I’m getting my girl time on Friday mornings in my studio, when five young ladies arrive to cut, stitch, and play their way to adorable, funky projects. Here Olivia and Abby show off their handbags made from a shower curtain, caribiners, and bungee cording. Who would have thought all those unlikely players could be so [...]
Posts under ‘Sewing Patterns’
Secrets of Accurate Half-Square Triangles
The Spring Tulips table runner uses a lot of half-square triangles (HSTs) in the pieced tulips blocks. In fact, every table runner I’ve designed so far uses them. For much of my early years as a quilter, cutting and piecing accurate HSTs was a mystery to me. I followed all of the instructions, tried the [...]
Kennesaw Mountain Table Runner
Creative Quilters, I’d like to introduce you to Kennesaw Mountain, the March pattern update to our year-long color-of-the-month series.
Inspired by the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War in 2011, this table runner gets its name from a battlefield near my home in north Georgia. The red-violet, mustard-yellow, and yellow-green reproduction fabrics [...]
Kits Are Here! Kits Are Here!
I’m thrilled to announce I’m offering kits to go along with each monthly table runner in the Color of the Month series. The Winter Bird and Love Apple kits are available in the online store, and they contain the same fabrics I used in my own quilt, with a few substitutions. No worries, though, as [...]
Pink: February’s Color-of-the-Month
In the month of hearts, roses, and valentines, pink is a natural for February. Being the only woman in my home, I enjoy touches of pink here and there, so I had a blast putting together this month’s show. Nine terrific designers and fabric companies offer their tips for using pink in a [...]
Love Apple Table Runner
Creative Quilters, I’d like you to meet Love Apple, the February update to my new Color-of-the-Month pattern series:
Love Apple Pattern Update: $5.95 (free to pattern subscribers – keep reading)
Learn by Doing
This month’s color lesson is all about value, and you’ll learn how to work within a single color palette and still get enough lights, [...]
All Dressed Up and a Transformation
I couldn’t wait to dress up Winter Bird on my table, with my Christmas china, candles, and flowers. My kids love having dinner by candlelight and think it’s quite a special occasion when I bring them out.
As I was arranging, adding, and editing the table setting, something started to happen. Can you begin to see [...]
White: January’s Color-of-the-Month
Welcome to a new feature in 2010 here at Quilts & Creativity: Color of the Month. The first Tuesday of each month, I’ll be featuring quilt and fabric designers and how they use the featured color in their palettes.
This month? White! Get tips and see quilts from your favorite designers for your own quilts.
5 Creative [...]
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
I’m humbled and thrilled at the response from quilters and reviewers to Color Mastery. I’m giving lectures and workshops, producing videos on color, and building relationships with quilters across the globe on my blog, email newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook.
I’m starting to work on my next book, talking to shop owners, industry experts, and fabric companies. [...]
A Real Book’s Lasting Value
I want my work to last. Longevity is one of the three main goals I have for my books. The other two? A post for another day.
I realized long ago that it took just as long to write a book that was trendy and out of print after two years as it did to write [...]
My Picks from Spring Quilt Market 2009
As I walked the aisles of Spring Quilt Market, I saw hundreds of quilts, but only a few really stood out as having an outstanding use of color. Here are two of my favorites:
This quilt is from Pamela Mostek’s Piccadilly fabric line, and it is stunning. My photography does not do it justice. The violets, [...]
Christmas Comes Early
It’s been a whirlwind of activity here at the Willow Ridge Press family studios. Thanksgiving was a gourmet feast, as my husband and I both love to cook. He made Emeril Lagasse’s turkey recipe from his new show Emeril Green, and I made the traditional cornbread dressing, made with whole grain cornbread.
Then it snowed on [...]
2008 Best Craft/Hobby Books
I adore books. Really. I would buy books before food and clothes, and when I go into a quilt shop I always look at what the new books are. So I was excited to see USABookNews.com’s picks for best Craft/Hobbies books. Take a peek and see how many quilting and sewing-related titles are here.
Looking for [...]
Miranda Day Bag: Pattern Review
I’ve been searching for the perfect handbag. One that’s large enough to hold my small sketchbook and colored pencil case, in addition to the normal planner, checkbook, keys, lipstick and other essentials organized girls carry. Either the handbags were too small or were cavernous dark holes that everything got lost in. Until [...]
Somebody Stop Me!
I’m surprised my sewing machine isn’t smoking I’ve been using it so much this December. When I need a break from quilting the UGA quilt, I’ve been making multitudes of these. They’re the QuiltSmart bags. No pattern needed, just use their interfacing and the pattern is printed right on it. On [...]
Pink Floral Apron
Voila! In no time, here’s my finished apron! I love the fabrics, and this Threads pattern is so easy to whip up. Living in a house with all men, it’s a treat to get to make something feminine once in a while. So I went with pink florals and polka-dots!
The bottom [...]
Apron Sneak Peek
I really did buy the Threads issue this summer with the apron pattern in it. I can’t find it for the life of me, even turning my studio upside down looking for it, so I’m going with Plan B. I’m making the classic apron that was in Threads 2005 issue and I’ve [...]
Annabelle Purse and Sew Mama! Sew! Bag Month
I’ve made many purse patterns and I’m usually disappointed in the results: the pattern looks great, but once I make it I find it’s not really as functional as a purse I could buy. No more.
Meet Annabelle. I spied her at the Quilt Beginnings shop in Columbus, OH, and I fell in [...]
Great Wallet Pattern for Boys
My guys are getting old enough to have their own wallets, what with chores, and allowances. But they didn’t need a bulky man’s wallet with too many compartments, and the ones sold for kids don’t last.
So again Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl to the rescue. I’ve made her Wonder Wallet pattern for myself, [...]
