Tag: aurifil

SPLENDID SAMPLER 2

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Today is the beginning of a beautiful quilting journey. If you did not finish your Splendid Sampler quilt, it is not too late to jump in on the second round. The blocks will be 6″ so any combination of Splendid Sampler blocks will work nicely together.

I am sharing my version of block 1 designed by Alex Veronelli! No better person to start us on our Splendid journey than the king of Aurifil thread.

I must admit I did not finish round 1, so I am combining blocks from both series. I am so inspired by the book
and all the creative settings online that
I have gotten my second wind and will be sewing along.
I hope you will also.

A big shout out to all the designers in the quilting community that have contributed their talent and creativity to share their blocks and their stories.

Book 1 shown above, available now. Book 2 already in the works and will be available later this fall.

Thank you to Pat Sloan, Jane Davidson, and Martingale for making it all happen. Also to Moda Fabrics for supplying the beginning round of fabrics.

My version is going to be scrappy since this will be an ongoing project. I would love to hear what your fabric choices are?

I had to show one more pic of my block mainly so I could show my favorite little tape measure. I am obsessed with plastic animal tape measures.
My grandkids can play with them and not break them!

Enough about me, join the FB group to follow along and get your patterns.
If you are not on FB, then follow the Splendid Sampler blog for all the details and patterns.

You are all splendid,

-modalissa

A Piece of Cake Blog Hop

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Today is my day on the A PIECE OF CAKE blog hop. I have known Peta for quite a while and I am so proud and excited that she has shared her creativity with us.

Thank you, Peta for asking me to participate.         

There are 14 different projects in this book and many of them are on my must make list, but

when it came time to

 decide which quilt to make I knew I needed to make the LOVE quilt. I have perfect person for this quilt,  my {little} grandson, Jacob.

His mama loves the graphic fabrics from the  Savannah by Ginger line, so I dove right in.

This quilt was fun and easy to make.

A quick quilt just perfect for gift giving.

There are two sizes of the LOVE quilt. I went with the 45″ x 60″ version.  The quilt is big and chunky and has plenty of room so that I can add some big stitching with Aurifil threads.

Let me introduce you to one of my grandsons, Jacob Ryan Alexander, Cub for short.

He is a whooping 6 months old and is just as cuddly as he looks.

 Jacob kindly modeled to show off his new quilt.  Don’t you just want to pinch those little legs?
He completely understands that it still needs to be quilted.

A few of the squares from the animal panel fit perfectly inside the big heart. Speaking of big hearts, isn’t this kid the cutest thing ever?

A little bit of stitching, a pieced binding and some quilting will finish off this project.

Thank you for stopping by and to celebrate I will be giving away a copy of this book. Leave a comment telling me what is your favorite Moda precut  and I will pick a winner at random, Thursday evening. I will post the winner here Friday morning.

Be sure and stop by all the people participating in the blog hop, listed below

14 Aug Sedef – Down Grapevine Lane

15 Aug Jemima – Tied with a Ribbon

16 Aug Samantha – Aqua Paisley Studio

17 Aug Andy – A Bright Corner

18 Aug Kirsty – Bonjour Quilts

19 Aug Lisa – A Spoonful of Sugar Designs

20 Aug Alison – Cotton Factory

21 Aug Carrie – Moda Fabrics

22 Aug Nadra – Ellis and Higgs

23 Aug Angie – Gnome Angel

24 Aug Tara – Tara Sews

25 Aug Jules – The Creative Retreat

26 Aug Kristyne – Pretty by Hand

27 Aug Kimberly – Fat Quarter Shop

28 Aug Lissa – Moda Lissa

29 Aug Amy – Diary of a Quilter

30 Aug Kerry – Kid Giddy & Cat – Hello from Cat on Instagram

31 Aug Jane – Modern Makers Retreat

1 Sept Kate – Never Enough Hours

2 Sept Jodie – Vintage Ric Rac

3 Sept Sharon – Patches Indooroopilly (in store & online!)

4 Sept Amanda – Material Girl Quilts

5 Sept Amber – A Little Bit Biased

6 Sept Xanthe – Wife Made

7 Sept Rachel – Family Ever After

8 Sept Jenny – Martingale

9 Sept Amy – Nana Company

10 Sept Peta – She Quilts A Lot

 Karen McMahon, You are the winner of A Piece of Cake book. I have sent you an email and will get the book to you ASAP.

My drawing is CLOSED but keep following along the remaining people on the hop.

-modalissa

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Texas Roadtrip QAL- Hill County

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You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!

– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf


You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!

– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf

Welcome to your next to the last stop on the Texas Roadtrip QAL. 
By now you have many of the highlights around the state and discovered many of the gems that give Texans our bragging rights. 
I was born in Kansas but as the ol’ saying goes….
 I got to Texas as fast I could. 
Really it was my mom and dad that came to Texas as soon as they could since I was only 5 years old and couldn’t drive when my family moved to Texas. We started out in Lubbock and eventually moved to Dallas when I was 8.
Both my mother and father were native Texans so when I was told about this project I knew I wanted to play along. Making the blocks and reading about many of the parts of the state have brought back many memories of family reunions, road trips, and various adventures along the way. Enough about my families antics. You can read about my roadtrip down memory lane August 17th when I post the final quilt project and link up for prizes.
So today you are here to learn a little about the Texas Hill Country.
The area that defines the Hill Country varies depending on who you ask. It does however cover 25 different counties from as far north as  West Austin and south all the way to Bandera and into San Antonio. Bandera, Texas is the Cowboy Capital of Texas. The town still has hitching posts outside many of the  stores because it is not uncommon to ride your horse into town. Bandera also has as many honky tonks as it does churches. SIDE NOTE- This weekend, July 26th is the National Day of the American Cowboy. If you happen to visit Bandera, be sure and stop at the O.S.T Restaurant and enjoy your meal in the John Wayne room.  I seriously have done this! I won’t share about the Honky Tonks we visited during the family reunion. Yes, Bandera also has a quilt store, Gone Quiltin’.


Everything is bigger in Texas except for maybe our hills, so to have an area of the state know for the  hills, granite rocks and native brush tells you we are pretty proud. So if you visit, please no comments on the size of our hills. I could go on and on and tell you about the quaint downtown streets, the antique shopping, the mega outlet malls, the inter tube rides down the river but there is not enough time. You will just have to experience the charm for your self.

Any road trip is sure to include a few stops along the way at any and all quilt shops. So I will list just a few.
You won’t want to miss Creations in Kerrville, Texas.

Julie and Kathy
They won’t mind that I borrowed this pic from their website.

Kathy and Julie are precious and have owned this shop for over 34 years so you know they are doing things right.

Another must stop is the Quilt Haus- New Braunfels
Memories by the Yard- San Antonio, Texas
Honey Bee- Austin
Las Colchas – San Antonio
Uptown Blanco Textile Studio ( I haven’t actually been to this one but I will on my next roadtrip.)

There are as many quilts shops as their are longhorns so I also wanted to include a few links that are state wide quilting events. Be sure and check them out.
http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/texas-row-by-row-experience.htm
http://www.quiltacrosstexas.com/

The fun part of this project was we were all making the quilt step by step as the blocks were posted on the QAL. We didn’t have each others quilt blocks in advance. Since I am one of the last to post, I thought I could do a HILL block to represent the hill country but that was too predictable. I choose to do a Bed and Breakfast block. 

 This area has such great memories for me because many many years ago I was a young stay at home mom. I was making and peddling my wares at various arts and craft shows. This was way before e-bay, etsy and all the other wonderful ways to be able to sell handmade items that they have now.
The Country Peddler show was coming to Fredrickburg, Texas and this was the big time kind of show. I had no idea what I was in for.  My husband told me about a gal that he had met coaching the boys t-ball team. He said, “I think the two of you would really hit it off.” 
I invited her to come with me for the weekend and to help me out at this show. There wasn’t a single hotel room in town available so we found a charming little bed and breakfast to stay in. The house was on the back side of an existing home so finding it in the dark was an adventure all by itself. We were expecting two rooms as the Inn Keeper described on the phone. When we arrived there was one bedroom, one bath, a few steps along with a small door and a tiny keyhole. Once we opened door there was the most charming small bed inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Charming is all I can say about the decorations and attention to detail. We had a wonderful weekend and like my husband said, we did hit it off and have been best friends for over 25 years.
So when visiting the Texas Hill Country please visit the bed and breakfasts so you can truly experience all the hospitality and charm this area of Texas has to offer.

BED and BREAKFAST QUILT BLOCK

Small Alice in Wonderland house

Here is a link to download the instructions.

 If you have missed out on any of the blocks and want to also win some prizes here are the complete details.

