Things To Come

Hello All,

As you can see the blog has got a makeover. I am working on going back and re-posting all old posts. It is a work in progress and a labor of love. Please be patient I will be adding more and more each day.

From Megan With Love

Sneak Peak

Hello Everyone,

Here is just a sneak preview of something going to be published in a magazine. It is a quilt pattern that I designed that was sewn using Indian Summer fabrics. 

I had originally designed the pattern to show off trends in micro quilting. I thought it would really play up the fabrics if each triangle was different shades of the same color. As you can see, the quilt pattern is such a great design it works well with any fabric collection. I really like how it is turning out. 

What do you think? Do you have a triangle quilt you are working on or love?

From Megan With Love

Portland Spring Market 2013

Hello All,

I just got back from Spring Quilt Market 2013! It feels so good to be home, and I wanted to share some pictures with you of the booths that I worked on. 

For the Art Gallery Fabrics booth we had four store windows to create a storefront feel. The first window was the "Sew Fashion" store window. The ball gown that Zayda and I made is made up of over 1,000 3"x 3" squares. We spent many an hour cutting out and sewing squares. There is at least one print from every AGF current collection on the dress. I really love how the dress turned out, it is very quilting meets high fashion. Who doesn't love a little quilt couture!

The next store is a double window display for the "Quilt Shop". It showed how the fabrics go from the bolt to the quilt. There were a stack on mini bolts and a beautiful hanging quilt. The last window was "A Happy Home" which had a mountain of pillows swinging on a wooden rope swing. The store displays became a sort of street through the middle of market. 

Across from the street was the "Pure Elements" booth. These little butterflies were my babies for weeks. Each butterfly is made of the Pure Elements fabric that I mounted on Bristol paper and then cut out. The effect of them all hung on the wall was breathtaking. They were attached to the walls with pins and when the fans would come on they would move and flutter in the breeze. I want to make them again for a wall in my sewing studio but I haven't gotten around to starting on all of them again. I will keep you posted on that. 

The booth was filled with samples of work using Pure Elements and free sample projects to give away. You can see the butterfly applique pillow at the bottom. Everyone loved the pillow pattern and samples, we could hardly keep the boxes full. I am truly proud of how all the butterflies and the projects turned out. 

Here is a video that Kat did of the market that I am in. Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting!

From Megan With Love

Leaving Portland

Hello Everyone,

The whirlwind that is Portland is finally over and it is time to go home.

Here is everyone at AGF at the end of the last night ready to go back to the hotel to pack and make the long trek home. 

What did you think of Portland or the market if you went? What was your favorite part?

From Megan With Love

Landed in Portland

Hello Everyone,

I am finally here in Portland. Getting all of the booths ready and set up. 

Here is the patchwork dress finally finished and ready to share with the world. 
Tonight AGF is going out to dinner with Jeni Baker. I am so excited to finally get to meet her. Everyone tells up we have so much in common. She also has a bunny, a Mike, and collects Pyrex. 

What are your plans for tonight?

From Megan With Love

Portland

Hello Everyone,

I am off to Portland for Quilt Market. So excited! Here is a little sneak peak of what I have been working on.

These are all the bags for giveaways, samples, and setup. I like to travel with my vintage Samsonite luggage. 

Are you going to be in Portland? If so, I can't wait to meet you. 

From Megan With Love

Getting Ready For Portland

Hello Everyone,

It is busy here getting ready for Portland Quilt Market.Just one week left.

I have been folding up a storm and getting all of the giveaways ready for all of you.

What do you do to get ready for a big trip?

From Megan With Love

Quilt Market Sneak Peak

Hello Everyone,

Here is a little preview of what I am working on for Quilt Market. 

I can not wait to share my butterfly babies with you but you will have to wait until Portland.

Are you going to Portland? What are you looking forward to at quit market? 

From Megan With Love

Say HELLO to Navy and Yellow!

Hi everyone!

Spring brings sunshine and a jolt of color to the quilting world. It is the perfect time to stock up on brights for renewed energy to brighten your day. Combinations of yellows and blues are the perfect mix of warm and cool. I predict that navy will be the new black for spring. This color can be very modern in quilting but with a neutral, calming feel to it. Also, you can never go wrong with shades of blue.

From cobalt to indigo, near black to true navy, dark blue is showing up everywhere. It is showing up in upholstery, on walls, in accessories and lighting. The blue and yellow combination is a new take on maritime blue.

It can even inspire cool and edgy decor for the home. Here is a little tutorial on how to combine these fresh Spring colors.

