Juicy Bits

238: a booth for Cascade

I did it!  I sucessfully designed and constructed a gorgeous booth for Quilt Market.  And what do I have to say about that?  Phew!

I knew if I was going to do a booth, I was going to do it "right".  So hard walls were a given.  Figuring out how to make them = not so easy.

In the end they are hinged 4'x4' panels of thin hardboard with a frame of 1"x2"s on the back.  They were then bolted together on site.  If I had it to do again I would probably use actual 1/4" plywood because the hardboard really isn't meant to be finished and it chipped a lot.  And I'd probably use 2"x3"s for the frame. 

But they arrived in tact, so there really are miracles.

The centerpiece of my booth was the waterfall.  Yes I built it.  It had just the right simple, modern, calm feel to draw people in to the booth and to show off the quilts.  Honestly I knew from the start of designing the collection that it would be called Cascade and that if I had a booth it would have a working waterfall of some kind.

The ladder of quilts was screwed to the walls and I can't really see it standing like that at home, but it has definitely made me determined to built a few quilt ladders so I can get some of mine out storage and on display.

I'm so pleased with the overall look of the booth.  In fact, I kinda want to set it up in a corner of my house so I can step into it whenever I want.

  

I can't thank all the people that helped me make samples enough.  It was just bursting with creative goodness.  And I had such a blast being booth neighbors with Heather and her Succulents line.

 

Since I was mostly standing in my booth, I didn't really see much of market this time.  So sadly, I can give you much of a report, but I can tell you that good times were had.  :) 

Now that some time has passed and I've recovered, maybe I'll even be able to do a halloween post before Xmas gets here...

JT

236: introducing Cascade!

Hey there!  Guess what?  I can finally reveal my latest fabric collection for Windham Fabrics, Cascade.

I'm so excited about how this line came out.  I've already been sewing with it and had lots of awesome sewists making projects and I'm thrilled with the results.  You can check out the projects in the Look Book and I'll be sharing more with you in the next week.

Cascade is inspired by the many colors and forms of water all around us.  It’s a graphic snapshot of just a few of things that water does.  It drips down a window pane or cascades down a waterfall.  It glistens as morning dew or floats flowers and leaves on it’s surface.  It splashes in a puddle or bubbles into the air.  I was influenced by Art Nouveau style and saw patterns everywhere, from an elevator door, to the weave of a sweater.  

 

The Glacier color way uses icy blues and greys with just hint of pink to create calm, pretty mood.  

 

The Pond color way has the more earthy feel of all the many green, lush layers of that environment.  

 

 

After an invigorating hike, I love breathing in the pure, crisp energy in the air from the mist at the bottom of a cascade.  I hope this collection captures at least a little of that beauty and clarity.

 

 

This is all 23 designs, including the 4 coordinating solids:

 

The whole collection can also be seen on Windham's site.

 

Stay tuned for a the Blog Hop Tour coming this Monday.  Eight days of awesome projects, complete with fabric giveaways!  AND I have my own booth at Quilt Market this month.  It's been an insane process of building and designing and I can't wait to share it with you all. 

 

JT

231: poor planning, good results

Did you notice I skipped blog post # 231?  Unintentional.  I just forgot to post it sometime at the beginning of the year.  Whoops.  Well, here it is:

I made very few gifts for Christmas again this year.  Honestly, doing so has saved my sanity the last couple of years.  I love homemade stuff and the thought and care that goes into it, but I'm not enough of a planner to get things done early and by the time the holiday season rolls around, who has time to make masterpieces?  So, I've been making small and quick gifts, and just a few.

The main one I did this year is these cute little ipad stands.  These are just the two I made for my kids (yes, we got them mini ipads this year, don't judge).  I made 5 others including one for me. :) Really by sewing them all at once it didn't take much longer than making a couple.  

I started with this pattern that I saw on Pinterest.  Obviously.  What didn't I get from Pinterest lately? There's also this pattern which I referred to.

The major changes I made were I filled it entirely with rice and the lip on the bottom front is a casing with a piece of wooden dowel in it.

