Showing posts with label Artisan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artisan. Show all posts

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Oops! A Confession, a Correction, and an Apology!


Hi, all!

You all owe a big debt of thanks to Tirzah, who emailed me today to let me know that she thought there was a mistake in the tutorial for the Moroccan Tiles quilt I sent her.  She was right!  

In the haste of getting this one ready for the blogpost, I made two mistakes.  First of all, I wrote the first version of the tutorial for the wrong quilt - an earlier version from EQ7 that I ended up changing!  And then when I wrote the correct version, I used cut-and-paste and forgot to change around some of the instructions.  I am so sorry, and I hope no one has already started cutting out their quilt!  

That being said, I'm posting the tutorial here on the blog, with the corrections highlighted in red so that you can easily find them.  You can either correct your own copy by hand, or request a fresh, clean, corrected copy from me if you want.  

Once again, so sorry for the mistake, big huge thanks and hugs to Tirzah, and here is the corrected version:

Moroccan Tiles
Quilt Tutorial


Finished size:  48” x 60”

Fabric Requirements for quilt top:

3/8 yard each of six different cool tones (center, top and bottom medallions)
1/4 yard each of two different cool tones (side half-medallions)
1/4 yard each of seven different warm tones (medallion centers)
2 yards of warm tone for background


Corrected 11/2/16
This tutorial was originally posted on ConfessionsOfAFabricAddict.blogspot.com
Cutting:

Decide which fabrics you want to use for the five full medallions in the center of the quilt.  From the cool tone fabric for each, cut:

  8 4.5” squares
16 2.5” squares
  4 2.5” x 4.5” rectangles
  4 2.5” x 6.5” rectangles

From the warm tone fabric for each, cut:

  4 4.5” squares
  8 2.5” squares

Now choose which fabrics you want to use for the two half medallions on the right and left sides of the quilt.  From the cool tone fabric for each, cut:

  4 4.5” squares
  8 2.5” squares
  2 2.5” x 4.5” rectangles
  2 2.5” x 6.5” rectangles

From the warm tone fabric for each, cut:

  4 4.5” squares
  8 2.5” squares


You should have one piece of cool tone fabric left, which will make the partial medallions on the top and bottom of the quilt.  From that piece of fabric, cut:

  8 4.5” squares
16 2.5” squares

From your background material, cut:

56 2.5” x 4.5” rectangles
56 2.5” x 6.5” rectangles



Block Construction:

This quilt is made using one basic block to create the shapes of the quilt.  Here’s the block: 


It’s very simple to construct.  For each of the five center medallions you will make eight blocks, using your cool tone squares (one 4.5” and two 2.5”) and from the background fabric, one 2.5” x 4.5” and one 2.5” x 6.5” piece.


Take the 2.5” x 4.5” background rectangle, and lay a 2.5” cool tone square face down on the right end, lining up the edges and corners.  Stitch the cool tone square from corner to corner, upper left to lower right.  If you want bonus HSTs for another project, go back and stitch approximately 3/8” to the right of that line you just stitched and cut 
between the two lines of stitching.  After trimming, press the seam toward the background fabric.


Now take the 2.5” x 6.5” background rectangle, and lay a 2.5” cool tone square face down on the left end, lining up the edges and corners.  Stitch the cool tone square from corner to corner, upper right to lower left.  If you want bonus HSTs for another project, go back and stitch approximately 3/8” to the right of that line you just stitched and cut between the two lines of stitching.  After trimming, press the seam toward the background fabric.

Now put your block together.  Sew the 2.5” x 4.5” rectangle to the left side of the 4.5” warm tone square.  Press the seam toward the square.  Sew the 2.5” x 6.5” rectangle to the top of the unit you just made.  Press the seam toward the square.  Your block is finished!  Make eight of these for each of the center medallions.

Now we’ll make the center blocks for the medallion.  Here’s what you’ll be going for with these blocks: 


You’ll be making four of these for each medallion, so you’ll need four warm tone 4.5” squares, eight warm tone 2.5” squares, and four each of the background 2.5” x 4.5” and 2.5” x 6.5” rectangles.

Take the 2.5” x 4.5” background rectangle, and lay a 2.5” warm tone square face down on the right end, lining up the edges and corners.  Stitch the warm tone square from corner to corner, upper left to lower right.  If you want bonus HSTs for another project, go back and stitch approximately 3/8” to the right of that line you just stitched and cut between the two lines of stitching.  After trimming, press the seam toward the background tone fabric.

