Freshly Pieced

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 8: Deck of Cards

2016-07-04T06:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Week 8 of Summer Sampler 2016, and happy Independence Day to those of you in the U.S.! I'll be spending my day hosting our usual Fourth of July bash, but before I commence partying, let's check out this week's block!

This one comes to us from Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily's Quilts. As you can see, we're making a few half-square triangles this week. LOL. But don't worry, because Lynne has a quick and easy way to make super accurate half-square triangles—without trimming! We're using templates this week instead. It's all explained in this week's block instructions (and of course, the templates are there as well). This is one of my favorite ways of making HSTs, so I hope you all enjoy it as well.

And the resulting block is just gorgeous! I could see about a million uses and variations on a block like this. I can't wait to see what you all do with it, under the #summersampler2016 hashtag.

All together now—we're really getting there!

Want to join in the Summer Sampler 2016 quilt-along? You still can! Just click here to subscribe. New subscribers will receive immediate access to all the blocks that have already been released, so you'll be caught up in no time. (Or not. No pressure!)

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 7: Trail Crossing

2016-06-27T06:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to week 7 of Summer Sampler 2016! This week, it's my block we're making!

This is Trail Crossing—I think it makes great use of curved piecing for a nice, geometric design. And I love the fact that this block gives all of you who are using prints a good chance to show some of those prints off!

While the curved piecing in this block really isn't any more difficult than the first block we did with curves (Snow Cone), there is a lot of it this week. So settle in. LOL. Beyond the curved piecing though, this block is ridiculously simple, so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Just be sure to follow the seam-pressing directions for seams that nest neatly and line up more easily. Also, don't forget to square up each of the four quarter-blocks!

Want to make your own Trail Crossing block? It's never too late to join us! Click here to subscribe to Summer Sampler 2016. Those who subscribe now get immediate access to all 7 blocks that have already been released, and of course will be on the schedule for the rest of the blocks that are released going forward. For those who are already on board, so glad you're enjoying it - see you back here next week for Block 8!

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 6: Corner Canyon

2016-06-22T06:01:00.000-05:00

This week's Summer Sampler 2016 block: Corner Canyon by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter! This is such a lovely, fun block and easier than it looks!

My tip on this block: Be sure to square up the units as stated in the directions, because all of them finish a bit large. Squaring them up perfectly is easy as long as you have a square ruler with a diagonal line through the middle!

And here are all six of my blocks together now. I'm really happy with how the full collection is looking! Still want to join in Summer Sampler 2016? You can subscribe right here—all subscribers will get immediate access to all the blocks that have already been released, plus the weekly block patterns from here on out.

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 5: Sugarhouse

2016-06-13T10:08:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's week five already of Summer Sampler! We're already one-quarter done! Crazy!

This week's block is by Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt. It was a nice, fun, simple one after curves and paper-piecing the previous two weeks.

Now that it's done, the deep colors are looking a little heavy compared to the rest of my blocks, but I think it will be balanced out in the end, when all 20 blocks are done.

My tip for this week: When you're sewing your flying geese units into the rest of the block, don't forget that you want that seam to hit right at the tip of the triangle, as shown below.

Want to join in Summer Sampler 2016? It's not too late, there's still 15 more blocks you can do in real time! (And of course, those who purchase now will get immediate access to all previously released blocks.) Click here to purchase, and happy sewing!

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 4: X Spot

2016-06-07T06:01:00.000-05:00

Hey! Here's another Summer Sampler block for ya! This one is called X Spot, and it's by Faith of Fresh Lemons Quilts.

After tackling curves for the first time last week, this week we're taking on our first paper-pieced block. If you haven't done any paper-piecing before, no worries—this is a type of string block, which is literally the easiest thing you can possibly paper-piece!

But if this is your first time paper-piecing, you may want to check out this beginning paper-piecing tutorial by Faith to get you started. And over on the Bernina website, here is my very favorite paper-piecing tip ever, which will smooth the way even more!

Until next week! And don't forget to check the Instagram hashtag #summersampler2016 to see what everyone else is doing with this seriously fun block!

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 3: Snow Cone

2016-06-01T13:14:00.003-05:00

It's week 3 of Summer Sampler 2016! This week we're tackling curved piecing with the adorable Snow Cone block by Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft.

