Tag Archives: fabric

Stash Building: Happy Mail!

February 8, 2015 kittywilkin 6 Comments

I made it to the post office yesterday five minutes before they closed. Five minutes! It’s a good thing I did, too, because our mailbox has been out of commission due to height and volume of snow, so I had quite a stack of happy mail to pick up. (Including a little something something for a giveaway on Monday… yes, you really want to come back on Monday. Trust me. wink wink)

Anyway, happy mail:

First up was my Fat Quarter Back Sneak purchase from Mariner’s Compass during Superbowl weekend. I’m not much into football and didn’t even watch the game, but I certainly couldn’t resist 10 fat quarters for $15! It’s my first Cotton + Steel bundle: the pink Mustangs by Melody Miller and some Basics.

While I’m really not a fan of the actual Mustangs (please don’t tar and feather me!), I love the arrows and really love the basics in pinks and shades of grey. Mariner’s Compass even threw in an extra fat quarter. I guess they were feeling especially generous since the Patriots won. Mariner’s Compass is a quilt shop in Bath, Maine. I met Amanda, the owner of Mariner’s Compass and organizer of the Maine Quilt Shop hop last April during the shop hop. It felt great to support a Maine LQS while also building my stash in an epic way.

I also received my winnings from the #FabricForward event on Instagram: a charm pack of Storybook by Kate & Birdie Paper Co. for Moda. Thank you so much to @simplybekah for this #happymail! (Since the giveaway event was entirely on Instagram, I felt the need to write all of that in @ # IG style. Right? Right.)

It looks like such a darling collection, and perfect for a baby quilt. I love looking at stacks of fabric, don’t you?

What are some of your go-to charm pack quilt patterns? I’m a newbie at using precuts, so I’d love to add some to my arsenal.

I’m linking up with Molli’s Sunday Stash, since he’s “in the future” in Oz so I can link up even in the wee hours of the morn here in Maine, USA.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {36}

February 5, 2015 kittywilkin 1 Comment

The snow just keeps on coming. Just about every other day for the past two weeks, we have had a snowstorm drop another 6-12″ of snow. We live in a veritable snow fortress! I know a lot of New Englanders are getting tired of it, but I admit–I still love it. It’s so pristine and gorgeous, and to be honest, having to dig tunnels to get out our front door is living a childhood dream for me. Walking down those paths with snow towering on either side is just so cool! My children love it, too, so I won’t be complaining.

Loving the snow doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind a little getaway to the tropics. Here are my final photos from our vacation in Cozumel and Belize early last month. Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Palm, Ivy, Grasshopper, Lime, O.D. Green, Olive

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
2887 – Olive
5018 – Grass Green
2888 – Fern Green
4173 – Dk Olive
5015 – Gold Yellow

With all this white, I really needed some green. We are nearing the time of year when I feel that strong desire to grow something–anything! and often get my seeds planted under a grow light. There’s something about the tiny green sprouts of new life that help make the last cold days of winter linger a little less closely. This color palette gives me a good dose of green during a very green-less season!

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Cherry, Kona Wine, Kona Hunter Green, Kona Basil, Bella Avocado, Bella Popsicle, Bella Cayenne

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2395 – Pumpkin Spice
2355 – Rust
5021 – Light Grey
2892 – Pine
2887 – Olive
2230 – Med Peony
2270 – Paprika

These bright beauties were spotted at Bacab Eco Park in Belize. Bright flowers sure know how to brighten a snowy day. I added an extra color to this palette, because I really wanted the pinks and reds to be well represented. In playing around with this palette, I also discovered that Play Crafts has been updating their Palette Builder! Now not only can you get matching Kona Cottons, but you can also get matching Moda Bella solids OR opt for “All Solids”, which will match the closest color regardless of collection. I love this option, since I’ve noticed that some of the Kona matches aren’t always true to the color in the palette/photo, so adding the entire pool of Moda solids to the mix is a great idea! This makes the available matches quite long, though, so I plan to include a little of each in my Color Inspiration posts each week. I most likely will opt for “All Solids” and will list the best matching fabric solids for each palette, in addition to the matching Aurifil thread. Quilty color overload!

Do you mix and match your solids when you quilt, or do you opt for all one brand?

Life, Quilting, Stash Building

T Minus 16 Days Until QuiltCon!

