What is that song??

(the soundtrack of your life)

how many of you remember the song that was playing

when you first met your husband

or your best friend

what song was playing when you brought your first born

home for the very first time?

it's the soundtrack of your life!

(Makers Home fabrics by Windham Fabrics)

as a quilter, we can say the same for fabric

we can go to our stash, and look at a fabric

and remember who we were with and where we were when we bought it

(Hand Maker fabrics by Windham Fabrics)

fabric is like a song

it's the "soundtrack of our life" as a quilter

you remember when you started a quilt, when you finished it

how long it took

why you left it sit, and for how long

before you finished it

and sometimes just a leftover scrap will bring the whole story back to you

let's try something....let's see how much heart you put into your projects

how much of you was stitched into your very first quilt

leave a message below

and tell us about the first quilt you ever made

when it was made

and what music you were listening to when you made it

(Stitch's heart....worn on his "sleeve")

HappiestDays.

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

be.do.create

"Where have you BEEN???!?"

"Where have you BEEN???!?"

(confessions of a quilt + pattern + fabric designer)

This is the one single most asked question of all of my neighbors.

They don't think I live here any more.

(or they think I have a very full travel calendar)

in the past, it seemed like there were two very big looming deadlines

Spring Market

Fall Market

you know the hash tag

#marketprep

or 

#springmarketprep + #fallmarketprep

or

#internationalquiltmarket

but these days they all seem to have run together

(hombre version of Hang Ten pattern by beyond the reef in Maker's Home fabrics)

and I couldn't be happier

presenting new quilting fabric by Windham Fabrics

is the most honored

the most humbling

the most

FUN

Spring Market

Maker's Home

by Natalie Barnes

for Windham Fabrics

has a nice ring to it

(blush)

so please forgive me for not having posted in the last three months

(gasp)

let's do a giveaway

of

Hand Maker Fabrics

I have four five inch square bundles of Hand Maker Fabrics

for four lucky posting friends

hope you'll leave a note to say "welcome back"

the same way my neighbors greet me

whether I have been gone or just home working on quilts and patterns

...and fabrics....

(yaaaaaaay!)

let me know - do you like the "fabric previews"

and "market" posts? 

HappiestDays

Natalie

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

be.do.create

(Maker's Home fabrics by Windham Fabrics available October 2017)

Latifah Saafir !! one of "my nine"....

Hand Maker giveaway

Latifah Saafir Studio post is here....

okay.

maybe you've already heard this story

but I want to tell it again

Latifah tells it best, so I will try to do it justice

Latifah and Natalie

have been getting to know each other at the quilt shows

always with a smile, a hug, a "how you doing"

and one day

Natalie

says

"I'm looking for a roommate for Houston Market and Festival

do you know anyone?"

and Latifah answers,

"I might...."

little does Natalie know, it is Latifah!!!!

This is where Latifah usually inserts into the story,

"Well.  You know......

it could have either gone really well, or incredibly bad....."

and then she pauses.

Then she smiles.  THAT smile.

and then she lets me off the hook by saying

".....and it went incredibly......well."

fast forward past the slumber party style late nite talks

and the family gumbo recipe share moments

to fabric

well, of COURSE

I was going to ask her to be one of my nine.

and she said yes.

and because she is who she is

she hand delivers not one

but two

quilts to me

"I'm just not pleased with how this one came out

so I finished this other one."

thank you

Latifah

for being one of my nine

as you have heard from others on the tour,

it wouldn't be a blog tour without some info about

the fabric

so.....

please leave a comment about

LATIFAH SAAFIR'S SMILE

(just that, please, just that)

here, on this post

to be entered to win a complete set of

Hand Maker Fabrics

by Natalie Barnes

(that's me)

for

Windham Fabrics

be.do.create

Natalie.

(I will announce the winner of the fabrics, here, on December 15 Wednesday)

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Hand Maker fabrics!

Hand Maker fabrics

blog tour

it's true!

