a stitch in dye

30-Day Challenge:: In Praise of Stock Photos

2012-01-24T08:32:00.000-06:00

...stock in the sense that I've had this photo for a while and just didn't post it. Along comes this morning when I realize that I have now missed 2 days in my 30-day challenge and, voila, stock photo becomes today's topic. I'm not berating myself though for lagging behind in my challenge. I do yoga and we are repeatedly told to have compassion on ourselves and I am a firm believer in self-directed compassion.
Anyway, this scarf, crafted out of bias cut strips is inspired by knitted scarves like this one. I think I've mentioned this before, but just in case, I'm often inspired by other textiles, but especially knits. This scarf was created as a magazine design, but, alas, did not make it in. No matter. I'll probably write up the pattern and sell it myself or add it to the classes I teach at Stitch Lab or both. For today, it definitely served its purpose: something to post about here in my little corner of the internet.

30-Day Challenge:: Why I wasn't meant for dental school

2012-01-21T16:59:00.000-06:00

My buddy, Jeff, took some pictures of me the other day and, other than the typical profile shots there were some opportunities to be silly. So, first off, I'm just pretending to be angry in this picture. Secondly, and perhaps a little sadly, this is the face I made when Jeff told me to show him my fangs. I'm not sure why I stuck out my bottom teeth in response to that prompt, but I obviously was not meant for dental school.

30-Day Challenge:: Noticing

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000-06:00

It's short and, hopefully, sweet today folks because, sometimes, when you stop talking, writing, and thinking and start doing, you might just see something quite beautiful.
I was doing something as mundane as pulling fabric out of a discharge bath when I noticed how amazing it looked doubled up so that the pattern from the other half seemed to form a ghost image and the light from outside filtered through the fabric. I'm not going to pretend that I have my camera ever-present to record these kinds of images, but it was certainly nearby and knew grabbing it and shooting a few frames was worth the effort.

30-Day Challenge:: Selling Like Hot Cakes

2012-01-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

On Monday I got an email from Leslie Bonnell, owner extraordinaire of Stitch Lab, letting me know that some of my newly arrived prints were already sold out. I assumed she was referring to the stock at her store and replied that I was very happy to hear that. A couple of hours later she sent a second email to clarify the first. The prints weren't sold out at Stitch Lab; they're sold out nationally. That's all over the freaking country, people!
Tonight, as I was teaching a class, Leslie looked up the status of my fabric line online. Then she called me over. I was blown away by how many of the prints and even a few solids are listed as out-of-stock. I don't remember what the Moda policy is on re-prints or if they hold some stock back. All I know is the fabric hasn't been in the stores for more than a week and it's going pretty darn fast.

30-Day Challenge:: Abi's Baby Kimono

2012-01-16T15:44:00.000-06:00

I was chatting with someone this morning about the role of handcrafted items in contemporary lives. As a sidebar: this was part of an official interview, not the stuff of everyday banter. Anyway, I was mentioning how valuable crafting for ourselves and those we love is, especially in our get-it-super-cheap-at-Target world. That's when I remembered a wee, little wrap shirt that I over-dyed a few weeks before my youngest was born over 14 years ago. I embellished this top with the intent that she wear it home from the hospital. And she did. And it was a bit too big, so she got to wear it a few more times. And then I made another one for the next door neighbor's baby who came along six weeks later. And that's how a stitch in dye was born.

And now it fits easily in the palm of her hands.

30-Day Challenge:: isn't the thread pretty?

2012-01-15T17:16:00.000-06:00

Whenever I unwrap an arashi pole (what that is is the makings for a different post), I'm always wowed by how pretty the thread that's been immersed with the fabric is. It almost seems a shame to throw it away and I'm sure that many of you have suggestions for what to do with the thread rather than discard it. I always welcome and enjoy y'all's creativity, but unraveling this bird's nest of thread is way more work than I want to do. That, however, doesn't stop me from enjoying the color and, in this case, finding a way to take a one-handed picture of it.

On a slightly different note, thanks so much for all your lovely comments about my new fabric line. I wish I could tell you exactly where the fabric is available both in bricks and mortar stores and online, but I'm just the designer and don't honestly know. I do know that locally, Stitch Lab, Walker Hall, and Honey Bee Fabrics are carrying some of the collection. As for online, I know that the lovely Tammy at Marmalade fabrics is also planning on carrying the fabrics and that there are several Etsy vendors selling a stitch in color. Other than that, I would recommend a google search. I hope that helps.

30-Day Challenge:: a stitch in color in the wild

2012-01-13T16:21:00.000-06:00

Though I know for a fact that my fabric line, a stitch in color, will be available at three different local fabric stores, Walker Hall Design on 12th street sent me an email yesterday letting me know that their order had arrived. I'm surprised it took me 24 hours to get over there, but I made my way there to snap this photo. I, of course, had seen bolts of the fabric at Quilt Market, but there's something extra-special exciting about seeing it in a fabric store. It's my first sighting of a stitch in color in the wild and definitely a thrill.

30-Day Challenge:: What the world needs now is love, sweet love...

2012-01-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

...that's the only thing that there's just too little of....Sing it with me. But, these two seem to have plenty. I shot this picture last night on South Congress avenue. For those of you not familiar with Austin, this is a fun, hip street just South of the Capital building teeming with shops and restaurants and all manner of fabulous hangouts.
Anyway, may I introduce total stranger and her lovely 18-year old daughter, here seen posing together alongside a bit of impromptu, but wonderful graffiti. Sadly, I didn't get a shot of their previous pose in which they were totally enfolded in each other's arms.
The world could definitely use more of this.

30-Day Challenge:: Flower

2012-01-10T14:56:00.000-06:00

I don't have a lot to say today except sometimes a handcrafted flower can spark lots of other ideas.

30-Day Challenge:: Scene from a Day

2012-01-08T19:19:00.000-06:00

I had planned on featuring two pictures today. I snapped the first one this morning just before I headed out for a run around beautiful Town Lake( sidenote: nobody I know calls it Ladybird Lake. Sorry Johnson family). It was super early and dark, so I didn't notice how out of focus it was. So, no early morning scene from near the zero mile marker. Maybe another time.
This photo happened many hours later as I was teaching a free motion machine quilting class at Stitch Lab. Things were hopping today there and both classes were full and buzzing with excitement, just like I like it. One of my favorite things about teaching is meeting folks who are literally brimming over with excitement about learning what it is you plan to teach. It really makes you appreciate the skill and tune into what a privilege it is to pass it on to someone else. Who knew that learning how to machine apply stitches to a surface could make people so happy and stir their imaginations? There's frankly no way to walk away from teaching there without feeling recharged.

30-Day Challenge:: More Sampling, the Knotted Kind

2012-01-07T19:00:00.000-06:00

Or should I say the knitted kind. Along with sewing and sewing technique classes at Stitch Lab, I've also started teaching some knitting classes. Some of those are temporary as the fabulous gal who usually teaches them just had a baby, so I'm just subbing. But I've also proposed several projects based classes for the folks who've taken the "how-to" class and want to apply their knowledge to a specific project. Seeing as all the people in the class are pretty new to knitting these projects are super-simple and don't require taking a gauge. They do teach some additional techniques like knitting in the round, simple increases and decreases, and sewing up small knitted sections. I'm kind of taken aback by how excited I am to teach these classes. Maybe it's that they're outside my usual purview and feel fresh and new because of that. Maybe, it's because I'll be working with a different group of students than those who take the sewing classes. Whatever the reason I'm getting a huge kick out of making the samples and really looking forward to teaching these classes.