February 2, 2015 kittywilkin 9 Comments

In my early planning phases for QuiltCon, I didn’t realize how much preparation would go into the trip. Now that February is actually here, reality is hitting. I initially mentally blocked off February as “QuiltCon Prep” thinking it would mostly involve creating and ordering business cards, making a cool bag, and psyching myself up for my first public quilt-world appearance.

I’m registered for two awesome workshops at QuiltCon–Playing with Value with Cheryl Arkison and Off the Grid: Creating Alternate Layouts with Lee Heinrich–not to mention lectures by Carolyn Friedlander, Heather Jones, and Meg Cox, which means that my first quilt conference experience is sure to be amazing, but also that I have a lot of work to do before I head to Austin! So far, I’ve narrowed my QuiltCon to-do list down to:

~~Order pin-back buttons~~
~~Download QuiltCon app~~
Prep for classes
–~~Buy fabric for Alternate Grid~~
-Make blocks
-Cut scraps for Playing with Value
Make Super Tote
Make quilted belt for QuiltCon AlterEgo
Order business cards
Make Noodle-head pouch for holding buttons
Buy a new moleskin notebook & micron pens
Make a lanyard?
Make a list of people to meet (let me know if you’re going and want to me added to my “stalk until I meet them” list!)

As you can see, I’ve crossed a couple things off my list but still have quite a bit to do. For Lee’s Off the Grid workshop, we need to take 5-20 premade quilt blocks in addition to other bits of fabric for sashing and background. I’m wicked excited (pardon my Northeast terminology there), and really want to create something fabulous. I also don’t really have any stray blocks hanging around (a side effect of being a newbie quilter?) which meant one thing: new project!

To put my mind a bit at ease, I snuck in a stop at my local quilt shop (LQS) Fiddlehead Artisan Supply before today’s big snowstorm got going and picked up some half-yards in my color palette of choice.

I’m planning to work out of my white and grey background comfort zone and go with a navy blue background and negative space with these gorgeous pops of color. I probably will add more turquoise and perhaps a bit of light grey as some low volume additions, but I’m going to shop my stash as much as possible for those. I have not yet decided on a block design, although I’m leaning toward making five or more different blocks with this similar color scheme. If you have a favorite block you would suggest, I’m definitely still open to ideas!

fabric and noodlehead super tote pattern — from L to R: Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path in Magenta, Joel Dewberry Bungalow Swallow Study in Lavender, American Jane Pindots in Leaf Green, Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path in Leaf Green, Cotton and Steel Basics, XOXO in Dandelion, Super Tote pattern by Noodle-head; bottom: FQ of unknown teal thready fabric

I also want to make a Super Tote for carrying all of my ~~crap~~ precious supplies around QuiltCon, so I picked up the pattern while at Fiddlehead. Now that I have the pattern, I can begin to wrap my head around what will be involved in making it. I have not yet decided on what fabric I will use for the bag, but I’m going to try to shop my stash as much as possible for that, too. I want to have a little budget left for shopping at QuiltCon.

What am I missing? Are you going to QuiltCon? Any tips for a first-timer?

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {35}

January 29, 2015 kittywilkin 1 Comment

The landscape here is pure white, after Juno dropped about two feet of snow early this week. It’s sunny today, so it’s glistening and glimmering like only a huge blanket of fresh snow can. With more snow coming this weekend (forecast says a foot or more, potentially) and temperatures in the single digits, I thought it would be a fine time to revisit the tropics. Today’s color inspiration palettes feature palm trees (sigh) and beach life. You can’t go wrong with a reminiscent trip to the hot sandy beach! Palettes are made using Play Crafts’ Palette builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Forest, O.D. Green, Charcoal, Snow, Dresden Blue, Blue

I have to include another detail of the texture found on palm trees. Just look at that texture!! If there’s anything in nature that is reminiscent of fabric, this is it. I love the subdued resulting color palette, too. Those blues are so soothing.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Forest, Avocado, White, Seafoam, Sprout, Steel

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
5023 – Medium Green
2024 – White
2845 – Lt Juniper
2908 – Spearmint
2625 – Arctic Ice

Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up! No palm tree photo collection is complete without some of those delicious coconuts. We were able to drink coconut water from a coconut in Belize, which was a memory I really wanted to create for my kids. I remember a few very clear moments from my trip to Puerto Rico when I was four years old, and one of those is drinking out of a coconut!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Graphite, Niagra, Sage, Glacier, Teal Blue, Everglade

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1126 – Blue Grey
2810 – Turquoise
2815 – Teal
4093 – Jade
1310 – Med Blue Grey
4182 – Med Turquoise

“The color of the ocean in the tropics” has long been my favorite color. Sure, you could call it turquoise if you want, but that one word, as eloquent and beautiful as it is, just doesn’t fully express the gorgeousness of the tropical ocean. This color palette grabs all of the subtle differences that make the ocean as blissfully beautiful as it is.

