Moose on the Porch Quilts

Block Nine Winners

2012-02-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Despite my not posting them yesterday, we do have winners! Let's see who they are!

First, Michele was generous enough to have FOUR prizes to giveaway! The winners of Michele's Quilter's Cookbook are:

Blondie1725!

Sherry L S!

mrssharon62!

and Simply K's Quilt!

and the winner of one of my quilt books is Judy 1522!

Congratulations! The first winners just need to send me their email address, but Judy1522 needs to send me (kluckau@moosequilts.com) her mailing address!

Happy Quilting!

Block Ten with Michele Foster

2012-01-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! Block time again! This block is the only thing I have sewn in over a week. Sad! I'm glad this block got me into the sewing room for a few minutes! Today's block is from Michele Foster of the Quilting Gallery.

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much to Konda for organizing this super fun quilt-along. I’ve loved seeing all of the star blocks the designers have come up with and the blocks being made in the Flickr group too.

I’m Michele Foster and I own and manage the web site, Quilting Gallery [http://quiltinggallery.com/]. My site is dedicated to bringing quilters together from around the world and inspiring quilters' creativity.

I started quilting many years ago, but took a long hiatus (10 or so years) to start my own business, move to another city (Ottawa, Ontario) and explore other crafting projects (I love to crochet too!).

One Friday afternoon in December 2007 at the local pub, a group of fellow web developing geeks and I were sitting around chatting when the question was raised, "If you could do anything you wanted, what would be your dream job?" My response, the same as it had been for the last 15+ years, was, "Open a quilt store!"

Of course, my friends around the table didn’t really understand my answer, but it was that afternoon chat that prompted me to start the Quilting Gallery site and re-introduce quilting back into my life. Four years later, I’ve never been happier to have quilting be a huge part of my everyday life.

My site includes the quilting bloggers directory, quilt shop locator, quilter's market and the quilt guilds directory. I host swaps, weekly quilt contests, challenges, guest bloggers and quilt-alongs too. I also have a brand new section starting in February called the Learning Center hosted by Pat Sloan [http://blog.patsloan.com/]. We’ll be tackling Storage and Organization for the first month.

My block, Milo’s Star, is named after my almost five-month old puppy. Milo came to live with me November 11, 2011. He is a wonderful companion and is full of energy, love and enthusiasm. Pictures are available here: http://quiltinggallery.com/tag/milo/

The fabric I used for my star block was left over from a fat quarter bundle used to make my Happy Memories quilt [http://quiltinggallery.com/2011/07/28/happy-memories-a-quilt-for-me/] in honour of my three kitties that are now on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. It seemed fitting to use that fabric and then name the block after my new baby!

Drop by the Quilting Gallery [http://quiltinggallery.com/] or become a friend on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/michele.foster] or Twitter [https://twitter.com/#!/MishkaOttawa] to follow my quilting journey and Milo’s antics.

Happy Quilting!

Michele

Thanks Michele!

Here's Michele's block called Milo's Star.

Here's my version of Michele's block. It's a fun variation of an eight pointed star. The center of the star has a nice place for fussy cutting.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 9, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Michele is giving away four copies of both of the Quilter’s Cookbooks [http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-cookbook/] that she’s organized and published as PDF documents. They include family-favourite recipes, quilts and heart-warming stories from quilters around the world.

I will also have a quilt book to give away!

Happy Quilting!

Block Eight Winners

2012-01-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Winner time again! I am so impressed with the gorgeous stars in the flickr group!

The stars that one today (via random.org) are:

susanriddell33!

and Betty C in Oregon!

Congratulations! Send me your information and Jovita and I will get those out to you!

Happy Quilting!

Block Nine with Jovita Goldschmidt

2012-01-17T09:00:00.002-07:00

It's Tuesday again! Time for another fun block! Today's block is from across the pond by Jovita Goldschmidt. You can check out her blog here:

http://www.jovitaspatchwork.blogspot.com/

Here's Jovita!

The short of it is I'm a Washington (state! vs DC) girl married to a tall German living in Belgium. I own a very little quilt shop and love to teach and design. When I'm not doing that I keep very busy - making all kinds of things, cooking, baking, reading, knitting, gardening and getting inspired (my latest addiction is Pinterest > http://pinterest.com/peawink/).

Right around the time we were signing up to design for Konda's Fat Quart Quilt Along I found out I was pregnant ... and boy, oh boy, the combination of the two. New ideas, hormones, stars, new ideas, more hormones - you get the picture right ? ... I couldn't sleep! So I got up and sketched about 20 different stars to share with you. But you only needed one! So I had to narrow it down. Then I found out we were having twins so I settled on this one and I really hope you like it. My sketchbook includes more variations and more ideas and more stars .. yikes - so many that I'll be posting a pattern a month on my blog in case you want more stars to make your quilt *even bigger*.

So if you want to know more about me .. browse through my blog .. there's a lot there and I'll admit it's been a bit hit and miss over the years while we got to this pregnant state. But 2012 looks to be a pretty wild ride ... I've finished 3 things just this week that I need to blog about ... oh yeh, and started another 100 (cheeky grin - those who know me best know this is at least half true).

I might be full of "baby" things at the moment but maybe that's helping the whole creativity thing ... my mind is spilling over. Stop by and see what's in the works.

Greetings to you all from Belgium! Jovita

Thanks Jovita!

Here's Jovita's block called Make Mine a Double.

Here's my version of Jovita's block. As much as I love the double star block, I'll keep my wishes for "making mine a double" to stars and ice cream not babies! My hats off to parent's who have more than one baby at a time!

**Forgot to mention that my stars ended up intertwining differently than Jovita's. Both ways work. I used the pictures on the bottom of her instructions. Your's may turn out like mine or hers. Don't unpick! Both are great!

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 8, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Jovita has donated a Jacquard Ribbon Needle Case kit for one lucky winner!

Here is the link to the picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peawink/6684987607/

Did you catch that she lives in Belgium? She mentioned something to me about chocolate. There may or may not be some Belgium chocolate included for the winner. I want to win!

I will also have a quilt book to give away!

Happy Quilting!

Carnaby Street Quilt Kit

2012-01-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

I just saw online that you can get a kit for the Carnaby Street quilt that was in McCall's if you are interested.

Here's the link!

Here's the link to my blog post about the quilt:

http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2011/11/mccalls-quilting-carnaby-street.html

This fabric, England Swings by Timeless Treasures, was really fun to work with. In fact, I have designed another quilt - completely different - using it that will be a free pattern on Timeless Treasures' website one of these days. I will let you know!

The Cutest Block of the Month that I'm Not Doing

2012-01-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

My friend April of April Mae Designs who has made a block or two for my quilt alongs is doing a block of the month that just started. Here's the link to the instructions:

http://april-makingendsmeet.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-bom-quilt-along-for-2012.html

I love how April adds little touches of embroidery to give her blocks personality. But it is that embroidery that causes me stress. I even recently tried it again to see if it was as challenging as I thought. Suffice it to say that there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Okay, maybe just a lot of grumbling. I will try it again in a few years, but not today.

It doesn't look like there is a lot of embroidery, so if you have a better relationship with it than I do then you should do her block of the month!

Check it out and see if you like it!

Twelve Days of Christmas Quilt

2012-01-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

The day after Christmas, the Temecula Quilt Co started a twelve days of Christmas quilt. One block a day for 12 days -- 3 1/2" blocks because that's their favorite size block.

Here's the link to the last post. It goes backwards from there.

It started out so easy. Block 1 was a 3 1/2" square. Block 2 was a half square triangle. The miniature quilts they do always look so fun. When it looked like there wouldn't be applique, I decided to do it.

The fabric I chose was a Collection for a Cause charm pack from Moda.

It wasn't until they asked if we had figured it out that I realized that there was something to figure out. Day 1 was a block with 1 piece, day 2 had 2 pieces, all the way up until the twelfth day of Christmas that was a block with 12 pieces. It worried me a little, so I decided to play it by ear.

I didn't do a block every day. I think I did them all in 3 days. The eleventh day was the only block that worried me. By the time I had gotten that far, I figured I better try it. It turned out okay. (It's the "X" block on the bottom row.)

Along the way, a couple of the blocks had enough pieces cut to make two blocks, so I just made them both. Then I loved the 9 patch so I cut the scraps to size to make more 9 patches. I made three extra. The tenth day was my favorite block, the four patch in a four patch, so I decided I had to make a 16 patch. By the time I was done I had 20 blocks. Perfect! The finished size is about 22" x 26."

Now that it's done, I feel like I should have switched the 1 patch with the 16 patch, but I didn't catch that before. I thought the plain block would stick out, but I think the red and tan hourglass sticks out the most. That wasn't one of the blocks. That was the left over from the third day. I had to hurry and finish it because I had a quilting design that I was anxious to try.

Here's a close up of the quiling. It's called the Baptist Fan. It is an old pattern. It is my understanding that it was a popular pattern for hand quilting because it didn't need to be marked. The point of the fan was where the quilter's wrist would be. The stitching was in the path of the wrist moving. If that makes sense. I like the design a lot.

I recently bought the pattern for my Statler. I love how it turned out!

To bind the quilt, I wanted to be brave, so I went with red. I had a rust brown fabric that I wanted to use. It would have looked good, but the red is striking. I'm glad I was brave. I used a 1 1/2" single thickness binding. While the single thickness is nice and flat, I don't think that the thickness of a double fold binding bothers me. I think I will stick with the double fold.

I thought miniature quilts would be too fiddly for me, but I actually like them now. What do you think about Minis?

Toddler Sweater Dress Experiment

2012-01-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago a couple things I had been wanting to do collided, and my almost 4 year old ended up with a super comfy sweater dress that she loves!

I have been looking for a sweater dress for her and her younger sister for a while. The problem was that they didn't need another dress, so I couldn't justify spending much for one.

The second thing that happened was that I saw this tutorial on Sew Mama Sew for a Summer Pillowcase Nightgown. I have several pillowcases with decorative edges from my mother-in-law who is deceased. I have been trying to figure out how to make a quilt out of them, but now I think I will make a special nightgown for my girls. I bought a couple pillowcases at the thrift shop to test, but I haven't yet.

Boom!

The ideas collided, and I decided to use the pattern to make a sweater dress from a soft sweater I picked up at a thrift store. The sweater was a large women's sweater, but it wasn't too long. I actually was able to cut the bodice and the sleeves from the sleeves of the sweater. The length of the dress is the length of the sweater from the armpits.

I was hoping that it would end up fitting the 2 year old, but the 3-4 bodice was perfect for my almost 4 year old. So it's a hair shorter than I wanted. Also, the length was shorter than the pattern said because it was what I had to work with.

I also didn't add the bias tape around the middle. I put the seam on the inside. It isn't a big deal. You have probably noticed that the bodice gapes a little. I'm sure that has to do with the material that I was working with. I have put a few stitches under the right arm that has fixed that.

I loved the pattern, and I look forward to trying it out with a pillowcase!

Hurray!!!