30-Day Challenge:: Oops and Sampling

2012-01-06T15:02:00.000-06:00

Did I forget to do my entry yesterday? Yikes, minor fail in the 30-day challenge. Well, never mind, I'm back and still committed to the challenge. To tell you the truth, it wasn't that I forgot as I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have a chance to work on it until I came back from my running group around 7 last night and then I was so exhausted from the run it was I all I could do to make dinner and go to bed. It's a good thing I'm a firm believer in the concept that every day is a new opportunity, so back to the original goal I go.
Anyway, one of the things that makes my days so busy is making samples for the classes I teach at Stitch Lab. I really love making the samples because it helps me to imagine the experience my students might have and to think about what points in the process are worth noting and what can be skimmed or skipped over. It's a very different mindset than writing a pattern or tutorial because those are created with the idea that the person following the instructions has as much time to devote to the making as they choose. They could craft the item in one sitting or over the course of days, weeks, or even years if they're fans of amassing UFOs. Writing instructions for a class necessitates condensing that process and determining what must get done in order to bring the item to completion or near completion in the time allotted. It's a different way to teach a technique or project and it requires seeing that project in a new way. It definitely stretches me and takes me a bit out of my comfort zone; a good thing whether you're crafting or just living.

30-Day Challenge:: Yarn Bombing

2012-01-04T17:14:00.000-06:00

It happens in the best of neighborhoods. Hell, it happens in my neighborhood. This isn't exactly my hood, but close enough. I was on my way to having dinner with friends when I ran into this and a few other examples in the Hyde Park area. What is it about seeing fiber out in the environment that speaks to those of us who work with fabric and yarn? Is it like running into an old friend and suddenly feeling that much more at ease because it's familiar? Or do we secretly hope that the rest of them(you know the non-fiber loving muggles) will see this display, catch on, and realize how terrific hand crafted can be?
Maybe we can push them in that direction if we call their attention to this amazing DIY site.

30-Day Challenge:: While You Were Sleeping

2012-01-03T13:36:00.001-06:00

... I was doing yoga. Though it's probable that some of you were up and maybe doing yoga too. I took this shot outside Black Swan, the absolute best yoga studio in town, I think. I only go once a week on Tuesday mornings, but, boy howdy, do I love it.
When I first started though I swore I would not engage in what I call "yoga talk" I would not fold my hands in front of my heart and bow my head as I said,"namaste". I would not declare that "all the goodness in my souls bows to all the goodness in your soul."
So, you can imagine how shocked I was when, as I was taking one of my girls to school a few Tuesdays ago, I casually said," I had planned to set an intention for my practice this morning, but we moved out of our opening shivasna so quickly, I didn't have a chance to." After I made this declaration, I turned to my girl and asked," Did that just come out of my mouth?" "Yep," she replied.
Apparently yoga is more than skin deep.
Just to show that I don't take myself or my "practice" too seriously, I invite you to partake of this the hilarious spoof on the way yogis talk.
Enjoy and namaste everybody.

30-Day Challenge:: Me, Myself, and I

2012-01-02T14:33:00.000-06:00

Like many people I use the New Year which is, after all, a pretty arbitrary demarcation, as an opportunity to start new things or improve on old ones. Because there's been a lot of turbulence in my life this past year, I've had a bit of trouble focusing on the work that needs to get done and resolved that the new year would bring a renewed attention to the task at hand. Two days in I'm still having a bit of trouble and this picture is actually proof of that. What should I being doing? Oh, the list is long and varied. What am I doing. Taking a new profile shot for Facebook. Maybe it's not a switch that you pull when you resolve to change something. Maybe the resolution is more about starting the process than getting the thing done.

30-Day Challenge:: Viewpoint

2012-01-01T17:46:00.000-06:00

The new year seems like a good time to examine the concept of viewpoint or perspective. Perspective might just be everything. I had that concept clearly exemplified this morning as I participated in the 2nd Annual Resolution Ride. This fun ride put on by a local bike shop is an out and back 25 or 50 mile ride. Today, like last year, the out included a seriously brisk head wind that made you wonder why you signed up for this thing in the first place. But, because the ride returns to the start in the opposite direction, what was a much-hated and berated head wind became a pleasant and downright appreciated tail wind. See, it's all in your perspective.

30-Day Challenge:: Photo Mosaic

2011-12-31T16:32:00.000-06:00

Just like the title says this is a mosaic of some of the most significant(to me) projects and events from the past year. It includes some super highlights like the article about me published in American Craft and the debut of my fabric line as well as some sad moments such as the passing of my dear sweet puppy, Scout. It's been the most change-filled year of my entire life and I am by no means the same person now that entered this year, but, there's something to be said in acknowledging that things probably are exactly as they should be. Here's to more change(hopefully all good) and many more opportunities to create in 2012.

30-Day Challenge:: Gratuitous Cute Puppy

2011-12-30T17:07:00.000-06:00

What does this puppy have to do with me, my work, or my blog? Absolutely nothing. Some total stranger was selling these 5 week old puppies on a little grassy knoll near a shopping mall and I took a few pictures of them. Our lives intersected for a few minutes. Mine and the boy selling the puppies as well as mine and the puppies.
Do you ever glance at the person sitting in the car next to you when you're both stopped at a light and think about their lives? Are they married, single, happy...? What do they do for a living? Do they like it? You'll never know because you'll most likely never see them again, but you often can't help but wonder. We're a curious bunch, aren't we?

30-Day Challenge: Work Space

2011-12-29T20:51:00.000-06:00

Making it in a bit under the wire, but who's keeping track, right?
I've been spending a lot of time lately in this space as I'm working on another fabric collection. The ideas have come a little more slowly this time and I've rejected more than I've selected. All that is a little unusual for me, but maybe that's the way the 2012 version of me works. Tomorrow is always a mystery and you have to be willing to roll with the punches, even if you're the one throwing them.

30 Day Challenge:: Blanket in Progress

2011-12-28T15:33:00.000-06:00

I call knitting my fiber hobby. You wouldn't think that someone who sews and designs for a living would want to spend their free time engaged with more fiber, and, truth be told, I don't want to spend all my free time that way, but some of it is definitely devoted to knitting. Knitting also inspires some of the sewing and quilt designs I create. For instance this blanket. The pattern is Abby's Blanket by Kristin Kapur and and though it's not even close to done, I know that seeing it on Ravelry influenced this design. I like that idea of cross-pollination and would love to one day work in the opposite direction and design knitting patterns based on sewing designs.

