Machine Applique Tips

Come join me today on the Moda Bake Shop as I give my quick tips on machine applique.  Be sure to stay up to date with all of the Moda Bake Shop Basics tips and tricks and learn something new!

Road Trip: QuiltCon 2013

Moda Lissa... this one is for you. WEEE WEEE WEEEEEEE!!!!

I am officially on the road (don't worry I am not posting while driving.) and heading to AUSTIN!! QuiltCon here I come!

If you will be in Austin this weekend to attend QuiltCon, be sure to stop by the Moda Bake Shop Booth #100 and pick up your Sweet Treat! See you there!

Thankful.

WOW... has it really been a month since my last post??? Where did November go? Oh, I remember! A lot has gone on this month and I have so much news to share with you, but being that it is still November, I want to share my thanks!

Thanks to my beautiful kids for all you do and share with me. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. I am thankful for the hugs that I get from you even after I get done yelling at you for not picking up your toys. I am thankful for the beautiful pictures you draw for me and sweet notes you write at school. I am thankful for the pitter patter of little toes and hands crawling and walking towards me.

Thanks to my awesome hubby for your loving support. I am so thankful to have you in my life. I am thankful for you telling me the truth when I ask your opinion. You are always there when I need someone to talk to and you support everything I do.

Thanks to my mom for dropping everything to help me out. I am thankful for you watching the kids every week so I can go into the office to work. I am thankful for you teaching me how to sew at a young age. I am very thankful for you not getting mad when I backed up into your vehicle this week. <3

Thanks to Moda Fabrics for creating beautiful fabrics. I am thankful to be able to work for a great company that cares about their employees. I am thankful for the quality of fabrics and the designs that are printed for us to create with. I am also very thankful to be a new fabric Designer for Moda. YES, you read me right! Sneak peeks coming soon!

Thanks to Stash Books for publishing my designs. I am thankful to have my very own book published this year, Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew! I am thankful to have been a contributing author in 3 books so far, Sweet Celebrations, Fresh Fabric Treats, and Modern Blocks. I am thankful to be able to work with the Stash and C&T Publishing team again for my second book that is scheduled to be published in 2013.

Thanks to the lady at the Target Starbucks for paying it forward. I was standing in line to get a coffee from Starbucks in Target and a mom with a little girl in front of me flashed her phone at the cashier when he asked me what I wanted. I didn't think anything of it, I just figured she was paying for her coffee. When I received my coffee, I handed my card to the cashier and he said, that the lady infront of me already paid for mine. Oh my goodness, Are you serious? How did I miss that? By then, she was already gone and had no idea where she disappeared to. How nice! What a kind and generous act it was for that mom to do that for another mom. I left there feeling so thankful that we live around such a great area where people still give a hoot.

I am thankful I was able to meet an awesome group of girls at Market. Thanks to Katrina, Heather and Stephanie for being Angels at Quilt Market! I think these three could tell I was in need of some coffee the first day of market. They were so sweet and brought me a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha to the booth for me.  THEY ROCK!  Then we partied at the Moda Appreciation Party where I was able to meet Sarah and rock out a few line dances with all of them. Sarah has some cute pictures and videos of all the fun on her blog.  All three of these girls are awesome!




Thanks to all my family and friends for everything! I am so blessed to have such special people in my life.

AND Thanks to YOU for reading my blog! I love receiving your comments and learning more about each and everyone of you. I am so glad you visited my blog and hope you will stay for a while. :)

Happy Halloween!

Just dropping in real quick to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

Be sure to check out my tutorial today on the Moda Bake Shop! Super easy and quick... only three steps using a Layer Cake.

 

2 Blog Tours = 2 Winners!

Whew! What a month it has been and it's not even over yet!   It has been a rather busy month, but very exciting!

I also have some new exciting news to share, but not today. That news must wait for another day. Today is an exciting day for many readers in blogland!  Two lucky readers will be winning books from my blog today and many other readers will be winning from other blogs across the globe. Be sure to check all the sites from both the Sweet Celebrations book tour and the Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting book tour to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

I have randomly selected one lucky reader from the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour and one lucky reader from the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour.

