Four Patch Petunia MInicourse, #2

 Last night's class went very well, with everyone making the Double Four Patch block. You might remember Christie's  Bowties from last week!

 Kelsey and Patty are using the same fabrics as they are going to make one quilt. Not only does she like to quilt, she loves to iron too!

 Kellie's earthtones have lots of movement.

Bunny's using this circus print...it will make a young someone a very cute quilt!

I plan to stop out at Cut Up and Quilt after work as I need some bright prints for a project and they are having a 2 day sale to celebrate Kim's birthday. That's a good enough reason to stop, right? I mean it would be crazy NOT to stop!
Happy Friday!

Busy, busy, busy....

`I have been pretty busy with classes lately, so haven't had as much time to sew. Tuesday night was Sampler 15....great group of ladies and fun to have in class! Tonight I am teaching the second session of the Four Patch Petunia Minicourses and Saturday is the Potato Chip quilt class. I love this version of the Potato Chip quilt that I made last summer. So refreshing and summery!

I teach a lot of classes in the fall/winter since it seems most people get a renewed interest in quilting with the cooler weather. Gardens are finishing up, and kids are back to school so maybe most quilters have a bit more quilting time. I sew year round, but probably have the most time to sew in the summer when I am on summer break from my full time job.

How about you? Do you sew more as the weather gets cooler? 

I love the mailman.....

because he brought me this wonderful prize the other day! I won Bagso Charm's giveaway during the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop a few weeks ago. I won this oh-so-pretty journal with hand embroidered cover. It is so pretty and I love it! She also sent me some bath and body lotions as well as 2 bookmarks, one with her kids on it! So cute!

Here is a close up of the embroidery on the journal cover. It's even prettier in person! 

Cathedral Windows

 One of the things I love about teaching classes is watching the students fabric choices come to life. Saturday's Modern Cathedral Windows Pillow class was no exception. We had quite a variety of ideas and color combos. Dianne's looked like stained glass!

 Charlotte chose soft calicos, so hers had an antique feel to them.

 So pretty!

 Kay and her mom Lisa worked together to learn this technique...they made a good team and really enjoyed the class. This one is Kay's, Lisa has plans to make hers to match her living room.

 Karen had a happy mistake (she forgot a window) and might use it in the center of her pillow.

 She used the same fabric behind, which shows up in the melons, as she used for the windows. I love this take on it!

 Using the black and white to frame her deeply hued windows will make this a stand out pillow! Lyn was already talking about her next project!

Evelyn had some cute fussy cut squares for some of her windows. I love the variety of colors she chose to shine through them.

Karen brought some traditional blocks with her that she purchased at a thrift store. I forgot to take pictures of all of them, but I do have one that she gifted me which I will photograph later and share tomorrow. We were all fascinated with the size and variety of fabrics that were used.

They seemed to enjoy my demo on making them the traditional way too, though we all agreed we preferred the more modern approach since it is much more time friendly. 

Beginning quilters

 I taught the first class of the Four Patch Petunia Minicourses Thursday night. Everyone made the Bowtie block. This young quilter has been sewing for 3 years already and now wants to learn to quilt. She came with her grandma and they each worked on their own blocks, but used the same fabrics.

Anyone want to try to guess her favorite colors? 

The other ladies did a great job on theirs as well, with a variety of fabrics.

 I can tell this is going to be a great group!
I'm teaching the Modern Cathedral Windows Pillow class today. Should be fun! I expect them to get quite a bit done, so I hope to have some good pix! I am going to do a demo on the traditional method during class as well. I think it's interesting to see this method, as it was completely done by hand.
Happy Saturday!

A quilt kit? Happy Birthday! hee hee

 My daughter was a little surprised when she opened her birthday gift last night and it was....quilt blocks. She is not a quilter, though it wouldn't take much to make her one. She loves fabric, and is interested in sewing, but never quite takes the leap. I have been planning on making this quilt for her birthday for awhile, just got caught up in making class models and writing patterns, so time slipped away from me and I didn't get it finished for her birthday yesterday.

