Branching out

So Cherie and I are doing a major push to get The Creative Bungalow off the ground. We have a new kit in our Etsy shop, for instance.

The new Lock 'n' Bolt kit featuring assorted prints from Art Gallery Fabrics.

And we have a couple more kits cut and almost ready to make available...

Double Shot Star kit coming soon!!

A whole slew of new fabrics are on order. Oh, and I got a great response to my blog post about pattern-writing and proofing! Thank you for the generous efforts of Michelle, Dawn (First Light Designs) and my mom (who is actually pattern testing with a sample for the upcoming Dorm Room Cots!!).

Our new adventure as of this week is expanding on social media. I have, of course, been blogging off and on over the last few years, and am active on Flickr (though less so recently), Pinterest and Facebook, but with all of these mobile devices the list must expand. I had never logged onto Twitter before yesterday. Well, that's not quite true, but the previous time I did was out of curiosity and didn't go anywhere (and was before I even had a smartphone). Cherie and I have signed up for a series of short classes on using social media as a marketing tool for online business — actually Cherie has signed up for the series, I was only able to make one of the classes, which met this past Wednesday night. In response to the class, both The Creative Bungalow and Surrounded by Scraps now have Twitter profiles, @TCBQuiltStudio and @linda_SbSdesign, respectively. We are still figuring this stuff out and just getting warmed up. So, any of you who may be old-hats at this Twitter thing have suggestions? Or feel like leading by example? Stop on by!

And stay tuned for our Double Shot Star kit and Sessoms kit coming soon!!

Third time's a charm?

We all have our UFOs (unfinished objects) that have been hanging around for ages. Right? Well, I know I certainly do! Too many to count, I must admit.

But there is one that I keep pulling out and playing with, only to tuck it away again into a project drawer to be ignored for another several months. That would be my quilt from the Design Camp [think outside the block] improv bee.

Remember this guy??

Well, last week I made a trip to the sewing studio (a very rare thing these days) and after taking care of the top priority task on my list I looked around to see what I could work on for just a bit to make the trip truly worthwhile. For some reason I thought that I had much more of the parts of this quilt pieced together, but then I recalled that before stuffing it away the last time I took a seam ripper to several parts that weren't sitting well with me.

I think one of the big issues was that it was looking way too busy without having a strong design element that kept me interested. Oh, and it's HUGE!

Just a reminder, my design wall is 8' x 8'.

What is pictured above is in about 6 or 7 different segments, and I still hadn't put up at least 2 more of the blocks I had received from other bee members. Even with those large swaths of solid neutral fabric it just was too much.

And then it occurred to me – who says I have to put them ALL into just one quilt?? NO ONE. And immediately my excitement about this project returned. One of the best lessons of working in the visual arts is that of editing. Of course having the raw materials from which to work is crucial, but if one doesn't edit out the extraneous then it's all just a jumble of information and does not effectively communicate with the viewers.

My first step was to break it up into two different projects, then rebuild each individually. I didn't get too far into that last step, but I am well on my way and feeling MUCH better about where this is going!

As much as I loved the idea of trying to work that mustard yellow in with the neutrals as equal backgrounds, I think this distribution makes these much more cohesive. Thoughts??

Pattern-writing — more than just designing.

I'm sorry to say this is a picture-free post.

Earlier this week (or perhaps technically it was over last weekend?) I read a compelling blog post by Marianne on her always inspiring blog The Quilting Edge about a disappointing pattern purchase. I found it truly eye-opening and refreshing, especially coming from the position of trying to develop some patterns of my own. In short, she called out a self-published pattern that she purchased at an LQS (Local Quilt Shop) as being sub-standard. She listed among its faults not only confusing typos but a poor description of the techniques used.

Another aspect of her entry that intrigued me was in the first couple of paragraphs. She points out (and I paraphrase) that for quilting books one can usually find written reviews published in magazines, on people's blogs, written up in trade material, but for some reason finding similar reviews of single patterns is unlikely. So we depend on good old fashioned word-of-mouth and rely on the integrity of our LQSs to steer us well.

