Ann Lauer's newest collection, Irresistible Iris, is bold, bright, and beautiful! While irises take center stage, the coordinates themselve...

This quilt combines an irresistible combination of textures and colors to create a striking design. Use traditional colors and elegant textures to make up this handsome quilt. It’s super simple…

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all! You know what I can't resist? Sewing a rainbow. And even more than that? Sewing a scrappy rainbow. That little peek that I showed last week has turned int

Pam Rubinos sent me an email with two finished quilts. Both are just fantastic! First up, Aunt Millie’s Garden: Pam says: I finally finished my Aunt Millie’s Garden quilt. I recently entered …

Amish: The Modern Muse at The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles runs in two parts. The first part goes through January 10th, then the second part through March 1st 2015. The museum asked loca…

There is something about the Medallion quilt that is irresistible. I am so very close to finishing my Marcelle Medallion from Alexia's book Liberty Love. If you are on Instagram the hashtag #marcellemedallion brings up a zillion different amazing versions of this quilt. To make it mine I reversed some of the traditional values, as you can see in the geese. The geese are the light value and the background is dark, I am continuing with this theme in the last plus border. It needs to be finished and I am SO close. I also found the perfect backing fabric by Alexander Henry at Island Quilter, so at this point I really have no excuse for not finishing. I used some of my favorite fabrics in this quilt and sadly the last of my plum mendocino mermaids. I must say the quilting part of this project makes me shudder a little bit. I think I will keep it very simple with parallel lines spaced about a half inch apart. I had the pleasure of quilting Cindy Wien's Marcelle medallion quilt, she has a wonderful blog post here with full shot pictures and all the details about her fabrics, etc. She used primarily solids and as you'll see her quilt is stunning. You may have already seen this quilt floating around the internet and Pinterest, Cindy has a wonderful aesthetic and is not afraid of bold color or pattern. This quilt struck me as very playful and I tried to capture that feeling with the quilting. Her workmanship is superb and this quilt managed to stay very square which is no small feat considering she used mostly Oakshot and Kaffe wovens. If my memory serves me that is shot cotton on the back too...yikes!!! How I managed to keep good tension on this quilt is a mystery. I had a few inquiries about the 1" grid that I quilted on my X-Plus quilt that I blogged about last week. I DID have to turn the quilt. Meaning; I loaded the quilt onto my long-arm, quilted 1" horizontal lines all the way down, then unloaded the quilt, reloaded the opposite direction and completed the crosshatch. I use a very handy little tool you can find online from Linda's Electric Quilters, called a crosshatch circle, you can find it here. The circle is used by placing the template around the hopping foot. Just as your hopping foot can be used as a guide for 1/4" these circle templates offer that same guide in increments of 1/4" and go up to 1-1/2". As you can see in this next picture I line up the outside of the guide to the last line stitched and my next line of stitching is exactly an inch from the previous line. (I lined it up with the vertical lines so it would be easier to see, I quilted all of the lines horizontally though) I'm basically using it as a ruler, once it is lined up with the previous line of stitching I turn on my channel lock and start stitching. Cool huh? I use it as a guide but you can also use it with a ruler. If you follow the link above there is a video on how to use this tool. I hope that helps you if you are considering a crosshatch quilting project, turning is not my favorite thing to do but I have found it to be the only way to do an allover grid on a long arm. It is a simple quilting treatment that really compliments most quilt tops and the quilt stays very soft. Have a wonderful week, I will be finishing cleaning and getting ready for a big garage sale this weekend! Hopefully next week I will have some good shots of my finished and clean studio!! xo

