Peek-A-Boo

Peek-A-Boo

look what was hiding in my studio:

Oz by Sanae for Moda Fabrics

add a little Fig Tree and you have a happy mix!


Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

Photo Favorite

Another photo favorite

from my studio:

Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

Keeping It Real

Let's keep it real!

See this pile:

It is my pile of completed quilt tops

that are waiting for me to quilt them.

Count them: 1-2-3-4-5---6!

6 completed quilt tops from past & present

projects that are waiting for my attention.

So let's keep it real,

how many completed quilt tops do you have

that need to be quilted?

Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

Fridays With Friends : Bari J. Ackerman

Blogland is such a great way to meet

and connect with people that

you would have never known.

I thought that I would take a little time

to share some of the awesome

people that I have met through blogland.

So grab a cuppa tea and enjoy!

Today I would like to introduce you to

Bari J. (The "J" is for her middle name, Jill)

Bari wears many hats-mom, designer of patterns & fabric,

and  book author.

If you hop over to her blog,

you will see that Bari has a flare for color & pattern.

If you ask me, she does a great job of

mixing the modern with the artistic.


Her latest fabric line is called

Country Lane for Windham Fabrics.


When I saw Country Lane,

I thought "Modern Country"!

(and the red dots stole my heart)

Here are some great projects that

Bari created with her Country Lane fabric:

This stool is so adorable!

(I saw it in person at Quilt Market)

This quilt block is actually the center of

a free quilt patter that Bari

created for Windham Fabrics.

You can find the pattern here.

_____________________________________

I was able to sit down and ask Bari

a few questions about herself.

Here is what she had to say:

Tell us about yourself and how you got

started in the industry.

It was a long path, but looking back, it all makes sense. And now I think that I am doing what I was meant to do.

After college I  was a copy writer/graphic designer in the advertising industry. But after having my first child, I started puttering around with crafting. At some point I turned to sewing, creating a handbag. Apparently what no one wanted to tell me at the time, was that it was a relatively badly made creation. Today I call it "The Ugly Bag". But I was so pleased with having accomplished that, I just continued making bag after bag after bag and eventually turned that into a small business. That was where my advertsing background came in handy. I was able to create the graphics for my website, advertising etc. on my own. It was addicting. And it lent itself to fabric design which I secretly wanted to do.

Then, in early 2008 I attended the Country Living Women's Entrepreneur event. The woman who did the keynote speech talked about verbalizing what it is you want. Until then I didn't want to say that I wanted to design fabric. I didn't want to be a "wannabe" and frankly, I didn't want to publicly fail. But when I got home, I immediately blogged about it. Then I set to the work of designing. When I came up with my first line, I had it printed digitally . I made appointments with companies and licensed it by December of 2008 and it was shown at market in Spring 2009.

Since then I have produced two additional lines of fabric and this year I started a line of sewing patterns.

What is a typical day like for you?

I get up around 7 AM and get the kids to school. I'll often take a quick walk around. Then it's straight to work. Some days are filled with designing and some days are just mundane paperwork and shipping. When the kids get home from school and activities and have started homework (they are 12 & 14 and pretty self-sufficient), I work a bit more and then it's family time. Dinner. Clean up. Bed.

What is your favorite color to design with?

Ooh, that's tough. I'd have to say I like anything bright. Bright pastels especially.

Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book, Inspired to Sew. What is your favorite project in the book?

I'm really excited about this book! It incorporates all of my favorite kinds of sewing projects. A lot of people assumed it would be bags, but it really covers a large array of projects. There are collage projects, applique, a little embroidery and so much more. And it is filled with my "Keeping it Real Sewing" tips that you also find in my sewing patterns so that anyone can do the projects.

Is there any project (quilting or non-quilting) that you would like to tackle next?

I really want to do more apparel. I've done a little bit, but I'm looking forward to really homing my skills including pattern grading and drafting etc.

What is next on the horizon for you?

I want to build the Bari J brand. So I am working on getting my designs licensed in other arenas, including home goods, scrapbooking, office goods, and more.

I want to thank Bari for sharing a little bit about herself with us!

Please visit Bari's  website:

http://www.barijonline.com/

and her blog

http://barij.typepad.com/my_weblog/

for more inspiration!


Until Next Time ...Happy Quilting!

Don't Look Away

Don't look away,

because you never know what might disappear!

These were sitting on my cutting table:

and then a few moments later,

I found them outside.

I caught my Little Person red handed!

I wonder how many got lost in transit.....hmmmm

Until Next Time ...Happy Quilting!

Hexagon Update & Tips : Part 2

Project Runway night is also known

as hexagon night!

