Open Gate Blog

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-18T18:02:00.000-06:00

I have a Christmas present for everyone. I decided to give you the instructions for the Fit to be Ruler Case. Several people have asked me for the pattern so here it is:

Supplies:

1/2 yard for main body of bag

3/8 yard for lining

1/8 yard for accent

1/2 yard fusible fleese

zipper

Instructions:

From the fabric for the main body, cut:

2 - 12" x 12 1/2" pieces
1 - 3" strip
From the lining fabric, cut:
2 - 13" x 16" pieces
From the accent fabric, cut:
2 - 3" x 12" pieces
From the fusible fleese, cut:
2 - 13" x 16" pieces
1 - 3/4" strip

Piecing:

Press the 3" strip of main fabric, in half, wrong sides together.

Open up and place the fusible fleese at the fold with the fuse side downs.

Bring up the raw edge to meet in the middle repeat for the other side, fold and press. Fold again and press. Sew an 1/8" from both edges to make the handle. Cut the handle in half so that you have 2 - 20" handles.

Place the lining with wrong sides up on an ironing board. Place the fusible fleese with fusing side to the wrong side of the lining. Fuse in place. Repeat for both lining pieces. Lay the accent piece near the top approximately 1/2" away with right sides up. Lay a handle piece 3" in from both ends of the accent piece with the raw edge of the accent piece even with the raw edge of the handle.

Place the 12" x 12 1/2" piece of main body, right sides together on the accent piece, sandwiching the handle. Pin in place. Sew 1/4" seam, catching all layers. Press down towards the main piece.

Sew an "X" on the handle where it meets the bag. Sew 3 quilting lines from the accent piece down to the bottom. Repeat for both sides of the bag.

Sew around both pieces using an 1/8" seam to anchor it in place. Trim the excess batting and backing off even.

Sew on the zipper as desired. I used Terry Atkinson from Atkinson Designs method for sewing on zippers. Her instructions make it very easy.

Turn the pieces right sides together and sew down the two sides. Make sure that the zipper is open! Then sew across the bottom. Zig-zag the edges so that they don't fray.

Create a squared corner, sewing in 3/4" from the corner. Repeat for both bottom corners. Trim to a 1/4" and zig-zag the edges.

Put in your Fit to be Rulers and go!

I'd love to see pictures of your Fit to be Case, so please send me some pictures.

My helper - Tillie

Hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!

Lots of News!

2011-12-05T15:30:00.001-06:00

Fall has been a busy time for me. I have been traveling to teach classes and lecture. My most recent trip was to New Hampton, IA to visit my friend Denise and teach through her shop, Quilter's Window. She had a retreat planned at the local hotel and started Friday afternoon and lasted until Sunday morning. Everyone seemed to have so much fun and I even sewed a little. I taught Gin Rummy and Speed from my book Fat Quarter Winners.

Gin Rummy

Speed

I have also been in Princeton, IL to teach at a retreat for the Covered Bridge Quilt Guild. The retreat was held at a Church camp and was perfect. There was plenty of room for everyone to sew. I taught Pinochle and here are some of the quilts that were made that weekend. Awesome!

The latest news is that I have designed a 2012 Mystery Quilt for American Patchwork & Quilting! The first month block is in the February, 2012 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting and can be seen in the form of a table runner.

This is from Elizabeth Beese, the Senior Editor of American Patchwork & Quilting:

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Here’s the scoop on the 2012 Mystery Quilt created exclusively for you by designer Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts. Throughout the year, you’ll get instructions for eight blocks (one in each 2012 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine and two additional blocks online). Make one of each block in the fabrics of your choice and set it aside for the end of the year. In the December issue, we’ll give you a mystery quilt setting joining all the single blocks together.

Doesn't this sound like fun? Make sure that you check out Elizabeth's blog to find out how to start and how to participate. She also includes different color variations.

I'm excited to see how everyone else's turns out!

Another exciting piece of news is that my friend, Thelma, from Cupcakes 'n Daisies has a quilt featured in the same magazine! Wait until you see it! It's absolutely gorgeous and perfect just like Thelma! If you haven't read her blog, I encourage you to hop on over. You will love her quilts, her writing and especially her - I know I do!

Hope everyone has a good week!

Quiltmaker 100 Block Winners!

2011-11-14T02:00:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to the 3 winners who commented on my blog. Here they are:

The winner of a Quiltmaker 100 Block magazine is:

Jill who said:

"We have a dog named Lexie. She likes to lay under or across my feet whenever I sit down. She is an English Springer Spaniel."

Jill, if you could email me, with you arddress at info@opengatequilts.com, I would appreciate it!

The winner of the Fit to be Geese ruler is:

Karen (Misiz C), said:

"Know what you mean about enough time for applique. If we only didn't need sleep! ;-) Your block is beautiful!

My fuzzy quilt helpers are the cats. From rearranging blocks laid out on the floor to weighing down stacks of fabric so they don't blow away, they are always involved. We have three. Cosmo, a gray van shelter kitty; Miles, a bronze Egyptian Mau; and Aurora, a calico se Scottish Fold."

And the winner of the sampling of Memories of Provence is:

Judy said:

"I am definitely a dog lover. We have a Bichon named Smeggel who is 10 years old. He was rescued from a puppy mill where he had lived for 8 years in a crate. He could only crawl when he was rescued. He is spoiled rotten now though! I just have to win this fabric, because I am redecorating part of my house with Provence fabrics. I love them."

One of the things that I love about blogging is getting to know people through there comments. It is so wonderful to hear the compliments, the stories and the wonderful tales (no pun intended) about their pets.

Thank you all for participating and make sure that you come back to see what other blog hops, giveaways and surprises that come up on my blog!

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

2011-11-11T02:00:00.005-06:00

Welcome everyone!

It's my day for the blog tour. I hope you have been tuning in daily to the other blog hop participants. I have checked them out and am very impressed with all the wonderful, talented designers out there!

Here is my block that was included in the latest issue. Applique, you say?! Yes, I have been designing a bit of applique these days. I love to applique but unfortunately, there is not enough time to do it all. I was inpired by a tile design for this applique and hope you enjoy it too!

As for my giveaway for the blog tour, I have a few items to give to 3 lucky winners! Read below to see how to enter for the drawings.

First, from Quiltmaker, a copy of the Quiltmaker's 100 Block Vol. 4. It is an awesome magazine that has some great blocks and lots of inspiration!

Second, Fit to be Geese ruler. If you haven't used my Fit to be Geese ruler, here's your chance to win one! It is perfect for trimming flying geese from 2" x 3 1/2" to 3 1/2" x 6 1/2". Also included with the ruler is a free pattern.

Third, fabric. How about a sampling of my newest fabric line, Memories of Provence? Combining rich reds, beautiful blacks, fabulous blues and soft creams, this is the latest fabric line that I designed with Maywood Studio. Here are a few of the pieces.

Now, how do you enter, you ask? Simple, leave a comment on this blog answering this question: Dog lover, cat lover, neither or both? If you do have a pet, let me know his/her name, breed (if applicable), and age. I would love to hear all about your favorite 4 legged friend. If you don't have a pet, let me know what keeps you company when you sew. Music, dvd's, silence...?

Make your comment before Sunday night and I will draw for the winners and announce them Monday morning.

This is my quilting buddy, Tillie, our Old English Sheepdog.

Thanks for participating and good luck!

Quilt Market in a Day

2011-11-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

You've heard of Quilt in a Day, how about Quilt Market in a Day? Sue and I made a whirlwind trip to Houston for 1 day at Quilt Market. We were actually in Houston for less than 48 hours but walked the show on Saturday only. We arrived Thursday night late and I had a 15 minute lecture on the Block of the Month on Friday. The show didn't open until Saturday morning.

Friday night, Sue had her first experience at Sample Spree. Sample Spree is a "pre-show" the night before Quilt Market. Designers and companies set up tables and have everything from fat quarter bundles to patterns and notions.

Check out the lines to get in! Sue and I waited until everyone was in before got in there.

It was quite a frenzy of buying and looking at the new items. Here are a few of the fun things that we picked up:

Fat Quarter Bundles from Riley Blake and RJR. Yum!!

Robyn Pandolph for RJR

Riley Blake Fabrics

Saturday, Sue and I walked the show. Our main goal was to find some bag patterns and one of our favorites, Penny Sturges from Quilts Illustrated was there and here are some of her new patterns that we picked up.

We also bought some new patterns from Pink Sand Beach. We were so excited to see their bag patterns. They have a great supply and we bought a few to make.

Another new designer that we visited is Aunties Two Patterns. She had this adorable square purse that I am dying to make and also this cute odd shaped bag. She did a demo that had Sue and I wanting everything she made. Brilliant way to put on a zipper! I will have to make a bag to see how it works.

Here is a photo of me in front of the Maywood booth with the Block of the Month, Echo and Monte Carlo displayed. They did a great job of displaying the quilts!

We left Saturday evening. We had a great time but Sunday was definitely a regroup and get ready for the next adventure!

Off to another retreat this weekend. This time, I am working. It is up in the picturesque town of New Glarus, WI. Very peaceful and the BEST bakery!

Don't forget to tune in for the Quiltmaker 100 Block blog hop starting next Monday, November 7th!

Have a great week!

October Projects

2011-10-25T16:54:00.001-05:00

I have been working on some new projects this fall. I just spend a wonderful, relaxing, and enjoyable weekend with some of my friends. We retreated in beautiful Lake Mills, WI. We rented a cottage, set it up with our sewing stuff, laughed, ate and had fun. I had plenty of things that I "needed" to do but instead, I decided to do some things that I wanted to do!

View from out the front window

Before all the tables, sewing machines, irons, chairs, projects and quilters.

First, I decided to make ruler bags out of my new fabric and made one for each of my retreat friends. Sue and I designed a ruler bag for my "Fit to be" series of rulers. It is about 15" x 11 1/2", with handles and a zipper. Here is mine. I used Terry Atikinson's method of putting in the zipper and if you haven't done her method yet, you need to! It makes putting zippers in so easy!

Also, I did get to work on a new pattern of Terry Atkinson's that I had picked up. It is called the Lollipop bag and has the cutest little rosette on it. At first, I wasn't sure that I wanted to put the rosette on it but when the other girls said that they did and started making them, I was sold. They are the cutest things. Terry is also making these hooks for handles. I love them! I have many things that I could use them for. My mind is racing with possibilities! Here is my version of the Lollipop bag:

Then, I still wanted to work on some quilting projects so at the Madison Expo, I had picked up this new book and kit from Whimsical. It was fun to make and I didn't have to choose any fabric! How fun is that! I am planning on appliqueing the ornaments as I quilt it but I didn't get to that yet. Hopefully, before Christmas!

