Tag: Etsy (Page 3 of 5)

Traditional Christmas Colors or NOT for Quilting

Christmas traditions abound. It is a season filled with activities we do over and over. Traditional Christmas colors are a big part of that tradition. It’s the things you do every year, without fail. Like rules, you don’t mess with tradition!

But families change. Kids grow up. Christmas traditions (including colors) do change.

What do traditional Christmas colors have to do with quilting?

I always took pride in our Christmas traditions from decorations to cookies. We listened to certain music and watched specific Christmas movies. We always baked the same cookie recipes. I actually used to think I had to use every decoration we owned each year.

Well, a few years back, aqua became the new Christmas color…wait, what? That’s not even one of the traditional Christmas colors!

It took me a moment…but only a moment, to embrace that idea. I threw that red and green tradition (rule) out the window!

(To be fair, aqua happens to be my favorite color.)

Therefore, I stopped using my quilts of traditional Christmas colors of red and green anymore. As quilters, you’ll understand, I had to make new ones with all the pretty blues!

I think a lot of people embraced the blue Christmas – for one or two seasons. However, for me it was a NEW tradition!

In other words, I found that my comforting traditions were holding me back. Similarly, the rules I’d embraced as a quilter were doing the same.

For example, last year I realized that the beloved tradition I’d started at our old house of making St. Lucia Bread, hadn’t risen properly one time at our new house – ten years in a row! (I’d tried all the yeast tricks, too.)

I made the original “JOY” quilt pattern using a vintage ornament fabric that was very classic Christmas colors. Therefore, in a need to show how a variety of fabrics could be used for this pattern, I stitched this new JOY – using both beautiful sides of a digital aqua Hoffman panel!

Image of JOY Quilt Hanging not using Christmas tradition colors
JOY Quilt Pattern

Fast forward to grown kids, job schedules, tight budgets, and limited time together. We changed Christmas traditions this year. We are brainstorming about how to make our time fun and meaningful. What’s interesting is that the more we talk about setting aside our old traditions (rules), the more creative we have become in our brainstorming. A weight was lifted.

Seriously, how is this post about quilting?

Now, when I first started quilting, I was all about the rules (traditions). I wanted to learn every single one of them. Some were paramount to good technique and skill-building and very important. Others were just plain silly. I heard a quilter say one day, “Rules are meant to be broken”.

It was then I realized I had ingested each one of those rules. I realized that some rules (traditions) were limiting my joy for quilting and my creativity for fear of breaking them.

Therefore, I’ve noticed now that I watch for the rule-breakers in quilting. Their work excites and inspires me, regardless if the technique is traditional or contemporary.

If you know me personally, you know I embrace tradition. If you are familiar with Lutherans, I am a “page 5 of the old, OLD hymnal” kind of gal!

So, don’t let your need for traditions RULE your world…whether it’s Christmas or quilting.

Image of Christmas Tradition JOY Quilt
Shop JOY Quilt Pattern

In conclusion: This 2020 Christmas Traditions update shows that I still love aqua – but now I include red! Here is the NEW pattern, JOYFUL! See how her borders sparkle? #usebothsides

Image of Joyful Quilt Pattern
www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudioswww.etsy.com/shop/creativebeestudios

See Merry, the red truck Christmas quilt, and more at Old Barns, Red Trucks, Mercantile and More.

Enjoy more Christmas cheer at Quilted JOYS of the Twelfth Day.

Introducing…Merry!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Image of Truck Quilt

It’s beginning to look (and feel) a lot like red truck Christmas quilt season!

Merry is a red truck Christmas quilt that’s easy and fun to make! You can start your holiday decorating with a fun Christmas wall hanging OR make one for a favorite friend!

Use BOTH sides of one red Christmas fabric on a snowy bed of winter fabrics to make this quilted wall hanging.

