Saturday, September 20, 2014

Island Batik Fat Quarters in the Curlicue Creations Shop


Have you tried Island Batik fabrics?  I made my Beaches quilt, featured in the It Takes Three Book exclusively using Island Batik fabrics.  They have such rich colors, and the fabric is a joy to sew with.  If you want to try just a sample, I have a few fat quarters available in the shop for only $2.25 each.


This pattern is spicy hot! It features a random, spiky design in a range of pinks. Perfect for your next quilting or home sewing project. This fabric can also be used to sew one of a kind clothing. So unique - be creative!


This pattern evokes the tall Savannah grasses, bending in the breeze. 


A lush, thicket of green palmetto branches covers this fabric in spiky splendor. Printed in a gorgeous range of greens.


The pattern looks like cool, tree bark, or swirling water, in a gorgeous range of blues. 


The pattern looks like palm leaves against a cool, creamy background. This fabric would make a great neutral, or work well for an applique background. 

Keep your eye on the Batik Fabric Section of the shop.  I've just ordered some more yardage of beautiful, Island Batik fabrics.  They should be in any day!

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Friday, September 19, 2014

Strippy Flowers Quilt Redesign


It's time to get back to the Strippy Flowers quilt.  I have no idea how this quilt top got stuffed into a drawer and forgotten.  I love this design!  Above, see my original idea.  


These are the quilt parts I pulled out of my sewing desk drawer.  A little different color scheme from the original idea, but so cute!  So romantic!  And a little bit primitive.


I chose this angel fabric as one of the three fabrics for the center strip of plain, square blocks.  I decided to change the tan section border strips in the quilt to country black instead to give the quilt more definition.


Then, following my directions, I sewed the center squares strip together.  Uh-oh!  See how it's a couple of inches shorter than the other strips?  What have I done???


I'm sewing this using my new spool of Superior Thread's MasterPiece by Alex Anderson.  It's made specifically for piecing, to help your seams lie flat.  I got to test it out both sewing, and unsewing!  So far, so good, on both counts.


Here's a few pics of the Strippy Flowers blocks.


I had all this super pretty coordinating fabric, and I mixed it up to sew some unique color combinations.


I love the way these blocks came out.  Who says leaves and stems have to be green?


And back to the center strip.  I changed the width of the black fabric, to make it work out properly.


Almost finished...looking better.


And here's where I ended up.  The center strip took a lot more time than I planned, but I'm glad I fixed it. I like the way the country black strips are working on this quilt.  I should be able to finish the top during the next sewing session.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Cute Sewing Patterns in the Shop!

This week I've added a few new patterns to the shop.  These are cute, fun, and fast projects - great for decorating your home, or to give as gifts.


The Custom Made Basket Liners Pattern features a nice variety of fabric liners to sew to decorate baskets. So cute for a country home! 


This pattern sews up a darling Bunny doll to decorate your home for next Easter, or keep out all year round. Doll measures 20" when sewn and has a sweet, old fashioned look.


This pattern sews up a darling Calico Mouse doorstop to decorate your home. Super cute with a sweet, old fashioned look.


This pattern sews an Olde World Santa doll to decorate your home for the holiday season. Includes instructions to sew the Santa doll, toy bag, and all his clothes. Finished doll is 24" tall.


This pattern sews a darling Cherub ornament to decorate your home for the holiday season. Includes instructions to sew the "cutest Cherub". Finished ornament is 5" x 5".

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Superior Threads $25.00 Gift Certificate Winners!


Congratulations goes out to the two winners of the $25.00 Superior Threads gift certificates:  Sgardner, and Sandra Chavez!

Sandra Chavez was the winner from the Superior Threads Facebook page, she said: "Superior Thread is indeed SUPERIOR to all others. Love it! My favorite is Bottom Line for piecing and appliqué and the Trilobal Poly looks fabulous in my embroidery projects."

