Field Trip!

I had a block included in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol.7’ issue this spring. A friend of mine, Renelda Peldunas Harter, also had a block in the issue. We used the opportunity to visit with several quilt shops in our region.  Visiting the shops was great fun. It was the first time I had been to a couple of the shops and they were wonderful in atmosphere and quality.

 

We each gave a talk at the shop about the blocks we had designed. We spoke of what inspired us, how we design – paper or digital, or both- and the construction the featured block. We brought samples of the featured block, a quilt, and other quilts of interest from past block entries.

 

We encouraged the attendees to try their own design process and perhaps enter them into fairs or magazines. You never know when or where the next great trend may come from.

 

The Shops we visited:

Capital Quilts, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Patches Quilting & Sewing, Mt. Airy, Maryland

Seminole Sampler, Catonsville, Maryland

The Scrappy Apple, Winchester, Virginia

I'm in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine

What a hoot! I get to say that I’m in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks magazine, Vol. 7. Each issue of this magazine the completion gets tougher. The blocks are always great; these issues are terrific resource magazines for the future quilts you know. Need a gift, pull out the magazine. Check out my blog on Friday May 3 for quilt samples designed with my block. Look for it on newsstands or your favorite quilt shop on 7 May.

Life is Good!

On Tuesday a friend of mine, Renelda Peldunas Harter, and I gave quilt demonstration. We both have blocks featured in "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 5".

We drove about 45 minutes  to Windchester, Virginia to the "Scrappy Apple" quilt shop. We each had prepared a talk about our blocks and the piecing techniques and etc. I bought my laptop computer to show color options if someone wonder how the block would look in an another color. I had print outs of placement layouts. We were ready.

I must admit I hadn't heard anything from locals  as to their attendance. I feared that no one would come. Renelda admitted her own thoughts of maybe 4 or so showing up. We arrived a few minutes early to set up a felt board and unpack our visual aids. Image our surprise that there were 6 ladies seated and waiting for us! In all we had 15 ladies attend our talk and demonstration. Questions were evidence of serious interest. The morning was very successful for ourselves, the audience and the shop. Gleefully we treated ourselves to lunch afterward. On that day, life was good!

I'm Featured in 'Quilts from 100 Blocks'

“Quilts from 100 Blocks” is a special issue released by Quiltmaker’s Magazine. Quilts featured in this issue were featured in previous volumes of the “100 Blocks” magazines.
I am pleased to say that I have a quilt featured in this special “Quilts from
100 Blocks” issue. The quilt uses my Ahoy block from Volume 1 and it turned out quite stunning. There are 18 quilts are featured and you will want to make each one. The magazine will be on the newsstands today.
Quiltmaker will be giving away 20 complimentary issues on their blog site today. Just go to www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures and look under Recent Posts for 'Rocks the Blocks'. Good Luck.

Autumn colors

Autumn is in the air! The leaves on the trees are beginning to change color. I put an Autumn quilt on top of my bed. I just finished quilting and binding the quilt this last month. I chose a pattern on my own design. The "Ahoy" pattern that appeared in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 1. My goal is make the same block in as many layouts as possible.

This quilt has fabrics with leaf prints in bright colors of greens, yellows, oranges, reds all on a cream colored background. It really perks up the room. Like many people I had been collecting the fabric for a while. A year ago I began cutting and sewing. This summer I finished quilting it with a maple leaf design. Now it is on my bed, just in time for these cool nights.