Pretty Playtime QAL: Butterfly Block

It's such a pleasure to be today's stop on the Pretty Playtime QAL. One of the things I love most about this sampler quilt is that so many of these blocks will stand alone beautifully on other projects like pillows and bags. I've been collecting Elea's fabric since her first release of Milk, Sugar & Flower, so I wanted to use a bit of all her collections for this block (except the Christmas one, of course). I was even able to sneak in a few Apple Farm prints since I'm on the collection blog tour this week (check back on Thursday to see my project for that -- I can't wait to share!). Since I only had charm squares of some prints, I decided to shrink the pattern down to half size and turn it into a sweet little pouch.

I am SO in love with this project! The rainbow of colors, the black and white Swiss dots in the background by Riley Blake Designs (probably my all-time favorite neutral print), that tiny butterfly on the side loop -- it's all just patchwork happiness. The finished pouch is only 6" square, small enough to fit inside my purse if needed. It would make a darling little case for basting hexagons on the go. 

The backing is a red floral print from Strawberry Biscuit. As always, I added a leather pull to the navy blue zipper. It's a great finishing touch, and it really does make it easier to use the zipper.

I lined the pouch with Elea's floral stripe print from Milk, Sugar & Flower. I almost always like to use low volume prints for my linings since a light background makes it simple to find what you're looking for inside the bag -- definitely a helpful feature for me.

Be sure to visit all the stops on the Pretty Playtime QAL tour, sponsored by my lovely friends at Fat Quarter Shop. I can't wait to see everyone's finished quilts!

Week 2 - Erin from Why Not Sew?
Week 3 - Wynn from Zakka Art
Week 4 - Anorian from Samelia's Mum
Week 5 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter
Week 6 - Renee from Sewn with Grace
Week 7 - Jemima from Tied with a Ribbon
Week 8 - Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl
Week 9 - Debbie from Happy Little Cottage
Week 10 - Tina from Emily Ann's Kloset
Week 11 - Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting
Week 12 - Kristyne from Pretty by Hand
Week 13 - Heidi from Fabric Mutt
Week 14 - Brigitte from The Family Hearth
Week 15 - Lorrie from Sew Mod Designs
Week 16 - Kristin from They Grow Up Too Fast

Happy sewing!

Candied Snowflake Pillow

Like so many of you, I was saddened to hear that Quilter's Newsletter was going out of print at the end of this year. Thankfully, I was able to get one project published in their special Christmas edition which comes out this month: my Candied Snowflake Pillow.

I love taking traditional blocks and updating them with more modern fabric choices. The design of this pillow is based on the Texas Treasure block, first published in the 1930's. Bright candy colors and a black and white dotty background give this pillow a mid-century vibe. It's a cheerful take on Christmas sewing that can stick around for a while after the tree comes down.

Look for the pattern in "Best Christmas Quilts from Quilter's Newsletter," in shops now through mid-October.

Holiday Wishes: Merry Gifts Pillow

There's something really gratifying about sewing for Christmas in the middle of summer. Not only is it a fun change of pace, but it makes me feel miles ahead of the game to get a few holiday projects finished months before I need them. When Fat Quarter Shop asked me to be a part of their Holiday Wishes blog hop, I jumped at the chance to add another handmade Christmas project to my stash.

Sherri Falls has written a sweet little book full of holiday projects that will work for both experienced and beginning quilters. The piecing is all very straightforward, though some of her quilts are more advanced due to the large number of pieces involved in each block. When I saw her Merry Gifts Quilt pattern, I immediately thought of turning one of those gift blocks into a pillow cover. A couch dotted with present pillows would be so sweet for Christmas!

I paired a few prints from Cotton + Steel's Garland collection with Alexia Abegg's black and white Starry fabric from her new Print Shop line. I love the red, pink, white & black color scheme, and those little deer just melt my heart every time I look at them. I also adjusted the block pattern slightly, trimming it so that the cover would fit a 12 x 20" pillow.

The pillow is backed in Ornamentals in Cotton Candy from Garland. I love this print in every colorway, but the pink might be my favorite.

This pillow is cute and retro and such a fun addition to my collection of hand sewn Christmas decor. Summer vacation has been pretty fabulous, but after making this project, I'm feeling just a bit more eager to see the temperatures drop again...

Scrappy Improv Runner

I bought a copy of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Wood last month and was fascinated by her ideas about quilting. Rather than working from a pattern, she works from a "score," a set of guidelines for the quilt instead of specific measurements and precise directions. So when Mom asked if I would make a small runner for the top of her bedroom dresser, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give these techniques a try.

For my score, I decided to use rectangles cut by hand with scissors instead of a rotary cutter. For the color scheme, I alternated a rainbow of colors with low volume prints -- a look that I adore. I love playing with fabric to find the right balance of color and light in my projects. This has a cheerful look that's so bright and happy.

I backed the runner in a woven aqua gingham print from the new Checkers line by Cotton + Steel. It's quilted in straight lines about half an inch apart and bound in a low volume text print by Zen Chic.

I have to admit, improv quilting is fun. While I get a lot of pleasure from working with traditional patterns, there's nothing like sewing things together without worrying about matching points or perfect seams. That kind of freedom is so appealing, and I will definitely be doing this again.