Sgardner was the winner from the Curlicue Creations blog, she said:  I haven't met a Superior Thread that I didn't like. I long arm with Superior Threads and love the results. I relish the chance to get more of them!

Enjoy your threads!  And when you sew something beautiful with them, please share some photos!

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Superior Threads Giveaway!


I've been a fan of Superior Thread's King Tut thread for quilting for a while now.  It's my favorite.  It's high time to try some of their other wonderful threads.  I browsed their website, Superior Threads, and was just bowled over by how many different threads they have.  Virtually a thread for any application you can imagine!


I've started out with their Bob's - The Bottom Line thread.  You can get them in these neat little color coordinated packs of 12 pre-wound bobbins.  Perfect to keep in your sewing box for hand applique or hexies!  No more searching through my vast thread collection to find that perfect shade.  It's all here, including black and white.


I first tried these out on my hexie quilt, Aura.  I whip stitched these five yellow hexies with the yellow Bob's thread.  Very nice!  The thread is super thin.  I can't see the stitches at all.


Here's a great example of how the thread just melts into the fabric.  On the brown & tan sides of this hexie you can see my stitches using a previous thread brand.  On the yellow side....you can't.  They're nearly invisible.  Excellent!


Here is where I do most of my hand stitching, weather permitting.  After the hexie success, I went on to stitch the hanging sleeve onto the back of this quilt, also using the Bob's - so handy! - right in my sewing box.


Success again!  The thread is nearly invisible.  I'm sure it would be if my hand tension had been better.  I did get a little puckering from pulling too tightly.


My Mountain Pass quilt was quilted with Superior's King Tut thread.  All swirly and gorgeous!  Obsidian color thread used here.


Look at the sunset colors in this Fantastico thread (made for quilting and embroidery).
Love it!  I can't wait to sew something with this.


I had to try some of this Pink Nite Lite glow in the dark thread, too.  How cool is that?  I asked my husband what I should make with it and he said some lingerie!  Ha!  Typical answer, eh?

Other threads I am going to be trying include Omni, Twist, Masterpiece, Poly Quilter, So Fine, and Treasure Hand Quilting.  I'll be writing future posts about my experiences with each thread.


And now for the giveaway!  Superior Threads is partnering with me to give away two $25.00 gift certificates for their thread, so you can try the "best thread on Earth"!  You have two chances to win.  Leave a comment on my blog and I'll choose a winner here, and  visit their Facebook page at this link:  Superior Threads, and enter to win a second time.  Good luck!

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Monday, September 8, 2014

Around the World Blog Hop

Hello!  Welcome to my little segment of the Around the World Blog Hop.  I'll be sharing a little about myself and my creative process, plus sharing some links to some other wonderful blogs for you to visit and add to your reading list.


I was invited to the Hop by Angie over at A Quilting Reader's Garden.  Above, I'm sharing a pic of my favorite quilt from her post.  It's a Log Cabin style, but with sashing - how unique!  It still has that classic Log Cabin sunshine and shadows look to it but the sashing gives it a little unexpected kick.  She doesn't usually use sashing as a design element in her quilts, but I'm glad she did here.  I love this fun look.


Now I'm going to attempt to answer the blog hop questions.  
1.  What am I working on?  It would be easier to ask what I'm not working on!  I usually have quite a few projects going on at once.  I do a lot of design for quilt magazines so I usually have a few of those that I'm working on.  I have some personal projects for my family.  I have a project for the quilting group I attend.  I also cross stitch, knit, and crochet.  In June, I started a hexie quilt.  I'm calling it "Aura".  The hexies are 3/4" as measured on each side.  I'm challenging myself to use fabric from my scrap basket only.  The above photo shows my progress to date.  This is something that I work on in the evenings on the front porch while my boys play in the yard.