Enjoy!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {34}

January 22, 2015 kittywilkin 6 Comments

Are you ready for another fantasy trip to the tropics?! I know I am! It’s still hovering in the single and barely-double digits here in Maine, so I am going to savor these tropical palettes today. As per usual, color palettes are created with Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. Matching Kona cottons and Aurifil thread are awesomely provided with the palette builder. Today’s photographs were taken in Cozumel, Mexico.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Charcoal, Mushroom, Pewter, Fog, Sky, Spring

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
4241 – V Dk Grey
2370 – Sandstone
2605 – Grey
6720 – Slate
2710 – Lt Robins Egg
2850 – Med Juniper

I’ll start off with another palm tree photograph since I’ve already established my love of palm trees. I love the texture in this photographic study of the alternating bark pattern on the trunk of a palm tree. The splash of blues and green paired with the color gradient of grays is just icing on the cake. Thinking about texture and quilting makes me think about Doe. I was recently reflecting on Carolyn Friedlander’s new fabric line Doe, and realized that one of the big reasons I love her fabrics so much is the diverse and intense texture in each one. Texture and color play so well together, and Carolyn manages to design fabrics that convey a strong texture, either while playing delightfully with color or in the wonderfully all-purpose low volumes for which she is so well known.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Titanium, Coal, Silver, Cadet–or–Charcoal, Ruby, Taupe

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
1246 – Grey
2615 – Aluminum
2606 – Mist
2230 – Med Poppy
4012 – Copper Brown

Since we are voyaging to the hot and sunny beach in the tropics. it only seems right to include a catamaran to take us out snorkeling–or just sail us around on a breezy, sun-bathing booze cruise–at least those of us who are not currently with-child (come pick me up in July)!. The color palette resulting from this photo is a quintessential nautical palette, in my opinion. You’ve got your blues and grays, with those shining stars navy blue and a pop of red. Go ahead and sail away… but come back soon!

I’m linking up with #ThankfulThursday on Yvonne aka Quilting Jetgirl’s blog since I’m ALWAYS thankful for the color all around us, and that I can see it. I’m also thankful for the hot memories from Cozumel to help warm me on this frigid winter’s day!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {33}

January 15, 2015 kittywilkin 2 Comments

Weather in Maine this past week has varied between -20 degrees F and a balmy 20 degrees, but I’m still dreaming of the hot 88 degree sun in Cozumel. This week’s color inspiration is your first little taste of the tropics, care of my vacation photographs and Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1. No worries; If you don’t get your fill of the tropical warmth with these palettes, I have enough to last through all of the frigid northeast’s winter month of January.

Take a little trip with me. Imagine you’re here, just getting off your catamaran to spend the rest of the morning on a soft, warm beach…

Ah, the warm, white sand!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Ash, Medium Grey, Coal, Sky, Sand, Taupe

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2600 – Dove
2625 – Arctic Ice
1158 – Med Grey
2024 – White
2205 – Flesh
2335 – Lt Cinnamon

The beach at Cozumel was so glorious. Between the warm white sand, the huggable green palm trees, and the perfectly turquoise water, I was in heaven. After getting off the boat, it seemed it was only right to flop down in the sand and get a closer look. This rope tied around a piece of driftwood seemed like a perfect place to start with the warm color inspiration. The combination of textures paired with the soft, soothing colors makes this a lovely palette that makes me dream of the beach in the summertime.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Evergreen, Coal, Titanium, Ivy, Black, PFD Bleach White

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
1158 – Med Grey
5008 – Sugar Paper
4173 – Dk Olive
2692 – Black
2843 – Lt Grey Green

Who doesn’t love to hug a palm tree? Seriously. Is it just me, or is it literally impossible to walk by a palm tree without hugging it? Maybe it’s just me, but either way, the view up the trunk into the tropical fronds is worth the extra hug. No coconuts fell on my head during the taking of this photograph, so no worries!

At least my girl Maddie agreed with me. She’s a girl after my own heart!

