Thursday, May 16th - Schoolhouse schedule is as follows:

[12:00PM] Tula Pink Acacia for FreeSpirit Fabrics x Renaissance Ribbons | Room B116

[1:55PM] Tula Pink x Aurifil Threads | Room A103/10

[3:45PM] Tula Pink’s City Sampler | 100 Modern Quilt Blocks | F+W Media, Inc. | Room B119

Come hang out and check out the all the new stuff that I am debuting! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram for tons of Quilt Market coverage the next few days!

My new book “Tula Pink’s City Sampler, 100 Modern Quilt Blocks” is starting to ship and I am crazy excited! It’s 256 pages of tiny block goodness, if I do say so myself. Like all of my projects this started out as simply a quilt that I wanted to make myself and then I thought “hey! maybe someone else wants to make a quilt like this too!” Luckily my publisher agreed and here we are, a year or so later, and I get to present you with this little book of joyful stitching.

The parameters I set for myself while writing this were simple, to create a book that made a complex and engaging quilt with a minimal amount of effort that even a relative beginner quilter can piece without inducing a headache. The blocks are divided into 6 sections by shape. My main focus was to create interesting compositions within a 6 inch square. I gave myself total creative freedom with three very important rules; NO applique, NO templates, NO funny stuff.

When I first got into quilting I was mesmerized by sampler quilts. A sampler is simply a quilt in which each block is different. I loved how each block had it’s own personality and each had a story to tell. From start to finish I never saw the same thing twice. When I finally decided to make one of these masterpieces I scoured the internet, book rack and anywhere else I could look for a pattern to work with. I immediately hit a road block and one I was not anticipating. I found a few really stunning patterns but they all left me with one of three conundrums.

Conundrum the 1st: Time

The first problem I faced was time. When I sit down to make a quilt I have a limited amount of this crazy little thing called time. I knew that this particular project was going to take longer than my average project but I still wanted to get it done before the Z generation started filling out college applications. Here in lies the first problem I presented to myself to solve: How do I design a visual feast with few repeating parts that won’t take me ten years to make? The answer to this question led me to my second conundrum.

Conundrum the 2nd: Difficulty

The best way to get around a time problem is to simplify the piecing. Every pattern I picked up eventually led me to either applique, a myriad of templates or a special tool or ruler that was essential to completing the project. While I do not shy away from these techniques and they can make the most awesome looking quilts, in general I am a simple girl and I tend to prefer the simple act of cut, sew, press and repeat. While quilting is my “business” so to speak, it is also my hobby, my happy place and my meditation. I work out most of my issues at the sewing machine and I can’t solve too many of the world’s problems when I have to switch up my technique with every block, and it makes it really hard to watch movies while I sew which I assure you is a crucial part of the sewing process. So, the challenge was set to create 100 quilt blocks that did not require a single template, applique stitch or extra tool besides the quilter’s basics.

Conundrum the 3rd: Connection

Once I got past the time and difficulty stages of my pattern selection process I realized one very important component was missing from this epic quilt journey I was about to embark upon… Why I am I making this? I am making this because it’s beautiful and something that I can invest myself in, yes, but what story is it telling? I needed to make a quilt that told my own story, my own history. I needed to make a quilt that could grow with me as my own history unfolded because my personal story is still be told.

I kept these three things in mind while I was writing this book. By keeping the piecing simple I kept the time and difficulty factors in check and worked on the third problem, connection, while laying out the book. Each block is numbered with a space to name the block yourself. I believe that a quilt is more about the maker than the pattern writer. My quilt is about me but your quilt is about you and that may be the most important factor about this book and the one thing that will make this quilt what it will be. On it’s own it is simply a collection of paper, ink and an idea. Like everything that I do in this crafty world, I need you to make the idea a reality.

