My favorite setting in the whole wide world is the beach at sunset. The constant crashing of the waves, the warm breeze on bare skin and that showy blast of sunset colors - no place delights and inspires and simultaneously soothes my soul like it.
Read MoreI need an easy scrap quilt. You know the kind: fun to sew, no brainer, happy-scrappy palette. I want to be able to just sew and not think about a thing besides how the colors and shapes make me feel. Not even color order this time! I have gathered a few options for my next quilt. Will you help me choose?
Read MoreI took so many photos on my camping trip this summer that I couldn’t share them all with you in that one Expat Chronicles post. I saved a bunch for this follow-up post that were simply inspirational to me. These photos of doors, buildings and art have something in the way of color or shape that tugs at my heart. I hope that they will speak to you as well. Enjoy!
Read MoreMy energy is building for the season ahead. There is so much I want to explore, and I can feel the space opening all around me to follow my heart. In fact, I already have ideas for four quilts that I’d like to sew in this coming warm season; whereas, I usually think just one quilt ahead - - -
Read MoreWhile strolling through Keukenhof, I thought of the master gardeners who compose these resplendent flower beds. Their artistry inspires me, particularly when it comes to color, and I managed to capture some favorite palettes. Perhaps I will lean into of one these color stories when choosing fabrics for our Teeter Totter sew-along this May?
Read MoreLike everyone else, I’ve fallen in love with 1930’s Dutch houses. On a walk last autumn I began playing a game of picking out my favorite stained glass. That’s when it struck me - a quilt inspired by these houses, a sort of ode to their loveliness, would be a true pleasure to sew. Here’s what makes these houses special and how I’ve translated those characteristics to patchwork.
Read MoreTypically my fabric shopping process is indeed a thoughtful, intentional one. But not always. At times it’s good to simply be moved by the heart. Here’s how chance encounters and persistent attractions also play into my fabric shopping process.
Read MoreHas it happened to you? You’re lying in bed, half asleep, when inspiration strikes. An idea for a new quilt drifts into your conscious with surprising clarity. I hadn’t been actively thinking about these scraps. I had been thinking about my book - - -
Read MoreAre you a fan of Tales of Cloth? Me too. You’re going to love this behind-the-scenes chat! Settle in with a warm cup and enjoy as Jodi shares some highs and lows along the winding road of shaping her own creative business.
Read MoreI have a problem, a perfectly delightful problem = too many string scraps. I browsed through my Patchwork Pinterest board, Flickr faves and Instagram saves to find ideas for a string quilt. Here are some that caught my eye.
Read MoreAs summer burns out in the northern hemisphere, are you longing for cool weather and the change of seasons that marks the unfolding of different days? Something more restrained, tempered and elegant than summer’s riot. Something gilded with promise anew.
Read MoreWhen you’re inspired to start a new project, what comes first? Is it the fabric that catches your imagination or the project that simply must be made? It can go either way for me, but this time the fabric definitely came first. Enter the Darlings!
Read MoreI’ve been watching these leaves from my sewing room window as they’ve transformed from green to a splendid golden yellow. Luckily my quilt is finished in time for an autumnal photo shoot!
Read MoreI love selecting fabrics based on an image or concept like autumnal skies. It gives me such a sense of direction, yet feels open to discovery. Lately I’ve been working on a quilt inspired by fall colors and my favorite autumnal delights.
Read MoreEach carefully labeled plastic baggie contains a color story, fabric lesson or quilt block. Project seeds all of them, waiting in the dark for just the right moment to sprout and grow. The time has come!
Read MoreIn her many years as a Moda designer, Brigitte has created lots of beautiful fabrics that have appeared in my quilts and probably in yours as well. Learn how Brigitte and I have connected and are working together from Europe!
Read MoreAfter reflecting on the quilts that capture moments of Eleni’s story, I felt inspired to start something new to reflect this time of transition in our lives. The immigrant experience sets everything topsy turvy.
Read More
