A Splendid Sampler V.2

The first half of the year has been a blur and I'm only just emerging from major volunteer commitments at two more quilt shows here at home. I need to tell you all about The Splendid Sampler 2 sew-along!! 

I was so pleased when Pat and Jane asked me to participate in their second sampler book (of 100 six inch blocks) after suffering a mild case of FOMO when the first one came out. Although I'm not really a sampler person, I just love being part of fun things when lots of other quilters are involved! Meeting new quilt-folk is a favourite pastime of mine - it is always a life-enriching experience. Sometimes it's hard to grow your circle without pushing yourself a bit and designing a tiny 6" block is a bit pushy for me, actually. After the last few years of (mostly) improv work where I just start cutting and sewing and playing on the design wall, it is a surprising challenge to focus small and design something contained.

I have to keep my little block a secret for a veeeeeeeery long time, but until then I will be trying my best to sew along with the many other designers involved in this book. There have already been many posts about it (like selecting fabric and announcing the 1-wee countdown to the 20-block freebie sew along here). Check the links because there are fabric and book discounts there!

Follow along on the Splendid Sampler dedicated blog for all activities and announcements. It's time I did the same and got up to speed on everything that's happening! There are links in the header of the blog to galleries featuring stunning quilts made with the first book. You'll likely get lots of fabric inspiration there. I'm just in awe of people that can stick with such a big project and finish the quilt - that is definitely not my modus operandi.

I'm going to attempt my blocks in single colour stories using shot cottons from my Oakshott Colourbox purchased during a sale several years ago and lovingly dipped into for rare and special projects. I don't have tons of this fabric, so I plan to be a bit selective. I know making ALL of the blocks will be too much for me to stick with and I'm admitting that right up front.  Initially, I planned to skip all of the applique blocks because I never seem to finish applique things that I start (I tend to lose interest after all of the prep work).  However, this past weekend at my traditional guild show, I had the pleasure of meeting Rosa, the incredible designer of the Apliquick system. I purchased some of her amazing applique tools and notions, so hopefully I'll get to bust them out and try some new to me techniques for hand applique on some of these blocks.

What about you...do you enjoy the challenge of making a little block every week? Do you love sampler quilts?  Is it meeting new designers that gets you excited about a group activity like this? Let me know in the comments!

Where Pat and I Chat about Sweden & Retreats

I was so excited when Pat Sloan asked if I would like to be a guest on Pat Sloan Radio again so that we could talk in more detail about retreats and the Retreat Host Manual e-book that I'm working on. Pat found out that I'd just been to Sweden, so she wanted to talk about my teaching abroad experience as well. You can listen to our chat here.

I'm just now going through my photos from Sweden and hope to get a couple of posts together before I leave on my annual Loon Lake retreat on Saturday. Wish me luck - I still have to sort out what I'm going to work on for 5 days...so many unfinished projects and new ideas.

Here are some of the lovely quilters I met at the Rikstacket meeting in Upplands Vasby (just outside Stockholm) and their in-progress Temperature Check quilts!

This is the sweet group of women that took my workshop

 in the northern town of Pitea (pronouced Pit-ay-o) on the 65th parallel. My friend Stina (far left) worked so hard to organize my visit....wait until you see the quilt that she, Marica and Louise made for me!

More coming soon!

Around Town Take II

I whipped up this tote for a friend's birthday the other day. It's very straight-forward pattern and a satisfying make. There's something so familiar about rugby stripes - I just love the design of this Around Town Tote Bag.

The pattern can be found in the Liberty Love book by Alexia Marcelle Abegg, one of the uber creative and talented Cotton & Steel designers. The book is out of print now, but you may find one hidden online, or second hand. It's a book on my sewing room shelf that I return to often.  The pattern calls for Liberty tana lawn for the accent strips, but I substituted Anna Graham's gorgeous Ripple canvas from her new Rain Walk line printed by Cloud 9 fabrics (purchased from Fabric Spark). The offset stripes are Essex Linen.

