New Sew on the Go Bag Pattern and Winners!

I am so excited to show you one of my new patterns, it's called 

Sew on the Go Bag.

I love to have a hand stitching project when I travel whether it is in the car or on the plane, 
and I am always trying to keep my thread and scissors handy. 

One day my husband and I were traveling to our cabin and we had stopped to get some lunch on the way. I was binding a quilt and my thread and scissors kept falling 
down in the seat. 
 I finally ended up putting them both on the straw in my drink.

(sorry for the lame phone photo)

 I decided it was time to make something a little more sophisticated to make my travel 
stitching easier.  
That was the inspiration for this bag, true story.
After a few sleepless nights dreaming up all the things this little bag should do, 
I came up with this. 

This little bag can sit on your lap and unzips to reveal thread, scissors, needles, pins, measuring tape, crochet hook or any other supplies you might need. 
I think it works perfectly for my paper pieced hexagon project.



It has a clear vinyl pocket so you can see whatever you may have stashed in it.

When you are ready to close it up, it zips and has a nice little button closure to 
hold the pocket closed and everything in place.

I used my selvage strips from Miss Kate for the center of the pocket, but the pattern gives the instructions for both the selvage strips or fabric yardage options.

It has little side pockets for rulers, pencils or crochet hooks and such.

The recessed zipper keeps things inside and the zipper pull makes it easy to zip.
I like it so much better than the cup and straw I ended up using.

You can find the paper or the PDF versions of the pattern in my shop. 

I hope this little bag will make your travel projects a little easier!

I am so excited to show you my new Daysail patterns. 
Stop by my blog next week to see what I have been working on!

You will also find some Bonnie and Camille mixed fat quarter bundles in the shop,

Oh, I almost forgot to announce the winners of the Miss Kate cut goods from the 
Moda Love Blog Tour.

My husband was the official counter and believe it or not, there were 

3416 M&M's in that bowl.
Now who is going to help me eat all of those M&M's?

Thanks so much to Moda for their generosity!

The winners are:
Michelle guessed 3296
Brenda guessed 3600
and Wendy guessed 3196.

Congratulations, e-mail me your addresses and I will send some Miss Kate right out.

Happy Stitching,
Bonnie

Moda LOVE Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Moda LOVE Blog Tour!

The theme is LOVE and we were asked to answer a few questions and tell a
little about what we LOVE. 

I am going to make this short and sweet.

This time around, all the designers who were in the Moda Schoolhouse at Quilt Market made their own version of the Moda LOVE Layer Cake quilt.
You can check out the free block pattern here. 

Make sure you also stop by Sandy Gervais and Primitive Gatherings today to see their beautiful quilts. 

I LOVE the color red.

My first quilt was a project I made my Senior year in High School for Home Economics.  

 It was a gingham check bedspread. I wish I had a picture. I was born into a family of quilters, so it's in my blood, through and through.

I LOVE hand binding my quilts, its like the frosting on the cake.

LOVE being a part of the amazing people and creativity of the MODA family! 



 

 

 

LOVE creating and am happy to say that I will be celebrating the 
25th anniversary of Cotton Way in January. 
 I can't believe it's really been that long!

I was in LOVE with Moda fabric long before my daughter, Camille and I started designing 
fabric with them and am still crazy about it.

All the cut goods are great, 

but I LOVE the pretty Fat Quarter Bundles all wrapped up. 
Am I the only one who can't bring myself to untie that bow?

This bundle is Miss Kate and just happens to be in stores now.

If you need a new project, check out my Miss Kate patterns in the shop. 
I have decided to extend the 25% discount off patterns through the Moda Love Blog Tour. 
Use the code MISSKATE.

LOVE anything Chocolate. 

M&M's to be specific, they definitely fuel my creativity.

In fact, guess how many M&M's you think are in this bowl and I would 
LOVE to send you some Miss Kate cut goods!

(I told you this was going to be sweet)

Oh and I can't forget to mention,

I LOVE our new fabric collection, Daysail.
 

New patterns will be coming soon!

I LOVE summer and I LOVE my family!

 If you have a minute, watch the video and 

come sail into the sun with our family. 
Camille is a great slalom water skier. You won't want to miss seeing that. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Be sure to make a comment guessing how many M&M's you think are in the bowl and
a project you would LOVE to make with Miss Kate. 

The winners will be announced on September 13th.

Bonnie

Miss Kate has arrived!

You may have heard that our Bonnie and Camille line Miss Kate 
is now in Quilt shops everywhere! 

Yay! 

I can't decide which I like best, the charm packs, the Layer Cakes or the Fat Quarter bundles, 

they are all so pretty!

 It seems like it's been awhile since I introduced the patterns that I made with the line, so I thought it might be nice to show them again and have a sale to celebrate.

