Much Needed Break (and a Giveaway)

I  am headed off to New Zealand very early tomorrow morning (Thursday, October 27th)...I will be on the trip of a lifetime with my momma and second dad...we will be doing two weeks of hiking on the South Island - visiting the forests of the Routeburn Track, waterfalls of Milford Sound, mountains and glaciers of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, and have exclusive access to Doubtful Sound, Martins Bay and Okarito Lagoon....and too many other excursions to count...yep, I'll be off the grid for the next three weeks...so this is my short public service/housekeeping announcement....

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES GIVEAWAY opportunity - while I am on this very extensive trip, I will be traveling by many methods of transportation. To enter, leave a comment on how many individual types of transportation I will be using - for example a car would count as one, a motorcycle as one, a camel as another, and so on...your guess will be a number...only count each method once. Upon my return, I will post a collage image of all the types - those who guess correct will be entered in a drawing for a very special prize made by me! You can enter here or on the BRD Instagram, or on the BRD Facebook page, but please - only ONE guess - multiple guesses will be disqualified. If you comment here, please make sure you leave your email address if you are a NO REPLY or Anonymous commenter.

While I am out of my office/studio, I will have very limited (if any) access to correspondence, so please be patient if you send me a message/comment/inquiry that requires a response. All shippable items will be deactivated in my Etsy Shop. Shippable items (paper patterns/charts, project bags, Stitch Starter Rulers, etc.) will return on Friday, November 18th. All digital items will continue to be available. I will respond to all messages, comments and emails in the order received on November 18th. Thank you so much for your patience!

I have an update scheduled to post while I am away - one you won't want to miss - it is my day on the Poppie Cotton Sunshine and Chamomile Fabric Tour and I created a quilt, needlebook and project bag to showcase - so please stop by on November 2nd!

I'll be back to blog upon my return, when (I'm guessing) I will have TONS of fun and creative things to share with you! Have a wonderful Halloween and start of November....

Songbird Serenade Fabric Tour

Happy Friday - welcome to the Poppie Cotton Songbird Serenade Fabric Tour! I am thrilled to be today's stop on the tour - thank you so much for visiting. I have a very special lap quilt to share (and a little needlebook too!), created with the new Songbird Serenade Fabric Collection designed by Sherri McCulley for Poppie Cotton. It was a nice change to put on my quilt designer hat and work with these soft and detailed prints. This brand new collection (shipping to shops now) has lovely songbird motifs, gorgeous florals, and a fabulous Songbird Hankies Fabric Panel...all done in a calming pastel color pallet. I truly found my joy working on this project, as I haven't had much design time lately. Creating this quilt definitely brought harmony into my studio! Let's take a close-up look at my project...

"Songbirds and Sashing" - A Lap Quilt

I titled my lap quilt (or wall hanging) "Songbirds and Sashing" - this quilt was built around the Songbird Hankies Fabric Panel featuring nine unique songbird blocks. My quilt combines paper foundation blocks and traditional piecing. Twenty-five 7" blocks make of up my lap quilt along with sashing and cornerstones - giving it a finished size of 47" x 47". I used a fat quarter stack that included a fabric panel and a little bit of Country Confetti (Marshmallow White) yardage for the background. I had plenty of fabric left from my fat quarters for a scrappy binding. I have written a pattern that is available in my Etsy Shop in both paper and digital format...AND my local quilt shop (The Quilted Sunflower) will have the patterns and kits in stock (once the fabric arrives - it's on the way!) - I will add the shop information below. The pattern has yardage listed for those who do not want to use a fat quarter stack...and it has basic paper foundation piecing instructions included, along with the foundation blocks for the Floral Corner Blocks and Flying Geese Blocks. I fussy cut all the cornerstones to showcase each of the special bird motifs, so the layout works perfectly for a wall hanging, as well.

Songbird Hankies Fabric Panel

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1329413493/songbirds-and-sashing-a-paper-foundation
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1315432708/songbirds-and-sashing-a-paper-foundation

After completing my quilt, I was compelled to work with some of my leftover fabric pieces and made the sweetest little needlebook with pockets inside. I even fussy cut a little birdie heart and appliqued it on the first wool page inside. If there were more hours in each day, I would have made a pile of these for gifts!

