Blogger's Quilt Festival: Christmas Forest

It's that time of year we come to blog on Fresh Poppy Design again! :)  Our intentions are good but with all we do on Quilt Story we find little extra time to work on our home design and decor, let alone post about it!!  Hopefully you can bare with us and enjoy our posts from time to time :)

When I saw Moda's new line from Kate Spain, Joy, I was so excited!! I was feeling Christmas in May that's for sure!  The colors are fabulous and still Christmas, I love how she works the aqua in.  I can rarely turn down a blue/green combo anyway :)  When I got the collection a pattern started flowing into my head immediately!

A simple strip quilt paired with modern trees.  I really am loving the finish!

Check out those zig zag's and snowflake prints...and the green tree print...fabulous.  A great mix of modern and tradition, a lot like what I tried to incorporate in the pattern.

Christmas Forest is one of our latest pattern finishes that can be found in our shop.

Here are all of the patterns we've released so far this year, also available in our shop.

And I've got another quilt to share in this festival! :)  Head over to Quilt Story to see a little more about Kenna's Blooms.

Thanks to Amy for the fabulous event she puts together twice a year!!  Head on over, link up your own quilt and check out some amazing finishes!  Thanks for stopping by!! :)

-Heather

The 4 Year Old Quilt

Hi!  Welcome if you're visiting!  A quick little intro, my sister and I design quilt patterns and a little over a year ago we started Quilt Story.  Since then we don't blog as much as we want to here :(  But please stay, look around and then head over and see us at Quilt Story!

I decided I wanted to make quilts for my boys this year for their birthdays.  My Sawyer turned four on June 20th, so on my birthday May 24th I started his quilt!  At that time it was the fastest I finished a quilt until this quilt just recently.  I got Dino Dudes from Michael Miller at Natasha's Shop Skye Reve and knew this would be the perfect prints for a little guy.  I am so in love with color lately, I couldn't wait to get going.

It's square and the perfect size for a kid.  (I don't have the exact measurement in front of me and he's currently sleeping and snuggled in it!  But it's somewhere around 48" x 48")  When he opened it he said, "Oh, it's just a blanket."  But later he had more enthusiasm for me :)

It's a really simple and great pattern that we'll be adding to our shop in a couple of weeks.  If you'd like us to notify you when it's available let us know in the comments or email us at myquiltstory@gmail.com

I decided to do a focus square in the middle.  Those dinos are just too cute!  Plus I love fabrics that lend to fussy cutting.

I just did simple straight line quilting.

Sawyer picked out the backing.  I showed him a few minky fabrics that coordinated with the quilt top (he hadn't seen it) and asked him which his favorite was.  He chose red! I was really surprised, I don't do red a lot and I never do red for my boys ie clothes, decor, etc..  I am so much more of a blue/green girl.  But I am really happy that he took me out of my comfort zone!  (And I washed it probably ten times with white fabric swatches to be positive it wouldn't bleed.)

I don't have a full shot of the backing on this, totally spaced it.  I did get some snapshots though.  Through the center of the red minky on the back are more squares, then his name appliqued and a heartfelt quilt tag. I did a tutorial on the embroidered quilt label HERE.

\I went with orange dots for binding, I thought it fit in the colors but didn't stand out too much.

I just love this local park where I did the photo shoot.  I'm in Arizona so I get these lovely palm trees for my background.  This palm tree had the perfect notch to hang my quilt from. I think I'll be taking my next quilt here too!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll head over to Quilt Story and see our other quilt there, here's a little peak:

And thanks so much to Amy for hosting the festival!  You're the best! 

Megan's Quilt Finish

Hi to everyone new who may be visiting our blog...welcome and take a look around! :) Friday is a few short hours away and it's the start of Blogger's Quilt Festival from Amy's Creative Side. My sister Heather and I have been anxiously awaiting this event for a while and we hope you like our quilts!

A while back I purchased some of Joel Dewberry's fabric line Deer Valley. I wanted to re-do my bedroom in aqua's and gray's with a little bit of orange in there. It took me a long time to decide what kind of quilt I wanted for the end of my bed...so I used some traditional piecing and a modern layout, and I present my quilt

And my pieced back (I just can't resist piecing the backs these days!)

Scrappy binding just fit perfect with this quilt and all the colors.

A closer look at the blocks.