The schedule for the QAL is as follows:
June 2 – Dallas – Ashley at Urban Spools
June 5 – Tyler – Colleen guest blogger at Pretty Little Quilts
June 12 – Fort Worth – Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio
June 16 – Amarillo – Aoife at thREDhead
June 19 – Lubbock – Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish
June 23 – El Paso – Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts
June 26 – Midland/Odessa – Donna at Donna’s Lavender Nest
June 30 – Big Bend – Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts
July 7 – Houston – Teresa at Third Floor Quilts
July 10 – Beaumont – Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork
July 14 – Austin – Amanda at What the Bobbin
July 17 – College Station – Hilary at Young Texan Mama
July 21 – San Antonio – Ellyn at Ellyn’s Place
July 24 – Hill Country – Lissa at Moda Fabrics
July 28 – Rio Grande Valley – Melissa at My Fabric Relish

Melissa and Cristina have arranged some fabulous sponsors:

Donna’s Lavender Nest
Fat Quarter Shop
Urban Spools
Fort Worth Fabric Studio
Lily Rose Quilts
Moda


You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!

– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf

The schedule for the QAL is as follows:
June 2 – Dallas – Ashley at Urban Spools
June 5 – Tyler – Colleen guest blogger at Pretty Little Quilts
June 12 – Fort Worth – Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio
June 16 – Amarillo – Aoife at thREDhead
June 19 – Lubbock – Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish
June 23 – El Paso – Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts
June 26 – Midland/Odessa – Donna at Donna’s Lavender Nest
June 30 – Big Bend – Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts
July 7 – Houston – Teresa at Third Floor Quilts
July 10 – Beaumont – Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork
July 14 – Austin – Amanda at What the Bobbin
July 17 – College Station – Hilary at Young Texan Mama
July 21 – San Antonio – Ellyn at Ellyn’s Place
July 24 – Hill Country – Lissa at Moda Fabrics
July 28 – Rio Grande Valley – Melissa at My Fabric Relish

Melissa and Cristina have arranged some fabulous sponsors:

Donna’s Lavender Nest
Fat Quarter Shop
Urban Spools
Fort Worth Fabric Studio
Lily Rose Quilts
Moda


You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!

– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf

 June 1 – Quadrant 1 pattern post – Download

June 2 – Dallas – Ashley at Urban Spools

June 5 – Tyler – Colleen guest blogger at Pretty Little Quilts

June 12 – Fort Worth – Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

June 15 – Quadrant 2 pattern post – Download

June 16 – Amarillo – Aoife at thREDhead

June 19 – Lubbock – Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish

June 22 – Quadrant 3 pattern post – Download

June 23 – El Paso – Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts

June 26 – Midland/Odessa – Donna at Donna’s Lavender Nest

June 30 – Big Bend – Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts

July 6 – Quadrant 4 pattern post – Download

July 7 – Houston – Teresa at Third Floor Quilts

July 10 – Beaumont – Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork

July 14 – Austin – Amanda at What the Bobbin

July 17 – College Station – Hilary at Young Texan Mama

July 21 – San Antonio – Ellyn at Ellyn’s Place

July 24 – Hill Country – Lissa at ModaLissa

July 28 – Rio Grande Valley – Melissa at My Fabric Relish

August 17th- final Link up and givewaways from Fat Quarter Shop, Fort Worth Fabric Studio, Urban Spools, Donna’s Lavender Nest, and Lily Rose Quilts,and last but not least Aurifil.

Texas Roadtrip QAL
 
Thank you to Melissa and Christina for organizing such a wonderful project. Thank you to Kay for being my best friend for all this time.

-modalissa

Nested Churn Dash Quiltalong

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I am sure you have seen this quilt all over the Internet by now.
 A very talented and uber creative Jane Davidson of QuiltJane has started this quilt along and today is my day to post my version of this quilt. 
First I have to tell you a little story. Jane participated in my Low Volume Burgoyne Surrounded #APQquiltalong project.
Quilt Jane’s version
Tone it down main quilt photo
Here is my version
 The Fabric and value placement that Jane used in her quilt creating an entirely new design. The quilt is not even recognizable as the traditional Burgoyne Surrounded pattern.
So when it came time to make my version of Jane’s Nested Churn Dash, I thought I would get all artsy fartsy and make the fabrics start as a pinwheel in the middle and spiral out to the edge. I was going to shade each piece as if you were looking into the eye of a tornado. 
I was going to ….. was the tricky part of that plan. Didn’t happen!
  