Sweet Celebrations winner:

Congratulations...

tpott October 06, 2012

She said: "It's 3:03am I can't sleep so I'm blog hopping, I would say it's a BAD hair day so far for me. It can only get better! ;-> Toni Anne "

You are the lucky winner of a copy of the new Sweet Celebrations Book by the Moda Bake Shop Chefs AND a Moda Fabrics Layer Cake!


Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting Winner:

 

 

 

Congratulations...

Happy Cottage Quilter October 17, 2012

She said: I learned to sew my first year in High School. My mom did not sew, so I took a Home Ec class and that's where I learned the basics. We made garments, but that went by the wayside when I learned to quilt ;-) Much more fun!

  

You are the lucky winner of a copy of the new Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting by Natalia Bonner from my blog stop.

 

 

Winners... please email me with your contact and mailing information so your prizes can be sent off. Thanks to everyone who participated and good luck on all the other blog stops for both tours!

Sweet Celebrations

Welcome! Come on in and make yourself at home!

I am so thrilled to be a part of the second book in the Moda Bake Shop series along with all the other super talented Chefs in our industry.  If you already own the first book, Fresh Fabric Treats, then you know the variety of projects they contain and how great these books are. I would like to take just a second to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Moda Fabrics and Stash Books for putting together these creative and inspirational books of joy.

 

My contribution in the Sweet Celebrations book has to do with Graduation. It is a quilt that every high school or college student would love to receive and share memories with their friends. It would also make a fantastic gift for a special teacher from all her graduating students. To see a picture you will need to buy the book... I know the suspense! But, I am sure you will love it and find even more uses for the design such as a new baby, birthday, family reunion, or simply for a special friend.

Okay, Oda May has asked us a few questions so here it goes...

Do you prefer to celebrate with cupcakes, cake pops or just plain old cake?
Cupcakes all the way! Love me some cupcakes... currently trying to find an excuse for me to get some cupcakes just cuz they are so good... OH WAIT! A new book... perfect excuse for some cupcakes. LOL! I actually eat my cupcakes in a different way, less mess from the frosting but you still get to enjoy every last crumb! Check back Monday for my special cupcake eating technique... I promise you will start eating your cupcakes this way too once you see it.

When you picture Oda May, what does she look like?
In my mind, Oda May is a classy, timeless gal that doesn't take crap from anyone. She is tough but also as sweet as can be. She is the cream of the crop!

Tell us about your favorite apron.
I don't wear too many aprons, but when I do, I really like the butcher style aprons, bib and half. Being a tall girl, I like the length and the extra long straps so you can cross in the back and tie them in the front. My favorite apron is actually the French General Rural Jardin Butcher Apron that was sold a couple years ago.

How do you press your seams?
I prefer to press my seams all to one side. If I am topstitching then I generally press in the direction that I will be doing the topstitch so it holds the seam down. If I am working with heavy fabrics mixed with light weight cottons, then I will press the seams in the direction of the lighter weight cottons to help reduce the bulk.

Do your pets/kids/spouse help or hinder your creative process?
My KIDS definitely help my creative process. I started sewing again because of my kids. I wanted to make some cute things for my daughter so I dusted off my machine and have not put it back since. My oldest two are now drawing up designs and asking me to help them make their creations which I LOVE! They come up with some pretty amazing ideas, which I hope to share soon. Love that we are able to share in a common thread. {no pun intended... LOL!}

Every celebration, whether it be birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, or just simply for a family gathering, my neices and nephews always have one special request... "Aunt Angela, will you please make your puppy chow??" Who could say no?

So, today I am sharing with you my childhood favorite... Puppy Chow.  If I can remember correctly, the original recipe for Puppy Chow was published on the Kellogs Crispix cereal box.

 

 

Now for the celebration part of the post... did somebody say GIVEAWAY!?!

 

Stash Books is giving one lucky reader from my blog a FREE copy of the Sweet Celebrations Book.

 

BUT WAIT... that's not all...

 

Moda Fabrics is also adding to the loot one of my favorite precuts! Although, I like them all the same, I have chosen a Layer Cake as the giveaway on my blog. Layer Cakes are so versitile and can be cut some many different ways or simply used as is.