First, I just want to give a shout-out to everyone doing the SS16 quilt-along, especially all the beginners! We have many people in the Summer Sampler 2016 Facebook group (open to Summer Sampler 2016 subscribers only) who have never done curved piecing before, and you guys are killing it! It does my heart good to see all of these people bravely taking on new skills and learning as they go. If that sounds like something you would like to do, there's still time to join! New subscribers get immediate access to all three of the blocks that have been released so far, and then will receive all the future blocks each Monday along with everyone else. : ) Click here to subscribe!

At any rate, here's my snow cone (and the rest of the blocks we've made so far). I think it must be lime flavor. : ) When I finished sewing this, I wanted a Slurpee, for real.

My tips this week:

Don't forget to print your templates from the PDF at 100% size, no scaling! This is something I'm constantly warning people about, and wouldn't you know it, I made that very mistake on this block. (Fortunately, it's easy to compensate with this block by just cutting the border pieces a bit larger.)

And if you're new to curved piecing, check out this video by Angela Pingel of Cut to Pieces. This is probably the best video I've seen showing how to sew a Drunkard's Path block (which is essentially what the top of the snow cone is in this block).

I'm really enjoying seeing everyone's progress! Don't forget to check out #summersampler2016 on Instagram to see the twists other people have put on their blocks.

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 2: Summer Slice

2016-05-23T13:58:00.005-05:00

It's our second week of blocks for Summer Sampler 2016! This week, we're making "Summer Slice" by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew.

This was such a fun, deceptively simple block to make. Although it looks like a lot of seams, relatively few of them actually have to line up. LOL.

And you could do some really interesting things with color and value in this block. In fact, Allison is showing the block in several other color schemes today on her blog. Amazing how different this block can look with just a few small changes!

There's still plenty of time to join the Summer Sampler 2016 quilt-along! Although we're now on week 2, you can buy the full block-of-the-week subscription and get immediate access to all of the blocks that have already been released. And going forward you'll receive emails to download a new block each and every Monday, along with the rest of us!

And as always, check out the #summersampler2016 to see how everyone else is doing with their blocks! I've been so impressed by what you all have done so far!

Summer Sampler 2016 Block 1: Turkey Vulture

2016-05-16T09:31:00.001-05:00

Today's the day: We're kicking off Summer Sampler 2016! Every Monday, all summer long, those of you who have signed up for the Summer Sampler 2016 subscription will receive a link to download full instructions for a new block. The blocks are by Faith of Fresh Lemons Quilts, Katie of Swim Bike Quilt, myself, and seven of our bestest blogger friends, and we'll be sewing right along with you as we go. After all of the block instructions have been delivered, you'll get patterns for three different sampler quilt options using the blocks we've been making together. Faith, Katie, and I have been blown away by the response to this quilt-along and are really looking forward to a summer of sewing with all of you!

This week's block is called Turkey Vulture, by AnneMarie Chany of Gen X Quilters. AnneMarie is the queen of samplers—she's run a popular Block-of-the-Month program for the last several years, and she recently wrote the fab sampler book, Sister Sampler Quilts. So we knew she'd be a great designer to contribute to Summer Sampler 2016! And Turkey Vulture might be one of my favorite blocks in the series.

Selecting the fabric for my blocks ended up being a pretty easy choice: I decided to emulate the digital mock-up we made of all of the Summer Sampler 2016 blocks. I figured the mock-up was appealing enough that one of us should go ahead and make it a reality. LOL. And those are the colors that tend to call out to me anyway—I actually already had on hand most of the solids that coordinate to the digital colors we used. (I know, you're shocked that I had aqua and teal in my solids collection, right? SHOCKED.)

So here's my Turkey Vulture block, done up in yummy solids inspired by our mock-up. This block was not difficult, and I absolutely love the pixelated look of the center. My advice is to be sure to keep the color choices in that center unit random, yet balanced—don't be afraid to play around with the layout of those little squares until they're perfect.

It's not too late to join in the Summer Sampler 2016 fun! Click here to purchase your subscription. No matter when you buy, all previously-released files will become available to download immediately, and you'll automatically receive a link to download the new patterns each Monday going forward. We also have a fun and busy Facebook group which is available only to subscribers! (Customers in the European Union should click here to purchase.)

For those of you who have already subscribed, you should have already received an email with a link to download this week's block! If you did not receive it, please check your junk/spam folder. And don't forget to hashtag your Instagram photos #summersampler2016 (or just click here to check out what everybody else is making!)