Why wait? The 30-Day Challenge

2011-12-27T11:39:00.000-06:00

My friend, Adam, doesn't believe in New Year's resolutions. It's not that he doesn't think folks should set an intention to improve something in their lives and then act on that intention, it's just that he doesn't see the point of waiting until New Year's Day to take on those improvements. I actually agree with him, despite the fact that I love making New Year's resolutions. I enjoy thinking about what I want to tackle and even reflecting on what I changed or didn't the previous year. I like the "clean slate" feeling of it. But, I have to agree with Adam, there's no point to waiting until New Year's Day.
With that in mind, I want to tackle a 30-day challenge that I read about on another blog, but before I do, I'm going to engage in something I rarely, if ever, do here in this space.
I try to keep this space almost exclusively about my work or things that inspire my work and always with a positive spin. I think approaching life with a positive attitude is probably the best gift you can give yourself. Unfortunately, life is not all cherries and kittens, though I'm allergic to cats, so I don't know why kittens would be a positive thing in my world, but.... Anyway, the past year has brought so many blessings, both professionally and personally, but it has also been the most challenging year of my life in terms of my personal life. Without going into too much detail, but also reassuring all you terrific readers that I'm thankfully at the "light-at-the-end-of the tunnel" point, 2011 has been the year I went from married to single.
It's all(mostly?) good now and in many ways the process has been full of growth. Sometimes it takes a major shake-up like that to force you to re-examine your life and how thoughtful you are about your everyday existence. As part of that I've done a lot of reading, both online and otherwise, and found so much wisdom out there. One site that I particularly like is Marc and Angel Hack Life.
Their current post is titled 30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth. If you take the time to read the post you'll discover that they're not expecting you to take on all 30 challenges listed, but to pick 2-5 that you feel you can make a daily commitment to for 30 days.
One of the challenges I selected is #30: Document Every Day with One Photograph and One Paragraph. It seemed like a bit of a no-brainer to choose that one because, hey, I already have a blog, and I could certainly work on improving it and generally being more attentive to it.
So, with that intention in mind and, noting Adam's point about the senselessness of waiting to take on a challenge, I'm starting today. For the next 30 days, I'll be posting a picture and a brief paragraph that, hopefully, relates to that.
Sound good? If you'd like to join me or want to take on some of the other challenges listed and feel like a public declaration of that intention would aid the process, feel free to let me know in the comments.
As for me, here I go.

Last night I was teaching a class at Stitch Lab, which, by the way, is the best fabric and sewing store in town, and had a few minutes to walk around and shoot some pictures. I'll upload all of them to my flickr, but this one seemed especially appropriate for my first entry on my 30-day challenge. I'm not going to lie to y'all, I worry that I won't make all 30 days. It's like flossing daily. I leave the dentist's office with the best of intentions and then daily flossing becomes every other day or once every three days. But, and this is a big but, you can't make the change without setting forth the intention and there's something powerful about stating it publicly. So, I'm making my intention known about this aspect of the 30-day challenge. As for the daily flossing....hmmm...we'll see.

Don't let the pictures fool you...

2011-12-12T14:28:00.000-06:00

... they have nothing to do with the text. This is not the first time I've posted about one topic and "illustrated" that post with unrelated pictures, so you all should be used to this. Sometimes I have a story to tell, but no pictures to accompany that story. As I hate to post without pictures, this is my solution.
Before I get into my topic, I want to caption the pictures by letting you know that they are of a new pillow featuring a new block design inspired by this photo.
OK. Here goes.

As many of you know, I'm an avid runner. Well, yesterday, I ran what I would to date describe as the most amazing race of my running life. For the past few months I've been training for the Decker Challenge. This particular half marathon is considered one of the hardest around and that's primarily because of the hills that surround Decker Lake. I'm not going to lie to you, there have been a few times, especially in the last couple weeks, when I thought about skipping the event. I worried about whether or not I could deal with the hills and the infamous bad weather that has historically accompanied this race.

And, a couple weeks ago, it seemed that I had a ready-made excuse. I had gone to a "boot camp" style workout and woke up the following morning with a very sore left foot. I didn't run for a week after that. In fact, I didn't run again until the Tuesday before the race when for silly reasons I ended up running twice in the same day, both times about 5 miles. I then ran another 3 miles that Friday and made peace with the concept that what would be, would be.

I woke up yesterday morning and headed out to Decker Lake in my shorts and t-shirt, ready to brave the 40 degree temperature and light rain and, almost from the very start, knew this was going to be an amazing run. I don't know if it was my determination to be patient in the straightaways and not let my pace get out of control or my willingness to be present in the moment and just listen to the sound of all those feet hitting the pavement, but, what I thought would be drudgery turned into a string a magical moments. By mile 4, I knew I was on pace to set a new personal record and as each mile marker went by, I seemed to be running faster and stronger and feeling like I could conquer anything.
Those of you familiar with the course out at Decker Lake know that mile 10 features a long, steep hill which is made longer and steeper because it is so late in the race. I got to the hill at mile 10, ran up, and knew that I was about to finish the best race of my life.
I realize that my story is just about a run and that, in the scheme of things, it's not exactly monumental, but I do think there might be a bigger point here. Maybe that point is about not pre-judging a situation and bringing your whole self to an experience? Maybe it's also about how lucky we are to have a given experience and that we never really know whether the next thing we do may be truly magical?
Whatever the "point", whether I know it or not, I hope I bring these ideals along with me to the next race, the next project, the next moment.

Power to More Pillows

2011-12-07T11:48:00.000-06:00

...or rather just pillow covers.

This time it's an improv version of the traditional pinwheels pattern, very similar to this mini quilt I made a few weeks back.
I had a few half-triangle squares leftover from that project and rather than find a completely different home for them, I opted to re-imagine the mini quilt as a pillow.

Add my go-to circular quilting and a little peak of selvedge from my a stitch in color fabrics and you've got one fun pillow top.

I love this typewriter fabric and have used it in several projects. It seems particularly appropriate here where the feel of this pillow is just a wee bit irreverent.
I added this little beauty to my shop yesterday, so I'm on track (so far) for regularly introducing new goodies to my store this month.

Cure For Writer's Block?

2011-12-05T15:06:00.000-06:00

Pictures.

I had thought I'd post about how I'm determined to add new items to my shop as much as possible this month and to that end I've added this and this as well as created the pillow pictured.

I had thought I'd mention that this pillow was pieced improvisationally and loosely based on the traditional Drunkard's Path block.

I was hoping to touch on how much I like the circular quilting, especially for a top that features circles and how fun it is to bind a top that features lots of color with a simple, black and white, graphic print.I was going to say that if you check my store regularly this month, you'll see new items as well as some of the projects from my book and others.
I thought about saying all that, but I had a bout of writer's block, so....

New and News

2011-11-21T13:24:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd take a moment to show off a new mini quilt that recently made its way into and out of my shop and let you all know about something I've just added that will be there for hopefull a very limited time.
First the new mini quilt.

I made this little quilt at the request of a customer who plans to gift it to her mom. Very sweet. The patches are all original hand dyes while the backing and binding come from my a stitch in color fabric collection. I hope mom enjoys both the quilt and her daughter's thoughtfulness.
Now, new to my store, but on a very limited basis is this:

I have 11(strange number, I know) copies of my book, Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color Design, and Inspiration, which I am selling and happy to sign to you, a neighbor, friend, or even your dog.

This is a very limited offer as I got the books for a specific event and these are the leftovers. I'm not planning on selling my books in my store on a regular basis.

For the two of you who haven't heard me go on and on and, maybe even on about this book, it features 21 sewing projects including 6 quilts, 2 wearables, a baby book, sewing machine cover, and even a kitchen curtain. It is beautifully styled and photographed and filled to the absolute brim with illustrations and step-by-step instructions.

I realize that you can buy the book for less from Amazon while I am selling it at the suggested retail price, but I won't be signing any of those Amazon books and I will happily and lovingly sign any of the 11 copies I'm selling in my shop.

Cool Story, bro

2011-11-16T13:55:00.001-06:00

That's the often flippant remark my dear, sweet 17-year old daughter says after I've told her some semi-mundane story. Admittedly, the comment usually follows a tale about going to the dry cleaners or the price of a head of lettuce, but that's her response. And, lately, I say it as well. She tells me about her little sister borrowing some item of clothing and how annoying that is and I respond with, "Cool story, bro." It's actually a great diffuser of situations and maybe makes us realize how thankfully mundane some of our "problems" are.
Recently though I've come to view the phrase in a different, more positive, life-affirming light. And I think a recent project has been the reason for the turnaround in how I interpret, "Cool story, bro."
Several months ago I designed a project for the current and inaugural issue of Stitch Gifts. My project is a pair of pillows that I titled "Story Pillows". Actually, I think I originally titled them "Our Story Pillows", but somehow the our got dropped.

