Mid October Already!!!

Say it isn't so . . . mid October and I haven't posted once this month. Time just seems to slip away like the leaves are slipping from the trees and the warm temps are fading. My last post was for the Around the World Blog Hop. If you'd like to learn a little more about me and my process check it out. My daughter also posted for the same hop and she'd love to have you take a look and even start following her as she begins to build her blog, Emily Claire Studio.

Today I thought I'd post about a wall hanging/table runner I made awhile back that's in the fall issue of Stitch Magazine. The theme was contrast and you can't get higher contrast than pure black and white. The idea had been floating around in my sketchbook and this particular theme seemed like the perfect excuse to make it up and submit the concept. Thankfully the nice people at Stitch agreed.

I have a real passion for colorful large scale prints. Fabrics by Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler being at the top of the list. But some of my designs are much better suited for solids. Point/Counterpoint was one such project. I considered several color combinations and even prints as I played around with the early designs, but in the end I chose pure black and white because I wanted to make a very bold graphic statement.

While a good deal of my work is based on blocks and I have lots of fun exploring all the possibilities with blocks, the other side of my design process explores things like line, shape, scale and contrast. Studies in abstract composition lie at the heart of these explorations and they often work best in solids.

My biggest challenge when working with solids is the machine quilting. You may know that the quilting part is not what I enjoy and solids really beg to be quilted well. Deciding how to quilt an all solid quilt can be a struggle. All that space available to create great texture. I thought about pebbles to contrast with the lines but in the end simple straight lines seemed to be all that was needed. More lines might have been nice but then again minimal is minimal right?

The design produced a lot of leftover half square triangle pieces so I put them to use in a small pillow as part of the final submission. There are so many great arrangements you can make with HSTs that I do think you could play with them for a year and never exhaust the possibilites. Especially when fabric options are thrown into the mix. Here's what I included with my submission. Which one is your favorite?

I'm linking this solids post up with Sew Solid Sunday at Esch House Quilts. Hop over to see Debbie's latest all solid design and get a little inspiration.

Springtime Circle Trivet

It's snowing. Again.

I really shouldn't complain because we haven't had that much snow here compared to other parts of the country. Although they say March is our snowiest month so I guess there's still plenty of time to catch up. On the other hand, temps are supposed to be close to 70 on Sunday. Colorado weather . . . what can I say. Wait a minute and it might change.

So here's to wishing and waiting for spring. I have another spring project to share with you today. A small tabletop trivet made for Stitch Magazine's Spring 2014 issue on newsstands now.

The design was based on what is sometimes referred to as a mock orange peel or cathedral window technique. Two circles of fabric plus the batting are sewn together and then turned right side out through a slit cut into the top fabric. Once the circles are sewn together and the edges folded back, the slit is enclosed. Fun and easy!

The issue is packed with lots of fun, colorful projects. Some of the categories include Shapes, Mixing Prints and Chevrons, Dots and Stripes. These cute little Monster Lunch Bags in the Playful Patterns category are one of my personal favorites. Aren't they adorable? If only I still had little kids.

My project was part of the Electric Pastel category. I used Michael Miller Flight Patterns Glee fabric by Tamara Kate as the feature print along with Kona solids in really bright pastel colors. Papaya, Candy Pink, Candy Green and Chartreuse. 

I happen to like the idea of using my trivet as a special placemat for a vase of spring flowers.
Now if only someone would go buy me some real flowers. hint hint . . .  : )

The Submission Process and A Modern Holiday Table Runner

Do you ever have an idea tucked away that you just never get around to trying?
I have!  Lots . . . can I say LOTS of ideas. Probably more ideas than I'll ever have time to make.

This table runner is the result of playing with one of those ideas. I have always wanted to make a quilt using a drunkard's block arranged into full circles where the main color is in the background rather than the circles.

A small table runner seemed the perfect choice when Stitch Magazine put out a call for submissions to their 2014 Gifts issue. Something bright and cheery without being overly Christmas. Something that emphasized the circle theme.

For those of you who haven't tried submitting to a magazine, I though I'd share what my typical submission is like. If it's not a project that has already been made, then I usually start with some design ideas and fabric choices. In the case of Stitch, they have a color palette and theme for each issue so this is obviously taken into consideration.

I use Adobe Illustrator for most of my design work. I'm not an expert by any means and am pretty sure I do most things the hard way, but I get by without getting myself into too many binds. In this case, I designed using solid colors and then took a photo of proposed fabrics to include in the submission. Here's what my submission looked like.