Summer Sampler 2016 - Quilt Along With Us This Summer!

2016-05-02T06:01:00.000-05:00

Five years ago (could it really have been so long?), Katie, Faith, and I hosted a quilt-along called The Summer Sampler Series. Hopefully a few of you have been around here long enough to remember it. : )

Our goal back then was pretty simple: Teach modern quilters how to make traditional blocks. Crazy though it seems now, at the time, there wasn't a lot online with that specific focus. There were traditional block tutorials online, using traditional fabric—and then there was modern quilting. Only infrequently did the two mix and mingle.

To our delight, we found that people were very interested in combining those two quilt genres. The Summer Sampler Series was more popular than we ever expected! It eventually led to the three of us authoring our book, Vintage Quilt Revival, in which we tried to take modern-traditionalism to a new level. These days, I'm happy to say that modern traditionalism is everywhere—it even has its own category at QuiltCon. I like to think (hope) that the three of us played a role in that.

And what better time, on the 5-year anniversary of the original Summer Sampler Series, to bring it back? We are so excited to announce Summer Sampler 2016!

One block a week, starting May 16, running through September 26. Ten designers (Katie, Faith, me, and seven of our blogger friends.) Twenty blocks total. Quilt along with us all summer long!

This time around, we're offering the Summer Sampler as a block-of-the-week subscription program. Click here to pre-order Summer Sampler 2016 for $19.99. That's just $1 per block—for a limited time, ending May 15. After May 15, the price goes up to $24.99, so don't miss out on the chance to save! (European Union customers: You can purchase the Summer Sampler 2016—and now all my other patterns!—through my Etsy shop. Click here to purchase.)

Each Monday, starting May 16, you'll get a link to download that week's block pattern. The last block will be delivered on September 26, and instructions for three sampler layout options will be delivered on Oct. 2.

The Summer Sampler 2016 subscription includes:
• fully-tested instructions for each weekly block, with step-by-step diagrams
• three sampler layouts and full instructions for each, delivered at the end of the subscription
• digital mock-ups of ways to use each block in its own quilt layout, for future inspiration
• coloring pages for planning purposes
• access to a private, subscribers-only Facebook group, where you can interact with the designers and other quilters

More about the Summer Sampler 2016 skill level and techniques:
• The different blocks vary in skill level, with some being simpler, while others are more advanced. I would say the overall skill level of all 20 blocks is intermediate—but if that's not you, don't be afraid to try it! We'll include lots of links to tutorials for the techniques involved, so it's a great skill-builder!
• Several are paper-pieced, while others use traditional piecing. There are four blocks with curved piecing, so it's a great opportunity to learn more about that technique!

The Summer Sampler 2016 designers are:
Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt
Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced
Faith Jones of Fresh Lemons Quilts
AnneMarie Chany of Gen X Quilters
Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft
Holly DeGroot of Bijou Lovely
Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily's Quilts
Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew
Karen Lewis of Karen Lewis Textiles
Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter

We can't wait to quilt along with you this summer!

May Is For Makers

2016-04-29T12:16:00.003-05:00

You all know I don't get up on any soapboxes very often—only when it's something extremely important to me. Today is one of those days. So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine or other beverage of your choice, and settle in. : )

I love blogging. I may get busy and disappear from time to time, but trust me, I'll always be back, because my need to write is second only to my need to create visually. But no matter how many pins you see on Pinterest screaming about making $20,000 a month blogging, ain't nobody making a living wage with a sewing blog, believe me. And yet, where would our modern quilting world be without the tutorials and free projects that are out there online? How many of us would never even have taken up sewing (or come back to it) if it weren't for bloggers? I don't think I would have.

But here's the thing. At some point, in some way, the people creating this content need to be paid for their efforts. Anything less is not sustainable. Free patterns are great, and they may sometimes serve a purpose for both the designer and the customer. But not every pattern can or should be free. And very few designers can afford to put in the work to self-publish a pattern without getting something in return. No matter how much they may love what they are doing. In my opinion, free content should be a fun, unexpected bonus from time to time—it shouldn't be automatically expected.

So that's why my friend Lindsey from LR Stitched has created the May Is for Makers campaign. To support the independent designers and content-creators who add creativity, beauty, and knowledge to our world. Lindsey is pledging to buy a pattern from a different independent designer every week in May, and I'm going to join her. I hope you'll consider joining in as well!

