A Giveaway!, Dresden Plate Quilt, New quilt pattern

New Patterns Spring 2019 Susanna & New Pattern Give-Away!

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My next & last new pattern that I want to introduce to you is

Susanna.

I know what you’re thinking,

“Why didn’t she put MORE little Dresden plates on this quilt?”, right? Lol

Susanna started with the “Susanna” collection by Betsy Chutchian for Moda.

I decided to start with 2 of the blues to make Tiny Dresden plates.

Chain piecing is the best!

It’s a great time to let your mind wander

or listen to a good movie that you’ve watched over & over again.

The time passes quickly as I watch the Tiny Dresden plates emerge.

Soon I was auditioning more fabrics to join my TD plates.

If I’m not absolutely sure of all of the fabrics

I will make just one center (not even applique it down)

then make fabric decisions.

Once I narrowed that down,

I went to “work” making the center circles for all of the TD plates.

Not work at all, really.

I love to make the TD centers!

I know, how weird am I???

As a matter of fact,

I offered to make Loraine, one of my pattern testers’,

centers for the TD’s she was making to test my Jellyroll Gemstones pattern.

It took less than an hour

since I had the circles already cut in my little canister.

Pressing then cutting them into strips for easy trimming is key.

With a movie on, the time flies by!

Now before the rest of my pattern testers get in an uproar,

I’m happy to make your centers for you too!

Aren’t these fabulous?

Once my design was ironed out I needed to make a few more TD’s.

Have I told you lately that I actually use my rotary cutter

to cut the string apart & to trim the seam allowance?

Yup!

It’s so much quicker that using my scissors, but you better be careful!

Concentration is key…

And it doesn’t hurt to have some nourishment nearby at times.

The mindless making of the center circles also lets

my mind think of the next upcoming fabric decisions.

Oh but wait, there are more!

I actually took this project to our retreat at Rosemary’s the beginning of February.

No TV watching here,

just good conversation & good food too!

Aren’t they lovely???

In the midst of this project, Clare, our youngest daughter, bought me this cute cart.

She thought it would look nice in our booth.

It’ll be going with us to the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival next week,

but for now it’s looking cute in my sewing room with what’s left of “Susanna”.

More decisions….

and auditions….

and decisions…

and cutting!

Then some organizing.

What a treat for me to relive the process!

My camera is my best friend while I make lots of decisions.

Once I finally liked all of the blocks,

and sewed them together,

I had to make the border fabric decision.

And that decision led to

more Tiny Dresdens!!!

They’re just what the corners of this quilt needed.

I love the addition of the corner blocks.

They really add a lot don’t you think?

It breaks up all of the blue

and gives your eye something else pretty to see.

After Tamara once again did a lovely job of quilting it for me

Nemo & I set it up to be photographed by Scott.

I love the process more than actually having the finished quilt.

How about you?

What’s your favorite part?

 

Wanna win one of my 3 new patterns?

 

Your choices are either Dresden Feathered Stars,

 

Jellyroll Gemstones,

or Susanna.

Just leave me a comment telling me

1. What’s your favorite part of the quilting process?

&

2. What’s your favorite of my new patterns?

I’ll give 3 lucky quilters their choice!

I’ll pick the winners Sunday at 6 p.m. CST.

Until then,

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #18

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Week # 18

It’s time for more assembly!

Refer again to page 7 to sew together the blocks to make Quilt #2.

The diagram will show you what blocks to sew together to make 5 vertical & 2 horizontal sections,

& the numbers tell you what order to sew those sections to each other to complete Quilt #2.

As noted,

Quilt #2 should measure 15 1/2″ x 18 1/2″.

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

Dresden Plate Quilt, New quilt pattern

New Patterns Spring 2019 Jellyroll Gemstones

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My next new pattern that I want to introduce to you is

Jellyroll Gemstones.

The rainbow of color across this quilt can be made entirely

with 1 jelly roll of 40, 2 1/2″ strips.

 

This is Flower Garden Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings for Moda.

 

When I started this quilt I cut all the petals

& sewed them into a long string.

I encharged Betsy to keep them tangle-free.

She did a great job.

You can’t even see her beneath them all!

Next, I sewed & sewed, & sewed some more…

Eventually I had a nice array of plates.

I auditioned many background fabrics to complete my design,

but couldn’t find just the right one so they rested a while.

