Spring Market Countdown (Part 2)

It is definitely a challenge to think up blog posts this time of year.  There is a lot happening that I can't show.  Here is just a peek, along with some cuts of the groundcover in the back yard that blossomed overnight.  I love the periwinkle color!

Happy sewing!

Amanda

An Inspirational Quilter

Diane Rose woman is amazing and so inspirational.  Take a look...

Spring Market Countdown (Part 1)

Happy sewing!
Amanda

2011 Golden Quilter Awards

Wow.  I just found out I was nominated for "Best Designer" for the 2011 Golden Quilter Awards over at SewCalGal.  I couldn't believe it when I saw my name on the list with many, many fantastic designers whose work I admire.  Thanks to whoever out there nominated me.  You made my day!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

I was going to exercise today but...

I found something more pressing to do (literally)...

Enough said.
Amanda

Blog-a-Paloozing (Part 3)

I am falling woefully behing on my Blog-a-Palooza blocks, and I'm afraid it is just going to get worse.  Since Thursday I have, among othe things:

• Washed and ironed 150 yards of fabric
• Cut strip sets for nine quilts
• Made 336 flying geese
• Pieced backing fabric for two quilts

Our children are delighted - all these organized piles of precuts pieces in the dining room have precluded any eating that might happen there.  Since we don't have an eat in kitchen, they are forced to eat in the famiy room in front of the TV for the time being.  I am officially a bad mother.

SinceI mistakenly deleted my last Blog-a-palooza post, I thought I'd share with you the new blocks I've made (before this project goes on a two month hiatus) and repost the ones that were lost.  So, here are the "Mocha" blocks...

And the "Chocolate" blocks...

My mom is coming to visit this weekend!  Being the consumate hostess, I have asked her to bring her rotary cutter.  Little does she know that we will be moving on from flying geese, her specialty.  Ha ha!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend with lots of sewing!
Amanda

"White Chocolate"

Another of my Swiss Chocolate quilt, "White Chocolate", appears in Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts Summer Issue.

Directions didn't fit in the magazine, but if you are subscriber, you can go over to their website and download them.

I wish you could see the quilting on this in more detail. Janice Hayes did a fantastic job on this one. The brown bars look dimensional, the crea print is heaiviy quilted, and there is a flower motif quilted in each central block.  I will post a picture from the back once it arrives home.

I am washing and ironing at least a hundred yards of fabric this weekend. Literally. Can't wait to cut into it!

Happy sewing (or maybe ironing too)!
Amanda

A Chocolate Bag and Procrastination

This project has been sitting, cut out, in our living room for months.  Literally months.  This past weekend I finally finished it.

None of you have project like this, right?  Projects where you just lose steam can't seem to pick them up again?  I love this Amy Butler bag pattern, and I love the way the chocolate fabrics look in it, but I just couldn't get my act together.  Something else was always calling.

Anyone else in this situation with a project?

Happy sewing!
Amanda

The colors of my garden this spring...

Well, of course, if it was a real, organic garden tended to by me it would be brown because, with my horticultural skills (or lack thereof), everything would be dead.

But my fabic garden is much more colorful.  Here is how it looks in the warm sun...

And here is how it looks on cool nights...  (This is theoretical, of course, because we don't have many of those here in Charlotte.)

I'll show more soon. Happy sewing!
Amanda

P.S.  For those of you who emailed me seconding the request for a pdf version of the Continuous Bias Binding Tutorial, I've now added it to my sidebar.  Nothing fancy, but it should be easier to print.

Continuous Bias Binding Tutorial

I'm getting ready to piece a Swiss Chocolate table runner and I wanted to get some binding prepared.  Since this table runner sit on a dark wood table, I thought my mocha ribbon print in blues and cream would be a good choice  I love the way striped prints look when they are cut on the bias!  If you haven't made continuous bias binding before I thought I might show you the steps.

First, cut a square of fabric.  I'm making extra here - probably to bind my Blog-a-palooza Mocha quilt - so my square is big - 40".

Cut the square in half diagonally...

And flip the upper right piece over, pinning down the left side of both fabrics.  (Be sure to check that the prints of the two fabric pieces are running the same direction if you are using a directional print.) 

Sew the pinned edge wth a 1/4" seam and press open. Spread out again, so the wrong side of the fabric is facing up.  Align your ruler with the slanted edge of your fabric, and draw lines parallel to that edge every 2-1/4".  Cut off excess fabric.  (Sorry for the dark picture, you all, but sometimes late night sewing is a necessity here.)

Now pin the edges together, making sure that the pencil lines meet at a point 1/4" in from the edge of the fabric.  You will offset your lines by one as you do this, which is what gives you a CONTINUOUS BIAS STRIP.  Sew with a 1/4" seam press open.  The picture belows shows what the offset will look like.

Cut along the lines.  Beg your daughter to iron the strip in half lengthwise and you'll have your own bundle of continuous bias goodness...  (Thanks, Cait!)

Happy sewing!
Amanda

"A Box of Chocolates" in McCall's Quick Quilts

One of my "babies" arrived home, along with my sample issue of McCall's April/May 2011!

"A Box of Chocolates" is featured on page 8 and am thrilled!

I think they did a great job with the photography.  This quilt was fun - usually I plan out where every fabric will go in my quilts down to the last detail, but I just winged it with this one and was plesed with the result.  Kimberly, at Fat Quarter Shop, has kits ready to go.  Some SKUs of Swiss Chocolate are selling out, so make sure you hop over and claim your kit before they are gone if you are interested.

And just in case you prefer mocha, your latte might look like this...

Happy sewing!
Amanda