I added an interior pocket and key clip. It's a deep bag and it's a long way down for keys! I also modified the pattern a little bit by adding 1" of depth to the bottom print strip and sewing a 1" gusset into the corners of the tote for some added capacity.  The lining is a sweet Moda print called Be My Honey by MaryJane (I've had it for a couple of years in my stash).

The patterns calls for using an upcycled leather belt for handles, but I have some vinyl on hand so I cut 4 strips and sewed them WST in pairs (for extra strength).  I used my 9mm wide zig zag set to 0 length to make the X stitches, then sewed extra security straight stitches in a box around the X's.  Last time I made this bag, I used gorgeous deer hide for the handles but sadly I don't have enough left to cut more long handles.

I'm slowly making my way through a very long list of fun sewing to do for myself and others. It's always slow-going in summer...especially this exceptionally HOT and dry one here in Vancouver. We're in a rare drought with strict water restrictions. Our lawn is crispy and our garden limp and sad. I've been sewing downstairs where it's cooler as my south facing sewing room is quite a cooker, even with the UV coating on the window.  

I've got a new toy to share with you just as soon as I make enough space to take it out of the BOX!!! So excited.

Local Book Signing!

I'm super excited to participate in my first public book signing (I've visited several local guilds, but this is my first time in a shop!).  This Sunday, August 16th, I'll be in the sweet village of Ladner, B.C. parked at The Quilted Bear quilt shop. I've brought along a trunk show of book projects so you can see first hand, the beautiful designs of all of the talented contributors to Make It, Take It.  Everyone who purchases a book will also receive one of my "Retreats Rule!" buttons.

There's something for everyone on Sunday. It is the annual Classic Car Show and Quilt Walk. On from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the main drag is closed and transformed into a parking lot of gleaming vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles.

This stunning quilt was made by my friend Matthew Wheeler, Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild member and former owner of the Quilted Bear.

All photos by Chung Chow, 2014, the Delta Optimist newspaper

 The shop windows, railings and yoga studio space are all decorated with quilts from local quilters.  Every summer I say I'll make it out to Ladner for this show but I've never been in town. I'm excited to finally participate; as well as the book signing, I've got two quilts hanging in the show (Selvage Colourblock and Light Of May). I haven't been to an outdoor quilt show since Sisters about 6 years ago.

Hope to see you there!

Quilt Lovely - An Interview with Jen Kingwell

You all know Jen Kingwell's patterns: The Circle Game, Steampunk, Chain Reaction, Gypsy Wife and more. Her work is very recognizable for her inspired use of multitude prints and detailed piecing. Although I own several patterns, having won them at the Fat Quarterly Retreat in 2013, I have yet to tackle any. The closest I've come is borrowing a set of templates for Steam Punk!

By Jen Kingwell

Fons & Porter/F+W; $26.99 US

When given the opportunity to take a peek at Jen's first ever book, I jumped at the chance. She's a quilter I greatly admire.  Imagine my delight when I found out I could interview Jen for this blogpost - yay! I did a little research online and learned a bit more about Jen's style and technique by watching these great videos filmed recently by the Fat Quarter Shop at QuiltCon. I follow Jen on Instagram so I knew that she'd recently returned home to Australia, and her quilt shop Amitie Textiles, after living in the Middle East for a couple of years.  The Nosy Parker in me really just wanted to know how she managed to stay creative while isolated from her shop, her people and her home!

Mrs. Bannister's Stars, from Quilt Lovely by Jen Kingwell

Krista: Congratulations on your gorgeous fabric line Gardenvale and inspiring book Quilt Lovely, Jen! Both are firsts for you and seemed to have happened around the same time. Did your design work require a lot of discipline and planning to keep on schedule? Did you start out knowing you'd spend your time in the Middle East working on the book?