Block Seven Winners

2012-01-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

An odd thing happened to me this week. On Monday (no school) I took my two older kids running (just a couple miles). We ran a route that we often run. Part of it is an a dirt road where cars aren't suppose to be so people often go walking or running there. My daughter, young and fast, was ahead of us, and I sw that she had stopped to talk to someone. It looked like it could have been one of her friends. When I got there, my daughter had already taken off running again, and I saw that it was a lady I didn't know. She stopped me and said I looked familiar as was trying to figure out where whe knew me from. Then she says, "I know this may seem odd, but do you have any children who want to take piano or violin lessons?"

Although I was half wondering who this crazy lady was who was asking if I wanted her to give my children music lessons, I actually said yes! For at least a year, I have wanted to have one of my middle girls take piano lessons. I really wanted it to be somewhere that she could walk. My next door neighbor use to teach piano lessons, but she passed away suddenly. We still miss her.

Turns out, that this new lady is within walking distance, teaches piano to one of my neighbor's three children, my daughter has taken her first lesson, and my daughter loved it!

Lessons: 1) Sometimes it's okay to go out on a limb and ask a question that sounds crazy. 2) Sometimes it's good to jump on an opportunity that is presented. 3) When a daughter needs piano lessons, just get her in piano lessons already!

Enough with the story, we have winners!

First, the winner of the 3 charm packs from Colleen:

grendelskin!

And the winner of two of my patterns:

Gi Quilt!

Congratulations! Send me your info (kluckau@moosequilts.com), and we will get those right out to you!

Block 8 with Colleen Lunt

2012-01-03T06:00:00.003-07:00

Are you back to quilting now that the holidays are over? I can't believe we are on Block 8 already. But hear we are. Colleen Lunt designed this fun block for us. Check out her blog at:

http://www.colleensquiltingjourney.blogspot.com/

Here's Colleen!

I am a stay at home mom who was educated as a high school math teacher. I find it interesting how many math teachers are also quilters. About 5 years ago I found myself with most of my children raised and lots of time on my hands. I read many books, but when the day was over, I didn’t have anything to show for the time I had spent. I wanted to do something more productive. My thoughts turned to quilting. I loved quilts and decided to spend my extra time quilting.

I had made quilts all my life, but they were mostly cheater cloth that I hand quilted and mostly it was helping other people quilt their quilts. My quilting life changed when I bought a rotary cutter and mat. My beginning education came from attending a quilt retreat. I have attended that quilt retreat for four years now. Every quilt I make has been influenced in some way by that retreat. I also joined a quilting club - the Steeple Rock Stitchers. They are a wonderful group of women that have shared this quilting journey with me. The Internet has been my “Quilting College.” I have studied and read everything I can get my hands on. There are so many helpful bloggers and sites to teach you everything you need to know about quilting. There are also many wonderful books. As I have studied and read, my quilting knowledge has grown. It has been an amazing journey.

One of the things I have become especially interested in is quilting on my domestic machine. I do my own custom quilting. This has been very satisfying to me. I have also made an extensive study of color in quilts. I am getting better at selecting fabrics in colors that go together.

Quilting has taken over my life. I spend every free minute quilting, reading about quilting or talking about quilting. Now when the day is over, I can look at my stack of quilts and see I have done something with my time.

The opportunity to be a designer for this quilt along adds a new dimension to my quilting experience. I hope you enjoy making this block. I would love for you to visit my blog at www.colleensquiltingjourney.blogspot.com.

Thanks Colleen!

Here's Colleen's block called Easy Spinning Star.

Here's my version of Colleen's block.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 7, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Colleen has donated three charm packs for one lucky winner!

And I have two patterns!

Happy Quilting!

Homemade Christmas Part II

2011-12-29T08:16:00.001-07:00

This one's for the little girls. My two babies are 2 and 4. They like their baby dolls.

I saw this:

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2011/09/v-and-co-how-to-easy-doll-diaper-bag.html

and knew I had to do it! Thank you Vanessa for all these great ideas!

I was frantically putting it all together Christmas Eve, so I didn't get a picture of it all put together. I got my diaper bag at Michaels. It's the exact one Vanessa has. The nice thing about the Target set she mentioned is that it has enough for two bags! I didn't get the wipes or changing pad. I got them a onsie for their dolls instead. I was hoping that a onsie would stay on. Are my kids the only ones that are constantly taking the clothes off their dolls?

Here are my quilts - which I love!

They are both mini. The triangle quilt is about 13" x 18," and square quilt is about 16" square.

Did you see the color scheme? Aqua and Red! I stepped out of my box. They turned out fresh and cheery for my babies to play with their babies!

Homemade Christmas Part I

2011-12-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

I had a difficult time getting something for my sister-in-law for Christmas this year. It wasn't so much coming up with an idea. I had quite a few ideas. It was just figuring out which one I thought would be the most fun that I wanted to make.

My first idea was a couple fun bags with the clear vinyl. I tested it out. While it turned out okay, it wasn't good enough to give.

Why? Because I didn't buy the pattern, and all my seams are exposed on the inside. My original idea for construction didn't work. The vinyl was such a pain that I didn't wan't to try again. I also wasn't very pleased with the zipper.

This one works great for me, and enough time has passed now that I may try again.

As I was looking for a scarf pattern for some ruffle fabric I bought, I ran across this pattern:

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2011/09/v-and-co-sewing-with-ruffle-fabric.html

I made a couple changes and it was perfect!

(Side note/confession: I didn't get the good stuff. I used a coupon and got it at Hobby Lobby. Hope it holds up alright. I can tell a difference with quilt fabric. I don't know the difference between this stuff.)

First, the bag was a little large for me. I cut mine 15" x 17" and used a 1/2" seam. Also, I used upholstery weight fabric so I didn't have to line the fabric with interfacing. The only thing it's missing was the cute little flower. The flower would have looked great, but it was too late for me to figure out how to make one!

Here's the inside. Simple, no pockets.

That present got shipped down to Arizona. Hope she liked it!

Block Six Winners

2011-12-22T09:37:00.001-07:00

Despite getting busy for Christmas yesterday, we do have winners! Maybe next time we should skip the week of Christmas. Crazy! We do have some great stars to pick winners from, so let's see who they are!

First, getting half of the Crazy Old Ladies fat quarter bundle from Terry:

Leslie can't stop quilting!

The other half goes to:

Lettyb!

And our third winner, of one of my pattern books, is:

libertyjsy!

Congratulations! Send me an email with your mailing information, and we will get those out to you!

Thanks everyone for posting such fabulous stars!!!

Moda Bake Shop

2011-12-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today one of my quilts is on Moda Bake Shop! I call it "Go Tell it on the Mountain." The fabric is Grace by Three Sisters. It's their Christmas fabric line, and the pattern is delectable mountains. Made sense to me. It's a fun quilt using a layer cake and background fabric.

When I went to take pictures of this quilt, I tried a few new spots. In the end, I found myself up the canyon at a spot where I have gone many times. Sometimes you have to stick with what works!

Here's the link:

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/12/go-tell-it-on-mountain.html

Merry Christmas!

Block Seven with Terry Griffin

2011-12-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

While I'm not expecting to see too many of these stars this week, our seventh star is here today for you to work on when you get a chance! Our block today is by Terry Griffin of Thankfully Sew!

Here's Terry!

It is so surreal to look back over your life and see that you have come full circle. I grew up in a small town in the south-west corner of New Mexico. The little town of Virden was a farming community. My dad ran cattle, grew alfalfa and fields and fields of cotton.

I remember going to the farm and seeing the huge cotton picker go up and down the rows of cotton to take the cotton off of the stalks. After loading the cotton into 18-wheel-trailers dad would take the load, and if we were lucky he would let us jump in the truck, to the cotton gin to have the seeds and bolls seperated from the fiberous cotton. Dad would sometimes let us jump in the seed trailer after they were seperated -- pure fun!! Just as today he and other farmers, now in this industry the fabric manufactures, worried about cotton prices and making sure their efforts resulted in the best products.

The end result of the cotton picking would be Grandma and all my "aunties" (all the women in town) gathering at the church and setting up as many quilt frames as they could and quilting, by hand, a season of quilts. Us kids would play under the quilts until Grandma got tired of us poking the fabric with our fingers and feet. Then we would be sent outside to play. Good times!

In 2005 my son, Ryan, was critically injured resulting in a move to Utah. Since he needs 24/7 care, I needed something to keep myself engaged so I started sharing my love of quilting thru Thankfully Sew, LLC. I am the very proud wife of a fantastic husband, mother of four beautiful children (two sons, two daughters), two magnificent son-in-laws, one suburb daughter-in-law, and nine wonderful and brilliant grandchildren.

Now it is my turn to show my grandkiddos how to use a needle and thread. My two oldest grandkids, Tristen and Chase -- both boys, started these masterpieces -- we will finish there "blocks" and make a pillowcase the next time they are at Grama's.

Check out all of our patterns at thankfullysew.com. And, visit with your local shop to get your favorite pattern or patterns from new designers from Patterns Gone Digial -- check us out at patternsgonedigital.com.

Thanks Terry!

Here's Terry's block called Twinkle of Hope.

Here's my version of Terry's block. It looks like mine turned out to be a Christmas Star!

There are two things to keep in mind with this block. First, read the directions. I know that's a give, but sometimes, well, you know! Just because there is a pinwheel in the center of this block, doesn't mean you actually make a pinwheel. The pinwheel is a secondary design. Don't start making half square triangles -- like I did. It even says all this in the instructions!

Second, make sure you find in your printer settings where it says something about scaling. A lot of printers are set to "scale to fit." You do NOT want the pattern scaled.

If you do those two things, you will be surprised how nicely the block will come together. Really!

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 6, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Terry will be giving away a Fat Quarter Bundle (16 Fat Quarters) by Emily Herrick with crazyoldladiesquilts.blogspot.com. Emily designs for Michael Miller. The Hall of Fame collection was released at Houston Market 2011, but will not be in shops until January 2012.

This fat quarter bundle will be split between two winner, so each winner gets 8 fat quarters!

I will add a pattern book to that, so there will be three winners tomorrow!

Happy Quilting!

Color of the Year

2011-12-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations this year goes to Tangerine! And more specifically Tangerine Tango! Tangerine Tango is the new color of the year! Here's the link to Pantone:

2012 Color of the Year

So Orange will take center stage next year. Way to go orange! I love what the executive director at Pantone said about this color:

"Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."

They are serious about color at Pantone!

While on the surface, I think this business of color of the year seems rather silly, I have been surprised how it has changed my quilting. When I found out that there was such a thing as "Color of the Year," it was a couple years ago and the color was turquoise. I have never really appreciated turquoise, or orange for that matter. But I took up the challenge to use these colors in my quilting. I have been very surprised how much I have grown in my use of color. I still don't love using turquoise, but I do really like using it's lighter cousin, aqua. And, I made a school bag, that I need to take a picture of because I love it! and I used a tiny bit of turquoise. It was Perfect! I have found out that I can let turquoise play in my quilts sometimes - not too often, but sometimes, and I won't even hate it!

As I was being brave with turquoise, I introduced myself to orange as well. I actually like orange on occasion now. That wasn't the case a couple years ago. Here's to meeting new friends!

What do you think about orange? Love it? Hate it? or On the fence? Orange is an extreme color. My guess is that there aren't many fence sitters. I could be wrong. What's your view?

Block Five Winners

2011-12-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

We have five winners for block 5! Winners will receive either a charm pack or one of April's Fairy Tale Quiet Book patterns!

The winners are:

Krislovesfabric!

theconfusedquilter!

