Sundance Quilt: Part 6

This weekend I made my Dresden plate blocks for my latest version of the Sundance quilt, directions for which available through your local BERNINA dealer.

As you can see, these plates flank the sides of the quilt, which is set on point, so the plates are actually applied to large quarter square triangles.

First I cut a 8 plates from each of five fabrics.  You can use the template provided, but if you happen to have Darlene Zimmerman's Easy Dresden Ruler, you can use the 6" mark to cut the plates as well.

Note that I changed some of the fabrics for the plates from the original plan.  I like to sew with pre-washed fabrics and I didn't have enough of some of those already washed so I took a shortcut and opted to switch out some of the fabrics to others from my Topiary line for Blend Fabrics instead!

Chain-piece the ends of the plates - I like to backstitch at each end.

Clip off the excess fabric at the corners, press the seams open, and turn the plate right side out.  Press, centering the seam.

Join the plates, pressing the seams open.  I like to fuse a little piece of Steam-A-Seam tape onto the edges of the Dresden because I find it is a more secure method of securing the plates when I sew.

Remove the tape's paper backing and fuse it down onto the background triangle, being careful not to stretch the triangle's bias edges!  Use the background fabric to align the quarter circle before trimming it away to reduce bulk.

Appliqué the quarter circle.  Pretty simple!

I'll be back after Market to piece the quilt top together.  I'm waiting to quilt this one on a BERNINA long arm - I can't wait!

If you are sewing along be sure to post your progress on Instagram using the hashtags #berninausa #sundancequilt.

Hope you enjoy the last days of summer!
Amanda

Sundance Quilt: Part 4

This weekend I took the opportunity to make my flying geese blocks for Step 4 of my Sundance quilt pattern, available exclusively through BERNINA dealers.  This time I'm making it in my Topiary collection for Blend Fabrics.  (Last year I made the original using my "Bonjour, Mon Ami" collection.)

The original "Sundance" quilt.

I wanted to make something in a completely different color story this time. I and worked up three different options using Topiary.  I ended up using the one with a pink border.  SKU information for all three options, as well as the original option, can be found here, but the directions are only available though BERNINA.

The fabrics for Flying Geese block (the third Topiary option)

And the finished block!

I entered this quilt into Blogger's Quilt Festival - make sure to stop by because there are some fabulous quilts over there to look at all the great entries!  They are taking viewers choice nominations now and voting starts on the 24th.

Next month will be appliqué!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Sundance Quilt: Part 3

Hi there!  I hope everyone had a happy Easter.  I was able to squeeze in a little bit of sewing today (right in time for this post) and I hope you were too!

Luckily it was really simple.  I put together the embroidered blocks for my new Sundance quilt (available through your BERNINA dealer) - this time I'm sewing in my Topiary line for Blend Fabrics.  The final quilt will look like this...

The SKUs for this quilt are listed as "Option 3" here, in case you are interested.  I decided to embroider the central block using more pink to draw one's eye.

I got so excited to see them sewn together I forgot to wash out the water-soluble stabilizer before hitting them with an iron.  Whoops!  So there is a little puckering but it will wash out of the final piece.

I can't wait to make the rest of the quilt! And if you're sewing along, I'd love to see yours.  Post to Instagram with the hashtags #berninausa #sundancequilt.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

In time for Easter... just!

Almost two years ago now I wrote a free complementary pattern for BERNINA that incorporated embroidery and specialty stitches on the BERNINA 580.  At the time, I liked the project so much I pieced two - one for them and one for me!  I had so much fun playing with specialty stitches I just couldn't stop making the eggs that border the design.

Of course, you know how it goes... I finished theirs and mine languished by the website.  Really, all I had to do was quilt it but I didn't have the time.

I'm sure you guys don't have any projects sitting around like that, right?
Most of the fabrics used are by Lauren and Jessie Jung for Moda.

