Folk Flower Quilt!

Hello there! This year I am so happy to be participating in Creativebug's BOM series along with Heather Jones & Carolyn Friedlander.  Every month we are taking turns sharing a block design that you can learn from our video classes at their site.  (They have a few different options for joining/viewing but both REALLY reasonable).

Anyhoo, bc I am such a Creativebug fan & supporter, I worked with them through Craft South to create a monthly quilt kit program that corresponds with the block of the month.  For May I created the Folk Flower block, and I used the block design to create a big stinking quilt as you see above.  And we now have the kits ready to go in the Craft South online shop!  This is one of my favorite quilts ever, if I do say so myself, and I am excited to see other variations!  

I have written more notes about going from learning the machine applique block (way easier than you might think, I promise) to creating the quilt.  SO hop over to the Craft South blog for that info, if you please.

xoxo, Anna Maria

True Dat

Over the past few months anything that I sew or quilt that includes my True Colors fabrics jumps right up to the top of my personal favorites list. Like of all time personal favorites. True Colors has proven to be my little dream come true fabric haul. I can barely plan anything that doesn't include a bit or a lot of it. Which is just exactly what I hoped for when designing it. Anyhoo. Here is the quilt that I have been asked about a whole lot. Color Dive. The Color Dive Quilt was inspired by my True Colors collection and is my newest video class on CreativeBug. I am also working on a PDF version of the pattern that we should have listed in the shop for sale soon, and I'll be sure to letchya know about that.  When it's published, we'll have some kits ready for you too.  We're like that.

Here's the preview for the Color Dive class:



The quilt uses every print in my Dowry collection + every print in my True Colors collection + a handful of solids. In case you'd like a chance to land an extra little pile of fabrics on your sewing table, you should follow along with the True Colors blog tour that is starting Monday at Sew4Home. There will be plenty of chances to win fabric + thread prizes and get loads of sewing inspiration along the way. Here's a scheduled list of the talented folks that are sharing their True Colors projects using my group (highlighted in pink) as well as Heather's, Joel's and Jenean's. Enjoy! xoxoAnnaMaria

1/20 Sew4Home
1/21 Stitchery Dickory Dock
1/22 I'm A Ginger Monkey
1/23 The Sewing Loft
1/24 Ellison Lane
1/27 Diary of a Quilter
1/28 Material Obsession
1/29 Craftsanity
1/30 Stitched in Color
1/31 Craft Buds
2/1 Jay Bird Quilts

And here's a little video of us color people talking about such:

Escape Artist

(It's true that I really do have the most fun naming everything that I design. Naming is my favorite.  Ahem.)  The original inspiration for this new bag design was to incorporate the possibility of including a needlepoint work into the bag. For me, that dictated the whole look of the bag to be a bit old-timey carpet bag like. And luxurious. But a shape that is simple and modern enough that it would translate well into many other fabrications. Working with velveteen was a must for me on the first few samples.  I simply love that fabric for bags.   Really good weight and something about the texture is just so fancy and perfect on bags.


The clutch (on my way to a wedding last summer with the prototype) was a must when I decided on a variation, but a nice large scale that did not skimp on space. Kind of portfolio like but way more feminine with the shirring. The needlepoints that I used for the two bags above are the perfect size for this bag to begin with, though you could really use any special handwork or patchwork piece in the framed feature spot.  Or something that is only as special as your current favorite print (because we know that changes weekly).

For the cover bag, I decided to do just that, by framing the "Parenthetical Flight" print in my leopard velveteen.  (It makes me think of a cat coughing up feathers of a bird he just ate only more sophisticated.)

Even simpler still is this version that I have used everyday for about a month.  Mary Anna and I share this bag (because I have never taken to the one bag for me, one bag for baby thing very well). I skipped over the framed and shirred front feature all together and just made a simple version that uses the bag back piece twice and same linen fabric all over. The handles are just long enough to slide up to my shoulder if I choose, but comfy at my elbow as I hold other things too, like, uh, a baby. So there she is, my newest bag pattern. Hope you like it! I know that a bunch of you have been waiting for Field Study linens to be back in stock, and I'm here to tell you they are!

In other news, we just painted the downstairs studio, cause there's a new wall in there (the one that created a nursery for MA) that was waiting for paint. It all feels so fresh now with a new coat of "glass of milk" by Martha Stewart (same as upstairs studio). Before I move everything back in I am taking advantage of the empty floor space to layer up two new quilt tops with their battings and backings. I'll be shooting with Creativebug again next week so the fresh and clean is good timing.

