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.

The theme for this week’s virtual quilt contest is Sunrise/Sunset. I’m loving the colours in these fabulous quilts.

The winner of this week’s contest will win a 3-Pattern Pack from Fig Tree Quilts from Jojo’s Quilt Shoppe.

Now it’s time for you to vote for your favourite!!

• Voting is open Friday – Sunday @ 11:59 p.m.
• One vote per IP address (NOT email address), so have your family and friends cast a ballot for their favourite quilt (from home if you send it to coworkers)
• Winner announced Monday!

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Next week’s theme is Story Quilts. I’m looking forward to reading about and seeing all your beautiful quilts that tell a story. Get your cameras out!

Facebook, email subscribers and RSS readers: You need to visit the Quilting Gallery blog to vote: CLICK HERE

Please join me in welcoming guest blogger Jan Donley as she walks us through her method for machine appliqué. Thanks Jan for being a guest here at the Quilting Gallery.

I love appliqué quilts but I do not enjoy doing needle turn appliqué so I set out to learn how to appliqué by preparing the appliqué shapes before putting them onto my background fabric. I found using freezer paper and a glue stick a simple and fast way to accomplish my goal. I have used this method for both machine and hand appliqué with equally acceptable results, but this little explanation will be for machine appliqué.

Supplies needed to do this type of appliqué: Freezer paper, pencil, water soluble glue stick, paper scissors, fabric scissors, background fabric, fabric for the appliqué pieces, thread to match the appliqué, neutral thread for the bobbin and other basic sewing supplies.

Sewing machine requirements: Your sewing machine must have a zig zag stitch, and the stitch should have various widths. An open toe appliqué foot is also very helpful. Different models of machines have different capabilities, this explanation gives general guidelines, and you might need to consult your machine dealer or local quilt shop for more information.

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