Modern Log Cabin Quilting – behind the scenes + signed! giveaway

Oh my, I am so excited about my post today – trust me, it’s been a long time coming. Yesterday, Susan Beals new book ‘Modern Log Cabin Quilting‘ has officially been published! And I have the honor to be the 2nd stop of this blog tour!

But let me back up a little:

I was very new to blogging and the whole craft community and browsing flickr one day – oh my gosh! – I know her! From daycare! That’s Pearl’s mom! Susan!!!!

O.k. I admit it, I stalked her a bit online to find out that she is a Portland craft celebrity! Whow.

When I got a chance next time around I ran into her at drop-off, I asked her if she would mind to have a coffee with me one day. Those of you who know Susan in person – she’s like the most friendly person you know. Always there to lend a helping hand. And shortly after, I had a drink with her before we picked up the girls. Long story short, I wasn’t working at that time and I was so interested in what she was doing for a living that I offered her to help if she needed any. She’s working on a Log Cabin Block book she said, and she’d love if I came over to help out!

Over the course of a couple of weeks, as above picture attests, we burried ourselves under fabric in her house. We ironed, cut and quilted, illustrated quilt assembly diagrams. And after a while, I asked her if she’d mind if I come up with a design myself. And she said YES! Hurray – so I sat down, dove into the science of quilting math (whow that’s quite complex) and sketched out ideas.

I came up with this bag design:

And this bed-size quilt:

And I am really proud of my first ever quilt design. And my, was it a journey: I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of pics that I took throughout the process.

It literally took over the whole house! And nearly swallowed me whole!

What can I tell you. It’s a beautiful, inspirational book, written by a very, very lovely Lady who has an eye for color, color coordination, beautiful aesthetics and a burning passion for her work. She has helped and inspired me tremendously and I am glad to call her my friend.

If you are an experienced quilter, you might get lots of lovely little ideas you want to whip up with some left overs in you stash. If you are a beginner – she’ll teach you in no time. Just like she taught me.

And now the fun part: The giveaway!

The give away is a copy of Modern Log Cabin Quilting, signed by Susan with a personal message and some lovely fabric assortment! What do you need to do? Many of you might know, that Susan and I are working on our fundraiser Quilts for Quake Survivor to raise money for the victims of the terrible quake and tsunami in Japan. It’s very simple to participate – we ask participants to send us 2″ wide strips of any fabric scraps you have lying around. At numerous quilting bees here in Portland but also around the country, those strips will be pieced into baby, children and lap sized quilts. On May 11th, we’ll organize a life auction to raise money for Mercy Corps and their partner organization Peace Winds in Japan. Quilts that don’t find a buyer will be sent to an organization that has the means to distribute quilts to those in the affected areas. If that’s not a possibility, we’ll sell all quilts and donate the proceeds. 100%. So a real community craft project! I am sure most of you have a stash somewhere that’s been unused or you just didn’t find the right application for it, and you just wondered what to do with it? Now is the time!

Here is what we’d ask you to do: Cut some 2″ wide fabric strips. Take a picture. Post it on our flickr group and note in the comment section ‘give-away’. Then send it to

Quilts for Quake Survivors
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #811
Portland, OR 97214-5246

All entries on the flickr group until Friday April 1st will be entered in a raffle and the winner will be contacted through email and announced here on the blog!