Als mich Judith zum

Frühlingserwachen Bloghop 

einlud, hab ich gerne zugesagt. Hab ich doch immer sehr viel Spaß mit meinen Quiltfreundinnen von den Modern Cologne Quilters.

Ein bisschen hin- und herüberlegt hab ich schon, was mir denn zum Frühlingserwachen so einfällt, und dann fiel es mir wie Schuppen aus den Haaren: Mensch, was könnte mehr frisch und zart sein, als die bunten Low Volumes, die da grade frühlingsfrisch in meinem Regal stehen: Modern Backgrounds Colorbox!

When I got the invitation from Judith to be part of her Spring blog hop I happily said YES, OF COURSE (you know I love my quilt buddies from the Modern Cologne Quilters)!
I was pondering what to talk about as my Spring subject, when it hit me: what could be more representing Spring than a fresh and light colorful low volume collection? Freshly from my shelves: Modern Backgrounds Colorbox!

Mein Projekt, eine kleine 60 cm x 60 cm große Tischdecke, braucht 3 Ingredienzien und ist im Nu gemacht:
1 Charmpack COLORBOX
1 Charmpack weißer Uni (oder einfach 70 cm weiße Meterware, aufgeteilt in 36 Quadrate 5" x 5")
1 Cupcake Mix Recipe No 1 (das ist ein Produkt entwickelt von Carrie Nelson für Moda, ein Block von Papieren, genau abgestimmt auf Charmpacks, mit denen das exakte Nähen schnell und einfach gelingt).

My project, a 24" x 24" small table topper, needs just 3 ingredients and is made in the blink of an eye:
1 Charmpack COLORBOX
1 Charmpack white solid (or 3/4 yard of a white solid, cut in thirty-six 5" x5" squares)
1 Cupcake Mix Recipe No 1 (a product developed by Carrie Nelson for Moda, perfect for the use of Charmsquares making sewing accurately quick and fun).

Im Grunde näht man jeweils 1 Druckstoff und einen einfarbigen Stoff nach den Anweisungen auf dem Papierblock und schneidet sie dann in große und kleine Dreiecksblöcke, die man beliebig zusammensetzen kann. Das hat mir irre Spaß gemacht und hat auch nur einen Nachmittag gedauert, präzise Ergebnisse sind garantiert.

What you basically do is to piece a print and a solid with the foundation paper, cut them in smaller and larger half-square-triangles and set them together in a layout you like. It's tons of fun, took me only one afternoon and precise results are guaranteed.

Schaut auch mal bei all den anderen Blogs vorbei, bei denen der Frühling so grade erwacht. Judith hat jede der Mitbloggerinnen mit einer kleinen, liebevollen Beschreibung auf ihrem Beitrag vorgestellt. Mit dabei in diesem Bloghop sind:

hop over and check out what the other sewing buddies are doing:

My Splendid Sampler Block - Under the Apple-Tree

Since this fun project is around already all year long, chances are you’ve heard of the Splendid Sampler. If not, just a couple of words to introduce you in all that fun!

The Splendid Sampler is a year-long quilt-along hosted by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. There are nearly countless designers taking part in the fun and sewing with the Splendid community. Each week you get 2 new 6” x 6” quilt blocks. You can read more about the Splendid Sampler here as well as visit the Splendid Sampler Facebook Group to get all the blocks and exchange ideas and inspiration.

The new block for today is designed by me! What a fun it was to make it!

The name of this block is "Under the Apple-Tree", you can download the pattern here.

When my hobby of doing patchwork grew more and more in something I could maybe someday make a living of, I had a cosy dream: I would invite some fellow quilters during Summertime into my garden and we would sit under the apple-tree, have a sewing retreat full of laughter and fun and enjoy the magic of a Summer-weekend. Today I really live my dream of a full time career as a quilter, and the word apple became even more importance to me: I sit in front of my apple each day to create all my designs and ideas. 

