Winners! Blogger Choice Bundles and GenQ Mag

 We have winners! I'm so excited to be able to share these things that have made me so happy.

 The Debut copy of Generation Q Magazine is going home to...hueisei

The first Blogger's Choice bundle is going to..... Barb!

And the second bundle is going to.... Beth

Congrats! And thank you everyone who entered! I was so touched by your comments about my bundle, and I am so glad it make so many of you happy and smile just like it does me. And don't worry we all pet, fondle and play with out fabric before it speaks to us about what it wants to be made into.

Winner I need you to send me your address to caraquilts at gmailcom

Thank you to Fat Quarter Shop for agreeing to give away two of the bundles when we hit 200 entries, we had 219! And if you didn't win you can always buy the bundle here! ;)

Book Review - Hexa Go-Go

  I'm super lucky to have the opportunity to do some book reviews for C&T Publishing, including Stash Books.
One of the books is Hexa Go-Go by Tacha Bruecher, one of the geniuses behind Fat Quarterly.

Since I'm doing the MFHexie Quilt Along with Katy, also behind Fat Quarterly, this book is perfect timing!

Hexa Go-Go is all about English Paper Piecing (EPP) and has 16 different patterns that use hexagons, in all different settings.


Tacha does a really good job explaining how to make hexies, and gives different methods, for making, basting and stitching together the hexies, depending on the project and your personal preference.

One of the things I really have found in quilting in general is that there are a lot of "right" ways of doing things. Which one is right for you depends on a lot of different variables. Tacha understands that and gives instructions that everyone should be able to understand and work into their own style.



Not surprisingly the book has some serious eye candy! Both Fat Quarterly and Stash Books have a real flair for capturing the feel of quilts and projects and not just the physical dimensions.

  Tacha does a great job taking what is a very traditional shape and making it into very modern designs.
This isn't Grandmother's Flower Garden!
Between the fabrics, the arrangement of the hexagons, and the addition of other elements, hexagons leave the 1930s and come blasting into the 21st century!

  Hexies are a great stash buster and all of the projects in Hexa-Go-Go can be made mostly from scraps, or from precuts or yardage. Whatever the look you prefer you can make it with these projects. From placemats to full bed quilts there is something for everyone, whether you just want to dip your toe into the EPP pond or if you're a full blown hexie addict.

   With this book available there is no reason for anyone to say they can't make a hexie project, on the "go-go"!

GenQ Quilt Magazine review and launch tour!

The headline says it all! There's a new quilting magazine on the shelves and it's a fun one!

 With a look at more contemporary designs and a lifestyle feel Generation Q is a magazine that really stands out from the others out there, which oddly are almost all owned by the same parent company.

 So first my quick review of the mag and then you get a chance to win your own debut copy!
GenQ, and the geniuses behind it, Jake, Melissa, Megan, Scott and many more, are fresh, sassy, modern and most importantly completely as mad about quilting and fabric as we are. These are people I have met and I love! I could talk to Jake and Melissa for hours, and in fact have!

The size of GenQ is just one of the differences, it's a lot smaller in size, about 7"x9", which fits so much better into my purse, making it easier to carry and read when doing all the errands.

Thanks to Miss Print, Kaye Prince, for letting me swipe some pictures!

They have this great Block Builder feature in every issue where they start a block, giving 3-4 lines, and readers can go from there and design their own block. Sending the block back in, electronically, gets people in a draw to be featured in future issues! It's so interactive and hands on.

One of the things I love about GenQ is the same as I loved about the original Quilter's Home and that is the humour, from Fabric Porn to drink recipes and heart touching stories, GenQ connects to the whole me, not just the fabric junkie quilter.

There are reviews and comparisons to help figure out products that match your needs, new and odd things to check out and so much more!

It is a quilt magazine, so of course there are quilt patterns in the mag, this edition has ones from Scott,  Julie Herman, Melissa Peda, Heather Jones, Pat Bravo, and the info on getting an exclusive downloadable pattern from Rashida Coleman-Hale.

