Super Bowl Party Ideas

The big game--the Super Bowl--is on Sunday, and even if you're not a football fan, it's a fantastic excuse to invite some friends over. Between the game, the commercials, and the food, there's something for everyone! 

First, we love this food stadium:

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A guacamole field surrounded by "stands" filled with pigs in a blanket, chips, sub sandwiches..so fun! In fact, food stadiums seem to be the year's big trend. We've got about 5 different versions pinned on our Super Bowl Pinterest Board.

This is healthy and fits nicely with the day's theme:

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Some fun decorating ideas:

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For entertainment, try Super Bowl Commercial Bingo:

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Or check out this printable, with fun bets on the game, such as what color gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach and what song Red Hot Chili Peppers will sing first.

Be sure to check out our Super Bowl Party Ideas board on Pinterest for more recipes and decorating ideas. 

And, if the Super Bowl is just really not your thing, be sure to check out this site--a completely party guide for hosting a super-feminine, non-football-themed party during the big game!

Whether you're a fan of the Broncos, Seahawks, or just the commercials, enjoy the great American tradition of Super Bowl Sunday! 

New Year, New Pillowcases

We are proud to once again be a sponsor in 2014 for American Patchwork & Quilting's 

1 Million Pillowcase Challenge! The official tally of donated pillowcases for the Challenge currently sits at 533,156--making great strides toward the 1,000,000 goal. 

Here are the two latest pillowcases designed by All People Quilt for the Challenge featuring our fabrics:

Diamond Band pillowcase made using Judy Hansen's Nite Owls

Photo: Allpeoplequilt.com

Find the free pattern for the Diamond Band pillowcase here.

Bar Code Band pillowcase made using Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics

Photo: Allpeoplequilt.com

Find the free pattern for Bar Code Band pillowcase here.

American Patchwork & Quilting's 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge now has 39 different pillowcase patterns on its website, ready for you to use. You can find them here.

Feelin' the Winter Blues

weather.com

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Polar vortex.
Arctic blast.
Harsh temperatures.
Frigid air.
Looking at the maps above, it's no surprise that one of the main conversation topics this January has been the weather. For much of the country, it's been a chilly month! (And if you live somewhere warm, please don't make the rest of us jealous by sharing those temperature numbers in the 60s and 70s!)

This chilly backdrop is the perfect introduction for our new collection, Winter Blues:

Blue lovers, these fabrics are for you! If you like anything in the blue family, we're pretty sure you'll find at least one or two prints to love in this collection. 

And look no further for inspiration; Pine Tree Country Quilts designed this free pattern, Winter Blues, using these icy cool prints. 

Find the pattern here. 

Take advantage of the cold weather and spend some time quilting!

Hannah fabric bundle winner!

Thanks to everyone who checked out Marilyn's puff pillow tutorial and left a comment for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the fun Hannah prints. 
Our winner:

Congratulations, Debbie!

Please email us at fabriquiltblog (at) gmail.com with your mailing address.

A Bedroom with Drama and Intrigue

Spice up your bedroom...add drama and intrigue with the elegant "Black Tie Affair" bed quilt, designed by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts.

"Black Tie Affair" by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar;
featured in The Quilter February/March 2014

This stunning design uses, what else, the Black Tie Affair fabric collection--sophisticated black and white prints with touches of red added in for extra flair.

While the quilt seems complex, it's actually quite easy: large black and red half-square triangles surrounded by a simple checked border. The on-point setting creates interest and motion, and a variety of thin and wide borders create beautiful drape for the sides of the bed.

See the entire Black Tie Affair collection here.
Purchase the kit for this quilt here.
Find The Quilter magazine here.

Puff Pillow Tutorial

Happy Wednesday! 

Today one of our blog followers, Marilyn, is sharing a tutorial for a puff pillow--taking that old biscuit quilt idea and updating it with contemporary, fun fabrics (the Hannah collection!) and a new use--a big floor pillow. Enjoy her tutorial and scroll down to the bottom to find out how you can enter to win a fat quarter bundle of Hannah fabrics for yourself. 

Take it away, Marilyn!

Hello! I'm excited to be featured on Inspired by Fabric today, sharing my puff pillow tutorial. Remember the biscuit quilt idea that was popular back in the 1980s? I used that concept but changed it up a little--first, I chose to recover a large floor pillow with the puffs/biscuits, and second, I chose the vibrant prints from Hannah to make the project feel more modern. I hope you like it! 

Here's a look at the fabrics in the Hannah collection. Some great colors!

