Stash Books Blog

Three days of non-stop sewing!

by Alison Schmidt on March 10th, 2012

From Friday, February 24th to Sunday the 26th, members of the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild sewed, sewed, and sewed some more! No chores, no cooking, no cleaning, just creating!

We took over the Los Gatos Lodge – we had a big conference room with plenty of power for all our sewing machines and irons, and the hotel rooms, pool, and restaurant were all just steps away.

Look at what we made:

Adrianne was using the “shades of grey” fabrics donated to the Modern Quilt Guild by Daisy Janie, a new organic line of quilting cottons, as part of a challenge for mixing the all-grey prints with other fabrics. I’ve seen some very colorful results popping up at guild meetings.

She also made some huge Swoon blocks from the pattern by Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms. Doesn’t Aneela Hoey‘s Little Apples fabric look great here?

Posted in Inspiration, Miscellaneous | 1 Comment

Seaside Home—a new book giveaway!

by Teresa Stroin on March 6th, 2012

"Porthole Beach Ball" designed by Latifah Saafir

Doesn’t my co-worker Kerry’s son, Trenton, have a cute smile? The pattern for the ball he’s holding can be found in Seaside Home, the newest addition to the Design Collective series. I was the Technical Editor on the book. When I wanted to verify that the patterns were correct, I had a choice: make the ball out of paper or make it out of fabric. Fabric won and now I love it when a co-worker’s child comes in and plays with the ball.

This book is chock-full of fun sewing projects, from quilts to banners and napkin holders, to a beach bag and a hermit crab. Definitely something for everyone!

The other project I made was this hat.

"Seashore Sunhat" designed by Jona Giammalva

Again, I could have made the hat from vellum, but didn’t I need a sunhat anyway?! It’s a great pattern with a big brim. I’ve never made a hat before, so I know that if I can do it, anyone can. The directions in this book are step-by-step and well-illustrated.

I’m done technical editing the book, but not done making things from it! The next project I’m planning is this wallhanging. We have a cabin on a lake with a rocky beach. It’ll be perfect there.

"Pebble Stack Wallhanging" by Deborah O'Hare

Then I’m going to tackle the Beach Crab Pillow, and then the Deep Waters Quilt, and then, and then . . . . . . Oh, I love the seaside and, as the book’s introduction says, “Who doesn’t?”

Click here to see more projects from this book. Now for the giveaway – one lucky reader will win a copy of Seaside Home. To enter to win, leave a comment here on the blog telling us which seaside locale you love the most. The deadline is Sunday, March 11, 2012; the winner will be contacted via email and listed here with an update to this post.

For an extra entry, sign in to your Amazon account and hit the “like” button for this book. Then come back here to enter a second comment saying you did so. Good luck!

3/12/12 UPDATE: Congratulations to our random winner, Mary-“I can see lots of great projects to be inspired by in that book. My favorite would have to be Santa Barbara, CA.”

Posted in Contests & Giveaways | 100 Comments

Sulky thread giveaway!

by Lisa Fulmer on March 4th, 2012

Our friends at Sulky have provided some of their fabulous Slimline Storage Box thread packs…and you have a chance to win one! We’re giving two lucky winners either the Embroidery Starter Pack or the Quilter’s Starter Pack. To enter to win, leave a comment here telling us which colors/types of threads are your favorites to work with. Deadline to enter is 3/11/12 – good luck!

3/12/12 UPDATE: Congratulations to the winners of this giveaway:

Karen Schultz – “I love to machine quilt with variegated colors, but love so many different colors it’s hard to say which is my favorite. I would enjoy the “Quilter’s Starter Pack” since I do a lot of quilting. Thank you!”

and

Florence: “I like variegated threads…choose one color? Impossible! Thank you for the giveaway!

Posted in Contests & Giveaways | 204 Comments

Color inspiration—shades of green

by Lisa Fulmer on February 28th, 2012

Kaufman color card swatch

Wow…so many shades of green in between the blues and the browns, aren’t there?

These are just some of the delicious Kona Solids from Robert Kaufman Fabrics that get me in the mood for sewing a new table runner for the spring…but how in the world can I narrow this selection down to a few analogous hues for a project? Someone once said it’s not easy being green…

The Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool came to my rescue. After flipping through the green families of cards, I decided I liked the Chartreuse group the best, because I love the olive-y greens. Their golden yellow neighbors and those complementary violets will be great accents, too.

