Rashida Coleman-Hale has made this adorable Valentine, based on a project from the book she compiled, Zakka Style. This little message board is such a sweet way to share  correspondences of the heart with your loved ones.

Click here to read more about it on Rashida’s blog. But before you head over there, we have a special fabric giveaway for you right here!

To enter to win this precut fabric roll from our friends at Windham Fabrics—Flower Bucket designed by Genevieve Gail, leave a comment here telling us about the best Valentine’s gift you’ve ever given or received. Deadline to enter is Thursday, 2/9/12 and the winner will be notified by email. Good luck!

My friends would say I’m more of a traditional quilter than a modern quilter. I mean, my favorite block has always been Log Cabin! But, hold on, once I saw the book, Modern Blocks, I was hooked. So for Christmas, instead of making my friends Log Cabin potholders, I thought I’d change it up and find a couple of exciting new blocks. One criteria: they had to be easy to make—no points to worry about or seams to match.

Enter Gailen (our Creative Director here at C&T). There’s nothing we like to do more than help each other plan projects! We browsed the book and I settled on Missing Your Kiss by Penny Michelle Layman. When I showed my co-worker, Alison, she loved the graphic X’s and commented, “I wonder if you could find some O’s.” Yes! Pebble Beach by Cheryl Malkowski fit the bill nicely. I loved the theme of sending X’s and O’s to my friends in Florida for them to cook with a little of my love!

On a side note, when I made the X’s block (“Missing Your Kiss”), I found an error in the instructions. Bummer. The green border needs to be cut 1-1/4″ x 11″, not 1-1/4″ x 10 1/2″. Aargh, we triple check our instructions—first the author/designer, then the technical editor, then a second tech editor. But occasionally something gets by all of us. It can be very frustrating, especially to a perfectionist like me. But did you know we have a section on our website that lists corrections and updates to our books? We want our readers to be as successful as possible, so we post errors that we find (or a reader finds and sends in) here on the C&T Publishing website.

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all! Enjoy these free patterns of the two quilt blocks (click on the block titles above to download). Let your imagination run wild and keep me posted as to what you make. If you do make potholders, line them with our Insul-Fleece. It’s great stuff.

XX OO — Teresa

From sewgreen.blogspot.com

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, so I thought we’d do a little round-up of Valentine sewing projects from the blogosphere…because we don’t do the store-bought thing for our loved ones!

From lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com

From sew-whats-new.com

From happytogethercreates.com

From dollsfromtheloft.blogspot.com

From quiltobsession.wordpress.com

From aplaceforamy.blogspot.com

Have a happy Valentine’s Day!

The beginnings of my January block based on the "Uneven Coins" quilt in the "Modern Block Party" book

When I first came to work at C&T Publishing last year, I saw quilts and bits of quilts everywhere in the office. The “bits” were all part of C&T staffers’ own modern quilting bee, The Buzz, that I just had t0 join!

If you haven’t experienced a quilting bee for yourself, you can read about the basics in Block Party—The Modern Quilting Bee by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks.  I got hooked on The Buzz after reading this post by our Design Manager, Kristy, who started our group after working on the design for Alissa and Kristen’s book.

Kristy asked us if we had any great quilting bee experiences to share on this blog. Hmm, there have been so many for me…but what could I share?

Could it be the fun fabrics I’ve gotten to work with as a part of Bee Happy, an in-person bee made up of Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild members that began in March of 2010?

Fun red & aqua prints

Could it be learning new things?

How NOT to line up your points!

Could it be having a little fun embellishing a block with embroidery?

Embroidered flowers on a fabric windowbox

Could it be getting (and giving) cute little gifts with your block?

A "Play Hooky" pencil

Could it be getting enough blocks for a fantastic bed-sized quilt?