Materials you will need:

• 1/4 yard (or 1 fat quarter) each of 4 prints for pillow front
• 1/4 yard dotted stripe for binding
• 1-1/4 yards backing fabric (I used the large floral on black)
• 2/3 yard muslin
• Fiberfill

Cutting directions:

From each of the 4 prints:

Four 7-1/2" squares

From the dotted stripe:

Three 2-1/2" x 42" strips

From the backing fabric:

Two 18" x 24" pieces

From the muslin:

Sixteen 6" squares

Step 1: Pin a 7-1/2" print square to a 6" muslin square, matching the corners. You'll need to pin a couple pleats into each side to accommodate the extra fabric (this creates the space for the stuffing). Pin all four corners, but only pin three sides--leave one open for stuffing.

Step 2: Stitch on the three pinned sides, using a 1/8" seam allowance.

Step 3: Grab a handful of fiberfill--I used a small fist-full for each puff. Insert it in the puff.

Step 4: Pin the fourth side and stitch to close the puff.

Step 5: Make sixteen puffs. Don't they look cute?! I just want to squeeze them at this point!

Step 6: Arrange your puffs in four rows of four.

Step 7: Begin joining the puffs in pairs, right sides together. Pin before sewing. Make sure your seam is 1/4" or just slightly larger so that your original stitching lines don't show. 

Step 8: Join the puffs into rows, and then join the rows. Here's a photo of a joined row and then the back of a joined row. 

Your finished pillow top will look something like this: 

Step 9: Fold one long edge of each backing piece over 1/4" and then 1/4" again to make a finished edge. Topstitch.

Step 10: With a normal pillow and an envelope backing, you can lay your pillow top down first and then add the backing pieces on top, and you'll know exactly how much they should overlap because of the size of the pillow top. That would be tricky with this dimensional pillow top. 

Instead, lay your backing pieces out right sides down (our pillow will have a bound edge, like a quilt!) on a cutting mat, using the markings on the mat to ensure your pillow backing measures 24". 

Step 11: Lay the pillow top on top, right sides up, and pin in place. At this point, you can either baste around the outer edge to secure before adding the binding, or you can live dangerously (like I did!) and pin the binding in place as well and stitch around the pillow once to secure backing and binding in place. Either way, you'll need to join your three 2-1/4" x 42" dotted stripe strips to make a long binding strip. Add the binding strip to the pillow just like you would for a quilt, and machine or hand stitch the binding to the back side. Insert your pillow and you're done!

Another look at the finished pillow:

I chose to add a binding to the pillow because I loved the dotted stripe and thought it would make a great finished edge to "frame" the pillow. You could also do a traditional pillow finish and skip the binding. 

You'll have to take my word for how squishy and comfy this pillow is! It's the perfect slipcover for a dingy old pillow I had in my house. 

One more close-up:

Thanks Marilyn! Great tutorial! 

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Hannah fabrics, sign up to follow the blog (via email or the bloglovin' button on the right) and leave a comment letting us know that you are a follower and also how many throw pillows you have in your house. For a second chance to win, share the link for this post on your Facebook page and let us know that you did in a comment here. The giveaway will be open through Saturday, January 25th at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck! 

Morriston: What's in a name?

We're sharing some classic prints today, from a new collection called Morriston. 

These prints use traditional motifs (paisley, scrolls, etc.) but add in a dramatic flair with refreshing color palettes: spring green, electric blue and black, and then coral, dusty lavender and black.

So, what do you think? Do these prints:

a) take their name and regal British feel from the Welsh town of Morriston;

b) draw inspiration from the work of influential 19th century designer William Morris;

c) offer a nod to a certain wildly popular PBS show featuring period English characters?

We'll let you decide...

But whichever answer you choose, we think you'll like these fabrics!

Also, if you're looking for a design idea, try the Diamond Delight pattern from Airborne Heirlooms. Such a unique center diamond motif, and great use of the large paisley and border print! You can find this pattern free on our website.

And one more thing...we're also offering double-sided pre-quilted fabric, perfect for a tote bag or e-reader cover. Beautiful, isn't it? Ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Batiks in Action

Recently we shared fabrics from our new batik collection, and today we're sharing patterns you can use with these fabrics. Here are a few fantastic patterns available at quiltwoman.com:

Marble Pools by Ann Anderson; pattern available at quiltwoman.com

Pick Up Sticks by Lisa Walton; pattern available at quiltwoman.com

Adalynn's Garden by Elisa Wilson; pattern available at quiltwoman.com

Bermuda Sunrise by Linda Hahn; pattern available at quiltwoman.com

The possibilities for using batiks are pretty much endless, but we've also pinned some more of our favorites over on Pinterest. Check out our "Inspired by Batiks" board here.

What pattern would you love to see made in batiks?

Meet Ollie

Meet Ollie, Heidi Pridemore's favorite Octopus! 

Inspired by her Under the Sea fabric collection, Heidi designed this lap size throw for The Quilter magazine, and today she's hear to tell us about it.

"Ollie Octopus" designed by Heidi Pridemore and machine quilted by Doris Pridemore;
featured in The Quilter February/March 2014

Q. What made you decide to do an octopus applique?

Heidi: I designed the Octopus for our fabric Under The Sea and he was my favorite character, so I wanted to showcase him. I made him overlap the pieced portion of the quilt because I like to extend appliqués across borders to break up the grid of the background and soften the edges.  

