starburst pattern giveaway reminder

In case you missed my post on Sunday, I announced that my Starburst pattern is going to be released on May 6! In conjunction with the release, The Brown Needle got a new name, new look and new blog!

To celebrate, I'm giving away the first copy of my Starburst  pattern to one lucky follower of my new blog.

Click on over to Sewlio, follow through GFC, your favorite blog reader or e-mail and leave me a comment over there that you did!

Hope to see you there!

moving party... and a giveaway

Big changes are coming soon for my little blog, and today, I'm spilling the beans.

A little over two years ago, when I made my first quilt, I never dreamed that I would ever make more than one quilt, or two. A decision I made out of boredom, turned into an obsession which eventually turned into my favorite creative outlet.

Over the past couple of years, I have been thrilled at the response to several of my quilts and humbled by the many requests I have received for patterns. Now, the first of those patterns, months in the making, are just a week away from being available!

My blog has also undergone several changes over the past couple of years. I originally started my blog as a way to show my craft projects with my friends and family, never even considering that I would have "strangers" following my creative journey or that I would ever want to sell patterns or things that I have made.

As I have considered how to write and publish patterns, I decided to consult a professional (my hubby), and together, we decided that a new "brand" was in order- Sewlio.

And that leads me to the news about my blog.

I'm moving.

There. I said it. I've been putting it off for a while now, but it's time.

My new blog is quite empty right now, but over the next week, I will be moving in. A lot of my content will be moved to my new blog and I'll be adding a lot of links back to posts at  The Brown Needle. I will also be adding Etsy and Craftsy shops, more free tutorials (that many of you have requested) that are already finished and ready to go, and a few other extras.

Now, for the party.... my moving party. I would be delighted if  you all would move with me!

In honor of my big move, I'm giving away a PDF of my first Starburst pattern! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is click on over to www.sewliodesigns.com , become a follower of Sewlio and leave a comment over there letting me know that you did.

Thank you all for all your support and kind words over the past couple of years. You all mean the world to me.

I hope to see you at my new home!

 

angle quilt

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

Some of my favorite things to make are baby quilts. And my favorite fabric? Well, I have really fallen in love with solids. This is a baby quilt top that I finished piecing this week while taking a break from pattern writing and testing. It was designed, totally by my hubby, and while he didn't intend the design to be used for a quilt, I couldn't see it being used any other way!

Angle Quilt

I used Kona solids and half square triangles for this quilt. It measures 32x40. I'm still considering how I am going to quilt it. I love quilting in dense straight lines and concentric shapes, but I also think the large solid spaces could really show off some free-motion quilting.

 

So let me ask... How would you quilt it?

 



mid-century modern quilt rack

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

Back in November, my Hubby found this beautiful mid-century modern quilt rack at an antique store. When he called me up and said he wanted to buy a "cool quilt rack", I was totally skeptical. I have honestly never found a quilt rack that I even kind of liked. I had been looking faithfully for an old ladder to use to display my quilts, but I hadn't been able find one in my price range. I gave in to the quilt rack's $30 price tag and I'm so glad I did! 

 

I think it looks naked without any quilts on it! Here's a photo with some of my current quilt inventory... Man, I have really got to let go of some of those quilts!

What I didn't know at the time, was that at that same antique mall, he also found the ladder that he surprised me with for Christmas.

calendar cover

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**


I've been sewing, sewing, sewing. Lots of exciting things are happening around here. Especially my new sewing machine that I got about a month ago... The hubs bought me a Janome 7700 Horizon for our 10th anniversary ! {Squeal- Happy Dance}I haven't been posting much because I just can't stay off of my new machine! I've managed to make 8 Christmas stockings, a Christmas tree skirt, a new handbag, 6 chair cushions, a king-sized quilt top and back (still need to quilt it) and this cute calendar cover. I also did some Halloween costume alterations in there somewhere. So, yeah, I've been a little busy.

I'm planning on doing some serious blog catch-up over the next couple of weeks... promise... but you know how plans sometimes go. I seriously love my new machine so much I just want to spend all my time with it. I'll try to post more pics of my projects. Promise! I might just throw in a post about my new machine, too!

Calendar Cover Front

This is a cover I made for my 2013 Calendar. It was a simple black MEAD calendar that was perfect for what I needed, but not so cute. With all the journal covers I've been seeing on blogs lately and the "quilt as you go" technique that I've been seeing so many talented people use on the Weekender bag, I got a little inspired to make a cover for my calendar using that technique. This is what I came up with!



