Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Paper piecing madness

What am I working on this week you ask? Lots and lots of paper piecing! I was lucky enough to take a class from Sue Daley on paper piecing while in Las Vegas. She was such a great teacher! Originally from Australia, Sue is the queen of paper piecing. She does beautiful work and provided us with many tips on how to create beautiful quilts quicker. Yeah for me because I have to admit, I do love instant gratification projects!                                                                                                                                              
             


These are made with Riley Blake polka dots and gingham. The bright colors are so vibrant and placed together really do make you think of rainbows and sunshine!










This pattern can be found on Sue's website Busy Fingers.  The best thing that I learned from her class was how to cut multiple shapes at once with acrylic templates. What a time saver!  







 I really like paper piecing because of it's portability. I can take a small amount with me in a bag and work on these everywhere. But, my favorite place to sew is sitting on the couch in the evening with my family and I got a lot done there with some help from my friend!






Monday, September 16, 2013

Fabric Fest 2013

          I just got home from attending the first annual Fabric Fest. This was such a great event put on by Riley Blake with over 300 sewers in attendance. The first night started out with opening ceremonies in the vendor hall. There were lots of vendors, food stations and of course fabric galore! I know this sounds a bit silly but I was a bit starstruck throughout this event! 


                                                               Eleanor Burns and I

           I am fairly new to sewing and found myself walking among designers and bloggers that I have been following for the entire time! I got to meet and talk to a few of my favorites and was so happy to find everyone so nice and friendly!
    
          I learned a lot at this event as well!! The classes I attended were: Big Stitch Quilting by Andrea Goddard, Retro Travel Bag by Melissa Mortenson and Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows by Sue Daley. These instructors were great at walking you through the steps of their projects and taught us lots of tricks! I came home with the starts to 3 projects and lots of ideas and inspiration.

          I was also fortunate to meet some really nice sewers in the classes who helped me with even more tips and tricks, thanks so much! What a wonderful group of women! 


A little side note: check out our new residents!  

They are living in the trees on the back of our property. There are 4 adults and 5 babies. Every morning they fly (more like flop!) out of the trees to our well house and then start scavenging throughout the neighborhood. Then every evening I watch them fly back to their nest.  

That's all for now, 
          Regina