Wishful Stitches

On the radio with Pat Sloan

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:19:00 +0000

Today is the day! I'm going to be on Pat Sloan's radio show for American Patchwork and Quilting today live at 1:00 pacific today. Be sure to listen in - it should be great fun! I'll be talking about my new book Pretty Patchwork, my upcoming fabric line Marguerite and all sorts of design topics including how I go about creating my fabric designs and applique patterns.

Also on the show today are the fabulous people behind the Moda Bake Shop and designer Sarah Vedeler. You won't want to miss that I'm sure!

Listen here

Not able to tune in? Just check out Pat's site after the show to listen.

Hold onto your hats peoples... It's book launch day!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:39:00 +0000

In case you hadn't noticed, I've been away for a bit. More than a bit. I took a little time off for a much needed break and to enjoy being a Mom. That meant stepping away from my blogging and quilting for a little while, and after delivering my book and finishing up two new fabric lines, boy was I ready for that break. :)

In fact, this brings me to today's topic... drum roll please....My new book is finally here! It's called Pretty Patchwork Quilts: Traditional Patterns with Appliqué Accents.

A little birdie over at Martingale has let me know that one of the quilts in the book made it into the 2013 That Patchwork Place calendar. So be on the look out for that at your local quilt stores too!

Pinterest Roundup: Handmade Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Pinterest is awesome. Awesome with a capital AWE-some. The amount of sharing and utter brilliance rounded up from all over the internet is staggering. If you're saying "What is this Pinterest you speak of?", well hop on over to Pinterest to see what all the fuss it about. Sort of like Twitter but with pictures.

This time of year I am always filled with ambition to make a glorious amount of wonderful Christmas gifts. It's almost like window shopping, but for fun little gifts to make for people instead of shopping at the mall. So without further ado, here are some beautiful things that have caught my eye and made it onto my "Crafty Crafts" board on Pinterest.

1. Snappy coin purse tutorial from Sew Timeless
2. Quilted Modular Star from Craftzine
3. Monogrammed Christmas Ornaments from Lilac Saloon
4. Colorful Potholders from My Girl Thursday
5. Fabric Gift Pouch Tutorial from A Spoon Full of Sugar Designs
6. iPhone Pouch from During Quite Time
7. Self Zipping Coin Purse from How About Orange
8. Journal Cover from Bloom and Blossom
9. Ruffled Kitchen Towels from Sweetwater

Little Babies Need Little Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:49:00 +0000

I have a friend - Kelly to be exact. We work and carpool together every day - meaning that we spend more time together most days than with our families! Well she went and had a beautiful baby boy a whole month early. I had already started a quilt for little Zane, but he just sort of had his own ideas about when he was coming into this world.

Off to the stash I go! I had a couple of sweet baby prints I had been hoarding... um, saving... for a special occasion just like this. The sweetest yellow puppy print, and a pale green barnyard animal print. Yellow and green! I was pretty sure I could make something lovely with that color combo. Here's the stack of fabric I ended up with.

Something simple was called for - time was sort of the essence at this point. The boy needs a quilt, stat! I went off and sewed a bunch of half square triangle blocks and here's the result.

I decided this should be a great cuddle and drag around the house sort of blankie, so I finished it with Minkee and a turn-it-inside-out sort of edging with a zig-zag stick. Voila! Just in the nic of time - or maybe not so much. He's already a week and half old. Where does time go?

Well what do you know? I'm a cover girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:46:00 +0000

I got a really super surprise in the mail this week - the latest issue of Austrialian Homespun arrived and I am so pleased to be the featured designer for the current issue. ACK! WOO-HOO! I'm even listed on the cover, and in case you didn't notice, I'm pretty tickled pink about it.

Here's a little sneak peak of the quilt I designed and made especially for the issue, it's a little slice of pink heaven. Oh yeah, and there's applique... and you know how I feel about that. *HEART* That machine quilting is lovely and done by the one and only Angela Walters.

I have also heard recently something pretty nifty. Australian Homespun is now available as a digital subscription through Zinio. Pretty

Promenade Giveaway Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Thank you for all the sweet and thoughtful ideas for my little (not so little) bolt problem. It really got me thinking about new ideas for fabric storage. I'll have to get busy!

Now... I wonder who is getting these Fat Quarters?... Hmmmmm.

