Belville and the Good Hair Day Blog Hop

Hello and welcome!

If you are new here, my name is Adrianne and I love fabric, quilting and color! Kim Andersson and I met through the East Bay Modern quilt guild and I was so excited and honored when she asked me to be a part of the release of her newest fabric collection - Good Hair Day!

Make sure you read to the end of this post, there is a giveaway for you. : )

Kim shared a peek of the artwork with me before the fabric arrived, but it did not prepare me for the these rich, saturated beauties! I love the colors she used for this line. It has a mid-century modern thing going on that I love, but there is also a freshness to it in the way the colors are combined and the inclusion of the softer tones on the left. 

I squealed when I first saw the bobby pin print (and that is still my very favorite). It is so clever and whimsical and yet bold and modern at the same time. So good. 

When I was working on quilt design sketches for this line, I wanted something that would really showcase all of the prints, their differences, their similarities, and also a design that felt cohesive to the mid-century modern vibe I was picking up. Introducing Belville! 

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I will post the pattern info later this week.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects in the blog hop. There is a full range of eye candy including more quilts, accessories, and clothing. Good Hair Day is arriving in stores this month. Congratulations Kim, it's a beautiful collection!

GOOD HAIR DAY BLOG HOP

Mon 11th:

Kim Andersson - http://iadorepattern.com/blog/

Windham - https://windhamfabrics.wordpress.com

Tue 12th:

Erin Harris - http://www.houseonhillroad.com

Terri Carpenter - http://thequiltedfox.blogspot.com

Cath Mosley - https://www.instagram.com/cathmosely/

Wed 13th:

Adrianne Ove - http://www.littlebluebell.com

Kristen Takakuwa - https://theneedies.wordpress.com

Thursday 14th:

Daniel Rouse - http://pieceandpress.blogspot.com

Cal Patch - http://hodgepodgefarm.net

Friday 15th 

Stacey Day - https://staceyinstitches.wordpress.com

Amy Gunson - http://badskirt.blogspot.com.au

Sat 16th:

Madeleine Roberg - http://domesticstrata.com/blogs/domestic-strata

Darci Alexis - http://darcisews.com

Sun 17th:

Miriam Blaich - http://berlinquilter.blogspot.com

Crystal Chadwick - https://theclothalbatross.wordpress.com

Mon 18th: 

Pati Fried & Laura Nownes - https://seehowwesew.wordpress.com

Gillian Smith: http://sokath.com/main/blog/category/creative/

Tues 19th:

Casey York - https://studioloblog.wordpress.com

Nicole Daksiewicz - http://modernhandcraft.com/blog/

GIVEAWAY

Yay! You've made it all the way to the end. Now for the giveaway... one lucky reader will win a charm pack of Good Hair Day! The winner will be chosen randomly on Tuesday, January 19th and announced here on the blog. International entries are welcome. Have fun and good luck. : )

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Hitch and Thread! 

To Enter: Leave one comment below and let us know what you like about Good Hair Day. 

New Beginnings at Pink Chalk

Starting toady, I am the proud new owner of Pink Chalk! 

Earlier this month, Kathy posted that she was leaving the business and looking to sell Pink Chalk. That made me so sad. It would be the end of an era. I have watched and admired as Kathy grew her business and inspired and encouraged the sewing community. I knew that it was not time for the Pink Chalk story to end. After pacing and ranting to my husband, I realized that there was something I could do about it. I could be the new owner and carry on where Kathy left off. As crazy as it sounded in my head, when I said it out loud it felt right. I also have a passion for fabric, sewing, and this awesome handmade community and I can't wait to get started.

This blog (little bluebell) will remain as my personal blog and I will continue to write and share about my projects here. I will also be blogging about fabric, books, patterns and tutorials over at Pink Chalk.

Giveaway: You're My Favorite

YOU'RE MY FAVORITE
There is something about this time of year that fills my heart and reminds me of the wonderful people in my life. It is so fun to wrap up little surprises and send some cheer. I was writing down a list of all my favorite quilting tools and I kept thinking about you. You are my favorite! I am so grateful for this quilting community. Thank you for your incredible, ongoing support.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

1. OLFA 28 - This rotary cutter is a specialist. It is the perfect size when working with templates, curves, or paper piecing.

2. OLFA 45 - I have tried so many different rotary cutters and I always come back to this one. I've had it for years and it fits perfectly in my hand. It's easy to squeeze the handle to uncover the blade which automatically goes back into a covered position when I set it back down. So easy.

