Fox among the Birches

Thank you so much for the lovely compliments on this new design - Fox among the Birches.

While I was busy basting and getting this little quilt quilted, Fox among the Birches was being introduced on Wednesday at the Let's Bee Social. PDF download patterns were a big seller that day and I am so happy that all the quilt kits sold!

I used a new Omni-V (9036) variegated thread from Superior Threads, both on top and in the bobbin. And I love how well it has blended in with the background and yet remained rather subtle across the orange foxes.

The background is Kona Mushroom. The birch trees are made from White Mandorla from Camelot Fabrics and a dark brown/black and medium brown Toscana from Northcott Fabrics. The foxes are also pieced using selections from the Toscana line.

Part of the reason, I'm sure, that the quilt kits were such a big hit, is because of the coordinating backings that were featured. This backing is Good Natured by Riley Blake Designs.

Normally, I first attach the binding to the back and press toward the front before topstitching to finish. But this time I sewed it onto the front and then pressed to the back. Then I stitched in the ditch along the edge of the binding, catching the folded edge on the back with the bobbin thread. It's a bit trickier. But I like the thinner binding edge to be at the front sometimes. And then you aren't cutting off the points of your piecing either.

A little milestone was also achieved this week.... My Etsy shop has made over 5000 sales! Thank you so much for all your support! I am so grateful for all your kind comments, your likes on social media, and all the nice emails you send. You are what keeps me creating!

The "Fox among the Birches" baby quilt finished at 38" x 45"

and was the 36th use of my 2nd edition of 100 labels

ordered from Ikaprint.

You can find the Fox among the Birches pdf pattern here in my shop. 

Linking up to Finish it up Friday with 

Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

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Let's Bee Social #117

Welcome to the Let's Bee Social!

Lots of wonderful news to share with you today my friend!

First up is this cute baby quilt....

This sweet little pink version of the Family of Three giraffe quilt was made by Helene.
I just love it when I receive an email with cute attachments like this photo!

It's so fun to see the girly version of the giraffe family!

More news....

I am currently working on a remake of my KYSS Me by the Garden Wall pattern using a layer cake of Pie Making Day. But between sewing and pressing, I could not resist drawing up a new pattern in the meantime. This is an EQ7 mock up of the Black Birds baby quilt and will be the next quilt in the works. Hopefully first thing next week!

Black Birds 40" x 46"

And my final tidbit of news to share....


Yesterday, I was hanging out with some lovely ladies at E&E's Cloth and Creations in Newton.
The On Point quilt pattern was the lesson for the day. And it was such a fun time. It's always a pleasure to spend the day working on quilts and talking about quilting!

NOW....

It's your turn for Show and Tell!!!
What have you been working on?

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• Click on at least a few of the others who have linked up.

• In your blog post, please include a link back to my blog.


• Grab the "Let's Bee Social!" button from above and put it on your sidebar. This way others who visit your blog that week can join in the fun!  Share the news of this new linky and Let's Bee Social!


• Following Sew Fresh Quilts is not required. But it sure would BEE nice!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you all so much for the lovely 50th birthday wishes this past weekend!

As my gift to you, I am offering this coupon code.

SAVE 50% off any of my patterns until the end of March!

Go to my pattern shop.

Purchase as many patterns as you would like.

Use coupon code HAPPY50 at checkout.

Enjoy!

Keep On Quilting On!

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Crocodile Rock (a-bye-baby)

Rock a bye baby....

Down in the swamp...


Perfect for a baby boy, the background for this little quilt is Kona Caribbean. I chose it simply because it was the only blue fabric I had a large enough cut to use for this quilt. Designing this fierce creature was a lot of fun. And so was the piecing process. As with all my designs, this pattern is NOT paper pieced.

The crocodiles were made from this goldfish print by Kaeli Smith for Elizabeth's Studio and the spikes on their backs, constructed using my No Waste Flying Geese Units tutorial, are made from this Chicken Wire print from Bright and Early by Evelia for Wilmington Prints.





I quilted my organic wavy lines using my walking foot. My thread choices were a variegated blue Superior Thread on top....



And a variegated green Superior Thread on the bottom.





This cute backing fabric was my source for inspiration in the design of this quilt. Back in May I showed my newly purchased Crocs Park from the Urban Zoologie collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman Fabrics here.


In that same post I showed the Chicken Wire Texture in Orange from the Bright and Early collection by Evelia for Wilmington Prints. This became the spikes for the backs of the crocodiles and was aslo used for the binding.

Before starting this quilt, as with all my work, I first draw up my ideas on graph paper. Then head to my computer to transfer these ideas into a design using EQ7.

Then I uploaded fabric swatches chosen from fabrics that I already had in (my stash).


Here is a mock up of the baby sized version using Ecco Spheres by Benartex and Lush by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics. And a darker green background.

