Product Review: Select Appli-Web Plus and Select Appli-Stick

Posted on 1 Comment

Hi everyone!

I came back from Market with two new appliqué products to try after Alex Anderson’s husband, John, dropped off a roll of Select Appli-Stick and Select Appli-Web Plus at my both.  I made a green version of my Romance table topper in Carina to check them out and thought I’d tell you what I found.  (Carina is shipping in August/September from Benartex.)

RomanceGreen_1229

I really loved the Select Appli-Web Plus.  It is very lightweight when applied – much like Shades SoftFuse, which is another paper-back fusible web that I love.  The actual paper that you trace on is thicker though – but the fusible is really light.  It didn’t  take very long to fuse and didn’t require steam, which I liked.  Alex has also been working on a paper-less version of this product, which is called Select Appli-Web (without the plus), but I like the paper backing to trace my appliqué shapes.

Alex2

alex

RomanceGreen_1231

Select Appli-Stick is a completely different product.  It peels back to reveal a heavier fusible that is actually quite tacky.  This would be an excellent product for those of you who like to really play with appliqué on a design wall and reposition it.  I usually work out the placement of my appliqué on a computer before I go to sew, so I liked the Select Appli-Web Plus a bit better, but I could see applications where the Appli-Stick could be really useful.  In fact, I just was looking up the links for their website and noted that they have this product in 1/4”, 1/2”, and 1” widths, which would be awesome for appliqué bars!

RomanceGreen_1228

 

Thanks to Alex and John for letting me try their new products – I really enjoyed them!

Happy quilting!

Amanda

 

 

Pin It

New patterns for Spring 2015

Posted on 2 Comments

Hi everyone!

It seems like I have been waiting for this day – the day I can share new pattern information – forever!  They are back from the printer and all the distributor and Market orders have been sent.  They are also up over in my shop.

I hope you like these new designs!  Here they are…

First Crush is a fat-quarter friendly, twin-sized quilt that is actually a deceptively simple quilt made from just one block!

034_FirstCrush_V1_COVER

The interlocking hearts form a secondary design so it is really fun to watch it come together!

034_FirstCrush_03

034_FirstCrush_02

034_FirstCrush_01

Of course, by choosing a different border fabric you can dramatically alter the look of the design…

First Crush aqua border
First Crush with the original aqua border
First Crush teal border
First Crush with a teal border
First Crush pink border
First Crush with a deep pink border
First Crush green border
First Crush with the green border

By the way, all these quits feature Carina, my first line for Benartex.  I couldn’t be more excited about it and I’ll be blogging more specifically about the fabric when it ships in August/September of this year.

Next up, Bouquet, which is a really graphic lap-sized piece.  Basically made up of squares, rectangles, and half-square triangles, it is super-easy to piece with just a touch of appliqué.

035_Bouquet_V1_COVER

035_Bouquet_03

This was actually my first quilt that I quilted on the BERNINA Q 24, so it was thrilling!  (Some of you might have seen sneak peeks over on Instagram.)

035_Bouquet_06

035_Bouquet_05

Next up is Romance – a really quick but elegant 22” table runner…

036_Romance_V1_COVER

I couldn’t stop making this one – it was fun to play with the colors in the collection.  I used 28 wt. Aurifil thread for the appliqué – my favorite!

036_Romance_01

036Romance_07

036_Romance_05

036_Romance_06

036_Romance_08

And last, but not least, is Heart’s Delight.

037HeartsDelight_V1_COVER

036HeartsDelight_01

It is my new block-of-the-month style quilt.  The pattern itself is chock-full of full color diagrams to guide you.  You start in the center with a heart shaped bargello design and work outward, adding borders as you go.  This was also quilted on the Q 24, this time with Aurifil monofilament thread, which was trouble-free.  It worked so well and saved a ton of time not having to change colors since I started quilting this two days before Market!

036HeartsDelight_02

036HeartsDelight_04

036HeartsDelight_05

036HeartsDelight_06

Do you like them?  I hope so!  Do you have a favorite?