Klni1970!

VickiM35!

and lab_quilt!

Congratulations! Email me your name and address and April and I will get those right out!

Happy Quilting!

Block Six with April Mazzoleni

2011-12-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Half way already! How did that happen? This is such a busy time! We have another fun block today from my friend April Mazzoleni of April Mae Designs.

Here's April!

When Konda asked me to be a part of the Fat Quarter Star Quilt Along, the first thing that came to mind was a Cathedral Windows. While making an entire Cathedral Window quilt can be overwhelming and time consuming, one block featuring one Cathedral Window technique could be a lot of fun! Don't be scared off by the name, it's an easy machine stitched technique that adds a lot of punch.

After a few years of making my own quilts, I'm stepping into the world of pattern designing with the launch of my new pattern company - April Mae Designs. I'm excited to have two of my quilt patterns featured in Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Magazine early next year. Other quilt designs are in the works and will be available, along with my Fairy Tale Quiet Book pattern in my shop soon. For those green mama's out there, I also have a Cloth Mama Pad business. Don't forget to stop by my blog and say "Hey!"

Thanks for including me :)

April

Here's April's block called Cathedral Star:

Here's my version of the star:

Just a note on the pattern -- With the extra layers from the cathedral window in the center, I found that it was hard to tell where the seam from the center 4 patch was to match it up with the star points. To fix this, I used a pin. I don't like to pin if I can help it, but one pin there made a big difference for me.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 5, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Lots of stuff! This time we are going to have 5 prizes for those who have a minute to spare in this busy holiday season! April is donating one of her Fairy Tale Quiet Book patterns and a charm pack. Similarly, I have 3 charm packs.

Happy Quilting!

McCall's Quilting -- Carnaby Street

2011-11-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today in the mail came McCall's Quilting's newest issue -- January/February 2012.

Inside this issue is a quilt that I love -- Carnaby Street!

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/articles/Carnaby_Street

I love to see what McCall's does with my quilts!

Here's a picture of the full quilt from McCall's.

The fabric is England Swings by Rebekah Merkle for Timeless Treasures.

http://www.ttfabrics.com/cgi-bin/fabricshop/designer.cgi?designer=71

It was a fun design challenge to work with this fabric. I first worked with the digital images and came up with a design that I loved. Then I was told that the fabric was a much larger scale than I thought I was working with. It took a few more designs before I came up with this finished product, but working through things like that is part of the creative process. I love the result!

This is a large quilt. It's almost 88" square. Because of the large scale fabric, the blocks had to be large, and the quilt is actually fairly quick to make.

So . . . do you know where Carnaaby Street is? I had to look it up. I'm not cool enough to know things like that.

Block Four Winners

2011-11-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

There's always a week or two where the holidays make a quilt along a bit of a challenge. But there is a reward for two of those who found a few minutes to spend with their sewing machine. Sorry for the lateness of this post, but in my time zone, it is still Wednesday.

The winner of the jelly roll from Machelle is:

lindaofthelakes!

And the winner of my fat quarters is:

budsmam!

Congratulations! Love all the stars in the flickr group!!! Email me your name and address and Machelle and I will get those right out!

Happy Quilting!

Block Five with Machelle Preston

2011-11-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Time for another Fat Quarter Stars quilt block! This is a great one for a holiday -- nice and easy!

Our block today is from Machelle Preston of Cherry Tree Cottage:

http://cherrytreecottagequilts.blogspot.com/

Machelle had a pattern published in Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts this summer:

http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2011/07/fons-and-porter.html

Now from Machelle:

I have been so excited to design a block for the Block a- long. Konda has such

great ideas and I love following along with her. I have been busy designing a few

new things. The lastest has been for Shabby Chic fabric. The sample is up at Broadbent's

in Lehi. A fun baby or twin quilt for a little girl.

I have been doing some holiday sewing. Making tree skirts for the married kids, and fun

neighbor gifts. I will be doing a January Sale for all those that live close to me in Spanish Fork, Utah.

or email me and let me know what you want. It will be a fun Snow day Sale. Watch for details on the blog.

Have a great time sewing and stop by to see what we will be doing next.

Have a great Holiday.

Machelle

Here's Machelle's block called Strawberry Star.

Here's my version of the block.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 4, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Fabric!!!
Machelle has generously donated a Moda Jelly Roll, Hometown by Sweetwater!

I have another 5 fat quarters as well!

Happy Quilting!

A New Name and Two Winners!

2011-11-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the wonderful names for my ABC Quilt! I was amazed, 1) at how uncreative I am when it comes to naming, 2) how creative other people are, and 3) how I could have used pretty much any of them! There was one suggestion that I am actually going to use. It's because the Dr. Seuss ABC book is one of my all time favorite books! In fact, I can't believe that I couldn't come up with this one on my own.

Because I am actually using one of the names on the list, I thought we needed two winners.

First is Amber because I am going to use her idea!

Second is Jan who was chosen randomly!

Email me your mailing information so I can send you both some fat quarters.

Just one other note about the patterns on Create H.O.P.E. Designs. This pattern as well as the other patterns are all pdfs. That is how they can be $5 each, and how all the money can go directly to the charities.

Thanks again! Got a new block about ready to post for you tomorrow!

A Mini Finish!

2011-11-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

This quilt was my Ode to the Red and White. I actually got it finished a month or so ago, but I hadn't taken pictures of it yet. The quilt is 13" square.

I am pleased with the way it turned out. I have decided that I like mini quilts. I even like hand quilting them. My quilting needs lots of practice, but I don't mind.

The one thing I have wondered about it is how to use them. I don't really know how to use quilts as home decor yet. But, even if I don't get that figured out, I have decided that I am going to make the quilts anyway. Maybe one day I will have granddaughters to give them to as doll quilts.

This is the next one I am going to work on.

I have it basted. I haven't decided how to quilt it yet. It is different looking at a quilt and thinking about hand quilting it versus machine quilting it. I love the cross hatching I did on the last one, but . . . I did that on the last one.

Oh yes, I love the names I am reading for my ABC Quilt (that's what I call it - which is why I needed help)! You are all so clever! Definitely helping turn the gears in my head!

Quilt Naming Help -- Please!

2011-11-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I finished this new pattern a few weeks ago. It has been sitting here waiting to be put to good use, but it really needs a name! I have not come up with anything even close to clever, or even acceptable for that matter. I would love some help! Please!

I am donating this quilt pattern to an organization that a friend of mine from Izzy and Ivy started called Create H.O.P.E. Designs. The patterns on this website are all $5, and all of the money goes straight to an organization that helps orphanges around the world. There are different organizations, but they all help orphanges. Here's the website:

http://www.createhopedesigns.com/

And here's my quilt that needs a name before it can go to the website.

The fabric is Taali, a fun new organic line from Monaluna:

http://www.monaluna.com/

I thought it was perfect for this pattern! My favorite print is a toss up between the sheep and the landscape. There wasn't a good picture of the landscape, so here's a better one.

The quilting was inspired by the blue and white zig zag stripe fabric. I wasn't sure what width I wanted between the zig zags, so I tried one inch. That was too much, so I put one in the middle. Then I didn't want three zig zags, but I also didn't want to unpick. What to do? Alternate! I put a couple double rows between the triple ones. I love how it turned out!

As with all requests for help, I've got some incentive --

Monday I will have a random drawing for those who comment and give me a suggestion on a name.

What's the random prize?

5 fat quarters!

Thanks in advance for your help!

A finish?

2011-11-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

I used my churn dash blocks as an excuse to visit one of my local quilt shop -- as if I need an excuse! I was a little worried I would find a sashing and border that worked. Actually, it was just the border print I was worried about. That is the challenge of using a line of fabric for the blocks. Sometimes you feel like you need part of that line for the other fabric in the quilt. In this case, I easily found fabric to match. I found three that I really liked. One was too white. I wanted to buy it to use on the back, but I can't pay full price for backing, no matter how much I like it. The second was more blue. That wasn't a problem, I just decided to go pink instead of blue. The sashing isn't a solid, it just reads like one.

And that is as finished as it is going to get for now. Sigh. . . I'm trying not to get discouraged about my quilt machine. Right now I am waiting for another part and praying it will work.

I have one quilt on a deadline that needs custom quilting. It is at a friend's house right now getting quilted. It is much harder than I thought to give up control of the quilting. Can't wait to show you that quilt, but it will be a few months.

As Seen on Newstands

2011-11-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

I finally spotted my quilt on a local newstand!

I must confess that I did move it to the front!

Look at all the quilt magazines! This was at my local Smiths grocery store. I occasionally buy them here if I see one that I don't have. I try to keep my subscriptions current. It's cheaper that way.

On the Design Wall

2011-11-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a frustrating week for me. My quilt machine isn't working, and I have been trying to troubleshoot it with the great folks at Statler in Missouri. We have tried three things that haven't worked, and are in the process of trying a fourth. I am praying that this is the one that finally gets thinkgs running again.

In the meantime, what better than sewing to work with the anxiety!

This is a quick pattern from my book Simply Charming Kids. I love the classic churn dash block! This churn dash is put together with charm squares. Perfect for times like this week when I didn't want to do a lot of cutting, and I didn't want to have to think much about what I was doing.

One thing about this pattern is that the triangles in each block are actually different, but similar. A lot of charm packs have similar fabrics, so this usually works well. I messed up a little on this one. I was matching up the small squares with the triangles before I started, but I mixed them up when I put them back together after I had sewn the pieces. I thought I could remember how I had them, but I couldn't. I think I liked my original pairings better, but I am not going to worry about it at all.

The ladies at church wanted a quick table topper to start after Christmas. I thought this fit the bill! I had this Michael Miller charm pack from a few years ago. I paired it with a Moda solid charm pack. It will be finished with sashing and a border. I haven't thought about with what yet.

Does sewing help relieve your anxiety too?

Block Three Winners

2011-11-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Good morning! We have winners! Two charm packs from Mama Spark, and one fat quarter set from me!

The winner of one of Mama Spark's charm packs is:

SFmitchell!

The winner of the other charm pack from Mama Spark is:

Kate in OK!

And the winner of the 5 fat quarters from me is:

sallie789!

Congratulations! Love all these fun stars!!! Email me your address and Pam and I will get those right out!
Happy Quilting!

Block Four with Mama Spark

2011-11-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

It's Tuesday again! Are you ready for another block?!?

Well, ready or not, we've got another fun star block for you! This block is from Pam Lincoln, otherwise known as Mama Spark: www.mamaspark.blogspot.com

Here's Pam!

HI Everyone,

My name is Pam Lincoln although you may know me by Mama Spark. You can find my blog at www.mamaspark.blogspot.com and I would love you to stop by for a visit! I’ve always felt that strangers are just friends we haven’t met yet.

I was first introduced to sewing by my mom who used to sew all my clothes when I was little. She taught me to sew when I was young and I have done a fair amount of sewing since. My own three children never wore a store bought Halloween costume! I am a scientist by day and a mad crafter the rest of the time.

I started out with counted cross stitch, which I still love. I had taken the odd quilting class but it just didn’t stick with me. About 6 years ago a dear friend was sewing binding on while we were watching our daughters at swim practice. She encouraged me to get back into making quilts. I looked for a group to join and found one at my church. About a year later I was running the group! I have since left that group and formed another one. I love hanging out with other quilters, so inspirational!

