Today is
such an exciting day!!! Why? Because “Patchwork Picnic” releases on Amazon today!
I don’t know about you, but Amazon happy mail is some of my favorite happy mail!!
If you pre-ordered your copy of “Patchwork Picnic” on Amazon and having been patiently
waiting for the release, be watching your mailbox for your book to arrive any
day now! If you haven’t ordered your copy from Amazon, you can get it now here:
And BONUS: Today starts the 2-day much-anticipated Prime Day on amazon.com so if you’ve been eyeing any of the bargains on Amazon, including my book, today is a great day to add “Patchwork Picnic” to your cart!
Holding my
copy of my own book for the first time was such an amazing, surreal and exciting
moment! Writing “Patchwork Picnic” has absolutely been one of the most fun,
gratifying and exciting experiences of my life! When you write a book, you
literally pour your heart and soul into it; desiring to make it the most beautiful
creation and presentation that you can. The finished book that is “Patchwork
Picnic” is everything I hoped it would be and more; a beautiful and adventurous
quilting experience that brings quilters outdoors to explore, travel, and enjoy
playing outside!
Have you ever thought about some of the “behind the scenes” of your favorite quilt books? Have you ever wondered about the processes of pattern design? Here are some behind the scenes memories that I have from writing this book and some fun facts:
One of the
goals of designing a quilt book, or any other book, is making sure that there
is a defined theme and a universal concept that many quilters will enjoy. The original
concept for this book was very much what the turned out to be, but a few of the
original block sketches didn’t end up in the book for the sake of space, theme,
complexity, etc. Some of them you may recognize from my Etsy shop! The picnic
basket and thermos, Worm in Apple, and Seashells would be some examples.
Since writing my book I have started using more digital tools in my design process like Adobe Illustrator and EQ8. When I designed the blocks for the book, back in 2017, I utilized only graph paper and pencils.
It’s so hard to pick a favorite(s) blocks in the book but if I had the choose, I think my favorites would be the bear, campsite, grasshopper and frog.
Each block in the book carries specific memories for me, and I’m hoping they will help you preserve some of your favorite memories! An example of one of my memories from the book would be the black bear. My family lived in Colorado for 6 years total and black bear sightings were not completely out of the ordinary…including the time one made its way into our cul-de-sac in the middle of the night. Another would be the poppies like the ones my family found in a poppy field near the road on the way home from Asheville, NC in 2014. Quilts tell a story and this book tells 30 of them to be exact (30 block patterns)!
All of the fabric used in the book came from my personal fabric stash. I have always loved and enjoyed scrappy quilts and the creativity that comes from using fabric scraps and stash fabrics.
The original sampler quilt that I designed was going to have a border. As the quilt came together a border just didn’t fit. Every fabric that I “auditioned” became distracting from the blocks and looked too busy. I absolutely LOVE the end result without a border except for the simple, aqua sashing fabric and a floral binding! It allows the blocks to just sing!
I hope that you love and enjoy “Patchwork Picnic” as much as I loved writing it! I invite you to join in the fun and make your own sampler quilt by sewing along with myself and some of your favorite Instagram quilters in the “Patchwork Picnic Sew-Along” starting August 2nd. We will be working through each block in the book and posting a block-per-week so that at the end of the sew-along, you will have a finished sampler quilt! There will also be some fantastic giveaways and fun along the way so you won’t want to miss it!
You can find the book on amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/32pljRc
Or you can purchase a signed copy from my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/716577145/patchwork-picnic-signed-quilt-book-by?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1
Have a sun-shiney day!
~Gracey
And BONUS: Today starts the 2-day much-anticipated Prime Day on amazon.com so if you’ve been eyeing any of the bargains on Amazon, including my book, today is a great day to add “Patchwork Picnic” to your cart!
Holding my
copy of my own book for the first time was such an amazing, surreal and exciting
moment! Writing “Patchwork Picnic” has absolutely been one of the most fun,
gratifying and exciting experiences of my life! When you write a book, you
literally pour your heart and soul into it; desiring to make it the most beautiful
creation and presentation that you can. The finished book that is “Patchwork
Picnic” is everything I hoped it would be and more; a beautiful and adventurous
quilting experience that brings quilters outdoors to explore, travel, and enjoy
playing outside! Have you ever thought about some of the “behind the scenes” of your favorite quilt books? Have you ever wondered about the processes of pattern design? Here are some behind the scenes memories that I have from writing this book and some fun facts:
One of the
goals of designing a quilt book, or any other book, is making sure that there
is a defined theme and a universal concept that many quilters will enjoy. The original
concept for this book was very much what the turned out to be, but a few of the
original block sketches didn’t end up in the book for the sake of space, theme,
complexity, etc. Some of them you may recognize from my Etsy shop! The picnic
basket and thermos, Worm in Apple, and Seashells would be some examples.Since writing my book I have started using more digital tools in my design process like Adobe Illustrator and EQ8. When I designed the blocks for the book, back in 2017, I utilized only graph paper and pencils.
It’s so hard to pick a favorite(s) blocks in the book but if I had the choose, I think my favorites would be the bear, campsite, grasshopper and frog.
Each block in the book carries specific memories for me, and I’m hoping they will help you preserve some of your favorite memories! An example of one of my memories from the book would be the black bear. My family lived in Colorado for 6 years total and black bear sightings were not completely out of the ordinary…including the time one made its way into our cul-de-sac in the middle of the night. Another would be the poppies like the ones my family found in a poppy field near the road on the way home from Asheville, NC in 2014. Quilts tell a story and this book tells 30 of them to be exact (30 block patterns)!
All of the fabric used in the book came from my personal fabric stash. I have always loved and enjoyed scrappy quilts and the creativity that comes from using fabric scraps and stash fabrics.
The original sampler quilt that I designed was going to have a border. As the quilt came together a border just didn’t fit. Every fabric that I “auditioned” became distracting from the blocks and looked too busy. I absolutely LOVE the end result without a border except for the simple, aqua sashing fabric and a floral binding! It allows the blocks to just sing!
I hope that you love and enjoy “Patchwork Picnic” as much as I loved writing it! I invite you to join in the fun and make your own sampler quilt by sewing along with myself and some of your favorite Instagram quilters in the “Patchwork Picnic Sew-Along” starting August 2nd. We will be working through each block in the book and posting a block-per-week so that at the end of the sew-along, you will have a finished sampler quilt! There will also be some fantastic giveaways and fun along the way so you won’t want to miss it!
You can find the book on amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/32pljRc
Or you can purchase a signed copy from my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/716577145/patchwork-picnic-signed-quilt-book-by?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1
Have a sun-shiney day!
~Gracey
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