The block has all the colors which you will find in an apple and it looks like there are eight yummy slices.

It must also be fun, to hand-sew under an apple-tree, comfortably seated in a Summer chair, protected from the heat by the shadow of the leaves. I have to imagine this scenario, since I actually made this block already in last November, more during a rainy and cold weather, not the perfect apple-tree-under time (although perfect for a glass of tea and some cookies on the couch). I mention this, because... when I made this block one year ago, I must have been so absorbed in the cosiness of hand stitching that I forgot to take pictures of each single step. Or ... I took them, but then they disappeared in the overwhelming file load of my computer storage. Anyhow - I only found pictures from the finished block. But I guess most of you will know, how to do English Paper Piecing or can find a youtube tutorial. Sue Daley has an excellent series of youtube tutorials about EPP.

What I love about the Apple-Tree Block are the unusual shapes for the EPP-technique. Most of us have done hexagons, at least one time. But this block hast a lot of new shapes to play with. And they will be perfect for fussy cutting, playing with color options. Can't wait to see what you are doing with yours!

(BTW: be careful, the white triangles of the sewn block look symmetrical, but they are not; one of the long sides is slightly longer than the other. So mark them or cut them from paper with different colored sides so you don't accidentally mix them up. On your paper sheet you can recognize them by different colors, white and light grey. Also the both triangle shapes for the corner squares are different, but look so similar that they could be confused. So mark every shape clearly to not get in trouble. Refer to the colors on your pattern sheet).

Imagine you and a quiltfriend, perhaps me - under this apple-tree, with a hand stitching project, a fresh drink and a piece of apple pie. Chatting about the last quilt ideas, fabric collections and upcoming retreats. Should we call this quilter's heaven? :-)

Moda fabrics giveaway, Zen Chic

Hello my dear friends! It’s been a while since I posted on my blog and at least each blog hop brings me back to this place. Most of you are connected with me meanwhile at facebook where we meet every single day and exchange ideas and inspiration.
What I have to tell today is way too long for a facebook post. I’m gonna talk about what’s going on right now here at the Zen Chic Studio, chat about some quilt layout ideas and give you all details about how to win a Fat Eighth fabric bundle of my current line FIGURES.

So first let’s talk a bit about quilt layouts. When we, the Moda team, are at Market, we have a kind of presentation there (called Schoolhouse) where we all show the newest fabrics and patterns. And to find a mutual subject, Lissa, our Marketing Director, sends out each time a task to everyone. Actually it is the same task for everyone, but of course we will show our personal twist on it.
In Pittsburgh Schoolhouse our task was to sew a quilt (looks like a mega block) with a layer cake from our fabric line. Each person had that same quilt layout as a starter, but ended up with her personal interpretation on it.
So that was our original layout – the Moda Love Layer Cake Quilt  (which you can download as a free pattern here).

Of course I wanted to interpret this block in a more modern way, so I started to exchange plain squares by simple Lob Cabins to form some Pluses, to turn some blocks around and give them another direction – and to make it even more impressive to arrange the prints in color order.
I eventually ended up with a version, which looks quite modern and definitely needed an own pattern ;-)
I called it BIG PLUS and it’s now available in my pattern series.

And then we do also more fun stuff at Markets, this year for example we were all sewing scientists (at least pretending scientists) working in the Moda Laboratory. We wore a Lab Coat and taught our audience about our tips and tricks. Would you like to get to know Prof. Dr. Dr. Zen Chic from the Institute for Sophisticated Quilting? Voilà.
My new line Figures has a maritime color way with a nautical blue, aqua, salmon, linen and saffron in it and the patterns in the line are as always graphic and fresh. I was playing around a bit with sorting the fabrics by colors and figuring out how different a quilt would look if I just scale the complete range of fabrics down to certain color stories. I was surprised by the many variations I got:
I could have a serious and way of masculine look with the saffron/nautical combination

or a very feminine look by choosing the salmons and linens

but it could also be jus a youthful combination for a teenager with the aquas and reds.

or it would look lovely for a boys nursery… (BTW: I will become grandma of a little boy for the first time. Next January, so happy!!!)

