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Quilt-Along Bonus Block: Christmas Ornaments

For those following along with our Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along, you might have noticed that I neglected to assign myself a date. Duh!!

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters

So, I created a bonus block called Christmas Ornaments and I’ve included instructions on making it into a mini quilt too. Download the appliqué pattern and photo tutorial HERE! If you make the block/mini quilt, please share in the Flickr group… I’d love to see it.

christmas-ornaments-mini-quilt

close-up-quilting

Quilt-Along Links


Today’s Super Deal for Quilters

quilters-cookbooks

I have had great pleasure to put together two Quilter’s Cookbooks filled with recipes, stories and quilts from quilters around the world. They are available instantly as downloadable PDF files. They make a wonderful and inexpensive gift for your quilty friends!

The first edition (2009) is "Quick and easy recipes, so we can get back to quilting!" and contains 119 recipes, 76 photos of gorgeous quilts and the real life stories behind them. The second edition (2010) is "Holiday Traditions" and contains 135 recipes and 72 photos.

Get your Super Deal savings here!

Updated: November 28, 2011

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Quilt-Along Block 17: Christmas in Italy

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters

Block 17 of our Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along is Christmas in Italy designed by Lenna Green. Long-time readers might remember Lenna from the fabulous embroidery video tutorials she did here last year. Our friends at Fort Worth Fabric Studio have a fabulous 40% off Super Deal for you to enjoy too.

How does the quilt-along work? Over a 12-week period, 36 fabulously talented designers will be making 12″ blocks that you can make. You can pick and choose which blocks you want to make. Sash them, add borders, baste it, quilt it, and have it ready to give-away or keep for yourself this Christmas. Or you might want to use some of the blocks for a mini quilt, a table runner, bags, whatever you like.

Make new quilting friends, meet our featured designers, take advantage of our Super Deal bargains, and most of all just have some fun!


Super Deal from Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Fort Worth Fabric Studio<

Fort Worth Fabric Studio is an online quilt store full of fabulous fabrics, bundles, kits, and patterns! You can expect great customer service with special attention to your order. Nearly always, next day shipping and many times, same day shipping! We promise you "online service with a smile."

We are home of the Friday Bundle Batch, an assortment of fabrics that are hand-selected to perfectly complement each other! Check for a new Bundle each Friday!

Today’s Super Deal:

40% OFF all Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Robert Kaufman. No special code is required. The discount applies to all Grinch yardage, bundles, and kits! SALE runs until October 25 at midnight, CST.

how-the-grinch-stole-christmas

Get your Super Deal Savings here!


Featured Designer: Lenna Green

Lenna

What is your quilting style?

Many of my designs are influenced by my love of cottages and gardens.

example-of-my style1

Although I enjoy hand appliqué and quilting I’m most passionate about free hand embroidery and often experiment with combining this with colour wash painting in my quilts. I also enjoy traditional piecing with templates, and only resort to the sewing machine through necessity. Many of my first quilts were pieced by hand.

example-of-my style2

My designs typically have an aged or antique look about them. I am particularly passion about antique floral fabrics and love nothing more than hoarding them away in my fabric cupboard for a special project. I have to confess that I have some fabrics that are too precious to use and so they just adorn my fabric cupboard and make it look pretty!

example-of-my style3

How did you get started quilting and/or designing?

Formally trained as a secondary school design and technology teacher, I took time off to have my family and discovered the world of patchwork and quilting. It was on one of my many visits to the local patchwork shop that the owner asked if I would like to start designing my own projects and teaching classes. I remember being amused because at the time I was 8 months pregnant. However despite this, shortly after the arrival of our third child I started teaching classes in the evening in between 3 hourly breast feeds. I often came home to find hubby pacing the floor eagerly waiting my arrival.

Teaching patchwork and quilting classes was a wonderful experience. Over 7 years, I met many kindred spirits and made some lifelong friends. Designing projects for my classes prompted me to start writing patterns and I branded my designs Little Green Cottage, named after the 100 year old home we were painstakingly renovating at the time.

A move interstate prompted me to take the next step forward and establish my own Internet business, Stitching Cow. My online business has been up and running for 5 years and features Little Green Cottage patterns and other helpful resources related to sewing. It also offers online classes and video tutorials for both beginners and the more experienced.

Do you have a favourite quilt?

I think my favourite quilt is always the one I am currently working or have just finished. At the moment it is "Christmas in Italy" which is a new block of the month quilt design, inspired by my recent trip overseas.

Christmas in Italy

Christmas in Italy close-up

Quick and fun questions:

  • Favourite colour: Would have to be green, I often use green and dusty pinks in my sewing projects.
  • What part of the quilting process do you like the most? I love playing around with different fabrics whilst trying to decide on the right colour way to work with.
  • What part of the quilting process do you dislike the most? Tacking out a large quilt for hand quilting, my back and knees always complain!
  • Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or: Chocolate of course
  • Most exciting place you’ve travelled: Last Christmas my family and I spent 2 months in Italy.
  • Favourite quote or mantra: Less is more.

Block 17 – Christmas in Italy

Here’s Lenna’s Christmas in Italy block. It’s a companion block to Lenna’s recently-released Christmas in Italy BOM pattern. Lenna has included great hints and tips on putting this block together. Head over to Lenna’s blog to download the pattern.

Christmas in Italy Block


Share Your Photos

buttons

Upload your completed blocks to our Flickr group for a chance to win some adorable buttons from Button Mad – Incomparable Buttons. One winner for each of our quilt-along blocks will be randomly chosen. You have two weeks to complete Lenna’s Christmas in Italy block to be eligible to win.


Quilt-Along Links

Please share the Quilt-Along graphic on your own blog. The more participants, the more FUN!

