Happy Thanksgiving!!! + Coupon! + NEW Pattern!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends stateside! And Happy Day to everyone the world over!!

 {Image from Pinteres}

My heart is so full this morning as I reflect on this day today, and Thanksgiving days in the past. This is one day in the year that every year, has been a good day! I have so many memories spending this day with family and dear friends! I wish I could take a picture of all my memories and post them on my wall so I could look at them every day! :)

There is something magical about this day, where all the worries of the world seem to disappear, where being with, and thinking about, loved ones become my focus, and we play and eat good food, rest, laugh, and enjoy life. I love this day. And I'm grateful for the time to reflect on all the blessings that I have! The power of gratitude is real, and something I want to hold closer to my heart every day of the year.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful day!! Enjoy your blessings!! It is such a sweet emotion. :)

 

 {Image from Pinterest}

And... to say thank you to all my quilty friends, I'm offering a coupon that starts now and will end on Monday 11/30/2015 at midnight!

Save 30% your entire order!

enter code: GIVETHANKS

Coupon works in my Etsy shop AND my shop!

I also recently updated my Paypal account so sales on Craftsy is now open to buyers outside of the USA. Please let me know if you have any trouble with any of my shops.

This will be the biggest coupon for the rest of the year... so don't miss out! ;)

 


ALSO, I want to announce my newest pattern:

Space Gem!

It comes in 4 sizes: 9inch, 12inch, 18inch, and formatted to print on legal paper (8.5in x 14in) is the 24inch size.

It includes the usual coloring pages, cutting templates, and detailed instructions for constructing the block.


 I will share more testers photos in the next few days, but if you want to see them, you can check them out now HERE. and here's a screenshot of just a few...

This pattern is available on Craftsy (price discounted since coupons don't work on Craftsy), Etsy, and My Shop! 

{Image from Pinterest}

Thank you everyone for your love and support!! This journey of pattern designing has been more than I ever expected and I'm so grateful for all of you!!!

New Pattern: DUSK + a Giveaway!!

Hi Everyone! How is everyone? I hope you're well! Ever since school started at the beginning of this month, things have been non-stop! I'm finally starting to feel like I am finding a little time to relax, and it's so nice!

I want to let you know about a new pattern that I released this week! It's called Dusk!

New Pattern: Simple Celestial + Giveaway!!

Hi! Yep, I'm still here! Although my blogging goal hasn't been happening. I think I even wrote a blog post last week, and I'm not sure why I didn't post it. Anyway, I'm back with another new pattern! And that's always fun! :)

Say hello to Simple Celestial!

New Pattern: Rockstar! A SALE! and a Giveaway!

It's HERE! My newest, and maybe favorite, pattern is now available! And I am SO excited! I announced it on Instagram last night, and I am overwhelmed with the response I've received. THANK YOU!


Meet...

Rockstar!

New Pattern: Star Gazing!! + Giveaway!

I am SO excited to announce the release of my newest pattern, Star Gazing!! I've shared lots of progress shots and info of this pattern already (here), so I'll keep this minimal. But I want to share none-the-less. :)

Here is my 6 inch block that I made last night:

It is less than perfect. I don't usually piece this small, so we didn't really get along. I did learn a lot though, and I think if I make more this size, I'll be able to do a better job (like pressing seams open instead of to the side). Check out #fbpStarGazing to see the tester blocks and their progress shots, they are gorgeous!!!

Here are some of them:

Happy Birthday COUPONS!

Happy Monday!! If it's not a happy Monday, hopefully this will help. :)

I've added some coupon codes to my Bigcartel shop and Etsy shop. (same coupon codes work the same in both shops).

Save 10% on any purchase with code: BIRTHDAY10

Save 15% when you spend $10 or more with code: BIRTHDAY15

Save 20% when you spend $20 or more with code: BIRTHDAY 20

Coupons expire: March 19th, 2015.

I'll have something else in store for you after that...

I know some of you mentioned you were hoping for some coupons to get some patterns you've had your eye on. Hopefully this will help you out with that.

And thanks for the birthday wishes I've received so far! It's officially not until the 18th, but I enjoy them at any time. :D

EU VAT & What This Means For from blank pages...

Have you heard about the EU VAT law's that are going into effect on January 1, 2015? As in 2 days from now? Will, just Google it and you'll find loads of confusing information. 

