A Sampling of Samples

For the past few weeks, I've been madly sewing samples for my new classes! I'm teaching at Studio Stitch in Greensboro and Sew Original in Winston. This quarter I'm teaching some of my own designs which I'm very excited about.First I worked on my wonky star baby quilt for Studio Stitch. I fussy cut Lizzy House pearl bracelets. It took quite a bit of fabric, but I'll be able to use the scraps. I love scraps!!I did simple wonky lines for the quilting which I really think goes well with the design.I've been in a lot (A LOT) of charm swaps and I used all my pink and lavender charms to make this extra scrapaliscious!!The finished size is 42.5 square. Of course I had a piece of cute pink polka dot that would be the perfect back and measured exactly 40". Grrr.... so I pieced the back to fix that issue!! I had actually put the first strip in the back and was quilting away when I realized that I needed a little more on the end. Double grrr... another strip added and I was back in action. I actually think the strips make for an even cuter quilt:)The guru and I took it over to Reynolda for a quick photoshoot in the gardens. I used my grandmother Lulee's sewing chair as a prop:)In my spare time, I've also been working on my designer quilt samples for both shops. I initially mapped out this design for my Laurie Wisbrun Stacked Chair fabric, but I haven't brought myself to cut into it...yet! I am working up to that!For Studio Stitch, I chose Kaffe Fassettprints. Aboriginal Dots is one of my favorite all time prints. I combined a few of these with his Spots- a wonderful staple for any stash! This quilt is going to live with the guru eventually, so she helped with the piecing:) And I did some jagged triangle quilting. This was my second attempt at free motion quilting; I'm quite pleased with the result! I found the jagged shapes to be much more forgiving than swirly shapes.I made a TULA PINK option for Sew Original at the same time! Obviously, this puppy is going to live with me!! I chose my favorite Prince Charming prints for this:)There are also some cute pictures with a special friend in the chair...Miss Shelby. Check it out!I quilted it at the same time as the Kaffe version, so it was also my second/third attempt at free motion. I did some straight line quilting first and then came in with some swirly infinity shapes. I mimicked the shapes in the fabric thanks to the guru's great idea. I am thrilled with this one:) I still need more practice, but it's coming right along...The back print is probably my favorite all time print- Turtle Bay. My aunt lives on the water near Charleston and she has a tree with a swing over the water just like the fabric! Kitty's front porch is easily in my top ten favorite places in the world-just look at that view. This fabric looks just like it! I LOVE IT:)Since I associate this fabric with her, I did a quickie side project and made her a basket with the Turtle Bay leftovers and a few other great prints. Her birthday is next week:) I still need to sew down the binding, but it's almost done. Happy Birthday Kit!!The last time I made this basket, I broke FOUR needles. It was really frustrating. BUT I just went to a lecture on needles and thread at Sew Original with Shirley and figured out the problem. I had used top stitch needles last time. They are thick enough for the rigid weave, but they don't have enough give. I switched to denim/jean needles, which have a little give, and it was smooth sailing!Hope everyone else is having as productive a July as I have!!xo LC