Friday, June 14, 2013

Color Essentials

Several people have written to me in the last week wanting to know if it was true that I have a second book coming out in the fall. It is, in fact, true.


Color Essentials is a part-color-theory, part-quilting book with 12 projects, all of which encourage you to experiment with color.  Colors can function differently depending on their quantity, intensity, and surroundings, and this book emphasizes those concepts. It is like painting with fabric!  To make this affordable, both for shop owners and quilters, Color Essentials uses a range of Robert Kaufman Kona cotton precuts, including fat quarter bundles, charm packs, and roll-ups.  Of course I used the Pastel and Bright palettes already on the Market, but I really wanted to have a cool and warm palette as well with which people could experiment so I went to the folks of Robert Kaufman Fabrics and asked about the feasibility of their developing such products.  Here we are.  Thanks so much Robert Kaufman for allowing me to pick from and make collections with your wonderful colors!  

I really hope you all love working with these palettes as much as I do.  Introducing Sunrise...






And Sunset...



Both of these collections come in charm packs, roll-ups and fat quarter bundles.  The charm packs and roll-ups include 42 colors each and the fat quarter bundles include a subset of these - 23 colors.  All the information is in the book.  For those who might be a little nervous, several different background colors are suggested for each palette to get you started.

So which is your favorite?

Happy sewing!
Amanda

P.S.  The winner of The Quilting Life Giveaway is Madame Samm.  Congratulations - I'm sure you'll love Sherri's book!  And for those of you who wondered the lie was #1.  Sherri's very smart grandmother told Sherri she would have to make the quilt herself so she would catch the quilting bug!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Summer Travels

Hi everyone,
I hope you are having a wonderful start to your summer!  We are gearing up for summer activities and projects here.  Are you working on something fun?  Maybe starting a new project?  I hope so.

I'm going to be visiting and teaching at lots of shops and guilds this summer... If you are in the Carolinas area please come visit!
Thanks so much to Pat Sloan and APQ radio for having me on yesterday!  The podcast can be downloaded here.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

P.S.  If you pre-ordered the Modern Blossoms embroidery collection, I received my shipment and your copy  is on its way to you as of this morning!




Friday, June 7, 2013

A Quilting Life Book Giveaway and Blog Tour


Hi everyone,
Today is my day to talk about a quilting life on my fellow C&T author and friend Sherri McConnell's A Quilting Life Blog Tour!  I have long admired Sherri's blog by the same name.  In fact, she was one of the first people I met at my first Market in Salt Lake City and she is every bit as sweet as she comes across on her blog!



A Quilting Life is chock-full of projects with Sherri's clean, beautiful aesthetic.  I ordered a copy when it first came out from Sherri's shop and I want to make so many of the projects in it!  (And you know, Sherri, it isn't fair to tempt us in that way!!!!)

I love this quilt called Water Lily in Kate Spain fabrics!  I particularly love Sherri's color placement.


So... even though I am working on some magazine projects, I had to try a project in A Quilting Life.  I decided to sew up the Mod Runner in Holiday Bouquet.  It is such a fun pattern!  My photo really doesn't do it justice but it has been raining here for the past few days and I'm indoor-photo-challenged so I had to make do.  I hope you can see how cute Sherri's design is.  I really had fun fussy-cutting the motifs.  It was simple to piece - I did it while making dinner.



Since Sherri asked us all to talk about how we have a quilting life while driving kids, doing laundry, working, cleaning house, etc.  I decided to talk about how I got this runner pieced and dinner made in about two and a half hours.

One of our kids has a pretty severe dietary limitation so eating out is pretty much not an option for us, even when I'm on a deadline, so I have some simple-go-to recipes that I use.  This one is really simple, but you do have to be home to watch it (which is just perfect because then you can sew at the same time!)

Eggplant, Garlic, and Cherry Tomato Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

You'll need:

  • Good quality olive oil
  • 3 large eggplants or 6-8 small ones (I like the small ones better - they are less bitter and you don't have to salt them)
  • 4 heads of garlic (yes, you read that right - we LOVE garlic and in this recipe it is carmelized until it is sweet, but you can use less if you want)
  • 1 bundle of asparagus
  • 1 package of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lb. of fresh mozzerella (the little balls save time)
  • 1 lb. pasta - we like spirals or "bow ties" but any shape will work (and if you have anyone that is gluten-free use gluten-free pasta)
  • basil, oregano, salt, and pepper
  • parmesan