In a few weeks, Quiltmakers 100 Block magazine will be distributing their 4th edition. I am so excited to be included in this! Not only that, but there will be a blog hop. My day will be Friday, November 11th, so make sure you stop by to see who's blogging and the wonderful give-aways . So much fun! Will keep you informed about the Blog Hop.

Take care!

Quilts, Tillie and Fall

2011-10-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

These are three of my favorite things!

First, Quilts. As you know, designing quilts, fabric, and rulers is my business but after all this time, I still love to make quilts. I love to choose the fabric and contemplate for hours (sometimes days) which fabrics to use, where they will go, how it will look. Once the fabric is chosen, then my other favorite part, cutting. I think it's the mathematician in me, the preciseness of the cutting, the neat shapes. Then the piecing is both therapeutic and enjoyable. I love to sit, listen to my music and piece. The emergence of the blocks and the secondary designs when the blocks are put together is fabulous. Once the quilt top is put together, borders are on (not my favorite but an important but not always necessary part), then it's time to send it to the quilter. I must confess, by the time the borders are put on, I'm a little tired of looking at the quilt. I think it's because you focus so hard on the quilt, putting everything into it. But then once the quilt is back from the quilter, I am in love again and can't wait to get the binding on! How could anyone not love to quilt?!
Here are a few projects that I have been working on:

Spinner - New red and cream quilt - on website soon.

Stars All Around Us - new pattern using Memories of Provence

Second, Tillie! When we first got Tillie, I was unsure if we did the right thing. Don't get me wrong, I loved her instantly but between Maple, Bill, my busy schedule, who has time for an energetic and mischievous puppy? I didn't but I made sure that I had time for her. I was used to my calm, sweet Glory that ate, went for walks, slept and hung out. We then got this totally opposite puppy, Tillie. She never sleeps, unless I am, runs instead of walks, wants to play instead of hanging out and is not too big on food. After having her for 11 months, I am totally in love. She has such a great personality. She will grab a napkin (one of her favorite things to chew), look at me and sneak away. If I catch her, she stands there with her head down and lets me take it out of her mouth. Of course, I scold her and right after that, she jumps on my lap and gives me kisses...how can I not love her? Here are some new pictures of her:

Third, Fall. It's no secret that I dislike the hot weather. To me, fall is perfect. It's cooler, generally sunny and it's so pretty out. I have been taking Tillie for a walk when it doesn't rain and we have this wonderful subdivision within walking distance from our house. It's called the Maplewood subdivision. There are maple trees everywhere and they are just starting to turn. Beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows are in abundance. I'm so glad that I am walking through there and not having to rake all those leaves up! I have often thought about living there but you should see when the leaves start to fall! Crazy piles of leaves everywhere. Here are some pictures of the wonderful trees:

Hope everyone enjoys their quilts, Tillie's and falls as much as I do!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

2011-09-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's been a while since I've blogged but I have some great excuses!

Excuse #1: We (Sue, Joyce, LeAnne (quilter) and I) got the Memories of Provence Block of the Month Version 1 in black done! It turned out fabulous and here is a picture of it.

It is now in Portland for a show that E. E. Schenck puts on in their warehouse. They are going to be displaying it there to help promote the fabric and the block of the month.

I've had a few inquiries about the Block of the Month so I thought I would explain it to everyone. First, though, I am so excited that the quilt is featured in American Patchwork & Quilting Quilt Sampler in Vintage Threads Quilt Shoppe. They have done the quilt in Olde World Style fabric line and tested the blocks and finishing instructions for me. I was so thrilled to see it in their shop in the magazine! If you don't have the magazine already, make sure that you pick it up because 2 of my favorite shops are featured: Vintage Threads Quilt Shoppe in Dyersville, IA and Prairie Stitches Quilt Shoppe in Oswego, IL.

This how the block of the month works:
It is offered through Open Gate to quilt shops only. They will then offer it either on the web or through their shop as a block of the month. It will start in their shop depending on their schedule and the availability of fabric (the fabric is due in shops some time this month.) There are 3 colorways that they can choose from or do their own fabrics. It is designed with a red, blue and black colorway. The above is the one done in black. There are two different versions of the quilt. Both versions use the same blocks and the same amount of fabric, it's just the finishing instructions that are different. You can decide which version that you want to make. Here is the second version:

If you are interested in doing the block of the month, check with your local quilt shop or let me know and I can find a place for you to do it through. It depends on the color that you would like to do and when they start.

Quilt shops: if you let me know that you are doing it and what color, I can forward on the information. My email address is: info@opengatequilts.com.

Excuse #2: My parents are visiting for a week. Thankfully, they are more than helpful and I have kept them busy. Mom was ironing and cutting and dad was folding patterns, stuffing rulers and folding fat quarters. I am sure he is quite thrilled that I told everyone that he is folding fabric but when you come for a visit at this time of year, everyone works! He is an expert folder and we've never had such precisely folded fat quarters!! Another thing that he is great at is keeping Tillie busy. They have a mutual love society and Bill and I are afraid that she will be missing when they leave! (she may just jump in the van to go home with them!) Here is my dad holding the "Princess" as we call her. She thinks that he's her personal playmate and they play ball, go for walks and do lots of hanging out together.

Her hair is starting to grow back and she is getting cuter and cuter. Does she look like she's in heaven or what?!

Excuse #3: Quilt Expo in Madison, WI. We have been cutting, folding, packing and binding to get ready for the show. We set up the show tomorrow and it starts on Thursday. It goes until Saturday. We will be demoing the Fit to be Quarter ruler, will have new kits and some sale fabric. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi. We would love to see you! After the show, we will have new items posted on the bundlesandbolts.com website. Make sure that you check them out.

Excuse #4: Quilts, quilts, quilts! I have been piecing, binding and working like crazy. A second version of the Block of the Month is done (red, version II) pieced by my friend Peggy and borders are being put on. Also, Monte Carlo and Echo are being done so those will be posted soon. It's so much fun to see the quilts develop with my new fabric. Will post more pictures as they are done.

So, hope you forgive me for my long absence and I can't guarantee that I will be back to being consistent but will try!

More Memories of Provence

2011-08-18T21:35:00.000-05:00

So, I have been furiously working on the Block of the Month. I have been getting up early and trying to get as much done as I can. I have another job that I work at so before I go to work, I sew and when I get home too. The weather has been so nice hear (80's and sunny, very little humidity) so in the evening, Tillie and I go for a long walk to get the willies out. It helps her because yesterday, I met a couple friends for dinner and when I got home, she was wild! Bill said that she wouldn't come in and she had started two new "projects" in the back yard...holes! She won't come in for Bill sometimes and spent the whole day outside working on her projects...maybe she thinks that she is working on her Block of the Month!! So, here is some of her handy work:

Then, this morning, she decided that she didn't want to come in for me. I went out to get her and she was standing by her hole. I walked up and said: "This is a no!" She looked at me and took off runnig circles in the back yard. I couldn't help it. I had to laugh. Now, Bill has warned me that you can't discipline her when you are laughing but sometimes I just can't help it! She is so funny! The good news is that she just likes to dig, she doesn't try to dig to get out of the yard. Can you believe that this sweet face would do that?!

Here are the next four blocks for the Block of the Month. I am loving the black in here.

Block #4

Block #5

Block #6

Block #7

Here is a close up of the border. I think it's really going to set things off.

Also, I wanted to clarify that the fabric will arrive in stores in September and there are several shops that will be offering the Block of the Month. I thought it would be fun for you guys to see how it is coming together.

The Block of the Month program has an option of two different settings. The one that I showed you on my last blog is setting #2 and I'm actually doing setting #1 with the black. Here is setting #1:

More next week. Have a great weekend!

Busy couple of weeks

2011-08-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Memories of Provence sample fabric has arrived! I returned from a shop owners retreat on Thursday night and my fabric arrived Thursday while I was gone. After greeting Bill, Maple and Tillie (especially Tillie...she demands it!), I tore open the box. I love it!

Friday, my friend and next door neighbor, Sandy came over to help sort and cut. We worked on getting pieces cut for quilts, Block of the Month and a few fat quarters.

Saturday, I cut out some quilts and Sunday, my friend Joyce came over to help me start piecing. LeAnne is on the ready for quilting and I just have to keep working. My goal is to get Block of the Month quilts done as soon as possible so that I may have samples for quilt shops, shows and Market. Here are some of the blocks that I've been working on for the black version. I love them!

Block #1

Block #2

Block #3

Here is the finished "virtual quilt". I am excited to see how it turns out in actual fabric.

More later this week with fabric updates!

Irish Quilting Magazine

2011-07-31T12:33:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that I love Ireland. I think it's so beautiful and inviting. When Sue and I visited, we saw so many wonderful things, met some great people and enjoyed the breath taking scenery. There was so much inspiration in the colors and the scenery.

A couple of years back, I received a request for advertising in Irish Quilting magazine. I emailed them back and asked if they were interested in having some submissions for there magazine instead. They were and the rest is history! The first quilt that I designed for them is Blue me Over. Here is a picture:

The latest quilt that I designed for them is called Fields of Green. I love the way they photograph the quilts in the surrounding countryside. Wouldn't that be an awesome job?! Traveling around Ireland to photograph quilts? Hmm...I wonder if they have an opening?! Here is Fields of Green and we do have both the kit and magazine available on www.bundlesandbolts.com.

Have a great day and see you later!

I'm back!

2011-07-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

You were probably wondering, where is she? Actually, I really didn't go anywhere (except for a quick trip with 2 buddies.) I have been at home, like a hermit.

My friends, Kathy and Peggy and I went for a quick shop hop on Friday. We started off driving up to Spring Green, WI to Country Sampler. If you love soft, muted colors and an old feel to your quilts, you would love Country Sampler. She has been in business for over 20 years and is going strong! Her quilts are comfortable and warm. They had a few buses coming through so we shopped and then quickly made it out of there before they arrived.

We then went to one of my favorite shop, J. J. stitches in Sun Prairie, WI. She had 3 pink and brown quilts right when you walked in her shop and I would have bought all three kits. I showed restraint because I know that in a few weeks I'm going to get sample fabric of Memories of Provence and I will be busy sewing. Julie, who ownes J. J. Stitches also designs fabric for Windham and it is wonderful! She does mostly shirtings her eye for color is fabulous! The selection of fabric in her shop runs from vintage baby to shirtings to Christmas. I love it there and always find inspiration!

