Congratulations go out to Maryellen in Franklin Square, New York! She is the winner from my segment of the Road Rally blog tour. She commented "Sweet block. I do love roses." We love roses too, Maryellen. She will be receiving her very own copy of the new issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks. Hooray, Maryellen! Enjoy your new block patterns!
Hello and welcome to my little corner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 16 Road Rally Blog Tour. I'm so glad you've taken a few minutes out of your busy day to visit me! You are rolling your virtural "road rally" car into the beautiful countryside of Henderson, North Carolina. We're at the peak of the fall foilage this week, my favorite time of the year. I love the way the bright leaf colors pop against the gray skies.
This is my block for issue 16, "Grow a Little Love". It is block #1509. The pattern for this block appears on page 12 in the applique section of the magazine.
I designed and made a small wall hanging to showcase the Grow a Little Love block. This quilt features fabrics from the Peony Passion fabric line, by Lynnea Washburn, for Northcott Fabrics.
This block would make a wonderful friend gift as a wall hanging, pillow, or sew three in a row to create a cute table runner. The possibilities are endless!
To win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, please leave a comment below. Let's make it interesting ~ what is your favorite flower? I look forward to reading your answers. The winner will be chosen randomly. Please be sure I have a way to contact you, if you should be the lucky winner.
To return to the Road Rally Blog Tour page, click here: Quilty Pleasures.
Country Quilts Magazine, Fall 2004 Issue. Used, but very good condition. 66 pages.
This beautiful issue includes 25 Best Tips for Choosing Colors, 14 Easy Cheery Patterns, Sharyn Craig's Solution for Unique Blocks, Sew Strips of Diamonds from Scraps, Great Gift All-Purpose Tote Bag, Mosaic Magic, Learn 4 Techniques Applique, Paper Piecing, Patchwork, Rotary Cutting, and more.
Our Best Seasonal Quilts is a quilt pattern book featuring quilts from the pages of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. This book is filled with beautiful quilting projects for every season.
This book is softcover, used, in fair condition. The cover of the book has a crease in it and dogeared lower right corner. You can see this slight wear in my photos. 144 pages.
This book is packed with all the valuable information you'll ever need to make each quilted item, adding that special touch here and there. Patterns, full color photos, diagrams, and detailed instructions are included to help you sew the many projects in this book. Also included is a complete chapter on quilting basics to get you started in the right direction.
The charming, Hibiscus Quilt Pattern, by Vicki Stratton. The cover quilt as shown has a sweet floral design surrounded by geometric half square triangle blocks.
The finished quilt measures approximately 48" x 58", a nice size for cuddling on the couch, a baby quilt, or as an attractive wall hanging. The applique motif can be sewn using either the fusible applique method or by traditional applique.
The charming, Dew Drops Quilt Pattern, by Ann Weber, for Gingham Girls. The cover quilt as shown has a sweet floral design over circle blocks, with a simple border.
The finished quilt measures approximately 47" x 56", a terrific size for cuddling on the couch, a baby quilt, or as a nice wall hanging. This quilt is pre-cut charm pack friendly.
The cheerful, Fanfare Log Cabin Quilt Pattern would look lovely in a variety of color schemes. The cover quilt as shown has a nice Christmas feel.
The finished quilt measures approximately 58" x 58", a terrific size for cuddling on the couch, or as a nice wall hanging. The blocks are constructed using an easy template method.
Don't forget, Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks blog tour is coming up the first week of May. Join me here on May 2nd to see my block reveal and win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 15.
Yes folks! It's that time of year again. Time for the Spring Issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks & blog tour. Mark your calendar for May 1st through 5th. You'll want to carve out a little "me time" with a cup of coffee, your favorite treat, and a computer to visit all the stops on the blog tour each day.
It's fun to visit all the block designers, be inspired, and have a chance to win great quilty prizes, too! Here's a sneaky peek at the cover of the new issue. My block is on the cover this time, but I can't reveal which one it is until May 2nd - be sure to stop by!
Just a little quilting eye candy for you today. I switched out two of the quilts in my upstairs landing this week. This one is Silhouette, featuring the Silhouette block from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.
This quilt is from a Mystery Quilt-A-Long I participated in a few years ago. It's too big to show the whole quilt on this rack, so I have it folded into quarters. Have you changed your quilts recently? It's truly amazing how hanging a different quilt up can change the whole feel of a room. Try it today!
Congratulations goes out to Just Pam, the winner of a brand new issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 14. Pam commented, "I like the gray and scrappy version best."
Thanks, everyone for participating. It was fun to read all the comments about color combos. If you weren't lucky enough to win a copy of Volume 14, you can pick one up at your local quilt shop, or order online here: 100 Blocks, Volume 14.
Coming soon! Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 14 and the blog tour, too. Be sure to mark your calendar for the week of November 14th through 18th and visit Quiltmaker's blog, Quilty Pleasures each day of the tour for a list of participating blogs and a chance to win fabulous quilty prizes! If you've never done a blog tour before, you are in for a treat.