The timing on her entry couldn't have been more relevant in my world. As my regular followers may already have read, one of my goals for this year is to finally start publishing my own patterns. I have been working on the writing and layout of just a few to begin with, but I am hung up by one major factor: having trouble finding proof-readers and/or pattern-testers. And I KNOW those are both tasks that must be fulfilled by someone other than the designer in order to have a successful pattern.  Coincidentally I had JUST talked with a quilting friend who is also embarking on pattern-writing, and we will soon be proof-reading each other's pieces. It's a start!

I found Marianne's observations to be very informative. Some of what she cited as the downfalls of this particular pattern happen to be concerns I have about my own writing. It has made me that much more aware of the need to read and reread and then reread again my instructions to make sure I am including everything I should without being overly wordy. Oh yeah. Was that wordy enough for you?? As you may have guessed, that is one of my weaknesses.

I do love the design and drafting process. I am excited to try and bring some of my designs into pattern form and share with other quilters, but I know that I won't be satisfied to put out an inferior product. I KNOW there's no such thing as perfection, would never hope to attempt it, but I do believe that one can provide a superior product if given the time, consideration and discerning eye. I hope to, at the very least, achieve something that other people will enjoy making, won't have too much trouble interpreting and will be happy to recommend to others. Is that realistic?? I've already dedicated much time, and know that there is much more work to do before that happens, but I am ready to keep pushing on, have deadlines and specific goals toward which I am working and hope to have something tangible to share with you all before too much longer. 

Oh, and if there is anyone out there who would be interested in proofing a draft or trying his/her hand at pattern-testing by all means drop me a line and I'll be happy to work with you!! Just sayin'... :-)

WIP Wed. 3/26/14

I am still getting my footing returning to sewing. Atlas and I have been gradually upping the time at the sewing machine and he even accompanied me to the studio over the weekend! First time since his injury!

But it's slow going. And how come it's so hard to concentrate with an injured pup looming over me? I mean, he's doing loads better, doesn't need that much attention, but somehow I still cannot help giving him the attention. And J keep reminding me that we've only had him since December and yet SO MUCH has occurred. Rehabilitation will take time.

So, we move forward. And get back to projects. Like my do.Good Stitches commitments:

March blocks based on the Rugby Stripe block by Teaginny.

Collection of the blocks from January (some of which I finished Tuesday afternoon to make one more row), based on the Converging Corners tutorial from Film in the Fridge.

I've also been working on finishing the quilting on a quilt from last year. Quilting was finished Tuesday morning, and binding chosen and cut that afternoon...

Obviously I need to take out a few little tucks back there, but otherwise I am hoping the little gathers blend in once this guy is washed.

There's been less progress with the paper-piecing, though I've done just a few over the last week or two on both the chuppah project and the The Creative Bungalow sample.

And today will mark the first day that both J and I are *supposed* to be at work full days since the pup's injury. However J took pity on my anxious self and is planning to go into work late so that Atlas' alone time will be closer to 5 hours than 8 hours. And this time HE will be the last one out the door and the first one back home. Ha!

Okay, linking up at Lee's blog for WIP Wednesday. Been a while but glad to take part again! Check them out!

Shot Cotton Love

Do I really need to say it? The Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons produced by his manufacturing company Rowan are some of my favorite fabrics to work with, and certainly my favorite "solids".

What makes shot cottons so rich (besides the unique colors within Kaffe's own palette) is the combination of different colors used for the warp and weft threads in the woven fabrics. Meaning that when the cloth is woven the threads going vertically are dyed a different color than the threads going horizontally.

close-up of Rowan Shot Cotton - Blueberry

Plus they have a beautiful hand. Because of the looser weave and not going through a screen-printing process they have a softness and flow to them that most quilter's cottons do not (though the industry is changing!). 

When Cherie and I were first discussing the launch of The Creative Bungalow (even before it had a name) and deciding between potential fabric lines with which to plan projects there was a suggestion of finding something to do with shot cottons. It stayed on the back burner while we went ahead with our plans for the Art Gallery fabric combination we are so excited about, but after a visit to E.E. Schenck, a local quilting and sewing wholesale warehouse, we came across some inspiration.