Here's how it works:

- Each week in May, I'll purchase a pattern from another pattern-maker. There are five Mondays in May, so that's five independent designers that will get my support over the course of the month!

- Every Monday, starting May 2, I'll share my pattern purchase on social media with the hashtag #mayisformakers.

- Hopefully, in the process, we'll send support and appreciation to independent designers all over the world.

Just to be clear, this is not about guilting people into buying my patterns (though if you want to buy from me, I won't argue! LOL.) This is about supporting all the innovators and creators of the quilting and sewing worlds. I am just one of thousands of independent designers trying to make a go of it in this business, and we all need your support. Consider buying a pattern as a way of saying thank you for a free tutorial you learned from, or a free pattern that you especially loved—after all, that free tutorial or pattern was probably only made possible by that designer's paid patterns.

Let's join together to support all the Makers this May! I can't wait to see what (and who) you choose to support!

I Heart Intentional Piecing

2016-04-28T14:06:00.001-05:00

I'm sure I don't need to proclaim my love for paper-piecing yet again, because you guys totally already know that about me. (But if you need a refresher, you can click here. Or here. Or here!) So it probably also goes without saying that when I saw Amy Friend's book, "Intentional Piecing: From Fussy Cutting to Foundation Piecing," I knew I had to have it!

Amy, who blogs at During Quiet Time, is one of my very favorite quilters out there, and paper-piecing is one of her specialties. Intentional Piecing is full of adorable projects that take advantage of my favorite technique! (Visit Amy's blog to see more of her book projects.) To start with, I decided to give her "Tell Me a Story" block a go.

The Tell Me a Story quilt from Intentional Piecing actually uses both fussy-cutting and paper-piecing—but in spite of that, this is a super-easy, quick little block to make! Seriously. Mine took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

And my favorite thing about the Tell Me a Story block is that Amy encourages quilters to use fabric selections to do just that: Tell a story within each individual block. There's an interesting sidebar in the book in which Amy talks about how she makes connections between the prints used in each block—sometimes those connections are obvious, other times, less so.

I decided to fussy-cut from this adorable print by Heather Ross of underwear and clothing hanging on a line. To me, long underwear on a clothes line brings to mind images of an old-time farm and a harried farm wife trying to get all her chores done.

So a gingham print and a chicken wire print? What could be more perfect than that? : ) Suddenly I had a detailed picture of the farm, the clothes line, and even the wife in my head. This is whole new dimension of fabric selection that I'd never really considered before. Pretty fun!

Whether you're a hard-core paper-piecer like me or a relative beginner, I think Intentional Piecing will make you look at piecing—and the prints in your stash—in a whole new light! A great one to have in any sewing library.

Make It Madness Quilt Pattern Tournament!

2016-03-17T11:53:00.004-05:00

Hey! Have you guys seen this? Craftsy is doing a "Make It Madness" quilt pattern tournament—and my free Kissing Fish pattern is one of the 15 patterns Craftsy selected to compete! But you all have to vote to move it on to the next round and eventually make it the big winner! And just by voting, you're also in the running to win a free Craftsy class, so it's a win-win. : )

Click here to vote, and for more info (including all the other match-ups), here is Craftsy's post on the tournament. Enjoy the madness!

P.S. They had to put me up against Heidi of Buttons and Butterflies?! I love Heidi, so I guess if there's anybody I don't mind losing to, it's her! Now, go vote!

A Scrappy Take On My Picnic Plaid Pattern

2016-02-23T06:10:00.000-06:00

Color gradients. Remember when I said I wasn't going to go there anymore?

Yeah, I went there. Again. I couldn't help it, you guys! Gradients: So colorful. So orderly. So appealing to both the left and right sides of my brain. : )

So this is my latest addition to my always expanding collection of color-gradient quilts. : ) This is a scrappy version of my Picnic Plaid pattern (available here).

Here's a shot of the original Picnic Plaid quilt. The original is strip-pieced in a narrower color palette, but I've had the urge to make it scrappier for some time now. So when Stephanie Palmer of Late Night Quilter asked me if I would want to contribute a pattern to her 2016 Quilter's Planner, it was the perfect opportunity to create modified instructions for a scrappier version of that design. (Sadly, the 2016 Quilter's Planner is now sold out! Sorry!)

