My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month Part 2B

I know that I said the machine appliqué lesson was next, but my machine was acting up and I had to have it cleaned and checked--thanks Kurt! So, in the meantime, I've been working on getting more blocks ready. As you can see on Amy's directions that are listed at the bottom of the placement sheets, she starts at Step 5. You have already prepared your appliqué pieces and are ready to fuse them into place.

Amy has done a terrific job giving you the order of placement for the appliqué pieces. However, I found that in some cases it helps to pre-construct some units. Place the pieces on the Appliqué Presser Sheet or the release paper from the fusible web, press in place and they will release when cool. I also have found that I like to mark some of the detail lines before I fuse the pieces together.

So, with that said, here are my hints for pre-constructing and pre-marking the first eight blocks...................

Front of bus
Pre-construct
Mirror supports and mirrors
Inside and outside of all lights
Top of bus and windshield
Bottom of bus and grills
Pre-mark
Detail lines for abc

A
Pre-construct
Paintbrush and letter a
Face and hair
Collar and bow
Pre-mark
Nose, mouth, eye position, detail lines of hair ties and bows

B
Pre-construct
Hat and brim
Face and hair
Pre-mark
Nose, eye position, bubbles, and bandage detail lines

C
Pre-construct
Camera pieces
Pre-mark
Mouth, eye, detail lines for fingers and bow

D
Pre-construct
Top of hair, headband pieces, and reflector
Face and right and left hair
Pre-mark
Nose, mouth, and eye position

E
Pre-construct
Outside and inside of earphones and earphone wire
Pre-mark
Nose, mouth, and eye position

F
Pre-construct
Frog and frog eyes
Pre-mark
Nose, frog mouth, frog chin, eye positions for girl and frog, and bows

G
Pre-construct
Goggle, goggle lenses, goggles straps, and buckle
Pre-mark
Nose, mouth, and eye position

Cut the fabric for the backgrounds
From your background fabric, cut seven strips 11 1/2". Cut each of these strips into four blocks 9 1/2" x 11 1/2". I like to treat my backgrounds with a couple layers of spray starch to make them extra crisp so that they naturally act like they have been stabilized.

Follow step 8 of Amy's directions
Read the instructions directly below the block placement sheet for any specific instructions for Step 8. On a light table, put a 9 1/2" x 11 1/2" fabric block background right side up over a block placement sheet. There should be approximately 1/2" of extra fabric around the block. Place applique pieces and/or pre-constructed units in place on fabric background aligning with placement sheet. Fuse into place.

There is lots of preparation for the applique to go smoothly, but well worh the effort. I will give you the order in which Iwill applique the pieces next as well as post photos of the actual applique process (as soon as I can find one of my 3 pairs of magnifier glasses).

Hunting for my glasses so that I can be back soon,
Lynda

My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month Part 2a

I'm sooooo excited for My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month!!!

Because there is so much to talk about this first month, I am going to break the information up into a few blogs. I have a few of My Alphabet Quilt pattern and book and two different kits to get you started. The first kit is a Skintones Kit--I have one available. It includes 4 different mottled fabrics for the faces and hands. These will be the exact fabrics that I will be using, in fact, I accidentally used the wrong side of the fleshtone fabric for my artist's face--ooops, but it turned out fine and it gave me another choice. The second kit is the background/border kit which includes the white-on-white for the block backgrounds and borders, as well as the turquoise and the red--I have a few of these available. The fabrics may change but I will try to stay true to the colors. If you would like the pattern or the kits, please email me--address below.

Getting organized:

Pre-washing your fabric is a personal choice. We hardly ever pre-wash because we start projects at work and don't take the time. I am not pre-washing my fabric and I realize that the fabrics could possibly run. I will use Shout Color Catchers when I wash the quilt and not allow the quilt to soak.

Cut placement sheets and pattern sheets apart. Set placement sheets aside for now. There are many fusible products on the market. This project requires that you have a least one side covered in paper that you can trace on. The two that I use are Wonder Under and Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite. I like them both, although SaS 2 Lite creates a better bond because there is more fusible that comes in contact with the fabric. Whatever fusible product you use, be sure to read and follow the directions on the package.

