todera

Mmmmmmmm.... Daffodils!

2012-01-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

So I just released a new pattern: The Double Daffodil Brooch.
Daffodils may mean Spring to most people, but to me they also remind me of my very earliest childhood memory- eating a daffodil!

I was born in Springfield, Illinois. Unbeknownst to me, this pretty urbane factoid would make me oh-so- fascinating when I moved to Argentina- everyone seemed sooo impressed that I was from the actual city from where the Simpson hail! hey, I'll take it...)
I digress. So I've been told that I had a fascination with flowers ever since I was a toddler. (Hence the flower patterns 40 some years later?)

I guess I liked daffodils soooo much, that I decided it would be a good idea to eat one! On the very day we were moving from Springfield to our new home in Park Forest, Illinois! Daffodils, being mildly poisonous, gave me an upset stomach, and then a rather technicolor vomit (eeew!)

But that's how much I love flowers!

If you'd like to make a daffodil, rather than eat one, click here to buy the pattern!

Gazing into 2012

2012-01-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 to all!!!

Don't you wish you had a crystal ball to tell you what the future holds for 2012?

At least you can make a crystal ball like this one to decorate your favorite room!

This craft brings back memories for me. It's actually a modern take on the water-filled rose globe my grandma always had sitting on top of her television set when I was little. I just loved to stare at it, you know, wondering how that (fake) rose stayed so vibrant year after year!

Looked something like this....

You can set your crystal flower ball where you please... ;)

You'll need the following:

(1) Fishbowl with a 6" opening* (found in the floral supply section at Michaels Arts and Crafts.)
(1) 6 3/4" Round wooden plaque* (this one found in the woodworking section at Michaels- it's for making a clock.)
Primer
Acrylic paint (this one is Martha Stewart all purpose paint in 'Surf.')
Fabric flowers (these are all made from my La Todera patterns- see sidebar or click here to order.)
Green tissue paper

* Make sure that the wooden plaque that you buy be slightly bigger than the opening of your fishbowl.

Instructions:

Paint the wooden base with primer. Let dry.
Paint wooden base with 2 coats acrylic paint. Let dry.
Set fishbowl down, opening side up. Place 1 flower on bottom, and prop several flowers around sides, front sides of flowers facing out. Add crumpled tissue paper to hold in place.
Continue adding flowers and tissue paper to completely fill bowl.
Place base on top of opening, and carefully flip assembly right side up.

Done! Happy Gazing!

Classes at Houston, Part Dos, Kaffe Fassett

2011-11-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Back again. So the second day of classes, Cecilia and I took the Kaffe Fassett 'Gridlock' class. Now anyone that knows us knows how much we love Kaffe and his fabrics. So taking a class together and with Kaffe was paradisiacal!

If you have never taken a class with Kaffe, you should know the following:

It's the best color class you will ever take, bar none.
Doubtful that you'll ever think of color the same way after a class with Kaffe. You won't even be able to explain what's different. They must pump something thru the air conditioning...

It's a totally new way of learning.
Liza and Kaffe give you a brief overview of the project. No sewing, just layout. Then you get to work. The best music you can think of (Beatles, Grace Slick, James Taylor, etc) is playing loud enough that you can hardly hear yourself think. So you just give in, start singing along. Before you know it, you are not really thinking anymore and just working intuitively. Kaffe strongly encourages you to work quickly, and the only way you can do that is to trust your instincts! Better to get something up on your design wall and change it later than to over think every little piece of fabric you put on your design wall. Forget any notion about your fabric being precious. If you end up not using something you cut, make a pillow when you get home, for God's sakes. (verbatim). That brings me to point #3:

These classes are not for the faint of heart. Just hang in there.
Kaffe tells it like it is. Some nuggets from the gridlock class:

"If I give you a suggestion, just try it. If you come in her and do only what YOU think is a good idea, well then you will learn a lot about... YOU."
"Stand back and look at your work from afar. I've seen a lot of people who never step back. They think their quilt looks great until they step back at the end and it looks like cat vomit."
That fabric next to that one looks just... wussy. (said to me!)

In fact, there were 2 different women that just up and left in the middle of the class that day because they didn't like Kaffe's instructional method... (their loss, and more room for me!)

So you cut, put up, and stand back. Repeat. Repeat another 100 times until about 4pm when it's time for the group critique.

Then Kaffe goes around to everyone's project and gives it a critique. It's the juiciest part of the day. You learn soooo much from seeing what others have done within similar parameters and what Kaffe has to say about that.

When the time came for my critique, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. I hadn't talked to him about my quilt much that day. (Later I would find out that was a good thing!) I used very little Kaffe fabric that day, as I had decided to use my stash of striped men's shirts from home. Most people used about 99% Kaffe fabric, so I wasn't sure that NOT supporting his fabric line was going to lend itself to a very favorable critique. Well, watch for yourselves (and note the empty wall space where the 2 women ripped down their design walls- not even bothering to remove the tape! :0 )

So I left exhausted, but happy that day. Here are some other photos from the Gridlock class:

A cuttin' and a grinnin'

Ceci and her quilt design (on right)- both gorgeous!!!!!

Critique

During Critique

Critique of my quilt- see tape to the left!!

Kaffe, don't stand still too long- your shirt would look great in my quilt!

But Kaffe and Co. let me know about a spot that had opened up in the following day's class. So the next day, I went back for more!!

This time, the class was for the quilt "Big Bang". An amazing take on the Texas Lonestar quilt. Of course, the only fabric I had with me was the shirt stripes from home, so that's what I used.

Another really demanding day. I told Kaffe and Liza that that class kicked my butt! Verrry challenging, especially with cutting stripes on the bias. But, I was there to push myself, and that I did. I've decided I need this color tuneup at LEAST once a year!

