Hey, girl ...

Please tell me you've seen this site. If not, you need to go read it. Go on, I'll wait for you.

OK, now that you're back, let's talk a little bit about this Ryan Gosling meme that's been making its way around the internet. It involves photos of (of course) Ryan Gosling, accompanied by short statements that are about as likely to make the ladies swoon as they are unlikely to be coming from such a macho man. It's pretty clever. My PhD student wife saw Feminist Ryan Gosling, and Sara pointed me to Law School Ryan Gosling. And Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling is worth a peek. But, of course, my favorite is the Handmade Ryan Gosling one. Hilarious.

It's definitely been making its way around the quilting blogosphere. Amber got a blog post up about it. So did Monica.

Well, I don't know what came over me on Saturday night, but I couldn't stop thinking of new "Hey girls" for the quilting community. And once I started posting them to my Twitter account, I couldn't stop. I was doing some grocery shopping (yes, on a Saturday night. yes, I'm lame), and I kept pulling the cart over to tweet something ridiculous or read some of the other contributions that were popping up on my timeline. It was actually A LOT of fun. Contrary to popular belief, I was NOT drinking.

Jennifer (@Sweet_Liberty), Melissa (@yummygoods), and Amanda (@heyporkchop) all got in on the fun, too. And Michelle (@MichelleBencsko) and Jaclyn (@UrbanCrunch) took it a step further by flipping the script and coming up with some "Hey, guy" posts, more appropriate for us manquilters.

Due to popular demand, and for the benefit of those of you who aren't following along on Twitter, I've compiled all of my "hey girls" for quilters here on this post. I'll probably keep posting them to my blog -- hey, who knows when inspiration will strike? -- so it might be a good time to jump over and follow me.

In the meantime, get comfy and check out my "hey girls" from the past couple of days. Some of them, frankly, still make me chuckle out loud. Have a favorite? Let me know!! I'd also love to eventually put them all on photos, the way the real sites do, but that just seems like an awful lot of work. Anyone want to help??

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Hey girl. Of course I want to watch Love Actually with you again. It's our annual tradition.

Hey girl. I think I'll call you Ric-Rac. 'Cuz you're cute & I like your curves.

Hey girl, you're way too creative to be wasting your time on something so monotonous. Step aside & let me cut those sashing strips for you.

Hey girl, of course I don't mind if all of our kitchen appliances have Hello Kitty on them. I love her too.

Hey girl, how did you know? There's nothing I wanted more than a mug rug. It's even better than those Dr. Dre headphones I asked for.

Hey girl, it looks like we have enough money left to buy either a new flat-screen TV or a Blythe doll. You decide, 'kay?

Hey girl, don't you worry about where you're gonna store all that new FMF next month. I've already started cleaning out my Xbox cabinet.


Hey girl, this infinity scarf is totally going to impress the guys at work. especially because you used AMH voile ... AND velveteen.

Hey girl, you're killin' it with those curved seams.

Hey girl, I talked to the guys & we'd love to open up our weekly poker game to the girls from your MQG. they're really cool.

Hey girl, I skipped my workout today & instead organized all of your quilting magazines alphabetically by title, & then by date.


Hey girl, I just love our bedroom this time of year. It's when we can switch from our mermaid quilt to our unicorn quilt.

Hey girl, I know you're unsure about it, but you know what I always say: you can never have too many ruffles.

Hey girl, wld u mind putting fabric in some embroidery hoops & hanging them in the garage? I'd love to look @ something pretty while lifting.

Hey girl, I just read that the price of cotton is going up. You know what that means: I'll start packing my lunch to bring to work.

Hey girl, I've decided 2 take up scrapbking. U left behind a lot of great stuff when u started quilting, & I wouldn't want them 2 go 2 waste.

Hey girl, I'm so glad you signed up for another round of that pillow swap. I think 14 is the perfect number of pillows to have on our bed.

Hey girl, I think it's cool that you hang out with that tall, mysterious guy at quilt market. I mean, he doesn't intimidate me. Much.

Hey girl, lets totally hit that quilt shop today. You know -- my favorite, with the comfy chair & the old Sports Illustrateds.


Hey girl, no one rocks a honey cowl like you do. No one.

Hey girl, go ahead & bring me what you're wearing to work tomorrow. I'll press it as soon as I'm done getting these FQ's ready for you.