I could play for hours to find new combinations… But I’m sure you have your own ideas and imagination and you will come up with projects that surprise me and make me oohing and aahing. (I love when you send me some pictures, which I can show).
So – you will need fabric! Of course! Time to talk about our giveaway. Here is a darn yummy bundle of Fat Eighths waiting for you!

For your chance to win: please hop over to my Zen Chic facebook page, like it (so you are a follower, you will get the news and inspiration and we can meet there) and leave a comment on my facebook’s post about this blog hop. That’s all!

HERE IS AN UPDATE: Since some of you said they are not at FB and wouldn't have a chance to win:
Your comment on my blog will also go in the drawings. So if you are not a FB user, you will have a chance to win if you comment on my blog also.

Today my Moda colleagues Kathy Schmitz and Edyta Sitar are also posting their giveaways. Don’t miss to stop by and take your chance to win.
The winners of this blog hop will be announced at the 13th of September.
Brigitte

Charm Pack Cherry Fun

at Fatquartershop.com

So many lovely fabric collections at your quilt shop you just can’t resist. And then those appetizing charm packs in the shelves.
A quick and simple idea for a weekend project is always welcome – for a throw, a baby quilt or maybe with a thinner batting for a table cloth…
Voilà – fatquartershop gives you a free downloadable pattern using – as the name reveals – two charm packs and some solid. What I really love about: I can just buy my favorite collection in a bundle, I can even mix two related collections (one Charm Pack of each), I have a precut format which saves me lot of cutting time, the pattern is so easy and quick that I did the entire quilt in one weekend, it looks great although it is simple, all my charms of the bundle are used up, no waste here – this all summed up makes me to want sew another and another and another one: for the couch of my brother, for Mother’s Day, for the birthday of my best friend.

Spend about $30 for the top and a sewing weekend – and a nice quilt is ready – that’s perfect.
A nice group of designers is participating in this “pattern festival” and every designer will show you the quilt in  her current collection. Mine is SPHERE for Moda, a fresh, graphic and modern group with colors ranging from white, grey, blue, turquoise and teal to yellow.

Precuts and yardage from Sphere are already shipped to stores now.
 
So where to get the miraculous pattern? Find the free download right here. Grab your assortment of fabrics, your ruler, rotary cutter and your cutting mat, and off you go.

And tataaa! Here is the Sphere Charm Pack Cherry version!

The backside of the quilt shows you how we used up some of the leftovers and added them to a piece of solid – so we have a kind of reversible quilt. We used an oll over pantho as quilting, a graphic rectangle spiral.

For those of you, who are new to quilting and love to have some guidance – here is a wonderful video showing exactly step by step how simple to sew this quilt is.

You sew together all the squares and get – tataaaa! – your (Sphere) version of the Charm Pack Cherry quilt.

 

There are so many different appealing fabric groups available as Charm Packs – it will be hard to choose. But all make this pattern a success!

  

I guess now your fingers itch just thinking about this – so why not click below to get a super deal? This week (only) Fatquartershop offers a 20% discount on all Charm Pack! (psst – spread this to your best friend)

Happy Quilting and Enjoy!

This is the perfect thing for a Layer Cake…

…even if you are a beginner. But also the more experienced quilter will have fun with it, just because the result is so successful that you will make more than one project with this block.
I did a quick demo together with the friendly film team of the fatquartershop how to make a block.

It features my pattern OPEN YOUR WINDOW, which uses a layer cake of the brand new collection Sphere.


By the way – did you know that you have an instant access to all of my patterns as a PDF-download? You even save yourself the shipping costs. They are on my website, go to the menu PDF Download, where you will be guided through and get the pattern in your email box. Just in a minute!

