Robert Kaufman's (and my) Swiss Chocolate patterns and another giveaway!

Sherri of "A Quilting Life" has been dreaming up a recipe in Swiss Chocolate that I just can't wait to see.  She should be posting later on today and the best part is that SHE HAS ANOTHER SWISS CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY FOR YOU, so head on over to her site!  Of course, you also still have time to enter Ryan's giveaway on I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts and the Ambrosia giveaway on this site. 

Robert Kaufman asks me to do a complimentary pattern for them for every collection.  Since Swiss Chocolate comes in Roll-Ups and Ten Squares, I designed a pattern that uses both precuts and incorporates all the fabrics.  (Swiss Chocolate Roll-Ups and Ten Squares will be available at Fat Quarter Shop at the end of the month.  They have yardage now, but are waiting on precuts.)

"Swiss Chocolate" for Robert Kaufman

Here is another complimentary pattern for a chocolate pincushion to make with the leftovers.... 

Hope you enjoy!

Amanda

I'm in love...

And because I'm a quilter, the object of my affection is a piece of clear plastic.  I'm in the midst of designing a collection right now so sewing time is at a premium.  While at my local shop, I picked up a "Lazy Angle Ruler".  It makes complex-looking blocks so quick and easy.  I took some Ambrosia scraps and made sets of 4 (6-1/2") squares, and then sewed them together to make 12-1/2" blocks.  They are addictive.  I chose  to make the finished blocks 12-1/2" square, because then I can break it down into a 9-square and 16 square layout as well.  But look at the possibilities with just a simple 2-piece 4 square block...

I tried a couple 3-piece 4 square blocks as well.

I hope to sew a few blocks each week so that, by early next year I have enough to make an Ambrosia Sampler Quilt.  A simple, fun project.  If you see one of these rulers, be sure to pick it up! 

Happy sewing!
Amanda

To Market, to Market, to buy... Swiss Chocolate!

I fedexed a box of goodies to Robert Kaufman this afternoon.  Unlike some of the other things I have been working on, these I can show right away!  Late last night I finished sewing on the hanging sleeve for my Swiss Chocolate complimentary quilt design for Robert Kaufman...

Quilted by Kay Giese, it uses a ten square and roll-up.  Directions will be available here or at your local shop when the fabric ships in February 2010. 

And because I am a design geek, I have to include this photo - I love how the light through the porch rails interacted with th fabrics...

I also made up some Yo-Yo Pillows in Chocolate and Mocha.  (Thank you. yo-yo slave, for the forty yo-yos.)

It's a free pattern that works great with fabric scraps.  Enjoy!

Have a lovely week!
Amanda

I'd love to show you more but...

I can't.  We'll just have to wait until spring.

I am making friends with my local fedex store.

I'm very excited because today I am cutting into my blue and tan "Mocha" color story today for another quilt. What fun! Don't you love seeing how fabrics come together in unexpected ways?

These photo albums are for display at Quilt Market.  You can find the free pattern here.

And I have a quilt for Robert Kaufman at Market sitting on my floor looking mournfully up at me in its unbound state.  It uses a Swiss Chocolate ten square and roll-up and you will be able to download the pattern here or get it at your local shop. I will post pictures next week.  See you then and have a great weekend!

Sew Much Fun!

Yesterday we paid a visit to "Sew Much Fun" , a fantastic fabric store in Gastonia North Carolina.  If you are ever in the area you must go.  They have a huge selection of patterns, fantastic machines and notions, and miles and miles of beautiful quilting fabric. 

They had a display of Robert Kaufman's Dr. Suess "Cat in the Hat Fabric".  I love the panel print - it would make a quick, easy, and colorful baby quilt.

Am I the only one who salivates at the sight of ricrac and ruffled trim?

We found this great little deep-brown pom-pom trim, which coordinates perfectly with my next collection.  (News to come about that soon.)  The ricrac is from Mary Jos - a huge fabric warehouse less than a mile down the road.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Ambrosia Bag

The Ambrosia Bag pattern is finally available! 

