A few months ago I previewed the new lines shipping to quilt stores this March from the designers at Ruby Star Society. I was immediately drawn to Rashida Coleman-Hale’s line called “Stellar”. It is full of happy, space-related prints done with a whimsical twist. And bits of gold! I was inspired to create a quilt pattern for it almost immediately.READ MORE
I’m a little late posting Week 3 of our Hold Tight Quilt Petit Sewalong, but hopefully you are working on your quilts and were able to catch my FB Live last week. How is it going? Last week was all about sewing curves. This week is about finishing and quilting. Or, quilt-as-you-go, to be exact.READ MORE
Sharon and I are starting Week 2 of our Hold Tight Quilt Petit Sewalong this week. Have you been following along so far? Last week was all about choosing your colors and fabrics. I was in the Wise Craft Quilts FB Group live to choose my palette for my own quilt. (If you are a member of the group, you can watch the replay any time, just go to “videos” and Look for Hold Tight Quilt Week 1.READ MORE
Let’s kick off the Hold Tight Petit Sew Along!
The Hold Tight quilt is a PDF pattern designed by Sharon Holland, this month’s Ruby Ambassador, and features a bouquet of balloons. We will be making a mini, 6 balloon version of the original quilt. Color value plays heavily in this design heavily, and it;s the perfect design to show how understanding color value and using the Ruby Ruler™ or Ruby Minder™ as a value lens will help you create a successful layout. Because you know what makes the balloons look like some are behind others? Color value! Get that part right and your quilt is successful!
Get them while they last! I added a few more Sashiko Starter kits to the shop. These were created for the Sashiko #wisecraftstitchalong I hosted last year, and there still seems to be a steady demand for them. READ MORE
We will soon be starting our 4th stitch along in the Wise Craft Quilts Facebook Group (now archived, but look for the video from this stitch along on the Wise Craft Youtube channel). We’ve had great fun stitching these projects together (you can see some of the projects in the #wisecraftstitchalong hashtag on Instagram. Our stitch alongs are casual, and focus on or expand on techniques from my book Wise Craft Quilts. Its been a great way to give myself a little permission to just stitch something new, revisit the projects from that book, and sew up new versions.
For this next one, I was inspired a bit by the sunny skies and warmer temperatures we are having in Seattle right now. I’m thinking tropical!READ MORE
Our next #wisecraftstitchalong is over on my YouTube Channel. For this next one, we will be stitching up the colorful, textural wool appliqué pattern called Springtime Posey Appliqué Banner. The original pattern stitches organic shapes like flowers and leaves to a background fabric which becomes a banner that can be hung on a wall or door. A beautiful pattern to get some good practice adding wool texture over texture, as well as dimensional embroidery stitches. There are endless ways to embellish this piece with hand stitched details. Its also very easy to adapt the pattern to a pillow, or stretch it over a store-bought canvas. (Which is how I plan to do the new version that I will be stitching on air.)READ MORE
What is slow stitching, you ask? Well, in my book that would be hand sewing, hand piecing, and time taken to learn new hand stitching skills. We recently completed the latest #wisecraftstitchalong, the Sashiko coasters (slow and satisfying stitching) over in the Wise Craft Youtube Channel and it was loads of fun. I’m finding my comfort level in front of the camera more every session of these Facebook Live videos, and I am loving being able to connect with everyone in real time! But if you aren’t a fan of Facebook, or you didn’t get a chance to follow along with the FB Live stitching sessions, not to worry. I’ve created playlists of both of the #wisecraftstitchalongs we’ve done so far and they are now up on my YouTube channel.
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Many have asked, and I’m happy to say I was able to get a few more Sashiko Stitching kits! (sold out for now). We are using these to stitch up our current #wisecraftstitchalong we have going on in the Wise Craft YouTube Challen, and have more than enough supplies to continue stitching Sashiko on lots of things once you’ve got the hang of it.
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