Tag: Etsy (Page 1 of 5)

Creative Bee Studios on YouTube

Creative Bee Studios on YouTube

March 10, 2022 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Creative Bee Studios is now on YouTube!

With exciting new Creative Bee Studios videos being added to YouTube, you can watch short clips to learn more about patterns and techniques any time you want!

Most assuredly, the queen of quilting on YouTube has to be non other than her majesty, Jenny Doan!

Years ago, Jenny, with the help of her kids, started recording videos. Those videos led her to fame and fortune and ultimately saved the town of Hamilton!

A great resource for quilters and crafters of all kinds.

Why add Creative Bee Studios to YouTube? Firstly, it’s a great way for many quilters to learn in the comfort of their own homes. Secondly, unlike online shopping platforms, videos let quilters see more and learn more before deciding on purchase. Thirdly, its a great way to share little tips and tricks which I normally share in classes and workshops.

Creative Bee Studios on YouTube

Being creative on YouTube includes knowing what to look for!

Not only can you learn just about any kind of quilting or stitching technique, you can learn to cook, play ukulele, train a dog, or build a fence!

My hope is to teach more quilters about the nuances of value and the fun of using both sides.

With more and more online business and increasing costs of doing business, it’s more important than ever to get click-throughs and followers on all social media.

image of video from creative bee Studios youTube

How you can help Creative Bee Studios on YouTube.

All I ask is a few clicks of your time! Here’s what you can do and it won’t cost you a dime.

  • Use the link above to go to my YouTube channel.
  • When you get there, click the SUBSCRIBE button.
  • Watch some videos and be sure to click the “like” (thumbs up) button.
  • Tap the bell icon so you’ll be notified when new videos are posted.
  • Click the “down” arrow where it says “Read More” to find the video description and helpful information. Click on the links there!
  • Share with everyone you know!

I am forever grateful for your support and interest in my creativity!

Be prepared for some laughter and bloopers. Funny things happen when the camera is rolling!

Perhaps I’ve come to this moment kicking and screaming, but the moment is here! Why be hesitant? I’m telling you right now, it’s really HARD!

Creative Bee Studios on YouTube

Learn more about Bubbles the Baby Whale Cuddle, Treasures, and The Adventures of Bubbles the Baby Whale soft book panel!

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use both beautiful sides of fabric!

Learn more about using both sides of fabric HERE!

Felicity, the Teapot Quilt

February 9, 2022 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Question: if you had a little Pioneer Woman fabric, what would you do?

Answer: make a little teapot quilt from both beautiful sides of Pioneer Woman fabric!

This mini teapot quilt is the perfect size for a little spot (of tea) in your kitchen. First, this quilt fits nicely on a 12″ table top quilt hanger. Secondly, it’s a sweet little way to learn all about how to use BOTH beautiful sides of your fabric!

Image of Quilt made with Pioneer Woman fabric
Felicity Quilt Pattern

Why is she named Felicity?

The American Girl doll, of course! Felicity Merriman is a young girl growing up in Virginia in 1774. She’s spunky and adventurous at a time when she’s expected to do “sitting down kinds of things”. Needless to say, both my girls devoured the American Girl books and treasured their dolls. Most importantly, they received their first American Girl dolls, each getting Felicity, while on a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia.

Image of Girls in Felicity dresses
Paige and Jacquelyn with Felicity dolls and matching dresses at Williamsburg, Virginia.

We tucked them in bed after traveling all day, with sweet dreams of entering Williamsburg come morning. Much to their surprise, Felicity dolls were sitting on the ends of their beds when they awoke. Furthermore, their grandmother had made them and their dolls matching dresses!

Image of girls in Felicity dresses
Here they were making bread crumbs in the kitchen. They also took dance lessons and watched their dad march in the militia.

Paige and Jacquelyn happily played the role of Felicity while visiting Williamsburg and, to our surprise, the costumed workers played their own characters as well! They talked with the girls as though they WERE Felicity, the character from their beloved books and they were well-versed in Felicity’s adventures!

