Favorites

Friday, May 30, 2014

Favorites
1. Malka WIP, 2. Compass star opgivewarmth, 3. DSC09389, 4. Spiraled Jungle, 5. What better way to show off your fabric collection than with a charm quilt?, 6. Backyard Garden | Spaced Out Quilt, 7. Leaves, 8. Tutorial: Falling Maple, 9. Blake's quilt top

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

Tidbits

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Binding
Happy Thursday! I was planning to share some Quilt Market photos today, but I am unprepared, so they will have to wait until next week! Instead, I thought I'd share a few photos that otherwise probably wouldn't have made it to the blog.  Just some tidbits if you will!

I got a quilt bound this week! Hoping to tackle a few more in the next couple days so I can share them! I still bind everything by machine, using this method.

Quilting
I've been continuing to practice my free-motion swirl quilting. It does seem to be improving! It still takes me forever, but I'm happy with how far it's come. Angela's book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters was a big help in tackling those swirls!

Miss Babs - Deep Sea Jellyfish
My "I survived Quilt Market" treat was a giant (and I mean giant!) skein of Miss Babs yarn! I went with Yowza Whatta Skein in Deep Sea Jellyfish! It's delicious. I haven't been knitting much, mostly because I was sewing so much for Market.  I also had to tear out my last two projects because of careless mistakes. Oh well! Thankfully yarn is more salvageable than fabric!

Target Flowers
I just realized these roses perfectly coordinate with that yarn! I couldn't believe it when I found these at a Super Target for $10! Who could resist?

Pancake House
Lei and I throughly enjoy frequenting the Original Pancake House here in Madison. I can't wait to go back this weekend, their Dutch Delight is ridiculously good!

Friendship Pyrex Bowl Set
After years of hunting, I finally snatched up the elusive Orange 404 bowl for my Friendship Pyrex Bowl set! I am so happy that it is finally complete, I really love this set.

Camouflage
Can you spot George bunny? :)

Have a great day!

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Happy Wednesday! Not a completely Wordless Wednesday, but just about! Wanted to pop in and share a few photos from out Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party at The Sewcial Lounge earlier this month!

We got lucky and ended up with the Golden Afternoon sample that the Art Gallery Fabrics team stitched up! You can find the free quilt pattern here.

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
We had lots of samples on hand to inspire projects and ideas!

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
I brought some black and white versions of the prints, I think it's fun to see what they look like without color!

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
There is a beautiful display with the collection in the front of the store! I love the bundles on the cupcake stand, they look like pretty fabric treats!

Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party
Always lots of work, but at the end of the day we have a good time! Thank you to Sara (and Erin!) for everything! :)

You can find the entire Dreamin' Vintage collection in store or in The Sewcial Lounge's online shop!

Catching Up

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It's actually Spring in Maryland!
Happy Tuesday! Long time no see! We have so much to catch up on, I've had a hard time deciding where to started.  So, today I thought I'd give a quick run-down of the past month, and then this week and next I'll do full posts on some of these things! I've also been for-fun sewing, wooo! I gave myself last week and this past weekend off to recover and relax. It's a good sign that I wanted to be back at the machine right away. I think I managed to do Market without burning myself out! Yippee!

It's SPRING! And I'm very happy about it!

Happy mail! Quilts back from their quilting treatment by @sewshabbyquilting! The stars are killing me! #colormeretro #artgalleryfabrics
Last month I shipped off some quilt tops to Melissa to be long arm quilted.  They had just been lying around, and I felt like I'd honestly never get to them myself. Two were from early 2013 and the third I just finished.  It was a great relief to check those off my list, and the quilting is beautiful! Looking forward to finishing them up!

Thank you to everyone who came out to The Sewcial Lounge tonight  for our launch party! It was a great time, and we appreciate your support! @sewciallounge  #dreaminvintage #artgalleryfabrics
Our Dreamin' Vintage Launch Party at The Sewcial Lounge was a great success, thank you to everyone who came out! We had a wonderful time, and it was great seeing familiar faces from class and meeting new people too! I'll post more photos soon!

