Block of the Month Sign Ups are Here!

Hello My Fig Tree Loving Friends-

Its that time of the year where we present our new BLOCK OF THE MONTH programs for 2018. This year we are doing 2 new ones and a redo of this year's RED & CREAM due to popular request... because who doesn't love a good red & cream quilt to add to their collection!

For those of you die hard Fig Tree fans, you know the drill... sign up as soon as you can while they are still available. For those of you new around here, here is some info about our BOM[Block-of-the-Month] programs:

• We run a few each year. Most of them are 12 month long, a few [like the Red & Cream] are 10 month. Each month you get a package of fabrics and directions for the blocks you need to make that month. If you keep up, by the end of the year, you will have an amazing sampler that you will be very, very happy with! 
• Why do a BOM you might ask? Most people do it for one of 3 reasons.. 1- Its fun to follow along with your Quilty friends via social media and work on the program together. We do a lot of posting on Instagram and now have a special Facebook group for everyone in one of the BOM programs. 2- Its a great way to make a more complicated quilt, a little bit at a time and it keeps you on pace all year, basically a way to be motivated to finish one month before the next one arrives and 3- You don't have to purchase all of the fabrics up front and get to do it a little bit at at time.
• Our programs are one of a kind and are usually not redone, unless we have a huge wait list for the original.

So here are some photos to wet your appetite... and all the info you might need is in the shop under each program.  

 

MYSTERY SAMPLER FOR 2018: AUTUMN SPLENDOR

 

WOOL BOM FOR 2018: FARMHOUSE ON CREAM

 

 

 

RED & CREAM SAMPLER 2018: REPEAT OF THIS YEAR'S WITH A WHOLE NEW ASSORTMENT OF YUMMY CREAMS AND REDS

 

If you want to shop, HERE is the link to our shop page.

Happy BOM's everyone!

 

It is FIG TREE CONTEST time!!

.... amazing prize for this contest from the lovely folks at MODA for all 6 winners!!

Welcome to April and the Fig Tree contest in the line up of MODA's 12 Designers/12Contests!!

We are so glad to be participating in this year long MODA adventure of creativity and contests [so far we have seen fun contests from French General, Sweetwater and Me & My Sister].For those of you who are new around here, welcome! For those of you who "talk" to me everyday on Instagram or elsewhere, welcome back!

I sure hope that you all join me for this… yes all of you… I want to see a serious amount of blocks my friends!

So here's the scoop, the skinny, the dirt…..

WHY:

You are creating & sewing a block to be used in one of our Mystery BLOCK OF THE MONTH programs- either one of our current programs Nantucket Seaside, Red & Cream, Vintage Baskets or perhaps a new upcoming one!!

Each year, we run a number of popular Block-of-the-Month programs and are in constant need of fun, traditional feeling blocks that will work in one of those programs.

... photos of a few of the blocks from our Mystery Sampler Quilt from 2015.

 

...images from the Yuletide Sampler BOM quilt that we ran in both 2015 and 2016.

 

...photos from last years Mystery Sampler BOM.


CONTEST INFO AND RULES

RULES:
1. You have to use mostly Fig Tree fabric but you can mix in any Bella Solid or little cream background prints you like. I do that all the time so its only fair that you get to do the same thing LOL! If you don’t have any cream left from any of our latest collections, my "go to" Bella solid is IVORY.

2. Your block has to be either a 6”, 9” or 10” block since those are the sizes that we are in the greatest need of as of right now!

If you want to do a grouping or a smaller one to compliment a larger one…. go for it! YOU CAN MAKE AS MANY BLOCKS AS YOU LIKE…. the more, the better... you have all month to submit them! Who knows, you might end up making your own Fig Tree Sampler in the process!

3. You have to email me a picture [if you’re not on Instagram] and I will post it or post it on IG with the hashtag #12contestsfigtree sometime during the month of April.

