Wild Child « Jane Sassaman Ideas Blog

Archive for the ‘Wild Child’ Category

a trio of summer frocks

Friday, July 15th, 2016

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

Christmas Stitching

Friday, December 20th, 2013

After several exciting days at the BERNINA Ambassadors Reunion last week, where we stitched and learned some new machine skills, I was all fired up to keep stitching when I got home. So I have been whipping up some Christmas gifts to keep the sewing going.

We have several newlyweds and new homes to celebrate this year so I’m doing pillowcases to match their personalities and style. I have the luxury of having a wall of Sassaman fabrics from many years of designing for FreeSpirit, so for this project I can freely mix and match between collections.

These cases are for a serious couple with scientific interests and contemporary style. The green circle fabric is from the new Sweet Lady Jane line which will be in stores this January. The blue and green dots are from the current Wild Child collection.

These are rather reserved and cater to a botanical bent and a quieter conservative nature. The cases on the left are mainly from the Sunshine and Shadow line. The ones on the right combine some Wild Child Petunias and Sweet Lady Jane circles, again.

These are for an adventurous and fun-loving couple who have decorated their new apartment in red and orange. My kind of people! Early Birds on the left and red Wild Child Petunias on the right.

This pretty pink and blue set is made entirely with Sweet Lady Jane fabrics… classically pretty. The red pair, I must admit, is a gift to myself. I love the folk art feeling of this combination. The checks are from Sweet Lady Jane and the flowered fabric is my current favorite from Wild Child.

My 830 BERNINA has a wonderful new dual feed feature which made stitching these projects a joy! The dual feed is similar to a walking foot, in that it keeps the layers of fabric moving through the machine at an even rate.

These towels are for a couple whose new apartment has a mid-century modern VERY pink bathroom… tiles, sink and all! They cleverly updated the look by painting the remaining walls with blackboard paint. It looks fabulous! So I’ve tricked out these black and gray towels with the new black and pink Wild Child ribbons for Renaissance Ribbon.

Ice and snow is predicted for the next few days. A perfect time to be in the studio… even if I have to crawl there on my hands and knees! The tree gets decorated tonight.

Stay safe, keep cozy and have a fabulous holiday, my friends!

Posted in accessories, Christmas, Early Birds, Renaissance Ribbon, Studio, Sweet Lady Jane, Wild Child | 1 Comment »

Let it snow…

Sunday, December 8th, 2013

I’m just home from a wonderful teaching trip to Creations in Kerrville, Texas. It is an ideal combination of work and living space and it’s just a few steps from their fabulous quilt store just across the drive. It is one of the prettiest fabric stores I’ve seen and they have an amazing variety of fabrics, threads and gifts for fabric fondlers. Needless to say, I spent my lunch hours shopping!

We are having a dusting of snow here today to get us in the proper mood for the holidays. May have to get out some Christmas decorations tonight… fa la la!

Here is a cozy pattern in keeping with this wintry day. It features my Wild Child designs for Renaissance Ribbons and is on a super blog called Sew 4 Home. I have a magnet toward all things Scandinavian, so this is a project I plan to make myself. Their directions are thorough and easy to navigate.

Just the right undertaking for a snowy afternoon. How about a quilted red, gold or blue wool throw to go with it?

Posted in accessories, Renaissance Ribbon, Wild Child | No Comments »

Preparing for the Feast

Friday, November 22nd, 2013

This week has sped by! There was a hint of snow this morning and the rich smell of burning leaves fill the cold air. As usual, we are anticipating a large family gathering for next weeks Thanksgiving celebration. So today we are experimenting with table settings, of which our Wild Child fabrics will be featured.

Of all the Wild Child designs and colorways the Blue versions of Gaillardia, Fiesta Flowers, Delirious Dots and Sassy Stripes seemed the most fitting. So our first project was to make several Reversible Party Napkins & Button Down Napkin Rings (our Pint Size Pattern)… Gaillardia on one side, Dots on the other and Striped rings. I love the oversized button stitches.

