Introducing “A Rows Garden”, in this Spring 2011 issue of Quilts and More…

Didn’t they do a wonderful job photographing that quilt? My daughter and I are swooning over the purple walls and yellow bed. LOVE LOVE LOVE the yellow bed! “A Rows Garden” is a bed-sized quilt that is simple to put together. The blocks are quite big and the fabric does most of the work for you. It features prairie points on the top and bottom. If you at all skittish about trying them, they really aren’t hard. I took some photos of the process while making this quite, which you can find here and here…

Oh – and Robert Kaufman put in the sweetest candy bar add using my mocha colorway of Swiss Chocolate on another page in this issue – look…

The top two photos in this post sit on a backdrop of my newest Ambrosia design, in which I pieced the Lazy Angle blocks. No instructions are available as of yet (soon, if I can get my act together), but here is a sneak peek…

Have a wonderful weekend and happy sewing!
Amanda

It’s been so hard to keep these Swiss Chocolate quilts secret and I finally can let this one, at least, out of the bag.  My quilt “Caramel and Cocoa” is in the April issue of American Patchwork and Quilting!  (Yes, I am pinching myself.)

This is a really fun, easy quilt to sew.  The tapered panels and bargello pattern give it movement and sophistication.  The Swiss Chocolate collection just screamed for a bargello quilt, and now it has one!

Fat Quarter Shop is offering kits for this quilt in the chocolate (brown, pink, and red) color story.  (Thanks Kimberly!)  If you prefer the “mocha”, blue and caramel, color story, you can order yardage separately for that there too.  Here is the information you will need:

Caramel and Cocoa in blue (sans Cocoa)
5/8 yard tapestry (AAM-10926-227)
5/8 yard blossoms (AAM-10928-227)
5/8 yard scrollwork (AAM-10927-227)
5/8 yard medallions (AAM-10929-227)
5/8 yard feathers (AAM-10932-227)
5/8 yard tone-on-tone floral (AAM-10931-14)
1-1/4 yard melted swirls (AAM-10930-227) for rows and binding
1-7/8 yard light fabric (melted swirls – AAM-10930-15)
1-7/8 yard dark fabric (melted swirls – AAM10930-174)
5-1/4 yards backing fabric – choose your favorite of the above!
Hope that helps!  Back with another quilt tomorrow – happy sewing!

Amanda

Is anyone out there ready for another Swiss Chocolate giveaway? (I know… this one isn’t even over yet, but it is always good to have additional chances to win!)  Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew is giving away BOTH a ten square and roll-up.  Head on over to her blog to enter…

I got a chance to read some of the really nice comments from you all and I am pinching myself.  Some people even said that they hadn’t tried colors like these before, but were drawn to it because of the fabrics.  I feel that is SUCH a compliment.  I love playing with color and hope that everyone who might be nervous about trying new color combinations take the plunge, whether with this collection or that of another designer.  Some people (yes, mom, I’m talking to you too if you are reading this) say they are not creative, but I really think that everyone has some creativity inside them waiting to be unleashed.  It is a matter of letting go of our fears of creating something that isn’t perfect and letting our right brains take over, don’t you think?

When I was in art school we were asked to create postage-stamp size pieces of art using only torn paper.  The fact that you had less control over the overall composition made you really pay attention to how colors interact.  Quilting is a little like this.  It is only a quilt, so don’t worry about making color mistakes. Well, as someone who loves quilts recognizes, no quilt is “just a quilt”, but it isn’t as if you are making the financial commitment to redecorate your entire house.  Plus, the prints will help you along when you get stuck – pull in some complimentary fabrics in an accent color, or explore different neutrals, like brown or grey.  I have learned so much more about color through quilting and think my artwork has become a little better because of it. 

With Swiss Chocolate, I wanted to play with how the reds and the blues interact with the browns that are reflective of the wood tones in so many of our homes.  Chocolate is rich, after all, and I wanted the overall effect of the colors to be as well.  And I wanted to design something I hadn’t really seen out there.  By the way, I used a similar pink in my next collection -Veranda – that will debut at Market, but this time it is juxtaposed with yellows and greens so that pink takes on a completely different look.  Fun… with color!

Thanks again for hosting the giveaway, Allison!
Amanda

P.S.  I was at the bookstore today and I picked up two magazines… one featuring a design with Swiss Chocolate and another with Ambrosia.  What a thrill!  More on that tomorrow.