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters

<a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/celebrate-christmas/"><img src="http://quiltinggallery.com/images/celebrate-christmas-125.jpg" alt="Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters" width="125" height="125" border="0" /></a>

Join the discussion: Leave a comment! - 1 comment so far

Posted: October 19th, 2011

Topics: Free Projects, Special Features

Tags: , ,

Simplicity.com - Tools for Creativity

Quilt-Along Block 16: Joy!

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters

It’s Week 6 of our Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along. I hope you are enjoying our quilt-along as much as I am. On Thursday, we’ll have two blocks this week, the bonus block as been designed by me and I’ll be including the instructions to make it as a wall hanging too… I hope you like it.

Block 16, Joy, has been designed by Sandi Andersen. Our friends at the Fat Quarter Shop have a fabulous 50% off Super Deal for you to enjoy too.

How does the quilt-along work? Over a 12-week period, 36 fabulously talented designers will be making 12″ blocks that you can make. You can pick and choose which blocks you want to make. Sash them, add borders, baste it, quilt it, and have it ready to give-away or keep for yourself this Christmas. Or you might want to use some of the blocks for a mini quilt, a table runner, bags, whatever you like.

Make new quilting friends, meet our featured designers, take advantage of our Super Deal bargains, and most of all just have some fun!


Super Deal from the Fat Quarter Shop

Fat Quarter ShopLogo

Fat Quarter Shop is the online quilt store with the best and widest selection of yardage, fat quarter bundles, specialty cuts, quilt kits and patterns. We also offer access to many wonderful quilt clubs, block-of-the-month programs and exclusive projects.

Most of all, we pride ourselves in our top-notch customer service, with friendly, knowledgeable representatives and speedy same-day shipping. Our user-friendly web site makes it easy to find the collection, designer and even the theme you are seeking. Fat Quarter Shop has all you need for your next project, so start shopping with us today!

Today’s Super Deal:

50% OFF LouLouThi by Anna Maria Horner for Free Spirit Fabrics. Enter code LOULOU at checkout. This deal expires Monday, October 24th at midnight CST.

LouLouThi

Get your Super Deal Savings here!


Featured Designer: Sandi Andersen

Sandi Andersen

What is your quilting style?

My quilting style is eclectic. Some days I love my 30′s projects and then batiks, and right now I’m all about Fall and Halloween and, of course, Christmas. Other days I’m working with wool. And then there are my crazy quilting projects. If I have a "style" it is that I prefer handwork over machine stitching. I find it so much more relaxing and I do it so much better than on the machine.

wool

Candlemat finished

How did you get started quilting and/or designing?

I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl and was taught by my mother, Mary. I began designing when I made my first dresses for my Barbie dolls. I also sewed my own clothes and enjoyed decorating projects that I made in 4-H. When our daughter was born, I made my first quilt. It was just a simple patchwork throw that was made from squares of my old clothing and fabric scraps.

first quilt

When my kids were younger, I spent a great deal of time creating miniature furniture and room boxes. Some of my smallest quilts are about the size of a recipe card! This post tells a little about my interest in miniatures.

miniatures

miniatures

I returned to larger quilting projects when the kids were grown, then began teaching, designing patterns and sharing my quilt collection in programs for quilt and church groups. I have come to really enjoy sharing my quilts, their stories and poems and songs that fit the era of the quilts.

Do you have a favourite quilt?

That is a very difficult question. It’s like asking do you have a favourite child or cookie. LOL! There are special things about each of my quilts and a story behind each one. The quilts that I have designed and made are almost always inspired by a memory of places I’ve lived or traveled. Some of the vintage quilts that I own have no story and their story is how they have come to be with me.

This quilt is one of those favorites. It was given to me by my parents in 2000 as a Christmas gift. It was purchased by my dad at auction and I just plain love it! This blog post tells the story of that quilt.

puzzle-quilt

Quick and fun questions:

  • Favourite colour: Pink. I had the same music teacher from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and her name was Mrs. Parr. I took private voice lessons at her home. It was pink, as was almost every room and furnishing in her house. She was an encouraging mentor and when I see pink, I think of her.
  • What part of the quilting process do you like the most? Choosing the fabrics!
  • What part of the quilting process do you dislike the most? Easy…finishing.
  • Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or: Hands down…CHOCOLATE!
  • Favourite super hero or comic book character: Katy Keene and Millie the Model!
  • Most exciting place you’ve travelled: Turkey, and then I love England. We lived in Japan when my husband was in the military and that was a very enriching experience.
  • Favourite quote or mantra: If you judge people, you have no time to love them. – Mother Teresa

Block 16 – Sandi’s Joy

Here’s Sandi’s Joy block. This block would make a darling mini quilt or table topper on it’s own too. Sandi’s created a downloadable file for all the letters, so you can choose what you want yours to say. Head over to Sandi’s blog to view the instructions and download the letters to complete this block.

joy-block


Share Your Photos

buttons

Upload your completed blocks to our Flickr group for a chance to win some adorable buttons from Button Mad – Incomparable Buttons. One winner for each of our quilt-along blocks will be randomly chosen. You have two weeks to complete Sandi’s Joy block to be eligible to win.

Congratulations to the Week 3 button winners:


Quilt-Along Links

Please share the Quilt-Along graphic on your own blog. The more participants, the more FUN!

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters

<a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/celebrate-christmas/"><img src="http://quiltinggallery.com/images/celebrate-christmas-125.jpg" alt="Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along and Super Deals for Quilters" width="125" height="125" border="0" /></a>

Join the discussion: Leave a comment! - 1 comment so far

Posted: October 18th, 2011

Topics: Free Projects, Special Features

Tags: ,

Simplicity.com - Tools for Creativity