Say "Hello" to the Quilter's Planner

Say Hello to the answer to creative and real-life scheduling disasters. Sometimes it feels like I have to carry around a book of lists to keep track of my projects, a sketchbook for spur of the moment inspiration, and a planner for the rest of my life, but Stephanie of LateNightQuilter has solved just that problem with the Quilter Planner.

I have had the honor to work with Stephanie on this project, consulting and creating the logo as well as artwork to be interspersed throughout the planner. Her hard work and thoughtful considerations shine through in the gorgeous final product she has produced.

What's Inside:

• Monthly calendars

• Weekly calendars

• Project planning pages

• Swatch saver

• Graph paper

• Free motion quilting practice pages

• Goal-setting prompts

• 8 full quilt patterns from amazing designers (Cheryl Brickey (Meadowmist Designs), Yvonne Fuchs (Quilting Jetgirl), Amy Garro (13 Spools), Lee Heinrich (Freshly Pieced), Mandy Leins (Mandalei Quilts), Pat Sloan (Pat Sloan), Kitty Wilkin (Night Quilter) and Stephanie).

• 52 original quilt block designs from awesome quilt bloggers

• Gorgeous artwork pull-outs by me!

• Reference section for quilting calculations and common construction techniques

The planner is minimal in design with modern touches of color, allowing you to stamp, highlight, doodle, and hand-letter your life into perfect organization.

Plus, it has helpful references in the back for those things you are always googling!

How to Order:

By now, you're probably wondering how you can get your hands on this planner. Well, here's how! Just head on over to Indiegogo and put in your order.

Because sharing is caring and one of the best ways to get this project off the ground, Stephanie is offering prizes to those of you who share the project the most using the Indiegogo sharing options. And you have so many options! From embedding in a blog post to sharing on facebook and more.

Check out the new Quilter’s Planner website to read more about the Quilter Planner, the story behind it, and the project details! Or follow the link below to see the Indiegogo campaign!

A Personal Side Note and Apology:

My my, how blogging has been left by the wayside. Life and projects (such as the Quilter Planner!) however have soldiered on! I am sorry for this lapse, and I am committed and excited to get back to posting every week from now until Christmas. Work has been demanding a fair amount of writing from me lately, which tends to discourage me from doing it in my free-time or breaks (e.g. for blogging). The next couple months will likely be photo heavy and text light. Better a visual post than not one at all, though, right? Thanks for stopping by!

-Kelsey

Skipping Around the World

Tag is such a fun game. Any stretch of space can become game territory, and the only thing required are legs and lungs. A normal afternoon becomes an adventure of pursuit and capture. My mind is taking me back to those sweaty thrilling childhood afternoons as I type this.

So, when Christina of Wips and Tuts asked if she could tag me in the Around the World Blog Hop, my answer was a resounding, "Yes!" Cristina is a lovely "wholesome midwestern girl," as she likes to describe herself. Down to earth and brimming with sweet encouragement, she is a friend anyone would love to have. Her perseverance in quilting and willingness to try new things are evident across the many welcoming pages of her blog, and coupled with big process pictures, it's definitely a spot you'll want to check out.

Christina of Wips and Tuts

Running barefoot across the blogosphere in this game of tag, I hope you will pause on my patch of lawn before jetting off to the next stops.

What am I working on?
I am in the process of opening up shop! It is exciting and scary and sometimes feels like I'm jumping off a cliff. More often than not, though, the cliff is above an azure sea somewhere in the sunny Caribbean, and I'm just running straight toward the edge anticipating the fun. My newest collection of hand-printed fabrics and hand-printed quilts will be available there, and I can't wait to see where they will travel!

Why do I create?
It makes my heart happy. Pure and simple. The soft slip of fabric through my fingers, the crisp edge of a pressed seam, the bubbling smile of a quilt recipient. If I didn't need to pay rent, I would do it all day long.

How does my creative process work?
I love to sit with pencil and sketchbook, peruse my favorite blogs, and dream up the next quilt. This is my ritual: brew tea, light a candle, clear my work space, pull out something inspiring, turn phone to "do not disturb, and relax.

As the game of tag goes, it's my turn to chase down and love on some women I really admire.

First, Erica at CB Handmade. She is awe-inspiring. Elegant, understated, and modern, her classic designs are heirlooms for future generations. Her monthly posts never fail to blow me away, and I've spent many a Saturday afternoon seeking inspiration in the annals of her blog.

Erica of CB Handmade

Second, my mom, Jennifer, at Fibermusing. She is an inspiration to me: computer engineer PhD by day and amazing quilter and fabric printer by night. Her most recent series of quilts, drawn from a collection of sermons on wisdom, are beautiful with breath-taking attention to detail from tiny scribbles of bright stitching to water-color penciled gradations. I wish I could devote an entire post to her because this only scratches the surface of her fount of creativity and originality.

Jennifer of Fibermusing

So, there you go: "Tag! You're it!" Thanks for stopping by. Now it's your turn to tumble down the hill after these ladies in this fun winding game and explore their gorgeous arbors and meadows of the blogosphere. Enjoy!

Creative Ritual

I have set myself a Creative Ritual to help me settle in and make solid progress every time I sit down. It has helped significantly to sharpen my focus and make the process enjoyable.

1  brew tea

2  light a candle

3  clear your work space

4  pull out something inspiring

5  turn phone to "do not disturb"

6  relax and enjoy