 I told her to take them to the design wall and start playing. At first she didn't know if she liked the smaller red/orangey blocks, but after she experimented with placement, she started liking them better. I still have more blocks to make, and I plan on having her come over and help with the final placement. Hopefully she will enjoy helping with the design process and that will make up for the fact that it wasn't finished for her birthday!

We both really liked this arrangement. You can see we did some shifting around.  I don't think I would've put the orangey blocks that close together, but after we finished playing with it, I loved it and think it might be a nice focal point for the center of the quilt. 

A few more blocks

I worked on more blocks for the Circle and Spin last night. I am excited about the colors and how the smaller blocks work with the larger ones.

My daughter is coming over tonight to celebrate her birthday. We had one celebration last week before my other daughter who lives locally went on vacation, but today is her birthday, so I thought we had better do it up right!

Grand opening and a new quilt

 I should've been writing patterns yesterday, but after doing some cleaning and class paperwork, I just wasn't in the mood, so I cut fabric instead. I've been itching to try a new variation on the Circle and Spin quilt. I love the idea of using different size circular shapes in the same quilt. One I have seen like this is the Afternoon Delight quilt. Those blocks are made differently, in that there are only 2 curved pieces cut for each quarter circle, but I thought it might work with the method I use.

I wanted to make the quilt predominantly blue, purple and green with some "hot" colors mixed in for balance and fun. So I decided to make the smaller circles out of red, pink and orange batiks and the larger ones out of the blue, purple and green batiks. I hope by doing this that they will shine out among the cooler colors. I got 3 of the orange/red blocks done and one set of the cool colors cut and sewn. 

You can see the difference in the size of the 2 squares. I am happy with it so far and hope I have some time tonight to work on it.

I had a great time yesterday at Cut Up and Quilt during their Grand Opening. I did demos all day on how to use the Flying Geese x4 ruler. People were really receptive and there to have a good time. They had quite a crowd at opening time and many people came throughout the day. It was great to see such enthusiasm for the new shop. There were several other demos, prize drawings plus donuts & cider from the local apple orchard, so lots was going on! 

Working and Grand Opening

There are several things that are bad about going back to work in the fall. The first being (of course) not as much time to sew. The second being that if I'm not sewing as much, I don't have as much to write about. My life isn't a blur of exciting events, unfortunately. Basically go to work, come home, sometimes teach a class, go to work again. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I really enjoy my summers at home too.

Luckily tomorrow there is an exciting event! The Grand Opening of Cut Up and Quilt in Council Bluffs. I will be on hand doing a demo using the Flying Geese x 4 ruler. I have worked up a cute pattern to go with it that will be available during the demo. They will have specials, drawings and other demos going on all day, so it should be fun. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

Looking back and ahead to Christmas

I finished the Star of Christmas Table Topper over the weekend. I like the wonky style of the stars....not quite perfect, but balanced. I took a step back in time and found a post about the first one I made. It really doesn't seem like four years ago, but the blog doesn't lie!

I taught the last class of the Beyond the Stars Sampler last night...they got more chatting done than sewing, but it was fun. I unveiled the new sampler and they liked it! Now to get all the patterns written for it. I took a good pic of it too, so I will post that tomorrow. That class will begin meeting on Mon. Oct. 8.

Christmas stars

Yea, you heard it right, I'm thinking about Christmas....but only to get this table topper finished so I can teach the class in Nov. I designed this topper about four years ago and decided it was time to teach it again. I am making a new model using current fabrics.

You have probably seen the technique where you stack some fabrics, make a cut with the rotary cutter through them all,  mix them up and sew them back together. You then cut again though all layers again. This star takes that technique a bit farther by inserting a narrow strip in between the cut pieces. It is fun to make and I love the funkiness of the stars. Hope to get this project done today.

Cathedral Windows...traditional style

I will be teaching a modern version of the Cathedral Windows block in an upcoming class so I wanted to try the traditional method as well. That way I can show the traditional method during my class.

 Making them the traditional way involves a lot of hand sewing, which I am not opposed to, but seem to have trouble finding the time to do it. You start out by folding a large square, folding and folding until it's not large anymore. Then you sew those together.  I have been working on this sample off and on for about a month. I don't want it completely finished, as I want to be able to show the different aspects of making it, but I do need to sew in a couple more windows before the class on Sept. 22.

