Stepping Stones over the Terrain

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here.

Today I have another quilt top to show you that used half square triangles (HSTs). I started this quilt in October during the Kate Spain Designer Select Month. I just finished it this past Saturday night at Sit and Sew at The Berry Patch. It was fun letting the gals there help me get the layout just right. Then I took the top 2 rows off the design wall to sew together and made a big mistake. I sewed the top row under the bottom row (no turning it over didn't help) so we had even more fun figuring out how to fix it.

Even though I used a different technique to make the HSTs it still worked with the layer cake pieces. Instead of a 4 7/8" strip I used a 4 1/2" strip. This quilt was just scrappy enough for me to feel comfortable and still experiment with different fabrics. This quilt only had 64 HST, 4 for each block, so it went pretty fast. I found that making 1 or 2 blocks at a time was the best way to approach this pattern.

What I love about this pattern is that the white squares are the pronounced part so the HSTs are kinda in the background, even though they are there...does that make sense? Sometimes I think my brain is scary.

I have seen the project sheet for Good Fortune and the quilt has a similar play on squares so I will be making a sister to this one eventually.

Tomorrow I am guest blogging at QuiltJane...Want It, Need It Quilt! Be sure to check that out! I need help naming the block I posted about so please help me.

Have you tried using a HST ruler yet or are you waiting to see who the winners are of the ruler sets before you get one? You have till Saturday, November 19th to enter. (Click here).

Stepping Stones over the Terrain

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here.

Today I have another quilt top to show you that used half square triangles (HSTs). I started this quilt in October during the Kate Spain Designer Select Month. I just finished it this past Saturday night at Sit and Sew at The Berry Patch. It was fun letting the gals there help me get the layout just right. Then I took the top 2 rows off the design wall to sew together and made a big mistake. I sewed the top row under the bottom row (no turning it over didn't help) so we had even more fun figuring out how to fix it.

Even though I used a different technique to make the HSTs it still worked with the layer cake pieces. Instead of a 4 7/8" strip I used a 4 1/2" strip. This quilt was just scrappy enough for me to feel comfortable and still experiment with different fabrics. This quilt only had 64 HST, 4 for each block, so it went pretty fast. I found that making 1 or 2 blocks at a time was the best way to approach this pattern.

What I love about this pattern is that the white squares are the pronounced part so the HSTs are kinda in the background, even though they are there...does that make sense? Sometimes I think my brain is scary.

I have seen the project sheet for Good Fortune and the quilt has a similar play on squares so I will be making a sister to this one eventually.

Tomorrow I am guest blogging at QuiltJane...Want It, Need It Quilt! Be sure to check that out! I need help naming the block I posted about so please help me.

Have you tried using a HST ruler yet or are you waiting to see who the winners are of the ruler sets before you get one? You have till Saturday, November 19th to enter. (Click here).

Ruby Table Runner

If you are looking for the Ruby giveaway please click here.

Today Tracey from The Peony Teacup has an adorable table runner made with Ruby. It uses one of my favorite patterns.

Hi, I'm Tracey from The Peony Teacup and I'm super excited to be blogging with you here on Sha's Craizee Corners! This is my first time guest posting, so be gentle with me ;)

Just like Melissa did on Monday, I will be showcasing a project that I made using Bonnie & Camille's Ruby. How gorgeous is that fabric? I love the aqua/red combination, it's just so happy.. you know?

I'd originally planned a different project with my Ruby fabric, but a girlfriend managed to convince me that she *really needed* my other Ruby charm pack to make some dresden plate cushions, so I had to come up with a new idea.

Fortunately for me, Sha's Bonnie & Camille week coincides with another girlfriend's 30th birthday. What better gift to give than.... a Ruby table runner?!

Do you think my friend will like it? I sure hope so!

I used a "Disappearing 9 Patch" pattern to make the table runner, and will post a tutorial on my blog in case anyone is interested. It only used 27 charm squares (3 x 9 patch blocks), so while I decided to "turn & top stitch" my table runner, you could easily bind it with the remaining charm squares. I used some white/blue dot fabric from my stash to back my table runner, but I also think it would look gorgeous if you used 2x charm packs and made it reversible - perhaps an aqua side and a red side? Or maybe Ruby on one side and Kate Spain's Good Fortune on the other.. (I plan to make a Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt with that combo!)