My youngest daughter, Jacquelyn, responded promptly to my request for quilt names and Felicity was one of her contributions. She also reminded me that Felicity learned to how to “take tea” in one of her books. Thanks, Jacq – perfect!

Why Pioneer Woman fabric?

Ultimately, to fully understand, one must read “Watercolor on a Whim”,

Watercolor on a Whim is an account of a trip to Pawhuska, Oklahoma, home of Ree Drummond, THE Pioneer Woman.

In case you didn’t click on that link (you really should, it’s quite fun), I should tell you the fabric choice had nothing to do with brand name. I didn’t even think about the (loose) timeline connection to Felicity until writing this post. (To be accurate, though, Kirsten is the pioneer girl doll.)

Pioneer Woman fabric (and, I dare say, everything else she makes) is about happy, beautiful flowers. As my daughter, Paige, says, “Ree makes no apologies for pretty!”

Ree makes no apologies for pretty!

Paige Cook

To be fair to Ree, she’s mostly all about her cooking show, but don’t let that fool you, she’s also a talented writer, and so much more!

Altogether, when Pioneer Woman fabric began showing up at our local Walmart, that’s when things began to click. In case you still haven’t read the post linked above, here’s a quilted wall hanging made from another design of Ree’s fabric:

Quilt made with Pioneer Woman Fabric
Dazzling Kate Quilt Pattern outside The Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma!
Image of Felicity Quilt
Felicity Quilt Pattern

Simply put, this teapot quilt is as easy to make as it is pretty (not exactly a quote, but I should credit Ree for that statement.) Make the teapot and lid from the REVERSE side; make the bouquet and binding from the RIGHT side. Add a fun, scrappy background to make the quilt sparkle with happiness!

This quilt is made with easy fusible applique and broderie perse techniques.

While supplies last, get Felicity focus fabric kits! (This is a pattern and focus fabric fat quarter; you add the five scrappy background fabrics.)

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides HERE.

Unlikely Quilting Tools

January 11, 2022 /

You might call it cheap entertainment, but I like to find useful quilting supplies in unlikely places. I also find it fun to use things for quilting that aren’t meant for that purpose.

It makes a necessary a trip to town a little more exciting.

First, you might wonder why I’d combine an ordinary trip to town with looking for quilting supplies. I guess I’m one of those people who could sport a “I’d rather be quilting” bumper sticker. The reason is because I tend to put some off things (like buying groceries) until I just really HAVE to (we have no food).

Therefore, my (let’s call it creative) mind has come up with a few ways to make these tasks more bearable.

The first one (if I’m at Walmart), is to see if there are any new Pioneer Woman products – that’s a given. (See Watercolor on a Whim about my trip to Pawhuska!)

Next, is that I am always, always, always on the lookout for items that have any useful way to be a part of quilting, sewing, painting, or crafting.

I have three to share with you today!

Image of Quilting Tools
Big scissors, hair spritzer, and popsicle sticks. And, yes, Bubbles in the background.

Hairitage Continuous Spray Bottle

You can find this item in the hair care products at your local Walmart.

It’s a continuous spritzer, very similar to one I’ve purchased at a quilt shop. This one has a light mist, but it does spray a bit longer with each pull of the trigger. These spritzers work especially well if you use a dry iron but want to mist your fabric for a good press. These also are a great tool for watercolor painting as they don’t leave heavy droplets. The best part is that it was about half the price as the one marketed for quilting. Now I can leave one at my iron AND have one at my painting desk – perfecto!

Whether they were expensive or not, I have always had trouble with steam irons that leak or spit. I have found it’s much nicer to use a dry iron and I control the moisture with a spritzer. No chances for rust spots!

Really Big Scissors

Next up is the very long scissors, found at Harbor Freight. I have no idea what they are meant for, but I use them to cut batting. They work beautifully! If I remember correctly, they were about $8.

Craft Sticks

Lastly, I have a little package of craft sticks (popsicle sticks) that I purchased for less than $2 at Hobby Lobby. I suspect they could also be found at a dollar store or discount store for even less. I chose the wider (about 3/4 inch) ones. There are 40 in the pack so I have plans for the rest of mine!