Because I used all rice they're very plump to say the least.  And not entirely triangular shaped (especially the tip which is empty so it doesn't always stand up). The reason I did this was the theory that if it was set on a surface not totally flat, it could conform to a curve.  Haven't tested that theory yet, but they are functioning quite well on our countertops.

So, you might be wondering how this project amounts to poor planning (if you ever read the title, that is).  It doesn't.  That project was beautiful.

But I also decided to make ipad mini cases for the kids.  Adorable right?

But you won't ever be seeing a tutorial for them here because they were kind of a pain in the butt to make.  That's because I designed them for their cuteness and functionality and neglected to think about all the aspects of construction.

Here's what I wanted:

-a somewhat fitted pouch case for traveling

-to fit over them when they have their permanent "case" on as seen above

-a hard outside so that if something pokes them in a bag, the screen is protected (this was really the key, because the case they have has no screen protection)

- a hole where the power plug goes so they can be charging in the case

-a pocket for storing power cords and headphones

Here's the problem I encountered when I started sewing my brilliant design: a hard case (pressed illustration board inserted between layers) doesn't bend.  Duh.  So when I went to sew the binding around the top I realized I couldn't get it under my machine.  I was able to do most of the long edges but then I had to very slowly sew around the corners by hand and since it doesn't bend that meant poking it in and pulling out the other side.  Ugh.  Not fun.

Then once I put the ipad in I realized that my fit was so nice that I could barely get the ipad out.  That was solved by adding the little strap.  It is a piece of ribbon that actually goes under the ipad and part way up the other side.  So when you tug on it, it pulls the ipad out part way.  And it doubles as a nice little handle, so I guess necessity is indeed the mother of invention again. :)

But despite the troubles, I love how they came out in all their Japanese cuteness.  And they function well, until we decide we need different permenent cases, then I'll need to make new ones to fit.

JT

233: progressive quilts

I'm back from Quilt Market in Pittsburgh.  I'll do a recap with a giveaway soon, but first I wanted to tell you about the progressive quilts we made at MidAtlantic MOD.

This was my idea because I’ve watched some cool traveling quilts and really liked the idea, but wanted to do it in a more compressed time frame.  Basically they’re similar to a traveling quilt or round robin, except that each was put together during the weekend.  Those that signed up had some fabric sent to them with the “theme” and then had to make a block, section, or several blocks at home.  Then at the retreat it was passed around and each participant worked on adding their block and possibly more for at least an hour.  At the end of the weekend one participant would win it at random.  I worked on all three.

The first theme was Low Volume/Little Bits.  Low volume fabrics were sent (provided by Pennington Quiltworks) and the instructions were to add little pops of color in any design desired.  It was interesting to see how it transformed throughout the weekend.  

I LOVED the end quilt.  My contributions were the words and the asterisk blocks and some layout of course.  

Next we had the theme of Triangles.  For this one a color scheme was provided.  The various off-white Kona Cotton shades were sent as well as rust orange, cerise, gray, and navy fabrics. 

This one didn’t get completed but it came a long way.  There were several points it looked a total mess.  But in the end it came out rather cool.

My main contribution was the wonky triangles in the top right, but I also did quite a bit of work on the layout including seam-ripping at the 3am to move things around.

Finally, we had a theme of Stripes.  All of the fabric was Modern Solids by Alissa Haight Carlson provided by In the Beginning Fabrics.  You were only allowed to use the fabric provided and could make anything you thought was stripes.

This was my original block:

And the final quilt is gorgeous.  And I won it!  Woo hoo! Hopefully I can get it completed in time to submit it in the group category of Quilt Con.

The whole process of making them was great fun.  Discussing and changing things.  We even ripped things apart or cut each other’s blocks.  They’re so unique and I know no one could have come up with them on their own.

Check out #progressivequilts on Instagram for more pictures.

We'll definitely do it again next year, so any ideas you have for themes would be appreciated. :)

JT

227: pixel pop in print

Although it's not late breaking news, I need to make a hoopla nonetheless. :)

My first quilt pattern is officially in print!

