Class Pics

This past Saturday was the last installment of the Bella Roma class at Treadle Yard Goods. LaVaughn, the instructor, was kind enough to invite me over to see what her students made.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous. Bella Roma is my first published pattern. I sort of felt like my English paper was being read in front of the class. The feedback was excellent, though, much to my relief!

So, without further ado, here are the class' quilts:

Adore these colors and textures.

Red, white, and black are always so beautiful together.

Black, white, and gray with a pop of color in the floating squares and narrow border. Stunning.

Soft and lovely. Melissa's quilt will hang in the store when it's done.

I love the variety and creative interpretations of the original design. A very exciting day, indeed.

Happy sewing,
Annik

The Big Bella Roma

Minnesota has been far more September than July lately. Fine by me. July is usually much too hot for sewing since my little studio doesn't have air conditioning. The very thought of turning on the iron typically sends sweat down my spine. But this is sewing weather!

I've spent every spare moment of the last week machine quilting the large version of my Bella Roma quilt.

Inspired by Angela Walters' Free-Motion Quilting book (a must-have for any quilter), I opted for an all over faux bois/woodgrain pattern.

At 81" by 102", this is the largest quilt I've ever made and the free motion design is taking me FOREVER. I'm not even at the half way point yet. It's a 10 bobbin quilt at least and it looks like a single 1300 meter spool of Aurifil won't be sufficient. Eek!

All whining aside, it feels great to be sewing.

The Monster

I'll share a photo of the finished product when I'm done. Oh, please let that be soon...

Happy sewing!
Annik

Introducing the Bella Roma Quilt Pattern

I'm excited to introduce my new quilt pattern, Bella Roma!

Here's a bit of info about the pattern...

• The design was inspired by Italian tile work.
• It's the perfect pattern for that single charm pack or layer cake hanging around in your fabric stash.
• Most of the yardage required is solid quilting cotton. Since solids tend to be less expensive than prints it's economical. Hooray!
• The pattern includes two versions: 

• a throw quilt made from one charm pack, a coordinating print for the floating squares and narrow border, and a solid background fabric. The finished size is 46" by 55 1/2". 







• a queen size quilt made from one layer cake, a coordinating fabric for the floating squares, and a solid background fabric. The finished size is 81" by 102".









• The layer cake queen is great for medium and large-scale prints.

Big blocks!

•  If you can sew half square triangle blocks and strip piece sets, you can make this quilt.
• The negative space in both versions create a perfect canvas for interesting free-motion quilting. 

• Use bold colors or muted tones. It's all good.
• Does your scrap bin runneth over? Skip the pre-cuts and cut your own forty 5" squares or forty 10" squares.

Bella Roma comes in both a PDF instant download file, available on Craftsy and Etsy, and a paper version (Etsy shop only).

Source: Bella Roma via MiniMushrooms on Craftsy

The pattern is $9. It includes 7 pages of detailed cutting and sewing instructions, loads of diagrams, and helpful tips.

And I have one more exciting bit of news.

Bella Roma is being offered as a class at Treadle Yard Goods in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The class starts this Saturday, July 20th at 2 p.m. LaVaughn Bye, seamstress and quilter extraordinaire, is teaching the course. Give Treadle a call at 651.698.9690 to sign up. The pattern is available for purchase there, too.

Here's a photo of LaVaughn's Bella Roma. Isn't it lovely?

Happy sewing!
Annik

Now is the Time to Panic

Okay, not really, but today is the last day of Google Reader. If you use Google's RSS feed to keep track of your favorite blogs and you don't want to lose your subscriptions, take action now.

This article from USA Today provides lots of information about the end of Google Reader, including how to export your subscriptions.  I just exported my list and it only took a few seconds.

Once you've exported your list from Google, you can import it into the reader of your choice. I've heard good things about Feedly and Bloglovin' but shop around to see what suits you best.

Remember, don't lose your list! Export your blog reading list today.

Happy sewing (and reading),

Annik

Mayday Mayday

It's snowing. Again. On May 1st. 

Spring in Minnesota is a serious mind game. We've had loads of snow this April, but the last few days have been glorious - sunny and mid-70's. Yesterday, my daughter and I saw lovely purple and white crocuses on the walk home from preschool, then later a magnolia tree in full bloom while driving my son to baseball practice. A sight for sore eyes, indeed.

Now it's 34 degrees and the flakes are falling.

This kind of weather calls for some serious retail therapy, i.e. a trip to the local quilt shop.

Snow aside, it must be my lucky day because the fabric line I'm using for my quilt in progress, Jenn Ski's Ten Little Things by Moda, just happened to be on the 50% off shelf. Hello backing fabric!

 

I'm nearly finished with my first quilt pattern, called Bella Roma, which will soon be available in my Etsy shop. The pattern includes a toddler size (or wall hanging) quilt and a twin-sized companion design. Stay tuned for more details and a giveaway.

Happy May Day! I wish you sunshine and flowers,

Annik

P.S. Speaking of spring, check out this Dutch Door Press print from Kokka. The pink, orange, and lime colors are ideal for the season. This fabric would make fabulous table runners, napkins, or placemats. And did I mention it's on sale?

23 and Counting

This week the scrappy patchwork madness continues in my sewing room. I've finished 23 nine patch blocks and I've got another 3 sitting next to my sewing machine ready to sew.

My original plan was to piece together a completely spontaneous, unplanned, willy-nilly patchwork quilt top. I would use up some scraps and make a quilt the kids could wrap themselves up in while watching movies and eating buttered popcorn.Win, win.

Sadly, my poor little order-seeking brain just couldn't handle the chaos. Now I'm slowly piecing intentional nine patches with a solid square in the center of each. Of course the joke is on me because as soon as I put all the blocks together it looks like an explosive color mess! I may add some narrow sashing between the blocks so they aren't completely lost in a riot of pattern. We shall see.

Although I'm really enjoying this project, I'm going to put it down for now and start yet another quilt top.

Details to come...

Happy sewing!
-Annik

Scrap Happy

Today I'm finding solace and sanity in the form of scrappy 9 patches.

Rather than focusing on the snow outside that refuses to melt, the spring that refuses to arrive, the violence around the world that refuses to cease, I'm going to think about colors and patterns, favorite fabrics and the projects I made with them. I'm going to think about the amazing generosity of sewists and quilters who dedicate their time, skill, and resources to sew for others in need.

Fabric Memory Lane: these fabrics were used for bags, pillows, a baby carrier, a bonnet, napkins, and bunting banners

On this somber day, I wish you peace, health, safety, and a never-ending bobbin.

Annik