When Creativity Hurts

Even in the world of sewing, things don’t always go the way we plan. Sometimes my biggest struggles have nothing to do with the tools I'm using and everything to do with the emotions involved in the creative process. Here are the four biggest roadblocks I face and how I deal with them:

1. Criticism: There are few things so painful as criticism. It occasionally comes from those we know in person, but so often these days it hits hardest online, especially through the fickle world of social media and anonymous comments. When people criticize your work -- be it a project, a blog post, a pattern or book -- step back and take a deep breath before responding...if you must respond at all. Ask yourself if the criticism is valid. If it is, learn from it and move on. If it isn't, work through the emotions of the moment and then let it go. People say all kinds of things for all kinds of reasons, and their issues don't change who you are and why you do what you do. Take the advice of the people who matter in your life and leave the rest alone.

2. Comparison: No matter how long you’ve been sewing or how good you are at it, there’s someone out there who’s been doing it longer or “better” than you. Make peace with it and don't let it discourage you. Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” If you spend all your time trying to keep up with everyone else, you’re missing the point. You can appreciate the talents of others without feeling bad about your own skills. Gain inspiration and knowledge where you can and keep making what you love.

3. Perfectionism: As a perfectionist myself, I have a lot of understanding for those who struggle to get each project exactly right. It’s so easy to praise each other’s work and downplay the flaws, but oh, how we struggle to do the same with our own projects. Give yourself the same grace that you would share with a friend, practice where you need to, and let go of your mistakes. Someone reminded me once that so-called "perfect" work is done entirely by machines, while the little imperfections in our projects show that they were created by human hands. There can be beauty even in our limitations. 

4. Stagnation: There will come a day (if it hasn’t already) when you sit down at your sewing machine, look at your fabric, pick up the project you’ve been working on...and feel no desire whatsoever to sew. It can be a little unsettling when the thing that brought you so much happiness suddenly seems difficult, burdensome, or just plain blah. Don’t let it throw you. Any hobby can get a little stale after a while, even sewing. Sometimes the best thing to do is step away from it for a few days or even indulge in another favorite past time for a week or two. Odds are pretty good that when you walk back to that sewing table after a break, you’ll be refreshed and ready to start creating again.

The most important thing to remember when facing any of these issues is that you're not the only one. We all deal with frustrations, hurts, and disappointments in our creative work at one time or another. They’re not the end of the world, and they won’t steal your joy unless you let them. Don’t ever let them. Be who you are and love what you make. It's always the best way to go.

Summer Tourist Quilt (Designer Edition)

This quilt...it's been a year and a half in the making.

I first designed the Summer Tourist Quilt for my book, Sew Organized for the Busy Girl, back in 2013. In the original version, each of the 9 blocks is made up of 36 squares all containing a single color (red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, blue, purple, pink, and gray). From a distance, it almost looks like a paint box full of watercolors. I absolutely love that quilt.

But then I thought, wouldn't it be fun to do a version where, rather than focusing on color, each block featured only fabrics from a single designer? I tucked the idea away until the book was finished, finishing a few blocks during early 2015. Soon after, though, our family was plunged into the chaos of packing up our home in California, moving to Texas, and settling into our new home. It wasn't until recent months that I was able to pick up this project again and work at it here and there between other assignments.

And then this week I spotted the project box where I've been keeping my blocks and materials, and I decided that it was time. This quilt deserved to be finished. I spent the weekend working on it during every free moment I had, sewing the last stitch last night after the girls were in bed.

It was so hard to limit myself to just 9 blocks for this quilt. I seriously considered adding at least another row so that I could feature more fabric designers, but in the end, I felt that it was more important to finish the quilt. The blocks feature fabric from the following designers (from top to bottom, left to right): Denyse Schmidt, Heather Ross, Lotta Jansdotter, Alison Glass, Melody Miller, Carolyn Friedlander, Bonnie & Camille, Lizzy House, and Anna Maria Horner. Since many of these were finished a year ago, there are newer fabrics missing from the blocks which I would have loved to add, but so it goes. I still have bags set aside with fabric that I had hoped to use by other talented women like Heather Bailey, Tula Pink, Lori Holt, Rashida Coleman Hale...the list goes on and on. I would really love to do another designer based project in the future, maybe a Weekend Tourist quilt (also from my book) with smaller blocks by more designers.

I used a La Creme dot print by Riley Blake for the sashing, quilting each block separately to the batting before joining them all together with batting backed sashing pieces. It was a different way to construct the quilt, but it allowed me to do more extensive quilting on the blocks than I normally do on a full quilt top. The quilt is backed in Tula Pink's Free Fall wide back fabric and bound in Melody Miller's Facet print in pink from the Garland collection. Both prints are gorgeous, and I love the way they work together.

So now I sit typing on my bed with the finished quilt nearby, fresh from the dryer, a warm and crinkly expanse of rainbow colored joy beside me.

It was definitely worth the wait.

Patchwork Pocket

I snagged a sample spree bundle of Sarah Watts' new From Porto with Love collection from Modern Quilter after Quilt Market, and I think it's one of her best. The colors are lovely, and the details are perfect -- so much great material for fussy cutting. I combined it with a few prints from Anna Rifle Bond's Les Fleurs collection for this small project. We had a difficult weekend of health issues with Bunny, spending several nights in the hospital, and though we're joyful to say that the doctor is getting to the bottom of her breathing issues, it's all been pretty exhausting and emotional. So once again, I embraced a little patchwork therapy.

I originally planned this pocket to be for my sunglasses, but it turned out to be a bit too small for that. Happily, though, it's exactly the right size for the little package of Kleenex that I keep in my purse.

The pocket is lined in a peach City Toile print, a soft lawn that features gold metallic designs. It makes such a gorgeous lining and goes perfectly with the travel theme that I was using for this project.

For the back, I used another metallic print from Sarah's collection. Sardines never looked so beautiful!

Another week, another small project...just the way I like it.