On the road again. #quiltmarket #nordika
Lucky me, my parents live between Madison, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, so I was able to go out early, and visit with them before going to rest of the way to Quilt Market.  It was great, and my Mom helped me sew so much.  There is no way I could have finished everything by myself!

Ready to go! #quiltmarket #geometricbliss #artgalleryfabrics #aurifil
A little peek at my Geometric Bliss wall! I'll have lots of photos to share later this week too! I am really pleased with how it came together in the end!

Ready to stitch first post-quilt market project with the new girl! #dreaminvintage #artgalleryfabrics
Basically immediately after I got home, I made the drive up to Ardyth's Sew-N-Vac in Baraboo, WI and bought a new sewing machine.  I had been fighting with my Horizon 7700 for a long time and was ready for something different.  I went with the Janome 1600P, because it is a straight stitch only machine.   I've been sewing pretty exclusively on my Singer Featherweight, so I thought this would be a good match for me! We're still getting used to each other, but so far it's exactly what I wanted!

Rhubarb, sunflowers, strawberries, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, basil and flowers. It's going to be a good summer. #growandsew
I have a plot in the community gardens again this year! I've been itching to get started and with lots of Michael's help last week, we were able to weed, break up the dirt, put up a fence, and get things planted. I'm excited to watch it grow!

Happy rabbit! #georgebunny #bunstagram
My George bunny was so happy when I got back from my long trip.  I gave him lots of pets and hugs and he has officially forgiven me! :)

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

Friday, May 23, 2014

Favorites
1. "Blowin' In the Wind", 2. Mellow Yellow, 3. Cheerio Mini, 4. Broken Umbrella, 5. starry skies texture quilting, 6. fabricsandflowers.blogspot.com, 7. verdant finished quilt, 8. Posey Patch Quilt, 9. Polka Dot Fox Quilt

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

Favorites

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Favorites
1. Another one finished. Lying in bed for three days gives you lots of time to finish bindings. #beeautifulbee #denyseschmidt #heatherross, 2. Amsterdam Quilt, 3. Do Good Stitches: Watercolor Quilt Top, 4. Jack's Chain Pillow, 5. One third street neighborhood, 6. May 2014, 7. Geese Quilt, 8. Block Flower Quilt, 9. #xandplusquilt #artgalleryfabrics

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

To Market, to Market!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Quilt Market
Happy Tuesday! Putting the final stitches on a few projects before making my way to International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh tomorrow! I'll be showing my new collection with Art Gallery Fabrics, Geometric Bliss, as well as my Favorite Things thread collection with Aurifil Threads! If you're attending the show, I hope to you'll stop by!

Geometric Bliss
Follow along on Instagram (@jenib320), Twitter, and Facebook! I'll be posting throughout the week!

Have an awesome week!

Favorites

Friday, May 9, 2014

Favorites
1. The Babar Triangle, 2. Mendocino Economy Block Quilt, 3. Buttercup., 4. Nouvelle Tulips, 5. Oakshott Colourshott Diamond Runner, 6. zakka flower quilt top, 7. winding ways quilttop finished, 8. Completed Acacia Drunkards Path Quilt, 9. Grace. Asterisk Flying Geese Quilt Top {60" X 74"}

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Friday!

Aurifil Threads Collection

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection
Happy Wednesday! Things have been a little quiet over here as I continue to make preparations for International Quilt Market! Since Ohio is on the way to Pittsburgh, I'm leaving early to spend a few days with my family.  So I am trying to get as much done before I leave as possible!

I had to pop into today and share a very exciting project with you! I am happy to announce that I have a thread collection with Aurifil Thread coming out soon! I love using Aurifil in my projects, so this was a dream collaboration!

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection
Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection
The collection is called Favorite Things, and it features some of my favorite colors from all of my fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics! I wanted it to be really versatile, and able to stand on it's own beyond my fabrics.  Also, I love rainbows!

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection
Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection
The threads are 50wt cotton, which is my favorite for piecing and quilting.  You'll find twelve 1422yd spools in the large box, and ten 220yd spools in the small box.

