Furthermore, both quilts shown above are made using a fabric I designed called Fishbone Dance. This fabric features little curved fishbones swimming around sand dollars with tossed starfish. See Fishbone Dance here on a bubblegum pink background. However, there are several colorways available, including dark blue, lime, and aqua (see products below). These designs are printed on the exquisite Spoonflower fabric called Organic Cotton Sateen. Learn more about Spoonflower.
In addition, you can find matching merchandise and home decor with all my fabric designs, including this one! Be sure to check out my shops at RedBubble, Zazzle and Society 6, too!
Fishbone Dance Notebook on RedBubbleFishbone Dance sheet set on SpoonflowerPillow by Spoonflower of Fishbone Dance LimeFishbone Dance aqua fabric on Spoonflower
Seasonal Decorating with Miniature Quilts
These pint-size designs are great for seasonal decorating, too, because they fit perfectly on a 12-inch table-top quilt stand.
See the additional miniature quilts made with patterns using both beautiful sides of fabric:
Felicity features a tea pot and lid (made with the reverse) with a bouquet (made using the right side). You’ll also make the binding with the focus fabric! This makes choosing fabrics fun and easy! This is a simple broderie perse technique.
Finally, quilting friends say that sometimes they like to make miniature quilts because of space, cost, and the fact that they’ve made more large quilts than they know with what to do!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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:
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.
There’s a nostalgia that happens at Christmastime for me more than any other time of year.
Nostalgia at Christmastime includes food, music, and decorations.
Does everyone have vivid memories from childhood? From an old rendition of a Christmas song (Time Life Collection) to “holiday” foods we made when I was a kid (Pizza Fondue), Christmas brings back strong and warm memories for me. Sometimes I wonder if everyone reminisces their childhood and feels strong nostalgia at Christmastime as me.
For instance, one display in my dining room this year holds a host of happy and varied memories. I’d like to share these with you. Some are from long ago and some are very recent.
Simply put, some things we have are more than just things when they spark memories of loved ones, here and gone, and things we’ve experienced throughout our years.
Let’s start with this water wheel mill. Oddly enough, I painted it (probably during finals week) when I was in college. My aunt’s family owned a plaster shop. My friends and roommates and I would walk down to the shop on Broadway to pick out affordable gifts that we could paint for family. I suppose it was also a form of procrastination from studying, but let’s say it was a “break”!
The trees are made from the old red barn to add to the nostalgia at Christmastime.
See three wooden trees? These are made from an old red barn at our family farm. The barn is no more, but here, in it’s place, is a pavilion and cross. Notice the roof line of the pavilion mimics that of an old red barn?
Next up is this lighted church. This belonged to my mother-in-law, Pat. It plays “Silent Night” and the lights blink.
As the video scrolls, you can see a wool-wrapped candle with a snowflake made of fringed cotton fabric. Only a few years old, I made this wrap to add another texture to my Christmas decorations.
Behind the candle comes the lighted P. Town. and Mercantile. These are two buildings in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) renovated these buildings (and more), making the town a tourist and vacation destination.
In addition, my daughter Paige and I spent her spring break on a “creative getaway” here and had a blast. We ate pizza in the corner of the balcony shown here! See Watercolor on a Whim to read about our adventures and the creation of “Watercolor Whimsy” fabric and more! These decorations will spark new memories in years to come.
At the very least, click on the link above to shop for this lighted Mercantile building and see more items fun things from Pioneer Woman!
Crafty nostalgia at Christmastime.
Do you notice how many of these memories are connected to crafts and creativity?
Lastly, you find Merry, the good ol’ red truck quilt. One of my favorite pattern designs and, of course, made with both beautiful sides of fabric, she’s sure to be a part of our decorations for years to come. Merry reminds me to stay focused and never give up on goals, dreams, and creativity.
As always, you can learn more about quilt patterns, fabric, and merchandise at Creative Bee Studios.
The Calico Needlers Quilt Guild meets in Saint Peters, Missouri at the St. Charles Library. This day-time guild meeting starts bright and early at 9:30.
Even so, the room was filled with friendly quilters.
The Calico Needlers Quilt Guild is a fun group of quilters!
Everything about this event was smooth sailing! I am grateful for their kind welcome and hospitality and the ease of setting up everything from technology to hauling my wares!
For starters, each guild program presentation begins with selfies of the group. I am currently without my selfie stick, so disregard the mop of gray at the bottom of these pics!
It’s always a “Good Morning” when it starts with guild!
Likened to eating dessert first, we had the program straight away.
Enthusiastic quilters!
In Our Quilting Journeys, I challenge quilters to ponder their own journeys.
Take a quiet moment, maybe over a cup of coffee or tea, to think about who has influenced your quilting journey.
First, many quilters have family quilters who either directly or indirectly expose us to the craft. In other words, “we get it honestly”!
Furthermore, our quilting journeys are influenced by many things, like shops we frequent (they choose what we see), friends, emails, sales, free shipping offers, retreats, and even Show and Tell!
There’s never a wrong reason for making a quilt!
As expected, much of the program is dedicated to sharing my quilting journey, which I often refer to as a “very curvy quilting journey”. With the newest curve in my journey being repeat pattern design, I remembered just days before the presentation a big influencer on the latest curve of my journey: Tula Pink.
