Mini Dresden plates – Quilting my way through life!

I’m Making Stitches, Are You?

October 6, 2017 suznquilts

I know I’ve been neglectful of this blog the last few months.

Besides having 12 new patterns for spring market,

helping with my son’s wedding this past July,

going on our family’s summer vacation

and then the release of my new book,

I’ve been busy & you must have thought that I had dropped from the face of the earth.

I had not.

In fact I’ve been working A LOT!

I don’t know about you,

but this time of year I pop my head up and wonder where summer went!

I’ve been stitching.

Besides the new sampler that I’m working on with Circulus & Lollies Sweet that I showed you earlier this week,

I recently finished a new Tiny Dresden little quilt.

I used an American Jane charm pack plus a cute black dot print.

I’ve also been writing instructions for these feathered star blocks.

I designed them just the right size to have a Tiny Dresden plate appliqued in the center!

So, are you intrigued?

Have you made a feathered star quilt before?

Do you think they’re hard or do-able?

I once thought they were extremely difficult, but no more!

You’ll think so too when you get one of my patterns, not any day soon though.

You’ll have to wait a while longer until I can get my quilt finished (designing & sewing…)

and the rest of the pattern written.

So far I’ve made 4 blocks

and I think that I have all of the step-by-step illustrations just about perfect!

Just as I was finishing those step-by-step illustrations, wondering if I was going a bit overboard, I got the nicest email out of the blue from Dana who had just finished making a quilt from one of my patterns:

Your pattern was very easy to follow . . . it was like you were sitting here telling me what to do next!! I like that!
Have a blessed day . . .
Dana

Needless to say, in my opinion, that’s the nicest compliment a designer/author can get.

It’s also the affirmation that I needed just then.

Knowing that I hadn’t wasted the weeks

I had just spent on those illustrations for just part of that pattern was nice.

Unfortunately, I don’t know what direction the quilt is going just yet,

hence the reason I put it on the back burner to work on my sampler quilt.

Stay tuned.

We’ll all be surprised together, Lol!!!

What have you been stitching?

I hope something fun!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

New Patterns-Spring 2015-Garden Romance

June 16, 2015 suznquilts

I have new patterns & they’re ready to ship!

All but one have a common theme;

they incorporate both my Tiny Dresden Template

& my Mini Dresden Template.

First is Garden Romance.

I’m having a lot of fun using the very traditional

Dresden Plate templates & making nontraditional quilts!

Have you noticed this theme???

That’s me, the “rule breaker” living on the edge…

When I introduced these at Quilt Market in Minneapolis last month,

it was fun watching some shop owners process the fact that these are “Dresden Plates.”

Yep, you don’t have to sew 12 Dresden petals into a circle,

then applique a circle to their centers, really!!!

This quilt was a lot of fun to design & make.

I used the new “Mill Book 1892” collection by Moda.

Along with Dresden petals,

I also used Clover’s fusible bias tape maker to quickly & easily make the vines.

I’m all about quick & easy.

You may not make this quilt in a day, but each step is easy.

Full-size illustrations are included to help you lay out the vines perfectly so they all match.

Paper Dresden templates are included in the pattern,

but you’ll want to use the plastic templates for quicker, more accurate cutting.

If you don’t see Garden Romance at your local quilt shop,

you can find it here.

More new patterns to follow.

Just keep sewing,

Susan

My Life, new fabric collection, New ideas, New Pattern Sample, Quilt Retreats

Retreat means sew, sew, sew

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012 suznquilts

Last weekend I was once again fortunate to attend our annual reatreat at Rosemary’s Quilt Shop in Highland Illinois.

The first floor & basement are the quilt shop floors. Rosemary lives on the second and third floors. It’s a beautiful older home and the owner/occupant is a wonderful host! On the days that she has retreats, she reatreats to the third floor leaving enough sleeping rooms for 6 quilters on the second floor.

For the past 8(?) years a group of us have met for a weekend each winter and sewed, sewed, sewed. The basement is set up to sew and snack 24 hrs. a day if you want. Within two blocks there are authentic Mexican, Italian and Chinese restaurants. No need to pack any food! Of course there are lots of other restautants around town too as well as Walmart, Walgreens, etc.

Another great perk to sewing here is that Rosemary has everything you might need at any time, day or night; fabric of course, basting spray, batting, you get the picture!

This year I decided to take along a project that I started at our quilt designer retreat in November.

I made 7 of the blocks in Minnesota where I bought the book & kit. I pieced all day Thursday (un-pieced half the day on Friday) and finished the top Friday evening.

It’s “Peony Patch” from the book Summer Gatherings by Lisa Bongean & Carole Charles. The finished size is 20″ x 24″. It was designed with little leaves on every block, but after I got those appliqued on I didn’t like them! It took me about 6 hours to remove them and re-sew the stem… I love it now. I’m trying to decide how to quilt it. I’d like to give it to a professional, but it’s so small I’m embarrassed to send it out!

Next I made more of these; mini Dresden plates with my template.

I love using my Clover Mini Iron.

It gets super hot and presses the little petals very flat, plus it’s light-weight and doesn’t heat up the whole room while I’m pressing a million of these things.

Since these seams are pressed open, the mini iron tip can get right in there and press those flat too.

These are looking great with my Salt Air fabrics.

Love, love love them!

Can’t wait to show you how these are going together, but no photos ’til they’re done!

I’ve also got a new lap quilt just for little boys about finished…Nothing like a quilt retreat with all sewing, all the time to get my creative juices flowing!

Until next time,

Susan