The Quilt Block Cookbook

Hello and welcome to my turn on The Quilt Block Cookbook by Amy Gibson blog hop!

I am a big fan of Amy's bold, bright, mix up style and knew I would love her new book, particularly as the title itself is so inviting. Cook books and quilt books are my favourite books so combining the 2 had my interest at hello.

Amy opens her book with a list of 'ingredients' - basic blocks that will become the basis to all her 'recipe' bigger blocks. These 25 block pieces become all the ingredients you will need to combine in different ways to make the larger blocks. Genius and simple!

Having taken us through all the 50 recipe blocks Amy then introduces us to her selection of quilts using them. Her sampler quilts show us fresh new ways to combine blocks in really interesting and appealing layouts. A sign of a good quilt book is flicking through and wanting to make everything you see. This is that book.

These 2 sampler quilts, above and below, are case in point. I am in love with both the use of block colour in the quilt above and piecing the blocks on point in the quilt below. So fresh and modern and eye catching.

Another aspect of the book that I absolutely love is the section at the end entitled Perfect Pairings. Again Amy has taken a simple idea of combining 2 blocks together to create really striking quilts. 

It is this idea that I wanted to have a quick try of. I chose Pumpkin Pie block and combined it with a simple plus block, threw them both in the Layout App and voila, instant gratification! 

I have so many of Amy's blocks on my making wishlist, along with her ideas of piecing sampler quilts. I know I will come back to this cook book time and time again and it will become a firm favourite, but thankfully without the usual crumbs and food ingredients that mar my usual cook books!

Thanks for stopping by and if you would like to read more about the book go visit this wonderful line up...

Monday, September 5	Angela Pingel	angelapingel.com
Tuesday, September 6	Aneela Hoey	http://comfortstitching.typepad.co.uk/comfortstitching/
Wednesday, September 7	Joanne Avery	http://www.mybearpaw.com/
Thursday, September 8	AnneMarie Chany	www.genxquilters.com
Friday, September 9	Amy Smart	www.diaryofaquilter.com
Monday, September 12	April Rosenthal	www.aprilrosenthal.com
Tuesday, September 13	Amy Friend	http://duringquiettime.com/
Wednesday, September 14	Lee Monroe	www.maychappell.com
Thursday, September 15	Faith Jones	www.freshlemonsquilts.com
Friday, September 16	Lee Heinrich	www.freshlypieced.com
Monday, September 19	Karen Lewis	karenlewistextiles.com
Tuesday, September 20	Nicole Daksiewicz	www.modernhandcraft.com
Wednesday, September 21	Kari Vojtechovsky	craft-happy.blogspot.com
Thursday, September 22	Amy Sinibaldi	nanaCompany.typepad.com
Friday, September 23	Allison Harris	www.cluckclucksew.com
Monday, September 26	Stephanie Palmer	www.latenightquilter.com
Tuesday, September 27	Erica Arndt	www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com

Quick & Easy Quilts Giveaway Winner

Thank you all for entering Lynne's giveaway. Unfortunately there can only be one winner...

"Love the quilt! I love so many of the quilts I've seen from this book-- some are hard to believe are quick and easy (love when they look so hard, but really they aren't!) Thank you!"

by Sarah J...congrats Sarah! Please email me and I will arrange for the book to be sent to you.

Thanks to all for your kind comments about the quilt I made from the book. It is now complete and ready to go back to Uni with No.1 son on Saturday.

Don't forget to follow the rest of the blog tour. There are more giveaways so go try your luck at one of them!

Prismatic Echoes Quilt...

One of the first things I did when I got my stash of Blueberry Park was make this quilt for Robert Kaufman. I wanted to do a quilt that incorporated the whole collection. This was a tricky feat for me as I normally work in a limited colour palette and because my collection is a mahoosive 75 fabrics big (ridiculous I know!) it was a real challenge for me to design something to include them all.

I had designed the pattern a while before and started sewing some of the blocks without being wholly clear on how I was going to piece it all together. Do you do that? I do it all the time but that's because I am not a good planner. I like to see where a quilt takes me. As the process went on I had a clearer idea of where it was going and eventually it morphed into this.

It actually turned out very differently from what was originally in my head but I was really pleased with the outcome...particularly as it was my very first quilt pieced with my very first collection (she says like it's the first of many...) with Robert Kaufman.

The quilt pictured here isn't actually the one I made. This one was made by Craftsy and is almost identical to mine apart from the fun scrappy binding they stitched. I love that!

The quilt has been made into a kit and is available here from Craftsy. The kit includes all the fabrics to make the front and the binding as well as a PDF pattern to follow. The quilt could be constructed in so many different ways and if you make it I would love to see! Either tag me in on Instagram @karenlewistextiles and add a hashtag or two... #karenlewistextiles #prismaticechoesquilt #blueberryparkfabric

2015...a review

2015 was a hellava year...it was the year I became a fabric designer. 

To be fair, or accurate, I already was a fabric designer, small scale, nothing fancy, designing and printing my fabric panels for my own use and lots of you lovelies out there. But 2015 was the year that I officially became a fabric designer with my launch collection, Blueberry Park with Robert Kaufman.

That really set the tone for the whole year since it was back in January 2015 that I started to design the collection and almost a whole year later in November when it was released for you all to buy. 2015 will forever be remembered as a memorable year. A year on living this process on a daily basis I am honoured, flattered, humbled and beyond excited about quite where I am and what I am doing. I am pretty sure professionally it can't get much better than this. 

2015 wasn't just about the fabric, I had such highs in other areas too. I had an amazing year with countless magazine quilt projects. That is one thing I will also never tire of or become immune to. Seeing my work in glossy print is such a buzz every single time. I think at one time I had about 5 projects one after the other after the other, and all in and amongst the bubble of the collection getting ready, but the pressure of that still made it all nothing short of a joy...