I began blogging around the time I began quilting, and have never looked back! Who knew there were so many kindred spirits in the world? The internet has a way of making everyone seem so close. My quilting has evolved from making quilts from patterns to designing my own. I love to make a design my own and to develop new designs of my own. The blogging community as well as Flickr are such a rich source of information and inspiration.

I have three children, one is currently in graduate school at North Carolina State, while the other 2 live at home. The eldest works at the University of Michigan (that’s where I work too) and the youngest is working 2 jobs trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. I also have a wonderful and very supportive husband that never complains that his living room has been turned into my sewing room. We share our home with 5 cats and one dog. We have raised some peacocks, chickens and ducks as well, although now they live at our friend’s farm. Life is never dull at our house!

I am so excited to have been included in this wonderful Quilt along. Konda is the BEST! I can’t wait to see what you do with my block and I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did! Don’t forget to stop by my blog and say “HI”, I would love to meet you!

Thanks Pam! Here's Pam's block called Fiesta Star:

Here's my version of the Fiesta Star!

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 3, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Fabric!!!

Pam has 2 charm packs from Michael Miller. It's Fairy Frost!

I'll add a set of 5 fat quarters!

Happy quilting!

Block Two Winners

2011-10-26T20:04:00.002-06:00

I think you know how relieved I am that the block yesterday posted. I was traveling home and not able to get to a computer to even check until late. Sorry the winners are late, but we have three winners today. Let's see who they are!

This is one of those times when you didn't want to procrastinate. The super secret prize from Mary Lou is this quilt kit! Then I have 5 more fat quarters that I picked up on my trip AND one of my quilt books to give away!

The winner of one of my quilt books is:

carruthers2011!

The winner of my 5 fat quarters is:

bmjmsb!

And the winner of Mary Lou's quilt kit is:

SeamWeaver!

Congratulations! Love all these fun stars!!! Email me your address and Mary Lou and I will get those right out!
Happy Quilting!

Block Three with Mary Lou Casada

2011-10-25T01:00:00.001-06:00

I am crossing my fingers this morning that this posts correctly! I am not home and have scheduled this post. I use to be able to schedule posts just fine, but sometimes it doesn't work. So I'm crossing my fingers! I will be home to draw for prizes though!

Today, block three is brought to us by Mary Lou Casada from Cheaper than Therapy Quilting.

Here's Mary Lou!

What a privilege to be a part of one of Konda’s Quilt-Alongs!! I had so much fun doing the Layer Cake quilt-along earlier, so when the Fat Quarter Stars project came along, I jumped at the opportunity to design a block! Thanks so much, Konda!

I’m Mary Lou Casada from Cheaper than Therapy Quilting (http://www.cheaperthantherapyquilting.blogspot.com/) and I’ve been quilting about 20 years (Oh My Word!!!)!! I’d dabbled in quilting a little because I had a grandmother who loved quilts and a great grandmother who was a prolific bee-quilter. I can remember the frames being lowered from the ceiling of her little house when I was just a girl! When Emily, my first born – who just turned 21 this Sunday! (Oh My Word!!) – was expected, I decided she needed a quilt…and off I went into the glorious addictive world of quilting!!

I am self-professed Queen Starts-a-Lot, and I love the process of selecting fabrics and piecing and/or appliquéing quilts. I love the hand quilting part, too, but I’m notoriously slow. Currently in the frame is the Mountain Laurel Quilters Sampler, a project I designed for my club ….in 2008! J Slow! :-D But it’s because I love starting new things. That’s why I love quilt-alongs….Deadlines!! LOL

At Cheaper than Therapy I always end my entries with a Bible verse…Here’s an encouraging word for you!

^“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NIV)

Thanks so much for letting me be part of your Fat Quarter Stars quilt!

Blessings!

Thanks Mary Lou! Here's Mary Lou's block that she calls Friendly Winds!

and here's my block!

My block didn't turn out quite how I had planned. I forgot that the orange was going to go in the middle so the orange from the outside was brought into the middle like Mary Lou's. Then I went and cut too many orange and not enought of the light green. When I realized what I did, I decided to sew it up anyway -- it was all cut! I still like it even though it probably would have been better the other way.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block 1 was posted. The drawing is technically for block 1, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Two super secret prizes! We will find out tomorrow who the winners are and what they win!!!

Happy quilting!

Crunch Time

2011-10-17T21:41:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I don't do "crunch time" well. Today I did pretty good. I got three "have to"s done, and then I sewed a Uber Quilt Fest block. It was one without any half square triangles so it went quickly. I really like this block!

The instructions made the block just a bit too large and then had you square it up to the right size. I opted to make the center 1/2" skinnier, so I didn't have to square up. This is block 13 by Erin of Two More Seconds.

This block was my play today. If I have time to play, then things must be going well, right?

Quilts of Valor

2011-10-15T19:24:00.001-06:00

Before the crack of dawn, I was heading an hour north with 7 other ladies to deliver some Quilts of Valor.

Here's the link to the website to find out more information about the organization:

http://qovf.org/

Quilts of Valor is a national organization. A few of us here in Utah have been working with the organization for many years. We have finally been able to get the ball rolling and a lot of quilter's in the area have made quilts. Because of this, we really wanted to distribute the quilts locally. Another quilter, Brandy, knows a lot of these soldiers and was able to make this delivery possible. We went to a Army National Guard Unit that returned a couple months ago from being deployed in Afghanistan. Those who we gave quilts to today are getting or have received purple hearts. We were suppose to deliver 25 quilts. Somehow we had 31 quilts. Of course, they all got delivered.

Here are the ladies getting ready to hand out QOVs. Diane Jaeger, the Utah Quilt of Valor rep is telling the soldiers about the organization and that we made these quilts by hand just for them. I am not in the group. I am taking pictures.

Here's Brandy handing out the first quilt.

This is Francine who is the President of our Utah Valley Quilt Guild.

Here's Brandy with a quilt that I quilted. A friend of mine, Suzanne, made it.

Diane was showing this soldier this quilt that she quilted for him.

And here are all the soldiers we gave quilts to.

This unit now has around 90 soldiers in it. While we were there, Brandy and Diane promised these soldiers that all of them would get a quilt!

HERE's a local news article about this unit.

Brandy and I, and a few other quilters around here, quilt these quilts for free. This call for quilts is mostly for local folks, but we won't turn down a quilt if you aren't local and want to help. For more information call Brandy 801-794-3428 or email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com.

It was a great way to start the day -- even if I did have to wake up before the sun!

Block One Winners!

2011-10-12T09:03:00.000-06:00

I love seeing all these fabulous stars! We have six winners today, so lots of fun stars posted today! Just a reminder, I do let random.org pick the winners. Everyone has an equal chance to win!

The first winner who gets Carrie's Caroler Turnover is:

celim7!

The second winner who gets the pirate fat quarters is:

mlwatson2010!

The next four winners each get a yard of background fabric, so be sure to tell me what color you want, or don't and it will be a surprise! These winners are:

Nanners1222!

You rip what you sew!

Vanessa9185!

and Niff08!

Congratulations to the winners! Email me your address either responding to the FlickrMail I sent or to kluckau@moosequilts.com. I get both of them.

More chances to win in two weeks! Thanks for playing!

Fat Quarter Stars Block Two with Carrie Graziano

2011-10-11T09:09:00.000-06:00

Lots of stars of popping up on the flickr site! So much fun! That's how you get into the drawing for the prizes -- by posting 1 picture of each of your blocks.

Today block two is brought to us today by Carrie Graziano.

Here's Carrie!

Hi there! I’m Carrie Graziano of crickets studio, and I basically love to create and make EVERYTHING! That’s why I opened my studio back in 1993, so I could show others how to do the crazy stuff that I think up! I’m a published author of decorative painting books and magazine articles, and before my kids came along I traveled around the US teaching cool students all about my art. I’m also an avid photographer and scrapbooker, having been in the scrapbooking business now for 10 years. To “relax” my husband bought me a sewing machine in 1995, and well, I haven’t stopped quilting yet. I did take a short break when my daughter (she’s 7 ½) and my son (he’s 3) were born. I’ve been back for a couple of years now with needle in hand and ready to go! I actually re-entered the traditional workforce on October 3^rd and am now working full-time again in a local interior design firm. Right now my primary focus is trying to balance job, kids, quilting, fun, home and well, everything!

My blog is fairly new, and I’m venturing out into the online world of quilt blogging and designing. Although I have taught quilting classes in my home studio, “teaching” via a blog is a whole new world for me. Check out my blog for my Tips & Tricks Quilt Along that started in January. It’s perfect for any level quilter….it’s a monthly class where at year-end we’ll have a lovely sampler quilt top, and some new techniques and tips under our belt, too! You can start it at any time. I hope to have more tutorials and another faster-paced quilt along up soon.

So, enjoy the block I’ve designed, feel free to pop questions to me. Remember to enjoy the journey!

~Carrie

Thanks Carrie! Now, before I show you Carrie's block. . . . No, I will just show you the block and then make an observation. So, here's Carrie's block!

and here's my block!

Okay, you might notice that my corner triangles are different than Carrie's. (You might also notice that I need to press my block, but you are kind enough not to say anything, so thank you!) The way Carrie has her corner triangles would make a very interesting secondary pattern if you were making a quilt with this block. Since we aren't, I couldn't resist the way I put the block together. Feel free to experiment with that!

And just a quick comment on the pattern that I'm sure someone will ask about. For the inner hourglass block, Carrie has you cut 6" squares. She does this so your blocks will turn out perfect! You can cut 5 1/2" squares. It does leave you room to square up, but just barely, and it isn't enough if you have a tendancy towards larger seams.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

What's up for grabs this time?

Fabric!!!

1) Carrie has graciously donated one turnover of The Caroler by Mary Engelbreit for Moda!

2) I have 5 Pirate fat quarters by Emily Taylor for Riley Blake for one person! (Not the black, three prints in light blue and two in cream -- yes there are skulls. Just in time for halloween.)

3) And don't forget we have 4 -- 1 yard pieces of possible background fabric to give away because I messed up! Info HERE is you missed it.

I am just posting this information again:

Sometimes the pdf doesn't download for some reason or another. I don't know why. I like to think it's because so many people are downloading it! If it doesn't work after you have tried a few times, email me kluckau@moosequilts.com, and I will send it to you. One other thing you can try is to right-click on the link and click on "Save target as," save it to your computer, and then open it.

If you have questions on the block, ask here or on flickr. Ask a question in the comments of your block or start a new discussion in the flickr group. In the past quilt alongs, those who post on flickr become a community. I am sure this one will be no different. Often others in the group will answer each others questions before I even see the question. I love being part of the community of quilters!

I will post winners tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!

Uber Quilt Fest Blocks

2011-10-07T21:41:00.000-06:00

I am making progress on my Uber Quilt Fest blocks. I am only missing two so far. I have found myself making two one day and none the next. Every day is tough.

I have mixed feelings about my blocks so far. Here they are:

1) From Quilt Dad

2) From Kaye Prince

3) From Karen Linton

4) From Me

5) From Amy Lobsiger

Definitely turning out interesting. I will keep you posted!