Hey girl, I'm nearly done packing for my business trip tomorrow. Thanks for whipping up these drawstring bags for me: one for my shaving kit, one for my computer cords, & a third for snacks on the plane. Oh look, you already filled it w/ goldfish crackers. You're the best!

Hey girl, I'll turn this game down. Siri just reminded me that@QuilterPatSloan's podcast is about to begin, & I wouldn't want to disturb u.

Hey girl, I hope you like that pincushion in your stocking. I had my grandma teach me how to hand sew just so I could make it for you. xoxo

Hey girl, there's a bag for you on your cutting table. Notion were 50% off at Jo-Ann and I just couldn't pass that up. Rotary blades, too.

Hey girl, every time you tell me you're sewing with Innocent Crush, it reminds me of how I felt when we first met. It should be *our* line.

Hey girl, 2nite was supposed to be date night, but ... oh, OK! Invite the gals over for a sew-in. I'll whip up some fruit salsa & a pitcher of margs.


Hey girl, I know they look alike, but you totally posted a picture of that quilt before she did. She's obviously a poser. And fat.

Hey girl, I know we're short on floor space, so feel free to drape your quilt rows over my Bowflex. I think it looks festive.

Hey girl, I can't think of anything I'd like better to hang in my cube than some bunting. Our office colors are grey and grey.

Hey girl, you'll never guess what happened to me today. My boss asked me what my coffee cup was sitting on and when I said it was a mug rug, she brought me to HR for a harassment claim. Looks like I'm off this week -- I can help you sew!


Hey girl, it doesn't matter how big you make that quilt, as long as we can both fit under it while we watch The Good Wife.

Hey girl, go on and enjoy dinner with your friends. I'll stand on this Sample Spree line for 4 hours. I brought my Kindle.

Hey girl, I know you've got 6 bee blocks to catch up on tonight. Sounds like a Starbucks run is in order. Want whipped cream on your mocha?

Hey girl, I don't care how many times you make wonky log cabin blocks. They look rad every. single. time.

Hey girl, I know you agonized for nights over whether to use Kona Snow or Kona White. I think you made the right decision. You always do.

Hey girl, come here and check out this episode of Storage Wars. Is that a featherweight? I love when you teach me about sewing machines.

Hey girl, these christmas stockings have been in my family for generations, but we can totally swap them out for those ones you just made.

Hey girl, you still have 322 hexagon templates to cut out? Stick them in my briefcase. It'll give me something to do during my conference calls.

Hey girl, I know that girl in your bee asked 4 a really tough block this month. It's only b/c she knows u can make it better than she could.

Hey girl, I know you're busy, but could you crochet me a set of golf club cozies? With fox ears? That would be rad.

Hey girl, thanks for that Apple store gift card. I went to get my iPad 2, but instead left with a credit card reader. No no no, don't protest -- you've got those 2 craft fairs coming up.

Hey guy, I went ahead and had that flat-screen installed in your sewing room. That way, you can watch the game AND finish up your quilt.

Hey girl, of course you can leave all of your sewing stuff there. Who needs a formal dining room, anyway?

Hey girl, I love how you hung a wall of mini quilts in our living room. And kitchen. Think you have enough left to do my home office, too?

Hey girl, I think the crochet amigurumi vegetables that are on top of my dresser are getting lonely. Just sayin'.

Hey girl, I think my office Christmas party is the perfect occasion to debut that tie you made me from upcycled cloth diapers, don't you?

Hey girl, I love that u think highly enough of my mom to not make her holiday quilt from Jo-Ann fabrics. She may not notice, but I'll know.

Hey girl, my offer still stands to drive you to your quilt retreat. I can haul firewood, and I make a mean omelette. Just say the word.

Hey girl, I'm so glad we spent the day walking that craft fair together. And thanks for surprising me with that hand-screened American Apparel skinny tee. I love pictures of kawaii dessert characters.

Hey girl, I told my mom that a gift certificate to the @FatQuarterShop is like a gift for both of us b/c quilting brings you such joy. And when you're happy, I'm happy. Now come here so I can give you a hug.


Hey girl. You, me, a roaring fire, a bottle of wine, & your Hoop Bag. Add in the Pinterest app & we've got the recipe for a perfect evening.