So seriously, you hug palm trees, too, right?!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {32}

December 19, 2014 kittywilkin Leave a comment

Thursday has come and gone, and here I am without a color inspiration post up yet. I spent the day yesterday sewing up a storm while my mother-in-law played with my son and my daughter was in preschool. After school was full-on family time. It’s the time of year where family and holiday projects and deadlines come first, and I’ve decided I officially will be taking a little break from this blog after today. Between my daughter’s birthday, Christmas, traveling, and other obligations, it’s just the right thing for me to do. I plan to return the week of January 12th, 2015, refreshed, renewed, and with a stockpile of fabulous photographs for posts in the new year. Wild! I still will be posting to Instagram (probably, although with less regularity and probably more random content), so I’d love to see you there. I wish you all a wonderful holiday and happy new year, and look forward to returning to this amazing and supportive blogospheric quilt guild!

With that, here is the color inspiration for the week! Hopefully it will hold you over for the next few weeks. Palettes are made with Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Slate, Charcoal, Baby Blue, Stone, White, Parchment or Limestone

This amazingly intricate and fractured ice palace was on top of a mud puddle in our driveway. Yes, a mud puddle! Nature is amazing, and these little pockets of icy beauty are no exception! I began with a plan to post another frosty-filled color palette post, since we have had some wonderful frosty and icy days. But then I decided I really wanted to add in some color. Thinking about where I see the most color these days, I realized the answer was probably my sewing projects! So the next two palettes are pulled straight from some of my sewing sneak peek photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Coal, Burgundy, Crimson, Pewter, Wine, Espresso

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1158 – Med Grey
1130 – V Dk Bark
2468 – Dk Wine
2562 – Lilac
2355 – Rust
5024 – Dark Brown

This gorgeous palette of reds and pinks and the glisten of the clover clip make me think of Christmas. So pretty!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Graphite, Dresden Blue, Titanium, Olive, Ivy, Avocado

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1126 – Blue Grey
2815 – Teal
5008 – Sugar Paper
2910 – Med Olive
1318 – Dk Sandstone
4173 – Dk Olive

A bright sweet pea palette ranging through teals and lime greens, a sneak peek at a secret holiday project. Oh, I have so much to show you when I return from my little vacation! Have wonderful holiday and new year!

Patterns, Sewing

Ready to Go Anywhere: My First Bag!

December 5, 2014 kittywilkin 12 Comments

I did it! I made a bag! It’s definitely not perfect, but for my first bag, I am SO happy with it. I followed Anna from Noodlehead‘s pattern for the Go Anywhere Bag, and it was quite easy to follow, even for an absolute beginner like me.

Going into making this bag, I was extremely, unnaturally scared of the whole process. I was seriously terrified! A huge thank you goes out to Sarah Fredett from Smiles too Loudly, for being there as real-time support on Instagram when I first got started on the pattern. Sarah walked me through the tangled mystery of interfacing, and helped me gain that first bit of confidence to forge ahead. Thank you SO much, Sarah!

Anna’s pattern was very clear and specific, going as far as to suggest little triangles at the tops of each pocket to reinforce the opening (genius!?). The images in the pattern were a great help for me, a visual learner. The steps were clear and well sequenced, and I feel like I was able to follow along without too much reading ahead or back-tracking to make sense of it all. It is my first bag ever, but most definitely not my last! (I’ve already bought a bit of the coveted Anna Maria Horner Field Study Feathers-Parenthetical Linen in the Deep colorway for my next bag. Shhh!).

While this bag did not include the installation of a zipper, I’m proud to say that not only did I create pleats for the first time, but I also installed two magnetic snaps and sewed inner pockets (not to mention taming the dreaded interfacing). Go me!

go anywhere bag top view — Top view of the Go Anywhere Bag. Pleated pockets!

I think of myself as a very practical person, so choosing a white-based fabric for the outside was initially a hesitation. Before making the bag, I figured since I loved the fabric so much, I would go ahead and use it for the front and back pockets (aka the feature fabric), but would only use the bag for special occasions. Now that the bag is complete, I can’t help but use it as my everyday purse. Sure, it probably will get dirty, but it’s pretty fabulous in the meantime!

Like I said, since it’s my first bag, it’s far from perfect. I had quite a bit of difficulty maneuvering the whole thing in a smooth manner through my domestic machine, so there are wiggle waggles in the stitching here and there. All you expert bag-makers extraordinaire (Hillary, you’re on the top of this list!)–how do you smoothly finagle thick layers of bag under your machine?! I am clearly in need of some tips!

imperfections in sewing bag — Wiggle waggle stitching.