4. It can either be an original block that you create or a traditional quilt block that happens to be one of your favorites. Either is great since we use both in our samplers!!

5. As a little bonus, the first 16 entries will receive a mini charm in the mail, as soon as I see the photo! We also have little “contest baggies” available if you need some fun scraps to get you started. Each “contest baggy” has a piece of cream and some MODA scrap goodies.

WHEN:

The contest runs from April 5 through May 1. All winners will be announced on May 5.  We will have 6 winners... YES 6 WINNERS... and the winning blocks will be included in one of our Block of the Month programs! You will be given credit for the block in the program, you will receive an awesome prize from the amazing folks at MODA [yes that is the prize in the picture above] and we will be besties for life :-))). Oh yeah… and you will get special “early bird” sign up privileges for any Fig Tree program for next year! That’s worth it just right there I tell ya!

So get your sew on my friends!! And @yardgrl- since we all know you are the most prolific quilter in the world, we expect to see a few blocks from you for sure or a few hundred! Maybe we should have different rules for Susan… a block a day… what do you guys think??

Thanks for playing along this month! Now let's see who has the first 16 entries. Ready, set, go!!

2016 Mystery Fig Tree Sampler

As I write this, I should be finishing up the binding on this lovely 2016 project. My Instagram friends urged me to finish up the binding so that I could consider it a February finish and that is just the cheering section I need right about now to get this one done!

UPDATE: BINDING DONE [see last photo] !!

Sometimes I absolutely love binding and sometimes... well sometimes not so much [usually depending on what else I have to do at the same time]!

These annual samplers have surely become my favorite projects of all time. The one from 2015 was based a little bit more around a sherbet palette with navy as the darkest element [I will share some comparison photos in a few days]. This sampler from 2016 went a bit more retro and was based around my Farmhouse and Strawberry Fields collections and used a chalkboard black as the "grounding color" of the grouping. That might be one of my favorite elements this time around.

I chose the black gingham rose as the binding and I am just a little smitten with how it all turned out. Enjoy....

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we get a bit of warm weather and dry grass enough for a full photo shoot, I will include some more photos of the entire project!

If you joined us for this year long project, I really hope you are nearing completion on yours too. Would love to see your finished pics on Instagram!!

Joanna

Mystery Sampler Updates

Well hello everyone!

We are now starting to prepare month #3 packages for all of our 2016 Block of the Month programs and so it seemed like a perfect time for some updates here on the blog.

For more regular updates, follow me on Instagram as I post there much more often there! I am figtreeandco  !!

 

MYSTERY SAMPLER BOM

Can I say that I am already in love with this sampler and I don't even know how its going to turn out in the end?

… month #1 blocks above.

 

If you are signed up for our Mystery Sampler Block of the Month program, you just received your second month last week and hopefully you are working away at some of those fun blocks… see below.

 

I can't wait to add some orange and grey into next month's block selection!

Here are a few hints and tips on BLOCK OF THE MONTH SUCESS [this is true for any BOM you are participating in anytime]:

1. Stay current. Really. Do whatever you can in the beginning to stay current. This year we started off with more simple blocks and less of them at the beginning so that we wouldn't lose too many of you to…. well to the stuff of life! I know that life can definitely get in the way of our sewing. As it should. But that is the great thing about the block of the month programs…. you only have to do a few blocks a month and if you stay caught up, you will have something amazing at the end of the year. 
2. Set aside some special BOM time. This is especially true if you are doing several different ones. For many of us that would be on the weekend or in the evening after all the other needs and duties have been met. Find a special time that you block off and set aside for BOM time. This is good advice even just for sewing in general but certain works for BOMs especially.
3. Be organized. I can't stress this enough but i find that I fall prey to the same disorganization as everyone else. Make little baggies. Label your fabric. Keep all your scraps. Put your directions in a folder. Before that… go and find yourself a beautiful folder from a place like Staples or Target. Use this is an excuse to buy that lovely little folder that you wouldn't have any real need for before. You have a need now. So go and get one…. and then use it! You would be surprised at how many emails I get about lost and missing instructions!
4. Share. It is very motivating to share your progress on these monthly programs with others who are working alongside you… well, at least alongside you on the world wide web LOL! We share on Instagram and if you have a smart phone…. IG is very easy to get started and is highly fun, addictive and does not take too much time if you don't want it to. I highly recommend it. If you decide to join and you want to find me, I am figtreeandco .  Facebook is a bit more of an enigma to me. If any of you in the program are interested in starting a Facebook group for the BOM, contact me. I post on Facebook through Instagram but am never quite sure how best to share everything there.
5. Have fun and don't stress! We give you lots of directions and lots of fabrics but if you want to vary something, add something, make something more scrappy or make 2 versions of something… go for it. Just don't forget to share because we want to see what you are doing!!
6. A few specific tips for those of you in the program: #1- When working on the BEAR CLAW blocks, the intention of the instructions was to make 2 identical blocks, both the same color combos. If you decided to mix up the colors in a different way or did so unintentionally… great! Don't worry about it!  #2- Don't stress about the appliqué center of the Daisy block. It is not too hard, a fairly easy shape to turn and you can wait until the end if you don't want to do it now. Or you can do it with fusible web if you prefer. Just don't stress! #3- Take your time on the Sweet Sugar Swirls block. Any time angles are involved, people get a bit nervous. My best tip to you is that if you slow down, sew and cut accurately then you will most likely be fine. Remember to check if your angle is still at a 45º angle after 2 diamond cuts. Checking might be a pain but it is well worth it to catch any slipping of your ruler. If you have really never worked with angles, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you take my Craftsy class on angles. I know that this might sound like a shameless plug, but I have had hundreds of people tell me that they would freeze when it came to angles until they took my class. This is not necessarily because it or I am so greatl…. LOL… but because it really, really helps to see someone else do it first and then try it! Here is the link if you are interested.

 Happy Sewing My Friends!

 

Joanna

 

Finally… MODA'S MODERN BUILDING BLOCKS FIG TREE STYLE FINISH!

I know that this one was a really long time in coming!

First it took us a while to get the finished blocks put together into 2 lap size quilts [that was what we decided to do instead of the one really large quilt that was a little bit too much for us]. We decided to redo a few of the pink blocks once I decided that the quilts were going to be for my boys. One can "hang with" a bit of pink. The other one… not so much :-)!

Then it took a while to get it on Diana's long list of quilts to quilt. Then it took a while to decide what to quilt on it. Baptist Fan seemed like the perfect choice as soon as we thought of it!

Then it took quite a while for me to get it to the top of the list of TO DO'S and bind them both. The week I got back from THE EPIC ADVENTURE when I was waking up at 3:00 am with jet lag… that seemed like a perfect time to finally get binding!

But now they are both done, quilted and bound. The back is yummy SNUGGLE and each one is for one of my boys. The oldest will take tone with him to college next year and the next one, well we still have a few more years for him to wear it in!

Quilt #1

 

 

 

 

 

Quilt #2

 

 

 

 

So happy with these!! Hope you are all done with yours or at least I hope it is on the top of your TO DO list. It really is a wonderful grouping of blocks… even if some of them are a bit large!

Deadlines, Fun Projects & More!

Hello Friends!

I love SO many of the suggestions that you guys sent in for naming the boy turtle on the Fiona pattern but I think I am going to have to go with…. Finn! I love Fiona and Finn and I totally wish that I had thought of us naming the boy before the pattern went to print! Oh well, he will just have to be Finn to us personally even if only Fiona is named on the pattern LOL!

But I do also love the idea of Baby Fergus so I am going to work up a baby turtle as soon as I can. When I do, I will give you guys some info on how to make him if you have the Fiona pattern.

Thanks everyone… that was fun! I think Claudia was the first one to mention Finn and Joni mentioned Fergus and Merrilee mentioned Baby Fergus... so please email me your address info and I will send some goodies in the mail to all three of you.

