Inspired by Van Gogh

Van Gogh and the Valentine's Rose Pattern

Inspiration:   March Calendar   .... Van Gogh's  Vase with Pink Roses ( 1890)

Vase with Pink Roses (1890)  Van Gogh

Block Pattern:    Valentine's Rose paper pieced block  
         inside the  Paper Piecing 1/4 " digital magazine by QAD Publishing  {here}

The pattern   Valentine's Rose
from Paper Piecing 1/4 "  digital magazine

My 12 inch block:

See.... you don't have to make a red rose....

Fabrics: 
Greens-  batiks  from  my stash
Dimples   by Andover  -  cream, beige and light gray

*** Dimples are my new favorite blenders!   My friend, Mad Max, and I go to Ladyfingers  Sewing Studio, for Gail Kessler's amazing Dimples collection. 

Van Gogh inspired Valentine's Rose    by Susie's Sunroom

I have decided to make  this block into a mini wallhanging.  It will be perfect for spring. 
Stop by soon to see the finished mini!!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:   Can I Get a Whoop Whoop! @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict  and
                          Paper Piecing Party #12  @  Quilt Art Designs    and
                         Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Geometric Gradation Quilt

Last month, I was a guest blogger on  Alyce 's blog, at Blossom Heart Quilts .  I had fun sharing a bunch of projects to her readers.

I introduced my finished  Geometric Gradation Quilt on that post.     I wanted to show some more pictures of my finished quilt.

Quilt:    Geometric Gradation Quilt -   "Penn State White-Out !"
        pattern by  Geta at Geta's Quilting Studio   {available here}

Size:   66 inches x 78  inches

 I was commissioned to make a Penn State University quilt for a young lady  in our church.

 I knew that Geta's pattern would be perfect to feature the PSU team fabrics, and would spotlight  the navy and white colors for Penn State.

This pattern has a lot of blocks, but don't let that intimidate you.  The  pattern is  easy to follow and so logical, with  many pictures and diagrams. Geta takes you through the process, step by step.     I love making projects designed by Geta! 

Front side-  " Penn State White-Out "    Susie's Sunroom

Front side   Geometric Gradation

                       

               
         

She can use the back panel for decorating her walls , too

I had some nice small pieces leftover, and decided to make a pillow to accompany the quilt, for an "extra." 

I used the scraps for a  12 " x 16 " pillow      Susie's Sunroom

   I used this really neat The Patchsmith pattern,  Ticker Tape Mug Rug,  for a way to layout  my scraps.  ( I had to give and take, as my scraps were not the correct sizes.)  I like how it turned out, and so did the Penn State gal. 

Ticker Tape Mug Rug

                                             This is a great little scrap buster mug rug pattern!
And.... speaking of Pillows.....

I am so happy to share a couple of pillows that a new quilter friend, Martina, has made using my Simply Striped Accent Pillow pattern!   { here on my Craftsy}

Pillows made  by Martina,  at Stufenzumgerich blog  
photo courtesy of Martina

These pillows really brighten up her gray couch!

Martina's Simply Striped Accent Pillows-  fabric by   Malka Dubrawsky
photo courtesy of Martina

You'll want to hop over  to visit Martina on her  Stufenzumgericht  blog and see all of her gorgeous work .    I think that Stufenzumegericht (German)  means "courthouse steps" in English!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:     Can I Get a Whoop Whoop! @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Giveaway Winner

The Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop Winner

I put Mr. Random Number Generator to work last night, and he picked out:

MokkiMarch 4, 2015 at 5:31 AM       Comment #39

My fabric stash is medium sized but very varied. Too varied to co-ordinate, I almost always have to buy more fabric for each project.

ReplyDelete

I have sent out your giveaway goodies,  Mokki !  Congratulations!!

I had fun reading  all of the stash comments, and here are some fun comments:

• I think my stash is in the medium range...of course that doesn't stop me from adding to it, lol. 

• I have a --shh-- large stash. One of my friends said it's like paint for a painter, you need a lot of choices. :-) Somehow, I find I still have to make trips to the LQS or online stores, drat, you know how much I hate that...haha. 

• Small in comparison to a fabric store. Ha! 