I really like this 10″ block that was used for the Little Man baby quilt in Simplify with Camille Roskelley. A strip of these blocks using all solids will make a perfect table runner…now to plot my colors so the finished project has a nice graphic look. Fingers crossed I come back with something decent to share with you in another month or so!

Posted in Inspiration | 1 Comment

Whimsical Leprechaun Bag

by Tristan Gallagher on February 25th, 2012

Accessorizing for St. Patrick’s day seems like a no-brainer…wear green and maybe pin a shamrock on your blouse. Why not take it a step further and make a special bag for the day?

It’s a fun and whimsical day for my family. A few silly things might happen at home, like green oatmeal for breakfast or shockingly green toilet water in the bathroom—but the stories the kids bring home from school always give us a chuckle. They tell us about the exciting havoc of green footprints, hidden belongings, moved desks, and chocolate coins thrown about. And their homework for the day before…make Leprechaun traps!

Since I’m Irish and my son was even born on March 17th, it goes without saying that St. Patrick’s Day does not get overlooked around our house. So making this accessory is a must, and whimsical chaos is my inspiration. This bag is easy, fun, and ready for you to make! Shape-Flex gives the walls of your bag extra stability and using fast2fuse helps keep the bottom of your bag flat after you load it up. Read More »

Posted in Free Projects, Inspiration | 3 Comments

Big news…QuiltCon!

by Megan Scott on February 20th, 2012

We are thrilled to be one of the platinum sponsors for QuiltCon—the first-ever national conference and show of The Modern Quilt Guild!

Elizabeth Hartman

QuiltCon will take place February 21-24, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Registration to attend begins in August – click here to join their email list to stay in the loop. QuiltCon will attract modern quilters from around the world and feature Denyse Schmidt as the keynote speaker. Also in attendance will be top modern quilting instructors, including best-selling Stash Books author Elizabeth Hartman and C&T Publishing authors Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.

Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

If that’s not exciting enough, there will also be a juried modern quilt show with cash prizes, plenty of vendors for shopping, lectures and workshops from top modern quilters, and more.

“It became obvious to us that the next step for our Modern Quilt Guild members was to offer an event that was custom-tailored for them,” said Latifah Safir, co-founder and board member of MQG. Alissa Haight Carlton, co-founder and president of MQG adds, “No other quilt conference or show offers the complete experience for modern quilters. We hope our conference attendees can learn new techniques and strengthen their quilting skills with the most influential and recognized modern quilters in the world.”

Mark your calendars and we’ll see you there!

Posted in Industry News | 2 Comments

Cutest bags, best gifts!

by Michele Fry on February 17th, 2012

For me? Stacey examines her one-of-a-kind, Marcy-made bag.

I gave the perfect pre-Christmas gift last year that worked out great for the recipient, but even better for a slew of her family and friends!

My friend Marcy saw a purse in one of our books and said, “That’s cute; it looks easy to make.” (She sews.) I told her, “If you want to make purses, have I got the book for you!” Bags—The Modern Classics by Sue Kim landed on her sewing table within days, and she was off.

She oohed and ahhed and pulled out a stack of fabric. She matched designs with people and people with fabric and fabric with designs. She hemmed and hawed. And then she cut and sewed. The Cute Elizabeth bag was first. And cute it was! But what about the more delicate Sweet Annemarie? Or the more rugged Urban Carryall? But she tried the Chic Hobo bag next, and it was easy, just like the book said. Then she moved on to the Metro Shopping Bag, and apparently the angels sang. This bag would work for so many people…or it could.

This sewer Marcy, being like many creative types, added a pocket here and vinyl there, a little piping, a little extra stitching. And of course, fabric shopping inspired her as well. She made adjustments to the adjustments, seeking the perfect look. She was able to make each bag uniquely special for each person on her gift list.

Metro Shopping Bag ... Modified

Posted in Inspiration | 6 Comments

Modern Minimal — with a giveaway!

by Lisa Fulmer on February 15th, 2012

Bold, graphic, chic…the quilt designs in Alissa Haight Carlton’s new book, Modern Minimal are simply stunning. You will have so much fun with just a few yards of your favorite solid fabrics! The 20 quilt projects are divided into 5 types: white negative space, colorful negative space, improvisational piecing, monochromatic, and baby quilts. She also includes ideas for quilting to enhance the finished look of all that beautiful open space.