The problem is that now I've made my table runner, I'm even more in love with Ruby and I wish I hadn't declared a fabric buying ban for the rest of 2011 because I *really* want to make my girlfriends some Ruby mug rugs as a part of their Christmas gifts! Fabric buying bans don't include Christmas presents do they?

Thanks for sticking with me through to the end of the post, and thank you to Sha for having me. :) I really enjoyed making my Ruby table runner (and it was super-fast too!) and being able to share it with you! I'll be showcasing it at my local quilting friendship day later today, and then I'll wrap it up and gift it to my girlfriend at her Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Sunday!

What a great table runner! I say to get some more for your other friends' gifts. You have to get something for them so buying the fabric to make something for them is no different than buying them fabric for a gift.

Don't forget to check out Tracey's blog The Peony Teacup. She just did a tutorial on sashing tumblers that I can not wait to try.

Ruby Table Runner

If you are looking for the Ruby giveaway please click here.

Today Tracey from The Peony Teacup has an adorable table runner made with Ruby. It uses one of my favorite patterns.

Hi, I'm Tracey from The Peony Teacup and I'm super excited to be blogging with you here on Sha's Craizee Corners! This is my first time guest posting, so be gentle with me ;)

Just like Melissa did on Monday, I will be showcasing a project that I made using Bonnie & Camille's Ruby. How gorgeous is that fabric? I love the aqua/red combination, it's just so happy.. you know?

I'd originally planned a different project with my Ruby fabric, but a girlfriend managed to convince me that she *really needed* my other Ruby charm pack to make some dresden plate cushions, so I had to come up with a new idea.

Fortunately for me, Sha's Bonnie & Camille week coincides with another girlfriend's 30th birthday. What better gift to give than.... a Ruby table runner?!

Do you think my friend will like it? I sure hope so!

I used a "Disappearing 9 Patch" pattern to make the table runner, and will post a tutorial on my blog in case anyone is interested. It only used 27 charm squares (3 x 9 patch blocks), so while I decided to "turn & top stitch" my table runner, you could easily bind it with the remaining charm squares. I used some white/blue dot fabric from my stash to back my table runner, but I also think it would look gorgeous if you used 2x charm packs and made it reversible - perhaps an aqua side and a red side? Or maybe Ruby on one side and Kate Spain's Good Fortune on the other.. (I plan to make a Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt with that combo!)

The problem is that now I've made my table runner, I'm even more in love with Ruby and I wish I hadn't declared a fabric buying ban for the rest of 2011 because I *really* want to make my girlfriends some Ruby mug rugs as a part of their Christmas gifts! Fabric buying bans don't include Christmas presents do they?

Thanks for sticking with me through to the end of the post, and thank you to Sha for having me. :) I really enjoyed making my Ruby table runner (and it was super-fast too!) and being able to share it with you! I'll be showcasing it at my local quilting friendship day later today, and then I'll wrap it up and gift it to my girlfriend at her Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Sunday!

What a great table runner! I say to get some more for your other friends' gifts. You have to get something for them so buying the fabric to make something for them is no different than buying them fabric for a gift.

Don't forget to check out Tracey's blog The Peony Teacup. She just did a tutorial on sashing tumblers that I can not wait to try.

Saturday at Quilt Market

Yesterday you saw how busy Friday was at Quilt Market, Saturday was just as craizee. I did want to mention for those of you thinking about going to Market next year that on Friday the floor with all the booths and vendors was not open. I had no idea and if I didn't have schoolhouse to go to it would have been a wasted day, well except for spree.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with the 4 great gals I was sharing a room with, well the word room might be a tad bit underestimating what it was. It was more like a mansion in the hotel. We had 2 bedrooms with 4 beds altogether (1 was in the living room so that was kinda 3 rooms to sleep in), 3 bathrooms, a living room and big conference table that would have fit 10 people around it and 2 bar areas. So rooming with Laine, Jacqueline, Tiffany and Cara was very enjoyable. We all got along great!

After breakfast I had a few meetings. I had a wonderful meeting with Kerri from Brewer Sewing. I can't wait to share the news with you, but I have to get all my ducks in a row first. Then I met with Thomas about this upcoming fabric line Flock. I love Flock, it spoke to me.