Several years ago, at the Fall Paducah Quilt Show, fabric designer Tula Pink was the featured guest. We were fortunate to get tickets to “An Evening with Tula”. When Tula began her talk, she announced she was going to tell us the process of how she designs fabric. I guess I had been thinking about it back then because I took out pen and paper and made notes. She mentioned she uses Adobe Illustrator, a vector software for digitizing her designs.
Later, when I needed to update my laptop, I told the computer guys I would be getting Adobe Illustrator. I didn’t have a clue what it was or how incredibly powerful and involved this software was. But it was in my Tula notes!
Sometimes we are surprised by the memories we gain by quiet reflection.
The power point/trunk show continued with pattern quilts and what influenced me to make them.
The Calico Needlers meeting continued on, with business and pleas for volunteers – a common thread amongst guilds. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stick around for Show and Tell, my favorite part of any guild meeting! But I must say these quilters were most helpful and gracious to me as a speaker. Aren’t quilters the best?
While in the area, I made a stop to Batiks Plus and, eureka, I found a gem!
Hidden away, under another bolt of fabric was this bolt of Crystalia, the Hoffman digital spectrum fabric used in my original Phoebee pattern! Phoebee is the gal that started it all and helped me discover how to use BOTH beautiful sides!
Quilting heritage might mean something different to each of us quilters. However you define it, I’m betting you consider it a good thing!
It began several months ago when my oldest daughter assisted me at a guild program I presented. This was Paige’s first guild meeting. I think that was a big influence in determining a quilting heritage for her. She told me afterward she loved seeing all the women in one room come together with a passion and excitement for quilting.
In reflection, both of our daughters enjoyed attending quilting camps when they were young. Since then, they’ve each had their own individual experiences with sewing. Our youngest, Jacquelyn, sewed theatre costumes in college and a few other projects. Paige has sewn several costumes, including an Elsa costume from Frozen. Because their sewing interests were more varied and more difficult than I consider quilt piecing to be, I hadn’t thought much about them taking an interest in quilting. At least not for a few decades!
You never know what will trigger someone to make a quilt!
So when Paige helped me set up my program which includes an integrated power point and trunk show with more than 45 quilts, plus patterns, kits, and shirts to sell afterward, I didn’t expect it to be a big influence on her. Learn more about products and programs HERE.
Next thing I know, she and her friend, Julia, take a trip to Hamilton, Missouri, home of Jenny Doan and Missouri Star Quilt Company! They each buy some layer cakes and get together to start laying out their quilt plans. They haven’t yet discovered all the many variations of quilt blocks they can make with layer cakes, but that’s okay! They totally enjoyed making their own quilts from the 10-inch squares.
All by herself!
Paige is not one to do anything small. (See Her Role, Our Town, My World for a look her opera background.) So when she told me she put this quilt top together because she decided she needed to carry on the quilting tradition, she also informed me she wanted to quilt it…on my longarm. She never even looked twice at this machine, all these years!
There’s something to be said for the fearless energy of youth.
While I did suggest she practice a bit, she didn’t stick to the loops and swirls I suggested for the beginner. She wanted to make pumpkins and cats – and she did!
The fearlessness of youth is amazing!
And just like that, she’s a quilter – and so is her friend!
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.
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!
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.
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!
Use the easy-link, blue SHOP buttons for patterns, fabric, and merchandise atCreative Bee Studios!
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!)
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 is made with both sides of fish bones on pink.
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?
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:
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.)
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!
Windy (but cute) outtake below:
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.
Paige painting at the cottage.
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.
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.
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:
Thank you for taking this trip with me through the process of Watercolor Whimsy and a trip to Pawhuska!
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
Here’s a sneak peek at my latest new venture – textile designs!
You might call it “repeat pattern design” or “tiling”, but whatever you call it, it’s a lot of fun! What “new textile designs” means for me and you is future FABRIC!
Last post I shared my “fails” in past textile design and why I decided to pull them out of hiding and frame them on my work wall in embroidery hoops. Most seasoned quilters know that “fails” are just mediocre ideas that lead to better ideas! Click here to read the “Embrace the Journey” blog post.
My learning curve progress in repeat pattern design is MAYBE at about 50%, but I am super excited to keep designing! It’s odd to be this excited about a mousepad, but here’s my first repeat pattern on a product:
Sand dollars with line-work of coral in the background is part of my new Seaside Friends collection!
This product is from ZAZZLE, but there are all kinds of companies that can print your designs on their products. And, what’s fun is, other people can order those designs, too!
You’re likely familiar with Spoonflower, a print-on-demand fabric company. Here you can see a few more of the newest designs I’ve been working on.
Four designs from the Garden Tea Party collection.
You can choose more that fabric at Spoonflower! Here’s how my Butterfly Stripe would look on bedding! Too much fun.
Of course, designing quilt patterns that use both beautiful sides of fabric is still going strong! With more than 45 current designs, I just shipped a new one for Hoffman California Fabrics for use in their future catalog! See all the current patterns in my Etsy Shop:CreativeBeeStudios
