Color Inspiration

The colors of Christmas always inspire me!  Here's just a sample of my Christmas decorations.  This is an easy way to get color inspiration for a quilt.  Find a photo or image that you like and pull coordinating fabrics to match.

Here are a few fabrics I pulled to go with the photo above.  So easy - fabrics are ready!  Now need to decide a pattern...

Hope everyone has a wonderful- colorful Christmas!

Give-a-Way Winner

The winner of the e book Take 5 Fat Quarters by Kathy Brown, is Mary Ebert!
Mary, you will be hearing from Martingale's soon about how to download your free ebook.
Enjoy!

(winner was drawn from Random.org)

Book Review & Drawing: Take 5 Fat Quarters

photography courtesy of Martingale

This book:  Take 5 Fat Quarters by Kathy Brown. has a nice variety of 15 easy patterns.  The first thing I do when I see a new quilt book is look at the patterns and the fabric colors.  Then I go through again and look at how the quilting is done.  I liked the patterns in this book and I also liked that each quilt had a unique and different quilting design.  See two of the projects below and notice the nice quilting detail.

photography courtesy of Martingale

photography courtesy of Martingale

Martingale is giving away a free ebook  of Take 5 Fat Quarters to one lucky winner!  Leave a comment with your full name and email address and I will choose a winner on Dec 15.

Free Published Project - Winter Snowfall

Photo courtesy of
Quilter's Newsletter

This quilted table runner I called Winter Snowfall.  It uses Winter Wonderland and Baker's Dozen Sprinkles fabrics from Island Batiks.  These fabrics worked wonderfully to give the feeling of snowflakes flying in a winter sky. The curved flying geese are paper pieced.

This is a free web extra pattern from Quilter's Newsletter Magazine - Dec/Jan 2015 issue.  The size is:  30" x 10".

 Go to:  www.QuiltersNewsletter.com to find the free instructions under the Webxtras.

Blog Block #2 - Betty's Delight

Blog Block #2   Betty's Delight

I've liked this simple block pattern for a long time.  I didn't know the name of the block, so I looked around and the only name I found was Betty's Delight.  I'm sure it also has some other names - send me a post if you know this block by another name.

I made the block using a simple paper pieced pattern.  It takes two patterns to make one block.  Each block only uses two fabrics.  My block is a three inch finished square.

I had a small sampling of Island Batik fabrics that I loved, and thought I'd see how many blocks I could make out of them. 
Here is my finished mini quilt.  
Aren't the colors lovely!

Give-a-Way Winner

The winner of the Island Batik fabric Give-a-Way is Carol C Thomas!

Carol- please contact me within 3 days with your address so I can get the fabrics sent out to you.

(winner was drawn from Random.org)

Fabric Give-a-Way

Fabric Give -a- Way

Welcome to my first fabric Give-a-Way!  I'm giving away 5 half yard fabrics donated from Island Batiks. These are from the Quilted in Honor fabric line.  Just leave a comment on this post and I will select and post the winner on Nov. 18.  

Give-a-Way open to U.S. and Canada only.  Winner will have 3 days to provide a mailing address.  If no address is received in three days,  a new winner will be announced.

Published Project- Christmas Star

This table runner is called Christmas Star and was published in Quilter's World Winter 2014.
Seasons Greetings fabric from Island Batiks were used in the project.  This is a quick and easy project for winter gift- giving.

Photo courtesy of Annie's

Book Review: Table Toppers

Photography courtesy of Martingale

This book  Table Toppers  Quilted Projects from Fons & Porter  has a nice assortment of 12 different projects.  Techniques used  are piecing and/or applique.  The book has a helpful section with 5 Sew Easy Techniques where things are explained in more detail- such as how to make triangle squares, how to paper piece, etc.

I thought it would be interesting to try out one of the projects.  I decided on the last project:  O Christmas Tree by Sue Marsh.

photography courtesy of Martingale

           

Here is my project using an assortment of Seasons Greetings fabrics from Island Batik.  I plan to quilt it with gold thread and add a gold binding.  This project was quick and easy.  It would be a great project for a quick Christmas gift.