• I think my stash is small.   My husband thinks it's huge!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another week on the Irish Chain Twist Quilt-A-Long

I am having so much fun doing my weekly "homework" on my first Irish Chain quilt.

Melissa, at Happy Quilting,  has it all divided up into weekly work units. This is making the process of creating the blocks very enjoyable.

This week we worked on assembling the Appliqued Chain Block.

These orange peels will be machine appliqued onto the block next week.

 I was totally prepared for this fusible applique' step, after working on applique' all last year when Amanda, The Patchsmith, and I made our Patchque' blocks!

Spreading out some of the blocks.... to get a feel of what my quilt will look like!

Of course, I wouldn't be as far along, if I didn't have my faithful little helper working on the job right beside me!

Whiskers helped me lay out my Modern Patchwork Blocks from last week.

"Oops... wait a second while I get this little thread off of my face...."

' Yes, these  will be "nappable" '  upon the quilt's completion

I am adding my  assembled blocks to the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group and  posting  it on social media with using #irishchaintwistqal.  Hop on over to see all of the gorgeous fabrics!!

I can hardly wait for Thursday to come, for the next set of instructions in our Quilt-A-Long!
Don't you love it when you are working on a project that you just can't wait to work on!!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:     Irish Chain Twist QAL @ Happy Quilting

Last Day of the Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop

Day 7 of the Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop !

       Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop
March 8 

Welcome to my first Blog Hop on Susie's Sunroom!

I invited six "super star" quilters to make a pillow  "any way you like" from  one pattern-   

     the Simply Striped Accent Pillow Pattern   { available on my Craftsy here}!

Each day of the hop we have shared another pillow.

I also have a giveaway to share with you at the end of the post!

So let me introduce our last guest blogger!!
She is Amy,  modern quilter and designer, from  Amy Made That !  blog...

Meet Amy  @ Amy Made That!  blog

From Amy~

New babies are such a joy!

When one of my friends becomes

a new mommy or grandma,

I love to make something special

for the baby's room.

For baby Trey,

I used some of the blue fabrics from

Riley Blake's Fly Aweigh collection.

The nursery has a nautical theme,

so the flags and ships caught my eye.

I chose a navy gingham for my background fabric.

I love pillows for decorating the nursery,

and I found Susie's Simply Striped Accent Pillow pattern

was just the right choice for my baby gift!

If you look at the pattern,

the first thing you will notice is that the cover photo

shows a smart vertical stripe of contrast fabric.

I love that...but I couldn't choose just one fabric

when there were so many fun beachy prints!

That's why I made my pillow with a pieced stripe.

Problem solved!

Susie's pattern features an easy envelope backing.

Well...I took some artistic liberties and made my pillow reversible.

For the flip side, I used a horizontal stripe.

I just followed the instructions for the making the pillow front,

but I changed the direction of the prints.

{Notice that I didn't have to match any seams on the edges.}

I put a zipper along the bottom edge of the pillow,

so I wouldn't have to interrupt the designs.

This pillow cover can now be easily removed for cleaning.

It's a really pudgy pillow, though...

so squeezing the pillow form back inside takes a bit of coaxing.

This little pillow was so much fun to make.

The instructions are clear and easy,

and I had a sweet little finish in no time!

Simply Striped Accent Pillows are fun for any room,

but especially nurseries.

Thanks, Susie, for helping me to create

a sweet baby gift for another sweet baby!

How fun to make the pillow back as beautiful as the front!!  I love that zipper  in the side seam!!  Amy has a magical touch of combining her  fabrics to make this an elegant nursery gift!!   


The schedule of bloggers, in case you have missed a day ~

The Schedule-    here at Susie's Sunroom  :      
                        

March 2   Elaine    Summercrafter       

March 3   Susie  Susie's Sunroom      

March 4   Geta      Geta's Quilting Studio     

March 5   Sheri   Sunshine in the Attic         

March 6   Lara    BuzzinBumble          

March 7   Amanda    The Patchsmith   

March 8   Amy  Amy Made That!   

And don' t forget to go to the first day of the blog hop , and sign up there for

THE GIVEAWAY:    
               ~it   will remain  open until Friday, March 13 , 2015  12:00 pm  EST 
                       click here  to enter

Thanks so much for stopping by during the blog hop!  Let me know if you make yourself a Simply Striped Accent Pillow!