Then we made some placemats. We quilted them with heavy black top-stitching thread. The striped border and solid colored Fiesta Ware help to brighten things up.

We are depending on our floral bouquet to add some color contrast and spice up the composition. This is a little white ceramic cube with holes on top to hold flowers. It is wrapped like a gift with my blue and white Night Life Ribbon (Renaissance Ribbon). This could be a nice placecard holder or party favor, too.

Things are coming together nicely! But lets see some more variations…

Oh yes! Those new splashes of orange and red really jazz things up!

I couldn’t resist trying traditional Willowware in the mix. Which combination wins your vote? Well, it’s starting to look like Thanksgiving here! I’m thankful for all of my fabric friends who stop in to see our weekly ideas and inspiration! Happy Holiday!!

Posted in accessories, flowers, Renaissance Ribbon, Wild Child | 1 Comment »

Skirting through Autumn

Monday, November 18th, 2013

Last week they finally harvested the corn field next door. We look forward to this event every year as it’s always at night and so very dramatic. In the black void of night the light beams from the machines brush over a haunting landscape. But Sunday was wet and wild. We had tornado warnings so we kept alert and unplugged the electronics. But it was, of course, a divine day to hang out in the studio. I am trying a new routine of four days devoted to FreeSpirit Fabric work followed by three days of art quilting, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So yesterday I was at the work wall tweaking a new quilt project. Very satisfying!

Today it’s back to FreeSpirit business. So I’m going to preview one of our latest Autumn outfits featuring the Wild Child Gaillardia fabric in the red colorway. I love a classic gathered skirt with big pockets… comfortable and smart. This fabric has a touch of summer enthusiasm, but with the yellow blouse and deep pumpkin sweater it leans more toward Autumn.

I, personally, need to have pockets at all times, if only to hold my hanky. Pockets are very comforting. Big pockets are even more so.

We have even made a matching fabric brooch by mounting a fussy cut flower on felt and hand stitching some fancy details.

Stay tuned… next post we will tackle some Thanksgiving table settings for your inner Wild Child!

Posted in accessories, Studio, Wearables, Wild Child | No Comments »

Colorful Autumn Afternoon

Monday, September 30th, 2013

This has been an incredible span of perfect early autumn days. So it was an ideal time for the annual Siderealistic Timesters Autumn Equinox show at the Starline building and to host several visiting artists for the weekend.

I snagged one of our visitors to model our new ribbon project. This is an original pattern that we have made several times with great success. This version is made of a single layer of pleated magenta silk. The pleats are anchored with some of my new Renaissance Ribbon. The ribbon echoes a bit of pink in its pattern.

The ribbon was stitched into place and then surrounded by two rows of blue topstitching to help blend it all together. Thanks to Alexis for being such a willing participant in my presentation.

I also want to share the work of delightful Australian blogger, Rachael Daisy. You may be familiar with her blogging avatar from her comments here. Her colorful blog, Blue Mountain Daisy, is the product of a talented quilter and enthusiastic fabric fondler.

Ms Daisy recently did a wonderful post featuring the Wild Child fabric applied to kitchen accessories. She has a grand understanding of personality prints. Jump on over to her site and check them all out! I love to see the fabric put to such good use!

Posted in accessories, Renaissance Ribbon, Silk Scarves, Wild Child | 1 Comment »

Summer’s Final Push

Saturday, September 21st, 2013

Autumn begins officially tomorrow, September 22, and summer is reaching its final glory. The tomatoes are at their peak and the mums are beginning to bloom. This week we used both the heater, for the first time, and the air conditioner for probably the last time. It was a week of transition.

This week I was also a guest at the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild. It is an enthusiastic group of fabric fondlers with a love for clean, contemporary and sophisticated design. So I took some of my most “modern” quilts to show. This is a quilt that they seemed very excited about.

