Category: My Life

My Life, New Pattern Sample, Quilt Market

Sorry for yet another interruption…

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I finished the sample that I was working on with the “extra” black charm squares from yesterday’s interruption post. Do you remember that chat?  Anyway, during the disappointing World Series Game #4, I put the hand stitches on the binding.

I like this outcome more than the Cardinals’ outcome.

It’s a sample of my new “A Pretty Plate” quilt using my “Mini Dresden Plate Plexi Template” that I introduced at spring market.

Notice how I used the black charm squares in the corners instead of more 4 patches?  I thought it would tie in the black centers of the Dresden plates.

Gotta love the bright spring-like fabrics.  Am I the only one that doesn’t enjoy this time of year because I know winter is just around the corner???

 I’m so not looking forward to W-I-N-T-E-R!!!

Yes, it’s another Amelia fabric sample.  It will look nice sitting right close to all the others later this week in my booth at Houston.

Hopefully the Cardinals will have a better night tonight.

Until next time,

Susan

Family Time, My Life, New Pattern Sample, Quilt Market

We interrupt these new pattern introductions…

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I couldn’t resist taking a photo or two and showing you what I worked on during the game last night…

Pretty cute stuff, huh? It’s another sample of my Charm Pack Garland pattern.

I wanted to watch the world series game (Go Cards!!!) and also wanted to work on a few more loose ends for my trip to market in a few days.  So, I decided to take my ironing board, iron and fabric to the livingroom to watch the game with the family…

I started with some charm packs that I bought from my LQS last month (or maybe the month before that), more of that lovely “Amelia” collection.

I pressed them, notice I kept out the black squares to use on another project soon to be revealed.

Then I made the “string” to hold them all together, all while watching Pujols make world series history with three home runs in a single world series that only two other greats have been able to do; Babe Ruth & Reggie Jackson.  But anyway…with this stuff

today I was able to sew this,

Gotta love the pile of color that this makes!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #2 for Market

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It’s so much fun being able to post my new patterns here, especially when I’m usually still running back & forth to printers and putting finishing touches on different things that I still need to have done…  I don’t know why I’m done so early for this market, but I’m sure enjoying not being so rushed.

Maybe the reason is because six of these new pattern samples were so quick & easy???

My second new pattern,

In season for Halloween,

Yep, it’s 18″ x 22″, with a bit of fusible applique and a bit of hand stitching and cute to hang for Halloween.  It’s so quick I’ll bet you could still make one in time to hang for this Halloween!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New ideas, New quilt pattern, Quick Little Projects, Quilt Market

New Patterns ready for market!

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I’m so excited to have my patterns ready to go to market!  I’m also excited to be able to debut them here on my blog for all you quilters to finally see what I’ve been working so hard on.

So, for the next eight days I will be showing you one a day.  I also have two patterns that I’ve updated samples and instructions for that will be following my new patterns.

Without further ado…

In Season for Birthdays

A quick little project that would be great to make for a friend or family member for their birthday, don’t you think?

I now have a dozen patterns in my “In Season” series.  I love these fabrics, so Susan.  For those of you that don’t know me personally, THESE are “my” colors.  Muddy, muted and of course green, black with a bit of pink or red…

The quilts are all 18″ x 22″ with a bit of fusible applique and a bit of hand stitching with no. 8 perle cotton.  I like to use Sulky’s 12 wt. cotton thread for my applique stitching.  It’s thickness really makes my applique POP!  I always use the buttonhole stitch for these.

Look for this and all of my patterns at your local quilt shop, but if you can’t find them there, check out my website.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market

Now this is a new Package

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I know it seems like a long time since I posted, but to me it seems like just last week!  This time of year (market prep time) flies by because I’m so busy designing, sewing, writing patterns, scheduling photo shoots, meetings with printers, and all this in conjunction with keeping up with my family.  You know what I mean, grocery and Wal-Mart shopping, food prep, laundry, and the list goes on and on.  Even though everyone is back in school, my life just gets crazy busy.  This is why I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted that I had a “new Package” made with the new Amelia fabric collection.

As I stated in the previous post, I knew my photographer would do a much better job than I could ever to, hence the reason I hire him!!!  Know what else?  After I posted that photo in my last blog I realized I didn’t like a portion of the quilt, so I “fixed” it!

Can you see what’s better and different?

I like it much better!

I have a total of 8 new patterns just about ready for market, in addition to this re-color of an existing pattern plus two more sample re-colors going.  I hope to be totally done with this part the end of the week so I can get assembling new patterns.  It sure would be nice to get a few good nights of sleep before heading off to market where there is no rest for the weary.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, new fabric collection, New ideas, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, Quick Little Projects

Another Pretty Package

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I finally have evidence of sewing life here!

Remember my excitement over receiving the beautiful new Amelia fabrics designed by Me & My Sister for Moda?

I have been sewing with them.  This is actually the third lap quilt that I’ve made with them, but since the other two are pattern “wanna-bes” (soon to be patterns, but not yet) I will show you this one.  It’s already a pattern, remember and it’s available at your local quilt shop or my website.

A(nother) Pretty Package #179

…and it’s not only already a pattern designed and released by me earlier this year, but it has been my best-selling pattern since I introduced it in Salt Lake city in May.

