Tsuru Sampler

First up, if you're in a Reader, take a moment and click on over to the blog. I've got a new design and I'd love to know what you think! Thanks to Beth Bradford for not only coming up with a design that really fits my style, but doing all the technical work to make it appear!

I'm excited to now have links to all my social media sites. With a click you'll find me on Flickr, Instagram, and Pinterest. Google Reader is disappearing soon, so you'll also find a link to my feed on Bloglovin'. And finally a quick link to email me!

Next up, I'm excited to share my Tsuru Sampler. My very first quilt was a sampler and I always think of them as a good learning quilt. This one was no exception. Having signed up for the Quilt Design tool on Threadbias and needing a project to play around with and learn the program, I started designing several different blocks. Tsuru was sitting on my cutting table at the time and I just started playing - stitching up each block as I drew.

I had fun sewing up some blocks I had never tried before...

And challenged by some of the graphic prints in the line...

This turned out to be one of my favorite blocks...

Perfect block for this sampler ~ Birds in the Air...

And I love how these cross blocks sneak into the border...

I even tried some custom quilting designs that were definitely new to me!

One of the things I love about quilting is that there's always something new to try and something different to learn! Well, that and all the gorgeous fabric :)

Steam Punk Quilt and some updates!

So June is turning out to be a crazy, fun, busy month. Both my kids are in the process of moving this month. My son is off to a great new job in Toledo, Ohio. Can any of you Buckeyes recommend some quilt shops to see when we go and visit?

And we're enjoying hanging with this guy and his 2 sisters for the next few weeks until their new house in the DC area is ready.

My husband asked me a few weeks ago if I knew what Steampunk was. My answer was - yes, it's the name of the quilt I'm working on. "No" - he says. It's a genre, culture, style. I had no clue, so I started doing a little online research and found out the quilt pattern definitely fits the name!

My quilt is a bit less "Steampunky", but I finished the top this week and couldn't be happier with it!

I used a lot of my favorite "funky" fabrics, very few florals and a lot of geometric patterns. The sashing is Moda Bella Zen Gray and the setting triangles are a piece from "Washi", Rashida Coleman Hale's earlier line.

I thought of showing you some close-ups of my favorite blocks, but there are too many! Here are a few...

The pattern suggested a rogue block (using different fabrics for the blades and/or backgrounds). This is about as rogue as I get :)

Some Geekly Chic...

Some Glimma...

More Geekly Chic...

I also got my May Redbird Bee block completed. Linda chose this adorable appliqué design and gave us free reign as to the placement of the bird and leaves.

And finally, we Redbirds stick together. Last Friday night tornados ripped through the St Louis area. My friend and Bee buddy, Kyndra had some major damage to her home. Luckily she and her family were not injured, but her house is uninhabitable. She did save her sewing machine and fabric though! She blogs at Sewlio and has been working on her first pattern designs. She used my Sunburst pattern as inspiration for this quilt and took it in a whole new direction! I know she'd appreciate an encouraging comment from some fellow quilters!

And finally, if you've clicked over from your reader, you may have noticed that my header has disappeared. I'm not really sure why that happened, but I have Beth Bradford working on a whole new design for me! Stay tuned!!

My modern Log Cabin quilt...

Log Cabin is about as traditional as you can get! But I loved this modern version, found in Modern Designs for Classic Quilts.  I've been on a mission to use my stash and combine fabrics from many different lines, collected over the years.

Blue and green is a favorite color combination and I had lots to choose from! I like how they look combined with the gray and white.

The backing came from the stash also! I decided to simply sew strips around a center rectangle Log Cabin style.

A solid binding and quilting that alternated between wavy lines in the gray and white...

and loopy loops in the colored areas...

And now a week or two blogging break for me and some quality family time. It doesn't mean I won't be sewing! Just need to hand appliqué the remaining circles on these blocks and the sashing fabric is ordered!

Also taking some time to appreciate this time of year! Enjoy! 

. . . Cindy

WIP Wednesday...

Thanks for all the kudos on the new book. I can't wait to show you more of the projects! I forgot to mention that although it's a Christmas book, almost every pattern can be used to create quilts year-round! So it's really versatile!

So on to what I've been up to recently...

When I saw this block on Amy's blog, I fell hard for it. The pattern is called Steam Punk, and designed by Australian designer, Jen Kingwell. The pattern is pricey, so I felt I had to make a commitment to it, and I'm really glad I did. I'm loving the blocks and it's definitely something out of my comfort zone! 

There's also a template set here.

The vintage looking block is #3499 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia ~ attributed to KC Star 1938, and called Air Ship Propeller. I found a similar (and less expensive) pattern here.

I'm using some bold, dramatic prints that have been collecting in my stash. A few of my favorite blocks...

For more gorgeous Steam Punk blocks visit the Steam Punk Flickr group!

This is definitely closer to my comfort zone! It's from Camille's new book Simply Retro. I dived right in to making the quilt titled "Dwell". It was super fun and went really fast. I had a little trouble snapping pictures today with the wind. I'll get some better photos once it's quilted!

And a few of my favorite blocks...

And finally I'm quilting my Tsuru quilt. This small quilt seems like it's taking me forever, but I'm getting close to done. 

Linking up to WIP Wednesday...

. . . Cindy

Simply Modern Christmas

Guess what I did? I wrote another book!! Yup, last year at this time I was busily finishing up the 14 projects {with a little help from my friends} for this book ~ Simply Modern Christmas.

Of course, in addition to all the work, the author's heart and soul goes into every book. And this book is no exception. It's a little different than my previous books and reflects my evolution of style in quilting, but maintains the fresh, hand-made look that I love.

I can't wait to share the projects with you in the coming months. These Christmas stockings are one of my favorites!

And many of you know this quilt {it's been pinned and pinned and pinned again}. The Garden Fence quilt is fully patterned in the book in gorgeous new colors and fabrics and even has a new name.

The book comes out in early August, but is available for pre-order on amazon.com or shop Martingale where you can get a glimpse at all the projects! Lots more info to come! Thanks for visiting and sharing my happy news!!!  . . . Cindy

Hourglass in Amy Butler...

I love Amy Butler fabric. It's organic-looking, modern and always done in the most gorgeous colors. The very first modern fabric I bought many years ago was an Amy Butler. See that navy and aqua piece in the lower bottom of this picture? - that's it!

So around Christmas time last year, I took out all the Amy Butler fabrics I've collected over the years and started cutting them up to make Hourglass blocks. My Bee buddy and fellow STLMQG member, Rene, even gave me some of her scraps to round out my collection.

When I laid out my blocks, I decided to be a little daring and see how it would look with some "empty" spaces. I wasn't real sure about it, but went with the plan and I think it turned out kind of interesting!

I could be wrong, but I think I have a piece of every collection including the newest, Alchemy.

Simple straight line quilting...

And some more AB on the back...

It was a fun quilt to make! Rita at Red Pepper Quilts has a great tutorial on making the blocks. You should try it!   . . . Cindy

Lucky Stars and a winner!

First up, the winner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine is Suzanne! I've sent you an email!

I did some catching up this weekend on my paper-pieced Lucky Stars blocks...

April...

And May...

I did change up the pattern a bit by piecing the center star in one fabric instead of two. I've been hoping to use this Field Study print and wanted it to make a bigger impact. This may be my favorite block so far!

. . . Cindy