Quilt Along Mistake -- An Apology with Prizes

2011-10-06T21:23:00.000-06:00

Oh, I really did not want to write this post. I think it's a good idea to fess up when you've made a mistake, or when I've made a mistake that is.

Somehow when I was figuring fabric requirements, I neglected to calculate the fabric for the first border. So we really need 3 1/2 yards of the sashing/background/border fabric. You need this even if you add the extra border. This gives us 3 yards for the sashing and border and 1/2 yard for backgrounds in the blocks.

To sum up -- you need an extra yard of background fabric.

I know this is not a big deal for some of you but is a big pain for others. I am sorry. By way of apology, I will be adding four extra prizes to the next prize drawing. I know this won't really help, but the prizes are appropriate. Because we need an extra yard of background fabric, I will be giving away 4 yards -- 1 yard each for 4 people -- of possible background fabric. Here are the ones I have. You can tell me which one you want.

Color 1 -- Moda bella solid white: This is true white.

Color 2 -- Moda bella solid feather: This one looks white unless you put it next to true white. Then you realize that it is an off-white.

Color 3 -- Moda bella solid grey: This is a light grey.

Color 4 -- Moda bella solid etchings charcoal: This is a dark grey.

Please accept my apology. Thank you sisbabestitches for asking me about the background fabric so I realized my mistake now!

These prizes will be drawn from the flickr pool next week with our next regular prize drawing.

Uber Quilt Fest Block 4

2011-10-04T01:56:00.001-06:00

It's finally my day for my Quilt-Uber-Fest Block! For some reason it feels like "finally" even though it's only day four!

We are using Nel Whatmore's fabric line Sleeping Beauty that she designed for Free Spirit along with some Kaffe Fassett shot cottons and stripes.

Here is an interview with Nel:

http://bluenickelstudios.com/?p=3417

I am a math teacher turned quilter. I have a treasured quilt from my great grandmother, but I never knew anyone who quilted until I was expecting my first child. It was one of those times that when the student was ready, the teacher appeared. In my case, the teacher came in the form of a neighbor. After that neighbor explained to me that a magical thing existed called a quilt machine, I found out that my aunt had one at her school where she taught home ec. I fell in head over heels in love the first time I tried the machine.

It didn't take long for me to acquire a quilt machine and begin long arm quilting for hire. That was in 2002. I haven't looked back since. In 2007, a guild brown bag challenge introduced me to the magic of a charm pack, and I started writing patterns. Simply Charming Modern is my 9th pattern book. All but one of these books are patterns for charm squares.

My most recent excitement is having my quilt, Snow-Kissed Star on the cover of McCall's Quilting!

http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2011/09/mccalls-cover-quilt.html. AND starting my third quilt along, Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along! We just started last week, so feel free to join in the fun!

BUT what I really want to show you is my block! For these blocks we were asked to use either half square triangles and/or log cabin blocks.

I call my block Cabin in the Woods. It really is a log cabin block even though it doesn't initially look like it. My favorite part of the block is the narrow strips. I like to think of it as the mortar that holds the larger logs together. Did log cabins use mortar or is that just brick?

**Note** A word of caution on my block. Log cabin blocks are actually difficult blocks to make because your seam allowance needs to be exactly 1/4." A slightly larger seam allowance is compounded as you go, and the block will be too small. If that happens, you may just want to add another two strips instead of redoing the block.

CLICK HERE for the link to the Block Instructions.

And when you are finished, post a picture on the flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bloggersquiltuberfest/!

Tomorrow the block will be by Amy Lobsiger of Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts. Let the Uber-Quilt-Festing continue!

Half Jelly Roll Winner!

2011-10-03T10:58:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Kritta22!

Kritta22 said...

WOW!!! So cool to be in a magazine!
I'm more a traditional girl when it comes to Christmas colors.. True red and green. That being said, I sure do love pretty much all the Christmas lines this year.

October 1, 2011 9:10 PM

You are the winner of the Flurry 1/2 jelly roll! Email me your address, and I will get that to you!

Thanks for everyone's well wishes! Fun to read what colors everyone likes for Christmas.

It's my day to post a block for Uber-Quilt Fest tomorrow, so tune in to see what I have cooked up!

Quilt-Uber-Fest Day 1

2011-10-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

The Quilt-Uber-Fest started today:

http://bluenickelstudios.com/?p=3183

The first block was by Quilt Dad. I wasn't going to do it. Don't I have enough going on right now???

Evidently not -- here's my Taking Flight Block!

It "flew" together! Which reminded me -- here's a fun way to square up half square triangles some of you may not have seen.

I have just drawn a diagonal line down the back of one 4" square, put it with another 4" square with right sides together, sewn 1/4" on both sides of the line, and cut on the line. That is a typical way of making half square triangles.

Now to square up. I am squaring this one up to 3 1/2." In the picture, I have lined up my triangle with the ruler in two places: 1) the diagonal line of the ruler is on my seam, and 2) the 3 1/2" mark is along one side of the triangle. Then I trim one side. Then, I am done. That's it!

When I press the triangle open, I have one 3 1/2" half square triangle block!

Give it a try sometime!

McCall's Cover Quilt!

2011-09-28T11:36:00.001-06:00

Last week I found out that my quilt would be featured on the cover of McCall's Quilting!!!

It's the large star made from a jelly roll of Kate Spain's Flurry. I just love it!

They named it Snow-Kissed Star which is more perfect than anything I could have come up with!

Here's the link to their blog:

The Best Ever Holiday Patterns!

and here's the link to more information about the pattern on their website:

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/Snow_Kissed_Star

The pattern takes half of a jelly roll. That means I have half a jelly roll in my sewing room. To celebrate, I have decided to give it away!

If you want the jelly roll, leave a comment telling me what your favorite Christmas color combination is for a quilt. Do you like traditional red and green, bright red and green, do you like adding the winter blue, magenta and forest green? I think I will do the drawing on Monday. Monday sounds like a good day to have a prize drawing.

**The drawing is now closed.**

Happy Quilting!

Fat Quarter Stars Sign Up Winners

2011-09-28T08:50:00.000-06:00

And now we have winners!

There were three winners from our flickr pool. Each of these winners get my new book, Simply Charming Modern! (If you happen to have it, let me know, and I will send another one!)

Our winners are:

No Time for Quilting?!

RachelB18!

stipplequilt!

Then we had one more winner!!!

This winner wins the fat quarter bundle that I am working with, Folklorique wovens! This winner is from the comment list of the sign up post.

The winner is:

Barbara Kibler said...

I'm in...looking forward to learning more quilting techniques ...I learned a lot with the last quilt along.

September 20, 2011 6:47 PM

Thanks everyone! And that was just the beginning of the prizes. These drawings for prizes happen every two weeks for those uploading the picture of their block to the flickr pool.

If you are a winner, please email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com your name as you see it here (so I know who you are) your real name and real shipping address, so I can send you your prize. Thanks!

Fat Quarter Stars Block One

2011-09-27T08:51:00.001-06:00

Let the games begin! The day has finally arrived to start our next quilt along. A friend of mine called last weekend and we were talking about the quilt along. I realized that it started on Tuesday (today). For some reason I was thinking it started on Friday! Good thing I got that figured out before today!

I have designed the first block. Usually here we have an introduction to the block designer. Since if you are here, you probably know a little about me, I will just write a few random facts about me that may or may not be interesting, but either way, you probably didn't know them before.

A favorite experience as a teenager was watching the Fourth of July fireworks from the mall in Washington D.C. (Just in case you didn't know, the mall is the large area by the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Memorial. It isn't a shopping mall.)

Two jobs I had growing up that I didn't enjoy, but I knew they would be short lived were making sure there was the correct amount of beans in canned green beans at a factory and cleaning toilets in the dorms at college.

I was a cuckoo bird in a school program. I think I was in kindergarten. The only thing I remember about that program was singing this song, "Red and yellow and pink and green. Purple and orange and blue. I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too." Which now I think is a funny song because those aren't the colors of the rainbow. My grandpa taught me that the colors of the rainbow are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red. He could also say the alphabet backwards -- quickly.

One thing on my bucket list is to visit every state in the United States. The ones I still have left are Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota, Minnesota (unless I count a 20 minute layover), Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Looks like I can't die yet. There's more left than I thought.

Okay, enough of that, on with our block. I really went back and forth on this block. I came up with many designs, but three that I liked and debated between. One was too easy, one was too hard, and I think this one is just right! There is one thing that might make a beginner nervous -- cutting a 1 5/8" strip. It really does have to be that size because I turned the inside star to make it on point. Be brave. 1 5/8" is in between 1 1/2" and 1 3/4." You can do it! And if you mess up, it is a small square and you have enough fabric to cut another one!

Here's my block. I hope you like it. The fat quarters I am using are really out of my comfort zone. I know I'm going to like it, but it's a challenge for me.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

Because this is the first block there will be two different drawings tonight. One drawing will be from anyone who comments on the original quilt along announcement post. A second drawing will be from the flickr group. Right now you can post 1 picture of the fabric you will using. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted. Any blocks posted before I post my block tonight, usually around 10 ish (Mountain Time) or first thing in the morning, will be entered into the drawing.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

1) For the drawing for those who signed up for the quilt along in the comments of the original post, I have a fat quarter bundle. It is the same bundle that I am using which is Folklorique wovens by Fig Tree for Moda.

2) For the flickr pool, I will pick three winners! These winners will each get my new book, Simply Charming Modern!

Before you head off, let me answer a couple questions that come up.

Sometimes the pdf doesn't download for some reason or another. I don't know why. I like to think it's because so many people are downloading it! If it doesn't work after you have tried a few times, email me kluckau@moosequilts.com, and I will send it to you. One other thing you can try is to right-click on the link and click on "Save target as," save it to your computer, and then open it.

If you have questions on the block, ask here or on flickr. Ask a question in the comments of your block or start a new discussion in the flickr group. In the past quilt alongs, those who post on flickr become a community. I am sure this one will be no different. Often others in the group will answer each others questions before I even see the question. I love being part of the community of quilters!

I will post winners tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!

Small Treat Bags

2011-09-21T08:22:00.000-06:00

Last year these adorable little bags were all the rage:

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/bags-pillows/small-treat-tote_1.html

I saw them everywhere. I heard how quick they were. You can make four with 2 fat quarters. I wanted to make them. I intended to make them. I never made them.

Until a few weeks ago -- desperation struck!

You know, sometimes it's inspiration that strikes, and sometimes it's desperation. Anyway, my oldest daughter had a birthday party to go to -- in 15 minutes! We had discussed this a couple days before. The girl said that she didn't want one of the animal pillows that you've seen that my daughter has enjoyed giving to her friends. So we were going to give her candy. (The girl loves candy.) Then I couldn't figure out how to make candy look like a nice gift. . . .

The small treat bag!!!

My daughter quickly picked two fabrics, and I started cutting. Then she couldn't find ribbon to match. Wait -- we have rick rack! Sewing, sewing, sewing. . . . I got the bag done. (I forgot to box the corners of the lining. Oops!) The candy loked much cuter!

I don't actually have a picture of that bag, but you can't make just one. Here are the others I made. The one for the friend was the black and white and red with the fabrics reversed.

It took me about an hour to make all 5 bags. I even pressed them. They are that fast! My two littlest girls got two of the bags to play with, and the other two are being saved for another gift emergency!

