Quilt accidents do happen

Hi!

A few weeks ago could finally start this table runner made with my Rapture fabrics, and God knows I would have liked to finish it in 2 days at the most! With Quilt Market getting closer on the horizon, the perspectives of finishing were washing away little by little. So I took the decision to be patient and work with the small amounts of time I could find. Anyways I wanted to take couple of pics from the process.

After being pieced, quilted, trimmed and ready to be bound, I just found out that the width of the runner was 12". I went to my kitchen table to try it and looked so thin!! The first seconds were a feeling of panic...  Luckily for me, I didn't add any backing yet :)

Thinking about a quick and easy solution for a couple of days, I managed to sew (side to side) two strips of batting 2" wide on each side with a zig-zag stitch (4.0 width). I thought that if it crossed the finished side of the runner just by a little, then I could piece a 2 1/4" of fabric on top, and it wouldn't be visible when I pressed it open (I was sewing with a 1/4" seam).

It actually worked! And... I could add a contrasting floral fabric as a border. Then, I decided to follow the same steps adding strips on the extremes. For the backing, I've selected two different fabrics joined in stripes (to have a reverse side I could use). Then I tried to mimic the straight quilting I did for the body of the runner.

The binding choice was a modern geometric dot that could look good against the floral. Retro Pop Mint, from my Carnaby St. collection .

I love how the binding looks! Of course... by hand (one my favorite steps)

Pure joy when I used for the first time!

Quilt accidents do happen, but nothing that a big dose of a desire to make it work and another one of love can't solve :)

Did you happen to have a similar moment of panic as I did?

Xo, Pat

Dreamscape Pillow Free Pattern

Hi lovelies! As some of you know I have been working on many things at once (that's just the norm, lol), and I have posted sneak peeks through my social media profiles. Today I am finally posting the finished free PDF pattern for my Dreamscape Pillow that I created using both my Carnaby St. and Rapture collections. I also added White Linen and Tender Green from the Pure Elements collection by AGF.

I created hexagons by sewing together six 60° triangles in different fabrics, each bordered on one side with strip-pieced diagonal cuts of 1/2" strips in the Pure colors. I then added more triangles in between. I like to cut, sew, and arrange things spontaneously to see what starts to develop. This is my favorite way to design my projects and quilt patterns. I hope you like what I created this time!

How beautiful is the heart created by the wooden panels? I love it!

Happy sewing,

Thank you, 2013!

Today is my birthday, and I decided that it was the perfect day to say: THANK YOU. This year has been amazing, and nothing would be possible without the support of the people around me. Designing fabrics is my passion and quilting warms my heart. This year brought so many projects that I wanted to share some of them with you. Some of these projects were quilts that came as free projects released with the two collections I launched: Carnaby St. and Rapture.

Some were featured in magazines:

Of course one of the highlights for me was to be on the cover of Generation Q next to my husband Walter, and that gorgeous quilt made with Summerlove (pun untended lol).

And it goes without saying that I was the happiest to see all the projects made by all of you, my lovelies, that were shared on Instragram, Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest, and all of the platforms that connect us. THANK YOU!

May the new year bring you bliss, health, and lots of quilting!

Happy sewing,

From me with eLove! August 2013

Happy August!

I receive so many lovely complements of how you enjoy my fabrics. So I thought, "what is another way that I can share my fabrics with you?" And it came to me... digital backgrounds! I'm super exited about it!

I've made two of my popular Carnaby Street fabrics into graphic digital backgrounds for your desktop, iPad and iPhone! I also made them with and without an August 2013 calendar.

Ladylike Black Tea
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5

Go-Go London Lustrous
with calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad

without calendar
1280×800 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1200 | 2560×1440 | iPad | iPhone | iPhone5


I hope you enjoy the digital backgrounds! I'll have new ones to share in September :)

Love,

The Groovy Instagram Contest is Now Over

Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your summer. I can't believe that we're midway through July already! Thank you for the 85 entries to my first ever Instagram contest! I've enjoyed the last two weeks admiring all of your sewing projects made with my fabrics.

Last week I announced the first two winners. Without further adieu, are the final two winners are:

Congratulations @suchasewandsew and @chelseapinkfig! They each won one 1/2 yard bundle of the Carnaby Street fabrics in the Cool Peace colorway.


The detail and craftsmanship of @suchasewandsew's fabric star with my Indie fabric is just simply wonderful. This Carnaby Street hippie maxie dress by @chelseapinkfig screams summer fun! I need an adult version myself.

Thanks again to all who participated! You can see all of the entries here. And please visit my Flickr group, Sew Pat Bravo, to upload your Pat Bravo sewing projects.

Happy sewing!

 

And the winners are...

