New Quilts!!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

I want to show off a couple new quilts for everyone =)

First up are a pair that went back-to-back in AQ Magazine. Meet Leafy and Stars of the Show!

Leafy

Leafy is a super fun paper pieced project, perfect for a beginner who wants to try it out. I used yardage to cut my leaves, but it would be lovely in scrappy. rainbow leaves anyone?

I used straight lines to quilt the background and a fancy swirl for the leaves. I backed it in flannel, to add some warmth and weight. This quilt was gifted to my babysitter’s son.

The Leafy pattern can be found in the March 2018 issue of AQ Magazine. Leafy was also on the cover of that issue!

Stars of the Show

Stars of the Show was created specifically to showcase the All Stars collection from Tula Pink. I adore this quilt. I have a major thing for rainbows, and the colors in All Stars hit all the right buttons for me.

Quitting Detail-Stars of the Show

I spent a lot of time custom quilting this quilt. I really wanted to have fun in the negative spaced. For me, this quilt is circus themed, with the striped and dotted star points looking like big top tents, and the animals starring in the center ring of each, so some fun curves were in order.

I fussy cut each animal to fit in the center of each block. I machine pieced my quilt, but it would also lend itself to EPP as well!

My little helper also loves this quilt! Rainbows for the win!

Stars of the Show can be found in the May 2018 issue of AQ Magazine.

And of course who could forget this stunner, Heat Wave! featured in the RJR What Shade Are You blog hop, American Quilter picked up the pattern. It can be found in the January issue of AQ Magazine.

Heat Wave – American Quilter Magazine

I’ve got so many more updates and quilts to share, as well as a brand new website that will be launching in the summer, so stay tuned for all the quilting goodness. You can still pick up a signed copy of my book, Child’s Play Quilts, on my Etsy site. and keep posted for my teaching and lecture schedule. I am speaking at least once a month for the next year, and I can’t wait to share my quilting cruise experience in August!

Happy Quilting!

14Jun2017

Terrace Garden Quilt Tutorial and giveaway *winner announced!

Posted in Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

A few months ago I got to play with some gorgeous new prints from a brand new FreeSpirit designer, Amy Reber. Her debut line, Posy, is a visual wonderland of bright bold prints and colors.

The three individual pallets are perfectly balanced and work well individually together or in a group quilt.

I wrote a free pattern for the line called Blossom. You can find it here. Blossom uses the Rosa color group, but you could easily swap out for Julep or Abelia, the other two color groups (aren’t those names just delicious?) There is a shop as well that is carrying the pattern as a premade kit!

Kit available from Village Fabric Shop

I had a hard time trying to narrow down my favorite prints, they are all pretty great!

At the very top of my list is the main print – Bunches. It contains many of the individual elements in a gorgeous collage setting. This is the print I designed teh entire Blossom quilt around.

Then there is Perfect Petal. I love the purple hue, and the black and white is so striking!

Then of course is the Sunglow Stripe. All three colorways make perfect blenders.

With my bundle of Posy, I decided to make something quick and simple that would show off all the prints to their finest. I decided to use Half Rectangle Triangles. I feel like HRT are an underrepresented quilt block. They are super fun to make and showcase large prints to great effect.

Say hello to Terrace Garden!

The prints are showcased perfectly, and to soften the hard edges of the block shapes I used an all over swirling design for the quilting.

I used a dusty teal thread for the quilting that matched the prints.

Terrace Garden

A Stacey in Stitches Tutorial

Materials

1 F8 bundle of Posy by Amy Reber (24 prints) for HRT

3 yards Gray (FreeSpirit Designer Solid in Manatee) for background and binding

Cutting

From each print cut:

(1) 6 3/4″ x 11 1/8″ rectangle (24 total)

From the gray solid cut:

(24) 6 3/4″ x 11 1/8″ rectangle

(1) 10 1/2″ x 36 1/2″ rectangle

(1) 10 1/2″ x 30 1/2″ rectangle

(1) 10 1/2″ x 24 1/2″ rectangle

(1) 10 1/2″ x 18 1/2″ rectangle

(1) 10 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ rectangle

(2) 6 1/2″ x 10″ rectangles

(7) 2 1/4″ x WOF strips for binding *to use a print binding you need 1/2 yard of fabric

Instruction

All seam allowances are 1/4″. Press seams open.