Use this little guy for projects that need to be turned right side out a pressed. This will help push the fabric outward to make the seam nice and flat. It helps to insure you don’t crease extra fabric while pressing.

Just position the craft stick on the inside on either side of the seam and gently push the seam outward while pressing with a small iron. The rounded edge won’t compromise the seam. This is especially helpful for curved seams.

Which brings to me the next thing I want to share with you, my friends…

Image of Bubbles Cuddle
Meet Bubbles Cuddle!

This pattern is coming very soon to my Etsy shop! He’s so much fun to make! He’s shown here sporting BOTH beautiful sides of “Bubbles Geometric Medium” fabric printed on Spoonflower’s Organic Cotton Sateen, so he matches the original quilt. Of course, you can make him with BOTH beautiful sides of whatever you want YOUR Bubbles to be!

Spoonflower How-To

September 22, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Table of contents

Discover Spoonflower’s fabric and home decor!

Spoonflower’s fabrics and home decor are so stimulating, I liken it to walking into Hancock’s of Paducah (or any fabric warehouse) for the first time, without a clear quilt plan or shopping list! There’s so much to choose from -it can be delightful AND overwhelming!

Where do you start?

This is an overall guide to Spoonflower’s fabrics and home decor. I’ll explain what it is and how it works. You will “walk in” with an overall idea of where to go and what to do!

First, let me say that Spoonflower.com is not a difficult website to navigate. It’s just that, as creatives, we imagine ALL the possibilities when encountering a new product or venue. When you consider there are thousands of designs that can be printed on a variety of products, THAT can be overwhelming!

Because there are so many possibilities with Spoonflower, I think it’s helpful to wander in with some idea of what you will see.

spoonflower's fabric and home decor
Example of traditional designs.

Basically, Spoonflower is a print-on-demand fabric shop. Artists create design swatches. You find the one/ones you like, choose the type of fabric you want it printed on and place your order.

Pretty straight forward, right? It is. However, when you “enter” Spoonflower, you can see thousands and thousands of designs, it’s easy to get distracted. (You think you want frog fabric but you’re suddenly engrossed in pages and pages of beautiful florals.)

artistic nature
Example of “artistic, nature” designs.

So here are some basics to remember when you visit Spoonflower so you can stay on track:

Let’s start with fabric. There are categories, color, and fabric types.

Examples of categories include Style (Traditional, Modern, Nautical, etc.), Animals, Nature, Occasional, Holidays, etc.

Twelve color categories include numerous swatches in each to really pick the colors you are searching.

When it comes to fabric types, hold on to your hats! Spoonflower prints on 24 different types of fabrics! Examples are Canvas, Performance Velvet, Jersey, Organic Sweet Pea Gauze, Chiffon, Performance Linen, and my favorite, Organic Cotton Sateen! That’s just seven of the twenty-four!

Keep in mind that artists upload their designs for you to choose to print. There are thousands of artists uploading lots of designs!

Fill-a-Yard is a great option!

Fill-a-Yard is a great way to get many different designs in one yard of fabric. When you choose this option you first pick the designs you want. Next, choose the template. Do you want two half-yards or 12 dinner napkins?

When you find designs you like, click on the designer’s shop to see more. You can “favorite” what you like so you can go back to see that designer’s newest work.

Image of shop page
This is how a designer’s page will look. Click here to go directly to my shop on Spoonflower!

What about home decor?

Spoonflower’s home decor is divided into four categories: wallpaper, living and decor, dining, and bedding.

Wallpaper: Choose from Prepasted Removable (smooth), Peel and Stick (woven), or Non-pasted Traditional (pebble).

image of wallpaper
BUBBLES Wall Paper by Creative Bee Studios

Living and Decor: Order pillows, blankets, curtains, or wallhangings in your favorite designs!

image of pillow
Bubbles pillow on Spoonflower

Bedding: Options include duvet covers, sheets, pillow shams, and lumbar throw pillows.

My designs on Spoonflower, like Seashore Friends Fabric Collection, are hopefully just a beginning point for my adventure into design work.