There is something about the Medallion quilt that is irresistible. I am so very close to finishing my Marcelle Medallion from Alexia's book Liberty Love. If you are on Instagram the hashtag #marcellemedallion brings up a zillion different amazing versions of this quilt. To make it mine I reversed some of the traditional values, as you can see in the geese. The geese are the light value and the background is dark, I am continuing with this theme in the last plus border. It needs to be finished and I am SO close. I also found the perfect backing fabric by Alexander Henry at Island Quilter, so at this point I really have no excuse for not finishing. I used some of my favorite fabrics in this quilt and sadly the last of my plum mendocino mermaids. I must say the quilting part of this project makes me shudder a little bit. I think I will keep it very simple with parallel lines spaced about a half inch apart. I had the pleasure of quilting Cindy Wien's Marcelle medallion quilt, she has a wonderful blog post here with full shot pictures and all the details about her fabrics, etc. She used primarily solids and as you'll see her quilt is stunning. You may have already seen this quilt floating around the internet and Pinterest, Cindy has a wonderful aesthetic and is not afraid of bold color or pattern. This quilt struck me as very playful and I tried to capture that feeling with the quilting. Her workmanship is superb and this quilt managed to stay very square which is no small feat considering she used mostly Oakshot and Kaffe wovens. If my memory serves me that is shot cotton on the back too...yikes!!! How I managed to keep good tension on this quilt is a mystery. I had a few inquiries about the 1" grid that I quilted on my X-Plus quilt that I blogged about last week. I DID have to turn the quilt. Meaning; I loaded the quilt onto my long-arm, quilted 1" horizontal lines all the way down, then unloaded the quilt, reloaded the opposite direction and completed the crosshatch. I use a very handy little tool you can find online from Linda's Electric Quilters, called a crosshatch circle, you can find it here. The circle is used by placing the template around the hopping foot. Just as your hopping foot can be used as a guide for 1/4" these circle templates offer that same guide in increments of 1/4" and go up to 1-1/2". As you can see in this next picture I line up the outside of the guide to the last line stitched and my next line of stitching is exactly an inch from the previous line. (I lined it up with the vertical lines so it would be easier to see, I quilted all of the lines horizontally though) I'm basically using it as a ruler, once it is lined up with the previous line of stitching I turn on my channel lock and start stitching. Cool huh? I use it as a guide but you can also use it with a ruler. If you follow the link above there is a video on how to use this tool. I hope that helps you if you are considering a crosshatch quilting project, turning is not my favorite thing to do but I have found it to be the only way to do an allover grid on a long arm. It is a simple quilting treatment that really compliments most quilt tops and the quilt stays very soft. Have a wonderful week, I will be finishing cleaning and getting ready for a big garage sale this weekend! Hopefully next week I will have some good shots of my finished and clean studio!! xo

Ann Lauer's newest collection, Irresistible Iris, is bold, bright, and beautiful! While irises take center stage, the coordinates themselve...

Ann Lauer's newest collection, Irresistible Iris, is bold, bright, and beautiful! While irises take center stage, the coordinates themselves are equally eye-catching. We interviewed Ann to learn more about her iris line, so keep reading! What inspired you to create a line based on irises? I think irises are an old-fashioned flower for a modern age. I’ve had lots of people email me, saying ‘that was my mother’s or my grandmother’s favorite flower.’ I think irises can be used in traditional or modern quilts. We were able to take a beautiful flower and add artistic license—I think it’s very realistic looking, but it’s not exactly like the iris in your garden would be—we added a bit more color, a bit more variation—that’s the beauty of art. One of the great things about Benartex’s printing is how well the details show. The printing brought out all the tiny details in the iris throat. It’s just exquisite. Let’s talk about the colors. While I love purple, I didn’t want the line to be all purple irises. Of course in today’s world, they’ve got huge numbers of variations. We have the purple, yellow, pinks, and blues in the main flower. Then the medium flower print we brought out more red and yellow. Tell us about the background in the main prints. On the background this time we’ve used something really different—a lacy medallion look. It can be traditional or modern. It’s very subtle, but it adds a real nice texture. And that design translates over to the coordinates? Yes. We took the lacy medallion that’s the background and added color, depth and value. I think it’s just fabulous—a really pretty all over print. It works like a solid but better—it’s a great tonal background for any pattern as well as a backing fabric. I’m particularly excited about the coordinates in this collection. I think they’re unusual, and they add great texture and depth. The swirling beads are a great example. They bridge the colors in the collection and make me think of Mardi Gras beads. Plus each bead has texture. The Vari Recs print actually comes from the stripe. In the stripe, there’s a skinny section of variegated striped lines. We took chunks of that in rectangular segments and colors it three ways. And then the kaleidoscope. You can fussy cut a whole bunch of different kaleidoscope looks from it, and you can even use it as the focal print if you want to make a quilt using this collection without irises. If you cut it up, like for a bargello, it has great movement. And of course it’s beautiful as a quilt back. What’s your favorite print? Probably the stripe. I really love how magnificent the iris is in the main print, but in the stripe you get it all—the iris, the medallions, the cool stripe on each side, the composition. It’s wonderful to use as a border! There’s a coordinating embroidery collection from OESD as well, right? Yes! I was very excited that OESD chose to digitize it. The color, depth and detail of the embroidery is just amazing. They did a really nice job. The embroidery isn’t just an iris—they also digitized medallions. I’ve designed two patterns that combine the fabric with the embroidery designs. Ann designed "Abundantly Iris" which is available as a free quilt pattern on our website. Click here to download the pattern. Here's a peek at some additional patterns Ann has designed using her Irresistible Iris collection. You can find them on her website. Walk About Spring Fling Pinwheel Party Stardom Click here to see the entire Irresistible Iris collection. Click here to see the Irresistible Iris embroidery collection from OESD. Click here to visit Ann's website and see her Irresistible Iris patterns and kits. Love It? Share It!