The book can be purchased at any of your favorite quilt shops and book stores. For a signed copy you can purchase Tula Pink’s City Sampler from my adorable mom’s adorable online shop: IHeartTulaPink.com

Sew Red is a sewing and quilting book that puts a stylish twist on raising awareness about heart decease in women! Which is pretty cool. It’s a follow up to their popular Knit Red book. They brought a bunch of designers together to make all kinds of sewing projects to support the cause. There are many lovely designers like, well, me and Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Anna Maria Horner, Aneela Hoey, Nancy Zeiman, Denyse Schmidt, Valori Wells, David Butler, Jenean Morrison, Ty Pennington, Mark Cesarik and on and on and on. It’s a smorgasbord  of awesome. In addition to the sewing projects each designer added little did bits about their personal experiences with heart disease and tips, resources and recipes about living heart-healthy

I made this super sweet little heart zig-zag quilt I called Paper Hearts. It felt appropriate at the time. It’s precious.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Sew Red will benefit the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in support of the Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease, sponsored by NHLBI.

Sew Red is now available at JimmyBeansWool.com

All of the beautiful fabric in all of the world won’t be very useful unless you have something to sew it all together with. I have recently partnered with Aurifil  to bring you a special Tula Pink blend of threads to sew all of those luscious fabrics together. They come all wrapped up in a cute little box with my face on it. I know that is what you have always wanted. At least I drew myself smiling because, hey, I have my own thread collection. I should be happy!

When I am sewing I like my thread to disappear into the fabric. My quilts tend to be made with a lot of different colors and a lot of contrast. I put my pinks next to blues and oranges next to yellows, greens right smack up against purples and I have a penchant for laying it all down on whites, creams, grays and sometimes even black. All of this adds up to a special kind of problem, one thread color usually won’t cut it. To solve this little problem of mine I have chosen a series of variegated colors that sink nicely into my very multicolored and high contrast fabrics. Instead of choosing a palette that relates to one particular fabric collection I chose my colors very carefully to coordinate with all of my collections. The point? There is a color for every occasion. I like the quilting of most of my quilts to be done in either light or dark gray so I threw those in too. Personally, I will never need another thread color as long as I live, unless I start making weird single color quilts but that is highly unlikely.

The thread collections come in two sizes; the large box and the small box. The large box holds 12 large spools which includes all 10 variegated threads plus two solid colors for quilting. The small box contains 10 smaller spools of the variegated colors. If you have never used variegated thread for patchwork I think you might like it. The threads slowly transitions from light to dark of one color or from one color to the next color. It’s a nice easy shifting of hues like watching the sunset. You are never really sure when the sky changes, you don’t remember watching the blue fade to pink but somehow you look up and it’s a whole different sky. So this little box of joy is sort of like a sunset made of cotton and all lined up eagerly waiting to thread a needle. I can be very poetic when I want to be.

The weight of the thread is ideal for patchwork. It’s strong enough to hold your piecing together for future generations while fine enough to sink ever so delicately into your fabrics. These little packs of sunshiney delight should be popping up in your favorite shops in the next few weeks so keep on the lookout!

Large Box:

12 Spools of 50wt. Premium Cotton Thread

12 Spectacular Colors

1422 Yards Each

100% Cotton

Made in Italy

Small Box:

10 Spools of 50wt. Premium Cotton Thread

10 Spectacular Colors

220 Yards Each

100% Cotton

Made in Italy

In December of 2007 we lost Sophie, my beautiful 4 year old cousin to brain cancer. Her courageous battle, smile, and loving spirit have been an inspiration to all that knew her.

This Friday is the 4th annual Neverland Ball fundraising event and I have donated one of my original quilts for the Sophie Jane Darr Children’s Foundation raffle grand prize.

This quilt (shown in background) was designed and pieced by myself, using my fabric, and quilted by Angela Walters. This a very rare opportunity to own a Tula Pink original with a signed book benefiting an amazing foundation in remembrance of my little cousin, Sophie.

With each $5 donation, you receive 1 chance at winning the grand prize. You may purchase raffle tickets here.

