Pillowcase Wrap Up

Have you browsed through American Patchwork & Quilting's 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge blog hop pillowcases? All of the hop participants posted their pillowcases last Friday--such a fantastic collection to go toward various charities as part of the push to donate 1,000,000 pillowcases! 

In case you missed the hop, we thought we'd show our contributions in today's post. You can also revisit last Friday's post for links to the entire hop.

Linda Carlson used her 

Imagine This

 fabrics to make this eye-catching red, black, gray and white pillowcase using pattern #25.

Find her post about her pillowcase here.

Heidi Pridemore used the 

Tweet

 collection to make this whimsical checkerboard cuff pillowcase using pattern #6.

Find her post about her pillowcase here.

Tammy Silvers used the 

Vibe

 collection to make this cheery yellow and blue pillowcase using the basic roll pattern.

Find her post about her pillowcase here.

Thanks so much, ladies, for participating! 

And then, with a look ahead to Christmas, we used the Christmas Flannels collection to make a cozy red and green pillow using pattern #6.

Find our post here. 

Find out more about the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge, including the scheduled September Sew-a-thon, 

here.

And check out all 43 free pillowcase patterns from AP&Q here.

1 Million Pillowcase Challenge, Holiday-Style

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

in August?!

With American Patchwork & Quilting holding a blog hop to promote the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge (568,000+ and counting donated!), we wanted to be part of the fun! We're proud to be a sponsor of this initiative, and proud to donate pillowcases to help those in need and get the Challenge closer to the one million pillowcase goal.

Three of our favorite designers and bloggers are officially part of the hop sharing pillowcases they've made using our fabric lines:

Heidi Pridemore (http://heidipridemore.blogspot.com) with Tweet

Linda Carlson (www.lindacarlsonquilts.com) with Imagine This

Tammy Silvers (http://www.tamarinis.typepad.com) with Vibe

We're excited to see what these designers have created, but here at Inspired by Fabric we wanted to join in as well, sharing a holiday-themed flannel case made using our 

Christmas Flannels. 

We used the Checkerboard Band pattern (No. 6), which can be found here--a classic that goes together quickly with strip piecing, and perfect for showing off two contrasting flannels on the cuff!

AP&Q currently has 43 free pillowcase patterns on their website; you can find them all here--with so many choices, it's hard to choose just one!

(Of course, we feel the same way about our Christmas Flannels--how can you choose just one (or three) to use?!)

Find all of our cozy Christmas Flannels here.


Make sure you check out everyone participating in today's Pillowcase Challenge Blog Hop!

·    Alison Glass (http://alisonglass.com/blog)

·    American Patchwork & Quilting (www.allpeoplequilt.com/blog)

·    Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs (http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/)

·    The Benartex Design Team: Sew in Love with Fabric (http://www.sewinlovewithfabric.blogspot.com)

·    Debby Kratovil (http://debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com/)

·    Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.net/blog/)

·    Heidi Pridemore (http://heidipridemore.blogspot.com)

·    How To Sew (www.howtosew.com)

·    Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom (http://www.sisboom.com/blog/)

·    Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts (http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/)

·    Karrie Winters of Freckled Whimsy (http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/)

·    Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)

·    Linda Carlson (www.lindacarlsonquilts.com)

·    Lori Mason (http://www.lorimasondesign.com/news/)

·    Modern Quilt Studio (http://craftnectar.com/)

·    Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft (http://modernhandcraft.com/)

·    Northcott: Patti’s Patchwork (www.pattispatchwork.com)

·    Shannon Fabrics: My Cuddle Corner (http://shannonfabrics.com/blog/index/)

·    Tammy Silvers (http://www.tamarinis.typepad.com)

·    Timeless Treasures: Sew Timeless (http://www.ttfabrics.com/blog/)

·    Valori Wells (http://www.valoriwells.com/blog/)

·    Verna Mosquera of The Vintage Spool (http://freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)

·    Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring (http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/)

FInd out more about the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge, the September 24-hour Sew-a-thon to make more pillowcases (what could be more fun that a sewing sleepover with your friends? Think how many pillowcases you could make in your pajamas!), and how you can participate here.