I've shown you Pixel Pop before, but now you can make one for yourself.  I've partnered with Shea at Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio to bring you this and 2 other patterns coming soon.  If you've never sewn an Empty Bobbin pattern before, you really must.  Shea is an amazingly detailed and organized designer and the design and printing is beautiful and a pleasure to sew from.

 

And just look at the other samples.  I'm really excited about how different the quilts can be.  

 And it comes with a pieced backing option:

 

If you'd like to pick up a copy, I know they're available online right now at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  If you're a shop and you want to carry it, check out the Empty Bobbin website.

If you make one, please send me a picture!

JT

P.S. I posted the giveway winner on the last post.

226: set the table giveaway

Ah, summer.  My favorite season.  And it's just slipping by again. I know many of your children are already back to school but mine still have a precious 2 weeks at home. I'm torn between cramming in as much fun as humanly possible and just chillin' and enjoying the leasure before the flurry of school activities starts back up.

Of course the busy season has meant I haven't been showing you what I'm up to.

In July the book, Set the Table was realeased by Martingale and those are 2 of my projects on the cover!  It's a great compliation of table runners by some amazing designers (Angela Walters, Heather Jones, Amy Ellis, Jennifer Dick, Thomas Knauer, Natalie Barnes, Audrie Bidwell, Jose Carrier, and Candi Weinrick).  The styles are so varied that ther is something for everyone.

The first one, Slices of Sunshine, is a cheery piece of summer to enjoy all year long.  Of course it could be done in any colors you'd like...

The second, Chain Links, is really long and skinny with a fun graphic look.  I like that it can hang over the ends of a table or buffet.

Let me say, if you're a quilt maker and you haven't made a table runner in a while, do it!  It so fun to sew something that small.  Even the quilting is a breeze.  And then you have something that can be displayed daily.  I'm thinking I need to make a whole collection to swap out on whim. :)

The book is available online and at your local quilt shops. If you sew one (or a dozen!) up, please share pics.

To celebrate the release, I'm giving away a copy for a lucky reader to enjoy.  Just leave a comment here and tell me what you love about summer.  I will leave the contest open until labor day - the end of summer. :(

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

JT 

**UPDATE: I drew a name and the lucky winner was DebbyJ!**

225: happy news

So, you know how I promised you I would be coming out with a few quilt patterns?  Well, they're still coming attractions, but I can now announce that I'm partnering with the amazing Shea Henderson of Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio to do so.

Shea is a good friend and she is pretty much great at everything that I'm not (organization, marketing etc.), so it's a perfect partnership.  And, well, our styles are so similar it's eerie.  

If you've never bought one before, her patterns are top quality - full color gorgeous instructions and fully tested.  You can check out her post here about me and the other licensed designers she's bringing in.  I'm in seriously good company. ;)

You can expect the patterns very soon...

JT 

222: Pixel Pop

Let's pretend that it hasn't been a month since QuiltCon, OK?

This quilt, called Pixel Pop, is the second quilt I had in the show.  It looks very random and it was put in the improv category, but in actuality, it was planned out.  Each rectangular block (yes, there are blocks but they may be hard to see) is unique.  

I made this pretty much in 1 week (which is super-fast for the easily distracted me).  It's a very fun way to highlight some of your favorite fabrics and uses up very little of them.

I quilted it with almost a simple straight line pattern, except I went around some random shapes about the size of the pops of color.  I felt it gives them a little bit of a falling into place feel.

The back is also pieced with some of the same fabrics in a minimaist asymmetrical design. 

And look even a a nice pieced label since it was going off to the show.

And you know what?  It didn't come back. I sold it! How fun. Though part of me wasn't expecting that so I didn't really say goodby to it.  No worries though, I have to make a very similar one because I will be doing a pattern for this also this spring. :)

I feel I should give a little low down on the QuiltCon experience.  How about just saying it was a blast all around?  I did enjoy the informative lectures and only took one 1/2 day class.  The show was inspiring to say the least.  The 80s party was epic.  Basically, if you can swing it and you're into modern quilting, go next time (2015) because it's so full of awesome people and fun energy.

JT

214: modern quilt composition

This month at the regular Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild meeting we discussed composition in modern quilts.  Specifically ways to use the improv blocks we made for our challenge last month.