Exciting News! New book: Little Gems

I'm excited to show you the cover of my new book:  Little Gems.  This is my 6th book and will be released in Feb 2015.  

If you love small quilts and paper piecing - this is the book for you!  All the quilts are 12" x 12" (okay, one quilt is a tad larger).  These projects are also great for using up scraps.

I love the Ackfeld wire stands which are perfect for these small quilted treasures.  There are a variety of the stands used though out the book.

Check it out soon and enjoy!

Photograph courtesy of Martingale Publishers

Color Inspiration

Who isn't inspired by the colors of fall?  Fall makes me want to pull out a whole seasonal range of colors to play with!

What is your favorite fall color?

"Fall colors are funny.  They're so bright and intense and beautiful.  It's like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary."   - Siobhan Vivian, Same Difference

Blog Block #1 Bright Star

Quilt Blocks.  I have a whole collection of quilt block patterns that I've saved - thinking I'll use them someday.  Someday...when is that?  I've finally decided to make a sample of each block to try them out, and I'll be posting them for you to see.  Maybe you'll see one, or two or three, that you'll enjoy making too!

Here is the first block I made.  It's called Bright Star or Christmas Star.  I used 4 fabrics from the line Quilted in Honor by Island Batiks.

I thought I would make all of my blocks 6" x 6".  I may have to rethink that.  The pieces in this block are pretty small at this size.

Sneak Peek - Quilter's Newsletter Magazine

I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of a project that will be coming in a future Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.  I designed and made a table runner using these fabrics from Island Batik.  The fabric line is called Winter Wonderland and they are a lovely variety of blues.  Keep your eyes open for this project!

Island Batik Ambassador

The highlight of my year has been that I was accepted as an Ambassador for Island Batiks.  I'm very excited to work with these beautiful fabrics and promote them in different ways.  I will be bringing sneak peeks of new fabrics, new projects and published projects, so keep watching this site for the most recent posts.

This is a sneak peak at some of the new fabrics that will be coming out this fall with Island Batiks.  I get the privilege to start designing with them now!

Dreams of Winter Gold

This special edition magazine from Quilter's World is called Quilting for the Holidays/November 2014. I have a project in this called Dreams of Winter Gold.  It is a bed runner made with beautiful Silent Night fabrics from Island Batiks.

Here is a partial photo of the runner.  The fabrics have a lot of gold print in them.  I designed the project while watching the 2014 Winter Olympics.  That inspired the name of the quilt- Dreams of Winter Gold.

I also have a project called Stretched Nine Patch Place Mats in the magazine.

Quilt Storage

Do any of you have the same trouble I do - what to do with all your lovely quilts?  My husband and I had been looking around for some kind of cabinet or shelving unit to store some of my quilts.  We finally found this lovely curio cabinet at a consignment shop in our town.  We just love it.  It has has glass on the top, the front and both sides.  You can see the quilts from any side!

This unit holds about 13 quilts.  Now what to do with all the other quilts....

Tamarinis Blog Hop

Welcome to day 7 of the Tamarinis Blog Hop!  Tammy is excited about her new Craftsy class on Creating Quick Quilted Gifts. The blog hop started on July 7 with Island Batiks, and each day since has had a different blog posting projects of Tammy's using Island Batiks.

Today is my day!  Here are the beautiful fabrics that Island Batiks sent for my block.  

My assignment was to make a flower block from Tammy's pattern Mary's Contrary Garden.  My fabrics from Island Batik were fun to work with.  I loved the purple fabric with the yellow flower print and thought it would look nice in the center of the flower.  I made the flower with a darker center and went from dark to lighter fabrics. 

Tammy's flowers are trimmed to square blocks.  When I finished sewing my strips for the flower, I thought it could be an interesting hexagon block, so I trimmed my block this way.  Hexagons are really popular right now and this method would be an interesting and quick way to make them.

