Cover Girl... Island Breeze

Hello Everyone,

I have been bursting at the "seams" to share this with all of you!  Most of you know that I design quilts for Quilt Magazine... if you don't get this one... you should. 

My latest design is probably one of my favorites.

I love the yummy color combos.  Using all batiks from Island Batik.

Quilted it using variegated thread and did some custom quilting.

You know I have an obsession with flying geese...  This quilt is loaded with them!  I used the method I show in my tutorial here.

Another shot of the quilting.  

The quilting in the tiny cornerstone that joins the fabulous green sashing.

Meet Island Breeze... Ahhhhh.... can you hear the waves crashing around you yet?  

This new design is in the newest issue of Quilt Magazine June/July 2012.  It can be found in my shop by clicking here and on newsstands on April, 10.  But honestly, you should subscribe, the people behind the magazine are just fabulous!

Oh and if you want to make this same exact quilt, I also have the kits in my shop too!  You will be able to find them by clicking here, we are just waiting on one more bolt of fabric to complete them.  Once that comes in then we can begin shipping.

Here is the beach scene from the magazine photo shoot.  Don't you just want to head to the beach??

The fabulous flat shot from Quilt!

For fun, Quilt Magazine has put a downloadable PDF line drawing of Island Breeze.  If you click here, you can download your own copy and then choose your own color combos!  How cool is that?

But this is why I am doing a Happy Dance...

... My quilt made the cover... MY QUILT!!!  I am thrilled and honored!  Thank you Quilt Magazine for featuring Island Breeze on the cover of your wonderful Magazine!

If you want to get to know Quilt Magazine a little better head over an "like" their Facebook page by clicking here.   While you are there, you can vote for Island Breeze it has made it to their Elite Eight Bracket!! The cover girl would love to move onto the Final Four!  So cast your vote! Thank you!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway... here.

Until Next Time...

Cover Girl... Island Breeze

Modern Giveaway!

Hello Everyone,

Yes, two days in a row... can you believe it?? A giveaway yesterday and one today!! 

Today's giveaway is 10 Fat Quarters of Art Gallery's Modernology Fabric.

You can find the entire collection in my shop, by clicking here.

If you would like to enter the giveaway, you must visit my friend Maureen at Maureen Cracknell Handmade.  If her blog is new to you, you will want to poke around.  She is very talented and there is lots of great stuff to inspire.

Tell her I said hello and

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway.

Until Next Time...

Modern Giveaway!

Let's Celebrate Victoria's Birthday With A Giveaway

Hello Everyone,

Today is my friend Victoria's Birthday!  Hooray!!  Happy Birthday, Victoria!  

So we are sharing the love.  Victoria hand picked 6 fat quarters from my shop especially for 2 lucky winners.

Yummy golds, burgundy, teal, red, and blue!

Here is a closer look.  With these fabrics you can Victoria's Triangles Galore block for which she has a tutorial and downloadable PDF on her blog.

By the way, if you don't know Victoria, you ought to... very inspiring!

Here she is the birthday girl!

So how can you win these fat quarters??  

1.  Leave a comment here for one entry.

2.  Leave a comment on Victoria's blog wishing her a happy birthday and sign up to follow her blog, then come back here and tell me in a separate comment that you visited her and are now following.

That is it!!

***Comments are now closed***

Until Next Time...

Let's Celebrate Victoria's Birthday With A Giveaway

Round and Round

Hello Everyone,

This is the second round in the Improvi- Robin or second month.  I received this gorgeous piece to put my signature on, just a little peek here.

You can see I added some geese.  But I will take you through the steps of how this piece has progressed.

This is how it was first sent out by Abby.

Stephanie was the first recipient and this is how she changed it and then sent it onto me to add my round.

I began by making lots of flying geese!  You know how I love them. Plus there are always geese  seagulls flying around the ocean. I used my method of making the geese seagulls, you can find it here on my tutorial.

This is some of the original fabric that was sent along, so I used this as well.

And Voila!! You have geese seagulls circling the ocean!  

I used green and blue scraps for the geese and this fabulous batik to surround the geese.  I really do like how it turned out.  I hope you do too, Abby!  It is now on its way to Miki!

To see more of the Improvi- Robin Group's progress you can check out our Flickr group by clicking here.

Until Next Time...

Round and Round

Diamonds In The Rough

Hello Everyone,

Do you remember the quilt that I had on the design wall that I needed to finish?  Well, I am just about there, so I thought I would show you my progress.

