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What’s YOUR Preference? Added Incentive!

IMG_2224So, I am testing a block for a new design for P&B Textiles.  I have a choice to go with a portion of the block being paper pieced OR rotary cut and pieced the usual way.  I’ve done them both, and they were each accurate and simple enough, that I couldn’t decide which way to go!  So I’m asking for your help:

Which do you prefer, Paper Piecing OR Traditional Piecing?  Won’t you help me decide?  Leave your response in the comments.  I’ll publish the results in a few days! As an added incentive I’ll choose a random winner and send you a copy of the block pattern!

The scrap fabrics I’ve used in the test block are not like the final fabrics, except that there is a print in the center of the block, surrounded by stripes.

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Aaaand, New Jersey is in the lead!

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Just an update on Pincushion orders!  Yes, Virginia was at the front of the race, but holding steady wasn’t enough and New Jersey has taken the lead!  Oklahoma, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Massachusetts are showing well!  Thanks to my recent article in Quilts and More, I appreciate all of you checking out my site, and my shop page.  Be sure to contact me directly if you need more, as I can save you some shipping costs by bundling multiples together!

In the meantime, I felt like I just HAD to finish something and didn’t have a project even close, but LOTS needing more hands-on time than is possible with my regular job, home responsibilities and a holiday looming LARGE.  So!  Since I needed to test the pattern for a Christmas project, I was able to put together a fun 24″ x 42″ table runner on Sunday.  Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not quilted yet, but I’m looking forward to that since there is a lot of background negative space where the quilting will show nicely.  More later when I get to that!  This is a project I’m preparing for P&B Textiles, one of the many fun patterns they give away on their web site!

 

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Quilt Show Fun!

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I came home with a few ribbons today!  I don’t do that every day, so it is a thrill!  The Blackberry Jam Festival was held this weekend, with all the blackberry pie, jam, syrup, scones, treats and recipes you could hope for! AND it includes a fun judged Quilt Show put on by the host quilt guild, the Pine Needlers.  It is a fun show with a wide variety of styles included, but one thing you can always count on is the high quality of quilts.  Yes, I’m telling you, the competition is fierce, and the hand-made ribbons are spectacular! I got lucky and came home with these:

Best of Show and Best Machine Quilting, for Hidden Agenda which is currently in American Patchwork and Quilting.

Honorable Mention, for Harrington’s Guardian Stars, in the Traditional Category.

Best Use of Color, 2nd Place, entered as a collaboration with Lisa Bee Wilson! (I’ll tell you more about this quilt in a future post)

Excited?  YES!  All the quilts were simply marvelous!

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Guardian Stars , free pattern

Ever wonder what happens when you decide to make a quilt the second time? I’ve done just that with a couple of my favorites lately! The Guardian Stars Quilt looks amazingly different in these two fabric collections. It was designed originally for the Harrington Collection from P&B Textiles. You can download the free pattern here.
Then, as I was teaching the class at the Emerald Valley Quilters in Eugene, OR, I needed to have a sample. So, I made it up with fabrics from my stash. What fun to see how fast it went together! I love both quilts, and I’m so glad I made this pattern again.  I love the diamond shape that surrounds the center medallion.

So, best of all, it’s not too late to enter this quilt into the Blogger’s Quilt Festival!  Amy, of Amy’s Creative side organizes these which I’ve always enjoyed, but this is the first time I’ve entered a quilt! Here goes; Let’s enter Guardian Stars into the Original Design category!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, PLEASE follow me with the Bloglovin button at right and with the FOLLOW button at the lower right for email messages.  I’ve upgraded my site, and don’t want to loose you!

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Free Patterns Available through P&B

So, as I’ve been mentioning, there have been some new patterns in the works.  They are inspired by new fabric collections coming out from P&B Textiles!  Well, they are available now on their web site, and I’m happy to introduce them to you!

Three of a Kind table runner is made from the Silvia’s Sonnet Collection.  It’s a quick little project of three repeated blocks using fused applique.  The picture shown here uses just one block for a pillow.

Fun With Fizz is another modern quilt that features the whole line of the Fizz Collection.  Simple cutting and piecing, you’ll have this one finished in no time!

#Zig #Zag is modern quilt that will help to debut the Moderne Collection!  Following the pattern is the only way to keep things organized to make the colors flow across the quilt.  Remember it’s FREE, so don’t miss out!

Guardian Stars, made using the Harrington Collection is a quilt that I’ll be teaching this coming weekend for the Emerald Valley Quilters Guild in Eugene, Oregon!  It is a fun quilt to put together, and I’ve made it in other fabrics as well.  I think it would be a great Quilt of Valor!

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A Little work with P&B Textiles

I’ve been designing a few quilts for P&B Textiles over the last few months, and will be able to share the designs and quilts with you along the way!  It’s been a fun, new adventure, and I’ve loved the time I get to spend at the sewing machine producing the quilts!  This collection, called Harrington, is an elegant design and I thought would show well in this star medallion which I’ve called Harrington’s Guardian Stars.  The pattern will become a free download on their website, and I’ll let you know when it becomes available!  Any of you going to Spring Market will be able to see the quilt (and others) in their booth.  You know me!  I love a new challenge, and this has gone very smoothly, so there will be more to come!