Quilting It Forward

This week I am sewing like crazy on a new quilt for publication by McCall’s Quilting magazine. The working title is “Be Mine,” and you’ll see it in your copy of the magazine late winter 2018. In the quilting for publication experience, it has been a learning curve to anticipate seasons and holidays nine to twelve months in advance. I have to quilt it forward. In the editors’ planning, Christmas 2017 and New Years are past, and they are looking forward to magazine issues for spring and summer.

Once again the folks at Wilmington Prints have generously donated fabric for this project. I love all the textured shades of red and pink in their Essential Gems “Ruby Days” strip pack. From deep rich ruby to pastel coral pink, these hues are perfect for my Valentine quilt! (Should you need 2 1/2″ strips of red and pink, My LQS, Loving Stitches in Fayetteville NC, stocks “Ruby Days” as well as other Wilmington Prints pre-cuts.)

Back to the cutting table and sewing machine!

Magazine Winners

Last week Quiltmaker magazine hosted a virtual road rally to celebrate the release of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers, vol. 15. If you weren’t able to participate, the links are still active on the Quilty Pleasures blog.

Over 250 quilters visited my blog to view my “Cameo Appearance” block, and 113 wrote comments for a chance to win a magazine. My question for comment was “What is the ugliest fabric in your stash?” The answers were hilarious; I laughed aloud on more than one occasion! We all have “what-was-I-thinking?” fabric, don’t we?

The three winners of the drawing are Debbie D, Loriann Fish, and Dana Gaffney. I had so much fun reading all the comments, I’ve decided to give a magazine to Beth T who in my opinion wrote the most humorous description of her ugly fabric. She wrote, “I just sent mine packing! Today, I took to Goodwill some pink and purple hearts with metallic highlights. I have vague memories of thinking I would make Valentine’s Day scarves for our dogs, but then deciding the fabric was too tacky. Need I say more? Too tacky for our dogs to wear.” (I will email these ladies asking for their USPS addresses.)

If you didn’t win a magazine this time, and you can’t find one on a newsstand, visit the Quilt and Sew Shop to order a copy. The price is right! You will be inspired by 100 brand new 12″ quilt block designs.

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 15 – Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 2 of the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers, Vol. 15 blog tour! It’s a Road Rally of a tour, so after you read my blog, link to Quilty Pleasures, the Quiltmaker blog, for depictions of more blocks and links to other designers on today’s tour. Also read the details of the blog tour scavenger hunt and play along by collecting “souvenirs.”

“Cameo Appearance” is on page 39 of this volume, published bi-annually. When I make traditional quilts, I’m always on the lookout for a large scale, multi-colored print. I like to use the print within the patchwork blocks and also as an outer border. The “American Beauty” line of fabric designed by Gerri Robinson for Red Rooster is perfect for my traditional block and quilt idea.

I fussy cut the center square from the large scale print to show a stylized flower to full advantage. This is my “cameo” for the block. I hope you’ll try making this fast and fun block with similarly beautiful fabrics.

Here’s an Electric Quilt drawing of a quilt layout. Notice that the blue triangles in the corners of each block form a secondary “Shoofly” design with the red cornerstones.

For the Road Rally scavenger hunt, Quiltmaker editors asked me to describe the ugliest fabric in my stash. It is a brown calico I bought at least ten years ago for $1 a yard. Such a deal! More a fan of blue rather than brown, I have not thought of a project in which to use the fabric. I have a theory that the ugliest fabric in your stash is the one you can’t quite envision using. Am I right?

The magazine is on sale in newsstands. But if you would you like to win a free copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 15, leave a comment below. To be eligible in the drawing, you must tell me what your ugliest fabric is. I will draw the winners on May 8.

Click here to link to the Quilty Pleasures blog. Be sure to comment there, too, for a chance to win prizes.

I invite you to “follow” my blog. I’ve issued a pre-cut challenge this year with quarterly goals. Scroll through the archives to see quilts made with Fat Quarters and Quilter’s Candy in January-March. Using Jelly Rolls is the second quarter challenge. Please join the fun!