2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?  Here, I would have to say my use of color prevails.  I've been in love with color since...uuuuummmm....forever!  As a girl I spent endless hours lining up my 64 Crayolas into different color families across the floor.  I had to have all the colors.  All the crayons, all the magic markers, all the embroidery floss, etc.  Above, is the flimsy of my Cosmic Blast quilt.  You can see how the colors suggest an inner light radiating out to the darker red and black borders, with a hot pink magenta swirling across the whole quilt.  The pattern for this quilt can be found in the Fall 2014 issue of Quilts from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.


3.  Why do I write/create what I do?  Inspiration comes from everywhere.  Sometimes memories, sometimes experiences, sometimes a dream.  I go through bursts of creativity, when the design ideas just seem to flow freely.  When I'm in creative mode, I draw new designs.  When I'm not, I write the patterns, and do the sewing.  I love everything about the process of making a quilt.  Choosing the fabrics, thread, and batting, watching the quilt top come together, the actual quilting, even the quiet, gentle hand stitching of the binding.  Shown above is my Patio quilt, inspired by childhood memories of Grandma's house.  The pattern for this quilt is available in the Summer issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited.  


4. How does my writing/creating process work?  My designs usually start the old fashioned way, with graph paper and pencils.  I drew these above "Triangle Ideas" one day at the local park while the boys were climbing the jungle gym.  After this stage, I take my design ideas to the computer and redraw them in EQ7.  Here I play with the design, making numerous sketches and colorings.  I arrange and rearrange them into different quilt top settings.  Then I color some more!  When the design feels just right, it's time to choose fabrics, write the pattern and get stitching.


The "Triangle Ideas" eventually produced "Triangle-O-Rama", featured in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 9 and used to sew the Cosmic Blast quilt, shown earlier in my post.

Now for my two "tag-ee's".  So sorry, I only have two.  My third pulled out at the last moment.  But these two gals are just great!   Please go by and visit their blogs next Monday for their Around the World Blog Hop posts.


First there's Wendy Kruskie.  I've had the pleasure of meeting Wendy at Miss Lou's quilting studio, where we used to be in quilting group together - Waaa!  I miss her.  She is also active in our local guild, and writes a blog, Kwilt Krazy.  She has been doing a little designing - see her block above, An-Tony, part of a series of Kross-Eyed Kritters blocks.  So cute!  I love it!


Next on my list is Kerry of Kerry's Quilting.  I love to pop in and visit her blog.  She is always working on something fantastic!  Above is one of my favorites from her finishes, "Birthday Jane".  So pretty in pinks and browns.  And I'm so jealous!  I'll probably never finish my DJ, but I can enjoy looking at Kerry's.  Visit her blog here:  Kerry's Quilting.

These talented bloggers should have their Around the World Blog Hop posts up on September 15th.  Be sure to visit their blogs and show some love.

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Cosmic Blast Quilt

Cosmic Blast Quilt
My Cosmic Blast quilt has hit the newsstands - Hooray!  I'm so happy to be able to share it with you.  I designed this quilt quite a while ago, and so wanted to make it.  I love the way it radiates light from the center of the quilt.


This quilt and the pattern to make it appears in Quilts from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Fall 2014 issue, on sale now.  I have a few copies available in my Etsy shop.


I developed this pattern using my Triangle-O-Rama block.  This block is in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 9.  You can get a lot of different looks with this block by changing the light/dark values of the triangles.


I quilted this one in an allover loopy moon star pattern - fun!


It looks great!  I love the results I get when I use Superior Threads King Tut for quilting.  They are fast becoming my favorite thread.  I used the Harem color for this quilt.


I also used Warm and White batting made by The Warm Company - luscious!  This stuff quilts beautifully!


Here's the pic I took of the flimsy on my clothesline - almost too bright in the Summer sunshine!


And the gorgeous finished photo taken by Quiltmaker Magazine.  They are simply awesome to work with.  Much love to Quiltmaker and all their staff! Love ya!

Until next time...please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop...and have a super day!

Get Creative!

Jennifer Schifano Thomas