 

HOW TO ENTER:

 

Simply leave me a comment. That's it. If you are having a bad hair day, I would love to know. LOL!

 

P.S. - For a bonus entry, "Like" my page on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have done so.

 

P.S.S. - For another bonus entry Follow my blog and then leave me a comment that you have done that too.

 

Although the bonus entries are not required to win, I do love receiving bonuses. :)

 

P.S.S.S. - Have a SWEET weekend and be sure to check out all the other fun celebrations going on where you can gain even more chances of winning this awesome book and a Moda Precut!

Placemats To-Go and Giveaway!

I am so excited to be sharing another tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop that I am giving away a few of my favorite things to one lucky reader.

First, check out my new tutorial posted... Placemats To-Go

Also, be sure to check out all my other free tutorials on my website.

Then come back and leave me a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts!

On Friday, July 20, I will pick a random winner to receive this lovely package of sewing goodness...

- Layer Cake and Mini Charm of Eden by Lila Tueller for Moda Fabrics... <3 this collection - my daughters room is done in this fabric.
- 3 Sewing Patterns by ME - Great for beginners and advanced sewers and quilters.
- My Favorite Tape Measure by Dritz... Flip It Tape Measure goes up to 288"
- 2 tools I can't live without... Classic Crystal Press and Point Turner by Lee
- Fun and Inspiring creativity cards from C&T Publishing

Now if that does not want you to leave a comment, maybe this will. :)
Paige (7 yrs old) wrote a special card just for the winner of this package. Priceless!

Get inspired and sew something fun! GOOD LUCK!

SLICED contest

This is one contest you will not want to miss! Awesome Sponsors and Prizes. I am very excited to be one of the Judges on the panel and even more excited to see all the creative projects submitted during our audition round.  So, what is SLICED? Read on to find out all the fun and exciting details...

Sliced is an online sewing competition where four crafty people will compete before a panel of judges. They will have 5 days to use their creative talents to develop a project with a sewing basket of mystery items given to them on the first day of each week {crafters must provide their own items}. 

Once they have completed their project, the panel of judges will critique the projects from each challenge and will decide who will  be SLICED and who will continue on to the next week and a new challenge. We will have a guest judge each week of the competition. The competition will run March 4 - 31, 2012. Each week, someone will be "Sliced" from the competition until only one winner remains. Do you have what it takes to become the next Moda Bake Shop Chef?

We are very excited to about our Sponsors and Prizes for this competition. All four contestants chosen for the SLICED competition will not leave empty handed.  There are wonderful prizes for each of the four competitors all provided by these gracious Sponsors...

 You are not going to want to miss out on these prize packages!  So get your creative juices going and submit before it is too late!

What are you waiting for? GO NOW and find out more about this awesome contest at the Moda Bake Shop.

Firecracker Favors

Check out my latest tutorial posted on the Moda Bake Shop!

This project is fun to do with your kids or simply to make for you friends and family to celebrate our Independence Day!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe July 4th!

Weekend Book Signing

This past Saturday, Jenny Garland and I were invited to The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Texas to attend a book signing for the Moda Bake Shop's new book, Fresh Fabric Treats! 

We had a wonderful time meeting several quilters that were regular visitors of the quilt shop and some that had traveled from miles away to see the quilt shop and get a signed book.

Thank you to The Quilt Asylum for having us and to all of you readers that came to visit us!  YOU ALL ROCK!

Just arrived!!!!

The NEW Moda Bake Shop Book, "Fresh Fabric Treats", have just arrived at my door!

If you pre-ordered a copy, your book will be shipping very soon.  If you have not purchased this book yet, you can do so here.  You will want to be sure to get a copy of this book... it is very very YUMMY!

Oh, and have I mentioned that I am one of the 15 Authors in this book???  Sorry, just a little (tiny bit) excited. :)

NEW Book: Moda Bake Shop

Check out all the Chefs who have contributed to this fantastic new book coming out Mid- May 2011.

Be sure to pre-order your copy today!

WINNER WINNER Chicken Dinner!

Okay so there is no Chicken Dinner, however I do have a Winner from my MBS Progressive Dinner!