This is a bold variation of a traditional Princess Feather Quilt. The center and ends of the feathers are especially unusual. It is well quilted with feather and cross hatch patterns. Measurements are 81" square.

I finished this quilt of Sarah’s today!! I’m so happy with how it turned out. Here it is on the frame – 27 thread colours was the final tally, which included invisible thread which I used for all of t

Amish: The Modern Muse at The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles runs in two parts. The first part goes through January 10th, then the second part through March 1st 2015. The museum asked loca…

Many of you did not get the pictures from yesterday's post. Here they are... 3 Big Heads, Faye Hoch, Elsa Canterbury, Nancy Cole

This beautiful quilt owned by Barbara Menasian was purchased in Connecticut with no other provenance than what was contained in the quilt “EMC 1876.” The quilt is a medallion style with the “Chips and Whetstone” as the center piece of the sampler. The center block is surrounded by seventy-four different patterns, many which are commonly known. Howe...

-

Your favorite short silhouette is back! The Dawn Quilt Short features our same relaxed body and fit with our new multicolor quilt print. Made using our irresistible Slub Sweater Knit fabric, this easy short has the lettuce edge ruffle and elastic smocked waistband its known for. Relaxed fit - Model is wearing a size small. Slub Sweater: Knit 52% Rayon 44% Polyester 4% Spandex WE ONLY OFFER STORE CREDIT FOR RETURNS! items purchased using a discount code {via rewards, text codes, promotions, flash sales, or otherwise} are considered final sale items and are not eligible for store credit and cannot be exchanged. all sale items are final sale and not eligible for return or exchange.

This quilt features both wool and needle turn applique. Finished Quilt: 55 inches x 56 Inches

And continuing our Quilt Market Houston 2012 coverage, more of my selections from the quilt exhibitions:

There is something about the Medallion quilt that is irresistible. I am so very close to finishing my Marcelle Medallion from Alexia's book Liberty Love. If you are on Instagram the hashtag #marcellemedallion brings up a zillion different amazing versions of this quilt. To make it mine I reversed some of the traditional values, as you can see in the geese. The geese are the light value and the background is dark, I am continuing with this theme in the last plus border. It needs to be finished and I am SO close. I also found the perfect backing fabric by Alexander Henry at Island Quilter, so at this point I really have no excuse for not finishing. I used some of my favorite fabrics in this quilt and sadly the last of my plum mendocino mermaids. I must say the quilting part of this project makes me shudder a little bit. I think I will keep it very simple with parallel lines spaced about a half inch apart. I had the pleasure of quilting Cindy Wien's Marcelle medallion quilt, she has a wonderful blog post here with full shot pictures and all the details about her fabrics, etc. She used primarily solids and as you'll see her quilt is stunning. You may have already seen this quilt floating around the internet and Pinterest, Cindy has a wonderful aesthetic and is not afraid of bold color or pattern. This quilt struck me as very playful and I tried to capture that feeling with the quilting. Her workmanship is superb and this quilt managed to stay very square which is no small feat considering she used mostly Oakshot and Kaffe wovens. If my memory serves me that is shot cotton on the back too...yikes!!! How I managed to keep good tension on this quilt is a mystery. I had a few inquiries about the 1" grid that I quilted on my X-Plus quilt that I blogged about last week. I DID have to turn the quilt. Meaning; I loaded the quilt onto my long-arm, quilted 1" horizontal lines all the way down, then unloaded the quilt, reloaded the opposite direction and completed the crosshatch. I use a very handy little tool you can find online from Linda's Electric Quilters, called a crosshatch circle, you can find it here. The circle is used by placing the template around the hopping foot. Just as your hopping foot can be used as a guide for 1/4" these circle templates offer that same guide in increments of 1/4" and go up to 1-1/2". As you can see in this next picture I line up the outside of the guide to the last line stitched and my next line of stitching is exactly an inch from the previous line. (I lined it up with the vertical lines so it would be easier to see, I quilted all of the lines horizontally though) I'm basically using it as a ruler, once it is lined up with the previous line of stitching I turn on my channel lock and start stitching. Cool huh? I use it as a guide but you can also use it with a ruler. If you follow the link above there is a video on how to use this tool. I hope that helps you if you are considering a crosshatch quilting project, turning is not my favorite thing to do but I have found it to be the only way to do an allover grid on a long arm. It is a simple quilting treatment that really compliments most quilt tops and the quilt stays very soft. Have a wonderful week, I will be finishing cleaning and getting ready for a big garage sale this weekend! Hopefully next week I will have some good shots of my finished and clean studio!! xo