I used the summer colorway, but included directions for the spring colorway (periwinkle, greens, and blues) as well.  Happy sewing!

Amanda

Springtime Garlands

"Springtime Garlands", my complimentary pattern for Ambrosia, is now available courtesy of Robert Kaufman.  Pick it up at your local quilt shop or download it here.

This quilt is deceptively simple to make.  Even though there is a lot of visual movement there are barely any seams to match!  It makes great use of fusible bias strips that you can make with a Clover bias tape maker.  Having never used one before I am now a big fan...  Kay Giese did the quilting - thanks Kay!

Ambrosia ships to stores October 1st.  I am SOOOOOO excited!  You can download more free projects for this collection from my website.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Amanda

Prairie Points (Part 2)

Now where were we? I have the border of my quilt complete and am ready to attach the prairie points. I had calculated that the beginning of each prairie point should be about 4-1/4" away from the beginning of the previous point at the seamline. Since I am going to use a 1/4" seam to attach the points, that means that they will be slightly over 4-3/4" away from eachother at the raw edges. I lay my first point adjacent to the quilt as pictured below. (I find it easiest to have the edge of the point that only has one fold be the one that will feed through the machine first, so in this case I am putting it on the right.) I want the end of the first point to overlap the edge of my quilt by 1/4" so that it will be flush at the seam.

I have to take that 1/4" overhang into account when I am placing the second point, so instead of measuring 4-3/4" out from the edge to place my second point, I will measure 4-1/2" from the edge and make a tiny pencil mark on the edge of the border. I continue making marks slightly more that 4-3/4" apart until I get to the center of the quilt. I lay my second right up next to the quilt, lining the left end up with the second pencil mark, making sure that the edge with only one fold is again on the right. 

I continue laying out points, until I get to the center of the border.  If you have an odd number of points, the "point" of one of them will (hopefully) line up with the center of the border, or close to it.  If you have an even number the intersection of two points will line up with the center of the border.  If it is off don't panic - just keep adjusting until you are pleased with the placement.  Once satisfied, continue placing points until you get to the end of the border.

Turn the points over onto the top of the quilt and pin.

Sew the prairie points onto the quilt with a 1/4" seam and press out, pressing the seams toward the center of the quilt.

Now for the most important part:
Whether you quilt yoru piece yourself or give it to a quilter to finish, make sure to keep the prairie points out of the way while it is quilted and do not quilt within 3/4" of the prairie point seamline!

Until next time!
Amanda

Angry Dog and Happy Teddy

I know... how can anything so adorable be so angry?

We have been experimenting with stuffed animal patterns here.

One of Caitrin's really good friends is moving away to New York City, and we wanted to make her a memento that people could sign. Since her favorite color is pink, this Ambrosia print was perfect.

The puppy pictured, made from a really cute pattern by Indygo Junction, was the unfortunate victim of a bad sewing day, hence the name - thanks kids! It was one of those days where I couldn't get a seam to line up, no matter how many pins I used. (We all have them.  If you are like me, you insist on not admitting it and battling it through to the bitter end.) We covered her less-than-perfect neckline with a little hankerchief, and she ended looking looking like quite stylish in the end.

But Angry Dog was too small for twenty kids to sign, so we had to make Happy Teddy.

Happy Teddy was the felicitous product of a good sewing day - one where ridiculously long seams line up without using any pins. Don't you LOVE those days? He is from a pattern called "... and the Three Bears" by Possibilities/Dream Spinners. I can't find in on the net, but I bought it at Cross-Stitch Junction on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, if you are interested. They had these bears made up in many different fabric lines and they made a great display.  Next, I want to make a teddy out of those patchwork squares that are being stampeded by Angry Dog.

I think Happy Teddy looks ready for her trip to the Big Apple, don't you?

Have a great weekend!
Amanda

Prairie Points (Part 1)

It has been a blur of activity here this week.

(I find this picture so funny. Considering there are three pairs of scissors on the table - one just out of the image area, I really should be able to find my scissors more easily than I do!)

