Fabulous Fabric Friday, a giveaway, and a tutorial.

Hey Everyone,

We are hosting a giveaway on Maureen's blog. A $30 gift certificate to purchase what you like from our shop. Head over there to enter to win.

In my many career incarnations (I am a restless soul when it comes to occupation) I once worked in the travel industry. I worked for a Hawaiian tour company. Ever since I have had a love of Pineapple motifs. Whenever I see a pineapple it gives me a feeling of welcome it is a symbol of hospitality. So the trend with pineapples that is showing up now is really up my alley and I have been wanting to make a pineapple quilt. I was planning on using the yellows and greens from my Liberty stash to make a mini quilt and I think I still might but more as a piece of art to put in a frame. I thought it would also be fun to make a multi colored pineapple quilt. I sat down the other day and started playing around using Paintbox Basics and came up with this:

 I am calling it Painted Pineapples. Would you like to make it with me? I will give you instructions for both a small size 32" x 40" and a large size 64" x 80". Also if you would like to buy the fabrics to make it I have created kits,one of the kits can be paid for in 4 payments and you can get a row at a time. I thought it would make the cost easier for those that have a limited monthly budget. This is a super simple pattern and quilt but I love the way the colors blend together in a rainbow wash.

You can find the tutorials here: (if you downloaded these first thing this morning, redo them, I made changes)

Small Version
Large Version

Ps. Keep in mind this is just a tutorial and was not meant to be a pattern so it is a bit more vague than you would find in an actual pattern. The numbers of squares to cut are approximate since it is meant to be a bit random. Keep your scraps in case you need extra squares of any of the fabrics.

Labor Day Sale and Back To Crafting Month

Hey Everyone,

We are having a sale today. You can find it here.

I was saying in the newsletter that I call September. Back to Crafting month ... when hopefully the temperatures are starting to cool and we are starting to think about fall and the kids are out of the house for a few hours. I always think of fall crafts as particularly homey. I wonder if it is because of the Holidays and remembering family times. Have you gotten your Pumpkin Spice Latte yet?

I didn't think about it until now but Maureen's new collection Nightfall fits perfectly with thoughts of Fall and homey crafting.

Since it is back to crafting month... keep an eye out each week for new deals on some of my favorite designer's fabrics. Let's make some beautiful projects for gifting and feathering our nests this fall!

Fabulous Fabric Friday and a Giveaway

Hey Everyone,

I have been sewing... even though you haven't seen much of me lately. I feel like Instagram has ruined me for blogging... so much easier to take a photo and forget it, you know? Here is the makings of my next personal project:

Gotta love Liberty. Since I will not be able to use my machine for 4 weeks (after surgery) I am going to be doing a hand project with this.

For those still waiting for your sale packages we are working as fast as we can but we had about 4 times as many orders as usual during this sale and some of them are 3-4 pages long (meaning 60 or more fabrics) I promise we are cutting them in order they were received and we will have them done no later than Monday. I go into the Hospital on Tuesday for my big surgery and I will be pretty out of it for a week or so but the kids (who are grown ups if you were wondering) are going to be running the shop and I am still going to be cracking the whip from my bed :) So you shouldn't see an interruption in service at all. I am going to say one more time how proud I am of them... I have been training them for the last two months (so glad that I got to pick when to have the surgery) and they can easily do everything that I can do.

Here are a few things that I have made in the last 2 weeks (it is fun when you get your Sewjo back)!

I designed the pattern for this blouse to showcase the Wanderlust Lawn fabrics. I seriously adore this top it looks really good on as well as on the hanger (this pic was before I added the facing and hem but I think you get the picture). These fabrics are Sky and Dusk.

I also made a pattern for a t-shirt and did a sample out of Alison Glass Knits they are so soft to wear. Here is a little peek at it:

There are a few more projects I have been working on that I will show soon but this is the last one for today:

This was our last Mini for the "Maker's Mini Quilt of the Month" A cute little Flowering Snowball. I made it in Grand Canal by Kate Spain which we will have in the shop in October. I had just enough of my sample spree goodies to make kits for everyone in the Quilt of the Month group (I love to spoil my of the month groups with things that are special) plus a couple left over... So how would you like to win a kit for this quilt including the Mini Mania Book from which the pattern came, the 36 charms and everything else to make the top and binding? A little Grand Canal before you can buy it in shops...

