11 months and counting!

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One of the girls at work loves Christmas and I mean she really loves Christmas. Beginning January 25th she starts the count down by posting on my calendar, 11 months until Christmas.

No matter how you look at it, 11 months until the next Christmas or 1 month after last Christmas it comes every Dec. 25th. This also means approx. 10 months until my family starts the moaning and groaning about our annual handmade Christmas gift exchange. Two years ago, I started a tradition of drawing names for a handmade family gift exchange. This concept has not been well received by all of the family members but this is only year two and I am not giving up. They are creative in so many ways and don’t even realize.

One of the kids has always written quirky poems to all the other family members. One plays music, a few of them are fantastic cooks. A handmade gift does not just mean creating a patchwork quilt but I think my family associates handmade with a sewing machine.

Being creative also has a lot to do with making or doing something just prefect for the one person on your shopping list. I was lucky enough to draw the name of one of the girlfriends who is fairly new to the fam. I was playing around with an older Moda pattern and had already started making it in red and blacks.

The name I drew was a graduate of Texas Tech so this was going to work out perfect.


I think they enjoyed hamming it up for a photo shoot.
This quilt had black snuggles on the back and finished out as the most yummy cuddly project ever. Everyone in my family now wants a quilt with snuggles on the back.

Bob made Grant a really cool wooden bench. He cut down the tree and created a new family heirloom. {I tried to sneak this bench home with me, but I couldn’t even lift it. }

Bo received a special monogrammed chefs coat and proudly wore it the rest of the holiday break. That was creative and not just something you could buy off a rack at the mall.

Jarrod is the uncle to little Nolan but he has also been named the baby snatcher since he seems to always be the hogging the baby. Others received trophies, paintings, gift cards for cleaning and other thoughtful, creative gifts. We have drawn names for next year so we have 11 months and no trading names!!
What does the word handmade mean to you?

OLD

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http://blog.modafabrics.com/2015/01/5688/
Don’t you love gossip? Well this kind of gossip is not going to make entertainment tonight or the cover of people magazine.
If you are visiting my little ol’ blog than you are also probably a fan of the Moda blog also. You have all read the gossip or I like to refer to it as actual news.
Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie’s fame has joined to team at Moda. She has been entertaining everyone with bits of info as she has moved to Dallas and began the transition into office life.
This is where I thought I would poke some fun at Carrie. Her blog post today is titled out with the old. In no way is this any reference to me or my age. Office Life, yea right as Carrie would say. Carrie has moved into my office and this is where gossip gets started.
My office was the go to place and first stop to report problems, etc. I am taking great delight as people walk in and say to Carrie, You’re not Lissa! {insert giggles here.} I told her she had to deal with everything that came her way since she was now residing in this real estate.
This hasn’t scared her off and people have eventually found me so I wasn’t able to hide for long.

I have not gone anywhere except down the hall to a new office. I am still there planning and creating all kinds of greatness for all of the Moda fans.

We are not anywhere close to filming the next sit-com such as The Office but our office life has been just as entertaining as Carrie has joined our crew.

If for some reason you have not followed the Moda blog, please do. Carrie will continue to entertain and inform you of all things Moda and United Notions. BUT for fun tell me what you want me to tell you about Carrie behind the scenes and I will share the dirt.

Payback is FUN…. I wonder if Steve Carell is available. Ready, camera, action.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

APQ Quiltalong – Go Four It!!

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All images provided courtesy of American Patchwork and Quilting

 It is that time again for a quiltalong. 

As you may know last year I was fortunate enough to have one of my quilts featured as the first APQquiltalong. (see here) I am more than thrilled to be back this year with a few of my friends joining me. Edyta Sitar of Laundry Baskets Quilts and April Rosenthal of Prairie Grass patterns have both created 4 patch quilts, so the talented brains at APQ named this article, Go Four It!


Edyta Sitar, the queen of scrap has created this incredible quilt with the te-tiniest rainbow of prints and batiks.

April’s version is just screaming summer picnic with 
a graphic layout.
 
It is kind of funny how this all came to happen and I wanted to share a bit of the back story. One of the editors at APQ, Elizabeth Tisenger sensed a trend of four patch quilt projects during her quilt submission process. 

Instead of choosing, she thought what the hey, each one is so different in size and construction, let’s feature them all.


Look for the April issue on Newstands or your favorite store
February 3rd for the complete instructions on all 3 versions.


So now it is up to you to pick your favorite technique and design, choose your fabrics or use this project as a scrap buster and quiltalong with us.

