"Diagonal Delight" with Madame Samm!

Hi everyone!
Tomorrow I'll be guest blogging over at Madame Samm's.  She has been featuring a series of guest bloggers over that past month, each with their own unique block design.  Over the past year I have been experimenting with blocks that interlock - where one block seems to flow into the other in a seamless way - and this block is no exception.

Introducing "Diagonal Delight"...

On her own she doesn't look like much, but look what she can do when multiplied...



Diagonal Delight Quilt A



Diagonal Delight Quilt B



Diagonal Delight Quilt C



Diagonal Delight Quilt D

 If you are looking for a tutorial to make this block, hop on over to Madame Samm's. 

Now for the giveaway - this one is easy.  I'll be giving away three of my patterns that exemplify this interlocking block idea:  Garden Paths, Bedazzled, and Beribboned.  All you have to do is follow (if you don't already) and leave a comment on this post telling me which of the above designs is your favorite. 

That is it!  Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you should you win!

Deadline is a little longer this time - Thursday, December 1st at midnight.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

And the winner of the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway is...

#7, Mom to Ryan and Sis, who loved the Swoon quilt kit. Me too!!!

You all are the best - you put me over the 1000 followers mark.  We are celebrating here!

Fat Quarter Shop will be announcing their own winners based off of the comments made on their post.  Just to make things fair I deleted any multiple entries on this blog.  Sorry for the confusion!  I'll be back tonight to talk about my Madame Samm block design and maybe there will be a giveaway with that too!  (And next month we will have an absolutely fantastic Bejeweled giveaway courtesy of Robert Kaufman.  Think Modern Whimsy fabric!) 

Happy sewing everyone!

Amanda

Chatting with Fat Quarter Shop

Note:  This giveaway is now closed...

Later today (some would say tomorrow) I'll be chatting with Kimberly and friends over at Fat Quarter Shop.  They have a few sets of my new patterns to giveaway, so go visit - they stock them all!  They also have an absolutely great Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sale! 

In celebration, of course I have to giveaway a set of patterns here too!

This is a QUICK giveaway, as I have another surprise in store Tuesday with the lovely Madame Samm!

To enter, leave me a comment telling me your favorite item in Fat Quarter Shop's "Block Friday Blowout".    (My personal favorite has to be one of the fat quarter bundles of Christmas fabrics.)  You must be a follower to enter and leave me a way to contact you should you win.  Deadline is Sunday the 27th at midnight!

For two more chances to win, become a follower and comment on Fat Quarter Shop's post!

Happy sewing!

Amanda

P.S.  Included in this sale is a Garden Jewels kit and Square Dance kit, both for an amazing price!!!!

And the Winner of the Ryan Walsh Quilts giveaway is...

 #61, Lesley Jean, who said:
I am in LOVE with Bejeweled. I have no idea what fabric line I'd use because I have so many favorites right now...maybe Terrain by Kate Spain. I could probably use that fabric for anything though.

You are right, Lesley, Terrain would make anything beautiful!  Please send me your snail mail address.

Thanks to all who entered.  Stay tuned becuase I have a few more great giveaways planned between now and the New Year.

Patterns are now in the Fat Quarter Shop or maybe in your local shop.  I just dropped some off at mine the other day - Sew Much Fun! in Gastonia, NC.

Happy Thanksgiving (and sewing), everyone!
Amanda

Feature at Ryan Walsh Quilts and Pattern Giveaway!

Ryan Walsh, blogger and quilter extraordinare, offered to feature me again on his blog and I jumped at the chance.  If you haven't followed him, you really should, he always has great posts about what is going on in the quilting industry and is incredibly creative.

If that isn't enough of incentive, you can visit Ryan and peruse my literary skill (or lack thereof - I should probably stick to designing), because I wrote a poem about my new patterns. Yes I did.  Don't judge.  My experience writing poems is only about as extensive as my experience writing corny treasure hunt clues for our children.  It is amazing how our better judgement goes out the window at 2am.  If nothing else it will give you a good laugh.

Did you know there are rhyming dictionaries on the internet?  Yes, there are.  That is my new discovery this week.