Do you remember my not-so-ready-for-a-reveal bedroom post?

Well I had a list of things I still had left to do.

Among them, a cute pieced blanket for the end of my bed :)

And I've decided to sell this quilt pattern!

For the next week starting NOW thru Thursday November 4th Heather and I are putting all of our patterns on SALE.

That's right.

click on the image to head straight to our shop!

You don't have to read that twice, buy one get one FREE.

Okay you can read it again, it's a cute image afterall.

So please head on over to our Etsy shop and take a look around.

While you're at it, you can pre-order Gaggle of Geese!

Just sayin'.

Don't forget to see my sister Heather's quilt finish!

Quilt finished! Hooray!

The pretty purple quilt is finished! That was a quick quilt for me. I am proud :)

If you want more pics and details...go check me out at QUILTSTORY today...

A Gaggle of Geese

I'm getting closer....

Progress is being made for my quilt to go on the end of my bed.  I think I have as many flying geese as I need, eek! Now I just need to figure out my blocks and then the tough part...the layout, and more blocks, and whatnot.

Spoiler: Boring quilt talk 

Before I asked what kind of block everyone thought I should do.  And I'm a brat, because I went against what was suggested...I just had Dutchman's Puzzle in my head so long I couldn't see it otherwise.  I have been using this method mostly, it creates four geese at once and wastes no fabric and is sooo fast!  But for pieces that are not large enough I've been using this method.

I had decided I wanted brighter flying geese on the inner part of the block and lighter on the outside (layout #2).  I also decided to try doing each block by color (layout #1).

So there is an OBVIOUS winner right???  Layout #1 it is.

On to more exciting things....

2 features for us today!

Have you been to Life in the Fun Lane?  Who am I kidding, of course you have!

Okay, if it's slipped through you must go there if you are considering refinishing furniture.  Absolutely inspiring.

Today she's featuring my new tv console! :)

And another cute blog, Gen X Quilters is doing a little spotlight on me today.  Fun!

And I do use the phrase "scrumptious Panamanian" so you may have to go read that.

Thanks ladies!

PS HAVE YOU SEEN THE YOUNG VICTORIA?

I have to use movies to give myself a little motivation for working out. 

The last two days was The Young Victoria.

Loved it.

Wanted to watch it again.

And maybe one more time.

I ran into the office just to tell my husband about it.

So..you should see it too.

Guess what's a little embarrassing about this?  Heather and I are half Brits right?  Half English to be exact.  I've been to England three times.  I've done all the touristy things a couple of times.  Growing up my mom had a really posh coffee table book that was titled something like The Kings and Queens of England.

I didn't remember the story.

At all.

She is the longest reigning sovereign of England.

Don't tell my dad.

Phew.  I don't think I have rambled so much or linked as much in a post.

Giveaway Winner, and Girly MOD TWEET quilt top!!!

Okay, lets start with the girly quilt top that I am SUPER happy with. I kept trying to envision the finished quilt top and I wasn't totally happy with what my brain produced. But the real thing turned out FAB if I do say so myself! Seriously I am in love with this quilt and the fabrics.  So this is definitely a girl or boy pattern...

I love all the bright colors. These are all mainly from Amy Butler's Love collection.  The aqua and green really pop.

Added a wing this time. (It is in the pattern too)

Now I am not being dramatic here. But this may be ruined!

I am going to attempt to machine quilt this myself...

I got a nice sewing machine for Mother's Day and I have been playing around with the freemotion quilting. I am ready to give it a try on a real quilt...scary!

I will start, and if it is going bad I always have a seam ripper handy. Doesn't that sound fun?

Any advice from anyone?

Okay, on to the winners of the patterns...

SY, MERI DRAKE, K. DAVIS, CARLA, and DESERAE... email me your addresses and I will send you all out your patterns.

Thanks for all the nice comments from everyone.

And Peeps, we are just a few people away, please get us to 300 followers??? Pretty please??? Megan and I get really pathetically excited when we have such milestones :)

GivEaWaY and a new modern boy quilt pattern!

   This is a story of Little Baby Brother Buddy Dude.  Seriously, do you love him? Do you want to bite his cheeks?  From the very bottom of my heart I really didn't think I was missing anything by not having a son. My four daughters filled my heart. I thought a boy would just be for my husband. I knew I would love one, but absolutely did not know how much I would adore him!