This story has a P.S. When my daughter came home from the party, she said that the girl liked her present, but the girl's mother wanted to know where her pillow was, and my daughter needed to make her daughter a pillow!

Oh my! Maybe for Christmas!

The Old is New Again

2011-09-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

I am in the middle of quilting a quilt for a customer. I just ran out of thread -- something I think I have done one other time, and it was MANY years ago! She of course, needs it tomorrow, so I will be running to the store first thing in the morning to pick some up. Too bad the shop that has this particular thread is an hour away! I hope they still have this specific color.

That isn't why I wanted to show it though. Here, take a look:

I thought the quilt looked fairly modern with its use of solids. However, this quilt was made by a great-grandmother who is now deceased. The grandmother gave it to me to quilt for her granddaughter getting married in Australia. She needs to have it so she can get it bound and give it to her granddaughter before she leaves the country.

I don't know how old it is. I wonder how a quilt apraiser can tell the difference between this quilt and one pieced today. I can't tell a difference. The cycle of fashion comes full circle!

P.S. Thanks for the great label tips! I am almost excited to finish my next quilt and try something new.

Singing the Quilt Label Blues

2011-09-12T12:04:00.000-06:00

I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I don't like labeling quilts. To tell the truth, I usually don't label my quilts. If I do label it, it's usually to sign and date it with a sharpie on the back.

My favorite labels are those that I have seen pieced into the back of the quilt. They get quilted over and become part of the quilt.

I recently made two quilts for Timeless Treasures, that I will show you one of these days, that of course, needed labels.

Here's what I came up with.

Hey, at least I appliqued them by needle turn, so the edges are finished! Sometimes I sew them on with a running stitch and leave the edges raw.

While I liked the idea of using the back of part of the fabric, it does make it a little hard to read.

What is your favorite way to label your quilt?

Ode to the Red and White

2011-09-07T18:43:00.000-06:00

That title reminds me of "Ode to a Grecian Urn" which I just looked up is a peom by John Keats. I, however, am not quite so well-read. I know it from "The Music Man" that I think is a great old musical.

Anyway, I couldn't think of a better title. I'm not so good at titles. I made some red and white nine patch blocks for two reasons. One reason was in honor of the Infinite Variety quilt exhibit in New York.

http://www.folkartmuseum.org/infinitevariety

Simply amazing! In another stage of life, I would have flown out to see it. Instead, I decided to make my own red and white quilt.

The idea was spurred on by a challenge from the Temecula Quilt Company:

http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com/2011/04/red-and-white-do-you-love-red-and-white.html

It's a fun shop that I visited once on vacation. It is full of miniatures and reproduction fabric.

The blocks in my quilt are 1" finished. The nine patches were so fun that I ended up making three quilts! (All of them are miniatures.)

I am attempting to hand quilt this first one. I may change my mind about the others by the time I am done with this one! I am using wool batting. It is quilting very nicely. I, on the other hand, am not quilting so nicely.

I spray basted the layers together. They are holding together fine, and I am having no issues with the layers shifting. The trouble is inexperience. BUT that is why I am making the attempt at something 13" square. I thought that was a good size to start with.

I am obviously not done quilting yet. I do have a good needle. I don't remember what kind, but it came recommended to me, and I got it at a quilt shop. I am using my machine quilting thread. I probably could have made a better choice there. It is good thread, but I don't know if it is the best for hand quilting.

I put the thimble on my second finger, and have been trying to get the rocker motion. Oh! It's not working. Again, I chalk it up to inexperience. My thimble is metal on the top, and the rest of it is rubber. When I miss, the needle jabs through the rubber. I may be getting another thimble that has a greater margin of error. I'll let you know how it goes.

So that's the WIP for today. Any advice?

Quilt Uberfest

2011-09-06T17:46:00.001-06:00

What is Quilt Uberfest?!?

It's a block of the day quilt festival from October 1-16! It's a quilting Oktoberfest, a block of the month quilt along on steroids!

Nothing like being part of a quilt along while running a quilt along! I was excited to be asked to be part of an event that sounded like crazy fun!

Here's the line up:
Oct 1 John Adams
Oct 2 Kaye Prince
Oct 3 Karen Linton
Oct 4 Konda Luckau
Oct 5 Amy Lobsiger
Oct 6 Ryan Walsh
Oct 7 Scott Hansen
Oct 8 April Rosenthal
Oct 9 Cara Wilson
Oct 10 Amanda Jennings
Oct 11 Susan Sobon
Oct 12 Jan Peoples
Oct 13 Erin Singleton
Oct 14 Charlie Scott
Oct 15 Emily Cier
Oct 16 Rachel Locke

AND here's the link for more information: http://bluenickelstudios.com/?p=3183

Feeling crazy??? Come join the Quilt UBER-fest!

Springville Art Museum Quilt Show

2011-09-01T21:04:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago I went to a quilt show at our local art musuem. It is always a great show. I think they took it down today. To tell the truth, I almost forgot to post these pictures. It seems like forever ago when I went. I didn't get to spend as much time this year as I would have liked.

This quilt won a contest in McCall's Quilting. I loved it then, so it was nice to see it up close!

This one was interesting because it was of a picture transferred to fabric. The flowers in the front are appliqued. There may be matallic thread in the water. I remember it shimmering. I loved how seamlessly the quilter moved from fabric to the picture and back.

I loved the frame on this quilt. It actually looks like a picture frame. The sliver of purple is perfect!

A friend of mine made this quilt. I loved the roses in the border!

This was a modern sampler quilt. The blocks were 8" I think. It was in a hall, so it was extra tough to get a good picture.

I loved the bold color on this quilt. I never would have thought to use bright pink for hair, but it works perfectly here! AND if I had that pink and green leaf fabric in my stash, ladies skirt wouldn't have been my 10th choice for what to do with it, but isn't it striking?!?

This is an example of the whimsy we get at the show. It made me laugh. It says "Good for you."

My favorite thing about the art mueum is this kinetic sculpture. It has water running through it, and I never get tired of looking at it!

Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild

2011-08-26T12:45:00.000-06:00

Last week I attended the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild. It was great once I got there, but it was a nightmare getting there! It usually takes me just under an hour. With construction, two accidents, and city traffic, it took twice as long! I had even left early and wondered what I was going to do with my extra time. That was one worry that quickly subsided - unfortunately. Even on my way home it took longer than usual because of narrowing construction lanes at 9:00 at night!

Enough about my nightmare -- the guild di a fun thing. Evidently at one of the previous meetings that I had missed, they passed out Kona solid charm packs. This night they brought the finished challenge quilts. They put numbers -- no names -- on all the quilts, and we voted for our favorites. I did get there just in time for the voting!

To no one's surprise Kati won, even though no one knew which quilt was hers.

This was second place. This is the back! The top is fun, but I like that back better!

This is the front.

There was a three way tie for third -- how's that for being indecisive!

These circles are appliqued and the back is cut away behind.

Fun pillows!

These squares are pieced. She used a clever technique. She sewed a narrow border around a charm square. Then cut it in half each way. Then rotated the squares and sewed them back together! So much better than cutting all those tiny sashing pieces! I think there was technically some cheating here because only solids were suppose to be used, and she cut up her Kona bag which is a print. Just the kind of cheating we quilter's whole heartedly endorse!

Fun night! I have recently heard of two Modern Quilt groups closer to me, so I may be making a change as much I have loved meeting these ladies.

More Pumpkin Progess

2011-08-24T13:43:00.000-06:00

I guess these technically aren't pumpkins, but here's the 16 patch for the pumpkin quilt.

I sewed four strip sets that I cut into 2.5" sections and sewed together into the 16 patch. These must have been long strips becasue I was able to barely squeeze 17 sections out of each strip set. Since I only needed 16, I used the extra ones to make a signature block for the back of the quilt. I do have some of the selvage holes showing in two places on my signature block. Normally that is a pet peeve of mine - to see selvage holes in a quilt. I figured it would be alright since it was on the back. They are also tiny holes. I hope it doesn't bother me.

I guess if it does, I can applique a couple leaves on the block. I was pleased there was the extra rows. I was just going to cut a plain square for a signature block, but this is so much more fun!

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along

2011-08-22T11:46:00.006-06:00

Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along

27 Sep 2011 to 27 Mar 2012

Grab your favorite fat quarters and let's start quilting!

Starting September 27th, every other TUESDAY, instructions for a new 12" block will be posted. All of the blocks will be star blocks made from fat quarters and some background yardage. Links to all of the blocks will be on this post, but instructions are first posted on my blog. Click on the header at the top of this page for the most current posts.

Each block will be designed by a different person. Every two weeks there will be a guest blogger on my blog introducing himself or herself and his/her block. At the end you will have made a fun quilt 65" x 84" (or 74" x 93").

Here's the information you need to get started:

Fabric Requirements:

16 Fat Quarters
3 1/2 yards background and border and sashing fabric
optional 2 yards addional border fabric -- this makes the larger size quilt
5 yards (6 yards for larger size) backing
3/4 yard binding (for both sizes)

Size of Quilt: 65" x 84"

FAQ:
1) Will linear quarter yards work?
Not necessarily. If you want to use yardage, you might want to have half yards just in case. If you think you need to use quarter yards, you might need to piece a larger block. You may not need to, but that's the worst that would happen.

2) When is the first drawing?
The first drawing will be Tuesday, Sep 27.

3) Who is entered in the first drawing?
This is new--there are two ways to enter the first drawing. FIRST, post a comment on this post saying that you are doing the quilt along. SECOND, post a picture of your fabric on the flickr site. Technically there will be two drawings, one from the post comments, and one from the flickr pool.

4) What's the flickr site:
Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1726536@N24/

5) How do I get entered into the block drawings?
You get entered into the block drawings by posting your block on our flickr site. The same one from #4. If you need help getting on flickr, check out my Flickr 101 and Flickr 102 tutorials.
6) Can I use scraps?Absolutely!

7) What fabric are you using?
I had a fat quarter bundle of Folklorique by Fig Tree for Moda sitting around. There were exactly 16 fat quarters in it. It was asking me to use it. I said I wanted to buy new fabric, but it convinced me otherwise. You may not recognize it as Folklorique because it is the wovens from the line. Sampler quilts are fun to experiment with. I am using white as my background fabric.

8) What's up with all the background fabric?
Consider your background/sashing/border fabric carefully. There will be a lot of it. I'm excited about the layout I've drawn up. I know it can be hard not to have all directions up front. That's also part of the fun. It's a mystery quilt--for all of us!

9) What are the prizes?
All sorts of quilting stuff! Fabric, patterns, books, etc. There are always at least two prizes for every drawing. And I do have another Folklorique wovens fat quarter bundle that will find a new home in this first drawing!

10) Do I have to have a blog to join?
Not at all, but if you do then

Grab a button, and join the fun!!!

(If you need help grabbing a button, check out my Blogger 101 tutorial.

11) Where are the patterns?
You will find them right here! The list below will turn into links when I get the blocks posted.

Block One
Block Two
Block Three
Block Four
Block Five
Block Six
Block Seven
Block Eight
Block Nine
Block Ten
Block Eleven
Block Twelve
Finishing Instructions

12) Isn't that enough questions already?!?
Probably not. If you have another question I haven't covered, please ask! Remember if you post anonymously I can't reply to you.