And the winner is.... Cynthia (#9)!

Cynthia said…
"I can only wish that I had bolts to store!!! I store stashes. I have little cubby shelves, and I tie a line of fat quarters together with string or ribbon, and my l/2 yard, 1 yard and 2 yard pieces all have their own cubbies. I have a couple of lines that I store by themselves because I love them so much that I had the heart to cut into them!!!"

Giveaway day: A simple fabric storage equation is afoot!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:08:00 +0000

I design fabric. *YAY!*
I design a LOT of fabric these days.
Lots of fabric = lots of BOLTS of fabric.
Bolts of fabric = many large tilty, wobbly, stacks in my studio.
Wobbly stacks = more mess than I can handle.

How do you store bolts? Inquiring minds want to know. Okay...Well.. I want to know. In all fairness, I myself an inquiring minds so it all sort of works out. :)

For all you gracious enough to share your fabric storage stories here on my blog, I'll be giving away a set of 12 fat quarters. Can't wait to hear all your ideas, and I'll be taking entries on Friday Midnight.

Good luck!

*THANKS For all the comments! :) See who won... *

Checking in on the ol' blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:34:00 +0000

I was just looking at the last time I blogged, and considering the topic of my last post, it seems a lifetime ago. I am a Mom now. The Mom of a toddler. The Mom of a beautiful, smart and VERY funny little girl who is the light of my life-even when the tantrums are going on - I swear!

Since my last post I haven't done a stitch of sewing. Not a single one. Haven't even turned on the sewing machine. Totally weird and foreign, and yet the lure of a "play with me Mommy!" trumps the sewing machine every time.

With that said, I have been busy drawing away on my next collection of fabric, and just last week my just released line, Promenade, arrived here at my house! YAY!!! Hopefully, I'll get my camera out and post some pics tomorrow - and maybe even turn on the sewing machine. :)

Later gators!

J is for joyful surprises!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:07:00 +0000

My husband and I have had a special surprise enter our lives recently that has so totally changed everything. And I mean everything! I'm so please to let everyone know that a few weeks ago we became brand new foster parents to a beautiful little 2 1/2 year old girl. While I can't show pictures, or share any of the fun and fabulous details - there are all sorts of rules and regulations around foster kids - I can assure you I'm going to have a big ol' stack of pics to share at Quilt Market next week. Trust me - I'm a proud mama!

So stop by booth #220 and take a gander at my sweet little girl. She's a fashionista of high order who is a lover of all things PINK and pretty. I love dressing that sweetie up!

Running... um binding... to the finishing line.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:14:00 +0000

It's book deadline crunch time! Not enough time in the days, or weeks for that matter, to finish all that needs finishing. Thank goodness I have a Mom who's a quilt too! Mom's are awesome and she's been sewing together and helping out just about every week in the last few months.

Here's my latest back from the quilter and ready to bind - check another quilt off the list! I've totally gotten into preparing my binding before sending off to be quilted. That way when it comes back, I can get right to sewing. I have these great little mason jars - just roll up your binding and stick in the jar. It's dust free and reusable. Plus it's just cute. :)

Quilt in progress update

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Thought I'd share a little update on my quilt in progress - it's done and back from the quilter. Last time we met I was appliqueing the 10 gazillion pieces on this top - okay maybe just 9 gazillion - let's just say a lot of pieces. This one is called Ginger Snap and will be included in a very special project I'm working on... MY NEW BOOK! It's still quite a while away, but I'll make sure to keep you all in the loop. :) Oh, and my quilter Pamela, well, she RAWKS that long arm. Majorly.

Quick Tips for Less Wonky Binding Corners

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Binding corners have always gotten the best of me. I hate struggling over less than perfect - and I do mean less than perfect - miters at my corners! BAH! So, with lots of binding ahead of me on a stack full of quilts sitting on my table, I thought I would share some tips that I have recently employed to help out.

Step 1: Get that 1/4" Right

When you approach the corner of your quilt, make sure to stop 1/4" from the edge. I have found that using the 1/4" mark on my plate helps out a lot. My plate happens to have markings and the first line on the plate shows me that 1/4" - so that's when I stop sewing.

Step 2: Turn and Fold the Binding

Now it's time to turn the quilt and start the corner folds. Fold the binding away from you making a 45 degree angle and finger press in place. Making sure that the fabric is flat and the angle sharp will help keep things in line.