And a huge thank you to all of  the guest bloggers who took the time to participate in the blog hop!  Aren't their pillows just gorgeous and so unique!!  

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on the blog posts, too!  It has been a pleasure getting to say hi.

1. The pattern              2. Summercrafter                       3.  Susie's Sunroom             4   Geta's Quilting Studio

5,  Sunshine In The Attic         6.  BuzzinBumble                       7.   The Patchsmith                   8.   Amy Made That!     

Remember , if you make your own Simply Striped Accent Pillow, I'd love to see it!

I'm off to my sewing room!

Day 6 of The Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop

Day 6 of the Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop !

            Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop
                             March 7

Welcome to my first Blog Hop on Susie's Sunroom!

I invited six "super star" quilters to make a pillow  "any way you like" from  one pattern-   
     the Simply Striped Accent Pillow Pattern   { available on my Craftsy here}!

Today, the sixth  day of the blog hop, we will see the pillow that Amanda, modern country  quilter, and Mug Rug Pattern Queen, of The Patchsmith blog,  has created!

Meet Amanda @  The Patchsmith blog

From Amanda~

Hi,   I’m Amanda,   also known as the Patchsmith and I am thrilled to be showcasing Susie’s wonderful Simply Striped Accent Pillow pattern today.   

My passion is designing mini quilt and mug rug patterns but I also love to make a pillow or two (we call them cushions here in England).  

I love the simplicity of Susie's Simply Striped Pillow pattern with its envelope closing and easy-to-follow instructions.  It was so quick and easy to make that I even had time to add a little touch of Patchsmith whimsy. 

The Patchsmith's version of the Simply Striped Accent Pillow

~ Amanda


Hop on over to Amanda’s  The Patchsmith blog to read all about her precious Scotties Pillow  {here}

   ...  But before you do let me tell you about her  bonus give-away for this weekend only.  

The Patchsmith's Scottie Dog Mug Rug pattern

Amanda has created a special edition of her Scottie Dog Mug Rug pattern which includes her adorable mug rug pattern ...  together with a template for the Scottie dogs to fit along with the Simply Striped Accent Pillow. 

** This pattern will be sent to everybody who purchases the Simply Striped Accent Pillow this weekend  - the pattern will be sent automatically to the email address on the Paypal receipt for all purchases made on the 7th and 8th March 2015. 
  
{ Yes, the Scottie Dog Mug Rug Pattern is a FREE bonus when you buy my pillow pattern!}

Hop on over now to visit Amanda at The Patchsmith blog   for more about her charming  and lovable and "off the chart" cute  version of the Simply Striped Accent Pillow !   {here} 



The schedule of bloggers, in case you have missed a day ~

The Schedule-    here at Susie's Sunroom  :      
                        

March 2   Elaine    Summercrafter       

March 3   Susie  Susie's Sunroom      

March 4   Geta      Geta's Quilting Studio     

March 5   Sheri   Sunshine in the Attic         

March 6   Lara    BuzzinBumble          

March 7   Amanda    The Patchsmith   

March 8   Amy  Amy Made That!     

And don' t forget to go to the first day of the blog hop , and sign up there for

THE GIVEAWAY:    
               ~  will remain  open until Friday, March 13 , 2015  12:00 pm  EST 
                       click here  to enter

Thank you for stopping by today!
Stop by tomorrow and see what Amy, of  Amy Made That ! blog, has made for the last day of the blog hop!

1. The pattern              2. Summercrafter                       3.  Susie's Sunroom             4   Geta's Quilting Studio

                   

        

5. Sunshine In The Attic           6.  BuzzinBumble                        7.  The Patchsmith                                                              

I'm off to my sewing room!

Day 5 of The Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop

Day 5 of the Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop !

            Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop
                             March 6

Welcome to my first Blog Hop on Susie's Sunroom!

I invited six "super star" quilters to make a pillow  "any way you like" from  one pattern-   
     the Simply Striped Accent Pillow Pattern   { available on my Craftsy here}!

Today, the fifth  day of the blog hop, we will see the pillow that Lara,   (soon- to -be published AQS) book  designer and  quilter , of BuzzinBumble blog, has created!