Foundation website:http://sophiejanedarrchildrensfoundation.org/index.html

BERNINA Sewing Centers of Kansas City

7251 W 97th Street

Overland Park, KS 66212

January 25th, 2013

1:00PM-2:00PM

(913) 341.6400

 

I always like to peruse the embroidery files come preloaded on embroidery machines. I found this regal little zebra head waiting patiently on the Bernina 780. His little eyes were practically begging me to make him the rainbow colored stallion he had always dreamed of being. He told me that he was not so distantly descended from the Fruit Stripes Zebra that once graced the wrapping of that awesome bubble gum I used to chew when I was a kid. Anyway, I am once again off topic.  This was the perfect excuse to play with all of that embroidery thread I bought with absolutely no project in mind at all. My local Bernina Store was having a sale on thread and if you filled up the caring case you got the box for free. Yep, I am a retailer’s dream I will buy absolutely anything that comes in multiple colors and has a carrying case in which to display said colors. Again, off topic. I used the 780′s interface to copy, position and flip the zebra heads and then input the colors I would be using. I liked how the two heads started to look like some kind crazy ink blot test. I set up the colors in a nice little rainbow, designed myself a piecing project and voila! Zebra-head-ink-blot-color-wheel-compass-kind-of-pillow-thing!

If you have missed the first couple of days of my Bernina 780 Experience check them out here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Another super cool feature other than the CutWork tool on the new Bernina 780 that I have been blabbing about is the PaintWork tool. When I first checked this out I thought “I can draw all on my own what would I use this for?” It took me a hot minute to load up the anchor and re work it in the DesignWorks software. I loaded the file onto the Bernina 780 and just started scattering little anchors all over a piece of linen I had lying around. You can make your own dang fabrics! Granted I make my own fabrics already but every once in a while I need a special print for one specific project. I really liked how the pens, which come with the tool by the way, moved over the linen which is quite rough. It gave the piece a vintage sea worn look that I really liked. They glided smoother and more solid over plain cottons and even twill. In the Design Works software you can dictate the amount of fill you want, which direction the strokes will fall right down to the exact brand and size of the pen you are using. It’s pretty brilliant how detailed the whole thing can be. It can be a simple or as complicated as you make it. If I had more than a couple of weeks to work with this tool I think I could come up with some pretty amazing ways to bleed these pens dry.

In my final days reviewing the new Bernina 780 sewing (among other things) machine I decided take a little walk down embroidery road. I just recently worked with urbanthreads.com to develop a machine embroidery version of the very first fabric I ever designed, the Full Moon Forrest Owl. He marks the beginning of my fabric career so he will forever be one of my favorite designs. I really needed to do something special with the little guy. It may be because I was watching too much Sons of Anarchy or maybe I just have a rebellious streak but either way I decided that my Owl would become the mascot for a gang of baby bikers, bicycles not motorcycles, my little sisters are not yet old enough to drive cycles with motors. We all have our limitations. They obviously needed jackets to identify them as toddler outlaws and what good is an older sister with a killer embroidery machine if they won’t make you club leather jackets once in a while? I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t at least try. So these are the Night Owls, they always stay up past their bedtime. They rule the sidewalks with their matching tricycles and handlebar fringe or even the occasional pink plastic scooter. They may be pint sized outlaws but they always obey their mother because she is the only one that is tall enough to reach the garage door opener which entombs their wheels of fury.

Machine embroidery is crazy fun and the Bernina 780 makes it pretty easy. The interface on the machine lets me input every thread color so I can preview my color choices and see what each change will look like in the final piece. It’s pretty cool especially for a crafter who reserves the right to change her mind a million times a minute and would like to preview every change to make sure it’s the right move. If I could get the machine to pick up my groceries it would be the perfect assistant, understanding and accommodating without complaint.

I have this bad habit of not keeping in touch. It’s my own fault, I start to draw and sew then days pass, they bleed into weeks and before I even know it it’s been a month or more since I’ve called or written. Those who know me best tend to excuse this particular character flaw and I am grateful for that. So I decided to make a few cards for those I care about most letting them know that I don’t plan to drift away anytime soon.

In all of that did anyone happen to notice that I have cut WOOD on my Bernina 780? Yes, wood. No one in their right mind should ever loan me a machine and say see what it can do. Because I will. I ran everything through that machine that I could think of. I thought long and hard about the consequences of possibly breaking the machine but in the end it outlasted even me and my antics. I glued the little wood anchors onto some fabric and then glued the fabric to some paper I had lying around. I think they turned out pretty cute!

This is the last of my CutWork experiments. Tune in tomorrow to see what I did with the PaintWork tool and software. I know, it’s like the gift that keeps on giving.