The Secret is Out

"Mama, are you a famous quilt writer person?" So asked The Monster at dinner tonight.

"To some people," she then added.

Sigh.

Well, maybe...

My next book is coming out this summer! It doesn't come out until August, but the monolith that is Amazon has it available for pre-order. A Month of Sundays focuses on my obsession with low-volume fabrics. It includes quilts and more, so much more. It demonstrates the trust my publisher, Stash Books, had in me to include more writing than your standard quilt book. It includes the phenomenal photography of Kate Inglis.  It celebrates the joy of the lazy Sunday, from sleeping in under a glorious quilt to shopping for flowers to dessert at Sunday dinner.

I am beyond excited to share this book with you. It's been an intense experience, coming on the heels of Sunday Morning Quilts, and written in conjunction with the pregnancy and birth of my baby boy.

I can't wait for you to see it all.

In other book news, Sunday Morning Quilts has been nominated for a 2013 Golden Quilter Award. How cool is that? I'm not a fan of shilling for votes, but if you've got a minute we'd love yours. Check out the other awards too, it is a veritable who's who of quilting. Thank-you to our anonymous nominee. And thank-you, faithful readers and supporters.

Wine Gums

Winegums

40'' by 55''

Look, I finished something!

This is my version of Amanda's quilt from our book, Sunday Morning Quilts. Such a fun piece. Little scraps, some raw edge appliqué, and really casual quilting. And look at that Washi fabric from Rashida on the back! Because of that I went with a grey and white dotty binding, instead of a harsher contrast with black and white.

I started this quilt off on the wrong foot, when I didn't read Amanda's actual pattern in the book. That left me to come up with a different way to stabilize my little pieces. It wasn't a big deal and I'd happily use glue again. But I did follow her directions for quilting the piece. One straight stitch underneath each row to keep it all in place and make the rest of the quilting easier. Then free motion stitching following each arc - over, back, and over again. If you don't love little frayed edges after washing then this might be a challenge to your sensibilities, but it is worth it. Think of it as another layer of texture.

Pre-washing above, post-washing below.

There is a part of me that wishes I had made it bigger, like my original plan. That will just have to be another quilt. I'm sure I'll have scraps enough!

Considering that I never made my son a baby quilt I think he may lay claim on this one, if he ever stops his commando crawl long enough to savour it.

(PS Sorry about those top two photos, they get all blurry when I put them here... working on it.)

Quilting Magazines (Weekend Reads)

There is no denying that I have a bit of a magazine problem. I LOVE reading magazines. At one point in my life I subscribed to at least a half dozen, faithfully reading and mentally indexing issues. Then I was broke, then I had kids. Magazine reading fell away. There was also that storage issue. Lately, however, I've been flipping the pages again.

These two quilting magazines are some recent favourites. I enjoy quilting magazines that are heavier on the articles relative to the patterns. Quilty is a fresh face on the scene, run by the effervescent Mary Fons. And look, that's Amanda's quilt on the cover of one of the latest issues! And starting soon you'll find me in there. I'm writing regularly for the magazine and I'm thrilled to be part of the team.

The other magazine in this week's stack in A Quilt Life, a Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson creation, published by American Quilter's Society. I have to say that I really, really like this magazine. And I'm not just saying that because Amanda and I are in the latest issue. This is a quilt magazine that you actually read. Full of profiles of quilters, with the stories behind the creations, behind the creativity. Even the patterns include quilter's stories.

Speaking of patterns, the one we've got in this issue marked the opportunity for Amanda and I to work together again. It had been a while and it was so much fun! This is another scrappy project, completely inspired by our recent renos (hers and mine). Amanda pieced the quilt just from the concept of a Paint Chip, then she sent the quilt to me and I quilted and bound it. It is an easy and fun pattern, and you could go crazy picking colours to match your own reno.

Friday Favourites: Q-Snap Frame

A hand quilter by nature I am not. I don't mind it, especially the methodical nature of doing it, but I don't love it.

That being said, I've had this project lingering and it is time to get it done. (Oh, those UFOs!)  Besides, it is winter and there  is some good TV on. Now I feel productive while watching Finding Bigfoot with the family.

I love my Q-Snap frame for hand-quilting. I'm a stabber, as opposed to a rocker, with my hand quilting, so keeping the fabric taut is important. Armed with my frame and my over the shoulder mentor in Barb I am set. This winter I will finish this quilt.