Unquilted top of blocks made by my fellow Bee Happy bees (and a few of my own)

Really, the best part of being in a quilting bee is something no photograph can really show – the friendships. I now live many miles from my Bee Happy friends (having moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area to work here), but we’re still  in regular contact, mailing fabrics and blocks, sharing tips and stories, making quilts in secret together via mail for members’ new baby bees, and encouraging each other when we’ve had a rough sewing day or a rough real-world week.

A quilt for baby Emma, made of Elizabeth Hartman's "Mod Mosaic" blocks. Photo courtesy of Janice Ryan.

Every month I look forward to what new block I get to make for The Buzz, and I get to know each month’s Queen Bee better in the process!

To find other online quilting bees who are looking for new members, check out this Flickr group for information about new online bees starting up. Visit the Modern Quilt Guild site to see if there’s a guild in your area that you can join and meet new friends in person. I am making lots of new friends since relocating because I joined both the Bay Area Modern Quilting Guild and the East Bay Modern Quilting Guild. Stay tuned for more of my posts about what’s happening at these two guilds!

Carnation and Cerise

Where do you find color inspiration for your quilting and sewing projects? Maybe in fashion, in the blogosphere, in nature, in books, in other people’s homes, in store displays, in advertising?

As we continue our color adventure with Kaufman Kona Solids (see first post in this series), we’d like to inspire some good old-fashioned love.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with carnation and cerise  inspiration, a darling project, and you might win a Moda Jelly Roll.

This post is almost sticky with sweetness!

From Babibloomers.com

From emmalinebride.com

From hostessblog.com

From mooseyscountrygarden.com

From paviyarns.co.uk

From 5fingerrunningshoes.com

Stash Books author, Jessica Levitt, created this adorable Valentine Hummingbird dress last year…click here for her free tutorial. As cute as this hummingbird is on a girl’s dress, wouldn’t it be darling on a t-shirt, sweater, or tote?

 And now for the giveaway!

"Amelia" by Me and My Sister

Enter to win this yummy Moda Jelly Roll…just leave a comment here telling us which Moda fabric designers you love the most! Deadline to enter is Sunday, 1/29/12. The winner will be notified by email. Good Luck!

I’ve seen so many cute handmade needle cases out there lately, so I decided to design one for myself the other night. I’ve been storing my needles in my pincushions, but you know how hard it is to find the one you need that way. This needle case was super quick and easy to make!

Supplies  (my measurements are approximate):
Two 5″ felt squares – one for the front cover and one for the back cover
One  4.5″ square of cotton fabric to line the front cover
One  4.5″ square of fusible web
Four 4″ felt squares for the pages
Scrap felt and/or an appliqué
Needle and embroidery floss to match the cover color

First stack and stitch the four inside pages together with a whip stitch around the left edges and set aside (this pic below shows the inside pages tucked in between the covers to show how the floss matches…cute!)

Cut shapes from your scrap felt (I cut two freehand leaves) and stitch them in place on the front cover. For my little dragonfly, I made a few small stitches with plain white thread to attach it on top of the leaves. Use an iron to adhere the liner fabric to the inside of the front cover with the fusible web in between. This hides the backside of your stitches on the front cover.  Sandwich the front and back cover around the stack of inside pages and bind them all together with a few french knots and alternating straight stitches (click the picture at the top of this post to zoom in) – come up from the back for the first knot at the top, and then tie off the last stitch on the back when you get to the bottom of your spine. Insert your needles and done!

Now for the giveaway…our friends at National Nonwovens provided two bundles of gorgeous wool felt fat quarters – one filled with brights and another filled with dusty muted tones. We’ll pick a winner for each – to enter, just leave a comment here telling us what you want to make with wool felt. Have you seen all the great felt projects in Fanciful Felties from mummysam or For the Love of Hand Stitching with Jan Constantine? There are some super cute ideas for felt in Little Birds, too!

 Deadline to enter is Sunday, 1/22/12. Good luck!

