Club Medallion: A Very Special Monday Announcement

Hi Friends!

I am just dropping in to let you know that my friends Chrissy and Linda of Sew Lux Fabrics are starting a medallion block of the month. 

It is just like a regular block of the month, except instead of a block every month you will make a border. Then at the end you have a gorgeous 62" x 62" quilt. Finished. No sashing, just a whole quilt.

It will look something like this, only with color (or no color, tickles your fancy). 

For this border of the month club, you can subscribe to just the pattern (for a special price until October 1) or you can pick a kit. If you are just a pattern subscriber you get a fresh set of directions emailed to you each month.

When you order a kit, you get all of the fabrics you need for each border mailed to you along with directions every month. I mean, seriously, it is built in happy mail. Also, knowing Chrissy and Linda (as I do), they will totally be giving you some fat cuts (if you know what I mean, wink, wink) and you will have some yummy scraps every month. 

There are two kits options. 

You might ask, "Sarah, why are you, Stitching and Bacon, so excited?" 

I will tell you. 

Chrissy asked me to curate a medallion's worth of quilt fabrics. ME!

Meet the Hipster Edition for Club Medallion. 

I was going for a cool color vibe. You know, hip.

This quilt is a complete mix of fabric lines, new and old. I had SOOOO much fun putting it together. I am really, really loving navy and yellow right now. I am pretty smitten with the faux woodgrain print from S'more Love. You have to see them and you will know what I mean.

Chrissy picked the gorgeous fabrics for the Prepster Edition.

It is so cheerful and fun. Look at those dots! What is that I spot, a faux woodgrain? Such a sunshine-y quilt.

Can't you just see this on your couch?

The details for the club are all on the Sew Lux website or in this blog post. It is six months long starting in October and running through March.

The best part is, we are all going to do it together. I can't wait to see everyone's work. I love the sense of community that we get from sewing together.

I will be posting my medallion business up here every month. Will you join me?

A Happy Interlude with a Fuzzy Cat

Max can not resist a good quilt. In fact, he is the worst photo bomber. 

When I heard about Lily Pad Quilting's Pets on Quilts Show (direct link here), I knew I would have tons of entry options. This is my pick for the Cats on Quilts category.

Obviously, I had to choose the one where he managed to lay on the MOST quilts! Extra points for that?

There are at least three quilts in this photo. 

So cozy and cute. I could not resist adding more. 

True confession. Derek bribed me to get me to move across the country to live with him in North Carolina. He told me we could get a cat (we also got engaged).

It worked.

I had kitten Max picked out via shady internet connections while I was working in Belize and Ecuador the summer before I moved (if you know South American internet cafes, you understand what a commitment this was). We picked Max up 5 days after pulling my Penske truck up to our North Carolina apartment.

I have not regretted it once. Not the move or the Fuzz (as he is affectionately known).

Even when he wakes me up at 6 am by jumping on my face. I don't even regret him then.

I have never regretted Derek (and he has never jumped on my face at 6 am).

Thanks for visiting to see the cat love! I can't wait to check out all of the cuteness.

P.S. - I am going to have a super exciting announcement on Monday. Come back, bring your friends. Do not miss it! I wish I could tell you more. The excitement is figuratively killing me!

Untitled Baby Edition

I had trouble naming this quilt. My husband and I tossed around a couple of ideas.... Down by the Sea, Vintage Flower, Blue...

I think I am going to just call it untitled. That sounds artsy, right?

That name sort of goes with my process for this one. I just started pulling fabrics from my scrap bins and cutting them into 6 inch long rectangles of varying widths. I intentionally did not let myself pick favorites or cull the stack. If it was long enough, I cut it.

The quilt is mostly blue because I started in my blue bin. I started in my blue bin because it was too full to close. At some point I decided this was going to be a baby quilt and stopped cutting (side note: so many baby quilts this year!). Then I decided it was going to be for girl, so I dived into the pink bin. Then I threw in some grays to give it some fun.

Ta Da!

I love it. Somehow the craziness works. Is that a metaphor for life? Maybe, sometimes the little bits of ugly will make something pretty.

Too sentimental. Probably.

This quilt is heading off to a baby in Canada soon, eh.

xoxo,
Sarah

Quilt Stats:
Size: 40" x 44"
Pattern: Scrappy Coin Quilt. Idea has been floating around the world for awhile, no pattern needed.
Fabrics: So many. The solids are probably all Kona cottons and Essex Linens.
Quilting: Free motion infinity, pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread.
Finished: July 2013

P.S. - Photos were taken in front of my neighborhood fish monger. Yeah, I have a fish monger within walking distance of my house.

It's the Confetti Baby.

A month or so ago Elizabeth Dackson (over at Don't Call Me Betsy) put a call out for pattern testers. I practically jumped out of my chair I was so excited.

Elizabeth is a super star. Her paper piecing patterns are amazing. Have you seen the Lucky Star Block of the Month? You can still sign up here. 

I felt like I had won the lottery when Elizabeth asked me to test her Confetti Stars pattern. This quilt pattern can be made in baby through king sized and she has instructions for a "modern" quilt with lots of negative space and a "traditional" quilt with more stars. That is like getting at least two patterns!

My cousin just had a little boy, so I figured I would make her little boy a confetti quilt (for the record this is a traditional layout baby sized from the pattern). I am not going to give you any sort of pattern review here, 1.) I was testing the pattern and 2.) It is a superb pattern, you should all just make this quilt. No paper piecing experience necessary, she walks you through the whole thing.

Can I make a secret confession? 

I love my cousin; she is awesome sauce. She got married in October and we couldn't make it to the wedding... I thought I might just send her a baby quilt out of the blue (98% sure she does not read this blog). 

I want to think of it as random act of craftiness. Can you imagine getting a package one day unexpectedly and finding this quilt neatly wrapped up? 

The quilting is not perfect and I had some basting issues, but this is real life and a baby is going to be playing on this, so imperfections are part of the love. Also, Tessa at The Sewing Chick taught me her method for machine binding up in the mountains. Y'all we need to peer pressure her into writing a tutorial. This method changed my life (well, my quilt finishes). 

Are you reading this, Tessa? I love you, friend.

xoxo, 

Sarah

Quilt Stats:

Size: 36" x 36"

Pattern: Confetti Stars by Elizabeth Dackson (to be released in mid-August)

Fabric (the ones I can remember easily): Pearl Bracelets, Madrona Road Haystack, Lotta Jansdotter, Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille, some random cross weaves, and some Kona. 

Quilting: Free motion infinity, pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread.

Finished: July 2013

P.S. - For the record, I tested this pattern free of charge because I liked it. I just got a copy of the pattern from Elizabeth and gave her my notes. All opinions of awesomeness come from my heart.