I gave a little talk with some examples and touched on some of the major elements of composition.  It was by no means a comprehensive class, but rather meant to spark some ideas for the members on how to use their blocks and perhaps try something a little different than they're used to.  So for this month the challenge was to use the improv blocks in any modern composition.

I decided I wasn't ready to use my blocks because what I have in mind requires more blocks.  So I took a 3 of the blocks made for charity and used those to make a top to be donated.

I'm LOVING how it came out.  Some color decisions were based just on what I had available but it worked out perfectly with only a very small scrap of the background fabric left over.

I approached the design with the same planned improv method as I mentioned before - kinda like one giant block.  I didn't really measure anything but sketched a general idea and with some layout on the design wall, adapted it until I got what I wanted.  

As I mentioned I didn't make the 3 large blocks, but I made the mini blocks on the left to balance it out a bit.

I almost never repeat myself, but since I'm going to give this away, I may make another just like it for me.  It only took me 2 evenings to complete the top, so it's totally doable. :)

This week I'm off to Quilt Market!  Excited to get lots of inspiration and socialize with some really fun folks.  I will take pictures, but I promise no comprehensive blog coverage.

JT

211: stuff you don't see

I've been a bad blogger.  I'm not talking about the post-so-infrequently-that-all-my readers-have-probably-gotten-bored-and-abandoned-me kind (which, let's face it, is most likely the case).  I'm talking about the not-doing-a good-job-of-documenting-my-crafts/life kind.  And that's what's frustrating me right now.

Life has been so hectic lately (totally my own fault for doing too much and never catching up on the regular stuff) and I haven't shown you what I've been up to.  And that means I haven't been documenting it so I can look back on it.

So.... One of the events I haven't mentioned yet is that I did Denyse Schmidt's Improvisational Patchwork workshop.  The Philly Modern Quilt Guild and my guild, The Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild, brought her to the area for a lecture (which was awesome) and workshops.

 

It's was a such a fun day and so against my over-planning nature.  Just letting loose and sewing without planning.  I had hard time playing by the rules and using whatever fabric I pulled out of the bag.  Honestly, I don't know what, if anything, I will do with my blocks.  Here are some of them:

I'm not a hug fan of the randomness and wasn't crazy about using fabrics I don't like, but as a whole, they really do have a amazing quality that couldn't be created any other way.

Then, as a spin-off, the CJMQG did an improv challenge.  We swapped scraps (in part so there would be some overlap in our stashes) and each got a fat quarter of Kona Cotton in Sage.  The challenge was to make improv blocks of any kind using scraps and the Sage fabric.  We kept some, swapped some, and donated some to be made into charity quilts.

These were some of my blocks:

I also did one not so random with a method I call "planned improv".  Love it!

In general I think I like these more than the ones from the workshop, probably because I used a lot of my own fabrics and I wasn't afraid to break the rules and make some more design decisions. :)

These were most of the guild ones:

As for other goings ons...here's a gratuitous first-day-of-school shot for the grandparents and such:

Sad that summer is over...

JT 

206: cantilevers

I've got exciting news.  For the first time, I'm going to have a quilt in a show.  And it's a big one!  At Quilt Festival in Houston this fall, there will be an exhibit of The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase 2012 and one of my quilts was selected!

As you can imagine, I'm pretty psyched about this.  Only 33 quilts were selected.

I made this quilt, titled Cantilevers, specifically to enter in the show.  I think it's only quilt I've sewn that's entirely solids (well, there's a little bit of print on the back...shhhh... I didn't take any pictures of that yet).  It was inspired by a building I saw driving home from a Philly MQG meeting.  The building itself didn't have cantilevers but it had three offset windows that just got my mind rolling.

I think I'm most proud of the quilting.  I did it all myself on my regular home machine.  Thanx to Angela, I've really had the machine quilting bug lately.  I'd love to buy a longarm, but I'm restraining myself for now.  I practiced with a lot of doodling before starting on the actual quilt.