Some photos:

The classroom at lunchtime

Hard at work, probably belting out some Beatles song!

Dame Liza Prior Lucy. Love her.

Kaffe and Cecilia

Kaffe and I in front of my quilt. My favorite pic of the trip:)

ps, I need to thank Cecilia for some of these pictures that she kindly took and lent me. Thanks Ceci!!

Giveaway over at Blue Moon River Quilts!

2011-11-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

Mornin'!

Want to win a free La Todera Pattern?

Scoot on over to Susan Brubaker Knapp's gorge blog where she it having a Sew Thankful Giveaway!

Click on image:

Good Luck!!
Julie

Classes at Houston

2011-11-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

OMG. Blogging 2 days in a row. That's a first for me! But wanted to divide up the Houston theme...

So after Market came Festival. Festival is for the general public and includes a retail fair (fun galore!) an awesome exhibition, and classes to enjoy.

As I was saying, my bestie Cecilia from Argentina and I had been dreaming and talking since forever about meeting in Houston and taking classes together with our favorite teachers.

It seems like whenever we visit each other, we MEAN to do creative stuff together, but never get around to it. So this time, with a lot of finagling, we did TWO all day classes together!!!

The first was 'Confetti Landscapes' with Noriko Endo. Noriko, as you probably guessed, is from Japan. Take a gander at her website, and especially her video that talk about her process.

Noriko in front of one of her fabooooooooo art quilts!

Basically, you create fabric confetti from solid, batik, and hand dyed (better if the fabrics are double sided- or you will be turning over a lot of upside-down confetti with a tweezers!) Then you arrange those multiple colors of confetti on a base, layer with fine black tulle, and quilt. Repeat with a second layer containing more detail.

Look! I am twice the size of Noriko! Funny that there is a giant and a dinky mushroom in my quilt...

Adding more detail on second layer

Noriko coming around to give advice

Second layer ready for quilting

Getting a little giddy at this stage of the day!!

Finished quilt before binding. Do I look tired? That's because I am! But in a good way!

Cecilia and Noriko clowning around.

Noriko adding her 'magic' to Cecilia's design

Ceci and her gorgeous finished quilt!!

My table-mate Susan Brubaker Knapp! How luck am I??

I doubly lucked out when I got a seat next to my pal Susan Brubaker Knapp! Is this girl photogenic or what? And I want that shirt she's wearing. Anyways, Susan did a super cool quilt of her beloved Maple tree in her yard. Not sure if you can see the quilting she's doing in the photo- a swirly bark design- but it was amazing! Have you all seen Susan's book,

"Point, Click, Quilt"? It has been a huge hit. If you haven't gotten it yet, run and get it! I was so surprised to learn that Susan's photos that she works with in her book are with a regular ole point and shoot camera. (and I was about to go get a new camera, silly me!)

Well, that's all for now. Will write about class(es) with Kaffe tomorrow!

Houston Market 2011 Recap

2011-11-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Whew! Back and recovered (kind of!) from the Houston Quilt Market and Festival!

Market is a ginormous wholesale market. It's all biz to biz selling.

My humble booth- La Todera Sewing and Craft Patterns

It's the place to be for a pattern designer- there you can canoodle with distributors, their sales forces, store owners from all over the world, fabric manufacturers, book publishers, and more!

...Meeting new people...

Sue Penn from Studio e Fabrics and her adorable daughter.

A new friend from Clover, International, Japan!

And reconnecting with friends!

Susan Allen and pal from The Quilt Asylum, surely one of the coolest quilt shops ever.

Lorene Bonewitz from Sew it Up. Not only an awesome customer and friend, but an uber talented seamstress as well!!!

Once again, Margaret Travis of Eazy Peazy Quilts and I planned to have our booths set up next to one another. Makes it more fun, and we can help each other out! This time tho, I got the better end of the deal. Margaret had both her sis Marie and good friend Theresa helping her, who were also very generous about helping me out, too! Thanks guys!!

Margaret in her super eye catching booth for her company, Eazy Peazy Quilts.

One of my favorite moments was when my friend and roomie Cecilia Koppmann showed up. I was sure I wasn't going to see her until the evening, but she surprised me around lunchtime the second day of Market!! It was just like in a movie or something- she genuinely surprised me and I let out a squeal like a piglet when I saw her!!
Ceci came to Houston this year because one of her gorgeous quilts was accepted into the Houston Quilt Expo this year:

Cecilia and her awesome quilt

She also came to help me out at my booth (she kept me standing with a steady supply of caffeine and sandwiches) and to take classes together in Houston after Market. We had been talking about taking classes together since forever, and it truly was a dream come true. More on that tomorrow!!

Door Prize Fun

2011-10-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Are you a quilt shop owner going to the Houston Market next week? Don't miss the FabShop Kickoff dinner. There will be lots of door prizes, including this one by yours truly:

Good luck!

Winky Pumpkin Pincushion 'Make and Take'

2011-09-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

If you happened to be in the Orlando Area on Saturday, October 1st, I'd love to see you at:

Saturday, October 1st From 10:30am - 3:30pm

Sewing Studio Fabric Superstore

9605 S. Hwy. 17-92

Maitland, FL 32751

"Julie Creus from La Todera will be back on hand to host another festively fabulous "Make-It & Take-It" treat! This adorable pumpkin named "Winky" is new to her ever growing list of whimsical creations, and is sure to inspire you to craft a whole patch of them to fill your fall baskets with." -The Sewing Studio

Sew News Giveaway!

2011-09-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everybody!

Sew News Magazine was kind enough to feature a La Todera Pattern for their giveaway today.

Head on over to the SEW NEWS site to leave a comment for a chance to win a Kafflower Pattern, (retail value $9)
and check out their awesome magazine SEW NEWS!

