fun things are coming...

Wow, summer!  It has been rough this year, am I right?  I am still working on my friendship braid quilt but it is very slow going.  I find it hard to focus on sewing when my house is a wreck and with 3 boys and a puppy at home all the time well...my house is always a wreck!  As one of my friends says, "cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing."  A-men! 

Remember this collaboration I told you about?

Well I just got pictures of my projects so I double checked and they are allowing me to share with you guys.

This is a pattern I originally did in Central Park and called Stained Glass Garden.  I'd show you a picture, but I couldn't find it.  I really wasn't satisfied with the original and I decided when I made it again I needed to find the perfect fabric to match the pattern.  When this opportunity came along I waited very patiently against a deadline to get Flora by Lauren and Jessi Jung.  The mix of values and the warm colors was just what I felt this quilt needed. I think the new name is Mother's Day Bouquet.  For those who asked me to make Stained Glass Garden into a pattern...well now you have it!

I knew this top needed a special touch with quilting and was panicked to learn my long arm quilter moved away!  Thankfully through recommendations of quilt shops, I was directed to Diane Anderson, an award winning local quilter.  She does her stuff freehanded, which is what this top really needed in my opinion.  I did the piecing and design but the quilting is really stunning.

I was also able to do a project for Easter.  I had been working on this for a LONG time when I was approached with this book opportunity.  It was really hard to get everything just the right dimensions and find just the right products to give it the look and feel I wanted.  I made many many many failed prototypes of this.  It is based on diagonal plaiting techniques like the ones used for this woven tulip basket:

Instead of taking up basket weaving, I tried to replicate the weave with sewing.  I think it turned out cute.  As a mom of 3 cute boys, I love how they used a cute little boy in the book to show it off.

It feels really special to have 2 projects that mean a lot to me...one is the mother's day quilt (my mother sewed and I lost her before she could teach me how) and the other is the tulip basket.  Y'all know my thing about tulips!

Here are some of the other projects in the book.    I think there is something fun for everyone! 

If you are interested in pre-ordering the book, I found it on amazon.  As always, if you make one of my projects, I would love to see it!  You can also add it to the flickr group (see sidebar for link)

Whatcha think???