Blogger's Quilt Festival: Christmas Forest

It's that time of year we come to blog on Fresh Poppy Design again! :)  Our intentions are good but with all we do on Quilt Story we find little extra time to work on our home design and decor, let alone post about it!!  Hopefully you can bare with us and enjoy our posts from time to time :)

When I saw Moda's new line from Kate Spain, Joy, I was so excited!! I was feeling Christmas in May that's for sure!  The colors are fabulous and still Christmas, I love how she works the aqua in.  I can rarely turn down a blue/green combo anyway :)  When I got the collection a pattern started flowing into my head immediately!

A simple strip quilt paired with modern trees.  I really am loving the finish!

Check out those zig zag's and snowflake prints...and the green tree print...fabulous.  A great mix of modern and tradition, a lot like what I tried to incorporate in the pattern.

Christmas Forest is one of our latest pattern finishes that can be found in our shop.

Here are all of the patterns we've released so far this year, also available in our shop.

And I've got another quilt to share in this festival! :)  Head over to Quilt Story to see a little more about Kenna's Blooms.

Thanks to Amy for the fabulous event she puts together twice a year!!  Head on over, link up your own quilt and check out some amazing finishes!  Thanks for stopping by!! :)

-Heather

Finally!

Eeek-a-licious!  Has it been that long since we posted??  We've been busy with our upcoming Block Party (join!) and with market coming this spring, Heather and I have been working our little hands as fast as we can trying to prepare.  I have a couple of sneak peeks to share today, hope it looks fun to you!

We moved this last summer and with moving comes new design opportunities (and challenges).  I love the excuse of getting to do something new, I guess that's a good part of moving.  I am making over my kitchen completely, and so far I love it!  Since we're in a rental, changing light fixtures, cabinetry and flooring isn't an option...but I am so happy that our new place is really nice and up to date, that helps a lot.

I've painted my table and chairs. L-O-V-E!  I have a problem with aqua, I have it everywhere.  I decided to paint the table a really soft blue and the chairs white.  I kinda adore it.  Only time will tell how it holds up, I hope it does okay though!!

And new window treatments.  I've obviously decided to go with aqua and red, and really if I'm going to be bold and cheery, the kitchen is the place to do it!  (Right??)  I've ended my two and a half year stand-off with the color red and have welcomed it back into my life with open arms! :)  I think we'll get along this time.

I've been considering adding a giant piece of red ric-rac along the bottom, what do you think?  I'm currently working on a clock for the space and soon a table runner and maybe a quilted wall hanging?  So I'm ambitious, but I'm hoping to fit things in here and there and get it all "done" in the next month or so.

And a sneak peek at some new projects:

This is all part of a new baby pattern that I'm finishing up writing and will be available in our shop soon.  It's not a quilt which is new for us, but I think it will be really fun and useful.  Just looking at all those happy baby fabrics makes me smile :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Make sure to check out my linky parties for other fun things, I'll be linking up!  And of course, make sure to share your own fabric project at Quilt Story.

Megan's Quilt Finish

Hi to everyone new who may be visiting our blog...welcome and take a look around! :) Friday is a few short hours away and it's the start of Blogger's Quilt Festival from Amy's Creative Side. My sister Heather and I have been anxiously awaiting this event for a while and we hope you like our quilts!

A while back I purchased some of Joel Dewberry's fabric line Deer Valley. I wanted to re-do my bedroom in aqua's and gray's with a little bit of orange in there. It took me a long time to decide what kind of quilt I wanted for the end of my bed...so I used some traditional piecing and a modern layout, and I present my quilt

And my pieced back (I just can't resist piecing the backs these days!)

Scrappy binding just fit perfect with this quilt and all the colors.

A closer look at the blocks.

Do you remember my not-so-ready-for-a-reveal bedroom post?

Well I had a list of things I still had left to do.

Among them, a cute pieced blanket for the end of my bed :)

And I've decided to sell this quilt pattern!

