We’ve all done it. We get so excited to start a new project, that we just go for it. “Let’s just start cutting this fabric. Pre-wash? Who cares, I’ll risk it….”

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

I was so tempted to start this new design the other day, and I stopped myself just in time. I literally had to talk myself into washing the fabric. It was a new fabric line, one that I hadn’t used before and was unfamiliar with it’s colorfastness. It was a very dark color: primarily greyish black with rust and oranges mixed in. Reds and Oranges—they’re historically volatile in their dyeing and often run.

Luckily, I listened to myself. Had I not, it would have been a disaster. I always throw color catchers in with my fabrics for multiple reasons. I like to have an insurance policy to be sure if anything does run, the color catchers will catch it. (I’m pretty sure my husband throws one into every wash he does, just in case.) But more importantly, I like to be able to check how much and what colors did run. A perfectly white color catcher at the end of the wash cycle tells me I have nothing to worry about.

Here’s what the color catchers looked like after washing. I washed these fabrics five times to get them out of risk. Yes. Five times. Can you just imagine what my white background backing would have looked like if I hadn’t washed these?! Please folks, take the time to pre-wash!!

Close up of first wash color catchers

Bookerworx has most recently made delivery of a beautiful King-Size Quilt. The quilt was based on the Paper Cut by Henri Matisse named The Dance (1938) and was Designed by Ronald Bricke and Associates, Inc. of New York City.

Danika Norey (Bookerworx) did the piecing and appliqué, and roped in some help for the sandwiching and basting. (Thank you Hubs, Matt and Craig) The quilt was designed unconventionally with Home Decor fabric, which offered many challenges. The fabric required extra steps and care to create the end result. I serged every cut edge before it was pieced together. We also found that some of the fabrics, although pre-washed, were not color-fast and extra caution was taken as to not end up with a pink quilt.

Anne Lemin, of Quilted Lovelies, completed all of the hand quilting, which is a beautiful Hawaiian echo-style with each row 3/4″ apart. Anne also bound the quilt. I cannot thank her enough for the amount of blood, sweat and tears she put in to this piece of Art.

Fun Fact: This quilt traveled over 3000 miles on its journey to be finished…From New York to Texas and back again, with other stops in between!

More pics to come!!

Check out this Original Design! “Giraffes on Parade” is a quilt made for the daughter of a very good friend of mine. It all started with a small birthday gift for my friend, which was a stuffed giraffe. It was then that the pattern was born and the rest is history.   

This fun quilt features lots of bright and colorful fabric, ribbons, rick rack and free motion quilting.

Each giraffe is made with either a tail and antlers (horns? antennae? what on earth are those things called?) that is quilted on or that is tied with yarn. Please see the detail picture. Every fabric was picked for some reason….either the color or the pattern was important or relevant to my friends or reminded me of them. There is even a giraffe made out of dog bone fabric to represent their lovely lab, Daisy Mae.

I’m told it is still used every day even though said baby is already two and a half. (Goodness, how time flies.) And now I leave you with pictures of the cutest baby to enjoy on this rainy day.

Thank you Diane and Erich (and Nico and Daisy Mae)!

This is the first large quilt I ever made.It was a wedding gift for my cousin (basically my brother) Dan and his wife Elaine. I’ll be the first to admit that they didn’t actually receive the finished quilt until after their wedding….but I did make up for a late quilt gift with matching pillow shams that were given as an anniversary gift.

Of course, this photograph was taken recently, featuring their rather handsome son (and my nephew) Liam. I guess quality craftsmanship is definitely shown here….that quilt is literally never off of their bed. They use it all year round and it (obviously) gets daily abuse of an almost two year old romping around on it.