Also stolen from Miss Print ;)

They have an awesome interview with quilting power couple Amy and David Butler.


     The magazine is not just online or just in print. There is a lot of cross platform things going on, and it's just makes it that much cooler. You can get a lot from their site free still, and lots of interesting questions, articles, and interviews pop up that most would have kept for just the magazine. It's just another way that GenQ is different from everything out there.

Lot's of people wanted this magazine made. So many that over 350 donated through Kickstart to get the production costs covered!
 I cut some of the names off because there was just too many of them!! But I really love the community feel this gives it. This magazine is really by us for us. And how can that not be good??


You can like GenQ on Facebook here. The more likes the easier it is to get sponsors and the more awesomeness they can provide! They're giving away a copy there too!

You have two ways to enter to get your free debut copy of GenQ.

1. Tell me what you'd like to see in the magazine, who would you want interviewed? what kind of articles or patterns?

2. Leave another comment if you are a follower of my blog, liked CaraQuilts or Talkin Tuesday on FB, or if you follow me on twitter. Any of them work but it's only one entry even if you love me so much you've done them all!

That's it! Easy to enter, just make sure that you leave a comment for each entry (if you combine both into one I can only count it as one). I will close the comments on July 4th and announce the winner here on the blog. International entries are welcome! Any duplicate comments will be deleted.

The tour continues! I was so honoured to be included with all these super talented people! You can enter to win a copy of the debut issue from all these fabulous people too!

June 25 Kaye Prince

June 26 Carrie Bloomston 

June 27 Cara Wilson <<<that's me!

June 28 Heather Jones 

June 29 Melissa Peda 

June 30 Rose Hughes 

July 1  Bari J 

July 2  Fat QuarterShop

July 3 Emily Cier 

July 4 Blue Nickel Studios 

July 5 Jackie Kunkel 

July 6 Cheryl Arkinson

July 7 Amy at Amy's Creative Side 

July 8 Julie Herman

July 9 Megan Dougherty

July 10  FabTalk blog 

Oh and check out this post for a fat quarter bundle giveaway of my Blogger's Bundle from Fat Quarter Shop!

A quilt along, some fabric, and a FQ bundle giveaway!

So it's been awhile! Like they say the best laid plans of mice and men.....
Life has been hectic around here. I've had my in-laws up for a nice long visit along with my 3 year old nephew.
I've been sewing like mad, but not much I can show for it.

One thing I am doing when I have down time, waiting for Little Bit, or sitting with Shane, is working on hexies!
I've decided to start the quilt along, MFHexie, that Katy from Im A Ginger Monkey and FatQuarterly are hosting. FatQuarterly has info on how to make hexies, basting etc and links to places you can buy papers and some discount codes going one. This is the image of what the finished quilt will look like.

I'm using mostly Bari J's Lilly Belle, with some Paris Apartment thrown in. I just love the colours in this one, the grey and teal are just the perfect shades and Bari has such a talent with making the fabrics seem like they have all sorts of texture and dimension.

I've been using my AccuQuilt and Sizzix Big Shot to cut my own hexie papers and fabric. It has actually been working out really well. Sizzix and AccuQuilt measure their hexagons across rather then the sides so what they call 2" hexies are what most would call 1". AccuQuilt's  3 in 1 die (which is on sale) has a 1" as the smallest hexagon so I've been using it for the papers and the Sizzix for the fabrics. I actually just checked the sites and Sizzix is now measuring theirs across the side like is proper.
So I cut papers from AccuQuilt and fabric from Sizzix, and since the Sizzix dies go through the AccuQuilt baby I don't even have to switch machines. This is one of the times where I see the difference between having lots of sizes, like with the AccuQuilt, and multiple of the same, like the Sizzix, are both useful. I'm not sure which I like better because there are pros and cons to both. Price wise though the Sizzix is cheaper by a fair amount.

You know what else would make this an awesome quilt? My Blogger Bundle from Fat Quarter Shop. Just sayin'....