Back

The back is my favorite. I kind of wish it was the front, but if I changed it, then all the text would be upside down.I used scraps from some of my recent projects that include some Denyse Schmidt, Melody Miller, Madrona Road, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner's Field Study, to name a few.

This was a lot of fun to make, and it came together in just over an hour. I'm currently looking around for the next thing I can make a cover for!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Inburst (556)

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

 

I'm very excited to finally show you my next finished quilt! I know you've all seen the top before, but I was saving the finished quilt for this fall's Blogger's Quilt Festival! I've decide to call it Inburst.

 

 

This is the first quilt that I made in collaboration with someone else. Who might have helped me out with this, you ask? Well, who else but my hubby! That's right. My hubby. He's a graphic designer with a great eye for color and I knew that I'd need another set of eyes to help with this one. I told him what I wanted to do and what kind of colors I wanted to make it and he was able to lay it all out on the computer for me. We spent a lot of time looking through the Kona Color Card trying to find the perfect colors. I think we did pretty good!

 

 

We finally narrowed it down to 11 different Kona solids for this quilt to achieve the look I was going for. I really wanted it to look like the colors were transparent and overlapping. I think the photo below shows the look the best, even if it is a little bright! (I could use some photography tips!) That's a really difficult task! I used Kona White, Canary, Corn, Azalea, Carnation, Primrose, Mango, Kumquat, Orange, Papaya, and School Bus. The Binding is Kona Azalea and the back is Dear Stella Bukhara in Orange.

 

 

I quilted it just outside of the ditch and took each row to the edge of the quilt. I echoed in to the center and really just had to improvise as I went. I had trouble taking a photo that shows the center quilting. The photo below show how the center quilting turned out. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

I have no idea what I'm going to do with this one. It doesn't match my house. I'm trying to talk my daughter into letting me redo her bedroom so I can hang it in there. She doesn't like change. So This one's just going to sit for now. That's kind of sad, don't you think?

Happy Blogger's Quilt Festival! I'm just loving looking at all the wonderful quilts. Inspiration has hit and so I'm off to start a new something!


Quilt Details: #556
Finished Size: 48x56
Techniques: Pieced
Quilted with straight lines on home machine with walking foot
Categories: Throw, Quilted on home machine, Wall Hanging

WIP Wednesday

 **The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

Happy WIP Wednesday! Here is a little peek at my Works-In-Progress.

 

I know you've all seen this one before, but today I got this baby pin-basted and ready for quilting! Aiden picked out a blue Minkee for the back and that's making me a little nervous. I've heard it quilts nicely but is a little more difficult to work with. We shall see.

 



 

 

I'm also working on Christmas stockings for my mom. She had an existing stocking that she liked the shape of, but wanted them a bit bigger. I made my own pattern for these based on her preferences. These are made of home decor weight linen and lined with natural muslin. I used Pellon Decor Bond to make them a bit more sturdy. They will eventually all have a cuff made of a burgundy rouched taffeta that is a monster to sew with. Doesn't it sound like I like to make things as difficult as possible?

 

 

 

The final thing I'm working on is another "Starburst" Quilt. I had so many requests for the pattern for this quilt that, this time, I'm writing the instructions as I go. It's definitely a work in the baby stages, but I have great hopes it will be ready by the end of the year!

 

 

Some of you might also have noticed that I've been working on redesigning my blog. It's not finished yet and I hope I'll be able to get it finished tonight. I decided to re-do my blog because I'm finally giving in and opening an Etsy store and I thought it would be nice if my blog and my store kind of matched. Since I have been wanting a blog change for some time now, I thought that now was as good a time as any!

Aside from all that, the kids are on Fall Break, so sewing has been at a minimum this week. The beautiful fall weather has kept us out and about. I don't know about you, but I'm loving this cooler weather!

color

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

 

My blog has a new look! I'm not quite finished tweaking it, but it's close. It has that simplistic look that I am so in love with. Here's a photo of one of my newest finished quilts- I am totally in love with all those bright colors!

Redbird Bee- Linda's Block

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

This is the block I did for the Redbird Bee for September. September was Linda's month. She gave each of us 9 five-inch squares and we were to make a Disappearing Nine Patch block. The addition of white fabric adds negative space to this block which makes a wonderful scrappy-looking quilt with a very modern feel.

