New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample, new quilt patterns

New Patterns Now Available!

It’s that time of year again,

when I can finally relax a bit because all of the

deadlines for Quilt Market have been met & are now over,

YAY!

I can also smile because I have 5 pretty & new patterns,

thanks to the help of my quilter, Tamara,

my photographer, Scott,

& my editors, Robin, Chris & Janet.

THANK YOU!

I love the way our booth at Fall Quilt Market turned out.

 

My daughter, Chloe, is now a nurse practitioner with a new job,

& she’s also a newlywed, so she wasn’t able to come along.

Luckily my sister, Lori, was able to help me this time at market instead.

Although she didn’t “speak quilt” before,

she’s pretty good at it now & she was great help!

It was great seeing our quilt market friends

& we met many new ones too.

My first new pattern that I’d like to introduce is

Tiny Dresden Scrap Sensation.

You may remember seeing this earlier,

because I actually made this first version of the quilt a year ago!

It was made with the scraps of my new Jellyroll Joyride quilt.

Aren’t the colors lovely?

This is every scrap that was left of the jelly roll after making this quilt.

If you look closely you’ll see there are 2 of each fabric scrap.

That’s because to make the Jellyroll Joyride quilt

I needed to trim just a bit more than the selvage off each end of each strip.

Call me crazy, but…

I couldn’t resist doing something fun with them!!!

Fortunately, if I was very careful,

I could cut a Tiny Dresden petal from 12 of the scraps.

That worked out perfectly so I sewed them together.

I think I reserved just the right scrap for the center.

Next I made and appliqued that to the plate.

I never get tired of making these adorable little Dresden plates!

Wanting to use more than just 13 of the fabrics,

I decided to make the center block a snowball block

(The triangles were already cut when I pieced the binding strips together.)

and then the tiniest of border was made using more of the scraps.

What you see above is the scraps of the scraps!!! Lol

I’m such a piddler…

I think you can say that I used that entire jelly roll!

For our booth at Spring Quilt Market

I decided to make several of the Jellyroll Joyride

samples from my favorite Moda jelly rolls.

So, of course I had scraps…

I finished all 4 of the Jellyroll Joyride quilts.

Do you see then hanging behind us in the booth?

I also got 2 of the tiny quilts made just for added fun.

This is where I had lots of quilt shop owners looking for their pattern!

What? I know they’re cute, but…

So, I wrote the instructions & made the pattern.

I also finished the 2 other samples.

Notice I saved the fabric collection name from the selvages?

That has come in handy over the years

when someone asks me the name of the collection in a quilt.

My wonderful pattern tester, Chris,

made this awesome version with a mini charm

of Betsy Chutchian’s Sarah’s Story.

It’s a new pre-civil war collection.

Didn’t it turn out pretty too?

When I was looking for a hanger for the quilt

I found Ackfeld’s sewing machine hanger

but it was too big.

Luckily they’re always accommodating,

& they made a smaller version just for my quilt!

Now you can buy one too & make the quilt for your sewing room.

Both the pattern and hanger are now on my website for order.

I know, they’re adorable aren’t they?

FYI, they’re fun to make too!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my stroll down

TD Scrap Sensation’s memory lane.

Stay tuned for the other 4 new quilt patterns.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

New lap quilt pattern, New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

The Jellyroll Joyride Continues With Origami

Jellyroll Joyride Quilt #3

is with the Origami fabric collection by Janet Clare

for Moda Fabrics.

This is #3 of 4 collections that my daughter

helped me to make the foundations for

to make my new pattern,

Jellyroll Joyride for my booth at Spring Quilt Market

next month in Kansas City.

This morning I trimmed the strips,

then arranged them to get ready to sew.

After each strip is sewn onto the foundation,

it’s important to measure across the quilt in 3 places

to be sure the strips are being sewn on straight.

So I measured on the left side,

in the center,

 

and on the right side.

As you can see the measurement is 16 1/2″ each time.

