100 Blocks

I’ve been included in Quiltmakers 100 Blooks, volume 11! Welcome to my portion of the 100 Blocks blog tour. 

My block, named Just Go With the Flow is number 1056.  Just Go With the Flow is made from Licien’s Color Basic Dots as well as RJR Fabric’s Supreme Solids.

The design is a raw edge appliqué, with a generous sized blanket stitch in pearl cotton number 8, my favorite hand quilting thread.

Quiltmaker is currently hosting this tour on their Quilty Pleasures Blog. Today is the last day of the tour but there is still time to check out the other designers and a chance to win today’s giveaways.

Now for the exciting news, Quiltmaker has generously donated one copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks for me to give away and I have two additional copies to add to that. Just leave a comment here, on my blog and I will randomly select three winners.

Good luck, and enjoy the rest of the tour.

-Mary

Goodness Gracious

I was excited when I found the latest issue of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting in my mailbox because the magazine features one of my quilts, Goodness Gracious. I created this quilt using fabrics from my Grace collection.

The blocks consist of three, 60-degree triangles which are made from 2 ½” fabric strips.  I decided to do the quilting by hand because I love the folksy look of hand-quilted stitches in pearl cotton.

Love of Quilting March/April 2015 is available now, so be sure to pick up a copy at the newsstand. The pattern can also be ordered as a digital download at the Fons & Porter website.

Killer Heels

With two weeks to spare, I barely made it to Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe, one of the Brooklyn Museum’s current exhibitions. The show includes historic as well as wild and wacky shoe designs that date from the sixteenth century to today. There is something for just about everyone’s taste as long as you’re a little eccentric. The only design I found missing is one we could really use in NY right now, high heels designed for walking through slush and snow.

Killer Heels will be up until March 1^st, but if you can’t make it, here is a link to the museum's website and a video featuring curator Lisa Small and her description of the show.

Winners Announced

Thanks to everyone who visited my blog and participated in the tour. If you create my block, I would love to see a photo. I randomly selected three winners from the list of comments. Each will receive a copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, volume 10.

Congratulations to Dawn, Anita, and Quilter Kathy. I will send you each an email to ask for your addresses.

100 Blocks Blog Tour

Exciting news! I have a block included in Quiltmakers 100 Blooks, volume 10. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks should now be available at newsstands. Welcome to my portion of the 100 Blocks blog tour. 

My block, named Best Friends Forever is number 949. The block is paper pieced and includes half square triangles. BFF is made from the blue color combination of my fabric line, Grace, as well as RJR Fabric’s Supreme Solids.

Here is Best Friends Forever in pink and aqua.

And here is an example of one way the blocks might be arranged to make a really cute quilt.

Quiltmaker is currently hosting this tour on their Quilty Pleasures Blog. The tour will continue through November 21^st.  Throughout the week they are featuring designers and having daily giveaways including two fat quarter bundles of Grace.

Now for the really exciting news, Quiltmaker has generously donated one copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks for me to give away and I have two additional copies to add to that. Just leave a comment here, on my blog and at the end of the week, I will randomly select three winners.

Good luck, and enjoy the rest of the tour.

- Mary

Velda Newman Show

I've always admired Velda Newman's painterly and colorful, nature inspired quilts. So when I found out her work is on display at The City Quilter's gallery in NYC, I parted with train fare and made my way down to the city. As I imagined, her work is awesome in person but what I didn't expect to see was how large the scale of some of her pieces are.

Zinnia, shown above measures 81" x 210". It is magnificent, really something to behold. Ms. Newman starts with her own hand dyed fabrics and continues to develop her creations by incorporating pastels, paint, ink and resist.

Zinnia, Detail

If you are in the area, check out the show, it runs through October 18th. Of course, The City Quilter, with its gorgeous collection of fabrics, books, trims, and other goodies is reason enough to make the trip...

Zinnia, Detail

Summer Travel

Summer is a great time to rejuvenate, to be outdoors and to look for inspiration among the bright colors and patterns that surround us.

That’s exactly what I did this summer with an eagerly anticipated trip to France.

It can be very motivational to visit a new place.  One appreciates things that are often overlooked if they are part of your every day environment.

I am always looking for inspiration and ideas for new fabric designs and there was no shortage of these in France.

This tiny shop was tucked into a passageway in the medieval center of Annecy.  Just imagine if your favorite fabric store was in a stone fortress built hundreds of years ago!

Not everyone likes fun patterns and colors. Not too many quilters in this shop:

Shown below, is the picturesque town of Honfleur. 

Closer inspection reveals a color combination in the making.

And check out these café chairs for a delightful burst of color.

I will leave you with a few of my travel photos. I hope you had an inspirational summer too.

The View from Notre Dame

Annecy at Night

Flower Shop in Paris

Annecy

Mont Saint-Michel