Announcing Kitchen Stitches!

Several other designers and I had the amazing opportunity to collaborate on a new book that was just released by Martingale. In Kitchen Stitches you will find 17 creative designs to be used in and around the kitchen.

This is a very creative book and my first collaboration so it's very exciting to me! I knew up until about a month or so ago only what I had put into the book. I had no clue what else to expect and honestly some of these ideas blew me away. They left me with the feeling of "why didn't I think of that?!" There are big and small projects, decorative and functional, a little bit of everything. Almost like everything but the kitchen sink! (Sorry, it's early, coffee has not kicked in yet and I, well, no excuses, maybe I am that corny)

So when you look through the book, this project was my brainchild. I love cooking and baking (even more so when I get good results unlike that cake I made last week :/ ) I anticipated a bunch of placemats and table runners to be sent in and I wanted to come up with something creative. Just then I was making a batch of my favorite chili recipe (check that out and more on my Tutorials page) and I wanted to serve it from the crock on the table... And the idea was born.

If you cook out of a crock pot, you know what my dilemma was. I love how it cooks, but the crock itself is like molten lava hot for hours after, especially when you want to eat. Now I know you can leave it in the cooking base, but that dang blasted cord is always in the way! It's like it is meant to unravel like those prank snakes in a can while walking... Not fun. And if you are so lucky to have a model with a locking lid, I envy you, but I'm not going to buy a new crock pot when mine is perfectly fine. To get around that dilemma, I included elastic loops to wrap around and hold onto the lid in transport.

This Slow-Cooker Cozy is my new best friend and can be yours too. Along with the elastic loops to hold the lid on, there are built in pot holders for ease in transportation without burning yourself. Also, you can feel free to set this on your table and serve right out of it for dinner with the kiddos right there. It will hold in the heat and protect little fingers (and big ones too) from grazing the side and accidentally getting burnt.

Planning on taking a slow cooker recipe to a Super Bowl party this weekend? Know some messy people like I do? Don't worry if anything spills onto your Cozy, it'll wash right up! Lastly, if you have a model that differs from mine, don't fret my pet! I have included instructions on how to make this Cozy fit your model and shape. I got ya covered! Plus you can have fun with new fabrics like the ombre chevrons from V & Co. like I used. Let me repeat that for you - OMBRE CHEVRONS. Nuff' said.

So what else is in the book? EVERYTHING!!! There are aprons and bags and casserole carriers, pot holders, napkins, and soooo much more! The book is broken up into sections too making it easy to find projects for food prep, setting the table and more. Just look:

Still with me? Great! If you hop on over to Martingale's blog, you can enter for a chance to win a copy of this book! Just leave a comment on the Martingale blog between now and February 6th to enter for a chance to win one of 14 copies of the book or a $100 gift certificate to ShopMartingale.com. While there, you can also find a list with the other designers and links to their blogs. Check them out and learn more about the projects we came up with for this fun book.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time trying to decide which project I want to make first! I think if I can get myself in gear and find the right fabrics, many presents will be made from this book for this year.

I hope you enjoy the book and please send me a picture of your Slow-Cooker Cozy if you decide to make one and your favorite recipe to make in it too! I know I have been pinning several new recipe ideas on Pinterest (come follow me on there too, you'll find me at rubybluequilts). With this brutal cold we've been having, my crock pot is working on overtime!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to enter for your chance to win over at Martingale!

Simply Style Aura

So not only is this quilt pattern in my new book, Seamingly Scrappy, I think it's pretty awesome. Obviously so since this is the third version of it!

 So this version is by far the most modern of the three. You may have seen a sneak peek of this one last week when I was finishing up the quilting. For this I used a nice Bella Solid gray for the background to work with the awesome prints from Simply Style by V & Co. for Moda (due out later this summer!).

 Since you need just a bit more than a charm pack for this pattern I blended in a mini charm pack that I had of Vanessa's first line, Simply Color, into this quilt. I was so excited to see this line announced on Vanessa's blog and was more excited to get my hands on a charm pack shortly afterwards :)

While we were at the Farmpark Show, someone mentioned about how it looked like overlapping circles on the Kate Spain version of Aura and almost immediately I got the idea on how to quilt this version. I used a slightly darker gray than the background fabric and I love how the quilting on this version stands out from the other two. Who knows, I'm sure there will be another one of these quilts in my future.

This is definitely more modern than anything I have done in the past and it reminds me of two of my friends who are so much more modern than I, Corey and Kori! Miss you girls!

I'm all packed and getting ready to head on down to Holmes County for the rest of the week for a quilting retreat! I CAN'T WAIT!!! Days of nothing but sewing... It sounds so heavenly. I have so many things cut and ready to go, I'm hoping to get a bunch done and will be popping in for short mini posts when I can!