  1. About two hours before the meal, peel and slice eggplant into 1/4'' -3/8'' wedges.  Arrange the eggplant slices in a colander and salt each layer - leave them for an hour.
  2. Now this is the important part... while the eggplant sits cut all the pieces for your Mod Runner!  Piece a block or two!
  3. Go back to the kitchen and use dampened paper towels to wipe off the salt off the eggplant.  This helps get rid of bitterness.
  4. Cut off the tail end of each head of garlic.  (This will make it simple to squeeze out the garlic once it is roasted.)
  5. Arrange eggplant and garlic in a large casserole dish coated with olive oil.  Brush the top with more olive oil.  Sprinkle with basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Put in the oven and roast for about 45-50 minutes, basting with more olive oil every ten minutes or so - don't let it get dry.
  6. Go back to your sewing area for about half and hour and piece the remaining Mod Runner blocks, running back to baste the eggplant intermittently.
  7. Come back to the kitchen and put the pasta water on.  Steam the asparagus, either over the pasta water or in a rice cooker (I LOVE the rice cooker for cooking vegetables perfectly every time!)
  8. Cook and drain the pasta.
  9. Take out the eggplant and garlic.  Squeeze out the cloves and mash them up with a little more olive oil.
  10. Toss pasta, cherry tomatoes, mozzerella, eggplant, asparagus, and garlic/olive oil mixture.
  11. Serve with a bit of parmesan and after dinner go finish your runner!
To enter to win your own copy of A Quilting Life leave a comment on this post telling me which of these statements about Sherri is a big lie.  (The others are true!)
  1. Sherri's grandmother inspired her to quilt by making a beautiful quilt for Sherri's son's bed.
  2. Sherri is a true fan of the double-Irish chain block.
  3. Sherri has been blogging for five years!
To get other ideas about how people have quilting lives (and to get more chances to win a copy of the book) make sure to visit the other blog tour stops.


Monday June 3rd
Tuesday June 4th
Wednesday June 5th 
Thursday June 6th 
Friday June 7th
Saturday June 8th 
Sunday June 9th
Monday June 10th 
Tuesday June 11th 
Wednesday June 12th

Don't forget that you can enter any of the giveaways on any of the blogs until June 14th after which winners will be announced!

Happy sewing!
Amanda


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Pat Sloan's American Patchwork and Quilting Radio Show!

Guess what?  I'm going to be on Pat Sloan's American Patchwork and Quilting radio show this Monday, June 10th at 4 pm eastern!  I'll be chatting about fabric design, quilting, and Modern Holiday.


The show is at 4 eastern time, but you can also listen to it with podcast form.  (I usually listen to episodes while I quilt.)  Hop on over to tune in!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Modern Holiday and all my new patterns are in!!!

So, if you have already pre-ordered in my shop (or if you are my mom and REALLY need your copy), your book will go out tomorrow.  I ordered an extra case, so you can still order and I'll ship it right out.


My new patterns came in yesterday afternoon too and are shipping, so it has been a  pretty exciting day around here!




Happy sewing!
Amanda

P.S.  If you ordered my "Modern Blossoms" embroidery collection it still hasn't come in, but I went ahead and shipped your patterns yesterday!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

New Patterns for 2013 Spring Market!

Hi everyone!  Don't you love seeing all the new things that came out at Quilt Market?  They are some of my favorite blog posts to read.  I put out five new patterns at Market and I really hope you like them!

Because I was showing an embroidery collection this Market, Modern Blossoms, a Brewer Sewing exclusive digitized by OESD, all of my new patterns feature optional use of embroidered motifs.  Of course, you don't need to use my embroidery collection to make these patterns.  You can use another embroidery collection or you can also use feature prints instead of embroidery, but I wanted to design pattern in which you COULD use a light amount of embroidery for added interest and texture if you chose to do so.  I used my new Bonjour, Mon Ami collection with Blend Fabrics for four out of the five patterns.  I also used Kona cotton for all five designs.  (Ordering info is at the bottom of this post.)

First up is Soda Pop!  This pattern is a Brewer exclusive designed to celebrate Modern Blossoms' debut with Brewer Sewing and I had so much fun making it.  Brewer put their version of this design, sewn in solids, on the cover of the embroidery collection - you can see it at the bottom of this post.


Soda Pop has free form circles that are either cut out of feature prints or feature embroidery.  And it is so much fun to applique them in contrasting thread!





Next is Whirl.  It is sewn out of Bella along with Kona Cottons and some Vanessa Christenson prints.  It is super simple to piece since you sew strip sets, cut them into Kaleidescope blocks, and place them on point.  Embroidery is just used as little cornerstone accents, but you can also use a feature print.




Then we have Manhattan.  It is a 2-1/2'' strip friendly quilt that is super-easy to put together.  Again, the sample is sewn with Bonjour, Mon Ami.  And you could use embroidery for the square accents or you could fussy-cut a panel or feature print.  There are lots of possibilities.











All three new quilts were quilted by Jenn Reeve of Honu Quilting and she did a great job - thanks Jenn!

I designed a couple of smaller project as well this time.  They are great for little gifts with feature prints or just if you want to do a little project to experiment with the embroidery features of your machine.  In fact, if you embroider a test for a larger quilt don't throw it out!  Set it aside to use for a small project.

