Brite and Busy Quilt by Marinda Stewart

A number of weeks ago I published the post:Graphyx, Tangram and Disco Dot, in which I shared the four new colorations of Tangram (which was originally released in black-and-white)and Disco Dot.

Michael Miller Fabric's premiere quilt designer Marinda Stewart was given the task of choosing one pair of the color combinations to create an original quilt. She took the story of Tangram full circle (mine is I designed a quilt top for my contribution to the Mirror Ball Dot challenge which I ran last year, and then revised it to be the print design Tangram), and Marinda did the same, only in reverse, by taking the fabric design and creating a central pieced panel for her Brite and Busy Quilt.

Once again Marinda has created an OMG incredible quilt. 

The instructions will be offered as a free download on the Michael Miller Fabric's website in the near future.

BEADWORK by... ME! Quilt Market Debut Preview

A while back I published a post previewing my BEADWORK collection that is to debut at the Spring International Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon. Well that happens this week. You can read that post here: I'm So Excited!

Following are thumbnail images of the full collection shown in their color stories, and preceding those, are quilts and handbags that were designed using the collection.

First is probably the most brilliant quilt design I have ever encountered. It is constructed using ONLY 14 seams! Designed by my dear friend, mentor and cohort, Marinda Stewart, she said that she wanted to pay tribute to the fabric itself, showcasing the fact that I had spent almost 2 weeks and 5500 carefully placed beads by hand (in Photoshop) to create the focal print (center vertical band). The strips are fussy cut so they line up perfectly and are in a specific color placement and rotation.

This quilt, called Beaded Mosaic, will be available as a free download 

on the Michael Miller Fabrics website.

And these are the same quilt in each of the 3 color combinations available.

This quilt, designed by the very talented artists of Quiltwoman.com created what I call a mashup of the three color stories creating a beautifully intricate and perfectly balanced quilt in its chaotic blend of patterns and color. This is, as I understand, a Bargello quilt (where one sews strips of fabric together and then cuts the pieced cloth into strips and off-sets them as they are resewn together to form the quilt top).

I created these little clutch purses from an online pattern and revised it to be used with the lighter weight quilting cotton and these are super cute when lined with MMF's

Cotton Couture!

In a week or two I'll post a tutorial on how to make these fun accessories. Once you get the hang of 'em, you can make one from start to finish in about 40 minutes and make sure you have extra frames on hand as they are addictive to make!

Multi:

DC5782 Primitive - Multi

(Shown selvage to selvage)

DC5783 Peyote Flower - Multi

DC5784 Blanket Chevron - Multi

DC5785 Beaded Colorband - Multi

         

DC5786 Diamondback - Flame, Emerald, Sunshine

   

DC5782 Primitive - Earth

DC5783 Peyote Flower - Earth

DC5784 Blanket Chevron - Earth

DC5785 Beaded Colorband  - Earth

        

DC5786 Diamondback - Gray, Maize

          

DC5786 Diamondback - Sienna, Adobe

JEWEL:

DC5782 Primitive - Jewel

DC5783 Peyote Flower - Jewel

DC5784 Blanket Chevron - Jewel

DC5785 Beaded Colorband - Jewel

       

DC5786 Diamondback - Mineral, Turquoise, Amethyst

Not Every Day is Christmas

But some days surly feel like it!

Last week I received two packages in two days. Both were expected but one contained a very unexpected surprise.

Saturday's package was from an online culinary stored called My Spice Sage. I've ordered from them previously because 1). I wanted to make homemade mustard and needed to purchase yellow and brown mustard seeds in bulk and 2). they ship FREE to Hawaii with a minimum purchase! Not many companies do that!!!. So, after making several batches of mustard I yet again needed the yellow mustard seeds (I use mustard often but one recipe doesn't yield very much - perhaps 2 cups, if I'm lucky, and I like to share!) Once on the site, I started clicking away.

I ordered: yellow mustard seeds, yellow cheddar cheese powder colored with beta carotene, dried tomato powder (which I have used before and LOVE) and with my purchase I was allowed to chose a free spice which for me was Hibiscus (yes, in the flower) powder and as an added bonus they gifted four heads of fermented American black garlic.

Whole Grain Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce made with the black garlic.

Friday's package was no less incredible. This contained the unexpected surprise.

I've been invited to be a designer in this year's Art of Trash Trashion show. So I have had friends sending me things that could be used in wearable trash garments.

I have also become addicted /obsessed / consumed with Downton Abbey and had mentioned to my dear fiend Marinda (also a Downton-aphile and Michael Miller Fabric's quilt designer extraordinaire) that after watching the episodes over and over, how nice (and civilized) it would be to sit down and have a cup of tea. Having said that meant I'd need to get myself a tea set. I already have a small tea pot but it wasn't something that I would immediately act upon because I couldn't just have any old tea set. I would have to shop around and find very special and unique pieces.

But Marinda did act.

The tea cups and the platter were made by a friend of hers, now since gone, sometime in the mid-century. The impression of the leaves were endemic to the location where Alberta, the potter, resided. It's mismatched and so eclectic that it is very much my style. Thanks Marinda!!