Summer Stars Fabric Kits Now Available!

Remember my Summer Stars quilt?

It's one of my most favorite patterns to date made out of one of my most favorite fabric lines EVER.

I was really sad when the fabric flew off the shelves before I could barely get my pattern published!  So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that Riley Blake Designs recently reordered it! 

(That rarely happens.)

So I'm happy to say that I now have a limited supply of fabric kits available in my Etsy shop.  These kits are for the bright fabrics only (so you can use whatever your little heart desires for the background and backing).  They include the binding fabric too and retail for $57.99.

Aren't they just the sweetest fabrics?  Maybe Santa can bring you some this Christmas (wink, wink).

Click HERE for more details.

Happy quilting!

~ Amber

Updated Patterns

Happy Wednesday everyone!  

I started out my day watching a few old SNL skits with my kids.  

My favorite?  Cheerleaders at a Chess Match.  

Do you know that one?  Will Ferrell.  Google it.  

It's sure to put a smile on your face.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you know about a few updated (and improved!) items in my Etsy Shop.

First, my Pineapple Block Paper Piecing Patterns have beautiful, new packaging and new, improved prices!  (You get 12 additional papers for basically the same price as before).  Plus, they're available at wholesale prices now!  Stop by my shop or unitednotions.com to order.

Speaking of United Notions, did you see the quilt they have put together for Fall Quilt Market using my Pineapple Block patterns and Jen Kingwell's three new fabric lines (Lollies, Just a Speck and Behind the Scenes)?  It is goooorgeous!  Kits are available at United Notions, as well.

 Another thing I wanted to let you know about it my 

updated Cross Stitch pattern.  It has a nice new cover and better diagrams!

While preparing to teach a class for Cross Stitch a little while ago, I made up a few blocks and realized there was one error and a few things that needed clarifying.  Even though I had made the quilt and a quilt tester had also made the entire quilt, a mistake slipped by.  I found that the finished block size was off just a hair.  I was sick when I realized I had put the pattern out there and hope it hasn't caused anyone too many problems!  There is now a "Pattern Updates" tab underneath my blog header listing corrections and clarifications.

Lastly, I have also updated one of my best selling quilt patterns (and one that I have personally made at least 3 times) which is my Square Dance pattern!  It now comes in 4 different size options: Crib, Lap, Twin and Queen as opposed to just the crib size.  

I am really excited about this.  

It's a charm pack friendly pattern, it's great for beginners 

and it's perfect in any fabrics!

Stop by the shop for more details about these items.

Happy quilting!

~ Amber

Finished Skipper Quilt - Scrappy Version

Hey there!

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween.

Besides this little mama catching a 24-hour flu bug the day before, 

we had a nice one.  Tis' the season right?

We're in full fledged "Fall" mode over here.  

I really do love everything that comes along with fall and winter around here but I think I'm getting old because I'm starting to dread the fact that I'll probably have an internal temperature of FREEZING for exactly four to six months!  But there's nothing like a scrappy, happy quilt to chase the blues away, am I right?!?

I finished this scrappy Skipper quilt months ago but never got a chance to share it here.  If you love low volumes + bright happy fabrics you might enjoy this one.

The pattern is from my book, Vintage Vibe: Traditional Quilts, Fresh Fabrics

(which you can purchase HERE).

I used some of my favorite sweet, vintagy fabrics from my stash and backed it in this little apple print by my friend Pam Vieira-McGinnis for the line Pam Kitty Garden by LakeHouse Fabrics.

It's very, very scrappy (like even each side of the border is a different fabric). And polka dots are always a good idea for a binding, don't you think?

The beautiful machine quilting design is one of my new go-to favorites.  I have used it on at least 3-4 quilts so far.  It's called Interlocking Orange Peel from karleeporter.com.  Cathy Barney did it and did a fabulous job!

 This is such a fun, fast quilt to make whether it's for a boy, girl, super scrappy or not.  

(You can see the original boy version HERE.)

Finished quilt size = 55.5" x 61.5"

 I hope that inspired all of you to make some thing scrap happy today!  

Have a great day!

~ Amber

Plus Quilt

After 17 years of marriage you'd think my husband would have a million quilts to call his very own.  But sadly, that wasn't the case (unless one super soft, flannel, tied blanket that I made him for one of our very first Valentine's Days) counts?  No?  I didn't think so. 

Well, approximately 47 weeks ago I got the hair-brained idea that 

I would make my husband a Plus Quilt.  He was on board with the design and this selection of fabrics I pulled from my stash.  

I was thinking Navy with a little bit of grey for the color scheme 

(inspired by his alma mater, Brigham Young University).

