Win a “Modern Blocks” book!

Exuberant (page 62) by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Modern Blocks, a new book of blocks compiled by Susanne Woods of Stash Books (an imprint of C&T Publishing), will be out soon! This book features 99 quilt blocks from well-known designers — including me! That’s my Exuberant block above. Want to win a copy? Check out the blocks below, and read my note at the bottom of the post!

This book is chock full of some darling, sophisticated, cute, and modern blocks! All finish to 12" square. Here are some of my favorites:

April Showers (page 16) by Kirsti Underwood

Birdsong (page 24) by Rachel Roxburgh

Russell the Robot (page 156) by Sonja Callaghan

Missing Your Kiss (page 114) by Penny Michelle Layman

Binary (page 22) by Angela Pingela

Garden Lattice (page 80) by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

All or Nothing (page 12) by Angela Pingel

Feathered Friends (page 64) by Melissa Crow

Windmill (page 198) by Lynne Goldsworthy

Leave me a comment after this post, telling me which block you like best, and why (and don’t try to butter me up by saying you like mine best!). I’ll pick one name at random at noon EST on November 9, and send you the book. Please note: If your comment doesn't show up right away, don't worry… it will! I now have to “moderate the comments” (read and say if they can post) because I had some very unpleasant pornography links showing up in my comments before I started moderating them!! WE HAVE A WINNER! Tonya won the book! Thanks, everyone!

Marianne Byrne-Goarin is the Aurifil Designer of the Month

Marianne’s free pattern

Allow me to introduce you to Marianne Byrne-Goarin of The Cinnamon Patch; she is Aurifil's Designer of the Month for October.  Marianne designs the most charming projects using Aurifil’s Lana wool thread. (This thread is a wool/acrylic mix in 12 weight. I have used it in wool handwork, and it is fabulous.)

I met Marianne several years ago at International Quilt Market, when I was oooohing and aaaaahing over her beautiful designs. In person, she is as lovely – inside and out – as her projects. Marianne is Irish, but has spent most of her adult life living in France. She is married and has three sons.

Pat Sloan has interviewed Marianne on the Aurifil blog. (You can download the pattern for her free project there, too!) 

Remember if you make any project from the design team, load a photo to our Aurifil Flickr group; this puts you in the running to win an Aurifil thread prize!

GIVEAWAY!
Each month this year, I’m going to be giving away a pack of Aurifil minispools (like the one shown above) when the new project is announced. Just leave a comment after this post telling me if you have tried working with wool in quilts or stitchery projects. I'll pull a name at random on Saturday, November 13 at noon EST. The sampler pack includes great colors in different weights. I’ll throw in a spool of Aurifil’s wool Lana thread, too!

“Psychedelic Peacock” is done!

It is done! I don’t know when I’ve been happier to say that about a piece. This one was a bear. Partly because I ran out of my favorite fusible adhesive – Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 – and had to use a heavier one, and partly because I underestimated how much threadwork I’d need to do to achieve the proper look for the feathers, and partly because of the size. It is 48" square, and has my favorite stabilizer — Pellon 910 interfacing — under the whole surface. I have stitched king-sized bed quilts on my home sewing machine that have been easier to wrangle under the needle than this one was!

I estimate that I spent at least 100 hours working on this piece!

I made it to showcase collections of fabric by StudioeFabrics, a wholesale division of Fabric Editions, a company in Greenville, SC, for whom I have done design work. It will hang in their booth – with other art quilts by some fabulous fiber artists I know! — at International Quilt Market in Houston, Oct. 28-31. Fabric Editions has been in business since 1996, specializing in packaged fabrics known as “pre-cuts” and “kits” which are sold into the mass specialty markets. They offer fabric collections, pre-cuts, patterns and kits to independent fabric retailers only.

Here are some detail photos:

This piece is based on a photo I took this summer of a peacock of a zoo in Colorado. (See earlier posts for more information on how I started this project.) I changed the colors of the tail feathers to showcase the fabric line. After tracing my photo, and blowing up the line drawing, I created pattern pieces for each element using paper-backed fusible adhesive. 

After fusing down the fabrics, I backed the quilt top with Pellon 910, and then thread-sketched the lines in the feathers using 50-weight Aurifil Cotton Mako thread. Once I added the batting and backing, I quilted the piece, going back over some of the lines in the feathers with quilting thread (mostly 40-weight Aurifil Cotton Mako) to make them stand out more.

I wish I had kept track of how much thread I used in this piece! I do know that I emptied more than 10 small spools of 50-weight thread I used in the bobbins alone.

I’m featured on The Sketchbook Challenge

I’m featured on The Sketchbook Challenge website today! Sue Bleiweiss interviewed me about when, why and how I work in a sketchbook. The sketchbook challenge launched on Jan. 1, 2011. Each month, the creators post a monthly theme, and then show you images from their sketchbooks and talk about the intention and inspiration behind them. They also share tips, techniques and tutorials. 

Barnful of Quilts 2011

It was a beautiful, clear, cool day yesterday for Barnful of Quilts 2011, a benefit for Samaritan’s Purse at the Fox Family Farm in Waxhaw, NC. I ran around and took photos of everything, so I’ll let the photos tell most of the story. 

 

The Prim Merchant – Alisa Deshields – www.theprimmerchant.weebly.com

Twisted Fibers – Ginny Long – s-g-long@msn.com

Amani Children’s Foundation – 704.542.0425

Carolina Llamas – www.carolinallamas.com

I was there exhibiting with Fiber Art Options. We were the featured artists, in the center ring:

 Inspired Spirits – Joan Stephens – www.inspiredspirits.com

Handwovens by Sally – Sally Hagerty – 803.628.6238

Things She Carried – Cathe Hawley – www.thingsshecarried.etsy.com

 

Bev Nagy – ART McGuyver – www.bevnagy.com

 

 

Barbara Warholic  – www.martingale-pub.com/store/index.php?author_id=295

 

 Jan Smiley – www.jansmiley.com

Willa McNeill – willa.mcneill@gmail.com

Curlytail Creations – Kim McNeill – mkmcneill@hotmail.com

Carolina Sampler Guild meets the first Wednesday of the Month at Wing Haven Garden, Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte. Contact Sharon Huffstetler at sehuff@aol.com.

Overall Quilter – www.overallquilter.com

And lots more!