Moda Love Blog Tour

September 4, 2014, 4:00 am

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Hello! Today it's my turn on the Moda Love Blog Tour and I'm thrilled to have you here. If you're visiting for the first time, I'm Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique and am a new designer for Moda. My first collection Into the Woods shipped to shops last month (!!) and I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of the Moda family!

Speaking of family, I'm quite fond of mine here in Lubbock, TX. I wouldn't be where I am today without the love and support of my wonderful husband, Kevin. He brightens my life with his kind heart, boisterous laugh, and endless talents (like having the most dreamy singing voice on Earth AND a love of creating heavenly dishes like pork belly confit + sweet potato puree + pickled cucumbers). He is a serious catch. 

We celebrate our 11th anniversary in November and are parents to two spunky children named Olive and Lorenzo. These sweeties keep me running in circles all day, but I would not have it any other way.

Since the Moda Love Blog Tour is all about LOVE, I'm answering a few questions about my LOVE of quilting:

When did you start quilting and what was your first project? My mom taught me to sew at a young age, but it wasn't until I was 15 that I really took an interest in quilting. One afternoon, I discovered her working on a pixelated sunflower quilt. It was so cheery and wonderful that I just had to make one. Of course, I wanted to add my own special touch, so I designed some smaller pixelated flower blocks to incorporate into a border. I was having a great time making it all up as I went along, adding sashing (of various widths) and corner blocks as I pleased... Of course, nothing really lined up quite as I had envisioned but I think the saving grace was a sweet poem I embroidered into the border about sunflowers and their quest for light. Despite its MANY imperfections, the quilt has always been a meaningful reminder to seek the good things in life. 

What is the best part of your design process? I LOVE the challenge of coming up with something new by letting the fabric do the talking. Each collection speaks to me in a different way and I love exploring new possibilities that each one brings. Playing with fabric every day is the best job in the whole world.

 

What fuels you to create? Because I do much of my work after everyone has gone to bed, sweets literally fuel my creativity in the wee hours of morning. Some of my favorites are Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, and Riesens. 

(something gummy-ish + something chocolate = the proper balance)

Working on Moda Lissa's "Tone it Down" quilt from American Patchwork & Quilting, February 2014

THE MODA LAB 

At Quilt Market, we Moda designers were given the opportunity to share some of our favorite tips and tricks in the Moda Lab. Watch below as I share my favorite technique to transform a Layer Cake® into half-square triangles:

This method of making half-square triangles comes in especially handy when piecing my new Figgy Pudding quilt pattern (free).

THE MODA LOVE LAYER CAKE PATTERN  

The Moda designers were also given this pattern and tasked with making it using our latest lines. Here's mine, and the beautiful bread basket pantograph quilting was done by Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting.

I want a little bit of a scrappy look to mine so I departed from the pattern slightly... I took 12 Layer Cake® squares, sub-cut them into 5" squares first, sewed them into four-patches, and THEN plugged them into the pattern.

Instructions include smaller versions using a charm pack or a mini charm pack. I made all three sizes and I think the mini charm version is my favorite! Isn't she sweet?

And here is the charm pack version (I played around with the inverse design):

It's fun to see all the other Moda designers' fabrics plugged into this pattern! Now what, you've all been waiting for...

THE GIVEAWAY! 

A fat quarter bundle of Into the Woods is up for grabs! Just leave (one) comment telling me what your favorite bedtime story is. 

But that's not all! I'm also offering a 20% discount on all patterns in my shop when the promo code MODALOVE is used at checkout.

Winners for the giveaways will be announced September 13th! 

Be sure to check out the full Moda Love Blog Tour schedule for other great giveaways, Moda Love quilts, and Moda Lab videos! Today check out the new posts today for Malka Dubrawsky, Blackbird Designs, and Lauren + Jessi Jung. Thanks for stopping by!

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The Prize

September 13, 2014, 4:30 am

≫ Next: By the Chimney with Care

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Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by for the Moda Love Blog Tour! I love hearing about your favorite bedtime stories. The winner of the FQ bundle of Into the Woods is KrisD who said her favorite story is "Katie the Kitten." Send me an e-mail and let me know where to send the loot!

