quilt as you go lap quilt – Page 2 – Quilting my way through life!

Applique quilt projects, My Life, New Christmas Quilt Patterns, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, New Quilt pattern sample, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market

Frosty, Suzn Quilts New Patterns Continued…

May 14, 2014 suznquilts

Meet Frosty!

It’s another of my Quilt-as-you-go lap quilts.

What a fun way to wrap you or a loved in on a snowy winter day!

My quilt-as-you-go lap quilts are very popular.

You can view a tutorial here.

If you’ve not made one yet, this is why you should:

They’re quick,

they’re easy,

& they’re fun.

Once you make one, you’ll want to make more!

Frosty starts with cutting some strips.

Some of the strips have corner cut-off sewing.

Then, after you sew the strips to the foundation,

there is a bit of fusible web applique.

Sew on the binding and your lap quilt is complete!

It’s a great quilt for a grand child to cuddle under,

but it will also look good hanging on your wall all winter long.

It’s now available on my website.

Stay tuned for more!

Until next time,

Susan

Applique quilt projects, Finishing up a quilt project, My Life, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market, Suzn Quilts Patterns

Best selling pattern, A Pretty Package Follow-up

April 11, 2014 suznquilts

Well, I got busy and forgot to let you see my progress on the latest A Pretty Package, sorry!

I finished sewing the strips on and then fused the bow pieces.

Next I stitched the applique with my Sulky 12 wt. thread.

This is a close-up of the buttonhole stitch.

I had a call last week from a quilter whom I met at Houston Festival last fall.

We discussed this stitch that I use almost exclusively for my applique.

She remembered we have the same older Bernina machine

but she could not find the buttonhole stitch anywhere.

Well, it’s actually called a toweling stitch on our machine.

So, if you look around you might find it on your machine too (if you’re lucky)

but perhaps with a different name!

I finished the hand-work on the binding at Rosemary’s tips club yesterday.

Here is A Pretty Package in its completed state.

It looks pretty good on my favorite rocking chair, don’t you think?

I know where this quilt will land after market next month!

Winterlude fits perfectly in my living room.

Perhaps it will fit in yours too?

You’ll be seeing it in shops in June.

Until next time,

Susan

Family Time, Finishing up a quilt project, New Christmas Quilt Fabric, New Pattern Sample, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market, Suzn Quilts, Suzn Quilts Patterns

Best Selling Quilt Pattern, A Pretty Package

April 8, 2014 suznquilts

What am I up to?

Today I am making another sample of my best selling quilt pattern,

A Pretty Package!

Since my booth in Pittsburgh next month will be full of “Winterlude”

I decided to show my best selling pattern, A Pretty Package, decked out in to too!

So far, I’ve prepared the “foundation” and started sewing strips.

Layered bath towels are the best pressing surface.

I can press the entire strip at once with no draping & distorting.

It’s very important to press the seams flat as sewn first,

then press them open.

This keeps them straight all across the quilt.

The MOST IMPORTANT step is to measure, measure, measure.

If you sew a strip on crooked, then sew a bunch more strips to it, a little more crooked each time, well… you will have a very crooked quilt indeed!

Next, pin, sew, repeat…

Now I’m prepared to sew the top strips in the same fashion.

This is where I am tonight.

I’ve had a few interruptions so I didn’t get as far as I would have liked today;

getting Nemo from the groomer,

dinner,

The Voice with fellow family members,

followed by August: Osage County from Redbox.

I love Merle & Julia, but that movie was a bit much…

I’m going to continue sewing,

but as soon as chickadee #2 gets home I’m done for the day.

Tune in tomorrow to see the rest of the story!

Until next time,

Susan

New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market, Suzn Quilts Patterns

New Patterns!

June 11, 2013 suznquilts

Hi all!

I bet you thought I got caught in a mudslide. Eaten by a lion. Got run over by a crappy purple Scion…

(lyrics from Train’s “50 ways to say goodbye”)

…but no.

Since you last heard from me, besides working like crazy to get new designs ready for spring market,

I’ve been to Paducah with my mom & a friend for the AQS quilt show.

I’ve been to Effingham with my husband where he attended meetings.

I’ve been to Portland, Oregon for International Spring Quilt Market with my daughter, Chloe, plus several thousand close quilting friends.

My husband, David, turned 50, we had a surprise party (wow he’s old!!!).

