Color Me Happy

Yeah, another Color Me Happy sighting!
This one was made by my friend Linda H. Isn't is wonderfully fresh and modern looking?!

If you have finished any of the patterns from my book, I would love to see (and share them)!
You can reach me by email at rana@sewnintothefabric.com.
And if you need a copy of the book, you can get one HERE.

A Quilter on a Mission

Here are a few quilts my friend Mary V made from my book Simply Strings.

From left to right: Shantytown, Color Me Happy, and Horse Feathers.
And for the record, she made them all in less than 2 weeks!
Amazing.

New for 2015!

There are a few new things happening around here these days.
New and exciting things!
Things for you, from me!

Number 1...
How about a newsletter?
Yes, that sounds good.
But how about a newsletter filled with things you want (not just advertising).
Free things. Inspiring things. Things to create. Things to enjoy.
Yes, that's the kind of newsletter I am talking about.

This year, I am going to focus on six different types of content:
Patterns
Mood Boards (fully editable and customizable)
Desktop (and Mobile) Backgrounds
Recipes
Tutorials
Pattern Reviews and Discounts
You can sign up for the monthly mailer HERE, if you are interested.

Number 2...
How about a new Block of the Month?
Yes, that sounds good too.
But how about a FREE BOM!
A free, string quilted, medallion style, mystery BOM.
That's the kind of project I am talking about.
One that can put quite a dent in your scrap basket.
You can find the intro and pattern for the first month HERE, if you are interested.
And you can grab the button right here:

<div class="pieces-of-ranas-life-button" style="width: 125px; margin: 0 auto;">
<a href="http://www.sewnintothefabric.com/stringAlong.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.sewnintothefabric.com/Images/side%20bar%20150px/StringAlong1Button.jpg" alt="Pieces of Rana's Life" width="125" height="125" />
</a>
</div>

Number 3...
How about a great new book?
Yes, that sounds good too.
How about a book about modern string quilting.
A book filled with patterns (12 of them) to decrease your scraps and increase your level of cozy.
Hopefully you have already heard about this book, but just in case you haven't:

I wrote it myself and you can get a copy of it  HERE, if you are interested.

And finally, Number 4...
How about a FANTASTIC new house?
Yes, that sounds really good too.
But how about a HOME. A comfy, cozy little place on the central coast of California.
A place where a family can settle in and enjoy the changing of the seasons and the marching of time.
Together. With love and happiness and fresh eggs every day.
I have just the place for you, and you can check it out HERE, if you're interested.

(And yes, this is our home. We are looking to make a MAJOR change in our address. To start a new page and a new adventure in a new place. New. New, New. And a little old. Because you can't change everything. And who would want to? We will still be the same happy couple with the same time tested outlook on life and the same beloved small businesses. We will just be enjoying it all in a DIFFERENT place. A place where the changing of the seasons looks and smells a little different than here and where time still marches on, whether you want it to or not. And yes, the new place will still be filled with love and togetherness and fresh eggs daily, but our hens will be a lot more cold hardy!)

My friend Laura, of Dienzo Fine Art Photography, took these pictures of our home. You can find her HERE if you are in need of any amazing photography for yourself.

A Belated Winner

And the winner of Simply Strings is...
#4, Dorothy, who had this to say:
Congratulations! Can't wait to see it! Love your designs.

Super sorry for the delay on this but I got caught up in the hub-bub of the Thanksgiving holiday and the beginning of the Christmas festivities!

Simply Strings

We are back home from Quilt Market, in Houston, and ready to settle in for the holiday season.

 
But before we do, there is something VERY important I need to tell you about.

My first book!
It is called Simply Strings: A Modern Approach to a Traditional Quilt Block.

I started this book almost three years ago without knowing it.
I was over run with scraps and decided that I was going to bust them. ALL of them. So I started string piecing blocks and then quilts and before I knew it I had 14 quilt tops, a scrap basket that was still overflowing, and an idea for a book. And the rest, as they say, is history. Well, except for all of the work of writing an entire book!

My favorite project in the book is...well all of them.
But here are a few that were very popular at Market:

Hope for Tomorrow

Color Me Happy (low volume option)

Organic

 

And of course, an announcement like this would not be complete without a GIVEAWAY!
Leave a comment letting me know what you think and I will draw a winner next week.
(I hope it's you.)