Again, I have exploited all three colorways of the Masquerade diamond fabric (Wild Child collection) to make this dynamic graphic composition. It starts with this simple quarter square triangle, shown by the green line, divided into three pieces. The triangle is 11″ high and 22″ wide.. The end pieces are just single pieces of fussy cut diamond fabric and the center is solid blue. As the triangles get stitched into a block the solid blue forms a four pointed star. Then the dramatic black border wraps it all up.

Because the quilt is so sparse, I wanted the quilting to be opulent. So I sent it to a spectacular long-arm quilter, Pam McIntyre in Gainesville, Florida. She did a fabulous job combining traditional and futuristic motifs. She hepped-up the feathers and mixed them with the circles centered in each diamond. Thanks to Pam, this very easy quilt has become a stunner.

Next week my new fall line should arrive in the studio and we will jump in making pieces for Houston Market, so I am warming up the BERNINA for some intense action!!

Posted in quilts, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

Weekend Guests

Saturday, August 31st, 2013

This week we had classic summer weather, hot and humid, just how August is supposed to be. But I felt sorry for all those kids squirming in their seats at school when summer is still outside the window and wanting to be enjoyed. So this Labor Day weekend reminds us, too, that summer will soon be at an end. The corn and beans are beginning to turn golden, along with so many other signs of the season’s cycle.

The garden is at its zenith. The green beans have been especially abundant, but at this point, the ones remaining are too mature to consume. So now they have become stately chandeliers reigning over their verdant kingdom. In fact, I had a wonderful dream where I was gold leafing green beans and weaving them into baskets.

Labor Day also signals family and friends to celebrate outdoors while they still can. Sleeping porches and camp cots are enjoying their last usefulness of the season. So this week we are airing out the bedding in anticipation of house guests and, of course, have to feature the latest Wild Child creations. We have added some new pieces to “Jane’s fabulous pillowcase collection”.

Both sets of cases were made with Wild Child fabrics with white backgrounds. Clean white bedding after a hot summer day’s play feels especially cool and inviting. Gaillardia, in pink, and Trellis Tryst, in blue, make a refreshing combination with the striped trim and triangular finish. Note that the triangles switch directions in the two designs.

Here they grace the bed in the apple green quest room, ready to greet and comfort its weekend visitors. PS… we used our own Pint Size pattern to make these new cases. Enjoy your holiday!

Posted in accessories, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

A Hint of Autumn

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

After two wonderful teaching trips, I am able to finish the rest of the month at home. The weather has a cool hint of Autumn, so I am a happy camper.

We have been very prolific with the new Wild Child fabrics this season. This has been easy since it matches my personal decorating scheme so well. So I am redoing old covers and making new quilts to jazz up our own living space.

This week I am pleased to share some outrageously colorful creations. You may want to get your sun glasses now! I’m calling this project “Freddie’s Quilt” because my friend Freddie Moran, who wrote the inspiring book, Collaborative Quilting, with Gwen Marston, loves bright colors and dotted fabrics of all kinds. I think this quilt would delight her. It uses four of the Delirious Dots stitched into a simple cross-in-a-square pattern. The pillows here use the red colorway of the Petunias, Harlequin and the Flower Fiesta fabrics.

And they are all reversible, of course! For the back of the quilt I mixed selvedge to selvedge cuts of the Harlequin and Dots with some vintage Stars and Spirals.

The pillows are simply pieced but quilted in a diamond design with top stitching thread. Notice the fun piping around the edges.

Here is a larger view of the quilt. The dotted blocks were made with jellyroll strips and charm pack squares. This makes a 12″ finished block. The sashing strips are 1″ finished. The border is cut so all sides are a bit different for a fun and funky look.

It was long arm quilted in simple circles. These pieces have the graphic feel of a “Big Top Circus”… appropriate for a summer day! And this is Pumpkin, my two-fisted quilt protector at work.

PS- The Wild Child Ribbons are now available in my webstore. Pass the word.

Posted in accessories, quilts, Renaissance Ribbon, Uncategorized, Wild Child | No Comments »

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 »

Jane Sassaman quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher

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