Jen: Thank you Krista. I'm really happy with both. I had no idea the path I was going down. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! I had to be very disciplined( not my greatest strength). After I had decided what I was doing I did set a schedule and I worked to that. I think for me that was the hardest thing. I'm an organic designer and quite often things start with a very loose idea and just grow. I frequently fall out of love with things as I go along and they have a rest in a drawer or the bottom of the cupboard but with the book I didn't have time to change my mind. Maybe that was a good thing but it hadn't stuck as I've just sidelined something I'm not happy with this week!

Krista: You've owned Amitie quilt shop for 15 years and been immersed in quilting through teaching, selling fabric, designing patterns and running the business. How did the past 2 years living in the UAE affect your quilting?

Jen: I would never have embarked on the book and fabric range if I was in Australia. Always so busy with "things". I had the luxury of time in Al Ain. The first year we were there we lived in a hotel. I didn't even make the bed! So spoilt. I stitched from day light to dark. It's always inspiring to be surrounded by new things. I think the colours of the desert will be popping up in a few projects in the future.

Flea Market Dash from Quilt Lovely by Jen Kingwell

Krista: Much of my own quilting experience and joy is shared with others through participation in my guilds and retreats. I've seen stunning examples of hand work shared online by Middle Eastern women. Did you work alone while in the UAE, or were you able to connect at all with other like-minded expats or local women?

Jen: I worked alone. We lived in an area where there were not a lot of expat women. Most who were there worked. It was a very "local" city and ladies in the UAE to my knowledge are not so interested in handcraft as in other parts of the Middle East. I did join the Abu Dhabi quilt guild and there were a few local ladies in the guild. The highlight of my week was to drive to Abu Dhabi to stitch with my little group, a mixed bunch! All from the UK and Scotland. These women were my lifesavers. They had all lived there for quite a while and advised me on all things UAE! More laughing and eating was done than stitching. It was so worth the 3 hour round trip.

Krista: I really enjoyed listening to you and learning from your experience while watching the Fat Quarter Shop videos you filmed recently at QuiltCon. Now that you are home in Australia, will you be teaching regularly? Is teaching a passion of yours?

Jen: I had such a great day with the Fat Quarter shop team. I will be teaching quite a bit this year both here in Australia and overseas. I really enjoy meeting so many great people as I travel and I always seem to learn as much from them as them from me I think.

For the Boys from Quilt Lovely by Jen Kingwell

Krista: There is a certain vibrant, scrappy aesthetic in the work of many Aussie quiltmakers that I recognize and have always admired. What do you think is the main influence for this common approach in Australian quilt design?

Jen: Our quilting community is small here in Australia. Our quilting stores are smaller also and many years ago before online stores you could only purchase what your quilt stores carried. Store owners didn't have the luxury of space to stock whole ranges so you "chose" your collection. A mixed bag of fabrics and I think many of us have grown up and developed this as our style.

Krista: The online quilting world moves quickly and there is often a feeling of urgency to make quilts and move on to the next thing. The beautiful quilts in your book are a wonderful reminder that patience pays off in the form of heirloom quilts - you even hand quilted your work instead of having everything longarmed in a hurry. What advice can you give to people in the 'just get it done' mindset about the value of slowing down?

Jen: I love this question. When I sit down to hand stitch it's like an enormous exhale for me. I swear I can feel my blood pressure lowering. I started to hand stitch many years ago when my girls were small. I'm a midwife by trade and worked, so in the evenings I wanted to sit with the family and share the days news.....the sewing machine was never appreciated! So hand stitching it was and I just loved it. It's easy, very cost effective as you need little equipment and it's very sociable.

I also love the " quiet" of hand stitching. A comfy chair, your favourite music and a window, needle, thread and fabric. That's all you need. It's hard to put into words the joy I get from hand stitching in particular hand quilting. It's like " meditation".

Thank you for kindly answering all of my questions, Jen!

