So Sophie Fat Quarter Quilt

When Jana and I were in Utah helping The Quilted Fish with her Delighted launch party (October 2011), we had the opportunity to visit Cindy and Jina at Riley Blake headquarters.  I believe the day we were at RB headquarters, was the day that So Sophie made its debut, therefore Jana and I were gifted some So Sophie.  I had honestly been waiting for the perfect quilt, to use my So Sophie, and in my eyes a quilt for Kia's sweet Grandma fit the bill.

Just like the Parson Gray World Tour quilt for Kia's Dad, time was extremely tight, so I opted to make a quick fat quarter friendly quilt (Fantastic-O Fat Quarter Quilt, by my friend Gina Halladay). The front is pieced using 12 fat quarters, and quilted with big bubbly flowers, in a rose colored thread.

The back is simple, as I used the small yellow flower print, and used the linear polka dot print for the binding.  Kia's Grandma was over the moon when she opened the quilt, which is reason enough for why I create and sew for others.  :)

Fresh Mini Quilt Club - March 2013

I took a much needed day off from work (Friday) and created my own three day weekend (at home) sewing retreat.  It felt so good to have the opportunity to sew all weekend with no interruptions.  I'm not a doctor, but I honestly believe that sewing is good for the soul!  :)

Have you heard of Canoe Ridge Creations' 6 month Fresh Mini Quilt Club?  I signed up a couple of weeks ago and am SO glad that I did.  At the begin of the New Year I challenged myself to choose more difficult quilt projects (aka the Swoon that I'm working on for the Bestie QAL) and to get out of my quilting comfort zone (aka start making mini quilts that I can practice my free motion quilting skills on). 

Although I haven't yet found the courage to practice my free motion quilting skills, I did finish two mini quilt tops this weekend, which means I'm well on my way.  The first quilt top is for me, and will soon brighten up my sewing studio.

The second mini quilt top is for my Momma.  I think she might hang it in her office at work!  :)

Both mini quilts are made from a very old Riley Blake fabric line (Andrea Victoria), which I love.  It made its debut when I first started quilting, and unfortunately none of my local quilt shops carried the fabric (and I wasn't a savvy Etsy shopper back then).  A year or so my quilting friend was getting cleaning out her stash and offered me pieces of what you see above.  I've held onto Andrea Victoria for quite sometime, as I new the perfect project would come along!

Riley Blake Designs' Fabric Fest!!

Have you seen the details of Riley Blake Design's Fabric Fest in sunny Las Vegas, NV!?!    Fabric Fest is happening September 9-12, 2013 at the Southpoint Hotel, Casino & Spa (only 5 miles south of the famous Las Vegas strip!).

The ticket price includes accomodations, meals, classes, lectures, and make and takes!  Eleanor Burns is the scheduled Keyonte Speaker for Tuesday, Septemeber 10th, and Nancy Zieman on Wednesday, September 11th.  There are also a TON of classes/lectures to choose from, which are being taught by Amanda Herring, Amy Smart, Kim & Kris, and Lori Holt (just to name a few).

Guest Posting Over @ Cutting Corners!

Eeep!  I can barely contain my excitement!  Just a quick announcement to make sure to that you know I'm guest posting over on the Riley Blake Designs' Cutting Corners blog!  Here is a sneek peak!  :)

Daisy Cottage {Modified} Bento Box Quilt

I finally have a finished quilt to share with you all!  Truth be told that my stack of quilts (which are quilted) that need bindings was out of control for a while.  I've had the chance to bind two of the quilts, have one more in queue, and have two quilt tops that need to be quilted- whew!

This beauty is made up of a Daisy Cottage Rollie Pollie, which was given to me by Cindy of Riley Blake (remember when I mentioned that I had the opportunity to go to their corporate office when I was in Utah last October?).  :)  The sashing is Kona Cotton in Ash, which is so versatile and definitely one of my favorites!

For the backing, I used a Sherbert Pips print (Play Dot in Vanilla Ice Cream), with a a reappearance of the Kona Cotton Ash, from the front of the quilt.  For the binding I opted for a Lizzy House 1001 Peeps print (Illusion in Pink).

I decided to quilt the quilt with daisies (hence Daisy Cottage), in yellow.  I really do love the quilting on this quilt, although its a bit more dense than I'm used to.

Before I go, I want to thank my sweet friend Jana her original Daisy Cottage Baby Quilt inspired my finished quilt.  They are very similar, yet they both speak to our own styles and personalities, and I love that!  :)

Delighted Fabric Launch Party!!!

I may {or may not be!} three months late with this post, but it is what it is!  Some of you may know that I was in Utah in October for The Quilted Fish's Delighted Fabric Launch Party, and let me tell you, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  :)

Every table in the room was decorated with the utmost attention to detail!

Mr. Fish (Amanda's sweet husband) built this doll house for the party, and let me tell you it was a HIT!  The Delighted fabric was Mod Podged onto the wood, and then carefully assembled per the instructions.

Here is a look at the inside of the house.  All of the furnishings were made by Jana!  :)

Fun and fashionable Dress Form Mannequin Pin Cushions, made using DIY Dish's tutorial.

This was my 'home away from home' for the night!  The party featured two make-and-takes, one being a dog tag fabric necklace, and the other a bottle cap pincushion (which Jana manned).  Behind the table are also projects made by some of the The Quilted Fish's Design Team!

I LOVE this apron!  :)

This is Jana's station, where each party goer had the opportunity to make a bottle cap pincushion!

Sassy Jana!!!  :)

Each window displayed a sweet vignette of collections and handmade goodies featuring the Delighted fabric.