Also I just polished off a 1/2 pint of everything but the....

Post-baby eating plan going as expected ;-P
hugs, Anna

Around our Summer

Hi everyone.  It is so busy here.  I blink and the day is over.  Today I thought we could play match the bullet points to the photos.  Ahhehehehegg-hemm.  Here we go.

:: I am learning to look on the bright side of the garden.  Flowers are blooming in riotous ways.
:: I am learning to ignore the dark side of the garden.  Weeds are blooming in riotous ways.
:: I need to dig up and rearrange a few things, but try not to think of that every time I walk by.
:: By a few things I mean almost all of it.
:: I have hired Joseph as my gardener.   I love stroking his ego from the garden bench nursing the baby by telling him how awesome he is while he pulls weeds as tall as me from the dirt.
:: I could not be more excited about fabric right now!  (This whole year really! Still two more collections to launch this year. )  My Hand Drawn Garden collection is here, there, and everywhere.  They are a curation of my favorite Garden Party & Drawing Room prints, all rolled into one pretty group of quilting cottons.
:: And that pretty quilt- that's the Flight Map Quilt pattern that has been on hold for developing for like ever. 
:: My life stopped for a bit there, remember?
:: It is starting again, and lots of projects that were on hold are getting their wheels turning towards completion. 
:: I made some Pleasant Pathways Shorts for Juliana from one of the new colorways! 
:: That's her up there in that riotous Canna.  I can't wait to shed some baby chub and steal them right off her skinny little rear.
:: Oh and not that she needs me to make things for her seeing as how she has her own stinkin line of fabric now.
:: Yup.  It's over here, and it's called Rosette.  And I love it.  Really love it.  Soooo her.
:: We've used it quite a bit already.  Baby dresses. Baby bloomers.  Patchwork.  Window Panels.
:: It looks so pretty with Denyse's Shelbourne Falls which I absoflippintutely adore.  That is most of what is patching that rocker.
:: That is most of where I spend my time. In that rocker.   Nursing.  And watching documentaries on my phone while nursing.  And drinking Pellegrino while watching documentaries on my phone while nursing.
:: Which has a lot to do with why some other things are moving slow.
:: So my downstairs studio got divided into a nursery and studio by way of a new wall and door.
:: It's pretty great I must say.  I got that pretty rug here.  I got that gorgeous Greek Needlepoint on Ebay.  There's another one of a man playing a flute that I am going to frame and put over the piano.  Because flute art goes over a piano, everyone knows that.
:: Juliana has been home all summer which is so beyond wonderful I can hardly express it.  She has been using baby Mary Anna's new room because baby Mary Anna is of course in ours.
:: Everyone else is generally in their own.
:: Though we spend a lot of time (all of us) (yes that's nine people) in the new nursery.
:: We could have a 20,000 square foot home and I think we would still all cram into 50 sq. feet all day.
:: It's weird.
:: I can't wait to show you more pictures of the nursery.  But the young fashion student turned fabric designer turned hey I can throw my stuff everywhere needs to pick up first.
:: She's really not that messy.
:: Roman is learning to take photos. (Find that one!)
:: I have a new class on CreativeBug!
:: I was quite pregnant during the video shoot for the last few classes.
:: I might look particularly tired in this new class, please don't let it distract you from the awesomeness of needlepointing onto a sweatshirt.
:: Cause it is awesome.
:: Jeff put a rope swing onto one of giant cedar trees in the back yard.  The kids go crazy laughy screamy nuts out there pushing each other on it. 
:: It's the terrifying kind of laughter that borders on I wonder if they are enjoying it or are about to really injure themselves.
:: That tree view above is all I can see from my studio window and all the swinging is blocked by branches.
:: I think it's for the best.
:: Also the little Miss smiles all the time the past few days.
:: When she's not crying or puking or sleeping that is.
:: In other words, she is the perfect baby.

xoxoAnna

New Classes and a Special at Creativebug!

Creativebug is running a great deal all week! Any single class is available for the discounted price of $9.99. The timing is perfect because Anna has two new classes: 

The whole cloth crib quilt teaches Anna's method of hand quilting.  It's a great thing to learn by watching and you can see the technique close-up in this video.

Anna uses the running stitch to update this classic heirloom. The modern doily makes a beautiful addition to any home.

Visit Creativebug.com to see all of Anna's available projects and choose your favorite to try today!

