Officially a Craftsy Designer!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

Woo hoo!!

A couple months ago I submitted a design for the Red, White, and Free collection by Sandy Gervais for Moda. To my surprise and delight, it was accepted and I was able to turn it into a pattern. The nice people over at Craftsy liked it and turned it into a quilt kit! WOW!!

Presenting Celebrate Old Glory!

Celebrate Old Glory

I love how it turned out! All those stars and squares swirling around! The fabric was a lot of fun to work with too! Vibrant colors, and fun prints that didn’t overwhelm each other. I really like the flag print on the back, don’t you?

I quilted it using an all over meandering swirl. I chose a taupe thread, which blended nicely with the fabrics and let them take center stage. The binding is actually a panel that I cut on the diagonal. It made for an interesting binding that didn’t overwhelm the quilt.

I am really over the moon about this quilt! You can get your kit here. It is an intermediate quilt, but if you are a confident beginner and take your time, I think you will be just fine! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @staceyinstitches and upload a picture of your finished quilt to my Flickr group, Stacey Day Quilts!

Thank you!

Happy Stitching!

19Nov2014

The Reclaimed West Blog Tour Winner Announced!

Posted in Blogathon, Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

A huge thank you to everyone who visited for The Reclaimed West Blog Tour.

I wanted to reply to everyone’s comments, thank you all so much for your kind and encouraging words! I drew the winner of my free pattern, and the lucky number is……#25! Beezus, who said “Congratulations Stacey”. Yay!

Welcome all to my day on the Reclaimed West Blog Tour. ( If you are here for the Blogathon Canada tour and giveaway, click here after reading all about this wonderful tour and entering this giveaway, and if not, check out both for some great fun!!) You can find all the tour dates and blogs here on the Timeless Treasures blog. They are a super group of very talented ladies, so check them out!

I cannot even begin to describe my feelings to you all, having a design chosen as part of The Reclaimed West Tour. So a little back story might be in order.

I own almost every Judy Niemeyer pattern there is. She is one of my biggest influences, and it shows constantly in my work. I have made her Amazon Star in three sizes, 18″, 40″, and the full 104″. My Sapphire Star quilt, made from her Glacier Star pattern, has been juried into multiple shows across North America and even took home a ribbon from the Canadian Quilters Association. I have a private running challenge with my Grandma over who is going to finish her Pepper Dish first, and I was even able to provide an extra copy of Birds of Paradise to someone after the call went out on Quiltworx Facebook page. I love Judy and Judels work, and will even get up extra super early on sale days just to get the latest patterns.

Being a part of the launch of her new fabric line, The Reclaimed West, is a huge deal for me. Understatement of the year maybe….

I could ramble on and on about how beautiful the fabric is, the richness of the colors, the striking prints (only Judy and Judel could romanticize cows to the point where I would willingly sew with them), and the soft silk feeling of rolling around in a pile of…I mean…sewing with the fabrics. Instead I will show you with the introduction of my new pattern:

Star of the West

When I saw that Timeless Treasures was looking for submissions for the line, I fell out of my chair and immediately got to work playing. I knew that I wanted to do something to show the influence Judy had early on when I first started quilting, but at the same time keep true to the aesthetic that has evolved into my own style. So I started playing with the layouts and negative space. And playing…and playing… and playing.

I realized I was over-thinking things, and settled on a simple feathered star block. Then I found a color layout that I loved, and added the geese border. I wanted to reclaim that old favorite of mine, the lone star and flying geese, by adding some negative space and drawing out a little modern in the overall design. I created something that I loved, and sent it off with hope in my heart.

After I picked myself off the floor a second time, when I got the email saying my design had been accepted, I got to work drafting and writing. In true Judy style the quilt is foundation pieced. I love foundation piecing, it makes pointy points! Then the big day arrived with a box of fabric on my front step. I crawled on up and opened it and immediately started sewing.

I finished in record time (for me) and then I was stumped. How to quilt it? The finished size is 64″x 64″, not unmanageable on my machine. But I was stuck. I simply could not decide. I definitely wanted to pay tribute to the beautiful quilting found on all of Judy’s quilts, but also wanted to keep within the modern traditional. Enter Ann Olson of Ann’s Quilt and Stuff. She took my top and turned it into a masterpiece. She delivered exactly what I was looking for, free motion triangle fillers, straight lines, and these amazing triangle feathers in a tribute to the gorgeous feather work found on an original Judy quilt. I cannot even begin to thank Ann enough.