...and there was more! Back to my love of screen printing and running workshops, 2015 was a wonderful year. I had some really great workshops at my home with some amazing enthusiastic printers and I also travelled near and far to teach, which was such a buzz. I was welcomed in Huddersfield...twice...Scotland...twice...Wales...once and even over in Copenhagen. Every group was just fantastic...so much fun.

On a personal level we had the high of moving house at the end of 2015 and discovering that we all love living in the country. We moved for the house. We fancied a change and it just so happened that we fell in love with where it was too and I can't wait for 2016 to unfold and see what adventures we get up to here.

It has been an unbelievable year. Professionally the best...personally some deep lows thrown in to test our resilience. But it isn't about that here other than it was a big part of what 2015 was and can't be missed out.

2015 was amazing...January is a time for reflection and planning and if I am going to stand any chance of 2016 being half as good I need to do just that...reflect and plan. I hope you will be with me on my journey and let's see where it takes us. I couldn't and can't do it without you.

xox

magic!

Don't you just love it when you discover something really clever that is really simple?

I am quite a lazy quilter...there I have said it...in the sense that I like things to be done quickly. I'm impatient what can I say! It's probably why I like simple piecing.

I am pretty lazy when it comes to pressing too...it's time I could be sewing quite frankly. The downside to that is that it actually takes me longer to sew the pieces together in the first place as I have to align things up more carefully. The conclusion is, there is no such thing as a short cut!

However I was intrigued when I came across this link on Pinterest of Tips for Flatter Blocks.

It is brilliant!

I have never had such flat blocks!

And sewing them together was a breeze, which is no mean feat when most of them were on the bias.

Go check it out for yourself and you will be pleased you did!

And while we are at it...what are your Go To magic tips for making quilting easier? I would love to know!

venturing North...

Firstly let me wish you a very Happy New year.

2015 is full of promise of an array of very exciting things...which is a good job as it hasn't started all that clever.

My dear Grandma passed away last week after not having the strength to recover from falling and breaking her hip on Christmas Day. Whilst she was 96 and had a wonderful life - she was married to my Grandad for 72 years...I can't even imagine that!...and between them had 3 daughters, 8 grand-children and 17 great grand-children - she was my beloved Grandma and shall be sorely missed.

Grandma gave me my love of sewing so this year, with all I have lined up already, will be done with her at my heart and with her proudly looking down and cheering me on as if she was here.

One thing I have lined up that I am very excited about, is a weekend of workshops and An Evening with Karen Lewis at My Bearpaw and Edinburgh Modern Quilt Guild.

I won't tell you about the workshops as apparently they are all sold out already...wow, thank you Edinburgh!

However, if you would like to come and hear my story about my journey to where I am, I would love to see you! For more details and to book a ticket go right here.

This year is set to be full of adventure and excitement and that, my friends, is what life is all about.

Happy 2015 and l'chaim x

a little history...

 I first started to design my own fabrics so I could use them in my work, to make it more identifiable as mine. 

[Jo @frankieandray]

My business was taking off and I was beginning to sell my work to shops and galleries. I was using some beautiful fabrics but I felt they were recognised as the work of the fabric designer rather than as me.

[Caroline @nightingalequilts]]

I also felt that by designing my own fabrics it gave my products a cohesive feel to my whole collection of work.

[Gretchen @simplygeometric]

It wasn't long after I started designing and printing my own fabrics that I started to get enquiries from people wanting to buy my fabrics to use in their own projects. This was a complete shocker to me as this wasn't initially why I started designing. People wanted my fabrics? Weird!

[Victoria Holder @sewgoclimbing]

And then this side of my business grew and grew...and grew...and grew! 

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

It has become the thing I love most about designing fabric...seeing the amazing work that all of you do with it. It gives me the biggest buzz of all to see such beautiful work with my fabric.

[Donna @themodernmaker]

The fact that you wanted to buy it in the first place, spending your fabric budget on my fabric when there are so many Must Have collections about, and then making truly remarkable things, honestly it blows me away.

[Rebecca @greenandbell]

It is funny how things turn out, where our journey goes. I am not one for planning. I work fairly organically moving on from one thing and seeing how it develops and I certainly didn't envisage this!

[Adrianne @adrianneonthewindyside]

Thank you each and every one of you for buying and using my fabric in such interesting and original ways. Whether it is a little addition to other fabrics you are using or a full on Karen Lewis Textiles product, it makes me very happy! I will keep designing if you keep making and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

If you want to see more makes out there check out the hashtag #karenlewistextiles on Instagram and also go back to check the old hashtag #blueberryparkmakes

Quilting...and a giveaway...

One of the reasons for the change of name with my business is due to my actual name being in print.

If you have followed me from Blueberry Park you will be well aware of my book, Screen Printing at Home, that came out in the summer and also seen various projects that I have been commissioned for in Love patchwork & Quilting magazine.

Seeing my name in print more and more and seeing Blueberry Park less and less was the start of sewing the seed for me for the need to change.

It is time to hold my head up and embrace being me rather than hiding behind a label.

I have been loving all the commissions I have been lucky enough to score for LP&Q and this latest one, made with Cotton and Steel fabrics, alongside my own, was such a joy to make.

It came home yesterday and I was so pleased to see it!

When it came home 3 copies of Issue 15 that it is in accompanied it and what better way to start my new blog than to offer you a giveaway!

I will post these 3, accompanied by some of my fabrics that I used to make the quilt...and maybe a selection of others...because I have probably run out of most of the ones in the quilt!

I will ship anywhere in the world, all I ask is that you are a follower of my new blog. Just leave a comment, any comment, to enter and I will draw 3 lucky winners on Saturday.

Good luck and thanks for being here!

xxx