Our last stop was at Life's a Stitch in Janesville, WI. Another wonderful shop! Pat, the owner is an absolute doll and I love to visit with her. As you might know, I have taught at her shop and will again. She makes you feel right at home when you walk in. Her shop has a super selection as well. She carries everything from Moda to Civil War reproductions and has many samples to tempt you. If you are in the area, a definite stop!

So, there was much inspiration and lots of laughs on our trip. Although it was beastly hot, we still managed to have an awesome time and enjoy each others company and of course the quilt shops! I did pick up some more fat quarters. You know me, always picking up more fat quarters! :)

Meanwhile, I finished the Countdown to Christmas quilt. I love it! I decided to make it 3 x 5 instead of the 4 x 5 on the pattern. I like the size of it. I was thinking about added some borders on but I think it looks great just as it is. Also, I'm undecided on the binding, scrappy or red? What do you think?

Here are some pictures of the blocks and process.

Final quilt. Yummy!

Now, all I have to do is get it quilted. I'm hoping to have it in time for Christmas but if not, there is always next year!

I am working on getting classes ready for the fall and winter. I have several retreats that I am teaching at and you can view those on my Upcoming Events section. If you are interested in receiving information about them, please let me know and I can forward that to the organizers of the retreats.

Hope everyone's summer is going well! Back later this week, I promise!!

Modern Blocks

2011-07-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

A while back, C&T had contacted their authors regarding submitting a block for their new book: Modern Blocks. I submitted an idea and they accepted it! I'm so excited to be included in this fun book with C&T Publishing.

Now, I know what you are thinking...modern block? Monique?! I actually used a more traditional block and added a modern twist to it. The book will be out soon.

I have been a bit under the weather with a summer cold. So, most of my weekend was sniffing, coughing and sleeping. I did manage to get some more work done on the Countdown to Christmas quilt. Here are some of the pieces in progress.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Tillie Update

2011-07-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

Thelma left a comment that she was ready for some new pictures of Tillie. I told her that I would post some new pictures of her and her latest mischief! Her hair has grown and it's about 1" long right now. She is looking much cuter and knows it! She gives me that look like I can do anything and you will forgive me, right!?! Well, look at this:

She decided that she is going to dig holes all over the yard. She dug a trench behind the day lillies and Bill put up a fence to keep her out of it. Now, she has started on another part of the yard. The good news is that she isn't digging to get out. She's digging because she likes to dig. While I was at work yesterday, Bill let her out and she wouldn't come in for 2 1/2 hours. She was working on her masterpiece! Bill was not too happy at this and I heard about it as soon as I walked in the house. He is going to work on her training!

Does anyone have any suggestions about preventing her from digging. We have never had a sheepdog like her. She has been a challenge. We love her but she definitely has her own agenda!

Will have some more pictures of the Countdown to Christmas quilt soon!

Countdown to Christmas!

2011-07-12T17:15:00.000-05:00

We are having a heat wave here in the midwest. It has been hot and humid for several days/weeks (or so it seems.) Tillie is very much agitated because I will not take her for a walk in this hot weather. I'm sure that she can handle it but I can't. I dream of the cooler weather and so I have been eying my fat quarter bundle of Sweetwater's Coundown to Christmas. I know it's only July but what better time to start a new Christmas project? It will give you time to work on the quilt and think about the cool weather. So, I decided to start a quilt project. It's not like I don't have many started! :) But, Thelma from Cupcake 'n Daisies inspired me with the Moda Bake Shop quilt. She is going to use the pattern and I decided I liked it too. It is called Starry Eyed and is free on Moda Bake Shop. It is so cute and I just happen to have the fat quarter bundle of Countdown to Christmas make this quilt. Here is the quilt:

Of course, I can't leave things as they are and do it the way the directions say. I'm going to change the star block and use another block that I have seen. It is a different kind of star and I like both the simplicity of it and the scrappiness. Here is one of the blocks:

I will keep you updated on the quilt's progress.

I have been trimming 1/2 square triangles for my new version of Pinochle from Fat Quarter Winners. So far, I have all the large triangles trimmed and am slowly working on the small ones. As soon as I make a block, I will show you. I'm anxious to see how it looks so I quickly sewed up 4 of the small triangles together. I like the colors!

Hope you are enjoying the hot weather if you like it or staying cool if you don't!

4th of July Blog Tour - Day 5

2011-07-08T01:00:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!

This is our last day for the blog tour. Make sure that you stop by Thelma's blog:

Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies

I met Thelma when she was taking a class from Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co here in Rockford. We all went out for dinner after the class and I had the pleasure of sitting next to Thelma. We became fast friends because she is a dog lover like I am. We chatted about our dogs and quilting. Instant friends! She has a wonderful blog that I make sure that I read every day. I love her fabric choices and when we did the blog tour on Fat Quarter Winners, I thought her take on Crazy Eights was fantastic. She included a piano key border on the outside that just made the quilt.

Now, for the winner of my drawing. It is:

andsewon, who said:

"This July 4th we are staying home and having a sweet niece over for cook out. We will just eat sit and talk, maybe stitch some later.No fireworks this year as too dry and hot!"

Congratulations! She is the winner of a Fit to be Quarter ruler and the kit for the Quarter Square Mini Quilt kit.

Hope everyone enjoyed the blog tour and will see you next week!

4th of July Blog Hop - Day 4

2011-07-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for coming back and hope the week is going well for everyone! Don't forget to stop by Sherri and Denise's blog today for your free pattern, chance for a giveaway and recipe. Here is their blog addresses:

Quilter's Window - Denise, http://www.quilterswindow.com/blog/
A Quilting Life - Sherri, http://www.aquiltinglife.com/

I've been telling you how I have met (or corresponded) with my fellow blog hosts. I met Denise at Quilt Market one year. We started talking and became instant friends. She is always so nice. She invited me to come to teach and lecture at her shop, Quilter's Window in New Hampton, IA. It's about a 4 hour drive from where I live. I enjoy visiting Denise, her shop and her customers and have returned every year for the past several years. I love to visit Denise and she is such a great host. I get to stay at her house with her family and her wonderful dog, Rocky. Rocky and I have become great friends over the years and he's always happy to see me when I visit and of course the feeling is mutual. Here are Denise and I on my last visit. I will be going to back to New Hampton in November for a retreat, so if you are able to come, please do!

Let's see, I met Sherri from A Quilting Life through blogging. Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co had sent her one of my Fit to be Geese rulers. She tried it out and blogged about how much she loved it. I was so thrilled that she liked it so much that I sent her a thank you. Ever since then, we have been emailing back and forth and have become email buddies. When I went to Market this past spring, Sherri attended and I finally got the opportunity to meet her. She is an absolute sweetheart and I was so happy to finally put a face to all the emails. She is also very talented and had one of her projects featured in American Patchwork & Quilting. Make sure that you check out her blog.

A while back I had promised to give you another use for the Fit to be Quarter ruler. Here it is:

Combination Unit:

First, start with 2 squares and 2 rectangles (sizes included in the instructions). Sew them together and press towards the squares.

Rotate one and sew them together.

On the back, snip the center of the middle seam and press one side up and one side down towards the squares.

Again, on the back of this piece, draw a diagonal line using a 45 degree angle or your Fit to be Quarter ruler. Make sure that the line goes right through the seam. Rotate the piece and draw another line on the other side.

Place the larger rectangle, right sides together on the piece that you just made. Again, sizes are included in the ruler instructions. Sew on the lines.

Cut a 1/4" in from the lines. There will be a small scrap inbetween your cut lines.

Press towards the large triangle.

Trim the unit by placing the ruler with the square in the top right corner. Determine the size of the piece that you are trimming it to. Once you have that measurement, place the square so that the lines on the ruler are at 1/2 the unfinished size. Trim the two sides. For example, if you are cutting a 4" unfinished square, line the square up on the 2" markings.

Rotate the piece and line up the unfinished size on the trimmed edges. For example, square to 4".

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it is posted on my website.

One more thing, Lissa Alexander from Moda, is blogging about my ruler as well. Make sure you check it out!

Our last day of our blog hop is tomorrow. Last, but certainly not least, visit Thelma:

Cupcakes 'n Daisies - Thelma - http://www.cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com/

See you tomorrow!

4th of July Blog Tour - Day 3

2011-07-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

Hello to everyone! This has been a wonderful blog tour so far and I'm sure you will continue to love it. Your host for today is:

Sweetwater - Lisa, http://www.sweetwater.typepad.com/

I have never met the girls from Sweetwater but they seem very nice through our correspondence over email. I really love their fabrics and their latest line, Countdown to Christmas is fabulous! I have a fat quarter bundle and we have also ordered some for a project that will be on bundlesandbolts.com later this year. It is classic but whimsical and I just love it. My friend, Sue who I have bundlesandbolts.com with is a huge fan of their fabric too. Here is sampling of their Countdown to Christmas line.

I forgot to tell you how I met Sherri from This & That Patterns. Last year after Quilt Market, I was honored to be invited to a 2 day Designer Retreat hosted by American Patchwork & Quilting. As you know, APQ is one of my favorite magazines and I was thrilled. Sherri and I were grouped along with Terry from Atkinson Design and Julie from J. J. Stitches in Sun Prairie, WI for a group project. We had a blast, Terry is a riot and we all laughed the whole time. When I saw Sherri again at Quilt Market in May, I asked her if she would like to join my blog hop. She readily agreed and asked if the girls in Sweetwater could come. I was thrilled and of course said, yes. Sherri is super nice and very talented. I instantly liked her when I met her.

For those of you who live in the Rockford area, I will be lecturing at Sinnissippi Quilt Guild this coming Thursday. I will be giving 2 talks, one at 1:00 pm and the other at 7:00 pm. If you can make it, I'd love to see you!

Here are tomorrow's blog hosts:

Quilter's Window - Denise, http://www.quilterswindow.com/blog/
A Quilting Life - Sherri, http://www.aquiltinglife.com/

See you tomorrow!

4th of July Blog Tour - Day 2

2011-07-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much everyone for commenting on my blog yesterday!! I absolutely love to read your comments and hear from you! If you haven't commented, please do and for those of you who did, thanks again!

Today's blog hosts are:

Stashmaster - Lisa - http://stashmaster.typepad.com/
This & That - Sherri, http://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/

I met Lisa from Stashmaster through my good friend, Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. Carrie was teaching a class here in Rockford and Lisa, Thelma - Cupcakes 'n Daisies and Nicole - Sister's Choice took her class. We all met for dinner and I so enjoyed meeting them all. Lisa is a doll and here eye for color is fantastic. She did Pinochle from Fat Quarter Winners in blues, reds and creams and has inspired me to do another version of Pinochle. Here is the start of my version using a Moda line by Three Sisters, Grace. I have done all the 1/2 square triangles but haven't trimmed them all yet. I think it will be so pretty when it's done. Will keep you posted on my project.