Start with something small like the table runner you see here. It is the perfect way to embrace yellow and blue with just a little bit of the nautical vibe that is so trendy right now.

The runner measures 33" x 12" when bound. All of the seam allowances are 1/4". The center block is a log cabin block made with 1 1/2" strips. The finished size of this block is 11.5" x 11.5". The two side blocks are made up of white strips that are 2" x 11 1/2" and strips of 1 1/2" colored fabrics that are pieced and then cut to 2" x 11 1/2". The finished size of these blocks are 11" x 11.5". The three blocks are then sewn together. I like to do my backing and binding in one with a wrap around method. 

I hope this inspires you to keep on sewing.

Thanks for visiting! I would love to see what you do, please feel free to share or comment.

From Megan With Love

One Pattern Four Organizers

Hello Everyone, 

All of the organizers have the same base pattern pieces and by changing the stitching on the pockets you can personalize it to fit exactly what you need. I have made four organizer rolls with different functions to get your creativity started.

The Sewist is a great way to travel with all of your sewing supplies.

The Feel Better fits nicely in a bag if you are getting sick or know someone who is.

The Artist works great for makeup or art supplies.

The Scribbler is a great way to carry crayons for kids or if you are like me whenever you get the urge to color.

*A little tip if you are making The Scribbler is to use dark fabric around where the crayons will be, although the rolls are washable it will keep it looking cleaner for longer. 

Here is a PDF diagram for the pocket sizes that I used.  Download One_Pattern_Four_Organizers

This project can be made out of two fat quarters or scraps that you already have on hand. This is a fun, fast, and easy project for any skill level. These make great gifts to give or keep for yourself. 

You will need three fabric rectangles. One (22" x 7") for the front, one (22" x 7") for the back, and one (22" x 7") for the pocket. You will also need one (21" x 3") piece of low loft fusible fleece and one (21" x 6") piece of lightweight fusible interfacing. We chose to close our organizers with a 30" length of ribbon but you can use elastic or a button if you choose.

The first thing you will do is iron the (21" x 6") piece of fusible interfacing to the wrong side of fabric you would like to be on the inside. Make sure that the interfacing is in the middle of the pattern piece. This will allow for a 1/2" around the edge that will not make your seams too bulky.

Then you press the piece of fabric for the pocket in half and press the (21" x 3") piece of fusible fleece to the inside making sure to center it and place it up against the fold. This will allow for padding in the pocket without having bulk in the seams. 

Pin the pocket to the inside piece of fabric that you have already interfaced. Make sure to line up the bottom and side edges.

Turn the stitches on your sewing machine to the longest length and baste the three bottom edges of the pocket to the inside. This will keep the pocket from moving and keep pins from getting in the way. 

Using a water soluable or disappearing ink pen and the stitching guide image to mark your parallel lines that you will stitch for your pocket.

Start with the middle lines and move outward sewing parallel lines. I find it easiest to start from the bottom and sew towards the center. You should backstitch at the top of each pocket to reinforce the pocket for repeated use.

In addition to backstitching I pulled the threads to the back and knotted the tails to keep a cleaner look. 

Fold your ribbon or elastic in half and pin it to one of the shorter edges. Make sure to pin the ribbon tails so they don't get caught in the stitching when stitching around the edges. 

Pin the remaining piece of fabric that will be the outside fabric to the inside fabric with pocket with right sides together. Make sure that you line up all of the front and back edges before you pin all around.

Sew around the edges with a 1/2" seam allowance being sure to leave a 3" opening at the bottom for turning. 

Trim and clip the corners before turning. After your organizer is all flipped right side out you should press. You can either handsew the opening in the bottom closed or topstitch around the whole organizer depending on the look you like. 

These are so fun and easy to sew that I have two in my purse right now.

Thank you for visiting. I would love to see what you come up with or hear what you think!

From Megan With Love

Indian Summer

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to share with you that some of my sewing and quilting work was filmed in a new video for AGF. I know I shared a few leaked images before of that I was working on and now those should make more sense. 

Discover the fantastic world of Indian Summer, a collection by Sarah Watson, inspired by a hot summer day during fall and the cutest little creatures living in the woods.

This collection inspired me to create a world full of whimsical quilts, cute stuffed raccoon and adorable little garments.

Here is the adorable video where you can see everything.

From Megan With Love

Carrot Cake Fudge

Happy Easter Everyone,

I wanted to share a quick recipe with you today for Layered Carrot Cake Fudge. A great treat to share with your family and friends this lovely Easter Sunday.