I had lots of fun taking photos of the threads with my collections and some of my favorite notions! Zippers are all from Zipit, and pom-pom trims are all from Jaceycraft!

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection - Color Me Retro
Aurifil Threads with Color Me Retro.

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection - Nordika
Aurifil Threads with Nordika.

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection - Dreamin' Vintage
Aurifil Threads with Dreamin' Vintage.

Favorite Things Aurifil Thread Collection - Geometric Bliss
Aurifil Threads with Geometric Bliss.

As you can see, the threads really do match all my collections! The two grays are my very favorite gray threads, and while they match Nordika perfectly, they really blend well with everything!

Favorite Things will debut at Quilt Market next week! I will let you know when it will be available to buy.

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

Friday, May 2, 2014

Favorites
1. Melon Ice, 2. hb05, 3. Triangle Quilt Along Quilt Top, 4. starry skies by prettybobbins, 5. Curvaceous Block, 6. Birds in the Air Quilt, 7. My completed Boys Nonsense quilt top!, 8. Mulholland Drive by Sassafras Lane Designs, 9. Boxed Radiance

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Friday!

Chain Piecing Tutorial

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Hands down, my favorite quick quilting technique is chain piecing.  Chain piecing not only saves time, but it saves thread! It's a win-win!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
So, what is chain piecing?  Let's talk about it through photos! I need to piece a patchwork panel made up of six rows of seven squares each.  It would take me a long time to piece this if I was piecing square by square.  With chain piecing, it's much easier.  The only downside of chain piecing is it can sometimes be difficult to keep things organized and in order.  I spent too much time laying this patchwork out, I want it to be in this particular order! So, I'm going to show you how I would piece this with the help of chain piecing!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
1. Lay out the piece you'd like to chain piece.  I recommend snapping a quick photo for future reference!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
2. Label your rows.  For large quilts, I use plastic row markers, but for something  this small I use a small piece of masking tape (a great tip I picked up from Rossie at Camp Stitchalot!) Place each marker on the first block in each row.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
3. Stack up the pieces in each row, with the marked piece always on top.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
4. Stack up all the rows into one pile, with row one on top.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Now it's time to start piecing! This is where you really need to pay attention to what you're doing to make sure things stay in the right order.

5. Pull the top square straight down in front of the pile. Place the next square to the right side of the first square.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
6. Flip the right square onto the first square, right sides together.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
7. Stitch along the right-hand side of the squares. When you reach the end, do not pull out of the machine.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
8. Pull together another set of squares, the same way as the first set.  Place squares under the presser foot, with a small gap between the first set.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
9. Stitch along the second set of squares.  Continue in this way for the third set. My rows have an odd number of squares, so there is a leftover square.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
10. Pull the chain out of the machine and lay out with the first pair at the top. Trim thread in between pairs.

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
11.  Open pairs and stack on top of each other, with the first set on top. Now start the process over again!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
Continue in this manner until the entire row is pieced!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
I pieced the rest of the panel by chain piecing all the rows.  I pieced everything into pairs, making a stack of the single squares, then made my stack again.  Coming up with a system for moving the pieces, cutting apart, and stacking, it isn't too hard to keep everything in order!

Fabulously Fast Quilts - In Color Order
I'm happy to be a part of a fun blog tour! We're celebrating the release of Amy Smart's new book, Fabulously Fast Quilts, by sharing our favorite quick quilting tips!

Fabulously Fast Quilts - In Color Order
First of all, Amy is one of my favorite people I've met through quilting in the online community.  She is kind, thoughtful and crazy talented.  I'm so excited that she's written this beautiful book! I am a big fan of quick quilts, so this book is right up my alley! The way these quilts are put together are really clever, I'm excited to stitch one up myself.

Fabulously Fast Quilts - In Color Order
The question is, which one to choose first? I think my favorite quilt in the book is Roundabout! It looks so fancy, but it is a super straightforward construction. I love that!

Chain Piecing Tutorial - In Color Order
You can find the book for sale in Amy's shop (signed by Amy), the Martingale website (includes a copy of the e-book too), and on Amazon

(Cover by Martingale. Last three photos by Amy Smart.)

Happy Quilting!