Scrappy Totes!

New Class Alert: The Scrappy Market Tote!

(this post contains affiliate links, which help me get paid more for my creative work!)

I recently shared a bunch of scrappy piecing I did this summer. (and I still remember I promised a tutorial! Coming!) This week I can share what all that scrappy stuff was for!

I made a class with Bluprint that is all about improvisational piecing with scraps. As in, you take whatever fabric scraps you have and sew them together however you like. The class turned out great: fast paced and full of beautiful things to look at and ideas to try. 

In The Scrappy Market Tote we explore scrappy piecing in four different lessons. Using up scraps just makes my heart sing. And working without a pattern is so fun!! I show lots of variations of the basic ideas to get your wheels turning about something that would fit your style.

After making a scrappy panel, we turn it into a quilted bag that is just the right size and sturdiness for using as a market tote. I have used a pair of similar handmade quilted market bags for the past 6 years and they are still holding up. They start some lovely conversations in the checkout line!

I imagine there's a lot of ways this Scrappy Market Tote class will be used. Maybe you discover one particular technique that you love, and make a whole quilt out of it. Maybe you dip your toe into improv piecing for the first time, because making a bag is smaller and less intimidating than making a whole quilt. Or maybe you don't do the scrappy piecing at all, and you just use the included pattern to make yourself some sturdy quilted totes out of whatever quilted pieces you already have. 

I'd love to hear how you use the class! And how your scrappy totes are received in the world! I've  heard some great feedback about the class from some of you speed demons who already found it; thanks for checking it out and reporting back, you curious quilters! Bluprint subscribers, if you love the class you can choose it as one of your "keep forever" classes. 

I feel like I've just been full of big news. There's been plenty to celebrate. I'm looking forward to some quiet time to get back to my scrap bin. I hope you get some too. Happy stitching everyone!

Moongate Fabric and Horizon Ombres sneak peek

I'm on a quick trip to preview my new fabrics at the twice-a-year trade show in Houston, known as Quit Market. It's a good chance to sit down and make a blog post to share the fabrics too! There are a total of 29 prints in the Moongate collection. I left a few out when I was hurriedly taking these photos before work but I think you get a good feel for the collection. Does it feel spacey to you?

8 of the prints are ombres. They have a very subtle quilting design of mine printed over them.

I'm also releasing patterns to go along with the collection. Oh my gosh writing a bunch of patterns at once is quite demanding! Also, placing an order for printed patterns involves high dollar amounts that kind of make me nervous!

In the picture below you can see the full color range of one of the ombres. Free motion quilting looks so good on it!! This is my Light Speed quilt that some of you tested for me. It's such a fun pattern.

One extra special detail about this collection is that on the selvage of each ombre there is a special message unique to that color. So a total of 8 messages in all. I had fun choosing them, in the hopes that they would find you at just the right time. One example is below, as well as a close up of something I made with....of course....the scraps!!

I brought to market 4 quilts I designed with the collection. But I only had 3 weeks from the time fabric came in to when I left for market. For a single parent with a day job that's wayyyyy too tight of a timeframe. Luckily I had the help of some stunt sewists in Portland who pieced two of the tops. I am happy to have a part in this industry and my commitment to myself is that I will do the amount of work that is sustainable and just be ok that having limits means I won't be meeting everyone's expectations.

I got to know my long arm machine better by quilting these on a deadline. There was no way for me to procrastinate and fuss. It was just what I needed and I'm feeling much more proficient now that I've quilted 8 (I think) quilts on it so far. The longarm is incredibly fast, which is why I got it. I knew I would need to be able to finish quilts faster to share more of my work.

That last quilt above is all ombres. They are just so fun and full of potential! I'm finishing up the print patterns and I will post full pictures of the quilts soon and patterns for all of them will be available in print or digital download! So here are answers to some questions you might have: 

When does the fabric come out? It will ship to stores in February. 

Will there be precuts? Yes! Charms, 10 inch squares, strip rolls and FQ sets will all be available. 

Where can I buy them? This fabric is from Maywood Studio. If your local quilt shop already carries Maywood fabric, let them know you're interested in this collection! If you need to order online, I will be sure to share when I hear of a shop offering a preorder. 

Happy stitching folks! More to come next week!