This weekend has been a very restful and productive. I worked on the 1/2 square triangles for Pinochle, also the 1/4 square triangles for Fit to be Quarter. Here is a basket full of 1/4 square triangles.

So, you know how it says in most patterns to read through all directions before beginning a project? Well, my patterns don't say that but maybe, I should...I started a project using Jelly Rolls, it's called Jelly Log Cabin. My mom and I were talking Sunday and she said that she thought it was a good, easy project. I had forgotten about it. I had designed it for a quilt shop and since they are no longer in business, I have several patterns left over. I thought that I should work on it. I started it yesterday and finished it today. It was quick and easy and I think that we will probably put some kits on BundlesandBolts.com when I get a chance. Anyway, I was working along, sewing the pieces together and finally read the directions. I was supposed to use the same fabric for the 2 fabrics on the first round of light and the same fabrics for each round. So, I add a 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square of light to the center and I should have added a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces of the same fabric, well, I didn't! Now, you say, who wrote this pattern anyway? Well, I did and my only excuse is that I did it so long ago and I thought I was being so smart...not the case. But I think it looks okay anyway, don't you? It's just a scrappy version of a log cabin. See we all make mistakes and me more than anyone!

Don't forget to check out Lisa at Sweetwater's blog tomorrow:

Sweetwater - Lisa, http://www.sweetwater.typepad.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

4th of July Blog Tour

2011-07-04T00:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome everyone to the first day of the blog tour! I'm so glad that you can join us! Here is the schedule for the bloggers:

July 4th - Open Gate - Monique, http://opengatequilts.blogspot.com/

July 5th - Stashmaster - Lisa - http://stashmaster.typepad.com/
This & That - Sherri, http://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/

July 6th - Sweetwater - Lisa, http://www.sweetwater.typepad.com/

July 7th - Quilter's Window - Denise, http://www.quilterswindow.com/blog/
A Quilting Life - Sherri, http://www.aquiltinglife.com/

July 8th - Cupcakes 'n Daisies - Thelma - http://www.cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com/

The first thing that I would like to do is give you your free project. I have decided to use my Fit to be Quarter ruler to make this adorable little quilt. Here is a picture of the quilt:

I trimmed the 1/4 square triangles using the Fit to be Quarter ruler and they came out so perfect. The unfinished size is 2" so they are nice and tiny. It's a fun little quilt to make as a framed quilt, table topper or candle mat. I am also going to work on making it larger. I have the instructions for trimming the 1/4 square triangles on my website. Here is the link: http://www.opengatequilts.com/howtovideo.html Here is the instructions for the mini quilt:

We have also decided to provide you with either a favorite summer time drink or dessert. Knowing me, you know that I would pick a dessert. I decided to give you a unconventional cheesecake recipe. It uses Jell-o an Dream Whip. It is so light and fluffy and very yummy! It reminds me of summer.

One of my favorite things to do on 4th of July is to hang out with my gang. I'm not that into fireworks so the thought of going downtown to view them doesn't have much appeal. I love to sew all day, have a BBQ in the evening and spend time at home. What is your favorite thing to do on the 4th of July or your summer holiday? Leave a comment on your favorite thing to do and I will enter your name into the drawing to win a Fit to be Quarter ruler and a kit for the Quarter Square Triangle Mini Quilt. Comment from now until Thursday night and I will announce the winner Friday morning.

Thanks everyone for stopping by and don't forget to check out Lisa and Sherri's blog tomorrow!

Happy Holiday!

2011-06-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! For those in Canada, Happy Canada Day! For those in the USA, Happy Independence Day! For the rest of the world, enjoy the weekend! I am fortunate to have both the 1st of July and the 4th of July off. Friday is my day off from my day job and Monday is a holiday here. I am going to spend the time with Bill, Tillie and Maple. I'm sure that most of it will be with Tillie! She has been very restless because I have been gone so much. Like Bill says, I'm her playmate. She waits for me to come home and entertain her. The weather has been fairly decent the past few days so I've been able to take her for a walk at night and throw the ball for her. She is thrilled with all the exercise!
Her hair is starting to grow a bit. She doesn't look as much like a drowned rat or does she?! Here she is:

Remember when I told you that I was going to sew on my red and cream quilt this past weekend? Well, actually, I didn't. I cut it out but didn't piece it. I did get this wonderful purse done. It's called Margo Handbag from Lazy Girl Designs and it has the best pockets inside. I really like it too because it has a zipper to keep everything inside.

I also worked on my project for the blog hop next week. I just love it! Here is a sneak peak at what
I'm doing.

Are they the cutest little things? They are 2" unfinished and I trimmed them using my Fit to be Quarter ruler.
I think I'm going to try and quilt it myself. I'd love to give it to any one of my quilters but it's small enough that I can do it myself.

Don't forget to come back Monday to start our blog tour. It promises to be lots of fun with great giveaways, projects and some other surprises!

See you Monday!

Are you ready for another blog tour?

2011-06-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog tour that I'm actually running. I've been involved in several blog tours but I decided that I would like to organize one of my own. So, I asked several different people to blog with me and here are the blog participants:

Denise from Quilter's Window
Sherri from This & That
Sherri from A Quilting Life
Sweetwater makelifesweet
Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies
Lisa from Stashmaster
and Yours Truly

We will be posting on our given day and providing you with some great projects, give-aways and specials. Make sure you stop by and post a comment!

4th of July Fireworks bog hop starts July 4th, 2011. Hope to see you then!

New Project

2011-06-20T15:53:00.001-05:00

I've decided that I'm going to start a new project. I have been traveling and working and have neglected my poor sewing machine. I had one more weekend lecture/class this weekend and this coming weekend I get to go on a personal retreat. I'm so excited to go, hang out with some friends and sew!

I need to have some projects to work on so I've come up with a few. First, as you know, I have a new ruler out. It's called the Fit to be Quarter and there is a free pattern included with the ruler. The quilt that is featured in the ruler is currently on "tour" and I haven't seen it since Market. That means that I don't have a sample to bring with me when I lecture. I decided to make another version. This time in my favorite color, RED! Here is what I have chosen so far.

Now, you would think that I would have oodles of red to use and wouldn't need to add to them...wrong! I am missing 2 and will need to hunt for some more fabric. Darn! Fortunately, we will be doing a bit of shop hopping when we go for our retreat. I'm sure that I will be able to find some wonderful reds to add, don't you think? Aren't they yummy?!

As most quilters do, when I go for a weekend retreat, I bring more projects than I could possibly get done in a weekend. I am trying to figure out what else I want to do. Sometimes when we go on these retreats, we make little projects. Zippy Strippy bags, pin cushions...the list goes on. I'm thinking that I might work on some new projects that I will be using in an upcoming blog hop that I'm hosting. Keep tuned to see what I come up with.

Hope everyone is getting a chance to enjoy the warmer weather and also fit in a bit of sewing!

American Patchwork & Quilting Radio

2011-06-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

Today I had my interview with American Patchwork & Quilting Radio. Pat is such a sweetheart and was so easy to talk to. I felt like it went really well and hope that you all got a chance to listen to it. If not, here is the link: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/index.html. You can listen to it at any time.

I'm off this weekend to Appletree Quilting and Viking Center in Columbia, MO. I will be lecturing on Friday night and teaching Ballyseede on Saturday. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and seeing a new shop. Love to visit new shops! I will remember to bring my camera so I can take pictures.

We still have kits available for Ballyseede on www.Bundlesandbolts.com so make sure you check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Drama Queen or Old English Sheepdog?

2011-06-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

As I told you earlier this week, Tillie was getting shaved. Thelma had commented on Old English Sheepdogs being low maintenance. Actually, they are high maintenance and require a lot of brushing. Because Tillie is so jumpy, she is impossible to brush. So, we have to get her shaved. Their hair is very thick and mats up instantly. I'm sure that if we had her groomed every 3-4 weeks, she would be fine but with Tillie it is almost impossible.

We have a mobile groomer that comes to the house. She is an angel and we love her! Before we found her, it was so traumatic to take the dogs to the groomer and it was an all day affair. I would drop them off in the morning and pick them up late in the day. Bill and I would be anxiously waiting to pick them up and by the time we got there to pick them up, we would all be stressed. With Maple getting older, it was so hard on her to be there all day so when we found our mobile groomer, we were so happy!

This was Tillie's first time getting groomed. She went in just perfectly, like a little lady. Then around a half hour later, we get a knock on the door. The groomer has Tillie with her and says, she started to freak out and would not let me finish her head. Bill and I tried to get the muzzle on her so she could finish her up but no luck. She cried, screamed, bucked, bit, whatever she could to get us away from her. The groomer patiently waited outside while we worked with her. Finally, Bill went outside with her and was talking to the groomer. We decided not to do the muzzle and put the leash back on her. I literally pinned her down, grabbed her muzzle and put the collar on her...can you believe this sweet, innocent dog would do that?

Well, she did! Anyway, the groomer finally got her back into the trailer and finished trimming her. After another 15 minutes, she returned with this dog...Tillie, you say? Well, yes, this is her.

Can you believe that this is the same dog?! I generally like the dogs when they have more hair but she does look cute and you can really see her expressions more.

I just keep telling myself, she will grow out of this, right?! We love her but she sure is a drama queen! Thank goodness she is so cute!

Have a great weekend and see you Monday for the Pat Sloan interview.

American Patchwork & Quilting Radio

2011-06-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be chosen to be interviewed by Pat Sloan for her radio show! Please tune in on Monday, June 13th at 4:00 Eastern, 1:00 Pacific. Click on this link and you can get connected: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/index.html You can click live or hear a recording after the show.

Pat will be asking me some questions on my quilts that have been in the magazines, ruler design and fabric design plus some surprises! So, make sure you tune in!

Have a good weekend and hope to see you Monday!

Gail Brown's Retreat

2011-06-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

Sue and I just got back from a retreat that I teach at every year. It is in Pigeon, Michigan which is in the "thumb", north of Detroit. We have so much fun with Gail and her friends. This was the 4th time that I have taught up there and we are planning for our 5th. It's the first week in June every year and I look forward to seeing everyone and catching up. I met Gail through another retreat that I teach at in January. She asked if I wanted to come to Michigan to teach and you know me, I love to travel so I readily agreed. I usually teach two different quilts so they have a couple to choose from. This year I taught Crazy Eights from Fat Quarter Winners and Half & Half from American Patchwork & Quilting, December, 2010 issue.