Jen's fabric line Gardenvale is available now as precuts and I think shops are receiving yardage as soon as next week.  It is truly a scrap quilter's dream fabric range and I look forward to adding some to my stash as a way to expand into more floral and blender fabrics. I love that the line is named for the location of Jen's shop in Melbourne - how perfect!

image from The Fat Quarter Shop

When I receive a new book, I immediately skip all the pre-amble and head straight to the project photos. I love the matte finish paper in Quilt Lovely and the gorgeous photos of the quilts out in the real world.  I did take the time to read Jen's Appendices to learn more about her thoughts on value, colour and scale. She's got great advice at the back of this book.  There are several pillow and quilt patterns that are immediately do-able for the intermediate (or confident beginner) quilter. However, with rather a lot of travelling in my future, I am contemplating a slow hand-piecing project instead. I don't do "quiet sitting" very well (my elementary school report cards will back me up here), but if I'm trapped on an airplane I might as well be productive. Sometimes it is a good idea to bust out and try a challenge. I will keep you posted!

Selvage and Stars

It's another day on the Make It, Take It blog tour which means more chances to win your own copy of the book! Two more lovely friends and contributors are sharing. Cindy is giving away a digital edition as well as a hard copy. Check out her fun selvage project plus a couple of extra sweet makes from the book here.  A machine mat is super useful at retreat; not only can it help with vibration on long banquet tables (for those of us that like to sew at turbo speed), it also allows you to quickly slide your machine to one side, clearing table space for cutting & organizing.

Photo Brent Kane for Martingale, Inc. All rights reserved.

I just love the handy vinyl pockets on Cindy's cute machine mat!

Also up today is the prolifically talented Lynne Goldsworthy of Lilysquilts (yup, her name is Lynne, not Lily, however I'm sure she answers to both).  Although she lives miles away in the UK, I got to meet her and her family a couple of years ago when I travelled over for the Fat Quarterly retreat.  With four busy teenagers I don't know where she finds the time, but Lynne is a member of the Fat Quarterly team, she supports many publications and fabric manufacturers with her gorgeous traditionally-inspired modern quilt designs and even makes all the quilts herself!  I'm so happy she was able to share her Lonestar Circle quilt in the book....beautifully made with luscious Oakshott shot cottons.

Photo Brent Kane for Martingale, Inc. All rights reserved.

Shame Lynne couldn't be in Seattle for the photo shoot. Instead you get me holding her quilt! One day we'll have to figure out a way to get her over to this side of the Atlantic.  I took her quilt with me on a recent trip to the Arctic and took a fun photo for her - have a look at her blogpost and don't forget to leave a comment there to win a digital copy.

If you can read Spanish (or like a quirky translation) then check out this fun post. My book was reviewed by the lovely Alejandra in Mexico! I cannot tell you how much I love the title of her post: Escapadas con Amigas.  I love Mexican food and always serve homemade salsa fresca at my day retreats; perhaps I should consider renaming Quilt By the Bay. Escapadas con Amigas sounds like the best day ever! After all, isn't that what retreats are all about? Escaping the laundry and dishes to sew with girlfriends?

Book Signing!

It is official! My book Make It, Take It: 16 Cute and Clever Projects to Sew With Friends will officially launch at QuiltCon!! I'm so excited for many reasons, but mostly because I'll be able to share it with friends from all over the blogosphere that I'll be meeting for the first time in person at QuiltCon. Many of the contributors to my book will be there as well, including Felicity, Krista W., Krista F., Leanne and Cindy!

Stepping Stones Table Runner by Krista Withers and me.

Photo: with permission by Brent Kane, Martingale 

The book officially releases February 10th (only 16 more sleeps). You'll be able to purchase a hard copy starting that day here. Your purchase directly from Martingale automatically includes a FREE digital copy so that you can take it along on your device to your next retreat, or to shop for supplies!