As with so many other things that were put on hold this past month while I was tending the injured pup any pursuance of this project halted temporarily. But then I was able to step into my favorite fabric store again after being away for nearly a full month (this also being my job) with the exceptional selection of shot cottons that Marie carries at Cool Cottons on SE Hawthorne! My inspiration soared and I couldn't wait to put together a stunning array of colors to test with a very cool Carolyn Friedlander pattern we found, Sessoms.

Now, I am still very much in the testing stage for this project, but so far we are thinking it has some serious potential! here are a few test blocks I did earlier this week:

We'll likely be trying out another background color to compare the two, but for now this is what is going forward. Isn't that lovely?? I can't wait to see how more of the blocks turn out!

Inertia

As J has been known to say, "Inertia inerts." Yep, when the forces of momentum let up and activity slows down it often leads toward even deeper inactivity. This is just one of the basic laws of physics.

Though there are ways to combat this, sometimes it must run its course awaiting the proper energy to jump start back into action. And sometimes that just takes a while.

When it became painfully clear that I truly would be housebound for an indefinite amount of time due to Atlas' injuries, I did what I could to bring some of my sewing projects back home from the studio. Ones that don't require selecting more fabrics from the stash or too much room to spread out. I brought my portable sewing table up from the basement and set up in a corner of the guest bedroom.

A very different setting than I've become accustomed to. At least I have a couple of windows here!

And those blocks pictured above are holdovers from last August's Bliss Circle of the do. Good Stitches bee. At least they have now become a top.

No massive design wall here with neutral paint color as the backdrop. Instead it's my IKEA duvet cover that gets the honors. Transitions, I'm tellin' ya!

I also brought home all of the most recent Bliss Circle blocks to start arranging and get that top pieced in the upcoming week. That may be the first time I potentially finish a bee quilt top within a month of the host month AND with all of the blocks received. But it's not together yet, so I shouldn't count the chickens...

Using the Film in the Fridge tutorial for her Converging Corners log cabin blocks.

I have a couple of other projects at home with me... a small throw I had started to quilt before the holidays and had set aside, as well as dragging out the final details on the memory quilts (hanging sleeves on 2 of the 3).

And then of course there is the task of finishing a couple of my patterns that I will hopefully find someone to pattern-test for me soon. I'll write more on that soon! With the amount that I've been in front of the computer and the television you'd think I'd at least be doing some blogging or something, but when one has a craft related blog and one is NOT working on that craft, it's hard. So, I'll end on a positive note.

Atlas is spending a lot more time up on all fours, and having destroyed the cone collar he's actually been really good about not licking at the wounded leg much, which is wonderful. I think he learned that each time he did, the collar went back on (when it was intact). He's a smart little guy, and seems to be on the road to recovery. And oh boy does he want to go outside and romp!!

Blogging is hard...

... but sometimes life is a bit harder.

In the scheme of things, I have NOTHING to complain about. The Creative Bungalow may have its first pre-sale — to a friend who underwent her first chemo treatment just today. I've been thinking of her and am eager to read HER next blog update.

I have been able to get some quality personal sewing time in — to finish up the memory quilts I am working on for my aunt.

And I have also been able to revisit some long-abandoned UFOs that as far as I know have no negative attachments.

And this is what the last week or so has provided.

And then we had a little emergency with the new pup. It can be so hard to keep the "professional" stuff from the personal stuff sometimes. If you've taken a look at this blog during this year (and I mean calendar year) you are hopefully familiar with our dear Atlas. He is such a sweet guy! But this weekend he had a traumatic experience, as did I. At the off-leash dog park a friendly meeting turned very quickly into an aggressive battle. We don't know who started the aggression, both dogs had jaws around the other, we got in and separated them as soon as physically possible, but it was Atlas who ended up with several injuries including a severely broken leg. 