Explore fancytiger's 914 photos on Flickr!

This building held the second collection of quilts. Sit back and enjoy these. Etoile de Bethlehem Nathalie Ferri. Compas du marinier Christine Imbaud. Baby Jane Marie-Claude Gansel. Galaxie Nicole Trollux Le Chapman Marie-Francoise Gregoire. Whig Rose Colette Goix. Shenandoah Aline Joulin. ( My personal favourite) Les Etoiles rouges Marie Baraer. Rouge et blanc Marie Baraer. Log Cabin Chevrons Marie-Josephe Veteau. Four x Star Maud Trocque. Houses France Aubert. Petits carres Louise-Marie Stipon. Ombre et Lumiere Sophie Brochot. Billings Coverlet Marie-Francoise Gregoire. Just to show there were other people there besides us at the exhibit!! These miniatues were hanging in the foyer, and l have no information on who made them. l hope you enjoyed seeing the second collection of quilts. Tell me which was your favourite and why? l will be back soon with some close ups of the fabrics and stitching. Thanks for visiting. Linda. 

Hi there. There is a city in my country that is being devastated by wildfire. Thousands of people have lost their homes. An estimated 100 000 people have been evacuated from the area. And the fire rages on. I hope you will join me in sending them prayers of strength and courage. Perhaps even a small donation. I...Read More »

Explore alison.klein's 17117 photos on Flickr!

Patricia B. Campbell Jacobean Arbor American Quilters Society has been traveling a show of Pat Campbell's quilts in their Quilt Week Exhibits. I saw it in DesMoines last fall. Pat died in 2013. She had written seven books on her Jacobean style applique. Jacobean Arbor pictured at the Quilt Index. Elizabethan Woods Above & Below She adapted traditional Jacobean embroidery style to applique and updated the colors with magenta as her neutral, she said. Details of Birds of Paradise Pat designed the classic Fossil Fern print in a billion colors. It's a new Bread & Butter (as they used to call the prints that sold year after year), selling since 1996. Jacobean Harvest Many of her quilts are now in the AQS collection at their National Quilt Museum. It's an impressive life's work. Jacobean design is characterized by asymmetry, complex curves, exotic and often imaginary plants and birds. Jacobean refers to the time of England's King James I when the techniques we'd call crewel embroidery were popular with European needleworkers. Read a book online about Jacobean Embroidery at the Smithsonian: http://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/jacobeancrewelwo00pene

We attended the 'Sol y Sombra' (Sun and Shade) quilt show last weekend, and had a fantastic time. The show is an annual production of the A...

Explore supersara20's 405 photos on Flickr!