Or maybe I'm hinting....or maybe I'm giving one away! Yes that is it! Fat Quarter Shop and I are giving away a blogger bundle! I knew there was something!!! Just leave a comment below letting me know what you would do with it! That's it! Nothing crazy. You can read about the bundle on Fat Quarter Shop's blog, where they're giving away one too! But it closes June 27th so you have to hurry for it. Mine closes July 1st

Oh! And don't forget about Talkin Tuesday tonight over on twitter! It is going to be as always!

Check back tomorrow when I have another surprise to giveaway! I'm back with a bang! lol

ADDED Fat Quarter Shop will giveaway TWO of the bundles if we reach 200 entries! So share with your friends!!

Excited! Blogger's Choice FQ Bundle

So proud to see my Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle up at Fat Quarter Shop!!

 Bright and fun this bundle would go wonderfully with Zen (a light grey) or Lemon Moda Bella Solids. 

Perfect for a summer citrus fun quilt.

 My bundle is on it's way here and I think I'll have to come up with a free pattern to use it up! 

What kind of project would you like to see using these type colours?

There are 12 fat quarter prints and 3 solids, all from different lines and manufacturers.

An idea for scraps!

I had a bunch of small, less then 1" x 5" strips left over from a project and wanted to do something with them, I have more pincushions then I can shake a stick at, which will not stop me from collecting more but I wanted something else.

 I've become and even lighter sleeper in the last few months, which I wouldn't have thought possible. Any light is now bothering me. I'd made a fabric scarf that I wasn't wearing because it was too bulky for me so I'd been putting it over my eyes to sleep. This, of course, was a lazy solution.
After weeks of saying I would make myself a proper sleep mask I finally did!

Those scraps were perfect!

Now  I'm just wondering if I shouldn't have bound it? Or sewn it together like a pillow and turn it out?

I used some left over Moda Snuggles, so the back if beautifully soft and lovely feeling. A bit of an elastic cord and all done!

May have to make another one to figure it out but for now it works!

Sullivan Ruler Review

Waaaaay back at Fall Market I got one of the Sullivan rulers from Pat Sloan and have been playing with it ever since.
I've had trouble doing a review because I was thinking how can I accurately say anything about the sharpness of the blade when I didn't really know how quickly I was going through them before, along with several other variables.
Well, I haven't figured that part out but I did think of lots of other things to say that may help you decide if you need to have one of these too.

 First is the sound. This was a HUGE thing for me as I cannot stand the sound of metal on metal or any other hard surface. Someone dragging their fork across their teeth sends shivers down me and makes me physically ill. So you can understand how concerned I was about the sound.
Turns out its fine. It sound more like sand beneath your heel then anything else. It is a bit loud but nothing I couldn't deal with, which says something considering the number and severity of headaches, it also didn't set off Little Bit, who has auditory integration issues.

The sharpening part is only on the right side of the long edge.

Second was actually looking at the blade (an Ofla). I've had the blade on my cutter since December. I know because I wrote it on to make sure I'd know. It has no nicks or scratches, and from looking at my older, duller blades I know that they have tons. So it definitely smooths the blade as it cuts.

I know I haven't been cutting as much, and I have two different cutters depending on which I can find, but I have made about 5 quilt tops so I'm going to go and say it does keep it sharper longer. I really don't think I've kept a blade this long. It seems to have worked better with the Olfa blade then the Dritz, but that is also possibly a usage issue.

The back of the ruler has little grips which does help the ruler from slipping on the fabric, but not so much that it doesn't easily move across it.

The one issue I did have with the ruler is the way it is numbered. It reads right to left, so 6.5" to 0" the same as most rulers, but the 1/2" lines are red, where the inch and 1/4" lines are black. More then a few times I miss cut because for whatever reason my brain kept saying the red should be the inch line. This is a me issue I think but I did want to say something about it.

Overall I'd say if you're looking for a new ruler, replacing old ones etc it is definitely worth your while to check these out!