Tracing the pattern pieces:

Place your fusible product over your pattern sheet with the paper side up. Leave at least 1/4" between pattern pieces. Using a Sewline pencil in black, I trace all of the pieces from the pattern sheets onto my fusible web. I cut them out roughly--DO NOT CUT ON PENCIL LINE, but at least 1/8" away from it. I place them in a repurposed spiral notebook that I have marked with the alphabet letters, one set of pattern pieces per page.

If you want a softer feel for your appliqué blocks, trim out the inside of your fusible pattern pieces, about 1/8" inside of penciled line. I especially recommend this on any pieces that have many layers such as C is for Camera. Save these larger cutout pieces to trace smaller patterns, therefore saving on the amount of fusible that you will be needing. Be especially careful when trimming out the letters. Leave a bridge to connect the inner cutout pieces in letters such as "a and b" (see letter b below).

Some light fabrics placed over dark fabrics (such as the letter "m" where the dark fabric might show through the light skin) would benefit from lining the light fabric. To line the light fabric, iron a piece of fusible web to the wrong side of the light fabric, peel the paper off and iron to a separate piece of white fabric. Then treat this bonded fabric as one fabric. I will let you know which pieces I have lined.

Press fusible pattern pieces to fabric:

Place the pattern piece on the wrong side of your chosen fabric and press according to the fusible web instructions. Let cool. Now, cut out the pattern pieces on the pencil line. I find the Fiskar's Curved Scissors allows me to cut smoothly and accurately and can flip over to cut inside or outside curves.

Pattern Placement and Details:

This is where the Applique Presser Sheet (APS) pays for itself! Place the Letter Placement Sheet on an ironing board. Place the APS over it. Read the instructions directly below the block placement sheet for specific instructions from step 5 (refer back to the main Instruction Sheet for any steps not listed). Remove the paper backing from the fused pattern pieces. Place them in numerical oder on the APS using the placement sheet as your guide. Press as you go and the pieces will stick to the APS. When all pieces are placed, press again. Let cool. (Hmmm-I just noticed that I lost a bow for her braid-back to the ironing board).

Mark the detail lines and eye dots with a Sewline Pencil in a color that contrasts with the fabric. Peel the applique away from the APS. Place the entire piece on your background rectangle and press into place.

If you don't have an APS, lay your background fabric over the placement sheet and center it. Place your applique pieces in order on the background and press into place. A light box might be helpful for placement, but do not press your pieces on it. Mark the detail lines and eye dots as described above.

Next up, Part 2b, Applique

If you have any questions as we go along please add a comment to the end of the blog entry or email me at millilyn@aol.com.

Back at you soon,

Lynda

My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month part 1

It's time to gather some notions to help you with this project. Here are some of my favorites!

Sewline Fabric Pencils--the best marking pencils I've ever used. The specially formulated ceramic lead gives a clear, easily marked fine line on fabrics. If needed, lines are easily removed from most fabrics with the special Sewline Eraser or by dabbing with a damp cloth or washing. Pencils are available with five different colors of lead--black, white, yellow, green, and pink. Lead refills are also available. For this project I am using the black and the yellow pencils.

The Applique Pressing Sheet--I have at least 3 of these sheets. It is a transparent reusable Non-stick Pressing Sheet, Craft Sheet, or Pressing Cloth. For this project it will allow you to fuse your designs together as one unit using your placement pattern as a guide! I love them and can't do without them!

Fiskars Curved Blade Scissor--these scissors help to keep your threads clipped as close to your work as possible without cutting your fabric. They also make cutting curves on your appliqué pieces a snap! Flip them over in your hand for inside and outside curves.

Clover Soft Touch Steel Crochet Hook or Soft Touch Thread Pick--this amazing little tiny hook will pull your threads to the back of your work as easy as pie so that you can tie your threads off! Self-Threading Needles will also work but sometimes I forget to leave a long enough thread to pop into the needle.

