Whimsicals Threads

It is finished!

Whew.

I finally got the new book and pattern sent off the to the printer and approved for printing.  What a big relief.  That would explain my recent silence.  At least the silence of the last few weeks.  The time before that, I really have no excuse except to say that sometimes I get so immersed in the process of designing and laying out a book that I think I could be considered a hermit. 

So, I've come out of hiding and am ready to show you some of the things I've been working on. 

First off, here's a sampling of the new fabric line, called Tangled Threads.  It will be shown at Quilt Market this week with the expected ship date to the shops sometime in August or September.

If I had more time, I would show one project a day, but because I still have to get my booth planned for Quilt Market and we leave in 2 days (yikes!), I think I'll have to double (or triple) them up. 

Oh, and make sure you read all the way to the bottom.  There's something important you might want to know.....

So, are you ready??

This is the cover of the book........

Drum roll please.........

I had a lot of fun with this little girl.  I've named her Ella, just because she looks like one to me.  I cut her out of a larger quilt that is in the book.  I called this one Tangled Threads, simply because most of the fabric I used was from my new fabric line called Tangled Threads  (have I ever said how hard it is to come up with names for all these things?!)

Because the fabric and book were both kind of a sewing theme, I had to include a few projects that went along with it.  So, this is my Sewing Basket and my Thread Basket.

 

I originally shared this hat in a February posting, but had so many people ask about the pattern, I decided to include it in this book. (And on a side note, just so you know, this is not the picture in the book.  For the book, I cut the hats out so that I didn't have to put my face in there.....)

I love these hats.  Actually, I think I've made a total of 6 or 7 different ones to take with me.  One is made out of felted wool and the rest are made out of batiks.  But I think what makes them so fun is the big fabric flower that's on the band.  Did you see that I put a flower on one of the sewing baskets too?  Yep, the instructions are in the book for those too.

And the final one for today is one that I called Among the Stars.  You've seen the block several times in my previous postings because I love the block.  And I love the quilt just as much. 

 

The LeMoyne star has always been one of my favorites, and this is just an expanded version of it.  I believe that the block is called Blazing Star.  I made the diamond points for the large stars and the border by strip piecing...... no templates....... so don't let it scare you away.  It's not as hard as it looks.  And think about it.  You only have to make 4 of the large star block, not 20!

And that's all I will show you today.  Check back tomorrow and I'll unveil the rest of the projects.

Oh yea, the important thing I wanted you to know.....

It's a Giveaway!

Because I'm so happy to finally have the book finished, I've decided that I need to give a few of them away.  From those that leave comments for me today and tomorrow (when I'll show the rest of the projects) I'll pick a couple winners who will get a free book.  How about that?  I won't be able to send it out until we get back from Quilt Market, but you'll get a free one nonetheless!

If you're going to be a Quilt Market, be sure to come by my booth.  I'd love to meet you.  Oh, and if I'm not there and you see a handsome man amidst all those lovely quilts, that would be my husband.  He'll know where to find me.  He always does.

Enough of the silence...

I feel the need to apologize.  I've been silent for way too long.

It always gets like this right before Quilt Market.....

I get my new fabric line, then hide away in my little room, ignore the world around me, and work like a dog to get all the projects made and a book done in time to take with me to the show the middle of May (or October, if it's the fall).  And as is always the case, I'm going to be pushing it to get it all done. 

I showed you a few little snippets of my new fabric line last month and wanted to share a little about what inspired it.  While working on a little stitchery project one day, I had this quote pop into my head...

Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!

from Marmion, Canto VI. Stanza 17. by Walter Scott

Maybe it was the mood I was in that day, but I had a good chuckle when I randomly changed a few of the words to go along with what I was doing....

And that little saying is what the new fabric line, appropriately called Tangled Threads, is based on!  So, with fabric in hand, I've been working on projects for a new book.

The new book will be called Tangled Up In Thread, and I'm hoping to have it ready to take with me when we leave for Quilt Market on May 19th, but that all depends on how many nights I can go with very little sleep..... 

But I do want to share a few teasers for the projects that will be included.  So I'll show a few today, then sporadically over the next several days (or weeks) as I get pictures taken, I'll share more.  So, are you ready?!

First of all, do you remember those cool blocks I made in February?  Yes, I actually made them into a quilt. 

 

If it looks difficult, let me tell you a little secret.... 

