Win a Book and 3 Fabrics Now

My friend Pam at the Learning to Be Me blog is having a giveaway! You could win this book (which is full of great quilt inspiration) and 3 nice pieces of fabric. 

You'll also be helping to dig a well in Africa! Go to her blog and check this out.

On My Design Wall Today

It must be January because I'm really needing all these colors. There is no color outside today at all! 

There are 6 blocks that have more colors than 2. I'm deciding now whether to replace them with 2-color blocks or not. Normally I'd leave it like this. Or I could make two quilts. Lol.

Bonjour to all my recent blog visitors from France! 

Happy quilting!

Selvage Quilt by Ansje in Oregon

This pretty lap size selvage quilt is the creation of Ansje Ferguson of Portland, Oregon. She has it listed in her Etsy shop, Jenny Lake Designs, for $325. Nice job, Ansje!

Star Bright is Done!

The quilt and the pattern are finished! I decided to go with Version #2 (scroll down to see post) because I really like the illusion of an empty box in the middle of this star. Thanks for all your input!

Here are some close-ups. 

This is the first time I've tied a quilt. It was fun. I used DMC Pearle cotton #5.

Carla Needs a Cartoon Caption

Quilter/Humorist Carla Barrett is looking for a caption for this cartoon. Click here to read the ones that have been suggested, and add your own ideas. (I have two captions there so far.)

Coming Soon: The star quilt that I asked your advice about recently; it's almost done!

Keep Calm and Carry Yarn

This is good advice! Bag is by Jennie Gee from Nebraska. See this bag and more like it here.

Nice job Jennie!

Vintage Lone Star from North Dakota

This 1930's style vintage quilt is machine pieced and hand quilted. Niki in North Dakota has it listed in her Etsy store Rubisco for $199, but she's going out of business and everything's 50% off. Seems like a good deal for the vintage quilt collector. There are a few stains, but I really like the splash of black and red in this quilt. Some of the fabrics are feed-sacks. Great photo too, don't you think?

I Need Your Advice

Option 1: Star standing on one point.

Option 2: Star standing on two points.

I'm making a new selvage quilt and I need to decide whether to use Option 1 or 2.  Which do you prefer? I think the background will be a yellow retro print.

When I look at Option 2, I see an empty box (in the center 6 blocks).

Embellished Sewing Machine!

Jean Kake of Baltimore, MD and the Quilted Cupcake (blog) bought this sewing machine at Goodwill for $15 to decorate for her studio. It works, but she doesn't use it. With her, it's all show and no go. Haha. Jean has an Etsy store with the same name Quilted Cupcake. You rock, Jean!

Cynthia Fuelling's Selvage Quilt

This Tree of Life selvage quilt was made by Cynthia Fuelling of Idaho. Isn't it a beauty? It measures 66" square. Great job, Cynthia!

Guitar Backpack

This Pratesi Guitar Backpack has a built-in speaker and outlet for your MP3 player. 

So much creativity out there! It makes me want to quilt. 

I'm thinking about making a retro picnic quilt.

What are you working on?

Button Box Quilt Pattern - New Today!

Hot off the press! Optical illusion selvage quilt looks like boxes containing little buttons. The buttons look charming with all the round color windows nearby. Lots of how-to photos, optional variations. Take a look!

Leila's Selvage Pillow

This beautiful Christmas selvage pillow was made by Leila in Iowa. I like the fresh, modern look of the light turquoise and the white spaces. The rick-rack adds a nice touch, and the white dots in the center tree are perfect, the red border...oh, this is so nice! Great job, Leila!

Leila is mom to 5 daughters, and they look just like her. Family photo on her blog: Sewn.

Knitted Wigs?

Louise Walker is a photographer and knitter in London. And yes, these are knitted wigs! You can see more on her blog: Sincerely Louise. Sometimes I'm glad my DH doesn't read my blog. He would just shake his head. Haha!

The faux fox stole (below) can be seen in Louise's Etsy store.

 I think I'll email Louise right now and ask her where she gets her inspiration. How she fills her creative tank. 

UPDATE: Here's what she said:

I think the ideas I have for everything I knit comes from the making side of it. I think I'm most creative when I'm hands on, after looking into what I want to make and then just running with it! And if it looks a little odd loving it anyway! 

AAQI Approaching 1 Million Dollars!

Ami Simms, founder of the AAQI, reports that in 2013 she expects to pass the $1,000,000 mark in funds raised from the auctioning of small quilts donated by quilters from all over the world. So far, 13,000 little quilts have been donated! Read Ami's update and plans for 2013 here. This is the last year quilts will be auctioned.

Some good ideas: 33 Ways You Can Help. 

Save Your Spools in 2013!

 I save my emptied spools during the year and count them at the end of December. Many of you do too. The recent post about this idea caught the eye of Diane Harris of Quiltmaker magazine and the Quilty Pleasures blog. 

Diane is going to blog on this topic in January of 2014. Let's gather our data this year and report back in the comments below. I'll send her this link next January.