To celebrate, I am doing a giveaway of a copy of ALL eight of my new patterns!  And so is Ryan - and he has two sets of patterns to give away!  To enter here, leave a comment (only one) on this post telling me which of my new patterns is your favorite and what collection you might make it in.  Your choices are:

• Bedazzled
• Beribboned
• Bejeweled
• Beflowered
• Caramel and Cocoa
• Cafe Mocha
• Garden Jewels
• Garden Sampler

Oh - and you must be a follower and leave me a way to contact you should you win.  (If I can reach 1000 followers we meaning myself, my husband, my International Director of Shipping, and my Chief Presser - will have to celebrate around here!  Pie, anyone?)

Winner will be chosen on by the random number generator.  Deadline to enter is this Monday, the 21st, at midnight.  This giveaway is not closed - thanks to all who entered!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

P.S.  All patterns are now available at the Fat Quarter Shop!

Garden Sampler

My final new pattern is Garden Sampler.  This twin bed-sized design was originally published in American Patchwork and Quilting almost a year ago.  I decided to reissue it becuase the really big blocks make it just perfect for some of those modern lines out there.  Those big rectangles are 12'' x 18''! 

I have an obsession with 17th century English band samplers and have stitched some reproductions on linen.  (And while we are on the subject, check out this 17th century embroidery made by and 11 year old!)  Unfortunately, since I have started quilting, I haven't stitched much at all.  So a band sampler for modern fabrics!  Why not?  Juxtaposing modern and traditional ideas works fantastically in decorating, why not quilts?

Did I mention that there were prairie points on the top and bottom of Garden Sampler?

Gosh, I'd love to see this sewn up in some really large-scale modern prints, like Sandi Henderson's Secret Garden, or Marc Cesarik's Tides.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Garden Jewels

Hi everyone,

Hope you are having a great week. It was an exicting day around here because my new patterns came from the printer.  I love my printer.

Patterns are now shipping, so now we can gear up for some fun giveaways coming up in the next week.  My International Director of Shipping (i.e. newly-11-year-old) and my Chief Ironer (the one who sewed half of the Under the Veranda Sampler but doesn't like exalted titles - but she is the power behind the throne, so to speak) were busy bagging items while they watched Cake Boss last night.  Then I was busy bagging patterns well into what remained of the night while watching pretty much anything remaining on the DVR.  Lots and lots of bags.  Lots and lots of patterns.  Lots and lots of late night TV. 

There are only two patterns I've yet to introduce, so I'll cover one today and be back with another tomorrow. 

Does this quilt look familiar?

Re-introducing Garden Jewels...  It was a quilt that was featured in Quiltmaker this summer and I've gotten lots of requests to see this in pattern form. 

 As always, it is printed in full-color with lots of graphics, including a Quilt Assembly Diagram on the center spread.

Kimberly, of Fat Quarter Shop, is offering it as a kit here.  If you are interested in doing it in Veranda you might want to get it now because some of those pinks are sold out.  If you sew it up in another collection please come back and share pictures in my hopelessly-neglected-by-me-Flickr group. 

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Meadow Lark

Last week Kimberly, from Fat Quarter Shop, placed a large order for my Village Green pattern.  Look what she is kitting!

I love how this pattern looks in Amy Butler's Lark fabrics. And oh my goodness - I love the red border.  So colorful and fresh!
You can buy the kit here. It should be ready really soon.
And about that FQS photo... I'm having a sudden urge to paint something bright blue.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

And the Winner of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 4 is...

#56, Kaye, who said:
I made a springtime table runner for my daughter in a workshop and it will be part of her Christmas gift. Now I'm making a small Christmas tree wallhanging. Its mostly applique and has gold rickrack embellishment. Love your block design!

Thanks Kaye, and thanks to all who participated!
I'm ramping up to do some more giveaways of all my new patterns later this week, so stay tuned.

Hope you have a great week.
Happy sewing!
Amanda

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 4, Giveaway

Hi everyone!

Guess what is on newsstands right now? The fourth issue of Quiltmaker's 100 blocks! I'll be giving away a free issue of this fun magazine later on in this post and so will a lot of other designers. Not to mention there are other GREAT prizes.  Hop on over to Quiltmaker to find out more.

 
This issue is so much fun and is a great bargain too!  I designed a block in Veranda using a combination of applique and piecing this time.

Three of these in a row would make a great springtime table runner.  But wait... we haven't even gotten to Christmas - why am I talking about spring? 

Speaking of the holidays, I have done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to prepare for them.  I haven't made a gift, bought a present, or even thought about decorations.  I HAVE driven an inordinate amount of carpools shuttling kids to Nutcracker rehearsals, so that should count for something.  Is anyone else in such a quandry? 