Clover Seam Ripper--my favorite seam ripper. Now don't tell but I, too, have to rip seams out now and again. Seam rippers do get dull--just like any blades. Treat yourself to a fresh, sharp blade with an easy to hold handle.

4-in-1 Essential Sewing Tool--this is a tool from Alex Anderson and C&T publishing. The tool includes a Bernina Seam Ripper, a Flat-ended presser, a Pointed End Cap, and an extra-long Stiletto.

Bendable Bright Light--I don't think that I could get along without this, anymore. Attach it to your sewing machine, adjust it so the bright light centers on your presser foot area to stitch and adjust it to center on your project to pull your threads to the back. I love it!

Mary Ellen's Best Press--the Clear Starch Alternative with Soil Guard and Wrinkle Remover--leaves no residue, acid-free, makes ironing easier, gives crisp seams to patchwork.

Mettler Thread--size 50, color 0618 Dark Brown--all of the applique is stitched with this thread.

Find all of these notions at your local quilt store or online, let me know if I can be of any help. Well, I'm off to gather my fabrics.

I have some Block and border fabric kits and one Skin tone kit available and the My Alphabet Quilt patterns if anyone is interested--just email me. Fat quarters and scraps will work for the appliques.

Lynda

Heartwarming Possibilities

C&T Publishing just released our newest pattern packet--Heartwarming Possibilities! This pattern packet includes 4 quilt projects to celebrate family and friends. The projects, a quilt, two wallhangings, and a tote, combine piecing with easy fusible applique--a Possibilities signature. The row quilt, approx 62 x 75" includes the verse "Friendship is the thread that stitches the world together" on the bottom row.

The Heartwarming Possibilities pattern packet will be available in mid November. Check your local quilt store, or contact C&T Publishing at http://www.ctpub.com/.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all who made this pattern packet come together!The quilt was designed several years ago and just didn't fit into any of our books. We would bring it out at design meetings and end up tucking it away again and again. We were thrilled when C&T came up with this pattern packet format that fit this quilt to a "T". Thanks to Amy and Lynn and everyone else involved in this project at C&T for believing in us!

Thanks to everyone at Possibilities who worked on these projects--Susie, Lexie, Sharon, Jane, and Ann. (I hope I didn't forget anyone) Thanks to Merrie for the beautiful quilting.

Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith
Possibilities

My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month, Part 2B

I know that I said the machine appliqué lesson was next, but my machine was acting up and I had to have it cleaned and checked--thanks Kurt! So, in the meantime, I've been working on getting more blocks ready. As you can see on Amy's directions that are listed at the bottom of the placement sheets, she starts at Step 5. You have already prepared your appliqué pieces and are ready to fuse them into place.

Amy has done a terrific job giving you the order of placement for the appliqué pieces. However, I found that in some cases it helps to pre-construct some units. Place the pieces on the Appliqué Presser Sheet or the release paper from the fusible web, press in place and they will release when cool. I also have found that I like to mark some of the detail lines before I fuse the pieces together.

So, with that said, here are my hints for the first eight blocks...................

Letter a
I would mark the bow knot and tails; the eyes, nose, mouth; and the circles for the hair fasteners. I pre-constructed the paintbrush, and the collar and bow.

Letter b
I marked the eyes, nose, Band-Aid lines, fingers and bubble circles. I pre-constructed the hat, hat brim, and hair; and the hand, thumb, and bubble blower as one unit. After fusing pieces to the background, finish marking the bubble circles.

Letter c
Mark the eye, mouth, hair bow, and fingers. Pre-construct the camera as one unit.

Letter d
Mark the eyes, nose, and mouth. Pre-construct the headbands, top of hair, and reflector. You can also pre- construct the hair right, hair left, and face.

Letter e
Mark the eyes, nose, and mouth. Pre-construct the outside and inside of both earphones with the earphone wire.

Letter f
Mark the girl's eyes, nose, mouth and hair bows. Also mark the frog's eyes, mouth, and chin. Pre-construct the hair, frog, and frog eyes as a unit.

Letter g
Mark the eyes, nose, and mouth. Pre-construct the goggle lenses, goggles, goggle strap, and buckle as a unit.