Anyway, the pillows were inspired by a pair of embroideries that I purchased at Quilt Festival two years previous. The embroidered panels were crafted by a cooperative of women in South Africa and can be purchased online here. The embroideries give these women a chance to express their creativity, tell their story, as well as earn money for their families. It seemed amazingly appropriate for a publication that promotes gift-making during a holiday season that's also about helping others to design a project that encompassed both values.

The embroideries were so beautiful and compelling on their own that I was stumped for quite a while as to how to incorporate them into a project. Eventually I decided to make them the focal points of these pillows and surround them in a loose log-cabin style series of strips. I wanted, however, to add some text to the pillows because I felt that the embroideries had more of an overt story to tell and that it would be obscured by pretty pictures and colors. So, I went on the internet and found two African sayings that I felt rung true to the spirit in which these embroideries were made. The two proverbs were: "The Pillar of the Earth is Hope and "Knowledge is Better than Riches". How beautiful and deeply meaningful are those ideals?
Using my favorite transfer paper, I wrote both phrases on my fabric and free-motion machine quilted the text, then crafted both quilted tops into pillows with zippered backings.
Now that the magazine is out on the stands, the original pillows have made their way back to me and I think they look perfect on my couch.

Pretty cool story, huh, bro?

For the Love of Lotta

2011-11-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if you love free fabric. How about beautiful free fabric? Yeah, I thought so.
One of the cool things about going to Quilt Market and attending the Schoolhouse presentations is the stuff they give away. Sometimes it's a sneak peek at a new book or a free pattern and sometimes, and best of all, it's free fabric.
That's exacty what Lotta Jansdotter gave away to promote her new line, Echo, for Windham Fabrics. And, I'm here to tell you, the stuff is seriously beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I couldn't wait to come home and make something with the charm pack of samples I got.
Initially, in adherence with my selfish sewer philosophy, I thought to use the fabric to make a pair of new pillows for my new sofa(more info about that when I do actually make pillows for said sofa).
But, on further contemplation and because a baby shower was quickly approaching and I was sans a handmade gift, I decided to use the fabric as part of a baby quilt for one of my lovely and talented co-workers at Stitch Lab.

I apologize for the work-in-progress photos. I just didn't have a chance to take a picture of the finished quilt, but I can guarantee you that Lotta's fabrics made the top feel fresh and contemporary and fun.

A few of the sampler blocks were larger than the others because they came from a kit she handed out along with the charm packs. I wanted to use both, so I improvisationally pieced borders around some of the blocks to get them to fit together. I also added four corner blocks to the border muslin which may or may not be visible in the first photo.
The quilt was super-quick to piece and machine quilted from the center out to echo the above shape. The quilting really accentuated the organic nature of both that particular block and Lotta's fabrics in general.
Being a fabric designer myself and having my own line to promote, I feel a little weird gushing about these fabrics, but they are beautiful, fresh, and eminently useable. If I was on a desert island and could take only one collection with me other than my own, Lotta's would be it.

Finally, Full Views

2011-11-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

I wish I could count how many times I've finished a project that I desperately wanted to share with you all only to realize that I can't. So much of the time what I create has to be kept under wraps until somebody, somewhere gives me the green light to share it here. Well, this week I've gotten that green light regarding two projects that thus far I've only hinted at.
The first is a mini quilt that I showed detail images of a few posts back.

Like I mentioned in the original blog entry, this little quilt was designed for Cathy Gaubert's book, Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts: 24 Little Quilts to Piece, Stitch, and Love. I took this shot before I sent it off to Cathy months ago and have been holding on to it anxiously waiting for an opportunity to share this image.

The other full view is of the quilt I created as a free project to promote my fabric line, a stitch in color. Here too impatience got the better of me and I posted a few close-ups to get folks excited about the fabrics and quilt. Now that it has debuted at market I can show it off in its entirety.

By the way, for those of you who think this is a difficult-to-piece quilt with Y seams and finicky hexagons, I've got a little reveal for you: it's all triangles. The entire quilt is pieced in rows of two different triangle templates. One is an equilateral triangle and the other, meant for the edges and corners, is a right triangle. Easy peasy, people.

There you have it: the full monty, sorta....

This Little Piggy Went to Market

2011-11-01T08:38:00.000-06:00

...and here's a bit of what it looked like.


Part of my display in the Moda booth

See the cheater cloth tote on the floor? That has to be the #1 thing folks asked me about other than who was getting the fabulous upholstered chairs and ottoman that Moda had crafted for the booth.

I had such a wonderful response to the fabrics and met so many amazing people that, as a first time attendee, I can wholeheartedly recommend market to others considering making the trip.
It was a little weird to discover that Amy Butler is really tall and that Ty Pennington is not nearly as good-looking in person(sorry, Ty), but I walked away impressed and inspired and ready to design more fabric, quilts, and who-knows-what else.

a stitch in color :: twinkle mini quilt

2011-10-27T12:00:00.001-06:00

I love follow through. I'm not always able to attain it, but when I am, boy howdy, does it make me happy.
So, following through on yesterday's promise, I present these images:

The completed top sans quilting

All done!

a stitch in color overdyed

2011-10-26T10:38:00.000-06:00

It seems to be working.

I especially like the circles discharged and overdyed from the cheater cloth as the "stitching" that's printed on the fabric remains visible.

I've got another batch of these ready and am planning to assemble and quilt the mini quilt today. Good thing too as I'm leaving for market bright and early on Friday.
I hope to be back here tomorrow to show you the finished project.
In the meantime, check out this terrific piece the Darra Williamson, writer and editor extraordinaire, put together about me and a stitch in color. Thanks so much, Darra!

It's Not All Created Equal

2011-10-24T14:10:00.000-06:00

Those of you who've had this experience can attest to the fact that not all commercial fabrics are created equal. By that I'm not referring to their hand or base fiber or even inherent beauty. I'm talking about whether they can be manipulated through surface design techniques, especially discharging or bleaching.
You all might be familiar with my quilts that focus on a singular shibori technique to create patterning. Quilts like this and this. Well, not every commercial fabric that I use works with this technique.
In short, this technique, itajime, uses clamped pieces of plexiglass to form a resist on the fabric's surface. Wherever the plexi comes in contact with the fabric, dye or bleach don't penetrate. This method works much of the time, but I have encountered commercial fabrics where the existing color didn't budge or, despite being cotton, the dye seemed to float off the surface. Considering how much I love this technique and I hoped that this resistance to surface manipulation would not be a characteristic of my new fabric, a stitch in color.
Well, you can all breathe a sigh of relief (assuming you were that worked up about it), I can vouch for the fact that discharging is definitely doable with these fabrics.

I haven't had a chance to over dye these, but usually discharging is more of an issue than over dyeing, so I'm confident all will be well.
My plan is to make a twinkle mini quilt like the one I linked to for Quilt Market this weekend. I'm going to need a few more clamps to expedite the process, but I don't think it's too lofty a goal.
I'll keep you posted.