Wall O' Fabric

2011-09-15T10:32:00.001-07:00

Just straightened up the old studio, and thought it would be a good time to snap a photo! (ok, it's the ONLY time you'd WANT to see a photo. Trust me.
So here is all of the (quilting) fabric I own that is 1 yard or less. I like to roll the fabric and keep it in the cubbies of my Ikea Expedit storage unit.
Nine of the top ten cubbies are devoted to recycled striped shirts, all disassembled and ready to use.
You may have noticed I said one yard and under.... The bigger hunks of fabric are folded and stored in the OTHER Expedit unit on the other side of the room. That one, well it's not up to being photographed at the moment...:)
Let's just say I never met a thrift store or fabric sale I didn't like!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cecilia's To-Die-For-Jewelry Mirror

2011-08-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
Take a gander at my pal Cecilia's jewelry mirror: Look at the beautiful pieces she found! Look at those luscious pave pearls! Love it!! Can't wait to go thrifting with Ceci next trip to Buenos Aires...

This is the lucky recipient, Cecilia's niece Camille. A gorgeous mirror for a gorgeous girl!!
Want to make your own jewelry encrusted mirror? See this previous post for the 'tutorial'.

I'm not sure what's more fun- making the mirror or collecting the loot! Once you get started, I dare you to pass a garage sale or thrift store without looking for bling bling! (Don't even bother daring moi- wild horses couldn't stop me!)

My song on the radio...

2011-08-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Is this cute or what??!! This pincushion was made from the La Todera Harlequin Pillow and Pincushion Pattern by Nancy B. of www.colorfibertexture.com. Go and check out this colorful, scrumptious blog!

Miss Nancy is a talented textile artist, vintage textile lover, and Kaffe fan!! Check out her posts on pin weaving here and here. Looking forward to trying that!!

Thanks, Nancy!! Seeing your beautiful pics of my pattern was like hearing my own song on the radio!! (fiber artist version!) :))))

I wanna be her when I grow up....

2011-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I want to be Ilona when I grow up. She has got it goin' on!!!!

A little eye candy for a post-July 4th Friday night...

2011-07-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

I really wanna meet whoever made this up:

Pointsetta Pattern Model! Snap!

2011-07-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rexie for modeling for the new Pointsettia Brooches pattern!

Ok, he does look like he's had it in the last picture. He is a boy after all!!

Show-n-Tell Monday

2011-06-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

So today is Show-n-Tell Monday. Ok, I just made that up. But I do want to show-n-tell the quilt I just finished.
I used a variation on the Red Diamonds Quilt, found in 'Passionate Patchwork' by Kaffe Fasset. One border was eliminated and I also made the quilt in a sofa size instead of the humongous one in the book.
As I was binding this in my Modern Quilt Guild sew day, lots of people asked me how I kept the diamonds from stretching as I sewed. The answer: spray starch BEFORE cutting the fabric. Plus, these diamonds have 2 straight edges. That definitely helps.
This quilt is going to a dear friend of mine starting a new phase in her life. I wanted it to be joyous looking, and also to be in colors she would look great in. Truthfully, she looks great in anything, but you get the idea...

So here is one of my kitties, Shu-Shu. Poor thing, she thought the quilt was for her. Of course, she thinks that just by sitting on something, she can claim it for herself...

Quilting was done in a continuous 1/4" outline with variegated thread.

Here is Shu-Shu sneaking time on my computer. I'll bet she is writing to a friend complaining that I never let her have anything!

What a gift!!

2011-06-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!
I want to share with you one of the best, most thoughtful-est gifts I've ever received:

Take a gander at the business cards that arrived, by total surprise, in my mailbox yesterday!!!!!

Are these fantabulous or what?! These were 100% designed and produced by my good friend and social media guru Jenna Compton! She does it all when it comes to design. And she is amazing, generous, talented, gorgeous, intuitive, and just the best.

Also see the website for my fundraising venture with my kids: lovemonsters.net, which i looooove.

Want her to design something for you too? Email me and I'll put you in touch :)

Camelia Gigantus Brooch Pattern

2011-03-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

Flower fans, get ready to fly your flower flag!

Another new pattern born yesterday. Or should I say bloomed yesterday?! hee-hee!

Presenting: The Camelia Gigantus Brooch Pattern:

The big mama of fabric flower brooches- 6" across!! For those a bit more timid, pattern comes with a 4" size, as well as instructions for making buds.

Giant Camelia brooches look great on everything from a jean jacket to a purse to a wedding dress! How about adorning an art quilt or craft project?

Easy to follow photo instructions make this pattern simple to make. No sewing machine required- makes a faboo take-along project!

Now available for purchase in my Etsy shop :)

National Women's Day

2011-03-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Just found out today is National Women's Day. No, I didn't get any presents or anything today (did you?)- I just stumbled across this fact on the net. Seems like a good idea anyways. I really liked this post which featured a free downloadable poster:

So if you didn't get any presents either, go get your own flowers. Or print out this poster!

Mario Quilt

2011-03-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Good mornin'
I'm going to dedicate this post to my friend Lance, who really helped me out in a computer-related jam.
To thank Lance, I offered to make him a quilt. He had the idea to do a pixelated quilt. We chose Mario, since that's his favorite game. The 'vintage' Mario game. Hmmph. I remember that game when I was a kid. Vintage....
Anyhoo, this is what I came up with. If you'd like to make your own, finished block size is 4.5". There are many pixelated images online- find your favorite muse! Just print it out, work out your block size to fit the finished size you have in mind, and go to town. I used all Kona solids for this quilt. The golden buttons are Clothworks wonderful Kinkame Shades in yellow to gold. (Love that stuff!)
If you make one, get prepared for requests, offers for favors, etc. My son has offered to wash my car for a year if I make him one. I may take him up on that :)
So Lance, I hope you enjoy your quilt, and thank you, thank you!!