Bus front
Mark "abc" on the top of the bus. Construct the top of the bus, the windshield, the mirror supports, and the mirrors as one unit. Construct the bottom of the bus, the bumper, the wheels, the stop sign support, and the Stop sign as a second unit.

Cut the fabric for the backgrounds.
From your background fabric, cut seven strips 11 1/2". Cut each of these strips into four blocks 9 1/2" x 11 1/2". I like to treat my backgrounds with a couple layers of Spray Starch to make them extra crisp so that they naturally act like they have been stabilized.

Follow step 8 of Amy's directions. Read the instructions directly below the block placement sheet for any instructions specific for Step 8. On a light table, put a 9 1/2 x 11 1/2" fabric block background right side up over a block placement sheet. There should be approximately 1/2" of extra fabric around the block. Place appliqué pieces and/or pre-constructed units in place on fabric background aligning with placement sheet. Fuse into place.

Lots of preparation for the applique to go smoothly, but well worth the effort. I will give you the order in which I will applique the pieces next.

We were able to put together a button kit for the eyes. The kit contains 50 small black buttons and one larger black button for the eye under the magnifying glass. It is $8.99 and is in limited supply. Click here for more information.

I'll be back soon,
Lynda

My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month, Part 2a

I'm sooooo excited to start My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month!!!

Because there is so much to talk about this first month, I am going to break the information up into a few blogs. We have made available on our website the My Alphabet Quilt pattern and book and two different kits to get you started. The first kit is our Skintones Kit. It includes 4 different mottled fabrics for the faces and hands. These will be the exact fabrics that I will be using, in fact, I accidentally used the wrong side of the fleshtone fabric for my artist's face--ooops, but it turned out fine and it gave me another choice. The second kit is the background/border kit which includes the white-on-white for the block backgrounds and borders, as well as the turquoise and the red. The fabrics may change but I will try to stay true to the colors. For more information on the kits and patterns, click here. There are also links on that page to the notions and tools that I will refer to.

Getting organized:

Pre-washing your fabric is a personal choice. We hardly ever pre-wash because we start projects at work and don't take the time. I am not pre-washing my fabric and I realize that the fabrics could possibly run. I will use Shout Color Catchers when I wash the quilt and not allow the quilt to soak.

Cut placement sheets and pattern sheets apart. Set placement sheets aside for now. There are many fusible products on the market. This project requires that you have a least one side covered in paper that you can trace on. The two that I use are Wonder Under and Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite. I like them both, although SaS 2 Lite creates a better bond because there is more fusible that comes in contact with the fabric. Whatever fusible product you use, be sure to read and follow the directions on the package.

Tracing the pattern pieces:

Place your fusible product over your pattern sheet with the paper side up. Leave at least 1/4" between pattern pieces. Using a Sewline Pencil in black, I trace all of the pieces from the pattern sheets onto my fusible web. I cut them out roughly--DO NOT CUT ON PENCIL LINE, but at least 1/8" away from it. I place them in a repurposed spiral notebook that I have marked with the alphabet letters, one set of pattern pieces per page.

If you want a softer feel for your appliqué blocks, trim out the inside of your fusible pattern pieces, about 1/8" inside of penciled line. I especially recommend this on any pieces that have many layers such as C is for Camera. Save these larger cutout pieces to trace smaller patterns, therefore saving on the amount of fusible that you will be needing. Be especially careful when trimming out the letters. Leave a bridge to connect the inner cutout pieces in letters such as "a and b" (see letter b below).



Some light fabrics placed over dark fabrics (such as the letter "m" where the dark fabric might show through the light skin) would benefit from lining the light fabric. To line the light fabric, iron a piece of fusible web to the wrong side of the light fabric, peel the paper off and iron to a separate piece of white fabric. Then treat this bonded fabric as one fabric. I will let you know which pieces I have lined.

Press fusible pattern pieces to fabric:

Place the pattern piece on the wrong side of your chosen fabric and press according to the fusible web instructions. Let cool. Now, cut out the pattern pieces on the pencil line. I find the Fiskar's Curved Scissor allows me to cut smoothly and accurately and can flip over to cut inside or outside curves.