Happy Friday!

Not much sewing this week

I haven't been doing any sewing this week in the evenings. The last border is still waiting to be sewn on the new sampler, though I did get the fabric figured out for the supply list. That always takes a bit, as I buy what I think I am going to need, but sometimes I end up changing my plan as I make a project. I usually use lots of different fabrics in my samplers, as I like the freedom to play with color and prints. This time I kept it more basic, using 3 basic fabrics and adding in a couple more fabrics and colors as I went along. It could definitely be made using more colors. I will show it to the first group that will make it next Monday...hope they like it!

Blog Hop Party Giveaway Winner!

 Judi won the Blog Hop Party Giveaway, so I will be sending these four pretty fabrics plus the Potato Chip pattern to her. I will leave the link up for a bit longer, in case you want to go back and visit some of the great blogs you might've missed the first time.

I almost finished the sampler yesterday, one border left, but no pics yet. Soon....

I will be having another giveaway since I surpassed 200 followers....what should it be? I am open to suggestions!

New blocks and last chance to win!

 I have the blocks finished for my newest sampler. I hope to get it sewn together today. I might have to go shopping for the borders later!

Conrad knows how to relax...sometimes I wish I did too! Seems like I am always rushing to complete the newest project for classes. I thought I was going to have them all finished by the time school started, but not so. I still have one more on the back burner to make for a Nov. class.  Plus this Sampler will begin in Oct. so once it is completed I need to write the patterns for it. Oh well, what would I do if I wasn't quilting?  

The Blog Party Hop giveaway is still open. I will draw a winner at 8 P.M. tonight.  I will ship anywhere, so become a follower and leave a comment on the original post. Since I hit 200 followers, I am going to have another giveaway next week. Stay tuned for that one!  Follow the link in my sidebar to check out more of the Blog Party Hop participants!

Opening day for Cut Up and Quilt!

 It was an exciting day in Council Bluffs, IA yesterday, as we welcomed a new quilt shop to town! Two friends of mine, Becky Ingraham and Kim Scott opened the doors of Cut Up and Quilt!

I wasn't there for the opening of the doors, but I heard there was a crowd of excited ladies there to greet them! In fact, they might have stormed the place!

 There is plenty of room to shop!

 Lots of holiday fabrics and the quilted models to inspire!

 They have the shop decorated in such a cute way, with kits made up for most of the models shown.

 The atmosphere here is friendly and warm. I saw it before they started and it is just amazing what they have done!

 Notions and pattern wall...lots of cute patterns to choose from.

They have many extra wide backing fabrics in a range of colors. Most that I looked at were 108" wide at a very reasonable price. You can see their magnificent computerized quilting machine through the window. It is a beauty and they will begin taking customer quilts next month to work their magic on.

 Of course I had to check out the classroom, where I will be teaching a few classes. They have a large ironing area, as well as design walls.

 My favorite corner....the batiks. They have lots of these, you can tell that Kim is a batik fan!

 I could get lost in those batiks for sure.

 They have the pattern for that cute playhouse that sits on a square folding table! So cute!

 I even loved their bags! They are recyclable and could double as a lunch bag. What's in there, you ask?

Gorgeous! They will be hosting their Grand Opening on Sept. 15. I will be on hand doing a demo using the Flying Geese x 4 ruler, which is my newest favorite ruler. I am not a ruler hound, buying up every ruler in sight, but this one is definitely a winner. I find most people do not love flying geese, and this ruler makes it easier to make them in many sizes.

Eventually they will have an online store as well, but first things first...getting that shop open so we can shop! If you are on Facebook, follow them there for the latest!

I finished another block for the new sampler yesterday, and hope to get the final block done today. More on that tomorrow!

The Blog Party Hop giveaway is still open. I will draw a winner Monday night.  I will ship anywhere, so become a follower and leave a comment on the original post. If I hit 200 followers, I am going to have another giveaway next week. Follow the link in my sidebar to check out more of the Blog Party Hop participants!