I'm also extending the 20% discountin the shop until the end of September. Just use the promo code MODALOVE at checkout to get the discount.

And don't forget about my new (free!) pattern, Figgy Pudding. 

Have a great weekend!

By the Chimney with Care

September 30, 2014, 4:00 am

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YAAAAYYYY! The day is finally here!

I'm totally excited to finally show you some sweet rustic stockings I made in June for American Patchwork & Quilting. If you know me well, you know that I absolutely adore making stockings and love an excuse to make more every year. When I designed Into the Woods, I imagined a woodland set of stockings. Never did I imagine I'd get to make them for such an amazing publication!

Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I suppose the reds/mints from my collection would have been an obvious choice for Christmas stockings, but I just couldn't help myself with the brown and pinks.

Look for this stocking pattern in the newly released December 2014 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting:

Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

A big thanks to everyone at American Patchwork & Quilting for being so wonderful to work with! I have been a fan of this publication for a very long time and it is a dream to be a part of it at last.

One more thing--don't forget about the 20% discount in my shop using the promo code MODALOVE at checkout--today (9/30/14) is the last day it will be valid.

Tone it Down

October 7, 2014, 4:00 am

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This is Olive. She is happy that her mama has finished her quilt, at last!

Ever since she was a baby, Olive always clung to her pink blankie. I mean literally. That thing even managed to sneak its way into her 2-year birthday pictures.

Photo taken by Katie Moss of Peekaboo Photography www.peekaboophotos.com

Back in January, after YEARS of dirt and slobber, Olive and I had a little talk about saying goodbye to dear (nasty) blankie. I told her I would make her a new one and she was very happy with this idea.

I didn't get started on it right away, I wasn't even sure what I wanted to make her or which fabrics to use. A few months ago, I started working on Lissa Alexander's "Tone it Down" quilt (February 2014 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting) using in my Into the Woods fabric. Olive came in and saw me working on the first block. 

"Oooooo!" she said excitedly, "my quilt!!!" 

Alrighty, then!

I really had fun making this one special for her, even using some of the Into the Woods strike offs that didn't make the final cut. One of a kind, just like my sweet girl.

a Spooky quilt

October 10, 2014, 2:08 pm

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Awwwww, October. I heart your face. So glad you're here. To pay my true devotion, I've finally made you a quilt. You're welcome. 

I bought Camille's Starlight pattern about a year ago, and have been saving it until I could figure out the perfect fabrics to use with it. When I  bought some of Riley Blake's Witch Hazel fabric, suddenly it all made sense! Add some Michael Miller "Ta Dots," and we have the perfect Halloween quilt. YES!!!! When I look at my Halloween quilt, I see spider webs, candy corn, and witch hats! 

(Sidebar: Be sure to check Camille's pattern corrections before beginning...I should have waited to cut the big triangles to double-check that the smaller triangle units would be the same size. Whoops!)

We've already dragged this thing around through a corn maze, on a hay ride, and to the pumpkin patch.

Another great discovery in making this quilt? The "Cozy Stitches" print from Into the Woods was a perfect match for the back!

Aw, yeah. Check one more thing off my Halloween bucket list.

Oh Baby

October 20, 2014, 2:50 pm

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I'm going out of town with the family for a couple of days but wanted to check in with what I've been doing--trying to make lots of baby quilts! One of my favorites lately was this super girly version of Hot Cross Buns using a jelly toll of Bliss by Bonnie & Camille for Moda. It was a really difficult one to unwrap the jelly roll and cut into as the fabric has been out of print for a long time. But what else is fabric for?!

I love the bright, happy colors and I think this little babe will love looking at it for some snuggles and tummy time!

I think I would like a full sized girl version for myself and will be adding it to my "to do" list.