1. Stack the print 6 3/4″ x 11 1/8″ rectangles right side up in groups of 6. Cut the rectangles in half on the diagonal as shown. Repeat with the gray solid.

2. Sew a gray HRT to a print HRT right sides together as shown. Press. Repeat for all gray and print HRT.

3. Using the layout diagram as a guide, sew the HRT and all gray rectangles together into rows. Press, then sew the rows together into the finished quilt top, matching seam allowances carefully.

4. Cut a backing approx 68″ x 78″. Layer the backing, batting, and top. Quilt as desired.

Giveaway time!

I am offering up a pair of precut Posy bundles that you can use to make your own Terrace Garden. Just add your own background fabric! I will be giving away one here, and the other on my Instagram account @staceyinstitches. ~~You can earn up to FOUR chances to win!~~

~~To Enter on the Blog:~~

~~Follow me here or on Instagram, and leave a comment on this post telling me where.~~
~~Leave a second comment telling me your favorite Posy print.~~
~~Follow Amy Reber @amyreberdesigns on Instagram and leave a third comment letting me know you’ve done so!~~
~~Share this post! Then leave a comment telling me where for a bonus entry!~~
~~If you follow me on Instagram you can enter on my IG post for a chance to win the second bundle.~~

~~That’s it! I will run the giveaway until Friday at 4pm PST.~~ Winning fabric is a great way to kick off a summer weekend, don’t you think!

Congratulations

My favorite print is Posy Bunches – Abelia because oh.those.colors!

Until then,

Happy Stitching!

2Nov2016

Market Quilts

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

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

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.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

16Mar2016

Celebrate Old Glory

Posted in Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

Well hello everyone! I am so pleased to finally be able to share this pattern with you. You may remember back in 2014 I had my very first Craftsy kit. It was quite popular and I got plenty of emails asking when just the pattern would be available. Enough time has finally gone by (plus some bonus time because, you know life happens) and I have FINALLY formatted Celebrate Old Glory as a Stacey Day Quilts pattern! Yay!

Celebrate Old Glory!

This quilts started out as a QDAD design, done on Memorial Day 2014. The inspiration photo was, you guessed it, an iconic antique American Flag. I created the block using my Electric Quilt 7 program, and I love the result. It really has a fun, celebratory movement to it. I love bringing a QDAD to reality!

As with any pattern, don’t feel limited to the suggested colors. I know this would be stunning with some flashy rainbow stars, or having the spin in a single hue ombre.

You can purchase your very own copy of Celebrate Old Glory by clicking here. Please tag me on Instagram @staceyinstitches or with the hashtag #OldGloryQuilt so I can see your own take on Celebrate Old Glory. Or email me a picture!

Thank you!

I also want to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your readership and support! Without my fellow quilters, I wouldn’t have anyone to share my work with. And really, that’s what it’s all about, being able to share my love of quilting with other like-minded individuals. So, THANK YOU!

Happy Stitching!

6Feb2016

Will You Be You?

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

I am so excited about this quilt! This is a QDAD to reality quilt from the summer. I love it for a number of reasons.

I made it at my Grandma’s house, so it will always bring back good memories of sewing with her
STARS! WOO!
I was able to use batiks in a modern way, and I LOVE batiks!
It is just so colorful and fun, that it can be enjoyed even without the social commentary
It’s been published in Modern Quilts Unlimited, along with a pattern from my good friend Amy Garro of 13 Spools, who just happens to be that issues covergirl

Will You Be You

What’s that? Social Commentary you say? What could that possibly be?