And I just returned from our guild’s Quilt Away 2013, which I was the chair person for.

It’s no wonder I’m tired & feeling like I’m always running…behind.

So, last time I chatted with you I was whining about these:

Can you believe that these trees in their pattern form were the best-selling of my 4 new patterns?

I also have a new book, but we’ll talk about that later.

So, back to the forest of trees…

I told you they were fun, and they are.

It’s just that I had made so many prototypes,

that by the time I got to sewing the tree blocks for my actual pattern sample,

well, I was just over the beauty of them and wanted to be done so I could move on to my next pattern sample!

Introducing: Oh Christmas Tree

The pattern includes one of my signature quilt-as-you-go lap quilts

& a cute little table runner.

The trees are cut in the “stack & whack” fashion,

sewn into blocks then sashed into strips.

Once all the 40″ strips are made,

they are sewn onto the foundation of basted backing/batting

to make the finished quilt.

Lastly I added another touch with buttons atop each tree.

I used the hand-dyed black buttons by Hillcreek.

They have the cutest buttons!

You can find Oh Christmas Tree on my website.

More new patterns & my new book coming soon!

Welcome to my new followers!

Until next time,

Susan

Finishing up a quilt project, New ideas, New Pattern Sample, New Quilt pattern sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

Tired of Singing La La…

April 5, 2013 suznquilts

I can only partly remember the story my grandma used to tell us, but the part that has lived on in my memory is “I’m tired of singing la, la.”

So the story goes…

She was rocking someone to sleep and to help lull them she was singing, “La, la. La, la.” over & over.

Apparently the little tyke she was singing to wasn’t tired enough to be lulled to sleep, but instead into annoyance, when they announced, “I’m tired of singing “la, la!””

Well, it’s a story that hit my grandma’s funny bone and she told it over and over.

Consequently, as I was growing up, when someone in my family was tired of doing something we would announce

“I’m tired of singing la, la!!!”

Among other designs that I’ve been working on with my “Christmas Countdown” fabrics,

I’ve been making a whole forest of trees.

Big trees,

Little trees,

Pretty trees,

(special trees, Here comes Winter book…)

Don’t get me wrong, they’re quick & easy, but I made so many prototypes

and then designed a few quilts to make with the blocks.

Now that I’m getting to make the finished blocks for the pattern sample

it feels a bit redundant…

..more & more trees, 44 trees…

(Dr. Seuss book…)

Pretty sure I could make trees in my sleep!

Perhaps is delirium? sorry…

The quilt will have 36 medium trees, 40 small trees and a bonus table runner will have large trees,

but that number has yet to be determined.

I’ll be putting these into one of my signature Quilt-as-you-go lap quilt patterns.

Now to start counting sashing strips.

What are you working on?

Until next time,

Susan

Quick Little Projects, quilt as you go lap quilt, Suzn Quilts, Suzn Quilts Patterns

More on my Quilt-as-you-go patterns

December 18, 2012 suznquilts

I’ve had questions, and after thinking about it, I decided I should have included a link

from my last post about the new U of I quilt I was making

to this post about my quilt-as-you-go lap quilt tutorial.

So much to think about, and I was already stretching my brain to sew and document at the same time so I could blog about it for you…

Whether you’re thinking about my best-selling pattern

A Pretty Package

or one of my earlier quilt as you go patterns:

check out the tutorial to get a better understanding of how quick & easy these really are.

You truly can make one of these in a day!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, quilt as you go lap quilt

Need to make a last-minute Christmas gift in the form of a quilt???

December 14, 2012December 14, 2012 suznquilts

Have I got a plan for you!

They say the father of invention is necessity.

I can add to that by saying if you add a bit of lack of time-to-do-it-all or procrastination, well, my quilt-as-you-go lap quilts are the answer!
Back in September one of my older brothers (I’m #5 of 6 children) turned 50.

Not that I didn’t know it was coming, but my summer was so crazy that I didn’t have a chance to think about what gift I would give him. Before I knew it, it was here and I’d still not made a decision. I wanted to make him a quilt since I’ve not made him one up until this point. I’ve made some of my siblings and siblings-in-law quilts for milestone birthdays, so I asked him at his 50th birthday party if he had any special requests.

His reply, being a U of I Fighting Illini alum x2, was that he wouldn’t mind it being blue and orange Illini colors.