Meet Lara @ BuzzinBumble  blog

From Lara~

A Fine Romance - Simply Striped Pillow

Hello, this is Lara, guest posting from BuzzinBumble, and I'm tickled pink to have been asked by Susie to be a part of her Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop! 

I really enjoyed working with Susie's pattern.  It has lots of great photos and step by step details that make it easy to follow.  The envelope closure, disguised as a stripe, is a really nice touch!  My pillow is 16", which Susie gives the dimensions for as a bonus at the end of her pattern.  

My daughter Kaitie came over and helped me as I was putting this together.  To her goes the credit for the silly surprise, which you will see as you read this post.   As I put this together, I was going for a granny chic look and channeled my inner Dottie Angel.  

A Fine Romance - Simply Striped Pillow

I named the pillow "A Fine Romance" from the sassy Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire song in the movie "Swing Time".  It is made almost entirely from scraps and one pretty vintage hankie.  The three main fabric pieces (which you can see on the back) are Andover's Downton Abbey - Dowager's Paisley in black / Athill Range by Cabbages and Roses - Perrymead in aqua / and Pepper Cory - Peppered Cottons in oyster.  

This pillow also makes a great project to experiment with free-motion quilting.  If you read my blog, you know that I am a fan of Christina Cameli and am just starting to learn to FMQ.  I played with three of the patterns from Christina's latest book on this pillow.   You can't see the design that I quilted on the front Downton fabric and it's a darn good thing too, because I couldn't see it either as I worked on it. Aack!   The fabric design hides it well.  However, I did use a freestyle version of "Impulsive" on the aqua Athill fabric on the back of the pillow and I adapted Christina's "Verdure" motif to use as a border treatment on the back stripe.  My work was wobbly, but I'm still pretty happy with the outcome.  

Here is a photo of the back of the pillow, lit from the side, so you can see my attempts:

A Fine Romance - Simply Striped Pillow - Back View

Susie has kindly offered her wonderful Simply Striped Pillow pattern as a giveaway for us blog hoppers and I am pairing it as a giveaway on my blog with a copy of Christina's fabulous new book "Step-by-Step Free-Motion Quilting".    

To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on any of Susie's Simply Striped Blog Hop Days and then come over to my blog at BuzzinBumble and let me know you did by commenting on my giveaway post also.  Don't forget to enter Susie's great giveaway too!  Both of our giveaways end on Friday, March 13th. 

Okay, now to reveal the little bit of secret silliness on my pillow.  We decided to quilt words on the front stripe and hide them under the hankie.  The words Kaitie came up with cracked me up - "Dress Classy, Dance Cheesy".   That pretty much describes both of my girls, neither of whom has any concern over what others think of their dancing, even when they look like Elaine, from Seinfeld.  LOL  I quilted the words in light green , so it doesn't show through unless you lift the hankie and peek.  

A Fine Romance - She should have dropped her hankie

~ Lara

Romantic and whimsical,   patchwork-y and vintage.... all stitched together  into an elegant pillow!  The secret embroidery words under the hankie remind me of a dancer's whisper to his  partner!


Be sure to hop on over to BuzzinBumble blog  {here} to enter in Lara's giveaway!


The schedule of bloggers, in case you have missed a day ~

The Schedule-    here at Susie's Sunroom  :      
                        

March 2   Elaine    Summercrafter       

March 3   Susie  Susie's Sunroom      

March 4   Geta      Geta's Quilting Studio     

March 5   Sheri   Sunshine in the Attic         

March 6   Lara    BuzzinBumble          

March 7   Amanda    The Patchsmith   

March 8   Amy  Amy Made That!         

And don' t forget to go to the first day of the blog hop , and sign up there for

THE GIVEAWAY:    
               ~  will remain  open until Friday, March 13 , 2015  12:00 pm  EST 
                       click here  to enter


Thank you for stopping by today!
Come by tomorrow to see what Amanda, of  The Patchsmith blog , has made!

1. The pattern              2. Summercrafter                       3.  Susie's Sunroom             4.   Geta's Quilting Studio

5.  Sunshine In The Attic     6.  BuzzinBumble                                     

I'm off to my sewing room!