Classic LeMoyne Star

Have you ever been inspired by an antique quilt and recreated it in your own fabric choices?
As quilters, we have a rich history upon which to reflect. Countless artists and their work have come before us, and serve as inspiration to our current work. 
The February 2016 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting features a quilt called "Ageless Beauty," a hand-pieced LeMoyne Star design from quilt collector Tara Lynn Baisden. 

As always, AP&Q offers a Color Option, showing the quilt in a current fabric collection. We were tickled pink that they chose to remake the "Ageless Beauty" quilt using Barbara J. Eikmeier's Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection! The blues, reds, and creams give this starry design a patriotic feel. 

"Ageless Beauty" Color Option by Laura Boehnke;
featured in American Patchwork & Quilting magazine February 2016

Download the Color Option pattern from AP&Q here.
See Barb's entire Vintage Shirting collection here.
Find American Patchwork & Quilting magazine here.

Loving the red, white and blue!

Our new collection American Pride is all things red, white, and blue! Flag lovers, military family members, and everyone who is proud to be an American will love these patriotic prints (plus a little Union Jack thrown in, just for fun!). Looking for coordinates? We've pulled out some Marblehead prints and Painter's Palette Solids that will round out your next project. Get started now and you'll have your patriotic quilt, door banner, or placemats ready for Memorial Day and the 4th of July!

Pair these prints with Ro Gregg's Marblehead and Marblehead Global Brights:

Or Painter's Palette Solids:

See the entire American Pride collection here.

The thrill of romance!

Valentine's day is around the corner and romance is in the air! To fabric lovers, there's noting more romantic than a collection of elegant florals. Our new Bristol collection comes in two colorways, and either one would be perfect for a bedroom makeover. A large bouquet bloom print is accompanied by medium-size florals and packed blooms, as well as smaller sprays, leaves and petals. One other unique point in this line--the coordinates cover a wide variety of shades--lights, mediums and darks--so you'll have plenty of contrast with which to work. 

Warm blues and yellows have a cheery outlook:

 Sophisticated corals, sky blue and olives--love the rich black background on the two main prints! 

Pine Tree Country Quilts designed the Bristol Quilt using the second colorway, but it would be equally lovely in the blues and yellows. Enlarge it for a bed quilt, and you're halfway to an updated bedroom! Use the coordinates for a bed skirt, pillow shams, and even window treatments. Simply lovely!

Find the free pattern download here.

See the entire Bristol collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Red or Blue?

No, we're not talking politics here...

We're talking Mackenzie! 

This fun new collection comes in two colorways: blue with beige and green:

 And red with gold, pink and green:

Which would you choose for a quilt? 

Looking for coordinates? Pair these prints with your favorite Painter's Palette Solids, Marblehead textures, or Classique mini prints.

See the entire Mackenzie collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Snack Packs in Action!

We all love a quilt made with precuts, right? Some of the work is done for you, and you can get into the meat of the project that much faster. The Around the Rail Fence quilt by Lisa Swenson Ruble is a perfect example. The quilt, featured in the January-February 2016 issue of Fons & Porter's Quilting Quickly, uses a Marblehead Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz snack pack for quick and easy piecing. 

"Around the Rail Fence" by Lisa Swenson Ruble; quilted by Diane Oakes
Featured in Fons & Porter's Quilting Quickly January-February 2016 issue

Q. What attracted you to Ro Gregg's Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz fabrics?

Lisa: I loved the richness of the colors. Each style of print (gemstones, jewels, and quartz) has so much depth and texture, all created by the bold colors. From far away, the prints look like more typical tonals, but when you see them up close, there's so much detail.

Q. Why did you choose to pair them with a white solid?

Lisa: These prints are truly saturated, and the white helps to create a little resting space for your eye. I think it helps the colors to pop ever more. I also think it gives the quilt a more modern feel.

Q. Tell us about your rail fence design variation.

Lisa: The rail fence is a fantastic block--so easy to make, especially with precut strips and strip piecing. Knowing that I wanted to use a white solid to break up the color, I played around with designs that used rail fence blocks with some space. I liked the idea of pieced and solid "borders" growing out from the center section. 

Q. What did you like about using a snack pack?

Lisa: Being able to dive right into the sewing! Cutting so many 2-1/2" wide strips is not my idea of fun. Using precut strips from the snack pack allowed me to skip ahead. I think I pieced this quilt in an afternoon, thanks in large part to the ready-to-go strips.

Q. How was Around the Rail Fence quilted?

Lisa: My friend and fellow guild member Diane Oakes quilted it for me. I knew I wanted something geometric and modern in the white borders, so that was easy. We talked for a while about a motif to use in the pieced sections and finally decided on a more organic design that blended rather than stood out. I love what she did and really like the juxtaposition of the two different motifs. 

Find Ro Gregg's Marblehead Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz here.

Find out more about Lisa and her work here. 

Find Quilting Quickly here. (There's also a free video tutorial to make this quilt!)

Inspired by...Solids!