Now take the 2.5” x 6.5” background rectangle, and lay a 2.5” warm tone square face down on the left end, lining up the edges and corners.  Stitch the warm tone square from corner to corner, upper right to lower left.  If you want bonus HSTs for another project, go back and stitch approximately 3/8” to the right of that line you just stitched and cut between the two lines of stitching.  After trimming, press the seam toward the background fabric.

Now put your block together.  Sew the 2.5” x 4.5” rectangle to the left side of the 4.5” warm tone square.  Press the seam toward the square.  Sew the 2.5” x 6.5” rectangle to the top of the unit you just made.  Press the seam toward the square.  Your block is finished!  Make four of these for each of the center medallions.

After you’ve made your five center medallions, use the same techniques for the side half medallions, making four cool tone blocks and two warm tone blocks for each one.

Finally, you’ll need to make eight cool tone blocks for the corners and center top and bottom.

Using the picture as a guide, lay out your blocks and assemble the quilt.  Quilt as desired! 


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Hugs!

Sarah

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

I May Have a Scrap Problem... But I'm Working On It!

Hi, all!

Hard to believe it, but it's already Wednesday!  But I've been a good girl this week, playing with my scraps, and I've got some pretties to share with you - some of my own, and some inspiration!

First up, I want to share the finished version of some scrappy sewing I shared back in September...



These are the two pillow covers I made with the scraps from my major Artisan projects!  I embellished them with some big stitching in perle cotton, and I just LOVE them!  

And also, this week I managed to not just work on Lilli's annual quilt, but I finished the top!!


We had some beautiful sunshine this morning, so I was able to get a "stained glass" shot of this one.  And yes, those are photographs in the centers of the larger blocks!  I've had a lot of requests for a tutorial for this quilt, so I'm going to try to post a tutorial next Wednesday. This is a great scrap buster quilt, and really easy to personalize with photos printed on fabric!  So keep your fingers crossed that I get that tutorial finished in time....

And now for some scrappy inspiration!  Last Wednesday night when I walked into the "sweatshop" at church, I saw this on the wall...


Isn't that just gorgeous?  We had a huge box of 60's/70's vintage bark cloth donated to us in all those lovely fluorescent colors, and Rita decided to use some of them to make a rail fence quilt.  I think we're going to have a lot of fun playing with these - there's a lot more where that came from!  We're making quilts for our 2017 senior class this year and these fabrics are perfect for teenagers, don't you think?


And I came across this beautiful scrappy quilt on Instagram this week.  That grey background is the perfect foil for all those saturated colors!

Now for some fresh inspiration from my Oh Scrap! Pinterest board...


This is a great way to use the fabric from men's shirts - something my stash is overloaded with!


And isn't this a great variation on string blocks?  I can see using this one to move my string quilt along a little faster - I'd only need half as many string blocks!


Oh my goodness, what a great disappearing nine-patch!!  I love that the quilter used a solid red consistently as her center block - it gives the quilt some unity, even though it is completely scrappy!  Also, notice how small those blocks are?  I'm guessing the 9-patch blocks  are made with 2.5" squares... Just imagine how much scrap this one could use up!!


And this quilt just makes me smile!!  I love the riot of color, the rectangular blocks, the rainbow-y-ness... It's perfect!

You can find the original links for the last four quilts on my Pinterest board, Oh Scrap!

So - - - I'm off to write a tutorial!  I have a question for you - have you ever used photo fabric in a quilt?  If so, what has your experience been?  What product did you use?

Hugs!

Sarah

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Make-A-List Monday - Getting Down To Business!


Hi, all!

Whew!  It's been a heck of a weekend, but Monday Tuesday has finally arrived - and it's time to put together another list!  So much to do as we move into the last two months of the year - these lists are going to be my lifesaver!  First, though, let's see how last week's list went..

1.  Quilt and bind the tie memory quilt.
Done!  I'm so happy with the way this one finished up, and the family loved it!


2.  Print the photos for Lilli's annual quilt.
Done - and not only did I print the photos, I finished putting the quilt top together today!!


The color in this pic is terrible - no sun and late in the afternoon - but the border is a red-purple.  Lots of scraps in this quilt - woohoo!!  I'll be putting a tutorial together, probably for a week from this Wednesday....

3.  Photo shoot for my Artisan blog tour post (THIS FRIDAY!)
Done!  I had a lot of fun creating an interesting photo locale with some fall color - here's just one of the more than one hundred shots I took...


And by the way, I ended up writing three posts for my part in the Artisan blog tour, and there are giveaways associated with all three!    There's still time to enter the giveaways - they'll be open until Thursday at noon - so hop over to my weekend posts - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - and join in the fun!  Winners will be announced this coming Friday.