Pretty in Patchwork :: Doll Quilts

2011-10-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

One of the best parts of what I do is having the opportunity to design for other people's books. It's great on several levels. First, I get to meet and interact with a lot of fun, interesting people. Also, I'm usually asked to design within certain parameters and that, for me, actually facilitates the creative process. And, finally, other than financial compensation, I almost always get a complimentary copy of the book which allows me to enjoy the work of the author and the other designers.
The book I'm featuring today is no exception.

Pretty in Patchwork Doll Quilts: 24 Little Quilts to Piece, Stitch, and Love by Cathy Gaubert definitely allowed me to indulge in all the things I love about design work.
For those who don't know Cathy and seeing as this is the internet, there might be one or two of you, she is a person of intense, infectious enthusiasm. From the very first email, I couldn't help but get caught up in her excitement about the book and I think that energy shows in the designs represented and the fun, accessible way the text is presented.
My contribution to the book was, obviously, a mini quilt using hexagons and a favorite piecing technique called Y seaming. The book doesn't officially release until November 1, so I've limited my images to details rather than full views.

I've called this little quilt the Cupcake Quilt as it's kind of related to this design. The finished quilt, made according to the instructions, measures 27" x 23 3/4", but, since it's made in blocks, expanding or shrinking the size of your piece is easy.
As always, I'm excited to see how you all will interpret this design, so, if you happen to make this quilt, please send me an email with an image of your quilt.

a stitch in color preview project #8: Sukkah Chain

2011-10-14T10:03:00.001-06:00

I know some of you are scratching your heads and wondering what is a Sukkah and why would I make a chain for it. Rather than answer those questions directly because, hey, I'm nothing if not a little lazy, I'll direct you here.
Today I'm featuring another project using my new line of fabrics, a stitch in color, but I'm particularly proud of this project as it combines two significant things in my life and produces something semi-useful.
Every year I build a sukkah. And, by build, I mean that I get some nice, helpful guy to construct it for me. Nonetheless, it is a presence in my life every year at this time in the Jewish calender. Every year I decorate my sukkah in some way. One year I put up all the drawings my kids had made in the past year. Of course that year it rained a lot, so I didn't do that again. Some years I hang paper chains or gourds. It all depends on my mood and how much time I want to devote to it. This year I strung a lot of lights (thanks to the assortment of Christmas lights already available at Target) and made these:

Yup. Those are fabric chains made out of a huge box of leftover strips of a stitch in color that Moda sent me. I haven't even begun to make a dent in the strips(potential future giveaway?), but I did use them to craft these chains.

Aren't they pretty?
I did have some help in making and hanging the chains from my buddies, Adam and Josh, so thanks guys!
To all my fellow sukkot celebrants, I wish you a chag sameach and to everyone else, have a fabulous weekend!

I'm Back...

2011-10-12T13:56:00.000-06:00

This, of course assumes you wondered where I was. I hadn't planned on taking a break from blogging, but between regular life and the myriad of Jewish holidays that fall this time of year...I did.
Anyhoo, I'm back and I have a project to share as well as some information for you local folks who might like to join me in a class or two.
As some of you know, I teach classes in a variety of sewing topics over at Stitch Lab. I've actually taken a break this past September and October from teaching so I could focus on getting ready for Quilt Market, but new classes start up in November and I have some new offerings.
So, in prepping for these new classes, I've had the opportunity to re-make a few much-loved designs, including this one:

This is another version of the Fish Baby Log Cabin quilt that I shared with you as well as folks over at Sew, Mama, Sew. The original has long since gone to it's recipient who is now about 3 months old and seriously cute with or without the quilt.
The version featured here is headed to Stitch Lab to help promote the class and hopefully get some of you locals inspired to make this easy, quick project along with me.
For a complete listing of the offerings at Stitch lab, click here.

a stitch in color preview project #7 or what to do with a jelly roll...

2011-09-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

...other than eat it. And, actually I'm not talking about that kind of jelly roll, though just the thought is making me hungry. I mean the kind that Moda fabrics creates by packaging 2 1/2" x 44" lengths of entire fabric collections into a single spiraled fabric confection. I wanted to come up with a project that utilizes a jelly roll and doesn't require a lot of extra trimming.
I cogitated about this for a while and then ended up adapting my Strips and Bricks pattern to this purpose.

The original pattern has the pieces measuring a bit wider, but I used the 2 1/2" widths with the same lengths as the original to create my strips and bricks. I also adapted the color scheme so that it was more like this version rather than the original.

Like both previous versions I free motion quilted the top in straight lines about 1/4" apart and bound the edges so that the binding matched the outer edge of the quilt.
There you have it, a project that utilizes the tasty jelly roll. Unlike the edible version, certainly true when I'm eating one, this incarnation includes are a few leftover jelly roll bits.

Sew Wild by Alisa Burke Blog Tour

2011-09-22T11:06:00.001-06:00

I am super excited to be part of Alisa Burke's blog tour to promote her amazing new book, Sew Wild. I actually met Alisa in Cleveland a couple of years ago when we were both there to tape segments and workshop DVDs for Quilting Arts TV and Interweave Press. I remember seeing her work laid out on a table ready to be taken over to the taping studio. It was energetic, raw, colorful, and full of surprises. I was instantly drawn to it.
Now, lucky for us, she's written a book detailing her many techniques, her work and design philosophy, and how she finds inspiration. Plus, the book has scads of wonderful projects that you'll really want to make.

Hey, did you notice that note in the bottom left-hand corner? This book includes a bonus, instructional DVD.
This book is visually beautiful, well-illustrated, and chock full of inspiration, but I think one of the most important statements in the book is found in the introduction. There Alisa writes,

I want to break down the stigma that often goes along with sewing—that it’s scary, that there are rules to follow, that you have to be technical and always use a pattern. Instead I want to encourage you to experiment, find your style, embrace mistakes, be messy, let loose, and explore.

Oh my, that philosophy speaks to me and, I think to a lot of folks who create.
But, Alisa doesn't just send you out there without lots of information. There is everything from standard sewing techniques to sewing with alternative materials to an extensive, and I mean extensive, surface design techniques section. And, these aren't techniques that you need an amazing, jam-packed full of materials studio to re-create. These are simple, doable, yet striking techniques that can transform your fabric and give you a palette of materials to work with. I especially love her take on incorporating text into surface design and stitching.
Plus, once you've played with patterning fabric, Alisa has designed fun projects for you to craft that fabric into. Everything from quilts to pillows to cuffs, scarves, hats, and more. I mean it...much, much more.
You know what I think you should do? I think you should go here or here and order yourself a copy.
I don't think you'll be disappointed. Also, don't be surprised if you see me post a project or two inspired by this book, cuffs, maybe or a tote decorated with fused plastic. Just sayin.

Winners and a Big, Big Bag

2011-09-21T13:34:00.000-06:00

Thanks everyone for your fu, and fabulous comments about the place mats. The all knowing, all seeing, powers at Random.org have chosen our winners.
They are:

Josée said...

I love those magazines from Interweave. Such a great inspiration. Cute placemats!

and

mali said...

The aging hippie in me loves the flower power placemats - I can see myself making some of those for my crew.

If y'all will email me at malka@stitchindye.com and give me your address, I'll get your magazines to you faster than you can sing "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius..."

Now onto the Big, Big Bag. Actually, I really wanted to call it the Big Ass Big (which, technically I just did), but thought I should try to keep this post as "G" rated as possible.

Anyway, here it is:

This bag is big, really big and so beautiful. I can say that without being too immodest because I didn't make it. The folks at Moda had a bunch of them made to give to their sales reps. They feature my a stitch in color cheater cloth. I got mine from a nice rep I met last week who sweetly gave me his. So, I'm sharing it with you all.