He came into our lives 1 year ago. He reminds me of Big Baby on toy story. He is giant. 98% height. Super bald. And pure perfection! Finally getting a boy meant tons of new decorating options...which brings me to this quilt...

I named this quilt "Mod Tweet",  sort of the modern "Sweet Tweet". (My original pattern that has been very good for our little business...)  Anyhow, when I thought to decorate a boys room I didn't want to do the blue and brown thing. I feel like I have done that, and I wanted to different than what was being done in most boy nursery's. So I thought and thought and finally came up with gray and aqua. I LOVE how this quilt turned out. Within a month I will be posting this guys nursery and it is darling!

Plus, check the minky backing. Have you seen anything so magnificent? L-O-V-E !

I went back and forth about making it a pattern or keeping it original for my baby. In the end I sold him out for a little extra cash...(that is the kind of person I am...)  So here you have it...

If you buy this pattern, just think of Big Baby Brother Little Baby Buddy Dude. Please. Click here if you are interested in purchasing this pattern.

Last but not least. We are giving this pattern away to 5 different commenters here and on QuiltStory.

* Leave a comment and tell us which is your favorite pattern of ours, 1 entry.

* Become a follower or subscribe, 3 entries. 

(Just tell us in a new comment if you are already a follower/subscriber) 

* Hop on over to QuiltStory and repeat, 4 entries.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Oh and YES, we are linking up to some fabulous parties, so make sure to check them out too!

FP Sisters v. Lake

I had a fabulous 4th of July weekend, mostly because I was reunited with (only one) of my sisters!!  Heather and I (Megan) got to meet up at Lake Powell in Arizona.  I just moved 1000+ miles and I am so much closer to my whole family now.  Plus I live in a city that has a Target.  Fab.

Heather insisted that she and I were first to go tubing.  Bring it.

Fresh Poppy Sisters 0, Lake Powell 1.

Can you tell which ones are siblings? ;)

The adorable bronze boys are mine, and the gaggle of girls and Big Baby are Heather's.  And I got to meet her baby for the first time!  Darling Mr. Weston.  Twas a pleasure.

Enough of the sentimental crap.  I've been itching to craft, quilt, sew, create, photoshop...and I am just holding myself back...trying to be responsible or something like that and get settled in my new place.  Instead I find myself folding laundry and organizing new cupboards while watching Forensic Files at 10 o'clock.  Boo.  Well that's all gonna stop because I got new quilt fabric.

Actually I have fabric for THREE quilts that are all in my head, 2 original patterns too. I might explode if I can't do some of this stuff soon!!  So while H and I met up I got scraps from her latest quilt and it completed my set. 

(By the way, you are all going to be barfing of cuteness all over the place when you see her new bird pattern.  It is being printed now!!)

Remember when I posted the half finished bedroom?  Well this is going to be my throw quilt for the bottom of our bed.

Lately I decided I really want to make a traditional block quilt using a modern layout and fabrics.  I've narrowed down my block choices, wanna help me decide? 

I found this cute quilt blog called Modify Tradition (is she reading my diary?  This is exactly what I want in my new quilt!) and  she has some great block tutorials.  Here it goes:

Forest Path OR Starflower OR Dutchman's Puzzle 
Remember I'm using the fabrics above with a white background.

Which is your favorite??
PS I'll probably link this bad boy up to some parties, so follow our tab above and join the fun!  And we are featuring a new quilt first thing tomorrow morning on QuiltStory, don't forget to stop by!

I finished! Quilt top...

I finished the quilt top. I took my little fifteen minute breaks I talked about here and they added up to this. Now I did have to stay up late 2 evenings to focus on it for a couple hours and finishing up. I can't just leave my pieces out on the floor overnight due to the tiny humans walking around my house...but here you have it.

I hade to remake a couple pink blocks due to the lack on contrast between the sashing. And I ended up getting that burnt orange post fabric because what I had picked out originally would definitely have not worked because they were purple.  But I am super happy with how it all turned out.

I have it off to my fabulous aunt to do the machine quilting. She does such a good job, and she gives me a discount. :) thanks Wendy. And everything she does is custom. If you want her email, contact us.

Plus my purdy roses were in bloom and it was the perfect backdrop for the quilt top.

So I should be getting it back soon and I will post the final project.

linking at amylouwho