This little red truck is dashing through a snowy lane. On a background of winter trees, various sizes of snowflake motifs, cardinals on lighted lines, and glitzy deer, this red truck Christmas quilt is made with both sides of one focus fabric. So toss a tree in the back, add the mirrors, tires, license plate, and reversed details to “trim out” your truck. Pull out your winter/Christmas stash and start auditioning your fabrics!

Image of Merry in Snow

Shop the “Merry” quilt pattern in my Etsy shop: HERE

Merry Red Truck Quilt

Below are the current Christmas quilt patterns available. For each you will use both sides of at least one fabric. With each #usebothsides pattern, you’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition BOTH sides of fabric. I teach you HOW, like what to look for and how to use value to your advantage.

Look at each picture below and notice where the reverse side is used. Look carefully because you’ll see that the reverse is often used in the background as well. Chances are you have fabric in your stash that will work, with beautiful reverse sides. So pull out some stash and turn it over! Once you learn about what makes reverse sides work, you’ll never look at one side of fabric again! It’s almost like doubling your stash (without taking up any more room). Plus, it’s fun and makes choosing fabrics easy!

You can learn more about value HERE.

SHOP more Christmas quilt patterns in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Have yourself a wonder-filled quilting journey!

Meet the Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild!

The Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild of Blue Springs, Missouri hosted me as their program speaker and teacher.

Twilight Stitchers -their name is intriguing and their guild is a lot of fun! One of my many new friends, Vickie, made the trip extra special for me with her care for details and accommodations. Thanks, Vickie!

I love to see how other guilds operate.

Initially, the venue of the meeting can be a big variant from guild to guild. Also, the personality of the guild can be portrayed by how they run their meetings and what committees are reporting (involvement in the community, etc). Lastly, how the guild members interact with one another contributes to the enthusiasm and fun of a guild meeting.

It’s fun to note new ideas like “Quilt Angels” (an appreciative title for the members who sacrifice seeing the fronts of a speaker’s quilts because they’ve volunteered to hold the quilts for the guild to see).

A special thank you to my Quilt Angels for the night!

To begin, here are some pics from our opening selfies – they appear to be a rowdy group!

Image of Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild Selfie
Image of Twilight Stitchers Quilt Guild

The “Grace” quilt class the following day was exciting. I give LOTS of pre-class guidance for choosing fabrics to bring and I was so delighted to see that they were all well prepared AND sew creative!

Classroom Set-up for the Grace Quilt Class

In this class, each quilter brings one or several unique focus fabrics. First, they learn how to audition and choose a focus fabric. Secondly, they audition background fabrics and accents strips from the variety they’ve brought to class. Oftentimes, quilters will share opinions and fabric with their surrounding quilters! (“I thought this would look good in my quilt, but it would work really well in yours!”)

To summarize, you can see in these photos that they chose varied fabrics. As a result, their bouquets were unique, even presenting the quilters’ personalities! In addition, one quilter used men’s’ ties and other out-of-the-box fabrics and was going to design her own vase to fit her bouquet!

Image of Quilters with Projects
Image of Three Twilight Quilters with Quilts
Image of Quilter's Bouquet
Image of Vickie's Bouquet
Image of Hydrangea Bouquet
Image of Couple's Bouquet
Image of Two Quilters

I wish I’d gotten a pic of my first husband/wife duo – but she slipped off before I could snag her pic – busy lady. Their quilts have “related” but different focus fabrics and will hang together in their home! Hope they’ll share them with us using…wait for it…#usebothsides !!!! Yes, they all learned about hashtags during the program!

Image of Quilt in Progress

Now that you’ve looked at the focus fabrics (bouquets), scroll back up to note the clever background fabrics they chose!

I hope to get to see the Twilight Stitchers again soon! You just never know where quilters will cross paths! See Quilts at the Beach to see how I bumped into a quilter, from Warrensburg, Missouri (a hop, skip, and a jump from Blue Springs) at Pensacola Beach!