You could start checking things off that Christmas list.  
Patterns and cut goods are always a good gift.

Kate's Big Day was an especially fun quilt for me. I have always wanted to make a double wedding ring quilt and so I decided to design one that had a simple construction method and large pieces so it wasn't so intimidating and take forever. 

I hope you will try this one, it really is fun.

I designed the Sunday Bows quilt because it reminds me of the vintage bows little girls used to wear. I am certain Miss Kate has lots of bows and ringlets too. When I was little, every Saturday night my Mom used to wash our hair and as we sat at her knee she would wrap our hair around her fingers into ringlets and put bobby pins in them to keep them shaped while we slept. She wanted us to look our best on Sunday.  I know, I am really telling my age, but it was fun to get up and put on my Sunday dress and of course a Sunday Bow. Can anyone relate?

I also thought this quilt would be fun as spools done very scrappy. That's still on my list. 

There are also yummy flannels in Miss Kate too!

A cozy flannel quilt is great, especially this time of the year as 

summer begins to wind down. This quilt is large and oh so cozy.

We all certainly need something handmade to put our gifts in for the 

special people on our list,

and everyone loves a handmade ornament for their tree.  

Great for gift tags too!

All of the patterns are in the shop, paper and PDF, and to celebrate the arrival of Miss Kate, they are 25% off with the code MISSKATE, only until September 9th.

Also, today is the first day of the Moda Love Blog Tour.

Lots of fun and fabric give a ways. 

Here is the schedule. My day to post is September 9th, see you then.
I promise, you won't want to miss out!
See you soon,
Bonnie


SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
Janet Clare Designs – http://janetclare.co.uk/blog/
Kate Spain – http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/
Thimbleblossoms – http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
Amy Ellis – http://amyscreativeside.com/
Eric +Julie Comstock- http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/
Stephanie Ryan Design Studio – http://www.stephanieryan.com/blog/
 
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
Malka Dubrawski – http://stitchindye.blogspot.com/
Blackbird Designs – http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/
Lauren + Jessi Jung – http://laurenandjessiblog.com/
Lella Boutique – http://lellaboutique.blogspot.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
Basic Grey – http://blog.basicgrey.com/
Fig Tree and Co. – http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Pat Sloan – http://blog.patsloan.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
April Rosenthal – http://www.aprilrosenthal.com/
French General – http://frenchgeneral.blogspot.com/
Minick and Simpson – http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2014
Cotton Way – http://cottonway.blogspot.com/
Sandy Gervais – http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/
Primitive Gatherings – http://lisabongean.wordpress.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
Bunny Hill – http://bunnyhillblog.com/
Deb Strain -  http://debstrain.blogspot.com/
Kansas Troubles – http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/
 
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
Kathy Schmitz – http://kathyschmitzstudio.blogspot.com/
Laundry Basket Quilts – http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/index.php
Zen Chic – http://www.farbstoff-bridge.blogspot.com
 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
Me and My Sister Designs – http://meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/
Jan Patek – http://janpatek.blogspot.com/
Sweetwater – http://sweetwater.typepad.com/makelifesweet/

Make every day count!

I know it's been awhile since my last blog post, but as I was watering my flowers in my window box this morning and smelling the fresh sweet air, it made me think about last summer and how different things were for me than on this beautiful summer morning.  

I won't go into all the depressing details about last summer, but I just had to write to let you know I am doing well! Last week I had my first checkup since I finished my treatments and a mammogram and I am happy to say both reports were good. I don't know if I am cancer free or in remission or really what I am right now, time will tell, but I do know one thing, I am so very grateful to be feeling as good and I am and getting back into life!

Everything looks better, smells better and tastes better. Hugs and kisses are more precious, phone calls and visits are sweeter. Yes, I am getting my hair back (not quite as fast and as thick as I was hoping) and I even have eyelashes now. But more importantly, I feel stronger and more healthy than I have in a year. I have a little slower pace now, some days on purpose and some not. Some days I feel like I am in slow motion and others I have more energy. For the life of me I can't figure out what makes the difference.  

For the last few months, the thought just keeps coming to my mind, Make every day count! 

So that's what I intend to try to do. The things on my to do lists don't get crossed off as quickly as I would like, but that's ok for now. I do what I can and don't stress about it as much as I used to. I am trying to balance my life a little better. 

I want to spending more time enjoying the summer with my husband, kids, grand kids and friends, spend time at the cabin having BBQ's and roasting marshmallows. Walking and biking, watering and weeding my flowers and of course, sewing. It really is my therapy to create. I am enjoying just how beautiful my life is and how blessed I really am. Nothing like a cancer diagnosis to put things in perspective. 