Hand Maker fabrics for Windham Fabrics

is arriving in stores as we speak

at Spring Market

Windham Fabrics invited the fabric designers to be a part of
the Windham Fabrics booth

it was important to me to show the work

of all of the people in my quilting life that have been an inspiration

been supportive
"we all get there together"

and so after nine quilting friends said yes
the grid wall became a reality
these are my nine

 

as life would have it, the other thing that happened 

was that during a file transfer from camera to computer

all photos from May through end of July

became corrupted

so I send my apologies to Angela Walters whose quilt

is behind the fabrics at the bottom right

each of "my nine"

agreed to post on the specific date

to tell you about their project - their pattern - their product - their design

while this blog tour kicks off the Hand Maker fabric

it's really all about "my nine"

and how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life

so please

head on over to their blog and leave a comment

click on their Facebook and instagram pages and like or follow them

(and me)

I'll post a reminder each day on my Facebook and Instagram feed

let's show these nine

how much we appreciate their creative spirit

and willingness to be a part of the

community!

Saturday 03 December 

Natalie Barnes + beyondthereefpatterns.com

facebook.com/beyondthereefpatterns

instagram.com/beyondthereefpatterns

Ann Shaw + annshawquilting.com

facebook.com/annshawquilting

Sunday 04 December

Angela Walters - quiltingismytherapy.com

facebook.com/angelafmq

instagram.com/angelafmq

Monday 05 December

Amy Ellis + amyscreativeside.com

facebook.com/amyscreativeside

instagram.com/amyscreativeside

Tuesday 06 December

Julie Herman + jaybirdquilts.com

facebook.com/jaybirdquilts

instagram.com/jaybirdquilts

Wednesday 07 December

John Q. Adams + quiltdad.com

facebook.com/john q. adams

instagram.com/j_q_adams

Thursday 08 December

Latifah Saafir + latifahsaafirstudios.com

facebook.com/latifahsaafirstudiosllc

instagram.com/latifahsaafirstudios

Friday 09 December

Rose Hughes + rosehughes.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Rose-Hughes-Quilt-Artist-396022645477/?fref=ts

instagram.com/ravenspeak

Saturday 10 December

Jenny Pedigo + sewkindofwonderful.com

facebook.com/sewkindofwonderful

instagram.com/sewkindofwonderfuljenny

Sunday 11 December

Cheri Leffler + cherilefflerdesigns.com

https://www.facebook.com/Cheri-Leffler-Designs-Quilt-Patterns-183588505051845/?hc_ref=SEARCH

instagram.com/cherileffler

Scott Hansen + bluenickelstudios.com

facebook.com/bluenickelstudios

isntagram.com/bluenickelstudios

in addition to "my nine"

there were quilts by many people at Spring Market

and I want to thank each and every one of them

please visit these designers' sites, too

May Chappell

by Annie

Bloc Loc

Abbey Lane

Sassafras Lane

Ann Shaw added a quilt after Market

and Scott Hansen + Blue Nickel Designs added a quilt after Market too

f a b r i c    g i v e a w a y

it wouldn't be a tour without the fabric, now, would it?
so each blog post host will randomly select a comment contributor
to receive
a Hand Maker fat quarter bundle 

we.are.makers.
so let's live up to it

please show "my nine" how much you appreciate
how they inspire you
too

and if you make something
post something
#handmakerfabrics
we want to be inspired by you
too

be.do.create
natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

   

                           

How long does it take to make a quilt?

"how long does it take to make a quilt?"

is my most often asked question

I used to answer this question

with a question

"well.....how big is your quilt?"

but I have learned my lesson

the next time I am asked that question

my answer will be

"well.......how many friends do you have?"

to the people that have come to sit and sew around the dining table

that have given their time

and their expertise

to help with samples

for

Hand Maker

for

Windham Fabrics

I offer my most humble thanks.

the list is long, and at the risk of omitting a name at this juncture

in #marketprep

may I just say, "you all know who you are"

until I can with a clear head compose the list of all of the names of all of the people

that have helped along the way

(it's true....my very first fabric line)

HappiestDays.

Natalie.

 be.do.create

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

(or shop with us in our new shop)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/beyondthereefshop?ref=hdr_shop_menu

(between now and Mother's Day, use the code LOVEMOM for a 20% discount!)