A hearty THANKS to my new friend in Blue Springs!

image of quilt pattern taught at Twilight Stitchers
Grace Quilt Pattern

See “Grace” Quilt Pattern at my Etsy shop: Creative Bee Studios #usebothsides

Popular Vintage Machine Quilt

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Aria ahr-ee-uh quickly became a best-seller! She’s is a quilt pattern for any vintage machine lover!

Arias evolved from simple melodies in the 14th century and became a means to tell a story in a more emotional way, allowing a musicians (and later, vocalists) to display their talent. Arias are mostly associated with opera today. Aria is a good name for this vintage machine singer!

Image of Quilt Hanging Outsides

So why call this vintage machine pattern Aria? Take a look at her…she’s definitely a singer!

First, you should know that I haven’t always known what an aria was. And, had my oldest daughter not studied opera, I might still be in the dark. Because she began learning arias in high school, I soon learned the definition. Here she is as a senior at Eastman School of Music, singing “Emily’s Aria” from the opera, Our Town by Ned Rorem.

Here I was in Rochester, NY, on an unusually warm, sunny day, binding her graduation bow-tie quilt made with a fabric line called…wait for it…Our Town!

While the traditionalist might cringe at the thought, fun things are happening with featherweight machines. Tables and inserts, custom carry cases, and bright new paint jobs are indicators that these little work-horses will be around awhile.

As I mentioned HERE, I’d love to someday own a colorful featherweight. Here’s a Tula Pink quilt version until “some day” arrives!

Image of Pink Sewing Machine

#usebothsides of one focus fabric for the machine, binding, bunting (reverse), and scissors and thimble (both reverse). Choose fun, scrappy background fabrics and accent strips – all the while learning the nuances of value! (Click here for more about value.)

Shop for Aria and all the #usebothsides patterns at www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudios.

Designing Quilts with Panels

To the tune of “On the Cover of the Rolling Stones”, I feel like singing! At the close of 2018, I happened onto my pattern, “Holly”, featured on the cover of a Hoffman California Fabrics’ catalog!

It began with an email asking if I (along with four or five other designers) would like to try our hand at designing with a new Christmas line of fabric. It’s my understanding that other designers use digital fabric swatches and their computers to design patterns. But since I use BOTH sides of the fabric, I need the real thing!

Click HERE to see the Winter Projects 2019 Catalog by Hoffman California Fabrics.

We had a week for the deadline – but since I needed the fabric shipped to me and then I needed to ship the finished quilt back to California, I had less than that to design and make the quilt!

Frankly, I was in a hurry! Add to the mix that it was Thanksgiving weekend, I was driving six hours on Saturday, attending our daughter’s show, driving four on Sunday, and staying in a hotel (with terribly inadequate lighting) until Tuesday AND, until I could see and audition BOTH sides of the fabric, I had no idea if my idea would work!

Working with both sides of fabric means lots of value-checking. You can’t tell from the front of fabric if the reverse will work. Some fabrics have great reverses and some just don’t. Click HERE for “The Tricky Traits of Value”.

The Christmas tree panel is gorgeous on its own – who would want to cut that apart? I certainly wouldn’t cut it to make another tree. I was also pretty certain that other designers would be designing borders around the whole panel, so mine had to be different.

I started to focus on the fat-quarter panel they sent. I had received a whole box of fabric to choose from and I knew if I wanted to use this panel, I couldn’t just use one fat-quarter of it or even half of them- I needed to use the whole panel. After auditioning many combinations, I decided I could use the panel – BOTH sides of the panel!

So…once again, it all comes down to fabric values. In classes, I have quilters audition many background fabrics and take lots of black and white pictures to see how their background fabrics “play” with their focus fabric. The smaller accents strips are allowed to be a bit “louder”, but the larger pieces need to provide interest as opposed to distraction. So take a look at this picture of the panel. Lots of dark fabric, right? Really pretty fabric…but more darks than lights.