Grab a friend and go to a show of antique quilts this summer and fall. Alabama, Birmingham Birmingham Museum of Art. The Original Makers: Folk Art from the Cargo Collection, an exhibition featuring more than 160 outstanding works of folk art from the Museum’s permanent collection. Through December 30, 2018. https://artsbma.org/exhibition/original-makers-folk-art-from-the-cargo-collection/ Buzz Saw by Docella Johnson Arkansas, Little Rock The Old State House Museum. A Piece of My Soul: Quilts by Black Arkansans. Years ago the late Cuesta Benberry curated this exhibit of quilts from the collection, now rehung and up through Fall, 2019. http://www.oldstatehouse.com/rotating-exhibits/a-piece-of-my-soul Indiana, Goshen Goshen College. Amish Arts 1900 – 1940: from the Pottinger Collection. Good Library Gallery, September 23 through November 18. https://www.goshen.edu/academics/art/hershberger-art-gallery/ Illinois, Springfield Illinois State Museum. Bicentennial and Beyond! The Illinois Legacy Collection includes at least two quilts, one a G.A.R. fundraiser, the other Albert Small's 120,000 piece hexagon quilt. Through February 3, 2019. http://www.illinoisstatemuseum.org/content/bicentennial-and-beyond-illinois-legacy-collection Iowa, Winterset Iowa Quilt Museum. Waste Not, Want Not, curated by Virginia Berger. Through January 27, 2019 http://iowaquiltmuseum.org/ Kansas, North Newton Bethel College, Kauffman Museum, Better Choose Me: Collecting and Creating with Tobacco Fabric Novelties, 1880-1920. Through January 20, 2019. https://kauffman.bethelks.edu/Traveling%20Exhibits/BCM/Index.html Kentucky, Bowling Green Western Kentucky University Museum. Kaleidoscope. Thirty quilts from the collection. Through December, 2018. Kentucky, Paducah National Quilt Museum. Kansas City Star Quilts from Edie McGinnis's collection. September 7 – December 4, 2018 https://quiltmuseum.org/visit/ Massachusetts, Sturbridge Old Sturbridge Village. Early New England Quilts: Repurposed, Refashioned, and Recycled. Highlighting some of the ingenious ways women reused, re-purposed, and refashioned materials into quilts. Through February, 2019. https://www.osv.org/explore-the-village/exhibits-and-collections/exhibitions/ Nebraska, Lincoln International Quilt Study Center & Museum/Quilt House. https://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions Color and Contour: Provencal Quilts and Domestic Objects from Kathryn Berenson's Collection. Through October 28, 2018 Mark Dunn Collection. Through January 10, 2019 Cheddar Quilts from the Joanna S. Rose Collection Through February 3, 2019 5 Southern Quilts From the Kathlyn Sullivan Collection. Through February 17, 2019. Nebraska History Museum, Color Quest. Quilts from the collection. Through January 5, 2019. https://history.nebraska.gov/color-quest Nebraska, Omaha Joslyn Museum. Pattern and Purpose: American Quilts from the Shelburne Museum. October 6, 2018 - January 6, 2019. https://www.joslyn.org/ New Jersey, Morristown Morris Museum. Stitch by Stitch: Quilts and Coverlets from the Permanent Collection. "Get cozy with the Morris Museum’s expansive collection of quilts and coverlets, many exhibited for the first time." Through December 9, 2018. http://morrismuseum.org/ Ohio, Cincinnati Cincinnati Art Museum. The Fabric of India, handmade textiles, exhibit from the Victoria & Albert Museum. October 19-January 6, 2019. Travels to Sarasota, Florida in 2019. http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/fabricofindia Pennsylvania, Bedford National Museum of the American Coverlet. Comfortable Cousins: Related Quilts & Coverlets from a Golden Age. Catalog available. Through spring, 2019. http://www.coverletmuseum.org/exhibitions.htm Pennsylvania, Pennsburg Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center. Perkiomen Valley Quilts, a show of antiques from the collection and contemporary versions of the split nine patch. Through November 16, 2018. http://schwenkfelder.com/ Virginia, Harrisonburg Virginia Quilt Museum. Mountain Mist Quilts: 20th Century Favorites, examples of early patterns and 21st century versions. Color catalog available. Treasures From the Vault: This is my Name, curated by Gloria Comstock. Signature quilts. Through December 20, 2018. .http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/ Virginia, Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum Printed Fashions: Textiles for Clothing and the Home, 1700-1820 includes a few quilts (one with a John Hewson panel) and a lot of early fabric. Through 2018. .https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/do/art-museums/rockefeller-museum/century-of-quilts/ France, Paris America as Patchwork. Quilts in the United States. Salle Capitant, 21 Place Du Panthéon. Quilts from the collection of Charles-Edouard de Broin, curated by Professor Géraldine Chouard of Paris-Dauphine University, November 20 through December 1, 2018.

Those of you who have been following us for a while know that we adore quilts made from reclaimed clothing . Recently we saw an extraordina...