So far this season,

 I have been able

to sit down and make these:

11 Grandmother's Flowers to add to the pile.

(77 hexagons used)

Total Grandmother's Flowers made

to date: 72

(A BIG thank you to my Little Person for being

model!)

Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

Hexagon Update & Tips : Part 1

Several Bloggers have asked about my hexagons.

I am flattered that you guys enjoy seeing them

because sometimes I feel like I will never

finish this project!

For those of you that have asked,

here are the templates that I use:

And "YES"  I did order 600 pieces!

It seems like a lot, but in the end I will wind up

using all of them.

On my last update  I had used 427 hexagons.

There are so many  awesome tutorial out there

about hexagons.

Here are some of  my favorites:

Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts

Cindy of Sew Many Ways

Julie of JayBird Quilts

So this is my hexagon tip:

Use your punch holder to make a hole in

the center of each paper piece.

This really helps out when you are trying to remove the

paper piece.

Simply slide a pencil or the end of your scissors

into the hole.

Lift to remove the paper piece.

This paper piece is now ready for re-use on another hexagon.

I hope that this helps out!


Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

Photo Favorite

I am making progress on this:

My progress has been slow,

but I have been able to piece together

a few row of my HST blocks.

I am in no big rush to finish this quilt

because it is something just for me.

For now, I am just enjoying the process.

Until Next Time ... Happy Quilting!

So Very Thankful!

So very thankful

Fall/ Winter Quilt Sampler Magazine

to be among friends!

 Until Next Time ...Happy Quilting!

Star Struck Giveaway Winners

So sorry for the delay in announcing the winners!

It was a long weekend

with lots of stuff

going on!

So without further adieu,

here are the winners:

First place winner:

Deserae of Deserae quilts

Congrats Deserae! You have won a copy of Star Struck Quilts!

Second Place winner :

Duff of Bacon Then Eggs

Congrats Duff! You have won the gift set!

Mary on Lake Pulaski's

and Scotty Lovers

 names will be forwarded

to Barbara for the drawing of RJR fabric and gift certificate!

Congrats again to all of the winners.

(I will be emailing you shortly.)

Thanks also to Barabara for writing this great book!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!

Star Struck Blog Tour & Giveaway

Welcome to another stop on the

Star Struck Quilts Blog Tour!

Barbara Cline's new book is filled with the most

amazing quilts! They are the kind of quilts that

would satisfy any quilter's taste buds.

Every quilter (traditional & modern) loves stars.

Star Stuck Quilts includes 13 skill building projects.

When you master all of these skills,

you can mix & match all of these blocks

 and you will wind up with

27 different quilts!

Here are just a few of the quilts from her book:

If you are a new quilter or someone who has

never made a Lone Star quilt,

this book is  a great place to start.

Barbara starts out by teaching a simple star

and then each subsequent star

teaches a new technique.

Best of all, Barbara's teaches the technique

of blocking so that your diamond shapes won't

end up with bias edges!

________________________

I had a chance to ask Barbara a few questions

that I thought  I would share with you:

Your book focuses on the beautiful Lone Star.

What draws you to the Lone Star quilt pattern?

It is an old traditional pattern and

my heart is drawn to traditional patterns.

I like to get an old pattern and put a twist to it.

With the Lone Star, quilters are afraid of it because of the

"Y" seams and all the points.

The key to getting this wonderful

star pieced is to learn a

few techniques taught in the book,

which will enhance ones'

piecing abilities and increase the joys of quilting.

What would be the best tip that you would give

to a quilter who is going to make a Lone Star quilt?

There are step by step illustrations in the book

on how to make a "Y" seam.

If one follows these steps,

"Y" seams become easy.

Once you have the "Y" seam technique

down pat, it opens

a new avenue of sewing

and one can piece so many more types of quilts!

What is your favorite quilt in the book and why?

My favorite quilt in the book is

"Stitches That Bind".

A deadline for the book was coming up

and I was running out of time.

It was Labor Day and my daughters had the day off.

They agreed to put in a day of sewing for me.

We picked out the fabrics in the morning

and by evening we were ready to sew the blocks together.

We had a wonderful mini sewing retreat that day.

Thanks Barbara for sharing your thoughts with us!

_______________________________

Now for the giveaway:

1st place winner will receive a copy of Star Struck Quilts!

2nd place winner will receive a gift set which includes:

Pen style Chaco Liner, flower head pins,

and Mary Ellen's Best Press

A 3rd name will be sent to Barbara for a chance to

win RJR fabric and a $25 gift certificate to Patchwork Plus.

To enter, simply leave me a comment.

The giveaway will end on Saturday, September 4th at midnight.

A winner will be drawn on Sunday, September 5th.

Good luck. I hope that you will be dreaming of STARS!

Until Next Time...Happy Quilting!