And here I have to give props to the couple who was there, whose dog was also involved. They responded with heart, graciousness and helped us in the best way possible. Atlas and I had walked to the park, had no car, and my being a bit in shock they tracked down open veterinary emergency rooms on a Sunday afternoon, called ahead, and one of them drove Atlas and me to the hospital across town while the other stayed at the park in the waning light with their dog.

And after almost 2 days, MUCH stress, many calls with the vet hospital, we have dear Atlas home with all 4 limbs intact. Okay, so one is being held together with a couple of surgical pins and stuff, but that's better than many alternatives!! And here's our sweet boy back at home and resting calmly in his crate at home for the first time since we first tried crating him:

The little conehead all groggy on pain meds...

So that's the silver lining... he's home with his new family, resting "comfortably", and making no fuss about being in the crate! We're also hoping to use this opportunity to introduce the back stairwell out to the back yard (the stairwell he has not ventured on at all in the 2 months he's lived here) while we are literally carrying him down stairs for a few days to a couple of weeks.

So, while Atlas is crate-bound for a few weeks, I may be homebound during that time and have to make adjustments to my workspaces. Something tells me that there may be a sewing machine back on the dining room table before too long! If only!

Much love and peace to you all.

Introducing "The Creative Bungalow" Quilt Studio

It's not as if I have loads of free time that I have no idea what to do. To be fair I do have more free time than many, but there's always something I COULD be working on for Surrounded by Scraps. But several months ago a friend approached me and asked if I'd be interested in joining her in a little venture.

We had met a few years back while working at the same quilt shop (after both having worked at different places in the region, overlapping several coworkers along the way) and managed to stay in touch to an extent after leaving. In the last year or so we started connecting more often to have sew days and work on projects and meet for drinks and/or shopping adventures. Along the way we seem to have learned that our tastes are similar enough to bounce ideas off of one another, but not so much that we don't each bring a slightly different perspective to the table.

Cherie had the idea of working toward a kitting business. Quilters know that kits come in all shapes and sizes, styles and combinations, fully fleshed out and just the hint of a suggestion. We both happen to love to put together our own fabrics so therefore are not terribly inclined to actually purchase kits, but in our retail experiences have put together quilt kits for other companies. And we both love the process! And if I do say so myself, we're pretty darn good at it, too! Or so I've been told.

We each have established business entities for our own quilting and design endeavors. We've both been working in retail for several years, mostly within the quilting and fabric industries and are perpetually inspired by what is out there and available to design with.

But I think we also are both looking at the kits on the market and thinking, "is this something that I (or someone in my quilt group/guild) would purchase?" I would guess, and I stress that this is truly just a guess, that about 90% of the quilt kits available fall into at least one of 3 categories: 1.) traditional, 2.) all-batik / applique, 3.) pulling from one single fabric collection. We are hoping to fill a hole in this market... unique kits geared toward more modern patterns that combine fabrics by several different designers in a still cohesive group.

For our first run we are getting the opportunity to work with Art Gallery Fabrics. For those of you who are not familiar, it is a relatively young fabric manufacturing company helmed by Pat and Walter Bravo that uses the most luxuriant greige goods (the base fabric after weaving before printing/dying) among quilter's cottons. Pat Bravo is one of the original in house designers for the company, but they are currently working with a number of talented designers, many of whose names are well-known in the blogging and sewing world (Jeni Baker - In Color Order; Angela Walters - Quilting is my Therapy; Bari J. Ackerman).

Cherie and I selected 20 fabrics to start with, most of which have arrived on our doorstep.

They are being arranged and rearranged to go with the patterns we've selected to begin kitting (sneak peek above), and we are also putting together some fat quarter bundles while we await the balance of our fabric order to complete the kits. The Fat Quarter bundles are currently available in our NEW ETSY SHOP, also titled The Creative Bungalow.

There will be much more to the reveal in upcoming weeks. Cherie is putting the finishing touches on our first quilt sample, I am doing some further edits on an original pattern and the creation of a logo is underway. We are excited about what is ahead and hope to see many of you on the road along the way!