Cyber Monday Specials

November 30, 2014, 6:52 pm

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I've been busier than normal, but I wanted to stop in and say hello. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving full of family, food, and blessings. I feel especially grateful to be doing what I love every single day so I'm offering a crazy-awesome sale tomorrow in my shop, Cyber Monday 12/1/14. Most patterns will be discounted at least 50% off. In the past, I've offered discounts on PDFs only, but this sale will include paper as well. These special prices will be available Cyber Monday ONLY for a limited quantity. No coupon code needed!

  

  

I've also got a special door prize...

At 9:00 AM CST, I am listing my Moda Love quilt for $25 in the shop. It was quilted by the amazing Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting (you can see some of the quilting detail over on my instagram account) which makes it even more of a treasure. Some lucky person is getting this quilt for $25 (shipping not included, US only). Crazy, I know. I'm just feeling extra grateful and hope this will brighten someone's day. Ya'll are such sweethearts. Good luck and thanks again for your support.

Christmas Goodies

December 9, 2014, 12:56 pm

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My Christmas shopping is done, but the sewing? That is another matter. I'm busting my behind to get a few remaining projects finished before we go home to Utah for the holidays. I am LOVING this quilt for my brother-in-law--just finished it last night! The pattern ("Soiree") and fabric ("Modern Neutrals") are both designed by my lovely friend Amy Ellis for Moda.

I think it makes a great man-quilt and I hope my brother-in-law likes it. I noticed my hubby checking it out and methinks he wants one also...

I'm not sure when I'll be checking in next so I want to leave you with a couple of my favorite holiday recipes. The first is for my favorite soft gingerbread cookies. This is something I used to make with my mom and I love carrying on this tradition with Olive and Lorenzo.

I love this recipe because they look just as good as they taste.

My other favorite holiday go-to recipe is this yummy wassail recipe! Perfect for a large group.

I hope you are having as much fun as we are over here. Hope you all have a great holiday and safe travels if you are doing so. XO

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APQ Quilt-Along

January 24, 2015, 8:54 am

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Do you remember last year when American Patchwork & Quilting started their first ever quilt-along featuring Lissa Alexander's Tone it Down quilt? It was so much fun to follow the #apqquiltalong hashtag on Instagram and see so many different versions of one quilt! (See how mine turned out here.)

A couple months ago I was invited to participate in the APQ Quilt-Along for 2015. The theme is "Go Four It!" and features THREE fantastic designs showcasing four-patches. 

To join along, just grab your April 2015 copy of American Patchwork & Quilting and choose from Rainbow Rows by Lissa Alexander, Buried Treasure by April Rosenthal, or Scraptacular by Edyta Sitar. (Officially hits newsstands Feb 2.)

I'm making April Rosenthal's Buried Treasure quilt. 

Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2015 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 I've decided to mix some of the lighter mints and reds from Into the Woods with Kate & Birdie's new Winterberry line. I ADORE these colors together. Follow along @lellaboutique on Instagram to see how it all comes together.

Check out all the other quilt bloggers participating:

• American Patchwork & Quilting Staff allpeoplequilt

• April Rosenthal, Prairie Grass Patterns amrosenthal

• Barb & Mary, Me and My Sister Designs meandmysisterdesigns

• Bonnie Hunter, Quiltville's Quips & Snips quiltville_bonnie

• Camille Roskelley, Simplify thimbleblossoms

• Debbie Roberts, The Quilted Moose quiltedmoose

• Edyta Sitar, Laundry Basket Quilts laundrybasketquilts

• Jane Davidson, Quilt Jane quiltjane

• Jo Morton, Jo Morton Quilts joquilts

• Kimberly Jolly, Jolly Jabber fatquartershop

• Linda Collins, Quilts in the Barn quiltsinthebarn

• Lisa Bongean lisabongean

• Lissa Alexander, Moda Lissa modalissa

• Shea Henderson, Empty Bobbin Sewing empybobbin

• Sherri McConnell, A Quilting Life sherrimcconnell

• Thelma Childers, Cupcakes 'n' Daisies thelmacupcake

Which quilt would you like to make? 

