Summer Solstice aka: The Longest (Sewing) Day of the Year

Hi everyone! Can't believe the Summer Solstice is already here (it officially arrives tomorrow morning June, 21st at 6:51am EST). Hope you've got some fun plans for making the most of the longest (or shortest) day of the year. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, the days will only get longer now for you – hooray! We’ll be visiting family, checking out some gardens up in the foothills of the Berkshires with some friends, attending a local fundraiser concert for the public schools, and...weeding the garden.

Before the crab grass stakes its claim on all the cracks and pathways, thought i'd show you some photos of our garden from a couple weeks ago, along with some of my favorite spring blooms.

Here's the veggie area in raised beds that we built last year.

Because we've had such a prolonged and cool spring, it's been the best lettuce season i can remember in a long time!

We also had a healthy harvest of baby bok choy:

Here's a view of the flowery garden area with the flagstone patio and parterre we made last summer — i still kinda can't believe we took on a project like that. Crazies!

And here are the beauties of our spring garden...whose gorgeous colors and elegant shapes will continue to inspire me long after their blooms have faded.

The summer bloomers are already on their way, and so are the sweet peas! Stay tuned.

Almost forgot! to celebrate the Solstice, and to kick-off the summer sewing season, we're giving away a Fat Quarter bundle of...Solstice — my new Christmas/winter fabric line for Moda Fabrics!

Please leave a brief comment regarding something you like to do on the longest (or shortest) day of the year. One entry per person. The winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday June 24th.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

kate

B r r r . . .

Is it me or is it getting cold out there?? If you live in the southern hemisphere, you may be getting your winter boots out...while the rest of us put our flip flops on. But whether you're sipping hot tea or iced tea, you must be gearing up for some Christmas in July sewing, right?! Just in the (St.) Nick of time, my newest holiday fabric collection, In from the Cold, is starting to ship! Here's a look at the color range:

 If you have any Joy scraps in your stash, this collection will coordinate with it perfectly. And if you're looking for some holiday sewing projects to get started on, here are a few ideas.

I designed this quilt as a free project that you can download here. It has lots of steps, but think of it as a block-or-two-of-the-month and you can easily finish it by Christmas. You can also order a kit —including a printed version of the pattern — from Fat Quarter Shop. 

We've also seen some fun projects popping up on the Moda Cutting Table recently. Tammy at Moda made the mugs even cuter by making mini versions of them.

 She created tutorials for making this sweet gift bag ...

... and festive placemat ...

 ... as well as this table runner (i hope a tutorial will be posted for this too. If it is, i'll be sure to link it up). **Update** here's the tutorial for the table runner!

 So we thought it would be a perfect time to give some fabric away to get you started on your holiday sewing! We'll be divvying up this giant pile and sending packages off to 6 lucky winners.

To enter, here's the thing. I have finished designing next year's wintery collection and have a possible name for it in mind, but i'm just not 100% sure about it. *hint** it's less whimsical than the last two collections, and a little more "pretty" and  "wintery". All you have to do is leave a comment with a suggested name (one entry per person, please). Put your thinking hat, mittens and scarves on and get creative! Winners will be announced next Monday the 24th.

A Flurry of Ornaments

I'm thrilled to announce that a flurry of beautiful ornaments are now available at Crate and Barrel! The creative team at Crate has outdone themselves yet again by selecting just the right application for the design assortments we collaborated on. I'm always amazed by the time and care involved in getting everything just right — which is why i am so happy and excited to finally be able to share these with you!

First up, these intricately carved wooden snowflakes come in sets of twenty-four and are packaged in a gift-ready holiday red plywood box. They're the perfect size to decorate everything from holiday centerpieces and wreaths to swags and mantel arrangements...

...or to add some snow-kissed winter wonder to your Christmas tree!

photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

Next up, this set of delicate glass ball ornaments are made in the Czech Republic and are sold in sets of four. They're embellished with circular sprays of glittery pine and each is a little different to bring a lovely variety of style and elegance to your holiday decor.

Place them in a glass bowl to decorate an entryway or side table...

Photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

...or mix them with other ornaments of different sizes and shapes with similar coloring to create a merry and festive look!

photo courtesy of Crate and Barrel

And finally, these adorable holiday glitter pals are dressed for the season with some sparkly flair! They come in a set of three — a reindeer, snowman and penguin — and are ready to hang with a loop of red satin ribbon.

I have to say it was so much giggly fun to see my artwork jump right off the page and into the 3rd dimension.

It's not too early to start decking the halls, is it? Don't know how much longer i can wait! How about you?

Surprise in the Aisle

Last night, i realized we were out of milk. No milk = no cereal in the morning, which = not a good start to the day, so off to the grocery store i went. No matter what time of day it is, it's always crowded in our local store...so over the years, i've drawn a mental map of the place for just these times when all i want to do is zip in and check out. You too? Even so, it's quite an obstacle course to get to the far back corner where the milk is, and i couldn't find a clear aisle to zip down! Canned goods aisle: full. Baking aisle: not even going to attempt it (plus, i wouldn't get passed the chocolate chips without buying them). Pet food aisle: what? did everyone run out of pet food at the same time? skip.

Then finally, the seasonal aisle (i think that's what they call it) where books, movies, magazines, patio furniture, balloons, wrapping paper, and halloween candy can be found...was empty. Smooth sailing! As i zipped by, I quickly glanced over at the magazines and continued on my way then stopped in my tracks. Did i see what i thought i saw? It was definitely the colors that registered in my mind, delayed by about 8 feet. Back up. Nope, i didn't imagine it! So i grabbed this off the shelf...

...and felt a Flurry of excitement (duh, sorry) to see that beautiful giant snowflake quilt on the cover! I flipped through and found the pattern instructions on p. 36. It's called "Snow-Kissed Star" and is made by none other than Konda Luckau of Moose on the Porch Quilts!

How weird that i just linked to her blog yesterday but didn't even notice her post about it! Anyway, i love this pattern and the instructions look really simple. The center snowflake uses only 1/2 a jelly roll (plus white for the background), so you could actually make two cute n' quilt-ie christmas gifts!

I continued to flip through the issue before plunking it in my basket, when what what to my wondering eyes should appear but...

...these a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. elfen stockings made by Vanessa of Lella Boutique! (btw Vanessa, i still can't wipe the dopey grin off my face either *wink*)

Congratulations, Konda and Vanessa! And thank you for making my trip to the grocery store so memorable. Except i was so excited after finding the magazine that not only did i get milk, i went back for the chocolate chips too.

Poinsettia Party at Target!

I've been tap tapping my fingers, pacing, and calling our local Target store for about a month trying to find out when the trucks would be pulling in to unload all the holiday products. Of course no one could tell me anything except that I'd have to wait until after Halloween. WAIT. Yes, for times like this, patience is hugely overrated. Nevertheless, I waited.

And then...this morning...I got an email from a friend who told me she saw my paper tableware designs at her local Target over the weekend. I barely finished reading her note, then bolted out of my chair, hopped in the car and peeled down the driveway. Here they are! They can be found in the "Cards and Party" section near all the birthday stuff...where I must have spent about an hour staring at them and taking pictures. I never thought I'd be so excited by a paper plate before. Don't you need some for your Holiday party?? Answer: YES!

Poinsettia Party

In the display (but don't look at any of the others)