For the next week starting NOW thru Thursday November 4th Heather and I are putting all of our patterns on SALE.

That's right.

click on the image to head straight to our shop!

You don't have to read that twice, buy one get one FREE.

Okay you can read it again, it's a cute image afterall.

So please head on over to our Etsy shop and take a look around.

While you're at it, you can pre-order Gaggle of Geese!

Just sayin'.

Don't forget to see my sister Heather's quilt finish!

A Gaggle of Geese

I'm getting closer....

Progress is being made for my quilt to go on the end of my bed.  I think I have as many flying geese as I need, eek! Now I just need to figure out my blocks and then the tough part...the layout, and more blocks, and whatnot.

Spoiler: Boring quilt talk 

Before I asked what kind of block everyone thought I should do.  And I'm a brat, because I went against what was suggested...I just had Dutchman's Puzzle in my head so long I couldn't see it otherwise.  I have been using this method mostly, it creates four geese at once and wastes no fabric and is sooo fast!  But for pieces that are not large enough I've been using this method.

I had decided I wanted brighter flying geese on the inner part of the block and lighter on the outside (layout #2).  I also decided to try doing each block by color (layout #1).

So there is an OBVIOUS winner right???  Layout #1 it is.

On to more exciting things....

2 features for us today!

Have you been to Life in the Fun Lane?  Who am I kidding, of course you have!

Okay, if it's slipped through you must go there if you are considering refinishing furniture.  Absolutely inspiring.

Today she's featuring my new tv console! :)

And another cute blog, Gen X Quilters is doing a little spotlight on me today.  Fun!

And I do use the phrase "scrumptious Panamanian" so you may have to go read that.

Thanks ladies!

PS HAVE YOU SEEN THE YOUNG VICTORIA?

I have to use movies to give myself a little motivation for working out. 

The last two days was The Young Victoria.

Loved it.

Wanted to watch it again.

And maybe one more time.

I ran into the office just to tell my husband about it.

So..you should see it too.

Guess what's a little embarrassing about this?  Heather and I are half Brits right?  Half English to be exact.  I've been to England three times.  I've done all the touristy things a couple of times.  Growing up my mom had a really posh coffee table book that was titled something like The Kings and Queens of England.

I didn't remember the story.

At all.

She is the longest reigning sovereign of England.

Don't tell my dad.

Phew.  I don't think I have rambled so much or linked as much in a post.

Giveaway Winner, and Girly MOD TWEET quilt top!!!

Okay, lets start with the girly quilt top that I am SUPER happy with. I kept trying to envision the finished quilt top and I wasn't totally happy with what my brain produced. But the real thing turned out FAB if I do say so myself! Seriously I am in love with this quilt and the fabrics.  So this is definitely a girl or boy pattern...

I love all the bright colors. These are all mainly from Amy Butler's Love collection.  The aqua and green really pop.

Added a wing this time. (It is in the pattern too)

Now I am not being dramatic here. But this may be ruined!

I am going to attempt to machine quilt this myself...

I got a nice sewing machine for Mother's Day and I have been playing around with the freemotion quilting. I am ready to give it a try on a real quilt...scary!

I will start, and if it is going bad I always have a seam ripper handy. Doesn't that sound fun?

Any advice from anyone?

Okay, on to the winners of the patterns...

SY, MERI DRAKE, K. DAVIS, CARLA, and DESERAE... email me your addresses and I will send you all out your patterns.

Thanks for all the nice comments from everyone.

And Peeps, we are just a few people away, please get us to 300 followers??? Pretty please??? Megan and I get really pathetically excited when we have such milestones :)

GivEaWaY and a new modern boy quilt pattern!

   This is a story of Little Baby Brother Buddy Dude.  Seriously, do you love him? Do you want to bite his cheeks?  From the very bottom of my heart I really didn't think I was missing anything by not having a son. My four daughters filled my heart. I thought a boy would just be for my husband. I knew I would love one, but absolutely did not know how much I would adore him!

