There is so much to say and so little time to say it in! As always, September and most of October was a time of writing and sewing in preparation for Fall Quilt Market in Houston, TX.
This year I had a number of new designs with FreeSpirit Fabrics. Since quilters are mostly visual, this is going to be a picture heavy post.
Let’s begin shall we?
Flock Together- Featuring All Stars by Tula Pink
Flock Together is a 100% Stacey Day design. From digital design to the final stitch in the binding, this quilt was my favorite to put together. It utilizes a jelly roll and is super fast to whip up. The pattern is a free one and available by clicking here.
Center Stage- Featuring All Stars by Tula Pink
Center Stage was a collaboration with Tula. I had a much lighter hand than usual with this one, but the instructions were all me =) It’s a stunner and I love it! I believe this will be a free pattern from FreeSpirit.
Pom Pom – featuring All Stars by Tula Pink
Finally, there is the Pom Pom quilt for All Stars. This one is a stunner. Check out that quilting by Angela Walters! This one is another collaboration with Tula, and the pattern will be exclusive to the quilt kit.
Then we mosy on over to Joel Dewberry’s new collection, Avalon.
Arise! Featuring Avalon by Joel Dewberry. *Made by someone else, mine hung elsewhere*
Arise! was inspired by the legend of Excalibur, how it rose from the depths in the hands of the Lady of the Lake. I wanted simple pieces to show off the prints to their best. There were two Arise quilts made for Market, this one by an unknown-to-me quilter who did a lovely job, hanging in the gallery. Mine hung in the main booth where all the ordering took place. I quilted mine in straight lines and swirls.I am really enjoying the ribbon candy these days. I used my new favorite Designer Solid, Mineral. It’s a gorgeous green-blue hue and it goes with everything! And of course I had a little helper taking photos.
ribbon candy goodness
swirls and straight lines make a stunning combination
peek! Checking out Mommy’s work.
Art Deco- Featuring Roaring Twenties by Snow Leopard Designs
For Art Deco I wanted to channel some classic architecture but add a bit of modern flair. I added the inserts into the clamshell, and the written pattern has optional bias tape around the top curve of each clam. This really makes the individual clamshells pop. The collection is gorgeous. Shout out to the same unknown maker for this one.
Oasis – Featuring Sugar Beach by Jennifer Paganelli
Sugar Beach is a bright and vibrant collection. it was a ton of fun to design with. I wanted to give the feeling of floating on the water, fruity drink in hand, on a hot summers day. I’m pretty sure it comes through in this one.
Fashion Show – Featuring The Dress by Laura Heine
Finally there is Fashion Show. The Dress is based on her very popular class by the same name. You can’t see it very well in this picture, but I quilted each wedge with a trio of feathers. I did a meander and outlined each dress panel, and the sashes are quilted with – you guessed it – ribbon candy and straight lines. This quilt didn’t hang at market, it was being used elsewhere.
Caroles Log Cabin- featuring Boston Commons by FreeSpirit Fabrics
I also had the pleasure of designing a retro quilt for FreeSpirit’s house designed collection, Boston Commons. It is a gorgeous, deeply vibrant hued reproduction collection. That golden yellow is perfect! I quilt is a modern take on the classic log cabin block, and very easy for a beginner.
Thank you to my friend Lindsay who walked the show floor and took all the photos for me.
I will update the pattern links as they become available under the FreeSpirit tab in my Free Patterns dropdown menu. All but Pom Pom will be a free pattern available as the collections come out.
Quilt Market wrapped up this past Monday, and in between basement reno’s and Halloween prep and a family visit, I found some time to follow along on Instagram and check out all the new awesomeness that was released. I was also stalking patiently to see pictures of the quilts I made for Market.
I have been sitting on my hands waiting patiently for the official release so that I can show off my new designs. I LOVE the new collections, and and super excited and happy with how everything turned out. My sewing room is finally set up the way I want it, and that includes the home for my new longarm!