I hope you will slow down a little too! Stop to enjoy the life you have been given, even if it is crazy and hard sometimes. I know it is! Stop to enjoy your kids that are home for summer, even if they may be driving you crazy and realize they grow up too fast, way too fast, they really do! Spend some time with your parents and grandparents. Take time to visit a friend. None of us really knows what tomorrow will bring. 

Don't get me wrong, I know there are quilts to make and fabric to design, yes, I am working on that too and loving it, every minute of it. It really is hard to balance it all, but I am so grateful that I am still here, feeling stronger and looking forward to much more of this beautiful life I have been given! 

I posted this picture on Instagram and Facebook a few weeks ago. It was the day of my last treatment and it was a huge milestone Celebration for me!!! In case you didn't see it, I wanted to blog to say THANKS to all of you that have been so kind, so thoughtful, supportive and encouraging!!! I could not have done it without you! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I am making brownies this afternoon and the buzzer just rang, MMMM, they smell good!    Better go get them out of the oven!

Just remember,
Make every day count!
Bonnie

It's Miss Kate's Big Day

I am so excited to show you my NEW Miss Kate patterns!

 It always gets a little crazy each time we design a new fabric collection and start the 

pattern design process.

It's so much fun and at the same time, lots of hard work to get to this point. 

 Finally, today is the day I get to introduce them to you. 

 The first project I started designing the minute Miss Kate arrived at my door, was this 

Double Wedding Ring quilt, 

Kate's Big Day.  

You can just imagine Miss Kate and her sister, Ruby, 

chatting about Kate's wedding day and stitching for hours together.

  I have always wanted to make a Double Wedding Ring quilt and was hesitant to start, not knowing if I would ever really finish it.  

SO I decided to make a very SIMPLE version with big pieces that would be 
easy enough for a beginner. 

Yes, it has curved piecing, but the pattern comes with actual color photos of step by step instructions.  It has a simple square block construction 

and was so much fun make!

You will notice on the cover, the pattern includes the Petal Quilt as well. 

 It has a bit more of a modern feel with different colored centers and 

the petals are all facing the same way.

Camille and I were brainstorming one night and came up with this quilt together.  

More on that story coming soon. 

Get yourself a fat eight bundle and get started.  

You can do it, I promise!

This could be a great stash buster quilt as well.

 I think this might be my favorite quilt I have ever designed!

 

Miss Kate is our 10th line of fabric, so I am already planning to make another wedding ring quilt

 using at least one piece of fabric from each of our lines. 

After the last few weeks of designing and sewing,

 I think I might need to take a couple of days off before I start that project, 

or maybe, just take a really, really long nap first.

 

My Sunday Bows quilt has two of the things I thought of right away when we designed the 

Miss Kate fabric collection, an aqua and red color pallet and dainty bows. 

The 4 patch of bows has a vintage feel and is certainly a quilt Miss Kate would have loved 

on the foot of her bed. 

   
So sweet and pretty.
  

Have you got a little girl at your house that would like this quilt at the foot of her bed?

Next up, Cozy.

  

In case you haven't heard, our Miss Kate collection has 20 flannel pieces as well, 

SO soft and cozy!  

 (I think I will wrap up in this for my long nap) 

The center star really shines in the large red floral.

  

Thanks LeAnn for the beautiful quilting!

This is a queen size quilt with large blocks, so it goes together fast. 
 The inspiration for this quilt was the yummy flannel layer cake.

 

 This collection has Fat Quarters, Fat Eights and Charm packs in flannel too!  

If you haven't started following me on Instagram, bonniecottonway, 

please join me.  I posted this picture a few weeks ago when I just had two of my 

quilts ready for binding.

   I couldn't resist putting the Sundae scallop binding

 on all 3 of my new quilts.

   

 I just couldn't help myself,

It finishes them off perfectly.

 

I always love to have some small project patterns and love handmade gifts, 

so these last two patterns are fun for both.  

A little closer look.

  

This pieced courtyard steps bag would be so much fun 

to make for your quilt friends.

A bag for your special Valentine.

 Birthday's

and Christmas.

The gift bags are 8" - 14" tall and can be filled with all kinds of goodies!

I made some star ornaments for some very special friends for Christmas last year 

and had several requests for the pattern, so

 I decided to print the pattern and design a couple of 

other ornaments to go with it.  

I don't know about you, but it just isn't Christmas unless I make some handmade gifts 

and it's never to early to start. 

This is a sweet way to use those little 2 1/2" Moda Candy squares 

you have all been collecting.

I hand quilted around some of them with red thread to make the stitches stand out,

and like I said, I just had to use that Sundae scallop on everything. 

It's always so fun to show you my new patterns.

They are all in my shop as PDF's or Paper. 

I would love to hear which one is your favorite.

 Miss Kate and I have become close friends and I think she is pretty sweet. 

She will be visiting a quilt shop near you in August, 

you might want to say hello!

Bonnie