In addition to working on drawings for a new line for Robert Kaufman (and fighting off a cold with the rest of the crew), I've been sewing an Ambrosia quilt for a magazine which will be on newsstands later this year. It is a fun, quick-to-piece pattern that you can piece in a weekend that features playful prairie point borders. Now I can't say which magazine it will be featured in yet, nor can I show you the quilt, but I can show you how to add a prairie point border to this quilt - or any quilt you might be currently working on. My model/assistant has made this lovely pile of prairie points for me to sew into the border of this quilt.

In case you aren't familiar with prairie points, they are triangular pieces of fabric that are sandwiched between the layers of a quilt at its edges, forming a decorative border. (They can also be sewn into seams within a quilt for an entirely different look.) Typically you see prairie points used in conjunction very traditional pieced or appliquéd blocks, but I love how they contrast with the simple lines of many quilts that are popular today. They are also a perfect fit for baby quilts - babies love to play with the folded fabric that peeks out from the border. I used prairie points on my "Circus Parade" pattern for Laurie Wisbrun's Urban Circus line for Robert Kaufman.

This 48" x 66" pattern is free at the Robert Kaufman site and is a great fit for these playful animal prints. You can fit 12 (4") prairie points across the top and bottom of this quilt, provided they don't overlap. Heidi Pridemore, who wrote the instructions, suggests that you sandwich the points between the quilt top and backing, right sides together, layer it with batting, and stitch around the edge with 1/4" inch seam allowance, leaving an opening to turn it right side out. This is the perfect way to finish a quilt of this size. More on how to make points that finish 4" at the base later...

If you are dealing with a large quilt, or dimensions that don't divide up evenly with ease, you can also use another technique. The quilt I am working on is 72-1/2" wide. I'd like to run prairie points across the top and bottom of its borders. The first thing I have to decide is the size of the prairie points. A good rule of thumb is look at your blocks and size your prairie points accordingly. My blocks for this quilt are large. In fact, I have cut several 6-1/2" strips to make this quilt, and I have leftovers that I can use for the points. So, my prairie points will be made out of 6-1/2" squares. Once I fold them and subtract 1/4" at each end for the seam allowance, I am left with a 6" base for my finished prairie points. (Always add 1/2" to your desired base dimension to figure out how large to cut your fabric.) If I divide up my 72-1/2" edge by 6", I come up with 12 points per edge.

But what if your border dimension doesn't divide up evenly with ease, or, what if, like me you've decided to have your points overlap for more visual interest? To accommodate this, I am going to add in about 3 points for a total of 15. Those 3 extra points (6" wide each) measure 18" total at their base. That 18" will be absorbed by the overlap between the points. There are 15 points and they overlap in 14 places on the border (they don't overlap at either edge), so I divide up the 18" by 14 and I come up with about a 1-1/4" overlap.

So, that is how you calculate the size and number of points you need for a prairie point quilt.

Now on to making the prairie points. Take your fabric square and fold it in half diagonally and press, matching corners. Take the triangle and fold it in half again. Press. (I like to keep a small spray bottle full of water nearby for this step to give the point a nice, crisp finish.)

That's it! Next lesson, I'll show you how to attach them on the edge of your quilt. Have a great week!

Amanda

Ambrosia Yo-Yo Pillows

I just finished sewing two version of my Yo-Yo Pillow in Ambrosia. Here is the Summer version:

And here is the Spring version:

Adding some decorative buttons can make your pillow's back just a pretty as its front! Here are some detailed shots:

You can download the pattern here. Ask your local quilt shop to order Ambrosia by Robert Kaufman (it is shipping October 1st) or use scraps from your stash.

Special thanks goes to my model/assistant/daughter made all the yo-yos and kept me sane when I couldn't find the phone in the chaos!

Special thanks also goes to my other assistant/son who made these Ambrosia paper-airplanes for me.

I would like to point out that it is not every fabric designer who gets personalized paper airplanes made for their collections.  I am a lucky lady.