We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Quilt Market in Houston last month, and while totally jam-packed, we had a great time! Let’s not discuss how much we packed and brought with us, though, okay? 😉

Chelsea, Charlie, and Jamie flew in, while Sandra and Nicole took the long route and drove 15 hours, but we had plenty of extra space to pack in all the Sample Spree and Quilt Market goodies we got for the ride home. More on that in a bit. Texas, while beautiful, is a very, very boring drive. There wasn’t much to see like we had hoped, unless of course we were super into cotton fields. One thing we did notice, is that every single town and city along the way has ice cream shops, whether it be Dairy Queen or Braums. We never got to try it, so if you’ve had Braums, let me know how it is!

On Friday morning, Oct, 24th, we arrived at Quilt Market and immediately had Schoolhouse classes scheduled for the entire day. The first session we attended was from Cotton + Steel. Here’s where they released their new fabric lines and discussed the inspiration behind their prints and then showed off a ton of quilts and projects.

These ladies were so inspirational! They had a great back-story and all their new collections (Playful, Mesa, Mochi, Tokyo Train Ride, and Cookie Book) all work with their basics from the last collections. Fantastic, right? I’m super excited for these to ship in January! Pink Door Fabrics will definitely have the majority of the collections. In fact, they’re already up for presale and we’re working on getting more of it listed every day.

Next, I went to a session on the Double Wedding Ring quilts, namely the ones done by Victoria Findlay Wolfe for her new book, Double Wedding Ring Quilts, due out soon! I am a HUGE fan of the DWR quilt and it’s more modern movement. I’ve seen some stunning use of negative space and modern color in a few of her quilts that I hope will inspire me to brave another for myself. She was an excellent speaker and I truly enjoyed meeting Victoria and hearing her fabulous discussion on how she creates each quilt and what inspires her.

Nicole, Jamie and Sandra went to a class by Sarah Lawson, also known as Sew Sweetness. She has amazing, and I mean truly amazing bags and patterns! She gave us some valuable information on the interfacings she uses and prefers along with some samples to help us remember what’s what. Sarah had a ton of bags with her that we got to check out and we also saw a few of her upcoming and new patterns. Stay tuned for those! They’re amazing!

Our last session of the day was the coveted Tula Pink Schoolhouse. We were anticipating this so much and incredibly excited to meet Tula Pink, herself. As a group, we are huge fans of her works and her fabrics. The originality in all her drawings is amazing, and when she shows her process on her Instagram or Facebook pages, I’m in awe. She really is incredible. After hearing her speak, she’s also quite hilarious and entertaining. Tula has such a bubbly personality! Anyways, she showed off her new line Elizabeth, coming out early next year. It’s beautiful, as usual!

Here’s an excerpt from her Elizabeth mini catalog describing the major drawings in her line and how they relate–

After Tula’s sessions, we got a photo with her for wearing our Tula Pink – Downtown Housewife collab shirts.

Ps- we totally scored these limited edition, VERY RARE, Tula Pink Elizabeth playing cards. There’s only 250 sets available and they’re signed and numbered by Tula Pink herself. We each got one set! We’re pretty happy with that.

After this session, we went and waiting in line for Sample Spree. We got there at 4:30…The doors open at 8pm. This picture was taken at 7pm, and there were a LOT more people after this. If you haven’t experience Sample Spree before, like myself, I would describe it as Black Friday x50… It’s chaos. It’s a whole lot of people running through the entrance doors (not joking, literally running) to make a mad dash to find the not-yet-released fabrics. From what I noticed, Cotton + Steel was very popular, as was Robert Kaufman and Art Gallery, but there were literally dozens of other tables set up and I didn’t even get to see them all!

I have to admit, I think each and every one of us did some minor damage at Sample Spree. I was behaved and didn’t buy anything ‘just because’ and only got what I felt like I would use. We have some extra bundles we’ll be adding to our giveaway bundle here in a few days and we’ll also be auctioning off some of the bundles on Instagram. Keep watching our blog for more fun info, and lots of pictures of our experience with Quilt Market.

Stay tuned for Part 2…

Stopping in today with a quick tutorial on these mason jar wraps!

While playing around with a Moda scrap bag a few weeks ago, I came up with a handful of quick projects that use up all those scraps you have lying around. First up is this mason jar wrap. The wrap will keep warm beverages warm just a bit longer and helps to keep your cup free of perspiration in the summer when drinking cold beverages.

For this project, I used a Moda scrap bag, but you can use up all those bits and pieces you have lying around. In case you are interested in the scrap bags, they are very similar in size to a jelly roll and come with random assortments from a fabric line. You are not guaranteed to get every fabric in the line in any given scrap bag, but you often get a decent variety and can get cuts even larger than 2.5″ in width.  They tend to retail for somewhere around $10 or $12, so they are really not a bad deal if you’re looking to test out a fabric line or just want some coordinating fabrics to play with. These next three pictures show three different scrap bags of Into the Woods, so you can get an idea of how different each pack is.

Ok, so on to the instructions. This is really pretty straightforward and if you have basic sewing or quilting skills, you probably are wincing right now that I’m calling this a tutorial. Just pretend that this is earth shattering and everyone and their brother hasn’t already made these. You are impressed with my mad-creative skills, ok?!

So gather your materials. I used an assortment of scraps, a piece of cotton batting approximately 15″ by 3.5″, a piece of flannel or backing fabric at least the size of your batting, and a strip of Velcro– along with your ruler and rotary cutter. I measured the mason jar I wanted to use and then adjusted the size so that I could use it on a variety of jars. Basically it has a decent overlap and the Velcro strip is long enough (mine was 2″) that it could be used for coffee cups, several size/shapes of mason jars, and regular glasses if I wish. I wanted mine to be about 3″ wide when finished, but obviously make it whatever size you fancy. Just err on the side of making your wrap about 1/2″ larger on all sides than you want finished cozy to be so that you can trim up the edges and have room for a seam allowance.