Anyway, there has been plenty of discussion online about what exactly is "modern quilting".  I don't feel much need to add to it except to say that I definitely consider myself a modern quilter.  I'll direct you to the Modern Quilt Guild's site to see what they have to say about the matter.  But, no one gets to define you, so if you are or you want to be a modern quilter, then you are.

I've founded a local branch of the guild this year, the Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild.  If you're local, we want you to join us!  We've been having a ton of fun so far...

So far, 2012 has allowed for more quilting for me than last year which is making me happy.  I began and completed my first quilt in the first week of January.  Hopefully I'll share that one soon.  I'm trying to decide if I want to write up a pattern for it.  And, since then, I've completed 2 others (including this one) and started 2 more.  Yay for quilting!

JT

204: puppy party part 1: the details

 

In my usual delayed fashion, I finally have the details of Theo's puppy party from last summer.  The theme selection was pretty easy as he is just crazy about puppies.

 

Let me answer your first question right away, no we did no surprise him with his very own puppy at the party.  Or any time after for that matter.  I was VERY tempted though.  All that focus of puppies had me looking in non-allergenic breeds and all that.  But, at least for now, a puppy just doesn't fit into our hectic lives.  Maybe when he's a bit older and can share some of the responsibilities.

Anyway, back to the party.  It was a great day.  The puppies themselves were the main activity.  I mean what more entertainment does a group of 4-year-olds need but a couple of cute doggies to play with.

 

If you're wondering where we got the puppies/dogs to come to the party, they were from an animal rescue organization.  They had brought some dogs into Theo's pre-school to share with the kids and I thought, why not see if they could bring them to a party?  Although they were quite generous and really just did it for the love of children and dogs, I did give a donation to the organization as well as asking the guests to bring food or toy donations.

And the black lab puppy even got adopted by one of the families at the party!

It was a day filled with playing with puppies, pretending they were puppies, and even adopting their own little stuffed puppies.

I'll be back soon with all the details of the events of the day, but here are some of the sources:

Photography: mostly me, but some by my dad

Invitations, adoption certificates and graphics: custom by me

Real puppies: Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue

Stuffed puppies: Aurora brand bought from Stuffed Safari (great customer service!)

Dog bowls: Petsmart

Cake and cupcakes and dog bone pretzels: Deirdre Thauer

Pretzel recipe: King Arthur's Flour Baker's Companion cookbook (Yum!)

Cookies: me

Wooden doghouses: Birdhouses from Michaels with the openings cut larger

Cardboard doghouse: my dad and me

"Best in Show" ribbons: me

 

 

 

202: knock off

I kinda hate to post a negative post (this is my happy place), but I wanted to share and it's really not that bad.

I've been "knocked off".  In a way it is a bit flattering.  Really, my little owl is worth copying?

So, as many of you know I have this little free owl ornament pattern.  The key word there is free.  It's my gift to you.  But it is for personal use, not for people to profit from.  And in reality, anyone's who's asked me if they can use the pattern to sew them for charity or even personal profit, I've said yes to.  I'm fine with an independent crafter using it, but it was not intended for mass production.

Well, a reader sent me this picture:

She bought this cute guy in a store and it wasn't labeled except with "made in China".  Seriously?  China?  Clearly not hand sewn but some dedicated crafter.

Normally I wouldn't go right to "copy", because how many different ways are there to make a felt owl? And I know I've designed things on my own only to find that someone already beat me to it.  But you be the judge.  That's pretty darn identical to mine.  Right down to the decorative blanket stitching.  The only real difference is it's made by machine and glue.

Here's mine:

Since it's a free pattern I put out there I don't really see myself trying for any actual recourse. In this case it would be pretty futile. And I'm OK with that. (No, that's not permission for someone to copy this or any of my other designs.) But it does floor me that someone, somewhere decided to mass produce something of mine without permission.

Someone else was making them for sale on a website called fiverr and, worse, he/she was using my photo with not credit and representing it as their work.  Thankfully the site handled the matter.

Anyway, so that things don't stay negative on here for long, I promised to be back with another post very soon...

JT

200: holidays

Phew!  Nice little "blog breather" there.  Wish I had something more monumental to share on this, my 200th post, but alas, just a bit of catch-up.

