Garden Path Pillow

Often I have many projects in the works. Ones I make to share, patterns I have for sale, projects for a booth display, and designs slated for a magazine. It's the magazine features that kill me because I have to keep them a secret until they are published. It's alway exciting when an issue comes out with my project in it so I can finally share it with you! 

The April/May 2016 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts is now on the newsstands and features my Garden Path pillow.

This modern pillow design is made using my Sketchbook fabrics and Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements. Perfect for adding a fresh new look to your home (or patio) the Garden Path pillow will be a fun addition to your home. 

The staff at McCall's liked this pillow design so much they put together a free Garden Path Baby Quilt for you. Find the free pattern here.

Free Garden Path baby quilt from McCall's Quick Quilts

What a cute idea, right?!? This makes a perfect, uni-sex baby quilt and has nice open space to show off some pretty quilting. 

I am affiliated with FW Media Craft of Quilting and you may be interested to find kits for several of the projects I have had featured in McCall's and other FW Media magazines like Calliope featured in Modern Patchwork Winter 2016 issue which is also made from Sketchbook fabrics and Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements and blenders. 

Shop Kits at Craft of Quilting

Past Present and Future

Past

Most of us are saying the same thing "Where did the year go?" The nice thing about a blog is I have a diary of sorts to show what I've accomplished throughout the year. "Time flies when you're having fun" couldn't be more true as I look back on the posts I've made this year. Now, I know why the 2015 fly by so fast!

Present

Modern Patchwork is a wonderful publication that's consistently loaded with beautiful quilt and patchwork projects. The Winter 2016 issue of Modern Patchwork hits the newsstands 12/22/15 and features my Calliope quilt made from Sketchbook fabrics and Pure Element fabrics both from Art Gallery Fabrics. Peek into the issue here and see some of the amazing projects! Check out the gorgeous quilts by Catherine Redford, Pat Bravo, and AGF Studio that also use Art Gallery Fabrics prints, solids, and blenders. 

Calliope by Sharon Holland made with Sketchbook fabrics

Winter 2016 Modern Patchwork

Future

I'm not one to publicly declare my goals and have been only mildly successful completely any New Year's resolutions. I think I always aim too high and because of that have conditioned myself to be satisfied with reaching a fraction of the original goal. Even a fraction of the resolution is still more than I was doing before!

Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl is hostlng a 2016 Quilting/Blogging Planning and Giveaway posting on her blog. Yvonne outlines her goals as a quilter and blogger and has a very realistic plan for reaching short term and long term goals for her personal and professional crafting life. Other bloggers will be linking up to the hop to share their goals and planning strategies for the new year. I highly suggest you check out this post and her site. She's a phenomenal quilt designer with wonderful tutorials and exciting quilts and style. 

To encourage your planning for 2016, Stephanie Palmer of Late Night Quilter and Yvonne from Quilting Jet Girl have teamed up to offer an exciting giveaway for the planning blog. Both bloggers have designed and published planner calendars. See Quiltling Jet Girl blog post for more details on how to enter the giveaway for these fun planners!

The Quilter's Planner by Stephanie Palmer at Late Night Quilter

2016 Weekly Photo Calendar by Yvonne Fuchs at Quilting Jet Girl

So, what are my goals, dreams, and plans for 2016? I know better than to make a specific list for myself. I am never at loss for things to do and my normal mode is to create and make every day as productive as I can. By default, I will have a productive year. But, how do I make that push to do more or add new goals?

Do Less to Do More

I do have goals and ideas flitting around in my head and aspirations of 2016 being a year of new heights for my career. My true joy is in designing--surface design, to be specific. If I cannot find the time to add more into my busy day then I will need to cut out what's less important and focus on what has the most impact for my efforts. 

Cutting out unnecessary commitments and ineffective distractions will leave me more time to work on developing new directions for my crafts and career. My intentions are to rekindle my arts and design background and merge my surface design style with original artwork. My goal is to start a side business of limited edition products created by hand to showcase my pattern design. There, I said it outloud. Now, there's a lot to do between writing it here and it becoming a reality--but it's a start!

Don't worry, I still plan to design new textiles. My spring collection is in the works (and fabulous, BTW), I have new quilt designs to come, and much will remain the same as you have come to love about my style as a designer. The time to reach a little further has come and I am ready to stretch myself and grow in 2016. What are your goals and dreams?