I also made the executive decision to create two impromptu pleats in the back pocket to ensure that the front and back pocket tops lined up with each other. The alternative would have been a smooth back pocket, but completely unaligned pockets on one edge (shudder).

All in all, making this bag was a really fun activity. I’m proud of myself for biting the bullet and trying something new, and I’m excited to try making more bags! Next up will be a zip pouch–small, but with a (dun dun DUN) zipper!

I didn’t get very many great photos of my bag, since I had my usual helper with me. He’s pretty cute, though, huh? It’s worth the bit of blur, and he certainly seemed ready to go anywhere with my new bag! (I’m leaving out the photos of him actually taking off running with my bag, since I realized post-photo that our messy house litters the background!)

I’m linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday. Bag #1: done and done!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {30}

December 4, 2014 kittywilkin 3 Comments

Sometimes, just sometimes, your iPhone photo comes out better than the ones you take with your “real” camera. This week was one of those times. I had a blast outside photographing beauty after an ice storm, and put up a quick Instagram photo just for fun. I came home and uploaded the photos from my camera, and while I got some shots I’m happy with, the particular photo I posted on Instagram wasn’t even close to rivaled. And so, this week, the final photo is indeed an iPhone photo. C’est la vie.

All color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Graphite, Evergreen, Black, Old Green, Dresden Blue, Blue Bell

This palette elicits peace and stillness. Maybe it’s the fact that the fine pine needles are trapped, frozen still in the ice. Maybe it’s the presence of calming light greens and blues. Either way, I could see this palette in a little boy’s baby quilt, or a lap quilt for a rustic living room.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Crimson, Iron, Brick, Cayenne, Sky

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2625 – Arctic Ice
2245 – Red Orange
2845 – Lt Juniper
2345 – Raisin
2355 – Rust
2710 – Lt Robins Egg

The botanist/naturalist in me loves this photo, since it is such a classic example of red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) in winter. The opposite branching and bright red bark are dead giveaways to the species. I also love the shades of red paired with light blue and greys that appear in the resulting color palette.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Charcoal, Coal, Windsor, Amethyst, Shale

This is my favorite from my Canon Rebel XT photos of this particular ice-bejeweled Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) remnant. I love the movement and the muted, subdued tones. But lo, the photo I took with my iPhone captures the light better and thus shines even brighter:

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Dresden Blue, Blue, Charcoal, Indigo, Amethyst, Regal

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5008 – Sugar Paper
2560 – Iris
2606 – Mist
2785 – V Dk Navy
4140 – Wedgewood
2783 – Med Delft Blue

This photo glistens, doesn’t it? I love the resulting palette, too, although it is no secret that I’m a blue girl. Okay, and a magenta and turquoise girl. So maybe I’m just a color-in-general girl. Either way, I love this palette. I think I may actually use this palette for a future quilt. I need to make a Storm at Sea quilt one day, and these blues and stormy grey might be just the perfect shades.

What color do you find the most in your quilts?

Quilting, Stash Building

Stash Building: Botanics, Two Ways

November 30, 2014 kittywilkin 5 Comments

I finally, finally have the full line of Carolyn Friedlander’s Botanics, in two forms!

Botanics fabric, two ways. — Botanics, two ways.

I have two secret sewing projects in the works, which is fairly new for me. Normally, I may have a sort of secret sewing project since it’s a gift for someone, but these are two entirely new experiences. One is my Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt for the swap. It’s fun since it’s quasi secret, but peeks are allowed (and there are lots of them on Instagram). The second is a completely secret project, which you’ll get to see mid to late January. (intrigued? ;))

Either way, these fabrics came into my stash for my secret sewing. They are technically on standby, but I figured having them would NEVER hurt, since I’ve been wanting the full Botanics collection since it came out. As much as I’d love to buy a bolt of each, charms and layer cakes will have to do for now.

Look at those gorgeous colors! Oh, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to have these fabric packs in my possession, and I can’t wait to make something fabulous!

I also added little bits (a fat quarter and scrap piece) of these awesome fabrics to my stash. I gave in to an instagram destash by my Schnitzel and Boo group momma, Sandra at Small Town Thread.

I’ve been in love with the typewriters since seeing this mini made for Holly at Bijou Lovely. The bicycles are just too cute to pass up. I can see bits of both of these making their way into smaller projects, or as feature bits in larger quilts. I’m already plotting my first little project with them.

I’m linking up with Molli Sparkles’ Sunday Stash. What’s new in your stash?