Just leave a comment here letting me know what entices you to buy fabric most. Is it photos of finished projects, buzz, a certain designer you like, other? I will leave the giveaway comments open until next Friday but will likely not be able to do the drawing until the week after because I will be on pain meds and too loopy to be coherent LOL Also, it seems that more than half of the people that leave comments on the blog lately are no reply (meaning I can't contact you) so if you really want to win you need to leave me a way to contact you, I understand coded email like soandso at the big G dot com if you are worried about spam :)

PS. We are going to make an announcement about a new "...of the Month" program soon so keep an eye out.

Cotton + Steel on Sale

Hey Everyone,

 All of Cotton + Steel Yardage is on sale 20-50% off  until Wednesday at Noon. Also, we moved all of our clearance fabric to the clearance section they can ship together. You can find that here.
Please do not use any other coupons or discounts with this sale.

Just a reminder. Our system does not save yardage that is in your cart. This means that you and someone else could check out at the same time with the same yardage. It happens when we have big sales but we will let you know if that happens before we send out your package. You can give us instructions.

Pixie Summer Home QAL Sashing Edition and Linky Party

Hey Everyone,

We are getting on toward the end of the QAL so I thought I would tell you how I am going to finish my quilt. The way I am doing mine is a simple setting that will make my quilt 51" by 63" which I think is a nice size for Winter lap quilt sitting. Don't forget to head over to Sally and Brooke's blogs to see what they have for you today too...

Sashing stips are:

3 1/2" y 51 1/2"  for the horizontal pieces you would need six if you are doing my layout.
3 1/2" by 9 1/2" for the vertical sashing pieces you would need 25 for my layout.
(I know my picture shows corner stones but I am not using any)


That was a quicky huh?

Do you mind if I show you what came into the shop yesterday? When I first came back to quilting after a hiatus of getting my life together :) One of the very first collections I fell in love with was Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson. It is still my all time favorite fabric collection. Here is just one of the things I made with it:

Anyway... Sandi took a while off from fabric designing (5ish years) and she is back with Strawberry Moon a few of the prints are the same as the original Meadowsweet and the all time favorite of everyone Henna Garden has been resized slightly smaller and reprinted in 8 colors. I thought the size change might bother me because I loved the original so much but it doesn't at all. I love it!!! Here are all of the colors:

I pinned a jillion Meadowsweet projects on my pinterest here if you want to see what you can make with this collection, scroll down until you see the lady in the dress with the yellow sweater. Everything from the wall pocket to the left of her and down for about a page and a half are all Meadowsweet projects that would be gorgeous out of this collection.

Add your link below for the Pixie Summer Home QAL we can't wait to see what you are making.

Add your links for the Pixie Summer Home QAL

Fabulous Fabric Friday Giveaway

Hey Everyone,

It's Friday before the beginning of the newest chapter in my life. Monday we start moving to our new Studio... I wish I had pictures for you now but I promise you will see it soon...

A little update for you all... My children have decided to take over the heavy lifting in the shop so I can do what I love most and be the creative director. I am so proud of how those two have stepped up and started to put their stamp on things.

 Also, you will see that I am adding things from new designers and companies and cutting back on things that you are seeing everywhere else. I am hoping to find you new interesting things that will tempt you to think outside the box (and the usual designers). Maybe we can make some new people famous :) The fabrics above are all organic they are designed by Jennifer Moore of Monaluna. Jennifer is local to us. She designs and produces her line herself and also runs an adorable boutique. I have been sourcing Organic apparel fabric for another venture I am starting so these are mostly for apparel... top to bottom: Double Gauze, Quilting, Quilting, Lawn, Lawn, Lawn, Lawn, Lawn, and Lawn. Of course the lawn would be great for a quilt too... and it is a nice little bundle of matched up lovelies from a couple of her different collection.

You might have seen the newsletter a couple days ago with Playground by Ami Sinibaldi, we are giving away a fat quarter bundle of the Fresh Adventures colorway over on Maureen Cracknell's blog today. So head on over there to enter.

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

Pixie Summer Home QAL Stars

Whoop Whoop! Today is the last block pattern for the quilt. After this it will be all about the making all the blocks and getting it all together. You can download the pattern here.