He came into our lives 1 year ago. He reminds me of Big Baby on toy story. He is giant. 98% height. Super bald. And pure perfection! Finally getting a boy meant tons of new decorating options...which brings me to this quilt...

I named this quilt "Mod Tweet",  sort of the modern "Sweet Tweet". (My original pattern that has been very good for our little business...)  Anyhow, when I thought to decorate a boys room I didn't want to do the blue and brown thing. I feel like I have done that, and I wanted to different than what was being done in most boy nursery's. So I thought and thought and finally came up with gray and aqua. I LOVE how this quilt turned out. Within a month I will be posting this guys nursery and it is darling!

Plus, check the minky backing. Have you seen anything so magnificent? L-O-V-E !

I went back and forth about making it a pattern or keeping it original for my baby. In the end I sold him out for a little extra cash...(that is the kind of person I am...)  So here you have it...

If you buy this pattern, just think of Big Baby Brother Little Baby Buddy Dude. Please. Click here if you are interested in purchasing this pattern.

Last but not least. We are giving this pattern away to 5 different commenters here and on QuiltStory.

* Leave a comment and tell us which is your favorite pattern of ours, 1 entry.

* Become a follower or subscribe, 3 entries. 

(Just tell us in a new comment if you are already a follower/subscriber) 

* Hop on over to QuiltStory and repeat, 4 entries.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Oh and YES, we are linking up to some fabulous parties, so make sure to check them out too!

Is it YOU?

Are you the winner of 5 of these patterns??

If you're name is

ktquilts

then yes!!!  Congratulations!

Not only does ktquilts follow us here, but she's also following our new blog, Quilt Story.  Are you? :)

We've been overwhelmed by your responses to the giveaways and the new blog, so thank you.  We did have some great assistance from the Blogger's Quilt Festival...but that didn't stop us from being full of ourselves all week.  Heather and I regularly talk about how many followers we have, and I had no idea how much my self-esteem relies on that number ;)

Hop on over to Quilt Story and see if you've won patterns over there or the fat quarter stack.  Also check out two of the quilts we featured this week, they are inspirational!

Quilt Festival Extravaganza!

I love the word "extravaganza" and use it every opportunity I get.  Makes everything fancy. Okay, focus.

I am so excited to be posting right now!  For a few reasons, first Park City Girl AMY is having her blogger's quilt festival which we've been waiting and waiting for!  You must go check out all the amazing quilts people are making.

Speaking of amazing, my mommy designed this quilt for my sweet baby boy!  Isn't it precious?  I love everything about it, the sailboats, the water...the colors.  I adore.

Megan and I are so lucky to have such a talented mom, let me tell you she put so much thought and time into every bit of this quilt, and I am so grateful.  It will live through our family for generations to come I'm sure.  And yes, this bad boy will soon make it to the printing press to be one of our patterns :)

The next reason I am so excited to be writing this post?  We are launching our new blog, bold, we know. Bless our hearts, but please indulge us.  We are absolutely giddy over it.

It's called QuiltStory and it's a place where we want to share other's amazing quilts and stories that go along with them.  We want readers to come and admire as well as quilters to make their submissions. Please go and check it out!

Finally, the last reason I'm excited and quite frankly why you will soon be excited, we're having a
FABULOUS GIVEAWAY (extravaganza)!

Choose 5, count it 1-2-3-4-5!!! of our patterns!!  And for those of you maybe a little intimidated by the quilting, you could also win:

A stack of 5 fat quarters to do what your heart desires.  Now the giveaway for the fabric is only on our Quiltstory blog, however we are giving away 5 patterns on this blog AND quiltstory!  So basically there is eleventy billion ways to win.

How?

- 1 entry per comment

- 3 entries per follower

- 5 entries if you submit a quilt and story to Quiltstory (details there)

Please state in your comment(s) what you have done, and make sure to enter both blogs!  We will announce our giveaway winner at the end of the quilt festival, May 28th.