This is my fat-quarter-friendly On the Go zippered pouch.  Yes, I did say zippered but it is so easy!!!  You quilt a rectangle of fabric used for the bag body, attach the pocket, and then insert the zipper while the bag is still flat!  You literally just sew right down the middle of the zipper tape.  Then you sew up the two sides and you are done.




Our daughter has claimed the aqua and brown version.  That's my favorite too!  (Secretly that brown Bonjour, Mon Ami print is my favorite in the collection.)

Brewer markets a Bosal fusible base for both placemats and a table runner so they asked me to design a pattern for those products.  Of course, you can also use regular batting so this is just one option.  Again, I wanted to make things scrappy but feature optional areas for feature prints or embroidery.  Here is A Modern Table.







I hope you like the new patterns!

And then, of course, I was also showing Modern Holiday and Modern Blossoms in my booth....




A number of people wrote me requesting to see the back of the case so that they could see all the motifs.  My scan isn't great but here is is.


If you live near a local shop and would like to purchase my books, patterns, or embroidery CD please support them and request that they order my products for you.  It is really important that we support our local shops!  If, on the other hand, you can't seem to locate my products I do have some exciting news.  Lots of people have written to me asking where they can find one specific pattern and I don't always know because most of my patterns are sold through distributors.  So now I have opened a shop where you can purchase my products.  Hop on over and see what you think.

I'm expecting advance copies of Modern Holiday,  Modern Blossoms  and all five new patterns the first week in June.  So they aren't available yet but you can place pre-orders if you would like and yours will be the first to ship.  All pattterns that were already in my line are available.  I'm currently shipping to the US and Canada and shipping in the US is free.

Hope you enjoy the new patterns!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Good Fortune

We tell our kids to always try their best and their hard work will be rewarded, but sometimes life gets in the way and things don't work out like we planned.  More often, the work we did provides benefits in ways we do not expect.  It is like learning a new sewing technique and using that technique years later in the "perfect project" that you would have never envisioned at the time.

I have a funny (and exciting) story that I just can't wait to share!  You all know that I'm a HUGE Bernina fan so I was delighted when, last summer, they asked me and several other designers to take their new 780 machine for a spin and then use as much social media as we could to talk about our experiences.  We'd get to try PaintWork, CutWork, and CrystalWork, and in the end one of us would win a 780!  So, last fall, I spent two crazy weeks creating a variety of projects that would show off the truly spectacular features of the 780.

Harlequin Table Runner with trapunto and CutWork embellishments

Medallion Pillow with embroidery

Improvisational Photo Album Cover with CutWork embellishment, embroidery,
couching, and free motion quilting with the Bernina Stitch Regulator.

Fizz Pillow with CrystalWork embellishment

Christmas Mantlepiece Decoration combining embroidery and PaintWork.

PaintWork Leaves

I talked about them here, and on Facebook and Twitter, but I knew that Bernina was also interested in videos.  After all, they had sent flipcams for us to document our experiences and I had a twelve-year-old camera man at my side who loves any type of machinery.  But after sending the machine back I realized that my sound really didn't turn out well.  What's a girl to do?  I had made a commitment to Bernina to document everything as best I could, but there was no way the videos made sense without the accompanying sound.

But I had made a commitment and I was DETERMINED to get those videos done.  I was just going to have to take all the footage I had and edit it, adding text and looping music in the background.  The designing and sewing was easy but oh my - the video was hard because I was completely out of my comfort zone.  There were tears.  I almost gave up and abandoned the video aspect, but I knew that, in the case of the 780, seeing is believing so I just kept plugging away.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit it but it took me two weeks to sew the projects and another two weeks just to edit the videos because I was learning how to do it as I went.  Bernina creates such professional videos and I was worried mine wouldn't measure up, and they really don't, but you do get a really good idea of the 780's capabilities by watching them.  With the help of my 12-year-old assistant, we eventually edited them together and then created a YouTube channel to showcase them.  They aren't perfect, but my assistant and I worked really hard on them and the fact that we that we persevered and got to the end meant a lot to us!

So you can imagine my surprise when Bernina emailed me right before Market to let me know that I WON A 780!!!  I was not expecting it AT ALL!  Can you believe it?  Seriously?

So yesterday I went to Sew Much Fun, my local Bernina dealer, to pick up my 780!


My new friend and me.

A view of the left side of Sew Much Fun -
it is huge!

A view of the right side of Sew Much Fun

Here are my assistant and I getting ready to unload the embroidery module from the trunk of our car.  (Thanks, assistant!)

I have it all set up in the front room and am ready to sew.  It has been a pretty exciting week!



Thanks for letting me share my good fortune!  Thank you Bernina!
Happy sewing!

P.S.  For those of your who have been asking about the new patterns, that is my next post... promise!