In my usual delayed fashion I haven't really talked about the holidays.  Of course they were busy, busy, busy over here.  I made a bunch of gifts, but I'll have to share most of them at a later date.

But to start with, this is an awesome project I did for my sister.  She just moved into her very very own city apartment and of course I had to help with the decor.

This is a large canvas that I painted and then mod podged on some fabric.  The inspiration is actually from a bedding set, but it was totally different colors, in a different scale, and had no print fabric.  So it's not a copy at all.

But I did make it to coordinate with this bedding set I got her.  I'm not going to put a link because I'm sure by the time anyone cares, it will be long gone, but it was from Macy's.  

It was fun to do.  I normally sew stuff so painting was a departure.  Actually if I could have found a background fabric that coordinated well, I probably would have sew this too, and then stretched it on canvas, but time was limited.  Painting is always a bit more difficult than I think it will be, but I'm quite pleased with how it came out.

Our holidays were mostly spent at home.  I enjoyed my newly converted wood burning fireplace and spent lots of time just hanging out with the kids.  I've even completed an entire quilt since the new year! (More on that later).

Here are a few of the basic holiday holiday portraits.  Aurora chose her own dress this year which she was just dying for, so I went with it.

Hope you had great holidays and that your new year is shaping up to be a good one.

JT

193: design wall debacle

I suppose the design wall episode wasn't so much a debacle as pretty fruitless.

What I decided to do on my birthday was to make myself a design wall.  Truth be told, I've never really seen the need for them.  I've always just used my floor and it works fine.  But lately I had been envying some sewists with their works in progress sticking up there for a long time while they mull over the design.  Sounded like a cool idea.

So, following the directions here I set out to make a movable design wall.  I wanted it big, but to be 3 separate panels that would fit perfectly into the corner of my studio I had picked out for it.  So I bought the foam insulation but only had one choice of type at my local Home Depot.  It was pink but I didn't see the problem in that.

It was a problem.  I had to add an extra layer of white fabric underneath so the whole thing looked close to white.   Between that and cutting the panels down to size, it ended up taking more than my birthday to complete and wasn't particularly inexpensive.  

Then I brought them upstairs and realized I was totally kidding myself.  I was never going to put these away in their intended corner. Right now they're still set up in the hall area outside my studio and this is 3 months later.  They're not going anywhere...at least not very often.

They are pretty cool and the blocks I have on there now are from my first ever online Bee - The Busy Bees.  It's fun to play around with them and nice to really be able to step back.  But let's be honest, the same effect could have been achieved  by tacking a big piece of batting to the wall whenever I need it.  And it would have saved me a lot of headache.  Live and learn.

Two other notices:

The Modern Mix blog tour is still going strong.  See the list on the last post and don't miss your chance to win a copy and learn some funny stuff about me...

We're finally going to have a New Jersey chapter of The Modern Quilt Guild.  Hoo-ray!  See the fancy new button on my sidebar?? If you're in the area stop by our new blog and find out about how to join in the fun.

191: I will blog tonight

I've been telling myself that all day, and while it's technically now tomorrow, I'm on it.  Obviously.

A while back I promised to share the results of all serger-sewing-fun I had this summer.  These dresses are my favorite.

One is for Aurora and the other for her best friend who just happened to move half-way around the world this summer.

They are made from recycled t-shirts that I mostly got at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.  A few pieces are old dresses or t-shirts that Aurora used to own and probably had  stain or something on them.  One is even from old PJ pants of mine.

I knew I was going to do very piece-y stuff in bright colors and I found this etsy seller for inspiration.  The patterns are my own, and obviously that took the longest time.  The actual sewing of the dresses is quite quick.

 I got very addicted to shopping at the thrift store.  I went there at least 3 times and spent more than $30 on t-shirts, most of which only cost $.99 each.  You do the math.  I now have big bins of t-shirt scraps to work with.  Luckily I feel pretty certain I'll make more.  She loves the style and wearability of the dress.  I've also made her another and Theo a couple of pieced t-shirts.  I'll try to get pictures of those.  I love Theo's t-shirts because boys clothes often bore me.  And I might want to try some adult sizes, but it's harder to come by big enough pieces.