I threw in a few more shades of blue and some whites/creams to help give it some contrast.  And then I got to work!

Oh, did I mention that my husband has told me several times over the years that he likes quilts with tiny pieces in them?  Fun, huh?  So I went as small as I could bring myself to go and cut my squares 2" and my rectangles 2" x 5". 

If you've never made a Plus Quilt before let me warn you that it's a very slow and tedious process because you have to lay each piece in each row out and then you have to keep it all in order as you move it over to your sewing machine and then repeat it by 100 rows (just kidding it was only 54 in this case).

But I stuck to it and one day I finally finished. 

It's a big quilt, big enough for my 6'2" husband to wrap up in comfortably.

It's backed in navy blue minky so it's super soft (and heavy!)

Cathy Barney in Alpine, UT quilted it for me with one of my new favorite edge-to-edge quilting designs called Marbled Cake by Karlee Porter.

I love it.  And I think he loves it.  And it's done.

Now he has a quilt to call his very own ♥

~ Amber

Scrap Quilt Challenge + My Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt + A Free Log Cabin Block Pattern

Have you heard about Fabrics N Quilts annual 

Scrap Quilt Challenge?

It's a great opportunity to bust through some of those scraps that I know you all have lying around (wink, wink).  PLUS, you get the chance to win some fabulous prizes!!!  Simply upload a photo of a scrappy quilt (that you finished this year) to the Scrap Quilt Challenge 5 Flickr Page by midnight on October 15th (that's just two more weeks, friends!) and you could win BIG!!! Click HERE for more details!

As one of the featured designers for this challenge,

I wanted to share with you my recently finished Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt!

I started this fun paper piecing project about 7 months ago 

and loved every minute of it!

♥ ♥ ♥

Now, there are lots of ways to make a Log Cabin block but I decided to go the paper piecing route because... 

#1 I love to paper piece

#2 I didn't have to pre-cut or press my strips

#3 Paper piecing ensures perfectly straight, square blocks!

Here are some details about my quilt:

Finished block size = 7"

Finished quilt size = 70" x 84"

Total number of blocks = 120

Total number of pieces = 1,560

Machine quilted by Cathy Barney in Alpine, UT.

Quilting design = Modern Loops

 Would you like this block pattern?

Click HERE for a free download.

+ check out my tutorial for a paper pieced Pineapple Block 

to help you get started!  Click HERE.

 

Now go on and get scrap busting!

~ Amber

Orange Peel Mini Quilt [Finished]

Happy Monday, friends!  It's been a while, eh?  

I haven't posted here since mid-July which is probably my longest break between posts since I started blogging back in 2008!  This blog has been a great way for me to document my quilting journey and I love being able to look back on all the projects I've made over the years!  I also love being able to share my passion for color, print and design with YOU and hope that you've found (and will continue to find) inspiration!  The other day I noticed that several of my latest quilt finishes are not on here so it's time to fix that.  Plan on seeing more posts from me, okay?

One of my favorite finishes from 2014 was my hand-appliqued, machine quilted Orange Peel Mini Quilt.

I posted about the start of this quilt HERE 

with a Freezer Paper Applique Tutorial HERE

but really want to share the finished product with you!!!

This may have been my first play with low-volume fabrics vs. bright fabrics and I looooved it!  I used bright fabrics (that as stand alone fabrics I didn't really love) but as little applique pieces with lots of saturation - were perfect!  And the low-volume background fabrics were a great compliment to them.  They added lots of interest but still fade into the background next to the bright hues of my orange peels.

The straight line quilting was so enjoyable (yet time consuming) to do!

I just followed the edges of my orange peels and quilted lines 1/4" apart in the low volume "diamond" areas.  I don't quilt my projects myself very often but since it finished at 28" x 28" I figured I could handle it.  I love the way it turned out - which is kind of rare for me.  Often times I have a little regret or two but I ended up loving this project and have it hanging in my entryway.

The pattern for this quilt can be found in the book, 

101 Fabulous Small Quilts by That Patchwork Place.

Thank you for coming back to visit after my long blogging hiatus!

See you again soon!

~ Amber

Summer Stars Pattern Winner and Other Exciting News

Hello!  Hello!

Just a couple of things today...

First, thank you for all your sweet words about my new pattern, 

Summer Stars!  I'm glad you like it as much as I do.  It was a really fun one to put together.

Melanie, who said, "I love the new pattern!!!! I think it would be perfect 

for my bundle of Happy Home!" won a free copy 

(and Melanie, I just sent you an email).  

