Garden Medallion & Kaffe's Bordered Diamonds Quilt

"Garden Medallion" quilt design by Bloomin' Workshop.  Photographed in one of my favorite areas - Fremont!  Kit from Gathering Fabric in Woodinville, Washington.  I pieced this in March 2013.  Love love love this quilt.  

"Bordered Diamonds" by Kaffe Fassett  

Photographed outside Peets in Fremont*

In October 2012 I attended a Kaffe Fassett / Brandon Mably workshop at Island Quilter on Vashon Island, Washington.  It was an all-day class where we cut fabric, talked about color, arranged fabric, and met other quilters.  Lots of fun but very stressful as well.  I don't like big groups of people.

This quilt is my result of that workshop - I expanded and made it square as a back for the Garden Medallion Quilt.  Jupiter fabric was used for the binding.

*Peets Coffee and Tea -  many fond memories of visiting this coffeehouse with my dear sister-in-law who used to work on the same block.  Isn't the fence divine?

Quilters Anonymous Show 2013

I am so excited and thrilled that I won two beautiful ribbons at the 2013 Quilters Anonymous show.  Seriously, people liked my quilts!  So happy.  I plan on wearing these ribbons in my hair next time I ride my bike, just like a nine year old.  (Not really.)  But I am very excited about them.

At the show, they kindly put a bench so you could sit and stare at it.  Lollypop Trees (http://summerlouise.blogspot.com/2012/01/lollypop-trees-all-done.html) won first place in the Large Duet category.  Thanks again to Catherine for her lovely quilting.  

Cathedral Windows won Honorable Mention in the applique category.  

http://summerlouise.blogspot.com/search/label/Cathedral%20Windows

Since the show, I've finished the Kaffe Bordered Diamonds / Garden Medallion Quilt as well as the top on  Edyta Sitar's Lone Star quilt.  Keeping busy!  Also, we bought bikes for the kidlets and that has been a laugh and a half between the bloody knees and skinned elbows.  Thank goodness for helmets or Victoria's dreams of rocket science would be by the wayside. Good times.  

Christmas Cracker - Additional Formats Now Available

Now available in full color print on lulu, PDF on lulu, and still on Amazon for Kindle readers.  Thanks folks!

PDF on lulu - http://www.lulu.com/shop/summer-louise-truswell/christmas-cracker-design-finishing-instructions/ebook/product-20958315.html 

Paper booklet - http://www.lulu.com/shop/summer-louise-truswell/christmas-cracker-design-finishing-instructions/paperback/product-20958290.html

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BE6UJNM/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BE6UJNM&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwneedlewo0e-20

Make Life Sweet Variation Quilt Finished

Make Life Sweet - photographed at Seattle Asian Art Museum

This patterns is a variation of Make Life Sweet by Sweetwater Quilts.  I followed their measurements for the width of the white strips and the colored strips but put it together in a little different manner along with the scrappy border.  The white is Kona white and 90% of the colored fabrics are from Kaffe Fassett Collective.  I then hand appliqued all the circles (4" diameter).  I do love circles!  

Wild Wild Web Quilt Finished

Wild Wild Web - photographed at Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

This pattern is from American Patchwork & Quilting August 2011 Issue 111.  (Back issue.)  It measures about 66 x 72.  I stitched it in 2013.  Love the colors on this one!  I used scrap fabrics from other quilts, a Kate Spain layer cake, Kaffe Fassett green shot cotton, Brandon Mably's oranges for the binding, and the most delicious "Frippery - Fireworks" from Thomas Knauer for Andover Fabrics for the backing.  

Shimacho Quilt Finished

Shimacho Quilt - photographed at Washington Arboretum UW Botanic Gardens

This pattern is from Japanese Quilt Inspirations by Susan Brisco.  It is available in both paperback and kindle.  I have the paperback.  There is another pattern I plan to make from this book, a paper pieced kimono quilt, I have no idea how you would use the pattern with a kindle.  

This was a fairly straightforward quilt to piece.  The pattern has you cut multiple sizes of the small colored blocks and then each one is framed with the border fabric (Kona white for my quilt) and then the blocks are pieced together.  We have had endless rain here so I haven't had a chance to do a straight shot.  Will update when I get those done.  

It is bound with a double-sided binding, white on one side and Kaffe on the other that matches the fish.  

My cat Lois: "Did you want to sew?"

Christmas Cracker Design & Finishing Instructions

Book includes instructions for the design and complete finishing instructions for crackers, including directions of how to adjust for different tube sizes, curling the ribbon, and doing a beaded edge.  Available on Amazon for Kindle apps and readers.  

Crackers are so much fun.  Designer Melissa Shirley has lots of cracker designs: Golden Crackers, Valentine Crackers, USA Patriotic Crackers, Easter Crackers, Thanksgiving Crackers, Halloween Crackers, Christmas Toys Crackers, Giant Christmas Crackers, and more traditional Christmas Crackers.