Friday, April 29, 2016

Dresden Carnival blog tour

Hi friends! Sorry for the delay in posting. I'd scheduled this to post yesterday since I knew I was going to out of town but I just don't have good luck with that and obviously it didn't post. But it's here now, so thank you for your patience.

 Thanks for stopping by for my review of Dresden Carnival! Did you know that dresdens are one of the top trends in quilting right now? Well they are! And as you see the projects in this book you will understand why. They are awesome!


When I first heard that Marian and Yvette were teaming up to write a book I knew it was going to be fantastic and then I saw a little peek of it and I was dying to get my hands on it!

Marian of Pink Hippo Quilts is a long time quilt pattern designer and amazing quilter. She also hosts a quilt retreat in St. George, Utah, Quilt St. George, in January. I have been privileged enough to teach at this retreat and it is wonderful event. Yvette, her daughter, is the artistic genius behind all things at Vetmari.com. She is a talented designer with fabric, surface and quilt designs all under her belt. 

Together they teamed up with C&T publishing to bring you this book full of 16 original projects inspired by the classic dresden plate block.  But none of these quilts are old timey at all! They took a traditional block and put a contemporary twist on it and the quilts are fabulous. 


The first project that really caught my eye was the quilt above called "Peek-a-Boo Violets." I love how these ladies combined a rounded and a pointed dresden to create this block. Although this quilt was made beautifully in tone on tone fabrics I really think it would look amazing in almost any choices. But whatever fabric choices are picked each block need to be on a contrasting background so you can see those amazing points and curves that bring so much interest to this block.


Another quilt that caught my eye was "Lily Pad." This fun quilt was made with my Rustique fabric collection and I LOVE how it looks. One of the things that I really like is the contrast of the darker blue plaid and the angle of each of those pieces and the white plaid that looks "straight" in the star blocks that form between each dresden. The light plaid gives a sense of stillness while the dark plaid adds movement and tends to draw your eye throughout the quilt like gears in a machine. It's really cool and I find myself looking at the quilt over and over.

Each of the quilts in this books is really amazing. And if you've been following the blog hop you've seen many more. I would show you all the quilts if I could but it's more fun for you to purchase the book and see them for yourself. 

Our friends at C&T are giving away a copy of this book to one of my lucky readers. Simply leave a comment below telling me why you love dresdens and I will choose a winner on MONDAY, MAY 2!

CONGRATULATIONS! Lisa Marie, you're my WINNER!!!  Please contact me (Blogger is being weird and won't let me get your email address!- I'll keep trying)


Thank you C&T and thank you Marian and Yvette for creating such a cool book!

Happy Sewing!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Make it Yourself Magazine- Pop Up Party!

Several months ago I was asked by the people from Make it Yourself magazine to plan a "party" using my SODALICIOUS fabric collection for an upcoming publication. Make it Yourself magazine is part of the Better Homes and Gardens family = BIG DEAL! So of course I said YES!

 That magazine is finally on news stands and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
(Or order a digital issue HERE)

Used with permission from Make it Yourself magazine. ©2016 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

The idea was to replicate some of the ideas from my market booth and design a soda shop themed party. Can I just say that I had so much fun doing this!

This magazine is so cool because not only do they show you pictures of fun things but they also provide instructions and printables so you can host a party of your own! There are so many ideas that range from party decor and treat recipes to crafts for your guests to enjoy. There's even instructions for the soda jerk hat and apron!


Used with permission from Make it Yourself magazine. ©2016 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I designed some fun throw pillows to toss around the seating area at your party as well as the soda stand pictured above and all of the instructions in the magazine!

I LOVE how they styled the picture below with old 45's lining the wall. You could hit up your local thrift store for some 45's and string them together as a garland or sign for your party. Or if you're really ambitious, line a wall with them like the magazine did ;) 

There's even a free party kit you can download which includes invitations, recipes and much more!

Used with permission from Make it Yourself magazine. ©2016 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. 
What I love the most is that a Pop-Up Party is fun for people of all ages!
My daughter's is turning 11 in a couple of weeks and I see a Pop-Up party in her future.
Wouldn't it be fun if me and the hubs hosted an evening get together with some of our grown up friends for a flash-back soda party?
The weather is getting warmer and a soda shop theme for the weekend BBQ and/or picnic would be perfect!

See what I mean? Time to get planning!