Image of Seashore Friends quilt
Seashore Friends Quilt Pattern made with the Seashore Friends Fabric Collection
Image of Bubbles Quilt and Fabrics
Bubbles Quilt and Fabrics

See It’s a Whale Tale for more about designing this line of fabrics!

Whale Quilting Fabric on Spoonflower

Now head over to Spoonflower.com and have a ton of creative fun!

Enjoy your quilting journey, Karla

See New Textile Designs and meet Lord Stanley, the Great Blue Heron in A Great Blue Quilt!

image of baby quilt

Seashore Friends Baby Quilt

August 31, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Brand New: Seashore Friends Baby Quilt Pattern!

Create a fun, fast baby quilt using one block, four fabrics, and BOTH beautiful sides!

Firstly, the new Seashore Friends quilt is made with this one block – Rippling 4-Patch.

Image of Reflecting 4-Patch

To start, the Rippling 4-Patch block is made with seven squares and two 4-patch units. You’ll make the swell of the rippling wave “reflect” by using the reverse of each fabric to mimic the sunlight on the crest of the waves.

Use both beautiful sides of four fabrics!

Next, use four fabrics to make the blocks that repeat outward from the center diagonal line.

In this baby quilt you see four fabrics from Seashore Friends Fabric Collection (my own designs), printed by Spoonflower on the exquisite Organic Cotton Sateen. Learn more about Organic Cotton Sateen HERE. This fabric is a delight for quilters and PERFECT for baby!

image of baby quilt
Seashore Friends Quilt Pattern

Gentle rippling waves come to shore in this one-block quilt. Use the reverse side of four fabrics to mimic the sun’s reflection on the crest of the waves. No matter what your fabric motif, the reverse will add an “I Spy” activity for baby.

Seashore Friend Baby Quilt
Image of baby quilt fabric
Seashore Friends Fabric Collection

See the full Seashore Friends Fabric Collection

Furthermore, you can find more baby quilt gift ideas, including matching accessories like bibs, drag-along blankets, even personalizable gifts right in my Etsy shop. Together with my personal touch for customized orders, these print-on-demand items will ship straight to you from the print shop where my artwork is applied.

baby quilt with soft book panel
The Adventures of Bubbles the Baby Whale Soft Book Panel

Stitch up a quick little soft book for your special baby using the fat-quarter panel of Organic Cotton Sateen to go with your baby quilt!

Additionally, see more about The Adventures of Bubbles the Baby Whale soft book DIY panel. Watch on YouTube!

Not a nautical nursery?

Finally, suppose you (or the baby’s parents) aren’t into nautical baby. What to do? Consider other motifs like tractors, frogs, flowers, hearts – anything really, as long as they have beautiful reverse sides that work for your quilt!

image of babyquilt and merchandise
Use the easy-link, blue SHOP buttons for patterns, fabric, and merchandise at Creative Bee Studios!

Follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Enjoy your quilting journey!

Image of Bubbles with Stuffed Animal

Old Friends Fare Well

July 3, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Old friends might not be those you’ve known the longest.

Old friends might be those you connect with instantly. Or maybe its someone you haven’t seen in a while but you pick up right where you left off, not missing a beat or…a word!

That’s what I mean by “old friends”. Not age. Not how long you’ve known them. It’s those people who connect with your soul. Who KNOW you. Really KNOW you!

Actually, old creations can be old friends, too.

When you’ve work on something so long that it becomes a part of you, it becomes a friend. It’s like when you know every inch of a quilt, or a drawing or a garden or whatever it is into which you pour your heart and hands and time.

You might not always like your this creation of yours. But a good thing rarely comes without hard work, glitches, and maybe the need for a seam ripper…right?

In the end, when you have accomplished what you set out to create, you can take stock in that process and friendship. Like when you see an old friend in passing and you both talk “a mile a minute”. When you turn to walk away, you are smiling. Old friends truly are the best!

All of this talk leads me to announce the culmination of a long creative process for one simple thing: this guy.

image of whale quilt
BUBBLES the Baby Whale Quilt Pattern

I know you’ve seen BUBBLES before…but now he’s sporting his very OWN fabric!