-Pierrette 

A patching we will go

Hi you people.  I am getting ready to pack up a wholotta patchwork and head to Austin with my honey.  With the help of my pal Brittney I have finished up 5 new quilt tops in the past 10 days.  It has honestly been the most fun I have had in a long time.  Some of them I started a while ago, all of them have had their fabrics stacked and waiting for months.  Four of them are for various children of mine. 

There is seldom a large chunk of time for me that is devoted to making for the sake of making alone.  While I will be teaching from them at QuiltCon this week, there is no pattern or rhyme or reason to any of them, just purely going for it.  Next week, once we're back I will share one with you every day and talk about inspirations, ideas, etc., okay? If you are going to QuiltCon, my lecture is Friday, 1:00-1:50pm, and I will also be hanging out at the Stitch Lab booth on Saturday morning, 9:00-10:00am, so please come and say hello.  Both of the classes that I am teaching have been sold out, but otherwise you can generally find me looking a little roundish and also looking for fish tacos.

The above little number is the bonus pillow project that comes with my Fields Aflutter embroidery pattern.  I have been meaning to get a group of photos for that over here forever, so that'll be real soonish.



I started this moth embroidery in the center over the summer while I was accompanying my mom to radiation treatment everyday for several weeks.  Isn't it always amazing the amount of emotion you can stitch into something?  This will always be particularly special to me for that reason.  I am happy to see this moth surround by some patchwork love now.

More patchwork love is launching on CreativeBug tomorrow with the first of my quilting classes (yippee) along with 8 more workshops from talents such as Kaffe, Heather, Liza and Sue.  Such good company!!!

Take care and follow me to Austin on IG, lots of love, xoxoxAM

And for my next number....

I thought I would share a preview of all of the projects that I have been designing, sewing, stitching, writing, illustrating, and shooting video of over the past several weeks.  This place has been hustle after bustle and now settling into a calm flow where I can reflect on all the work that's been done and look forward to sharing it with you.  All of the above photos are a glimpse at the next round of classes that I will have launching with my friends at CreativeBug.  The the end of this month will see them offering lots of new, beautiful quilting and patchwork classes and I am so happy that I will be a part of that. 

*The first quilt is called the Flying Gosling Baby Quilt- (get it, gosling, bc it's a baby quilt).  It's fun to say Flying Gosling fast 'cause it sounds like Ryan Gosling, though really they don't have anything to do with one another, and it feels really weird that I just typed that guy's name in this sacred space of mine.  No matter.  The fun parts of that little quilt are evident in the photo. 
*The next is a whole cloth crib quilt where I get a chance to teach my method of hand quilting.  You likely know by now that I so enjoy that sorta thing and I do think it's such a good process to watch a person do if you've never tried it.
*The 3rd photo is the Melting Snowball Tote, which I lurve a whole, whole lot, and I am about to get up from my chair and dump all my purse hoopla into this one and officially make it a part of my life.  You might be able to see that the majority of this version was made with wools, which would not be imperative, but I do enjoy experimenting with textures.  Maybe you do too.  Who knows.
*Finally this sweet Needlepoint Rose project that you can stitch onto any existing garment, bag, linen, quilt block, etc.  So nice and simple and just an enjoyable modern take on the craft.

Oh!  I also wanted to mention a new (and cool) feature on CreativeBug.  The are now offering "a la carte" classes for individual purchase.  So if you'd prefer to bypass the monthly subscription business and just take one class, for about the price of one pattern (or less) you can do just that with several of the classes.  I have a couple as a la carte here. Also they are building up their free features section all the time, so there is now the option to sign up for a free membership to have access to those.  The lovely thing about this group of people is that they are listening to feedback and responding, so pipe up if you care too.

And next are the two new free projects I have designed for Janome.  The above is the Right Turn Bag, which is all strip-piece-y and fun and comes in two size options.  The pattern and video for this number will be launching at the end of this month.

And these are the Pleasant Pathways Shorts which I was chatting about over here.  I made both projects on the Horizon Memory Craft 12000 which is their tippity top of the line machine, and it seriously encourages me to try out some things that I've never really thought of doing.  Which when you sew very often is a lovely bonus.  The pattern for the shorts is for adult women, though obviously some of the smaller sizes will fit some of my middle-aged girls too.  Regardless of your machine, the pattern for the shorts is a simple shape, with straight forward construction, and just as cute whether you embroider the fabric or use a favorite print.  So win and win and win.  This pattern will launch towards the end of March.

