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2020 REVIEW - A Year in Quilt Magazines

 Wow, 2020 was a wonderful year for sharing my quilt designs in magazines! Several of the quilts are large bed quilts.  Most are easy one or two block patterns. A couple are foundation paper-pieced.

Three Times Three (above)

The “Quilt Parade” begins with “Three Times Three” on the cover of Curated Quilts.  This is my FIRST cover on a quilt magazine.  Exciting!

NOTE: There are compensated links in the post. They help you find the things you need and costs you nothing.

Right Angles

Find “Right Angles” in the May/June issue of ...

Making Plans & Planner Covers for 2021

  A new year is coming. It’s around the corner.

Each December I make planner covers from Kraft-tex. Each cover is the PERFECT time to try new techniques and to experiment. 

NOTE: As a C&T Publishing ambassador I received the Kraft-tex to make this project. As an affiliate for CT Publishing and AccuQuilt, I share compensated links at no cost to you.

For my last 2020 Kraft-tex Ambassador project I made several Kraft-tex covers. In addition to other colors, I used  Turquoise Designer Kraft-tex, the color for December 2020

What’s new? Instead of using clear vinyl, how about using a colorful bag from the Dollar Tree store for cover insert sleeves?

Dollar Tree has beautiful and fun designs on their plastic shopping bags. I saw this one a few months back ...

Measure Twice and Make it Modern

Good Measure is my debut quilt design and pattern in the international quilt magazine, Make Modern. It’s a digital magazine by quilters for quilters.

Good Measure may look complicated, but truly, it’s an easy large block design with two backgrounds. The original colorway is a personal design exploration with a bright bold orange background.

Many thanks to Island Batik for helping to make this possible with their gorgeous  Island Batik’s Solids.

Let’s see Good Measure in another colorway. Friend and pattern tester Marilyn Linton’s color selection is a soft ...

 Prairie Petals Blog Hop

A new quilt, Prairie Petals, was first revealed at International Quilt Market last November.  Now there is a pattern! :-) The Prairie Petals pattern has full-color instructions and uses templates to create the 12-inch finished blocks. It’s a quick and easy pattern.

The large pieces in the block are great to showcase your favorite fabric. My Prairie Petals quilt was showcased at the Island Batik booth and features Prairie Skies fabric collection by designer Kathy Brett Engle. 

Wholesale orders for all my Island Batik inspired patterns, like Prairie Petals, a 66″ X 78″ quilt, may ...

Baskets and Labels

Finally, I have labels for my baskets. I needed labels a year ago. I tried a few ideas, but the labels were too big and did not work with the basket style. Then I had an idea I thought would work but could not move forward. My schedule was full so it  had to wait. It became one my first goals for 2020.  

• The need….small readable logo labels for baskets
• The idea….DIY labels with Kraft-tex with a logo modification

First, I rehired designer, Gabriel Pons to modify my current logo for small usage. The logo ...

Tic Tac Toe XOXO

Some games we learn and play last a life time.  Did you learn Tic Tac Toe as a child?  It’s a fun thinking game and a precursor to Checkers or Chess.

This is my first project as a 2020 Kraft-tex ambassador for C&T Publishing.  The pouch has Crimson Kraft-tex on one side and vinyl on the other side. It is lined with Island Batik Speakeasy fabric designed by Kathy Engle.

Did you notice the playing board has two sides?

NOTE:  C&T Publishing provided the Crimson Kraft-tex. As an C&T Publishing affiliate I ...

2020 Kraft-tex Ambassador

I am pleased to be a Kraft-tex ambassador for another year. 

CT Publishing, the makers of Kraft-tex, invited me to participate in a year of monthly color challenges. Kraft-tex is a paper substrate that sews like fabric, and can look like leather. It can be dyed, painted, stitched, and washed.

Every quarter I will receive several rolls of Kraft-tex designer colors from CT Publishing for the 2020 colors of the year:

• January - Crimson
  
• February - Orchid
  
• March - Denim
  
• April - Linen
  
• May - Emerald
  
• June - Saffron
  
• July - Marsala
• August - Greenery
  
• September - Sapphire
• October  -  Blue Iris
• November - Tangerine
• December - Turquoise

I ...

2019 - A Fruitful Year

Is it possible I made all these quilts in 2019?!  A year for me is 10 months. I don’t sew in November and December.  I have been a busy bee!

Let’s take a gallery tour.

1) I see a small theme of light backgrounds in some Island Batik Ambassador projects.

2) These smaller projects were fun first-time techniques.

3) Geese Gone Wild made the priemer issue of Modern Monthly, an online magazine published by the Modern Quilt Guild.