Are you inspired by solids? There's so much possibility, so many quilts to make using the 80+ colors in our new Painter's Palette solid collection!

We've been compiling a Pinterest board of gorgeous quilts to make with solids. On the board, you'll find both quilts that have been made with solids already, and quilts made with tonals that we think would look equally (if not more?) impressive made with solids.

Which is your favorite? How many are you pinning or adding to your "quilts to make" list?
Let us know, and ask for Painter's Palette solids at your local quilt shop!

Visit our Solids Inspiration Pinterest board here.
See the entire Painter's Palette collection here.

Watermelon Summer Charity Quilts

Back in early September, we hosted the Watermelon Summer New Block Blog Hop featuring our Prairie Cloth Solids in conjunction with Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination, and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter. 

After the hop ended, these four ladies collected all of the blocks with plans to assemble them into quilts for charity. 

Today we have two quilts made from those blocks to show you, both assembled and quilted by Yvonne. After seeing these beauties, we asked Yvonne a few questions to learn more about her process (like, how do you decide in what order to lay all these blocks out?!?!)

Wow!!!!!!

Q. How difficult (or easy) was it to decide on block placement? How did you decide which to use in the baby quilt versus the lap quilt?

YF: To decide on block placement, I had a friend over to "play". We laid all the blocks out on my floor, and the blocks that ended up becoming the baby quilt felt like they naturally grouped together as they were slightly more bold and graphic in their pattern design. In terms of block placement within the quilts, we tried to arrange the blocks to have good color flow across the quilt.

Q. The quilting you did on these is phenomenal—so much detail, so much personalization! We have to ask—how long did the quilting of each quilt take you? 

YF: The baby quilt took about 4 hours to quilt and the lap quilt took about 7 hours to quilt. I quilted both on my long arm. I probably could have done both a bit quicker, but I paused to consider each block and quilted them individually.

Q. Do you have any particular favorite blocks, either the blocks themselves or how they turned out when quilted?

YF: In the baby quilt, I had fun turning Martha's sailboat inspired block into a scene, and so I am really pleased with how that block came together. And the seahorse in the lap quilt is just so fun and I love how it reads on the back of the quilt, too.

Q. What do you like best about either of these quilts?

YF: I love that both of these quilts are made up of completely different blocks, but with the same color palette and especially due to the use of solids, the quilts feel cohesive, fresh, and fun!

Q. Where did these quilts end up?

YF: The quilts were donated to Project Linus and given to children in need in Bakersfield, CA.

Thank you, Yvonne and everyone who participated in the hop! We'll show you additional completed quilts from the hop as they are finished. 

Yvonne has additional photos and details on her blog concerning these quilts and the specific blocks featured in them; find her post on the lap quilt here and the baby quilt here.

If you'd like to see (or bookmark) the tutorials for any of the blocks from the Watermelon Summer hop, follow these links:
Find the links from Day 1 here.
Find the links from Day 2 here.
Find the links from Day 3 here.

Find the links from Day 4 here.

And if you're inspired by the color palette these ladies used, here are the closest corresponding colors in the Painter's Palette Solids collection:

White: 121-000

Lapis: 121-019

Coral: 121-049

Apple: 121-076

Pale Aqua: 121-062

Turquoise: 121-031

Stay tuned for more solids fun next week--we'll be sharing inspiration for quilts to make using our new and super touch-able Painter's Palette Solids! 

Tulle & Petals

Sugar and spice and everything nice...that's what the Tulle & Petals collection is made of! 

If you have plans to make a quilt for a special little girl, these fabrics are perfect! Ballerina tulle, roses, and petals galore, in soft pinks and purples.

 Download the free pattern for this Tulle & Petals quilt, designed by Pine Tree Country Quilts

Find the pattern here.

See the entire Tulle & Petals collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Brand New Solids Collection!

We are so excited to officially introduce our new solids collection, Painter's Palette!

These high-quality cottons come in more than 80 different colors, and they're sure to become a staple in your sewing room. 

Here are the available colors, an entire rainbow's worth:

Now we know that colors look great on a computer screen, but with solids, it's all about the feel. How do the Painter's Palette solids feel? With a 62-square tight weave, these fabrics are soft and smooth! 

Hear what designers have to say:

"They have such a lovely drape, perfect for garment sewing, but also really nice in a quilt. The vibrant colors and subtle sheen are totally stunning." - Shannon Brinkley

"There are many attributes that I love. The superior thread count lends to a greater opacity than most of the other solids on the market--the fabrics have a tighter weave and a nicer hand. Also, I noticed that the Painter's Palette does not ravel nor shrink much. Overall, the colors are crisp and saturated and there are plenty to choose from! I highly recommend these solids to all quilters, especially ones trying to build up their stashes. You can't go wrong with a rainbow of solids." - Maria Pate

"I really love the new solids! The colors are very clean, vibrant and come in a balanced array of 84 hues! The hand is very smooth and silky to the touch and quilters that have used them are very impressed. I think this line of solids is better than anything else on the market." - Deena White

See the entire Painter's Palette collection here and ask for them at your local quilt shop.