Now look at a close-up of the quilt. Do you recognize those fabrics? …same fat quarters from the panel – just using the other side! Most of the accents strips are made from the front side. The bows, bells, stripes, plaid, and Christmas words make this an exciting background for the Holly wreath. One of the fat-quarters had two stockings printed on it. I used the one on the wreath and I embroidered the second stocking for the quilt label.

Image of Quilt Close Up
See the candy canes made from the reverse stripe?
Image of Back of Quilt
You can see the quilting, the extra stocking as a label, and the prairie point hanging method here.

The wreath is made using fused holly leaf shapes from the Christmas tree panel. Being a digital print, the fabric has a sparkle of light to it, making the wreath sparkle as well.

You might notice I didn’t have time to take great pictures – and apparently I borrowed my husband’s house shoes that day!

Even the pieced binding is made from the fat-quarter panel!

This is a fun quilt to make and so easy to shop for if you use the two panels! While I have no official timeline, my guess is that these fabrics will be in shops by summer!

If you have Christmas yardage in your stash – you can use it! I wrote this pattern to work with the panels as shown OR using your own choices of fabrics. The same method applies to both – it’s all about the value!

Here’s how Holly look inside the catalog!

I designed Phoebee 2.0 using BOTH sides of Hoffman California Fabrics “Electric Garden” as the focus fabric -it’s available in shops now!

Image of Electric Garden

Shop all my patterns at my Etsy Shop: Creative Bee Studios (Click HERE)

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Winter Quilts

I love nothing better than seeing quilts in nature! You’ve seen “Summer Quilting” (click HERE) to see quilts both poolside and on the beach), so I thought it’d be only fair to share some winter-themed quilts and a few with nature.

First up is a McKenna Ryan quilt pattern. I purchased the kit from Missouri Star Quilt Company several years ago – the year of the bear in our yard (Click HERE to read “It’s a Bear Out There” and see the markings). This bear was supposed to have a red cap and scarf, but I changed it up by using the wool from a sweater which was in my late mother-in-law’s stash. It makes the quilt more special for me and I feel I can keep the quilt on display throughout the winter.

Next is quilt is called Winter Blessings and was kit I purchased from Shabby Fabrics. It was so fast and easy to put together – I highly recommend their kits if that’s what you like. Everything was labeled and organized beautifully. It was kinda like a paint-by-number, only a lot more fun and waaaaay better outcome!

Image of Winter Quilt

The next photo shows just a bit of a quilt (with a Buttercup bomb) that I made long ago in my second-ever quilt class. It was supposed to be bed-size and I actually thought I would finish it my first day in class! I only got it to the throw-size stage (and not during that class), but it’s a favorite!

Here is my latest version of JOY Quilt Pattern. I used a Hoffman panel for the tree (front side) and gifts (reverse side) on a scrappy, snowy background. See all my patterns in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Image of JOY Quilt Hanging
JOY Quilt Pattern

Snow makes a lovely background for quilt photography.

Image of Bed Runner in Snow
Image of Quilt on Swing
This is a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt called Grand Illusion.
Image of Water Colours Quilt in the snow.
Water Colours

Hope you are enjoying some warm stitching time during these short winter days.

Jacq O’Lantern Quilt Makes a Happy Boo!

This happy little ghoul is popping right out her top like a jack-in-the-box!

This little ghoul is named Jacq O’ Lantern. She’s the first mini quilt pattern designed to use both sides of fabric.

Jacq O’ Lantern is sew much fun to make!

First of all, Jacq O’ Lantern is a pint-size lesson about value.

Secondly, when you learn how to make this little ghoul, you’ve already learned the easy tricks for using value! Use the Tricky Traits of Value (click here for more info) to make any of the my patterns that use both spooky (or beautiful) sides of fabric!

Jacq O’ Lantern finishes at 12 inches square, perfect for the table-top quilt stands.

Side note: I was never real big on Halloween decorations when our kids were little. We didn’t avoid Halloween, but I just didn’t want to spend money on decorations when we could spend it on Christmas decorations instead. So…why is it I LOVE Halloween fabric so much? It’s a mystery.