Neco

February 18, 2015, 6:19 pm

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Hey Momo lovers! Today I get to give you a peek at Momo's newest line, Neco. What a happy and sweet line. If you are an animal lover, I think you will really dig these prints. In this collection you'll find lots of colorful nature scenes, dogs, cats, hedgehogs, polka dots, and scallops. It arrives in stores July 2015 and I'm crying because I too must wait until July to get my hands on it. Don't think for a second that prevented me from planning out some fun projects, though. Thanks to EQ7, I dreamed up a couple new quilts and just finished up the patterns for them. 

This first quilt is called Twirl. This quilt design is really a great way to show off the big and bold graphics of Neco and is so much fun to piece. It's a great pattern for beginners OR those of us who just like a quick project to turn out. All you need is 1 layer cake + 2 charm packs. 

The second quilt is called Hugs & Kisses (XOXO) and is also quick to piece. The design is made up of two basic blocks that are alternated to form the pattern you see below. To make this quilt, you'll need 1 jelly roll + 1 fat eighth. (This would also be a great scrapbuster.)

It will be July before we know it and I can't wait to get my paws on this fabric! The good news is that I just finished writing these patterns and have the PDFs in the shop right away. To celebrate new patterns, I'm giving a 10% discount on PDFs for the rest of February when you enter the promo code MOMOLOVE at checkout. (NOTE: If you're looking for the paper patterns, they ARE available, just not in my shop. They are distributed exclusively through United Notions & Fabrics so check with your local/online quilt shops to see if they carry them.)

Gooseberry

April 27, 2015, 9:39 am

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I always cherish my visits to Grandma's house up in the Colorado mountains. Her yard is a flower garden overflowing with hollyhocks, delphinium, and raspberries--a sweet combination of blues and pinks surrounded by expanses of various shades of green. Grandma tells me wonderful stories of her childhood: Life was simpler back then, and her family didn't have much, so they valued what they found and what they could grow. When they were lucky enough to find gooseberries, they picked them and took them home. A little sprinkle of salt helped reduce the sour taste, and Grandma and her sisters thought gooseberries were a rare kind of treat. If they could gather enough, their mother made a pie! 

I'm delighted to introduce you to my newest fabric line with Moda, Gooseberry. It begins showing May 2015 at International Quilt Market (Minneapolis, MN) and ships to stores October 2015. 

Return here Thursday for my day on the Moda Blog Hop "Moda Designers in Real Life" [behind the scenes of market prep]. 

#ModaDesignersIRL

April 30, 2015, 7:55 am

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It's not nice to mess with Captain Mike. 

Attention Blogees (or whatever you call yourselves), this Blog is hereby commandeered by Capt. Mike, retired detective LAPD. I’m a naturally suspicious guy; suspicion goes with the territory and I’ve been full of it for the past several weeks as I’ve investigated this Lella Boutique and its proprietor, Vanessa Goertzen, a seemingly sweet young thing who I came to suspect of actually running a nefarious network that trafficked in illegal contraband. 

To digress a little, Vanessa is the daughter of my new wife, Miriam. Because Miriam had recently passed the Bureau of Criminal Information background check, I figured that I could give her daughter some leeway before putting her to the test. By the way, I earned my moniker with 30 years’ experience working the hard streets of L.A. so I wear it proudly. Miriam is the only one I have given permission who does not have to address me as “Captain”--at least when we’re at home and company is not present. 

Anyway, Vanessa brought her two children: Olive, age 4, and Lorenzo ("Bubba"), age 2, to our home a month and a half ago. The kids are cute but annoying. Apparently, Vanessa needs Miriam’s help as she prepares for an event called: “Quilt Market” that is scheduled for the middle of May in Minneapolis. It seems that this market with the innocuous title is in actuality a twice annual convention that attracts a mass network of companies and thousands of attendees each year. Vanessa is a designer for Moda (no, not that guy, he’s still in the joint); it turns out that Moda is a quilting fabric company based in Dallas—or so it claims.