Illusion Quilting

The most eye-catching designs are those with more than one pattern going on, like this Squares Squared quilt by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts. Featured in The Quilter magazine, this cool design is made using strip sets, so it creates the illusion of woven strips, but it's easier than it looks! The blue and yellow colorway of Ro Gregg's Vibe collection pops on the white background for a refreshing quilt you'll love to use all year round. 

"Squares Squared" by Pine Tree Country Quilts;
featured in The Quilter Aug-Sept 2014

Can you pick out the block in the flat shot of the quilt below?

See the entire Vibe collection here.

Find the kit for Squares Squared here.

Find The Quilter magazine here.

Exclusive FREE Quilt Pattern

If there's one thing you can never have too many of, it's quilt patterns. 

We especially like this red and black design from Jessica Toye, using Ro Gregg's Vibe and Marblehead collections. 

The best news? We're sharing this modern design as a free download here on the blog! 

Click here to download the pdf of the FREE Woven pattern by Jessica Toye.
Click here to see all of the Vibe fabrics and find another free pattern using this new collection.

Feel the Vibe!

We're really feeling the vibe of Ro Gregg's new collection, Vibe, and think you will too! The designs are organic with a contemporary feel, and the colorways are oh-so-appealing. Which catches your eye--the red/black/gray, or the blue/yellow combo?

Q. How did the Vibe collection come to be?

Ro: I wanted to put together something that had a very organic look to it. To make a statement with more texture, multi textural surfaces, something that looks organic yet is geometric as well. It' s a mix of abstract and it can also evoke an ethnic vibe. It's somewhat avant garde in nature.

Q. Which print started it all?

Ro: What started it was the stripe. I worked with the it, putting different components in it. From the stripe I pulled out some of the coordinates. For example, if you look at the red patchwork—it has waves, flowers, and leaves, and that's what I wanted to achieve. Much of the collection is pretty much a play on multi-texutral patterns that have backgrounds to them and working towards an organic feeling.

Q. We love the two colorways you used! What can you tell us about them?

Ro: I started with the rich reds, blacks and grays. But indigos are still so strong, so I picked them for the second colorway. I knew that I wanted to add yellow—the blue and yellow combination is trending back into popularity.

What I really love is that you can cross over the colorways (see the link for the free quilt pattern at the bottom of this post!)—because of that contemporary look. These patterns would look good in anything—they sort of breathe life into the different colors.

Q. Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

Ro: The stripe is a favorite, and the patchwork. The stripe is so optical—all that surface and texture.

In addition to being sold as straight yardage, Vibe is available in red/black/gray and blue/yellow fat quarter bundles;

and 5" squares;

and a multicolor snack pack!

Use the snack pack to make this contemporary lap quilt, 

Lucky 13, designed by Jessica Smith.

Find the free pattern for this quilt here.

See the entire collection here.

Saluting the Red, White and Blue (plus a free flag pattern!)

In honor of the 4th of July holiday, we're showcasing the red, white and blue! 

First up, download a free pattern for this classic flag quilt, made from 2-1/2" strips.

The "Old Glory" Snack Pack includes 42 strips--everything you need to make the quilt top and bind it--all tonals from our Tone on Tone collection.

Rich, textured hues from Marblehead and Marblehead Global Brights:

A fun red and blue swirl from Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass:

Stars and swirls from Judy Hansen's new Nutcracker Christmas;

Contemporary coordinates from Linda Carlson and Diana Henage's Imagine This:

Juicy reds from Farmer John's Organic:

Modern designs from Ro Gregg's new Vibe collection:

And of course, the entire Bella Casa collection:

Look for this wide variety of red and blue prints at your local quilt shop! 

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!