It’s called Bubbles Geometric and it’s part of my Seashore Friends Collection!

Read “Uncork the Bubbles” if you want to take a look at the original guy, made with Kaffe Fassett’s Paint Pots,

To review, the whale and binding are made from the RIGHT side of the fabric. His under-belly, blowhole, and the floating bubbles are made from the REVERSE.

The real fun was choosing fabrics from the collection to help make the background for BUBBLES. In addition to seven fabrics from Seashore Friends, you’ll find batiks, ombre, and white on white stash fabrics.

AND…(drum roll)…how fun will it be for quilter moms and grandmoms to be able to choose little extras to go with their quilts?

image of quilt and onesie
A BUBBLES Onesie!
image of wallpaper
Peel and Stick Wallpaper
image of pillow
A pre-made pillow – because you just made a quilt!

These are just a few of the BUBBLES items available – I hope you’ll take a look! Use the easy-link blue SHOP buttons!

I’ve been waiting for the day when I could share this with you all – my “old friends”. (Even if you don’t know me in person, I think you KNOW me by now.)

BUBBLES is an old friend of mine. I hope he’ll be yours, too.

Seashore Friends Collection One

May 25, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Delight in the happy colors of summer as we take a first look at Seashore Friends Pattern Collection One.

Firstly, you’ve seen the main character of this show (the Seashore Friends Pattern Collection), Bubbles. (See Uncork the Bubbles for more Bubbles fun!)

Image of Baby Whale Quilt
Bubbles is made with both sides of “Paint Pots” by Kaffe Fassett.

Secondly, you know he’s got some beach-loving “supporting characters”, Pinky and Sally.

To begin, each character started from a focus fabric and an idea. This is a case of the fabric driving the quilt!

Each quilt was made using both beautiful sides of the focus fabric. For each character, the fabric sparked the idea for the quilt design.

Pinky Quilt Pattern
Pinky is made with both sides of fish bones on pink.
Image of Sally Quilt Pattern
Sally is made with both beautiful sides of a seashell bouquet motif.

Now, you’ll see how these friends take center stage in this new pattern collection.

So, how do you combine these very different characters into one pattern collection?

Seashore Friends Pattern Collection One
Seashore Friends Pattern Collection One

With colors, motifs, happiness and love!

Granted, that might sound corny, but it’s very true! When you put in lots of hours on an idea (or many ideas), you get connected, right? It happens when making quilts, for sure. Some quilts are hard to give away because of the “soul” we’ve invested in them! (Not to mention time.)

Therefore, it’s the same with pattern collections. Here’s the headline fabric:

Image of Seashore Friends Pattern Collection
Friends at Sea Fabric at Spoonflower

Look for the colors and elements that connect each fabric in Seashore Friends Pattern Collection One.

Image of Bubbles Geometric
Bubbles Geometric Fabric on Spoonflower
Image of Bubbles fabric
Bubbles the Whale fabric at Spoonflower
Image of Stripe
Whale Tail Stripe fabric coming soon to Spoonflower!
Image of Dancing starfish
Dancing Starfish & Seaweed Fabric at Spoonflower
Image of sanddollar fabric
Sand Dollars and Coral fabric at Spoonflower

Finally, from bubbles that can make Bubbles, dancing starfish, whale tails, sand dollars, and seashells, these designs perform together!

Watch for encore productions of Seashore Friends – New collections premiering soon!

Image of Baby Whale Quilt
Bubbles

Salty Marine Saves Quilt

May 10, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Bubbles the baby whale quilt is quite photogenic, most of the time!

This goofy (or is it mischievous) little smile reveals the character of Bubbles the baby whale quilt, made with both beautiful sides of fabric.

Bubbles the baby whale at the beach.
Bubbles Quilt Pattern is made with both beautiful sides of “Paint Pots” by Kaffe Fassett.

So how does this Marine hide behind these 36 inch square quilts for photo sessions? Very strategically.

First, he starts with a very low, very small, foldable beach chair and positions himself as follows. He tucks his toes into the sand, as close to the chair as possible. Next, he removes the camo boonie cover (i.e. floppy hat) from his head and secures it on his knee.

