Meet My Next Book: Patchwork USA

All photos in this post by Page + Pixel for Lucky Spool Media

It was all the way back in 2014, before my first book Sew Organized for the Busy Girl even hit the shelves, that I started writing a second book. I had all kinds of ideas for what I wanted it to be: colorful, vintage inspired, full of approachable projects that would make thoughtful gifts and keepsakes. More than anything, though, it was going to be a love letter to my favorite kind of sewing -- simple, happy patchwork.

It's taken me a long time to bring this book into being, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Patchwork USA is everything I wanted it to be and more.

Fireworks Pillow

When I first began working on the table of contents, I looked for a theme to pull everything together. Because I so often think of my adventures in sewing as a creative journey, I thought it would be fun to arrange my ideas around the metaphor of a road trip. Not only would this allow me to use beautiful retro photo props (Hello, vintage postcards!), but it would also give me a fun new way to frame the sewing process. So instead of talking about small, medium, and large projects, we have a chapter each on Daytrips, Weekend Getaways, and Summer Vacations. You can get a refresher on basic sewing techniques at the Visitor's Center, learn why I chose the fabrics and colors I did for every project by studying the Scenic Route, and get the story behind each pattern by reading the Historical Marker.

Tagalong Pincushion

For me, this is a very personal book. So many of these projects came out of lovely memories from the past when I was a child, a single teacher, a new bride, and a young mother. It's also a book that was written very much with you, my readers, in mind. I wanted this to be a resource for each of you -- no matter what level of sewing ability you might have -- that would be useful, inspiring, and a pleasure to read. For those of you who have been so patiently requesting patterns for projects that you've seen on my blog, here you will finally find directions for the Big Bear Cabin Quilt and the Floss Mini Quilt. You'll also find the six projects which were first released as a special Fast Fabric Gifts booklet by Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine along with Issue 41, which many people have been asking me for since then. I'm so happy to have these projects together in one book as I always hoped they would be, with a grand total of twenty-four patterns in all!

Big Bear Cabin Quilt

So many people ask me how I put together fabric combinations in my patchwork projects, so I've included an introductory section with tips, guidelines, and checklists for choosing prints and helping them play together nicely to get the look you want, with additional advice for specific design questions. I also hope that this will become a go-to book for handmade giving, whether you're sewing by yourself or with a group of friends at a retreat or sew-in. There's a section in the book full of ideas for creative gifting, personalizing projects, and sewing activities for a crowd that will hopefully spark ideas for fun events and meaningful sharing.

You can get a sneak peek at the book on the Lucky Spool website here and preorder the book on Amazon here. The publication date is set for the end of April, and I'm counting the days until then!

Road Trip Pillow

I can't say enough about the guidance of my friend Susanne, head of Lucky Spool, who has believed in this project from the beginning and encouraged me every step of the way. And I'm in awe of Kristy and Nissa, the amazing women behind Page + Pixel, whose graphic design artistry and stunning photography have given Patchwork USA the vintage look of my dreams, all wrapped up inside a beautiful hard cover. When the first round of sample pages came across my computer screen last month, I was on the phone with my husband. As I started scrolling through the incredible photographs and retro design, framing the projects that have been part of my own creative journey for nearly five years, I couldn't stop the tears from coming. "This," I cried to my husband, "is the book I've always wanted to write."

Color Book

Dear friends, it gives me so much joy to finally share Patchwork USA with you. And as it goes out into the world this spring, I hope that you'll be inspired to take a creative journey of your own and, most importantly, to share it with the people you love most. This book has been the adventure of a lifetime for me, and I'm so grateful to have friends like you along for the ride.

Craft Book Month Blog Hop

One of my favorite events of the year is the Craft Book Month Blog Hop hosted by Craft Buds. Now that I've gone through the process of writing a sewing book myself, I have a whole new level of respect for craft book authors. You're not just holding a book in your hands. Those pages represent..

• almost two years spent dreaming, writing, sewing, photographing, editing, and rewriting
• 2am bedtimes, 5am mornings, and gallons of caffeine laden beverages
• endless sacrifices of family members who gave up time with the author to make that book possible
• the author's heart, so full of hope that you will benefit from what he or she is sharing with you

It's easy for us to pick up a book, flip through the pages, and make a quick judgment of whether it's any good or not. I've been guilty of that myself. Now I look at the rows of colorful titles on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, and all I see is an ocean of blood, sweat, and tears. It makes me want to buy a copy of every new sewing book that comes out just to validate the work that I know went into it. As you can see by the stack above, which shows most of the books I've bought in the last year, I'm off to a good start. Meanwhile, I'm counting down the days until my book is released by Stash Books this coming March!