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a relaxing and festive 4th of July weekend! I'm just getting back from a week in the Bahamas with my ever so wonderful husband. I enjoyed looking at all of the #sewpatbravo Instagram entries while I was on the beach daydreaming. They are all SO WONDERFUL!

Without further adieu, the first two winners are:

Congratulations @sew_christy and @alyfrog, who both used fabrics from my Indie collection! They each won one 1/2 yard bundle of the Carnaby Street fabrics in the Cool Peace colorway.

I'm in awe by @sew_christy's massive queen sized quilt. I know that had to take forever to sew. And @alyfrog's girl's tunic is just too precious.

The contest is NOT OVER! You have until July 15th to Instagram a photo of your projects using Pat Bravo fabrics.

This is how you can play:
1.  Follow me, @patbravodesign, on Instagram.

2.  Upload a pic to Instagram of your sewing project with Pat Bravo fabrics. Don't forget to USE THE HASHTAG #sewpatbravo when you post your photo. Your sewing project can be complete, or a work in progress stage.

Here is a list of my fabrics for your reference.

3.  There will 4 winners total. I'll pick the next 2 winners, on July 16th, based on creativity. (All previous entries are still eligible.)

4. Contest runs July 1 - July 15, 2013.

Feel free to join my Flickr group, Sew Pat Bravo, and post your image there too.

Good luck! I can't wait to see more! Also check my FaceBook page for daily posts of my favorite entries.

Until next time, xoxo...

A Groovy Instagram Contest

Hello everyone!

It's July 1st and it's almost time for the 4th of July festivities! So to celebrate, I'm having my very first Instagram contest!

This is how you can play:
1.  Follow me, @patbravodesign, on Instagram.

2.  Upload a pic to Instagram of your sewing project with Pat Bravo fabrics. Don't forget to USE THE HASHTAG #sewpatbravo when you post your photo. Your sewing project can be complete, or a work in progress stage.

Here is a list of my fabrics for your reference.

3.  There will 4 winners total. I'll pick 2 winners per week base on creativity.

4. Contest runs July 1 - July 15, 2013.

Feel free to join my Flickr group, Sew Pat Bravo, and post your image there too.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you're going to make with my fabrics!

xoxo,

Sewing Project Roundup

Hello lovelies!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, quilting, sewing, and crafting! This weekend I decided to go thrifting for a few pieces of furniture and decor to add to my studio and sewing room. I love to find all sorts of antiques and combine them with modern pieces to add that touch of modern elegance to my home. I've also put the finishing touches to my next collection, which I promise to show you a sneak peek in the up and coming weeks!

One of my favorite things about designing collections is imaging what everyone else will do with them. I love designing fabrics, and seeing all of the projects people make with them is a true joy for me. So for today's post, I'm showcasing a few projects that I just adore featuring my latest collections!

 Mommy and Me tunic tops, by Jana. | Over-sized floor cushion, by Erin. | Quilt by, Kimberly Jolly, Quilty magazine, Jul/Aug 2013. | Groovy Carnaby Street quilt by, Quilt Jane. | Upholstered chair makeover, by Amanda Walker, sewmag.co.uk, June 2013. | The Missouri Star quilt block, by Debra, Quilt  magazine, Feb/Mar 2013.

 Cozy tea time trivet, by Rashida Coleman-Hale. | Lavender tea cups tutorial, by Katarina Roccella. | Little girl fashions, by Katarina Roccella.

 Fusion Dress pattern, by Pat Bravo, Sewing World magazine, June 2013. | Fresh Fraise quilt, by Michelle Marving, Quilters Companion, No.61.

I hope all these sensational projects have inspired you to make some of your own! If you have anything made with my fabrics, please feel free to add them to my Flickr group :)

Who knows? Maybe your project will be in my next post! Until next time...

Happy sewing!

Carnaby Crossing Placemats

Happy 1st day of summer everyone!

I hope you are planning to have a wonderful time vacationing or spending time with the family, making all sorts of crafts and projects together! I've been up to a few projects of my own, working with my beloved BERNINA 780 and the tons of new ideas I've had since coming home from Market.

With summer already here, I thought, wouldn't it be nice to spruce up the kitchen and dining room area for some fun, summer entertaining! I know that every now and then, my family decides to come over and visit sunny Florida with all its tropical beaches and delicious piña coladas!

So, to add a little more color to our dining table, I put a different twist on the usual placemats using selvedges from my very own fabric collections.

This is truly a fun way to add a little touch of color and design to regular placemats. Its fresh, modern... And its even fast and easy to do!

For the placemats, I used Art Gallery's Pure Elements solids and Go-Go London Lustrous from my Carnaby Street collection for the binding. For the selvedges, I used a mixture of my favorite color registration marks from various prints and placed them on top of each other, playing with different angles and directions.

What I truly love about the BERNINA 780 is that it lets me sew at ease. The presser foot automatically lowers at the start of a seam and lifts again at the end. It even cuts the thread for me! So sewing these little strips was as easy as one, two, three...

All you need is two rectangular pieces of your favorite solids and batting in the same size to make the main part of the placemat. Placing the batting in between the solids, grab strips of your favorite selvedges and top-stitch them to the three layers, playing with the placement of the selvedges and exploring multiple directions. Trim and finish off with your favorite binding method in a contrasting fabric.

I hope you enjoyed this quick little tutorial on how to spruce up your placemats! I have tons of new projects coming up so check back next week to see that I have in store for you :)

Have a great summer!
Love,

And the winners are...

The Quilt Market giveaway has come to an end. A big thank you to all who entered! And thank you for all of your kind congratulations and comments. You sure know how to make a girl smile! So... what bag pattern did I mention in my Quilt Market recap video? The correct answer was: the Barcelona bag!

Now... the two winners are:

Congratulations to Vicki H and Janarama! They both won the Barcelona bag pattern AND the Carnaby Street fabric necessary to make the bag.

I have another giveaway coming soon! If you're signed up for my newsletter you already know all about it. You want to be in the loop? Sign up for my newsletter here. 

'Til next time... happy crafting.

Quilt Market Recap and Giveaway!

Hello lovelies!

I'm so thrilled to be back from Spring Quilt Market and be able to share with you these juicy pictures of my booth, "Carnaby Street!" It was truly a wonderful experience and I had a blast seeing everyone again and meeting great new people.

When it came time to design my booth, I thought, wouldn't it be great if I could share the fun and groovy moments from my video with all of you? And that's when it hit me! Why not bring the elements of the video to life and be able to transport you into the 1960s? I took the geometric black and white wall and used it as a main focal point. I even created a collage of photos that initially inspired me to design this collection. So, welcome to my Carnaby Street!

For the booth, I wanted tons and tons of products! I made series of Carnaby bags, ranging from my patterns, the Barcelona Bag to the Essential Tote. I made a bunch of groovy pillows with giant florals and, one of my favorites, the PEACE pillow.

My all-time favorite project that I've made for Carnaby Street is the Union Jack cover made from some of the prints of the collection! With a simple top and a backing fabric, you can create your very own couch cover to add that touch of color and design you need to any room!

And here I am with all the AGF designers: Bonnie Christine, Leah Duncan, Bari J., Jeni Baker, and Angela Walters! I love these ladies so much and they were a complete blast to hang with during Market!

I am so thrilled, overjoyed, and truly blessed to have won FIRST PLACE SINGLE BOOTH! I tried not to cry in the pictures, so this is the best one of me, not in tears. Even today, I still can't believe it!

Since I love sharing all my experiences with you, it's no surprise that I have a special video for all of you! Come with me to Portland, OR and experience the groovy times I had in this Spring Quilt Market in the video below.

NOW TIME FOR a GIVEAWAY!
What bag pattern did I mention in the video? Leave the name of the bag pattern on this blog post. Two lucky people will win the pattern AND the Carnaby Street fabric necessary to make the bag!

Giveaway ends 06/10/2013 at 11:59pm.

THE CONTEST IS OVER.

 

And the winner is...

Thank you! Thank you! I enjoyed reading ALL 464 comments you all made about my Carnaby St. fabric line. You all warm my so much heart!

And now, for the four lucky winners of a Carnaby St. fat quarter bundle in the color of their choice.

Congratulations winners! Look for an email, for FB note, from me for you to claim your prize!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend :)

xoxo, Pat

A Groovy Giveaway!

Hi lovelies!

How is everyone's week doing?! Mine is doing great! It's been unusually cold down here in Miami for March, so I've been catching up on my Netflix queue while preparing some juicy projects for my next Quilt Market in Portland. My friends, you have no idea how much in love I am with Carnaby St... And with spring coming along, the colors are so bright and fun that I find really selfish on my part to only sew with them myself, so I thought if you would like to sew with them too?!

If you do, I'm giving away a fat quarter bundle from this line to 4 lucky winners! You choose the color way!

To enter, leave any comment you would like to write about the collection. If you didn't have a chance to see all the prints, you can check them out here. If you like my page on Facebook, you are in for a second chance to win... (just mention it on your comment).  Be sure to share this giveaway on your Facebook wall if you like to tell your friends about it :-)

International readers welcome. If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your email address with your comment.

The 4 winners will be drawn and announced next Friday, APRIL 5 at 3:00 pm EST.

Good luck everyone and thank you for participating!

Lots of love, Pat

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED