Archive for the ‘Dragon Threads’ Category

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a trio of summer frocks

Friday, July 15th, 2016

Sassaman Summer Frocks 1

I am so excited about these gay summer frocks that came out of the studio this week! Thank you, Susan! They are all made from jumper pattern, McCall’s M6739. This design would work nicely for any season. I’m hoping to make them in wool and corduroy for fall and winter.

The front two jumpers are made with my new FreeSpirit fabric collection, Cool Breeze. The black and white one is made with fabrics from my archives, Enchanted and Wild Child designs.I love the mix of prints. This is a great opportunity for combining motifs. The possibilities are endless.

Sassaman Frock 4

I think this is an ideal way to use the Cool Breeze line, since it was designed to be sunny and light-hearted. The big plaid fabric is proving to be extremely useful in almost every project we have made this season and really contributes a contemporary flavor.

Sassaman frock 6

Because of the airy cut of this pattern, I plan to add light tee shirts and perhaps leggings or capris, depending on the weather and the occasion. And we couldn’t resist adding our latest silk scarf to the black and white medley. Superb!

Sassaman Frock Labels

Susan even added little tags of my Renaissance ribbon to signify the back of each dress! A perfect little detail that makes such a big difference.

Sassaman Frock 5

Posted in accessories, Cool Breeze, Dragon Threads, flowers, Renaissance Ribbon, Silk Scarves, Wearables, Wild Child | 3 Comments »

Print and Color Valentine

Saturday, January 30th, 2016

Sassaman Valentine

Just for fun I’ve created two Valentine card to print, color and send to your favorite folks. Just cut the page in half and fold to make a card that fits a standard A2 envelope. Just click here to get your Sassaman Valentine.

Posted in Dragon Threads, flowers, Valentine's Day | 6 Comments »

Pretty pretty!

Saturday, August 23rd, 2014

Sassaman Scarf 2014

It is a delightfully dark and dreary day… my favorite kind! A good way to wrap up a satisfying week of work. We stitched out some new machine embroidery designs (more about these in the next few weeks), I received my copy of 500 Traditional Quilts (believe it or not, I have a quilt included in it) and my two favorite magazines arrived on the same day (World of Interiors and Selvedge)! And if that wasn’t enough to make me happy, the new silk scarves were also delivered this week!

Sassaman Garden Scarf 1

This scarf is an original design exclusively for my friends at Dragon Threads, inspired by the Gregory’s Garden fabrics. They are 100% silk twill and 20″ X 70″ with a hand-rolled hem. I think they turned out beautifully and I even have the perfect blue and black raincoat to wear it with.

Sassaman Garden Scarf 2

I like to let my scarves hang long and comfortably over my shoulders for the free-flowing Isadora Duncan effect. But here you can see that there are many other ways to drape them. I really like the contrast of the stripes with the florals as they twist in and around each other.

Best of all, they are reasonably priced  and will fit anybody. So, perhaps this could be a wonderful way to get your holiday shopping done early this year!

Heading for All In Stitches in Zumbrota, MN tomorrow. Hope to see some of you there!

Posted in accessories, Dragon Threads, Gregory's Garden, Silk Scarves | No Comments »

New produce from Gregory’s Garden

Tuesday, August 12th, 2014

Sassaman Flowers

This week we have plucked some new produce from Gregory’s Garden! In Patchwork Sassaman Style I listed some principles for using “personality” prints and this graphic quilt exemplifies several of them:

Gregory's Garden Quilt

Keep it simple!

The bigger the print, the bigger the block.

Use simple fabrics as supporting players.

Contrast creates drama!

Symmetrical fabrics yearn to be fussy cut.

One print can be used in several colors.

Let the fabric do the work!

Gregory's Garden Color Diagram

As you can see this is a very easy quilt to construct, it’s the fabric that make it look sophisticated! In fact, this would be a very good quilt for beginners to learn the basics of sewing and quilt making. And it is large enough to be used as a family lap blanket. Feel free to print out the pattern and FreeSpirit fabric yardage, which is shown below.

GREG'S GARDEN YARDAGE

Posted in Dragon Threads, Gregory's Garden, Patchwork Sassaman Style, quilts | No Comments »

Happy Colors on a Gray Day

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Sassaman Wild Child Log Cabin Quilt 1

Today is a very still, cool and cloudy day; the kind that makes colors glow and pop. So we headed outside with the camera to take advantage of nature’s sublime lighting. All of this weeks projects share one of my favorite contrasting color schemes…red, yellow and blue. This is a combination that always makes me think of European folk art.