Winner for Harlequin Star Pillow Pattern

2011-03-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

We have a winner- Mariana from Tandil, Argentina!
Felicitaciones Mariana!

Gracias a todos por participar. Si quedaron con ganas del patron, siempre lo pueden comprar en mi tienda de 'etsy' , que se encuentra en el lado derecho de mi blog. Envio a cualquier parte del mundo sin problemas.

Thanks to everyone for participating. If you didn't win this time, but would still like a pattern, it's always available through my etsy store. You can find the link on the righthand side of my blog. I ship worldwide.

Thank you!!!

Giveaway- Harlequin Star Pillow Pattern!

2011-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

To celebrate the launch of the Harlequin Star Pillow pattern, let's do a giveaway!

Just leave a comment after this post. On Friday, I'll do a drawing with the handy-dandy random number generator! Good luck to all! In the meantime, here's some Harlequin Star Pillow eye-candy. Pillows are 15" across, pincushions are 5" across.

Harlequin Patchwork Pillow Pattern

2011-02-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to announce the launch of my newest pattern....

This 3-D star shaped pillow will be the whimsical focal point of your room! Intricate looking construction made quick and easy with clear photo-enhanced instructions and ‘secret ingredient.’

Bonus- instructions for pincushion!

Both make grabbable, adorable, fabulous gifts, made in a jiffy!

This pattern is jelly roll and charm square friendly.

Now available in my Etsy shop, and soon to be found in quilt shops :)

Show-n-Tell

2011-01-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

Just a show-n-tell:

This is the blue version of the Wave Quilts I've been making with grandma's dresses for family members. Again, you'll see that I added some new fabrics to round things out. See the red/orange/pink versions as well as the source for the patterns here.

finished quilt 60" by 68"

A new take

2011-01-14T05:35:00.000-08:00

Good morning,
Take a look at this eye candy- these flowers were made by (friend and fellow pattern maker and Modern Quilt guild member) Carolyn Friedlander, using La Todera orchid patterns. Didn't she take these to a new level with her fabric choices and awesome craftsmanship?
That's just par for the course with Carolyn though. Take a look at here website and check out her amazing quilts and machine quilting!

Tumbler-ful of Memories Quilt

2011-01-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Uncle RJ's Quilt

Evenin' all,
Wanted to share with you the details of the quilt I just finished for my Uncle RJ. This is another in the series of quilts I've been making from my late grandmother Geraldine's dresses.

I'm calling this one the Tumbler-ful of Memories Quilt. It's a one patch using a tumbler shaped template (see below). I liked the idea of a glass pattern for a quilt made with her things because Grandma was most definitely a 'glass half full' kind of lady. Always. Even when life was obviously not. We miss her so.

click here for free template

So if you'd like to make your own memory quilt, print out the template and start gathering up your materials! I chose Grandma's dresses that were 100% cotton (a little polyester mix is ok too). I washed them, cut off all the seams and hems to make flat panels of fabric, and starched and ironed them. The starching is important to make the well worn fabrics behave!

quilt layout

pieced block

It's hard to say how many garments you'll need, since garments vary in size and amount of usable fabric they will yield. You'll see here that I pieced several of the blocks since I was down to scraps of certain dresses that I wanted to include. And that's ok! Just piece em, iron the seams open, and trace out your blocks. And don't be afraid to throw a few new fabrics in there- I do! In fact I add up to 1/3 'new' fabrics (from the quilt shop or from other garments) just to tie the whole thing together.

I love, love fusible cotton batting these days. Plus, you can get it from Michaels or Joann with a coupon!
Remember to press both sides of your quilt sandwich and go over the edges twice for good measure.

outline quilting

more outline quilting

I did very simple machine quilting with variegated thread and a walking foot. The tumbler sides were outlined 1/4" outside of the seams in vertical lines between the top and bottom of the quilt. Since in a memory quilt you want to showcase the fabrics, I thought that would be just enough quilting.

binding and backing

Binding was pieced from an XL mens striped shirt. Backing is a sheet, another great resource for memory quilts (or any quilts for that matter!)

If you haven't tried making memory quilt, please do. This is even a great project using your kids' clothes since the templates are relatively small. Please send me your pictures!

Besos, Julie

American Quilt Retailer Magazine

2011-01-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks Margaret from Eazy Peazy Quilts for giving me the heads up about the La Todera appearance in American Quilt Magazine!!!! Yay!!! Also see Margaret's Walker Saddlebag- congrats Margaret!

Asian Fabric

2010-12-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Doot- doot-doot!!! That would be me tooting my own horn... I'm very proud to announce my first official appearance in a magazine- Asian Fabric Magazine issue #21 to be exact!

I met the editor of this beautiful magazine at the Houston Quilt market. She asked me if I would be interested in contributing a project for the very next issue, and of course I said yes!!

The project was made from Kona Bay fabrics and ribbon (the ribbons are to die for.) Here is the project:

"First Snow Ornament"

The ornament is about 6" in diameter ad can be displayed all year round!

Thanks for lookin'!

Merry Christmas y Feliz Navidad

2010-12-25T09:19:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays to all!

These images from our snow baby scene we put up every year. Each year we add something new- more hand- painted babies, trees, and this year the giant toadstools. Tutorial for toadstools coming soon!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Snow Globe Birthday Cake for Olivia

2010-12-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

This past week was my daugher Olivia's 12th birthday. (That I can't believe she's already 12 is a whole 'nother post...) Anyhow, we had a Winter Wonderland themed party for Miss Thang, and here was her Snow Globe cake. It was such a hit that all of her friends were taking pictures of the cake with their cellphones before we cut it!