 

And now I frequent the thrift store on half-off day.  I just can't get over buying Gap jeans for the kids for $.99.  They both now have several pairs of jeans in too big sizes.  I have to scour the racks, but I always find some good stuff.  And I did get quite a few props for her Harry Potter party.  By the way, it's over (thank goodness) and it was a smashing success.  Whenever I have the photos edited, I promise to share.

JT

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

 

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.

180: forest chic treats and sweets

We decided to have another party this winter for no reason other than we really like to bake. The "we" I'm referring to is myself and my youngest sister Deirdre who is conveniently in town to help.  This time around, it wasn't a strictly cookies party like last year. We had cookies, and plenty of them, but also cupcakes, pretzels, brownies, etc.

The look I decided on was lush, forest floor, with a traditional, chic twist.  Does that make any sense? It did in my head anyway.  And I think that's how it came out.

It was very nice to be able to share the work of all the baking. My husband invited like a million people but since it was a holiday weekend, enough people were away and couldn't come that it wasn't too overwhelming.

It was a simple, casual, open-house-type party where you could drop by whenever.  Plenty of Aurora's friends came.  We had one little craft for them to do: decorating rocks with paint pens. So simple, but they loved it and it was appropriate for toddlers to teens.

As far as the decor goes, I designed and printed the labels myself.  The jars are lined with various green print fabrics stabilized with interfacing.  I glad to say I didn't have to buy a single piece of glassware.  The greenery is a combination of fresh and moss.  The invitations can from the $1 bin at Michaels, if you can believe it.  I paid more for postage. :)

JT 

 

164: race car birthday part 2: the day

So here are the events of the day in approximately chronological order.  

First, I'll say that we decided to have the party on weeknight for various reasons, and that was so cool.  Even though it meant providing a meal for the guests, it was great to be able to stay up uber-late and not have to wake early.

The craft project for while everyone was arriving was simply painting with matchbox cars.  I rolled the paint out in the tops of egg cartons.  The kids' smocks are adult t-shirts from the thrift store.  I love that I could color coordinate them with the decor.

 

Next up was matchbox derby.  I made and painted the plywood track.  They put the cars in the top and then we pulled up the starting gate so they all went at the same time.  

Of course, later it was more of a free for all, which was fun too.

Now it was time for rides in a "real" race car.  I can't tell you how much my inner (outer?) stylist wanted the car to be red.  But none to be found.  But it was a Porsche.  I mean, come on.  Oh, and I didn't mention that it rained that day, which was a bummer.  I really wanted most of the festivities to be outside.  But it stopped long enough for the top to be down.  We added the vinyl number and stripes to make it look authentic. 

A checkered flag finish line was a must.  Theo loved it.  Jon just took them one at a time for a spin down the drive and around the cul-de-sac.  It was really about crossing the line and everyone cheering.  While waiting for their turn, everyone had to stay in the tire circle in the driveway.

 

Afterwards it was time for dinner and cake and general playtime.  Food was baked ziti with caesar salad and chicken nuggets.  I did make the cake.  It was my nemesis.  I. Do. Not. Like. Fondant.  I had never tried it before and at 4 am, it sucks unless you know what you're doing.  But it came out pretty cute (And I photoshopped out some of the cracks).  

The drink station was fun.  There were three choices in water dispensers (I cut a hole in the back to put the drinks and ice in.).  They poured into funnels and then your cup at the bottom.  One bit of advice is if you're doing it indoors, put a tray underneath to catch the drips and spills.  I had originally thought to use small gas cans as pitchers, which would have been cute too.  But since he's a bit young I worried about them knowing the difference between those and actual gas cans which they should NOT drink out of.  :)

As far as planning, I stressed out and took on too much this time around (including work commitments) so I didn't feel in balance.  I asked a lot of my family and friends and while I'm not sure exactly what I would have done differently...it wasn't easy to pull off.  Tears were shed, but, all in all, it was a great day and Theo had an awesome time.

JT
 

All photos by Christianne Ebel