If you remember, I mentioned

that I picked up this cool Shedd’s Peanut Butter tin in Michigan

while traveling to teach at the Berrien Towne & Country Quilters.

It was the perfect place for the completed plates to hang out

while I did more traveling last fall to teach

& to vend & then attend fall quilt market.

In February at our retreat at Rosemary’s I got them out again

& auditioned more background fabrics & decided on just the right one.

So, I went to work & cut all the pieces for the blocks.

Then I assembled them into little kits for each block

so the color combinations wouldn’t be duplicated.

My new-to-me wooden tray was the perfect holder for the little kits.

& my new-to-me m&m’s (or Dr. Pepper) holder

from my friend & fellow retreater, Chris, now holds my bottle near my machine!

Soon I had a nice stack of blocks ready to have a Tiny Dresden appliqued to the center.

Soon after that I ran out of thread!

I use a lot of Sulky’s Medium Taupe thread!

Fortunately I had more thread, so I was able to finish all of the blocks.

Of course Nemo, my supervisor, was always good at

keeping an eye on me to be sure I kept working!

Laying out the blocks was next

& I soon decided that I had just the right colors in just the right places,

then I added the Tiny Dresden plates at the intersections of the blocks.

 

I decided a small sashing was necessary

to space the Tiny Dresden plates a bit farther from the blocks.

So another fabric audition was necessary.

I decided on a low contrast between the two fabrics.

Next, I went to work sewing sashing strips between the blocks.

 

Thanks again to my friend, Chris,

I numbered the rows with the pins that she made for each of our guild members last year.

 

What a great trick to keep track of the rows.

Nothing is worse than laying everything out & getting it just right,

then getting the rows mixed up & sewing a green block next to another green block!

My numbered pins now hang out in this clip-on pincushion on Betsy’s shoulder.

I don’t have to wonder where I put them!!!

Next, I appliqued the Tiny Dresden plates to the sashing as I assembled the rows.

Notice how the Medium Taupe thread blends well with lots of colors?

This saves a lot of time not having to change thread color for each plate.

Finally the quilt top was complete & beautifully quilted by Tamara,

then photographed by Scott, all being overseen by our late friend, Nemo.

I still have a string of petals hanging out on Betsy

just as they’ve been doing since September 4th as you can see by the calendar!

Eventually I’ll find a use for them too.

For now I just love them hanging out with me in my sewing atelier :)

Jellyroll Gemstones is now available on my website.

One more new pattern to go.

Until then,

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Life, new quilt patterns, New tiny Dresden plate quilts

New Patterns Spring 2019 Dresden Feathered Stars

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I’m finally feeling caught up with all of my after-market work.

Notice I said “feeling,” not that I am…

I want to show you my new patterns!

I’m excited to have 3 new patterns that I enjoyed making

& I know you’ll love them too!

I’m going to warn you,

this post is image heavy!!!

I love taking pics of my progress not only to mark what I’ve done,

but also as a great retrospect.

Meet Dresden Feathered Stars:

It all started way back when the total solar eclipse was happening in August of 2017.

Do you remember that day?

Clare, Nemo, Mabel & I spent the day mesmerized by the changing light.

It’s also when I started cutting fabrics for a new design for a

Feathered Star block

that would accommodate my Tiny Dresden plate.

Designing was fun.

I had to be sure it would all fit together.

I’m reminded of a book about the Wright Brothers that I read over & over in grade school.

I read it aloud to my mom while she cooked.

The boys’ mother made clothing from her own patterns.

She always made the garment out of paper first.

She would say “If you get it right on paper,

then it will be right when you make it.”

I don’t know why that stuck with me all these years, but it did.

I wish I could find that book.

The past few years I’ve bought & checked out of libraries

every version of “The Wright Brothers”

that I could find, but so far I’ve not found that exact book.

Anyway, getting it right

& making notes along the way

 

helped me to realize the process.

It also helped to remember the exact steps

to make a perfect feathered star block.

I had several Tiny Dresden plates hanging around to audition for the role…

but that really wasn’t the task at hand.

I enjoyed the process

& the results were such that I had to make more.

making more & more notes as I went along.

 

 

 

Soon feathered star block #2 was complete!

Next I cut for block #3.

I added labels, notes & illustrations to make the next block even easier!

Soon I had the instructions written to help with assembly of the next block.