Here's what you will need:

For Carrot Cake Fudge:

-  4 Tbsp. butter

-  3 Cups white chocolate chips

-  1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

-  1 Cups dry carrot cake mix

-  ½ Cup marshmallow cream

For Cream Cheese Fudge:

-  ¾ Cup cream cheese frosting

-  1 Cup white chocolate chips

-  2 Tbsp. marshmallow cream

Instructions:

Line 2 8x8 pans with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large pan melt 4 Tbsp butter, 3 Cups white chocolate chips and can of condensed milk. Stir until smooth.

Stir in dry cake mix a scoop at time until thoroughly combined.

Pour into pan and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

While carrot cake fudge is refrigerating melt 1 Cup white chocolate chips.

Once white chocolate chips are melted stir in cream cheese frosting and marshmallow cream.

Pour over carrot cake layer and chill at least 1 hour before cutting.

Cut into approximately 40-50 squares.

Enjoy!

**BONUS!! **

You can use boxed carrot cake mix but if you love carrot cake as much as we do in my house (carrot cake is Michael's favorite) then in spring you can keep ball jars of the wet and dry ingredients on hand in the fridge. I make large quantities and keep them in the fridge; they also make great gifts with a recipe card attached. I use my homemade carrot cake mix to make my fudge.

* Recipe below is so that you're always ready to go for any unexpected moments in life :) Great for when guests stop over for coffee. Bakes in a half hour and is fun to mix and talk. 

Dry Mix:

-  2 Cups all-purpose flour

-  2 Cups sugar

-  2 tsp. baking soda

- ½ tsp. salt

- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

- 2 Cup grated carrot drained

- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapples drained

- 1 (3.5 oz) can flaked coconut

- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Wet Mix

- 3 large eggs

- ¾ Cup vegetable oil

- ¾ Cup buttermilk

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

To make carrot cake, mix 7 ½ Cups dry ingredients with eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla in electric mixer at medium speed until blended.

Line three 8 x 8 cake pans with parchment paper.

Pour batter into cake pans.

Bake cakes at 350 for 25-30 min.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 min and then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Use cream cheese frosting between layers as you stack cakes. Frost top and sides of cake and enjoy.

Thank you for visiting! I would love to hear how you like the carrot cake and the fudge. 

From Megan With Love

Sneak Peak

Hello Everyone,

Here is a sneak peak of the tent I have been working on. 

I am so happy with how it came out. I was thinking of doing a tutorial but decided to let people ask for the pattern if they want to make their own. I would love to make a mini one for Jabba. I don't think he would ever come out. It was a lot of fun, I found myself playing in it. I think it came out great and the kids loved it. 

Did you have a tent or make forts as a kid? What was your favorite part of summer camping?

From Megan With Love

Works In Progress

Hello All,

I just wanted to share with you what I have been working on for the last two weeks. I have been sewing and painting up a storm. I have been working on props for a video that is going to be shot this weekend in the park. 

This is what I get to work with. How lucky am I?

Here I am painting some of the props for the trees.

How cute are these guys? They got to go on the road trip with Mike and I to the river. I was able to applique them in the car. I think they are just too cute.

Here are some of the finished painted props ready to go.

What have you been working on this week? I would love for you to share it with me.

From Megan With Love

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Hello Everyone,

Happy Tuesday! Today is my Birthday! I just wanted to quickly share with you what I have been working on in my sewing studio. I can't share too much because it is going to published in a magazine with patterns and instructions but here is a tiny peak. 

It is going to be an appliqued owl pillow. I am so excited that it is coming out so cute. I am going to put a zipper in the bottom so the cover can be removed from the form and washed. It is designed for children but I see this cute  little owl sitting in my office with me. 

I would love to hear what you are working on.

From Megan With Love

Crescent Candy Cookies

Hello Again,

I have a super simple, super yummy recipe to share with you again. I used Rolo in the recipe because Mom and I love them so much and this is something fun we do together at Christmas. You can substitute your favorite candy inside, Mike loves when I make them with Reese's cups.

You will need:

1 or 2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 bag of Rolo (or your favorite candy)

Cream Cheese frosting 

Instructions:

Pop open the tube of crescent rolls and separate them into the usual triangles

Unwrap same number of Rolo's

Place one Rolo on an individual crescent triangle and roll it up the same way you would a crescent

Repeat until you have made all rolls

Bake as directed on crescent package

Once the crescents have cooled down enough you can frost them and ENJOY!

These are super quick and easy to make and great for children to help roll. 

I would love to hear what you think or what your favorite easy cookie recipe is. 

From Megan With Love