Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Good Life

What does "The Good Life" mean to you? 

Kicking back, hanging out with friends, enjoying fresh air...


Our new collection has a sense of humor; 
it takes a country look at "The Good Life" and celebrates the best parts. 



What would you make with these fabrics? 
Curtains for the cabin? Chair cushions? Can coozies? 
So many possibilities for these fun prints! 

See the entire The Good Life collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

One Block Deconstructed: Stars Aligned

When you first look at the Stars Aligned quilt, you probably see a star block made with a lot of quick corner piecing. Take a closer look at the pattern, however, and you won't believe how quickly and easily this block goes together! Colleen Tauke transformed the traditional Broken Dishes block into this sparkling Stars Aligned quilt using Walkabout 2 and Leather prints. The pattern is featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Summer 2018 issue.

"Stars Aligned" by Colleen Tauke and machine quilted by Laura Brenner;
featured in Easy Quilts Summer 2018

Q. Walkabout 2 has so many fun, bold prints. How did you select which one to use?
CT: This was the print that I really loved. The green and the blue popped out. I saw this one and said, “ooh, that’s my dark print!”


Q. And how did you choose the green to go with it?
CT: I looked through the Leather tonal collection to find a color that popped against the navy. I tried green and blue, and green won.

Q. Tell us about the block design.
CT: I wanted to take the Broken Dishes block, cut it up and make it into something completely different. The block is cut into a nine-patch, and it can be arranged so many different ways. I really wanted to make a two-color quilt because I knew it would create a secondary design as well.

Q. What’s so appealing about this design?
CT: It’s a perfect project if you don’t want to think too hard about what you’re making—for example, if you’re at a retreat, or an open sew with friends. You can enjoy the gathering but still be really productive. It becomes addicting. You take a super simple block and cut it up to make something more intricate.

Q. How did you choose the layout for the blocks?
CT: I laid out the blocks in a few different options and took photos. Arranging them in circular fashion creates an explosion from the center out.


Q. Tell us about the machine quilting.
CT: It was done by a friend of mine—Laura Brenner. We chose an overall pantograph because  of the arrangement of blocks. It creates curves and shadows but doesn’t detract from blocks. We chose a medium blue quilting thread, which adds to the depth.


See the entire Walkabout 2 collection here and the Leather collection here
Find the Summer 2018 issue of Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts here.














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Love the Walkabout 2 prints?
Find a tote bag tutorial here.


Download our free quilt pattern here






Friday, May 25, 2018

See the quilts! Spring Quilt Market Virtual Tour

We're back from Spring Quilt Market at photo with photos to share! Take a virtual tour of our booth--plenty of quilty goodness to see, inspiration for your next project, and new collections to look for at your local quilt shop!




We shared a few favorite Painter's Palette Solids quilts from our QuiltCon booth:
(l to r): Sun Salutation by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill  (@wholecirclestudio)
The Donut Quilt by Tania Denyer (@iamgingerq)
Hudson Bay My Way by Stephanie Ruyle (@spontaneousthreads)




That gorgeous rainbow on the far left is Elizabeth Eastmond's Annularity II quilt (@occasionalpiecequilt). In the foreground, you see our pop-up shop. Plenty of quilt shops went home with fabric bundles--ask if your local store bought some! 



More bundles ready for a new home: Mad for Solids Final Four palettes, On Your Mark, Hoodie Crescent's Ring Ring, Portofino, Mod Tropics and batiks! 



This fabulous quilt is from M.J. Kinman's The Birthstone Series. Amazingly detailed and dimensional jewels, all using Painter's Palette Solids. Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but we'll take an amethyst, topaz and ruby as well! Wow! 



Here's your first look at Barbara J. Eikmeier's Manzanita Grove BOM quilt, featuring her Manzanita Grove collection. We introduced Barb's new line at Quilt Market; ask your local quilt shop about participating in the BOM program (starting in September 2018) to make this stunning quilt.


Hoodie Crescent's Ring Ring collection, featuring retro telephones, ink pens, pencils and more, was a huge hit! This wall organizer showcases the unique prints in the fabric line.


Maria Shell's (@mariashellart) Mosh Pit at the Golden. There's so much fun going on in this quilt! 

A little close-up eye candy:



Warp and Weft quilt by Donna Lynn Thomas, from her book Teeny-Tiny Quilts. Love the colors and the quilting! 



Have you downloaded the free pattern for On Your Mark by Simone Bradford (@simone.g.b.)? Here's a close-up of the quilting--beautiful! 

We'll be sharing more about the new collections featured at Quilt Market in the coming months! 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Hello, Summer: New Frolicking Fields fabrics

We're feeling the summer vibe with our Frolicking Fields fabric collection! Gorgeously detailed butterflies, wildflowers and ladybugs, plus a spring green tonal coordinate....warm and sunny days, here we come! 


We used these feminine prints to make a few travel necessities. The Clearly Cute Beauty Cases pattern from Indygo Junction includes instructions to make an insulated Hot Iron Holder and two sizes of vinyl cases. So fun with butterflies! Purchase the pattern here.

Wildflowers and butterflies on a Hot Iron Holder:

This cool vinyl case lets you see what's inside. Perfect for makeup, hair accessories, or even a small sewing project! 
Frolicking Fields isn't all butterflies and ladybugs. it's filled with creepy crawlies as well: crickets, lightning bugs, caterpillars, frogs and bees. 


What can you make with bug prints? Make a drawstring backpack for your favorite explorer, a comfy I-spy quilt for car trips or a pillowcase. Our recommendation: Sew this twist on the classic bugs-in-a-jar quilt by Maria Pate. 
Bugs in a Bottle by Maria Pate; pattern available from The Quilting Company 


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

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

FREE Quilt Pattern: Tropical Blues

If you've fallen in love with the island appeal of our Mod Tropics prints, we've got a FREE quilt pattern for you! The Tropical Blues quilt pairs the blue Mod Tropics prints with Painter's Palette Gray in a rotating quarter Log Cabin block. Easy to make with fabulous results! 

Tropical Blues in the garden:
Quilt measures 60" x 75"


Here's the block: 

Prefer the orange colorway? Or a combo of both colors? 
We love how the blue and orange look together! 

 The block in orange: 



The entire quilt: Our Tropical Blues quilt pattern designed by Lisa Swenson Ruble
Download the free quilt pattern here.

See the entire Mod Tropics collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
Find the FREE quilt pattern here.
Purchase the kit for this quilt here.
Purchase Mod Tropics fabrics! Choose your FQ bundle here

Monday, May 14, 2018

Feeling Tropical?

Our Mod Tropics collection combines leafy tropical focal fabrics with modern tonal prints. The prints come in blue, orange and gray--mix them all together or pick your favorite color! Use the tropical and tonal prints together for a summery-feeling project, or pair the tonal prints with your favorite Painter's Palette Solids for more modern appeal. 


Cool blues:



Neutral grays:



Hot oranges:


Which color way appeals to you? 

See the entire Mod Tropics collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
Purchase FQ bundles (blue, orange, gray or a combo) here.
Download the free Tropical Blues quilt pattern here.