Basically it means that any seller of digital items sold to a consumer located in the participating European countries, must pay a VAT (value added tax) to the country where the digital item was purchased. In order to do so, the seller must provide two forms of evidence of the location of the buyer, and pay the taxes, which vary by country, every quarter. The seller must also keep this information for ten years. Basically this is a LOT of work that is nearly impossible for small businesses like myself. Way more expensive than the $1-5 I might owe in a given year. 

How this effects me:

I sell most of my patterns on Craftsy. Craftsy is not doing anything to provide the needed information to the pattern sellers to be able to pay the tax if we wanted to do it ourselves, and will not be handling the VAT for us. 

What this means for Craftsy: I will be removing all of my paid patterns for their site. I'm not sure how this will affect them, as many shops have already closed and will be closing shop before the 1st. I'm assuming they will lose a lot of business, as people won't be referring their customers to their site to buy patterns. The ideal thing would be that this hurts them tremendously, and they decide to help us out!! Even if that means they start charging a small fee to sell patterns on their site. We'll see. (Not that I want them to be hurt by this, as I wish everyone success, but sometimes a little incentive helps the masses).

Etsy: is sitting this out as well. Even though it seems they should be responsible, they have stated that they will not be. Supposedly they will sometime in the year provide information to shop owners to deal with VAT, but who knows when that will be. A lot of people will be discontinuing the instant download feature for their shops and emailing patterns personally. Though this is only a solution for UK buyers, and not for buyers in other EU countries. I personally don't have time to do that anyway. My customer service would go down the drain!! I believe I have found a solution that I can sell patterns to those outside of EU,  and can still include the instant download feature, using CraftHub.me, which works with Etsy, and actually had better features than Etsy for instant downloads. I'm still looking into it and don't have everything figured out completely. But I'm hoping it will work as smoothly as is like. If it doesn't, I may just increase shipping costs to $100 to EU buyers to deter them from purchasing from me.

That sounds horrible and that's what I hate most about this!! Reading so many discussions and comments, and so much talk of people simply restricting sales to the EU. My heart breaks for everyone who will be facing a possible storage of patterns to choose from!! Not awesome!! I am looking into working with a different website to host my patterns, that will take care of all fees and VAT stuff for me. I will update you with this info as it comes together. This will make all my patterns available to all EU customers!! Wahoo!! I'm not about to leave you out!! :) 

As for bigcartel, I'm pretty sure they are not doing anything about this, and I will be looking into another solution for selling my patterns, perhaps on my website, or a similar host as bigcartel, that will cover the VAT fees. 

So what's the story for right now??? 

Starting January 1, 2015, I will be closing all my pattern shops. I think I'll be able to get them back up and available the quickest for US customers. It will take the longest for European countries, and probably all other countries??? I'm not sure how long it will take. 

If you have been wanting to buy any of my patterns, nows you're chance, until, I'm not sure when. There are solutions, and I am going to find them. Hopefully it will be a smooth and quick transition, but really, it's just a mess right now for everyone. 

I have a coupon code running until the 1st for my Etsy shop and Bigcartel shop.
 

Use code: HAPPYHOLIDAYS14
and save 15%. 

Thanks for all your support!! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday!! 

I'll keep you updated! :)

3 New Patterns, 3 Coupons, and 3 Winners for a Giveaway!!

Hi there! I guess I have gone back to my old-non-blogging self. Sometimes I think, "if my life was only what I blogged about, I'd have a pretty boring life!" haha. Luckily it is not so. I am really excited to announce three new patterns that I've finished over the last few weeks!! Get  ready for picture overload! oh, and I have a 30% Off coupon for each new pattern (good only in my bigcartel shop), which is good until Saturday at midnight.


To save repeating myself, the patterns contain a lot of the same features. They all include:

• Patterns for 3 different sizes of finished blocks: 6 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch.
• Cutting templates for each size
• Instructions specifically for each pattern. (Paper piecing instructions not included, but I include helpful links in each pattern.)
• Coloring pages. I included a bunch of different design layouts so you can plan just the block you want. :)

Here they are, in no particular order: (It'll be picture overload!!! But I hope you'll slow down and look at each one.) :) I also had amazing pattern testers help me with my patterns!! In an effort to not put too many pictures in one post, I'll save them for a different post. But I can't go without saying a HUGE thank you!! to each of them! They really helped me to smooth out the patterns!


Candy Wrappers

This is a fun versatile pattern with many options of how you can join the pattern to create different looks. Here are some mockups I made:

The block is created using an A pattern piece and a B pattern piece. When you use both A and B pattern pieces, here are the two blocks you can create, depending on how you orient them.