After those meetings we walked around the floor and met some great people. I learned a lot about thread and pearl cotton from the folks at Precencia. For instance did you know that the size 16 will fit in your machine with a 50 wt bobbin? The gals at Precencia sent us home with 5 different weights of pearl cotton to try. And I picked up the Precencia thread for the thread-off I will be having soon. I'm just waiting to get the other thread and then I will be asking for volunteers, but more on that later.

At another booth I saw the cutest baby diapers. They are made with very soft fabric and are completely washable. I can see every parent and grandparent who sews making these for the little ones. I can't remember the name of it but I will find out and post it when I do.

Another fun part was chatting with some of the fabric designers. The Moda area was huge and so much fun! I meet so many designers...Kate Spain, Aneela Hoey, Betz White, Lucie Summers, The Sweetwater gals, the Blackbird Gals, Ann Sutton, and my all time favorite designers Barb and Mary from Me and My Sisters. I spent quite a bit of time chatting with the Me and My Sister gals and even showed them a pattern I have been working on specifically for their fabric. Then they totally surprised me with a set of their yet to be released patterns! I can't wait to make that bag from the pattern. The gals that were staying with me already have put in orders so I had better get going on them lol.

The Andover, Hoffman, Island Batiks, Canvas (a part of Benartex), Riley Blake and Robert Kaufman booths were also great! I was glad that Jacqueline was there with me because I only got her 1 of the Lorax kits at Spree and she was able to pick up the rest. I also was able to pick up a FQ set for Laine that I knew she really had wanted. Thats how the weekend was for us. When we saw something that we knew someone else wanted we weren't shy about picking it up. When I got back to the room Laine had a suitcase of Aurifil thread waiting for me, which was so sweet of her.

I have to admit some of the fabric took my breath away. I am especially looking forward to seeing Summersville in person, it's so different and so me! And the swag we got from Moda was great. They had mini charm packs of a lot of their upcoming lines. Here's a pic of all the ones I got.

They are Tend the Earth by Deb Strain, Stitch by Betz White, California Girl by Fig Tree, A Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey, Meadow by Blackbird Designs, Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket, Reunion by Hometown and A Stitch in Color by Malka Dubrawsky.

I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting other fabric designers, manufacturers and distributors about my patterns. Several agreed to send me fabric to make a quilt from one of my patterns for them. So I would say the trip was a success! I got a lot more feedback, and positive feedback at that than I thought I would have gotten. The hard part for me is going to be keeping my mouth closed until the pattern is done, but I do wish I could show you all the patterns right now :)

The only bad part of Saturday was that Tiffany lost her wallet, but we tried to keep her busy to take her mind off of it. And guess what, she got a call yesterday that the cab driver found it!

By Saturday night I was exhausted so I hung out with some of the gals I was staying with. So that's was my Saturday.

As for Sunday, that was kinda uneventful. I was leaving at 11:30 for the airport, which didn't give me much time. I did go to 1 book signing, which was fun. Next time I will plan on staying until Monday so that I can check out all the book signings. If you get on line early enough you can get a coupon for a free book at the book signing. Then it was off to the airport and home. While I was ready to come home, I feel like there was so much I missed. But there's always next time. That is if Hubs lets me go again after how much this trip cost him in fabric :)

Saturday at Quilt Market

Yesterday you saw how busy Friday was at Quilt Market, Saturday was just as craizee. I did want to mention for those of you thinking about going to Market next year that on Friday the floor with all the booths and vendors was not open. I had no idea and if I didn't have schoolhouse to go to it would have been a wasted day, well except for spree.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with the 4 great gals I was sharing a room with, well the word room might be a tad bit underestimating what it was. It was more like a mansion in the hotel. We had 2 bedrooms with 4 beds altogether (1 was in the living room so that was kinda 3 rooms to sleep in), 3 bathrooms, a living room and big conference table that would have fit 10 people around it and 2 bar areas. So rooming with Laine, Jacqueline, Tiffany and Cara was very enjoyable. We all got along great!

After breakfast I had a few meetings. I had a wonderful meeting with Kerri from Brewer Sewing. I can't wait to share the news with you, but I have to get all my ducks in a row first. Then I met with Thomas about this upcoming fabric line Flock. I love Flock, it spoke to me.

After those meetings we walked around the floor and met some great people. I learned a lot about thread and pearl cotton from the folks at Precencia. For instance did you know that the size 16 will fit in your machine with a 50 wt bobbin? The gals at Precencia sent us home with 5 different weights of pearl cotton to try. And I picked up the Precencia thread for the thread-off I will be having soon. I'm just waiting to get the other thread and then I will be asking for volunteers, but more on that later.