Pattern Placement and Details:

This is where the Applique Presser Sheet (APS) pays for itself! Place the Letter Placement Sheet on an ironing board. Place the APS over it. Read the instructions directly below the block placement sheet for specific instructions from step 5 (refer back to the main Instruction Sheet for any steps not listed). Remove the paper backing from the fused pattern pieces. Place them in numerical oder on the APS using the placement sheet as your guide. Press as you go and the pieces will stick to the APS. When all pieces are placed, press again. Let cool. (Hmmm-I just noticed that I lost a bow for her braid-back to the ironing board).

Mark the detail lines and eye dots with a Sewline pencil in a color that contrasts with the fabric. Peel the applique away from the APS. Place the entire piece on your background rectangle and press into place.

If you don't have an APS, lay your background fabric over the placement sheet and center it. Place your applique pieces in order on the background and press into place. A light box might be helpful for placement, but do not press your pieces on it. Mark the detail lines and eye dots as described above.

Next up, Part 2b, Applique

If you have any questions as we go along please add a comment to the end of the blog entry or email me at millilyn@aol.com.

Back at you soon,

Lynda

My Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month, Part 1

It's time to gather some notions to help you with this project. Here are some of my favorites!

Sewline Fabric Pencils--the best marking pencils I've ever used. The specially formulated ceramic lead gives a clear, easily marked fine line on fabrics. If needed, lines are easily removed from most fabrics with the special Sewline Eraser or by dabbing with a damp cloth or washing. Pencils are available with five different colors of lead--black, white, yellow, green, and pink. Lead refills are also available. For this project I am using the black and the yellow pencils.

The Applique Pressing Sheet--I have at least 3 of these sheets. It is a transparent reusable Non-stick Pressing Sheet, Craft Sheet, or Pressing Cloth. For this project it will allow you to fuse your designs together as one unit using your placement pattern as a guide! I love them and can't do without them!

Fiskars Curved Blade Scissor--these scissors help to keep your threads clipped as close to your work as possible without cutting your fabric. They also make cutting curves on your appliqué pieces a snap! Flip them over in your hand for inside and outside curves.

Clover Soft Touch Steel Crochet Hook or Soft Touch Thread Pick--this amazing little tiny hook will pull your threads to the back of your work as easy as pie so that you can tie your threads off! Self-Threading Needles will also work but sometimes I forget to leave a long enough thread to pop into the needle.

Clover Seam Ripper--my favorite seam ripper. Now don't tell but I, too, have to rip seams out now and again. Seam rippers do get dull--just like any blades. Treat yourself to a fresh, sharp blade with an easy to hold handle.

4-in-1 Essential Sewing Tool--this is a fairly new tool from Alex Anderson and C&T publishing. The tool includes a Bernina Seam Ripper, a Flat-ended presser, a Pointed End Cap, and an extra-long Stiletto.

Bendable Bright Light--I don't think that I could get along without this, anymore. Attach it to your sewing machine, adjust it so the bright light centers on your presser foot area to stitch and adjust it to center on your project to pull your threads to the back. I love it!

Mary Ellen's Best Press--the Clear Starch Alternative with Soil Guard and Wrinkle Remover--leaves no residue, acid-free, makes ironing easier, gives crisp seams to patchwork.

Mettler Thread--size 50, color 0618 Dark Brown--all of the applique is stitched with this thread.

Find all of these notions on our website, or call, or email me and I will help you find them.

Well, I'm off to gather my fabrics. We will be kitting a basic kit with the white-on-white fabric, the turquoise, and the red fabrics, as well as a kit for 4 skin tones. These should be ready in a few days. Fat quarters and scraps will work for most everything else.

I'll be back in a day or two to remind you of what else you need to gather so that we are ready to start January 1st.