Crazy Eights

Half & Half

The retreat is Friday all day and Saturday until around 2:00. This year on Friday night I gave a lecture on fabric, book and ruler designing. Gail had opened the lecture up to the public and we had a wonderful turn-out. Here are some pictures of my lecture.

Gail introducing me at the lecture

Black Pearl

Sue and I holding Prairie Stitches

If you are interested in joining us for the retreat next year, the dates are June 1st & 2nd, 2012. You can contact me at info@opengatequilts.com and I will connect you with Gail.

Off to another lecture tonight in Valparaiso, IN. Talk to you soon!

Tillie Update

2011-06-06T16:30:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I talked about Tillie. She is now 9 months old. A week and a half ago she got spayed and it doing well. The first night and the next morning, she was drowsy. By the time I got home from work the next day, she was back to the old Tillie. She is a pistol! I have been traveling a lot this past month and I think she saves her energy just for me. I'm like her personal playmate! Here she is checking me out.

Thursday is grooming day. This will be a first for her and will prove to be very interesting. We used to bring the dogs to a groomer but I found a wonderful mobile groomer. She comes to the house, plugs in and takes the dogs into her trailer. It's so nice because these is little stress for both the dog and me. She is very gentle with the dogs and is done in about 1 hour. Love it! Tillie is very energetic so I'm not sure how she will do with the groomer. She doesn't sit still so the groomer is in for a challenge. Wish her luck!

Maple and Tillie

Last week, Tillie had a tick in her ear. Okay, so remember when I said I was a girly girl? Well, ticks are at the top of my most disliked bugs. They creep me out. I am always checking the dogs to make sure that they don't have any bugs or anything on them and I found this nasty little bug. Bill and I had to hold Tillie down and put some nail polish on it to suffocate it. Then, forget trying to pick it off. She wouldn't let me get near her ear. Every time I reached for her, she would run away or wiggle when I got her. Frustrating! So, we had to make a trip to the vet. Bill wasn't too thrilled but we had to get it out! Now you can see what the poor groomer is going to go through! She is not a mean dog, just very jumpy and she doesn't like what she doesn't like! (Kind of like her mom! :)

Maple

I will post some "after" pictures of her when she gets shaved and let you know how it goes. Will post more later this week on my travels the last few weeks. Before:

Thanks for stopping by!

Table Talk Book Winner

2011-05-29T22:45:00.002-05:00

And the winner is:

Cathy, who said:

"Hops are always fun! I think I would choose sweet. Gotta have chocolate! I plan to take a look at your book. Thanks for the hop!"

Cathy, please email me at info@opengatequilts.com so we can get you your book. Thanks for participating and congratulations!

Thank you everyone for commenting on the sweet or salt question. The consensus is in, most people went for the sweets and a few went with salt. Some even went with both - kettle corn, chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts and candy corn and my favorite: popcorn and licorice...yum!

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day and you get to eat your favorite, salt or sweet.

Spring Quilt Market - Installment 4

2011-05-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is the last installment. Not because I'm running out of things to tell you, I'm running out of pictures! You'd think that by now I would remember to take more pictures. Not the case.

I wanted to say hello to a couple of bloggers that I met at Market. First, Sandy from tp://textilehouse.blogspot.com/ She comments on my blog regularly. She is an absolute sweetheart and when we met face to face, her enthusiasm and smile were infectious. Here is a picture of the two of us in my booth in front of some of the quilts from Fat Quarter Winners.

I also wanted to say hi to Sherri from A Quilting Life. I met her through blogging and we finally got to meet at Market. Poor Sherri came by my booth several times and I was out but we finally got to meet on Sunday. Thanks, Sherri, for being so patient and I'm glad that we finally met! She's an awesome blogger and it was so much fun to meet her! Look for Sherri to be involved with my blog hop coming up in July.

In the Moda booth they had an old time photo booth set up. So, the first day, Joyce and I were walking around before the show opened and they told us about the booth. I immediately drug Joyce over there and we had our pictures taken. It was so much fun and we laughed the whole time! Here we are:

Thanks for stopping by and will blog more next week. Have a great Memorial Day!

Stop by next week for the announcement of the winner of Gudrun's awesome book, Table Talk.

Table Talk Blog Tour

2011-05-25T01:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome everyone to day 3 of the Table Talk Blog Tour! If you haven't checked out the other days of the tour, here is the schedule:

Posting every day of the week: Gudrun Erla - GE Designs : http://www.gudrun.typepad.com/

Monday May 23rd: Kimberly Jolly - Fat Quarter Shop : http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/

Tuesday May 24th: Sandy Gervais - Pieces From My Heart : http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/

Wednesday May 25th: Monique Dillard - Open Gate Quilts : me :)

Thursday May 26th: Kate Spain - Kate Spain Designs : http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/

Friday May 27th: Kansas City Star - Diane McLendon : http://www.pickledish.com/

Make sure that you check them out!

Gudrun generously gave me a copy of her book to review and use. She is also giving a book to one lucky winner who comments on my blog.

There are several projects that I love and really want to do.

One is called Wrap it Up Runner and is made from Colorful Christmas by my Mind's Eye for Riley Blake. At Market, I had noticed My Mind's Eye and loved their fabric designs so I was so excited to see that Gudrun had used them in her book. The tablerunner is whimsical and fun and would be a great Christmas present, especially for yourself! I am thinking that I might just have to make one or two!

The project that she made using my fabric Olde World Style is called French Inspiration and is absolutely gorgeous! She used the Fleur de Lis print as the center and added a Fleur de Lis applique on top of it. Isn't it wonderful? She made it as a quilt as you go project with a fusible center. Quick and easy and fun to make!

Not only does she include the wonderful projects but she also has some great recipes included in the book. On the topper, she has a piece of the Chicken & Spinach Quiche. It's a bonus to get these yummy recipes!

To be entered in the drawing for this wonderful book, make a comment on food...salt or sweet? What is your favorite? And if you had to choose, what would it be? I will leave the drawing open until Saturday night and will announce the winner on Monday, May 30th.

I will have more to post about Market so make sure you keep stopping by! Also, I am planning another blog tour for the beginning of July...lots of giveaways and surprises so keep reading!

Spring Quilt Market - Installment 3

2011-05-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

As I had mentioned, one of the fun parts about Market is meeting new people and seeing old friends. One of the new people that I had met mentioned that Alma Alan of Blackbird Designs blogged that my Fit to be Geese ruler is the best flying geese ruler out there! I was SO excited and flattered! I love Blackbird Designs in everything they do. I love their applique, there pieced designs and especially their fabric. I was so honored and I even got goosebumps! I have been unable to find the post but if anyone does, let me know. I would love to see it!

I promised that I would show you some of my new patterns using my upcoming fabric line, Memories of Provence. Here are they are:

Echo

61" x 85"

Monte Carlo

60" x 80"

Both patterns along with Secret Garden will be on my website soon.

Also, Sue and I designed a Block of the Month using Memories of Provence. We have put a unique twist on it by designing two quilts using the exact same amount of fabric. That way, you can decide which quilt you would like to make. Watch for your local quilt shop to be offering the block of the month later this year. Bundlesandbolts.com will be offering the block of the month as a pattern and kit but not as a monthly installment.

Memories of Provence Block of the Month

Available in September, 2011

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the blog tour with Gudrun Erla from GE Designs with her new book, Table Talk. I will be giving a copy of her book away so make sure you come by and leave a comment.

See you tomorrow!

Spring Quilt Market - Installment 2

2011-05-19T10:41:00.003-05:00

One of the things that I love about Market is the people you meet and the friends that you make. Shop owners, teachers, fellow designers, company reps, bloggers and so many more!

The exciting news that we heard at Market is about two of my favorite quilt shops. Prairie Stitches in Oswego, IL and Vintage Threads Quilt Shoppe in Dyersville, IA were chosen to be part of American Patchwork and Quilting's Top Ten Shops for Fall, 2011! Both shops are fantastic and the owners are wonderful.

First, Prairie Stitches Quilt Shoppe in Oswego, IL. I met Susan and Kim several years ago at Quilt Market. They have always been so friendly and supportive. They were one of the first shops to buy my patterns and have an extensive supply of my patterns, books and rulers. Whenever I talk to them, they make me smile! Both have dogs and as you know, I'm a huge dog lover. So, we chat about our dogs, quilting and everything else in between. I have taught classes for them and my most recent class was King's Corner from Fat Quarter Winners. Their shop is so inspiring and they have a wide variety of items to enjoy. They have a wool wall, lots of fabric and samples. The quilt that they designed for the Sampler magazine is fantastic and you are going to want to get a kit. There website should be up and running soon and I am strongly encouraging them to get a blog going! :) If you are ever in the area of Oswego, IL, make sure that you stop by and see the shop, it's well worth the visit!

Me, Susan and Kim

Second, Vintage Threads Quilt Shoppe in Dyersville, IA. Deb used to attend a retreat that I taught at several years ago. She was always so sweet and I enjoyed her company. When she opened her quilt shop with her friend, Sue, we became friends by again visiting at Quilt Market. They have a retreat house right above their shop and last year several of my friends and I stayed there and visited the shop. We had so much fun and the retreat house is fantastic! They have a wonderful vintage, reproduction feel to their shop and it is so warm and inviting when you walk in the door. Deb and Sue are so helpful and friendly that you will want to stay and get to know them better. Make sure that you stop by their website and if you are in the area, visit their shop.

Display window at the front of Vintage Threads

They are both taking orders for the magazines and their kits. Make sure you check them out!

Congratulations for both shops! Well deserved!

More Market installments later...so much to talk about, so little typing time! :)

Spring Quilt Market - Installment 1

2011-05-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Quilt Market was very successful and inspiring! It was in Salt Lake City, UT this year and the people in Salt Lake were so friendly and helpful. Joyce and I flew in on Wednesday and walked around the downtown for a bit. We wanted to find a grocery store to get some supplies and when we asked a couple of city workers where to find the grocery store and how to get there, they were so friendly and helpful. 20 minutes later, we were on our way...sorry Thelma, we were a few minutes late for dinner.

We met Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies for dinner. She had taken 2 classes from Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co and met us in Salt Lake after the classes. This was the second time that I had met Thelma and she is an absolute doll! Petite and sweet! I felt like an amazon next to her! We had a wonderful dinner and then off to Market for set up the next day. I put Thelma to work right away and she helped us set up my booth. Here she is labeling the brochures. What a great help she was!