When I first saw Kristy's Modernized D9P quilt (her tutorial is here), I immediately fell in love with it and began planning my own. When I found out that we were making these blocks for the Redbird Bee, I was super excited to give it a try.

My own Mod-D9P is finished, bound and quilted. It came together super quickly.... pics coming soon!

Fabric Friday

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

I've been sewing, and sewing, and sewing. But I've got nothing to show you... yet. I finished quilting this quilt. We've had nothing but rain and clouds recently, so I'm just waiting for a great day to take a photo of it. Hopefully this weekend will be nice!

 

I also finished up another quilt top and have to quilt it up. It will be a Christmas gift this year. I also hope to finish up Aiden's quilt from the Redbird Bee. His birthday is just over a month away and I really want to have it done by then!

 

I created a pattern for and stitched up a Christmas stocking. I've got 7 more stockings to make before the Christmas season begins. They are for my mom's mantle. She wanted matching stockings for each of her kids and grand kids. She actually asked me to make 10 total, since there's still a potential for a little more growing in our family! (Just to be clear- not mine!) I'd post pics, but I don't have a mantle to hang them on. I like to at least try to make my photos look pretty!

 

I also have another commissioned project in. It's another t-shirt quilt. While I tell my friends NOT to advertise that I do them, I don't mind doing them for friends. They are such sentimental pieces, that I really do enjoy making them for friends!

 

There are a couple of other odds and ends that I have been stitching on as well, and while I don't have many photos for you, I can show you what I added to my stash over the past couple of weeks!

 

 

fabric friday

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

Here's what I picked up new this week. The orange fabric is Dear Stella Bukhara Stencil Floral in orange. I'm going to use it to back this quilt. I also picked up two Moda Bella solids- gray and charcoal. I've been sewing all week and have another new solids only quilt top- using the grays- just about finished up and there's a surprise to go with it...

I hope to quilt up the orange quilt this weekend and maybe work on the gray one if I have time.

 

Have a great weekend!

color! {a teaser}

I've been here. Just a little quiet lately. School has started. Vacation is over. I've been sewing, sewing, sewing- getting adjusted to the sound of my house without the sound of happy kids giggling in the background.

This is the stack of carefully hand-picked Kona solids that I've been working with... I can't wait to show you what I'm working on. This photo will have to do for now!

Mini Starburst

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**

 

 

 

Ever since I saw this quilt, I knew I wanted to make one. Cindy, who is a fabulous quilter and quilt pattern author, and is also a fellow member of the STLMQG and in the Redbird Bee, very kindly gave me a copy of her pattern after I had trouble locating an issue of the magazine it was published in. 

Once I got this pattern home, I could do nothing but dream of which fabrics I would use. And then it happened. I saw something in the pattern and started "playing" with it to see what else I could do with it. It really has so many possibilities! I have about 4 different options all planned out. And, of course, I'm planning on making one of them just as it is written. It is so so beautiful, after all.

This is one of the first options I came up with. I have another quilt with a much different layout that I will be making from this pattern. (Ok, ok. Two. That's all.) I'm impatiently waiting for my fabric to arrive in the mail and getting nervous all at the same time. You see, I ordered 10 different fabrics for it, 11 if you count the background fabric. It's gonna be a monster... It will also look nothing like this version of the quilt.

In the meantime, I thought I'd practice. This was my initial attempt at this pattern. I scaled it down by half. It measures 21"x21". I learned a lot making this quilt. I knew I'd need practice. Especially since I had to figure out how to get it all put together. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with it.

I think it will end up hanging in the guest bathroom. There's a serious need for some decoration in there. Oh, and in case you're wondering, that's some of the Denyse Schmidt fabric from Joann's. I can't remember which line as the selvages are long gone.

Cindy calls her pattern Sunburst. I'm thinking Starburst might be a little more fitting for this layout. This really was so much fun to make. I can't wait to start the next one!

Redbird Bee- Aiden's Quilt, Part 1

This is my first pieced section of my bee blocks that I received from the Redbird Bee ladies in June. I received so many wonderful blocks in so many wonderful sizes. I know, that's my own fault. I purposely didn't specify a size, that's the way I wanted it. But man, oh man, am I paying for it.