So let's get to the good stuff! For my book, I chose Quilt Color Workshop by the brilliant Fat Quarterly Team: Tacha Bruecher, Brioni Greenberg, Lynne Goldsworthy, and John Adams. This book is like a college course on sewing with color. After giving you an overview of the basics, the book is divided into six sections -- by color, of course -- each filled with quilt block designs and a variety of projects. I absolutely love that each quilt block is presented in six different colorways, illustrating the six color relationships described in the introduction.

It took me days to settle on just one project from this book, but I finally chose Tacha's Parquet Pillow. The original version above is done in a monotone colorway of green, white, and black. At first glance it looks like a simple cross design made more complicated, but all those thin strips of fabric sewn together give this pillow top an incredible sense of texture.

I chose to make my pillow slightly smaller (nine blocks instead of sixteen) and went with a color scheme of purple, green, and cream. The colors are a bit out of my comfort zone, but I absolutely love the way it turned out. Most of my prints were from the new Cotton and Steel Basics, including the tiny green accents between the blocks, with favorite designs from Waterfront Park and Architextures mixed in too. The creamy background fabrics are Quilter's Linen and a great Paris map print by 3 Sisters.

I used cream colored thread by Aurifil for all of the quilting. Since the blocks have more than enough movement in themselves with all that piecing, I restricted my quilting to the sashing and outer border of the pillow. 

The envelope backing features one of my all time favorite prints: Star Pods in green from Les Amis by Patty Sloniger. I decided to skip the binding around the edge of the pillow cover to keep things simple. I am absolutely thrilled with how this pillow turned out, and for the record, my husband insists that this is one of his favorite things I've made. He loves the limited color palette and simple design. Again, the texture of this piecing is fantastic. My girls love to run their fingers over the pillow top when they cuddle with it on the couch in the family room, and I admit, I do the same when no one's looking!

This book is packed full of gorgeous projects that I want to try. Right now I'm trying to decide between Brioni's stunning color wheel quilt on the book cover or Lynne's amazing Calm Before the Storm quilt shown above. Decisions, decisions...

Keep reading for all the details on the Craft Book Month Blog Hop -- prizes included!

2014 Craft Book Month Blog Hop!

Monday 9/1: Fabric Mutt / Lindsay Sews
Tuesday 9/2: Rae Gun Ramblings / Craftside
Wednesday 9/3: The Feisty Redhead / The Fabric Studio
Thursday 9/4:  Marci Girl Designs / Small Town Stitcher
Friday 9/5: LRstitched / A Prairie Sunrise
Monday 9/8: Hopeful Threads / sewVery
Tuesday 9/9: 13 Spools / Lisa Liza Lou
Wednesday 9/10: Stitch This! / My Sewcial Hour
Thursday 9/11: The Littlest Thistle / Fabric Seeds
Friday 9/12: Sew Sweetness / Clover + Violet
Monday 9/15: Inspire Me Grey / amylouwho

Link Up

9/1-9/30: Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from your blog, your Flickr or (NEW THIS YEAR) Instagram, and enter to win prizes. Please hashtag your posts #craftbookmonth so we can find them!

 

Note: Even if you share on instagram, please also come back and link the instagram URL in the linkup tool on Craft Buds to be eligible for prizes!

 

You may link up any project you’ve made from a pattern in a craft book. That easy! You’ll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, October, 1!

 

Rules

1) One entry per person. 
2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2014. 
3) Create a new blog post, instagram or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2014 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description. In your post or photo description, make sure to list the craft book you used and provide a link if possible.
4) All winners chosen via Random.org. Some prizes available to international winners, so please join us!

Prizes

Visit Craft Buds and link up your craft book project during the window of Sept 1-30 and you’ll automatically be entered to win some fantastic prizes from the Craft Book Month sponsors!

Around the World Blog Hop

My sweet and talented friend Sarah of Berry Barn Designs was kind enough to ask me to be one of the next stops on the Around the World Blog Hop, a chance for artists of all kinds to talk about how they approach the creative process. Consider this your own free backstage pass to what goes on here at Fabric Mutt...