That’s correct, I am now the proud owner of a Tin Lizzie Apprentice. I love my machine! She still needs a name (if I go that route, which I likely will). She stitched beautifully and works with my favorite threads – Glide and Aurifil – without issue. The best part is now I don’t have to get a quilt done all in one sitting! I have been getting more creative with my quilting as a result and I am seriously excited as all heck about the future. I can see it getting a lot more productive around here!
Now it’s time for quilts!
Fleur-de-Lis is an applique quilt using Joel Dewberry True Colors. It was a gloomy rainy day when I finished this one up, but @freespiritfabrics has a great picture on their IG account. I quilted it with the extended piano key on the outside borders, and an all over stipple in white Glide between the applique pieces. I outlined each piece in a matching Aurifil thread to quilt. This is going to be a free pattern from FreeSpirit Fabrics.
Fleur De Lis
Fleur de Lis
Next up is another True Colors quilt using Tula Pinks collection of prints. This one is going to be a Craftsy kit. It was hanging front and center in the FreeSpirit Gallery at market, what an honor! I quilted it with an all over swirl in a pretty aqua thread. The aqua pretty well went with everything.
Rainbow Bargello
And then there were two quilts for Amy Butler’s new collection, Splendor. Zen Garden was designed by myself and sewn by Kerri Thomson. Clematis was quilted on my Lizzie, and I am so proud of it! I was able to take mytime over a couple evenings and really get creative with my quilting. Clematis and Zen Garden are both going to be free patterns. These are the mini versions of the quilts, just wait until you see the full size! I haven’t shown a full size of Clematis because it wasn’t actually pictured yet, but once it’s been released, I will. But sneak peeks of the fabric have been posted to Amy Butler’s IG feed, so I can share the quilting details. These are slated to be free patterns as far as I know. A big thank you to Amy Butler for choosing my designs!
Zen Garden – image from @freespiritfabrics on instagram Sewn and quilted by Kerri Thomson
Clematis-Details
Clematis-Details
Clematis-Details
Finally, I am super pleased to share the Catnip quilt, which is a collaborative design between myself and Tula Pink for her new collection, Tabby Road. I am not entirely sure who did the quilting on it, either Angela Walters or Tula herself, but it is fantastic! Tula pieced the quilt. This quilt is the new exclusive quilt kit, which will be available from your local quilt shops and online retailers in March 2017, which is when the collection hits the stores. I already have a full yard bundle on pre-order!
Thh Catnip Quilt- Image from @tulapink
The Catnip Quilt- Image from @tulapink
There are going to be a couple more quilts for this collection eventually, so I will keep you posted.
Well I Finally made it back from my parents house and had the time to sit down and write =)
The week was great. Relaxing, good food and family, who could ask for more? Well, I did do some sewing, which was great because it was *mostly* uninterrupted. I had a lovely squishy package of Tula Pink fabrics waiting for me. I LOVE Frog Prince in Indigo, its my favorite print so far, and it went so well with teh laminated cotton I ordered that I decided to make the Hip Mama Diaper Bag using Elizabeth’s tutorial from A Mingled Yarn. She has a whole bunch of great projects on there so definitely head on over there and check it out! Unfortunately she is no longer blogging, but she is leaving her tutorials and projects up for us to use. I will post her full tutorial here just in case something happens! Normally I never EVER take someones tutorial verbatim because they spent all the time on it, I always only link back.
Hip Mama Diaper Bag
I made my bag almost to the letter of how she wrote it. The only thing I changed was I fully lined the back zippered pocket, because I like to have the zipper tape hidden and finished. I also made my strap longer and then adjustable using a home made D-ring and slider, and I attached in into the seam allowance instead of on the outside, mostly for aesthetic reasons. It is a great bag, and it holds everything I need.
Lined Zipper Pocket in Frog Prince in Honey
Self Made Buckle
I used Joel Dewberry Laminated Cotton for the lining and Frog Prince in Honey for the pocket linings.
Hello Side Froggy!
