Choose Your Own Adventure Quilt Pattern Available at Moda Bake Shop

Hi everyone!  I've been working hard baking up a delightful new quilt pattern for you at the Moda Bake Shop.  My Choose Your Own Adventure string quilt uses two Modern Neutrals jelly rolls by Amy Ellis for the front of the quilt, with leftovers to make a fun modern quilt back too.  What are you waiting for?  Go check it out!

More Fall Sewing

Last year I started making maples like it was my business.  Have you ever had that moment of realization when you say, yeah, I what the heck, I'll cut into that Katie Jump Rope!  Or Mendocino, or Hope Valley, or whatever your special fabric is that you keep on a shelf to gaze lovingly at every now and then because you're scared to use it.  I finally said, let's do this.  These fabrics need to be treasured in an actual quilt and why not use them all at the same time?  They make the perfect fall leaf collection!  

I finished the top last December and shamefully let this languish in my closet until September when I pulled it out to finish it.  My life in Austin, Texas is too hot.  I have the opposite of seasonal affective disorder - I'm depressed when it's too sunny and warm!  I had to get some fall colors in my life.  

You can find the pattern for this quilt in Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays by John Q. Adams (Quilt Dad).   I decided to make some disappearing 9 patch blocks for my background squares to use a mix of low volume pieces.  I think that really makes the quilt special!

I wanted the wind to rustle my leaves.  I drew a few long arcing lines on the quilt top in water soluble marker in a pattern that seemed like the path the leaves would take as they tumbled across the sky.  Then I used my walking foot to start quilting on one path, filling the area in with 1/2" apart stitches until I decided it was time to change.  You can really see the quilting on the back.  I'm in love!  Do you need some fall in your life?  What's your favorite way to decorate for fall?

Making my own Fall

I live in Texas now y'all (just thought I'd throw that in for effect!) and it's HOT down here.  I know it's October, but it sure doesn't feel like it with the temperatures still in the 90's and no leaves changing colors.  I miss you Fall! 

Since moving into my house a year ago, I haven't had much money or time to decorate for holidays but I decided it was time to lift my spirits and decorate with fall colors.  My friend Corinne at Must Love Quilts drew a picture of the cutest little punkin and Sunday afternoon I decided to make a few, which turned into this lovely mini quilt! 

Presenting my very own Punkin Patch.  If you want to make your own, check out her free pattern on Craftsy!  I used fabrics from my scrap bin for the pumpkins and Peppered Cotton Charcoal for the background.  Isn't it perfect?  You can find it in my shop!  I love some spiral quilting, and I did this in a fun orange thread. 

Michael Miller Fabric Challenge 2014: Warp & Weft

Are you a member of The Modern Quilt Guild?  I am through the Austin MQG and we get to do fun stuff like get free fabric from companies to do quilt challenges.  The winner of this little challenge will get free fabric for a year!  Heck yes I'm in for that!

I've been shopping for rugs for my house for the past couple of months and really love the kilim rugs.  I was inspired by these rugs for my challenge quilt.  The triangle points are the fabrics that we received fat eighths of and we can add any Michael Miller prints or any manufacturer's solids.  I quilted organic wavy lines that represent the warp and weft of the woven kilim rugs.  This lucky duck is now hanging on the wall in my foyer.  The colors jive really well with my other decor.  Here's hoping I'm a winner!

A Quilt for a Dude: Which Direction? & a Giveaway!

My brother moved to LA about 6 months ago to find a job.  He knew one person.  That kind of leap takes guts, right?  He had actually been living with me for several months before he moved to LA and it was a neat time to get to know him better.  He's 4 years younger than me, but we were 5 grades apart in school so I went to college when he was only in junior high.  

His job prospects weren't the greatest and the whole family is naturally worried about him.  I decided a couple months ago to make him a surprise quilt to hopefully cheer him up, remind him of home, and comfort him when he's down.  I don't think he necessarily needs a blanket for warmth in LA :)  It's hot enough in Austin that people give me crazy looks when they see the piles of quilts all over my house, so I need to send them out in the world!  