This is the direct link for the OPEN YOUR WINDWOW pattern.
There were some snippets left over and they went onto the backside.


Have fun and happy sewing!

Make a note

For all the members of Quilter’s Garden I wrote a tutorial for a very special book cover. It’s made from YOUR fabric. You just design something on your PC, iron a white piece of fabric on a sheet of freezer paper, and print it out on your PC’s printer. Fix the colors by ironing the fabric very hot – and make your very personal gift: A diary, a planner, a notebook or cover a book of poems for your beloved one.

 
Für die Mitglieder von Quilter’s Garden habe ich dieses Tutorial für ein Buchcover mit ganz persönlichem Einband geschrieben, denn jeder kann doch ein hübsch verpacktes Notizbuch, einen Jahresplaner oder sogar ein Tagebuch gebrauchen, oder?
This week I have to show you the pictures of my cute kitchen fairy.

Although he seems relaxed enough to whistle a tune while working
 
the sheer concentration on his face while forming perfect coconut balls is obvious.
Trained by a multitasking mother he works most effective

and covers his first load already with sugar pearls while waiting for the second. I think he knows how smart he is, or?

Diese Bilder meiner kleinen Küchenfee muss ich einfach mal zeigen. Obwohl Ben recht entspannt dabei ist und sogar ein Liedchen vor sich hinpfeift, ist natürlich nicht zu übersehen, wieviel Mühe er sich gibt, die perfekt geformten Kokosmakronen aufs Blech zu bekommen. Und – im täglichen Training bei einer Multitaskingmutter – arbeitet er supereffizient und klebt schon die ersten Liebesperlen auf seine fertige Ladung während die zweite noch im Backofen gart. Er weiß doch genau, dass ich ihn für ein schlaues Kerlchen halte, oder?

Stripped Hexagon Bag

Inspired by the cute idea of Jodi’s Etsy-bag I tried to get my own version of this colorful beauty. Mine is a bit smaller, perfect to host my knitting work. But I like also Jodi’s idea for a larger baby-accessory-version: Filled with toys or nappies you can bring it with you everywhere and then lay it out as a play mat.

What was your last exciting Etsy-found?

Inspiriert von der netten Idee von Jodi’s Etsy-bag habe ich meine eigene Variante dieser farbenfrohen Schönheit fabriziert. Meine ist etwas kleiner, genau richtig um mein Strickzeug zu transportieren. Aber ich mag auch die ursprüngliche Idee von Jodi: Eine Babydecke, die man – gefüllt mit Spiel- und Wickelsachen überall mithinnehmen kann, und dort ausgebreitet als Spielmatte dient.
Ein Tutorial für diese Tasche gibt es dieses Woche für Mitglieder bei Quilter’s Garden.

I link this post to sew modern monday @ canoe ridge creations

Advent calendars

are very popular in Germany. So this week it was time for sew a cute little one in red and white.

 
Do you use an advent calendar too and what are you filling in those little pockets?

Diese Woche gibt es bei Quilter’s Garden das Tutorial für einen kleinen Adventskalender. Wetten, dass der nicht nur Kindern gefällt?

Was füllst du in den Adventskalender rein?

Sewing Christmas ornaments

Well, we have only October, but you never can start early enough to prepare for Christmas, can you…
Have you already started Christmas sewing too? What are your plans to sew for the season?

To share my project it's also linked to the work in progress wendsday collection @ freshly pieced.

Tja, man kann ja nie frühzeitig genug anfangen, sich für Weihnachten vorzubereiten, denn spätestens am 30. November gehts ja schon wieder in die Saison ;-)
Für diese hübsche weihnachtliche Deko gibt es für Mitglieder ein Tutorial bei Quilters Garden.
Hast du auch schon angefangen, für Weihnachten was vorzubereiten? Oder was steht auf deiner Weihnachts-Näh-Todo-Liste?