THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

Dear reader, this blog was a nice place for quite a while to share my thoughts and stories. Meanwhile I got a new website and so I continue writing on my new's site blog.

HOP OVER TO THE NEW BLOG

Thank you.

Liebe Leserin, dieser Blog war für lange Zeit ein sehr netter Ort, meine Gedanken und Geschichten mit dir zu teilen. Inzwischen habe ich eine neue Website erstellt und werde jetzt den Blog dort fortsetzen.

GEH EINFACH ZUM NEUEN BLOG,

und: "Danke!"

A new book of wonderful inspirations…

Donnerstag, 26. September 2013

… is coming these days.

Quilters, Their Quilts, Their Studios, Their Stories   - a picture book full to the brim with impressions of all kind of different and unique personalities.

WWC Quilters book

You get to know stories of your most favorite quilters – Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink, Kaari Meng, Tina Givens, you name it. You will have a look inside their studios and they will chat about how they organize their craft space.

The book includes really beautiful pictures, it’s a feast for the eyes, and the graphic layout is so appealing. Each personality tells about her(him)self and her/his journey to the place where they are nowadays, this alone was worth for me to have the book.

Each of them will share 4 quilt patterns and if you buy the book you will get access to the online download for the pattern instructions.

WWC Quilters book inside

See whom you can find between the pages:

WWC Quilters book content

Can you imagine how honored I felt when I was invited to be part of this book? It is just great to be in-between a group of my own favorite designers and celebrate with them our passion!

Now I was curious how the pages telling about Brigitte Heitland might look. And they turned out just gorgeous! It’s just so me and it reflects the sense and the feeling of my work, my passion for quilting, I love everything of these pages where my things are featured and am really happy to be part of such a book!

You want a sneak peek of my pages? I’m happy than I can reveal a snippet of it…

WWC quilters Brigitte Heitland

image

The book was edited by Jo Packham, who publishes the bestselling magazines Where Women Create and I am sure this book will become a bestseller too!

QUILTERS will be available by 1st of October so you can be one of the first to have it in hands!

… all good things come to an end

Montag, 16. September 2013

and so does this inspiring bloghop where you hopefully gained tons of inspiration from different quilt and fabric styles of the Moda designers.

To make it easier to accept the end of the tour we all have a goodie for you.

Honestly I would have liked to be able to give something to every nice person who so encouraging cheered me up with her comments! It is so much fun for me to create fabrics and patterns and that you love what I’m doing and work with my ideas makes each of my designing hours just great!
I love that you accompany my doing!

Since sending something to everybody is just not doable, I had the job to pick just two.
Now – I have to admit that I did a mistake. I announced two prices – Jelly Roll and Layer Cake plus matching pattern – only to discover while sifting through my shelves that I run out of my layer cakes. SILLY ME!!! (Mea culpa, please blame it to my Market-preparation-sewing-marathon).

But you don’t have to be too disappointed. I’ve got two Jelly Rolls instead to give to you. Means: the person who will get the Clarity pattern has now a pattern for my
upcoming fabric group SPHERE
in advance ;-) Let’s see that as a benefit!

And the two winners are – tataa!

Trudi and Astrid blogging under the name Fischerin!

Congratulations to both of you, please send me your postal address, so I can ship the goodies to you.

Why size matters…

Dienstag, 3. September 2013

Dies ist ein sehr langer Blogpost und meine deutschen Leserinnen möchten mir es bitte verzeihen, dass ich aus Gründen der Länge darauf verzichtet habe, den Post zweisprachig zu schreiben. Ich habe oben links auf meinem Blog einen Button “Übersetzen” installiert, der wird einen recht lustigen Text aus alledem machen. Aber die Bilder, und das ist die Hauptsache, sagen ja viel mehr als all die Worte.

"Size does matter" – a lot of the English speaking readers may have an idea of funny jokes around these words and I would love to tease you too with humorous words and ambiguousness, the only thing is: I just can’t. I'm not familiar enough with your language to know all the inside jokes. But since I'm no native you will surly allow me to translate the word size into my language. The word SIZE in German is “Größe” and has two meanings: the one is size, the other is greatness. So I chose to speak rather of greatness .
And that brings me back to Barcelona, my current group with Moda which is shipping to stores in September.