So… if you are still reading (sorry for the amount of images – it is hard to choose) they are all over in my newly-revamped shop.  Speaking of which, I redid my shop so I can ship internationally.  I think the design is better too and hope you agree.  (I ship USPS everywhere.)

Also, a popular request has been a discount for a whole group of new patterns so I created something called “The Carina Collection” which includes all four patterns. You can get them at a discount here.

CarinaCollection_SM

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful week with lots of sewing!

Amanda

 

Pin It

Big News!

Posted on 1 Comment
Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book (square)

Hi everyone!

I hope you are having a lovely spring.  Things have been so busy over here my head is spinning!  But in a good way – I’m pinching myself on a  daily basis.  I’m excited to share that I am a new Quilting and Long Arm Spokesperson for BERNINA.  That’s right – that means the new Q 24 has arrived!!!!  I absolutely could not be happier with how this machine sews and in the upcoming months I’ll be sharing some of my favorite features and tips for working on the machine with you right here and also over at BERNINA.  Being a spokesperson basically means that not only do I love quilting – I actually love just talking even talking about quilting (ask my family), so it is nice to have the opportunity to share tips and tips right here with you.  So, if you have any specific questions or things you’d like to see me talk about, please leave a comment or send me a note and I’ll try to blog about it in the upcoming months.  (And, as an aside, if you new to this blog and are not on my email list, please sign up to receive updates.)  And, in the meantime, if you’d like a sneak peek of the Q 24 in action head over to my Instagram account!  I’ll be posting more frequent pictures there

Here are some photos from the video shoot…

Getting set up on the BERNINA Q Series
Getting set up on the BERNINA Q Series
MixandMatchShoot_Blog02
This is the makeup artist, Ann Marie, who made me look WAY better than I normally look every day. I’m awful at makeup so having her there made me feel truly pampered.
MixandMatchShoot_Blog03
This is Brian MacDonald of Wonderkind Studios and his crew talking with me between shoots. They were wonderful to work with!  Cara, Connie, and Andrea from BERNINA of America and Roxane from C&T Publishing ensured everything run smoothly, from start to finish… (Cara, these ellipses are for you!)
And this is me getting down to business and quilting!
And this is me getting down to business and quilting! Quilting is easier than talking!

If you are a dealer looking for ideas on showing your customers some of the unique possibilities on the Q 24, please sign up for my classes at BERNINA University in Arizona in July.  I designed a special yet-to-be-announced teaching tool for you guys and your customers!

Tying into all this is my new book for C&T Publishing – the Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book.  It is an “encyclopedia of quilting ideas” indexed by both block type and design family and will come out this summer.  The really exciting thing about this book is that it is also an app!  That means you will actually be able to see animations of the designs and, in some cases, even see video of motifs being executed on the BERNINA Q 24!

11128_frontcover_low

Also, I’m excited to announce my first line of fabric with Benartex.  It is called Carina, which means “dear one” or “sweet”.  The colors are so vibrant and happy which makes it a joy with which to sew, plus it has a ton of blenders which makes it great to splice.  Thanks, Benartex!  I’m releasing 4 news patterns for Market with this line… here are some sneak peeks.  (And, yes, for those of you who emailed me, the header on my newly revamped website is a feature print from this collection.)

My new patterns
“Bouquet”
Carina_SneakPeek2
“Bouquet” quilting, my first quilt on the BERNINA Q 24!
Carina_SneakPeek3
“First Crush”
Carina_SneakPeek4
“Romance”

If you are going to be at Market, please visit me in booth 2310 – or I should say please visit my quilts because that is really what we all do at Market anyway – visit quilts!!!

 

I’m off to work on my Block-of-the-Month – “Heart’s Delight”.  I have 6 days to “finish” (ahem, actually “start”) it.  Nothing like working under pressure right?

Hope everyone has a productive and wonderful week!

Amanda

One housekeeping note: In an effort to be able to share some more types of content with you (videos, etc.) I’ve migrated this blog over to WordPress.  Any bookmarks to specific pages you might have on this site might be lost – so sorry!  But all the content is still here in the archives.  If you are looking for anything specific you can’t find, feel free to contact me.

Pin It