Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Portraits of My Garden

While I'm waiting for my patterns to come back from the printer, I'd like to introduce you to another design, "Portraits of My Garden"

This quilt is really quick and fun to sew - probably the easiest of all the quilts in my line.  My goal was to design a piece that would showcase feature prints in large "framed" pieces, hence the name of the quilt.  I also wanted to explore having a color, rather than white or cream, function as a neutral background. 


The key is picking a fun tone on tone pint for the background, with a contrasting bolder print for the "frames".  (You could also pick a solid for either, but we are probably too accident-prone around here to have that work for us.) 

The large feature prints are showcased framed up as "portraits".






I love how Deborah Norris echoed the feathers she quilted down the center of the columns in each individual block.  I chose the medium green creamware print for the background and the purple and aqua geometric diamonds for the "frames" in the sample. 


Here are some other possible color combinations for backgrounds and "frames" from Veranda:






Again, Fat Quarter Shop will have this pattern in just a few weeks.  If you are a shop owner, please contact me directly to arrange an order and/or to be listed as carrying the patterns.

My friend Mary tested this pattern for me in Ambrosia.  Take a peek!
Happy sewing!
Amanda

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Monday, May 30, 2011

A weekend project

What did everyone do this Memorial Day weekend? 

I thought I'd share a bit of mine with you.  Eric and the kids went to visit my in-laws; I am on a deadline for work and needed access to my internet and graphics tablet, so I stayed behind.  In the spirit of biting off more than I can chew - a trait I undoubtedly inherited from my mother - I decided to redo our daughter's room as a surprise.  Between running upstairs to cover both the room and myself in paint (I am a sloppy painter) and running downstairs to do design work, it has been a crazy weekend.


It is still incomplete.  I didn't have time to sew bedding, so I purchased Amy Butler bedding from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  I am going to eventually supplement that with accessories in my Veranda line using the pink, green, and aqua prints, but Caitrin and I will work on that together.  I want to cover the white lampshade I bought with the green and aqua fabrics in the line.  I think Town Square will look perfect at the end of the bed when I get it back from Robert Kaufman.

They are coming home in a few hours.  I can't wait. 

Back to work - thanks for letting me share!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Blossoms!

Hi everyone!
Just sent patterns to the printer (they should be available to shops in a couple of weeks so check back soon!) so in the interest of shameless self-promotion I thought I'd take this opportunity to share the details of another of the designs with you...

I'd like you to meet "Blossoms", a fun and versatile pattern that uses two packages of 10"-squares stacks, or 75 10" squares in total.


The quilt pictured above uses two 10"-square stacks of Veranda, my new pattern line from Robert Kaufman, which ships in August.  The sample pictured above was with the help of my mom, daughter, and son.  The ladies traced the applique onto fusible web, fused the petals, pressed, band drew diagonal lines when needed.  Our son was in charge all destructive activities i.e. stabilizer removal.  I manned the sewing machine. 

Here, two of assistants display "Blossoms" on our front porch...


Thank you, assistants!  Deborah Norris, of Deborah's Quilting in Gastonia, NC, did a beuatiful job quilting this, echoing the blossom chapes and covering the back with swirls and leaves, don't you think?




What I love about this pattern is its versatility.  "Blossoms" would look great in springtime prints, like Veranda.  But you could also change the flowers to orange or yellow and it would look fantastic in autumn colors.  Personally, I can't wait to buy a couple of Christmas 10" square packages and make it with white blossomss with bright red centers.  Sara, at Sew Sweetness, has been testing this for me using Amy Butler prints, and maybe she will share soon....  (And I have some other testers out there who will be sharing their version of other patterns in the line - more on that in the near future as well.)

If you are interested in the pattern, or the Veranda fabric, please ask your local shop to place an order.  (The patterns can be ordered through me and the fabric can be ordered through Robert Kaufman.)  If you are one of those unfortunate souls without a local shop,  Fat Quarter Shop will be carrying it all!  (If you are a shopowner who would like to be added to my list as carrying my fabric and/or patterns, please contact me.)

