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!

Favorites

1. Interlock, 2. 1st Geese Quilt, 3. Breeze, 4. That was intense but so worth it! Great pattern @three_owls Now to make the rainbow version! Which one will my partner get?!?! , 5. Haberdashery Quilt, 6. X Plus quilt, 7. Fox Trails, 8. Mini medaillon quilt for my secret partner in the #swappenaufdeutsch #swappen swap done. I hope my partner likes it. #quilt #quiltlove #quilting #nähenisttoll #nähenmachtglücklich, 9. Finished | Balancing Act

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!

Weekly Snapshot

Happy Wednesday! Thank you for all the love here on the blog and on Instagram on my Sunset Tiles quilt. I really love how it turned out, and I'm glad you do too! There is still time to save on the book, check the bottom of that post for the code!

Two weekends ago now, we were able to go home to Cleveland for a quick visit!


It was nice to be able to travel for fun, and spend some time relaxing and unwinding at home. Behind the scenes work has been keeping me busy and stressed, and a little weekend away was just what I needed. We were able to squeeze quite a bit in to our trip, including a bit of thrifting. My Mom found me this awesome Christmas pyramid for $10 and I found the reindeer for $3! Score!


I finished my Daybreak shawl while I was there and have been wearing it constantly. Just need to snap some good photos! More on Ravelry.


We were able to go to a Cavs game! We were all ready to go with our Cavs gear! And they won, big time! Woo!


When we got home, the winter issue of Modern Patchwork was on my doorstep. I'll be sharing more about my quilt, made from Geometric Bliss, next week!


I got some quilting done this past weekend. Moved the machine while I quilted to get a little more space. We got about 5 inches of snow early in the week, so it's been feeling nice and cozy in my sewing room!


George bun! He went to the vet yesterday for a check-up, and was given a clean bill of health! Extra carrots are in his future for being so good! :)

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Sunset Tiles Quilt and Scraps, Inc.

Happy Friday! Today I have a fun quilt to chat about today! Last year about this time, I was invited to contribute a quilt to a book on scrap quilting being put together by Lucky Spool Media, called Scraps, Inc. To be honest, I had sort of come to a point where I was swearing off contributing to books. I have done a decent number with a variety of publishers, and was ready to focus on other things. But, this one was a little too intriguing to pass up! The lineup of designers that they pulled together and their alternative approach to contributor books convinced me.


Not only did I feel my time would be valued, we were able to be involved in some behind the scenes decisions. As a group we were able to vote on a cover, and even had input on what to do on the promotional side. It was a really cool experience, and definitely different from other books I've contributed to. We turned in our quilts and instructions in March/April, and the book was published this month! The resulting book is beautifully designed and filled with great quilts. There are many I want to make!


My quilt in the book is called Sunset Tiles! The design was inspired by a set of sheets I saw at Target a couple years ago. I sketched it up in Illustrator and had saved it for a rainy day. It seemed like the perfect fit for a scrap quilt. For the colors, I used this photo as a starting point, adding in some teal and black for a little extra pop.


I had so much fun making this quilt. I haven't made a scrap quilt in ages, and it really felt like some of the work I used to do. Between sewing with new fabric lines, making projects for publications and creating for new quilt patterns, my work has changed over the years. I'm not sure if it's better or worse, but it's just different. I suppose I have adapted as the work as evolved.

Anyways, there are tons of different fabrics in this quilt, and I love the memories that pop up when I see different prints. I think that's my favorite thing about scrappy quilts!


I wanted the quilting to be pretty minimal for this quilt since there is already a lot going on print wise, so I quilted it with my traditional loopy meander. It kind of disappears into the quilt, which is exactly what I was going for. It's bound up in a favorite Nordika print.


I think this book would make a great holiday gift for your favorite quilter (or yourself)! Plus, from now until 12/1 you can receive 30% off the list price ($26.95) with code "SCRAPS30"! Click here to purchase!

For more on Scraps, Inc, as well as some inside shots of the book, visit the Lucky Spool Media website.