You can see that I included a brief description of the project, along with the basic techniques and materials needed. Another thing you might notice is that I included a photo comp of the table runner in use.  I had the benefit of my husband's graphic design capabilities. He "placed" my runner onto a table and added some candles. And he did a great job if I do say so myself. But please don't be intimidated by this because it's not something I usually include in a submission. Couldn't do it myself if I had to. It just seemed like a nice touch so we went for it. Don't forget you're trying to sell your idea after all.

Once the project was accepted, I worked with the editor to make final fabric selections. When fabrics were finalized, the piece was made, directions written, process photos taken along the way and then sent off to meet the deadline.

If you'd like to learn more about my runner along with lots of other great gift ideas, pick up a copy of Stitch Gifts 2014. These owl and fox stockings on the cover are just so cute. I have 2 or 3 projects tagged that I would like to make.

It's always a thrill for me to see a project published. And it's always a bit of surprise to see what the publisher does with your project in terms of photography. This one was even included as part of the table of contents page . . . an extra little thrill!

If you are thinking about submitting, do your homework first. Check with the publication to see if they want finished projects or whether proposed projects are acceptable. Sometimes they like to work with you on final fabrics so it's the most current and fitting for their theme. Other times they want to see the finished work including close-ups of any quilting or details.

Also check into your rights. Some magazines return the rights to a project to you after a set period of time so you can republish the idea yourself. Others don't. Be clear on this going in if you think you'd like to create a pattern for sale later.

Most importantly:

• Be patient . . . it can take awhile to hear back.
• Be persistent . . . it can take awhile to be accepted.
• Be timely . . . once you're accepted, by all means carry through and meet their deadlines.

This year has been one of submissions for me and I have been fortunate to have found success with some projects. There have been rejections too. It's all part of the process so just keep trying. If you've been thinking about submitting check out the following submission deadlines.

Submissions for Modern Patchwork Summer 2014 are due this Friday Dec 20th. Go here to learn more.
Submissions for the Stitch Fall 2014 issue are due January 10th. Go here to learn more.
Why not make 2014 the year you give it a try?

Repurposing

Do you ever repurpose clothes and other fiber related items in ways that bring new life and new uses to old things? I've been intrigued with quilts made from vintage sheets and clothes remade into something new and fashionable. Even have a small collection of vintage sheets I've gathered with the intention of making a modern quilt one of these days.

When Stitch magazine issued a call for entries for their winter edition, I decided to give the sustainable, upcycled category for fashion and home a try. Each issue has a few different categories featuring a variety of sewing projects. Everything from clothing and home decor to quilts can be found within their pages.

Since the call for entries was for a winter issue, I decided to play with recycling old sweaters and woolen jackets into a home decor project.

Using the sleeves from a variety of sweaters and a couple of jackets, I created a series of 6 vase wraps. I think they give a warm cozy feeling to the vases. I used winter whites and grays for a soft subtle palette and filled them with twigs that had tiny berries still clinging to the branches.

These two use sleek ribbed sweaters.

Here I used a baggy tweed sweater and a delicate lacy one.

The final two used woolen jackets for a slightly more tailored look.

This has been a year of submissions for me as I try my hand at getting published and I've been fortunate to find success with two Interweave publications; Stitch and Modern Patchwork as well as GenerationQ Magazine. If you've ever considered submitting a quilt or other sewing project . . . do it!!!

  

Here's a link to the submissions page for Interweave. And here's a link for GenerationQ.
Now go submit something. You'll never know until you try. Maybe I'll be reading about your project in the next issue.  : )

I'm linking up with Cindy at Live a Colorful Life for a Really Random Thursday post. Hop on over to see what other random things have been happening in the quilting world.

I've Been Published!

Pardon my excitement but this is the first big project I've had published and as you can tell, I'm thrilled! I have a sewing project in the current issue of Stitch magazine (p 43) on newsstands now.

In an August post, I alluded to a project I was working on involving these lovely Amy Butler fabrics.

I am pleased to finally be able to show you the final project. It's a set of custom light shades that slip over a strand of little twinkle lights.

There are so many different applications for these cute little shades. You can make them to match the decor in any room of your house, porch or garden. A fusible vinyl makes them usable outdoors as well as inside.

I think they would be lovely for a garden wedding or special occasion party. I'm sure you could come up with all kinds of ideas where this handmade project would add just the right touch of ambience to your special occasion.

Outer shade features the Amy Butler print
combined with 4 different solids for the inner shade.

Close up of the shade.

Tucked in a tree along the front sidewalk of our home.

Hanging under a vine covered arch in the backyard.

I had so much fun making these and hope you'll consider giving it a try yourself. You can find the directions in the Spring 2013 issue of Stitch magazine published by Interweave Press. If you make any I would really love to see them. Post them on my Flickr account here.

Hope your new year is full of stitchy goodness.