Be sure and share your progress with us by using the #APQquiltalong.
I also have a pinterest board where I post as many pics as I can find across the world wide web.
http://www.pinterest.com/modalissa/apqquiltalong/



Here are just a few of the quilters that you will want to follow along as they share their version of the #APQquiltalong. 



April Rosenthal, Prairie Grass
Patterns

Barb and Mary, Me and My Sister
Designs
Bonnie Hunter, Quiltville’s Quips andSnips!
Camille Roskelley,
Simplify 
Debbie Roberts, The Quilted
Moose
Edyta Sitar, Laundry Basket
Quilts
Jane Davidson, Quilt Jane
Jo Morton, Jo Morton
Quilts
Kimberly Jolly, Jolly
Jabber
Linda Collins, Quilts in the
Barn
Lisa Bongean
Lissa Alexander, Moda
Lissa
Shea Henderson, Empty Bobbin
Sewing
Sherri McConnell, A Quilting
Life
Thelma Childers, Cupcakes ’n’
Daisies
Vanessa Goertzen, Lella
Boutique
American Patchwork and Quilting
staff

Sugar Cookies

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One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel with some of the Moda sales team. This happens once or twice a year. I was super excited to travel with Jane Overman a few months back. 
As Jane was taking me the airport she asked, 
“Have you ever heard of Swig?”
Of course I had… Camille had talked about this place and so we had to visit. It was the cutest drive through place for COOKIES. Yes, cookies. Don’t get me wrong it has other things on the menu but I was there for a cookie. We arrived just as they were opening and there was already a line. 
Would I be late to the airport? 
Was it worth the risk? 
YES it was.
Jane and I got a cookie to share and it was just 
as yummy as I thought it would be.
I came across a recipe for these cookies 
and since I can’t zip off to Salt Lake to pick up some for the holidays, 
I thought I would give the recipe a try.
I made a batch. Yummy! The cool thing about these 
cookies is they are served cold. 
Make the cookies and store them in an airtight container. 
Frost them right before serving making the icing still creamy.
Enjoy and hope you have a wonderful holiday.
-modalissa

design boards

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 Have you made any of the design boards that Lori Holt demonstrated almost 4 years ago on her blog?
I have made a few bigger ones that I use from time to time.
http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2011/07/mini-design-board-tutorial.html
This weekend I had a zillion scrappy 9″ blocks that needed to be laid out in a certain order. My bigger boards were not very handy and I really didn’t want to spend all weekend making boards. I had a couple rolls of this amazing stuff.

 I actually didn’t even know it was fabric. I had 2 packages of it in my “junk”.

It is lightweight and easy to work while still having the strength of duck tape. The choices of this fabric duck tape is very limited but it served its purpose. The boards aren’t near as nice as Lori’s are, but I was able to make 5 of them in about 15 minutes and get back to sewing. I also realized how I could use lots more of these.
See Lori’s blog post for the complete instructions.
http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2011/07/mini-design-board-tutorial.html
I hope you are able to make a few. They also make great presents for your quilting friends. 

-modalissa

Modern Building Blocks

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modalissa-quiltpics_15
Modern Building Blocks consists of blocks that
range in size from 6″ to 36″.
When I was making this quilt I had so much fun
playing with the blocks and their sizes.

I thought I would share some of the
pics I took along the way.

modalissa-quiltpics_6

Everything is divisible by 6
so the combinations are endless.
Shown above are some of the 6″ blocks lined up by color.
modalissa-quiltpics_3
This quilt goes on and on but the end result
is so worth it,
so don’t give up if you don’t
have all your blocks done.

modalissa-quiltpics_1
Just keep going and going and going. 

 modalissa-quiltpics_1 Yes, it could be a mini
or you could just put together some of the 6″ blocks and be done.
I am usually a print kind of gal but I enjoyed
working with the bella solids.
Finally the quilt top was done. 
                                                                                                                        modalissa-quiltpics_14
Quilted by the wonderfully talented
Natalia Bonner of Piece n Quilt.

modalissa-quiltpics_12

Are you making the Modern Building Blocks quilt? 
If so leave a comment with a link to your quilt.
I would love to see yours. 
Or follow the #modernbuildingblocks
to discover all kinds of yummy eye candy.
Enjoy-
modalissa

#APQquiltalong

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Tone it down main quilt photo
Quilted by Natalia Bonner of Piece n Quilt
 “Image from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine.
©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.”

 Everything in our world is so fast, fast, fast especially at
this time of year. I find it interesting there is this
Slow it Down movement
that people like Cheryl Arkison talks about in her
book, A Month of Sundays, or the Slow Stitching topic that
Mark Lipinski talks about. Now Mark is the most energetic person
in the industry so when he talks Slow it makes
 you stop and listen.