I have decided to call it Diamonds in the Rough.

Basically, I just played with scraps of Kaffe Fassett and Kona Cotton White and made Half Square Triangles.  Then laid it on the design wall until I made a design that pleased me.  You can see how I make HSTs by using my tutorial here.

I love the color!

Look...  a very cute quilt inspector has dropped by to check my quarter inch seams.  Looks like the smell okay...

Oh no, a second quilt inspector.  Looks like he might be checking the same seam!! Hmmm... maybe I ought to check them too??

Guess they must have checked out okay, they have decided to sit for a while.

So this is what it looked like before.

Here is what it looks like now.  I think I am going to add some white borders and then quilt it up!

Also, I wanted to ask you all a favor... Would you mind clicking on the heart on my Spring Fling Quilt here on Craftsy?  I have entered it in a contest and the more hearts I have the better chance I have at winning.  Just "Heart" me by clicking on the little heart!  Thank you!!

Until Next Time...

Diamonds In The Rough

Blogger's BOM Month 7

Hello Everyone,

What a talented group you ALL are... Have you seen all the blocks in the Flickr Group??  If not, you really need to see all the fabulous color and fabric combinations that everyone is using.

Just click here to see.

This month is Month 7.  If you need to catch up here is what we have done already.

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

This month is from the incredibly talented Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew!  Wait until you see her block, it is a fabulous addition to the first six months.  I am looking forward to seeing what all of you will cook up with your fabric combos. 

But I know you can't wait any longer, so click here to say hi to Allison and get your tutorial for Month 7.

Remember the BOM is free and it is never too late to join in, but remember to post it to the Flickr group when you are done with the block.

Enjoy!!

Until Next Time...

Blogger's BOM Month 7

Latest Podcast Is Now Available

Hello Everyone,

It has been a little while since my last podcast, yes I was slacking a bit.  But not to worry, you now can catch up with my latest happening by listening to Episode 35!

In this Episode, I do ask for some feedback and would love to hear from you!! So tune in by clicking here to listen from you computer or go to iTunes by clicking here and download to your MP3 player or iPod and listen on the go!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway going on here, and make sure you come back on Sunday to grab the Blogger's Block of the Month for March!

Until Next Time...

Latest Podcast Is Now Available

Paperweight Giveaway

Hello Everyone,

I know that you must love color, right?

I thought I would share with you again Kaffe Fassett's Paperweight collections!  You can find many more  colors too in my shop by clicking here.

There are nine fat quarters in this bundle and I just know that they would fit nicely into any quilting project that you might have going.  But in order to be entered into the giveaway, you must visit my friend Sherri at A Quilting Life.  If you have never been to her blog, you are in for a treat.  We have been blogging friends for quite a while and she is quite talented and prolific, not to mention a super nice person!

Please tell her I said hello when you visit...

Click Here to Enter The Giveaway!

Until Next Time...

Paperweight Giveaway

Thinking Spring

Hello Everyone

I don't know about your part of the world, but here in Connecticut we have been experiencing fabulously warm weather. Very unusual this time of the year when 46 degrees Fahrenheit is the normal. Being a warm weather fan, this is one of the best times of the year for me.

Do you remember this quilt?  This is "A Touch of Spring" or as I renamed it "Chocolate Raspberry Truffle".  I am revisiting this because I will be teaching it this spring.  Keep reading for the details.

Since we have been having warm weather, I took a stroll around my yard and found one bunch of daffodils blooming!! I couldn't believe my eyes.

Here is a little bit more of my Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.  Is it making you hungry to sew or to learn how to paper piece spikes, curves, and "S" curves?

Day lilies are sprouting up all over the yard.  Hoping Mother Nature doesn't decide to snow one last time. It has been known to happen and that doesn't thrill me too much.

Look even my lilac bushes are budding!  A beautiful almost cloudless day.  Couldn't ask for anything better.

Another large clump of daffodils coming up.  I must say that this is truly the earliest that I have ever seen this happening... unbelievable!  How is the weather in you neck of the woods??

Here is my whole quilt.  Yes, I have an upcoming class on this quilt and the various techniques involved, beginning in April.  If you are local or will be in Connecticut, I would love to have you in my class.  You can see the details on my schedule by clicking here.

If you would like to ask me some questions about the class send me and e-mail.

It is a Judy Niemeyer pattern and can be purchased in my shop by clicking here.

I hope that this post has put a little spring into your step!

Until Next Time...

Thinking Spring