Read more »

Today we're showing Ann Lauer's Irresistible Iris collection in two very different looks. These are both projects Ann designed for magazines; you'll find links to the magazines and to kits for the projects below. First is "Perennial Favorite," the name a nod to these old-time favorite flowers that many people fondly remember from grandmother's yard. This classic bargello has plenty of movement and is accented with fussy cut iris blooms. "Perennial Favorite" designed by Ann Lauer and pieced by Linda Brady Peterson; featured in American Quilter magazine March 2017 Why do you enjoy designing bargello style quilts so much? I wanted to experiment with using the wonderful medallion tonals and the color play in values. I also chopped up several of the big prints that have a lot of movement. Everything came together, and I was really happy with the result. How do you design a quilt like this? I play around on the computer. I’ve designed many bargellos, so I look at previous quilts and pick an area of peaks and valleys to start with, and work from there. I generally choose an asymmetrical design, with peaks of different sizes. This allows the bargello to be the focus of the design. In Perennial Favorite, the peaks are the same height, but they create plenty of cream background space to highlight the fussy cut irises. What makes this collection work so well with the bargello concept? The irises are the key print in the collection, but I’ve used the blenders in the pieced background. The prints have a fluid, watercolor feel to them. I love how the lacey medallion print has so much depth because it includes multiple colors (as opposed to the tonals). The medallions dance across the fabric, and they’re a great blender between the more solid colored prints. The kaleidoscope print is great as well—so much movement and such a good transition fabric. The Vari Recs print as well—because they are filled with variegated color rectangles, they create a great transition. These prints work well for color changes in the bargello, shifting from “solid-look” print to “solid-look” print. Tell us about the fussy-cut irises. There are two sizes of irises fussy cut out of two different fabric. They’re fused and then fastened with raw edge applique. The background of the iris prints is the same as the background of the bargello, so they blend nicely. Benartex’s printing of these irises in particular is just spectacular. The details are exquisite and it printed gorgeously. They become the focal point of the quilt. What else can you tell us about this quilt? I recommend making it in a quilt as you go style. The quilt comes out totally flat, and you’re not dealing with stretching or an accordion appearance. I also use the gridded flannel as a base. It helps keep all of the pieces straight, and it stabilizes them as well. The lines from quilt as you go enhance the movement of the bargello without having to stitch over the top of it, which could be distracting. Click here to purchase the Perennial Favorite kit. Click here to find American Quilter magazine. ************************************************* Here are the Irresistible Iris prints in a totally different look. Ann built the design around the kaleidoscope print, combining it with blenders. The only flowers evident are the tiny flowerettes in the black background fabric. "Floral Fantasy" runner designed by Ann Lauer, pieced by Linda Brady Peterson and quilted by Ann Lauer; featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting March/April 2017 What prompted you to design a quilt without any iris prints? I really wanted to showcase the kaleidoscope print, so that’s what I did. It’s the focal square in the middle of each block, and then the tonals work together, and the flowerette print segues into the purple and pink. I like the how the lighter green stars come toward you and the darker green fades back. What do you like best about the runner? Besides a chance to showcase the kaleidoscope print, I like the green and purple prints together. Then the black adds depth and the pink is an accent. Using the black print in the binding pulls it all together as well. Is this a difficult block? No! You’re working with basic units here—four-patches, flying geese and half-square triangles. So the runner goes together really fast. It’s a fun design. I also played around with this design in quilt form. You can see what that looks like: Click here to see Ann's entire Irresistible Iris collection. Click here to visit Ann's website. Click here to purchase the Floral Fantasy table runner kit. Click here to find Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. Love It? Share It!

I want to be a Diva! Sunflowers and Flying Geese by Arlene Heintz - Machine pieced and quilted. Being a diva used to mean that you were a distinguished female singer - usually operatic. Then somewhere along the line, it came to mean a "prima donna"... high maintenance. Betsy Chutchian, Carol Staehle and a few of their friends have made being a "Diva" something special - it now means you are a distinguished quilter - one who loves quilts with many, many pieces. Cabin Trees by Ramona Williams. Machine pieced and quilted.

Alabama designated the Pine Burr Quilt as the official state quilt in 1997. The Freedom Quilting Bee was organized as an outgrowth of the Civil Rights Movement in 1966. Black workers were losing their jobs in retaliation for registering to vote, so the women formed an economic cooperative to sell their quilts. Their goal was to raise money for the Civil Rights Movement and to earn money for their families.

You'll wish you had these quilts from the 1800s in your home today!

It started so innocently... a conversation with Jamie and Anna. We were talking about scraps and that led to string quilts. I hadn't made one in years, Anna had never made one but wanted to, and Jamie had made one for her family and wanted to make another. So... maybe an in-office sewing day after Christmas? Vintage String Quilt.

Mix The Volume Fat Quarter Bundle Art Gallery Fabrics Includes 22 Fat Quarters Find balance and creativity with this new addition to our low volume series. Mix the Volume transitions from Sweet Tunes with soft blush and lavender tones to Fresh Tunes in warm green and amber tones. Mix and match to your heart’s content and let the rhythm of your creativity take over.