But I know there are more organized souls out there who start sewing gifts in July and I would love to hear yours ideas.  So, to enter the giveaway for Volume 4 of Quiltermaker's 100 Blocks, leave a comment describing something you have been working on for someone else (or for yourself !).  And if you are hopelessly behind, like me, tell me what you would like to make.  You must be a follower to enter and please leave me a way to contact you should you win. The deadline to enter is this Sunday, the 13th, at midnight.

This giveaway is now closed... Thanks for your interest!
Good luck and happy sewing!
Amanda

Cafe Mocha

Hi everyone,

Hope you are having a great week!  I wanted to take a moment to introduce Cafe Mocha.  She was originally published in Quiltmaker, but was popular enough to bring back as a pattern in my line. 

I think this is because she is a great vehicle for scraps of feature prints.  Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with large-scale prints, especially when you have less than a quarter yard of them.  The rectangle blocks here are work wonderfully for those - so scour your house for those modern scraps!

I used a dark background with light horizontal bars, but you could do the opposite as well.

This pattern is also deceptively simple because it is assembled in columns.  If you follow the pressing directions all the seams lock and it looks like the blocks are interwoven!

atterns should arrive in the mail today or tomorrow and I'm so excited.  To make Cafe Mocha, you will need:

• Accent Rectangles - 2-1/2 yards total from an assortment of fabrics
• Background - 2-7/8 yards dark brown fabric
• Horizontal Bands and Middle Border - 1-3/4 yards cream fabric
• Inner Border - 1/2 yard caramel fabric
• Outer Border and Binding - 2 yards yard dark blue fabric
• Backing - 6 yards

As an aside, the folks over at Robert Kaufman are mourning the loss of Saul Kaufman, who ran the company for years.  Many employees have written about him on the Robert Kaufman blog.  Gosh - we should all have such nice things said about us at the end of our lives.  I never actually met him, but after reading those comments I wish I had.

Enjoy making a project for someone special in your life.

And if you get a chance, hop on over to Caroline Simas' blog.  She found some wonderful vintage linens and is looking for advice for how to use them.

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Caramel and Cocoa

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a lovely weekend. 

We have had a busy one.  And have I mentioned the fact that our living room is the current repository for literally hundreds of yards of fabric that I am washing and ironing because I'm crazy?  It is chaos here.

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the fifth new pattern in my line - Caramel and Cocoa.  (Actually, "reintroduce" would be more accurate since she was previously published by APQ.  I have had so many inquiries about back issue availability that I added her to the line.)  She is a REALLY simple, modern take on a bargello quilt.

The blocks are 9" wide.  There are no seams to align.  There are no borders to put on.  She couldn't be simpler, really.

She is lap-sized - 63-1/2" x 86" - and was originally sewn in the Swiss Chocolate in the chocolate color palette.

She also looked good in mocha.  I had a hard time choosing.

But she works with bright colors too.  (This is where I really can't wait to see what you all make.)  Here she is in Veranda.

She is fun.  Really fun to sew.

You can dress her up or down, try her in novelty fabrics or batiks - she is like a little black dress.  (Someone made her in black and white fabrics, actually, and sent me the link months ago and I can't find it.... ARGHHHH!)

To make her you will need:

• Bargello Blocks - 5/8 yard of 7 fabrics
• Light Fabric - 1-7/8 yards
• Dark Fabric - 1-7/8 yards
• Binding - 5/8 yard for straight grain binding or 1 yard for bias binding
• Backing - 5-1/2 yards

I hope that you like her!

Incidentally, all these patterns are currently being in the process of making their way through distributor channels.  Orders will be going out soon.  Your local quilt shop can order directly through me or they can order through Checker, E.E. Schenck, or United Notions.  And if you are looking for an online retail source, Fat Quarter Shop has already ordered them all so will have them soon.  If you are a shop that carries my line through a distributor, contact me and I'll add a link to you on the sidebar of my blog!

Happy sewing!
Amanda

Beflowered

I know you aren't supposed to have favorites, but I do.  This is Beflowered.

She is 74" x 96" and her Kona rainbow palette makes me happy.  Her big, varied, blossoms make me happy.  She uses big 8" triangles (gotta keep it simple somehow) cut using a 60 degree Creative Grids ruler and I love her.  Really really love her.

Of course, I had to have Deborah Norris quilt her and love how it turned out.  Deborah scattered special little motifs throughout the quilt and I just keep seeing new things every time I looked at it.