Although I’ve made many of my Quilt-as-you-go patterns,

I still feel that it is important to check

my sewing so my quilts are straight when they’re finished!

Another thing that I want to mention

is that when I get to the center of the quilt,

I roll the foundation from both ends

to help manage the bulk of the quilt as I sew.

 

With Warm & Natural cotton batting

there isn’t a lot of bulk,

but rolling the batting & backing foundation

makes the sewing very easy to manage!

Soon I was sewing the binding strips together,

and then onto this quilt!

Tonight while watching TV I got my binding box out & went to work.

And now #3 is complete!

You really can make this quilt in a day!

And I Love this pattern!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

New lap quilt pattern, New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

The Jellyroll Joyride Continues With Grunge Metallics, Epilogue

I mentioned earlier today that I started on the 2nd of

4 beautiful jelly rolls,

this one being the new Grunge Metallics collection by Basic Grey

for Moda Fabrics.

Several distractions today,

including choosing just the right bobbin thread…

& did you know, when in doubt, go dark???

It’s true every time!

On the spool, the lighter grey looks to be a closer match,

but when laid upon the fabric,

the darker thread is a better match.

Next, I laid out all of the strips

in order of how I wanted them in the quilt.

Dinner was on time,

but the quilt was long from ready for binding,

so I continued to sew after dinner…

And now it’s complete!

Even the labels are sewn on, yay!!!

Love this collection!

Love this pattern!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

New lap quilt pattern, New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

The Jellyroll Joyride Continues With Grunge Metallics

Today I started on the 2nd of

4 beautiful jelly rolls

with the additional 2 yards of coordinating fabrics

from Moda’s future collections.

This is the Grunge Metallics collection also by Basic Grey

for Moda Fabrics.

I particularly like the dots in this collection.

There are 20 colors; 2 strips of each color.

1 strip has metallic dots,

the other has smears of metallic like the grunge fabric itself.

These are just some of them.

I’ve chosen these 6 to be the binding.

I went back & forth over whether or not they should all of dots or no dots,

& guess what?

That leaves the top with extra strips with dots or no dots………

It’ll look great either way!

Just make a decision already!!!

As I was preparing to start the quilt this morning

I was reminded of a conversation that I had not long ago.

Someone was mentioning how they don’t like

how jelly roll strips “shed” as they use them.

I told her I don’t have that problem.

I shake them out real well

as soon as I remove the adorable ribbon

& rubber band that holds the strips together.

Just shake & shake…

& shake…

until they’re done shedding.

Try this, it really works.

You don’t have to use a pretty Longaberger trash can but it helps, Lol.

& yes, I emptied the trash this morning before I took these pics!

It was time.

Next, I hang the adorable ribbon on the hook!

“Why,” you ask?

BECAUSE it makes me happy!

Now I must get back to work.

I have strips to trim,

then strips to sew

before I can bind this thing after dinner tonight while I watch TV.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

New lap quilt pattern, New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

The Jellyroll Joyride Continues With Nova

A couple of weeks ago when I had Clare to help me,

we basted foundations in preparation to make 4 more Jellyroll Joyride Quilts.

I had already chosen 4 beautiful jelly rolls

& 2 yards of coordinating fabrics each

from Moda’s future collections.

The Nova collection by Basic Grey was my first choice to sew.

 I see that The Fat Quarter Shop has the jelly rolls on their site for pre-orders.

Isn’t this blue floral BEAUTIFUL!

I’m not a blue person, but I love this print!

Yesterday was the day.

I chose 6 strips for the binding and trimmed the rest of them to size.

Yes, I actually followed the pattern!

I picked out a fun movie to keep me company then set to sew.

By dinner time I had all of the strips sewn onto the foundation

& had the binding sewn onto the quilt,

then after dinner I watched TV

& sewed the binding to the back of the quilt by hand.

It’s the only hand work on this quilt

& if you don’t care for that bit of hand work

you can sew it by machine if you prefer.