Step 3: Make Another Fold and Pin in Place

Fold the binding fabric towards you now to complete the folding. For me, this is where things traditionally get a little dicey. To help with that, I decided it would be a good idea to pin the fold in place - this keeps things from shifting as you move onto the next step.

Step 4: Start Sewing Again

Starting right from the edge of the quilt as shown, sew the binding place and you're on your way again! Once you've sewn things down, remove the pin and keep on going until you reach the next corner, and then do it all again.

Here's My Finished Corner

Here are some pictures of the front and back for you to see. I have just pinned in place here as a check to make sure everything went fine and dandy - and it did! YAY! Now for a little hand sewing in front of the TV tonight.

Daydream is almost here, YAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:38:00 +0000

This past year has been a total whirlwind with so many exciting things in the works. Most exciting of all is my new line of fabric with Riley Blake Designs called Daydream - and it's due out in stores next month! In anticipation of this I received a special treat in the mail - precuts!!! Here's a Peek at the... Aren't the just lovely? *SIGH*

A weekend of applique

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:29:00 +0000

What a busy, productive weekend I had. I spend just about the whole weekend finishing the applique on this quilt. Suddenly, out of the blue, I had a deadline creeping up on me, so SEW SEW SEW! Deadline for what? Well you can guess it has to do with quilts for sure. I'll share more when I can, but this one is going to be a doozy. :)

May I present to you the current status of my cutting table.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 23:50:00 +0000

TAh-Dahhhh! Here is the current state of my cutting table. What a mess, but a happy mess. Not that I'm a neat person - more of a piler and stasher I'd say, but my cutting table has been empty for far too long.

I've been pretty busy on all sorts of quilty projects, mostly writing and drawing, but I think I may get to saddle on up to the ol' sewing machine and get some sewing time in. Oh happy day!

Pencils + Sketchbook = Happy!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Funny as it seems, on my "Dear Santa" list this year was a real, honest to goodness, supremely good, electric pencil sharpener. As you see, I have pencils, and as it happens, a cute little pencil sharpener to go with those pencils.

However, since I've started designing fabric, it appears that I could end up with some yet to be discovered trauma involving massive amounts of pencil sharpening. Ok, so I exagerate... a little. Well Santa was nice to me this year (on many, many levels) and under the tree was a lovely x-acto pencil sharpener.

Which turned into this....

and this...

What's going on in the studio this week?

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:23:00 +0000

Well, the answer to that question this week has been NOT MUCH! I have been sick this week, and all I have to say about that is bleh!

But to make things brighter I got this little quilt back from it's visit to Quilt Market. Because I got the strike offs in time I was able to make this little quilt just in time to hang in the booth.

Plus I received some good news in the mail too - but I'll just have to save that for a later date! I should be able to share soon... :)

PS - Judy who won the 100 Blocks contest last week, your email was not included with your comment. GASP! Please send me your info please? info at stitchstudios.com

Drumroll please...It's time to draw a winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:38:00 +0000

First off, I want to thank every single one of you for the amazing turn out here and all the very, very nice comments. Because I think you are all awesome, and because Quiltmaker does too, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve.

In addition to the three winners today, I will be drawing one more name! Quiltmaker magazine is being kind enough to give one lucky person a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 blocks.

The four lucky winners are...

#125 - Judy who will receive a layer cake and magazine
#108 - Barb who will receive a layer cake and magazine
#97 - LizA who will receive a layer cake and magazine

And courtest of Quiltmaker: #78 - Laurie will recieve a magazine!

I will be emailing each of you to get all the information to mail these out to you. Congrats!

Now for the second thing I have up my sleeve - a little freebie!

A quick and easy table runner using my Porch Swing block featured in the magazine that will be available to download for the next month. I also included two color variations, one to dress up your table for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. Enjoy!

Download Free Table Runner Pattern

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour: It's my turn! How about a giveaway?

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:01:00 +0000

Well, how exciting is this?! The Quiltmaker 100 Blocks: Vol. 2 is out now and my block is right in there at number #197! And boy am I in good company... There are so many amazing designers in here and lots of options for using the blocks in quilts.