4.  Bind and wash a half dozen quilts for the quilt ministry.
Done!  I didn't take a pic of all six together, but here's one that I took the day that I did the bindings...



5.  Finish writing the tutorial for the Artisan post.
Done!  I actually wrote two tutorials - one for this table cover (which can also be made as a tree skirt)...


...and this lap quilt.


See one you like?  Ask for it in a comment and I'll send you the PDF!

6.  Cut out a Christmas gift quilt.
Started!  I pressed all the fabrics yesterday and started pairing them up for cutting...


7.  Start working on Emmy's annual quilt.
I didn't get to this one yet.

8.  Start working on Nathanael's annual quilt.
I didn't do much on this, but I did buy some more Batman and TMNT fabrics for it!

9.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.
Another quiet week (WHEW!) and we didn't give away any this week.  Good thing - we need to catch up and replenish the stock!

OK - not a completely finished list, but I'm very happy to have finished one of the annual quilts, so that makes up for it!  So - - - new month, clean slate, the Kaffe project is done - - - here's my new list!

1.  Finish cutting and piece the gift quilt.

2.  Bind at least three quilts for the quilt ministry.

3.  Clean up my sewing studio.

4.  Make a back for Lilli's annual quilt.

5.  Write a tutorial for the photo quilt.

6.  Finish answering giveaway emails, and draw for the winners!

7.  Finalize a pattern for Nathanael's annual quilt.

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

That's plenty to keep me busy for the week, but if by some strange turn of events I finish it all, I've got plenty more in the wings!  I think, though, that I need to move the studio cleaning to the forefront - it's such a mess from the last month of whirlwind sewing that I am starting to freak out, and that means it's pretty bad!  So I think I'll go work on that right now....

But first - - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Artisan Blog Tour, Day 3 - Bring on the Bags, and a Giveaway!!


Hi, all!

Welcome to the third (and final!) day of my part of the Artisan blog tour!  It's been a wild ride, helping FreeSpirit Fabrics launch Kaffe Fassett's newest line (available in stores in November - hooray!)  Isn't that picture at the top beautiful?  Brandon Mably posted that on Facebook yesterday from Quilt Market, and I couldn't resist using it.  All those gorgeous fabrics!!

I've shown you a table cover, a quilt, a couple of pillows, and a maker mat - now it's time to show you the bags I made using some of the Artisan fabrics!



First up is this fun, bright bag!  The outside of the bag is made using three different batiks in the Sunny color way.  The chevron print is so cool, with its shading of colors across the fabric.  And the wide stripes I used for the straps were just perfect!  I'm kind of fond of the checkerboard batik, too - the geometric feel of these three work well together.  


I added the dark blue ties on the sides to bring out the blue in the center.  It's lined with a fabulous big circle print from the Artisan line, and the pockets inside (you can never have too many pockets!) are the same circle print in a different color way.  The pattern for this bag is McCall's M6905.

But the next bag is my absolute favorite!  I have to admit, once I finished this one, I put it on my shoulder and I've used it ever since.  I'm going to be a sad, sad girl when it wears out!!


For this bag, I used a free pattern from Lecien Fabrics called the 1 Yard Magic Hobo Bag that I found on this blog.  Using the pattern as a starting point, I made some adjustments to create this eclectic bag.  I cut four different pieces of fabric to create the outside of the bag, creating a quartered piece.  I used a piece of the Artisan ikat fabrics, the plaid, for the interior.  I also added a piece of interlining, a fairly stiff loose-weave canvas, and sewed the three pieces together, turning it right-side out and pressing well.  I then treated it as a solid piece of fabric for the rest of the construction process.  I did make the straps wider, too, and added interlining to those too.  But here's my favorite part...


Look at that fabulous tassel!!  I was digging through a box of "stuff" in my studio one day and came across the leather tassel, one I had salvaged from a purse years and years ago.  Dug a little more and found a box of great beads in colors similar to those in the purse fabrics, so I threaded them onto the leather strips!  Now I jingle when I walk!  There are woven leather buttons on top that I can loop the tassel around if I want to secure the purse closed, too.  But usually just the weight of the tassel is enough to keep it from gapping open.


Isn't it gorgeous?  And it will hold a ridiculous amount of stuff if I need it to, but not look overly large if I'm down to a bare minimum in it.  This was a super simple pattern to make, even with the changes I made, and would make a great gift.  I highly recommend it!

So that's the end of my projects to help launch Kaffe Fassett's new fabric line, Artisan!  Although I don't think it will be the end of my sewing with them - the fabrics are so pretty, you'll see them cropping up in projects in the future!  Watch for it to come out in the fabric shops sometime in November.....