From start to finish, this quilt has been an incredible journey for me. To be a part of the blog tour with all these amazing quilters (almost all of which are certified Quiltworx instructors or successful business owners, or both) has been a joy and a privilege.

Star of the West is available from my Craftsy shop. The pattern is a PDF download, full color diagrams and pictures. The foundations are included in the pattern, but require legal size paper (8 1/2″x 14″ paper) to print. I am also giving away one of my patterns to a lucky commenter today! Just leave a comment at the end of this post. I will draw the winner on Friday, November 21 at 8pm (the conclusion of the tour). Timeless Treasures is also giving away an awesome Reclaimed West prize package here! You get an entry a day. Just visit the blogs of the day and follow the link back to enter each day.

Thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share my quilt with you. Please visit again!

Happy Stitching,

11Nov2014

The Reclaimed West Blog Tour

Posted in Challenges and Giveaways, Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

I have been waiting patiently for MONTHS to post about this! I still have another week to go for the big reveal, but I am still super stoked!

This blog tour, running from November 17-21, is hosted by Timeless Treasures to celebrate the release of Judy & Judel Niemeyer’s first-ever fabric line, The Reclaimed West. This line is full of rich, saturated prints in a whole rainbow of colors.

My Day is the 19th, when I will be releasing my pattern for the collection. This whole process has been a dream come true for me, and I hope to one day meet Judy in person! But for now, fabric will do =)

There will be awesome giveaways on the Timeless Treasures Blog, and I will be giving away a PDF copy of my pattern right here! See you all next week!

Happy Stitching,

28Oct2014

Market Shares!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

No, not the stock market… *wink*

I am sure everyone and their ironing boards know that this weekend was Quilt Market. That bi-annual whirlwind trade show of quilts, patterns, and upcoming fabric lines. Instagram was full of pictures from designers, exhibitors and visitors alike, sharing the visual extravaganza that was Fall Quilt market. If you haven’t yet, check out #quiltmarket on any of your hashtag compatible programs to gasp in pleasure and delight at everything market had to offer this year. Oh yes, did I mention I have Instagram now? You can find me @staceyinstitches

From Succulents (@crimsontate and Windham Fabrics) to Elizabeth (@tulapink and Freespirit Fabrics) to Color Theory (@vchristenson and Moda Fabrics), the next 6 months of new fabrics is going to be AWESOME.

Like most of us, I was sitting at home during all the excitement, but Kim @iadorepattern, my good friend and the lovely designer behind Tidal Lace, was in attendance. She took the time to go booth hunting on my behalf. Because even though I wasn’t there in person, I was still represented by my work!

First up is the Rose Medallion Wallhanging

Rose Medallion for Lulu Roses Collection By Tanya Whelan for FreeSpirit

This beauty was made for Tanya Whelans upcoming collection, Lulu Roses. Because I live in a house full of boys I rarely make things that are pink and soft and pretty. I love this collection. That perfect mix of soft and feminine and modern. That raspberry red color is to dye for! What scraps I have left have already been claimed for a little girls dress. I would make myself a dress from the white and red rose print. Something retro with a flair skirt and sweetheart neckline, and a contrast waistband in the red. Tanya has a wrap skirt tutorial on her blog that I might have to make in my size!

Next was a pillow for Heather Baileys new line, Clementine, also from Freespirit Fabrics. There are a few snaps of this display on Instagram because of how pretty it was and its proximity to the FreeSpirit Selfie Board.

Garden Grows Pillow for Heather Baileys Clementine collection from FreeSpirit Fabrics

This line has a good mix of soft and bold colors, gorgeous prints and rich blenders. The green background is one of my favorite prints, and even more so when kiddo decided to “help mommy sew the broccoli fabric”. Apparently if you are 2 any green fabric with a flower is broccoli. I am very excited for the release of Heathers Owl Pincushion pattern in December. I love owls so much! My scraps are being carefully tucked away (ie: hoarded like a dragon) so I can make myself an owl or two….or five….

The last item is a quilt I made for Tula Pinks baby line, Bumble. I don’t have a photo of this one (that I can Share yet) but if you follow @freespirit or @tulapink or either hashtag there is a picture of the Bumble display, and my little baby Bumble quilt nicely folded and waiting for its big reveal (hint: the pattern will be free!)

There was so much going, I had a great time following along on IG, and finding/meeting new people to follow along with!

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

1Sep2014

241 Goodness

Posted in Finished Quilts, Other by StaceyinStitches

Welcome to the first day of September!!!

