Juicy Bits

196: winner

It may have taken me a while to draw a name, but the winner of the Modern Mix Blog Tour giveaway is:

Carolyn who said "I love the camera case! That's the scale of project I can handle, LOL. But I love your fabric collection, and I'm thinking that I would use the prize to make some quilted holiday ornaments. That is the gift I'm giving out this holiday, and I've been using holiday prints. But the purples and blues of your fabrics would be really pretty as well."

She has already been notified via email.

Thanx to everyone who played along.  All winners were notified via email by the author of the blog on which they won.  If you didn't win, fear not!  Just put it on your Amazon wish list for the holiday season. :)

JT

 

194: last stop

If you read the crafty/sewing blogs and you hadn't heard of my book before, you probably have by now.  A wonderful group of bloggers have helped me host a blog tour for Modern Mix and it has been all over the web.  It's been a whole lot of fun.  There are plenty of thoughtful and amusing interview questions about me out there, so if you're interested, have a look at the schedule. (Also a few of the giveaways are still open so check it out...)

Today is the last stop and obviously it's here.  I won't toot my own horn, but let you go back and read all the reviews and interviews to learn more about the book.

But I do get to give away a final copy of the book and the winner at this stop will also receive a bundle of fat quarters from my latest collection of fabric called Kingdom. (Shown here in some shops...yay!)

To win all you have to do is leave a comment here and tell me either your favorite project in the book that you've seen so far, or the one you would make first.  (And really folks, I'm dying to see what you make so PLEASE share pictures when you do sew something...)  I will keep the contest open until Oct 26th.

JT

192: it starts tomorrow

The blog tour for Modern Mix starts tomorrow!  Hoo-ray!

Now, I know at this point you've probably been to a ton of blog tours, but I promise it will be fun.  You'll find out some interesting stuff about lil' ol' me and have 16 chances to win a copy of the book.  There will also be a free pattern from the book available and at the last stop I'll give some of my Kingdom fabric away. Plus if you don't already read all these blogs, you'll be in for a treat.

So here's the schedule:

10/6/11 - Sew Mama Sew

10/7/11 - Jaybird Quilts

10/8/11 - Blue Nickel Studios

10/9/11 - Handmade by Alissa

10/10/11- Stop Staring and... Start Sewing

10/11/11 - Quilting is My Therapy

10/12/11 - Stitch Magazine Blog

10/13/11 - Oh Fransson

10/14/11 - Gen Q Magazine

10/15/11 - Quilt Dad

10/16/11 - Confessions of a Craft Addict

10/17/11 - Amy's Creative Side

10/18/11 - Pink Chalk Studio

10/19/11 - Connecting Threads Blog

10/20/11 - Keepsake Quilting Blog

10/21/11 - Juicy Bits

And we're off....

JT

 

 

190: in my hot little hands

Yes, I've got my advance copy of my book.  It's super, fantastic, gorgeous, amazing, incredible, marvelous, brilliant, and just oh-so-pretty.  No, I'm not at all biased.

But really I'm mostly talking about the look and "feel" of it.  I know that the rush of happiness is largely because of the reality of holding a real, live book that I wrote myself.  But, I am feeling so thrilled with how stylish it came out.  It really fits my own aesthetic, right down the matte finish on the cover.

These pix are just a quick preview.  There's much more juicy-goodness inside...

It's available in September, so hurry to your local quilt shop to get a copy!

JT

P.S. See I'm an REAL author. :)

187: it *might* be OK to judge

You can go ahead and judge my book by it's cover, but maybe only if you like it, OK?  If not, keep in mind there are 16 different projects in it, so I'm sure there's something you'd love.  

 

Anyway, I'm swooning over how it came out.  Gorgeous, huh?  And it went to press last week. EX.CIT.ING.

So, before I know it I'll be holding a copy in my hand.  Yikes!

JT

 

185: spring 2011 quilt market recap part 3

OK so since I might be the very last person to finish posting about Quilt Market, I give you permission to skip ahead to the giveaway...

But if you're looking for more eye candy, enjoy!

Jillily Studio served actual cones of sorbet! How cute is that booth?

I couldn't get over this puppy embroidery by Penguin and Fish.

Tula Pink's new Prince Charming.

I'm loving Summersault by Erin McMorris...

Wrenly by Valorie Wells.

Michelle and Gina at Cloud 9.

Lots of Kokka fun.

