Pattern Roundup! Day One

Posted in Other, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

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!

4Aug2016

Welcome, welcome!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

Welcome to our newest addition, little L! H is super happy to be a big brother. L is a month old this week, and we have been adoring every minute of it.

I actually made matching quilts for both little kiddos back in May, during the awesome weekend with Latifah Saafir and the VMQG. We invited her up for 4 days of lectures and workshops, of which I made it to three. I took Rocket 88, which I have adored since I first saw it, and the Glam Clam. I love Latifahs method of piecing clams.

I made this large Rocket 88 quilt for H using a fabulous fat quarter bundle of Neighbourhood from Windham Fabrics. I added the orange from my stash because it’s H’s favorite color.He absolutely loves his quilt!

H’s Quilt- Rocket 88

I finished the Glam Clam top, and then realized it was going to be too big for the baby at first. Then H saw it and claimed it because, again, orange. So I whipped up a mini version of Rocket 88 using a Fat Eighth bundle of Bluebird Park that I had stashed a couple years ago.

L’s Baby Quilt- Rocket 88 mini

We are all very happy and tired, but things are settling into a good routine with home and the baby. It is going to be a great year!

Happy Stitching!

26Mar2015

A lot ‘a Lotta! Sneak Peek!!

Posted in Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

FINALLY!!!

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to design a quilt with the upcoming Windham Fabrics line by Lotta Jansdotter. I love Lotta! I have a ton of carefully hoarded Glimma in my stash, and have added all of my favorites from each of her lines over the years. (I would show you a picture but no one needs to see the disaster that is my stash). I have been keeping the finished quilt a secret, and finally last week Windham and Lotta started sharing sneak peek photos on Instagram ( @windhamfabrics and @lottajansdotter ).

So now I get to show you all my favorite quilt!!

Meet Playing the Odds! I love this quilt so much! I had a lot of different design ideas along this theme. My inspiration was the name of the new collection: Lucky. I wanted to try and capture a game of chance kind of feel with the quilt, while using as many of the bright and colorful fabrics as I possibly could. I also wanted to show off Jerry the Cat. The Jerry print is adorable and is one of the signature prints of the collection. At Quiltcon Lotta was handing out Jerry patches to iron on to your clothes. I have a pair of Jerrys put away for something special. Probably a bag =)

My good friend Joan at Maple Leaf Quilters did the quilting for me. I picked a nice big swirly design to soften out all the angles of the squares. And of course I had to take my Lil’ Lotta paper doll to the photo shoot. I have discovered that the park by my house has a TON of great setting and backdrops to take quilt pictures. As long as it stops raining of course. Usually the sun is setting by the time the rain stops, but we managed to get some nice shots.

The Hubster is getting really good at holding quilts for me, don’t you think?

I almost cried when I sent this quilt to Windham, but I have enough left over to make another one so the Post Office lady only had to pry the box out of my hand a little bit 😉 The pattern will be available on the Windham Website as a free pattern. In the meantime check out Windham and Lottas Instagram feeds or Facebook for more sneak peeks of Lucky and all the great projects you can make with it!

Happy Stitching!

3Feb2015

Covergirl!

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

EEEE!!!!!!! I am so happy right now you guys!! That is my quilt, Whirlpool, on the cover of American Quilter Magazine!! *happy dance*

Okay….breathe in and out….okay…I’m good!

This is one of the big things I have been working on in the last few months. After the book was canceled (see this post to read all about it)I started submitting designs to different magazines. The first place I contacted was American Quilter MAgazine. I have had a subscription to AQS magazine for years. I love every issue, there is always something for me in them. And the subscription comes with membership benefits, like digital content, web bonuses, and access to back issue articles and pattern files.

My shelf of American Quilter Magazine. 4 years worth plus a random Jan 2007. I am slowly filling in my back issues as I find them!

I was stunned and thrilled at the reaction to my design submissions. Michele, the Editor in Chief, was so supportive and just awesome to work with. We played around with some ideas ( I had a lot!). Then Kim@I Adore Pattern told me she had sent some fabrics to AQS to help promote her line, Tidal Lace. So I decided to mock up another quilt using her fabrics and sent it off to Michele. Everyone loved it, so off to production we went. Whirlpool was a go! Windham was totally awesome and generously provided fabric for the quilt.

One the top was done, however, I was a little stuck. How to quilt it? My usual long arm quilter was on vacation at the time. A finished quilt post in one of the modern quilting Facebook groups led me to Mandy Liens of Mandalei Quilts. She is a super talented quilter in NY state, and I loved her work. We got to talking, and she came up with this amazing quilt job for Whirlpool! She took my quilt and brought out the best in it, which is what a good quilter does. She even has some Craftsy classes you can take for quilting (super talented!)

A snowy day at the park

The day of the photo shoot it snowed. Which is very unusual for Vancouver, but it was also the only sunny day that week ( its the rainy season. I have a half dozen things that need photographs. STOP RAINING!) So off we tromped to the park!

I am so happy with how Whirlpool came together. The entire process was great! the March Issue hit newsstands today, so go out and get yourself a copy! Or better yet, become and AQS member! Because for the rest of the year, I have a web bonus series of patterns coming out with each issue! AND with a membership you can download an EQ7 design file to color your own version of Whirlpool! YES!! As well as get all the awesome content that is members only. You also get the 6 magazines a year. (Disclaimer: AQS did not ask me to promote for them, I just think it is an awesome publication and have subscribed for year and never been disappointed!)

You can order a copy of the magazine here, and if you want to make your own just like mine you can ORDER THE KIT HERE! YAY!!!!!! Thats right AQS loved the pattern and fabric so much that they decided to make it a kit! Kim and I were over the moon when we got the email, and I still cannot believe it!

I hope you all enjoy making Whirlpool as much as I did!!

Happy Stitching!