Or…maybe it’s not such a mystery! One of my favorite scenes to draw as a kid was a witch on a broomstick. (I only had a couple of drawings I liked to do – over and over. One was a beach scene with a palm tree-are you surprised? ) This witch always had a long chin that jutted out and a big ole wart on her curved nose. Maybe these Halloween fabrics take me back to my childhood or something. Several of my favorite quilts and projects are Halloween themed. I’m sure you seen them before but, well, ’tis the season!

Here are more fun Halloween themed quilts:

Below is Something’s Brewing. The steam and bubbles are made from the reverse!

Notice the honey buzzard claw feet?

Want to make a larger little ghoul? To use up more of those fun, spooky fabrics, here is Jacq O’ Lantern XL!

Lastly, here are some other fun Halloween projects I’ve enjoyed in the past.

Image of Punch Needle
Black Kitty Punch Needle
Image of Instant Bargello Quilt
Instant Bargello Quilt

 

As you might have guessed, there’s a reason for the different spelling of this pattern. In short, our youngest daughter’s name is Jacquelyn. We’ve always had nicknames for her such as JacqJacq, Jacq, Da Jacinator  (at the age of two she could “destroy” a room in minutes), Jacqity Jacq (don’t talk back), and, of course, Jacq O’ Lantern.

See Jacq O’Lantern and all her friends HERE in my Etsy shop, Creative Bee Studios! 

You might not be a quilter if…

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Which is it, a quilt or a blanket?

Are you buying a quilt or a blanket? Troublemakers on social media sites seems to go through phases where they like to confuse the unaware buyer.

Buyer’s beware…

Oftentimes, companies will promote products that show in our Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest feeds based for things or subjects we like and follow. Sometimes social media learns these details when we simply talk in front of our phones. (I’ve had things show in my feeds that I’ve only THOUGHT about – how’d they do that?)

A popular trend for a while was what appeared to be beautiful appliqued quilts for sale. Not only were these “quilts” were priced was too low. Furthermore, they were way too pretty to be true.

You and I know the difference between a quilt or blanket!

While they are marketed as quilts, how does a non-quilter know if they are buying a quilt or a blanket?

First, the biggest clue for you or I is based on the fact that we KNOW the amount of work and time it takes to make one of these works of art. Mass production is highly unlikely. If fact, for many of us, an intricate quilt like one of these is a “one and done”!

Beware of themed quilts.

These people like to prey on unsuspecting parents or grandparents. For example, they might feature a quilt with a music theme. If one’s child or grandchild is into music, it’s an easy sell!

What was my next clue?  THEY CALLED THEM BLANKETS!

Furthermore, which is it, a quilt or a blanket? In the photo you see what appears to be intricately appliqued quilt. Their mistake: calling it a blanket!

You likely won’t get either!

The problem is they are fake companies stealing real quilters’ pictures and using them to cheat other people. It’s unfortunate. Quilters need always be aware that their photographs can be hijacked.

Image of quilt or blanket meme

Next clue: $59

You couldn’t buy the fabric for a quilt (or maybe a blanket, these days) for $59!

Last Clue: Selling MANY different quilts (or blankets)!

It’s amazing (and kinda sad) how many people respond excitedly to these posts by tagging their friends and loved ones. You can read the comments to see how many people are tagging others to show them this great buy. One such post which was being massively shared was for brilliant pieced, appliqued, and quilted musician-themed quilt of a cello – all for $59!

The personal story behind the quilt or blanket dilemma.

It’s been a “thing” in my family for years that when one of them asks me to pass them the blanket, I stand up and yell, “They’re quilts, not blankets!” (like Harry Potter, only with a pretend wand). Then, I add, “I am not a Blanketer!”

Karla

I’ve recently joined a pattern-maker group and, sure enough, they are suggesting you search these sites to see if these companies have stolen your pictures. (I have no idea what you do if that happens.)

What to do about the sites?