Then, my husband positions his fingers in the two outermost prairie points on the back of the quilt. See Prairie Point Hanging Method and learn more on YouTube.

After a nod to the photographer (me), he simultaneously drops his head and lifts the quilt, holding it taut and level. Mind you, he can only lift the quilt high enough to avoid the sand, but not reveal his toes, legs or anything else!

Before I share the outtake of Bubbles, the baby whale, take a look at some of these great shots he allowed me to take:

Image of Fiona at the beach
Fiona Quilt Pattern made with both beautiful sides of a Kaffe Fassett floral on a scrappy background.
Image of Sally the seahorse quilt.
Sally Quilt Pattern is made with both beautiful sides of Philip Jacobs fabric for Kaffe Fassett Collective.

The big save comes with a big wave rushing in.

Image of marine saving Bubbles the baby whale quilt at the beach.
Salty Marine saves Bubbles!

Read more about my very helpful husband in The Marine Behind the Quilts.

Image of Matt in USMC Blues

Bubbles is now on fabric and home decor at Spoonflower!

Choose from more than 20 kinds of fabrics, wallpapers, and home decor.

Find Bubbles on Redbubble merchandise, too!

Explore a variety of products to go with your quilts! Add Bubbles (and friends) to tech items, clothing, home decor and more at RedBubble.

Image of baby whale fabric

Watch Creative Bee Studios on YouTube and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

Watercolor on a Whim

April 28, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Table of contents

One month earlier, “watercolor on a whim” wasn’t even a thought in my head.

First, the “watercolor on a whim” theme started as a spring break trip with my daughter, Paige. As often happens with Paige, our trip soon became packed with more things to do than hours in the day (unless there is no sleeping allowed). Therefore, Paige is actually responsible for the “paint brush to fabric” idea – completely. It’s ALL her fault! Blame it all on her.

That said, I’m so glad she made me do it! Here’s how watercolor on a whim happened:

We traveled to Pawhuska, Oklahoma to visit the hometown of Ree Drummond, known as The Pioneer Woman. Now, Paige and I might not know the “in’s” and “out’s” of Ree”s cooking shows and cookbooks, but we are HUGE fans and experts (it is known) of her merchandise! We love everything about it…and it’s kinda, sorta dangerous, in a MUST HAVE ALL PIONEER WOMAN way!

For instance, Paige and I love Ree’s flowers, the graphic design, and the colors. We love the way everything goes together and NOTHING is matchy-matchy. It’s also cool that we can afford at least one piece of most of her merchandise. We cherish that there are no apologies for All Things Pretty when it comes to The Pioneer Woman! (Kinda like “life’s too short for ugly fabric”. Right, sweet quilters?)

Above all, thanks to Ree, there’s always a bright spot in going to Walmart!

Most importantly, we have learned that if you see something you like, grab it immediately. It’s sure to be gone the next time you’re there. Not a bad thing for the bottom line, either – theirs’s…not mine.

Moreover, we love Ree’s business model (what we’ve observed, anyway), her style, her writing, her, well…everything! Especially after reading her two FANTASTIC books which provide a “best friend” look into her life, we are certain that we are “forever friends”! Ree actually states this in her book (and I’m pretty sure she was talking about Paige and me- just kidding – you can be one, too, if you read her book!).

Therefore, considering our shared love of three-tiered white prairie skirts from The Limited (me), ballet (Paige), West Side Story (Paige WAS Maria), and Gone with the Wind (me), Paige and I think Ree loves us, too! She just doesn’t know it yet. (Again, just kidding – not stalkers.)

Image of Maria (played by Paige)
image of Paige as Maria

Watercolor on a whim links back to Pawhuska.

Back to Pawhuska. The Mercantile is fabulous. The food (of course) is, too. The people are friendly. Overall, it’s a wonderful place to visit. The Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is definitely worth the drive just outside of town. I highly recommend a visit! I do recommend checking the lodge tour schedule before you go.