Hanging on the portal to our mysterious forest is a bright little lap quilt made with the red colorway of the Wild Child collection for FreeSpirit. This is a quilt that Little Red Riding Hood could use to make her spirits bright and keep wicked wolves at bay.

Sassaman Wild Child Log Cabin Quilt

It is made in a traditional log cabin technique, building from the center outward. The finished medallion in the center is 11 1/2″ (cut 12″ square). The yellow strips are 1″ finished (cut 1 1/2″) and the wide strips are 4″ finished (cut 4 1/2″). So the finished quit measures 53 1/2″ square.

The rows alternate dark and light with yellow sashing between. The quilting is simple wavy lines of top-stitching thread.

Sassaman Wild Child Quilt Back

The back is Amish Bars, one of the easy recipes in Patchwork Sassaman Style. I love the zip that the striped binding adds.

Sassaman Ribbon Blue Shoes

Little Red Riding Hood could tip toe through the daisies in style with these electric blue shoes decorated with bows of Wild Child ribbon. But in my garden they are used as sculptures, as my high heel days are at an end.

Sassaman Ribbon Shoes

These slippers are more my style… practical, pretty and straight from the Land of Oz. Click your heels together and repeat, “There’s no place like home….”

Posted in accessories, Book, Dragon Threads, quilts, Wearables, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

July Already!

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

Jane Sassaman Blue Tea Cozy

I can’t believe it’s July already! Lots of concentration has gone into studio work recently, where time passes quickly. Even though Mother Nature is my inspiration I tend to tunnel into my work with blinders on. So it’s nice to take an occasional break on the deck to get reconnected and give the gears a rest. This tea break takes advantage of some Wild Child fabrics to set the scene for this weeks holiday.

Jane Sassaman Red Tea Cozy

The simple table covering is the Gaillardia fabric in the Pink colorway. I can’t wait to make some pillowcases with it, too. The tea cozies are made with our English Tea Cozy pattern in the Wild Child Masquerade fabric in both red and blue. The ribbon accents are, of course, from the new Renaissance Ribbons collection. The ribbon is trimmed with rick-rack for a folk arty look.

Sassaman Blue Tea Cozy Ribbon

Notice that the diamond pattern has been fussy cut so the design matches at all the seams. On the blue cozy the diamonds are vertical and on the red one they are horizontal.

Sassaman Tea Cozy Ribbon

Both arrangements make a bold graphic statement. At the top the pattern creates a unique kaleidoscope.

Sassaman Tea Cozy Detail

The pretty little toppers are rosettes of ribbon and rick-rack and of course our favorite felt balls.

Sassaman Red Tea Cozy Detail

When you aren’t using the cozies to warm your teapot they make rather nice head warmers, too.

Also, the silk scarves have arrived and are very popular. You can find them here and at the Dragon Threads site.

They are 20″ X 70″ and a perfect partner for a little black dress or to jazz up a denim jacket.Sassaman-Scarf-Wild-Child

Posted in accessories, Dragon Threads, Wild Child | 1 Comment »

Spring is Bustin’ Out All Over!

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Bloodroot-Sassaman-garden

Fasten your seat belts, here comes Spring! This week has brought many changes to our landscape. The birds are singing, the wild flowers are beginning to bloom and jackets are being shed. The cats are spending the whole day outside and farmers are dusting off their tractors.

Spring-Flower-Sassaman-Garden

On the Woodstock Square folks are taking their coffee outdoors and sunning themselves on the park benches. The whole world seems to be waking up again. Hibernation time is finally over. In the studio we have been sewing in preparation for Spring Quilt Market. So far I have finished 5 quilts tops and backs. Now it is time to baste and quilt!

Sassaman-Scarf-Wild-Child It is also time for your first peek at my new fabric collection for Westminster!!! The collection is called Wild Child. For you “Flower Children” some of the color combinations may bring back memories. To celebrate the arrival of these new designs, Dragon Threads is having this stunning silk scarf printed. It measures 20″ X 70″, perfect for neck wear or even as a belt. You can pre-order your exclusive Sassaman scarf at the Dragon Threads Store. Stay tuned for more premier peeks in the coming weeks.

