ETNO Flying Geese Table Runner

Hi! How was your Christmas Holiday super looong weekend? I hope you have had lots of happy family gatherings with your loved ones. Christmas is always so full of a magical spirit, don't you think? Our celebration was so good! We were 6 at the table and my mother was the queen! My husband, son, my sister and me felt this holiday very special for having her, at her 87 years of age, strong and so happy! 

I was working lots these days spent at home... I didn't go to work last Friday, so this holiday felt almost as a vacation! Since I had more time to sew, my priority was to finish the runner made with the new flying geese method I shared with you on a previous post here. 

My new ETNO collection ships to stores late January and I think this table runner can be the first sample for you to see my fabrics in action!

I had the top ready sewn days ago, so the only thing was to decide how to quilt it. The order of the day at my sewing room was to relax and have fun with straight line quilting! 

First I thought about straight vertical quilting, but looking at the triangles I had the impulse to do straight lines in angle that will replicate the geese. I love how it came out! Working with my Bernina walking foot and the marking it has, I went for 1/2" seams.

There was a moment that I was so excited to see how it was looking that I did a small section in the center of the runner reducing the spacing to 1/4" apart that I'm showing on the pic below. 

Oh... the magic of quilting... These are the moments that I enjoy the most!!

Because I'm only working with strike offs (the first sample the mill sends me to correct the final production) I'm using all the scraps left from the top cutting; so I decided to put them to good use on the back, combining them with stripes of the AGF "Square Elements" in Lemon and my beloved "Wanderlust" in Luna from the INDIE collection I've designed some time ago. Scrappy scrappy!

On the binding, I've combined a creamy grey with small sections of teal from the AGF "Pure Elements" line of solids. I love the pop and modern effect of these kind of combinations!

Hope you liked it! I'm crazy in love with this runner, and can't wait until my new ETNO line gets shipped to stores late January so you can put your hands on it! What's going to be the order of the day at your sewing room?

Thanks for stopping by today! Xo, Pat

Strike Offs from Etno are finally here!

Hello Lovelies, 

I am super, super happy! I want to formally welcome my Etno strike offs :) Really? Pinch me!! It seemed ages since I wasn't having the excitement of introducing a fabric collection! Believe it or not, and after having designed more than 30 lines for AGF, I still feel these butterflies in my stomach when I'm about to share with you my new work! 

I am so thrilled to finally see my designs come to life --even if they only are little pieces for now... This last step marks the long wait until January 2015, when Etno finally is going to hit stores. 

Talking design, this is a bit of a departure from my floral lines --even though it has many beautiful flowers!! You may find it a bit different from my former collections; I think that as a designer, I need to evolve and bring new designs and color stories that make me fall in love when seeing new trends.

Even though they are just a sample of what’s to come, I am completely satisfied with the results. They colors are so vivid, just how I imagined it, and I didn't even start on the knits! Just stunning.

I'm in love with the ethnic vibe right now. It's very versatile, perfect for quilting but many of the prints are great for garments too! 

The 2 new color stories I've worked with are to die for! I can't wait to start sewing with these beauties!

Hope you can welcome Etno to your stash! 

And... stay tuned for many projects and tutorials I'll be sharing with you here. I'll also talk more in detail about details in color and designs :) Can it be January already??

xo, Pat

I made the cover!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to take a moment and share with you the November-December 2013 issue of Generation Q magazine. I made the cover! {big smile}

I'm so honored that Jake and Melissa at Generation Q wanted to interview me! And I'm overjoyed to be featured on the cover!

I received a copy of the magazine at the Fall Quilt Market and I had a chance to pose for a photograph with the handsome man on the cover with me, my husband Walter.

Here is a sneak peek of my interview.

I shared a look inside my home; my family haven. My home reflects my love of color, history and design. I have so many goodies in nooks and crannies of my home. I had to quickly clean things up a little bit for the photoshoot, LOL!

Here I am in front of my special inspiration board where I pin up magazine clippings. In the magazine there is also a look inside my studio and a free quilt pattern for my Summerlove quilt.

I love the way the interview came out! It's something that I'll treasure forever. Thanks Generation Q for letting me share my story with others.

xoxo,

Quilt Market Recap

Hi there everyone!

I'm so thrilled to be back! A week ago I left the Houston Fall Quilt Market and we're well into November already. My, my. Where does the time go?  Market was truly a wonderful experience and I had a blast seeing everyone again and meeting great new people.

During the past six months I've been busy in my creative space, passionately sewing and designing with heaps of inspiration. The results are a true labor of love and I'm thrilled to finally share with you, Rapture!

The fabrics are inspired by one of my favorite designers, KENZO, and the watercolor style that has currently become the latest trend. The color palette has soft pastels, but yet it's bright and happy too! Perfect for the upcoming spring/summer season. I'm so happy right now in my professional and personal life, so I wanted Rapture to be a reflection of this joyous time!

This Market I took on a double booth to really display my vision. I designed a young girl's studio where she lives and create. She is fearless. She is sophisticated. She loves to sketch with markers and have a glass of wine while reading her latest vintage-find. She dares to wear bold prints with bright-colored hues of lemon red and blue.

Where she sleeps.

Where she gets dressed.

Her handbags.

She loves to be raptured by the beauty in everything she sees and wears her heart on her sleeve.

I loved every detail from the hand dipped ombre stools to the painted tea cups.

I am so thrilled, overjoyed, and truly blessed to have won SECOND PLACE DOUBLE BOOTH!

Even BERNINA stopped by to do an impromptu interview with me about Rapture and my upcoming sewing project for WeAllSew!

You can watch the video of my interview on the BERNINA Facebook page. I cannot wait to share with you my latest project that I did with hexis! It should be on WeAll Sew very soon.

Until next time... xoxo,

See you at Quilt Market!

I'll be offline a bit this week because I leaving tomorrow to Houston, TX to attend the International Quilt Market! I've worked so hard to get ready. I'm exhausted, but I know all of my hard work will pay off.

This will be the first showing of my new fabric collection, Rapture (available at the end of November)!

I've been up to my eyeballs with sewing quilts, pillows, tank tops, coasters, and handbags. And, oh... my booth is going to be so cute! I can't wait to show it to you!

So be sure you follow me on Instagram for all of my juicy pics.

And... for those of you that are attending Fall Market, I have a fun Instagram contest for you!

If you're attending the Fall Market, please come to Booth #456 to see my new Rapture collection. Follow me @patbravodesign and post a fun picture of yourself in my booth (I’ll help you out), with the following hashtags & I’ll draw 2 winners for a fat quarter bundle of Rapture (to be mailed late November). The tags are: #RaptureCollection #Booth456 #QuiltMarket I’ll see you there! Contest runs 10/26-27. Winners announced on 10/28. Good luck!

Stop by and say hi! I'd love to meet you.

Until later... xoxo, 

And the winners are...

Hello there! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend! I enjoyed reading all of your entries on my blog and Facebook page of what you would make with the 'bundle of joy.' There were so many unique and thoughtful gift giving ideas!

Now I have for you the TWO winners of the giveaway!

Congratulations Phyllis and Meg! They will each receive the fat quarter bundle of joy of 11 prints. I can't wait to see Phyllis' patchwork pillow and Meg's beach blanket!

Happy sewing!

Bundle of Joy Giveaway

Hello lovelies!

Today I have a special treat for all of you! I'm going to give you a chance to win a colorful bundle of my fabrics, or what I like to call your very own 'bundle of joy.'

As most of you know, I'm inspired by all the beauty that surrounds me. All those pretty little everyday things are what stimulate me to design. From gorgeous magazine clippings to flowers blooming in my garden, these simple beauties are what have sparked my fabric collections.

Once I'm done designing, I can't wait until the final production comes in and I have all my fabrics in hand to start making all sorts of goodies, from dresses and shirts, to handbags and quilts!

This is the part that amazes me the most. My very own fabrics, that were created from all the beautiful inspiration surrounding me, have now become their own form of inspiration for you to create!

Whenever I see a bundle of fabrics with a fascinating color story, my imagination starts working, thinking of quilts, table runners, clothing... just about anything! I just love the fact that inspiration is in the form of anything and everything. It just brings me great joy!

When it came time to selecting a set of colors that would become part of my new line of threads for Aurifil, I found myself staring at this one bundle that just seemed SO right! The colors were the right mix of deep and rich, with bright and intense. I instantly started to select the colors for the box set that I would later name 'Bold Beauty.'

My sweet dears, this is the bundle that inspired the 'Bold Beauty' box set for Aurifil! Not only do I have a 12 spool set of this gorgeous array of colors, but now I have a new mini spool collection.

 This bundle inspired me to select my thread colors. What does this bundle inspire you to make?

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below with your answer to, "what does this bundle inspire you to make?" Two lucky winners will win this fat quarter bundle of joy!

For a second chance to win you can enter on my FaceBook page.

Contest ends Friday, the 13th, and winners will be announced Monday, the 16th.

Good luck!

Where I Sew

Hello friends!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend, crafting and catching up on all sorts of projects! I've been working on some new tutorials and projects for you that I will be sharing within the upcoming month. So don't forget to check back within the next week and see what I have in store for you!

Today's post is very special to me because today I will be showing you one of my most treasured spaces: Where I Sew!

I have been so fortunate as to have a little section of the house to myself. Not only do I have a sewing room where I make my projects, but I also have a connecting room, my studio, where I design my fabric collections and have all sorts of inspiration surrounding me.

When we first moved in, my studio used to be the "library", where my son Alex had all his gaming systems set up and the walls were lined with bookcases. It was sort of a living room, that really wasn't a living room, but it was! Then it became my workspace, where I had only my computer desk, a beige couch, and a vintage rug for decoration. From there, I started to add my own style to it and Voila! I now have my studio and sewing room.

As most of you know, I love collecting vintage furniture, so you can be sure of it that my sewing room and studio have quite a few vintage finds, combined with some modern furniture pieces that I have. I can't get enough of mixing the modern with traditional!

Most of you know that I'm a history fanatic, so of course I had to pay homage to one of my favorite historical figures, Marie Antoinette. I have her portrait in one section of my studio, with a set of striped-floral pillows that I made. I have to say, these are one of my favorite projects that I've done so far!

I LOVE COLOR, so it has be present everywhere I work! Accents of color are a great way to liven up your home and add a touch of brightness and happiness to any room. I've painted picture frames, collected colorful vases, and bought decorated tea sets that all have something to bring into my decor.

Ah, here is my sewing room! Yes, I know it's a bit organized, but that's for photographic purposes. Did you really think I would take a picture of all the mess that I have lying around? Besides, I had to clean up someday and I thought that taking these pictures would give me a good enough reason to do so.

You can find all sorts of inspiration for your spaces on Pinterest. One of my favorite pictures is that of the thread being framed on the wall. I had to do it for myself because the idea seemed so wonderful to me!

Even though it may not be organized 364 days out of the year, I love to try to keep things in an orderly fashion. I have all my fabric bolts, interfacing and batting rolls, as well as my threads, in this nice wooden shelving unit I got from Ikea some time ago. It's proved quite helpful, showcasing wonderfully what I have that way I can grab things and go (which is probably why it might get messy sometimes)!

So, thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. Hopefully this inspires you to add some color into your life and not to be afraid to add your own style into your working space!

Until next time, my lovelies!

XO,

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!

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.