Coloring with Thread - Book Showcase

Welcome to my turn on the .....

Photo Courtesy of The Quilting Company.

I am so excited to be able to share with you Tula Pinks new book, Coloring with Thread.

'Coloring with Thread' features 17 original Tula Pink designs based on her best selling fabric collections.  You will find her beautiful bugs to woodland critters and of course her well known sea creatures.  All of which have been expertly rendered for hand embroidery.

If you have been following me for a while now you would be well aware of my love of Tula Pinks fabrics so it would be no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to play with these designs and take part in the Book Showcase.

Being presented with so many wonderful designs it was very hard to pick a favourite but I did.

Each design comes with a suggested colour palette and a stitch guild but I decided to mix things up a little and pick my own colours and I varied some of the embroidery stitches.

He was a lot of fun to stitch up and here are a couple of close ups for you that I took whilst I was working on him.

At this point I decided that he needed a little bling so I went back to the shops and added this variegated metallic thread.

I think he turned out pretty cute and I decided to use him as the front panel for a Block Book.

It finishes at a nice big 18" square.

And then being that Tula Pink and I were going to be at the same venue at the Australian Quilt Market I took my finished book with and asked her if she wouldn't mind signing my work and she graciously did :)

and colour co-ordinated it for me!

Thank you Tula xx

If you would like some more inspiration and a look as some of the other embroideries available in the book be sure to stop by the other stops on the book showcase.  All the links are below.

Monday, November 27th — The Quilting Company

Tuesday, November 28th — Minki Kim, Minki’s Worktable

Wednesday, November 29th — Nichole Vogelsinger, Wildboho

Thursday, November 30th — Amanda Carestio, Sew Daily

Friday, December 1st — Nydia Kehnle, Nydia Kehnle Design

Monday, December 4th — Sharon Burgess, Lilabelle Lane Creations

Tuesday, December 5th — Cindy Guch, Raspberry Sunshine

Wednesday, December 6th — Sandi Sawa Hazlewood, Crafty Planner

Thursday, December 7th — Wynn Tann, zakkaArt

Friday, December 8th — Elise Baek, Elise & Emelie

Monday, December 11th — Ann Blalock, Coats & Clark Sewing Secrets

Tuesday, December 12th — Sara Lawson, Sew Sweetness  * Watch the Facebook Live video at 7pm CST

Wednesday, December 13th — Nancy Jewell, Free Spirit Fabrics

Thursday, December 14th —Annette Allison Millard, The Sewful Life

Friday, December 15th — Brenna Riley Gates, The Quilting Company

Thank you for stopping by,

Sharon x

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

Colour Burst Block Two - Celestial Star Quilt

"Celestial Star"

the Tula Pink version.

I have finished the second bock for my new version of my 'Celestial Star Quilt'.

I have very little of that black Neptune fabric that surrounds my centres left over from my La Pass Quilt so I have very cautiously gone ahead and cut it up and I am very pleased that I had just enough to go around the centre of all nine of my colour burst blocks.

Here is the progress shots of what order I went about selecting the fabrics for this block.

There really is no reason for the order on an individual block. Some I know what fabrics I want to include so I add them in first and build around them.

Here is a reminder of block 1.

And the progress shot of how I am going.

I have created a dedicated page with the links to all my 'Tula Pink Celestial Star Quilt' posts HERE just incase you wanted to go back and take a look.

Happy stitching,

Sharon x

The pattern for this quilt can be found in my book,

'Quilting on the go ... English Paper Piecing'

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

Celestial Star - The Tula Pink Version

Celestial Star meet Tula!

Whoops, a new start  ;)

"My Original Celestial Star Quilt".

When I originally designed my Celestial Star Quilt I had Tula Pink Fabrics in mind but to keep with the theme and feel of my book I decided to make it in Liberty Fabrics.

Now the time has come for me to make my Tula Pink version :) I really do not need another project but if I don't start it now I feel that I may never, so now is as good a time to start as any.

One of my biggest tips for any project like this is not to overthink it too much. A quilt like this will have a way of taking you on your own journey if you let it. Don't be scared to play with colour. I threw out my colour wheel many years ago. To many so called "rules" existed for my liking. If you like what is in front of you then that is all that really matters. Just remember that any project you make is YOURS so make it yours, use colours you love, fabrics you love and in combinations that you love :) Life to too short to stress the small stuff.

But, with that said, if you are a planner then there is a colouring page in the book that you can play with. 

Back to my block. I am very much a visual person so my preferred method when sitting down to select fabrics, fussy cutting and planning any EPP block like this is to start by laying all my papers out in place. I also did this for each rosette of my La Pass Quilt.

With this block I only knew two, possibly three things before I started.

