A Colorful Thread: June 2023
Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life.
Best of Stitched in Color {June}
On My Mind
Experimenting:: with selling licenses for my patterns to be taught in quilt shops. Every now and then a quilt shop asks for a wholesale account to sell my patterns. With digital patterns wholesale is awkward, so I’ve mostly opted out. This week two shops contacted me about teaching a more complex Stitched in Color pattern in a series of classes. I realized that I could sell a batch of licenses for their students (say 40) and then let them offer it to an unlimited number of students in a specific class. Then if they get more sign ups for that class than expected, their profit margin only increases. Hopefully that’s a win-win.
My Nineteen Thirty quilt will be coming to Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg, Maryland next year!
Reading:: uh-oh, still nothing to report in this department. Our book club book this month did not catch my fancy. I just couldn’t get into it, which I blame mostly on the book, but also could have to do with the fact that I am having so much fun rediscovering dating. There is only so much time in the day, right? I’ve been taking extra walks, doing extra yoga and having extra long chats with my new boyfriend (I’m surprised too). Well, I have two promising books on request from the library. Fingers crossed!
Sponsor of the Week
Dragonfly Quiltworks
Widebacks, get your widback fabrics!
You can always find a generous assortment of 108” wide quilt backing fabrics at Dragonfly Quiltworks. Modern prints, fresh colors and absolutely no seams necessary. It’s the efficient way to finish off your quilts.
Celebrating:: a vibrant Teeter Totter quilt top finish from @LeukGemaakt.
image @Leukgemaakt
The quilt, the wall color, the lights - there’s just so much to love about this. Congratulations, on a splendid summer rendition of the Teeter Totter pattern!
Anticipating:: Starting my next quilt, of course. I have received some delectable new fabrics from Anna Maria Horner, and naturally I want to sew with them ASAP. I’m feeling a star quilt coming on. Maybe this weekend, I will explore some ideas.
Featured Freebie
Improv Cross Block Tutorial
Stitched in Color includes a library of free tutorials, more than 10 years in the making. Each month I’ll feature one to spread the good news.
The summer time is a season of living fully and living free. Would you like to sew something that helps you let go? The Cross block (also known as the X block or Plus block) is an improv patchwork classic. It’s easy to sew and super scrap-friendly. If you’re new to improv piecing start here! There are just enough decisions to feel free and relaxing, but never overwhelming.
Hey, where did June go? I think it just started and then it was done.
Do you know that the other evening when I went on a walk by myself, I was surprised to find no problems in my heart to unravel? No tangly thoughts or soul unease. Instead I made a mental list of things that are okay. People that will be okay, myself among them. How nice. How light. How free.
On my walk I photographed all the purple flowers I found along the way, and gave them names that made me smile. Purple names like Fierce Purple, Ombre Purple, Mysterious Purple and Home Again Purple. Simple joys. In this lovely life so much more is possible than we tend to think. Go on - stretch and imagine.
xoxo,
Rachel