Hey girl, I'm as excited as u are that Amy Butler's husband is designing fabric now too. And you're right: that is one ruggedly handsome man

Hey girl, I love my new shirt -- and I don't care what they say, kimono tops are totally appropriate for men. Plus, you made a matching one for my Blythe doll. You know the way to a man's heart.

Hey girl, I know #talknt is tonight, so I took the liberty of lighting some candles, pouring you a glass of wine, & hiring a sitter. Enjoy.

Hey girl, I only booked us a 2-BR condo, but of course I don't mind if you invited all the Yams to our weekend getaway. I'll take the couch.

Hey girl, there's nothing more relaxing than falling asleep in your arms as I listen to u debate the merits of Kona vs. Bella. Come closer.

Hey girl. Done w/ your workout already? I've got 10 min's left on the treadmill. Mind switching the TV to Project Runway on your way out?

Hey girl, come lay down next to me on this faux bear skin rug that you made. I <3 that u used Flower Sugar for his belly & inside his ears.

Hey girl. You, me, Buble, and the hum of your sewing machine. You sure know how to make a house a home. xoxo

Hey girl. I know that's your "super secret" sewing project for me, but do I spy a scoodie? Oh, it's going to be a very merry Christmas.

Hey girl, the Jo-Ann coupons are right over there under the new Anthro catalog. And yeah, I've already dog-eared the pages of things I think you'd look great in.

Hey girl. I brought you a bottle of champagne. Why? Oh, don't be so humble. I saw you got 25 comments on your blog giveaway. Rock star.

Hey girl, I can really see the difference in your quilts since you painted the room soft violet. It totally brings out your creativity. And your eyes.

Hey girl, I've noticed that you bind that quilt much faster when I'm rubbing your feet. So kick 'em up here & let me take care of the rest.

Hey girl, I'm at the park wearing the yellow knit Pikachu hat you made, all ready for the photo shoot. You're totally gonna make the Etsy front page with this one.

Hey girl. So that's called "oilcloth"? Sweet. Now you can sew *and* chill with me in the hot tub.

Hey girl. You know how much you love the new Nani Iro line? Well, that's how I feel about you. x 10.

Hey girl. That chick's blog comment was wack. Your free tute looks nothing like that one on the @ModaBakeShop.

And here are some of my favorites from my friends ...

Looking for a great Christmas gift?

In my 4+ years of sewing and quilting, I've discovered many tools and products that I absolutely love. One item I've never fallen in love with, however, is an iron.

It's almost ironic, because I am an almost obsessive presser. As I've mentioned before, I'm largely self-taught ... so I don't really have a sense of how other quilters do the very same tasks that I do. It wasn't until I started talking to (and sewing with) my fellow Triangle Modern Quilt Guild members that I realized just how obsessive a presser I am. I press every seam, after every run through the machine. I use spray starch like a madman. I like my iron hot, my seams neat, and my quilt blocks flat. You might think I'd prioritize a high-end, highly functional iron.

Not so.

Typically, I've purchased and used fairly low-end irons from big box retailers, and have never found one that I'd recommend or would even purchase again. In most cases they're ... fine, I guess ... but nothing to get excited about. I think that the game may have changed ...

I was recently contacted by the team at Panasonic about a new iron that is now available for sale: the Concept 360° Freestyle Cordless Iron, which seems to have been designed and built with sewists, quilters, and crafters in mind. They offered to lend me a sample of the iron to use on a trial basis, so that I could let them know what I think. Instead of just telling them, I thought I'd share it with all of you as well. After just a couple of uses, I am definitely impressed.

First, the iron comes with this highly practical & portable carrying case. 90% of the time, my iron just sits on my ironing board ... but, having just attended my very first quilting retreat, I can appreciate this great feature. Plus, for quilters whose sewing spaces pull double-duty and have to break down and store their iron and ironing board after sewing, this is an even more valuable feature.

Another reason why it seems this iron is made with quilters in mind is its unique elliptical shape. It doesn't have a pointy front end and flat back end like most irons. With no official forward or backward motion, I've found that this makes it easier to truly move the iron back and forth, pressing the full length and both ends of each seam easily.

I will say that the shape of the iron takes some getting used to. For me, ironing is a completely mindless task, and I didn't realize until using this iron that it's normal for my mind to drift off and for my body to fall back to routine motions. So, I had a few scares when I tried to set the iron down on it's backside -- of which this iron doesn't have one! I nearly dropped or fumbled the hot iron on more than one occasion but, once I trained myself to place the iron back into its dock, I didn't have any more issues.