Barcelona is a city to which I have fallen in love at first sight .
Barcelona Those of you which have been there will know what I'm talking about – and for those who haven’t so far: if you ever have the chance to visit the city – do so, it will enrich your live!
Speaking of greatness and Barcelona - there is a name that everyone is talking about: the genius Antonio Gaudi.


Sagrada Familia from Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona

I think everyone of us is a genius inside and has special gifts - you don’t have to be an artist to leave an impression. What matters is to find and develop your own gift and enfold it. Antonio Gaudi was a gifted architect, artist and he lived the way we call: Only the Sky is the limit. Studies of nature have inspired him and he developed completely new constructions, the so-called modernism.
His architecture exudes greatness and walking through his buildings you inevitably feel your own vocation.


Which leads me back to my adapted motto "Greatness Matters". It matters to take your own gifts seriously and to unfold what is inside you. It is something we can contribute to the world and what makes us happy. And that's why it has a meaning.

Gaudi's cathedral windows have inspired me: I created a quilt  which is like a dark wall, in the same way like disappointments or hard times or obstacles of life can appear to us. And through this dark wall more and more color and light comes through. It looks even as if the colors arise and finally explode like fireworks. The idea of this quilt is to remind us that we all have hidden treasures which we want bring to the daylight and let them sparkle. Your greatness can be an inspiration for others. I called this quilt Shine Through.

shine through, Zen Chic, Barcelona

That’s my story why size (or greatness) matters. Back to the actual meaning of size – of course for quilters it matters most. Sewing a block with a seam allowance which only differs 1/16” at each seam gives you a not fitting finished block ;-(
So we are trained to exactly take care on sizes.

Moda has created a booklet of inspirational blocks showing how variations of block size give a new look and each of us Moda designers will introduce you to one of these blocks.
My block shows you a finished 18" size, but includes the same block (or better said 4 of it) in just 6 ". It looks as if layers overlap each other.

Zen Chic block size mattersThis is my original block (I don’t even know the correct name, do you?)
 

 

 

I drew it 18” size and overlaid it with 4 of the same blocks 6” size and got this one…
 

Zen Chic block size matters

18” is a nice size for a small table runner or the center of a table runner surrounded with a border.
It could also be a cover of a large pillow.

You will find the detailed sewing instructions for downloading here.

Some coloring ideas anybody? Here you go…

Zen Chic block size mattersZen Chic block size mattersZen Chic block size mattersZen Chic block size matters

Some setting ideas for the 6” block?

Zen Chic block size matters    
 Zen Chic block size matters

Zen Chic block size matters 

But wait – the fun doesn’t end here: You will find each day three new different blocks introduced from Moda designers, all explained in detail. All with different fabric styles, suggestions -  you name it. Fabulous!

size-matters

Hop over to Moda’s website where all the other designers and blogs are listed! There is even a video from all of us speaking at Quilt Market Schoolhouse. Give the blocks a try, sew some of them.

Today two of my favorite colleagues are introducing their block patterns too: The lovely Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket who creates beautiful traditional batik quilts (oh my, although I am a more modern girl, I admire all her quilts!)

 

and the inspiring Kaari Meng from French General who has wonderful antique French red and linen prints in her groups and presents her current line Josephine.

 

And we have even more fun – the very best: You will have the chance to win! Yeah! We have a precut + pattern from the very  brand-new fabric collection Barcelona for you. I thought I will give two winners a chance and one will get 1 Layer Cake and my pattern Clarity, you just add a background and can make your own modern stunning quilt!

The other goodie is 1 Jelly Roll and my pattern Pure, add four light naturals for the background and make a terrific unique quilt from the colorful strips.


What do you have to do?

1. FOLLOW the Zen Chic blog, the one you are currently looking at ;-) and get all the news about project and fabric ideas. 

2. Leave a COMMENT on the blog as to why or for which project you would like to work with the Barcelona fabrics!

Don’t miss to leave your email address so I can inform you in case you are the lucky winner.

.

 
site design by designer blogs