2016, like all years, has been incredible. This embroidered piece is influenced by the many sunrises I caught this year; waking up in the dawn’s dark is one of my favorite activities.
After the embroidery was finished, I machine quilted the double wool batting with gold Gutermann thread.
The front up close.
The blue behind.
Thanks for stopping by at any point during this year and after!
Right before dawn rains.
A westward crack in Red Rock Canyon’s parking lot.
Juniper bush in July.
Red Rock Canyon.
Light over rocks.
The moon a cat’s nose and the dawn peeping.
What have you been seeing?
Exciting things have been happening and that energy spawned a new quilt design. Here is sample number one.
The idea for this quilt top happened after I’d cut out triangles from fat quarters, sewed those in to hexagons, and looked at the results. The results are a blend of the past and the present. While I was sewing it up my grandma filtered through my thoughts, and this is a quilt inspired by her.
Cut out triangles for sample quilt top two.
My supervisor stopped in to make sure all arranging was up to snuff.
Problem solving looks classic here.
What have you been making?
A stitched blue quill on the windowsill.
Here it is next to brown thread.
Nice behind.
I couldn’t be clearer any closer.
Tell me about your stitching.
This quilt is an amalgamation of cloth, time, patterns, and my brain. I started making this quilt for a class using The Rabbit Factory’s Homespun Hill. The pieced blocks were fun and quick to put together. The color palette is dewy grass.
I modified this quilt top by adding Carolyn Friedlander‘s Creativebug Polk block. I’ve done some paper-piecing, and found this exercise to be helpful and inspiring. Paper-piecing is a great stash buster. Creativebug provides excellent instructions, visually and in print format (I’m big a fan!).
The quilt top has batiks, prints, solids, and paper-pieced blocks. The fabric on hand became this quilt; in the past year my taste, knowledge, and understanding of fabric has become more robust, and I’m happy to see some old fabrics being incorporated into a quilt and removed from the stash. Sarah Watts’ Honeymoon made it in and some batiks my auntie gifted to me. I’m partial to Sarah Watts round lines.
Honestly, sitting close to this quilt top since April, I don’t know if I’m ready to look at it as a whole. And really, it isn’t complete, because I have to add quilting, backing, and binding. Overall, I like the movement and the quilt top.
What did you make over the weekend?
This tote first started coming together in April, but was set aside for other projects. It caught my eye the other day. I scoped out the previous work, and found I was at the final steps of construction. The instructions are from The School of Sewing.
Free motion quilting is the best, and I love working on improving my skills.
Most of the scraps came from a baby quilt I finished in March.
The fabric scraps are mostly from Lizzy House’s line Natural History. A great line with playful fabrics that I love.
What have you been working on? Thanks for stopping by.
The morning light is soft, warm, and surprising. With all of the resettling here I surprised myself by cutting out squares for applique on a quilt top. The color palette is warm with pinks and oranges highlighted by blues, greens, and purples. Looking up from under the water reminds me of summer, and for me these colors reflect the interplay between sun and sea.
I find prepping applique pieces relaxing. After today’s beautiful sunrise, not unlike these colors, I am ready to get to work basting. A couple of quilts are in my future for the new apartment, because we moved when we were only staying for vacation: life has a natural flow and I can’t, and don’t want to, stop it.
The printed fabric is Kim Anderson’s Tidal Lace from Windham Fabrics. I picked it up at Super Buzzy last time I was in California. Both fabric and store are amazing.
What have you been making lately?
This improvisational quilt top happened a few weeks ago when I was staring deeply into the ever growing stack of quilt scraps crowding different areas of the house. I felt a bit overwhelmed. What should I do? I just sat down, started trying out fabrics, and boom: quilt top started. I was cutting and pressing and sewing away for a couple of days. Then I folded it up and put it away (except to snap thess photos so quickly I didn’t even press the fabric smooth!).
Improving is a skill I come to naturally in quilting; the first four quilts I made never saw a ruler or felt pins, and I thought those quilts were the best. The ruler is my friend now, and I use it unsparingly, but what I learned is that I’m a person that likes to explore a craft and all the different approaches.
The quilt top’s colors and lines are playful. Watching the sunrise from the window is such a great way to start off the day, and this quilt top turned in to a compilation of a few different sunrises. For the borders I would like to push my boundaries and go for a big lush floral print, because the clouds here are often large and crowded.
On my travels I was able to stop by the beach a few times. Growing up coastal, I always feel grounded when I’m near the ocean.
What have you been improvising lately?
Completing this pattern has been an exciting process, but highlighted the challenges of communication. I hope this tutorial/pattern is easy to navigate and helps the user make a passport cover. This is a fun project! The covers make great gifts to your friends that travel or are perfect for making yourself a personalized cover.
Tutorial & PDF: Passport Cover by Brambleton Threads
Materials:
Fabric: scraps or 1 Fat Quarter or 2 Fat Eighth of different colors.
Woven Fusible Interfacing
Thread
Sewing Machine
Rotary Cutter
Self-Healing Mat
Fabric Pen
Scissors
Iron
Spray Starch
2. Using the instructions provided by the manufacturer, iron interfacing to the center of the wrong side of the shell fabric. 
3. Place right sides of the shell and lining together and pin all sides.
4. Using a fabric pen and ruler, mark 1/4” at each corner. Use scissors to clip all corners 1/4”.
5. With a 1/4” seam allowance sew three sides, both lengths and one width (two longs & a short), leaving one side open. Backstitch the start and beginnings of each edge. Set stitches by pressing with hot iron.
6. Pull the fabric right-side out through the open edge. Press edges.
7. Fold the short-side’s open seam under a 1/4” and press using fingers or iron. Pin.
8. Sew shut the open seam with an 1/8” top-stitch. Set stitches. Trim thread. 
9. Fold the piece in half and press, creating a crease in the middle. Reopen the piece flat.
10. To create the flaps, fold each width in towards the middle crease 1 3/4” and press. Pin in the middle of the creased edge and flap edges. Do this on each side.
11. With an 1/8” top-stitch sew the entire length of the top of the piece, backstitching at each corner of the flaps. Repeat this on the bottom edge.
12. Set stitches. Trim. Add passport & admire! The fabric will soften with time & travel. 
Please share your results and comments! Thanks for stopping by.
Brambleton Threads 