I didn't think to take good pictures of the quilt because I was just so excited to mail it to my brother as soon as it was finished, so my apologies.  I call the quilt "Which Direction?" because the triangles point east and west on the front and north and south on the back.  My brother is going through a trial in his life where he's struggling to carve his own identity apart from me or our mom and dad and I know that can be confusing, so I think I subconsciously chose this pattern to fit his current circumstances.  

The pattern is based on "Trail Marker" by Ashley Newcomb (Film in the Fridge) for the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Quilty magazine.  The pattern called for the blocks to be trimmed to 5.5" wide, but since I'm lazy and my ruler was 6" wide, I cut them 6" wide and added more blocks to make it almost queen size.  I pulled fabrics from my stash that seemed manly.  The quilting is curvy, watery type meandering that softens the sharp angles.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out!  I love the dark binding and the backing fabric is Dear Stella that I absolutely adore.  I mailed it last week and he sent me a text as soon as he got it thanking me.  

I'm so proud that I'm able to make nice things for the people that I love.  I'm usually a selfish quilter and make quilts just for me, but every now and then I make a quilt for someone special.  My brother is a great guy and I hope he knows how much I love and believe in him.  We may be thousands of miles apart, but he can remember his family when he needs to wrap up in something warm.  Sorry for all the sentimental stuff in this post, but isn't that what makes quilting awesome??  

I have a lot of neutral low volume larger scraps left over after making this quilt that I've stuffed into a gallon ziplock bag.  Turns out it's over a pound of fabric!  Do you think the scraps should be your next project?  I feel a giveaway coming on...

Here's how to enter.  Choose as many or as few as you like!
1.  Leave any comment you wish on the blog.
2.  Tell me how you follow me: Bloglovin, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, Pinterest.  Leave a comment for each way!
3.  Repost and tell me that you did.
4.  Check out my Etsy store and comment below on what's your favorite fabric.
5.  Like my Etsy store on Facebook and leave a comment below.

US entries only please.  Make sure I can contact you through email.  Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Wednesday, June 25.

MQG Riley Blake Challenge Finish!

As a member of the Austin MQG, I am now a proud member of the Modern Quilt Guild too.  They have fun things for members like Sew Downs and fabric challenges.  The most recent fabric challenge is wrapping up and winners will be announced soon! 

Members were given a fat eighth bundle of Riley Blake fabrics - a few prints and solids too.  We could make anything we wanted as long as it was quilted (and modern - however you want to interpret that).   We could add any Riley Blake prints and any brand of solids to make the project our own.  So little guidance!  I just stared at my bundle for quite some time before inspiration hit.

 Here's my entry, inspired by my boyfriend.  We go to the movie theater for classic movies on Wednesday nights.  My eyes have been opened to various beloved movies that I'd missed out on as a kid for some reason - Big, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (I couldn't believe that was Sean Penn!!), Groundhogs Day...  You know before the movie starts, there's usually a silence your cell phone ad?  This was when we were first introduced to the Geico camel commercial.  The first time we saw it, we both laughed our heads off and played it for all of our co-workers.  The second, third, fourth time we saw it, we were still laughing our heads off.  

One night after the movie, I determined to sit down and work on the Riley Blake challenge.  My mind wandered to the camel, and then just for fun I sketched out a camel applique quilt, adding the fun saying at the bottom.  I showed the sketch to my boyfriend, who almost fell out of his chair with hysterical laughter.  The crazy piecing caused me some fits at times, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I quilted using a scalloped loop to enhance the hump theme :) Once I get a hanging sleeve on this puppy, it's headed to the wall at my boyfriend's office.

Did you participate in the Riley Blake challenge?  We had so many good ones at our Austin MQG meeting last week.  Check out our link up for that here!

A February Finish!

Remember back when I started working on my custom sewing table?  I was inspired by From Marta with Love.  Aren't their tables fab?  My bf helped me do the power tool stuff back in November and I finally finished adding the decorative touches - aqua paint of course!  I used Sherwin Williams SuperPaint in Tidewater 6477 and gave it a couple of coats of poly.  It's so smooth now and the fabrics just glide right over when I'm sewing.  I can't wait to start my next quilt!

That pillow under the table?  Yeah that's a cat bed.  Carlton and Zoey like to visit me in the sewing room and love sitting on the cat bed under the sewing table.  It's made from a fish shower curtain that I found at the thrift store!