At another booth I saw the cutest baby diapers. They are made with very soft fabric and are completely washable. I can see every parent and grandparent who sews making these for the little ones. I can't remember the name of it but I will find out and post it when I do.

Another fun part was chatting with some of the fabric designers. The Moda area was huge and so much fun! I meet so many designers...Kate Spain, Aneela Hoey, Betz White, Lucie Summers, The Sweetwater gals, the Blackbird Gals, Ann Sutton, and my all time favorite designers Barb and Mary from Me and My Sisters. I spent quite a bit of time chatting with the Me and My Sister gals and even showed them a pattern I have been working on specifically for their fabric. Then they totally surprised me with a set of their yet to be released patterns! I can't wait to make that bag from the pattern. The gals that were staying with me already have put in orders so I had better get going on them lol.

The Andover, Hoffman, Island Batiks, Canvas (a part of Benartex), Riley Blake and Robert Kaufman booths were also great! I was glad that Jacqueline was there with me because I only got her 1 of the Lorax kits at Spree and she was able to pick up the rest. I also was able to pick up a FQ set for Laine that I knew she really had wanted. Thats how the weekend was for us. When we saw something that we knew someone else wanted we weren't shy about picking it up. When I got back to the room Laine had a suitcase of Aurifil thread waiting for me, which was so sweet of her.

I have to admit some of the fabric took my breath away. I am especially looking forward to seeing Summersville in person, it's so different and so me! And the swag we got from Moda was great. They had mini charm packs of a lot of their upcoming lines. Here's a pic of all the ones I got.

They are Tend the Earth by Deb Strain, Stitch by Betz White, California Girl by Fig Tree, A Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey, Meadow by Blackbird Designs, Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket, Reunion by Hometown and A Stitch in Color by Malka Dubrawsky.

I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting other fabric designers, manufacturers and distributors about my patterns. Several agreed to send me fabric to make a quilt from one of my patterns for them. So I would say the trip was a success! I got a lot more feedback, and positive feedback at that than I thought I would have gotten. The hard part for me is going to be keeping my mouth closed until the pattern is done, but I do wish I could show you all the patterns right now :)

The only bad part of Saturday was that Tiffany lost her wallet, but we tried to keep her busy to take her mind off of it. And guess what, she got a call yesterday that the cab driver found it!

By Saturday night I was exhausted so I hung out with some of the gals I was staying with. So that's was my Saturday.

As for Sunday, that was kinda uneventful. I was leaving at 11:30 for the airport, which didn't give me much time. I did go to 1 book signing, which was fun. Next time I will plan on staying until Monday so that I can check out all the book signings. If you get on line early enough you can get a coupon for a free book at the book signing. Then it was off to the airport and home. While I was ready to come home, I feel like there was so much I missed. But there's always next time. That is if Hubs lets me go again after how much this trip cost him in fabric :)

And the answers are...

How did you like the quiz? I didn't count, but I am pretty sure a few of you got a 100!

Here's the answers

1. D. All of the Above - Plus Michael's Craft Store and lots of quilt shops.

2. C. Honeysuckle

3. A. Forest Floor

4. B. She repaints her rooms a lot, although I loved your guesses

The last question I asked was a fun one, but wasn't in the quiz. I asked Kate if she could pick a Designer Select FQ kit for Good Fortune what would it be. Here's what she chose

Pond Garden in Zen (27100-19)

Dragonfly in Zen (27107-19) and Harmony (27107-13)
Raked Sand in Tea (27105-15) and Waterfall (27105-17)
Lantern Flower in Reflection (27102-27)
Lucky Bamboo in Harmony (27106-13) and Tranquility (27106-16)
Sakura in Harmony (27101-13)
Yoshino in Tranquility (27104-16)
Pagoda in Waterfall (27108-17)
Fan in Tranquility (27103-14)

And last but not least my Mr. Random picked #23 when I asked him to pick a number so the winner of the Good Fortune charm pack provided by Kate Spain is

Lee Ann!
#23

Congrats Lee Ann and thanks everyone for playing along!

A Special Thanks to Kate Spain, all the guest bloggers and Fat Quarter Shop for making Terrain month a success!

And the answers are...