Here's a peek at the cover of the upcoming issue. I'll be giving away a copy on my day, Friday, November 18th (also my birthday - how cool is that?). I'll also be revealing my block for this issue, and maybe a surprise or two. See you then!
I'm reworking this pattern. Many quilters have contacted me and requested the pattern for the original quilt, "South Shore Road" which appeared as a series quilt in Quiltmaker magazine in 2004.
I've changed it a bit, lightening up the background sky color, simplifying the border, and using quick piecing directions. The quilt will be a small wall hanging size, 32" x 39".
This is a really fun project to use your scraps. There is a variety of colors and small pieces. I had a lot of fun going through my stash to choose fabulous fabrics, like this bright orange.
*Ruler tip! - Use a ruler size just large enough to accommodate your pieces. This will help you to control ruler slipping while cutting.
I keep my pieces organized by separating them into individual sandwich zipper bags and labelling each piece with a small paper. On the paper, I put the color, patch size, and patch identification number.
As I cut and sort, all my pieces go into a plastic box. The box is labelled with the project name. I also keep any extra fabric in the box with the project, just in case I need to cut another piece. It's so much easier to pull the fabric out of my project box, than to go through my whole stash frantically looking for it again. I was able to choose all the fabrics for this quilt and cut most of them out all in one day.
Hello quilters! Welcome to my little segment of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 13 Blog Tour. I can't believe we're up to 13 issues of 100 Blocks already! Here's my block for this issue, Evening Bloom. It's in the applique section, on page 14. If you love applique as much as I do, this block will be fun to sew! I believe there are 67 pieces? Count them if you want to.
I made my block with these gorgeous fabrics - Wool Needle Flannels III by Primitive Gatherings for Moda Fabrics. So delicious!
I used a green tone on tone plaid for the bias stems. To make the stems, cut the fabric 1-1/4" wide on the bias, fold in half, and sew a tiny seam along the length of the strip. Press the seam under and voila! - you are ready to applique.
To help with stem placement, I drew a four by four grid with chalk onto my background piece. I did not have to remove the markings later, they were gone by the time I was finished sewing the stems down.
Next, I used tiny applique pins to secure the stem in place, and stitched it to the background fabric.
I applied the flowers, leaves, and berries using the fusible applique method - always fun!
To keep my pieces separated while I work, I put them into little zipper sandwich bags as soon as I cut them out.
Here you can see the stems sewn in place and the flowers, berries, and a few of the small leaves after fusing. I prefer to fuse a few at a time, rather than trying to lay out all the pieces at once. I just give them a quick tap with the iron at this stage, so if I need to move anything I still can. I give everything a final fuse when all the pieces are in place.
Here is a close up pic of the berries and leaves.
After all the pieces are fused in place, I like to go around each patch with matching thread and a zigzag stitch. You can just barely see the stitching here, on the bud and leaves.
Here is the completed block, once again, Evening Bloom. I hope you enjoyed seeing my creative process and maybe learned a tip or two for sewing my block.
And now for the giveaway! If you would like your very own copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 13, please leave a comment below, and let's make it interesting. Please comment about who taught you to quilt. I'll choose a random winner at the end of the blog tour. Please be sure I have a way to contact you, should you be the lucky one.
To return to the blog tour, and more quilty inspiration, click here: Quilty Pleasures.
Thank you, Quiltmaker magazine! This handy tote bag arrived in my mailbox yesterday. How nice. Quiltmaker sent them out to everyone who worked on 100 Blocks, Volume 12.
It's fun to see all the blocks together on the front of the bag. I found my block, Pinwheel Flowers in the lower right hand corner, right over the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks label.
Here's a close up of the Pinwheel Flowers block. The pattern to sew my block, plus 99 other amazing quilt blocks, is available in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12 - on sale now.
If you still haven't picked up a copy, I have two copies left for sale in the Curlicue Creations shop, here: Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12. Get 'em before they disappear!
Time for a little update on my UFO project. I'm sewing a quilt using my tester blocks from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 4. This is the top half of the quilt, enjoying a little bit of backyard sunshine.
This setting was difficult to piece together. So many triangle squares facing different directions! I was so relieved to sew on the final strip.
This is the bottom half of the top. I like the way the setting plays with the block in the lower right hand corner. They really link together nicely.
So...I just need to sew one more seam and then add a solid border or two. What would you sew for the borders? Any brilliant suggestions? Please leave a comment below.
Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12 in the popular 100 Blocks Series of special issues from Quiltmaker Magazine. This magazine features 100 blocks from today's top designers, and how to make them, plus some great quilts featuring these blocks.
This issue includes my block, #1160, Pinwheel Flowers. The other 99 blocks are all enchanting, must sew blocks, as usual. There is such an unbelievable variety of designs and quilting techniques in each issue of the 100 Blocks series.