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on the fabric tour and are feeling inspired - thank you for visiting with me today. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Songbird Serenade is arriving now. If you are interested in the pattern, you can find it in my Etsy Shop - I have it available in both paper pattern and digital pattern. If you are interested in a quilt kit, feel free to contact my local quilt shop - they will have them put together as soon as the fabric arrives (it is shipping now!). Here is the shop information (and side note - Leslie, the shop owner, did the fabulous longarm quilting on my quilt model):

The Quilted Sunflower
111 South Main St.
Spring Hill, KS 66083
(913) 592-0100
thequiltedsunflower@gmail.com
https://www.thequiltedsunflower.com/

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1329413493/songbirds-and-sashing-a-paper-foundation
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1315432708/songbirds-and-sashing-a-paper-foundation

Studio Samplings and a Sneak Peek

Greetings friends - happy Tuesday! It is a lovely (dare I say) autumn day here in Kansas, and I am enjoying the cooler temperatures and sunshine. It has been a bit of a whirlwind here the last few weeks, while I try to prepare for a trip to New Zealand. Yes, I am headed to New Zealand with my momma and second dad for the trip of a lifetime! We will be doing two weeks of hiking on the South Island - visiting the forests of the Routeburn Track, waterfalls of Milford Sound, mountains and glaciers of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, and have exclusive access to Doubtful Sound, Martins Bay and Okarito Lagoon. We will be taking a helicopter trip through the remotest parts of Fiordland National Park...and Dan and I will be doing a Heli-Hike on the Tasman Glacier (where we'll take a helicopter or ski plane to Tasman, New Zealand’s longest glacier, put on crampons and explore the ice caves). We are seeing/doing so many incredible things, I can't even begin to mention them all here! I know, I can hardly believe it myself and feel extremely blessed to be invited on this grand adventure. This trip will have me out of my office/studio for three weeks, starting at the end of this month - and for a one-woman show/small business owner without vacation pay, I have been beyond overwhelmed and overloaded trying to even begin handle everything...but then, I take a deep breath and know it will all work out. I have been working on custom client orders, creating for my Etsy Shop, working on a couple new quilt patterns and projects for Poppie Cotton and finishing up three new cross stitch models/charts. I have been busy in every waking moment and the lists are still too long to even comprehend. I have, however, acquired all the needed gear for the trip and my suitcase is full...I have my hiking boots broken in...and I have been getting my cardio in at the gym - so I do feel mildly prepared for the actual trip. I would like to thank everyone who has made a purchase from my Etsy Shop - I really appreciate your project bag and pattern purchases - those sales are helping me pay the bills while I am out of the country - I am truly grateful for your orders. Here are just few things that have been on my studio table over the last few weeks...an assortment of creative projects (some custom project bag orders, some project bags I made for Etsy, and some client needlework finishing)…and there will be a sneak peek of a new cross stitch design at the bottom of this post....

I believe this was a limited piece from Brenda Gervais/WTNT. A glass cloche 
covers it - I just did the cross stitch finishing for the base. The client/stitcher sent
me a photo with the cloche after I returned it to her (see next photo).

Snow for Christmas - WTNT

Bring Us Good Cheer - Shepherd’s Bush

‘Tis Autumn - Shepherd’s Bush

October Pin Cushion - Shepherd’s Bush

Today, I'll be in the studio...I will be binding a new quilt design and preparing the pattern layout...plus I will be piecing another patchwork project and I sill have another cross stitch model to finish. Whew! I will leave you today with a sneak peek of a new cross stitch design - the next installment in my Rick Rack Rounds series....I am hoping to release it in the next couple weeks...

I'm so happy you stopped by to visit with me today! I hope you were inspired and have something creative planned for the week. Thank you again for your kind support of my designs and my Etsy Shop - sharing my artistry truly makes my heart sing and it is a privilege to share my joy with you.💗