I decided that would be an easy task. I found Illini fabric later that month, but was so busy with fall quilt market prep that I didn’t have the time or energy to put into even designing it. Finally last Sunday I had Clare help me baste the backing & batting.

Then I decided what the quilt would look like and made the giant “I” applique.

Next, I cut all of the strips.

Everything was set to sew.

FINALLY I started sewing!

If you’re familiar with any of my quilt-as-you-go lap quilt patterns, they all work on this principle.

Bast the backing to the batting (I like spray baste) then use that as a foundation to sew strips onto.

Once the strips are sewn on, the quilting is done.

I added the applique, then the binding.

And here it is in all its blue & orange glory…

If you think it’s bright, that’s just because you’re not an Illini fan!!!

Dennis’ 50th(+) birthday gift, check!

I hope you’re making time to sew something for Christmas (or birthdays, etc.).

Until next time,

Susan

New Pattern Sample, New Quilt pattern sample, quilt as you go lap quilt

I started 3 quilts today

September 7, 2012 suznquilts

I don’t usually start three quilts at once,

but since these three quilts will be using my Quilt-as-you-go technique

and I need an extra set of hands to quickly spray baste the backing fabric and batting together,

first-thing this morning I got started before my second set of hands headed out the door for school.

I first taped the backing fabric wrong-side-down in my (freshly swept) garage.

I topped that with a light layer of basting spray.

Next is where #1 helper, Chloe, comes in with her second set of hands and helps to hold the batting off the tacky backing fabric until I can press it down smoothly.

1, 2, 3, Perfect.

Not a single wrinkle!

Years of practice…and I only use Warm & Natural cotton batting.

Sorry for the weird glare, that’s the sun rising.

Now when I start to “quilt-as-I-go” I won’t have to move any pins.
I love this technique.

Do you use basting spray?

I’ve never had a problem using it, but I know of others who have.

Usually it’s the brand, or the amount.

If you spray too much it will gunk (technical term) up your needle,

then it can’t pick up the bobbin thread.

Sparingly is a good term for the amount of spray that I use.

As I was working at the computer getting my instructions in order

my friendly UPS driver delivered these from Sulky.

Just in time to be included in these three quilts.

They match the Odds and Ends fabrics that I showed you yesterday.

C-O-L-O-R

A bit of 30 wt. for the piecing and some 12 wt. for the applique that’s going to help me “name” these quilts. ;)

Now, back to work for me.

I’m going to get reaquainted with my sewing machine.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New Quilt Book, New quilt pattern, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market, Suzn Quilts Patterns

Home again, Home again, Jiggety jig!

May 24, 2012 suznquilts

…and I’m so glad and so exhausted!

There’s a lot of physical labor required for attending market, both as a vendor & shopper.

I was fortunate enough to have my daughter, Chloe help me out again.

This shows our booth after everything was moved in and the drapes were hung.

Since we drove a short 4 hours to Kansas City this year, we could bring along some fun props.

This is a photo of the booth almost set-up, Chloe filing a broken nail? Lots of that happening!

You would not believe all the compliments we got on the hanging chairs!!!

Market was great, with lots of shop owners walking the floor & shopping!

We handed out over 600 brochures.

Here are some of our first shoppers.

I’ve said it many times before, but I’ll say it again. There are so many nice people in the quilting industry!!!

We had many compliments on our booth and the quilts.

Of course my favorite part is taking orders and sharing the weekend with friends that I’ve met over the years while attending market.

More photos of market neighbors & friends to come.

Until next time,

Susan

Applique quilt projects, quilt as you go lap quilt, restocking stash

Sulky Thread Love…

March 14, 2012 suznquilts

I ordered some thread last week because it had been a while and I was running low on several of my favorites.

Just a few days later and here they are!

The spools with orange labels are the 12 wt. threads and the spools with the brown labels are the 30 wt. threads.

I put my favorite at the top.

It’s my most-used, Sulky 12 wt. Black! It’s what makes my applique “pop!” I didn’t know my applique didn’t pop until a couple of Sulky reps wandered by my booth one year at market and introduced me to their threads. They knew my applique didn’t “pop”, but they didn’t tell me that, they just said, “Oh you do a lot of applique. Would you like to try our 12 wt. thread?”

Little did I know that thread would totally change the look of my applique!

I took that thread home with me and eventually tested it on my next applique project.

Oh, my goodness!

It’s like taking a big black crayon and outlining my applique shapes.

I guess I’m still a kindergartener at heart!