Look for the Craft Book Month Blog Hop and Quilter's Mixology Blog Hop, both coming in September!

What am I working on?

I've been a busy girl lately, trying to stay ahead of upcoming deadlines. At the moment I'm scheduled to be in four different blog hops next month, and that means a lot of sewing! Two of my projects come from the brilliant books you see above, both of which I highly recommend to you. I'm planning to write up a tutorial for my Tiger Tracks Satchel, and I have a few fun little projects on my "when I have time" list. I've also put in a bit of work on my book which is heading into the final editing stages this fall before it's released in the spring. I can hardly wait to share it with you!

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I'm the queen of the quick finish! When I'm trying to juggle housework, homeschooling our three girls, sewing deadlines, family activities, and daily errands, there's nothing more valuable to me than a project that I can make in a day or two. When I can work on something a little more complex, it's always a treat, but I've learned to make peace with the reality of my time limits for now.

Inspiration is everywhere! Right now I'm loving the colors and graphic design elements in this row of old books that are sitting on the top shelf of my desk.

Why do I create what I do?

It's so interesting to look back on how my work has changed over the past few years. There are always going to be new patterns, designers, and color schemes that influence what I'm doing. I spend a good amount of time each month looking at design trends in a number of areas besides sewing -- fashion, graphic design, interior decorating -- and it's been a great learning process for me. I've seen my tastes swing back and forth between modern and traditional, landing somewhere in the middle. I've also really come to value simplicity in design.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- there's nothing more important than to make what you love. I think it's great to challenge yourself every now and again by trying something new, but it's a mistake to try to be something you aren't. The longer I sew, the more clearly I understand what I really love to make and the less likely I am to jump on a bandwagon that isn't for me. Of course, I can still appreciate the talent and thought that have gone into a project, even if it isn't something I would make myself. That's the beauty of this online creative community. Mostly I'm just incredibly grateful to have the chance to not only sew projects that make my heart sing, but to share them with people who care to hear about them. This blog has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

1. Patchwork Pouch, 2. Everyday Party Quilt, 3. Plain & Fancy Mini Quilt, 4. Katie Jump Rope Pillow, 5. Summer, 6. Nursery Versery Apron

How does my creative process work?

It depends on what I'm making. I've become really interested in how bags and other accessories are put together. I love to walk through the purse section of a department store and spend time looking at seams and taking photographs of interesting shapes. I'm sure the salespeople think I'm crazy, but I find it absolutely fascinating. I always get ideas for things I'd like to experiment with in bag patterns of my own.

I often sit down with graph paper and colored pencils to sketch out ideas before I start sewing, but sometimes I just throw all caution to the wind and start working without a definite plan in mind. I usually make notes when I'm creating a new pattern so that I can recreate the project if I want to write up a tutorial later on. Of course, once in a while -- say in the case of a certain previously mentioned satchel -- I get too excited and don't stop to write down measurements...

Heather Ross fabric is always a good idea...

When it comes to quilts, there are projects that I make to showcase fabric, and then there are fabrics I use because they let the pattern shine. I'm a stickler for getting things just right when it comes to design elements in any project I make. I'm not devastated if a pair of blocks don't match up perfectly or if my seams aren't pressed exactly right, but if I choose the wrong print for a quilt binding, it's going to haunt me every time I look at it. I probably spend more time on project design than on anything else, but I don't mind because it's definitely my favorite part of the process.

One of my current "little projects" in process -- a box bag featuring Denyse Schmidt's fantastic new Hadley collection

I hope you've enjoyed a little peek behind the curtain at how my creativity works. I've asked two of my oldest and dearest blogging friends to share with you next Monday. Beth is the amazing woman behind Plum and June, a blog which has done so much to promote and connect new sewing bloggers all over the world with her annual New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop. She always inspires me with her fearless sewing and her incredibly stunning photography (just look at this post to see what I mean). Becca writes a lovely, witty journal of her sewing adventures at Bryan House Quilts. She has a great eye for color and more patience with half square triangles than I will ever have. Mostly, though, I just desperately want her Nikki Tote Bag. Both of these ladies have been a huge encouragement to me in my own sewing journey, and I can't wait to see what the year ahead holds for them.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Graph Paper QAL: Fabric & Themes

It’s been wonderful to hear how many of you are going to be sewing along with us for the Graph Paper Quilt Along! There's a lot of freedom built into this event on purpose. I want it to be a fun, relaxing experience for all of you.  Remember that the only requirement is that you use patchwork squares – any size, any fabric, any pattern. Just to get you started, I’ve pulled together some ideas that will work for either your quilt or your small projects. Take a look and see what you like!