Here is a picture of my booth the day of set-up. I was really please to see how it all came out.

I had 2 book signings for Fat Quarter Winners, one in the C&T Booth and the other one in the E. E. Schenck booth. It was so much fun talking to the people as I signed books. I love to hear where everyone is from and it amazes me how far they travel to get here for Market. I talked to people from New Zealand, Thailand and Belgium. Amazing!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were a whirlwind of activities talking to shop owners, magazine editors and other designers. It is so inspiring seeing everything and chat with everyone.

I had 4 new patterns for this Market and here they are 2 made from Olde World Style:

Black Pearl

Secret Garden

Also, I debuted my new fabric line, Memories of Provence which will be out on fabric in September. It is reminiscent of French fabric inspired by the Provence region. It will have 3 colorways, blue, red and black with accents of green. I love the updated antique look. Here are the swatches of my new fabric and I will post my new patterns soon.

I will tell you more about Market and my new items later. Hope you enjoyed the first Market installment!

Fit to be Quarter Winners

2011-05-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

Back from Market and catching up on things. I wanted to post the Fit to be Quarter winners and then will blog more about Market later this week. The two winners are:

pcflamingo who said:

"Gotta be my rotary cutter. Or my Easy Angle ruler. Or my snips. Color me indecisive."

Henrietta who said:

"My favorite quilting tool is my seam ripper. I use it for lots of other things not just frog stitching. It is useful to flip a seam over (or under) while stitching, tease threads out of seams when pressing or guide when curved piecing.

I have always bought the cheap blue ones (naming no names) but got very tired of them simply snapping. I have been pleased with the Fons and Porter ergonomic handle one, worth every penny."

Thanks everyone for participating!

Look for the next blog hop to be starting next week! It will be with Gudrun Erla from GE Designs and her new book will be featured. Table Talk is published by Kansas City Star and is a wonderful compilation of table toppers, table runners and family treats. She even used Olde World Style in one of her designs and it graces the cover! So, make sure you come back to visit the blog hop and see her wonderful new book.

See you later this week!

Fit to be Quarter Ruler

2011-05-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Well, it's finally here and ready to go. The Fit to be Quarter rulers are in my "warehouse" aka our garage, the printing came and they are ready to go. I'm so excited that it is finally ready! The ruler is designed to trim quarter-square triangles, combination units and square up quilt blocks but I've found it to be a multi-purpose ruler. I've used it to trim 1/2 square triangles too. It is 9 1/2" x 9 1/2". Let me show you how it works with quarter-square triangles.

1. Quarter Square Triangles:

1. Start with 2 squares 1" larger than the unfinished size of your quarter-square triangle or hourglass block. I want a 4" unfinished square so I cut my light and dark 5" x 5". On the back of the light square, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Sew 1/4" from both sides of the line.

2. Cut on the line and press towards the dark. Rotate one piece and place it, right sides together on the other piece. Make sure that the light is on the dark and the dark is on the light.

3. Draw a diagonal line on one of the pieces, bisecting the seam. Sew 1/4" from the drawn line.

4. Cut on the line and press the pieces in one direction. You get two quarter-square triangles.

5. Using the Fit to be Quarter, line up the two diagonal lines so the two lines cross on the 2" at the center of the block. Also, watch to make sure that the diagonal lines on the top left are at 4" and the bottom right are at 4". Trim the two sides.

6. Rotate the piece and line up the 4" lines on the edges that you just cut. Trim the two remaining sides. There you go, perfect quarter-square triangles!

Black Pearl can be made using the Fit to be Quarter ruler for the center of the block.

The instructions for the ruler tells you how to trim combination units. I will do another tutorial on that unit in another blog.

If you want to order your Fit to be Quarter ruler, it's now on my website. Remember, I will be at Quilt Market from May 11th-May 16th so order will not go out until after the 17th. (I need a day to recoup and get things ready to send out!)

So now that it's finally here, I decided to do a give-away of the ruler. Not one but two rulers!! All you have to do is leave a comment on your favorite quilt tool. You have until Sunday, May 15th to comment. I will announce the winner on Tuesday, the 17th.

Thanks for stopping by!

Talk Radio with Pat Sloan

2011-05-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Does anyone listen to talk radio? If you do, have you heard of Pat Sloan's Talk Radio show? It's on the internet and her latest venture is that she has partnered with American Patchwork & Quilting. Isn't that awesome!?

She contacted me a couple weeks ago to let me know about her radio show and asked if I would like to be a guest. I jumped at the chance! How exciting! She is on every Monday afternoon and she interviews 2 designers on each show. They talk for about a 1/2 hour. Here is the link to her show. http://www.creativetalknetwork.com/ I listened to it on I-Tunes but you can listen to it through the Internet as well. Hope you can all listen in on Monday, June 13th for my interview!

Also, our wonderful talented friend, Carrie Nelson from Miss Rosie's Quilts Co was on May 2nd. You can listen to past radio shows as well so make sure that you listen to Pat's interview with Carrie. If you have never met Carrie, you must listen to her show. She is so much fun and if you have met her than you know that you will be clicking over quickly to hear her interview.

Quiltmakers 100 Block Blog Tour Winner

2011-05-04T01:00:00.002-05:00

Congratulations, Marlene@kissedquilts.com who said:

"Recently I heard someone say it is the experiences that you can cherish not the things...so I'd have to say...after the movie....but black pearls - the jewelry are beautiful!"

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on the blog tour! The general consensus was that most people preferred to spend their money on jewelry instead of movies. Of course, if the choice was fabric or movies and jewelry, we all know what we would choose!

I had a book signing in Rockford at Acorn Quilts this past weekend and it was very successful! It was so much fun to see familiar faces and meet some new quilters. Thanks everyone for coming out! Here is a picture of me at my table with the one book that I had left...awesome turnout!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the tour!

Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Blog Tour Starts Today!

2011-05-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

It just happens to start today and be my day to blog. My block is called Black Pearl.

My friend Sue asked me if I named it after the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean. Although I like the movie, I did not name my block after the Black Pearl on the movie. I actually thought of Black Pearls when I looked at my block. What do you think? Movie or jewelry? Here is my question for you to be entered in the drawing for a Quiltmakers 100 Block Volume 3 magazine. What do you prefer - to spend your money on movies or jewelry? I know it's a tough one! Also, for the lucky winner who gets chosen for my blog, not only will you get a copy of the magazine, I will send you my new ruler, Fit to be Quarter. Yes, it's close to being finished and I will have it on my website later this week!!

Make sure that you stop by Quiltmakers blog to enter your name in for the prizes that they are giving away. I also decided to give you a free pattern, Black Pearl Table Topper. It is a quick, fun project to make and can be done in any colors. My original block is done using my first fabric line Olde World Style.

In the magazine, the editors decided to do a Quilt Gallery. I submitted a quilt and they decided to put it in! I was so excited. It is called the same name as the block, Black Pearl. We will have kits available on BundlesandBolts.com within the next few weeks.

Hope you enjoy the blog hop and let me know if you make the table topper. Enjoy!

Book Tour Finished

2011-04-28T01:00:00.003-05:00

It's the last day of the book tour and Lisa's revealing her take on Pinochle. I'm thinking that I would like to do it in those yummy fabrics too. Make sure you stop by and see her results.

It is crunch time for us designers. We only have 2 weeks left until we leave for Quilt Market and every time I think of it, I can't breath! So much to do and so little time. Like my friends say, you will get it done. I know that I will but it always seems like it won't get done. I will have some fabulous new patterns to show soon and of course, my new ruler! I will post them within the next week or so.

Also, don't forget that the Quiltmaker's 100 Block blog tour starts Monday and that's my day. There are always some great giveaways and surprises. See you Monday!

Book Signing in Rockford

2011-04-27T01:00:00.002-05:00

I will be doing a book signing in Rockford at Acorn Quilts on April 30th from 10:00-12:00. If you are in the area, make sure that you stop by and say hi and get your book. If you mention that you read this on my blog, you will get a special treat.

Acorn Quilts is located at 6409 East Riverside Blvd in Rockford, IL. Lesley Gebbie is the owner and the shop has been open for a year and a half. It's a wonderful, inspring place to go so make sure that if you can't make it Saturday, you stop by another time.

Don't forget that it's Thelma from Cupcake 'n Daisies day to show her big reveal. You will be so excited and impressed with her quilt! She has taken it a step further and I love it! I'm jealous, I wished that I would have thought of it!

Tomorrow is Lisa from Stashmaster's day to blog about her reveal so stop by.

Spades Revealed!

2011-04-26T01:00:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a expose show, doesn't it? Well, nothing like that but you get to see a quilt revealed! Here is Spades, all done!

Will wonders never cease? I actually have it quilted too. I know what you are thinking...over-achiever! But, that is not true. Market is only 2 1/2 weeks away and I need it for my booth so I had to get it done. My talented quilter, LeAnne Olson, quilted it quickly for me so I would have it for both Market and the reveal. Here is a close-up of her fantastic quilting.

Yummy backing!

Also, it's time for the Fat Quarter Winners winner! (ruler winner too!) It's Deb, who said:

"Love the book and there are several quilts that I'd like to make. Thanks for the chance to win!"

Congratulations, Deb!!

Don't forget to stop by Thelma's blog tomorrow to see her big reveal. You are in for a wonderful treat!

Thanks for touring with us and hope to see you on the next tour!

Rummy!

2011-04-25T07:31:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the final week of our Fat Quarter Winners book tour. While it is exciting to see everyone's quilts, it's also kind of sad that it is ending. Never fear! The next blog hop starts next week. Can you believe it!?

The big reveal is starting today with Nicole. She has done a fantastic job and you will want to make Rummy just like hers! Here is my version:

Tomorrow is my reveal day as well as my announcement of the winner of Fat Quarter Winners and a set of my rulers.

See you tomorrow.

Next blog tour

2011-04-21T01:00:00.004-05:00

As I had mentioned, there are more blog tours coming up. The next one starts the week after we finish our book tour. It's for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks. If you stopped by the blogs last time, there were some fantastic blocks and many wonderful projects.

I can give you a bit of a hint as to what I did for the tour. I used a black, a cream and a black/cream print from Olde World Style. It is very striking and I have made quilt using my blocks. I will show that when we do the blog tour as well.

Quiltmaker is giving a magazine away for each blogger that chooses a winner and I'm sure that I will have some more goodies to add to the prize. So, don't miss out on the next blog tour, starting May 2nd, which also happens to be my day to blog!