There are only a few more days in the blog hop, so be sure and visit the other sites and enter the Island Batik drawing for fabric and Tammy's drawing for a free class!

Here’s the lineup -

July 7 – Island Batik 
July 8 – Tammy Silvers
July 9 – Freemotion by the River
July 10 – Bejeweled Quilts
July 11 – Freemotion by the River 
July 12 – TeachPany
July 13 – Kauffman Designs- you are here
July 14 – One Quilting Circle
July 15 – Susan Vassallo Quilting Art

Tamarinis Blog Hop - Island Batik Fabris (Giveaway)

This is a special week.  Tammy Silvers has begun a class on Craftsy called "Quick Quilted Gifts".  She uses a lot of beautiful Island Batik fabrics in her projects and has joined with Island Batiks in this weeks Blog Hop.  Tammy asked several of the Island Batik Ambassadors to join her in this blog hop and showcase some of her designs.  Also, Island Batik is having a wonderful Giveaway of five one yard cuts of beautiful batiks!

Island Batik started the blog hop on Monday.  Everyday through  July 15 there is another blog site to check out.  Go to the Island Batik website:  www.islandbatik.com  and click on their blog site to enter for the fabric  drawing and see all the daily blog sites.  Tammy is also offering a chance for a free class at her site.  Check it out!

 My day to post is July 13.  Be sure to check back and see what I made with beautiful Island Batiks!

Quilt Garden 2014

The Nappanee Welcome Center Quilt Garden  this year is a school house!  The colors are great and flowers doing really well.  If anyone is traveling to Northern Indiana this summer- check out the 20 Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail!

Quilt Garden Video 2013

Here is a video that tells more about the Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail in 2013.  Our Nappanee Welcome Center garden this year was called  Nappanee..On Track. The garden portrayed a train rambling through the countryside amidst fields of flowers.  The train symbolized the Baltimore & Ohio railroad that came to town in 1874.  This was an original design by the garden committee. It took 20 volunteers two days to plant 5,472 flowers.

The video shows pictures of all 19 gardens- and short interview clips with some of the people involved with the gardens (including yours truly).

The photo below is our guilt garden and the quilt committee after it was all planted.  Gives youa little  perspective of how large the garden is when you see people in it!

Shipshewana Quilt Show

A special quilt show going on in Shipshewana Indiana this week.  Lovely display of Quilted in Honor quilts draped over antique Hudson cars.  Love the uniqueness of the display!  The quilts were made with a special line of Island Batik fabrics.

Quilt Garden 2012

Quilting and gardening often seem to go hand in hand.  Maybe it's the creative process, or just the abundance of color!  Many quilter's- myself included, enjoy gardening as well as quilting.  I've been fortunate for the past three years to be involved with the Quilt Garden  in Nappanee Indiana.  This garden was one of 19 on the Elkhart County Convention and Vistors Bureau Quilt Garden Tour in 2012.

This garden design was adapted from a pattern in my first quilt book called Piecefully Amish.  The garden is 30' x 30" and had 5,616 flowers.  It took our volunteer committee of 11 plus many other helpers two days to plant.

                  Two 6' arched buggy wheels were made and added a 3D effect in the buggy design.

Pink Elephants for Hope Quilt

This is the Pink Elephants for Hope Quilt that I designed and made for the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation this year.  The quilt is traveling around to several locations this summer where tickets are on sale. The proceeds go towards the Hope Along the Heritage Trail campaign that benefits breast cancer research and women't life skills programs.  Vickie Hunsberger volunteered her quilting talents to do the beautiful machine quilting.  The quilt is replicated in the Linton's Quilt Garden this summer.

New Island Batiks

These beautiful fabrics are the Green Tea line from Island Batiks.

Welcome

Welcome!  I am very new to the blogging world and this is my first post.  I hope to share with you in the coming days things that I may doing, things that I love and things I think you will be interested in.

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