As C&T Publishing continues to grow (the launch of Stash Books was a big one, but we also have new endeavors in our gift and ancillary lines as well as our ebook and other e-offerings), we need new things… new ways of doing things and looking at things, new processes, new people, new shoes. (I threw that last one in there because new shoes are always nice.)

The “new way of doing things” I’m starting with is my search for a new Acquisitions Editor. I’ve posted the ad in the expected publishing-related job web sites, but I think that’s going to miss the mark. I need to find someone who gets us. Someone intimately involved in our quilting and sewing industry. So I’m talking to contacts and getting the word out. Most importantly, I’m posting to this blog.

If you think you might want to be part of our team, please check out the job description here. While you’re there, check out our listings for Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Designer, Manufacturing/Purchasing Manager, and Photo Stylists… I told you we are growing!!

I’m one of those weird people who love change and I can’t wait to see what’s next! I’ll keep you posted…

We’ve been working on a new book coming out this May called We Love Color, featuring projects using Kona Solids from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. So we thought it would be fun to use the Kona palette to spark some blog posts about finding color inspiration.

Amber (top) and Apricot

It’s one thing to see the colors of the fabrics and think about what you might like to use…but when you see the colors in “real life”, not necessarily in another fabric project, but anywhere and everywhere…well, wow! Doesn’t it add so much more to the experience of choosing colors? I know some colors don’t really excite me so much until I see them in action.

So let’s pick a pair of analogous Kona colors and go on a little expedition and hopefully you’ll be reminded that color inspiration for your work can strike any place, any time!

Today we’ll see the world through Amber and Apricot colored lenses. Click the image to visit the website where it comes from…and if you’re using Pinterest to keep track of color inspiration…go ahead and pin it!

From illuminatingfossils.wordpress.com

From bostonfoodandwhine.com

From cournoyeaspoodles.com

From thisoldhouse.com

From baroquesicily.com

From learnhowtomakebeer.com

From allways4you.com

From veganyumyum.com

From fashion.about.com

"City Bank" by Cherri House

The holidays are over and we know you’re antsy to make your first quilt of the new year. Here’s a free pattern to get your mojo going for 2012.

This quilt, City Bank from City Quilts, is easy and so striking. Author Cherri House designed this quilt with super-simple blocks made from strips and no border—just a binding.  Click here to download this free pattern from PatternSpot.com.

Happy 2012!

Sue Kim is the author of Bags—The Modern Classics. Her book has patterns and instructions for 19 bags and 75 variations – definitely something for everyone! We asked her a few questions so you all can get to know her a little better…

What was your career prior to being a designer?
I was a teacher’s assistant. I made my first bags and patterns in July 2007.

What inspired you to make a career of designing patterns?
It was mostly my passion for sewing and the happiness I felt after finishing a project that drove me to consider making a career of my designs. When I finish sewing an item, I feel elated and feel a need to start something new. As my creations started to build up, the thought occurred to me that they may bring others the same happiness I felt. Thus, I Think Sew was born.

How has your artistry changed over the years?
I have developed the ability to be more time-efficient in making new patterns and creations. So the rate at which my products are made are much faster than when I first started.

What is your favorite aspect of your artistry and your community?
My favorite aspect is that my designs are not just beautiful, but also user-friendly. I really like that I am able to share my creations with other people. My favorite aspect of my community is when customers and followers blog or send in photos of their finished items.

What is your favorite design and why?
My favorite designs are always the newest ones! I have a kind of expiration date set in mind; so when a project passes a certain period, it doesn’t look that great to me anymore. This is probably why I am so productive in releasing new patterns.

What new projects are on the horizon for you?
I’m currently thinking about making a new line for everything pre-teen girls need. Some items include simple dresses, bags, aprons, etc. I would also like to create embroidery patterns.

Thanks Sue! 

Visit our Flickr gallery to see some of the projects in the book. We hope you find just the right bag…after all, they say the bag makes the outfit, right? Happy sewing!