4) Mini art quilts are fun between big projects. 

5)  It’s also been a year ...

Fabric Painting 

It finally happened!  I learned some beginner fabric painting skills with Danit of Danit’s Quilting Studio in Tel Aviv, Israel.   I am so excited!  

We started with white fabric, water, and blue paint.  Below are results of using three application techniques.

Danit taught techniques from Mickey Lawler book, Skydyes:, A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting.   Used and printed copies are available on Amazon    It’s also available as an eBook by the publisher, C&T Publishing .

Disclosure:  I am an affiliate of C&T Publishing and Amazon. It costs you nothing when you use my links to ...

A Piece of… History 

The day has finally arrived!  I may reveal the secret bundle of gift-wrapped “surprise” fabric I received from Island Batik!  My surprise fabric is Speakeasy, a collection available December 2019.

Tada!  Brick-by-Brick, a new quilt design featuring Speakeasy.

Brick-by-Brick, is a reminder to keep a link to the past and it’s a quilt designed for the Island Batik  A Piece of Blog Hop. Brick-by-brick we can remove history from our view or we can preserve it.  

NOTE: Island Batik provided the fabric for Brick-by-Brick.

Brick-by-Brick is photographed in front of the Janney-Marshall building (click to ...

Planner Cover

I’ve been falling in love with the rugged-durability of Kraft-tex, so I decided to make a Kraft-tex cover for my 2020 Quilter’s Planner and Pocket Notes book. 

The design is my own. It is a practical design with functional options like a pen and marker holder, and a business card pocket.

NOTE: The Quilter’s Planner, C&T Publishing and Island Batik provided the planner, Kraft-tex and fabric for this project.

Of course, I had to make a  cover for the Pocket Notes book. Isn’t the heart window cute?  Never fear, vinyl was stitch around ...

Blue and Beautiful Prairies

Calm and cool is fabric designer Kathy Brett Engle’s new Island Batik collection, Prairie Skies. 

My quilt, Prairie Petals, made with the blues of Prairie Skies was revealed at fall 2019 International Quilt Market. It is displayed(middle, on wall) at the Island Batik booth along  amazing quilt projects by Bill Locke and Pamela Boatright.

NOTE: Island Batik provided the fabric to make Prairie Skies. 

You will find Prairie Skies as you browse through the Fall 2019 Island Batik catalog. Fabrics will be available and in shops February 2020.

The pattern, Prairies Petals, is a ...

Loving the Destination

I love visiting other countries. I’m not a fan of the hours of plane, train or car travel required to reach the destination. Experiencing  the sights, the sounds, the food, flora, fauna and the culture is the best part.

I renewed my passport recently and decided I wanted a new and improved cover with Kraft-tex.  Kraft-tex is the paper product that sews like fabric and can look like leather. It can be stamped, dyed, washed and more.

NOTE: CT Publishing provided the designer Kraft-tex for this project.

Radiant Orchid is a vibrant designer dyed and ...

Twilight Forest

Have you seen the new issue of Quiltmaker Magazine? Twilight Forest, my latest quilt design, is among several beautiful holiday and seasonal patterns featured in the November/December issue of Quiltmaker magazine.

Twilight Forest features Hoffman Fabrics collection Meet Magnolia. 

Twilight Forest is a combination of traditional and foundation paper-piecing. It’s a good size at 68″ x 88″.

Whether it’s the digital or print edition, the pattern information and foundation sheets are included. The article also includes quilting inspiration and a color page to help you select colors for your Twilight Forest quilt.

Give Thanks Bed Runner

It’s October; leaves are falling and temperatures are dropping in Virginia. It’s a season of change, celebrations and giving thanks.

The October Island Batik Ambassador challenge, Top it off, features the Check it Out collection and Foundations Basics. The applique leaves are cut with Accuquilt’s Fall Medley die.

NOTE: Island Batik Ambassador supplies its ambassadors with fabric for the monthly challenges.

The holiday runner features two seasons, winter and fall. The wind of free-motion quilting is blowing swirls of textures across the runner. Check out the stitched snowflake! It’s easy peasy with ...

Give Thanks Bed Runner

It’s October; leaves are falling and temperatures are dropping in Virginia. It’s a season of change, celebrations and giving thanks.

The October Island Batik Ambassador challenge, Top it off, features the Check it Out collection and Foundations Basics. The applique leaves are cut with Accuquilt’s Fall Medley die.

The holiday runner features two seasons, winter and fall. The wind of free-motion quilting is blowing swirls of textures across the runner. Check out the stitched snowflake! It’s easy peasy with the Westalee Design Snowflake template.

From one end to the other  the runner ...