If you're headed to Austin for QuiltCon, you'll be able to purchase a copy in person there before it is available in any store, or shipping from Amazon!  Come see me on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in the Island Quilter Booth #109 or at 1:00 p.m. at Modern Cottons/The Quilt Haus Booth #306 (both of which are adjacent to the demo area). I'll sign your book and give you one of my awesome "Retreats Rule!" buttons.  If you've already pre-ordered your book (THANK YOU!), please stop by and say hello, I'll have a button & book plate to sign for you as well.  If all else fails, flag me down in the show hall or at the Moda party!

All of the contributors will participate in a blog tour in early April where you'll learn more about the inspiration behind each of their projects and have lots of chances to win your own copy of the book. Stay tuned for more details and a schedule coming later in March.

Lonestar Circle Mini

When I first started blogging and participating in the quilting and sewing community on Flickr, I signed up for so many swaps. I spent almost two years sewing up mini quilts, pouches, pot holders, mug rugs and hoops for other people. Some of my very best and most creative work went out the front door and into the homes of other sewists. Swapping was super fun and I met some of my closest online friends that way, but I started feeling a little sad about some of the great work I sent away that I'd never see again.  I decided to take a break and only do occasional swaps with friends.

     

Just a few of the swap items that I sent off to partners over the past 5 years.

Then Instagram took off like crazy and, similar to Flickr, communities started up through swapping again. I felt ready to jump back in and signed up for Kristi's Schnitzel and Boo Miniquilt Swap (search the hashtags #schnitzelandboominiquiltswap OR #makeaquiltmakeafriend if you want to check out the quilts on IG). Round Two is just shipping now and there are 1000 participants!  It is exciting to be a part of something so huge - I even signed up to be a swap mama to help ensure that this massive swap was a success.  Each mama has about 40 swappers to monitor and I'm super lucky because all 38 of my swappers are 100% committed to seeing the swap through. Phew!

So, what would I make for my secret partner? With my book, Make It, Take It coming out in a month's time, I wanted to try a mini-version of one of the patterns.  Lynne designed this incredible Lone Star Circle quilt for the book and used Oakshott shot cottons to make it.

Photo from Make It, Take It by Brent Kane, Martingale 2014

A lonestar quilt has long been on my "to try" list and this complete circle version is so eye-catching I knew it was a must.  In Lynne's pattern, the strips are cut 3 1/2".  I made a 1/3-sized version by cutting 1 1/2" strips from fat quarters (the finished mini is just under 18" square).  There is something about radiating designs; they seem to be universally loved by quilters.  Is it the symmetry? The eye-catching points?  I can't quite put my finger on it, but this little honey got more likes on IG than anything else I've ever posted!

All seams are pressed open on this mini, except for the two vertical seams that meet in the middle for the final horizontal joining seam (between the two half circles). I pressed those in opposite directions so I could lock the allowances and achieve a perfect pointy centre star!

The background is Essex yarn-dyed linen in flax, and the finished quilt measures 18" square.  My swap partner seems to like radiating designs (based on her inspiration mosaic) and although this fabric wasn't mentioned in her favourite designers list, I hope the universal appeal of Cotton & Steel will make this okay for her.  I don't have any fabrics by one designer she listed and I'm going to send her the 2 fat quarters I have from her other favourite designer as extras.

I simply quilted with straight lines and a longer stitch length (3.5 stitches/inch) using Aurifil 30 wt cotton thread in hot pink and teal to match the centre star prints.  I will freely admit that after doing so much improvisational sewing last fall, pin-matching all of those points nearly drove me bananas, but the effort is well worth the results!  In the book, I explain how to correctly pin-match angled seams so that you end up with perfectly pointy-points.

Throughout the year I'll be making up my own versions of the contributor projects from Make It, Take It. I can't wait to share more of this book with you!  Of course there will be a blog tour (watch for that in April).  For now, set your calendar alarms for February 10th: that's the day you'll be able to order the book from  Martingale's  online shop. The bonus is that when you buy a hard copy direct from the publisher, you automatically receive a FREE digital copy, so you can take the book along on retreat or to your sew-ins on your tablet or laptop! Yay!