 

Quiltmaker Blog Tour – Up and Coming

Exciting news! Next week is the blog tour for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers, published bi-annually. This is Volume 15, and my block, “Cameo Appearance,” is included.

My day on the blog tour is Tuesday, May 2. Be sure to read my blog post on that day and leave a comment for a chance to win a free magazine. Also make a mental note to check out the Quiltmaker blog each day and register for quilt-y prizes. Each day of the blog tour, the Quiltmaker blog will list links to about 10 block designers’ blogs. Speaking from experience, it is fun to tour each of the blogs and read about the inspiration behind the innovative blocks.

 

 

 

 

QQ Magazine Winners

Last week you were invited to comment about my “Travel Plans” table runner which was published in the April/May 2017 issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts.  Thanks for your enthusiastic comments! Karla and Lynn won the copies graciously provided by McCall’s. (I have emailed you ladies requesting your USPS addresses.)

If you did not win this time, consider subscribing to Quick Quilts. Every other month you’ll receive a full-color, glossy magazine chock full of speedy, inspiring projects. If you prefer to order only this issue, click here to travel to the online Quilt and Sew Shop.

Did you know that most of the quilting magazines have blogs for your edification and enjoyment? This week I’ll be guest blogging for McCall’s about “Travel Plans.”  I’ll keep you posted when the date rolls around.

Thanks for all the comments recommending a quilting thread color for “Conflagration.” I appreciate your help in solving my dilemma. I have to say that Sana’s suggestion of lime green was the most unusual, and I had not thought of Lauri’s suggestion of light pink which would disappear on the white areas and blend with the orange and red areas. I will unspool all the colors you suggested onto the quilt top and by process of elimination select one. I’ll post “Conflagration” again when it’s totally finished.

Drawing for Free Magazine

Hello faithful blog readers. On Tuesday, I was so excited to tell you about the publication of my runner, “Travel Plans,” in the April/May issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts that I forgot to announce a drawing for a free magazine!

If you would like to be in the drawing, please leave a comment below saying whether you are more likely to make the runner or a set of placemats. I will draw for two winners on Saturday, March 11.

Click here if you missed my blog post about “Travel Plans.” Click here to order the April/May 2017 issue of Quick Quilts.

 

“Travel Plans” Published!

I am so excited to share the good news that my table runner design, “Travel Plans,” is published in the April/May issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts!  When designing this quilt, I experimented with elongating a “Trip Around the World” design, working with rectangles instead of squares. I also had in mind a link-up connection of the three motifs. Using my Electric Quilt computer program, I tried out various colorations of the design. McCall’s editors selected a red, white, and blue palette, but I think the design would be equally pretty with Easter, or fall, or Christmas themed fabrics.

“Travel Plans” fabrics are from Gerri Robinson’s “American Beauty” line for Red Rooster fabrics. Aren’t they gorgeous? I truly enjoyed creating the project with this red, tan, and blue collection. Click here to see McCall’s online write-up about the project.

Construction Tip:  If you press the seams of the first and third motifs as per the first picture, and press the seams of the center motif as per the second picture, the seam allowances will mesh nicely when connecting the three motifs together.

    

I quilted the runner diagonally through all the rectangles, creating a cross-hatch design. Four types of sewing guides were used:  blue water soluble marker, chalk, masking tape, and the quilting guide pictured below. In retrospect, the marker and the chalk helped me achieve the straighter lines.

“Travel Plans,” measuring at 18″ x 67,” is suitable for a sizeable table or as a bed runner. You could make it in a weekend! If you do make the project, please send me a picture. Better yet, send a picture and accompanying story line to the editors at McCall’s; they love to hear and see which projects appeal to their readership.

There is a bonus idea printed in the magazine—placemats made of just one “Travel Plans” motif each. I suggest decreasing the size of the rectangles, cutting them 2” x 2 3/4″ for this project.

If you are not a subscriber to Quick Quilts and cannot find the April/May issue at your favorite newsstand, you can order a copy from the Quilt and Sew Shop.