I love the solids but can't wait to see what else you all dream up!

 

Oh my - look at the little curlicues around the edges!



and the little leaves!

And the curls with the sunny rays!  (None of which I am personally capable of executing...)

Sara, from Sew Sweetness, stayed true to her name and was the brave soul who tested this one for me.  Thanks for believing in my design idea, Sara, and to plunging in head-first.  Sara will be posting her version today and she used black blossoms so go over and see!  Oh my - she sent me the sweetest picture of her kids laying out the blocks and it is adorable!  But I'll let her tell you about that.

I entered this quilt in Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Have you been there?  There are so many fantastic quilts displayed - makes your mouth water!

The Beflowered patterns are at the printer but will be back soon.  To make her, you need:

• Background Fabrics - 1/2 yard of 16 fabrics; select 8 colors and chose a light and medium shade of each
• Flowers - 4 yards (Kona® 1387 White)
• Flower Centers - 3/8 yard (Kona® 1089 Corn Yellow)
• Accent Triangles - 2 yards (Kona® 1173 Ice Frappe)
• Binding - 1-1/8 yard (Kona® 1009 Azure )
• Backing - 6 yards (Kona® 1009 Azure )
• Fusible Web - 10 yards (24” Warm Company® Steam-A-Seam 2)
• Tear-Away Stabilizer - 10 yards (Sulky® Tear-Easy Stabilizer)
• Appliqué Thread - 30 wt. Sulky® White cotton appliqué thread
• Triangle Ruler 8” - 60° Triangle Ruler from Creative Grids®

Happy, happy sewing!
Amanda

Bejeweled...

Have you ever searched for that perfect project for car trips?  Or carpools lines or waits at doctors' offices?  And wouldn't be great if it was also a project that made great use of scraps?

This is Bejeweled and, at 72" x 102", she is all those things.  (Fabrics are from Modern Whimsy, by Laurie Wishburn for Robert Kaufman.)  I really designed her to be a great-looking bed quilt, but you can easily change her size by adding more columns. 

As you can see, she features lots and lots and lots of yo-yos.  I highly recommend a Clover Yo-yo Maker to make these yo-yos, but you more coordinated souls out there can also just cut out circles of fabric and make them traditionally.  The yo-yos can be made from yardage, charm packs, or scraps.  And you attach them to the columns before the quilt is assembled, so even that step is easy to pack up and take on the go.  (Here is my secret, this step takes less than 4 minutes per yo-yo and is faster than the actual yo-yo making that my-dear-daughter-who-I-love-and -appreciate-very-much accomplished.) 

The pieced columns of this quilt are made from either a 10" square (layer cake) or 2-1/2" roll-up, so it is a really versatile pattern.  Ohhhh - if you had collections of coordinating scraps from your favorite designer's collections this would be great.

My mouth waters when I look at Deborah Norris' quilting.  I could not accomplish it, but don't need to because I know someone who can. 

Since you are quilters I will show you the back...

Even better, directions are included for a lap-sized quilt using pieced strips cut from a charm pack.  Here is one made from a Kona Brights charm pack with yo-yos and borders in Kona Ash.

Bejeweled will start shipping to shops and distributors late next week, but in the meantime here is what you need for the bed-sized version of this quilt:

• Striped Columns - 29 (10”) squares or 29 (2-1/2” x WOF) strips
• Background - 4 yards (Kona® 1387 White)
• Yo-yos - 3 yards total from an assortment of fabrics (Kona® 1188 Kiwi, 1089 Corn Yellow, 1009 Azure)
• Border - 1-1/4 yard
• Binding - 3/4 yard for straight grain binding or 1-1/8 yard for bias binding
• Backing - 6-1/2 yards
• Clover Quick Large Yo-yo Maker (#8701) optional

 And for the lap-sized version you'll need:

• Striped Columns - 42 (5”) squares (Kona® Bright charm pack)
• Background - 1-1/2 yards (Kona® Ultra White)
• Yo-yos - 1-1/2 yards (Kona® 1007 Ash)
• Border - 3/4 yard (Kona® 1007 Ash)
• Binding - 3/4 yard (Kona® 1007 Ash)
• Backing - 4 yards (Kona® 1007 Ash)
• Clover Quick Large Yo-yo Maker (#8701)

Happy sewing (and yo-yoing)!
Amanda