…until the blog hop.
You’ll want to join in the fun, trust me.
Each participating designer will be giving away one issue of the 100 Blocks vol. 4.
More freebies will be available from Quiltmaker including the original, signed blocks from the issue!!!
Just go to Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks to join in the fun!
My day is Tuesday.
Don’t forget to come back here then to see the project that I created with my Olde St. Nick block and its instructions.
Until next time,
Susan
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
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
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
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
A box from Moda showed up the end of last week:
I love these boxes that show up plastered with the Moda packing tape.
Even though I know exactly what’s inside because I ordered it, it’s just like Christmas morning each time!
It’s more Amelia!!!
Thanks Santa Moda, I can’t wait to get started sewing!!!
My sewing room will have to wait though, my #1 helper starts back to school the 16th and I’ve decided to postpone my sewing until then. The time goes by all too quickly. My sewing machine will just have to wait.
I’ve got my designs pretty well decided (or so I think I do), so my cutting & sewing should go lickity split once I begin.
I hope you’re getting some time with your sewing machine & perhaps a school aged child or two or three too.
Gotta go, #1 helper just took a pan or sugar cookies out of the oven and I like ’em hot!
Until next time,
Susan
These days my “work brain” is all about Houston’s Fall Market the end of October. Deciding what to showcase at market is always a hard decision. After the decision is made, things always seem to go a bit smoother.
Fall market is the time of year that shops are purchasing the items that they will supply their shops with in the new year. These items are things to take your mind off of the cold, dreary, wintry days. One of the things that can usually do this is sewing for spring.
Today, after our guild meeting, I was thinking more “Amelia”!
I know I already showed you a sneak peek of my newest creation last week that was also made with “Amelia”, but I decided that I wanted to make some of my “Charm Pack Garland” to hang in my booth too.
It’s one of my “Tiny Treasures” patterns, a fast & fun pattern that makes a cute garland for a Christmas tree, but it also can be made to hang anywhere, anytime.
Last week I noticed Sweet Annie’s, a local shop, had their Amelia pre-cuts already. I decided I’d better get them while I still could. Next month the yardage will be available. I hope to have my samples made by then! This is going to be too cute…
Until next time,
Susan
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
Well, I worked on this most of the day after we got home from church.
Like it???
It coordinates pretty well with our deck, huh?
I didn’t know how to quilt it until Chloe and I got it basted, we used Sullivan’s spray baste, then it just came to me. Once I’d decided, it didn’t take long to quilt. The binding went quickly too. It’s nice to be able to make decisions and have them come out looking the way they look in my head!
I hope I have lots of competition tomorrow at our guild’s challenge. It’s fun to get our members excited about making quilts. It’s funny how a friendly competition motivates us…
I’ll let you know!
Until next time,
Susan
I had pieces yesterday,
then sewed the pieces into a top today.
It looks better in person, like most quilts! This is my design floor. No walls in my sewing room big enough to devote to this, too many big, beautiful windows!
I’m thinking a pieced red border at this point. What do you think?
Until next time,
Susan
Quilting my way through life! 