On the studio front, I have been busily finishing up 7 different deadlines... yes 7…  for 7 different projects and I am almost, almost done!! Can't wait till that moment when every single thing is finished and I can sit down, turn on my favorite TV marathon [ oh I don't know… maybe NCIS or SVU or The Good Wife or something much more vintage like… Remington Steele !!] and do some serious binding. I have serious binding in my very near future!

That and I still have a mountain of Aloha Girl quilts and projects to show you guys before that fabric arrives… and its coming soon! More on that later this week!

One of the projects that I have been having the most fun with over the last couple of weeks has ended up being a study in mixing ALOHA GIRL with SOMERSET [and in some cases a few other favorites like Avalon].

OH MY GOODNESS… if you don't have enough Somerset in your stash, you might want to stock up before Aloha Girl comes out and then stock up again on Aloha Girl… because the color combos that you can get with those two lines together are just good enough to eat! I'm telling you, really, really yummy!

 

… yummy mix of Aloha Girl and Somerset!

 

DESIGNER MYSTERY BLOCK OF THE MONTH

On another topic, Kimberly and the gals over at the Fat Quarter Shop asked me if I would join them in their latest DESIGNER MYSTERY BOM project. Of course I would- I can't remember a time that I didn't join in the fun! Thanks for asking me again!

I know this is one of your annual favorites and this year is just as lovely as always… definitely different but oh so lovely!

I made a block that I absolutely love and I can't wait for you to see it… although I'm not even sure which month I am so I am not sure how long you might have to wait to see it.  But I am sure that all of the blocks are as awesome as the amazing ladies who designed them...

This year the BOM project has been created with Snowmen Gatherings II by the funny and talented Lisa Bongean [on a side note- you would never, and I mean never, believe some of the hysterical things that come out of that woman's mouth]. Just saying. All that and her husband is pretty fun to hang out with too so that's a bonus for Eric and I. Every few months at Market we get to enjoy the pleasure of their company and I am so glad that this year it was Lisa's fabric that we all got to play with!

I especially love her background prints and I often mix them into my cream bundles!.They are fantastic!

For more info about the BOM program, go HERE and see what Kimberly has to share. You know its going to be good!

While you are at it, go and take THIS fun little quiz that Jocelyn from Fat Quarter Shop came up with and find out what "block" you are. Apparently I am the "Row House Quilt" and DIY is my domain.… not sure what that means exactly but I'll take it! Somehow I feel oddly inspired to go do something DIY… just not sure what. Does binding count as DIY?? LOL!

And to finish off this fun blog post, Kimberly and the ladies [and Kevin too I suppose although if Kevin reads this post and gets all the way down here and manages to notice that I am talking about him… well Eric and I will send him something in the mail that he will appreciate just as our way of appreciating him.... the chances are not high :-)] asked us to share about our favorite place in the world that we have visited. 

That's a really, really hard one for me to answer! Its like asking about my favorite quilt of all time… just can't pick one. 

So I will tell you that my favorite place in the whole world to visit is my hometown of Warsaw, Poland.

And if you think that maybe that is kind of cheating just a little, then I would have to say the Cotswalds in the British countryside. There is something about that area that calms and inspires me like no other...

So there you go. I know I cheated on that one. Sorry!

Thanks FQS ladies for another chance to design and play along with you. You guys are the best!

 

A NEW PROJECT… THIS TIME RED & GREEN!

Speaking of Block of the Month programs, we have just had the MODERN BUILDING BLOCKS BOM FIG TREE STYLE program come to an end! We are mailing out the last shipments as we speak. We will post photos and talk about ideas, etc. tomorrow or the next day!

More importantly since we just finished up a program… we are about to start a new one! Yeah!! We are completely addicted to the rhythm of the monthly projects. Stay tuned to hear more about it soon… like by the end of the week soon!

Joanna