Anyone interested in designing a block or donating prizes can email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com!

Let the quilting begin!

Quilt Along Teaser

2011-08-19T16:30:00.000-06:00

Just a heads up, on Monday there will be an official announcement about the next Quilt Along.

Anyone interested in designing a block or donating prizes can email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com.

Thanks!

An Experience with Greige Goods

2011-08-18T10:19:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't heard of Greige (pronounced "grey") Goods before, it refers to the fabric before any of the dyes are added to it.

Often Griege Goods is talked about in terms of quality. For instance, "The quality of the Greige Goods...."

This summer I saw what a difference the quality of the greige goods made. I wish I had a picture to show you.

A month or so ago a lady showed me her first quilt. It was a beautiful lone star quilt. It was amazing! She was a seamstress before she was a quilter, and she took the time to make sure her piecing was precise. I couldn't believe it was her first quilt! It had also been used and loved for a few years. What was interesting to me was that I recognized many of the fabrics in the quilt. In fact, I had purchased at one time or another many of those same fabrics before I learned about quilt shop fabric.

One fabric in the quilt was quilt shop quality fabric -- which I also owned a piece of. That fabric was the only piece of fabric that hadn't faded.

Why? Because quilt shop fabric starts with a higher quality of greige goods, maybe better dyes too, I don't know about that. That's why it is more expensive. It is better quality.

I'm not saying that there's not a place for non-quilt shop fabric. Just consider your project before you use it.

One more Receiving Blanket

2011-08-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

My baby sister had a baby this morning! Her boys have been loving Dr. Seuss lately. My sister loves red, so this receiving blanket was perfect -- even though I wanted to make something pink and flowery.

I ordered the Seuss flannel online when I couldn't find it local. It arrived yesterday. I got the call this morning, made the blanket using my tutorial, and hurried to the hospital. The thirty minute drive felt like forever! Nothing like holding a brand new baby!

Pumpkin Progress

2011-08-15T23:37:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I made some progress on my pumpkin blocks. They look a little off kilter right now because I still need to applique a leaf on. It's an 8" block so although it doesn't have a lot of detail in it, I think it will be alright.

Utah Quilt Fest

2011-08-13T15:26:00.000-06:00

The Utah Quilt Guild's Annual Quilt Fest is right around the corner:

http://www.utahquiltguild.org/annual/

It's not too late to sign up for classes, but it almost is!

I am teaching one class, Miss Maddie, my newest pattern:

I'd love to see you there!

P.S. I just finished another version that has a large focus print -- pirates -- instead of the applique. I need to take pictures and show you!

P.P.S. I use fusible web to applique, so this is super easy, even if you have never appliqued before!

Disappointment

2011-08-12T22:44:00.000-06:00

I had such grand plans yesterday. The day before I saw this post by Heather Bailey:

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/2011/08/maybe.html

Her muffins looked SO good! They also didn't look like muffins. I found a recipe online for sour cherry strudel. I have wanted to try cooking with phyllo sheets for a long time, but never dared. My sister was going to be over. I thought it was a good time to try.

At the store I ended up picking up raspberries and blackberries instead of sour cherries. My sister will tell you that I have a hard time following a recipe exactly. -- I also have a hard time following a pattern, that's why I'm a pattern designer :)

It all seemed to go smoothly. It smelled good. It was okay. . . . We ate it with vanilla ice cream. It was perfectly acceptable.

I just wanted to love it.

I was disappointed. . . .

That's life isn't it -- learning how to handle disappointment. I have decided to handle this set back in a perfectly reasonable, adult manner. . . I will never cook again!

. . . at least until my kids are hungry in half an hour!

Did They HAVE to Ask???

2011-08-09T20:53:00.000-06:00

Last night I got an official request for a head shot. What a nightmare! I do have an official head shot that I had my sister-in-law take. She's a professional photographer. The picture is great, but I was so nervous that I look nervous, and I can't stand much to look at it. So I had to give it another try. Thought you might enjoy a few outtakes, so I can laugh at myself instead of cringe.

My 12 year old daughter took the pictures. It's easier to smile at my kids than to smile at a photographer. Here's some pictures that got tossed out. I had fun playing with the coloring of the pictures -- pretending they were better than they are.

This was from the first location. I was trying the goofy face then smile hoping to get a more natural smile. The metal flower was a cool fountain that doesn't have water. It looked cool, but I thought it looked too much like an odd hat.

Then the second location. . . . Love the lens flare. Can you guess what my favorite statue is?

Actually it's not "The Thinker." I was kidding. It's the statue of Albert Einstein at the National Science Museum in Washington DC. I love how it's so casual, and I'm a nerd at heart.

After two failed attempts, I headed up the canyon that I live at the base of. That's my default location. There's always something worth taking a picture of up the canyon.

And we found some friends as soon as we stopped. The last location was not far from these deer. We didn't get any closer, and they decided to hang around for a while before they wandered off.

Can't I just use this one or do I have to actually look at the camera?

After hundreds of pictures, half of them blurry and the other half with my eyes closed, I finally got one that was acceptable. I sent that in. Whew! Hope I don't have to do that again for a while!

What Does it Mean for Batting to be Green? Cast your vote!

2011-08-05T10:46:00.001-06:00

Going Green has been trendy for a while now. Taking care of earth's resources has moved into public consciousness and into quilting. (Picture shown is Birch Organic circa 60 Beach Mod. I used it in my last book, Simply Charming Modern. I love the prints!)

In the interest of full disclosure, let me mention up front that I have 6 kids. I live near the mountains. I love my Suburban. Love. I remember when I was younger and we had vehicles that we held our breath and didn't get behind any trucks to slow down our momentum when driving up canyons. I don't want to worry about things like that any more.

I also love innovation, and I don't want anyone telling me what I have to buy or can or cannot have.

I have been intrigued, however, by all the organic materials that are flooding the market. It baffled my mind that cotton wasn't organic. I decided to find more about what makes something organic. I asked questions. I attended a lecture on the subject.

I learned that cotton isn't considered organic if certain pesticides are used when it is grown. Bamboo is considered superior to cotton because it grows faster, and I think there's something about nutrients in the soil that cotton takes and bamboo doesn't.

In fabric, the cotton has to be grown without the certain pesticides, and it has to be made using certain dyes that aren't harmful.

I've had my questions answered except for batting.

What batting is the most green?

Literally, the answer would be Quilter's Dream Batting's Dream Green batting because it is actually green.

It is green because it is made from recycled 2-liter bottles. It is a polyester batting. I have used it, and I like it. Is it the winner because it's recycled, or is it not because it's polyester?

Is it bamboo because it's "better" than cotton?

I love the drape of bamboo. I hear bugs don't like it. That's a good thing.

Is it organic cotton batting?

I didn't know this existed until this morning when I saw that Hobb's has an organic cotton batting, so I assume others may as well. I am curious why I haven't noticed these before. I love their 100% cotton with scrim -- I gotta have the poly scrim, so I don't pull it apart when I am quilting it.

Is it wool? Or does that bring up all sorts of animal issues?

I love wool batting! It quilts so beautifully--by hand and machine. It's washable.

Which do you vote for? Did I miss one?

I really want to know who the unofficial winner will be!

Wonky Autumn Leaves in the Fat Quarterly

2011-08-02T17:32:00.000-06:00

One of my patterns came out in Issue 6 of the Fat Quarterly this week -- Wonky Autumn Leaves!

Here's the link:

http://www.fatquarterly.com/issues/issue-6

This quilt was an experiment with wonky. I took a traditional leaf pattern and made it wonky on every level. This issue was all about using different fabrics, so I used, well, different fabrics. The fabrics are all solids to let the texture add the variety. The brown background is a linen blend. There's Kona solids, Moda solids and cross weaves, shot cotton, linen, linen blends, and corduroy.

Here's the back. The color at the top was one I didn't end up liking with the rest. I used it just enough, but had plenty left over. The three blocks were test blocks.

Here's the first block I made. The orange frame was too big, and I worried about the squares not being wonky.

This is the second block. I think the middle frame a lot better here. I'm still worried about the leaf squares. Also, the outside of the middle border is still straight which also worried me.

This one took more work because everything is wonky. That's the beauty of it! This one didn't get used because I ended up trimming the block a hair larger than this block. That's all that got changed.

The quilting pattern is one I digitized that I call Modern Argyle. I bound it in the green corduroy. I like it, but it wasn't very fun to do. I wouldn't recommend it. Except if you insist on trying it, take a smaller seam allowance to give all the extra bulk room to come around. Yes, that's what I did wrong that made it not very fun. Live and learn!

Guild Pumpkin Project

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-06:00

One of my guilds started a block exchange a few months ago. The blocks are due at our September meeting. I am just getting started. Of course, I have had my blocks designed since right after I signed up. We have two blocks to make -- a pumpkin block and a 16 patch block. We make 16 of each and then swap in September.

The green on top is the fabric that we are matching. We got a couple other swatches that I lost. We aren't allowed to use brights, so I didn't have too many choices in my stash. Fortunately, I fell in love with this line a few years back. I think I picked up a yard of all that was left when it went on clearance or on a good sale.

I double checked with the person in charge. She agreed that it was perfect!

Receiving Blanket Tutorial

2011-07-27T21:37:00.000-06:00

I thought it was about time I wrote up this tutorial that I had taken pictures for over a year ago. I have made dozens of these blankets, and my kids have been dragging them around for years.

While this receiving blanket is not uncommon, I have a little more relaxed way of making it.

The most common way to make these receiving blankets is using flannel for both the top and bottom. I have also made them using a non-flannel for the top and a flannel for the bottom like the blue elephant blanket below. Also, for a light weight, summer blanket, I have made them using a non-flannel fabric for both the top and bottom.

It's a little tricky, but I have also made them about fat quarter size with a silky feeling fabric. My kids love these "silkies!"

Here's the link:

http://moosequilts.com/ReceivingBlanketTutorial.pdf

It's also in the tutorial list on the right.

Quilt Show Part II

2011-07-26T17:12:00.000-06:00

This year's brown bag challenge quilts were few in number, but worth showing nonetheless!

One of you asked me to show you the contents of my bag. What a great idea! I am use to not being able to show my projects until months after they are finished, so I didn't even think about showing pre-quilt pictures. I will tuck that information away and try to remember to share when I can.

Here's the quilts!

This quilt was my favorite -- even though it's only a top. Brown bag challenges are allowed to be just tops. These half square triangles were about 1 1/2" finished.

This is my quilt. It isn't bound. I figure if the top can be unquilted, it can be unbound. It didn't turn out quite like I thought, but it's growing on me.

This one was a mini -- about 15" square.

Even though only 6 of us did the challenge this year -- we usually have 12 - 20 -- this is still one of my favorite guild activities!

Fiesta Days Quilt Show

2011-07-25T21:30:00.000-06:00

This morning I got up at the crack of dawn to help hang a one day outdoor quilt show.

I am not really a morning person, but I think I would have enjoyed the sunrise more had I not gone to bed 5 hours before the alarm rang.

One of my guilds in in charge of this show, the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Quilt Show. It is always on the 24th of July -- except when the 24th is a Sunday, and then it's on Monday. In Utah, the 24th is Pioneer Day and when Spanish Fork has their annual city celebration.