Big News - of the BOOK VARIETY!

Keeping secrets is really hard work. When there are 12 women involved, all of whom blog and actively participate on social media, it is almost impossible. So, just in case you haven't yet caught wind of my exciting news, here goes:

I WROTE A BOOK!

MARTINGALE PUBLISHED THE BOOK!

THE BOOK WILL SHIP IN MID-FEBRUARY, 2015!

The best part about this book project? I got a lot of help from my friends. You know that retreats are my thing; I've been running a day-retreat business for almost 10 years and hosting 25 women on a 4-day annual retreat  for 8 years.  My dream for this book was to bring together a virtual retreat of my talented online pals (80% of whom I've had the pleasure of retreating with in real life!) and to share our ideas for useful projects that will help get you and your sewing stuff from home to retreat.  Plus, I wanted there to be a bunch of great patterns to sew once you got there! I've even included a fun group activity for an afternoon sew-in with friends at home if a sleepover isn't in the cards for you just yet.

The amazing people at Martingale worked with me to refine my proposal and I think we've come up with a really unique concept book full of gorgeous projects that everyone will want to make! There is truly something for everyone here. I can't wait to share more with all of you in the new year. For now, thanks to the gorgeous cover, you can have a preview of what to expect inside:

Martingale is based just outside of Seattle, an easy 3-hour drive south for me, so I've been to visit a few times. The staff are incredibly supportive and kind and their offices are so lovely - as you might expect there are gorgeous quilts hanging everywhere!  Perhaps one of the most fun and unexpected parts of the project was being able to participate in the photo shoot.  You know photography is a bit part of my life, but I've never had the chance to work with a true professional before.  For this, and for absolutely all of the aspects of Make It, Take It, including concept development, design, editing and layout, I feel so fortunate for their expert guidance.

Now that I've seen the book listed on Amazon and had the thrill of knowing the publisher likes the projects enough to feature them on the cover of Martingale's latest trade magazine, it is all becoming a reality that feels so satisfying and exciting.

In the new year, I'll be able to introduce you to all of the amazing designers who helped me fill this book with exciting projects. All of them will get to share their own projects and tell you a bit about their designs.  It'll be a blog hop, so of course, there will be books to give away! 

I wish we didn't have to wait so long, but the busy Christmas season is just around the corner, then many of us will be off to QuiltCon.  Let's face it, I've been waiting almost 2 years to hold this baby in my hands, so few more months isn't going to break me.....I don't think. Wink.

Little Quilts Cocktail Shakers and a giveaway

Hello there, fans of Amy, Sarah, sweet little quilts, cocktails, and Liberty!  Welcome to my stop on the Little Quilts blog tour, where I will happily gush on and on about how much I am enjoying this addition to my quilting library.

I met Amy during my first foray into swapping back in the Flickr Doll Quilt Swap. I was then introduced to Sarah and her beautiful work shortly after when these two talented ladies teamed up for their Dollies on Line pattern company.  Amy's Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts was one of the first blogs I followed years ago and she thrilled me one day with a sweet unexpected gift prompted by a mini quilt I'd made. I knew right then, that she was my kind of people.  Something tells me that I will get to meet both of these amazing quilters next year in person.....

So, if you've been following along this blog tour you already know that the tour is a swap!  Each of us has a secret partner for which we are making a quilt from Little Quilts. Prior to receiving my copy, I had already decided (based on the Amazon "take a look inside" photos) which pattern I'd use. Then my book arrived: cue indecision.  I wanted to make ALL THE QUILTS! Really! That rarely happens with me and books. Every pattern appeals to me. I know this will be my go-to guide whenever a swap comes around because there is definitely something for everyone and plenty of room for customization with fabric choices, fussy cutting and expanding to larger-sized quilts.

planning, planning, planning

Having recently acquired a bumper crop of Liberty tana lawn F8's, I was anxious to use some of them in this special quilt. I paired them with that other British fabric I love, Oakshott Colourshotts. After marking several pages in the book, eventually I returned to my original idea because my little brain just loved the idea of an all-British cocktail shaker quilt: A James-Bond-ish Shaken, Not Stirred table runner.