Below, the quilt made with BOTH beautiful sides of Ree’s fabric using my Dazzling Kate pattern is pictured in front of the Merc (short for Mercantile by us “besties”). See my blog post HERE about the quilt pattern. However, this quilt resides in my own kitchen!

dazzling kate merch
Windy (but cute) outtake below:
Image of flying quilt in Pawhuska where watercolor on a whim happened

But what does one do “after hours” in Pawhuska? To summarize, when you’re with Paige, you create! That’s how watercolor flowers on a whim went from paint brush to fabric.

Firstly, we took acrylics, oils, and watercolors and all the supplies we could think up. The darling “Pioneer Woman meets Joanna Gains” cottage where we stayed had great lighting. We covered their beautiful table with a protective table cloth. So we laughed and painted each night until well past our bedtimes.

image of paige painting
Paige painting at the cottage.
Image of work station for watercolor on a whim
Our messy table! (She made me post this.)

In addition, during our creative sessions, my opera singer/computer coder girl and I brainstormed as we painted about how she would “fix” my website. Until now, the WordPress site was solely “designed” by me (which is my own “code” for “hey, it’s running, don’t touch anything!”).

Paint brush to fabric started on paper.

For instance, it was Paige’s idea that a) my water color flowers were any good and b) that we should use them on my new website. This is a sample of what we had to work with.

image of paint brush to fabric watercolor flowers

In addition, these steps were taken: scan the paintings on the printer, vectorize them in Adobe Illustrator, make a repeat pattern design (continues seamlessly in all directions), and export assets so Paige could add them to my website. Therefore, you now know how these flowers came to be here- quite on a whim.

image of website showing watercolor flowers on a whim displayed on website

In conclusion, the paint brush to fabric idea “blossomed” when this Watercolor Whimsy design became available on Spoonflower as fabric, wallpaper and more! Click on the photos to go to my Spoonflower shop:

image of paint brush to fabric
image of wallpaper

Thank you for taking this trip with me through the process of Watercolor Whimsy and a trip to Pawhuska!

Image of Paige at the Merc
Mini Palette Painting at the Merc!

Please share this and future posts, my blog, and website with your friends and on your social media. Until next time, Enjoy your journey, Karla

Image of Tropical Sunset

Sketches to Patterns

March 5, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

Tropical Sunset fabric is available!

Quilt shops everywhere are opening boxes of Hoffman California’s beautiful “Meet Me in Paradise” fabric used to make the Tropical Sunset quilt pattern!

Before I started designing patterns, I had no idea how short the window is for designing and making quilts for fabric companies. To get the fabric produced and shipped takes much longer!

Sometimes I’ve had less than a week to open a box of fabric, design and make a quilt, write the pattern, photograph the quilt and ship the quilt from Missouri to California. Whew!

Image of Tropical Sunset Quilt

Of course, many quilt designers use digital software to “build” their quilts. Fabric companies have digital swatches to download for designing. They can plan the quilt and insert the fabric without taking a stitch. However, fabric companies don’t make swatches of the REVERSE side. Enter the need for real fabric!

For this design, I used my Ipad and the app called Procreate. This is a great drawing and painting app that’s easy to learn and fun to use. In Procreate, you can also make clippings masks of objects (in this case, the photo of the fabric). That’s how I “drew” the bouquet. Here’s the sketch I send to my representative to “pitch” my quilt idea:

SHOP Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern HERE.

Image of Sketch of Tropical Sunset

As you can see, there’s quite a difference from the sketch to the actual quilt. Things don’t always work like you picture them in your head, right? Sometimes, they are much better in real life and real fabric!

I love that the “wallpaper” border made from the reverse of one coordinating fabric. If you’ve made a #usebothsides quilt pattern before, you know it’s important to audition both sides of fabric with itself (focus) and with surrounding (background, border) fabrics to know if they will actually have enough contrast. That “wildcard” is what makes getting a box of fabric a whole lot exciting and a little bit scary! This is one line that is PERFECT for using both sides!

See more about Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern HERE.

As orders for patterns come in, I’ll be sharing links to the shops so you can do some online paradise shopping!

Until next time, enjoy YOUR quilting journey!

See Treasures made with Hoffman California Fabrics in New Fabrics in this One Block Quilt Pattern.

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