And now for the last giveaway!  I have one more jelly roll of Kaffe Fassett shot cottons for one lucky commenter...


...and, since it's still my birthday weekend, let's throw in one more giveaway....


...I'll draw one final winner and send her this bag!  Here's how you enter:

1.
Leave a comment and confess - are you an early Christmas decorator, a "not-until-after-Thanksgiving" decorator, a "Christmas-Eve-and-I'm-still-putting-stuff-out" decorator, or a "bah-humbug, who needs decorations" decorator?

2.
If you're a follower of this blog, leave another comment for an extra entry!

That's it, easy-peasy!  You can enter the giveaway until noon on Thursday, November 3rd, and I'll announce all the winners on Friday, November 4th.  And remember, there's still time to enter the giveaway from Friday and Saturday!  Entering all three giveaways gives you a chance at one of six different prizes - don't miss out!

Thank you so much for joining me for this blog tour - it's been a blast reading all your comments and has really added to my joy in being part of it all!

Hugs!

Sarah

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Artisan Blog Tour, Day 2 - Moroccan Tiles, Bonus Pillows, and a Giveaway!

Hi, all!

Welcome to the second day of my turn on the Artisan blog tour!  Artisan is a new line of fabrics coming out in November by the fabulous Kaffe Fassett for Free Spirit Fabrics.  As I said yesterday, I had so much fun with this beautiful pile of fabric...


...that I couldn't cram it all into one blogpost!  So today I'm going to share a few more things I created incorporating the second color way in this beautiful line of quilting cottons, batiks and ikats from Kaffe Fassett and Free Spirit Fabrics!  Just so you can see all of the fabrics in the Blue color way, here's a wonderful shot from the Artisan brochure...


Such gorgeous, rich colors!  Quilting cottons on the left, batiks in the center, and ikats on the right.  They play wonderfully with the Sunny color way, too, as I'll show you in just a minute.  

When I was asked to help with the launch of Artisan back in July, my mind was whirling with possibilities - especially because they put very few restrictions on what we could do!  And of course, my mind always goes to quilts....


...and with the strong bohemian vibe of these fabrics, I keep envisioning the beautiful ceramic tiles of Morocco.  I paired quilting cottons and batiks in both the Sunny color way and the Blue color way with some vibrant tangerine Kona cotton to create this vivid quilt.


It's a smaller lap size - 48" x 60" - and I've written a tutorial if you are interested.  Just request it in a comment below and I'll send you a PDF version.


In the making of this quilt, I also created some bonus HSTs which I used to make the pillow shown above.  Don't you just love bonus HSTs?   I still have a mess of them - I see more pillows in my future!


Here's a closer shot of the pillow - I embellished it with large stitch quilting in a variegated perle cotton and did a knife edge binding around the edge to continue the look of the small borders.

But wait - - - that's not all!  I had scraps left over from the table cover, too, so I put them together in another pillow cover...


I'm really fond of this one - I love the wild variety of fabrics it contains, and I did large stitch embellishment on this one, too, varying the distance between the vertical lines of stitching for a random feel.  This pillow make me smile!



Looks like a cozy little place to set a spell, doesn't it?  This was taken by the side of an old smokehouse on our property - it is my first time to use it as a photo shoot location, but I don't think it will be the last!  It makes a great backdrop for quilts!

I hope you've hung in there this long - because now it's time for the giveaway part of our program!  Remember this pretty stack?


Your comment today will put you in the running for one of those lovely jelly rolls of Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons!  And because it's my birthday, I'm going to sweeten the pot for a second winner... do you see the mat underneath my sewing machine in the background?


Here's what the other side looks like.  Inspired by Lillyella Stitchery's Undercover Maker Mat, I made this using some Artisan fabrics combined with some other Kaffe Fassett prints I had hoarded stashed away.  Look how nicely they play together!!!  I'll be sending this to a second winner chosen from today's comments (without all my tools - sorry!! I need those!)

So how do you enter?  It's easy!  Just leave a comment below, and in it, tell us your favorite birthday surprise!  

I'll start it off - one year, based on a random comment from me, my husband gave me a Suzuki Samurai that our local bank had repo'd.  Total surprise!  When I asked him why, he said, "Because you said it was cute!"  It replaced our broken down and ancient Plymouth Fury, so it was a welcome gift - and a totally romantic one!

Please please please leave your email address in your comment, particularly if you want a copy of the tutorial!  So many people are no-reply bloggers these days, mostly through no fault of their own - I think there's a conspiracy going on out there! And if you don't feel comfortable putting your email address out in public, feel free to email me at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com to let me know.  