If you would like to make (or I should say assemble ) your own, you will need:

One 10" round layer cake from your local grocery store bakery, frosted light blue and piped in white on the borders, white polka dots on the sides
Several plastic snowflakes (these happened to be snowflake rings)
Winter scene foam stickers (Michaels)
(1) 8" round glass 'Blanda' bowl from Ikea ($4.99. Perfectly round and clear.)
Large white round edible non-pareils (from cake section in Michaels) or white sprinkles...

Press plastic snowflakes onto side of cake.
Assemble snow scene with foam stickers. To make scene look good from all angles, I stuck identical stickers together, back to back.
Accent snow scene with edible round white non-pareils.
Carefully invert bowl over snow scene.
Enjoy the compliments!

This would also make a great anytime cake for a snow globe collector. Just change the scene inside!

How about having one of the little characters holding a sign for the recipient?

Bernina Love

2010-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

Tira, my lovely distributor at Brewer Quilting and Sewing Supplies, casually handed me this brochure at the Houston Market:

See the Kabloom! pincushion next to the sewing machine above?!! Aaaaaah!!! I could hardly believe my eyes!!

This was an especially nice surprise since I've been a Bernina fan and user for 10 years now. (Thanks to Ceci Koppmann in Buenos Aires who got me hooked!)

See the whole brochure to drool over the new 3 series machines:
http://content.berninausa.com/ExternalURL/berninaHoliday2010_1024.swf

Also note the AWESOME pearl head pins stuck into the pincushion. They are called 'Dots of Fun Straight Pins.' Ask for them at your local quilt store, who can order them from Brewer Sewing and Quilting Supplies. The super cute tin is included!

Also come in adorable leaf shapes aptly called 'Lovely Leaflets':

In fact, I love these pins so much that I use them for everyday sewing. They just make me smile when I use them and they are reaaaaally easy to grab!

Not to mention that hey are also THE BOMB for making beaded Christmas ornaments...

Kaffe and Liza visit my booth

2010-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, that handsome, smiling fellow is really Kaffe Fassett, and the flame haired beauty is Liza Prior Lucy. Me? I'm the one about to faint...

Liza had come by earlier and startled me with, "Hi Julie! How's it going?" Love her.

She brought Kaffe back to my booth.

Still ready to faint here... Then I got distracted by that great shirt he has on. Would make a great patches for my new handbag...

So here is Kaffe picking out a 'Kafflower', which I was told by several that he wore the rest of the day at his booth!! (I did sell the most Kafflower patterns that day... Thanks Kaffe!)

A-mazing. Thanks Liza and Kaffe for your kind words and encouragement!!

Lee from Accuquilt

2010-11-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

Lee from Accuquilt!
Go-baby!!! (not me, silly, - their new product!)

- Posted using BlogPress from qqmy iPhone

Kona Bay Peeps

2010-10-31T16:47:00.001-07:00

With Douglas Eagleson (president) and Vicki Dar from Kona Bay Fabrics

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Pins and Needles

2010-10-31T08:56:00.001-07:00

This is Rachel Low from New York- new quilt shop owner, opening in 3 weeks!! Go check out her stuff at pinsandneedlesnyc.com

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Houston quilt show

2010-10-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

with Judy Hanson from the Deland Quilt Shop

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2010-10-29T20:14:00.001-07:00

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Booth at Houston Quilt Market

2010-10-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

After months of planning, two days of driving, and 9 hours of set up- Ta Da!!!! Presenting the La Todera Sewing and Craft Patterns booth!! Off to bed now- will be dreaming of selling lots of patterns....

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Houston

2010-10-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I've been with my nose to the grindstone getting ready for............. Houston Quilt Market!!!!

My friend Margaret, (of the already famous Eazy Peazy pattern line,) and I are packing up and heading out next Wednesday! We will be flying our respective flags at adjoining booths at the Market.
If you happened to be in Houston, I'll be in booth 2060!

We must be bonkers- this is our first show for both of us as pattern sellers, and we decided to start out at the biggest quilt show in the world. Bananas. But as George Michael used to say, "If you're gonna do it, do it right". So we're going for it!

I'll be selling 8 of my patterns. Actually, one is a kit! If you can't make it to Houston, let me save you some moolah on the flight and point out that my patterns are also available in my Etsy store!

Here are the 5 newest patterns and kit:

Plushroom Pincushions Kit

Toadstool fans rejoice! Kit includes all plush and wool blend felt for both pincushions! Can also be made into tree ornaments and sachets! Large pincushion measures about 5" across, and small guy about 1 1/3" across.

retail: US$ 12.

Asian Fan Purse Pattern

This is the bag you'll reach for time after time. And not just for it's scrappy good looks. At 20 inches wide, it's the perfect size, with a comfy shoulder strap and a cell phone pocket. Easy to make in an afternoon!

Instructions for professional looking strap included!

retail: US$ 9.

Cymbidium Orchid Brooch Pattern

Can you see a bunch of these made up into a beautiful everlasting wedding bouquet and accessories? How about adorning an art quilt- or your jean jacket?

Simple pattern with instructions for 3 sizes of orchid blooms: 4 1/2", 3 7/8", and 2 3/4".

Bonus: Instructions for making buds!

retail: US$ 9.

Slipper Orchid Brooch Pattern

Phalaenopsis Orchid Brooch Pattern

Can you see a bunch of these made up into a beautiful everlasting wedding bouquet and accessories? How about adorning an art quilt- or your jean jacket?

Simple pattern with instructions for 3 sizes of orchid blooms: 4 1/2", 3 7/8", and 2 3/4".

Bonus: Instructions for making buds.

retail: US$ 9.

Thanks for looking!

Wedding Quilt

2010-10-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Luisito and Josefina!
This quilt is a wedding gift for our (OK, Santiago's) cousins in Buenos Aires. They are the cutest couple ever!