Thanks for letting me share.  I hope you like Blossoms!  (And I'll be doing some pattern giveaways in the future, so stay tuned!)

Happy sewing and thanks for listening to me ramble!
Amanda

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

And the Sew, Mama, Sew, Giveaway winner is...

Melody, who said:

What to make, what to make? Could be a purse, or placemats, or a quilt. Or maybe one of each. It's just too hard to decide right now:) Thanks for the chance to win. Love your fabrics.

Melody, email me and let me know your address and which color story is your favorite.

Thanks to all who participated in this giveaway.  I'm so grateful to all of you!  I'll be back tomorrow to show you more of my new pattern line!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

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Monday, May 23, 2011

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway!

Note:  This giveawy is now closed...

Hi everyone!
It is time for the "Sew, Mama, Sew!" giveaway day!  I will be giving away one fat quarter bundle of Swiss Chocolate in either Mocha (blues and tan) or Chocolate (reds and brown) - your choice.  10 fat quarters are included!

Chocolate Color Story

Mocha Color Story

Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop still has bundles and some yardage available as well.
The deadline to enter is May 25th and I'll pick the winner randomly on May 26th.  Become a follower and leave a comment to enter, or, if you are already a follower, just leave a comment on this post.  Tell me what you would make with your bundle!

I apologize ahead of time that I have had to turn comment moderation on due to some nasty person out there spamming this post.  Keep entering - and I will approve comments as soon as possible! 

Happy sewing and good luck!
Amanda

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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Garden Paths

Hi everyone! I'm back to talk about the first pattern of my pattern line - Garden Paths. I hope you like her...

I've had this design floating around my head for awhile now, and am excited to offer it as a full-color pattern featuring my Veranda line, which ships in August.  Garden Paths was really the inspiration for the entire pattern line. It looks like a complex quilt to make, but it really isn't, so it is great for the sewer who has explored the basics of piecing (rectangles and maybe some triangles) and wants to take the next step.



Sara at Sew Sweetness tested this pattern for me and you might want to hop on over and see what she has to say about it.

Deborah Norris of Gastonia, NC did a spectacular job on the quilting - I LOVE the freehand roses and leaves she quilted down the white areas!


I'll be printing the patterns in just a few weeks and will be shipping to your local shops in June. For those of you without a local shop, Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop will have them all!

If you like to plan ahead, this pattern measures 68"x 96" and uses one roll-up of 40 (2-1/2") strips, 3-3/4 yards of background fabric, 1-1/4 yard of inner border and accent square fabric (1-3/4 yards if you like to fussy cut), and 1-1/2 yards of outer border fabric.

Since this pattern is special to me I'm posting it over on the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Pay them a visit to see all the wonderful projects people are working on!

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Veranda - a closer look...

A picture is worth 1,000 words, right?  Here is my newest baby in the Sorbet and Garden color stories...

Sorbet Fabrics

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer


Garden Fabrics

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer


Veranda ships in August and I can't wait. Do you have a favorite print? Please share! Mine changes daily.

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Monday, May 16, 2011

Spring 2011 Quilt Market!

What a delightful few days!  Quilt Market was wonderful and I was absolutely overwhelmed with the shear amount of creativity in one room.  It is so nice to be around people who love what you love and who are enthusiastic about the sewing and fabric industry - and about helping people find the joy of creating things with their hands.  It was amazing.  I met so many people - I'm almost afraid to list them because I know I will leave out lots of fantastic ones, but I have to try...  Julie of Jaybird Quilts, who has to be one of the most generous souls out there, Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy, who did some spectacular quilting on a logo quilt I designed (among many because her quilts were in virtually every booth), Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew, Sherri of A Quilting Life, John of Quilt Dad, Heather of a la Mode, Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios, Lisa Lam (who recently wrote the best  book EVER), Lizzy House, Tula Pink, Patrick Lose, Jennifer Paganelli, Kimberly and friends of Fat Quarter Shop, lots of magazine editors who I had never met face to face, and, of course, all the people at Robert Kaufman.  Even Sarah and her mom, from JEllen's House of Fabric, stopped by.  Oh, and I introduced myself to Anna Maria Horner and Camille Roskelley, both of whose blogs of love.