I realize that this values quantity over quality. It favors longarmers and zigzaggers over hand applique people. It favors users of little spools rather than biggies.  But it's not really a competition. It's to satisfy our curiosity about our own productivity, one year compared to the next. If you have any thoughts on this practice (which aren't too critical) please add your comments here too. :)

P.S. This pretty polka dot basket is from the Container Store. In store only.

Jaunty Little Flowers

Nicola at Jaunty Little Flowers in the UK made this felt flower brooch in yellow and gray. Isn't it charming? She is a self-taught fiber artist with a penchant for jewelry. Nicola is a mom to two little girls, but this is what she likes to do in her free moments.

I would like to sip a cup of tea and watch her make one of these little flowers. 

Green Caterpillar and More from Tanya

This bit of creativity is from Tanya at Myrtle and Eunice in Australia. She made this a few years ago, but I just found it on Whipup and dusted it off for you because I thought it was so creative. Plus, in January, anything leafy and green looks beautiful. 

Also, take a look at this crocheted blanket Tanya made! I love stuff like this (below).

And here's the blanket she's making now for her younger daughter (below). 

Yayy, Tanya! Thank you for sharing your creativity, and summer, with your friends in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Houndstooth Batik

I found this houndstooth batik on eQuilter.com tonight. Isn't it charming? I like red and pink together. This would be perfect for my upcoming retro style Picnic quilt. It comes in about 6 colorways, but I like this one best. Happy quilting!

Scrap Spiderweb Quilt!

This gorgeous spiderweb quilt was made by Megan. You can see more photos on her blog: Lucy and Norman. She was inspired by a quilt called "Maple Leaf Rag" in Sarah Fielke's book "Material Obsession 2."

This quilt is also featured on Angela Walter's blog: Quilting is My Therapy. Have you seen Angela's books on machine quilting? She machine quilted this quilt for Megan. Wonderful job, Megan and Angela!!

Selvage Placemats

Have you visited Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH? It's a gorgeous quilt shop well worth the trip. I noticed they're offering a pattern for selvage placemats. You probably already know how to do this. (Lay your selvages on a foundation and then sew along the bound edge of each selvage, being sure to cover the raw edge of the selvage underneath.) I thought it was interesting to see selvages featured in a "mainstream" quilt shop catalog (shown here).

Win This Quilt!

This gorgeous quilt (102" x 102", hand quilted!) was made by my sweet friend Pam in Tennessee. If you make a donation to the building of a well in Africa, you can enter the drawing for this quilt. 

Visit her blog for details: Learning To Be Me. Contest ends March 31.

Good luck!

How do you like the new look for this page? Still simple, but a little more "up to date." :)

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks - Reprint and Giveaway

This reprint of the first issue is available starting today in quilt shops. There is a digital edition for $5.99.

See the book of Quiltmaker's 200 Blocks, price $26.99.

And here is a free pattern for the Spring Blossom block.

CLICK HERE AND YOU MIGHT WIN 100 BLOCKS OR A FANCY MUG!

Yes, I made some blocks for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issues. They're on the mugs too. :)

NEW Paperweights Pattern

This is my newest pattern in The Perpetual Quilter series: "Paperweights." I call it "modern" because the white background gives a light and airy feel. This quilt doesn't have a border, not even a colored binding. The binding is white. Also, many of the fabrics were made since 2000. Scrap quilts are so interesting, don't you think?

Here are some photos of my favorite "paperweights" in this quilt:

Amelia's Backpack

If you are a regular visitor here, you know that my niece from Vermont visited at Christmas time. I asked if she'd show you her awesome backpack. It looks like blue on my monitor, but it's actually turquoise. She bought it at a toy store in Montpelier, VT. That purchase was a no-brainer!

Mosaic Floor at the Met Museum of Art

During my recent visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, I admired this beautiful mosaic tile floor. So much quilt inspiration there! 

Tell us where you get your inspiration for quilt designs. 

Click on the orange "Creative Inspiration" painting in the sidebar (top of this page).

Spools Used in 2012

Can it be that I only finished off 19 spools in 2012? And that's cheating a little because I see one of the spools in the back row still has a few yards on it. 

Patty the Quilt Lady in Ohio counts her empties at year end too. Last year we tied, but this year she beat me with a total of 63 spools! She must have some pile of quilts, that's for sure! 

Okay, time to toss out this collection and start new for 2013. 

I bet Patty has all new spools, and I have a bunch of partially used spools. Heh, heh, heh. 

Report your results for 2013 in the sidebar link.

Marit's New Quilt

 

Take a look at Marit's new scrap quilt on her blog: Quilt It. She used 2.5" wide strips. I love this quilt. She has some great photos of her design wall as it was  going together. The red fabric with the white dots and the white chairs on the black background add some extra sparkle to this quilt, don't you think? Nice work, Marit! 

Marit has a link to Bonnie Hunter's free pattern for this quilt.

Happy New Year!

Dear Quilting Friends,

 I hope you all have a wonderful new year...beyond your wildest dreams.

Karen