Don't forget to head over to Brooke and Sally's blogs for the rest of today's goodness :)

Pixie Summer Home Quilt Along

The Stars Block

By Julie Dueck of The Intrepid Thread

Cutting:

Background Fabric (if you cut in the order I have them listed it will be most efficient):

1 – 1 ½” by WOF Strip Subcut:

2- 1 ½” by 3 ½” rectangles

1 – 1 ½” by 4 ½” rectangle

8 – 1 ½” squares

2 – 1 3/8” squares

8 - 1” squares

1 – 3/4” by 2” rectangle

1 – 2 ½” by WOF Strip Subcut:

                1 – 2 ½” by 4 ½” rectangle

                1 – 2 ½” by 5 ½” rectangle

                1 - 2 ½” by 2” rectangle

                1 – 2 ¼ by 2” rectangle

                1 – 2 ¼” by 3” rectangle

                1 – 2 ¼” square

                1 – 2” by 2” square

                2 – 1 7/8” squares

                1 – 1 ¾ square

1 - 3 ¾” by 6” rectangle

               

Dark Star Fabric:

2 – 1 7/8” squares

2 – 1 ¾” squares

1 – 1 ½” square

2 - 1 3/8” squares

1 - 1” square

Light Star Fabric:

1 - 2 ¼” square

2 – 1 7/8” squares

1 – 1 ½” square

2 – 1 3/8” squares

1 – 1” Square

                Here is a diagram with the cut sizes for reference but remember these are cut sizes and not finished sizes and it isn’t complete so be sure to use the list rather than the diagram for cutting.

Assembly:

The big dark friendship star and the small light friendship star are assembled the same way. When I refer to the size of the pieces to sew the first number will be for the large star and the number in parenthesis will be for the small star i.e. 1 ½” (1”) the 1 ½” refers to the large star and the 1” refers to the small star.

1. Mark the back of the 2 background 1 7/8” (1 3/8”) squares diagonally from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner.

2. With right sides facing match the 1 7/8” (1 3/8”) squares of star fabric with the marked background squares. Using a scant ¼ seam sew on either side of the marked line. Cut the resultant piece in half along the marked line. Open and press. You should have 4 half square triangles each that look like these:

Square the dark HSTs to 1 ½” and the light ones to 1” 

3. Lay out 4 – 1 ½” (1”) background squares and 1 – 1 ½” (1”) star fabric square with the triangles as shown to create the friendship stars. Sew in rows then sew the rows together to create the blocks.

The big light star and the small dark star are assembled the same way. When I refer to the size of the pieces to sew the first number will be for the large star and the number in parenthesis will be for the small star i.e. 1 ½” (1”) the 1 ½” refers to the large star and the 1” refers to the small star.

4. Mark a diagonal line, as you did for step 1, on the 2 ¼” (1 ¾”) background square. Match the marked squares with the 2 ¼” (1 ¾”) star fabric squares right sides together. Again sew down each side of the diagonal line and cut the squares in half to create half square triangles. Square your HSTs to 1 7/8” (1 3/8”).

5. Mark a diagonal line on the back of the HSTs so that the marked line is perpendicular to the seam of the HST.

6. With right sides together match the 1 7/8” (1 3/8”) squares of star fabric and the HST units and sew down each side of the marked diagonal line at ¼”. Cut on the line and press open. You should have 4 units each that look like this:

Square up these units to 1 ½” (1”)

7. Use 4 – 1 ½” (1”) squares of background fabric and

 1 – 1 ½” (1”) square of star fabrics to lay out your stars

 as shown. Sew into rows then sew the rows together to form the stars.

8. Sew one of the 1 ½” by 3 ½” rectangles to the bottom of the Dark (large) friendship star:

 9. Sew the second 1 ½” by 3 ½” rectangle to the top of the light large star.

10. Sew the 2” Square to the top of the small friendship star,

and the 2” by 2 ½” rectangle to the bottom.

11. Sew the ¾” by 2” rectangle to the bottom of the small dark star. Then sew the 2” by 2 ¼” rectangle to the left side and the 2 ¼” by 3” rectangle to the right side.

12. Sew the 3 ¾ by 6” rectangle to the top of the unit created in step 11.

 13. Sew the unit created in step 10 to the right of the 2 ½” by 5 ½”rectangle of background fabric.

14. Sew the unit created in step 13 to the left side of the unit created in step 12.

15. To create the top of the block sew units in the following order: The unit created in step 8 to the 1 ½” by 4 ½” rectangle of background fabric; the unit created in step 9, then the 2 ½” by 4 ½” rectangle of background fabric.   

16. Sew the completed unit in step 5 to the top of the unit created in step 14. 

Phew… you are done. This seems like a lot but if you are doing all the blocks at once assembly line style it won’t be so overwhelming.