Get this... it took me 30 hours (mostly in the Dallas airport) to get to Market due to flight delays.  I slept in the airport on a cot that it took walking through 5 terminals to find.  I presented a schoolhouse that I made it to by 3 MINUTES after sleeping in the airport and not having brushed my teeth for 30 HOURS.  I know...  My apologies to anyone in the room or within about 100 feet of me at that time.  But when I finally arrived on the show floor this is what I saw:


Thanks Emmie, Kyle, and Allie.  Thanks Evie, Aurelia, and Patty and all the other people at Robert Kaufman.  You did a much better job arranging all my mess than I possibly could have done.

Introducing Veranda!  It is a fun and bright collection that ships in August and it has been what I have been working on in the past couple months.  I hope you love it!  There are ten prints, each in two color stories, plus a white-on-white accent print.

The wall on the right is the logo quilt that I designed for this collection.  Karen Fisher pieced it (thanks, Karen!) and Angela Walters did a fantastic job quilting it and I'll be able to show you more detail in later posts. 

The "Under the Veranda Sampler" on the left is a block-of-the-month shop program in six parts and was pieced by my daughter and me in 5 days!   (Thank you, Cait - I'm forever grateful.)  Deborah Norris of Deborah's Quilting in Gastonia, North Carolina, quilted it expertly (along with 6 other quilts in my booth).  Each block also has directions for a coordinating accessory. So the idea is that if you don't want to make the quilt you can make a photo album cover instead of a bargello block, or a pillow instead of Dresden plate and flying geese blocks, etc.  I used the pink and green color story in the quilt, but you can see a peek of the purple, aqua, and green color story in the accessories on the lower right.  "Under the Veranda" is a program I designed exclusively for quilt shops that buy one or or both color stories of Veranda.  They can then use these patterns to offer kits of classes.  I'll be compiling a list of shops that are participating in this program on my website, so, if you are a shop that is interested, make sure to contact me.

Under the Veranda Sampler (Sorbet Color Story)

Under the Veranda Sampler (Garden Color Story)
I was so busy in this booth that I hardly took any pictures, so those of you who have them out there, please send them!  (Angela, oh quilting goddess with a camera to match, I'm calling your name!)

My other big Market news was the debut of my pattern line!  There are six patterns available and they are all printed in full-color with clear Assembly Diagrams on the center spreads.  Some use precuts and some use yardage.  I'll give you more information in the days to come right here!  Patterns will be shipping in June.  I won't be selling these retail, but Kimberly, of Fat Quarter Shop, will be offering the entire line of patterns as soon as they are available.  And your local shops can get them her if they are interested.  So, without further ado, here is the line...








All these quilts were quilted by Deborah Norris.  So, that is what I have been working on.  (If you are still listening to me babble on, I am looking for one more pattern tester for Village Green.  If you are interested, email me.  This is a scrappy quilt made out of 2 roll-ups/jelly-rolls.  You must be in the U.S. or Canada so that I can get it to you quickly.  I'll need it tested in the next couple of weeks.  Some fabric scraps might be in your future.  First come, first served.)  Sorry - the pattern tester spot has been taken - thanks!

There were some flight delays on the way home, but nothing like what experienced on the way out there, but - get this - I ate dinner at the airport with Becky Goldsmith.  Yes, I am talking about the Becky Goldsmith of Piece 'O Cake Designs.  And she gave me a book about needle-turn applique, which I have always wanted to learn.  Yes, I received a book about applique from Becky Goldsmith.  If you are reading this blog you are obviously a hard-core quilter and will know how big a deal that is.  Becky confirmed my view that quilters everywhere are just the nicest people.  And then, to top it all off, my seatmate on the way to Chicago was Anja Pundt, who owns Nahwelt Machemer, the biggest quilt shop in Europe, and had just bought my line that morning, and she was lovely.  It is a small world.

A good market all around.  I'll be back in future days to give you more details about Veranda, Under the Veranda, and patterns.  In the meantime, happy sewing!