 

Now it’s complete including the labels!

When I use one collection for the entire quilt,

I like to include a piece of the selvage with the collection name printed on it

& attach it with the label for reference later.

(I call this my artificial intelligence! Lol)

Isn’t it lovely?

I like that the ENTIRE collection is visible in the quilt!

Now you know why I’ve had this quilt pattern on my wishlist for a long time.

If you have a jelly roll that you’ve been hoarding,

waiting for the perfect quilt to showcase the collection,

you can find the pattern here on my website.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

Dresden Plates, Finishing up a quilt project, Hot Tips, My Life, New Moda Fabric Collection, Quilt Retreats

Closing In On The New Hope, Tiny Dresden Petal Finish Line

Last we were together I was up to my eyeballs in these.

Aren’t the little piles of alligator teeth too cute?

(easily amused, yes I know…)

With a little help from my favorite vices…

I was able to complete all of the half Tiny Dresden plates from the 1,600+ petals!

This is all of them sewn;

the extra petals set aside for another project down the road.

The little rows just make me smile!

(again, easily amused, yes I know…)

I was able to make 6 half Tiny Dresden plates from each of the 40 jelly roll strips

of Jo Morton’s New Hope by Moda Fabrics.

During our annual retreat to local quilt shop, Rosemary’s,

I got to work making blocks from the half Tiny Dresden plates for my next quilt.

This is my work space all set up & ready to sew.

My cute little Dritz Mighty Steam Iron showed up just in time to travel with me.

What a great find!

It’s the perfect little Dresden plate iron!!!

It’s extremely light-weight & just the right size for pressing my little plates.

I wish I’d known about them sooner!

I was so impressed that I’m now carrying them on my website for you to purchase here.

Don’t let the small size fool you.

It gets super hot!

It’s great for pressing small half-square triangles too.

I also like it for pressing block parts.

Choosing the center circle fabrics is a bit like choosing which Barbie shoes should complete her ensemble, lol…

Love, love, love each step!

Can’t wait to show you the finished quilt,

but that will have to wait for another day.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

Dresden Plates, My Life, New ideas, New Moda Fabric Collection, New tiny Dresden plate quilts

Cutting Tiny Dresden Petals from Jelly Roll Strips

I did it!

I cut my entire New Hope jelly roll by Jo Morton into Tiny Dresden petals.

But, before I started cutting I was wondering…

since I only need a 2″ strip for the Tiny Dresden petals & a jelly roll strip is 2 1/2″,

could I get more petals from each strip by not first trimming it to 2″???

So, I laid out a bunch of my Tiny Dresden Templates on a strip side by side as if I had trimmed the strip to 2″.

Then I laid out a bunch more of my Tiny Dresden Templates on another strip, staggering them to the edges of the strip.

Guess what?

I can get 5 more petals from each strip if I slide the template to the opposite edge of the strip as I cut!

Multiply that by 40 strips… 36 petals x 40 strips = 1,440 or

compared to 41 petals x 40 strips = 1,640.

That’s 200 more petals from the same amount of jelly roll strips!

That’s 16.6 more Tiny Dresden plates,

or 33.3 more half Tiny Dresden plates!

So, I stacked up 4 different color fabric jelly roll strips and started cutting.

After I cut a few I decided my 60 mm cutter might work even better than my 45 mm & I was right.

Here’s how I did it:

I lined up the template at the edge of the selvage and sliced it off the strip.

Then I cut along the top of the template.

Then I cut along the other side of the template.

I then rotated the template to the opposite edge of the jelly roll strip.

Then sliced it off the strip.

Then I cut along the top of the template.

Then I continued to rotate the template down the strip.

When I got to the end of the strips I opened the folds and stacked what was left of each strip and usually cut one more of each fabric. A few of the fabric strips were not long enough to cut one more petal, but the majority of them were long enough.

Voila!

A jelly roll worth of Tiny Dresden petals.