Well I finally finished it!  Hee hee.  It only took me two years.  You can find the pattern here but you need to email me to get the embroidery file.  (I'm hoping to post a solution for that soon.)

I hope you all have a lovely Easter week!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

BERNINA 350 Faceplate Face-Off

Today is the day when voting starts for the new BERNINA 350 Special Edition Faceplates! Two will be produced.  I was SO honored to be asked to participate.  You can vote once each day from now until April 17th and - as an added bonus - when you vote you will be entered in the contest to win a free BERNINA 350! Please participate - there are some amazing designs from so many great designers! Mine was inspired by a collection for Blend Fabrics that will be coming out in the fall!

To vote visit this link.

Happy voting!
Amanda

P.S.  For those of you voting through your mobile device, you can still vote, but you have to scroll down and click not the option to use the desktop site.

Sundance Quilt: Part 2

This month I started the embroideries for my new version of the Sundance quilt in my Topiary collection for Blend Fabrics!  (Remember, this quilt was developed for BERNINA so visit your local dealer to get instructions!)  I was going to do the blue version but so many people voted for this pink version I was persuaded… (SKUs can be found in this post.)

I gathered together some threads I thought might work for the project.  I wanted the blues and greens I used in the original quilt, but I also wanted to bring in some of the pink from my Topiary fabrics.  (The embroidery itself is done on 115.104.05.1 Everbloom Ivory from that collection.)

The first pass is the intricate scroll motifs - it is the most dominant part of the overall design.  I chose to use Isacord 4610 Deep Aqua.

The second color is used for the blossom leaves.  I chose 5730 Apple Greeen.  It is nice and bright and will stand up well to the other strong colors in the quilt, I think.

The third pass is for the central motif and the fourth is for the blossoms.  I opted to use Isacord 2152 Heather Pink for both.

After taking another look at my digital mockup at the top of this post, I decided to do the central embroidery a little differently and switch out the pinks and blues so that the pink was a little more dominant, since it will be surrounded by blue in the piecing.  So I used the Heather Pink for the first pass, the green for the second, the Deep Aqua for the third, and 4740 Aquamarine for the fourth.

Early on I had decided to forego the little cornerstone flour de lis embroideries in favor of fussy-cutting the little Topiary motifs from 115.104.01.1 Arbor Walk Light Pink.  I loved the embroideries in the original but I just couldn't resist fussy-cutting the little garden motifs from this collection!

I carefully cut around the bigger motifs in the same print, hoping to use them for another project.  Any suggestions?

Next month I'll begin piecing my first blocks.  I can't wait!  (If you are sewing along don't forget to post on Instagram using #berninausa #sundancequilt.)  Happy quilting!

Amanda

BERNINA Quilt As Desired

First, I'd like to thank you all for the kind comments and emails you sent me about my two new patterns!

Second, I'm SO excited to be visiting BERNINA's headquarters in Chicago March 25th-26th to teach at their Quilt As Desired Retreat.  The incredibly knowledgeable Judy Hahner will be walking participants through the ins and outs of the BERNINA Quilting System and QuiltMotion Touch software and I'll be working with people quilting on domestic machines!  (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the 780!)  We'll explore some simple backgrounds and learn how and where to place them to make complex looking designs.  And we'll talk about how to create a great quilting plan for any quilt.  I can't wait!  They will have stitch regulators for everyone to try!

And did I mention that BERNINA has decided to send participants home with a copy of the directions for the Sundance quilt!  If you are interested you can register here!  (I think that, on their site there are two different dates listed, Quilt as Desired is actually JUST available on the 25th-26th.)  I hope some of you can join me.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Sew Steady Table Review

Recently I purchased a Sew Steady table for my BERNINA 780.  I had walked by their booth a couple of times at Market and was intrigued.  Their tables enlarge your elevated sewing space quite a bit, making for easier piecing and quilting, and they are portable.  Of course, in an ideal situation we would all have a full size cabinet-sized table with a sunken place to put our machines but - well, I don't know about you - personally I work in the middle of everything.  My workspace is constantly changing; I may have the sewing machine out one day and a graphics tablet the next.  It is one of the things that I love about my job, but, in a limited space shared with family it can be a challenge.

