New Book has Arrived! and the Promised Freebie!

I love my printer! He always delivers my books on time or in this case, a day early!


Simply Charming FUN has arrived!

Here are the rest of the projects in the book~

Here is Charming Stars and a Bonus Star Throw:




Charming Lattice:

Charming Stripes:

and Five and Dime:

Now for the Freebie!

1) Leave a comment and let me know which project is your favorite (at least your favorite right now -- my favorite always changes.) to enter the drawing for a free book.

2) Put a link to this post on your website and let me know for a second chance at the book.

You have until next Friday, Sept 25 to let me know! Good luck!

Book at the Printers

Simply Charming FUN is now at the printers! I just signed the proofs today. That means the book is on its way to press. Yeah! The book should be done and at my house Sept 18th or 21st if the schedule holds.

Signing the proof is the scariest part of the process for me. That means I get to spend lots of money, and if there is a mistake it is all my fault. EEK! By this point I have had the patterns tested and had checked and rechecked a gazillion times. Mostly I pray that if there is a mistake, it isn't a big one. It's like going on a trip, I know I am going to forget something, I just hope it isn't something important.

Remember --

Just for fun I will give one of my books away when I get them.

Stay tuned towards the end of September -- should be around the 21st -- for the freebie!

New book coming soon! Freebie coming soon!

I am finally back after having fallen off the face of the earth for a little while. I do that some times. First I was cleaning, cleaning, cleaning to have company come. Then I was working, working, working because Grandma and Grandpa took the three oldest kids for a week of summer fun. Then we were driving, driving, driving down to Southern Arizona to pick up the kids. It is hot in Arizona in August. Whew. Then getting kids ready to start school. Now adjusting to the new routine with kids in school.

With all of that I have a cover for the new book, Simply Charming FUN!





I am pleased with how the cover turned out. This book has some fun patterns in it -- fish (obviously), hearts, rick rack, stars, stripes, etc. Yes, I haven't tired of charm packs yet. They are so much fun to work with!

While the exterior is ready for market, the interior isn't yet. I didn't realize how much having market a week or so earlier would sneek up on me. Deadlines for everything are earlier. Ahhh! Now to take pictures and of course, editing, editing, editing. Always editing.

I should have the book in hand by the end of September. I have a great printer.

Just for fun I will give one of my books away when I get them.

Stay tuned towards the end of September -- should be around the 21st -- for the freebie!

New Book!!!

I think I have finally recovered from getting this book here. You might think that it gets easier with each one, but it doesn't. Yes, I know the process, but there is no circumventing the process. But no matter -- it's here!

The new book is called Simply Charming Circles. All the quilts are made with 5" charm squares. (Of course, 12 charm squares can be cut from a fat quarter, so all the quilts are fat quarter friendly too!) I have always been a little intimidated by circles, so all of these designs are super simple. I use two easy techniques for the circles, raw edge applique and fusible machine applique. If you really like another technique, you can always substitute your own technique in place of mine.

My current favorite is the Charming Bull's Eye quilt. Ages ago I started a bulls eye quilt. I got all the squares cut and then it got put away. I still know where it is. Like I said, circles intimidated me. I couldn't bear the thought of cutting out all those circles with scissors and then sewing around the entire circle before I could do the fun part of cutting them apart and sewing them back together. So why is my favorite in this book the bull's eye? Because I do it differently!

First, there are rulers so I didn't have to use scissors, I could use my small rotary cutter to cut 4 pieces at a time. Second, I used fat quarters and charm squares to create a quarter of the block. There was no need to sew on the entire circle. You just sew a quarter circle at a time, and that is such a simple curve to sew that pinning is optional. So now I have a bull's eye quilt that I love without sewing one circle. Yeah for me!

Here is the picture of the bull's eye quilt.

Ask for this book at your local quilt shop or order it from my website:

http://www.moosequilts.com

Pattern Being Published

Yesterday I mailed off a quilt that will be published in a book Patchwork Comforters, Throws and Quilts by DRG of which House of White Birches and Quilter's World are a part of.

They approved my design a couple months ago, and I mentioned that I would like to make it in either Moda's "Portugal" fabric line

or "Timber Creek Flannels" also by Moda.

However, I sent along two quilts that I had made of this pattern as Christmas gifts, one was woodland prints and the other was purples.

They liked the purples and asked that I make it that way. Well, I couldn't use the same fabrics because, well, some of them were of lesser quality from my early days quilting when I didn't know the difference, and I knew the recipient would also not know the difference. So I went to one of the local quilt shop and purchased fat quarters of all of their purple, or purple and white fabric. It turned out fun, but I really wanted to make it up in "Portugal." I just might need to make one more! It was a quick one to sew up using fat quarters and, of course, charm packs. There wasn't purple charm squares so I made my own from the fat quarters. If I had done it in "Portugal," the charm squares would've been already cut and I could've started sewing right away. Sigh . . . .

I do forgive them, and I am looking forward to seeing their finished product. I don't have a publishing date for that book, but I will pass along the information when I get it.

More Progress -- WOW!

I got another quilt quilted today for the new book Simply Charming Circles due out in May. Two days in a row. How did that happen? Only a couple more quilts to go. I have two ladies piecing them and should be done this week. Also, one of the quilts I just quilted (the black and white and bright one), is already bound thanks to a friend who is faster than I am.

This one was made with Moda's Portabello Market fabrics (see below). I quilted it with feathers. I love feathers. The outer border is one of the red fabrics with a small floral design. The quilt is rich and luscious. I can't wait to get it bound and washed!

I love this line! Of course, I can't call it Portabello Market. I always think of it as Portabello Road, from the Disney movie "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and then I have to start singing: "Portabello Road, Portabello Road, street where the riches of ages are stowed . . . ." That's all I know so it gets a little repetitious, but I still like it. Anyone else singing now?

Progress on New Book

Today I got two quilts quilted that will be in "Simply Charming Circles" that will debut at Spring Market. One is black, white, and bright -- so much fun! It uses fusible machine applique so I quilted it with an overall design. The other uses Moda's Za Za line of fabric, see below, contemporary florals. That quilt had raw edge applique so it was custom quilted. It is fun to start getting these quilts finished.

Moose Books

For other moose lovers like me, here is a fun moose book for kids. It has moose hiding in some of the pages which kids love. It is really fun to read -- not too long and has some phrases that are fun to read.