I learned through my investigation that Moda employs home-based designers like Vanessa, but I fear that something more sinister is at work here. Vanessa has turned our garage into her own work place that she always keeps locked. She works 18 hour days accompanied by a constant humming of some unknown machine. One day, when she came out for a quick lunch break, I got a glimpse of some sketched designs of butterflies and pinwheels in a notebook that never left her side. I paged through suspicious short hand and detailed instructions regarding “a project” that she wanted done. One note was particularly concerning: “the long arm is close-thank goodness, I’m nearly done.” Had Vanessa found out about my investigation and was she alerting her higher ups?

It seems as the Quilt Market day approaches, Vanessa’s work has become more frantic. When she’s not in her work room, she is typing on her laptop or IPhone. And this is not the usual casual communication that is typically associated with Facebook or other social media—Vanessa is typing at a furious pace. And this past week, more big UPS and FedEx boxes began arriving on our front porch. My mind began to race with more questions. Is Moda really a fabric quilting company? Is Lella Boutique really a home shop for a fabric designer? And then one day, Vanessa slept in. At first, I believed that confirmed my suspicions. After all, the people caught up in the schemes that I investigated usually work late, with spurts of frantic activity, followed by days of sleeping late. Could Vanessa be in this “Breaking Bad” cycle? Maybe not.  I confided in Miriam some of what I have written in this blog. She looked at me with some puzzlement. I replied: “How do you explain Vanessa’s remark about the ‘long arm of the law getting close?’ Miriam said something about a long arm quilting machine that had just completed a quilting project and the results were magnificent. Hmmmmm. Perhaps, I should cancel the polygraph and background check I had scheduled for tomorrow. Captain Mike returns control of this blog over to the perpetrator, I mean the proprietor.

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My stepdad cracks me up. And just so you know--he's a former news reporter-turned-attorney who has a knack for spinning yarns. Lest you believe I work 18-hour days, here's the skinny on what actually goes on. (I get a lot of questions from people wondering how I'm able to get so much done while wrangling two little ones so I'll tell you.) The truth is, I hardly get anything done during the day as far as "work" goes. Even during market prep. Most of the day is entertaining kids, catching up on laundry, and the like.

The trick for me has been making the most out of every single day--especially during a hectic time like quilt market prep. So here's what I do:

1. I plot. Before I go to bed every night, I think about what I need to get done the next day and schedule it. During market prep, I may attempt to cut some binding strips while the kids eat breakfast. Or trim half-square triangles. Or press a few blocks. But if I don't get them done, well I just don't get them done and it's fine.

2. I make the most of nap-time. When Lorenzo goes down for his snooze, Olive and I head to our workroom. I've got a workstation set up for her next to mine; she makes bead necklaces, draws pictures, plays with Barbies, etc. She loves it and it allows me to get a couple hours of sewing in. Sometimes she'll even show interest in helping me and I certainly let her. (I hope to make an addict out of her as well.)

When Olive wants to help bind a quilt, I just stick the needle  where it needs to go and let her pull it through the rest of the way.

I've also learned that Lorenzo's nap-time is a good time to arrange blocks, baste a quilt, or take photos--a good time for anything I'd prefer to do without Lorenzo's "help."

3. I rely on late night hours. The vast majority of work gets done after everyone goes to bed. Most nights I don't get to bed until 1 AM. (I'm always looking forward to my Sunday nap.)

And that's it. Little by little, I get everything done. Thanks for reading, it's probably more info than you ever wanted to know!

Made with Love {and Gooseberry}

May 6, 2015, 8:38 am

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I've been busy as a bee for the last several months plotting, writing, and sewing. Today's the day I get to show you all the new stuff. Here is a quick overview of the new patterns--all are now available in the shop in PDF or paper (paper begins shipping on Friday 5/8/15):

    
   

Before we take a closer look, I just want to say thank you to all my amazing quilters. I feel so blessed to know such talented ladies who make my designs really come to life. You are the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Here we go. First up is Shuffle. It's a fun twist (literally) on a traditional pinwheel quilt and can be made using two charm packs OR seven fat quarters. Then, choose a colorful background to really make those pinwheels pop, or go for a more traditional white background to keep it simple.