I think these two kinds of fabric really enjoy each other's company. The foundation piecing for the cocktail shaker shapes is very straightforward and not at all fiddly as far as paper piecing goes. It's actually a great project for a first go at this technique.  Can you spot the teeny Hello Kitties in the border print?

"Shaken, Not Stirred"

The runner finished up at 16" x 31".  Hopefully my partner has a suitably sized coffee table or side board, or even a bar!  Of course, there is always the awkward skinny wall option for hanging a table runner. 

I quilted the runner with a gorgeous blue Aurifil 28 wt thread in a straight line diagonal grid pattern that parallels the piecing. And I used this perfectly-suited Laurie Wisbrun print from my stash on the back!

To see what everyone else is making for their secret partners in our blog tour swap, have a look at the other stops listed below!  If you don't have it already, ask your local quilt shop to stock this wonderful book for you...then organize a swap with your guild or quilting friends!

If you'd like to win a copy of Little Quilts courtesy of Sara and Amy's publisher, leave a comment and let us know if you've ever made a doll or mini quilt before!  I'll close the giveaway October 4th and chose a random winner.  To win, you MUST leave your email address in your comment if it is not linked. If I can't contact you with one click, I'm afraid I have to chose another winner.  Good luck!

September 1: Amy and Sarah

http://mrsschmenkmanquilts.wordpress.com

http://thelastpiece.typepad.com

September 8: Pam Vieira-McGinnis

http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com

September 15: Nedra Sorenson

http://cactus-needle.blogspot.com/

September 22: Lynne Goldsworthy and Krista Hennebury

http://lilysquilts.blogspot.com

http://poppyprintcreates.blogspot.com/

September 29: John Adams

http://quiltdad.com

October 6: Katy Jones

http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com

EDITED TO ADD: comments are now closed, and congratulations to commenter #63, Kathy, who has won herself a copy of Little Quilts!

Craft Book Month

Lindsey and Mary over at Craft Buds are hosting their 3rd annual Craft Book Month through September. They've got a blog tour all month featuring book projects as well as a link up for people to share projects made in 2013 from craft books (including great prizes!). This is interesting for me. I have a LOT of sewing/stitching/quilting books. I love reading through them, checking out different construction techniques, fabric combinations, inspiring photography and stories. Do I make stuff out of my craft books? Rarely. I can't really say why. Perhaps it is because I often have my own ideas that need sewing, or I use specific one-off patterns that I purchase from blogging friends.

One book that has inspired me in the past several months is Alexia Abegg's Liberty Love. In this case, it is entirely due to the gorgeous Liberty tana lawn fabrics and  Alexia's designs that show them off to their full potential. Of course, any favourite fabric could be used for projects in the book - one need not fork out the big bucks for Liberty - but if you've got a treasured stash, this is likely the book that will get you cutting into it.

I originally blogged about this gorgeous Around Town Tote here.  I want to make one for myself soon because I just love the aesthetic of this uncomplicated bag. I still have enough of the leaf print, but I might be tempted to choose one of the more colourful florals that I brought home from London instead.

My next project from Liberty Love will be the Spool Quilt. I fear it will have to wait until November retreat, but that's okay. It is the perfect project to easily piece while laughing with friends and I know everyone will be excited to see all of the tana lawn prints. Liberty is rare here. 

Once I make the Spool Quilt, that will be two projects out of one book. A definite record for me. What crafting book have you made the most projects from? 

Books Reading Books

I like books and I like this genius short video. I thought many of you might like it, too. It was filmed in a small book seller's shop in Toronto.  