Fabric Auditions

Unless you have a stack of prints that you’re dying to use in your next project, you may be looking for some inspiration. Here are a few auditions from my own stash: 

I love these colors together. They remind me of summer sunsets.

1. Go Solid: a project made with only solids is so clean and modern. Limit your color palette for special effect.

I used the print on the left from the Grey Abbey collection to guide the rest of my choices.

2. Go Low Volume: Use prints with a predominantly white or cream background for a look that’s quiet but still full of personality.

I love mixing up a rainbow of colors with kid friendly prints.

3. Go Juvenile: Kid friendly novelty prints make wonderful “I-Spy” projects, perfect for games and storytelling activities with the little ones in your life.

A portion of my embarrassingly large Denyse Schmidt stash

4. Go Designer: We all have our own private hoards of fabric by our favorite designers. Instead of letting those prints languish on the shelf, this is your chance to showcase them in a practically foolproof project.

Of course, there are plenty of other themes to choose from. Pick a design element like dots, flowers, or geometric prints. Take the color palette from one favorite print and pull other fabrics to match. Use two complementary fabric collections from different designers and mix them up for a totally new look. The possibilities are endless!

Close up from my first Mosaic Bag - a loose variation on a plus pattern

Pattern Ideas

There’s nothing wrong with just spreading your squares out randomly and sewing them together, but some of you may be looking for something a little more unique or would just rather work off an established pattern. Here are some links that might interest you. 

1. Modern plus pattern

2. Granny squares

3. Pixelated heart

4. Super simple squares

5. Stashbuster Block

6. Tiny Nine Patch

Remember that this quilt along is all about fun and creativity. If you decide to add some borders or a rogue half square triangle to your pattern, I'm not going to kick you out on a technicality. Try to stick to the square pattern as much as you can, but if something amazing is calling your name, then answer the call! Now is the time to start choosing fabric and a pattern, and then you'll want to get to work on cutting out all those beautiful squares. I'll have a few cutting tips for you on Monday along with our first small project tutorial link. Is it a good pattern? Let's just say that I want to make a million of these...

Capturing Inspiration

Today you'll find me over on the Pink Castle Fabrics Blog as a guest blogger for their Spring Cleaning Series. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this post about different ways to capture inspiration for your sewing projects. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic too, so be sure to come back and share any ideas. Happy Wednesday!

Playing Hooky

I had the most fabulous time visiting with my dear friend Beth of Plum & June today here in Southern California. My wonderful husband stayed home with the girls, and I got to spend a few hours walking around the darling shops in Laguna Beach with a fellow quilter.  I haven't had the chance to play hooky like this in a while, and it was such a treat.

The bag you see above was a little gift I made for Beth. I whipped it up last night using Jeni Baker's famous pattern and a new patchwork cheater print by Suzuko Koseki.

The accent on the top is On a String in black from Valentina, the string is a simple black and white stripe, and the inside is a sewing notions print that I love. It was the perfect size for holding a little stack of fabric goodies. I will definitely be making more of these great little bags.

Inspiration was all around us this morning. I could have taken so many more pictures...and did actually except that Beth was good enough to point out to me the "please don't take pictures" signs to keep me out of trouble when I was blithely snapping photos everywhere. This is why I need a keeper with me at all times...

I love the colors of the shells and coral on these napkins.

How cute are these knitted friends??

A sweet little flower stand. The glass bottle vases hanging from the ceiling were gorgeous, and I love those simple white daisies in the middle. Call me cliche, but I agree with Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail: daisies are the friendliest flower. Okay, now I have to go find that movie...

I love being a stay-at-home mom, and I don't take it for granted that we can afford for me to spend this time with our girls as they're growing up. But being at home with three little ones every day -- with no car at my disposal, yet -- can get a little lonely as some of you know. Having the opportunity to get out and spend time with someone else who understands exactly where I'm coming from is a gift that I don't take lightly. This day definitely gets tucked away in my "happy" file.