     

The blue background--Bella solid 9900 85 "Robins Egg Blue"--is a perfect match to Gooseberry. Abby Latimer quilted this one with a Bread Basket pattern and it is just beautiful. (It's not the first time I have had Abby do this pattern. It's one of my favorites.)  Thanks, Abby!

  

The white (fat quarter) version shows off a more boyish side of Gooseberry.The wavy quilting sure makes me dream about a day at the beach and was quilted by Kaitlyn at Quilted Works. 

Next, come spend the afternoon on the Tea Party quilt. Make it scrappy with a layer cake, or make the two-tone pink version--both are real sweet.

     

Because the design is simple (and square), I really wanted the quilting to be a little more ornate and feminine. Abby Latimer quilted this one and came up with the perfect meandering flower pattern. You may notice I have used Abby's services a LOT and that's because she is amazing! She specializes in edge-to-edge designs and has a really quick turnaround. I sure do love the special touch she brings to my quilts.

 

Tea Party is quite a large quilt--a very generous twin-size. But can we talk about the two-tone pink version for a second? It never ceases to amaze me how playing with color makes things look so different. I could totally see this one living on a bed with lots of colorful pillows. (My mom disagrees and has claimed it for her living room.) I quilted this one with lots of freemotion swirls.

Are you ready to be mesmerized by the Kaleidoscope quilt? Make the scrappy version with a jelly roll--or make a solid version with your favorite Gooseberry print. Believe it or not, this one was the quickest for me to piece this time around.

   

This one really brightens up my day with its cheerful mix of colors. Jenn Thurston quilted it with a simple loop pattern and I love the how whimsical and sweet all the elements look together. Oh and Jenn also bound this quilt for me and I cannot begin to tell you how that literally saved me in these last couple days of madness before market!

The solid version is in the works and will hopefully be ready in time for market. Wish me luck on that one.

Now for one of my favorite quilts ever--Social Butterfly. It is made with 18 fat quarters and makes a really great block of the month or class project. One of the things I love most about Social Butterfly is that it's not actually a difficult pattern. The trick with this pattern is just keeping things organized. (I highly recommend using Fat Quarter Shop's Alphabitties labels.)

This one is so much fun to make. My favorite part is choosing which prints to use for each butterfly.

And I'm kind of obsessed with the custom quilting! I have never had anything custom-quilted but had it in my mind that Social Butterfly NEEDED custom quilting. Around the same time, I discovered that the Natalia Bonner lives up the street from me. Kismet, people. Kismet. I'm so glad she added her magic on this one. (Duh.) I'm dying over the antennae made out of feathers. 

The back itself is a masterpiece. If you are at quilt market, come on over to my booth and drool over Natalia's handiwork with me.

Finally, I made my very first mini pattern and isn't she cute?! (I now understand why everyone is so addicted to the minis.) Welcome, Social Butterfly Mini.

Now I'm really thinking crazy thoughts like making a million of these into a lap quilt. 

Well I wish I could say I'm all ready for quilt market and that I'm just going to relax for the next couple of days... Not likely! I've got a few more things to wrap up--so back to the lair it is for me. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on all the new patterns. Favorites?

Gooseberry Goes to Market

June 1, 2015, 4:51 pm

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≪ Previous: Made with Love {and Gooseberry}

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A couple weeks ago, I packed up all my Gooseberry quilts and flew to Minneapolis for Spring Quilt Market to show my new Moda group, Gooseberry. This group can be ordered by shops for the next few weeks with an October ship date.

{I had way too much fun!} 

 

I had a booth in the Moda designer section and here's how it turned out:

So now that the craziness of market is over, I wanted to give a few more details about Gooseberry.

 

As usual, I have been using tons of Aurifil thread for all of my Gooseberry sewing projects. Here is the list of Aurifil threads to match Gooseberry fabric (all 50 wt.): White 2024 (I use A TON of this for piecing), Pink 2435, Green 2888, Robin's Egg 5006, and Navy 2775. 