How did you like the quiz? I didn't count, but I am pretty sure a few of you got a 100!

Here's the answers

1. D. All of the Above - Plus Michael's Craft Store and lots of quilt shops.

2. C. Honeysuckle

3. A. Forest Floor

4. B. She repaints her rooms a lot, although I loved your guesses

The last question I asked was a fun one, but wasn't in the quiz. I asked Kate if she could pick a Designer Select FQ kit for Good Fortune what would it be. Here's what she chose

Pond Garden in Zen (27100-19)

Dragonfly in Zen (27107-19) and Harmony (27107-13)
Raked Sand in Tea (27105-15) and Waterfall (27105-17)
Lantern Flower in Reflection (27102-27)
Lucky Bamboo in Harmony (27106-13) and Tranquility (27106-16)
Sakura in Harmony (27101-13)
Yoshino in Tranquility (27104-16)
Pagoda in Waterfall (27108-17)
Fan in Tranquility (27103-14)

And last but not least my Mr. Random picked #23 when I asked him to pick a number so the winner of the Good Fortune charm pack provided by Kate Spain is

Lee Ann!
#23

Congrats Lee Ann and thanks everyone for playing along!

A Special Thanks to Kate Spain, all the guest bloggers and Fat Quarter Shop for making Terrain month a success!

How well do you know Kate Spain?

As you know I went to the International Quilt Market in Houston this past weekend. The entire experience was wonderful (well besides for 1 woman who was a bit rude, but that didn't ruin my time) and exciting. On Saturday afternoon I found myself at the Moda area, I would say booth, but it was more like a block, where the designers had their own areas to chat with attendees. I met many of the great fabric designers, but the first one I met was Kate Spain. It was funny watching people be awestruck by just meeting her, which I have to admit at first I was too, but then I realized that she is a person just like us and calmed down so I could have a conversation with Kate that I would remember.

Kate was very down to earth and truly appreciated the visit. I totally adore the new line...it has great colors and will mix well with any Terrain you have left in your stash. I had missed the mini charm packs of Good Fortune, but I did get a fortune cookie!

A few weeks ago I sent Kate some questions to answer so lets see how well you know her.

1. What store is Kate Spain products available in?
a. Fat Quarter Shop
b. Crate and Barrel
c. Costco
d. All of the above

2. What is your favorite flower?
a. Daisies
b. Roses
c. Honeysuckle
d. Tulips

3. When choosing fabric for the Designer Select Fat Quarter kit, for the Fat Quarter Shop, what was your starting fabric (ie what fabric was it built around)?
a. Forest Floor
b. Fern
c. Seedpod
d. Aster

4. Which is true of Kate?
a. She is a pilot and loves flying planes
b. She repaints the rooms in her house a lot
c. She is a Dallas Cowboys fan
d. She went to elementary school with Sandra Bullock

How do you think you did on this quiz?
How would you like to win a charm pack of Good Fortune?
For a chance to win just answer the questions in a comment below. And this time you do not have to be a follower of this blog!
And while on the subject of blogs, here's a link to Kate's blog The Drawing Board.
This is a short giveaway...come back tomorrow to see the answers and see who won.

How well do you know Kate Spain?

As you know I went to the International Quilt Market in Houston this past weekend. The entire experience was wonderful (well besides for 1 woman who was a bit rude, but that didn't ruin my time) and exciting. On Saturday afternoon I found myself at the Moda area, I would say booth, but it was more like a block, where the designers had their own areas to chat with attendees. I met many of the great fabric designers, but the first one I met was Kate Spain. It was funny watching people be awestruck by just meeting her, which I have to admit at first I was too, but then I realized that she is a person just like us and calmed down so I could have a conversation with Kate that I would remember.

Kate was very down to earth and truly appreciated the visit. I totally adore the new line...it has great colors and will mix well with any Terrain you have left in your stash. I had missed the mini charm packs of Good Fortune, but I did get a fortune cookie!

A few weeks ago I sent Kate some questions to answer so lets see how well you know her.