I strip pieced the centers of the Blazing Star block (I had several people tell me that's what it is called ---- thanks!) as well as the border, so once you get the hang of the inset seams, it's a breeze!  And come on now.  Don't we all need a little challenge every now and then?  Now, I just need to come up with a name for this one.  Any suggestions?

Here's another one.

 

I'm sure you can tell that I used my new fabric with the border stripe on this one.  And didn't I tell you that I was excited to have a little "pop" of red in this line?  I love the way this one turned out.  And the way I finished it off is really fun!  Oops.  Guess you'll just have to wait for the book to see what I did....

And that's all I will share right now.  Don't want to put anyone on overload, and I have to keep you waiting for more.  You know, to build up the suspense and all.  I don't want to give it all away.  And besides, like I said, I'm not done yet, so who knows what will actually make the final cut into the book.  Things could still change.

So, I'm off to work now.  Gotta keep plugging along! 

Blog Hop ~ Day 11!

 It's kinda funny how things work out.....

You see, today's topic is Christmas quilts and how we decorate with them, or if we have a favorite one.  As I was going through my boxes of photos (yes, they are all unorganized, in multiple boxes!) I suddenly realized that I have no pictures that show any Christmas quilts!

So, I set my mind to trying to figure out how I could take some "creative" photos, or whether I could Photoshop a festive quilt onto my table, and started looking around in my boxes of quilts (yes, they too are stored unorganized in various boxes around my house).  Then I came to these boxes.  

And my brain went off on another tangent. 

Because I also had to come up with things to share my "life-in-a-bag" tonight with a group that I am part of at church.  And I knew what was in these boxes.  There was something in there that I needed, but didn't want to face. 

Yea, they may look pretty innocent, but don't let them fool you.  There's something bad in those wooden boxes.

Unfinished projects.

Lots of em. 

And that isn't the only place that I have them.

BUT, that's what I was after for my "life-in-a-bag" (and the connection would be that my life is an unfinished project.... do you get it?  That's ok if you don't because some of them didn't get it either.)

And guess what else I found?

Would you look at all those unfinished Christmas quilts?!  Huh.  Do you think maybe that's why I don't have any Christmas quilts in my photos??  Pretty sad, I know.  I have great intentions, but life keeps getting in the way of my sewing and quilting!  Especially at Christmas time!

I'm thinking that this year I need to finish at least one of these...... I just need to find the one that is closest to being done!

Seriously, though I do have several Christmas quilts that I have finished, and even though they aren't in a pretty Christmas photo setting, I'm going to share them with you anyway.  Just because they are my favorites!

You may not think of this as a Christmas quilt, but several of us in my local quilt group decided one year to do a red and green block exchange.  The rule was that each month, we made enough blocks for everyone in the group, plus ourselves.  We ended up splitting into two groups to make it a manageable number of 6 in each group, and you were either in the "murky" group or the "perky" group.  You can probably guess which group I chose!  We did this for several months, then each of us used our own ideas for setting the blocks and making a finished quilt.  I love this quilt because it has such variety in it.  I'm calling it "Have a Murky Merry Christmas".

 

Holly Baskets is another one that I love.  This is in my book "Cabin Fever" and hangs in my dining room all winter long.  Who says that poinsettias are only for Christmas?!

And no quilters' home is complete at Christmas without a quilted tree skirt, is it?  This is "Sleigh Ride" and is also in my book Cabin Fever.

And my little Charlie Brown tree gets a little wool tree skirt (this isn't really the tree I put it under; I just didn't have time to get the other one out!)  This Happy Holidays skirt is in my book Full Circle.

And the painted Merry Christmas sign at the beginning of this post also became a quilt....

 

This Merry Christmas is also painted, but I used Shiva Paintstiks on fabric.  If you've never tried working with these, you should give it a try.  It almost looks like a panel print and gives such a different look and feel than applique.  Oh, and this is also in the book Cabin Fever!

So, there you have it!  Some of my favorite Christmas quilts! 

Now, it's time to check out the project that Roseann has for you!  The pictures I've seen of her store make me wish I lived in Minnesota so that I could shop at her store!  Oooo, no, wait...... it's cold in Minnesota. 

I think Indiana is cold enough for me.  Maybe I'll just settle for visiting sometime.

Can you believe there's just today and tomorrow left of the Blog Hop?  If you haven't already, make sure you leave a comment on each designers' blog post for the day they have their free project.  You don't want to miss a chance at the Grand Prizes!