Happy Holidays

Today. All I have to say is... I've been enjoying the Holidays with my family, wrapping up a few quilting projects, and trying to get some R&R.

 

Taking one stitch at a time,

Sandra

Number 3

Good morning world,

I'm excited to announce my third publication.

A big thank you to my sponsors, Cotton & Steel through RJR Fabrics, Aurifil Thread, and the Warm Company.  Without them, I wouldn't be able to afford my dream.

This quilt was inspired by a building in downtown Denver.  I had always loved the architecture of the building, and one day it dawned on me that I could make this in a lovely quilt.  The building has a background of a white brick, and the building used black brick to emphasis its design.  Per the quilt, the large squares were the windows, the crosses and cornerstones are the black bricks that surrounded the windows. 

Use the link to order yourself a copy of the quilt or wait until December 30th when the magazine hits newsstands.

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/quickquilts/issues/February_March_2015

Till next time, Happy Holidays!
Sandra

McCall's Quilting - America Loves Scrap Quilts Edition

Good morning Makers,

It's been a busy few months for me.  I am finishing up my first book.  I have three quilts to go before my year-end deadline.  It has been crazy and I have sacrificed so much to be able to complete it.  I hope that this hard work will pay off.  I am so thankful to my 3 year-old daughter and husband, who have tried so hard to make life easier for me to focus on my book. 

I've paced at a quilt a week.  (Is it a lot?  Seems like a lot.)  There's been many nights working to midnight and for those of you who have little ones in the house...  all because you go to bed late, doesn't mean you'll be able to sleep in, as my little one comes to my room at 6:30 in the morning to snuggle with me.  Don't get me wrong, that snuggling time is not her staying still where I could get a few more moments of sleep.  There's tossing and turning, playing with my face and hair, and of course the occasional accidental kick.  :)  It's extra love to add to my day, as I head to the next room to turn my sewing machine on.  But I do love it.  All of it.  My daughter, my husband, and my quilting.

I received the best pick me up in the postal mail.  It was my second publication from McCall's Quilting.  This was my very first quilt accepted for publication.  I had a very good quilting friend, Nancy, say, "you have to let a magazine publication see this", and so I did.  This quilt is what kick started my belief that I could turn my hobby into a business.

I hope you'll go out to get a copy.  There's a link below to purchase the magazine online.  Otherwise, the magazine hits newsstands December 23rd.

I do want to give a shout out to my sponsors: Aurifil, Art Gallery, Andover, Michael Miller, and Quilters Dream.

Till next time, keep on stitching,
Sandra

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Purchase_America_Loves_Scrap_Quilts_Winter_2014_15

Finally the First Publication

 

The day as arrived.  My first quilt has been published by Modern Quilts Unlimited.  I'm uber excited.

 

 

I designed Circle of Stars, using Michael Miller fabric, Aurifil thread, and Quilter's Dream Cotton batting.  I was shooting for a fall feel as we approach cooler months.  I hope you enjoy it!  Shoot me an email to show me your version.  I would love to see it.

 

Sandra 

Crazy End of Summer

Can you believe it?  Summer is over.  School has started and fall has begun.  I just love this time of year. 

Things for me have completely changed paced.  But all for the good.  The last two months, I have completed 8 quilts.  I'm so sorry, but I can't show any of them to your right now, but soon.  They have been sent off for publication.  I'll definitely be posting when the quilts are published. 

Also, the next three months will be a mad house as, wait for it....  I'm writing a book!  This process has been so much fun.  I didn't think I would enjoy designing, writing, and working with people in the industry.  It has been an amazing experience.  Truly, I feel blessed.  I'll be sharing more information as I am able.

In addition, I had a wonderful time at the Denver Quilt Guild Retreat at the end of July.  Here's a couple of pictures of our group, the sewing room, and special visitors.  I'm all too excited for next year. 

Keep on stitching,
Sandra

 

Beginner's Quilt Class

Hello all.  If you're in the Denver area, come check out my new class I'm teaching at Treelotta.  It's a Beginner's Quilt Class that starts July 30th.  It's on Wednesdays from 6 to 8pm.  5 weeks long. 

The image below is a picture of the quilt, which you will finish by the end of the class series.  My apologizes that it is electronic form, I'll have the official top completed by the end of this month and on display at Treelotta.  Stay tuned for pictures. 

Here's the link with all the details and how to sign up:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1395629540657669/

We'll be offering this class throughout the year, so if you have any feedback on a better time of week, please let me know.

Help me spread the word.

Thanks world,
Sandra

2014 Spring Quilt Market

All -

I had such a wonderful time at quilt market.  It was my first one and I hope to have more for the future.  Teresa from Treelotta and I went together and wow, we had such a fun time together.  I hope you have a chance to see that fun in our selfies.  I had the chance to meet so many wonderful people from all areas of the industry.  Everyone was so approachable and seemed really interested in what I had to say and share.   I learned so much about the business.  I am happy to say that the weekend was a huge success and there will be some fun things coming up in the next year that I cannot wait to share with you. 

Meanwhile, here are some photos of the weekend.  I hope you enjoy them.

Day 1 - Let the madness begin.

My stash after the Schoolhouse series.  Love free samples.

After the Schoolhouse, we went to Sample Spree.  Wow, that was craziness.  I'd be happy to share some stories, if you want it.

Day 2 - The first day of the show.  I couldn't wait to share my ideas with the industry.

 

Due to weather, we were bused to the Moda Boat Cruise Party.  A new friend.  You'll have to check out her new book and fabric line!

 

 Day 3!

  

By this time, I had my agenda taken care of.  Meetings scheduled, ideas booked, I then had some time to enjoy the book signings.   

Day 4 - The last day of the show.  We were trying to keep up the energy.

 

Quilt Market is closed and we are beat.

These are some really awesome people that I had the chance to meet.
 

(I had the chance to show off my Tula Pink 100 Block quilt.)

Till next time, keep on creating.  Sandra

The Local

Hello world.  Today, I’m so happy to post my Local quilt, designed by Carolyn Friedlander.  I’m really excited about it.  I used some of her fabrics from the Architextures line as well as some from my stash.  I like the quilt without the border, so I left it off.

 

Some notes about the pattern and construction.

I loved the pattern, it was easy to read and understand.  The houses are paper pieced, which means a lot of pieces to consider, but Carolyn does a great job of numbering the order.  The house in the first row, far right, (the black and pink house), that one ended up about an inch wider than the rest of the house in the row and I had to trim it down.  I was worried about trimming, in general, because it seemed anytime you do, you have to modify the rest of the steps to get the quilt pieces to fit.  But I didn’t have too with this one.  The sashing and borders fit just fine and to her exact measurements.  I’m not sure what happened.  Perhaps, I missed something in the directions.

The palm trees.  Be careful of those palm trees. Bias galore.  Try your best not to stretch the palms.  It can be easy to do, but if you pin before you sew, you’ll be set up for success.

Since I used directional fabrics, I wanted the fabric pattern to line up.  Meaning , some houses have angles to them and I cut a bigger piece to make sure my fabric pattern lined up.  Plus, if your direction fabric has a distinct pattern to it and you want it to match for all sections of the house, then it’ll take some time, but is doable.  

Other than those notes, I’m happy with the results. 

Till next time, keep on creating.

Sandra

Welcome

Welcome to my quilting and sewing blog.  I'm so excited to begin this new adventure with all of you.  My goal is to inspire you to create things by sharing my project progress.  I've been contemplating this blog endeavor for a couple of years now, and finally, I’m in a situation in my life where I can commit some time to it. 

As I get started on this new adventure, I hope my project list will have you come back.

Sandra