1. What store is Kate Spain products available in?
a. Fat Quarter Shop
b. Crate and Barrel
c. Costco
d. All of the above

2. What is your favorite flower?
a. Daisies
b. Roses
c. Honeysuckle
d. Tulips

3. When choosing fabric for the Designer Select Fat Quarter kit, for the Fat Quarter Shop, what was your starting fabric (ie what fabric was it built around)?
a. Forest Floor
b. Fern
c. Seedpod
d. Aster

4. Which is true of Kate?
a. She is a pilot and loves flying planes
b. She repaints the rooms in her house a lot
c. She is a Dallas Cowboys fan
d. She went to elementary school with Sandra Bullock

How do you think you did on this quiz?
How would you like to win a charm pack of Good Fortune?
For a chance to win just answer the questions in a comment below. And this time you do not have to be a follower of this blog!
And while on the subject of blogs, here's a link to Kate's blog The Drawing Board.
This is a short giveaway...come back tomorrow to see the answers and see who won.

Guest Blogger Laura from Quokka Quilts

If you are looking for the Terrain giveaway click here.

Today's guest blogger is Laura from Quokka Quilts. Laura volunteered right away when I put a call out for Guest Bloggers, so having her as my first guest blogger for Kate Spain month is very fitting.







Good Fortune review and a block tutorial 

Hi, I’m Laura and I’m very happy to be doing my very first guest post here at Craizee Corner. I blog at Quokka Quilts, which may give you a clue as to where I live. If not, hop (hint hint) on over and have a look at my About page. 

A few weeks ago, a layer cake of Kate Spain’s NEW line, Good Fortune, arrived on my doorstep. It’s due out in January - lucky, lucky me! What I didn’t know was that Good Fortune comes with FREE good fortune! I’m convinced. A heap of good fortune befell me at the same time as the layer cake arrived. I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say, sapphires were involved. And an iPad. Enough said? Order NOW. 

I’m going to give you a quick review of the line as it’s so new.

Kate Spain’s Good Fortune fabric features a heap of symbols that are significant or lucky in one or several Asian cultures (in my non-quilting life, I have a Bachelor of Asian Studies). Dragonflies, lotus flowers, cherry blossoms, bamboo... The colours are a gorgeous mix of blues, purples, peach, orange and green with some grey thrown in for tone.
That’s the factual bit of the review. 


Now the whimsical bit. I think some fabric has personality and there are introverts and extroverts in this particular line of fabric. The introverts are quite happy in their own company - they're quite happy around others, but they really can stand alone and shine. I can see this one on the left humming quietly to herself (of course it's a she) as she swishes around on a skirt, quite oblivious to any other fabric.

Other fabrics are extroverts. Extroverts prefer the company of others to their own. To start with, I found a few fabrics such as this one didn’t quite click with me. UNTIL I REALISED - they were extroverts! They were sulking alone. When I put them with another fabric, they SANG! Every good party has the extroverts and these are the party animals that make it all happen. 

The Block 

As well as having the symbols in the fabric, I wanted to make a block that symbolised Good Fortune, so I googled, and I remembered something I’d forgotten...

One of the oldest and most widely used symbols of good fortune (which appears in Hindu, Buddhist and a number of other religions and cultures) is the swastika (yes, the Nazis stole it and made it infamous). You can see it all over the world, especially in Hindu areas such as Bali (see traditional examples here). The original has been adapted and used numerous times in many different cultures and religions. I took one of these adaptations and made this block.

I’m sure it’s not original and I’m sure someone will be kind enough to tell me the proper name of it, but I just cut and played and I’m calling it Good Fortune. 

With a 10" layer cake, cut 2.5" off two sides first, then off the top and bottom of the remaining part, then cut the remaining part in half, thus (I've numbered the cuts for you):

Now you need your contrasting fabric cut in a 5" square and a 2.5" strip. From the 2.5" strip, cut two 2.5" squares, and two 3.25" long strips and join like this.

Join your contrasting 2.5" strips to each end of two of the 5" long Good Fortune 2.5" strips, press then cut down the length of the strip.

 

Attach the other 2.5" Good Fortune pieces to the centre block. You can see that the side pieces are a little long, so trim them back after cutting.

 

Sew the shorter thin sections on top and bottom, then the longer side sections and there you have it! I've already shown you the finished block so here are some others.

You'll see the last one is my 'yang' block to balance out the 'ying' ones. If you'd like instructions for that, hop on over to my blog and let me know! 

And finally, as my Good Fortune layer cake arrived the same day as my iPad, what better way to put the scraps to use than an iPad case! It's official - I've fallen in love with this line!

Thanks for having me Sharon!