It’s one of my quilt-as-you-go lap quilts that are oh so easy, fast and fun to make.  I made this whole quilt yesterday including the cutting, sewing, applique and binding!!!  Remember my tutorial here?

Please excuse the lack of beautiful photography.  I will have my photographer photograph it soon, but I couldn’t wait to show it to you today!

Besides the new package, and other new Amelia fabric quilts I’ve also made two new “In Season” quilts, one with a birthday theme and the second with a Halloween theme.  You’re just going to have to take my word for those two though, I’m not showing them just yet.

Now back to work for me!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New ideas, Quick Little Projects

Moving myself from frustrated to fantastic…

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It’s always when because I’m in a hurry that I slow myself down by doing something dumb like running over a pin with my rotary cutter…

I relate it to having to fix a flat tire. Ok not as big a job to replace a rotary cutter’s blade, but it’s still annoying, especially when the whole incident could have been avoided by taking out All of the straight pins before squaring up my table runner.  I probably needed to change the blade pretty soon anyway, but I hate it when I do dumb things!

As I cut my binding strips to add to my table runner, it was nice to have my cutter glide smoothly through the double layers of fabric, yes it was due…

What happened next is what made me smile!

I designed 45 degree points at the end of this table runner and decided to guestimate the quantity of binding length that was necessary(I’m in a hurry, remember), and so I judged 3 strips would be ample.  Even as I quickly ran the pressed binding around the runner to make sure no seams would land at a corner, I deciphered I had plenty of binding. (I did it quickly so I could get it put on the runner before I ran out!!!)  As I rounded the last corner, coming down the home stretch, I started to panic realising I may have cut too little binding and would now need to stop, cut another strip and sew it onto my strip that is already affixed to the runner…

Long story short, and remember this post’s title; …from frustrated to fantastic. Take a look:

Imagine my surprise and merriment as I realized not only was I going to not be short of binding, I didn’t even have to reach for my scissors to trim the binding to the right length. Fate had done it for me!

I’d calculate this as a once in a lifetime occurence.  I’ve come close in binding before, but never this close.  In my excitement I had to fetch my camera to document it!

Well, you know the next step now.  Fetch my binding clips, needle & thread and finish this cute little table runner. I’ll show you the completed project at a later date, it’s a secret for now.  You can see from this snippet of a photo though, it has a Christmas theme.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, new fabric collection, New ideas, New Pattern Sample

Look, I’m sewing!!

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Kids are back to school,

the sun is shining,

and I’m sewing!


Just a hint of the new project that I’m creating with the new Amelia fabric collection collected from the generous Moda fabric company, with additions from a couple of quilt shops during my travels these past couple of weeks.

My first, or rather second project, my first is complete with the exception of sewing 8 super cute buttons on some flower centers, is going to be another of my popular quilt-as-you-go lap quilts.  The first is also a quilt-as-you-go lap quilt.  What can I say, they’re my most popular patterns and I love making them myself.

They make great gifts, they’re do-able in a day, and I don’t have the stress of figuring out how to quilt them!

I can’t show you the finished projects until I have the patterns ready, but believe me they’re very cute.

For now, you’ll just have to take my word for it!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, Quick Little Projects, Quilt Shopping Out & About

A Quick Little Birthday Gift for Mom

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My mom’s birthday was this week.  Since she can buy whatever she needs and wants  she seems to enjoy receiving something that I made just for her.  For Mother’s Day this year I made her one of my “Mother” lap quilts.

It’s a pattern from my “Best Friends” book.

Speaking of my Best Friends book, guess what I found made up last weekend while on a trip to Branson with my family???

That will be my next post…

Anyway, after some family conferencing, I decided to take Chloe’s suggestion and make my mom some new kitchen towels.  I have not made her any in several years and thought they would be a nice gift.

Although it sounds like an easy task, and although I have a nice selection of cotton towels in my basement, the hardest part is trying to decide what to put on the towels.  If I make them too detailed mom will not use them.  I’ve made her so many towels it’s hard to think of something new…

After thumbing through some old sketches I decided to make these:

It actually took longer to decided what to make than to actually make them!  Ever have one of those days???

I used my favorite stitch (buttonhole by machine) with my favorite thread (Sulky’s 12 wt. cotton) in black, ahhh!

My mom loved them and I know she’ll use them too.

Do you have a favorite little gift to make?

Perhaps you can borrow my idea next time you need a little gift.

Happy birthday Mom!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, new fabric collection, New ideas, New quilt pattern

Now this is what I’m talking about…

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Don’t you just love it when things work out as planned?  I’m working on a new quilt-as-you-go lap quilt design (remember my tutorial here?) for a new pattern and I have just two more strips to sew on and guess what?  I have just enough batting & backing to sew them onto!!!

Can’t ask for more than that, can I?

This is the new “Amelia” collection (plus a yellow dot that I just had to add) by Me & My Sister for Moda.  And no I don’t mean Susan Marth & her sister, Lori.  Although my sister was taught to sew by our mom too, she prefers to look at what I sew!  She is however, my accountant and biggest cheerleader. According to Moda’s website, Amelia should be at your local quilt shop next month. 

Measure, measure, measure.  Those are the three most important things to remember for my quilt-as-you-go technique!  If you haven’t already tried one, maybe it’s time?

Now, back to work.  I need to sew the final two strips on, add the binding and stand back to view my latest creation.  That’s my favorite part!

Until next time,

Susan