This quilt is inspired by one I saw on the Material Obsession website. The pattern was published in the Australian Better Homes and Gardens, but try as I might, I couldn't locate the pattern. So I improvised. This is a queen sized quilt. The quilt is on it's way with some other VERY nice cousins who offered to cart it to Argentina in their suitcase...

I hope they like it!

Memory Blanket for Olivia

2010-09-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

Just finished this twin sized quilt for my daughter Olivia. The white background is an heirloom linen crib sheet set that was passed down to Olivia. All of the colored fabric swatches are from clothes from various family members. The backing is Kaffe, and the binding is from a recycled man's shirt.

Sonic Sock Monkey

2010-09-03T20:23:00.001-07:00

Sonic character sock monkey. Made for Liam's friend Eric for his birthday ... Made entirely of well,.....socks!

Orlando Orchid Ladies

2010-09-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

Yesterday the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild held their monthly meeting at the Sewing Studio in Maitland.
I was the speaker-in-a-pinch, and did a mini class on a pattern I'm developing (in my 'lab' muhahahah!!)

The Phalaenopsis Orchid Brooch

Here we are showing off our work. Thanks ladies!!

Kabloom! Pincushion Pattern Now Available

2010-08-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

Just a little shout out to say that the Kabloom! pincushion pattern is now available!

KaBloom! Pincushion Pattern

Show off this juicy pincushion on your sewing table or give it as a gift!

Another great take along project. Three embellishment options included in the pattern to take your pincushion from modern simple to over the top retro-style!

Available in my etsy shop (see sidebar at right) in both the printed and pdf versions.

Have a great day!!

Another quilt from grandma's fabrics

2010-08-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here's another quilt made from Red Grandma's dresses. The four-patch rectangles are from gram's tropical print dresses:

The four-patch rectangles are from gram's tropical print dresses. The secondary design that the blocks create is interesting, I think. Always something to look out for when designing a quilt...:

The colorful border inset is Kaffe:

Philippians 4:8

2010-08-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Put your seat belts on- I'm about to get deep!

Wanted to share one of my favorite passages from the Bible. It speaks to me about keeping one's mind focused on positive stuff.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

As an artist, the words "whatsoever things are lovely" confirms what we all suspected: that making and admiring beautiful things is vital and good for our spirit!

Jewelry Mirror

2010-08-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

My mom visited this past weekend, and here's the project we did- a 'jewelry mirror.'

We had so much fun picking through the jewelry we collected and trying out different layouts.

If you'd like to make your own,

collect more jewelry that you think you'll ever need from every garage sale and thrift store in your area
the more colored rhinestone pieces the better
get lots of colored pearl strings for the base layer
also, get several tubes of E6000 glue (Michaels and Joann carry it)
I like beveled mirrors with gold and silver frames for a base

Here you can see we started covering the base mirror with colored pearl strings.

The inspiration was a mirror that my grandma (my mom's mom) had hanging in her dining room. It was the first thing I would run to see (after my grandparents, of course!) when we arrived to their house in Madison, Wisconsin. The mirror was made by my grandma's friend, Mrs. Fenski. Over the years, the jewelry dropped off. A few years ago, I inherited the mirror and restored it with jewelry from my Aunt Doris, and it proudly hangs in my entryway:

If you do one, please send me pictures!!

Red Gram Quilts Quilts de 'Abuela Roja'

2010-07-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all!
Lately I've been working on a series of memory quilts made with the fabric from the dresses of my late grandmother, Geraldine Stark (Red Gram). Red Gram was always dressed to the nines- often in red, and always with red lipstick. So when I was a kid, I nicknamed her 'Red Grandma' to set her apart from all of the other grandmas out there, and it just stuck!
It took me a whole year to cut up the dresses, but when I found this pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of 'oh fransson,' I knew I had to get started. Not only is this a great pattern for feature fabrics, but it reminds me of lava lamps, which Red Gram always kept on her back porch. What a hip grandma, right?

Hola!
Estos dias estoy haciendo un serie de quilts hecho con telas de los vestidos de mi abuela que fallecio, Geraldine Stark (Abuela Roja). Mi abuela siempre era muy bien vestido, muchas veces en el color rojo, y siempre con rouge rojo. Entonces, cuando era chiquita, la di el apodo "Abuela Roja' para destinguirla de todas las otras abuelas en el mundo. Se quedo asi!

Me costo un ano en cortar los vestidos para usar, pero cuando encontre este patron de Elizabeth Hartman de 'oh fransson,' sabia que tenia que arrancar. No solo es este patron genial para telas que quieres destacar, pero las formas parecen a 'lava lamps' ( ), cosa que mi abuela siempre tenia prendida en su porch. Que abuela canchera, no?

Winner / Ganadora

2010-06-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, according to my number picker, the official winner of the Kaffe charm pack is: 29! Cynthia Masa!

Winner, please send your name and postal address to juliecreus@gmail.com

Thanks for participating! Check back often for new giveaways!

Ok, segun mi 'eligidora de numeros', la ganadora oficial de las telitas de Kaffe es: 29! Cynthia Masa!

Ganadora, favor mandame tu nombre y direccion postal a juliecreus@gmail.com

Gracias por participar! Fijate aca seguido para mas 'regalitos'!

First Giveaway!!

2010-06-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's time for a giveaway for Todera followers! Up for grabs is this sweet charm square pack of Kaffe Fasset fabrics!

All you have to do is leave a comment about what you would do with the charm squares.

Then, on Friday, June 25th, I will use my handy dandy random number generator you see there on the left hand side of my blog to pick the winning comment number.

I will send the fabric anywhere in the world. Good luck!!

Ya es hora para un regalo para uno de las siguidores de 'Todera! La ganadora recibe este paquete de charm squares de Kaffe Fasset.