I also decided to make a matching change pad and soother caddy because I like things to be all matchy-matchy. I basically traced my original gear and then used that for a pattern.
Matching Change Pad
Soother Caddy
Soother Caddy
Here is the tutorial from A Mingled Yarn.
Tutorial: Hip Mama Diaper Bag
This project was frankly inspired by Queen Bee Creations’ diaper bag line. I love the idea of a functional diaper bag that doesn’t look like a diaper bag – and that can also, of course, be used as a regular messenger-style bag if you want.
The bag has a water-resistant vinyl lining to help make cleaning easy – but you can substitute a fabric lining if you want.
This bag’s finished dimensions are: 14″ long, 12″ high, 5″ wide, with a 36″ long strap. You can customize the bag by coming up with your own measurements – just remember to add 1″ for seam allowances.
Materials
1 1/4 yards cotton (44/45″ wide) for the exterior
1 yard water-resistant vinyl (44/45″ wide) for the lining
1 1/2 yards heavy-weight interfacing (unless you are using heavy-weight fabric for the exterior; if so, skip the interfacing)
coordinating thread
12″ coordinating zipper
2 metallic snaps
1/2 yard Velcro
5/8 yard 1/4″ elastic
Pattern
1. Cut out the pieces.
A) Strap: 37″ x 5″. Cut 1 of fabric and 1 of interfacing (I recommend interfacing the strap or adding another layer even if using heavyweight fabric).
B) Front/back/flap piece: 15″ x 13″. Cut 4 of lining, cut 2 of fabric, and cut 2 of interfacing.
C) Side gusset: 6″ x 13″. Cut 2 of fabric, 2 of lining, and 2 of interfacing.
D) Bottom gusset: 6″ x 15″. Cut 1 of fabric, 1 of lining, and 1 of interfacing.
E) Back zippered pocket piece #1: 15″ x 3″. Cut 1 of fabric.
F) Back zippered pocket piece #2: 15″ x 11″. Cut 1 of fabric.
G) Front exterior pocket: 15″ x 9″. Cut 2 from fabric.
H) Side exterior pockets: 6″ x 9″. Cut 4 from fabric.
I) Interior pockets: 17″ x 9″. Cut 2 from lining.
I recommend labeling your pieces with masking tape and marking them with letters corresponding to the list above. This will help you keep track of the pieces.
Also: if you are using a uni-directional fabric (with motifs that all point the same way, as in the fabric I’ve used) take care when laying and cutting your fabric.
2. Apply interfacing (if using).
Fuse or sew interfacing to strap (A), 2 front/back/flap pieces (B), 2 side gusset pieces (C) and 1 bottom gusset piece (D). Attach interfacing to exterior fabric, not lining.
3. Make strap.
Press under 1/2″ on each long side of strap piece (A). Then press under 1/2″ on each short side. Fold strap in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, matching up all pressed edges. Press flat. Keeping all pressed edges even, topstitch a 1/4″ seam on all 4 sides of the strap. Set aside.
4. Make flap.
a) You will need 1 fabric flap piece (B) and 1 lining flap piece (B). On the lining piece, attach smaller halves of metallic snaps to each corner on one long edge. Snaps should be placed so that they are 1″ in from each side of piece.
b) Pin lining piece to fabric piece, right sides together. Sew a 1/2″ seam around three sides, leaving one long edge (the side without the snaps) open. Turn right side out, using turning tool to push out corners. Topstitch a 1/4″ seam around three finished edges. Set aside.
5. Make exterior pockets.
a) Back zippered pocket: Pin piece E to piece F along long edge, right sides together. Using a 1/2″ seam allowance, stitch a 1.5″ long seam at each end. Stitch the remainder of the seam (12″ in the middle) with a long basting stitch. This will be where you insert the zipper. Press seam open. Pin zipper to middle basted section, placing top of zipper and zipper stop close to the ends of the basted section.