Joel Dewberry chatting on the phone in his booth.  Heirloom and the new patterns by his wife might be my favorite things from market.

Moda land was like a country fair.

Sweetwater.

Fig Tree and Co.

I think this is my fav picture from market. This vignette is from the Basic Grey booth, so is the picture below.

Zen Chic had a very distinctive modern aesthetic and won a booth award.

I love this new dress pattern by Sew Serendipity.

Notice the bathrobe in the Indygo Junction booth is made in my Gingko fabric? Sweet!

Quilt Story.

Now for the giveaways:

 

1. A copy of the adorable Moda Bake Shop book, Fresh Fabric Treats, signed by several of the authors, a copy of Fabric Trends, and a mini tote from the Sweet Hot Yams party.

2. A Kona color card, signed copy of Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter, a 1001 peeps notebook and bookmark, and a pack of charm squares.

To enter simply leave a comment here by Tues June 14th. I can't think of anything to ask you except I'd love travel destination suggestions.  I've just been toying with where we might want to go in the next few years. I'm open to anywhere in the world, family vacation or just me and the hubby. I like to dream about these things for a long time in advance...

JT

181: big news

I must say, I kinda feel like this post should be titled "old news", but it is new to you.

So, here it is: I wrote a book!

Yes, past tense.  As in, I'm pretty much done.  I did the bulk of the work last spring/summer (hence, the "old news").  I do feel like I've been a bit of a tease about my news, and that might have been annoying. But, I'll admit it, I kinda liked being in that club where you have secret projects you can't talk about.  And, really, I wasn't allowed to say anything.  Because, if I was, you know I would have been blogging tons of complaints and moaning about how much work it was etc.

And, it was a TON of work.  But I think it's one of those things (like childbirth) where the memory of how hard it was fades and the excitement takes over.  And, I can hardly tell you how proud I am.  I dying to see it acutally done.

The title is:

Modern Mix

16 Sewing Projects that Combine Designer Prints & Solid Fabrics

7 Quilts + Pillows, Bags, & More

It will be published this fall by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing.  I'm so honored to be in the company of their other awesome authors. And, can I just tell you?  They are a dream to work with. Everyone is so professional and knowledgeable and just really helped me to make it the best I could.

So, yes, it is a project-based sewing book.  Each projects uses both some solid fabrics and some prints.  They're all modern and fun and there is something for every skill level.  My first love has always been quilting, so there are 7 quilts, but since I never can focus on just one thing, there are also bags, pillows, an apron, a tablecloth, and more.  I wish I could show you more than just these sneak peek photos, but for now they're all I've got.  I think the cover is almost final and I promise to show you as soon as I can.  

If you're interested, I'd be happy to share more about the process of writing a book and how this whole thing happened.  Soon... like after I get back from quilt market.

JT

 P.S. Holy cow! You can already pre-order it on amazon.  That's my name there, folks.  For real.

172: christmas cuties

Well, I had good intentions to get back onto the blogging bandwagon.  Then life happened. 

OK, maybe not life so much as my obsessive tendencies.  See, I started to crochet a bit over the holiday.  At first I was working on my blanket.  But that's going nowhere fast.  So I decided I need a more achievable goal.  And I started this amazing shrug from Rowan's Summer Crochet book.  My plan is to wear it when I go to Hawaii.  Once I started, I could not stop...

Until sickness hit.  Not that I ever really enjoy reading about people's illnesses, but Oy!  I've been totally out of commission for over a week now.  Bronchitis with a side of not being able to sleep at all.  So, an entire week of my life is gone with nothing to show for it but a very lived-in bed.  I'm going a little bonkers (little might be the understatement of the year).  And until the last day or so I wasn't even well enough to crochet or check my email for that matter.  It occurs to me that I'm making light of this, but for my future self's reference, it was really quite devastating. I was totally reliant on others and couldn't really even be a mom for the week.

So, here's hoping things turn around quickly.  I'm almost done with the shrug and I'll share pix soon.

But for now here are some shots of a few gifts I made for Xmas.  These darling mermaids are from the amazing Wee Wonderfuls book by Hillary Lang.  I wish I had more time to make gifts from it...

 

I embellished these kitchen towels and made a potholder for my sister.  The fabric is Veggie Patch by Blank Textiles.  The graphic look is right up my alley.

I also made an adorable checkers set for Theo, but I'm going to try to post a tutorial of it for you all.

