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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 »

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 »

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 »

July Already!

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Wild Child is Coming your way!

Monday, June 24th, 2013

It has been difficult to get back into the swing of things after my months hiatus. But I am finally getting back to the gym and attending to business. The routine is beginning to set in again… evidenced by this posting. The new fabric, Wild Child, will appear in your favorite stores in July… just a week away. So we want to get you excited about this collections potential. Above is a wonderful Folkw ear pattern, the Tibetan Panel Coat made entirely with the blue colorway of Wild Child.

As you can see, there is a striking combination of floral motifs supported by some graphic geometrics. The ethnic coat is a perfect canvas to mix them all together. Both elegant and bold this wrap would be stunning with simple black knit leggings and shirt. It could go to the opera and steal the show. In fact, this coat reminds me of Carl Otto Czeschka’s illustrations for Die Nibelungen in 1909, which have long been favorites of mine.

The outer layers are quilted with heavy top-stitching thread so it has a nice weight for hanging straight and wrapping snuggly. The lining fabrics are lighter and brighter for a surprise slip of contrast underneath. Drama is what this coat is all about!

Posted in accessories, Wearables, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

Back to Business

Thursday, June 6th, 2013

Dad is doing great with his new knee and Mom has her husband back home again! So I am back home again, too, and catching-up in the studio. Luckily it has been a rainy week, ideal for nesting and sorting indoors. The landscape has exploded with green over my month’s absence. As always, each year brings new strengths and struggles in the yard. This season the irises are putting on the best show ever and the ferns seem to be twice as big.

The rainy weather also made an ideal time to photograph our new Early Birds umbrella. It is made from the “Classic 28″ Umbrella” kit from Umbrella Joan. Joan provides the frame-work and the instructions and we supplied the laminated lemon Curlicues fabric from the Early Birds line. It is a real treat to see the fabric used in such an ideal project. Notice the kaleidoscope created by the fussy-cut wedges.

Since red and yellow are one of my favorite color combinations, we added a fine red edge of thread for a surprise finish.

Susan’s purse is made from our Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse Pattern. The front panel is one of the new Wild Child designs called Flower Fiesta, as is the Sassy Stripe at the top. The blue fabric is African and from my stash. I’ve always loved it for the fat threads woven through it and it goes wonderfully with denim, our “go-to” country wear.

All the new Wild Child designs come in three colorways Red, Blue and Pink. Here you can see the folk-art inspired Flower Fiesta pattern in its other versions. To see all the other Wild Child fabrics go to FreeSpirit. We have lots of projects to share as we roll out the new collection so stay tuned as we get back to business this month.

Posted in accessories, Early Birds, Purse, Wild Child | 2 Comments »

Wild Child

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

This has been an unusual month for me and my family. I have only been home about a total of 24 hours. Between a teaching visit to Kansas City and attending Spring Market in Portland I have been on parental duty after my Dad’s knee replacement at the beginning of May. I know many of you share similar responsibilities so perhaps you might forgive this lengthy absence from blogging.
But today I finally have wifi access so I’m sharing some fabulous news! I had two wonderful premieres at Spring Market last week. The introduction of my new FreeSpirit fabric collection coincided with my first line of ribbons for Renaissance Ribbons. Both are based on the new Wild Child designs, which are folk art inspired with a hint of “flower power”.

Designing for Renaissance Ribbon is a dream come true! This classy company represents some of the best designers in the industry, many are fellow Westminster colleagues…. Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner and others. There are five Wild Child designs in several colorways, eleven ribbons altogether. They are wonderfully crafted, finely woven and delightfully detailed. Included is the cutest little reversible ribbons with my signature bugs and moths. We will be featuring them all on the Ideas Blog, so keep in touch.

The Wild Child fabrics have already been whipped up into many quilts and wearables which we will share as soon as good photos have been taken. In the mean time, here is a sneak peek of my section of the Westminster booth last week.

More photos, projects and details to come soon. Both ribbon and fabric will be available in your favorite stores this July.

Posted in accessories, Renaissance Ribbon, Wild Child | 5 Comments »

Spring is Bustin’ Out All Over!

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

Ocean Waves by Eunice Merritt

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 »

Jane Sassaman quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher

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Madeline Island School of the Arts

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