New Summer Outfits

Summer is a great time to take on small, enjoyable sewing projects. My nieces received American Girl Dolls this past Christmas, so I decided to make them new summer outfits for their dolls. I picked up Lorine Mason’s book, Dressing Up 18” Dolly and found making the projects to be quite relaxing. The garments are super cute and the patterns are constructed quite thoughtfully. I know the girls will like their new clothes as much as I do...

Glitzy Holiday Dress in Cold Spring Dreams, (Yellow & Lavender)

Suit Jacket & Skirt in Cold Spring Dreams, (Yellow & Lavender)

Cropped Jacket & Gathered Pants in Cold Spring Dreams, (Pink & Blue)

Floral Drop-Waist Dress in Cold Spring Dreams, (Pink & Blue)

Fantasy River

There is an wonderful show underway at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York. Federico Uribe’s, Fantasy River is a whimsical interpretation of a three-dimensional riverscape. Both flora and fauna are made from everyday objects such as pencils, shoelaces, gloves, coins and screws. Uribe gives back to Nature what was taken from her as he creates trees from books and animals from leather shoes and other objects. 

If you’re in Yonkers, I recommend you stop by for a visit and if Yonkers happens to be a bit out of the way, here is a link to the museum's exhibit page containing two videos featuring the artist and his work, www.hrm.org/exhibits.html.

 A ram created from electrical wire, a hippo from computer keys, and in the background, a leopard made of sneakers and a zebra made out of pencils.

Lizard, tiger and tree made of books.

Cougar made from bullet shells.

 A field of shovels and I'm not sure about the sun...

Whirl Pattern

Recently, I've been asked about the kaleidoscope quilt I made from my CSDs fabrics. I just finished making a pattern for the quilt and decided to call it Whirl. The pattern is in PDF format and you can download it for free right here! I’d love to hear how it works out for you.

Haute Tote

I just stumbled upon the Haute Tote, designed by Sue Marsh. It is featured in the March/April issue of Quiltmaker Magazine (better late than never), and I am delighted, not only because is it a cute tote but because it is made from Cold Spring Dreams and RJR’s Supreme Solids fabrics.  The bag uses 2 1/2” fabric strips, so the project is ideal if you have pre-cuts or left over scraps. Sue is also an RJR designer and her fabrics are wonderfully whimsical.  Check out her work at wpcreek.com.

Whirl

For some time, I had been meaning to create a quilt made from octagonal blocks. So finally, I gathered my Cold Spring Dreams fabrics, took out my Kaleido-Ruler and got to work, (of course it might have been helpful if I had paid more attention in geometry class).

I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided to hand quilt it, but now that I’m finished, I am glad that I did. I have been machine quilting for so long that I forgot hand quilting could be so enjoyable and relaxing. After a little experimentation, I ended up using Pearl Cotton no. 8 with a number 24 chenille needle.

I love working with octagons because if you squint your eyes, you loose sight of the individual blocks and a larger circle in the quilt design becomes more apparent.

Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden

It’s a sure sign that Spring is almost here when the annual Orchid Show comes to the The New York Botanical Garden. When you walk into the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, you are immediately transported from a late winter day in the Bronx to a lush tropical rainforest.

This is the 11^th annual exhibition and as usual, the orchids are stunning and are artfully arranged. This event is equally enjoyable for the orchid enthusiast as well as the casual observer. Strolling through the tropical rainforest, you are surrounded by over 7,000 orchids representing 3,075 different types. More details and photos are available at the New York Botanical Garden’s website.

An Afternoon at the Bookstore

Winter in New York is a great time to visit the local bookstore. On a recent afternoon, while perusing the quilting magazines, I found a number of quilt projects featuring Cold Spring Dreams fabrics, some of which are available as kits.

The April/May issue of Quilt magazine includes the pattern, Twist and Shout by quilt designer and quiltmaker, Diane Nagle. I love the way Diane combined the prints and solids to create a fresh, modern look. The fabrics are available as a kit, online at fernhill.net.

Another fun quilt by Diane Nagle, Jacks for Jill is featured the March/April issue of McCall’s Quilting. McCall’s says “Girls of all ages will love the cool fabrics and creative piecing in this cheerful lap quilt.”  A kit of fabrics for the quilt top and binding is available at the McCalls website.

Generation Q’s Spring 2013 issue, includes a quilt pattern named Stranded by Christine Stainbrook. The article describes the quilt as giving “the illusion of squares hanging in space”, but when I look at it, I imagine a cool, colorful beaded curtain. Take a look and see what it brings to mind for you.