Once I laid out the quilt, I decided to add navy frames to all the blocks to tie them together. Then, after laying it all out again, I decided that I could divide it up into 6 sections for piecing. We'll see how that goes. I've already run into a little trouble with my layout and had to change it up a little....

It took me an hour and 20 minutes to piece these 5 blocks together. All that measuring and remeasuring. I have my work cut out for me!

WIP Wednesday {a.k.a. confession}

I got a little inspired by everyone's Work In Progress Wednesday posts, so I decided to post about my WIPs today. You see, usually, all those lovely WIP posts make me feel overwhelmed and a tad bit disappointed in myself! I have A LOT of unfinished items, but so does everyone else! I totally get it now. We're all in this together! So, without further ado, here are {some of} my in progress projects, and you might just find out a few more things about me as you read through them!


First up is a scarf that I began working on over Christmas break. Wow. I sure got far on this one. Now that spring is here, I doubt I'll get motivated to finish it any time soon. I will just have to remember to get it finished before it gets cold again! {Yes, that is the mark on my table where my rotary cutter so nicely introduced itself to the wood.}

This is a pixelated houndstooth block that I started working on for a baby quilt. I haven't worked on this one since before Christmas either. Once I got this much done, I totally lost interest. What do you think? Is it worth saving? It measures 20x20 and I'll need to make 4 more to make a small baby quilt. I'm not in love with it, but I still have to wonder if I would love it after I had quilted it. I would love your input! Should I scrap it or press on?

Pixelated Houndstooth {design- my own}

I do a little bit of shuttle tatting. These are some floral motif medallions that I have finished tatting and have yet to sew in my ends and attach them to something! They will likely end up as jewelry or greeting cards, if I ever get around to it!

Next up is a chevron patterned crocheted throw that I've been working on for a couple of weeks. This, I do love and will probably finish it up soon!

There you have it. Those are some of my works in progress. I'll have to save the rest for a later post! And to summarize my overall status:

Quilts in progress: 4
Knit/Crochet projects in progress: 2
Tatting Projects in progress: 10
Home Decor Projects in Progress: 1
Projects I have purchased supplies/fabric for but have yet to begin: 4

AND... Projects I have finished this week: 1!!! {post to follow}


My WIPs are linked here:

Bold Inspiration

If you haven't been able to tell, I've been a little obsessed letters and words lately. l got the new CB2 catalog in the mail yesterday, and there's always something in there I just have to have. {If only I weren't on a budget.} Seriously, who wouldn't love a bed that gives permission to do that which our parents always told us wasn't allowed?

I'm so in love with this....



Pic from {here}

Remember Me?

"Upstream"

Do you remember this quilt I did back in October? Well, after a couple months of mulling it over and some encouragement from my hubby, I decided {at the last minute} to submit it to The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase, an exhibit which will be a the International Quilt Market and Festival this fall. I should find out if it will be included in the exhibit by the end of the month...

Wish me luck!

Letters, letters, everywhere

I've had a great time cutting out all these letters for my current quilt project. I've cut out 24 pieced letters so far and have 11 more to go. Whew. That sounds like a lot, but it has really gone pretty quickly. I have been able to get each color pieced, and cut out during our morning school time this week. It has been a three day week, so a rate of about 8 letters per day. My kids are having fun watching the letters come together and are convinced that this quilt will have their names on it! But I'm not telling!

I really must have some kind of obsession with these colors. My kitchen, after all, is decorated in the same colors! {That's a mixing bowl and teapot in the top of the first picture, and if my kitchen were cleaner, I'd show you the rest of my citrus-y decor!} I totally did not plan that and didn't even notice until I was figuring out where to take my pics!

Orange you glad I didn't say...{oh, nevermind}

Whatever could be the meaning of all this orangey-stripey goodness???  I finally worked out one of those quilt projects that's been floating around aimlessly in my brain and began work. There is not much that is as refreshing as cutting fabric for a new quilt. {Yeah, go ahead and call me a quilt geek, it's ok.} I'm really excited about this one and I hope you will like it too!

Spool Quilt Block

Isn't this spool block lovely? This is the Tonie's block for February for the Redbird Bee! I'm in love with the colors and the fabrics. That background fabric is linen... Linen! Super cool! I would have never picked out linen. I can't wait to see this quilt finished!

Tonie's Spool Block