Last night I finally got the chance to sit down and make something for myself. I have been so busy lately I haven’t had time to even think of a personal project, let alone start. Somehow I found myself with about an hour of spare time around 10pm, and my wonderful husband told me if I wanted to sew all night he would get up with kiddo (who is a 6am waker!) So there I was with as many hours as I cared to have, and despite having 2 tops to baste and start quilting, I pulled out my 241 bag pattern from Noodlehead.

Now the 241 bag isn’t anything new. If anything it is becoming timeless. Many of the VMQGers have themselves a 241 bag or two (or ten if your Krista@Poppyprint) In fact it was Krista’s last 241 creation that inspired me to purchase the pattern. I LOVE that red feather print! But then the pattern just sat.

And sat……

And sat……..

Now I don’t feel so bad about the sitting, because I was able to do a little research into the small adjustments others have made, and why they made them. For example, I am quite tall, so I added an extra 3″ to the strap and it made just that little bit of difference of how it sits. If I had the hardware I would made an adjustable strap like Krista, but baby steps first!

I also enlarged the pieces 30%, because I like a large bag, and somehow it became a requirement for having a toddler. I went with the inside pocket as the only extra step, I will start adding exterior pockets when I find zippers and such. By crazy random happenstance the print lined up perfectly! Woot woot!!

Somehow I also ran out of interfacing, so there are 3 different types in here. The body is shape flex, the strap is a midweight non woven with some structure to it, and the side pockets are a sheerweight. Overall it worked well. The strap needs to be durable (again, toddler) and I wanted the side pockets to be flexible without bulk to make attaching them to the bag easier. It worked. They had just a little give, enough to ease them into the side panels perfectly. I like how the direction of the pocket print balances with the direction of the feathers =)

I used a Navy Sketch Basic from Timeless Treasures for the sides and strap, which perfectly complimented the Of a Feather print I have been hoarding from the Tsuru collection by Rashida Coleman-Hale. I have yards of it, and was going to use it for bindings, but the print cried out in happiness as I pulled it from my stash for this bag. That pretty coral scallop is a hard to find print from the Vintage Verona Collection by Emily Taylor Designs for Riley Blake. I used it for the lining as well, and the navy I used for the pocket lining. All about balance! Here are the runner up pulls for this bag. Some may still be made, i just need find more interfacing!

Nordika, Dots, and Sweet Serenade

Kona Bay meets PB&J

Lark and Linen

The bag has officially been christened: I found something that might have been yogurt on the top of the strap after I hung it on the back of the chair while I grabbed my camera. (10 seconds people, must be a new record!). In a few days I am sure it will start sprouting gummy snacks and little plastic airplanes, but for now I will enjoy having a bag all to myself!

Happy Stitching!!

14Aug2014

Featured!

Posted in Finished Quilts, Gallery, Other by StaceyinStitches

Alrighty! Enough Suspense for everyone =) A few months ago I was asked to make a quilt for a new fabric line, Tidal Lace by Kim Anderson of I Adore Pattern. Kim is a member of the QDAD group, and being asked to make a quilt for her was a thrill! I Had a lot of fun designing and playing with her fabrics. They are so soft, the colors are striking and rich, and the patterns are uniquely Kim. Today Kim and Tidal Lace were featured on Oliver+S blog. There is also a giveaway involved. My quilt, Down By The Sea, was featured in one of the images. It also happens to be the image used to feature the collection on the Windham Fabrics website AND in the email the company send out to retailer. How awesome is that?!

Down by the Sea

There is going to be a blog hop in September, where I will share a tutorial for a pillow and release the Down by the Sea pattern as the first for sale pattern for my new pattern company: Stacey Day Quilts. The quilt itself will have yardage and cutting included for multiple sizes, and the pillow will be a free tutorial utilizing the scraps from the quilt.

Tidal Lace will be available in stores in January, so keep your eyes peeled!

As always,
Happy Stitching!

28Jul2014

Hoffman Challenge 2014

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

My fingers went a little numb writing this.

Today the Hoffman Challenge released it travel lists and winners. I am over the moon to announce that my entry, Fossilized Gemstones, won 3rd place in the Pieced Category! woo-hoo!!

Fossilized Gemstones

The design was my QDAD design from May 9th, and it fit the challenge fabric perfectly. I fussy cut the printed fabric to get squares of teh background, which looks like fancy spiderweb-flower motif, andthen fussy cut a pair of the butterflies from the print. The finished quilt reminded me of a piece of amber with an insect embedded in it. Thus Fossilized Gemstones was named.