You also might be wondering about coordinating Moda Bella Solids? I've got those for you as well, my friends. The list includes Bleached White 9900 97, Tea Rose 9900 89, Strawberry 9900 210, Fresh Grass 9900 228, Robin's Egg 9900 85, and Admiral Blue 9900 48.

Also, I have had a lot of people ask about the cute bags that were in my booth. I was lucky enough to have my friend Kaitlyn Pallas make this beautiful "Carry On" bag for my booth. It is a fantastic pattern from ByAnnie.com and uses ByAnnie's Soft and Stable (the best stabilizer on the PLANET for making bags). Kaitlyn is the QUEEN of making lovely bags. (Thanks so much for all your help, Kaitlyn.)

But that wasn't the end to Kaitlyn's generosity. She also made me this adorable little zip pouch using the "Ditty" bag pattern (also ByAnnie.com) to match. 

To check out all the other market fabric lines, check out the entire Moda Piece Issue no. 13:

Baby Shuffle

June 8, 2015, 5:00 am

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Six months ago, you would have found me sketching, calculating, and testing pattern blocks for my newly released Gooseberry patterns. I typically make a couple tester blocks for each pattern--mainly to verify my math is correct. Rarely do I have enough time to test a full quilt since--well, there just aren't enough hours in the day. But today, you get to meet a cute little exception to that rule.

This sweet pint-sized version of my Shuffle quilt pattern was made with Mixologie fabric by Studio M for Moda. I quilted it with a whole bunch of crazy, free-motion loops.

Because I made it for a baby gift, I made a few changes that I wanted to share with you in case you'd like to make your own baby Shuffle. For this Mixologie version, I made 20 blocks (instead of 42) and arranged them into 5 rows of 4. It finished at 44 x 55". I only needed 3 yards of back fabric and 6 strips 2-1/2" x WOF for the binding.

Of course, if you want to make one a little bigger, you can make 30 blocks and arrange them into 6 rows of 5. It should finish at 55 x 66" and you will need 3-3/4 yards of back fabric and 7 strips 2-1/2" x WOF for the binding.

Now if you could just see how absolutely adorable the new owner of the quilt is. ;)

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Goody Goody Binding Kit

July 6, 2015, 4:00 am

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≪ Previous: Baby Shuffle

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It is common knowledge that a quilter is in need a lovely binding kit.

I bind more than a few quilts every year, so a portable binding kit is essential for me. Whether I'm out on the road or at home, no matter the size of the quilt, I use my binding kit for every single project.

I recently made this one using my new Gooseberry fabric and have gotten a lot of compliments and requests to share some of the construction details so I'm posting the tutorial here today.

I can't claim credit for this idea--I took elements of other sewing kits I loved and made my own version. (A lot of the assembly ideas came from Amy's fabulous sewing kit tutorial found here.)  One major feature I wanted in my binding kit was a zipper compartment to store binding clips. I am not a fan of sewing with zippers but this was EASY. If you've never sewn with a zipper, this is a great project for you.

Before we get started, let's take a look at some of the other features of this binding kit. 

In the center section of the kit, there is a thread holder for your favorite Aurifil thread spools, a wool felt rectangle for needles, and a sweet strawberry pocket for a small pair of scissors.

You'll also find a nice spacious pocket for anything else you might want to tuck in there for binding time. Here are a couple of my "essentials" (and the reason I call it my Goody Goody binding kit):

Let's get started. 

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Goody Goody {the Sew-Along}

July 21, 2015, 9:11 am

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Today is an exciting day because it's the official kickoff of the Goody Goody Sew-Along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop. Here's how to participate:

1- Check out the Goody Goody binding tutorial found on my blog here. I didn't invent the idea but was inspired by my friend Amy and her amazing Travel Sewing Kit. I've included additions like the fun zipper compartment (see above) to store binding clips.

