Friday, September 28, 2018

Pumpkin Harvest Quilt

It's Pumpkin Harvest time - and with a coupon too!

Pumpkin Harvest in the field by QuiltFabrication

Just look at all of those pumpkins out there in the field!

Pumpkin Harvest pumpkin quilt in the field by QuiltFabrication

This 51" x 69" lap quilt started as a spin off of my Pumpkat Patch table runner,

Pumpkat Patch table runner by QuiltFabrication

since I've always loved the combo of pumpkins and leaves. In case you didn't already know, I do like cats too, and have played around with more pumpkin/cat settings, though they still need work - hah!

Anyway, I love how these pumpkins just pop off the black background! Of course, with all that orange and green, they'd pop off a grey or a cream background too!

Solid pumpkin block from Pumpkin Harvest

That's one of the solid color pumpkins, while here's a pumpkin that's scrappy:

Scrappy pumpkin block from Pumpkin Harvest

Combining the two styles in the quilt really adds to the interest, keeping the eye moving around that pumpkin field, wanting you to pick out your favorite!

Pumpkin Harvest Quilt by QuiltFabrication

As for the quilting on this: swirls in the scrappy pumpkins (thanks Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting for that idea!), curved lines on the solids, and veins in the leaves and stems.

The background is a fairly large stipple, mainly because I wanted this quilt to be soft and snuggly, and anything fancy would be hard to see on the black. The quilting is easier to see on the really pretty backing fabric.

quilting and backing fabric on the Pumpkin Harvest quilt

If you look closely, you'll see how I quilted up to the HST's in the border, stitched-in-the-ditch around them, then came out again, keeping the flow of the stipple.

Are you ready for a Pumpkin Harvest in your house? So that you can get started and enjoy the quilt this fall, use the coupon 'Pumpkin25' for 25% off the Pumpkin Harvest pattern at Etsy, now through Oct 6, 2018!

Happy Quilting everyone!

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Midweek Makers #142

Welcome to Midweek Makers! After a mega focus session last week, yesterday I finally got a chance to do some general housekeeping and catch my breath. Though I don't have any new projects to share, I do have some fun things to show.

First up, is the over 20 yards of fabric I scored at our guild meeting on Monday:
this collection of fun Halloween prints, cause I've always wanted to make a scrappy Halloween quilt but just didn't have the fabrics,

and a random assortment of fabrics - just cause I liked 'em - with some of them a minimum of 2 yards - great for backings!

Do I need more fabric? No. Did I get told that at the meeting? Yes.
Did I ignore those comments? Yes, and proceeded to make my purchases!

Next up for fun was this really cute addition to one of my birdhouses in the Welcome to My Birdhouse, compliments of Dione of Clever Chameleon Quilting - it so made me laugh!

Clever Chameleon in a birdhouse

In case you didn't know, Dione, while she's not creating beautiful quilts, runs the Tuesday Colour Linky Party, another great place to meet quilters - check it out next week.

clever chameleon quilting colour linky party

clever chameleon quilting colour linky party

But enough about what put a smile on my face this week - let's put one on yours with these pumpkins:

from Vicki's Crafts and Quilting,

from Quilt Bee,

pumpkin table topper: QuiltBee

and last, but not least, from Desert Sky Quilts.

And I promise to finally reveal all of my pumpkins on Friday - I'm pumpkin crazy right now!

So let's get movin' on to this week's Midweek Makers - what are you working on? We'd really love to see!
Come link up, keeping these simple guidelines in mind:

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 in your post or on your sidebar with the Midweek Makers badge.

Happy Quilting everyone!

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday, September 24, 2018

Pumpkin Update

The pumpkin quilt is almost done - here's a sneak peek!

scrappy pumpkin block by QuiltFabrication

This is the scrappy pumpkin block that's in the quilt - and you're the first to see it. And that real leaf? It was one of several that dropped on the quilt while I took pictures. It's definitely fall!

I was so hoping to have everything ready today to reveal the whole quilt, but both pattern editing and a photo re-shoot are taking up a ton of time.

Since I've been tied to either the sewing machine or the computer, it's cut into the social aspect of blogging - absolutely no time for that! Which also means there's not a lot to write about here today.

So, I'll just keep you in suspense for a few more days until the final reveal, and then things can get back to normal.

Happy Quilting!

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 available in my Etsy shop, and now includes 3 additional silhouettes, butterfly, backstroke, and breast stroke, for a whole pool of swimmer rows.

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:

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

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 row

Silicon Valley Road Home by QuiltFabrication

which, is currently unavailable.

Happy collecting and enjoy the hop!

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!

Friday, September 14, 2018

Welcome to My Birdhouse

Come join me today, while I participate in the Welcome to My House Blog Hop, hosted by Carol at Just Let Me Quilt -

and Welcome to My Birdhouse wall hanging pattern!

The idea for this new modern wall hanging came to me after receiving one of those 'home for sale' postcards in the mail. It was for a newly remodeled Eichler home in the neighborhood, and even though the price was flabbergasting, it was an attractive, modern style home.

Around here, one either loves Eichler's or hates them - they're not your typical style or constructed house. But, they have a modern, open vibe even if built 60 years ago, and those that are remodeled can be quite stunning.

Thus the modern house idea, which was simplified and evolved into these modern birdhouses,

Kona Terra Cotta/Tarragon modern birdhouse by QuiltFabrication

that are creatively stacked on the pole.

creative modern birdhouse display by QuiltFabrication

Keeping with the simple, modern lines, the quilting adds to the modern feel without overpowering the quilt.

And if you look closely, each door is a different style,

One birdhouse from Welcome to My Birdhouse by QuiltFabrication

to add to the interest.

I bet these birds are really happy to live here!

To make your own Welcome to My Birdhouse wall hanging, the pattern is available at Etsy. With detailed instructions, the birdhouses are suitable for the confident beginner quilter or above.

And even though today is the last day of the Welcome to My House Hop,