Solo tenes que dejarme un comentario de que harias con las telitas. El viernes 25 de junio, uso el 'generador de numeros aleatorios' (que vean a la esquierda en mi blog) para elegir el numero del comentario ganador.

Mando las telitas a cualquier parte del mundo. Suerte!!

2010-06-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mm. Mm. Mm.

Freshly washed Kaffe fabric hanging out to dry. Got a smokin deal-, so stocked up for backings. To some, luxury is a Mercedes, to others it's filet mignon, to me it's an all Kaffe quilt back.....

End of the Year quilts for Teachers

2010-06-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Whew! The school year here in Orlando has come to a close. The kids and I decided to make quilts for their teachers for 'end of the year' gifts. Both kids had very special teachers that deserved very special gifts.

The first quilt was made for Liam's teacher, Mrs. Cheves, queen of the 'Fantastic Frogs'. I asked each child to cut out a frog from a fabric that they picked out. They got fused and satin stitched on a background (cut from an Ikea duvet cover). I used the new bamboo batting that's out there, which was nice, but i found to be a bit stiff. Quilting was done in a meandering stitch in the 'water', an a flower design in the border, outlining all those crazy handpainted blooms.

Olivia and I then put together a quilt for Mrs. Krupoff, her fifth grade teacher, whose favorite color is purple. This is the zigzag quilt again, this time with straight borders.

There are those handpainted flowers again in the top row! I liked how they look like little sunrises againsts the purple zigzag below...

hot glue un-stick trick

2010-05-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

Just a short post today. Had to share this tip- unsticking stuff glued with the glue gun!

I had used hot glue to make some felt flowers. Afterwards, i wasn't crazy about my color combos, and tried to peel them apart. Of course, no go.

So i stuck one in the microwave for about 20 seconds, and apart it came!! Woo-hoo!!

Had another flower that had a pin back already attached. 'Course, you can't put metal in the microwave. So i busted out my heat gun (the scrap-booking type) and voila!- it came unstuck too.

Then i remembered about a thousand things that i threw away cause i thought hot glue was permanent....

Pass it on, and have a great day.

2010-05-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon, Toderas!

Take a gander at my new quilt top, just finished today. Here's the story....

A few weeks ago, I went to Chicago to visit my good friend Todd and to go to the Quilt Festival. But of course, I took a class from Kaffe (rhymes with 'safe') Fasset. His classes are the most exhilerating, exhausting, and brain stretching excercises ever for color junkies like me.

The class was based on a pattern from Kaffe's new book, "Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts". It's an eight hour class with a lunch break. Beatles and Abba are blasting on the boom box to keep you from thinking too much. No sewing involved, we just cut the patches and rearranged them over and over on our flannel sheets pinned to the walls. Kaffe and his co-teacher Liza would walk around and help if it looked like you needed it. Very little instruction. It's all about finding your own color sense and discovering for yourself why things work!

The last hour of the class is my favorite. We all gather round and listen to Kaffe critique our quilt tops. You really see why arrangements are successful- or not. There are always surprises!

Here is Kaffe looking at my quilt top:

I ended up making the top bigger- it's now 60" by 72", changing the border, and picking a different stripe for the cornerstone blocks.
This is the third class I've taken with these guys, but the first resulting quilt i've actually stitched together!

So the next day, Todd came with me to the show to see Kaffe's lunch/lecture. Here we are:

Here we are at the "Bee" (short for 'quilting bee'- Todd's friends teased him mercilessly for agreeing to go... what a good sport!) And what a good host- Here is what was waiting when I arrived at Todd's!!! MMMMMM!!!

Family Squares Blanky

2010-04-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Who is this blonde cutie-patootie?? It's cousin Simon from Argentina!! He's relaxing in the back yard with his 'mantita' (blanky in Spanish.) This blanky was made from squares donated by members of our family. Even the white strips are from old linen sheets!

Here is the finished quilt. I like how the white really showcases the colored squares. Each square is 3.5 inches, which I think is just big enough to show the character of each fabric sample, and small enough to blend in to the composition. The finished quilt is 56" square.

Simon's mom Cecilia tells me that it helps her talk to Simon about family members that live far away or are no longer with us. I wanted to show Simon that we are all connected, even if we don't see each other as often as we'd like!

Here is my daughter Olivia with her cousin in Argentina. Can you tell that we love Simon???

New Patterns for sale!

2010-03-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

It's been awhile since I've posted- I've been a busy bee and proud to have launched my second pattern:

Berry Bunch Brooch

I have to thank Becky, the owner of The Fabric Warehouse in Lakeland, Florida. She was already carrying my pattern for the Kafflower (see below) and asked if I could come up with a special product to offer at the Strawberry Festival going on here in central Florida. And here it is!

So far it was a great seller at a quilt show where Fabric Warehouse was a vendor. I had the privilege of working at their booth at this show, which was such a great insight into customer reaction to the patterns. What a great experience!!

Here is my first pattern:

The Kafflower Brooch

This pattern is near and dear to my heart. I created the pattern to teach to 3 lovely groups of ladies in Argentina. My dear friend Cecilia there helped set this up, which was super motivating and supportive of her. Thank you Ceci!!! Gracias, alumnas!!

This was the moment that I realized how much I love to teach and share crafts- just as much as making them myself! Thus, my pattern biz was born.

I have 8 more patterns in the works, and can't wait to get them out!

Look for the stores that carry my patterns ( La Todera brand) in the sidebar on the left.
Patterns are also available in my Etsy store, in regular and PDF form.

Have a bloomin' great day!!

