Craft and quilt book author, Susan Beal, came to visit our shop on December 7th for a book signing.
Susan was able to stop by The Quilting Loft while also visiting the Seattle Urban Craft Uprising. Susan signed copies of her book "Sewing for All Seasons". This book is packed full of projects that will keep you sewing all year long. Several of her projects include a classic beach bag, holiday garland, coffee mug warmer, and even homemade slippers to keep your feet cozy while you're crafting.
We made Susan's holiday garland out of a charm pack from "In From the Cold" by Kate Spain. We decided to use it as table decoration while noting using it to trim our tree. This project was quick and easy by using 2" circles strung together to create a bright and cheery string of colors and patterns - a wonderful project for any time of year. (I'm thinking of making one as decoration for my niece's bedroom will all my pink scraps. You all know how those 5 year old little ladies need their pink fix!)
Susan had a rare treat to share with those that joined us for the book signing...she displayed her original journal used for creating the book "Sewing For All Seasons". It was a fun treat to flip through her journal and see Susan's brainstorming process for each project included in the book.
Our Couch was transformed by Susan's bright and charming string quilt featured in the book.
We had another visitor in our shop, Susan's friend Amy Pepper Adams, a fabric designer under the name Penny Candy Handmade. She designed the 2014 calender fabric, as shown in the photo below. Susan's book has a pattern for a quilted wall calender using Amy's fabric. You can find her fabrics on spoonflower.com. A great idea to add a new twist to your yearly calender! Instead of buying a paper calender this year display this creative cloth calender in your studio or office this year.
This image of the fabric calender was borrowed from Susan's blog westcoastcrafty.com.
Susan had a drawing at our store for the kit to create a wall hanging as well as free coffee cozy kit giveaways! We had a fun time chatting with Susan about her holiday plans that have to include her favorite hot chocolate recipe. You too can find her recipe at her blog - keep your warm and cozy while crafting this winter!
Susan is also the author of several other books including the following:
We would love to thank Susan Beal for joining us for our holiday book signing and encourage you to add any of her books to your craft library.