Well, in QDAD we often have themed design weeks. Kim Andersson of I Adore Pattern was in charge for this theme: Song Lyrics! It was a ton of fun, and an interesting challenge. on May 27th, Kim posted this beauty of a lyric and palette:

We have all heard the song, and know it’s about a breakup. But when you take just those first five lines of the song out of context, it dramatically changes. If you had never heard the song before, you might think this was a song about being discovered, but at the same time having everything about you changed to fit the ideal of someone else without much control. Which really struck me. How often to people change themselves, or have themselves changed, in order to fit in? To make others happy? To become something or someone else entirely in order to please someone else? And when you change everything about yourself, what do you lose in the process? How much of the real you is left?

The design started off a whole conversation that was a lot of fun, and people had such a positive response to it that I decided to submit it to MQU. Happily they accepted it, and I changed a couple of colors to work with what I had in my stash (that light lavender is gorgeous but so hard to find in a batik). The color change did lighten the mood of the quilt, but the message remained the same.

The original QDAD design

Recolored

It was a lot of fun, and a challenge to put together in a cohesive manner. Eventually I realized that one star at a time was the way to go, and used a combination of quarter and half square triangles to keep things interesting (also less seams). I quilted it using a pantograph, mostly because of time constraints, but there is a TON of potential there for custom quilting. I think some radiating straight lines from the yellow star out to the far borders would be an appropriate subcontext to the quilt. In yellow thread, it would read as the superstar overshadowing the original pieces. Also, it would look really really pretty!

I have been trying to use colored or contrasting threads for my quilting lately. I get to hang out with some awesome quilters and longarmers, and one thing that has stayed with me since my last conversation with Miriam, who owns Whispering Pines and is an incredible longarm quilter, is that it’s hard to go wrong with a bold thread choice. Yes, it’s a risk, but it tends to pay off. For example, I have a black and white quilt that I quilted with navy (almost purple, but it was more plum than violet and wasn’t quite as effective)

I hope you all pick up the Winter 2016 issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited. The issue has a great assortments of quilts and projects, and most of them are pretty spectacular (especially mine and Amy’s, wink wink!)

If you do make your own version, I would love to see it! I love to see what people make from my patterns! Tag me on instagram @staceyinstitches or email me a picture so I can ooh and aah over it and post it here!

Also, a huge special thank you to my neighbor Debbie and my friend Anne! Today was the first sunny afternoon in ages, so I had to try and take pictures like NOW. My little H (who isn’t so little anymore) tried his best to hold up the quilt but it was just a little too long and heavy for him, but Deb pulled up just in time and totally volunteered a hand to hold. Then Anne took my twilight photos and made them colorful again! Thanks both of you! <3

Stay tuned for my stop on the Dryad Blog Hop next week, and, as always,

Happy Stitching!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day Winners Announced

Welcome to Stacey In Stitches! If you are visiting from the Sew Mama Sew link, I am happy you stopped by! My blog is about sewing, quilting and fun! Feel free to browse through my posts and tutorials, and have a peek at the galleries. I am always looking for new and fun crafty quilty things to share, and when I find the time my own tutorials.

Now for the fun part!

I am giving away a pair of Owl Ornaments! I made close to 50 of the little guys, and I have 2 left. They are in the sewing/stuffing assembly line right now, so I have a picture for you of the owls, and what they would look like finished. As an added bonus, the winner can have them personalized! I can fit up to 8 letters on each owl.

I will also be giving away a PDF copy of my Flannel Backed Snuggle Quilt. It is the first pattern I made for a local class, and it was a big hit. I hope you enjoy it =)

~~To win all you have to do is follow the blog and post a comment saying that you did. Simple! I will draw 2 Winners Friday Dec 7 at Mr. Random =)~~

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your time at Stacey In Stitches!

Giveaway Prize #1

Owl Mania

Flannel Backed Snuggle Quilt- PInk Lemonade
The pattern will make this quilt =)

The winner of the owls is……..#8 Betty

The winner of the Pattern is…#31 SandyandCosmo

I used Random.org to generate the numbers, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to post the pictures of the generator. I will be in contact with you both soon!