And did I mention that this iron is cordless? I didn't understand what a huge convenience this would be. I have never been able to find a good ironing board / outlet / plug & cord configuration that didn't lead to some awkward movement or tangled cords. Having a cordless iron takes away those concerns completely.

I used to iron with steam all the time but had too many issues with irons spitting black gunk onto my quilt blocks, so I've only used dry irons for a long time now. So far, I've only used this iron on its dry setting, so I can't yet comment on its performance as a steam iron.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic tool for quilters and sewists. It currently sells for $99.95 on the Panasonic site -- not too bad by Rowenta standards, but certainly more than I am accustomed to spending on irons. However, with its unique design, cordless nature, and practical carrying case, I think it's a great value for the money.

Plus, I am excited that Panasonic is allowing me to offer you guys an additional $20 rebate on this iron through 12/21 (that's next Wednesday), while supplies last. That brings it down to $79.95, which may be a great idea for a last-minute Christmas gift -- and Panasonic is currently offering free shipping! To take advantage of this deal, simply enter the code FREESTYLEQUILTER (case sensitive, so be sure to enter all caps) at checkout.

Here's the link to purchase.

(For a not-so-subtle hint, feel free to forward the link to this post to your moms, dads, husbands, wives, or anyone who may be doing some last-minute shopping for you!)

Disclaimer (only because it seems like bloggers who review products are increasingly being criticized or scrutinized for their positive reviews of gratis products):
From time to time, I am contacted by companies, publishers, business owners, etc. to "test drive" or review their products. I only review or endorse products that I truly like, and would want to share with my readers. I am contacted about many more products and services than the ones that make it to my blog -- some I turn down outright, and others I try but choose not to review -- so you can be confident that I am only recommending products that I myself would (and do) use.

Timeless Treasures Stitch Star Giveaway

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while may have already seen a mention or two about my love for reality TV. While I do love a good episode of the Real Housewives every now and again (don't judge me!), the shows I am really drawn to are the competition shows where the contestants actually have some real talent. I'm talking about shows like Top Chef, Project Runway, Design Star, and Work of Art. In all of these shows, those competing bring true talent, skill, and creativity to the table -- OK, well most of them do -- and it's exhilarating to be able to observe the creative process in action.

That's why I'm SO excited that the wonderful team at Timeless Treasures Fabrics -- home of some of my favorite fabric designers (such as Mo Bedell, Rashida Coleman-Hale, and the Dear Stella gang) -- has invited me to be one of the judges in their Stitch Star contest!

So what, exactly is Stitch Star? Well, like those competition shows I mentioned, it's a way to earn cash money and amazing prizes by doing something you already love -- showcasing your creativity by making a one-of-a-kind quilt. And while it won't be televised, your quilt will travel to my hometown of New York City to be displayed alongside all of the other entries.

I'm thrilled (and a bit nervous, to be frank) to be judging the contest alongside Lorry Chwazik (who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting), and my friend Susanne Woods of Stash Books. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be the Simon Cowell of the panel or not, but it's more likely that I'll play the Paula role ("I love them ALL!")

Timeless Treasures asked each of us to create a short video introducing ourselves to the contest entrants. I'm not a huge fan of being on video so I stressed and stressed about this right up until 11:30PM on the night before the deadline, when I finally decided to stop worrying about it, sit down in my kitchen, flip on the webcam on my Macbook, and wing it. I hope I didn't come across like too much of a tool. Wanna see it?:

OK, that was embarrassing.

Earlier, I mentioned some great contest prizes (and cash money). Here's what's on the line in the Stitch Star contest:

• 1st Prize: $5,000 and a Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP Sewing Machine by Janome, a $2,999.00 value!
• 2nd Prize: $1,000 and 20 yards of our newest fabric.
• 3rd Prize: $750 and 20 yards of our newest fabric.
• People's Choice Award: 20 yards of our newest fabric.

Worth playing for? Well, d'uh. There's a lot more to know about the competition, including how to enter and more specific information about the quilts that will be considered.

To celebrate the kick-off of the Stitch Star contest, Timeless Treasures and I would love to offer up a giveaway prize here on my blog. All of the Stitch Star contest entries must use at least two pieces of fabric from Timeless Treasures' new Plume or Orange Crush lines, or one fabric from each collection, along with their Stitch Star complements basics collection.

