Well folks, its been quite a few months since our last conversation together. I won’t go on too much about the past year or so, I know we are all tired. Instead, I’ll catch everyone up on all the quilty happenings for the past year. There’s quite a bit to catch up on, where to start?
Well, as my favorite musical says “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”
I was born in a small town…..no? Not that far?
Oh, okay then! Let us travel back to November 2019.
I had just arrived home from the most amazing adventure, teaching on a Panama Canal Quilt Cruise! My best friend and sew-mate came with me and we had the trip of a lifetime. I taught the Anchors Away quilt, we ate and danced and sang (karaoke every night? you bet we did!) and sewed, made new friends and so many memories! I held a baby sloth (BABY SLOTH!!!!) It was absolutely everything I ever dreamed it could be. I simply love teaching, and being able to do so WHILE on a boat is something else entirely. When cruising gets back up and running, I HIGHLY recommend Stitchin’ Heaven Travel for a quilt cruise.
Of course, being out of the country for three weeks meant a LOT of catching up when I got back. Fast forward a few weeks (months? years? who even knows anymore) and I have *Insert number Here* patterns to share with you!
I will be introducing them to you a little at a time so as not to overwhelm you with the urge to SEW ALL THE THINGS RIGHT NOW. ‘Cuz that’s usually what happens to me!
I’ll start you off with a personal favorite, HAPPY CATS!
Happy Cats features the Kitty Kitty collection by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics. This gorgeous black and white collection is perfect for adding a pop of color. I chose to do a cat block with pops of color in the ears and tails, inspired by my grandmother’s cat, Pandy. Pandy has been with Grandma for as long as I can remember. She was 20 years old in 2020 when she left us, and this quilt is dedicated to her.
Cat Tracks is the second quilt I designed for the Kitty Kitty collection. Those of us with cats know they go wherever and whenever they want. I’ve found cat tracks in the strangest of places. It showcases the monochromatic beauty of the collection. I used a flying geese block because we all know cats are OBSESSED with birds. Mine sit in the window and chirrup at the crows all the time. Sometimes we have goose visitors and she just loses her little mind. Poor thing doesn’t realize the geese would probably try to eat her.
Bear Camp was another collection I got to play with, also designed by Whistler Studios. I live in a part of the world where bears are a part of life, camping is a weekend hobby, and hiking is life, so it made sense to pay tribute to my beautiful province with Nature Walk. I chose a simplified Maple Leaf block and bright pops of red to really make this quilt stand out. At 54″ x 65″, this would be the perfect quilt to take camping or for your nature loving friends to have a picnic on. Just keep an eye on your Pic-i-nic Baskets!
If you made it this far, congratulations! And Thank you for sticking with me. I’ll be rounding up a little at a time until we get all caught up. There are so many fun and exciting things coming, and at the end of the roundup I will have my VERY FIRST Stacey in Stitches brand pattern release for you! This has been in the works for a very long time, 18 months of planning, editing, timelines, researching media formats, and hard hard work, but it will be worth the wait!
Wishing you all the very best of health and the happiest of stitching!