It is so generously sized. I can't wait to stuff it full of all my essentials and a bunch of other crap and carry it proudly at Quilt Market.

Flower Power Giveaway

2011-09-19T10:41:00.000-06:00

For the record: I'm not actually giving away any flower power or any other kind of power. I'm giving away magazines. Not selling them like those kids who go door-to-door trying to get you to buy subscriptions so that they can win a fabulous trip to Europe. I'm giving these away.

I've got a project featured in the current issue of Quilting Arts Gifts and the lovely folks at Interweave Press sent me a couple extra copies. Though I have two eyes, I use them simultaneously to read, so I actually only need one copy. Thus I'm giving away the extras.

My project is a pair of groovy, shaped place mats called the Flower Power Place Mats. They're amazingly easy to make and super fun to use or, if you're the altruistic kind, give away.

They're also great stash buster projects as you can mix different prints and solids in each place mat.
This is the kind of project that makes you smile while making and the recipient smile in receiving. A real win-win situation.
So, if you'd like a chance to win one of the two copies of Quilting Arts Gifts which includes this project, scores of other fun, easy projects, and even some recipes, leave a comment at the end of this post.
I'll be back on Wednesday to announce the winners.

a stitch in color :: preview project #6.5

2011-09-15T10:07:00.000-06:00

OK. I was wrong. The last project was actually #6. I hope I didn't confuse anyone. Today's project is not quite done as I have an appointment with a long arm machine tomorrow to do the quilting, but I'm so happy with how the top has turned out that I'm posting about it anyway.
I showed y'all sneak peeks of this large quilt last week, but now the top is entirely assembled and ready (sorta) for prime time.

This is one large quilt. It's decidedly longer than a full size bed and plenty wide. I don't know what the exact size is because I haven't measured it, but I hope that quilted and hung, it will make an impact from a distance and draw folks into the booth at Market.

As I mentioned the other day, I've done this large scale kind of block before, but the drama of these super sized tops never fails to wow me. Sometimes I think that there's probably not a traditional block around that couldn't be made more contemporary and graphic by simply radically enlarging it.

And with blocks this big, piecing is so quick and easy. Imagine a full size quilt top that can be pieced and sewn in an afternoon...sweet. Factor in a day spent long arm quilting (on a rented machine) and you've got a large, bed-sized quilt that could be made in a weekend. This could actually be a last-minute gift to give to a new couple or as a housewarming present.
As for this version...hmmm...I think I'll keep it.

a stitch in color :: preview project #5

2011-09-13T11:18:00.000-06:00

At least I think it's #5. I'm working on a new computer and nothing automatically comes up. I was just browsing Amazon when I realized that I was being asked to sign in because the page doesn't recognize me from this computer. I feel strangely anonymous.
Thank goodness I'm not anonymous to you all. At least I hope not.
Anonymity or not, I've got another a stitch in color project to show off today.

I've made this simple pillow design numerous times with my hand dyed fabrics and thought it would be fun to recreate.

Once again, I was blown away by the intensity of color and the similarity to the original hand dyes that the folks at Moda managed to get into these commercial prints.

I also love that this line has so many prints in it. I love mixing different colors and patterns together (probably not a huge revelation there) and I feel like I've got so many options. It's definitely the way I like to work.

For those of you who've emailed me and asked about the public release of these fabrics: they will be available in stores and online in January of 2012. All the projects that I have and will show are destined for Quilt Market in Houston at the end of October. That's when the official industry-wide preview happens.
I'll fill you all in on a little secret: I'm super excited to work with these fabrics, but I'm even more excited to see what you all make with them. I know I"ll be amazed.

Eryn's Quilt

2011-09-09T14:34:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Eryn asked me to make a quilt for her soon-to-be niece or nephew's room. Initially she requested a quilt design similar to this quilt, but ultimately decided she preferred something more like a traditional pinwheel design. Me being me and, let's face it, she knew that going in, I opted to use the pinwheel concept more as a jumping off point than as an actual design.

I improvisationally crafted the half-triangle squares that make up the four-patch of the pinwheel block and then added bits of fabric as needed to make block parts as well as whole blocks fit together.

Eryn provided much of the fabric, especially the greens, and I added in a few solids as well as some of the strike offs from my new line that didn't make the final cut. The initial set of strike offs that came to me probably included 100 different colorways and I was asked to whittle that down to 40 prints and solids. That means there were quite a few terrific fabrics that had to be deleted. The folks at Moda were nice enough though to send me those strike offs and I'm excited to include them in some of my projects.

I finished off this mini quilt with a bit of machine quilting in a large concentric spiral. It's really a super-simple concept done just little differently.
Eryn has already picked up her quilt, thus this post, and seems pretty happy with the finished product. Me too. I'm pretty happy with it too.

What a week!

2011-09-07T08:54:00.000-06:00

I wish that title applied to a whirlwind week spent in Paris or Rome, but it doesn't. I have so missed being in this space, posting to flickr, and just generally being a part of our wonderful, little internet community. Why? Because some mean, mean person thought that it would be OK to break in and steal the very modes of communication and expression I use to be in this community.
It happened about 10 days ago. I woke up early in the morning to discover my back door wide open. I'm not talking about just unlocked, I mean the dude/dudette didn't even have the courtesy to close the door behind them as he/she made off with my computer, camera, and purse. How very rude!
This obviously necessitated a visit by a pair of Austin's finest and a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles as well as a mad scramble to cancel credit cards. Ironically, I got an email later that evening from a neighbor letting me know that she'd found my wallet and much of the contents of my purse including the extra tampon that every self-respecting woman carries. I guess he (and I say he now because if it was a she surely she would have at least grabbed that spare tampon) was looking for cash and, having found little to none, simply discarded my wallet. I'll fill you all in on a little secret: there was cash in the wallet. In one of the outside pockets, I carry my lucky $2 bill. I got it as change several months ago and decided to keep it as a good luck charm. That's practically the first thing I checked and happily my lucky $2 bill is still with me.
What I no longer had was my own computer and my much loved Nikon D80. I solved the camera problem relatively quickly thanks to Amazon and my new computer arrives tomorrow. Today, I'm still on my daughter's, but I already feel a new equilibrium as my buddy, Lee, installed some photo processing software on her computer and now I can bring you these:

As we all know, nothing is more therapeutic than crafting, so, because it soothes me and because I have a deadline, I've been plugging away at the samples I'm making for Moda's booth at Quilt Market.
This is another version of my Shoo-fly Supersize quilt made with my a stitch in color fabrics.
Ahh...that's so much better. I'm glad to be back amongst y'all.

a stitch in color :: preview project #5 + baked goods

2011-08-23T14:48:00.000-06:00

One of the great things about designing for Moda Fabrics is all the cute ways they package their fabrics. It's a smorgasbord of packaging possibilities: layer cakes, jelly rolls, fat quarter, fat eighth, and charm packs. I think packaging a collection in a variety of ways is more than just a marketing tool; it's a way to re-imagine a group of fabrics in a new and creative way.
The other day I had the opportunity to start re-imagining a project or two when I received yet another lovely box from Moda.