I'd love to inspire you to start creating, so one winner will receive four pieces of one of TT's newest collections as well as a “teaser” piece of Orange Crush or Plume. All you have to do for your chance to win is to first head over and “like” the Timeless Treasures Facebook page. Once you've done that, come back and leave a comment here on my blog telling me about a dream project that you would love to make out of these vibrant fabric collection. (In your comment, please indicate that you completed the Facebook step already.)

I'll pick one lucky winner sometime before Christmas day. And stay tuned for more updates about my journey as a Timeless Treasures Stitch Star judge. Good luck, & Happy Holidays!

The Pillow Talk Swap | Round 6

I haven't had much time to participate in online swaps lately, but when the sign-ups for the Pillow Talk Swap Round 6 opened up, I couldn't resist. This is one of my favorite swaps, not only because of the vast talent and creativity of its 100 swappers, but because I think that pillows are fun (and relatively fast) projects that allow me to play with fabrics, design, color, and shape.

My secret swap partner for this round was Jill, who listed Hope Valley as one of her favorite fabric lines, and who specifically requested "no white fabric" as she has young sons and is sure the pillow will be "well loved". Any parent of young children knows what that means!

I pulled the above selection of Hope Valley from my stash and paired it with one of my favorite solids, Moda Cross Weave in a charcoal grey.

I decided to make a rectangular pillow -- as I have in past rounds of the swap -- because, well, I just love rectangular pillows. I made up the pattern as I went along, but it was heavily influenced by the general look of Denyse Schmidt's Stacking the Odds quilt pattern. (Bought that pattern, by the way. I really want to make that quilt!)

I backed it with an envelope closure in a favorite Anna Maria Horner print, which isn't an exact match to the fabrics on the front, but I like the way it coordinates and it's a bit unexpected (which is something I like when backing anything!)

I sent the pillow form along with the cover, since it was a bit of an unusual shape and I didn't want Jill to have to hunt for an insert. I purposely removed about 1/2 of the filling because I like my pillows to be soft and mushy instead of really fat & firm. I was really happy with how this pillow turned out, and even happier to know that it's already being well loved in Jill's home! (See evidence here : )

When it came time to receive the pillow made for me by my secret partner, I was absolutely THRILLED to see that the box was from a return address in Portland. You see, I was (not so) secretly coveting a pillow that had popped up in the Flickr group that had a back just as amazing as its front. And it was screaming my style, so I really really hoped it was coming to live with me.

And it did!

The pillow was made by the amazing Caroline of Trillium Design (who, funny enough, was who I sent these pillows to in round 4 of the swap!) The raindrop pattern on the front of the pillow is simple yet unique, with negative spaced used so elegantly for a modern effect. I immediately spied some of my favorite prints in there from Cloud 9 Fabrics, AMH, Heather Ross, and (eeep!) some foxes from Monaluna's Anika line.

Speaking of foxes, remember I mentioned the back? Well, Caroline included a little surprise on the back of the pillow in the form of a fox, made from Sonja's Woodland paper-piecing pattern. Isn't it just the best?

So, once again, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the whole swap. Round after round, my partners always seem to nail it and send me something that's a perfect fit in my home -- which is exactly why I keep signing up for this great swap!

Giveaway winners!

It's time to close out a couple of my recent giveaways. Thanks, as always, for all of your wonderful comments and support of me and my blog. It makes me happy to be able to provide the opportunity for you all to win free stuff!

Without further ado, let's see who just won an extra treat this holiday season ...

The winner of one of my favorite new books, Little Bits Quilting Bee is Jules, who said:

Jules said... 34

loving the look of this book, as a beginner....thank you for the chance

November 21, 2011 11:19 AM

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The winner of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from today's top designers magazine is Nancy Sue, who said:

Nancy Sue said... 128

I have vol #2 and vol#3. I have them so dog-eared you would think my 4 yr old son had been at them. But no, lil ol' me is making a bucket list. I'm a novice quilter, so my bucket is empty but my list is ginomous. Congrats on your first of many blocks to be included, I'm sure!!

November 9, 2011 9:14 PM

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The winner of a fabric prize in celebration of Sally's Blog Tour of Quilts is Charlotte, who said:

charlotte said... 66

I like the red and black quilt. I didn't see a name, but I think you said it was with your 100 blocks submission. It has a very clean line to it. My husband would love something like that.