1.        That I wanted a Prince Charming Frog for the centre.

2.     This Colour Burst block was going to be the centre and starting point for my quilt.

Those I knew for sure. The third was that I thought about adding in a splash of pink. I do love pink and green together and being this was going to be the centre of my quit I thought it might make it pop. Let's see :)

 As I was making my block I have taken photos to show you what order I have selected the fabrics for my block. I do not work in any special order. Sometimes I know what fabrics I want in certain spots at the beginning so I tend to start with those first and then build around them until I have my finished block.

Tip:  Use your glue pen to help you lift your papers up as you go.

 The following photos will show you how my block went from just the frog right through to the finished block.

There you go, that pink did end up making the cut :)

All the fabrics are Tula Pink with the exception of the thin stripe. I found that one in my stash.

And there it is, the start of my "Tula Pink Celestial Star Quilt".

I still have a way to go but I am looking forward to adding to this one as time allows.

If you are also making your own version of the "Celestial Star Quilt" be sure to use the 

#Celestialstarquilt hashtag on social media so I can also see it.

I am off to pull some more fabrics.

Happy Stitching,

Sharon x

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

My "A Place for everything bag"

I did it, I made a

"Place for Everything Bag"

Oh my let me say, this is one of those patterns that has been here for what feels like forever and is always in the back of my mind as a 'must make'.  It is also, even now, one of those projects that scares me.  After all it has SO MANY zips and I just do not do zips! It is an irrational fear. I can do them once I put my mind to it but I just dislike them sooooo much.

So, exactly one week today I bit the bullet and did a fabric pull.  I decided on Tula Pink fabrics and some much hoarded Racoons.  I knew that I would have more chance of sticking with this project if I truly loved the fabrics and of course, I didn't want to waste the fabrics by creating a WIP that gets lost in the studio.

When it came to piecing on the first night I do have to admit that there were a few choice words dropped. Some things just were not sinking in so instead of asking the pattern why I just followed the instructions and low and behold my bag started taking shape.  Nothing wrong with the pattern, just me!

So look, I have a bag :)

I do have to admit that I do still have one page of pockets left to make, oneday, just not today ;) It's that zip thing again. But this is fully functioning and I love it and I am so glade that I stuck it out.

Do you have a pattern that you have purchased but you are just not "ready" to make yet?

Well dig it out and dive right in. Believe me the feeling you get once it is done is worth the effort.

Until next time,

"Create what YOU love"

and 

Happy Stitching,

Sharon x

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

When Dear Jane meets Tula Pink - Row A

When Dear Jane meets Tula Pink 

- the EPP version.

I have finished Row A of my Dear Jane Quilt and I am loving this project more than I probably should!  I am loving the tiny piecing. Some blocks already have over 40 pieces in them and these blocks are a mere 4.5" square.

 I am also making myself sash the blocks as I go because I know I will hate myself at the end if I do not and its also a great way to ensure that all those tiny pieces of paper get removed in a timely manner instead of all at the end when patience is wearing thin and a few are bound to be missed. 

Not something that my Long Arm Quilter would be to happy about!

Here is my progress so far.

I have also decided to work on my borders as I go.

This quilt is going to be a true explosion of colour.

I am approaching this project with the same plan as my La Passacaglia.

Not overthinking the colour placement and just working with what ever fabrics I am liking on that particular day.

I am using the silver/grey print from Tula Pink's "True Colours" Range for the consistent background.

The black sashing is a black on black swiss dot by Riley Blake and a thin black and white stripe for the scallop edge.

Time to start Row B.

Happy Stitching,

Sharon xx

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

My La Passacaglia

"La Passacaglia"

The journey of my La Passacaglia continues.

The last of my large Rosettes.

I have a love hate relationship with the filler rosettes as some of them I just want to keep going and see where they will go because I never know when I start as to what they will become.

This is where I am up to now.

Only the white spots down the bottom to go and then some filler blocks to square it all up.

I was very fortunate that a few weeks ago I was able, with the help of an IG friend, find and source my border fabric so I have a renewed enthusiasm to get this one closer to a finish but at the same time I am a little sad that the journey is almost over.

Time to think about a replacement project

Until next time,

hugs Sharon

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

A little more on my "La Passacaglia"

Playing Again

I have been taking over the Dinning Table again for another fussy cutting session.

and have completed a filler block for the side

and another Rosette.

This time I have taken some photos of the fabric I have cut from as I get asked for this quite often.

The downside of this project.

What goes in, must come out.

Especially when you start to run out of papers.

Hugs Sharon

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here

My Hedgehog Family

Over the weekend I made 6 more Hazel Hedgehogs

Still using up some of my Tula Pink Stash

My cute little family now looked like this so I decided it was time to turn these into 

what I had in my head.

Meet my happy Hedgehog family.

I had always planned to do a random design and I also continued with the scrappy low volume background.

I don't think that I have finished with these guys yet though.

Until next time, hugs Sharon

You can also follow Lilabelle Lane Creations here