Introducing...

edit: All links are good to go now. So sorry for the technical issues this morning!

 

So I was wondering what you would say if I were to ask you what is the most common question I get, what do you think it would it be?

There are always questions about designing fabric, about my color palette, about how I learned to do what I do. Then there are questions about my studio and how I organize my fabric and how I design patterns and how I decorate.

But easily the most common questions or confusion I get from my students regarding quilting is about angles. Hands down. There is something about working with bias and angles that either scares the "bijeebies" out of us or we have never really learned how to work with them in the first place. The result is that we make so many mistakes right off the bat that we give up and declare... "I can't do angles" or " I can't work with bias" or "that is just way to hard for me, there's just no way!"

Well as I started thinking about what I wanted to do for my second CRAFTSY class, it was not hard to decide that I wanted to focus on angles and answer all those angle questions on camera where all of you could look at it again and again until you feel confident enough to do it yourself. And the idea for this class was born.

In the class, I start with some angle basics and a fairly straightforward quilt and work with the techniques that we learn in the class to build some wonderful designs and quilts.  I address common problems and mistakes and show you variations and different ways of adapting the projects.

I am so excited to share this class with you that I am just a bit giddy. I guess this doesn't just feel like a class to me but like me answering your questions in a way that  I KNOW WILL HELP YOU!

 

First up... JELLY GIRL

 

 

 

 Second, FRESH DIAMONDS

 

 

 

And last but certainly not least, SUNSET STARS

 

 

Soooo....

If you would like to make all those quilts and learn all I have to teach about angles... sign up now and.... GET 50% OFF THE CLASS [limited time only].

Click HERE get more info on the class!

... or if you would like to get both classes, here is a special $10 off on my first class too!

Click HERE for Simple Fresh Quilts! 

 

Fig Tree on the MODA BLOG HOP!

 

Welcome to Fig Tree everybody and Good Morning!

 

SO HERE IS THE SKINNY:

Today is Fig Tree day on the MODA Blog Hop, SIZE MATTERS. If you haven't been following along yet, click HERE for a list of all the designers who are particating [cool block downloads and giveways at each stop so its definitely worth your time to go and find out what everyone is up to], including all the lovely designers that have gone before us and those that are still to come].

In each designers post, you should be able to find a free downloadable pattern for their block in a variety of sizes. MODA will post a finishing pattern HERE [at the CUTTING TABLE] at the end of the hop so that you can create a wonderful sampler when you are done. Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me!

For those of you you who are new to our little corner of the fabric world, I'm Joanna and I am the go-to-gal behind Fig Tree & Company. I love everything about fabric and design and I can't imagine having any other job in the world! I have been working with MODA for about a decade now [oh my goodness, how can that be?], have created more fabric collections than I can count [see the side of the blog to take a peek at most of them], have created more patterns than should be legal [check out our store if you want to puruse the collection] and have written several books, WITH FABRIC & THREAD being the most recent. I also love to teach about fabric and quilting and this year I have had the honor of teaching in Norway, Spain as well as throughout the US. Just a few weeks ago, we launched my first Craftsy class so that a little bit of Fig Tree can be accessible to anyone interested! Click HERE for more info about that and for a special discount!

 

There are three of us a day and today I am sharing the day with the talented Malka and the amazing Camille so be sure to pop on over there to see what those lovely ladies have been up to and why SIZE MATTERS to them!

 

... our upcoming HONEYSWEET group.

 

SO HERE IS MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE FESTIVITIES:

Download the instructions to my block HERE.

I don't know what the official name for this block is but "X MARKS THE SPOT"  sounds like a pretty good interpretation to me.

When I first looked at the block [back in the Spring when we started creating all these goodies for Spring Market] and thought about what I was going to do with it, I immediately thought about one of the bigger sizes. I figured it would make the quilt faster and easier to construct and I would be able to showcase the fabric better. Because let's be honest sometimes bigger really is better, especially when it means that you can be done faster!  

So I made the 12" size. And then I joined 4 of them together to create a secondary block...

 

Then I thought it would be nice to try the next size down and I made the 6" size. And then I made 4 of those together as well, because I was on a roll...

Well, then I realized that lately I have been enjoying making miniature versions of some of my larger favorite blocks [like with our Honeysweet mini Threads pattern that uses HONEYSWEET mini charms, pictured below], so I made the tiny 3" version.

... Honeysweets "Threads" patttern. Made with MODA mini charms.

 

I decided I liked this 3" one the best and continued on to make 32 more 3" blocks and set it together to create this little table topper....

 

 

 

Keep on reading to see what fun thing we are going to do with this project! 

 

SO HERE IS WHAT IS NEW WITH ME & FIG TREE:

  ... our LIFESAVERS blocks, using a fabulously simple method for making these intricate looking blocks. Also in our CRAFTSY class!

 

We are busy getting ready for our brand new fall collection to hit store shelves any day now [due to ship to stores in September].

In case you haven't alreay figured it out, it is called HONEYSWEET and I really think it is so perfect for this time of the year, even though it is great for many other seasons and projects as well. It is full of raspberry reds, persimmon oranges, a variety of greens and aquas, on a base of ivory and peach, grounded with a taupey brown. Yum!

  ... Cherry Pie pattern.