And finally a little look at my own two cuties at Christmas.  We did a whole matching family thing this year with purple and grey as the colors.

JT 

170: Little Girls, Big Style blog tour

Hi all.

You're in for a real treat today.  I'm lucky enough to be able to giveaway a copy of Mary Abreu's new book, Little Girls, Big Style.  

 

So, if you haven't heard of it, the premise is this: it has 4 basic patterns (basic bodice, peasant top/dress, skirts, pants) that are all full size pull-outs and you can use them to make endless different designs for your little girl.

Now, while I've read the book (great detailed instructions), I don't actually have my own copy yet.  It's on order.  So I can't show you anything fabulous I've made from it yet.  But I'm sure I will.  For now you can feast your eyes on Mary's lovely photography.

Anyway, I asked Mary a few question that I thought might be of interest to like-minded folks like you.

I love that your book allows the sewist to be their own designer.  When you started sewing for your daughter, I assume you used commercial patterns.  How did you make the transition to developing your own patterns?  

I grew up sewing the same Big Three patterns I think most people use and never really knew there were any other options. When I returned to sewing a few years ago, some online friends who also sewed were incredibly supportive and generous with their advice. They introduced me to European patterns, the Sewing Mamas forum and helped get me on the path to developing my own patterns. Once I had those basic pieces to sew with, I sort of challenged myself to see how many ways I could alter those patterns and change them up, which was infinitely easier than drafting a completely new pattern and going through the process of testing it. The results are what you see in Little Girls, Big Style. And I’m still going back to those patterns and making new hacks!

The photography in the book is just beautiful.  Will you tell us bloggers what kind of camera/lens you use and any secrets you have?

My current camera is a Canon 30D and I go back and forth between using a Canon 50mm/1.4 and a Tamron 28-75mm/2.0 lens. I probably have the Tamron on my camera 90 percent of the time just because it’s so versatile and I get such great shots with it. My biggest secret? Copious amounts of begging and bribery. LOL! Honestly, I’m really fortunate to have some great photographer friends who’ve given me lots of constructive criticism through the years. I try to shoot with natural light whenever I can, keep my shoots short and fun, and use an assistant if at all possible so I can focus on the technical and composition aspects while someone else engages the model (a suggestion made to me by the awesome photographers at C&T) I’m really a hands-on learner, so just picking up my camera and practicing as often as I can really has helped me grow, too.

Finally, lots of crafters (especially bloggers) dream about writing their own book.  How did the whole process go for you?  How did you find a publisher?  Was it difficult to fit the work of writing a book into your life with several children?

As far as the process...it was long and sometimes discouraging. I’m not a “name.” I don’t have a fabric line or patterns, just a small blog, so it wasn’t like publishers were knocking down my door. I had the idea that would become Little Girls, Big Style about 2-1/2 years ago, ran it by a dear friend (Lisa Carroccio) to get her opinion, then started researching publishers and working on submitting my proposal. And was rejected. Twice. In hindsight, I can see that I wasn’t presenting to the right people but when you’re in the middle of it, it’s a little harder to separate that from being turned down. I tend to believe that things happen for a reason, though, and I’m so glad they did because Stash/C&T have been just amazing to work with and I’m so glad to be a part of their roster of authors! 
I’m incredibly fortunate that I come from a journalism background. I started out as a reporter at my hometown paper 20 years ago and working in a deadline-oriented environment really is sort of second nature for me, so the actual writing just...happens. It’s hard to explain. I once described myself as “a writer who sews;” I think that’s pretty apropos. Still, my first job is “mom” and I struggled to balance those obligations with my book deadlines. I was working on the first draft of the book with about two months of summer vacation left and three kids at home. I’d grab an hour here or there when I really would have loved dedicating a solid four hours to writing. My husband and older kids were just a huge help, pitching in with laundry and housework, and I really couldn’t have done it without them. Once school started, I was happy to have those daily three hours of preschool to use towards sewing and writing (or sometimes laundry)! 

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, just leave a comment here by Monday Dec 13 and I will pick a winner randomly that night.  Only one entry per person please!

If you want more chances to win, stop by the other sites on the blog tour.

12/6 Lisa http://thedomesticdiva.wordpress.com
12/7 Susan http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com
12/8 Jessica http://juicy-bits.typepad.com
12/9 Penny http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com
12/10 Daria http://boutiquecafe.com
12/11 Rashida http://iheartlinen.typepad.com
12/12 Kristin http://sewmamasew.com/blog2
12/13 Jona http://jonag.typepad.com
12/14 Kim http://trueup.net 
12/15 Bari http://barij.typepad.com

JT

 

 

169: the buzz and a bee

New plan.