When you order a Sew Steady table you need to specify the machine you work with.  I vacillated between ordering one for my BERNINA 580 and my BERNINA 780, but in the end I chose the 780 because I quilt on it more regularly.

The Sew Steady table mounted on the BERNINA 780

When the table arrived I assembled it and mounted it on the machine.  At first the left side of the table, near the needle, was a little too elevated and the right side near the neck of the machine, was a little too low, but I called Sew Steady and this was easily remedied with a slightly shorter set of legs.

The table has a grid, which you install on the backside of
the plastic.  It has special markings for 1/4" seams.

I was really excited when I got to try the table for the first time this weekend.  I knew it would make quilting larger quilts a bit easier, but I was surprised how much easier it made smaller pieces, like pillows or table toppers.  Virtually the entire piece fit on the table so there was no drag.  Of course, if you were quilting larger pieces you would still want to make sure you had plenty of space behind and the the left of the machine to take the weight of the quilt, but the table does make things easier.  Verdict:  If you are someone who always dragging your machine around the house with you like a security blanket like me (haha) Sew Steady's extended (but still portable) space might be something you would want to consider.

Quilting a design using the Sew Steady table
and the BERNINA Stitch Regulator

Oh, I almost forgot, for you organized sewers out there there is a drawer underneath the table to hold scissors and pins etc.  I need to train myself to use this because I'm a train wreck when I sew and have always have to pick up my mess at the end of the day.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Sundance Quilt: Part 1

Hi everybody,

Yardage for my Topiary collection from Blend Fabrics arrived just over a week ago and I've been busy planning how I want to use it for my new version of my Sundance quilt that I'm going to sew along with BERNINA fans everywhere.  (Sundance is a quilt I designed for BERNINA that is available exclusively through their dealerships.  If your dealer is in the US they already have access to the directions, and BERNINA is hard at work trying to arrange it to be available through their international dealers as well, so keep asking and stay tuned!)

Here is the original version of the Sundance quilt in my "Bonjour, Mon Ami" collection…

Sundance in (mostly) Bonjour, Mon Ami

And here are the Topiary options I've been playing with…

Sundance in Topiary (Option 1)

Sundance in Topiary (Option 2)

Sundance in Topiary (Option 3)

I think I'm leaning toward Option 1, but what do you all think?  If interested, you can access the SKUs I used for these versions here...

For shops looking to order the Topiary collection please call Blend Fabrics at 1-855-817-0604.  And don't forget to let me know you ordered Topiary so I can add you to my list!

For all of your quilters out there, I will be keeping a list of shops that are stocking all 15 SKUs of the Topiary collection.  I added a special section to the top right sidebar of my blog to start.

Remember, if you are sewing the quilt, to note #berninausa #sundancequilt to share your fabric choices on Instagram!  You don't have to do it in my fabrics - choose whatever strikes your fancy!  (My local shop, Sew Much Fun, in Lowell, NC, is doing this quilt in batiks and I just can't wait to see it!)

Happy quilting!
Amanda

P.S.  I'm sorry, but I can't sell the directions to Sundance to anyone directly as per the terms of my agreement with BERNINA.  I do have another Block-of-the-month called Under the Veranda available also in Topiary.  You can find it here.  If you are a shop you can contact me directly to place a wholesale order for that pattern or order it through any of the major distributors.

Elegant Machine Embroidered Bags - some detail shots

Hi everyone,
Craftsy just shared some more photos from my Elegant Embroidered Bags class and I thought I would share since some of these items make great Christmas presents.  (The embroidery motifs are included in the class.)