This year there were 125 quilts in the show. 26 of them were mine. A few of those were pieced by others. All of them were made since the show last year. The show is hung at a historic pioneer home on Main Street.

Here are a few pictures. This is the front fence. I have one quilt here with the yellow orange border.

I love this old barn! The quilt on the far left is Moon Spots from Simpl y Charming Modern.

This was my favorite location. I love hollyhocks! Even when they aren't in bloom. This is also from Simply Charming Modern.

This quilt isn't mine. It was made by a friend of mine from my book Simply Charming Collection. She has made 8 of my Charming Lonestar quilts -- one for each child!

These three quilts are mine. One is a sneek peek that I get to share soon.

I also have pictures of the brown bag challenge quilts! Stay tuned. . . .

Brown Bag Challenge

2011-07-21T16:52:00.000-06:00

What do princess and race cars, Christmas and Easter, music and dogs have in common? They are all fabrics that came in a little brown bag.

One of my guilds has a brown bag challenge every year. I love it! One of the ladies came up with the idea, and she has been in charge every year since. She cuts a gazillion 5" squares (this year they are 5 1/2" for some reason) and gives each of us a brown bag full of squares. There are usually around 75-ish.

The fabrics are completely random. There's always a bunch of conversational prints with plenty of blenders and non-blending blenders. The rule is you have to use at least part of every square. There is also a rule limiting the extra fabric added to a total of one yard of two at most different fabrics. (Sometimes some of us fudge this rule a bit.)

Our guild show is Monday, and we always have at least a dozen brown bag quilts there. That's why I have been busy sewing mine up today. I made the mistake of taking an extra bag this year. I was the last one to get it, and there was an extra. My thinking was that I could make it bigger for a QOV.

I should have stopped at the make it bigger part.

Fons and Porter

2011-07-20T19:29:00.000-06:00

Today I found Fon's and Porter's new issue of Easy Quilts. My friend, Machelle Preston, designed one of the quilts in it! Her quilts is called Stars and Stripes.

It was designed as a Quilts of Valor quilt. I quilted it. I designed the quilt pattern just for Quilts of Valor quilts.

Here's a link to a bonus size chart online:

http://www.fonsandporter.com/issues/easy_quilts_fall_2011

and just in case you haven't heard of Quilts of Valor, here's a link to their website:

http://www.qovf.org/

Had a great day today at a local quilt show!

Website Redo

2011-07-15T23:19:00.000-06:00

My website has finally been updated! It has been a long time coming. The problem with being able to redo the website myself is that I have trouble letting someone else do it. Finally spent some quality time with my sad dejected site: www.moosequilts.com!

Now my newest books and patterns are available online!

Now, if you are interested, you can buy them online or ask for them at your local quilt shop!

All the Pretty Colors

2011-07-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

Aren't these trimmings scrumptious!

I am getting antsy to show you the quilt. Soon. . . .

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Quilt Exhibit

2011-07-08T11:49:00.000-06:00

If you happen to be in the Denver, Colorado area between now and the end of September, you just might want to say hello to my quilt.

Here's the link to the information:
http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2011/07/youre-invited-to-quiltmakers-100-blocks-vol-3-exhibit/

There isn't a picture of my quilt in those pictures.

This is a picture of my quilt in Quiltmaker's booth at Spring Market.

Speaking of names, I don't remember what they named this one. Okay, I looked it up. It's called Magic Squares. Fun to hear that I'm not the only one so uncreative in naming things.

I'd love to hear if you get a chance to tell my quilt hello!

On Naming Inanimate Objects -- Like Quilts

2011-07-07T08:32:00.000-06:00

Are you a namer?

I am not a namer.

My mother and sister are namers. I remember the name of two of our family vehicles -- Bertha and Mirabelle. I don't remember which vehicles they refer to however. I know a lot of quilters are namers. They have names for their sewing machine(s) or their quilt machine.

Naming my children was rough. Often the names I had picked out for them before we went to the hospital was not what we ended up with. I made sure they had names before we left the hospital because I realize that it important for a child to have a name, and if we waited until we got the child home, well, that just meant more paperwork.

Quilts, on the other hand, I don't know why they need a name. Unless, of course, I am creating the quilt and sharing the pattern. I have a real problem with this. Quilts talk to me in so many ways, but I sometimes I feel like I haven't been properly introduced because they haven't told me their name. In fact, the quilts I send to magazines, I usually let the magazines name them.

One quilt I made recently I named Wonky Autumn Leaves. It will be coming out in Fat Quarterly. I will share more about that one soon. I changed up a few things as I went along because the quilt told me it needed something different than I had in mind. I feel like I might have just found the quilts nickname. I was only mostly okay with that name. I felt like their was a better one, but with a deadline looming, I just had to go with Wonky Autumn Leaves. Hope she likes it!

One other quilt that I just quilted yesterday, I can't even begin to think of a name. I went through a creative process with this quilt, and it turned out nothing like I started. I really enjoyed making it, and I just want the quilt to introduce herself to me! But, since this one is going to McCall's Quilting, I am sure I will ship her off and wait until the magazine comes out to be formerly introduced.

So -- are you a namer? What's the name of your sewing machine?

(Mine is "Sewing Machine" by the way. You know, to distinguish it from "Quilt Machine." Or sometimes to my kids -- the little one or the big one.)

Any suggestions on naming quilts? I have a feeling I'm hopeless.

Fourth of July

2011-07-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

Happy Fourth of July!

Custom Quilting

2011-06-22T22:57:00.000-06:00

This week I did some custom quilting. I haven't done too much of it lately. This quilt was absolutely amazing! It was a friend of mine has a daughter getting married. She and sisters, nieces, son etc. made blocks that my friend assembled into a queen size quilt. I'm sure some of you have done this before. I haven't seen any as amazing as theirs. Here are a few of the 36 blocks.

I thought this one was fun. I added flowers and butterflies in the quilting.

This one was made by my friend's son.

I like how the frame around the picture turned out.

My friend's sister is an artist. I love seeing what she comes up with!

This one I added some flowers to the basket.

This traditional block I added a nice design that I thought complemented the piecing.

The turtle represented the groom, so I came up with a more masculine design.

While I loved quilting this quilt and coming up with different designs that added to each block, I am glad I don't do custom quilting very often. I can't handle quilts being on my quilt machine very long. But it is signed, sealed, and delivered, and they love it so everything is great!

Quilt Along Q&A

2011-06-18T22:18:00.000-06:00

I have been getting some questions about the next quilt along. I do have a plan. I wanted a little feed back though. Here's the Q&A I came up with.

1) What's the plan?
     A) The next quilt along will be a Fat Quarter Quilt Along with a star theme.

2) What are the fabric requirements?
      A) Not quite sure on that yet. Sorry.

3) When will it start?
   A) I was thinking about starting it this fall. Summer has been unusually crazy so far. I think it will slow down a little for me after next week, but that may be wishful thinking. I am willing to be talked into starting sooner if there is enough interest. What do you think?

4) Do you have all your designers yet?
     A) Not at all. If you would like to be a designer, please email me at kluckau@moosequilts.com.

5) Why isn't there a picture with this post?
     A) My mother has been in town, and she has been helping me with yard work. The garden is planted, the bed along the house is weed free and mulched, and -- as of today -- the large bed along my front fence is almost weed free and half mulched. While it is all looking good, it still isn't quite photo ready.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks!

MIA

2011-06-07T14:09:00.000-06:00

With the end of the school year, I fell into a black hole. I think I am emerging from it. I hope I am emerging. I occasionally fall into these black holes. Fortunately, they aren't caused by depression, just busyness that has to take precedence over quilting. I am looking forward to finding my sewing machine again. I wonder if she is still there?

Actually, last week I quilted and bound a baby quilt using some of Moda's patch fabric. Have you seen this stuff?

It comes and goes in popularity. I don't think any of their new lines have it. The squares are actually sewn together. It is a cheater cloth that doesn't look like a cheater cloth because the squares are not just printed on, they are sewn together. My husband's cousin was having a baby shower, and her mother, not unexpectedly, asked me to quilt 4 baby quilts for her. Of course, I did, but that left little time for me to make a quilt. The solution -- patch fabric! I keep some on hand just for occasions like this. The one above, I have used for several wedding quilts. It was 54" wide, so 2 yards made a nice throw. I have another one that is pastel pinks, yellows, blues, etc. Perfect for a baby girl. It was 45" wide, so I cut it 40" long and wa-lah! Baby quilt!

Hope your life isn't too busy to spend a few minutes with fabric!

An Army of Frogs

2011-05-26T22:17:00.000-06:00

I learned something new today. I didn't know that a group of frogs was called an army. I guess I have made an army of frogs this week.

The "pillow pet" or stuffed owl that I made for my 12 year old daughter to give to her friend a couple months ago:

http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2011/03/pillow-pet.html

turned out to be a big hit. Two friends asked for frogs and one asked for a horse. Since they aren't very difficult to make, and it isn't as often that what I do is "cool" so I obliged. Here's the two frogs I made for her friends.

The backs are purple. The mouth of the one is too low, and the eyes looked cuter before they were stuffed, but the girls really liked them. So did my daughters teacher. She asked if I sold them! Ha! My daughter and I have both really liked her teacher this year. So making one for her was a no brainer. I took the leftover from the backs of the other too. Maybe frogs were meant to be purple. I turned one leg so you can see the fun back.

Always fun to make something for someone you appreciate that you know they will appreciate. Tomorrow is the last day of school, so perfect timing for a teacher gift! Who knew a large (I used a fat quarter for the front and another for the back) stuffed frog would be the perfect teacher gift!

One Last Market Post

2011-05-25T18:49:00.000-06:00

I wanted to introduce you to Edie, my moose!

I was at Ikea getting some of those random things for my booth, and Edie and 6 of her little friends just jumped into my shopping cart!

There was nothing I could do. They had to come home with me. I named her Edie -- pronounced E.D. not Eddy -- because I wanted to name my last three girls that, but when they got here, they wanted other names. Now that I have named something Edie, my life is complete! Okay, not quite, but I am pleased.

My friend Machelle made the cute pillow that Edie is sitting on. She had two extra blocks from the Zip a Dee Do Dah quilt she made for my book that you can see hanging behind Edie. Being the resourceful person that she is, she made them into pillows.

I thought that was a fun idea, so I did the same thing with three other quilts. So in my booth were 4 pillows made from blocks of some of the quilts in my new book, Simply Charming Modern. I was going to post pictures, but I don't have any except as part of my booth. I will take some pictures so you can see them!

Market Report #2

2011-05-14T23:07:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my Spring Market Booth!

I need to take a couple close ups I think. I brought some fun friends with me that you can't see too well.

Here is my quilt from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks hanging in Quiltmaker's Booth!

Here is my quilt hanging in Northcott's Booth!

This is partially my quilt. I designed the border. This is one of two quilts that are being given away to those who get their paper stamped by a group of Utah designers at Market. I am so glad I did the border instead of one of the blocks. The blocks are to die for cute!

This is the other quilt being given away that I had nothing to do with. If you look, the sashing is exactly the same, but the quilt looks very different with a blue border instead of a pink border.

As I was leaving today I took a couple pictures down the aisles. This is taken turing right.

This was taken turning to the left.

Gives you a little idea of how many booths are there. Sensory overload!!!