Of course, Steph was nice enough to quilt this one for me, and worked her usual magic on it. I've always loved this loopy quilting pattern, and now I finally have a quilt that makes use of it!

This quilt has what might be my favorite print ever for a quilt back: Zen Chic's "Notes" print in Charcoal on Fog. You can find it here at the Fat Quarter Shop and elsewhere. The binding is an older Zen Chic print called Barcelona. You can see a chunk of that print in the piecing above as well. I was really feeling the Zen Chic that day, I guess. : )

Regardless of which version of Picnic Plaid you prefer, it's yet another great demonstration of how much print and color can change the look of any given design. Fun!

Greek Key Quilt-Along: Last Post Is Today!

2016-02-22T07:05:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder that my Greek Key Quilt-Along wraps up today on Bernina's website, We All Sew! Of course, the final instructions post goes live today, but all of the Greek Key posts will be available indefinitely. So you can make this quilt any time you feel like it, whether you're keeping up with the quilt-along or not. : )

I've also got a few simple hints in today's post for doing the diagonal straight-line quilting that I used above, so go check it out. And don't forget to hashtag #greekkeyquilt, so that we can all admire your hard work!

Greek Key Quilt-Along Starts Today

2016-02-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

My Greek Key quilt-along that I've been teasing for weeks now is finally happening! Fabric requirements and cutting instructions are now posted on Bernina's website, We All Sew. And additional instruction posts will follow each Monday for two more weeks.

So the full schedule will be:
Monday, Feb. 8 - Fabric requirements and cutting instructions
Monday, Feb. 15 - Making the blocks
Monday, Feb. 22 - Assembling the top and quilting

Head over to We All Sew to read all the details!

I hope you guys will make this quilt along with me, since that's what quilt-alongs are for! And if you do, you can post your progress on Instagram with the hashtags #greekkeyquilt and #weallsew. Or, if you're not on Instagram, just click here to check out everyone else's progress! Enjoy!

WIP Wednesday: Last One?

2016-02-03T10:54:00.003-06:00

Okay you guys. Let's have a little truth this Wednesday morning.

My truth is: I'm burned out on WIP Wednesday. I've been doing this link-up week in and week out for five years now (gasp, where has the time gone??). And while I've loved having the link-up and it really put my blog (and business) on the map, in the last year or so I've felt like I've been phoning it in a bit. There was a time when my Wednesday deadline helped my stay on track to have something to post, but for whatever reason, it's just not motivating me anymore. Instead, lately it hangs over my head like a mid-week anvil over Wile E. Coyote. LOL.

Still, it's a scary thing to say, "I'm done with this." As I said, it's been a huge part of my life for more than five years now. Without it, will my blog traffic drop off? Will I lose pattern sales? Will I lose sponsors? Will my motivation drop even further? Am I crazy to walk away from the single most popular feature on my blog?

So here's my decision (at least for now): I am temporarily suspending WIP Wednesday after this week. I'm going to take two months off and see how things go. What I'm hoping is that not having WIP Wednesday to worry about will actually free me up to do more quality blog posts. I can post about what I want, when I'm ready to, instead of always posting these short, ineffective mid-week check-ins. So, no, I'm not going anywhere! There will continue to be content here on the blog (potentially even more content), so I hope you won't go anywhere either! I'm also hoping this will allow me to post more frequently on Instagram, now that I don't have to "save" progress photos for Wednesdays. LOL. So be sure to follow me on IG to supplement what you see here.

When the two months are up, if not having WIP Wednesday has been a success for me and I'm feeling good about my blog and my blogging habits without it, then I think I will be done with it permanently. But I selfishly want to see how I feel about not having this in my life anymore before I make a final decision. I hope you all will bear with me while I do that. I hope to have a final decision in early April about whether WIP Wednesday will be back on this blog.

Okay, whew. I'm glad we had this talk. : ) In closing, let me just say that I am so grateful to every one of you who has ever linked up, or clicked on any of the links in order to discover new blogs and projects—you have made WIP Wednesday what it is. And let's all have one more amazing Wednesday link-up before the hiatus begins! Just for fun, I'm going to leave this WIP Wednesday link-up open for a whole week, so you'll have plenty of time to add yours! Show us what you're working on by linking up below, and have a wonderful week!

(P.S. The photos in this post are my Scrappy Picnic Plaid pattern from Stephanie Palmer's Quilter's Planner. Full post on this quilt coming tomorrow!!)