 We have had so much fun with this line and even though I am now busy working with the next collection that we will be showing in Houston this fall [sneak peeks were shown on our facebook recently if you haven't had a chance to see] as well as designing the next one [way too early to show you anything from that one yet], I still haven't grown tired of HONEYSWEET, probably since it has those fabulous oranges and aquas that I am so in love with right now.

Speaking of oranges... we are working on a new kit that has oranges, greys and blacks in it and will be ready soon so be sure you check back for that as those Halloween flavored items seem to dissapear around here faster than we can make them! More info coming soon!

But back to SIZE. We have created some TINY things with this collection...

... our little HEXIES purse pattern made from the yummy HONEYCOMBS. 

And some rather GRAND things....

  ... our CLOVERS & JAM pattern made from just 1 jelly roll  and some background fabric to make a 71" x 71" quilt!

And I truly can't tell you that I have a favorite between the two of them! So I guess the moral of this story is that .... size doesn't really matter at all in the end!

 

GIVEAWAY

Of course we are doing a giveway- what would a blog hop be without one?! Hopefully you have actually read through the whole post to see what's new instead of just skipping to this part :-).

We are going to givewaway a couple things to a couple lucky winners:

1- A Honeysweet precut.Not sure what this will be yet- it all depends on what MODA can dig up and send on over!

2- The finished little quilt that we showed above made from our 3" blocks. We already have some stores that have entered that particular giveway at Market and now we are going to add in all of you to choose the final winner!

3- A bundle of our newest patterns.

To be entered, you need to LEAVE A COMMENT AND tell us what Fig Tree pattern in our store is your favorite [current favorite at least, since we all know how fickle we can be when it comes to our favorite patterns].

But just as importantly you need to come back next week and see who the winners are so you don't miss out. If we don't hear back from you for 2 days after we announce, we will redraw for that particular prize.

[international winners will need to pay for the additional shipping]

And since we have been wanting to have a sale lately and haven't had a chance, today is the day!  SO WE ARE HAVING A SALE TOO! 15% OFF all patterns in the store... patterns of any kind and any size and any format! Just this week though, so take a look around!

Have fun and we'll see you next week for the end of the hop and the winners!

 

Craftsy Class Goes LIve!

Have you ever wanted to take a class with me? Have you ever wondered exactly how I piece some of my quilts?  Have you ever wanted to see some of my quilting process up close and personal?

Don't those questions sound like a bad tv infomercial?? LOL! I feel like I should be offering you double the class if you order in the next 5 minutes :-)!!

Even if they do,  I guess the questions still hold true... you can now take a class with me regardless of where you are in the world or what time zone you live in!

As of this morning, I am officially teaching a class at CRAFTSY, the online crafting class platform! If you are not familiar with CRAFTSY, you should really come check it out. Its a fabulous place to take classes, to interact with other quilters and crafters and to be a part of a great online community as we work on some fabulous quilts together!

 

In my new class, Simple Fresh Quilts, we will be working on 4 projects:

SPOOLS

This is  a pattern that we originally debuted as one of our Fig Tree Club patterns and it was a bit hit then so we thought we might share it here with our new Craftsy friends. It is a great beginner quilt and a fun project to use up scraps or your favorite jelly roll!

 

WHEELS

 

This pattern is a variation on one of my all time favorite blocks, the Rolling Stone, and it is a CRAFTSY exclusive! I love the movement of this block and the way the quilt looks modern and traditional all at the same time. I am working on a solid version of this one that I will share as soon as I am done with it.

 

LIFESAVERS

 

This quilt, Lifesavers, is also one of our standard Fig Tree Threads patterns and it uses a couple charm packs to get you started. I love the methods we used in this quilt to turn a plain pinwheel into this wonderful little block. I think this block would look so great in baby fabrics as well... I guess I might have to see if there is a baby in my life who needs a new quilt!

 

LOLLIPOPS

This is a variation on our Lollipops pattern, also a stand alone pattern- one of my favorites of all time- in which you can make both the smaller Dresden plate and a larger one from the same basic set of directions. The thing I love most about this patttern is that it does not require you to cut out a single template [except for the circle I guess] for the whole thing! Our special method which starts off with a jelly roll or any combo of 2 1/2" strips uses a few traced lines to line up blades and that's it.  You won't believe how fun this method is until you try it!

 

As you can see, we have used our new line HONEYSWEET for all the samples shown in the class [HONEYSWEET will be available in stores next month] to show you how all the patterns will look in the newest collection. You could ofcourse use any fabric you choose. So many of these projects would look great in solids, reproductions or whimsical fabrics!

All the classes take you through, step-by-step, each quilt, from fabric selection to finishing choices and quilting options. You will see up close and personal each block being made and you will see me talk through design choices and tricks of the trade as I go. You can watch your classes as many times as you want, whenever you want and you can rewind and rewatch as many times as you need! Better still, you can ask me any questions you might have at any point in the class and I will answer via online. Its almost as good as having me there in person! I guess, since you can ask me questions in the middle of the night when you think of them... I guess it might even be better than having me there in person!

If you are interested in joining me, click on the link HERE for a special 25% discount on the price of the class! Hope to see you there!

In upcoming days, we will feature each project, talk about it some more and show you lots more pictures and variations but for now... it is the first day of school for the youngest Fig and that means a whole lot of "mommy" duties this afternoon.

 

Talk to you soon,  Joanna