Butterfly centers

The quilting was done once again by the esteemed Joan Nicholson of Maple Leaf Quilters. She got exactly what I wanted! I wanted some ghost blocks on the corners and then lines radiating outwards from the edges, with some complimentary quilting in the gemstones.

Ghost Block

I used a nice tight 2″ double fold bias binding for the finished edge. I played with the idea of a facing, but in the end the binding gave the look I wanted.

I used mostly solids with the challenge fabric. I scoured the internet for that purple. I has a tiny amount in my stash and nothing else would do. It is a discontinued color from Freespirit called Mulberry Wine. Its the right amount of purple and grey with a warm base. I also used some Kona in Snow, Silver, Ash, and Smoke.

You can see the entire line up of award quilts, jewelry, dolls, and accessories here. Its well worth a look, a lot of beautiful items all travelling around the country in 2014. I am looking forward to the next Challenge Newsletter, it is rumored to have a sneak peek at the next challenge fabric!

Happy Stitching!

21May2014

The Secret is out!

Posted in Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

That’s right! That is MY quilt hanging in the Moda booth at quilt market!! Wheee!!!!

I recently got on doing work for a local fabric designer, Stephanie Carter. She owns Lily Ashbury Design Studio, and among other things, she designs fabrics for Moda. She designs the quilts and then I get to make a working pattern from her specs. Its a whole lot of fun for me, since this is what I went to school for too many years ago.

Little Cabin by Lily Ashbury Designs
Sewn by Stacey Day, Quilted by Joan Nicholson

Fancy is the second collection I have had the privileged of working with. It is slated for release this fall, and I know that Fat Quarter Shop will be carrying it. The main prints are absolutely stunning!! You can see the entire collection here on Moda’s website.

The first collection is being released this month. Called Folklore, it is a stunner of a collection in all beautiful shades of lime, teal, aqua, yellow and orange.

I wrote two patterns for this collection, the first being Dewdrop.

Dewdrop by Lily Ashbury Designs Written and Sewn by Stacey Day

The second quilt is called Sunshine Garden.

Sunshine Garden by Lily Ashbury Designs

The Folklore fabric and patterns will be soon be available at your local quilt shop and online. It is currently available for pre-order at:

FabricWorm

Butterfly Kisses Fabric

Winter Creek Cloth

Hamel’s Fabric

I am so happy I can finally share what I have been working on the last few months.

The little guy even had fun, since there was no shortage of stairs at the office!

Happy Stitching,

Stacey

If you are a fabric designer and are in need of a technical writer/sample maker please contact me at staceydayquilts (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

3May2014

April Showers

Posted in Challenges and Giveaways, Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

Bring May Flowers!!

Seriously people. Its been raining quilts at my house. And fabric. Its EVERYWHERE!!!

I have been working on some super secret projects that I am getting really excited about sharing. Things have also picked up at work, so at least April was kind enough to wave as it flew by.

I hit 60 days in QDAD on the first. That was a cool milestone for me. I can’t believe I have managed 2 designs a day for a whole 60 days. Mind you, not every one is a winner, or even really feasible as a quilt (4000 piece pixel quilt? Yeah, I don’t think so)

Not quite 4000 pieces, so doable?

But there are some very good designs that might just make it into pattern form. Pattern writing is something I am getting quite good at 😉

Pattern Anyone?

One finish I CAN share today is my Modern Metallic Challenge Quilt. I called it Ivy Garden. I love how this one turned out. I quilted it on Joan Nicholson’s long arm. SHe is a fantastic quilter, and rents out the back of Maybelline one you have taken her class. I used a curvy floral panto for the quilting that softens out all the pointy edges. This is a new favorite of mine that might end up as a Christmas gift for someone (she knows who she is and is squealing with delight as we speak lol)

Ivy Garden

I hope everyone has a Happy May! This month is going to be filled with quilts, weddings, and Quilt Market going ons.

Happy Stitching!

Stacey

12Mar2014

Exciting News!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

I still cannot believe I am writing this.

I have been staring at my inbox for an hour with mixed emotions. The common thread of these thoughts is a combinations of happy and incredulous.

Sherbert at the Beach, my Michael Miller Cotton Couture Challenge Quilt, won 1st place in the Modern Wall-hanging Category.

Sherbert at the Beach

I had intended to use this quilt as a beach quilt this summer. My grandma would probably throw something somewhat soft at me if I tried ( Have you ever been hit with a pair of rolled up socks? Yowch!)

I am so happy and speechless and excited. Thank you very much to the AQS judges!

You can see the best in show entries and all the winners here. The Best in Show is a stunner!

Happy Stitching!

Stacey