Here is where the tutorial gets really technical… I measured random sized strips and cut an assortment of different fabrics… ahm… randomly. These were 3″ each and I had another couple of stacks I cut between 1.5 and 2.5″. Here is the thing, this project is ideal for using up whatever you have, so my recommendation is to just start sewing strips together until you have the length and width you want to cover your cup. Sew them log-cabin style, with carefully measured squares in neat rows, with wonky cut, uneven ends in messy lines… whatever seems fun at the moment. Note: This kind of project is perfect for that fussy cut puppy or fish in a bag that you couldn’t bring yourself to throw away. It’s a great way to feature you’re favorite pieces.

So I grabbed all my random pieces and sewed them into two rows and then sewed those rows together. My primary consideration was varying the colors/values, not the size of the scraps/strips.

Next up, layer your fabric on the batting and get ready to quilt.

I quilted straight lines about 1/4″  on either side of each seam.

Now trim your batting and your fabric so that they line up nicely.

I used flannel to back my wrap because it provides some extra insulation and soaks up the moisture on the cup nicely. Measure and cut your backing to be even with the quilted front piece. Then put the front and backing right sides together and sew around the rectangle with a 1/4″ seam.

Don’t forget to leave an opening of at least a few inches to turn the wrap right-side out after sewing. Clip your corners, turn right-side out, and press well.

Now press the opening under 1/4″ and press. Top stitch all the way around the wrap, closing up the opening.

Determine where to place the Velcro. I wrapped my cozy around my jar and marked the spot I wanted the Velcro to go with a water-soluble pen.

See my art skills. I can draw a box almost as well as my 3-year-old son.

Sew down your Velcro.

Double check that you are sewing the hook and the loop pieces right way around. One part should be on the inside of the wrap (touching the backing fabric) and the other on the outside (touching the quilted part)… I know this is common sense, but that is where I always drop the ball when sewing. Hands down my most frequent need for fancy language whilst sewing comes as a result of sewing things backwards or with the wrong sides touching. Apparently I am a slow learner.

Hey, in all my yammering I forgot to mention that you’re done!

Get yourself a fancy straw (found mine at Joann’s) or one of those amazing cuppow lids and you’re good to go!

Incidentally, I made the little mug rug with more scraps from the same pack. I just sewed two strips together and then free-motion quilted the heart and monograms. Pretty straightforward (and I bet you could even do it without a free-motion foot).

As for the scraps, the one Moda scrap bag of Into the Woods made all the projects pictured below and I still had over half the bag left.

Well, that’s a wrap on the wrap! Happy drinking!

And the winner of the Sew a Modern Home giveaway is…

Arianna

who said:

Our living room really needs a makeover–right now it’s all brown and tan and mustard yellow, with pretty much no other colours.

Congratulations Arianna! Please email us at pinkdoorfabrics@gmail.com with your info and we will send you your new book!

Thank you to everyone else who commented. Check back on the blog regularly for upcoming giveaways!

We are collaborating with Sandra of Small Town Thread to offer you custom-made Super Totes. You pick the fabrics, she’ll sew it up and ship it! Sweet deal, right?

Here are the details:

You pick three fabrics; one for the exterior, one for the interior lining and pocket, and one for the side panels and straps. That’s it! These totes do have a 3 week turnaround and will be shipped via Priority Mail direct to you. Some features included are:
+ recessed zipper
+ roomy interior pockets
+ front exterior pocket
+ cute piping and pleat details
+ makes a perfect diaper bag or gym bag, great for hauling anything you need

Approx. Finished Dimensions:
15” wide, 15” tall, 3.5 to 5” deep, 10.5” handle drop

Included in the pricing, is a sturdier interfacing to allow the bag to stand on it’s own, and heavy duty stitching and assembly. Though home decor/essex linen is preferred for the side panels, regular quilting cotton works fine on it’s own. You won’t be disappointed in the high quality product you receive!

Get yours now!

What are your favorite fabric/color combinations? Anything you might like to see in the future from us? We would love your feedback!

Have you seen this quilt kit yet?  Its quite charming and beautiful! We’re getting ready to list some of these quilt kits for sale in our shop and you’re definitely going to want to jump on this!

Merry Stitches – Quilt Joy – by Cori Dantini for Blend Fabrics – 57-1/2″ x 75-1/2″

Kit Includes:
+ 1 1/3 yd A Wonderful Time (112.104.01.1)
+ 1 1/3 yd Little World of Wonder (112.104.02.1)
+ 1 yd Fleeting Grey (112.104.03.1)
+ 1/2 yd Fleeting Blue (112.104.03.2)
+ 3/4 yd Much Joy Beige (112.104.04.1)
+ 3/4 yd Much Joy Blue (112.104.04.2)
+ 1/2 yd Tiny Seeds Green (112.103.05.1)
+ 7/8 yd Tiny Seeds Red (112.103.05.2)
+ 1/4 yd Tiny Seeds Grey (112.103.05.3)
+ 1/2 yd A Good Beginning Red (112.103.06.2)

All you’ll need is backing, batting, and binding! We can help choose backing and binding if you’re interested, be sure to send us a convo in our shop.

Also, we’re hosting a contest on Instagram, and if you show us what you’re working on, and use hashtag #sewingwithpinkdoor, you will be entered to win a $25 gift certificate at the end of each month that you’ve entered!