October Review

October was such a busy month! In the previous blog post, I shared images of my Fall 2015 Quilt Market booth showcasing my newest fabric Coastline for Art Gallery Fabrics.  The fall show is always held in Houston, TX during October. Visit the AGF Blog to see more images and videos from the show.

Photos courtesy of Art Gallery Fabrics

Last month two quilting and sewing publications hit the newsstands with Sketchbook fabric projects. I love seeing the projects in print and finally being able to share them with you.

2015-1016 International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene magazine

It's an honor to be included in the Quilt Scene magazine. This issue is a feast for the eyes with amazing art quilts, luscious fabrics, and designs. My project is definitely the easiest one in the magazine but is a great project if you're looking for a quick gift idea for your favorite artist. 

Use a store-bought dish towel and turn it into a work apron. Use your favorite scrap prints to customize the look. I love how Quilt Scene photographed this for the magazine. 

Winter 2015 Stitch magazine

This beautiful issue of Stitch magazine is their final issue. After seven years the magazine will no longer be printed. I had always wanted to have a project in this magazine. One of my most favorite quilts was made for my Sketchbook fabrics Spring 2015 Quilt Market booth. Kilim Quilt was inspired by kilim rugs and was so much fun to create. 

Last up for the October Review it's time to revisit October's Sharon Holland Nature Study photos. I have given myself a personal challenge to photograph a flat lay image each week for a year. The parameters I set for myself is the contents of the photo must be of natural origins. So far, I have also included a color mood for the photo as a way to further categorize and connect the objects.

Sharon Holland Nature Study no. 12

Sharon Holland Nature Study no. 13

Sharon Holland Nature Study no. 14

Sharon Holland Nature Study no. 15

Sharon Holland Nature Study no. 16

Fall 2015 Quilt Market Recap

Just eight days ago I was flying to Houston and getting my booth set up. Months of planning, sewing, and anticipation are now over. I am so happy with how everything turned out as well as the chance to meet many of my social media friends in person. 

Coastline is my third fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. This nautical-inspired textile line will be available in quilt shops and online in January 2016--just in time for spring sewing!

As part of the Art Gallery Fabrics large booth, I had a 12 foot long wall so I could display quilts and projects made with my fabrics. 

The quilt above the table is called "Cross Sea" and is designed, made, and quilted by me. The 72" square quilt and is very easy to make. Once this fabric line is available in January, Art Gallery Fabrics will have the instructions posted for this quilt on their free pattern page. 

Here I am on Friday (set up day) before the show. We just finished putting the booth together and I am standing in front of my painted seascape mural and my handmade sign.

I did a painterly loose brushstroke mural onto a painter's drop cloth. Not having the mural rigid or on traditional stretched canvas allowed me to roll it like a rug and ship it to Houston.

The sign I made is a hollow foam core board base covered with homemade paper mache clay. Once the paper mache clay was dry I painted it to look like driftwood. The lettering for Coastline is made from mod podged and painted clothesline. The logo rectangles are foam core board covered with Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Element solid fabrics then glued in place. My name is cut out using a Silhouette Cameo cutter. I used their thin chipboard and glued 10 layers of cutout letters together to get that amount of relief. 

The most exciting part of going to Market is getting to spend time with other designers, shop owners, and bloggers. Art Gallery Fabrics designers pictured from left to right: Maureen Cracknell, Bari J., Pat Bravo, Amy Sinibaldi, and Sharon Holland.

My decorator Shorebird will appear in an upcoming Quilt Mania magazine. I had some fun with mixed media crafts and sewing this time!

Home decor weight canvas is now available in selected prints from each AGF fabric collection. Sandbar Lagoon is the canvas print for Coastline. I made a rug from the canvas as well as the thongs on the sandals. When the Coastline LookBook comes out sometime in January I will have instructions for how to make a canvas rug and post it here on the blog.

Art Gallery Fabrics knits are so soft and luxurious to wear. Pictured below are items made with prints from my Coastline collection. 

If you want to see more of what goes on at Market and see the displays in the other Art Gallery Fabrics boothes, follow the AGF blog to see videos and more Market recaps.