This time the box was overflowing with my a stitch in color fabrics packaged in Moda's distinctive style. I'm thinking that the pre-cut strips in the jelly rolls would be perfect for a new version of this quilt.
I'm going to have to wait a few days before I really start playing with my Moda pre-cuts as I'm heading off tomorrow to teach my Improvisational Piecing class at CREATE in Chicago. For those playing along in the ever-popular Texas summer game, "how hot are we," I would note that the high in Chicago on Wednesday is predicted to be 90 degrees followed by a high of 80 degrees on Thursday while the highs here tomorrow and Thursday are 103 degrees. I wasn't planning on going running in Chicago, but I don't know if I can pass up a 67 degree low.
Another thing I couldn't pass up was remaking my Tuesday pillow, the featured project in my Improvisational Piecing class, in my a stitch in color fabrics.

That means the the folks in my class on Thursday will be the first to get to see these fabrics in person. I hope they like them.

a stitch in color :: preview project #4

2011-08-18T10:49:00.000-06:00

I actually have two projects to preview, but my skirt model isn't available, so we'll have to go with stuff I can shoot sans human assistance.
Today's project is brought via the amazing bag patterns that Keyka Lou offers. I'd definitely recommend checking out her selection of downloadable PDF patterns for everything from wee little clutches to messenger bags. The patterns are well written and organized and include plenty of illustrations.
I've made her easy envelope clutch in the past, so I thought I'd give it another go this time with some of my a stitch in color cottons.
I made three versions of this clutch, all in about 3 hours.

My first version was pretty true to the pattern. I chose a focus fabric and a lining fabric, added interfacing and batting as well as a button from my stash and in about 30 minutes it was done.

My second attempt was a bit more complicated. I decided to quilt the exterior fabric and to finish the edges of the clutch with bias binding. it obviously took a little longer and created a slightly larger finished product.

I love the way the button mimics the circular motion of the swirls in the fabric and quilting.

Finally, I made the mini envelope clutch. It's essentially the same pattern, but smaller and therefore all the cuter.

Look closely at the face on the button of the mini clutch. Who could that be, I wonder?

Winners in Macro

2011-08-10T13:33:00.000-06:00

Actually, I think the winners will be life size, but all my images, none of which have anything to do with the winners or their winnings are in macro. Why? Because my middle daughter went to San Francisco with her dad, asked to borrow the other DSLR and wanted my go-to lens. So, there you have it, it's magically become a week of macro images. This is especially poignant because I'm heading to the beach this weekend. So, I guess all my images will be really close up. We'll see how that goes.
Anyway, first let's annonce the winners of the Fancy Schmancy Tutorial giveaway.
They are:

Gill. She said:
Some great flowers!
I'd love to make some to decorate my bags!

Karen, who commented:
These flowers would work beautifully in colors to match a bride's colors. Nestled in the fabric of a reception tablescape or adorning shower gifts. They could also be used as favors at a shower.

Spontaneous Threads:
I'd put them on a simple wristlet. Then you could change them depending on how you were feeling or where you were going.

Debbie:
These flowers are super cute! I have five granddaughters that would wear these cute flowers in their hair. What a fabulous giveaway! Thank you!
I also think these would embellish candle stick holders, or maybe smaller ones for flip flops, gosh I ideas are endless!
I was wowed by all your creative suggestions and maybe Jeni will use some of them to style her flowers in the future. If you lucky four would kindly email me (malka@stitchindye.com), I'll pass that info on to Jeni and she will have your tutorials to you way faster than the mercury will dip below 100 degrees in these parts.

As for my images, they're a mishmash of pictures I've taken over the last couple days. I've been steadily working on projects with my new a stitch in color fabrics and, because apparently I don't have enough fiber-related activity in my life finishing up a shawl.
My latest project with the fabrics is a remake of my Tuesday pillow, featured on the cover of the Spring 2009 issue of Stitch.

I use that project as the one of the foundation projects for my Improvisational Piecing class and I'm off to Chicago in a couple weeks to teach that workshop, so voila, more sewing with my fabric combined with demo item for my class. I so love efficiency.

The shawl I made is the Homin Shawl by Gudrun Johnston. I made it in a Shibui sock weight merino . The color way was called wasabi(great name and even better condiment). I can't say enough good things about this pattern. It wasn't easy to make, but not because of lack of clarity in the instructions. They really guided you every step of the way. It's just that this type of knitting requires your absolute attention, but the finished product is so worth it.
OK, that's it for now. I'll be back next week, hopefully with some finished beach knitting, sans the sand and full views of finished projects.

Sponsor Intro and Giveaway::Fancy Schmancy Tutorials

2011-08-05T12:23:00.000-06:00

As promised I'm back today with a new sponsor and fabulous giveaway.
Jeni is the proprietress of Fancy Schmancy Tutorials, a terrific little Etsy store where she sells oodles of amazing, no-sew tutorials for all manner of flower embellishments.

Her inspiration for creating these tutorials came from a desire for more different kinds of hair accessories and bows for her own little girls.

Though I love the idea of these as accents in a little girl's hair, I can also definitely envision these little fabric gems as terrific embellishments for a cardigan or dress and a way to use a small amount of a much-loved fabric.

Jeni has sent me several of these tutorials and they are super thorough, well-illustrated, and include suggestions for using your beautiful fabric creation. Plus she's got loads of different tutorials, so there's something for almost any occasion. Did I also mention that many of the finished flowers are modeled on some seriously cute kids? That alone is worth browsing her store.
Are you psyched to check out Fancy Schmancy Tutorials? Here's a wee bit more enticement. Jeni is giving away 4 tutorials to 4 lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment here. Tell me about what you could envision embellishing with a lovely, handcrafted flower or who you might make one these petaled beauties for. I'll take comments through the weekend and announce the winner on Monday.
Have a great and hopefully crafty weekend!

a stitch in color :: preview project #3

2011-08-04T15:44:00.000-06:00

OK, not the preview project and giveaway I'd promised on Tuesday. That will most definitely be happening tomorrow, but I got swept away with excitement and had to post about this. One caveat though: I'm not showing any full views because the pattern for the project will be available, for free, via the Moda site later in the fall.
Perhaps a little back story is in order. I have a looming deadline for a project and instructions to be available for you fine folks to make with my fabric line come this fall. The deadline is this coming Monday, August 8. The quilt is now finished and ready to go to Moda world headquarters in lovely and sweltering Dallas, Texas, but I can't help myself, I have to share even a bit of it with you.

As often happens to me when I design a pattern, I have several alternate ideas that I'd like to play with. This quilt is baby quilt sized, but, in my head, I see at as full sized bed quilt. Also, I can imagine playing with the striped fabrics differently to accentuate or draw out some different shapes. I love that idea of a multiplicity of patterns, some overt and others subtle, appearing on the same surface. So, for those of you coming to Quilt Market, don't be surprised if, alongside this little quilt, you see at least one other larger one that utilizes many of the same fabrics, but (hopefully) reads very differently. And, if you don't come to market, no worries, everything will make its way here to my little corner of the internet.
See you tomorrow for the sponsor intro and giveaway!

a stitch in color :: preview project #2

2011-08-02T12:18:00.001-06:00

How long did you think it was going to take me to make a garment with my new fabric? I love sewing clothes, especially for myself, so making something to wear with these fabrics was definitely on the short list of to-dos.
Like the Shoo-Fly pillow, I used a tried and true pattern and I am super happy with the results.

That's not me modeling the dress, but my 17-year old. She's pretty cute, huh?

There are four women/teenagers living at my house and we all wear the same size, but I'm the shortest of the bunch, so this dress isn't quite as mini on my 5' 3" frame as it is on her 5' 9" frame.