So much to look forward to.  I love my job.  For the next few weeks I will be busy working on some new quilt tops to teach from during my workshops at QuiltCon.  I am so excited for the event and for the excuse to now get sewing on some very unscripted projects.

lots of love, xoxoAM

What do you do when 5 months pregnant and it's 35 degrees?

Make embroidered short shorts, naturally.

You were going to say knit weren't you?

Pshuh.

Needlpoint? Later.

This is the next free pattern for my friends @ Janome, and of course for you too, which we happen to be filming next week.  I'd like to take a moment to thank the flu for managing to fall right between my CreativeBug shoot and my Janome shoot with just enough time to recuperate in between. Real nice flu, real nice.



I hope you have a lovely weekend- this machine is amazing!! I can't wait to share more about it with you!!! Almost done with my valentine needlepointies!
xoxoxAnnaMaria

Color & the Keeping of it

I suppose there is no sense in resisting the urge to get organized and venture into 2013 with a clean slate.  I'll be filming with CreativeBug again next week, so the tidying spasm I suffer is good timing.  Up here in the white studio, much cleaning and organizing has been happening which is really only enjoyable once the actual mess is cleaned up and it's time to organize.  I love that part.  Getting sorted.

Downstairs Pierrette is cleaning up the shop studio as well.  We'll be filming down there no doubt too since the nice huge cutting counter is there and it's also slightly easier to move camera equipment and lighting around unlike the attic up here which quickly feels like a dollhouse the moment you try to do anything but write, draw or sew.  And despite today's blue-gray light we've also been working on shooting pics of the new perle cotton palettes and the new embroidery floss palettes which will be listed in the store hopefully by the end of the day.

I LOVE these new colors.  The perles up there are called Sun Study. I have already been handquilting with these and relish in the light that they catch.  So pretty.  And the two new embroidery floss palettes are so rich and bright.  Keeping it all organized can be a challenge.  I know I may have a bit more thread than your average bear, but since you might be feeling all organizey too, seeing as how it's January, I thought I would share what I came up with last fall for storage.

I bought some 120 yr old lengths of interior mouldings at a salvage place for just a few dollars a foot with no real plan.  But loving the warmth the stained wood added to the bare studio, I decided to put them to use to store floss.  My dear sweet, son (who was paid, of course) Nicolas marked out every inch with a sharpie dot along the bottom edge of one, then drill small pilot holes, then screwed in hooks for a total of about 100 hooks.

His hands were quite numb afterward, but oh golly do I love this thing, and paying him helped me to feel less guilty when he complained.  Anyway, I simply screwed it into the slanted wall onto the wooden ribs at a height that would have the floss hovering just above another piece of ledge moulding.  Making all the holes into a moulding saves you from putting a zillion holes into the wall.  The hooks are pretty deep so that I can get about 4 or 5 skeins of floss on one.  I adore having the color right there in my face instead of tucked away.

With the exception of a few balls of perle cotton that I tuck onto the ledge behind the floss, I mostly keep those in big clear jars.  I ordered mine from Specialty Bottle, and though you have to order in multiples, I have no trouble finding uses for these all over the house.  And these are particularly nice because the mouth is wide and easier to get your hand in there and dig around for the color that you want that is of course on the very bottom.

We have an ultrasound on Friday and I could bust from the excitement of having a look at this little him or her.  I could also bust from the butter cookies that I could probably also see on ultrsound, which reminds me to go for a walk.  Running is getting silly.

xoxo, AM

Little Red Pretty Edge

Told you I'd be back.
So.  This scarf.  My new favorite thing. It is just one simple layer of solid cotton voile made interesting and special with a pretty crocheted edge of pearle cotton.  Something about this shade of red does not need to go with anything else that you have on.  It's like the perfect shade of red lipstick, it just works.  The technique is not difficult, especially if you are already familiar with crochet.  The scale of the pearle cotton and the tiny hook takes some getting used to, but well worth it in my humble opinion.  What I love about teaching this technique is that it can be applied to larger yarns and hooks, knitting projects, crochet projects, edges of store-bought items, pillowcases, and all else in need of pretty edgey-ness.

 It is also my newest class available on CreativeBug!  You can have a look at the class overview here.
And below is the little project promo, which I'm sharing because it's pretty and painterly and I'm in charge here.



Would make a lovely gift! xo, Anna

I've caught a bug. A really creative one.

Just a little teaser of my first workshop launching next week at CreativeBug.com The feather skirt workshop will be live on Tuesday the 4th and the cross stitch pendant on Thursday the 6th. Enjoy, and learn more about CreativeBug here.
xo, Anna