SPLENDID SAMPLER MY BLOCK: "SEWING NUT"

When I was asked to do a block for the Splendid Sampler I was so honored. 80 designers were asked to design a block that shared the story behind why we love quilting and sewing.
My block is called "Sewing Nut" it depicts -

A Tale of a Little squirrels’ adventure

When I first discovered quilting I fell in love with applique. Maybe it's because I was an illustration major in college and I love anything that is storybook -- and appliqué is just that. 

 Here is my finished block. YOU CAN GET THE PATTERN HERE
This was sent away to Pat Slone and Jane Davidson (quilt Jane) to go to the Martingale book isn't that exciting?

After cutting out my backgrounds I need to chose my "ground grass" strip colors.

 Here is what my drawn piece on the Heat and Bond Heavy sheet looks like. And yes I use the craft heavy fuse even if it gums up my needle... I really want these small pieces to stick.

 After cuting my white squares, I positioned my white square over my printed pattern for registration to use as a guide.

 Have you ever had those big platers  at the market for veggies or other foods? This black food plastic plater is great to hold all my applique shapes. It is also great to hold any of your quilt block pieces and it is very easy to cary them around in this. The black also is great to see things well.

 Here is the finish block and beautiful Aurfil thread colors to match. I love the sharp mini frisker scissors for cutting out my applique pieces.

 I decided to make a mini quilt with my little squirrel blocks so I cut out 4. Aren't the trees cute?

Time to take out your decorative buttons and use them!

 I Have a seasonal theme for each of my blocks. It's suttle but the buttons sort of do it.

Spring Summer Fall then Winter. You could problably push this idea further with the colors and fabrics you choose.

SPRING

 Here are the close up of the mini quilt I made using my blocks. I just cut 2.5 in strips and did a sort of log cabin around my block. I measured as I went. I sewed in a round ... starting with the left side of the block then the top then the right side then the bottom cutting the 2.5 in strips and measred the length of the block after I sewed each strip.

 SUMMER

FALL

 WINTER

Hope you enjoyed this post and the Splendid Sampler! Hope you go nuts for making this block

Love, Frances.

Honored to have an article on the Moda Blog

Super excited to be featured on the Moda Blog today!  Check out the article 

HERE 

Thank you Moda Fabrics and  Linzee McCray

QUILT MARKET 2016 SPRING SALT LAKE CITY

Better late than never! Is my new moto. I am finally posting pictures of quilt market spring 2016 Salt Lake City Utah and its now one month later. I am sorry it took so long to post however I needed some time to recover from what was a grueling schedule. I was so nervous going to quilt market since it had been 2 years since my last market and the second time doing a full 10 x 10 booth after my "Safari Moon" Collection. I was now launching a new fabric line with Quilt Jane and with MODA. Very exciting yet we had a lot of work prepping for this show.

Downtown salt lake city convention center

Before leaving for quilt maket Jane (Quilt Jane Jane Davidson) had a few hours of a layover so we met Amy Sinibaldi designer for Art Gallery and her company is called Nana and Co. We had brunch near the airport.

Our Quilt market booth was #605 wish I could charge room service to it.  We had gotten the floor put in and Jane was already exhausted. Wake up Jane we have a whole booth to make!

I was acting a bit stir crazy and anxious to get it set up after weeks of sewing.

Floor is in but look at our boxes ... drum roll please...

TADA!

Moda designers Shann Orr and Lyndia Nelso setting up their booth

The audience waiting for Moda School house presentation

I was excited to be one of the "faces of Moda" on their wall

Jane and I in our booth day 2

Patty Vergon Made our Baltimore Sea Quilt and Sheryl Zurek quilted it.

Mario is the rep for Moda in the La Area, He is sporting Karen Turchans bag that she made for us.

Nancy Helpinstill helped us and made some darling things for our booth including this adorale starfish.

We all loved Emily Herrick's quilt made with actual 50 shades of grey.

loved these decorative bindings 

Amy Butler always has an incredible booth

So many amazing booths and things to see at market I so regret not taking more pictures but it was so overwhelming.

I kidnapped Sacy Hsu's baby chick  from her new collection Farm Fun it is so adorable!

Finally had to fly back home and bummped into the incredibly sweet and talented Betsy Chutchian. 

And we hammed it up and bonded at the airport.