Before I can tell you the winner though, I have to share this yummy Dinner Roll Recipe you will just have to try. Mmmmm!!!

You can find the Recipe on my SIL blog, At Home with Haley.  She has some wonderful recipe's that she blogs about and gives you her tips and tricks to the recipes... I have personally been able to try some of her baked treats and they are delicious!!! 

Now for the Winner... 

The winner will be receiving their very own copy of the Fresh Fabric Treats book {signed by me} and a Moda Layer Cake of brand new fabric collection to be delivered in May 2011.  As an EXTRA special treat... I will also be sending them a Pattern package of all my designs {5 patterns total} that they can enjoy now.

So without further ado...

Congratulations, Kristi of http://thepeasantatthediner.blogspot.com/

Kristi said...

I love jellyrolls and your adorable flats! Thanks for your great recipes.
January 26, 2011

Random winner was selected with the help of Random.org
 
Thank you to everyone for participating in our Giveaways and good luck on the GRAND PRIZE package from Moda Fabrics!  Winner for Grand Prize will be announced on February 13th.

My Dinner Date with MBS

Welcome to my kitchen! For those of you that have not been here before, I welcome you and hope you will stay a while. For all my returning guests... I am so happy to see you again!  {My little helpers are glad you are here, too!}

I am very excited to share with you the latest and fabulous addition to the Moda Bake Shop, Fresh Fabric Treats BOOK published by Stash Books! 

The book is scheduled to ship out in May 2011, so be sure to pre-order your copy so you can be one of the first to own!  There are 16 NEW Delicious Treats that range from quilts to tote bags which all use Moda precut fabrics.  {Did you know there were such things as Moda Bake Shop eggs? not really... but there should be.}

I am so thrilled to be able to contribute to this book!  Here is just a sampling of what projects you will find in the book.  {Can you guess which one is mine?  Hint... it's the pillow.}

Just a little bit about me... I am a mom to two beautiful children and a wife to a very supportive husband of 11 years. {in 11 days it will be 12 years!}. I have started to develop my own pattern line as an outlet to be able to share my thoughts and creations to those that enjoy to sew and create as much as I do. Be sure to check out my pattern designs and free tutorials. I really hope you enjoy what I have to share and can find the inspiration needed to get you going on your next project.

I am a full-time web developer for Moda Fabrics and work under the direction of this talented lady. I also manage the Moda Bake Shop and have been a Chef since the very beginning and now currently have 17 recipes posted. 

We launched the Moda Bake Shop website in January 2009 and have been amazed by the response and submissions we receive on a daily basis.  The website would not be what it is today without the talented Chef's that have contributed to the site over the past two years and all you readers that visit the site.

Jenny Garland, who is also one of our talented Chef's featured in the book and on the website, is our MBS Editor and has taken over much of the responsibilities for maintaining the site.  She is also having her Dinner Date today, so be sure to go check out what she is cooking up and enter to win her giveaway hosted on her blog.

By now, you all should have already visited the other 14 Chef's kitchens that are featured in this fabulous new book.  If not, you must go check them all out and see what exciting things they have to share with you on their Dinner Date.

My favorite Moda precut is the Layer Cake. There are so many things you can do with a Layer Cake...
1. Cut it into 5" squares and instantly you have 4 charm packs.
2. It is the perfect size for applique's and you can take advantage of using all the prints in the collection.
3. There are many other ways to cut a Layer Cake and it goes together so quickly and easily, you can get a quilt top done in a day!

So... I have cooked up a very special dessert for you today, using a Layer Cake, to complete your Progressive Dinner.

I present to you... the Layer Cake Pincushion. I hope you enjoy! Click here for the Printer Friendly Recipe.

In celebration of the launch of this new book {btw... did I mention how fabulous this book is?}, I am giving away a copy of the new Fresh Fabric Treats book and a Moda Layer Cake.

To top it all off {with a Cherry on top}, Moda is giving away a $200.00 retail value of  Moda precuts (1 each of every type of precut... layer cake, charm pack, fat quarter bundle and MORE!) AND a copy of the Fresh Fabric Treats Book!