Get motivated.

Now that one be-lazy-at-home-enjoying-family holiday is behind us, it's clear the next is rapidly approaching.  And there is A LOT to get done before then.  So my new plan is to stop wasting time and be uber-productive for the next few weeks.

We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  We sure did.  But, now my need to get back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon is almost imperative.  At least if I plan on wearing a bikini in Hawaii this winter...

So, as you may or may not know, my sewing roots are in quilting (I've got to do a blog post on that sometime) and I've finally joined a virtual quilting bee.  I know....took me long enough.

I decided I need a smaller scale project to do just for fun.  I love the idea of doing something that's not actual work.  

Do you know how these work?  Somewhere around 12 sewists sign up for a year long commitment.  Each month it's someone's turn and they send out the fabric of their choice along with some directions for the type of block they're looking for.  Each member sews at least one block and sends it back.  And once during the year it gets to be your turn.  Love it!  And most have groups on flickr for everyone to see.

I was lucky enough to get into a bee already running: Busy Bees.  I took someone's place that had to leave.  It's a bunch of talented ladies and I'm so glad to be a part of it.

So these are my first blocks.  She wanted hexes and sent some Dolce and solid strips.  They're made up patterns that I paper-pieced.  I had a a lot of fun.  

Now we take a break for december, but I'll be back in the new year with more to share.  I'm happy to be doing a bit more quilting, and it's fun to have a specific challenge to work towards. 

I could totally see doing more of these so if you're a memeber of a cool modern bee (like say {Bee} Imaginative...) that is open to new members, please let me know!

 And on a side note, I'll be hosting the blog tour of Little Girls, Big Style by my friend Mary Abreu on Dec. 8th.  It's an awesome book that anyone sewing for a little girl should have on their resource shelf.  So if you want the chance to win a copy, stop back in a few days.

JT

 

157: city quilts blog tour and giveaway

If you didn't notice, the last post was "coming soon" preview.  This is the real deal.

I promise I have some more personal posts coming up to show you what I've been doing this summer, but for now I want to talk about this book, City Quilts by Cherri House.

Truth be told, I rarely actually read quilt books.  They're usually just eye candy for me.  Most often inspiration, and occasionally a pattern I follow.  But I did read City Quilts cover-to-cover and I absolutely enjoyed it.  Cherri has some amazing discussion of color theory and even how she gathered the inspiration for the quilts themselves.

Anyway, you can read the book for yourself, but I was able to ask Cherri a few more questions to get to know her better:

First congratulations on a stunning book.  The quilts and inspirational photos are gorgeous. 

Thank you so much!

I love the use of all solids and I particularly enjoyed your discussions of color theory as it applies to quilts.  So my first question has to do with just that.  You talked about creating a glow within your quilts through value and contrast.  I love how many of your quilts have an unexpected spark of color.  My question is how do you get the balance right so that spark isn't out of place?

Good question, a little challenging to answer though.  Generally, in order to achieve a spark of color that is in balance with the rest of the composition; the colors have to relate to one another in some manner.  Either in the same color family, adjacent on the color wheel, opposites on the color wheel, something that will allow everyone to play together well, but still provide enough interest, and variance to not be flat, but also not overtake the whole piece.  It is a matter of fine tuning.  I have found that you can get away with a lot in terms of color, as long as you have a bridge from color to color. 

 

Next, how long do you typically work on a quilt?  Not when you have a book deadline, but just generally.  Not number of hours, per se, but how long you keep at a project and how much other stuff do you have going in the mean time.

So much depends on the quilt, the fabric, and my passion for a project.  Sometimes I will knock out a quilt in a few days, and others will take well over a year.  Not necessarily working on the quilt, but living with the fabric, before deciding it's fate.  Some fabrics I get, and I know exactly what the end result will be, and off I go without any hesitation.  Other times it is a matter of studying the fabric, and trying to find the perfect pattern, perfect solution, perfect everything.  My quilt queue is quite long though, there are always new projects vying for attention.

And finally, I'll go back to color and ask you a tough one: do you have a favorite color?  Why is it your favorite?