Geometric Bliss Fold Over Pouches

Happy Wednesday! I can't believe it's the middle of the week already. I also can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. We were able to get home for a quick trip over the weekend, so my sense of time is all messed up! I will share more from our trip next week. Today, I want to share a few more finishes. As I mentioned last week, my friend Aneela released some new patterns recently and I had the opportunity to try a few out!

I actually made these projects a few weeks before the storage boxes, but had a hard time with the photos. I deleted about two weeks worth of photos last month that I unknowingly forgot to transfer to my computer. So I've been doing a lot of re-photographing! These are the Fold Over Mini Pouch and Needle Book Pattern and the Fold Over Sewing Pouch Pattern.


The mini pouch and needle book are so quick to stitch up! And look how tiny?! I love things in miniature, and these pouches are so cute! These will be perfect to hold little notions and needles of course!


I wanted these pouches to be matching, so I used the Tessellate Huckleberries print for the inside of both pouches. The outsides are Fractal Garland Black and Radical Blooms Fresh, all from the Turquoise Angle colorway of Geometric Bliss.


Making the fold over sewing pouch was a lot of fun. I have never made a sewing kit before, but I've always been drawn to them. I don't do a lot of hand sewing, but having a cute little pouch for it might twist my arm. I do love being organized about things! I love the way the Parallel Segments Seaglass print looks on the outside. Plus I got fancy and intentionally switched the direction of the closure to give it some extra interest.


There are so many different features on the inside. A clear zippered pocket, a small slip pocket, a pincushion, and a little needle book. A place for everything you need to get stitching. This kit would make a great gift, especially filled up with tools or notions!


I again stuck with the Turquoise Angle colorway of Geometric Bliss for this pouch. I used Spherical Buds Aqua for the interior, Cuboid Orchid for the pincushion and slip pocket, and Polygons Callalily for the zippered pocket (my favorite bit!). I used Aurifil 50wt thread in #2024 to sew this kit up, and of course had to fill the pocket up with mini spools from my thread collection!


The zippered pocket was my favorite part of the project, I think it's so fun. It wasn't hard working with the plastic, and the construction was really interesting! I had a hard time choosing a zipper color, but the bright fuchsia looked too cool with the black and white, so it won out! The zipper came from Zipit!

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

1. Finished top. #imaginecircle #dogoodstitches, 2. Soar - Not afraid of solids challenge, 3. Nine Patch Dash, 4. Fall Forest is finished! The kona and aurifil colors are listed on my blog. More photos and links to the kit and pattern are on there too!! #fallforestquilt #aurifil #kona, 5. "Up Down" Quilt, 6. pixel snowflake quilt - front, 7. a finish - small spiderweb pillow with vintage fabrics, 8. charly harper, 9. Kelly's tree skirt

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!

Geometric Bliss Storage Boxes

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend! I spent some time on Sunday sewing up a just-because project. It was nice to take a little break from have-to sewing. Aneela has been turning out all kinds of cute new patterns, and asked if I'd be interested in sewing some up! These storage boxes were made from her Pull Out Boxes Pattern, and I have a few other projects to share soon too!


When I saw these little boxes, I was really excited! I love little storage chests, with drawers for small things. I have a little Hello Kitty set of drawers that I keep cute post-its, stickers, and stamps in. So, these storage boxes are right up my alley.


I will admit, I was a little hesitant when I noticed these called for heavy weight interfacing, like Peltex. Peltex is a thick, stiff interfacing, and we have not gotten along in the past. But, armed with my Janome 1600P, I was ready to try using Peltex again. You only sew through it in a couple places anyways, so I was willing to give it a go. I'm happy to report I had no problems at all! It went great, and the interfacing really gives these boxes so much structure. I'm glad I powered through!



I made the large size for both of my boxes. I used prints form the Pinkest Angle colorway of Geometric Bliss for these. For the first one, I used Radical Blooms Blush for the outside, and Cuboid Colbalto for the tray.

For the second set I used Poppie Coordinates Petal for the outside, and Polygons Bulbinella for the tray. I used Aurifil #2024 for all the stitching!


I think these boxes turned out really cute, and they were very satisfying to make. I'm excited to fill them up with treasures! And perhaps make a few more, they look so fun stacked up!

Happy Sewing!