Category: My Life

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

New Pattern #8 for Market

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Wow, time flies when I’m having fun!

I enjoy the entire process of making quilt patterns.

I love buying the fabric, making the samples, writing the directions, working with my photographer getting the photos just right and then taking them to be printed.  It’s almost fun folding and stuffing them into their zip top bags, almost.  I find that I spend a fair amount of time in front of the TV waiting on my college-age kids to get home from school, work and play, so that’s when I usually take care of that task.

When all that is finally done, I can’t wait to see the finished product in its crystal clear bag, ahh!  That shiny clear bag with my pattern inside just makes me smile.

The next step is debuting them at market.  It’s a bitter-sweet task in itself.  There is always travel involved, either to Houston each fall for fall market or to a different city each spring for spring market.  After working my bootie off for several months getting new patterns and samples ready then traveling to get them to market where it’s three days of standing all day after a day of set-up and Schoolhouse lectures the day before that, it’s very exhausting as well as exhilarating.

It’s fun seeing quilting friends, but it’s very tiring getting “it” all together!

For all those traveling to quilt market, safe travels, and come see me in booth #1902!

For those of you that cannot attend, stay tuned for photos when I return.

I will leave you with new pattern #8,

A Pretty Garden,

This is a lap size quilt, made with my Quilt-as-you-go method that I’ve chatted about here.

Bright & cheery for spring don’t you think?  It’s been in the works since BEFORE I got back from Salt Lake City’s spring market in May.  I love the way it turned out with the Amelia fabrics by Me & My Sister for Moda. The fence posts and the “grassy” area between the fence posts are sewn into strips then the strips are sewn onto the foundation.  Next make and fuse the applique.  I love the cricket, how ’bout you?

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #7 for Market

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This change in the weather can’t come soon enough for me and it’s not even winter yet, although there have been a few days this past week that could have been considered winter days, yuk!!!

I will think about spring instead of winter if you please.

Let’s hear it for Flowers on the Vine,

It’s another pattern made with my popular Quilt-as-you-go lap quilt technique.  You may remember if here.  It’s made with the new Amelia fabric collection by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda, plus a yellow polka dot print that I couldn’t resist.

I used a jelly roll plus some yardage for the borders & flower applique to complete the top. It also uses some jumbo rick rack and cute little flower buttons by hillcreek designs.  I’m always on the look-out for new, fun stuff to add to my quilts.  It’s a project that I can complete in less than a day and the best part is when all of the strips are sewn onto the foundation the quilting is done, no wondering how to quilt it, yeah!  You can easily make it in a weekend and these lap quilts make great gifts.  Ask me how I know!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New quilt pattern, Quilt Market

New Pattern #6 for Market

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My sixth new “In Season” pattern has to be about school don’t you agree?

It’s a time of year that I look forward to, but then soon regret when the house is so quiet that I can’t stand it!  Call it bitter-sweet, call it crazy or call it

In Season for Back to School,

I will now look forward to hanging this every year in June to remind me that I will once again miss all the craziness of summer, just kidding!!!

Look for a change in the weather tomorrow, spring is coming…

Until next time,

Susan

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