Okay well, that seems like more than 100 blocks to me... It betcha it's because volume 1 was so popular they decided to pick right up where they left off at 100. Sensible, eh?

It's giveaway time!

To celebrate the release, and because my stash could use some serious cleaning out, I have THREE prizes to giveaway. Each winner will receive a copy of 100 Blocks and one of three layer cakes. All you have to do is leave a comment by and and three winners will be drawn at random on Friday, November 12th.

To sweeten the celebration, and because it's going to be lots of fun, come back Friday to see the winner and you might just find a free little project using my block. Freebies are AWESOME... :)

We have a Scrap-A-Long winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Thank you so much to all of you who entered my giveaway as part of Jodi's Scrap-A-Long event! So many wonderful and thoughtful comments... Lots of newbies and scrap lovers came out to comment and I wish I had enough scraps to give everyone a pile to start working with. :)

Using the Random.org random number generator we have a winner.

And the winner is.... Sandy who commented:

Sandy said...
I would love your scraps. Would be great to add them to mine.
October 28, 2010 9:04 PM

Congratulations Sandy! I will send you an email with the details. Thanks so much to everyone for participating.

Scraps Are Quilters Best Friend - a Scrap-A-Long Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Well, it's no secret that I am a scrap lover. I'd have to say that just about every quilt I've made has had me diving into my stash or scrap bin for just the right piece to make my quilts really come together.

You know who else loves scraps? Jodi at Pleasant Home! She loves them so much, that she is hosting a blog scrap-a-long. There is also a great project showing how she turns simple scraps into one amazing quilt.

One of my most recent - a favorite projects - was this little quilt made entirely from my stash and scrap bin for American Patchwork and Quilting. It's in the latest issue, so if you're up for a bit of scrap quilting, check it out.

Now for the giveaway! This pile of scraps is up for grabs. Straight from the scrap bin to your mailbox! All you need to do is leave a comment. Easy as pie! I'm off to Quilt Market this week and the winner will be chosen on Monday, November 1st. Good luck!

How does your paper garden grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:27:00 +0000

The awesome people at Riley Blake Designs have saved a spot in their booth at Quilt Market for me to show off my stuff. I wracked my brain trying to come up with something fun to do with paper that would show off my new line of fabrics. Since I don't have any actual fabric just yet, put my crafting skills to the test to make these paper flowers.

I have been fascinated with these paper flower kits at Paper Source and thought I would put my crafting skills to the test and see if I could come up with something using my my own paper printouts. Hope you'll stop by the Riley Blake booth at #1300 next weekend and see them for yourself!

The UPS man commeth... delivering fabric!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Last week sometime I got a special package - and look what was in it people. Strikeoffs! This is my new, and first, collection with Riley Blake Designs called Daydream and I wanted to show you all a sneak peak at what's to come. These are the strike-offs you see here - basically the printer proofs from the mill - for us all to pour over and see if everything is right. Can I just say this - it's almost exactly spot on. Amazing. Truly amazing!

If you're a shop owner, you can order this fabric now from Riley Blake. I also have three new patterns using Daydream, so hop on over to my store to check them out. If you've already ordered the fabric I'd love to hear from you!

My block is one in a hundred!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Well look at that... The second edition of Quiltmakers 100 blocks will be out soon, and my block is in it! I am so thrilled to be a part of this exciting publication and to share the company of so many awesome designers. There is a blog hop coming with the release November 8th through the 12th, so be sure to stop by. There might just be a little giveaway... but you didn't hear it from me... Okay, yes you did!

Quilts in magazines make for one fine day!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Walker) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:38:00 +0000

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday. A quilt that's been out of my hands for a while now is safely back home. This little quilt has been in the lovely and capable hands of the staff at American Patchwork and Quilting and just look at it now. I just love it and I know right where it's going to hang in my studio for the holidays.

Quite a few people have been asking me about the fabrics used, and true to the way I work, it's mostly pulled from my stash. And scraps. Let me tell ya, I just about dug up my whole sewing room looking for the red in the background. I ended up using two Fig Tree fabrics in the same color and love how it turned out. The background is a cream Moda Bella Solid - that makes it so easy to mix and match lots of fabrics. Give it a whirl - I bet you'll be able to rummage through your stash and come up with something really darn tootin' close.

P.S. I took the picture with my new iPhone 4. I love it. LOVE it!