BABY quilt approximately 38” x 44”

This mock up shows a twin size layout, with the 8 headed version......

TWIN quilt approximately 74” x 88”

And this mock up shows a twin size layout, with the 16 headed version, using the same goldfish fabric and Chicken Wire print that I used.

TWIN quilt approximately 74” x 88”

The Crocodile Rock quilt pattern includes material requirements and complete instructions for making the BABY quilt or the TWIN size quilt using either 8 or 16 heads.

I have been spending the majority of my time lately designing animal quilt blocks and will be sharing some big projects with you in the very near future. But it was nice to take a break from all that pattern work to just sit and sew this past week. Especially considering all the fabrics were chosen from what I had on hand. Ordering new fabric is always fun. Who doesn't jump for joy when receiving a happy mail delivery? But it sure felt good to dig through those bins and find something that would work for this.

"Crocodile Rock" finished at approximately 38" x 44"
and was the 59th use of my 100 labels

ordered from Ikaprint.

The Crocodile Rock quilt pattern is now available for purchase from my pattern shop here.

See ya later, Alligator!

Linking up to Finish it up Friday with 

Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

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My day on the Jaftex 85th Anniversary Blog Hop

Jaftex, a family run textile business, is Celebrating a Milestone!  Happy 85th Anniversary, Jaftex!

Jaftex is the parent company for Blank Quilting, Studioe Fabrics, and Henry Glass Fabrics. In celebration of this milestone event, I was invited to participate in this exciting blog hop. This blog hop is packed full of fabulous giveaways from each of the participants, so be sure to check out the JAFTEX page tab under my blog header for the full schedule, and follow along to see what everyone has created!

To help us celebrate, I've invited the Teddy Bears....

I received a fat quarter bundle of Fusion Illusion from Blank Quilting for my project. It took me quite a while to figure out what I wanted to make. Those fabrics finally whispered something about wanting to become Teddy Bears. But the whole time I was working on those blocks, all I could think about was Gummy Bears! Those bright, vibrant prints are so yummy!

Just look at the fun texture of the Fusion Illusion. Those rich, swirly prints remind me of the good times spent finger painting back in Kindergarten class. And it gives the illusion of cuddly, fluffy fur on those bears!

Searching through (my stash), I found the perfect background fabric. It is Crystal Palace by Whimsies & Wishes for Studioe Fabrics. This subtle text print was just what those bright bears needed. And the winter words helped keep me cool in the July heat as I pieced and pressed.

For the quilting, I used my organic wavy lines with my walking foot. Always a fun and fast finish, and a pleasure to perform. Those of you who are regulars around here have seen this method used on many of my quilts. But for anyone visiting for the first time today, you may be interested in watching this video showing how I quilt my wavy lines.

The binding is Folio by Henry Glass Fabrics. Another piece found in . I used my most familiar binding method to sew the binding first to the back and then topstitched from the front of the quilt. It was great to be able to include fabrics from all three of the Jaftex companies in this project. Making this finish all that much more special!

Teddy Bears was the 47th use of my 100 labels ordered from Ikaprint.

Teddy Bears finished at approximately 40" x 40" using 10" finished size bear blocks. And this is NOT paper pieced. If you are interested in making your own version of the Teddy Bears quilt, please click here to purchase the pattern.

Sending out a great big THANK YOU! to Linda Lum DeBono for all her hard work in organizing this blog hop and for offering us the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful celebration.

NOW.... On to the GIVEAWAYS!!!

Thank you also to the following companies that provided extra prizes.
Aurifil Threads, Schmetz Needles, and Janome

1st Prize:
Blog Readers:  20 Fat quarter bundles and a Janome Skyline S5 sewing machine
Your favorite quilt shop:  30 bolts of fabric

2nd Prize:
Blog Readers:  15 Fat quarter bundles and a box of Aurifil thread [48 spools]
Your favorite quilt shop:  15 bolts of fabric

3rd Prize:
Blog Readers:  6 Fat quarter bundles and a special edition tin of goodies from Schmetz Needles
Your favorite quilt shop:  6 bolts of fabric

For your convenience, I have added a JAFTEX page tab at the top of my blog where you will find the complete schedule and can make your way over to visit each of the participants throughout the month of September. Happy Hopping!

How do you enter the giveaway contests? 

First up..... Click on the following link to be taken to the grand giveaway!

85th Anniversary Giveaway

Blank Quilting is also generously offering a fat quarter bundle of FUSION ILLUSION for this giveaway. This winner will also receive a copy of the Teddy Bears pdf pattern from me.

Fat Quarter bundle of FUSION ILLUSION from Blank Quilting

Follow the instructions on the RaffleCopter.com widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Giveaway is open internationally.
Winner will be randomly chosen on October 5th and notified by email.
Be sure to leave your email address on the Rafflecopter widget.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday with 

Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

Best of luck in the Giveaways!

And remember to....

Keep On Quilting On!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”