Friday, September 21, 2018

Quilts for the Festival

It's September, which means another Blogger's Quilt Festival is underway at Amy's Creative Side!

Quilts to enter, beautiful quilts to see, and prizes to win - such a fun event each year!

I always have a tough time choosing my two entries, as I'm sure other bloggers do to. I have so many favorites this year but I think I'll go with these:

Strawberry Splendor,

Strawberry Splendor quilt by QuiltFabrication

with elegant strawberries and blossoms;

and my newest, Welcome to My Birdhouse,

Welcome to My Birdhouse quilt by QuiltFabrication

a modern wall hanging to welcome guests to my home.

I'm in love with the clean, contemporary look of these two quilts, which is a big component of my style. A recent comment I received from LJ said it best: "I love your bright quilts but also their simple complexity - they never look 'muddy' ".

I strive to make quilts that are clear, make sense, and look more difficult than they are. I also strive to write clear, detailed patterns explaining how to make my quilts: they're available at Craftsy and Etsy for you to decorate your own home.

So enough about my quilting philosophy! How about you - do you have quilts to enter? Pick you're favorite two quilts from this year, write a post about them, and get 'em entered! Don't forget to leave a comment for Amy as an entry for the prizes - there's lots of great stuff up for grabs!

Ready for that eye candy? Then hop over to the Blogger's Quilt Festival to see all of the beautiful quilts on display!

Happy Quilting!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Midweek Makers #141

Welcome to Midweek Makers! October is fast approaching, which means pumpkins, leaves, and the scary stuff of Halloween!

I'm almost finished with my pumpkin harvest quilt,

pumpkin harvest blocks by QuiltFabrication

though the pieces are still on the design wall. Leaving it in the block stage allows me to double check everything while writing the pattern.
It's important it all works out!

And I'm not the only one thinking about orange, black, and green.
Check out these projects from last week:

from Podunk Pretties,

from Made by Marney,

and this from JBigg's Scrap Pieces.

Feeling the love of those colors yet? Even if you're not, come link up what you're working on!

Please link directly to your specific post, not your main blog page.
Visit and leave a comment to two links: the one before and the one after your own. Everyone loves visitors, comments, and encouragement!
Bring a friend! Invite your fellow bloggers to the party by spreading the word!
Please link to www.QuiltFabrication.com on your post.

Thank you for sharing and enjoy the party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

In the Swimming Pool - My Happy Place Row

My day has arrived for the My Happy Place Rowalong, hosted by Marian of Seams to be Sew! And here is my current happy place - In the Swimming Pool!

In the Swimming Pool, Stanford Masters, Stanford University

The Back Story

Yes, hard to imagine that anything involving exercise could be a happy place, but after 25 years of swimming with the Stanford Masters program, I'm happy that I'm still there.

You see, 30 years ago, I was treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and upon approaching the five year mark, I decided I needed to commit to a life of exercise. Having grown up on a lake, swimming was a natural fit, especially since it could be done year round in CA.

Fast forward to two years ago. After so many years of swimming, I started having neck/shoulder issues, and sought physical therapy. Turns out, I wasn't using the right muscles to swim, causing pain and numbness.

Now I'm on a mission to change my stroke, and build up the proper muscles in my back. It hasn't been easy, but I'm getting there, and I find that I really enjoy swimming again. Of course, with a Master's workout, I can also let the diet go a bit - I just work harder to burn off any extra calorie intake!

So, yes, in the swimming pool is my happy place.

In the Swimming Pool Row by QuiltFabrication

Fabrics/Construction

This row is really simple to construct, thanks to the wonderful water/wave fabric from Northcott. The company was kind enough to contribute fabric for the rowalong, and this Northcott Artisan Spirit Shimmer, Blue Lagoon (20425M-45) is perfect! Below is their picture,

Northcott Artisan Spirit Shimmer Blue Lagoon

and this is what it really looks like.

Using Kona Cotton Solids to add a few lane lines and an applique swimmer, and this row is complete!

The In the Swimming Pool row pattern is free at Craftsy thru September 24, 2018 - get it while you can! Notice I haven't quilted my row - plans may involve it becoming part of a larger swimming themed quilt - we shall see.

The Hop Schedule

We are now two weeks into the hop with plenty still to see! Be sure to visit all of these creatives who have rows to share (free for 1 week) and giveaways to enter:

And a big thank you to Marian of Seams to be Sew for orgainizing this yearly rowalong!

The Giveaways!

Another big thank you to the wonderful sponsors who have donated these fabulous prizes!

Enter via Rafflecopter to win a package of Hobbs Tuscany Cotton/Wool - Throw size, approximate value $16, with worldwide shipping via Hobbs. Giveaway ends Sept 25, 2018.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But we're not finished yet - enter to win Electric Quilt version 8 quilting software, a $239.95 value!

I have used EQ since version 6, and find it extremely helpful in designing quilts - and you will too! Prize will be delivered via email as a coupon code to use at purchase.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the complete rules of the rowalong, including a full list of designers, sponsors, plus giveaway entry rules, please visit Seams to be Sew, our wonderful hostess.

Previous Years Rows

And just for fun, here's the row from last year:

Let It Snow

which is now a full wall hanging pattern,

and the year prior:

Silicon Valley Road Home

Silicon Valley Road Home by QuiltFabrication

still available as a free download on Craftsy.

Enjoy the hop and good luck on the giveaways!

Monday, September 17, 2018

It's All About the Birds

On Friday, I unveiled my newest wall hanging pattern, Welcome to My Birdhouse.

Welcome to My Birdhouse by QuiltFabrication

And many of you commented how you love birds, watching them outside your window, or participating in bird sightings.

In case you didn't already know, I, too, love birds! Outside my studio window, I have two hummingbird feeders, the dish kind from Droll Yankee (affiliate link), for a total of four around the house.

Usually, there's only one hummer there at a time - the others get chased off. But you can't beat this style of feeder - they're so easy to clean!

In the backyard, we have a terrific squirrel proof feeder for the finches and such.

Years ago, my in-laws had bought me a traditional feeder for my birthday, and I tried everything to keep the squirrels out.

Frustrated, we found the Squirrel Buster Plus Bird Feeder (affiliate link) online,

which closes up the feeder holes if there's too much weight on the perch. And no more squirrels raiding the feeder! They're confined to cleaning up what drops on the ground, leaving more seed for the birds.

Now back to quilts. Not only do I have the bird houses above, but I also have a quilt featuring those more traditional bird feeders, though I don't think you'll find any squirrels here.

Winter Feed is my favorite wintertime wall hanging - it can be on display for at least two months. And who can resist seeing pretty red birds during the those long winter months? BTW, this also comes in a kit, if you're interested.

And when I was a more beginner quilter, I made this adorable White Birches quilt,

another winter favorite.

So yes, I like birds. And as I told Wendy, someday I'd love to have a falcon on my hand -they're such awesome birds - maybe I'll take up falconry as my next hobby!

Happy Quilting, and may your feeder always be full!