Instead I opted for Positive Negative. 
I am really into that right now.
Everywhere there was a light I used dark instead and to keep the design simple I used Bella Snow in place of the prints in the design.
Now let me tell you this did get a little tricky because I was actually sewing backwards from what the pattern said and what my mind knew of the design. I loved how one single block came out.
That is all Jane asked us to do, one single 24″ block to make a mini quilt.
But, of course I saw that Miss Rosie was making a big quilt and Jane had done that super duper quilt for the #APQquiltalong. I couldn’t just stop at one block. I am a little competitive like that.
For the big version, I made every other block positive backgrounds and the other negative backgrounds. Confusing?
In cutting the fabric pieces the only thing that changed was what I used for the center square, so this was actually quite easy once I got the hang of it.
Here are the pieces for one of the 4″ blocks.
Here is a different block design. I just rotated the bar sections.
Now I have flipped the half square triangle sections.
Then by swapping out the center square, I have a negative version of my first block.
It really was fun playing with the simple possibilities to achieve a few different block designs.
If you are making this quilt, Jane has given all kinds of options to make your 
half square triangles, in this post.
I wanted to show you one more.
 Forgive me, because it is really hard to tell from a single picture what exactly this ruler does. It is called Bloc_Loc. It comes in a variety of sizes. I just happen to own the 2 1/2″ and the 4 1/2″ ones which is exactly what I needed to make this quilt.
The center of the ruler has an  1/4″ indentation. The ruler slides right up to the seam allowance and locks in place. This ruler only works if you press your seam to one side.
Here is a video that explains how cool this is. 
Once you square up the blocks you will have this cute little pile of scraps.
I love the 4″ blocks all by themselves as well.            
Just to update you on the list of blogger’s participating. Check them out.
June 10th – Kim Niedzwiecki – http://www.gogokim.blogspot.com.au
June 11th – Pat Sloan – http://www.blog.patsloan.com
June 12th – Lissa Alexander – http://www.modalissa.blogspot.com
June 13th – FatQuarterShop – http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com.au
June 16th – Frances Newcombe – http://www.bellybuttonsboutique.blogspot.com
June 18th – Sherri McConnell – http://www.aquiltinglife.com
June 19th – Sara Lawson – http://www.sewsweetness.com
June 20th – Amy Smart – http://www.diaryofaquilter.com
June 21st – Katy Jones – http://www.imagingermonkey.blogspot.com
Be sure and post your pictures to the  Flickr Group to win some beautiful Aurifil thread packs and other great prizes. 
Use #NestedChurnDash on IG, FB, Flickr and twitter. Winners will be announced 30th July 2014.
 Can’t wait to see your version of this quilt.

charm pack cherry

7 Comments
sorry for blurry picture on a windy day

 I love love love this new fabric from Me and My Sister. I don’t know why I love it but I just do. Maybe because it was so different for them. Is it retro, is it modern? Some of the prints look like vintage sheets, some are graphic, but each of the prints are down right adorable. I knew I wanted to play with these fabrics but had to no idea what to make. So when the Charm Pack Cherry project came along, I took it as my challenge. I have a niece that is studying graphic design at Texas Tech University, so I thought this would be a prefect quilt for me to make for her. Their school colors and red and black. Of course having a deadline did not hurt either, so here are the details.

 Download your copy of the Charm Pack Cherry pattern, here.
All it takes is 2 print charm packs and 2 solids to make this fun project.

I decided to make my version as a picnic blanket or a throw that my niece can keep bundled up in the car. I used flannel instead of batting.Windy windy day!

 I did some straight line quilting with Aurifil wool thread. This thread works great on my machine. All I had to do was use a size a top-stitching needle. I love the simple added texture the thicker thread gives to this project.

How I thought of picnic I knew that I had to use big jumbo ric rac instead of binding.
Here is the video showing how quick and easy this project is to put together.

No matter how you lay out the charms the project turns out different each time. It is like one of those slice and dice type projects.That is what makes the project so interesting.
by the way, the fabric line is Weeds and it will be in stores in May.

enjoy,
-modalissa

Hey Girl

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After hours and hours of quilt market,
sometimes you have to decompress
 by having a little fun.
Who better to have that fun with, 
other than Alex Veronelli of Aurifil Threads.

(HeyGirl-ed By: Pat Sloan)

(HeyGirl-ed By: Sarah Castaneda aka SarahSaysSew)

As with any good simple fun idea,
it quickly turns into a firestorm of actives
and maybe even a few challenges and
 prizes thrown
 in along the way.
Pay close attention to the following
people that are starting
this almost cult movement of
#aurigirls

Sarah Castaneda aka SarahSaysSew
Pat Sloan
Kim Niedzwiecki of My Go-Go Life
and me.

Check out the Moda, Cutting Table to read more.
 

Keep watch. More photos to come. 
#aurigirl  #aurilove

Have you tried Aurifil?