My favourite part is the book reading a book: so clever.  Thanks to M & J for sending me that link! I don't read nearly as much as I should. My reading tends to go in fits and starts and is often based on recommendations from friends. My favorite recent read was Cutting for Stone, but that was way back in the summer.  My next read will be Paris to the Moon (to get me psyched for my family's upcoming trip to France!).    My current read is Wheat Belly - I've taken wheat out of my diet for a whole two weeks now and I have to say, I feel fantastic.

Hope you had (or are still enjoying) a lovely weekend. We finally got some of the cold white stuff here, yippee!  I was worried it would scare some people away from retreat yesterday, but everyone was able to make it.  I typically don't accomplish too much on retreat days since I'm busy with hostess duties, but I managed a bee block for Lynne, despite Agatha's protestations, and I cut all my squares for the Made in Cherry QAL after dinner.  More on that soon...

Glowing

Look! It's me and my block from Modern Blocks. Thank you Sonja for taking this picture at our VMQG meeting last week.

Apparently I'm a 'well-known designer'. It says so right on the back cover of the book!

I'm in pretty good company. I love it that I ended up right below Ms. Goldsworthy! (that's only because of the alphabet you know. It doesn't mean she's more well-known than me. Even though she is).

Back soon with Gee's Bend report. I am positively glowing after two days with those ladies, actually. I was able to edit my last post and give credit to all of the quilt makers thanks to Matt Arnett who identified each one in a split second!

A Bullet Train of Good News

As if there hasn't been enough excitement here for the month, I'm going to do a bit of a brain dump all over this blogpost. There are lots of small great-newsy items that are adding up to one big post of sharing, so before the list gets unmanageable, I've just gotta get this out there. To keep my rambling in check, and so I don't bore you to death, I'll just bullet it, kay?

• my lovely friend Michele, AKA Duff (who, incidentally was the first real life person to ever pay real cash money for something I'd made and donated to Craft Hope for Haiti on Etsy), participated in the SMS giveaway day and I was the lucky recipient of this luscious Marcia Derse fabric.

• the same Duff alerted me to the fact that Skooksplayground made a beautiful version of my Crop Circles Table Runner and posted about it here. It's a stunner made for a wedding gift. Correspondence ensued and at Skooks' prompting, I decided to create a flickr group called Poppyprint Projects for anything made from one of my tutorials, or inspired by one of my projects. Skooks and I are currently the only esteemed members, but on the off chance someone else has made anything, please join us and add a photo so I can gush over your creations!

Crop Circle Table runner by Skooks

• And speaking of gushing....I just have to share that (gasp) Amy Butler herself (or, possibly one of her people) left a very kind comment on one of my flickr photos. Remember back in November, Jo, Andrea and I all held hands and made these bags together on retreat?

Blossom bags by (L-R), Andrea, me, Jo Ann

Amy said this in her comment under the photo:

These are fabulous, great job and great fabric choices, I love them all!

EEP! (I said that) I mean, she LOVES them! I had a Sally Field moment for sure.

• In the fall, there will be a fabulous new offering coming out from Stash Books called Modern Blocks. Guess who's got a block pattern in there? Yup. Me. Shucks. Plus, many of my friends (and bloggers you also know and love) are also featured in the book. There's going to be a big party when this book comes out!

• And lastly, for today at least, I want to say HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY to the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild! Woohoo!

We had a super fun anniversary party last Thursday. There were over 50 people in attendance and everyone won a door prize. This little visitor found something fun to do with the thread catcher I donated for the prize table.

We showed our Kona solids challenge quilts and they are all incredible. As soon as our photographer Sonja uploads the photos, I'll point you in the right direction to see them. You'll be blown away by our guild members' creativity! All of the quilts are amazing.

Thanks to Heather (our membership coordinator/treasurer) we can proudly wear out guild on our sleeve!

Okay people I'm sure you've had enough excitement for one blogpost. It's time to get back to the sewing machine to work on this if I'm going to get it done in time for Saturday. If you're looking to get a jump on a GO!Baby giveaway, Amy is really speedy and she has started hers today!