Bradie from A Quilty Kind of Girl will be hosting a Summer Star Sampler Quilt Along, starting July 6th (hey that’s my birthday!).

Tutorials will be available every Tuesday on Bradie’s site with instructions for two blocks per week, followed by the center medallion, then borders. Check the blog post to download the fabric requirements.

I’m in love with this pattern! I hope I can keep up with the instructions this summer and have a fabulous quilt done at the end. I haven’t decided what fabrics I want to use. I might go brights and use my hand-dyed fabrics I made last week. Or perhaps something warm and calming with browns, beiges, blues, burgandy and green. I’ll pull some fabrics this weekend.

The centre medallion is gorgeous, but for me I find it SCARY!! I know Bradie writes amazing tutorials, so I’m not too worried about tackling it when the time comes.

Join the fun!! Are you going to Quilt Along with Bradie (and me)?

Come join the fun!! Along with Erin Russek from One Piece at a Time, I’m thrilled to host the latest swap here at the Quilting Gallery: Applique Posy Needle Case Swap. It’s very cute, and super easy to make.

A perfect project for a rainy summer afternoon or a cold and drizzling day for friends in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s so quick to make, I’d suggest making up several as early Christmas presents for your quilting buddies.

For the swap, you can choose your applique method of choice. Erin’s put together a great two-part tutorial showing you step-by-step how to put the needle case together: part 1 and part 2.

Registration closes July 5th. Partner information will be sent by July 8th. The deadline to mail your needle case is August 17th for overseas shipments and August 24th for domestic shipments (and between Canada and the USA).

Join the FUN:

• swap guidelines
• registration
• participants
• Flickr group
• download applique pattern [PDF file]

Congratulations to Anne Maundrell for winning last week’s Sunrise/Sunset quilt contest with her gorgeous Cat at Sunset tribute quilt to her kitty Aicha. She wins a pack of Fig Tree Quilts patterns donated by Jojo’s Quilt Shoppe.

This week’s theme is Story Quilts and is sponsored by Revell Books and Mary Tatem. Two lucky winners will each win one of Mary’s new books. I’m looking forward to reading about and seeing all your beautiful quilts that tell a story.

To enter the weekly contest, read the rules and guidelines, then submit your quilt photo by Thursday. Voting will start on Friday and last until Sunday night.

Quilt of Joy by Mary Tatem

We were first introduced to Mary Tatem a couple of weeks ago. Mary has written two new books: Quilt of Joy – Stories of Hope from the Patchwork Life, and Quilt of Faith – Stories of Comfort from the Patchwork Life. You’ll learn more about Quilt of Faith in a couple of weeks.

Draw these stories around yourself like a well-loved quilt.

Quilters flip through books and magazines and sort through scraps of fabric when planning a new quilt. But when God created you, he took even more time and care than even the most careful quilter. Through inspiring stories based around twelve beloved quilt patterns, Mary Tatem uncovers the joy we have in God and the hope of beautiful things yet to come.

You’ll enjoy stories featuring the following quilt blocks:

• Pickle Dish
• Pine Tree
• Bear Claw
• Crazy Quilt
• School House
• Drunkard’s Path
• Tumbling Blocks
• Le Moyne Star
• Love Apple
• Mariner’s Compass
• Rose of Sharon
• Wandering Foot

Whether you’re a quilter or quilt lover, Quilt of Joy will reassure you of God’s faithfulness and his desire to bring blessing to your life.

"You don’t have to be a quilter to appreciate Mary Tatem’s Quilt of Joy. Take a stitch toward sewing joy into your life every day by reading one of Mary’s treasured insights. You’ll be pleased you did!" – Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author, A Mending at the Edge and Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community and Craft.

Visit Mary at her website: www.marytatem.com or purchase her books.

Blog It

Please share the logo below on your own blog. The more contestants, the more exciting the contests!

There are still a few weekly sponsorship opportunities left this year. Please contact me if you’re interested. It’s a fabulous opportunity to showcase new notions and fabrics.