 

Ollie appears in Heidi's Under the Sea fabric

Q. How did you decide on fabric placement?

Heidi: I like to use the cooler colors for the larger areas and add a splash of the warmer colors in the blocks. 

Q. Love the use of that wiggly stripe for the binding! Did you design that fabric with bindings/borders in mind?

Heidi: Yes, I like using stripes on my quilts and don’t always like to fussy cut the stripe to be straight. So I designed a wavy strip to make it easier to use. 

No need to worry about straight stripes with this wiggle!

Q. How did you choose the two alternating blocks used in this quilt?

Heidi: I like to mix and match blocks in my quilts. I always look for the relationship between the blocks and any secondary pattern it will create when selecting blocks for a quilt.

Q. What do you like best about this quilt?

Heidi: I love Ollie, he just makes me smile and hope he does that for others as well!

Q. Any tips for appliqueing the octopus?

Heidi: When applying the octopus to the background, start at the head and gently push the tentacles down with your fingers to make sure they are positioned in the correct place before pressing them down. 

See the entire Under the Sea collection here.

See more of Heidi's work and purchase the kit to make Ollie Octopus here.

Find The Quilter magazine here. 

Bring on the color!

It's that time of year when most of us could use an infusion of color. Vibrant, soul-warming hues that make you smile.
Here you go!

That's right! We are now offering batiks. Are you a batik lover? It's hard not to be!

We have 75 glorious choices, ready to inspire your next project. Above is just a sampling of what's available; you can see the entire batik collection here. Be sure to ask for them at your local quilt shop. 

Romance for Two

With the Christmas season over, Valentine's Day is the next  holiday on the calendar. Get started now on this red and white table topper from the February/March issue of The Quilter, and when February 14th rolls around, you'll be ready! Let this quilt set the scene for a night of chocolate, wine and cupids, either for a romantic night with your special someone or chick flicks with your favorite girlfriends.

"Red Rose" designed by Diane Arganbright and Patricia Sue Nelson;
pieced by Patricia Meek and quilted by Shawna Crawford;
pattern featured in The Quilter magazine February/March 2014

Diane and Patty Sue of The Quilting Hen talked about their decadent red and white table topper design:

Q. What attracted you to the Roses are Red collection?

Patty Sue: Red and pink are my two favorite colors.  It is a rare find to have so many beautiful, complimentary shades of these two colors together in one collection.  And who doesn’t love roses?

Q. What’s the challenge/advantage of working with a single color collection like this?

Diane and Patty Sue: The challenge is placing the fabrics in the project so that they maintain their distinct values and do not mush together too much.

The advantage is that you can use all the pieces from the collection without the project becoming too busy or too overloaded with color.

Q. Looking at the first block—it's got such great detail with the pieced ''frame.'' What made you decide to do that as opposed to just using one fabric?

Diane and Patty Sue: We felt that the alternating light/dark strips made a simple block more interesting without adding too much difficulty.  It also gave us the opportunity to incorporate more of the fabrics into the project.

Q. Tell us about your border choices What prompted you to use four borders?

Diane and Patty Sue: We did not set out with four borders in mind. We simply kept working with different options until the quilt seemed complete.  We also liked the optical illusion that four borders give this quilt.  By designing it the way that we did, the finished quilt appears to be a rectangle, but is actually a square.

Q. Can you talk about the second block design?

Diane and Patty Sue: We wanted to choose a block design that would showcase the large floral rose piece without cutting it up too much and without simply using a large square or triangle in the quilt.  Since we were also thinking of Valentine’s Day when we were designing this project, the block design seemed to be perfect.  It reminded us of the shaft of an arrow, and by placing the blocks in the four strategic places, they appear to be pointing to the center, even without tips.

Q. What do you envision this quilt being used for?

Diane and Patty Sue: This quilt was definitely designed for holiday use.  We see it on a table or at an angle on the back of a davenport or recliner to add festivity.  It is large enough to be used as a picnic or lap blanket by a couple wanting to spend some quality time together.

Q. Can you talk about the quilting that was done on it?

Diane and Patty Sue: Patricia Meek did a fabulous job of piecing this quilt for us.  Her perfectly matched seams keep even the most difficult points sharp.  Her strict attention to proper pressing kept any seam from being visible under the white or light fabric. 

With a flawlessly pieced top, it was easy for our long arm quilter, Shawna Crawford, to create a fabulous design on this project.  Her unique, original quilting design complemented the vision we had for this project.  The flowing swirls and feathers provide a feeling of carefree gaiety.  The unending string of circles in the pink border is reminiscent of the circle of love.

Find a post about the Roses are Red fabrics here and see the entire collection here.

Find the kit for the Red Rose table topper here.

Find The Quilter magazine here.