds, 4. Scrappy Postage Stamp Baby Quilt, 5. #swappenaufdeutsch das Top ist fertig... Top finished..., 6. Ice Crystals Quilt, 7. SWAP°PEN 5 makatrin, 8. DSCN5231_3477, 9. Wynkoop Court in Mika

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 Weekend!

Holiday Sale

Happy Weekend! Ready to tackle a few more last minute handmade gifts? I'm kicking things off with a little Holiday Sale in my online shop. Save 20% on everything when using code "HOLIDAY20" at checkout. Good December 13th (today) to December 14th. There is limited stock available of the thread boxes and project bags, so get them quick! I will not be ordering/making more until the new year.

Starting Friday, December 19th, the shop will be closed until January 5th.

*Side note: I am teaching today at The Sewcial Lounge in Madison from 10:30am-4:30pm, so if you email me during this time, I will get back to you as soon as I get home!

Happy Making!

Favorites

1. Aspen Glow Spring Quilt Top, 2. Summerlove Quilt, 3. strippy strings quilt top, 4. DSC_0080, 5. watercolor quilt, 6. Hope do.good stitches plus, 7. Metro Hoops, 8. Marcelle Medallion, 9. Spiderweb 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 Weekend!

Daybreak Shawl

Happy Monday! I have a finished knit to share with you today. I finally snapped some photos of my Daybreak Shawl this past weekend. It was pretty cold, so I didn't get too many, but I got a few decent ones!

Daybreak Shawl pattern by Stephen West can be found here.


I am completely in love with how this shawl turned out, and I have been wearing it constantly. I have been wearing it wrapped around my neck like a kerchief rather than around the shoulders. There is a ton of fabric, so it's super cozy.


I used Madelinetosh Pashmina in Moonstone and Cephalopod Bugga! in Bold Jumping Spider (sadly discontinued) for my shawl, both in sport weight. They both have some cashmere in them, so they're super duper soft! The Bugga! has the most beautiful colors in it, it's amazing.


I decided to make the medium, which has 16 stripes of each color. It was my first time knitting stripes and it was really fun! And so much easier than I thought it would be.


The pattern has you knit the shawl in stockinette, but Jacey and I decided to knit ours in garter after seeing this shawl on Ravelry. I'm so glad we did, I think it definitely helped improve my speed and I love the finished look!

I used my blocking wires for the first time to block this shawl (along with Soak Wash of course!), and it made such a huge difference. I'll be getting a lot of use out of them. 


I knit this shawl as a part of the Quarter 4 challenge for the Yarnathon put on by Eat Sleep Knit! You can find more info on my shawl on my Ravelry page, here.

Favorites

1. crossing the line, 2. Tied Down, 3. Diamonds in the Deep, 4. Triangler ruler quilt, 5. Parquet floor quilt, 6. Jilly's Quilt top, 7. Pineapple Quilt In Progress..., 8. I managed to finish 2 quilts last night. I am hoping for nice weather to get better pictures., 9. You Spin Me Right Round 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 Weekend!

Half Squares Quilt

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a fun quilt to share with you. I made this quilt way back in April, as one of two throw sized quilts for my Geometric Bliss display at Quilt Market. This is one of my favorite projects made with the collection, and I am happy to finally share it!


Here she is in all her glory! This is the Half Squares Quilt. It's a mixture of Geometric Bliss prints and coordinating Pure Element solids. The construction is simple, but I think all the bright colors and movement make it interesting.


This was the first time I quilted free form swirls on such a large project. It took a while, but I am so pleased with the result. I actually used a light purple thread to quilt this one, which really pops in person! It's a 50wt Aurifil thread that can be found in my Favorite Things Thread Collection.


The solids I used along with the Geometric Bliss prints are: Raspberry Rose, Coral Reef, Apricot Crepe, Banana Cream, Empire Yellow, Sweet Mint, Mirage Blue, Cozumel Blue, Mauvelous, Purple Pansy, Verve Violet, and Caviar. All Pure Element solids by Art Gallery Fabrics.


I don't generally work with a lot of solids, but I really enjoyed the mixture of solids and prints in this quilt. It was mostly out of necessity, since we have a limited amount of print fabric to work with when preparing for a show. However, if I made this quilt again, I would use the same balance of solid and print. I think the solids help it from getting too busy and make the prints pop!


I backed this quilt with a vintage sheet I have been saving for years! I never had the right quilt to go with it, but it fit so well with Geometric Bliss. It's bound up in Noir Squared Element.


You can find the pattern for the Half Squares Quilt in the Winter 2015 issue of Modern Patchwork. It is on newsstands now, or can be purchased directly from their website here. There are tons of beautiful projects in this issue, so be sure to check it out!

Happy Quilting!

Holiday Gift Making Ideas

Happy Monday! Can you believe it's already December 1st? I put up our Christmas decorations after dinner on Thanksgiving day, and I am ready to dive into all things holiday related! That includes some (semi-last minute) gift making! I thought I'd share a few of my go-to projects and patterns that you can make in a jiffy. A mix of my own and favorites from others!

My advent calender is all ready to go! It's the Countdown-to-Christmas Advent Calender by Kaye Prince, in the book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays.

Bags & Pouches

The project I make the most around the holidays is Lined Drawstring Bags. The pattern version has eight sizes, plus custom sizing, and they all make great gifts on their own, or as eco-friendly reusable wrapping for other gifts. I like making the largest size to gift quilts! I gifted several along with Amanda's Knitting Needle Wallet, for the knitters in my life. Zipper pouches always go over well, try the Triplizip Pouches for something simple, or Anna's awesome Open-Wide Pouches. The Sewcial Tote Pattern has three straightforward tote bags, perfect for gift giving. Really short on time? How about a handmade Key FOB?

Accessories

I always end up making a few accessories every year, namely scarves! Use my Quick Scarf Tutorial to make a simple scarf (pom-poms optional but awesome!), or try your hand at Shannon's Infinity Scarf! Coffee Cozies are always a hit and can be made assembly line style. Make warm mittens from a thrifted sweater! A Jolly Apron might come in handy this season too!

Home Decor

Handmade pillows and decor items are a great route to go for gift making. Everyone loves pretty things is display in their home! A pair of Modern Plus Pillows would make a lovely gift! Or maybe a Mystery Quilted Pillow! Attractive grocery bag holders can be hard to find, and are super useful! Spruce up a few ready-made tea towels with my tutorial for a quick hostess gift, given alone or with some nice wooden spoons. This Eight times the Fun table runner would also make a great gift! These Log Cabin Coasters whip up in no time!

Quilts

I love giving quilts as gifts, and it's not too late to make one for someone this year! My favorite super quick, big impact quilt for gifting is my Giant Vintage Star Quilt Tutorial. It whips up in no time, I made the tutorial version in 24 hours! Simple patchwork quilts like the Lazy Daisy Throw or the Stellar Throw are great gift quilts too! The big braid from the Side Braid Pattern and Arithmetic made with 8" squares also come together quickly and have a little more interest!

Edible Gifts

Finally, I want to share my favorite holiday treats to gift! I make these salted caramels every year, they're awesome! I now make them in one of these silicone pans, it makes packaging them so much easier (I wrap them in wax paper). This salted caramel sauce is delicious too! My favorite holiday cookie is chocolate pretzel cookies. I also usually make white chocolate chex mix, which looks extra festive with red and green M&Ms.

Happy Making!