3. ADD A QUARTER - A must have for paper piecing. I like the larger 12" size.

4. WONDER CLIPS - These little guys are so handy in the sewing room. I use them on binding, zippers and bulky projects. They are also good when you are sewing with leather or plastic because they don't leave a mark.

5. OMNIGRID RULER - Out of all the rulers I've tried, these are my favorite. The markings are easy to read and accurate. This size fits easily under my hand and is perfect for cutting out smaller pieces and squaring up blocks.

6. AURIFIL THREAD - Strong, smooth thread that makes my seams lie super flat. Yes, please!

7. PATCHWORK PINS - I've gone through so many types of pins, but these are perfect. Sharp and super thin. They glide in and out of the fabric with ease.

8. SEAM RIPPER - Sometimes simple is best. This fits comfortably in my hand and is sharp for tackling any necessary un-sewing. I replace mine every so often because the blade does get dull over time. I buy two because I tend to lose them in my sewing room and they aren't very expensive.

GIVEAWAY
This giveaway is now closed. The winner is ericaday6. Congratulations Erica! Thank you all for participating. : )

I'm giving away a set of my favorite quilting tools. Every single one of these items is on my worktable and I wouldn't work without them. 

Enter to win by:

1) following this blog
2) leave a comment below, what is your favorite quilting tool?

Giveaway ends 12/16/15 at midnight PST. International entries welcome! Winner will be posted here on the blog.

Candy Corn Quilt is Finished

QUILT BEGINNINGS

It's hard to remember where this quilt started without a visit to the way back machine (aka an old blog post from 2012). The Guising fabric collection by Lizzy House had just come out. It featured the cutest little ghosties and geometric candy corn. It was sweet without being too sweet, and quirky in the best possible way. I loved it and wanted to make a quilt for Fall/Halloween for my family to snuggle under while passing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Tufts, Outfoxed by Lizzy House

CHOOSING A BACKGROUND COLOR

I first paired the fabrics with taupes and creams and it was a little too tame for me. The more color and pattern I added, the more I liked it. The background was chosen after laying my fabrics out next to a color card and looking for the one that made everything pop. It turned out to be a saturated red-purple color which happily surprised me. It was similar to one of the deeper tones in the Tufts print from Outfoxed, also by Lizzy House.

PIECING THE TOP

I started by cutting out 2 1/2" strips from stack of fabric. Then I pieced them together in strip sets with a a variety of color and pattern in each. I cut the strip sets into triangles. Instead of the traditional Thousand Pyramid layout, I opted for lining up my points for a different look. It's funny, looking back at that original post, I pondered the idea of being in a triangle phase. It turns out it's not a phase, but an obsession. : ) 

CUDDLY BACKING

The backing is a deep chocolate minky fabric that I ordered from Harts Fabrics. I used cotton batting too, so it's extra snuggle and warm. Perfect for this time of year.

It feels really good to have this quilt finished and now that it's done, I'm ready to put up my Christmas decorations.

Change the colors and it could totally be a winter quilt!

QUILT STATS

Name: Candy Corn

Size: 48" x 72"

Materials: Guising by Lizzy House for Andover and coordinating stash fabrics

Quilting: outlined triangles and rows with walking foot

Fast and Fun Improv

We've been rearranging our house and it's driving me bonkers! My little creative corner has shrunk and I'm in denial about it. Seeking solace, I walked over to my fabric cupboard and pulled out fabrics that felt comforting. This is a hug from my fabric fairy godmother. She whispered, "everything will be ok. Why don't you sit down and make something?"

I followed this great tutorial by Svetlana of S.O.T.A.K handmade. There is no pattern, you make a stack of fabrics and cut them up and then mix up the order of prints. I really liked making intentional, but unmeasured cuts. 

Normally I spend a lot of time placing each color and each print exactly where I want it. I liked the feeling of serendipity when I sewed everything together and it just worked.

I made two stacks and ended up with 12 blocks. Then I added some sashing and borders and the next thing you know I had a quilt top. I adore the look of this type of quilt and Svetlana's tutorial made it so easy.

DETAILS:

Fabric: Mix of prints by Denyse Schmidt, Essex Linen in Linen, Kona Cotton in Ivory and a black or grey crosshatch from Timeless Treasures

Tutorial: Stack and Slash by S.O.T.A.K Handmade