Lynda

Baby Boy Blue in a Box and My First Favorite Notion

I'm going to share with you two of my favorite things--my favorite baby and my favorite notion. Here is my favorite baby! His grandma, Nancy, popped him in this cardboard box lined with a quilt that matched his outfit! He was very content (as long as grandma kept moving) while grandma carried him through the store to say a big hello to everyone. Kian is Nancy's youngest daughter, Laura's newest boy. He has two big brothers who absolutely adore him. It's a treat for us all when Laura stops in to visit or to work. Thanks, Kian, for letting me get a quick photo!

Now, on to my favorite notions. One of my very favorite's (could not live without) is an Applique Pressing Sheet. This double-sided sheet is made from an ultra high temperature fabric that is coated with non-stick Polylon. We carry it in two sizes--13 x 17" and 18 x 20". The sheet has many uses. It can be used as a craft and painting surface. Paint and glue peel off easily when dry. It can also be used in the oven to bake shrink-art, clay, and salt dough projects. MY FAVORITE USE, though, is for fusing applique pieces together. The transparent construction allows me to see my pattern through the sheet to use as a placement guide while I fuse overlapping pieces together into one unit. Fused fabrics peel right off the sheet. I also use it to protect my ironing board cover when I am fusing fabric. I have both sizes and I've also cut a second large one into two smaller pieces.

Call the store, or check our website for pricing and availability. If we don't have them in stock, leave a request because we order both sizes often.

If there is a notion you would like to recommend or to learn about, please leave me a comment. All of the notions that I will be showing you will be great to have if you join me for the Alphabet Quilt Blog of the Month.

Happy Stitching,

Lynda

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

Tomorrow starts the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour Sneak Peek. Every day through Nov. 12th, you can check in with approximately a dozen designers to hear their thoughts about the design process and/or to get a free pattern that uses their original block. AND lots of prizes will be given away by the folks at Quiltmaker as well as by the block designers.

Our blog day is Thursday the 11th and ... did I mention that lots of prizes will be given away? I am designing a tablerunner pattern that you can download for free that uses our Spring Flowers applique block.

These magazines are truly Collector's Editions and feature today's top designers as well as up and coming newbies. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks will be on the newstand November 16th, but until then enjoy the sneak peeks.

Back to designing,

Lynda

Another Patchwork Lottery Winner

Ginny Grimes, from Morrison, CO, won the Patchwork Lottery blocks in January this year. The block was a split 9-patch and one side was to be light and medium light blues and the other side, darks and medium dark blues. Ginny put it together in a Barn Raising setting.

The quilt is beautiful and Ginny got to pick the Possibilities book of her choice for bringing it in and sharing it with us and she chose Home for the Harvest.

Thanks Ginny!

Lynda and Nancy

Patchwork Lottery

Here at the store we do a Patchwork Lottery every month. We post a pattern on our website (or you can pick up a free pattern in the store). Anyone who wants to participate makes at least one block and returns it to us. For each block you make you get an entry to win all of the blocks. On the last day of the month a winner is chosen.

Bess Lantz from Beatrice, NB won 29 blocks in the May Patchwork Lottery. She made one extra block and set the quilt together with yellow sashing and a dark blue border. The block is named Prairie Queen. We think the quilt is lovely and we thank her for sharing the picture with us. And, by the way, if you do make a quilt and send us the picture you get your choice of an autographed Possibilities book--nice prize!


If you are interested in participating in our Patchwork Lottery click here to go to the link on our homepage. September's block is a pretty red apple with blue sashing and we have already received several blocks.

Thank you Bess for sharing your quilt!
Happy stitching,
Lynda and Nancym

It's finally here, Rocky Mountain Shop Hop 2010!!!!!!!!!!

We have 7 shops in our Rocky Mountain Quilt Fever Shop Hop. The Hop lasts for 3 days-- Friday, August 6th through Sunday, August 8th, 2010.

This year each shop chose a patchwork block and made two of them. We also chose two reproduction fabrics in the same colorway--one medium and one dark. In our case we colored our block in two different ways. One of our blocks is in the upper right hand corner. See if you can find it's match. We were then free to design an exclusive setting for our quilt. As you can see from the picture, we have more than 14 blocks. We chose one of the blocks and made 3 more for the setting blocks in the corners. All of the light fabric in the blocks and border of our quilt is the light combination of the exclusive toile fabric. It made for a very nice background for the patchwork as well as the applique.