As a fun bonus, here is a little video I filmed with Fat Quarter Shop in June! It talks a little about the Goody Goody binding kit assembly, but mainly shows just how easy it is to make the zipper compartment! If you've never sewn with a zipper, this is a great beginner project for you.

2- A bunch of my friends are sewing along too! It's so fun to see all the different fabric choices and customization going on--be sure to check them out on their blogs and instagram to get more ideas:

Kimberly of Fat Quarter Shop / IG @fatquartershop

Lori of Bee in My Bonnet / IG @beelori

April of Prairie Grass Patterns / IG @amrosenthal

Amy of Amy's Creative Side / IG @amyscreativeside 

Sherri of A Quilting Life / IG @aquiltinglife

Natalia of Piece N Quilt / IG @nataliabonner

Kailtin of Knot and Thread / IG @knotandthread

Jenn of Quilted Thimble / IG @jennthurston

Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane / IG @downgrapevinelane

Sherri of This & That Patterns / IG @sherfalls

Heather & Megan of Quilt Story / IG @quiltstory and @quiltstorymeg 

3- We want to see what you will make! Share your version on Instagram and check out what everyone else is making under the hashtags #goodygoodysewalong and #goodygoodybindingkit 

 

Freemotion Quilting

August 6, 2015, 10:47 am

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Hello friends! Today I'm sharing a couple more videos with you courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop. This first is all about quilting at home. I briefly cover how to use a walking foot for straight line quilting, but the focus is on freemotion quilting. Check it out here:

The other video is all about my favorite notions. Check it out here:

Make sure to subscribe to Fat Quarter Shop's YouTube channel for some of my other upcoming videos.

Vintage Picnic

August 17, 2015, 10:04 am

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Last month, I took a little trip to my Grandma's house up in the Colorado mountains. (As you may recall, it was my grandmother's beautiful flower garden and stories of gooseberries that inspired my newest fabric line with Moda Fabrics, Gooseberry.) I brought along my "Vintage Picnic" quilt--barely quilted the night before--and hand-stitched the binding on in the car. Once we arrived at Grandma's, I posed it in the midst of the hollyhocks so that the quilt could be at home with its source of inspiration.

The pattern was designed exclusively for Fat Quarter Shop which means you can only get it on their website. Purchase by clicking here for PDF and here for paper.

I have such romantic ideas about picnics and so it had been on my mind for some time to design a quilt inspired by picnics. As I thought about my favorite elements of picnics, a couple of important images came to my mind: 1) fresh flowers, and 2) gingham.

As you can see, the block incorporates both of those elements--a flower sort of frame with a gingham/checkered sort of design within. The checkered design is incorporated into the border as well! It takes 9 fat quarters from my Gooseberry group (ships to stores in October) and comes together quickly, thanks to strip-piecing and easy connector corners. Fat Quarter Shop is already offering kits for this quilt for pre-order here.

I hope you enjoy making this one as much as I did. (I liked it so much I made another one for my daughter in Basic Grey's Fresh Cut line. More on that later.) 

Vintage Picnic {Fresh Cut Version}

September 2, 2015, 9:13 pm

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In my last post, I introduced my new Vintage Picnic quilt pattern in Gooseberry fabric. (It's an exclusive for Fat Quarter Shop and can be purchased here.) Well guess what?! I made another one. (Yes, I really did love making it that much.) This time around, however, I used Basic Grey's Fresh Cut fabric from Moda Fabrics. Early this year I found myself buying TONS of it, and decided "it made sense" to redo my daughter's room with it. So logical--any bets as to when I'll get an itch to redecorate again?

I made some nice big pillows to match and found the rest of her sheets/bedding from Target. It's a good thing most of it is pretty neutral--it will make it that much easier when I feel the urge to do some redecorating. Here is a digital image of the fabrics plugged in:

(I particularly adore the texture added by using the raindrop print for the sashing and border. It was a little extra work because of the unidirectional pattern but SO worth it.)

Of course, it was only fitting to get a picture of my girl with her quilt.

I think she likes it.