Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns – Page 5

Zentangle Free Motion Quilting

9 Comments / A Lovely Year of Finishes, free motion quilting, quilting, Quilting Competition, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns, Zentangle / By Melissa Dunworth

Last month before I quilted Hypnotic Eye I spent two nights lost in Zentangle. I printed out four copies of the block I designed, which makes up the entire quilt, taped them together and started filling them in with my pencil.

I wanted to focus on designs that could be accomplished with my free motion foot or my walking foot. I was really quite delighted because once I started quilting I was able to use my free motion foot for the entire quilt. This was only possible because my foot has some very nice markings that I was able to use for reference and guidance on the sections that I wanted to look straight.

While this process may seem a bit excessive, I have to say it gave me lots of confidence knowing the overall visual impact the quilting would have before I started. I doubt I will do this with every quilt, but at least I will have this technique in my back pocket for the future.

Do you ever pre-draw your quilting designs before you start quilting?

If you don’t try, you will never fail

20 Comments / 2015 Finishes, A Lovely Year of Finishes, Finished Quilts, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns / By Melissa Dunworth

Terrible motto right? Well I have tried a couple of juried shows in the past and not gotten in. I suppose I could live by the motto above and stop trying, or I could just try harder and try different things. So this is me, putting myself back out there again.

Yesterday I submitted my newest quilt design to the Quilt! Knit! Stitch! show in Portland, OR. The design challenge is to make a modern quilt using Black to White fabrics (which includes grays). We were also allowed to add one pop color in one place if we wanted. Below is my entry. I have decided to call it Hypnotic Eye.

I have to say that I really love how the quilt turned out. There are a couple of other quilt shows coming up that I think I may also submit to, we shall see what the future holds. In the meantime. I have two quilt patterns to write before this one, but it will be coming hopefully by the end of the summer. I need to figure out how to juggle my quilting and pattern writing with a five year old who no longer wants to nap. It should prove interesting.

Here is a close up on the quilting. I will share with you either tomorrow or Monday how I came up with the different quilting designs that I decided to use.

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday.

Also, please know that the reason I haven’t been replying to comments lately is that we have had some very personal family health challenges going on. I am going to make it a goal to spend more time focusing on the blog, but I think we can all agree, that family has to come first. Please know that I read each and every comment and that I draw much strength from the comments and love that you send when you take the time out of your day to comment. At some point I may share what has been going on, but for right now things are too fresh and still a bit painful to talk about.

Much love to all of you.

Taking A Step Back

20 Comments / Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns / By Melissa Dunworth

Do you ever look back on your hobby, which maybe you are trying to turn into something more than a hobby, and think to yourself “wow! I never thought I could do that!”? That’s where I am at today. It is no secret that I am selling my patterns. It is no secret that I have submitted to a couple of magazines and even been accepted to a couple (coming soon to a newsstand near you). Sometimes though, I look at the things I am making and I just can’t believe the designs are from me and that I have come far enough in my sewing to actually accomplish turning them from digital images into real life quilts.

I am a mostly self-taught quilter. My mom taught me the basics and the rest I have learned very much on my own. The only class I have ever taken was a color theory class and while it was helpful I couldn’t say that it helped with my actual quilting, though I did truly enjoy the experience. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but when I look at my current project and see it coming together, I am quite proud of myself. Are we allowed to be proud of ourselves these day? Well even if we aren’t, I am going to say that I am.

Here are all the pieces for my next quilt cut out, the paper pieced sections are pieced, and I actually have two whole blocks pieced together too!

I am super pleased with how this quilt is coming together. My goal is to piece the second two blocks and have the top assembled before my guild meeting tomorrow night. Wish me luck!

So just for today, I am taking a step back and appreciating how far I have come in my quilting journey. I am excited for what comes next!

A Lovely Year of Finishes – May 2015 Goals

15 Comments / A Lovely Year of Finishes, Fiber of All Sorts, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns / By Melissa Dunworth

May is going to be a very busy month for our family. Anne has a couple of doctor’s appointments, her ballet recital and we have family coming in. I would love to say I am picking an easy goal, but the jokes on me and I’m not picking something easy at all!

I’ve already successfully pieced a couple of test blocks and one actual block. I’m really happy with how it is turning out! Wish me luck as this will be entered in the upcoming Quilt! Knit! Stitch show.
What about you?

You have two requirements to be entered into the prizes this month.

1. Link-up {on this post} the first 7-days of the month

Please choose ONE project

and

2. Link-up in the last 7-days of the month

Only with a completed, successful project. And yes the same one that you choose earlier in the month.

Add your blog post or flickr photo (with appropriate descriptions) to the linky party below.

Please grab a button or link back to Shanna and I so other people can join in the fun!

And if you are on twitter or Instagram tag #ALYoF

**Please note, the linky party is the same here and over at Shanna , so there is no need to enter twice **

Here is a list of the lovely new and old sponsors and prizes for May

1. Thimblepie’s Quilt Supplies – Custom fabric package, 3 yards plus free shipping anywhere

2. One PDF pattern from Honey, Bunny, and Doll Designs

3. One PDF Pattern from Meadow Mist Designs

4. PDF Pattern from Persimon Dreams

5. One Charm pack or $10.00 gift certificate to
Stitches n’ Giggles (winners choice)

6. Sew BitterSweet Designs one pdf pattern

7. One pdf Pattern from Clover and Violet

8. $15 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop

9. PDF Pattern from Katy – The Littlest Thistle

10. Green Fairy Quilts – 3 pdf patterns

11. One PDF pattern from Sew Sweetness

Quilt Design A Day Group

4 Comments / Quilt Designs A Day, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns / By Melissa Dunworth

I joined a group on Facebook last year called “Quilt Design A Day.” The point of the group is to spend 15-20 minutes working on new quilt designs. The moderators provide the group with 1 or 2 color palettes a day and an inspiration photo, usually from Design Seeds (though not always) and you are supposed to design a quilt. You post a picture of your design in the group and it is wonderful for positive feedback. I’m also using this as an opportunity to sharpen my EQ7 skills.

I thought I might share a couple of my designs from last week with you. Most of the color combinations I would never pick but that’s part of why I like this group. It challenges me to go outside my comfort zone.

This one is called “Hypnotic Spring”. I was playing with circles and curves. These aren’t colors I would put together but they were the inspiration colors.

This one I called “Ebb and Flow”. It reminds me of waves and ripples in a pool of water. Again not my colors but I do like the overall effect.

This one I named “The Safe Path”. Sometimes the safe path is the scary looking one. I like the colors better on this one and might even change the coloring at some point but for now, I will keep it like this.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen these start popping up last week so I’m sorry for boring you, but for everyone not on IG this is what I’ve been up to in design world. I am thinking of these as warm up exercises for my quilt designs.

Have a wonderful and happy Monday!