Hoppers go to each store, buy a kit to make two blocks (or get the pattern for free) and choose their favorite quilt setting. I've seen most of the settings and they are all unique, but guess which one I feel is the prettiest?

We will have some great demos going on and lots of new product. Nancy is especially excited about a new ruler called Leaves Galore. She has put together a wonderful storyboard showing some of the great things this ruler can do. Several of us want the set of 3, but we will wait until Shop Hop is over to see if there are any left.

We hope to see many of you during the next few days and if you can't come, check back here and we will let you know how it turned out.

Happy Hopping,

Lynda

P.S. Check the blog below for close-up pictures of the exclusive Toile fabric from RJR and our website for close-ups of the blocks. http://www.greatamericanquilt.com/

Christmas in July

Merry Christmas everyone! Christmas in July at Great American Quilt Factory, starts this Sunday, July 18th and goes through Saturday, July 24th. Customers in the store and online will enjoy 20% savings off of anything Christmas. What a great time to start your Christmas sewing.

Just in time for Christmas in July is our newest pattern No Peeking. This delightful wallhanging/banner is approx. 14 x 40".

No Peeking's bright colors and simple patchwork and applique make this a perfect gift.

We have a ton of Christmas fabric and Nancy and the design team have stitched up lots and lots of stitching friendly panel quilts. See some of them on the website http://www.greatamericanquilt.com/.

Also on display in the store are several of the models from our newest C&T book Christmas with Possibilities.
Christmas with Possibilities is truly a lovely book filled with 16 holiday projects--some old fav's from out of print books and some wonderful new projects! If you can make it into the store, I'm sure you will enjoy seeing the actual quilts and projects.

Last, but not least, become a fan of Great American Quilt Factory on Facebook for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. We have already given away 2 and are giving away at least one more when we reach our 1000th fan. Go to Great American Quilt Factory and click on "Like" at the top of the page next to our name. Good Luck!

Happy stitching,

Lynda

Kathie Savickas' Christmas Quilt

We were treated on Monday to a special visit by Kathie Savickas, who lives in California. Her daughter lives in the Denver area, so she visits the store whenever she's in Denver. Awhile back, she decided she wanted to make a Christmas quilt. One of our ladies led her to our Seasonal Delights book that has a Christmas Sampler with a Santa Claus. The book also contains two other samplers--one with Uncle Sam, and one with a witch. Kathie creatively decided that the witch could turn into Mrs. Santa and enlarged the quilt to include her, also.

Here is her finished quilt. She repeated some blocks and created new ones, too. We think you will agree that Mrs. Santa is very charming. To see the original witch before she was transformed and other projects in Seasonal Delights, click here.

What inspiration you gave us, Kathie! Thank you for sharing your quilt and it's bittersweet story with all of us and some other lucky customers who happened to be in the store at the same time.

Keep inspiring others with your wonderful projects!

Happy stitching,
Lynda and Nancy

Dino Buddies--and more new stuff to come!

This is one of the three new patterns we debuted at Quilt Market last month in Minneapolis. Writing the directions is my homework for today and tomorrow. These friendly dinosaurs (Tyrone and Bruno) are appliqued to a pieced background and are just perfect for a child's bedroom or playroom. The banners are 12 x 29" and the patterns will be ready to ship soon--if I get my act together and start working on them.


I'll have a couple more things to show you in the coming days, including the beautiful Pineapple Garden quilt that we made for the July/August 2010, McCall's Quilting magazine. For a preview, click here. This pattern uses our Pineapple Rule and we will have kits ready soon.

We also have a beautiful fabric line coming this month from Quilting Treasures. The line is called Autumn Harvest. Click here for a preview of the rest of the line, click here.


See you soon with more new patterns.
Until then,
Happy Stitching,
Lynda

Great American Quilt Factory a McCall's Hometown Favorite

We are so honored to be one of McCall's Hometown Favorites featured quilt shops! We love working with the great women at McCall's Quilting and Quick Quilts and in fact we write a column each month for these magazines.

