Eclipse Day

Colanders....they are for more than PASTA.....

I projected the image of the eclipse on my back deck.

Wouldn't this make a great fabric or quilt design.

Two New Patterns

Just Released!

Star Gazer

Unique star blocks, chains and simple step blocks are combined to create this dynamic design. Fabric values create depth and movement. Pattern includes three sizes and two color options.

Quilt Sizes: Lap: 50" x 63"; Bedrunner: 35" x 86"; Queen: 76" x 89"

Skill Level: Confident Beginner


Fabrics pictured are Northcott's Artisan Spirit Sandscapes 



Click to Buy






Eclipse


Gather your Fat Quarters and have some fun as you make this stunning wall quilt. The split circles will be perfectly placed with my easy fusing technique. Pattern includes two color options.

Quilt Size: 50" x 50"

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Fabrics pictured are Northcott's Artisan Spirit Sandscapes  

Click to Buy





Read more about the making of these quilts here.

International Quilt Market - Houston

Here are a few pictures of the Northcott booth at International Quilt Market. I design patterns with their upcoming fabrics and I am the sales rep for Vancouver Island. I go to Market to help in the booth and to see everything that is NEW in the world of quilting. These fabrics will be coming to a store near you soon!

Northcott's ColorWorks solids have been revamped with all new colours. I LOVE working with solid fabrics because you can add so much texture with the quilting design.

 My Chips & Churns  quilt is top right in the photo above. 

Here is a closeup of my quilting. See how the texture shines with solid fabrics!

Sandscapes is the latest addition to the Artisan Spirit series. This collection includes a wide range of exquisite marbleized textures in vibrant hues with metallic accents. There are twelve palettes ranging in a progression of value which makes them perfect for quiltmakers.

A portion of the sales from Sandscapes will be donated to Prokritee, a certified fair trade company based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, employing the artisan women who inspired this collection.

Amazing neutrals - quilts by (clockwise from the top left):

Jean Boyd, Elisa Wilson, Sue Harvey/Sandy Boobar and Patti Carey

Traditional, Modern, Applique, Landscapes

Sandscapes work well in all of these! 

Eclipse (top right) is another new design from my design company, Patchworks Studio. 

Sunglow/Coral colours.

Quilts by Karen Bialik, Diane McGregor, Wanda Milankov and me
(bottom, horizontal, Star Gazer bedrunner).

And a closeup of the bedrunner quilting - an amazing job done by Northcott's longarm quilter. THANKS Northcott!

Patterns will be available for my 3 quilts in the next month. 

Watch my Newsletter for the release date.

The Sewing Machine is HUMMING!

Right after I returned from my fabulous Alaska cruise I worked on 3 new pattern designs to be released at International Quilt Market at the end of October.  The FEDEX delivery person was a 'regular' at my front door, delivering wonderful new fabrics from Northcott. Just when I was almost finished the first quilt, the next batch of fabrics arrived.

With the help of my friends Rose and Darlene (who handled fabric cutting for me) and my husband (who is now an expert cutting circles from fusible web) the first 2 projects were made for the upcoming Sandscapes collection by Northcott.

Eclipse is an adaptation of the Moon Rings quilt on the cover of my book Fat Quarter Frenzy (now out of print).

My method ensures perfectly aligned split circles on the half-square triangle blocks. The quilt uses fat quarters so is a great stash buster too. The pattern includes two colour options for this wall-size quilt.

Star Gazer is the quilt I taught on the cruise. My students used Artisan Spirit Shimmer for their lap-size quilts and the new pattern also uses the Sandscapes collection.

This pattern includes 3 sizes: Lap, Queen and Bedrunner. This is the bedrunner using the Coral colourway.

I'm also using the Moss colourway in this pattern. There are 3 different blocks for the design and they are not difficult to make. Quick piecing methods are used for the star points and strip pieced chain blocks pull the design together. This quilt is a good design to use a range of values of one colour combined with neutral backgrounds.














The third quilt uses solid fabrics. I just love how the quilting shows so well with these fabrics!  Chips and Churns (thanks Peggy F. for naming this one!) is a very easy quilt with large 15" blocks and simple construction. Final size for the quilt I made is a 55" square Cuddle quilt.

The pattern also includes Queen size. I used a pastel selection of fabrics from the new ColorWorks solids colours produced by Northcott for my quilt. The pattern also includes Country and Dramatic colourways.





Patterns for all 3 quilts will be available starting in early 2015 and I will notify my newsletter subscribers as soon as they are available. If you don't already receive my FREE newsletter, you can sign up on the right bar of this blog. A my free gift you will receive my 'On Point Quilts' basics. This design option is used for the Star Gazer quilt - you get more 'mileage' from blocks when they are arranged 'on point'!

I'm looking forward to seeing my quilts hanging in the Northcott booth at Quilt Market. But first....one more quilt to finish.  The one for 'someone's wedding'!

Fall Workshops

I will be teaching locally again this fall at Calico Cupboard in Victoria.  The schedule has now been posted online:  http://www.tinyurl.com/calico-cupboard

A couple of new workshops are on the schedule:

Eclipse is a 'split quilt', a new technique that I have been working with for several years. You will learn my new method for improvisational and soft fused applique, machine applique and quilting with decorative stitches and about threads and needles.

Mykonos Marble is my latest pattern quilt. This design features medallions from Northcott's upcoming fabric line Stonehenge Aphrodite. The supporting fabrics are inspired by decorative marble floors. Learn about precision piecing and diagonally-set quilts in this workshop. The pattern is now available in my Patchworks Studio store and the fabric will be in stores in October.

Hope to see you in the classroom!