 

Posted in accessories, Dragon Threads, flowers, Silk Scarves, Wild Child | No Comments »

Contest Winners & New Scarf

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Purple Scarf Sassaman Fabric

It’s 19 degrees and tomorrow is the first day of spring! It snowed all day yesterday and the wind howled all night, so we still need our winter wear. So here is a pretty new scarf design from the Sassaman studio. It is made with Early Birds fabric and is reversible, of course.

Purple-Scarf-Sassaman-Fabric

Susan. my right-hand girl, stitched up this practical but very feminine design. It is created by tucking folds as you stitch. This creates a natural contour that frames the face and sits nicely on your shoulders.

Purple-Scarf-Sassaman-fabric

Here is the reverse side. Since the scarf is made with cotton fabric it is not itchy but still offers protection from the elements. The edges have been finished with a serger. This is my new favorite scarf!

Today is also the day I get to announce the final winners for the Dragon Thread’s Patchwork Sassaman Style Contest. Yes, I couldn’t pick just one! I have decided to pick 2 winners. #C from the 1+4 Patch and #1 from Ocean Waves.
It was a tough decision, as each quilt entered had a unique personality. But these two quilts
are wonderful examples of “listening” to the fabric. Fussy cutting was used very effectively.
The mix of solids added some nice contrast and drama. They have both made a very simple pattern
into exceptionally elegant quilts.

Eunice-Merritt-Ocean-Waves

Ocean Waves by Eunice Merritt

4+1 Patch

This is the One + Four Patch winner. However, due to a new computer snafu we can’t find the maker’s name. So please let us know who you are. I will be sending both winners a set of Simple Silhouette Patterns.

Congratulations!

Posted in accessories, Dragon Threads, Early Birds, Wearables | No Comments »

President’s Day

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Happy President’s Day! To celebrate this holiday we are revisiting the most patriotic project I’ve ever done… the Folk Art Flag. I usually shy away from such overt patriotism, but I just couldn’t resist once I realized that the Early Birds collection contained such an obvious combination of colors and graphics.

It’s nice to see all that greenery! It is the opposite to how it looks on this gray winter day. But it’s encouraging to know this opulence is a few months down the road. If you are feeling a twinge of patriotism you can order a kit for the quilt and the pillowcases in our online store.

This has been a week of making final decisions and tying loose ends for the autumn fabric line. Now the designs are all labeled, printed and packaged and ready to mail to Westminster. Phew!

But the nicest surprise this week was the announcement of SewCalGal’s nominations for the Golden Quilter’s Awards. It is an honor to be named among this prestigious group of the quilt worlds finest designers, stitchers and writers. Many of the nominees are personal friends and nicely represent the talent, devotion and enthusiasm in our industry.

Any one can vote, so to add your voice just go to the SewCalGal blog. The voting deadline is Feb. 28.

PS… The Patchwork Sassaman Style quilt top contest is Feb. 25. Go to the Dragon Threads Open Book blog for details.

Posted in Dragon Threads, Early Birds, Patchwork Sassaman Style, quilts | No Comments »

Weather Rules the Week

Monday, February 11th, 2013

It was an exciting weather week! Ice, rain sleet and SNOW! Our plowing service dug us out four times. This is when I’m so happy to be home and able to enjoy it all. I was prepared with a nice stack of “books on tape” for studio listening… I’m revisiting some of my favorite vintage English mysteries.

We have a small heart collection in our house all year round. But they look especially grand against this snowy landscape and very appropriate for Valentines Day. You can spy the studio in the background.

One of the other exciting events was the arrival of my next fabric line For FreeSpirit. These are always memorable days. After becoming so familiar with the designs on paper, there is always a period of adjustment as you get to know them on fabric, as well. But there are already some FABULOUS projects in the works. I wish I could show them to you now!!!! But they are top-secret until Spring Quilt Market. I will tell you it is called Wild Child and that the designs and colors may take you back in time.

The other landmark event is the finalizing of my collection for autumn!! The designs (very feminine) have been decided and the colorways (very pretty) chosen. Now I must come up with an appropriate title for the line and names for each individual pattern, then label and print all the artwork. Just in the nick of time!

PS… are you working on your Patchwork Sassaman Style Challenge? This is a short month, so you’d better get busy! To see the rules and the fabric prize visit the Dragon Thread Blog.

Posted in Dragon Threads, Patchwork Sassaman Style, Studio | 1 Comment »

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