I try to report the company, when allowed by Facebook. I also comment on the post that the company is a fraud. The only other thing I know to do is to tell as many people as I know not to fall for something that looks too good to be true.

By the way, even if you ask for a blanket in my house, your’e going to get a quilt!

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

SUBSCRIBE to Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

Wild West Quilts

Tanka is a bison skull quilt made with a rugged flare.

This bison skull quilt was inspired by a visit to South Dakota.

First, as a mid-westerner, the beauty of this state is like nothing I’d ever seen. Particularly in the Black Hills, there’s wildlife everywhere, incredible terrain, and bison strolling along the roadside. It’s not surprising that animal skulls are a popular item. When I found this fabulous feather fabric with white background, I knew a bison skull quilt would soon be born!

Finding the focus fabric is the first step.

First, the fabric I chose, from The Quilt Shop in Chamberlain, SD, was a feather toss on a white background. Since the feathers are made using a fusible broderie perse technique, I knew the background around the feathers would be cut away, leaving only the colored feathers.

Turn the fabric over.

Second, choosing a great focus fabric means auditioning both sides! Turning this fabric, I saw that the feather motif showed just enough to give the skull interest. It didn’t overpower the feathers from the RIGHT side.

The skull is made from the REVERSE side of the focus fabric while the hanging feather decoration is cut from the RIGHT.

Mix it up with background fabrics.

The background fabrics for this quilt were really fun to play with! Don’t you just love that black and white fence row fabric at the bottom?

One of the fun parts of making these quilts is mixing up the background fabrics. This one has batik, southwest, gold circles on gray (but reversed), grunge and a fur look to really give interest to the quilt. It’s all about VALUE.

Tanka, in Lakota, means “big, great”.

Image of Bison Quilt Closeup

Read about our trip to the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park, statues, monuments and, of course, quilt shops in “South Dakota Quilts & More” (click here) !

It’s so much fun to #usebothsides of fabrics.

In conclusion, using both sides of fabric is a great way to learn about the nuances of value. You won’t look at fabric the same way again!

Shop HERE more than 50 patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides!

Meet Jack-the Deer Quilt

It’s a boy! Jack is a deer quilt made with BOTH camouflage sides!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

JACK (buck) is deer quilt wall hanging that’s made with both sides of one camouflage fabric on a scrappy background.

The focus fabric for this deer quilt is camouflage.

I found this Mossy Oak fabric at my local quilt shop. I tested the value of both sides, auditioning the fabric right there in the shop.

First, I made sure RIGHT side was plenty dark, so the deer head shape would be crisp. Next, I checked that the REVERSE was light enough to use as antlers and highlights for the ears, eyes, nose, and throat.

Fortunately, camouflage fabrics seem to be a staple in the fabric market every year.

Some camouflage fabrics aren’t the normal quilting quality. It’s okay for this type of quilt hanging. I thought this one was a stiff when I pulled it off the bolt, but after a quick wash and dry, it was great to work with! (I normally don’t laundry the fabric for a wall hanging.)

The backgrounds are scrappy.

Additionally, having a wide variety of background fabrics is key. This helps draw the eye through the quilt. Also, it adds an element of interest. This deer quilt sports a variety of fabric types including beige batik leaves, grassy geometric, beige stone, white on white floral, sandy batik, and painted grass.

Image of deer quilt
Hunter Orange spots JACK (buck)!

The deer quilt comes to life.

When quilting this deer quilt, I added “scribble” quilting with black thread to the eye areas. However, even before that, the features of his face just appeared, almost magically. VALUE is key for using BOTH sides of fabric, especially for JACK (buck)!

deer quilt in mountains
JACK in the Rocky Mountain National Park

See The Marine Behind the Quilts.

The Jack quilt pattern comes with:

  • Complete, detailed instructions.
  • Full-size paper template.
  • Guide for auditioning focus and background fabrics.
  • BONUS: Prairie Point Hanging Method.

SHOP JACK and more than 50 patterns that use BOTH sides!

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