Making "Words" Sew with Fast-Piece Applique

When something grabs hold of me I have just learned to roll with it. This year I have just been fascinated with adding words to my quilt works. Words are really nothing new -- a good friend of mine Joanell Connolly always used a word in her quilts, but she printed hers with help from screens made from a thermofax machine. 

Some of my favorites of Joanell's include... I did not pick one or two -- have fun just going through and finding your own favorites.

Then another friend of mine came out with her new book -- Quilt Talk -- Yes, this is the wonderful book of Sam Hunter and her projects are inspiring; but alas, paper-pieced.

So as the year began with the selection of my first year inspiring word -
SPIRIT appeared in my sketch book -- all color and fun -- but even before the drawing was completed; I was creating it in fabric (with Fast-Piece Applique of course).

Who would have ever expected what came next?  Not me!
And, who knows where it will take me....

It feels especially good to be able to share the fun with you along the way. Like with the #loveletterheart patterns that were part of my book tour are still on-line to pull down and use.

AND NOW,
I have developed a lower-case alphabet and packaged it in a way that you can use the letters yourself to design your own words.

Creative Design Alphabet

Do you have a word or name you want to add to your own quilt?
With my downloadable pattern you can "make it sew"!

BUT, if you would rather just have fun with the quilts I have designed, I've included (2)full-sized pattern downloads so you can have a guided creative flight with a couple of words I have played with.

The word-quilts included are:

 each are 30" wide x 36" long

The Creative Design Alphabet can be purchased from my website. Scroll down on the patterns page to order.

Talk with you all soon,
and who knows where the 'words' will go next.

~Rose

Piles Growing into PILES

It's happened.... the new year sneaked in and the calendar has spun to 2014.
The seeds that were planted wayyyy back at the beginning of 2013 are requiring watering and tending. It started with a seed of an idea for a book, which lead to working through submissions and contracts....through designing and fabric selection.... through thread choices and working with some amazing longarm quilters --- each quilt for the book is a seed planted --- each concept another seed....

No wonder with the due date in February for the manuscript my focus has been 'book'. Soon the manuscript created from those seeds planted last year will be ready to send off to my publisher --- harvest time!

OK, enough of the planting metaphor...

As the winter chill moved in this weekend I settled in with creating the last quilt top for the book. The wind picked up, though the temp remained balmy and the pile of scraps began to gather.

 Then came the rain --- lots, and lots of rain.
The pile grew larger...

Then the temps dropped, but the dusting of snow we got here in Paducah was luckily nothing like promised. The amazing low temps though brought me more weather lessons, and the the scrap pile reached its height!

The piles are all I can share at this point, but I have to admit that working with these colors while holed up due to 'cold' has been an absolute pleasure.
 
Really what comes out of a harvest is more seeds... the wonder and promise of new seeds, new plantings.... every big idea requires lots of little seeds planted with anticipation and tended with care.


Do you have some new plantings
you are working on?

Wishing for you all a new year of wonderful new seeds to plant, the joy of giving tender care for your special plantings, and a life affirming harvest!

OK, now I am really done with the metaphor.