By then my book,

Dresden Quilt Workshop

was released & my time & attention was taken elsewhere…

Eventually I came back to finish feathered star block #3.

It was considerably easier with the instructions that I had written.

Soon block #4 was complete!

That’s when Dresden Quilt Workshop Sampler was born & I couldn’t stop myself!

That lead into getting ready for fall market

& all the prep involved with promoting a brand new book with C&T.

Dresden Feathered Stars got put on the waaaaay back burner…..

Then this past winter Susanna’s Scraps by Betsy Chutchian became available.

I ordered sample yardage.

In my prep work with that collection

I decided the border print looked great with the Moda pinks in my stash.

& that’s when it hit me that my feathered star blocks would look great with this border print!

But then what?

The pinks from other collections looked great, but they needed something else.

That something else was GREEN!

So I set to work with my instructions

that I had written more than a year before

& my green stash!

Soon I was set to sew!

An estate sale had produced this awesome green box perfect for organizing my cutting table.

So, green stars evolved.

 

They looked great with the pink stars!

Nemo kept me on task snow & all.

 

Points were just falling together!

Soon I had stars ready for the beautiful border print.

Oddly enough when I got ready for the Tiny Dresden plates,

I realized the plates that were hanging out in my sewing atelier

were perfect!!!

 

How crazy is that?

So I set to the fun task of appliqueing them to the centers of the feathered star blocks.

But now what?

 

 

Too dark…

Too…

So much too, that I had to set them aside & let them percolate.

In the meantime I made a baby quilt for a cousin’s new baby.

In case you don’t recognize it, it’s my “Name That Quilt” baby quilt book.

It has really saved me in times that I need a baby gift!!!

Soon I was back to the feathered stars…

I finally decided on the perfect fabric for the

Mini Dresden plate intersecting plates & sashing too.

Soon the quilt design was complete!

Next was to get it professionally quilted by Tamara,

then photographed by Scott.

Nemo was of course on hand to offer his support!

 

Sadly this was Nemo’s last photo shoot.

We had to have him put to sleep this week.

We had 13 years together with this sweet collie

& I already miss him!

Many of my work days were made sweeter with his company.

But life goes on & more quilts will be made.

Dresden Feathered Stars,

full of illustrations & notes

will help you make perfect Feathered Stars,

& my hope is that you enjoy the process as much as I did!

They’re available on my website.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #17

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Week # 17

Yay!

It’s time for assembly!

Refer to page 7 to sew together the blocks to make Quilt #1.

The diagram will show you how to sew the blocks into 4 sections,

& the numbers tell you what order to sew those sections to each other to complete Quilt #1.

As noted,

Quilt #1 should measure 18 1/2″ x 24 1/2″.

I’m curious who plans to make 4 individual quilts,

& who will make the one big quilt.

I can’t wait to see!

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

My Life, New Quilt Fabric Collection, Quilt Market

Spring Quilt Market 2019 In Kansas City

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Chloe & I traveled to Kansas City last week to attend International Quilt Market.

It was great spending time with her & some of our market friends

including Susan Knapp of The Quilt Branch,

& her helper Karen Bailey.

Lucky for me, KC is a relatively short drive so we had a double booth

and I was able to pack some of my favorite goodies for display.

It was nice to talk to lots of old friends and to make lots of new ones too!

 

Lots of little Dresdens happening here!

We also showed my new quilt-as-you-go runner/placemat & lap quilt patterns.

Since I’m always busy each day in my own booth,

we have to go early to walk the rest of the show

or we have no idea what else it there.

We were able to see Moda’s new fabric collections that will be available later this year.

I chose postcards of my favorites…

Lella Boutique has a beautiful, soft collection with pretty greens & blues that I liked.

Minick & Simpson’s Northport group looks stunning as their groups always do.

I love the neutrals of Primitive Gatherings’ Urban Farmhouse Gatherings.

Betsy Chutchian’s Sarah’s Story has some of the same colors

as her Savanna’s Scraps so it would be easy to use the two groups together.

Sandy Klop’s Bubble Pop is adorable.

She put my black & cream polka dots in this collection!!!

I guess I’m not the only one who thinks her rainbow colors

are only made better with black & dots…

You’ll definitely be seeing me use those!

I fell in love with some fabrics at the Diamond Textiles booth too.