Amanda

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A last sneak peek


Completed:
  • 10 quilts
  • 6 patterns
  • 1 shop program (a sampler with 6 parts)
  • 6 pillows
  • almost 2 table runners
  • 2 quilted bags
  • 2 album covers
  • 1 schoolhouse presentation
Still to do:
  • 8 placemats
  • bind 1/2 of a table runner
  • pack!!!
Off to Salt Lake City!  Have a a great week and happy sewing!
Amanda

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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day and Table Runner Kit Winners

Well, Happy Mother's Day everyone!  I hope every mom out there has a fantastic day.

Thanks to eveyone who commented and contributed to our ice cream experience!

Without further ado, the blog giveaway winners were numbers 48, 95,and 114.

#48 Robin said...

I'm a follower of your blog with Google Reader, and I like machine piecing. I'm a newbie quilter. I love this fabric line, and love the Mocha Blossom Runner, but would be thrilled to win any of them! :)

#95 Moshie said...

Just became a follower! I adore your swiss chocolate line. And I would love to make the Mocha runner. Right now, my favorite quilting technique is straight line quilting with a walking foot.

#114 Cat said...

What a great use of a striped fabric. But I have to say I love the Chocolate Blossom kit. Thanks for sharing the design.

Congratulations!  (Please send me your snail mail addresses so I can get these out the door.  Moshie, please email me specifying whether you meant the blossom or striped Mocha runner.)

Have a great weekend everyone!
Amanda

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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Quiltermaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3 Blog Tour!

Hi everyone!

Well, the blog tour for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks is well underway and this is my day to talk about my block (and to giveaway a little something extra - see details below)!  I used Swiss Chocolate sample yardage, which I had just received at the time the block was designed.  You'll find the pattern on page 46 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3, which should be out on newstands next week.

A lot of you know that Swiss Chocolate was designed in two color stories: Mocha and Chocolate.  Since I used Mocha for the Swiss Chocolate quilt in Quiltmaker's March/April 2011 issue, I decided to use the Chocolate color story for this block.  Here she is...



A few of the prints in this collection really lent themselves to fussy-cut pieces, and I decided to make use of this.  I had a hard time deciding between the stripe and the blossom print, but in the end I chose to use the stripe. 

I've heard from many people who used Swiss Chocolate in home decor projects, so I thought it would be great to show you a table runner using this block x 3, with variations. 

Chocolate Striped Runner

Chocolate Blossom Runner

Mocha Striped Runner

Mocha Blossom Runner

I'll be kitting up one of these table runners (your choice!) for three lucky winners.  The first winner will also receive a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 3., courtesy of Quiltmaker.  I can't absolutely promise that the packages will go out before Market (still sewing like mad around here), but I'll try.  If not, they will go out the following week.  To enter:
  1. Become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite quilting technique is.  If you already are a follower, leave a comment about your favorite technique too.  (My kids will be forever grateful for the follower part because, if I reach 250 followers, we get to go out for ice cream!)  Also let me know what table runner kit you would choose.
  2. If you comment anonymously, please leave your contact information in the post so that I can contact you!
  3. Only one entry per person, please.
  4. The deadline to enter the giveaway is on midnight Saturday, May 7th.
And remember that Quiltmaker will be giving away a yard of each print of THE ENTIRE LINE OF SWISS CHOCOLATE courtesy of Robert Kaufman, along with other great prizes, later in the week, so check out their site.   There are some great giveaways, along with links to other designers' fabulous sites!

Have fun and happy sewing!
Amanda

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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Pieced Backs

I just sent a shipment of Market items off to Robert Kaufman.  The quilt that will serve as the centerpiece of my booth went with that shipment.  I borrowed the idea for a pieced back, with the label actually integrated into the design, from Julie, of Jaybird Quilts.  I love how it looks.  Thanks, Julie!  (Julie has a fantastic tutorial on how to do this over at her blog...)



Can't show you the front quite yet, but it won't be long now...

Don't forget to stop back here Thursday for a great giveaway in conjunction with Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour!

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