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Garden Glories Quilt

Sunday, August 4th, 2013

This week has been a heavenly string of beautiful summer days, both mild and sunny. In the yard the day lilies are in bloom and the dahlias are standing proud. In the garden the corn is over my head and the tomatoes are beginning to blush red.

So it seems like the perfect time to share this pretty little quilt that I call Garden Glories. The one above is made from the Pink colorway of the Wild Child collection of FreeSpirit Fabrics. It is made according to the Fancy 9 Patch recipe from the Patchwork Sassaman Style book.

It can also be made in the Red and Blue colorways. It is 46″ square, so it is a nice size for a baby’s blanket or for hanging on the wall. The sawtooth border really adds the final punch and it was made with the diamond fabric which I have shown in previous posts… “cheater cloth”. This is a very easy pattern to make. As always, it is the fabric that make it look complicated. Here is a PDF with the yardage and sewing directions so you can make one of your own. It will take a few minutes to download. Jane Sassaman- Garden Glories-1

Since it was such pleasant weather we took time out to visit the animals at the McHenry County Fair. Here is a surprising scene from the sheep pavilion. Perhaps this is what they mean when they refer to “sheep’s clothing”. A new use for Sassaman fabric?

Posted in Book, Patchwork Sassaman Style, quilts, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

Happy Colors on a Gray Day

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

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.

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.

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

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.

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 »

New Life for Cozy Wraps

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

We have had lots of house guests the past few weeks. I love to treat my friends to cheerful and cozy rooms, because as a frequent traveler I know how much a little care and coddling is appreciated. Since we like to play host to visitors we are always on the look out for more blankets to keep everyone comfortable.

My husband, Greg is a wonderful scavenger and checks in with thrift shops regularly. He has a nose for quality and the patience to root around to find it. Here you see three wool blankets that he discovered. Great colors! But as with many older blankets the edges were tired and torn. So we gave there beauties a new life by finishing them with new fabrics… from the FreeSpirit Sassaman archive, of course!

We also decided that it would be much more exciting to use a different but coordinating fabric on each end. Picking the fabric was the best part and it’s nice to have these little pieces of design history sprinkled throughout the house. Don’t these blankets fit our color scheme to perfectly?

But we didn’t want to forget the royal heritage of these well crafted warmers, so we kept the original labels intact. I love the combination of old and new and the concept of recycling a perfectly useful and handsome object.

Burnt Toast, too, has an eye for comfort, as all cats do. We know where she is headed for the morning catnap!

PS… Don’t forget about the Patchwork Sassaman Style contest this month! You still have plenty of time to whip up that 1+4 Patch top to enter. Go to Dragon Threads to read all about it!

Posted in accessories, Book, Dragon Threads | 5 Comments »

The Glorious Mess Begins!

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

These have been sublime autumn days. It is still warm, but we have had to turn on the heat a few times already. The vegetables are pretty much at an end except for the pumpkins and gourds. The flowers are still glowing, especially the hardy dahlias and mums. The zinnias seem determined to out shine them all!

But in the studio the GLORIOUS MESS has begun, as production for Houston Market is in full swing.
We have started cutting into the new Early Birds fabric for quilts, aprons, tea cozies, purses and pillows.
A big part of the fun is making fabric combinations for each project.

Luckily, I have some helpers to give these ideas life. Since the fabric arrived so late we are really having to hustle. We are setting up a moch booth in the corner of the studio to test out our plans. I am even sewing in my sleep, it seems! I’m not complaining, though, since this is the best part of designing fabric… seeing it come to life as fun and usable objects. But time is short!!

All thoughts of the new book have been temporarily set aside. But now is a good time to let you know it is underway and due out this spring. I am so pleased to have Dragon Threads as my publisher for this new venture. We are calling it “Patchwork Sassaman Style” and it is all about using big, bold and beautiful prints. And we will be featuring lots of pieces made with my FreeSpirit fabrics, including Early Birds. I will keep you up to date, as we have lots of ideas to share as the book comes to life. Check out editor, Linda Teufel’s latest blog and she will give you some more backgound on our project, including our sunny quilting cruise!