 

Thanks Laura for that great tutorial on an adorable block! Make sure to check out Lauras blog today and tell her Sha sent you! Come back tomorrow to see Tiffany from Another Pie In The Sky share her Fandango project!

Have you got your hands on any Terrain yet? Do it today...it's so popular I am sure it will go fast. The Fat Quarter Shop has some great patterns to go with the Terrain fabric!

Sha :)

Guest Blogger Laura from Quokka Quilts

If you are looking for the Terrain giveaway click here.

Today's guest blogger is Laura from Quokka Quilts. Laura volunteered right away when I put a call out for Guest Bloggers, so having her as my first guest blogger for Kate Spain month is very fitting.







Good Fortune review and a block tutorial 

Hi, I’m Laura and I’m very happy to be doing my very first guest post here at Craizee Corner. I blog at Quokka Quilts, which may give you a clue as to where I live. If not, hop (hint hint) on over and have a look at my About page. 

A few weeks ago, a layer cake of Kate Spain’s NEW line, Good Fortune, arrived on my doorstep. It’s due out in January - lucky, lucky me! What I didn’t know was that Good Fortune comes with FREE good fortune! I’m convinced. A heap of good fortune befell me at the same time as the layer cake arrived. I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say, sapphires were involved. And an iPad. Enough said? Order NOW. 

I’m going to give you a quick review of the line as it’s so new.

Kate Spain’s Good Fortune fabric features a heap of symbols that are significant or lucky in one or several Asian cultures (in my non-quilting life, I have a Bachelor of Asian Studies). Dragonflies, lotus flowers, cherry blossoms, bamboo... The colours are a gorgeous mix of blues, purples, peach, orange and green with some grey thrown in for tone.
That’s the factual bit of the review. 


Now the whimsical bit. I think some fabric has personality and there are introverts and extroverts in this particular line of fabric. The introverts are quite happy in their own company - they're quite happy around others, but they really can stand alone and shine. I can see this one on the left humming quietly to herself (of course it's a she) as she swishes around on a skirt, quite oblivious to any other fabric.

Other fabrics are extroverts. Extroverts prefer the company of others to their own. To start with, I found a few fabrics such as this one didn’t quite click with me. UNTIL I REALISED - they were extroverts! They were sulking alone. When I put them with another fabric, they SANG! Every good party has the extroverts and these are the party animals that make it all happen. 

The Block 

As well as having the symbols in the fabric, I wanted to make a block that symbolised Good Fortune, so I googled, and I remembered something I’d forgotten...

One of the oldest and most widely used symbols of good fortune (which appears in Hindu, Buddhist and a number of other religions and cultures) is the swastika (yes, the Nazis stole it and made it infamous). You can see it all over the world, especially in Hindu areas such as Bali (see traditional examples here). The original has been adapted and used numerous times in many different cultures and religions. I took one of these adaptations and made this block.

I’m sure it’s not original and I’m sure someone will be kind enough to tell me the proper name of it, but I just cut and played and I’m calling it Good Fortune. 

With a 10" layer cake, cut 2.5" off two sides first, then off the top and bottom of the remaining part, then cut the remaining part in half, thus (I've numbered the cuts for you):

Now you need your contrasting fabric cut in a 5" square and a 2.5" strip. From the 2.5" strip, cut two 2.5" squares, and two 3.25" long strips and join like this.

Join your contrasting 2.5" strips to each end of two of the 5" long Good Fortune 2.5" strips, press then cut down the length of the strip.

 

Attach the other 2.5" Good Fortune pieces to the centre block. You can see that the side pieces are a little long, so trim them back after cutting.

 

Sew the shorter thin sections on top and bottom, then the longer side sections and there you have it! I've already shown you the finished block so here are some others.

You'll see the last one is my 'yang' block to balance out the 'ying' ones. If you'd like instructions for that, hop on over to my blog and let me know! 

And finally, as my Good Fortune layer cake arrived the same day as my iPad, what better way to put the scraps to use than an iPad case! It's official - I've fallen in love with this line!

Thanks for having me Sharon!

 

Thanks Laura for that great tutorial on an adorable block! Make sure to check out Lauras blog today and tell her Sha sent you! Come back tomorrow to see Tiffany from Another Pie In The Sky share her Fandango project!

Have you got your hands on any Terrain yet? Do it today...it's so popular I am sure it will go fast. The Fat Quarter Shop has some great patterns to go with the Terrain fabric!

Sha :)