December 4, 2011 7:36 PM

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Congratulations Jules, Nancy Sue, and Charlotte! Please contact me via email with your mailing address, and I'll get your prizes sent out to you ASAP.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful week!

Sally's Blog Tour of Quilts

First, thank you SO MUCH for all of the kind words that you've sent me about my book here on my blog, on Twitter, and over on Flickr. After working on the book for such a long time, it's incredibly rewarding to hear all of your thoughts on it. Oh, and guess what? Jeni has already made something from one of the book's patterns (Kaye's wonderful advent calendar pattern). Go check it out on her blog!

Today, I'm very excited to be participating in a Blog Tour of Quilts organized by Sally of Sally's Quilting Corner, and to welcome all new visitors here to Quilt Dad. Sally's tour is a virtual quilt show that includes 8 quilting bloggers and features a wide variety of fantastic quilts. There are even a few giveaways scattered throughout the tour, including a great Fat Quarter Shop prize over on Sally's blog ... so be sure to go enter! (Pssst ... I'm also offering a small prize, so be sure to read through the end of this post.)

I've been on a bit of a tear lately completing quilt tops, but first I want to share a quilt from my book.

I named this quilt "Christmas in the City", and I'd call it a non-traditional holiday quilt. Rather than using reds and greens, I used purple, teal, and aqua, which I think can be considered secondary Christmas colors. You see, I grew up in New York City, and my childhood memories of the Christmas season are comprised of scenes of chilly nights at Rockefeller Center and Times Square, and shopping trips with my grandmother to FAO Schwartz and 5th Avenue. My quilt made primarily of prints from Jay McCarroll's Habitat line, along with two different shades of purple shot cottons. All of the circles and dots remind me of blinking city lights and, while making it, I kept thinking that this would be the perfect Christmas quilt for a downtown loft.

This next quilt top was assembled from blocks made for me by members of the bee inspired virtual quilting bee. The blocks are made from one of my favorite collections -- Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley -- and I asked my fellow quilters to follow Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville's pattern for Pineapple Blossom blocks. I bordered the top with two shades of Moda Grunge.

Recently, my friend Thomas Knauer sent me some bits and pieces of his fabulous new collection for Andover Fabrics, Pear Tree. I love the colors of this line and wanted to make those bits and pieces stretch as far as they could. I decided on a fun Sweetwater pattern called Make Life ... Fresh and (again) added two borders of Moda Grunge. I love how the prints look like rows of bunting flags laid across the quilt top.

My final quilt for the blog tour is this next top, which I made primarily from the quilt block I designed for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine (you can read more about my block here.) As you can see, I chose to orient my blocks differently than the way it was photographed for the magazine. I again used the Olympus line by Clothworks, which resulted in a quilt with more of a Japanese feel than I would typically be drawn to, but I do like its bold and masculine nature.

I'll be back to share more pictures when I get all of these quilt tops finished up.

I hope you enjoyed this stop on the blog tour! The next stop is with the fabulous Heather Jones over at her blog, olive and ollie. Be sure to head over and check out her amazing quilts ... and tell her I said "hi"!

And to show my appreciation for checking out my quilts today, I'm offering a prize pack of some Moda Fabrics to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment below and let me know which of my blog tour quilts is your favorite, and I'll randomly select a winner next week. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays

This evening, just a few short days after Thanksgiving and the unofficial start of the holiday season, I'm sitting here enjoying my first bowl of peppermint ice cream of 2011, listening to some Christmas music, and excited beyond words to share some great news with you all ...

Yes, that's my name on the byline ... I wrote a book! And better yet, the book is available right now ... but more on that in a minute.

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays is the second book in the new Pretty in Patchwork series by the publishing team at Lark Crafts. (Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts by my friend Cathy Gaubert was the first, and I still need to blog about my project from that fun book!)

Holiday Surprise Reverse Applique pillow, by Angela Mitchell of Fussy Cut

Pretty in Patchwork brings together handmade items and original patterns and project ideas from a wide variety of sewists and quilters, all united under a single theme. The theme for my book, obviously, is the holidays -- and, more specifically, the harvest and winter holidays of November and December (including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah.)