For those of you who'd like to purchase a copy, it's now available in paper and PDF forms in my Etsy shop (click HERE). 

Also, if you're following me on Instagram you may have heard about some other exciting news I have to share (you gotta love that up-to-the-minute stuff on IG!  To follow all my quilty happenings there, just search "gigis_thimble").  I was recently published in Martingale's That Patchwork Place 2016 Quilt Calendar!  So I'm a calendar girl, LOL!  I'm miss June (which is perfect because that's my birthday month! :)  

Well, it's not actually me...it's my quilt, Vintage Vibe from my book, 

Vintage Vibe: Traditional Quilts, Fresh Fabrics!  

The calendar is filled with 12 beautiful projects in a variety of different styles.  These are just a few of my favorites!  Ask for it at your local quilt shop or go directly to Martingale.com to order your own copy.

 Calendar photographs by Brent Kane, copyright Martingale Inc.

Happy quilting!

Amber

Summer Stars - A New Quilt Pattern + Giveaway

I'm so excited to finally announce this new pattern!

Summer Stars has been in the works for a little while now but I got a little held up on this new cover design because I have absolutely NO skills in the graphic design department (I know, I need to work on that).  So I finally decided to hire my friend, Chelsea Barney to put my ideas on paper (thanks Chelsea!) and I love how it turned out!  Do you like the digital quilt or do you prefer an actual photo (there's a real photo on the backside)?

So I knew I wanted to make a star quilt but I also really wanted to show that stars don't necessarily have to equate to a patriotic (red, white and blue) quilt.  I love trying to think outside of the box and I hope you do too!  I think this will be so cute in any color scheme and can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

I had been eyeing Tasha Noel's new fabric line with Riley Blake called Vintage Market and thought it would be the perfect happy, bright combination for these summer stars.

All the prints in Vintage Market are so, so cute but one of my favorites is the mint floral that I used for my back.  It's has a vintagy feel and great colors!

Summer Stars was such a fun pattern to make!  Piecing the star centers was my favorite part because I love how color placement makes each one look a little different.  It was fun to play around with that :)

Some of you may notice that I threw in a few other Riley Blake Basics too.  Just this gold gingham and a few polka dots so that I could add a few more brights to the mix. 

It was quilted by one of my favorite long-arm quilters, Kaylene Parry in Lehi, UT.  I use her a lot and she always does a fantastic job!  Do you like the straight-line quilting?  I'm kind of obsessed with it right now.  I like how it never distracts from the quilt pattern or the cute fabrics. 

Summer Stars comes with instructions for three different sizes (lap, twin and queen) and is now available in paper and PDF forms in my Etsy Shop (click HERE).  Let me know what you think in the comments below and I'll choose one of you to receive a free copy!

Happy quilting!

~ Amber

Project Teen Book Review

When I was at Fall Quilt Market '15 I met Melissa Mortenson, 

the author of Project Teen and new fabric designer with Riley Blake Designs.  

She was there promoting her darling fabric line called Derby Style.  

I had been following Melissa's blog, The Polka Dot Chair for a long time and knew she was awesome.  I mean, come on - the tutorials she shares are genius!  Seriously, she's the kind of girl that makes me say, "how does she do all that?"

Melissa is so sweet.  Right before it was time to leave Market she kindly gave me a copy of Project Teen and I read it cover to cover on the airplane ride home!  It was so great.  It's full of tips for simple applique, favorite tools, how to print on fabric and even how to trouble shoot problems with your machine.  My favorite part about the book is that it offers 21 quick projects that get me out of my [quilting] box!  Like this monogrammed towel:

With Summer in full swing now, I knew I wanted to make towels for each of my kids.  We always have towels lying around, don't you?  For some reason, at our house, they can't quite seem to find their way to the hooks just two feet away :).  The great thing is though, I was able to whip up two towels in just an hour or two.  And, my kids are LOVING the fact that they're monogrammed with their initials!

I let my son and daughter pick out their monogram colors to accent the HUGE, SOFT 6' long towels I bought (thanks Target!) and the accent ribbon used for the hanger and trim.

I know we won't have any trouble now determining who left 

their towel on the floor!

I love the fact that these were fun and quick to make.  I've been stuck on some long-term quilt projects over here so working with ribbon, fusible web and fuzzy terry cloth (and getting it done the same day I started!) was just the breath of fresh air I needed.  

Next-up on my list of must-makes from Project Teen is the Swiss Flag Zipper Pouch.  I get to try my hand at distressing duck cloth - so I'm excited!

So basically, Project Teen = great book with great projects!

(A lot of them would be great to give as gifts too!)

Happy stitching, 

Amber