Jaybird Quilts

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Books & Rulers... oh my!

It has been an exciting (& crazy busy) few weeks over here!!

I've got a few things to share with you today. :-)

I'm having a Book Signing & Release Party this weekend at Sew Modern in Los Angeles. It is from Noon to 2PM on Sunday, August 12th.

We will be having giveaways & I'll also be doing demos of my new Hex N More ruler! Here is a sneak peek at some of the giveaways!

A Quilt Kit to make Stars & Stripes - Including a copy of my book, Skip the Borders.

A Quilt Kit to make Northern Lights - Including the pattern & Hex N More ruler!

Don't worry... I'll also be doing giveaways here on my blog next week for those of you not in the Los Angeles area.

I have been working on updating my Where to Buy page. If you know a shop that stocks my products & is not listed... please let me know!

The Hex N More rulers & new patterns have arrived!!

I unpacked the boxes and have been shipping them out to shops. If you would like to get a ruler or the new patterns you can check out my Where to Buy page or ask your local quilt shop to order them. Many shops have ordered my patterns because dedicated Jaybird Quilts Blog Readers asked for them... and I really appreciate the support!!!

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LAST... but certainly not least... My book Skip the Borders... has been officially PUBLISHED!
My amazing publisher Martingale began shipping the books to shops & me this past Monday. You'll be able to find it on shelves soon. You can also order a signed copy from my shop.

If you placed a pre-order in my shop.... I had about 20 books that I was able to ship on Monday. I'm waiting for more books to arrive & have been stalking the UPS truck. As soon as they arrive I'll sign them and get them out to you. You will receive an e-mail confirmation with tracking once your book is shipped.

I posted this collage to Instagram a few days ago. It shows my green binder that holds everything I used and scribbled on during the development of the book. The second photo shows me holding my final proofs before I signed off on them & then waited patiently for the months to pass. All the hours spent sewing & developing my manuscript were worth it. Now comes the time for you to read it... Enjoy it... And learn from it. Thank you so much to every single teacher, quilter, friend & family member that has supported me along the way.

Today I'm featured over at Martingale's Blog - Stitch This.

In the opening paragraph Jenny asks... Is it possible to be a modern quilter and a traditional quilter at the same time?

At the end of the paragraph she says... Julie has one foot firmly planted in the modern-quilt community. But the other foot is clearly in traditional quilt design.

I highly suggest you read the entire article. You'll also get a peek at more quilts from my book and an excerpt from it. Oh and also the chance to win a copy!
So I want to know... What do YOU think?... It is possible to me modern & traditional? Do I have one foot in each world?

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Tasty Table Runner

The fourth pattern featuring my new Hex N More Ruler is the Tasty Table Runner. You can get the PDF pattern here.

Table Runner Details

Fabric is Maasai Mara by Dear Stella

Pattern - Tasty JBQ 126
Designed by me
Quilted by me
Started on 7/18/12
Finished on 7/23/12
Table Runner Measures 17 1/2" x 40 1/2"

The Hex N More Ruler & all four of the new patterns are available now. You can check my Where to Buy page or ask for them at your Local Quilt Shop.

This pattern is so much fun. Yesterday I started making a second Tasty table runner from Robert Kaufman Batiks. This is the Roll-Up I started with.

A progress picture from Instagram

I wasn't sure which fabric to use for the border so I posted this photo to Instagram & Facebook and was blown away by your response!! The post had over 200 comments in just a few hours & has over 350 now!

I decided to go with C! Thank you to everyone who voted and shared their thoughts.

Then last night I started a third one from Simply Color by V&Co.

My Brother Brad took a few photos of me working on it this morning.

For those that have asked if my studio is always clean... well here is proof that it isn't. Sometimes I've got piles of quilts & fabric all over the place! (Especially right after shows!)

Here are all three of the runners. I love how changing fabric can make one pattern look so different!! I'm sending them off to Angela and looking forward to seeing what quilting she decides to do.

I'm curious... which one is your favorite?

Does one fit the style of your home more than another?

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Candy Dish Pillows

You can make these 2 pillows from a charm pack and 5/8 yard of one additional fabric! They are fast and fun to make. I have plans to make many more for around the house.

You can get the PDF pattern here.

Pillows Detail

Fabric is Maasai Mara by Dear Stella

Pattern - Candy Dish JBQ 125
Designed by me
Quilted by me
Started on 6/19/12
Finished on 7/6/12
Pillows Measure 16" x 16"

I filmed a couple of videos on Candy Dish as a part of the Journey 2 Nebula. You can sign up for the Journey self paced as well as watch the videos on YouTube.

These pillows feature two of the four shapes that the Hex N More Ruler can cut. The Hexagon & the Triangle.

Here are some outtakes from the cover photo shoot.

I liked this photo... but thought that hard rocks with soft pillows was just a weird mix!

Detail of the pillows and my quilting. I quilted straight lines approximately 3/8" apart from each other in a large zig zag across the pillows.

Next the pillows took a trip to hang out on our patio chairs. Not bad... but still not what I wanted yet.

I headed inside and took some photos of the pillows on my favorite chair.

I almost used this photo... but decided there wasn't enough room for the title.

Here is what I ended up with.

At the Long Beach show over the weekend my mom asked me where I took this photo. I laughed for a moment and told her to look closer... she didn't see it. Then I revealed to her... "Mom I took it in your room, don't you recognize your sheets!" We all had a good laugh.

...and I think my mom wants to keep them now!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Wonton

Wonton is my second quilt featuring the Hex N More Ruler. You can get the PDF quilt pattern here.

Quilt Details

Fabric is The Birds & The Bees by Tula Pink

Pattern - Wonton JBQ 124
Designed by me
Quilted by Angela Walters
Started on 6/18/12
Finished on 7/16/12
Quilt measures - 31" x 36"

Here is the back of the pattern. Wonton comes in three sizes.

In case you are wondering here are the exact fabrics that I used on the cover.

2 Jewel Fabrics

- Mist Little Bits SKU# PWTP027-MISTX

- Honey Little Bits SKU# PWTP027-HONEY

2 Half Hex Fabrics

- Sunset Lazy Stripe SKU# PWTP022-SUNSE

- Lapis Lazy Stripe SKU# PWTP022-LAPIS

4 Triangle Fabrics

- Apple Swallow Skies SKU# PWTP021-APPLE

- Sunset Swallow Skies SKU# PWTP021-SUNSE

- Gypsy Swallow Skies SKU# PWTP021-GYPSY

- Lapis Bees Knees SKU# PWTP026-LAPIS

This quilt features three of the four shapes that the Hex N More Ruler can cut. The Jewel, the Half Hex & the Triangle.

This is the quilt I was working on a few weeks ago when I showed some sneak peeks of The Birds & The Bees over on Instagram.

If you look closely in this sneak peek you can actually see the Wonton quilt top coming together in the fourth photo.

I used my iPhone to capture my process while working on Wonton. This collage shows fabric selection to completed quilt top... and they are all from the same day! I love when I can get a quilt top done in a day.

I don't have too many outtakes from the cover photo shoot. I knew I wanted a simple background for the cover so that the quilt would pop. I took about 40+ photos of the quilt on different grassy areas... they all look pretty similar!!

I tried adding flowers... but they weren't adding anything to the look of the cover.

I snapped a few detail shots and I was done!

-- Wonton and the other new patterns will be available next week. The Hex N More Ruler will also be shipping out to shops at the end of this week.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is the first of my new quilts that uses the Hex N More Ruler!

You can get the PDF quilt pattern here.

Quilt Details

Fabric is Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman
Pattern - Northern Lights JBQ 123
Designed by me
Quilted by Angela Walters
Started on 5/26/12
Finished on 7/6/12
Quilt measures - 51" x 64"

Back Cover

Northern Lights comes with five size options.
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I used Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman for the pattern cover.
Here are the exact colors I used!
Quilt Top

Chartreuse 1072

Leprechaun 411

Bahama Blue 1011

Water 171

Surf 32

Regal 415

Tulip 327

Wisteria 1392

Binding - Iron 408

Hex N More!