To enter leave me a comment with:

1. Your favorite Moda Precut

2. Name your favorite project that is designed by me on the Moda Bake Shop.

3. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you incase you are randomly selected as the WINNER!

Winner will be announced on Friday, January28. Prize will be shipped in MAY.

THANK YOU to STASH BOOKS and MODA FABRICS!

MBS Progressive Dinner

Don't forget to check out all the Dinners for the Moda Bake Shop's Progressive Dinner.  Last Day of Dinners is tomorrow... so be sure to come back tomorrow as I will be hosting my Dinner along with Jenny Garland.

If you missed some dates, go check them out...


January 19

Stash Books

Moda Bake Shop

January 20

Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

Roslyn Mirrington of Bloom

Vanessa Christenson of V and Co.

January 21

John Adams of Quilt Dad

Monica Solorio-Snow of The Happy Zombie

January 22

Kimberly Walus of Bitty Bits and Pieces

Melissa Mortenson of The Polkadot Chair

January 23

Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt

Vickie Eapen of Spun Sugar Quilts

January 24

Rachel Griffith of P.S. I Quilt

Lissa Alexander of Moda Lissa

January 25

Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts

Sweetwater

January 26

Angela Yosten

Jenny Garland

MBS Progressive Dinner

Today is the day that starts off all the Dinner Date's for Moda Bake Shop's Progressive Dinner. This is one dinner you will not want to miss! 

15 of Moda Bake Shop's Chef's {including Me} have cooked up some delicious new recipes in a wonderful new Book, Fresh Fabric Treats, published by Stash Books.

Be sure to check out the Moda Bake Shop to see when all the Dinner Dates will be happening. My Dinner Date is on January 26 so come back to my blog for some YUMMY Treats!

Be one of the first to own the book... Pre-order the book here and here.

Quilt Festival Wrap-up

So I am finally going through all my pictures from Quilt Festival and thought I would share of few of them with you all.  We had a booth at Festival in Houston for the Moda Bake Shop.  We called in a few of the projects that have been posted on the website and used them as our booth decoration. 

Debbie {aka: Ducki} was our Magic Maker.  She made the booth come alive with all her wonderful touches she added to the booth.  She told us where and what to do and we did it. 

Thanks Ducki for making the Moda Bake Shop booth look FABULOUS!

Thank you, Lissa for everything! Lissa is our Marketing Director at Moda and she is a wonderful person to work for and with!

I enjoyed every minute working with you two ladies... it was AWESOME!

We were stationed right next to the food court which ended up being perfect because they made Cinnamon Roasted Almonds and Pecans everyday which made it smell like we were baking cupcakes in our booth all week long.  Y-U-M!  The downside was it made us all hungry all day long.

Thanks to all the Chef's who graciously sent in your projects to be displayed in the booth!

We were able to meet a few of the MBS Chef's that had their projects beautifully displayed in the booth.

Mary Lane Brown (Didn't get a picture with her. :(  She was a sweetheart and was glad I got to meet her in person.  You can view her Recipes here.

Jamie Elfert came by to see her quilt in the booth and was able to get a picture with her and her quilt. It was a pleasure to have met you, Jamie!  Check out Jamie's Recipes here.

Jamie Mueller of Sunflower Seeds was such as sweetie! She had several fans come and take pictures of themselves next to her quilt on display.  Jamie offered her help after the show and was a great help as we had only 1.5 hours to break down, get everything on the crates and catch a cab to the airport for our flight back to Dallas. With her help we were able to get everything packed up and on the crates/palettes in 55 minutes! Thanks Jamie for all your help! You can see all her Recipes here.

Also, Thank you to my mom and her crew for taking all our luggage back to Dallas on her trailer so we did not have to check any bags... one less thing we had to worry about so we could catch our plane on time.

We had lots of fun telling the shoppers all about the Moda Bake Shop and promoting the retail shops that sell the Moda precut fabrics.


I was thrilled to have met Sheree of Sheree's Alchemy. She is such a sweetheart and a joy to talk to.

So... go check out the Moda Bake Shop website if you have not been!  Lots of fun and quick projects that you can make with your Layer Cake, Jelly Roll, Charm Pack and MORE!