I strip piece. My mind thinks what is quickest most efficient
way to make a project.

But this slow it down got me to thinking
about my Tone it Down quilt.

Slow it Down…
Tone it Down…

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every second of making this quilt.
Looking at each and every little piece of fabric as I worked
from block to block. Thinking about the fabric, the designer
that created it and the story that goes along with it.

Now I watch online as more and more people are 
making this quilt and posting their 
pictures and honestly 
it is quite humbling 
and makes my heart feel good. 
search #apqquiltalong to see some of the versions
This is what the quilting industry is all about. 
I am sure if you are reading my blog you are a quilter
 or one of my aunts.

If for some reason you have landed here and are not a quilter,
I encourage you to join this community. It is the most wonderful
world to be living in.

Sign up for a class, get a book, do anything, just start!

The tone it down quilt is not for the faint of heart.
It is not a quilt that you can create over the weekend.

However this is a great quilt to add to your
to-do list and slowly enjoy as each block develops.
 
I am thrilled that
 American Patchwork and Quilting
offers this pattern as a
digital download. 

Now that I am finished being all gushy, I wanted to
share some other news.

I am going to be doing another #APQquiltalong in 2015.
Stay tuned, I will “slowly” talk about this project.

 Your first tease.

Gratefully, 
-modalissa

NEW Cool Pins

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Untitled

 
Pins are numbered 1-20, 

that is more numbers than 
counting with your fingers and toes.
The pins come in a cute little slotted container
 with  pins numbered 1-10 on one side
 and  pins 11-20 on the other. 
 Untitled
When I have a big variety of stripped pieced sets that need to stay in a certain order I write on the scrap the corresponding letter or number so at least I have that as a reference.Untitled  
but now I can use these pins to keep my sets neatly numbered.
 Untitled

They are not the sharpest pins I have ever used 

and be careful to 
shut the lid tightly 
before turning the container over… 
just saying!! 
They are just the cutest thing ever 
and any quilter on your 
Christmas shopping list would 
love one in their stocking.
-modalissa

quilt market

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Whether you are planning a booth full of the newest items or coming to shop the show to find the latest trends and items,  everyone that goes to market puts in a ton of work. I must say it is all worth it to get to see old friends and make new memories.Untitled

Have you heard of a face-ie? Well leave it to Barb from Me and My Sister to coin a new phrase. She meant selfie but I like using face-ie now. When the moda designers and staff get together their is always plenty of shenanigans. I was not taking a face-ie but they had me hold my hand up to the camera as if I were. Then they were saying lean back, further, further, further as if i were to be better positioned in the frame of the picture. However I do believe this was a trick to see if I would fall flat on my booty, as you can tell by the way they were all positioning their cameras to get a shot of me on the floor. I hope I surprised them with my great balance and yoga moves. OR maybe I disappointed them if you know what I mean.

Just a few other fun pics from the show.
Moda-FQM2014_426

Moda-FQM2014_417

Moda-FQM2014_415

Moda-FQM2014_434 

 And did I mention shenanigans?
Maybe all the parties involved will let me share more about the picture shown below.
Are you intrigued?
Moda-FQM2014_6 
Market is a ton of work and a ton of fun!!

Confetti Forest

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Confetti Forest…
I love that name. 
I wish I was the one that thought of it, but I didn’t. It was the talented crew at McCall’s Quilting that named my quilt. I couldn’t have thought of a more perfect name for this quilt. Just the sound of it makes me think of fall and laying on a quilt, looking at the sky through the colorful leaves… Well scratch all that. That is what I think it should look like if I lived somewhere that actually had fall. We seem to go from Winter to Summer and not much in between. Yesterday it was 80 degrees, today it is 30.

I guess I can enjoy my “fall” quilt at the lake or snuggle under my “fall” quilt when the temperatures plunge. 
I combined two of my favorite lines, Persimmon by Basic Grey and Modern Neutral by Amy Ellis. But this is also a great scrap buster project.  The complete instructions and yardages can be found in the McCall’s Quilting January/February 2015 issue. To find out more information about this quilt, magazine and kit information please  visit http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Confetti-Forest-Trendy-Triangles-Throw-Quilt-Pattern

Subscriptions- November 11th on New stands November 25th

On a side note if you want to see more about Persimmon by Basic Grey, Alison shares the fabric line and patterns available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsaiYNUTWEE

And here is Amy Ellis talking about Modern Neutral fabrics, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CTEUKppzf0
.