I'm planning on making a fabric flower to adorn this dress using a tutorial from my newest sponsor, Fancy Schmancy Tutorials. Look for that this Thursday and get your fingers ready to comment on that post as Jeni is giving away four tutorials to four lucky winners.

a stitch in color :: preview project #1

2011-07-29T09:29:00.001-06:00

I'd like to dedicate this post to the concept that everything takes twice as long to finish as you think it will. It always seems to work that way, yet I'm strangely also always astounded that whatever the task was took longer to accomplish than I thought it would.
In my own defense or rather in defense of my sense that I work quickly, I did change my mind three times regarding what my first project with my new fabrics would be. So, maybe I'm not that slow, just terribly fickle.
Anyway, personal quirks aside, I have finished my first project using my a stitch in color fabrics.

I decided to revisit a favorite pattern that I've made in the past using my hand dyed fabrics.

What amazes me about these fabrics is how much they look like the hand dyed originals I used as my "sketches".

I don't know how other fabric companies work, but I came to my meeting with Moda with a whole bunch of hand dyed cottons as my designs and that's what they sent off for the mill to work from.

Maybe having the original fabrics as a guide helped, maybe not, but these fabrics look amazingly like the originals.

Proof positive is that my first project using a stitch in color, the Shoo-fly Pillow, looks right at home with some of the projects I made for Fresh Quilting which include several of my hand dyes.

I like that pillow there. Maybe it should live there until it's Quilt Market time?

a stitch in color :: preview

2011-07-25T08:08:00.001-06:00

Guess what came to my house last Friday? In two BIG boxes. Boxes so heavy I had to get help bringing them in from the porch.
This:

This is my soon-to-be-released fabric line, a stitch in color. People, we're talking 34 different prints and 6 coordinating solids.

Moda Fabrics sent me 5 yards of each solid and print so that I can start making samples for Quilt Market this fall. I'll be there, along with my samples, some of which may be of the wearing variety, to help promote a stitch in color.

I'm also planning to craft several quilts, new designs as well as remakes of previous designs, and various home dec and accessories all to highlight this beautiful fabric.

For you super-enthusiastic people who will ask me, "Where can I buy these fabrics?" I must respond with, "Hold your presser feet, the fabrics aren't out in stores...yet." They'll preview at Quilt Market in Houston at the end of October and be available in stores and online early in 2012. Until then though, I have been given the go-ahead to preview some of my a stitch in color creations here on my humble, little blog. So, if you want to see what I'm making with this totally fab fabric, check back here, especially this Thursday for my first project.

Any guesses as to what I'll make first?

Also, can you imagine how fabulous it is for a sewer to have this much fabric delivered in one swoop to her house? Could I possibly be a little fabric inebriated?

Mini Quilt Monday...

2011-07-19T13:43:00.000-06:00

...on Tuesday.

Inspired by this photo.

Winner and More

2011-07-15T15:41:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner:
Sheetal said...what a fun cozy and a great tutorial Malka! I think this is going to make a great hostess gift for my coffee loving friends...
Yay!
Sheetal, if you would please email me, I'll pass your info onto Tammy and we'll get your gift certificate to you faster than you can fry an egg on your dashboard here in Texas where it has been over 100 degrees almost everyday for 6 weeks. That's pretty darn fast.
As for the more, how about some new little lovelies for my store.

Here's wishing you a super-fabulous weekend!

Keeping it Warm

2011-07-12T13:07:00.004-06:00

I've had to take a day off from my usual fare of French Press coffee because I drove to Huntsville, Texas yesterday to speak to the Tall Pines Quilt Guild. I'd never driven down some of the smaller country roads that lead to Huntsville and I totally loved it. It made the drive so much more fun. Who knew that there was a monastery outside of Navasota or that old town Brenham was so charming? Not me, but I know now and I'm recommending the sights along Highway 105 and Highway 30 to my fellow Texans.
I'm back now and ready for the coffee cozie/fabric giveaway extravaganza, so let's get started.

French Press Coffee Cozie:
Finished size: 12 1/2" x 5 1/2"

Materials:
Fabrics:
5 fat eighths of cotton solids and prints for top
1 fat eighth of cotton solid or print for backing

Other Supplies:
Rotary cutter
Self-healing mat
3 1/4" triangle template (found here) Edited to add: I've fixed the link for the template.
Paper scissors
Pins
Iron
Coordinating machine sewing thread
Quilter's clear acrylic ruler
Covered elastic ponytail holder
Cotton batting at measuring 12 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Sewing scissors
2 large buttons (about 1")
Hand sewing needle
Coordinating hand sewing thread
Fabric marker or pencil

Creating the Patchwork:
Note: All seam allowances are 1/4". Unless otherwise noted, press all seams to one side, alternating sides where seams intersect.
1. Print paper template.
2. Using paper scissors, cut out paper template.
3. Using template, cut 22 triangles from prints and solids intended for top.
4. Working with one pair of triangles, pin triangles right sides together, along one long edge.
5. Sew together. Press seam.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to create 5 pairs of sewn triangles.
7. Pin and sew pairs together, one at a time, to create a sewn row of 10 triangles.
8. Pin and sew an additional triangle to one end of triangle row.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 to create a second row of sewn triangles.

10. Pin rows, right sides together, along common edge.
11. Sew together. Press seam open.

12. Using a quilter's clear ruler, square short edges.

Finishing the Cozie:
1. Cut ponytail holder in half.
2. Machine baste ponytail holders so that raw edges of holders are flush and evenly spaced along one short edge of patchwork.

3. Cut backing fabric to top measurements.
4. Working on a flat surface, layer batting, top, right side facing up, and backing, wrong side facing up.
5. Pin together.
6. Maintaining a 1/4" seam allowance, stitch around perimeter of cozie, leaving a 6" unsewn gap. Trim corners.

7. Turn cozie right side out so that batting is sandwiched by top and backing and right side of backing faces out.
8. Turn under 1/4" seam allowance at gap and hand sew gap closed.
9. Mark placement of buttons and hand sew in place.

There you have it. Keep your coffee or hot water warm in style.
If you read my previous post then you know that Tammy of Marmalade Fabrics provided the beautiful material for my version of the French Press Cozie and because she's a lovely person and a terrific online vendor, she wants to provide one of you with the fabric needed to make this cozie. To that end, she's giving away a $20 gift certificate good for any of the luscious fabrics available at Marmalade. I think y'all know what needs to be done, but, just in case you don't, leave a comment and I'll put your name in the pot for the gift certificate drawing.

In Praise of Coffee

2011-07-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

Can you smell those coffee beans? No? Take a deeper whiff and try again.
I fancy myself a bit of a coffee aficionado. I love a good cup, am an avid fan of the way coffee smells and even think the beans are kinda, sorta pretty. I'm not as bad as a local coffeehouse I go to where the "expert" behind the counter can wax on and on about the subtle, fruity notes of the latest Bosnian shade grown blend, but I love coffee.
Lately, I've been loving it in a new way. I purchased a French Press and I am smitten. I adore the flavor, the small quantities you can make so there's no waste, and the anticipation of waiting until the coffee has steeped and I can depress the plunger/filter. I even like the action and sound of plunging the filter.
Me being me, one of my first thoughts about my new French press was what could I craft to adorn it?

How about a sweet, little cozie to keep my precious java warm to the last drop?
And what makes a newly crafted item all the more enjoyable? Sharing it with friends, of course. So, to facilitate that I'm brewing up(cute, huh?) a tutorial and giveaway for this cozie. Check back here in a couple days for all the details and a chance to win some fabric courtesy of the, I'm sure, coffee-loving Tammy at Marmalade Fabrics.