In Alissa’s words…

My overall approach and philosophy to quilting is that it can be done in a relaxed and fun way. I don’t agree with the idea that you have to be a perfectionist to be a great quilter. Although you need to pay close attention to craftsmanship so the quilt stays in good shape over the years, you don’t need to be finicky and fussy. The patterns in this book all lend themselves to that idea—so dive in and make a quilt or two! Don’t be scared of mistakes or have a goal of “perfection.” Perfect is boring; there’s much more interest and beauty in the small discrepancies of each handmade quilt.

When making a quilt, most of us are not trying to win prize ribbons; we are just trying to make an attractive functional quilt that we, our family, or our friends will get to snuggle under. This goal is accomplished even if a quilt comes out an inch shorter than planned. So don’t sweat the small stuff. The more quilts you make, the more you’ll really understand the ins and outs of each step and the better at it you’ll get—so get sewing!

Click here to see a few more of Alissa’s quilts. Now for the giveaway – one lucky reader will win a copy of Modern Minimal! To enter to win, leave a comment here on the blog telling us what your favorite solid colors are. The deadline is Tuesday, February 21, 2012 and the winner will be listed here on this post.

For an extra entry, sign in to your Amazon account and hit the “like” button for this book. Then come back here and enter a second comment saying you did so. Good luck!

2/22/12 UPDATE: Congrats to Debbie Esch-House, her comment was drawn at random to win!

Posted in Contests & Giveaways | Comments closed

Stitch Modern – a local quilt show

by Alison Schmidt on February 10th, 2012

Last Wednesday, the members of the East Bay Modern Quilt Guild hung quilts at the Piedmont Center for the Arts for their first-ever group show, Stitch Modern.

Photo by Stacey Sharman

Several members volunteered an evening’s worth of their time to figure out how best to display two room’s worth of quilts made by members of the guild. There were ladders and wires and more than a few, “Does that look level to you?” comments.

Judging by the crowds at the opening reception on Saturday night, the time spent was well worth it.

Photo by Stacey Sharman

I continue to be amazed by how many active quilters I’ve met in guilds here. I’ve met quilters who teach, quilters who own quilt shops, quilters who design fabric, quilters who are prolific bloggers, quilters who exhibit in shows like PIQF, quilters who write quilt books, and even quilters who edit quilt books (yours truly).

Here’s my contribution to the show:

Bits and Ripples by Alison Schmidt

It was so much fun to talk quilts with everyone who attended the reception! If you’re in Northern California and you want to see more of the modern quilts at the show, it is open until February 26th, 2012. It’s located at the Piedmont Center for the Arts—801 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA. Galleries are open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 12 noon to 3:00 pm.

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Industry News | 5 Comments

Buzz Block #10: Uneven Coin Block

by Sandy Balin on February 7th, 2012

Some of the blocks I have gotten back so far

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when January came around this year. It was finally my turn to be the Queen Bee of our office quilting bee, The Buzz. I joined The Buzz a year ago, purposely taking one of the last months on the sign-up sheet. I knew I needed to learn a few things before I could tackle this project.

After working at C&T Publishing for three years and being inspired and amazed by the creativity that seems to float through the air here, I joined 13 other staffers at a quilt class last fall. Not only that, but I bought my very own sewing machine. This was getting serious.

It didn’t take me long to choose the perfect pattern for my first quilt – the Uneven Coin Blocks from Block Party—The Modern Quilting Bee. I absolutely loved how the columns of stacked coins resemble stacks of books. I couldn’t wait for a handmade quilt to be draped over my living room couch.

Some of the fabrics I chose

Picking the fabric had me nervous and stumped for weeks. I finally asked Ruthmary, quilter extraordinaire here in our sales department, to please meet me at a quilt shop to help me choose my fabrics. As a newBEE, I was overwhelmed. It took a long time, but I walked out of that shop with the most wonderful mixture of fabrics – browns, reds, oranges. I loved every one. I can’t wait to get started making this quilt.

I decided to make my quilt 12 inches wider than the pattern to ensure enough snuggly warmness. It is so exciting to see the different blocks and the different choices everyone is making. It is going to be so beautiful…