LINK-UP RULES:

1. Link up any blog post or Instagram photo from the past week that features an unfinished work-in-progress (WIP).
2. To link an Instagram photo, click the "Add Your Link" button below, then click on the Instagram icon at the bottom of the screen that pops up. You should then be able to select any of your recent Instagram photos. Where it says "Link," use the URL of your Instagram feed (for example, my URL is www.instagram.com/freshlypieced). Please hashtag your IG post #wipwednesday.

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday: Just Some Yummy Fabric.

2016-01-27T10:55:00.002-06:00

Hmmm. This is one of those weeks where everything I worked over the last seven days has already been shown on the blog, leaving me with no new Wednesday shots for you! So how about a fabric pull instead? These pretties will be going into more Lady of the Lake blocks if I can set some time aside for it in the coming week!

What are you working on this week? Let's see it! Happy Wednesday! : )

LINK-UP RULES:

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

Lady of the Lake Blocks from Sister Sampler Quilts

2016-01-25T06:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope all of you out East have managed to dig out a bit, but I hope in the meantime you got some good stay-in-and-sew time. : ) We didn't get any snow at all (much to my kids' disappointment), but I got in some quality time with my machine yesterday anyway. And the results of my afternoon's work: These Lady of the Lake blocks, with which I am now totally obsessed.

Lady of the Lake is a classic block from the new book, Sister Sampler Quilts: 3 Modern Sampler Quilts with Paired Sister Blocks, by AnneMarie Chaney of Gen X Quilters. I love the flexibility of a good sampler book—make one block, make them all, or mix-and-match to your heart's content! Sampler books are always a good resource to add to your library, and give you a lot of bang for your buck. (If I do say so myself, having co-written one of my own!)

And AnneMarie's book is even more flexible than most, offering up instructions for 24 blocks, each in two different sizes (9" and 12" finished). I made my Lady of the Lake blocks in the 9" size. Check those cute little half-square triangles. : ) AnneMarie's method of making the blocks in "sister pairs" makes things go quickly and efficiently.

Another feature that makes this book a great resource are the fun and creative layout ideas for each of the three samplers. This one, the Bonfire Sampler, is my favorite!

I found the instructions for the Lady of the Lake block to be straightforward and easy to follow. As usually happens when I try to make just one or two blocks, I'm now dying to make a bunch more of these. All out of this fabulous Blueberry Park fabric, like the first two!

You can find out more about Sister Sampler Quilts by visiting the website AnneMarie has set up for the book, www.sistersamplerquilts.com, or click here to purchase from Amazon. And go visit the other stops on the Sister Sampler Quilts Blog Tour, listed below!

Monday, January 18

AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Introduction

Sara Lawson / Sew Sweetness

Tuesday, January 19

Leah Day / Free Motion Project
Brenda Ratliff / Just A Bit Frayed

Wednesday, January 20

Faith Jones / Fresh Lemons Quilts
Angela Pingel / Cut To Pieces

Thursday, January 21

Lynne Goldsworthy / Lily's Quilts
Amy Friend / During Quiet Time

Friday, January 22

Christa Watson / Christa Quilts
Violet Craft

Monday, January 25

Lee Heinrich / Freshly Pieced
Melissa Corry / Happy Quilting

Tuesday, January 26

Karen Lewis / Karen Lewis Textiles

Amy Gibson / Stitchery Dickory Dock

Wednesday, January 27

Sherri McConnell / A Quilting Life

Melissa Mortensen / Polka Dot Chair

Thursday, January 28

Amy Ellis / Amy's Creative Side

Heather Valentine / The Sewing Loft

Friday, January 29

Cindy Wiens / Live A Colorful Life

AnneMarie Chany / Gen X Quilters - Wrap Up

WIP Wednesday: In Line

2016-01-20T00:32:00.000-06:00

Well, what can I say? I've just been quilting my Greek Key quilt. Yep, that's about the sum of things this week: Gettin' her done. : )

This one is pretty minimal for me, and it's reminded me of the importance of simplifying. I have a tendency to get pretty complex with my designs (sometimes too complex), so going the minimal route was a welcome departure. Note to self: There's beauty in simplicity too. And even when I'm designing/making something that is intentionally more complex, that doesn't mean I shouldn't use my critical eye to try to pare things down where I can!