Their prints & yard dyed fabrics look beautiful together!

I love their yard dyed fabrics with prints woven into them.

So much texture & color range!

 

Wish I could take the booths home with me.

 

 

That would certainly make some decisions easier!

 

They’re all so inspiring!

All too soon we’re back home & back to work.

Where does the time go???

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend.

I hope it includes some quilting time!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #16

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Week # 16

Not much more to make for this pretty Christmas quilt.

We’ll finish the applique this week.

This week is “Stockings” week.

Refer again to page 6 to make the 2 stocking blocks.

Whatever applique technique you used for the mittens

you’ll want to use this week too.

I’m curious if anyone quilting along with us

is intimidated with applique?

If so, did you push yourself to do it anyway?

I hope that the little bits of different techniques in this quilt

have been fun & hopefully you’ve learned something too.

Nothing I do is hard.

It may be time consuming, but not hard!

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

I love to see your progress.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #15

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Week # 15

We’re moving right along with this pretty Christmas quilt.

Aside from the sawtooth border,

the piecing is complete!

This week is “Mittens” week.

Refer to page 6 to make the 4 little mitten blocks.

I’ve written the instructions for freezer paper applique.

Ever since I’ve become the Dresden Diva,

I prefer to make most all of my applique

with the turned edge of the freezer paper technique

so that it matches the center circles of the little Dresden plates.

Once you get the hang of it, it’s really quick & easy.

The Appliquick Bars really help!

Make whatever applique style that you prefer.

Please keep posting your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

I love to see your progress.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

Quilt Show, Quilt Show Vendor

Just A Few Spots Left In My Class At The 2019 Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival

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Have you made plans yet to attend this year’s 

Kansas City Quilt Festival?

There are only a few spots left in my Dresden Love quilt class.

 

This class is scheduled for Thursday, June 13 3:00-6:00.

You’ll be able to see the show & shop all day,

then relax and make a Tiny Dresden quilt at 3:00!

I also have a demo where you can sit, relax & learn

on Friday June 14 at 3:00.

I will be there all weekend to demo

& sign books in our booth

so I hope you put it on your calendar!

You can see all of the happenings for the weekend,

sign up for classes &

see host hotels, etc. here on their site.

I love that the hotels are either just next door

or around the corner and parking is free!

It’s convenient to get to;

just off the interstate in KC.

Hope to see you there!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

A Giveaway!, A Merry Christmas To You Quilt-Along

A Merry Christmas To You, Quilt-Along Week #14 & A Give-Away!

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Week # 14

We’re now well past the half way mark on this pretty Christmas quilt.

Hopefully you’re keeping up,

because you’re going to LOVE this quilt!

If you’re like me, you won’t be able to wait

until Thanksgiving is over to hang it!

This week is probably the quickest & easiest one yet.

This week is “Pinwheel Block” week.

Refer to page 6 to make the 4 tiny pinwheels.

This step is so simple

the instructions take less than half a page!

If you’re like our family,

you have a lot of graduations in the next week (or month),

so it’s the perfect time for just a bit of sewing.

Our oldest daughter will be graduating this weekend

with her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

We also have 4 nieces that will be receiving

various college degrees either this weekend or next

& 2 cousins that will be graduating

from high school later in the month.

Lots of parties, yay!

Mother’s Day is this coming weekend too.

Our son has a birthday this week…

It’s a busy time of year,

so, thanks for sewing along with me!

If you’re making the 4 small quilts instead of the one large one,

this will be the last of the piece work for you.

Next week we’ll move on to the applique.

And since we will soon be working on the borders…

Did you notice that I now have Thangles on my website???

They are what I use to make all of the little

half square triangles in my quilts.

Since we will need 1″ finished half square triangles

for the border of the large version of this quilt,

I’m going to give a set to 2 of you who are quilting along with me!

Just post your progress on our “Sewing With Susan” Facebook group.

You don’t have to be caught up,

but you have to join my FB group & show a pic

of what you have made so far.

I will pick a winner Mother’s Day night,

so you have until then to post your pic or pics!

To help me remember, I’ve hung the 2 packs on my super cute hangers

in an obvious place to remind me to draw for the winners!

In case you don’t hear from me by Monday,

feel free to remind me.

I’m also getting ready to head to Spring Quilt Market in KC next week.

So much to do & remember too!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan