Branding

    In between my regular design and sample sewing responsibilities I have been a busy Brand Ambassador for Jaftex in the last few weeks.  I truly enjoy a creative challenge, so getting a package of fabric in the mail and deciding what to make with it can be a really fun puzzle.  It is important that the project show off the fabric. The project(s) also have to be completed in a reasonably short period of time.  And I have a limited amount of fabric to work with.  Cue the Mission Impossible theme....

      A few weeks ago this bundle of fall goodies show up on my doorstep.  Hello Fall from Henry Glass includes lots of small prints, light backgrounds and warm toasty colors.  I immediately set the center of the panel print aside for a table runner project.  It will be part of the Holiday Fun Bundle that you will hear all about later this summer.  

    I decided these prints would be perfect for smaller projects rather than a large quilt.  One of the fun parts of this Brand Ambassador gig is that I don't have to write instructions for the projects I make.  I can use a printed pattern, write a new one or simply make it up as I go along.

    I decided to start with a few "make it up" placemats.  You truly do not need a pattern for this project.  Simply start with the feature square (cut from the panel)  and sew and flip strips around it in an interesting pattern.  I choose to iron the backing to a rectangle of fusible fleece batting so that my "sew and flip" is also "quilt as you go".  Setting the feature square off to the side, gives it a more creative look than placing it dead in the center.  One of the busy prints with the light background made a perfect backing and hid all of the starts and stops in my quilting lines.  I made two, because I have two bar stools at our kitchen counter, so these will be perfect this fall.

    I needed to make more than just two easy placemats from this group, so I used part of the border stripe to decorate a tea towel.  Another of the panel pieces was used to make a hot pad including extra layers of batting and the heat resistant silver fabric for the backing.

    With one cute pumpkin block left, I decided to make a Four Square Placemat using one of my $2.50 patterns.  No binding, no hand sewing.  I used the same fusible fleece batting from Pellon that I always use in my placemats and table runners.  I really like the rounded corners on this one! 

    Then it was time to take the photos that you see here.  I pulled out props, ran to the store for some fresh baked goods, and did my best to make my house at the beach look like fall in the middle of May.  Photo shoots are crazy days around here.  I make a heck of a mess, but at least my husband was happy eating the leftover props!  Hello Fall should be in stores by the time you are reading this. - Enjoy!