2010-01-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

yay for grassroots fundraisers! yay for hope!

if you're like me, after seeing images of the horror going on in haiti, you feel so antsy wondering what to do to help. it turns out there were two women feeling the same way who started
'craft hope for haiti'. i am humbled by their innovation and hard work...

it's an etsy shop (online) where you can go buy crafts, and all of the money gets donated to doctors without borders! all of the crafts are 100% donated by very talented artists. there's some great stuff in stock!

so y'all go buy something, and if you're crafty, you can donate something! just click on the image below to get started.

2010-01-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

good morning,

i just got a question from a lovely woman in mar del plata argentina, asking to see the finished quilt of the image at the top of this blog. the answer is- i don't have one.... (arrrgghh!) i was in such a rush to finish it before a good friend of mine took it to argentina for me, that i didn't take a final picture!

the pattern was inspired by one of kaffe fasset's designs, but done with a completely different arrangement and construction methods. i have made many of these quilts in different color combinations.

here is my favorite:

it's a quilt for my daughter olivia, made from her baby dresses and quilt bunting. see that many of the fabrics are oilily, which was my favorite place to get her little dresses (on the clearance rack at the outlet.)

here it is, again in layout form before assembling the blocks. (twin bed size) of course this quilt is extremely sentimental, but apart from this, i was quite pleased with the final color combo, etc, .

i know olivia agrees. she has slept under this quilt every single night since it was finished!

this quilt was a baby sized quilt made for my dear friend emily's baby graeme.

detail of graeme's quilt

one of these quilts (done in a warm color scheme) was featured on the set of Puntas y Puntadas, a wonderful needlwork based show filmed in argentina and shown all over latin america. it was a very proud moment for me! thank you, cecilia, for making this happen! (do we have a photo???)

ladies, don't let a quilt leave your hands without taking (several!) photos!

patricia, muchas gracias por tu interes! me alegro mucho que sigues el blog! espero que desfrutas esta entrada, dedicado especialmente a vos!

besos, julie

places to get (more) fabric

2010-01-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

happy wednesday,
just wanted to share a few of my favorite places to get fabric:

gloriouscolor
equilter
hancocks-paducah
fabrics.com

i also get A LOT of my stash from the local thrift shops! yup, especially in the men's section. men's dress shirts come in all kinds of crazy, stripey, colors, and are usually 100% cotton (always check). i shop on discount day. i take the shirts home, wash them in hot water, and throw them in the dryer. when i get a good pile of them. i deconstruct them while i'm watching tv in the evenings.

now sometimes, my husband will pilfer one in my pile that he thinks will look good on him. usually tho, they are too big, since i try, whenever possible, to buy the xl or bigger to get the most fabric! ha!

first i take off the bottom hem. then the collar and cuffs. then i cut off the sleeves and cut off any seams. then cut off the button plackets and the seams in the body of the shirt. i save the now seamless fabric pieces, the buttons, and the long, skinny bottom hem.

i have been rolling up the hems into a big ball, which i continue to add to- why, you say? i guess it's so my husband has evidence of just how many shirts he didn't manage to steal... tee-hee!

sometimes i find a women's cotton dress, or if i'm really lucky, a kimono to cut up.
keep your eyeballs peeled!

after all, that's how patchwork got it's start- from clothing scraps!

2010-01-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

hello cat owner/quilt lovers,

or should i say, quilt owners/cat lovers....

do your cats do THIS to every new quilt?

does every quilt gift you make come with a side of cat hair??

are ANY of your supplies sacred?

do you forgive him for anything 'cause he's just so cute??

join the club.

(this is for you, elsa!)

believe it or not, none of these pictures were posed

2010-01-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

happy wednesday,
thanks to all of my friends who took the time to check out my blog! as per several requests, i'm posting a few photos of the bags i like to sew:

these i call asian fan bags

these i call my 'mother of all bags' bags, 'cause they measure a monstrous 27" by 27"!

2010-01-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

hello toads!

this was my son's idea for greeting my fellow bloggers. just had to share (you'd have to know how much we love toads around here... it's a total compliment...)

thought today's post would be about the recently made quilts i took for gifts to argentina:

Sofia's quilt for her room make-over

twin size, inspired by technique explained here at film in the fridge but with my own tweaks concerning the ends of the blocks

Denise's quilt for her room make-over

also twin size, inspired by technique explained at film in the fridge

Ada and Rody's quilt

sofa size, inspired by this tutorial by crazy mom quilts here 'cept i kept the border zig-zaggy and just put a binding on it (ok, that sounds like a certain beyonce song- 'if you like it then you bettah put a binding on it...!)

if you're wondering, negotiating all those points wasn't too much harder than doing the corners on a squarish quilt- just more time consuming!

made 2 of these, one for Sandra, and one for Eugenia

sofa size, this pattern was my own invention using a paper foundation technique.

so my friends were wondering how i got 5 quilts done in 6 weeks. . .

see my secret weapons above!! ironing elves! everyone should have some!

we told all the quilt recipients olivia and liam helped with their quilts, which made all parties very happy.

ooh, and before i forget, there was one bag-

maxi-bag made for adela

size: 20" by 27"

this bag was made from fabrics adela collected from family members plus strips of denim

welcome to my blog, fellow toderas!

2010-01-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

welcome to my blog. todera- what is a todera, you say?? todera is an invented spanish word for a woman who does everything...

i must give the credit to my friend cecilia koppmann of buenos aires. (in cecilia's case, it takes one to know one!) we like to do LOTS of different crafts- a bit of everything. a friend of hers declared that we must be 'toderas'.

i immediately loved this term! first, it's so true. can never just focus on one craft- so i do them all! plus, it sounds like toad, my favorite animal in the whole world. double plus- it's an actual place in japan- and i love all things japanese- especially the crafts!

ok, now that our term is out there in cyberspace, three cheers for all of you fellow toderas out there!!

stay tuned for more posts, pictures, and tutorials!