One more week left until we all get to do our big reveal for Fat Quarter Winners book tour. From Thelma's blog, it looks like she is done, mine is at the quilter and I'm sure that both Lisa's and Nicole's are well on their way or close to being done. I think I'm as excited as everyone else to see how they all turn out!

Don't forget to stop by Lisa's blog to check out her interview with me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you everyone!

2011-04-20T01:00:00.002-05:00

One of the most gratifying things about blogging is the comments that you guys make. I love to read them and feel like I'm getting to know you all a bit. Some of them make me laugh and that's always a good thing! You guys are the best! Keeping commenting and I will keep blogging and doing giveaways.

I've been setting up some blog tours in late spring and summer so make sure that you keep stopping by to see what's up. Remember, there are always giveaways!

Today's is Thelma's blog post so stop by her blog to see what her interview is about.

My mom mentioned to me that I haven't had a picture of Tillie lately on my blog. There are reasons for this: spring and muddy feet. Sometimes she comes in with her white feet as black as her black body and her muzzle too! Yuk! She is not so fond of being cleaned off but she has not choice. She loves to bite the rag and if it's a paper towel, forget it...it's in her mouth and chewed. She still has this paper fetish and runs as soon as she gets a piece. So here she is, dirty and sassy:

I have been working on the free pattern for the Fit to be Quarter ruler and here are some of the pieces. I decided to use those yummy blues and whites that I had originally thought would work for Spades. I'm on a deadline so am working to get it done for LeAnne to quilt.

See you guys tomorrow!

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

2011-04-19T06:41:00.000-05:00

When Nicole, Thelma and Lisa asked me about interviewing me on their blog tour, I asked myself what I should do on my day. A few weeks ago, Thelma had written a post on things that you might not know about her. I thought that was a great idea. You got to know a bit more about her. I loved it!

So, here goes, 10 things that you might not know about me:

1. I love Old English Sheepdogs. You probably already know this about me but the question is how did that come about? When I was 5 years old, there was a local tv show that came to our school for interviews. It was Valentines Day and they picked a boy and a girl for the interview. They happened to pick me and one of the questions that they asked was: "What would you like most in the world?" My answer was a dog. They asked what kind of dog. I said either an Old English Sheepdog or a St. Bernard. Of course, they printed this in the paper the next day. My dad is a retired teacher and at the time all the other teachers gave him such harassment for not getting me a dog. This was the first time that I had ever mentioned that I wanted a dog, you know 5 year olds! We looked for either one of those dogs and it was very hard to find at that time. We finally found a 1 year old, Old English Sheepdog. Her name was Chelsea and the owner needed to find a home for her. We went to get her and the rest is history. She was the most wonderful, sweetest dog that a child could ever have. She used to walk to the school to visit us. My dad taught at the school that I attended so she could visit me, my brother and my dad. She was a great dog!

Picture of me when I was about 4 or 5.

2. I am a huge Phoenix Suns fan (NBA). This is how Carrie Nelson from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co and I became friends. The first thing I asked her when I met her was did she like the Suns? (She lives in the Phoenix area.) She said yes and that was it, we were instant friends.

Steve Nash, our basketball hero.

Holly and I out for dinner before the game with our Steve Nash jerseys on.

3. I like to listen to hard rock music. (I know, I don't look like I would but I do :)

4. I'm a girlie girl. I love to wear makeup, do my hair, get my nails done and wear pink. I don't like to dig in the garden and hate bugs.

5. I have a huge sweet tooth. If I had a choice between sweets and salty, sweets all the way. My favorite is home made apple pie but almost anything sweet will do!

6. Fall is my favorite time of year. It's sunny, cool and no more stifling heat. I love to take the dogs for a walk and see all the beautiful colors.

7. I love to travel. If I could afford it, I would go all the time. I especially love England and Ireland. The beautiful countryside and the friendly people make it such an appealing place. There is inspiration everywhere, in the fields, the tile floors, the painted ceilings....awesome!

Woodstock Garden in Ireland

Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

8. I'm a home-body. I love to be home with my husband and dogs. Yes, I love to travel but when I'm in town, I am always striving to get home. I love to hang out, sew and be with my gang.

9. I have a degree in Mathematics. (no surprise, really) When I graduated from college, I thought that I would hardly use my mathematics degree. So wrong! I use it all the time in quilting and I'm sure that is one of the reasons that I have designed rulers.

10. I'm superstitious. I think it comes from my mom's side of the family. My Nanny used to tell us when things were bad luck. Dropping a glove and picking it up with the wrong hand, cutting your nails on Friday and Sunday, the number 13... I know that it's crazy but I still watch those things.

Don't forget to leave a comment and enter to win a copy of Fat Quarter Winners and a set of my rulers: Fit to be Square, Fit to be Geese and Mini Fit to be Geese. Winners will be announced next week.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure that you go by Thelma's blog tomorrow.

The books have arrived!

2011-04-18T01:00:00.000-05:00

Oh happy day! The books arrived Friday and I sent all the orders out on Saturday morning. I'm so excited! They look awesome and can't wait for everyone to see one.

I'm working on Spades and am very close to getting it done. I may even have it quilted before the final reveal! I am going to be bringing it to Quilt Market so I've been hustling to get it finished. Sneak peek:

Make sure that you stop by Nicole's blog today to catch her interview with me. This is the third week of our book tour and I can't believe how quickly it has gone. Next week is the big reveal and we will announce our winners.

Thanks for stopping by and will see you tomorrow for my day to post.

Quilter's Window Giveaway

2011-04-14T01:00:00.001-05:00

My good friend, Denise from Quilter's Window is having a giveaway of Fat Quarter Winners book. Make sure that you go to her blog and leave a comment. She is giving you a week to leave a comment and next Wednesday, she will draw a winner. The book is even signed by yours truely.

The blog book tour continues today with Lisa from Stashmaster giving her tutorial. Stop by her blog and see what she is showing. I can't wait to see her quilt, Pinochle.

Another one of my favorites in Fat Quarter Winners is Whist. The quilt can be made using both of my rulers, the Fit to be Square and Fit to be Geese. In the directions in the book I also give you the instructions to make the block using the traditional method. This is a great quilt because you can use up all the fabric in a fat quarter bundle or from your stash. I used the leftovers from the fat quarters for binding and the additional fat quarters for the backing. It doesn't have a border on the quilt either so you don't need to worry about having yardage. You can always add a border or two to make the quilt bigger, it's up to you.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks

2011-04-13T01:00:00.001-05:00

In the past year there have been 2 issues of Quiltmaker 100 Blocks. I have been in both and it has been such a great experience. The third issue is due to come out at the beginning of May and I will have a block in that issue too. I'm very excited about it and wanted to give you a sneak peek of the cover:

There will be a blog tour like last time and also a quilt gallery. During the blog tour, I will be giving away a copy of the magazine plus more surprises. Last time when I participated in the blog tour, I designed a tablerunner using my block. This time, I will have another project for you to download. Hope you can join me on the blog tour and enter for a chance to win.

Don't forget to stop by Thelma's blog to see her tutorial and her progress on Crazy Eights.

Good news! C&T contacted me to let me know that the books are on their way. So, for those of you who pre-ordered Fat Quarter Winners, your book will be in the mail later this week. If you are interested in ordering a book, you can order it through my website. Click on the link and it will take you right to the book: Fat Quarter Winners

See you tomorrow!

Fat Quarter Winners Book Tour - Week 2

2011-04-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

It's week 2 and we decided to do some tutorials for you. There are several different techniques in the book and we each chose one to give you some hints about. Mine is going to be a bit different because although the unit it is in the book, I have a new way of doing it and it uses my new ruler, the Fit to be Quarter. I don't have any rulers in stock yet but wanted to show you how it will work. Once they come in, I will have them for sale on my website. It is called Fit to be Quarter and it is designed to be used for quarter square triangles. There are many different applications that you can use the ruler for and I will be showing you those in the next couple of months. First, the main reason:

Quarter Square Triangles:

1. Start with 2 squares 1" larger than the unfinished size of your quarter-square triangle or hourglass block. I want a 4" unfinished square so I cut my light and dark 5" x 5". On the back of the light square, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Sew 1/4" from both sides of the line.

2. Cut on the line and press towards the dark. Rotate one piece and place it, right sides together on the other piece. Make sure that the light is on the dark and the dark is on the light.

3. Draw a diagonal line on one of the pieces, bisecting the seam. Sew 1/4" from the drawn line.

4. Cut on the line and press the pieces in one direction. You get two quarter-square triangles.

6. Rotate the piece and line up the 4" lines on the edges that you just cut. Trim the two remaining sides. There you go, perfect quarter-square triangles!

You can make quarter-square triangle blocks using this method but with no trimming by adding 3/4" to the unfinished size instead of 1". The reason that I like to make the pieces larger and square them down is that they come out so accurate. Speed in Fat Quarter Winners has quarter-square triangles.

Speed

I have been working on my blocks for Spades and it is coming along well. I almost have them completed and will get them together soon.

Don't forget to comment on the blogs and check out Thelma's tomorrow and Lisa's on Thursday.

Thanks for dropping by!

Home from Iowa

2011-04-11T01:00:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Back from Iowa and my book signing at my friend, Denise's quilt shop. I met Denise at Quilt Market several years ago and we became instant friends. We have the same passion, quilting, of course and get along great. I have been teaching once a year at Quilter's Window in New Hampton, IA since we met. When I told her about my book, she asked come to her shop for a book signing. I readily agreed. She had appetizers, wine tastings and specials at the shop. It was a wonderful turn out and there were many familiar faces plus a few new ones.

On Friday, Denise called me and gave me the good news. C&T had the books in their warehouse and were going to overnight the books to Denise so she would have them for the book signing! YEAH!! I was thrilled because after all, what's a book signing with no books?! It worked out great and we had a wonderful time. Here is a couple of pictures of the event:

Denise and me in front of Pinochle

Talking about the book to some customers.

If you ever get a chance to go to Quilter's Window, make sure that you stop by. It's a fabulous shop and she has a wonderful eye for color. A couple of year's ago her shop was a Top Ten Quit Shop with American Patchwork and Quilting and if you go, you will see why. Denise is starting to blog so make sure that you check it out. She is planning on doing some giveaways and updates you on what's new at her shop.

Denise is the only shop in the country to have my book right now. I don't even have any more copies than the one they sent me. I am going to check to see but I would think that this week I will get my copies.

Don't forget to go to Nicole's blog, Sister's Choice to see her progress on Rummy. It is also tutorial week so make sure you go to everyone's blog to learn some valuable tips and techniques.