This new magazine features 16 quilt shops around the country and each shop has designed a quilt and kitted it. This special magazine America Quilts Hometown Favorites will be on the newsstand on May 18th. Starting Monday, May 10th, 3-4 shops will be featured each day in an online Shop Hop. Register to win the featured quilt kit from each shop and other prizes, including a delicious Moda fat quarter tower. Don't forget to enter each day. Just go to the Great American Quilt Factory website for the Online Shop Hop link.

Here is a picture of our quilt, Into the Woods. I must say that it is absolutely gorgeous and would be beautiful on a wall in my family room. Hmmmm--there is the finished sample. : )

Enjoy reading about the featured shops and deciding which is your favorite quilt. Register at the 3-4 featured shops each day and remember that if you don't win a kit there will be kits available for purchase.

Good luck and happy shopping,

Lynda

Denver National Quilt Festival

We vended at the Denver National Quilt Festival last week. It was a great show and the competition quilts were remarkable--you can see the winners online here.

We had a display of 34 Possibilities quilts--the most Possibilities quilts displayed at the same time. It was so fun to see them in all of their glory. The quilts are from current books and patterns. I have put together a short slideshow so that you can see them, too. If you want more information on any of them, please comment, email us, or call the store. I hope you enjoy them!

Another slideshow design by Smilebox

Christmas with Possibilities Surprise

Nancy and I got a package in the mail today and a special delivery for each of us at the store!

Here is what was in the package--our newest book Christmas with Possibilities published by C&T. It is truly a lovely book filled with 16 holiday projects--some old fav's from out of print books and some new wonderful projects! I'm ready to jump right in since it is May and we are already receiving Christmas 2010 fabrics.

A little bit later, we each got one of these...................

.................a beautiful basket filled with flowers!

Thank you to all at C&T who helped bring this book to print. We always enjoy working with all of you and you truly bring out topnotch products!

Thank you for a wonderful surprise!

Lynda and Nancy

Sarah's Key and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

In the last couple of weeks I have listened to two wonderful books that I think you will enjoy. It is interesting that the last two books I reviewed were about women from the South and these next two books have ties to WWII.

The first one I'll tell you about is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. This is what Publishers Weekly has to say: "De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15 languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her first written in English, her first language). It beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties, and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down. "

I really enjoyed this book and yes, it was very moving and I had to sit in the car after I got to my destination several times to finish a part--always a good recommendation--and it was beautifully read!

I had a hard time getting into the 2nd book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society until I reread the description on Audible.com and realized that it was a series of letters--and then, I really enjoyed it. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is read by 20 different people and that is one of the reasons that makes it so special. From Publishers Weekly: "The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as will readers."


Like Anne of Green Gables this book made me want to travel to the destination. I love to read books, but because I drive at least 1-2 hours a day to get to and from work, audiobooks are my salvation. I highly recommend them, not just for listening to while driving but for anytime you can't be turning the pages of a book.


If you have any suggestions for what I should read next, please comment.


Happy stitching, reading, or listening,
Lynda

Hometown Favorites Online Shop Hop with prizes

McCall's Quilting Magazine is introducing a very special, newsstand only issue titled America Quilts, Hometown Favorites available on newstands, May 18. There will be 16 featured shops that have each designed an exclusive quilt and we were lucky enough to be one of them. Our quilt is absolutely stunning--the only thing I can tell you is that we've named it Into the Woods, it's made in creams, rusty reds, browns, and blacks, and it's a variation of one of our favorite traditional patterns.

McCalls will also be hosting an online shop hop, May 10-14, where you will be able to read interviews with the selected shop owners and purchase a kit for their quilt. And...........prizes--each shop will be giving away a kit for their quilt and Moda will be giving away a tower of 40 fat quarters (and we all need more fat quarters)!!!!

Visit McCall's Quilting to get the full list of shops along with contest details. Bookmark this site and don't forget to check in on May 10th to start the hop. We're excited!