Now I’ve really got my work cut out for me, lol!!!

A great way to spend a super cold January day.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

My Life, My Sewing Room, New Moda Fabric Collection

Timeless, New Fabric Collection

Suzn+Quilts+Timeless+cabinet

As the sun streams through my sewing room windows this morning I’m not sure which I’m enjoying more, this lovely new “Timeless” collection by the extremely creative and talented Jo Morton for Moda, or the extra light in my room so early in the morning.

Suzn+Quilts+Timeless+bundle

The colors and designs are very “Jo Morton” I think.

Suzn+Quilts+Timeless+spread

Pretty, creative and new, yet they feel like the civil war prints that I also love.

Suzn+Quilts+Timeless+Love+It

Coming to a quilt shop near you soon I hope!

You can see the whole collection here on Moda’s website.

I’ve got work to do.

I’m dreaming of Dresdens.

But today is my mom’s birthday, so I’m looking forward to spending this day with my parents and whatever that entails… hopefully ice cream!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

Dresden Plate Quilt, My Life, New Moda Fabric Collection

A New Year, A New Quilt

suznquiltsdq53fabricsSo, how is 2017 going for you so far?

The teacher & the student have both gone back to school.

I’ve adjusted to being another year older…

Christmas & all it’s trimmings are put away,

but I’m lucky that it still resembles Christmas in my sewing room

& I’m back at the sewing machine.

Meet Sweet Cherry Wine.

 suznquiltsdq53fabricssweetcherrywine

This is Blackbird’s new fabric collection by Moda,

displayed on my extra cool Christmas gift from David!!!

It’s an antique thread display case/cash wrap

from a general store circa 1880-1890, that he found on Craigslist.

I feel a bit like the Olsen’s (from Little House on the Prairie).

suznquiltsdq53fabricssweetcherrywine3

(and a Coral Bells by Jan Patek charcoal that I added)

suznquiltsdq53fabricssweetcherrywine2

In case you couldn’t guess,

it’s going to be a new little Dresden plate quilt!

suznquiltsnewdesigns1-15-17

These are some of the Mini Dresden petals.

suznquiltsnewdesigns1-15-172

More Mini petals… (powered by Diet D.P.)

suznquiltsnewdesigns1-17-17

and some tiny Dresden petals waiting for me to start stitching.

We’re going to Rosemary’s this weekend, yeah for us!

Suzn+Quilts+Rosemarys+Quilt+Shop

I’m planning to get a lot of this quilt done.

I’ve already got a good start.

suznquiltsnewdesigns1-15-173

I’m using my “new” cutlery tray that Chloe bought me for my birthday.

It makes assembling little Dresden petals all the more fun.

Fun meaning I’m not looking all over for stray petals!!!

suznquiltsnewdesigns1-15-174

 She also bought me a table made from an antique treadle machine

to put my “new” spool cabinet/cash wrap on.

suznquiltsnewthread-cashwrap

For now it’s in the basement (my fulfillment center)

where I plan to use it to store my shipping supplies & brochures

 but who knows where it will end up?

Must get back to work!

#LuckyGirl

Just keep sewing…

Susan

Dresden Plates, My Sewing Room, New Moda Fabric Collection, New Pattern Sample

Paradise Petals

I’ve been making Morris Earthly Paradise Tiny Dresden petals…

Suzn+Quilts+box+of+sewn+Morris+petals

Trimming…

I feel like I’m gardening.

Suzn+Quilts+Morris+petal+stacks

I have 21 different floral prints…

nicely tended in rows…

because I don’t want to accidentally sew a petal into the wrong plate!

With a bit of help from Betsy

Suzn+Quilts+Helper+Betsy

I’m able to keep the string of sewn petals wrinkle-free and untangled.

Thanks, Betsy!

What are you doing in this heat?

I saw this morning that over 118 million of us are experiencing triple digit heat!

Thankfully it’s raining here right now.

Just keep sewing…

Susan