Using a zipper foot, attach the zipper. Remove basting thread. Pin wrong side of zippered pocket piece to right side of a back lining piece (B). Topstitch a 1/4″ seam around all four edges. The lining piece will serve as the pocket’s interior.
b) Side pockets: Pin two side exterior pockets (H) together along shorter edge, right sides together. Stitch a 1/2″ seam; trim. Turn, press, and topstitch a 1/4″ seam along edge. Cut a 2″ piece of Velcro. Stitch the fuzzy half to the interior of the pocket, 1/4″ down from the top edge.
Place the pocket piece against one of the interfaced side gusset pieces (C), matching bottom and side edges. Mark placement for other half of Velcro on piece C, then stitch in place. Place pocket piece against gusset piece, with Velcro lined up, and stitch a 1/4″ seam around three edges. Repeat for other side pocket.
c) Front pockets: Pin the two front pocket pieces (G) together along long edge, right sides together. Stitch a 1/2″ seam; trim. Turn, press, and topstitch 1/4″ around all four edges. Attach other halves of metallic snaps to right side of pocket, through both layers. Measure up 5″ from bottom and in 1″ from each side to place snaps. Fold pocket in half width-wise and press, creating a crease down the center. Place the pocket piece against the remaining front fabric piece (B), matching bottom and side edges; pin in place. Topstitch along center crease, to create two front pocket halves. Cut two pieces of Velcro, each 4″ long. Stitch two fuzzy halves to the interior of the pocket, 1/4″ down from top edge, and centering each piece on each side of the center crease. Mark placement for other halves of Velcro on piece B, then stitch in place. Line up Velcro halves and topstitch 1/4″ seam around edges.
6. Assemble bag exterior.
a) Pin interfaced bottom gusset piece (D) to one side gusset piece (C) along short edges, encompassing bottom of side pocket, right sides together. Stitch a 1/2″ seam, beginning and ending 1/2″ from ends. Press open. Repeat for other side gusset piece.
b) Pin back zippered pocket piece to gussets along sides and bottom, through all thicknesses, right sides together, having zipper near the top. Stitch a 1/2″ seam, pinning corners like this:
Repeat for front pocket piece. Turn right side out. You should now have a bag exterior that can stand up on its own. Set exterior aside.
7. Make interior pockets.
a) Turn under 5/8″ on top edge of one interior pocket piece (I) and stitch in place using a 1/2″ seam allowance, forming a casing. Cut a piece of elastic 10″ long, insert it into the casing, and secure at both ends. Repeat for other interior pocket piece (I).
b) Pin wrong side of pocket piece against right side of one lining piece (B), matching bottom and side edges, easing in fullness at bottom by creating pleats or gathers. (It’s pretty much impossible to gather vinyl, so I used pleats across the bottom. If you’re using regular fabric for the lining, do a gathering stitch across the bottom and pull up the threads to fit). Stitch a 1/4″ seam around each side. Repeat for other pocket piece.
c) To create two interior pockets on one piece, fold the whole piece in half width-wise and mark the center line. Topstitch down that center line through all thicknesses.
d) To create three interior pockets on the other piece, measure in 5″ from each side and mark lines. Topstitch down those lines through all thicknesses.
8. Make bag interior.
Follow step 6 to attach side and bottom gussets and assemble the interior of your bag, with one exception: leave a long opening on one of the bottom seams for turning the bag. Do not turn right side out.
9. Finishing the bag.
a) Pin unfinished edge of flap to top edge of back zippered exterior piece, right sides together (lining side facing out). Stitch 1/4″ seam to attach.
b) Slip exterior of bag into lining, right sides together. Pin top edges together through all thicknesses. Stitch a 1/2″ seam. Trim seam.
c) Turn bag right side out by pulling exterior through the opening in lining. Sew up opening in lining. Push lining down into bag. Topstitch 1/4″ seam around top opening edges of bag.
d) Lap each end of strap 1.5″ over sides of bag. Topstitch strap ends to bag in an X pattern to secure.