       

Here is a block you can create if you ONLY use the A pattern pieces.

 

Here is a block you can create if you ONLY use the B pattern pieces.

 

 

 Here are some examples of these blocks on a four block repeat. These designs would make fabulous pillows, bags, minis, mug rugs, etc. which you can easily make with the 6 inch and 9 inch pattern sizes.

  

  

 Here they are if you made 16 blocks into a quilt. :) I love these!

 I used this pattern during the summer when I made a pillow as one of my Handmade Birthday club gifts. It was hard to send this away.

While I was putting this pillow together is when I discovered the different designs with the A and B pattern pieces. Here's a picture I took with my phone... I think I want to make this again. :)

I think these would even look good in a quilt of alternating blocks of these! Wouldn't that be fun?!

You can find the Candy Wrappers pattern in any of my shops (Craftsy and Etsy). 

But, until Saturday night (11/8/14) you can save 30% OFF this pattern ONLY in my Bigcartel shop.

Use coupon code: SAVE30CANDYWRAPPERS

Starry Skyline

Maybe you recognize this pattern. I designed it for a Bee group on Flickr a few years ago. You can see the full tutorial for how to create it using HST's HERE. I LOVE this block, but I didn't really want to create a full quilt using that method. I finally turned it into a paper piecing pattern! AND I made a full quilt with it!!

My Halloween quilt! I was going to make it a fall quilt, and not use the orange. But my husband kindly reminded me that his favorite color is orange... so in it went! And I still think it'll be a fabulous fall quilt! :)

(there is one line that I REALLY messed up on, so I need to unpick it and fix it. So if you notice it... that is my own mistake and not how the pattern is.) ;)

This pattern is a bit more straight forward, so I'll just leave it at this quilt picture. But it sure is a fun one!

You can find the Starry Skyline pattern on Craftsy and Etsy. 

But, until Saturday night (11/8/14) you can save 30% OFF ONLY in my Bigcartel shop.

Use coupon code: SAVE30STARRYSKYLINE

Winter Holly

This is my most recent finish, and I LOVE it!!! I want to make a full quilt of this pattern too! I used to think one would have to be totally crazy to paper piece an entire quilt, but after making my Celestial Star quilt, I either have become totally crazy, or I realize that it's not crazy at all. ;) haha.

I'll start with some pattern mockups:

Here are two designs you can create from one single block.

    

These also make fantastic repeat patterns! Here they are with 4 blocks:

And if you used 16 blocks to create a full quilt. Um, yes please!!!

 This would be a gorgeous Christmas quilt!!! Or of course change up the colors, and it would simply be gorgeous!

While playing around I found this really neat secondary pattern... which also makes me see other patterns you could create by playing with value and color. :)

I am currently making a Christmas table runner that I am probably not going to put away after Christmas. ;) Here are the two styles I was debating on. My husband went out of town, so I haven't had time to finish it... maybe the kids can go to bed early tonight. ;)

These Cotton + Steel prints are perfect!!! I

'll use the two yellow prints in the top picture for the centers.

You can find the Winter Holly pattern in any of my shops (Craftsy and Etsy). 

But, until Saturday night (11/8/14) you can save 30% OFF this pattern ONLY in my Bigcartel shop.

Use coupon code: SAVE30WINTERHOLLY

Alright, and that's it!! What do you think?! :)

I hope you enjoy them!


Giveaway!

Now how about a giveaway?! If you sat through all that, you've earned it. ;)

Use the rafflecopter below to enter. Three people will win a copy of all three patterns!! Can you tell this post is all about three's?! Three patterns, three winners, three coupons, three-ty (thirty, haha) percent off.  The giveaway will be open until Saturday night. Good luck!!

***If you purchase the patterns (so you can take advantage of the coupons - I think you have to purchase them separately to take advantage of all three codes) and then you win them, I will happily refund your money!  So don't worry there. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Something Springy! A Great Scrap Buster Star!

In the fall of 2012 I was so excited to write this blog post as part of the Quilt Maker's 100 Blocks Magazine, vol 6 Blog Hop! I am so happy to announce that my Something Springy pattern is now available on Craftsy as well as in my Etsy shop!!

This is a great scrap buster!!! All the strips are made with strips 1.25 inches wide, ranging from 2.5 inches to 6 inches long. I'm sure we all have some scraps in that range! The center and outer pieces are larger, but I know I can still find those sizes in my scrap bin.


The pattern can be totally scrappy, like my block I made above (mock up below)

Or you can create the layers with the same fabrics. This gives it a little bit different effect (or a strong effect depending on the fabrics you use) as the above picture.

A few mock ups of the block on repeat:

And there you go!! If you make a block I'd LOVE to see it! You can share here, through email, or on Instagram: use hashtag #fbpPatterns

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!!

Quilt Journal

I having been preparing for a HUGE destash, as I want to send a lot of my fabric to homes that will use it and enjoy it more than I am. (I'd love to keep it all, but that's just loco. I don't have the time to use it all.) ;)

As I've been going through my fabrics, I realize that there are some that I don't want to get rid of, even though I'll never use them again. Most of the time it's because they are fabrics that I used in quilts for my children, or other special quilts or projects. That emotional attachment can be a pain when you are trying to lighten your load. So I decided to create a Quilt Journal! A place that I can document each of my special quilts, or projects, and save a snippet of the fabrics I've used. That way I don't have to keep moving these fabrics all over the country, but still be able to see them and remember them.

I finished my first quilt journal entry yesterday morning!

This is the first quilt I ever made. When I was pregnant my step-mom told me I should make a quilt for my first baby, and she taught me how to quilt. I picked a pattern out of one of her quilt books, we went shopping at Joann's. She taught me how to piece, use a rotary cutter, iron, and all that good stuff! It was awesome! I hadn't yet discovered modern fabrics, or the modern quilt crave, so when I finished this quilt I was good to not necessarily do it again. Although I did enjoy it. When I was pregnant with my second son I figured I needed to make a quilt for him too... and for my third baby. Third times a charm I guess because that's when I found all the beautiful fabrics (my first FQ bundle purchase was Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane - I knew she would be a girl!) and all the amazing bloggers and modern quilters. Let the love of quilting begin! So anyway, those will be my next quilt journal entries. And I'm glad that I've kept those scraps from those quilts so that I can tape them into my little journal! :)


To explain the above picture: There is a space for the Project: Hunter's Baby Quilt; For (as in recipient); Date: (I put the start and finish dates); Place: I started it in Logan and finished when we lived in Orem; Pattern: to document which pattern you used; Story: the story behind the quilt; Fabrics: if you used a certain collection or designer or something.

My story was long so I just continued it into the fabric section, which works perfectly. Both sides of the paper are completely lined for as much writing as you want to do. I printed a picture of the quilt, front and the quilting on the back. I taped it to the page on the right side only. It can be easily flipped up and underneath I have layered and taped fabric pieces in the same manner - they can also be flipped up on the left so you can better see each print. This works really well and actually isn't bulky at all. I'm sure after I enter a lot of quilts, it will bulk up a little, but this is awesome for now. :)


Here's a screen shot of the cover: you can write your name on the front. I'll also add the dates that my quilts cover once I get enough in there. If I make enough quilts in one year, I'll make a book for every year.

 

Here's a screen shot of the inside pages:

 

I included some basic instructions on how to create your Quilt Journal, as well as simple binding instructions. I love making books, and though I only know the basics in skill level, it's still fun and I love them!  

 

 You can easily create your very own quilt journal! I printed mine on card stock, hoping it will hold up a bit better to the added weight of taping in fabrics and photos.


If you would like to purchase my template you can do so on Craftsy and Etsy. and if you do I'd love to see them in use!! If your on Instagram you can tag them with #fbpQuiltJournal and #fbpPatterns. :) Or send me an email! I love that too. :)

New Pattern: Celestial Star! and QAL update!

Thank you everyone for your great response to a Celestial Star Quilt Along!! I am finalizing a few details and will begin sending out info today! I am getting really excited!!! :) As part of the quilt along I am planning on covering all the basis: picking fabrics that will make your design POP! Using the cutting templates, and even learn how to use them for perfect fussy cutting! How to piece the patterns, tips for joining them together, as well as tips for completing your block. Finishing your quilt, quilting, and binding. (If you feel confident in any of these areas and would like to guest post during the QAL, let me know! I'd love to have you, as we all have so much to contribute, and while everyone does things a little differently, it's great to see all the different techniques together.)

Until then...

If you can't wait for the QAL, I want to let you know that the Celestial Star pattern is now available to purchase!!

You can find it on Craftsy and Etsy in the following sizes:

Or purchase them all together and save!

 

Did you know that it also comes with a border pattern??!! I think this would be a great start for a medallion quilt. Or as is. I can't wait to get started on more blocks... and show you the ones I've made already. ;) 

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!!