Sew News 6226 from McCall's Misses One or Two Piece Dress pattern, sizes 16, 18, and 20.
Adorn your self in this classic style dress in four variations. From the Fashion Collection, this pattern is Petite-Able, and includes optional directions for overlock serger sewing. All dresses feature darts, long sleeves, shoulder pads, and top stitched facings. Options include corded piping, front and neckbands, skirt with back zipper, and skirt with fabric band at lower edge.
Picture yourself wearing this cute little ensemble to the office, church, or on a dinner date. This outfit will inspire you to be confident, plus, you can say you made it yourself!
This pattern is in uncut, factory folded condition. The envelope is a little worn. Vintage 1992.
Bust 38, 40, 42 Waist 30, 32, 34 Hip 40, 42, 44 Back waist length 16-3/4, 17, 17-1/4
Simplicity 7501, Misses, Men's, and Teen Boys Jams pattern, size medium.
Adorn your self in these classic beach style shorts and pants in three lengths. Easy to sew, this unisex pattern features side seam pockets, and elastic and cording drawstring waists. Bermuda and short length versions also feature back patch pockets. An additional version (4) can be sewn with two contrasting fabrics.
Picture yourself wearing this cute little shorts to a picnic at the lake, out shopping, or even just enjoying your home. This piece will inspire you to be confident, plus, you can say you made it yourself!
This pattern is in uncut, factory folded condition. The envelope is a little worn. Vintage 1986.
McCall's 5399, misses top and wall caddy pattern, sizes 10, and 12.
Adorn your self in this classic style blouse. This pattern features elastic neckline, bow, and raglan sleeves. Can also be sewn with elastic waistline option. Bonus craft pattern included to sew a hanging wall caddy featuring contrast pockets with elastic casings.
Picture yourself wearing this cute little top to a picnic at the lake, out shopping, or even just enjoying your home. This piece will inspire you to be confident, plus, you can say you made it yourself!
This pattern is in uncut, factory folded condition. The envelope is a little worn. Vintage 1976.
Bust 32-1/2, 34 Waist 25, 26-1/2 Hip 34-1/2, 36 Back-neck to waist 16, 16-1/4
For all this and other amazing sewing finds and quilting fabrics, please visit the Curlicue Creations Shop.
Congratulations, Michele! You will receive your own copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12.
Michele was chosen by "ye olde" random number generator.
Michele's comment to the question, "What is your favorite tradional quilt block?" was answered, "A log cabin quilt was the first quilt I made and I still love the block. Cute flowers..."
If you are curious, Log Cabin was the most popular answer to my question, and many of you, like Michele, stated it was the first quilt block you learned to sew.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12, I have it for sale in my shop here: Curlicue Creations Shop.
Hello! Welcome to my little segment of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12 Blog Tour. I'm so glad you're here, visiting my blog home. If I could, I'd offer you a warm cup of cocoa and a cookie.
This is my block for the issue, Pinwheel Flowers. It appears on page 37 of the magazine, Block #1160. At the end of my post I'll give you a chance to win your very own copy of Volume 12.
Let's talk a bit about backgrounds and using directional fabrics today. For the Pinwheel Flowers block, I used a cloud print fabric. As I cut out the pieces for the background, I made sure all my clouds were "floating" in the same direction. You can see here that they don't have to fit together exactly at the seams to get a good sky effect.
I played with the block's background in this version, using a "sunrise/sunset" style fabric. All these pieces were cut from one fat quarter. I laid the pieces out on a design wall as I cut them to keep them in order. It only takes a little bit of planning to use directional fabrics effectively, and they can add fun and fabulous dimension to your blocks.
This is the completed sunrise/sunset version of the Pinwheel Flowers block.
You can easily change the mood of this block by simply using different background fabrics. Pinwheel Flowers seem to glow at night with this dramatic dark blue version.
Pinwheel Flowers on a sunny day can be sewn by using a light yellow fabric for the background. What a happy feeling the yellow background creates.
In this version I made the flowers three different colors. Notice how I kept the light, medium, and dark values the same in each flower. This is a great way to use a variety of colors and still have a balanced look.
What can you do with the Pinwheel Flowers block? You can sew a few together and grow a garden of flowers - or a whole field of flowers.
I sewed a strip of four Pinwheel Flowers blocks together, and combined them with a few more strips of fabric, and pieced pinwheel strips to make this happy wall hanging. It's hanging in my studio today, right over my quilting machine.
If you haven't already seen it, here's the cover of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 12. Pinwheel Flowers actually made the cover, along with so many other fabulous blocks - awesome! Thank you, Quiltmaker.
To win your very own copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, leave a comment below. Let's make it interesting, please comment about your favorite traditional quilt block. Be sure I have a way to contact you, should you be the lucky one.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to visit the other designers on the tour all week - you can return to the list at Quiltmaker's blog here: Quilty Pleasures.
