This was the first time I used the “stack and whack” method to cut pieces for the blocks and I have to say I love the process. It is a pretty free form way of making a quilt and leads to some interesting interactions at block intersections.

One of the fabrics had these great flowers that I cut out and used as appliques in a random arrangement over the blocks.

The first year I participated I chose to do the holiday color option: red/green/gold. Each month we made a different block, for a total of 12 blocks. The blocks were all pretty intricate pieced patterns and being that piecing was a new skill for me I decided that I needed to make each block more then once. Therefore I made three companion blocks to each club block with each of my blocks focused on one color: red, green or gold.

And to make it even more a challenge, I reduced the number of fabrics to four no matter how many had been called for in the original pattern. The goal each time was to keep the focus of the block the same even with the reduced number of fabrics and colors. I had some real misses requiring reworking a few of the squares over the 18+ months I worked on this quilt. I certainly learned a great deal.

About half way through, I decided I would gift this quilt, when completed, to my in-laws. Knowing that they prefer blue tones and that they would appreciate a quilt that could be used outside of the holiday season, I decided to make the reverse side of the quilt a snow theme in blues. Since I was planning to “stitch in the ditch” on the holiday side, I decided to make the blue side predominately big squares, but with a fun border along the sides. (I had already decided to put a fun border on the holiday side.)

And, of course I needed to add another challenge, I decided to use a modified quilt-as-you-go technique. Turns out that was a very good choice as the quilt by the end was BIG and would have been extremely difficult to quilt as one piece on my small machine. One of the images in the slideshow shows me standing in front of the quilt. With my boots on I’m a little over six feet tall, so that gives you the scale of the overall quilt. I told my in-laws they would need to buy a bigger bed.

Short sleeve and sleeveless examples of the Essential Journeys Bicycle Jersey. Photo by rebecca d'angelo, courtesy Essential Journeys.

Kimberly, owner of Essential Journeys, is an avid bicyclist. When she isn’t making her wonderful soaps she is usually out on the road with a group of friends riding around Asheville, or off leading a group of bicyclists on an Alaskan adventure.

So to combine her two passions she asked me to design a bicycle jersey that would be fun, colorful and promote Essential Journeys.

We started with the base art from label designs for the floral pattern on the front and sleeves. We made one sleeve green and one purple – why not, much more interesting then both the same.

On the back we used her biking diva logo and added bright sun rays behind her. The back pocket list her product lines and of course the website URL. Another fun feature of the jerseys are words up the sides: “Soap Pedaler” and “Petroleum Free.”

The jerseys are offered in short sleeve and sleeveless options in cuts for both women and men. For information on ordering, visit Essential Journeys online shop: Bicycle section where you can order jerseys as well as matching arm warmers.

All good, then I put it together and once again didn’t like it. It still looked too chunky. So, I did a crazy/brave thing, I cut the quilt right through the middle of each row of squares and reassembled. And… yes, that is the look I wanted, whew. Of course that means that my seams don’t line up, but if you don’t look too close you don’t notice.

Roller skate buttons! Perfect for the daughter of a roller derby fan.

Knitting while listening to a book on tape is one of my favorite relaxing activities.

My favorite things to knit are baby gifts. For Emilia I decided to make a color block sweater as I had some single balls in really wonderful colors of an amazingly soft wool. I used a basic cardigan pattern with pretty scalloped edges at the base, sleeve cuffs and neckline. The fun roller skate buttons topped off the colorful look.

My love of knitting comes from my mom. She taught me the basics and encouraged me on projects throughout the years. I inherited a large portion of her knitting tools, materials, books and patterns. Although it saddens me that I can’t show her my recent projects, it is wonderful to remember her each time I sit and work on a new sweater. Thanks, mom.

"Sunset" placed in the top twenty quilts as choosen by customers in Asheville Cotton Co.'s first Customer Quilt Show.

It took me close to two years, working on and off, to complete my first large quilt. Previously, I had made a few quilts as baby gifts which are generally weekend projects. A quilt large enough for a queen-size bed I discovered is considerably more challenging.

Part of the reason it took a while to complete, was the time I spent in organizing, and reorganizing the blocks. The original materials and base design came from a quilt kit my mom had given to me. I followed the first couple steps of the instructions, but then reached a point where I didn’t like how they were pulling the elements together.

Fortunately, I have a large work table and could spread the pieces out for review. They were there for weeks. Each time I walked by the table I looked and often rearranged the pieces. Finally, I was happy with the layout and could finish up the sewing.

When I got the top pieced together I took it down to my favorite quilt material shop, Asheville Cotton Company, and got terrific advice on fabric for the backing and border. They also suggested I do the actual quilting with a variegated thread. The look is great and makes the flip side of the quilt quite interesting. However, I have to say quilting on a regular sewing machine is a struggle. I think next time I’ll look for an alternative.

Generally these items are sold in multi-garment packs with prints grouped by style and color, sometimes combined with solid colors. In this case prints were designed for three sets of brights and one set of pastel colors.

Within the bright sets was a set based around pinks and purples, a set based around primary colors, and a set based around secondary colors. The pastel set is based around light yellow and pale green.

For Just Ducky’s Spring 2010 collection a fun oversized strawberry print was developed specifically for their new style Butterfly Sleeve Top. Keeping to simple, strong colors – pink, lime, brown – makes a print that is big and bold, yet not overwhelming. Very summer!

Shown here in the Spring 2010 catalog. Visit Just Ducky online at: www.justduckyoriginals.com

Historically, Damasks are a style of woven fabric supposed to have originated in the city of Damascus. Modern-day Damasks are commonly single color prints featuring patterns based around floral motifs. The Damask style print for Just Ducky was produced in lime, aqua and pink. The versatility of classic Damasks is evident in the accompanying image from Just Ducky’s Spring 2009 catalog, where the print is equally attractive on a girl’s dress and her mother’s top.