I'm asked this question all the time, and I'm always stumped for an answer. But I know now, I have the definitive answer.  Barbie pink from this 1971 Barbie.  I had this Barbie, and I loved it so much!  Whenever I see this color pink, it fills me with happiness!  This is breaking news, you know; never been revealed kind of stuff...for all those inquiring minds!

Don't forget to stop by the other blogs on the tour for more insight about the book and Cherri.  And for more chances to win.

July 12th - Cheryl Arkison http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/
July 13th - Amy Lobsiger http://mrsschmenkmanquilts.wordpress.com/
July 14th - Stefanie Roman http://littleladypatchwork.blogspot.com/
July 15th - Pat Sloan http://patsloan.typepad.com/
July 16th - Spool http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/
July 17th - Allie/Robert Kaufman http://www.swatchandstitch.com/
July 18th - John/Fat Quarterly http://blog.fatquarterly.com/
July 19th - Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/
July 20th - Sarah/Josh Sewer Sewist http://www.sewer-sewist.com/
July 21st - Julie / Jaybird http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/
July 22nd - Vickie Eapen http://www.spunsugarquilt.com/
July 23rd - Jessica Levitt http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/

July 24th - Kim Kight http://www.trueup.net/

The giveaway is for a copy of the book provided by C&T Publishing and also a fat quarter pack of Kona Solids provided by Robert Kauffman.

 

All you have to do is leave a comment here before Thurs July 29th and one of the prizes could be yours.  Maybe you can tell me a quilt or other project that you've used solids in?

JT

156: city quilts

Hi all.

If you've been reading for a while, you know that Juicy Bits is all about me.  I don't often showcase products or even other people's work and I don't have any advertising.  Mostly because there are tons of fantastic round-up-type blogs out there that do it much better than I can, and I just want to stick to my own little corner to the web.

BUT, if I get the chance to share something I love in a personal way AND I get to give you a giveaway, well, I'm in! 

So, I'm lucky enough to be participating in the blog tour for an awesome new book:

 
  
 City Quilts by Cherri House.

I've admired Cherry House Quilts for some time and though I've yet to meet Cherri in person...I know we'll get to it sometime soon.

The schedule for the blog tour is as follows:

July 12th - Cheryl Arkison http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/
July 13th - Amy Lobsiger http://mrsschmenkmanquilts.wordpress.com/
July 14th - Stefanie Roman http://littleladypatchwork.blogspot.com/
July 15th - Pat Sloan http://patsloan.typepad.com/
July 16th - Spool http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/
July 17th - Allie/Robert Kaufman http://www.swatchandstitch.com/
July 18th - John/Fat Quarterly http://blog.fatquarterly.com/
July 19th - Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/
July 20th - Sarah/Josh Sewer Sewist http://www.sewer-sewist.com/
July 21st - Julie / Jaybird http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/
July 22nd - Vickie Eapen http://www.spunsugarquilt.com/
July 23rd - Jessica Levitt http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/

July 24th - Kim Kight http://www.trueup.net/

And did I say giveaway?  I did indeed.

One lucky winner at each stop will get a copy of the book and one winner will get a FQ set of Kona Cottons.

So do stop by the blogs and learn more about Cherri and her beautiful book.

JT

147: peer pressure

That's what I'm chalking my new obsession up to.  My obsession with period dramas, that is.

My friend Melissa over at Yummy Goods recently saw the 2006 Masterpiece Theater version of Jane Eyre at the suggestion of a good friend of hers.  And now the love is spreading.

She's started a Bronte-along, and you can join in the fun.  You can watch the movie, read the book, channel your creative juices into a related project, and even move on to related movies/books.

Personally, I'm not doing anything more than indulging myself in watching some entertaining flicks.  I can't see making time to be creative about it, but really the thoughts of all those gorgeous costumes are creeping into my head...

Anyway, In last few days I've watched: Jane Eyre, North and South, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Wives and Daughters. 

Jane Eyre is by far the most swoon-worthy.  And if you want to be sucked in, I suggest you start there.  If your belly doesn't do little flip-flops at all the smouldery looks, well then I don't what to tell you...

I think I liked North and South next best, but I wish it was more of just a straight up love story.

Did you know you can watch most of these immediately on youtube?  The quality is crap, but the instant gratification is priceless.  But I will be buying a copy of that 2006 Jane Eyre for sure.

If you have a favorite period drama, do share.  I've heard Bright Star is really good and I may be trying that next.  Anyone see a Wuthering Heights they liked?  I read the book and didn't like it at all so I've stayed away from it thus far...

JT