Schedule of book tour:
Nicole, Sister's Choice - Mondays
me - Tuesdays
Thelma - Cupcakes 'n Daisies Wednesdays
Lisa - Stashmaster Thursdays

Hope to hear from you tomorrow. Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some prizes.

Fat Quarter Winners Book Tour - Day 4

2011-04-07T01:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome everyone!

It is day 4 of the book tour so that means it's Lisa of Stashmaster's turn. As Thelma had mentioned, the three of them loved Pinochle and was their first choice for the tour. Lisa won out so she got to do Pinochle. I will have to admit, Pinochle is one of my favorites in the book too. There are several reasons that I like it. First of all, the name brings back wonderful memories of playing pinochle with my husband and his parents. They are both gone now so it's nice to remember them this way. We used to have evening long games. Bill's step-dad was an awesome player and so is Bill. They would have battles and his mom and I would just be along for the ride! Lots of fun. Now it's my parents and Bill and I that play. My dad and I are partners and with Bill being such a good player, it's a there is lot of teasing and ribbing going on! Another reason that I love this pattern is the colors. Red is one of my favorite colors to use in quilts. There is such a variety of reds out there that it is so yummy! This quilt was especially fun to pick for because I got to raid my stash and use up some of my older fat quarters. Luckily on some of my favorites, I had more than just a fat quarter. Heaven forbid that I ran out of a favorite! After all, I don't have much in my stash! :) So, make sure that you check out Lisa's blog and see her progression on this wonderful quilt.

When I posted my blog on Tuesday, one lady commented that she would like to know what I'm going to do with the blues. I think that I want to make Pinochle in blues and creams.

I'm off to New Hampton, IA this weekend for a book signing at my friend, Denise's shop, Quilter's Window. I'm hoping the books will come in! I have been checking daily but so far, no go. Cross your fingers for us!

King's Corner from Fat Quarter Winners

More posts next week with updates on Fat Quarter Winners book tour!

Fat Quarter Winners Book Tour - Day 3

2011-04-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all enjoying the book tour so far. Nicole's choice of quilt and fabric is awesome and can't wait to see hers done! Reds and pinks are one of my favorite combinations and she makes me want to do that quilt again in her colors! Today's day is Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies. You will love her choice of quilt and colors...again, it makes me want to do her quilt too. Oh, if only we had all the time in the world.

Tomorrow will be Lisa's day to blog about her choice of quilt and fabrics and can't wait to see what she comes up with too.

Thanks to everyone who is commenting and following our blogs. You guys are the ones that make this happen and I love to read everyone's comments!

Featured below is one more quilt from Fat Quarter Winner's:

Gin Rummy

Thanks for coming by and we will see you tomorrow!

Book Tour - Week 1

2011-04-05T01:00:00.031-05:00

My day is Tuesday to blog about the project that I am working on. I decided to do Spades from Fat Quarter Winners. There are a couple of reasons why I decided to do this quilt. First, I love the fact that you don't need a border for this quilt. Sometimes you have a fat quarter bundle but don't have any supporting yardage. Another reason that I chose this pattern is because you can use every piece in a line and don't have to worry about having a matching light and dark. If you look at the picture, I matched darks with darks, mediums with darks, darks with lights and mediums with lights. A lot of fat quarter bundles come with lots of darks and less lights. You can use whatever fabrics that you choose out of a bundle or raid your stash. The key is to have a contrast between the two prints. It doesn't have to be a huge contrast but a bit.

Spades

My first dilemma about this quilt is what fabrics to choose?! I have so many fat quarter bundles and pieces in my stash that I couldn't decide. So, I made a few as test blocks. The first fabrics I chose were blue and creams. I really like it but my heart was not in it because I have another quilt in mind for blues and creams.

My second set of fabrics I chose were Blackbird Designs fat quarter bundle. I really liked this one too but it was a bit lighter than what I wanted.

Final decision: French General, Mason de Garance. Yummy!! I love the browns, reds and cream colors. The prints are fantastic and there is some good contrast for the blocks. Here is my test block:

Once I made my decision, the next thing to do was to cut my fat quarters. The pattern includes cutting your setting triangles from your fat quarters. Because the cutting was a little trickier, in the instructions, I gave a diagram on how to cut your fat quarters. Another instruction that I give you is to place your fat quarters with right sides together and cut them that way. You will be making 1/2 square triangles using squares and if they are cut right sides together it makes it much quicker to pick them up and start sewing.

The setting triangle cutting can be tricky. Here are a few tips on how to do this. Line up your 45 degree angle on the bottom of your strip and cut. Rotate the ruler and line up one of the lines running across your ruler on the angle you just cut.

Line up on the 45 degree angle

Cut

Rotate the ruler and line up one of your lines of the ruler on the cut you just made.

Another way to do this is to use The Setting Triangle ruler. It has the angles all built in and once you cut your strip, you can line the ruler up and cut. If you are seeing this ruler for the first time, it's a great ruler to have. Instead of cutting a square and cutting it diagonally twice for the setting triangles, you cut a strip. It tells you what size to cut your strip for the block size that you are making. Once you have your strip cut, you line up the ruler on the strip width, cut and rotate to get your setting triangle pieces. The leftover pieces can be used for the corners or for additional cutting, if needed. Here is a demo of The Setting Triangle ruler.

Line up the bottom of the ruler to your cut edge and the top point at the top edge.

Cut both sides.

One of the things that I always to for my on point quilts is I over-size the setting triangles. After the top is put together, then I trim my quilt top down leaving a 1/4" all around. In the instructions for Spades, I over-sized the triangles.

Hope everyone will continue to check our blogs out so you can get the tips and see the quilts develop. Here is the schedule for our blogs:

Mondays, April 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th - Nicole from Sister's Choice
Tuesdays, April 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th - Monique from Open Gate Blog
Wednesdays, April 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th - Thelma from Cupcakes 'n Daisies
Thursdays, April 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th - Lisa from Stashmaster

Don't forget to leave a comment on everyone's blog to be entered in the drawing for the prizes.

Fat Quarter Winners Book Tour Starts Today!

2011-04-04T08:01:00.000-05:00

I hope you are excited by the book tour that is starting today! I know that I am. Today is Nicole from Sister's Choice day to blog about the book and reveal the quilt that she has decided to make. She will also show you her color choices and some wonderful ideas that she has come up with.

Don't forget to come back each day to see who is blogging what day and their choices. Also, there will be prizes and a few surprises!

Here is a picture of another one of the quilts in the book:

Cribbage

I still haven't received copies of the books for sale but as soon as I do, I will post it. You can purchase the book ahead of time or wait until it comes in. Check your local quilt shop for it as well.

Thanks for coming by and come by tomorrow to see who is making the next quilt out of Fat Quarter Winners!

Book Tour

2011-03-30T11:32:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a week since I received my copy of the book and it still feels awesome to have it! I never knew how much I would like it. I was teasing my brother, who always brings me back to earth - like brothers tend to do, about my "manuscript" and that I wrote a non-fiction book. He put me right back in my place! Thanks, Mike!! He also calls me a "Mathlete". I will take that as a compliment!

Meanwhile, my wonderful friends, Nicole, Thelma and Lisa are doing a blog book tour for Fat Quarter Winners! Yeah!! How it will work is that it will start next week and each of us has a day to show our progress, work on different techniques and blog about the tour. We are all doing different quilts for the tour so you can see how the original looks compared to the new quilts that we make. There will also be drawings for give-aways so make sure you check out each blog. I have been auditioning fabrics for my quilt and think I have it narrowed down. Will have the decision for you next week.

This is one of the quilts in Fat Quarter Winners. The books should arrive very soon. To pre-order, click here.

Hearts from Fat Quarter Winners

Tillie is doing great! She is growing like crazy and has a wonderful personality! I was a bit worried when we got her but she has really grown into a great puppy. Her latest thing is she likes to run beside the fence chasing after cars as they go down the street. It's okay in the yard but I'm a little worried when we go for walks. We are working on her not doing that. Maple has been walking a short bit with us and I'm trying to have Tillie follow Maple's good walking behavior. So far, no go. Tillie is much better by herself because it's easier to control her. Two big dogs is a riot to walk. The neighbors must be very entertained!!

Can't wait to show you the quilts that we are working on. Tune in next week for the tour to start.

Fat Quarter Winners!

2011-03-21T18:50:00.000-05:00

Today, I finally received my copy in the mail! I am so excited. I have been waiting for almost 2 years to see this come together. C&T Publishing sent me a copy along with a disc of the quilts in the book. Here are some that I haven't posted yet. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Whist

Speed

I should be receiving the copies to sell by the end of March, they tell me. So, if you want to pre-order a book, I have it on my website. I will even sign it, if you want. Here is the link: Fat Quarter Winners

Also, C&T sent me a beautiful basket of flowers as a congratulations on my book! It really makes me feel like an author and very special that they did that! Thanks, C&T!! Aren't they beautiful?

Talk to you later this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Star Puppy

2011-03-18T19:39:00.001-05:00

That's what they call a puppy who passes the puppy kindergarten class. Guess what!?! We passed!! I was so proud of her last night! She did everything that she was supposed to and made me proud. I was more nervous than she was but she showed how much she had learned and how great she can be! We had a celebration after and each puppy got a certificate, treats and a toy. The instructor put the toys in a pile in the middle of the ring and each puppy got to pick which one they wanted. So, she would announce the owner and the puppy and everyone would clap and they would go get there certificate and get to pick their toy. It was the cutest thing, each puppy went up, picked their toy and walked away. They just knew which one they wanted. Puppies are the best! Here are some pictures of Tillie during her test.

Tillie giving her instructor some love.

Also, Molly, the Bernese Mountain dog. She is the cutest dog and SO friendly!

Here is Ginger, a Doberman Pincher going through her paces. How fun is this?!

If you noticed, there are some new things at Open Gate. I am updating my website so it's a bit different but it needed a face lift. I have a new blog. I have this wonderful lady, Kassie Garlock who has updated my blog and made it easier for everyone to use. There is a subscription button and it will automatically update my blog on Facebook.  It is fresh and fun and I hope you like it!

I am also going to be doing some blog hops coming up in April and May.  I will be posting those soon!

Only a few more weeks and Fat Quarter Winners will be out!  I'm pretty patient in general but it has been hard to wait to see it! I haven't even gotten my advance copy yet and check the mail anxiously every day.

Sorry that it has been so long since I did my last post but I was down with Strep throat and have been behind because of it.  I'm much better and trying to catch up.

Talk to you soon!