Sugar Village Tea Towels, by Jennifer Davis of Sugar Stitches

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays features 32 (yes, 32!!) project tutorials from 22 of my favorite fellow crafters and bloggers. The projects range from small ornaments to pillows to quilts, with lots of great ideas in between. They are perfect both for gift ideas for others as well as plenty of great ideas to treat yourself, or to decorate your home for the holidays. From beginning to more advanced sewists, I worked hard to make sure there is something in this book for everyone.

Christmas in the City quilt by ... me!

OK, so this is the part of my post where I name drop. Here's the full list of contributors whose projects are featured in the book, all of whom I invited because I have mad respect for their skill, talent, and creativity:

• Kelly Lautenbach of Thinking Out Loud ...
• Amanda Woodward-Jennings of Hey Porkchop!
• Angela Mitchell of Fussy Cut
• Christina Lane of The Sometimes Crafter
• Monica Solorio-Snow of The Happy Zombie
• Amanda Carestio of digs & bean
• Marilyn Butler
• Kaye Prince of Miss Print
• Nicole vos Van Avezathe of Follow the White Bunny
• Jeni Baker of In Color Order
• Charlie Scott & Ryan Walsh of Patchwork Squared
• Jessica Kovach of Twin Fibers
• Mo Bedell of lime gardenias
• Sonja Callaghan of Artisania
• Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios
• Jennifer Davis of Sugar Stitches
• Cathy Gaubert of handmade ... cathygaubert
• Dorreen Agres
• Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye

An impressive list, wouldn't you agree? And let me tell you, they all brought their A-game for this book!

Hedgehog Holidays Patchwork Pillowcase and Stuffed Toy by Nicole vos Van Avezathe of Follow the White Bunny

I am very, very proud of this book. Not only do I feel like it's a wonderfully rich book (did I mention that it includes 32 project tutorials?!), but Lark has established a beautiful visual style with the new Pretty in Patchwork series. I hope that the images I've included in this post -- all taken directly from the book -- speak for themselves! And about those 32 projects, I can honestly say that I don't think there's a "filler" project among them.

Drawstring Gift Bags, another of my projects!

Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays will be printed in the summer of 2012, but if you're inspired to sew up some holidays items this season, the book is already available in e-book format, perfect for computers, laptops, and iPads. The best part is that you can browse the entire book -- yes, you can preview ALL of the wonderful projects inside -- by visiting the Zinio page and clicking on the image of the book's cover. You can't zoom in close enough to see the full instructions, but you can literally flip through the entire book, enjoy the beautiful photography, and decide if this book's for you!

Harvest Vine Table Runner by Jessica Kovach of Twin Fibers

I'll be featuring more projects from the book in the coming weeks, and you can be sure I'll be back with more about the book when it's printed in 2012.

I hope you'll consider adding Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays to your sewing & crafting library. If you download the digital version, I'd love to hear what you think of it!

The Misfit Quilters Hoop Swap

Posting a bit of embroidery today! I recently participated in the Misfit Quilters Hoop Swap, in which we swapped completed pieces of embroidery, completely mounted in their hoops and ready for hanging. The Misfit Quilters is a fun bunch of sewists, quilters, and swappers that I chat with often over on Twitter. I was in the mood for both a swap and to work on some embroidery, so this came around at the perfect time.

First, let me show off the fabulous piece I received from my partner, Christine (@creationsforems):

I absolutely love this piece! The pattern, the colors, the stitching -- everything is just perfect and so me. When signing up for the swap, I listed Cate Anevski as one of my favorite artists and embroidery pattern designers. I was quite literally jumping up and down when I saw that Christine stitched up one of my favorite patterns, Ghostly Paisley.

Thanks so much, Christine! This piece has earned a prominent spot in my sewing room. It's sure to inspire me every day when I look at it!!

Here's the piece I stitched up for my partner, Ella. In her swap preferences, Ella indicated "I love tuxedo cats, bellydance, pirates, kraken, and ninjas...but I'm cool with whatever excites ya!" That was great direction and a lot to work with, but to be honest none of those things are in my usual bag of tricks, so it was a bit out of my comfort zone.

So imagine my delight-slash-relief when I came across this great pattern on the Urban Threads site! Who would've guessed that I could hit 2 of the requested images in one single pattern?

It was a lot of fun to stitch, and I am glad that Ella seemed to really enjoy it.

Have you been enjoying any hand embroidery lately? I'd love to see it!