Want to make something minimal with me? This bad boy will be a quilt-along on the Bernina's We All Sew very soon!

What are you working on this week? Let's see it!

LINK-UP RULES:

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

Kitchen Remodel: Final Pictures

2016-01-18T06:05:00.000-06:00

Well, it took me a while, but I finally got my act together and got some pictures posted of my big kitchen refresh project from last summer!

And I have to admit, I kind of love looking at these pictures, because the transformation really is amazing. Yes, it was a ton of work, but all totally worth it.

So first, here's a little "before" action for you.

And here's the after!

To recap, I made the following changes:

1) Built the existing upper cabinet boxes up to the ceiling (and purchased/installed new cabinet doors that fit the taller dimensions)

2) Painted all the cabinets (upper and lower) white (Sherwin Williams Snowbound)

3) Painted the walls more of a greige (versus the yellow-white that was there before). I would like to have gone even grayer, but thought it might clash too much with the granite.

4) Took down the window treatments, replaced the light fixtures, and replaced artwork.

Countertops, flooring, and appliances all stayed the same.

Obviously, the first change you probably noticed was the white cabinets. But I would argue that the even more impactful change was building the cabinets up to the ceiling. It's amazing how small and builder-grade the original cabinets look, now that I compare them to the "after" picture! Taking them up to the ceiling instantly made them look more expensive and more custom. It was a major undertaking, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. For more on how I extended the cabinets, click here. I purchased the new cabinet doors from Cabinet Door World—12 new unpainted upper doors ran me about $900, including shipping.

Another before shot, looking toward the breakfast area.

A few other details: I replaced the can light above the sink with a hanging fixture, using this $16 conversion kit. If you've ever changed a light fixture, converting a recessed light to a hanging fixture is just as easy! I also swapped out all the cabinet hardware.

Before

These glass-doored cabinets were a challenge, in that I didn't feel like painting the inside of them. LOL. So instead I used them as an opportunity to bring some pattern into the room by adding herringbone peel-and-stick wallpaper, which I purchased here. It was super easy to install and it's repositionable if you screw it up.

Before

I chose Sherwin William's Snowbound for the cabinets, mainly because all my existing trim and interior doors were already painted that color. The pantry doors you can see next to the ovens in this photo weren't touched. I thought it made the most sense to keep everything consistent.

Of course there are still a few more things I'd like to do. The biggest is that I would love to take down that small granite backsplash and instead do a subway tile backsplash that extends to the upper cabinets. But I really don't think I want to take on a tiling project myself, so that's going to have to wait until we can get a pro. In fact, see the pass-through on the far left? I would love to do subway tile on that entire wall, all around the pass-through. How fabulous would that be?

I also feel like there's more I could do with this breakfast area, but I'm just not sure what. I would love to put in some kind of banquette to make it cozier, but not sure how that would work with so many doorways and windows. Still contemplating.

The more I look at the "before" pictures, the more amazed I am that I lived with it the old way for as long as I did. LOL. Funny how that happens!

Oh, and just for fun, since you made it down this far, check out the before before pictures of our kitchen! This is what it looked like 11+ years ago, the day we did our final walk-through before purchasing the house. We gutted it right after we bought the house, making the kitchen work space larger by walling up the exterior door on the right and pushing the peninsula into that spot. We also added the arched pass-through where the refrigerator is in this photo. The evolution of a kitchen—it has come a long way, hasn't it? Funny though, that we went back to white cabinets in the end!

Thanks for checking out my kitchen refresh! As always, I will update this if I make any additional changes!

WIP Wednesday: Keying In

2016-01-13T00:49:00.001-06:00

Good morning from chilly Wisconsin! I know I have no right to complain—it's not like it's a polar vortex or anything—but dang, it's cold here. Perfect weather to stay in and sew.

And sewing is what I've been doing, still working away on my Greek Key quilt. Now that the blocks are mostly sewn together, I have to say I'm getting a lot more excited about this one. I discarded the one yellow print block that you saw here in favor of a more muted (but still contrasting) solid (not shown here), and I'm happy I made that choice. The yellow print block was nice, but something about it just felt wrong. You'll see the full quilt very soon on We All Sew!

Today's WIP Wednesday is brought to you by Intrepid Thread!

Intrepid Thread has Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander and Pacific by Elizabeth Hartman now in stock! Carkai has such bright, fun colors and usable prints, I can't wait to get my hands on some.