Above is the bunting I prepared for the party!  (Could you tell it was mine as each pendant is backed with burlap!?!)  ;)

Treats for all of the party goers!

The photo booth and fun props were a hit throughout the night!

 

This is Jana and I together (one of the only photos I have of us from our week together!).  I'm so thankful that I was able to be in Utah for the party, and that I had the opportunity to spend the time I did with both Amanda and Jana.  I am one lucky girl to be able to call them both friends, and better yet Besties!  ;)

PS- Interested in the kitchen themed projects made by the Design Team?  If so make sure to view the online magazine as well as the tutorials!

The Quilted Fish Tutorials- Sally and Julie!

It's totally YOUR lucky day, as I have two tutorials for you to check out from The Quilted Fish's Design Team!  First up is Sally of Sally's Angelworks, and she has whipped up a beautiful 9-patch quilt tutorial for your enjoyment!  With Christmas just around the corner (not trying to scare anybody!), Sally's quilt tutorial would make AMAZING Christmas gifts...don't you think?  :)  I also want to mention that I saw this beauty at Quilt Market, and Sally did an amazing job on both the design and the machine quilting...she's a pro!  :)

You'll have to excuse me for my tardiness on the second tutorial, as Julie of The Intrepid Thread whipped up a Sweet Liberty Table Runner.  I think that table runners are a great addition to any table, so hop on over to your favorite fabric store, pick up some discounted 4th of July fabric (score!) and make a table runner or two for next year's festivities!  :)

Sugar and Spice Perpetual Magnetic Calendar Tutorial!

Hello friends!  It's Friday, which means its time for a new Sugar and Spice tutorial, and this week it is MY turn to share my new tutorial...a Perpetual Magnetic Calendar- woo hoo!  Make sure to hop on over to The Quilted Fish's blog to check out the details. 

 

I love that I'll be able to use the same calendar, year after year, as all I have to do is change out the month letters and rearrange the dates accordingly- easy peasy!  I also think that these would make awesome gifts (Christmas is just around the corner!).  :)

Hoping to Redeem Myself!

Hello!  I must confess that I haven't been a very good Creative Consultant Teammate, as I haven't posted the past two tutorials (shame on me!).  With that, today is your lucky day if you're looking for awesome tutorials!  :)

The first tutorial is by Jackie of Jackie's Art Quilts!  Jackie so cleverly whipped up a 3-d fabric teacup and saucer!  I had the chance to hold one of her teacups and saucers in person at Quilt Market, and they are so darn cute!  I think they would make great party gifts and/or candy dishes!  :)

The second tutorial is by Stephanie of Peas in a Pod!  Stephanie created a wonderful (and kid-friendly) cookie sheet magnet board!  If you don't sew, this tutorial is SO for you, as there is no sewing involved (make sure to stop by Stephanie's blog to thank her!).  :)

I hope to see you back here on Friday, as it will be my turn to share my tutorial on The Quilted Fish's blog.  I may be biased, but I'm positive that you won't want to miss it!!!  :)

PS- Here is a sneak peek of what's to come on Friday!

Mug Rug Tutorial!

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!  I'm so excited to announce that the Brooke of Silly Mama Quilts (Blog and Etsy shop), is kicking off the second round of tutorials for The Quilted Fish.  This round of tutorials will all be made from Amanda's Sugar and Spice fabric (which I LOVE!!!).

Okay, first up is Brooke's Mug Rug tutorial!  If by chance you were at Quilt Market and stopped by The Quilted Fish's booth, these sweet Mug Rugs were displayed on the blue table, as part of the Mad Hatter Tea Party decor!  In my opinion, the Mug Rugs are so sweet and such a fun addition to your morning coffee/tea time (or MY Diet Coke time!).  They are also a great project to practice your quilt binding techniques, and can totally be completed in an hour or two!

Quilt Market- Riley Blake 80's Party

Saturday night, Riley Blake hosted an 80's party at The Depot in Salt Lake City.  I'm not one that enjoys dressing up in costume, yet I think that this photo might be my favorite from the entire trip!  :)

Amanda, and I

Me, Amanda, My Momma, and Kayce (Amanda's sweet BFF).  

Kayce won the won the Women's Best Dressed Costume contest.  I think that her worm moves across the dance floor (she's a hoot!) gave her the winning advantage.  :)

I know that you're all LOVING my dress...hehehe!  I found it at the Goodwill for $15 and really do think that it was from the 80's as the elastic in the sleeves was rotted out, so after a couple of hours with my seam ripper (seriously!) and new elastic, the sleeves were like brand new.  I hope to never have to wear this dress again, but I am keeping it in my closet, just in case I get invited to another 80's party!  :)

Julie, Me, and Sally

Dancing the night away...

80's Cover Band...very entertaining!  :)

Blues Brothers.  They were actually a foursome (2 girls and 2 guys)...great group idea.

Devo!

Quilt Market- Sugar and Spice

Hi Friends!  Quilt Market has been awesome!  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to walk around learning about the industry, meeting some of The Quilted Fish's sweet Creative Consultants, and of course hanging out with Amanda!!

Amanda and I 

Amanda's booth theme is the Mad Hatter Tea Party, and let me tell you, it is so darling!

The table is set and adorned with her sweet new "We're All MAD Here" hat and pincushion pattern (definitely a Quilt Market favorite!).

The trees are adorned with hoop art (so fun, and not to mention instant gratification...my kind of project!).  ;)

Julie, Amanda, Me, and Sally

My Momma and I on the last day of set up (Thursday)

PS- I just got back to the hotel from an 80's themed party, hosted by Riley Blake, and I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite photo from the night.  We changed in the convention center bathrooms, but got kicked out as (I guess) we were taking too long to fix our hair!  :)