Some of the projects in the class.
Clockwise from top left: Embroidered Medallion on a pre-made backpack, a custom-sewn canvas tote with coordinating fabric panel, a pre-made canvas tote, a zippered clutch with three embroidery motifs, and a pre-made embroidered backpack.

The first step of learning to double-hoop on the custom-made canvas tote.

Embroidering a regular backpack.

Embroidering really quick, fun, and professional luggage tags.
One of the class members is making one for each member of her family for stocking stuffers!!!

For a limited time you can get 25% off using this link.

Have a happy pre-holiday weekend!
Amanda

It's here! Color Essentials!

I'm so excited to finally show you all my second book, Color Essentials: Crisp and Vibrant Quilts!

Color Essentials is a book I've dreamt about for a long time.  It straddles the worlds of quilting and graphic design - two things I'm passionate about.  Color was my favorite class in college and it is my favorite part of designing fabrics and quilts.  I love exploring the ways colors interact with each other and make the same design appear wildly different.  In Color Essentials I cover the basics of color theory using Kona cotton solids and Aurifil threads and I provide some tips for stepping out of your color comfort zone to create something new.  I hope that this book inspires you to try something you've never tried before with color!

I want to thank all the people at C&T Publishing for taking a chance with this book.  Since it straddles the line between art and design it is a different type of book than you usually see - and C&T's fabulous design team made it look like a museum catalog from cover to cover just as I'd envisioned.  Because quilting is an art… our art, and beautifully colored fabrics are our palette.

Speaking of palettes, Robert Kaufman allowed me to put together special palettes of Kona solids especially for this book so that shops and quilters could affordably make the projects (thanks, RK!), so in addition to the Bright and Pastel palettes that already existed I designed Sunrise…

And Sunset…

The charm squares and roll-ups each contain 42 colors and the fat quarter bundles contain 23 colors.  I love them!  You can use these precuts for nearly all the projects in the book simply by adding background and border fabric!

To make things easy, I have included a spread in Color Essentials dedicated to each palette in turn, showing all its colors as well as suggested backgrounds.

But you shouldn't feel like you have to stick to those backgrounds - have fun with it and feel free to explore!

And here's the best part - we are all going to get to play with color TOGETHER because the fabulous Madame Samm will be hosting one of her wonderful blog hops at Sew We Quilt January 7th-17th featuring projects made with these fabrics - they can be a project from the pages of Color Essentials or they can simply be inspired by the colors found there.  I'm so excited to see what you all create!!!!  Really - this is the most gratifying part to me as a designer.  So if you are interested head on over to Sew We Quilt and sign up for a spot on the blog hop.  The January date gives us plenty of time to experiment.

And while you are over there take a sneak peek at the Aurifil thread box that Madame Samm put together to coordinate with the projects in Color Essentials.  It is BEAUTIFUL! While I wait for mine I thought I'd share the colors included there with you courtesy of Madame Samm.  They are:  1216, 1482, 1228, 189, 1706, 1392 , 357, 1285, 152, 1513, 1173, and 184.  I did use many of these same threads in the projects in the book (so much so I've very little left to show) - in case you plan to order any I like 28 wt. for appliqué and 50 wt. for piecing.

The entire book was sewn on the Bernina 580 - I love that machine!  It is a real work horse and can do so, so many things.  And the large projects were quilted beautifully by Deborah Norris.  Thanks, Deborah!

Goodness, what else?  Oh yes, I now have advance copies of Color Essentials in my store if you are interested.  I ship to the U.S. and Canada at this point and there is free shipping in the U.S..  For international customers, please contact your nearest shop - they should be able to place an order with C&T or with a distributors.

I hope you like Color Essentials!
Happy quilting and have a wonderful weekend!
Amanda

P.S.  For shops… I do not take wholesale orders but feel free to order a book to make samples if you are interested.  Wholesale orders can be placed through C&T Publishing or any of the major distributors.  It will start shipping later this month.