How to make a tie shirt

After having my second little boy I knew that I'd have to get creative if I wanted to make things for my little boys!  I can't remember where I first heard of or saw tie shirts, but I love them.  They are just nerdy enough to be perfectly adorable!

I searched through blogs and etsy observing how everyone else made their shirts, and finally settled on the way that I love :)  I will share with you here how I make my tie shirts, and hopefully you'll love them too.

Materials needed:

-plain t-shirt or onesie
-heat n bond or some kind of fusible web for applique
-fabric for tie (scraps)
-sewing machine

Step 1:
Trace the tie pattern onto the paper side of your heat n bond.  I separate the two pieces, the knot and the tie.  I like the pattern of the knot to be in a different direction than the pattern of the tie.  I have included my templates for you here, in sizes 3-6 months and 2T.  Using a ruler you can make these shorter/longer and wider/thinner.  My suggestion is that the tie is within 3-4 inches of the bottom of the shirt.  I find if the tie ends too high on the shirt it's just nerdy enough to be down right nerdy.  Roughly cut around the pieces and iron to the wrong side of your fabric, like so:

Step 2:

Following the directions of your heat n bond, cut exactly around the tie, peel of the paper and iron to the shirt. It's now ready for you to sew around. Sew.

Step 3:

Stand back and admire! They're that easy. I think the trickiest part is picking the right fabric stripes and plaids work amazingly and the right size and length for the ties.

Step 4:
Adorn cute cousin boys with matching tie shirts.  Perfection!



As always, we will be linking these cutie pies to some linky parties, so check them out.  Seriously you can find some amazing talent at these parties!

Two Blankets, Two Ideas

I've recently made two pieced blankets for friends, and when I finished I thought they were the perfect patterns for a variety of blankets!  I am going to give you a semi tutorial.  Meaning if you've had a little experience on the machine, you'll be able to make these too.

(They are not difficult to make in the least, however, I am not doing a step by step how-to)

This was for my sweet friend Sara's new baby boy Simon.  I had a few 1/4 yards of fabric and was thinking and thinking of how to piece it and not have it look weird or like leftovers (which they weren't!).

My favorite part is the middle strip.  It'd be cute left alone, or with a variety of applique's.  I considered argyle diamonds, spelling out "sleep" or "Simon"...and ultimately settled on stars!!

On a side note, I made this ball to go with the blanket.  I always feel like I have to have a little something extra to go with "main" present.

Here are the measurements for this blanket.  The finished size is 38" x 23".  The measurements in the diagram below are what I cut the fabric, prior to sewing.  My seam allowance is 1/4".

Here is my pieced blanket #2.  This is a car seat blanket.  Heather and I discovered these about three years ago when we were making blankets for our soon to be babies, who were born only two days apart!  It is so nice to have a small blanket to squish around your newborn, instead of a full size blanket that you have to fold 8 times to get around them.

The same story for this one as well, it would be adorable without any applique at all...however an initial, heart, crown, etc. could make it so sweet too!

They can be finished by binding the edges or just simply turning inside out with a finishing stitch around the outside.  Either works. 

And when the baby gets older, it's a great little blankie to play peek-a-boo with :)

I always have to try and sneak one of my boy's in a photo shoot.  Guess it was Ollie's lucky day!

The finished size for this blanket was 24" square.  Once again, the measurements below are what the pieces were cut to, prior to sewing. My seam allowance is 1/4".

There you have it!  Two basic patterns to make a variety of easy pieced blankets!

If you are feeling adventurous and want to give one of these a try, please link us!  We'd love to see your finished project.  If you are a little nervous but would like to try it out, contact us because I'd love to answer any questions.

Happy Mother's Day!!  As for me?  Looking forward to snuggling on the couch with my oh so busy husband and watching a movie of my choice.  Mmmm can't wait.

What did you do?

Linking up to a few parties today: The Girl Creative, Between Naps on the Porch, It's So Very Cheri, Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Sew Can Do, Soft Place to Land, Today's Creative Blog, Sew and Tell w/AmyLouWho and Sumo's Sweet Stuff.