And remember - there's another giveaway tomorrow, and still time to enter yesterday's giveaway!  It's just a big birthday giveaway weekend around here!!  Entries will remain open for all three giveaways until noon CST Thursday, November 3rd, and I'll announce all the winners in my whoop whoop post next Friday, November 4th.



Tomorrow I'll be sharing a couple of bags I made using these wonderful fabrics - hope to see you then!!

Hugs!

Sarah
SaveSave

Friday, October 28, 2016

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? My Turn on the Artisan Blog Tour, and Giveaways!!

Hi, all!

It's Friday!!!  And as we all know by now, that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Time to encourage each other, show off our current projects (whether finished or not), and just binge on all the gorgeous eye candy that's out there in the blogiverse!  And hey - it's a lot less fattening than candy corn!!  I'm excited to get started - so let's go!!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

One of the first ASL signs my grandchildren learned was the sign for "my turn" and we saw that one a lot.  Well, I feel like that today - because it's finally "my turn" on the Kaffe Fassett Artisan blog tour!!!  Back in July when Nancy at Westminster Fabrics contacted me about participating, I jumped on the chance to play with new fabrics from Kaffe Fassett - I mean, who wouldn't?  So when this glorious stack of fabric showed up at my house....


...I went into planning mode.  These fabrics just scream Boho Chic to me, so I began lots of research (insert window-shopping and Pinterest browsing here) to find the specific details that made up the style I was looking for.  And I discovered that I couldn't stop at just one project!  So I'm actually going to post for the next three days (coincidentally lining right up with the International Quilt Market 2016 and #missingmarket) to share all of my creations with you - and guess what? There will be a giveaway for each day!  It's my birthday weekend and I want to celebrate it with all of you!!  So be sure to check back in Saturday 10/29 and Sunday 10/30 and participate in all three giveaways for your best chances.

OK - on to the eye candy!!


My main focus for this fabric was the beautiful Sunny color way - primarily oranges, reds, yellows and pinks with just a touch of some cooler colors.  There are quilting cottons (the 9 on the left), batiks (in the center) and ikats (the four on the left).  We were asked to try and mix all three types of fabric in our creations, but other than that, what we made was completely up to us.

I started with this inspiration picture...


...and came up with a pieced table cover design that I really love!


On the table...


...and laid out so you can see it in all its glory!



 To complement the bohemian vibe of these fabrics, I added fringe to the bottom edge, and did some large stitch embellishment using perle cotton.

 

The colors in these fabrics are so beautiful, vibrant and saturated, and the batiks and quilting cottons play well together.  I just noticed that I didn't incorporate any of the ikats into this piece, but you will see them in the other projects I show over the next couple of days.


This table cover is just about 63" across at its widest point (66" if you count the fringe), and could be used on a larger table than the one I've shown it on.  My version has cotton batting in it, and I probably would change that in my next attempt - it's not quite as crisp as I would like it to be - but it would be great for protecting a tabletop from hot dishes.

 I've written a tutorial for the table cover, which can also be made as a tree skirt - if you'd like a PDF copy, mention it in a comment below and be sure to leave your email address so I can send it to you!


Be sure to check back in tomorrow when I'll share more about the pillows and quilt in this picture!

And now on to the fun part - the GIVEAWAY!!!  


Take a look at all those goodies that Westminster Fabrics sent to help us all celebrate the release of Artisan!  Today there will be two winners - one for the 20-fat quarter bundle of Kaffe Fassett classics, and one for a jelly roll of shot cottons.  Here's how to enter!  Choose one, some, or all options...

1.  Leave a comment below, answering the question left by the commenter before you. I'll start it off with this one:  
Which do you steal out of your kids' Halloween basket - 
Candy corn, or chocolate?

2.  Link up to the Whoop Whoop Friday linky party for a second entry.  No need to leave a comment for this one, I'll get your entry from the linky list.

3.  Are you a follower of this blog?  Leave a comment letting me know how you follow!

Your comments today will enter you in the giveaway for today's two items, and you can enter today's giveaway until noon CST Thursday, November 3rd.  I'll draw all the winners and announce them on Friday, November 4th.  Be sure to come back tomorrow and Sunday to see some more gorgeous Artisan fabrics and for two more opportunities to win!!

So - - - can I get a WHOOP WHOOP??

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?


What's making you dance a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you - 
And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

Remember - it doesn't have to be a finish,
just something you're happy to have accomplished!

The party will stay open until Wednesday, November 2nd.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - want to see more of the beautiful Artisan creations in this blog tour?  Here's the schedule: