scandi windmill quilt {oakshott scandinavia blog hop}

Welcome welcome!  

4 May :: Sarah Sharp {you are here!}

5 May :: Heather Scrimnscher 

6 May :: Amy Sinibaldi 

7 May :: Rossie Hutchinson

11 May :: Elaine Poplin

12 May :: Sarah Fielke

13 May :: Nicholas Ball

14 May :: Lori Landerberger

I'm so happy to be a part of the Oakshott Scandinavia blog hop, and a big thank you to Lynne and Michael for the gorgeous fabrics featured in this post.

If you've been here before, you know I'm a huge oakshott fanatic.  (H-u-g-e.)  The color range is so brilliantly vibrant, and the latest scandinavia collection—though undoubtedly more subdued—is no exception.

I had about a million ideas cross my mind when Scandinavia first popped up in Lynne of Lily's Quilts IG feed.  Ultimately I was inspired by the potential for playing with transparency given the muted tones in this new collection, so I couldn't help but request some more saturated shot cottons to add into the mix.  And as luck would have it, Oakshott's freesia F8 pack seemed like a perfect match.

I mean, really.  Here they* are all together:

*plus camargue and white marble, which I'd initially intended to use as sashing for this project 

Meant to be, no?

tiger mint + white marble = copenhagen :: lilac + bergen = tromso :: and so on... ;o)

As for the design, I opted for a traditional block (no surprise there) called "Indian Paintbrush."  Though I'm calling this rendition Scandi Windmill (#scandiwindmill), because (for me) Scandinavia brings to mind crisp, clean decor, folksy patterns, and a picturesque, blue-skied countryside scattered with windmills.

Perhaps one day I'll have the opportunity to fact-check my imagination and visit that part of the world.  But for now, this lovely little naptime quilt will continue to fuel our daydreams of Scandinavia.

The pattern will be available for free as part of this hop (in fact, all the designs will be compiled into an e-zine available via Oakshott's free patterns page, so keep an eye out for that!)  

For this 40" square quilt, I paper-pieced twenty-five 8" blocks and arranged them in a 5x5 layout, but this block would also be gorgeous (and less tedious!) at twice that size!  The 16" block pattern is now available as a free download in my craftsy shop.

Thanks again for visiting, and be sure to follow along the hop for some beautifully muted inspiration!

Sarah

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inside addition {a top!}

Remember all those inside addition blocks up on my design wall?

Yep!  They've officially become the latest top in the quilting queue ;o)

Now, ordinarily I'm not one to trim (...totally guilty), but for some reason I couldn't help myself this time.

And I have to say, it was worth the extra effort.  In fact, it kind of made me wonder why I don't always slow down and enjoy the process.

Naturally one look at my wish list quickly cleared that up ;o)  But at least this one can be crossed off the list.

...And now, on to the next!

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lyon bear {on marsala mountain}

As some of you may recall, last fall I set to work on the lyon bear.  It was supposed to be a big girl bed quilt for our three-year old's transition to her new room before the arrival of her new sibling.  Now that baby sister is almost three months old, I'd say it's high time for a finish ;o)

And who knew that marsala would be so hot right now?

(...I mean really, aside from Pantone, who?  Anyone?)  Truth be told, I had my heart set on indigo.  But this new furry friend has me all heart eyes over marsala.  Marsala marsala marsala!  I suppose I can get used to having you around.

The geese, like the bear, are all pieced from oakshott cottons ::  elements and lyon.

May our little firecracker sleep soundly as the moon rises over marsala mountain...

This mini 5.25" block is called "Moon Over the Mountain," BB #948.

And greet each morning with joy as "the sun wakes up."

The "crown" over the bear's head is a traditional block named "The Sunrise," BB #4098. 

The top is twin-sized (~60" x 80", give or take).  The bear block ("big bear") was designed by my talented friend Juliet of Tartan Kiwi.  (I blew up her already blown-up block, so my extra big bear is about 40" square.)  The two mini blocks (Moon Over the Mountain and The Sunrise) will be available as free downloads in my craftsy shop (as part of the INDEX) sometime soon, in case anyone's interested in those ;o)

Linking up with finish it up friday and Anne and Adrianne's 2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge!

Be sure to hop on over to Anne's or Adrianne's to see what the rest of this community has been brewing up with this luscious new reddish-brown hue :o)

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inside addition {oakshott + low volume}

***PSA:  One day left to enter the Succulents fabric giveaway to win a fat quarter bundle of Heather Givans' new line for Windham Fabrics!***

The Painted Leaf mini no. 2 might've made its way to its new home, but the low volume/oakshott #insideadditionquiltalong blocks are here to stay.

This project snuck onto my to do list a few months back when Jessica (@alittlegressica)—aka my Sew Down Nashville neighbor—posted the block instructions on IG:  

As luck would have it, I happened to have a double rainbow's worth of 4" oakshott strips on hand.  So I got to work cutting them into squares, and then rummaged through my low volume stash and repeated the exercise.

Within no time, I had stitched countless HSTs and started playing with a gradient of cooler tones...

Which were shortly joined by the rest of the rainbow.

To make this.

And if you look closely, you'll notice I snuck some mini charm squares (trimmed to 2") into the mix (Carolyn Friedlander's "favorites" and Tula Pink's "Moonshine"). 

Why?  Probably because Jessica did something similar during our class with Carolyn Friedlander last spring, and I've been wanting to borrow the idea ever since. ;o)

With any luck these blocks will soon be our eldest's newest nap time quilt for preschool.  Or for mommy.  Because we need naps too, right? ;o)

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painted leaf quilt no. 2 {#auctionforeleni}

***Psssst... If you haven't already, there's still time to enter the Succulents fabric giveaway (one of more than a dozen chances to win a fat quarter bundle of Heather Givans' new line for Windham Fabrics!)***

A few weeks ago, I—along with the rest of the online quilting community—learned of Rachel of Stitched in Color's devastating news:  her daughter, Eleni, had been born with complications.  A turn of events sure to break any parent's heart.  Because when everything is said and done, little matters more than the health and happiness of our children.  

As if on cue, the instagram community rallied together with #flowersforeleni, followed shortly thereafter by #auctionforeleni.  Wanting to do something for the Hausers, I turned to a recent colorway inspired by a painted fish (yes, more paint!) we picked up in my dad's hometown and a surprisingly complementary pack of Karen Lewis Textile *tiny* scraps:

After making a few tweaks to the original painted leaf design, I got to work with my new color palette, adding a handful of liberty lawns to fill in the gaps.

For the background, I once again turned to the quieter side of my stash.  I then straight-line quilted it just in time for last weekend's auction.

Truth be told, I don't know that I'll ever tire of the scrappy, low volume look.  But maybe that's because I'm currently surrounded by it...

(Those are my oakshott and low volume "inside addition" blocks, which are patiently waiting in line to be pieced into a top.  More on that later.)  

Overall the auction raised over $12,600 for the Hausers.  $12,618.08, to be exact.  How amazing is that?  (And of course a massive personal shout out to Rachel for contributing $150 for this mini!)  And in other news, who knew that quilted minis could stick to a design wall?  Not me!  But maybe that's because I've only had said design wall going on two weeks now.  ;o)  Wonder what else I'll learn?

For all you tiny piecing dare devils out there, the Painted Leaf pattern is now available on craftsy (here) and etsy (here).

succulent path {succulents blog hop and GIVEAWAY!}

***Edited to add:  If you're having difficulty accessing the free pattern for this quilt, try saving the file to your computer.  For some reason on certain browsers it looks as though the pattern is missing several pages, but this doesn't seem to be an issue once you download the PDF.***

Ohhh Succulent Path.  Sweet.  Succulent.  Path.

photo credit:  Eric Lubrick

I designed this quilt—free pattern here!—last fall for my dear friend Heather Givans of Crimson Tate.  Who designed her splendidly cheerful collection, Succulents, for Windham Fabrics.

For those of you who don't know Heather—wait, what?! Someone doesn't know Heather?!—she's an absolute joy to be around.  Her jovial personality—much like her infamous eyes-wide-mouth-open-and-let's-not-forget-the-glasses instagram selfies—is infectious.  We were first introduced by Amanda of Material Girl Quilts the year before last.  From the get-go, she was warm, welcoming, and fully committed to fostering creativity in our local community.
 

photo credit:  Eric Lubrick

And on top of that, she's a true artist.  So when she asked if we had any interest in designing projects featuring Succulents last fall, I immediately got to work.  I knew I wanted to capture the lightheartedness and whimsy that is Crimson Tate.  Now if you've been around here before you've likely realized that I'm all about paper piecing (paper piece all the things!).  But I also have a soft spot for historic design, and ultimately kept coming back to a traditional block that—though unassuming at first glance—turns into something spectacular with a simple repeat.  And in that spirit, Succulent Path came to be ;o)

This is Heather's first collection.  (The first of many, I hope.)  And this quilt—it boasts some firsts for me, too.  The first time I'd sewn exclusively with one fabric line.  (One that I had the privilege of seeing "behind the scenes," so to speak, as Heather's concept went from paper to strike offs to bolts.)

It's also the first time I asked for help to meet a deadline.  (And got it.  Major shout out to Meghan for your help with piecing the blocks—you are incredible.)  

The block is inspired by a vintage one, "Grandma's Fan."
This shot of the top really captures how the block's on-point repeat comes together to form the "path."

And the first time any of my work has been quilted by someone else (...Angela Walters, of all people!)

To me, all this creativity and collaboration really captures a thriving sense of community.  Succulent Path doesn't feel like "my quilt."  It feels like "our quilt."  As they say, it takes a village.  I'm happy and honored to be a member of said bustling village.

Plus it's the first quilt that's made it to Market.  (A pretty stellar cherry on top.)

photo credit:  Eric Lubrick

Now, if you're wanting to get your hands on some Succulents, now is your chance!  The folks at Windham will be giving away FQ bundles at every stop of the Succulents Blog Hop.  All of them!  Here's the line up...

March 15: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate

March 16: Eric Lubrick of Eric Lubrick Photography

March 17: Sarah Sharp of {no} hats quilts } you are here ;o)

March 18: Lindsay Lefevere of ellesquare

March 19: Karen McTavish of McTavish Quilting Studio

March 20: David Barnhouse of Crimson Tate

March 21: Meghan Eschbaugh of Calvin and Carolyn

March 22: Brooke Starnes

March 23: Matthew Wheeler of Kapa Quilts

March 24: Samantha Howard of Bobaloo Kids 

March 25: Amy Garro of 13 spools

March 26: Amanda Castor of Material Girl Quilts 

March 27: Heather Jones of Heather Jones Studio  

March 28: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate 

How do you win, you ask?  Just follow along over the next two weeks, peruse the projects and comment on the posts.  That's it!  Win win.  Speaking of, winners will be drawn at random at the end of the hop.

So to get started, leave a comment on this post.  Want to double your odds from the get go?  Head on over to Windham's blog and leave a comment there too.  Cat got your tongue?  I want to know what you'd make with this line!

photo credit:  Eric Lubrick

If you're local, I'll be teaching this design later this spring at Crimson Tate, so keep an eye on the class calendar.  And for everyone else, you can find this design (and many more!) in the free projects section of Windham's site.  I opted for scrappy blues and greens against a neutral backdrop, but you can easily mix up the color placement to create a path all your own ;o)

Happy hopping!

catching dreams by sunrise {black & white}

Last fall—when it felt like all my quilting friends were at Market and I was living vicariously through them on IG—a very surprising (and welcome!) comment came through on my feed, from none other than Robert Kaufman fabric designer Jennifer Sampou herself... (The anticipation!)  So when she emailed later asking if I would join in on the Insta Blog Hop to celebrate the arrival of her latest line, black & white, I didn't think twice.

From the start I knew I wanted to do something with feathers (consider it an ode to one of her signature prints in the collection).  Initially I was going to stitch up (and drafted patterns for) over half a dozen different "painted" feathers, but when it came time to decide on a layout, nothing seemed right.  Until I stumbled upon a light and airy dreamcatcher while looking for nursery inspiration...  (Lightbulb!)

I quickly got to work merging all my sketches in photoshop and ultimately came up with this...

A subdued, crib-sized dreamcatcher dripping with five brightly painted feathers.  Most of the quilt is pieced with black & white fabrics (and coordinating Studio Stash Yarn Dyes) in the "ash" color story.  To add some dawn-inspired splashes of color, I used a range of blazing shades from the kona sunrise charm pack.  (The pack itself also has a great selection of pinks and greens, but I went with the more heated hues to play off the sun rays in the design.)

For the quilting, I was going to stick with what I know best (straight lines along the "rays"), but when I asked my friend Amanda of Material Girl Quilts for a second opinion she suggested I venture outside my comfort zone and try a little free motion quilting.

..I mean I'm no Angela Walters, but e for effort, right? ;o)  For the binding, I used one of Jennifer's Studio Stash Yarn Dyes, with a little fiery gradient from the kona sunrise charm pack for another added pop of color.

And that's that!  Thank you so much to Jennifer and the wonderful folks at Robert Kaufman for the invite and the beautiful fabric.  And lucky for you all, they've also provided this little "taquito" pack for me to give away here...

C'mon, how cute is that?  Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win.  I'll pick a winner next Monday, February 9th.  Congratulations to commenter no. 9/127, Anita!

In the meantime, there are other great ways to win too!  Jennifer will be giving away a fat quarter tower of the complete collection (just head over to her opening post before February 8th), plus a taquito pack and a copy of one of her new patterns over on IG (just post your own black & white project—or a favorite from the hop!—and tag it with #blackandwhitefabrics and #jennifersampou).  

And of course you can visit all the other stops on the hop for more inspiration and extra chances to win, too!

January 23 JenniferSampou.com / Robert Kaufman Blog

January 24 Jenny Pedigo and Helen Robinson - Sew Kind of Wonderful blog

January 25 Teresa Coates - Fabric Depot

January 26 Amy Gibson - Stitchery Dickory Dock

January 27 AnneMarie Chany - Gen X Quilters

January 28 Casey York - The Studiolo

January 29 C&T Publishing - Stash Books

January 30 APQ - All People Quilt

January 31 Angela Pingel

February 1 Angela Walters / Janice Zeller Ryan

February 2 Sarah Sharp - {no} hats in the house << you are here :o) >>

February 3 Dritz - Make Something

February 4 Nicole Daksiewicz - Modern Handcraft

February 5 Liesel Gibson - Oliver + S

February 6 Christopher Thompson / Natalie Barnes

February 7 Jennifer Sampou

Thanks for stopping by :o)

Sarah