Want some Carkai of your own? Intrepid Thread is giving away a $30 gift certificate to one lucky reader this week!

To enter the giveaway, do any or all of the following (each one gets you one chance to win):
1. Comment on this post
2. Post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #wipwednesday

3. Link up your own WIP Wednesday blog post or Instagram photo below

Okay, so what are you working on this week? Let's see it!

LINK-UP RULES:

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

WIP Wednesday: Happy 2016!

2016-01-06T09:45:00.000-06:00

Happy new year, everyone! As always at this time of year, I'm so happy to be back to my normal routines. I enjoy the holidays as much as the next girl, but I'm actually one of those who's happy to get the Christmas tree taken down and say goodbye to the holiday chaos. The house has been nice and quiet and peaceful this week, I've been going to the gym, doing some cleaning and organizing ... restoring order has been good for my soul. : )

And of course I've been sewing! My Greek Key quilt is just about done and I'm looking forward to getting it out there to you as a quilt-along on We All Sew. Unfortunately this is one of those projects that doesn't look like much while it's in progress. LOL. So I apologize for the lack of eye candy this week, but I promise the finished quilt will be more than the sum of its parts.

What are you working on this week? Got any big sewing plans for the new year? Let's see them!

LINK-UP RULES:

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

Never tear out stitches again! My favorite paper-piecing tip

2015-12-28T11:32:00.004-06:00

So, about a year ago, as I was getting ready to teach Advanced Piecing at QuiltCon, I had kind of an amazing realization. It was the kind of realization that cues angels singing and brilliant rays of sunlight. I mean, it really was that good. I think I discovered a way to make paper-piecing kind of sort of foolproof.

Sound too good to be true? Not to oversell this or anything, but I ran my little tip past my students in class, and they loved it—one person called it "mind-blowing" and another said this little tip alone was worth the price of the class.

Curious? LOL. I'm sharing this brilliant little secret with the world today over on Bernina's We All Sew website today! Head over there to check it out, and enjoy your paper-piecing projects!

Disclaimer: I'm sure I'm not the first person to have discovered this, so I don't claim to be the inventor of this technique. I just personally have not seen it described elsewhere.

No WIP Wednesday: Christmas Break!

2015-12-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

Due to a combination of busyness, disorganization, and minor computer issues, I've decided to give WIP Wednesday a slightly longer holiday break than previously planned. : ) So there will be no WIP Wednesday today or the following two Wednesdays—WIP Wednesday will return on January 6.

I would like to wish all of you the happiest of holidays! I'll be back on Dec. 28 with special paper-piecing tips post on Bernina's website that you won't want to miss!

WIP Wednesday: Decking the Halls

2015-12-09T10:15:00.001-06:00

How are you all doing on your holiday preparations? I still need to get out my white Christmas tree for my studio, but other than that holiday prep is on more or less on track at my house. As are my WIPs!

First, I finished knitting that Christmas stocking! And it turned out a normal size and shape and everything! It's a Christmas miracle! I still need to line it with fabric and rig up some sort of hanging loop, but the actual knitting is done, so we'll call this one a finish. This is the "Falling Snow Stocking" free pattern by Jennifer Hoel, available on Ravelry—you can get it here.

Also, still plugging away at those Greek Key blocks for my upcoming quilt-along! The quilt-along will start in early January on the Bernina We All Sew blog.

One quick housekeeping note: Don't forget that you can get a FREE PDF copy of my Sparkler pattern if you sign up for my email newsletter by Monday, Dec. 14! Click here to sign up. Once you confirm your subscription, a discount code will be emailed to you to claim your free pattern. (Sorry, this offer is not available to customers in the European Union.)

And finally, here was the focus of all my energy this past weekend: Two days of Nutcracker performances (and two rounds of performance hair-do's) for this little one. She's been an angel in our dance studio's production of the Nutcracker for three years in a row now. All our fingers and toes are crossed for a different part next year, because I am getting soooo tired of paying for angel costumes (yes, it's a different costume every year!). She does look (deceptively) sweet though, doesn't she? LOL.

What are you working on? Let's see it!

LINK-UP RULES:

3. If you are linking to a blog post, please link back here to my blog somewhere in your post.

4. Comment on at least a few of the other WIP Wednesday links, either IG or blog—commenting on the two or three links directly before yours works well to make sure everyone gets comments!

An InLinkz Link-up