Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints Goes Patriotic

When we saw Janie McCombs' pennant quilt on Instragram, we fell in love. She used Barbara J. Eikmeier's Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection to make this patriotic quilt--deep reds, light and dark blues, and creams, in rows of triangle pennants. Janie was kind enough to let us share her quilt here as well, so our Inspired by Fabric friends could see it too. 

Q. Tell us about the pattern.

JM: I chose a pennant pattern so I could show off each of the fabrics in the collection. A pennant quilt has triangles that require offset points when you piece them together. Offsetting points is not an easy task, even when you have been a quilter for more than 25 years. My seam ripper was within reach a lot during the piecing of this quilt!

Q. Why did you decide to use the Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints fabrics for this quilt?

JM: The Vintage Shirtings prints have deep colors and light colors that coordinate beautifully with each other. The subtle prints--flowers, swirls, paisleys, and circles—added interest to the pennant shapes. I have been trying to figure out what to do with the collection for a while, and as I was cutting the fabrics for my quilt I knew I had chosen a good pattern. I really had fun creating this quilt!

Q. How are you using this quilt?

JM: For now I have the quilt hanging in my home. I think it looks patriotic so I will leave it up through the 4^th of July.

Q. Any advice you’d give other quilters after making this quilt?

JM: Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, try new patterns, and above all else enjoy the process. We are much harder on our work than we really need to be.

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection by Barbara J. Eikmeier here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
See more of Janie's work by following her on Instagram.

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing America a Happy Birthday and you and your family an enjoyable 4th of July!

American Flag quilt by Barbara J. Eikmeier
featuring the Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection

Goose Crossing

Do you love a great two-color quilt?
Make sure you catch Barbara J. Eikmeier's Goose Crossing quilt, featured in the March/April 2016 issue of Love of Quilting! Barb used her Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection to create this quilt, inspired by an antique. Keep reading; Barb shared more information about her design below. 

"Goose Crossing" by Barbara J. Eikmeier; machine quilted by Denise Mariano;
featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting March/April 2016

Q. What inspired this quilt?
Barb: An antique quilt that belongs to my friend Lynn and was made by her grandmother. I've borrowed the quilt for my blues talk and wanted to try making it. On the antique version, the colors are reversed. When I drew it, I didn't love it, but then I switched the colors and it became this great quilt.

Barb's version

the antique version

antique version close-up

Q. Tell us why you like two-color quilts. 
Barb: I especially like blue and white, and also red and white. I think they’re striking and kind of timeless. I just don’t get tired of them; they speak to me. When you use fabrics that are really similar like in this quilt, I call it using fabrics that are the same but different. It’s like selecting from a menu—don’t have to really worry about placement. They can be all mixed up. This quilt uses all the blues from my Vintage Shirting collection. 

Q. What do you like best about this quilt?
Barb: I like that it's easy to make--I super sized the blocks--they're 18" square in my version--and the geese go every which way. I made the flying geese units using the Fons & Porter flying geese ruler. I like to cut my triangles to the right size and sew them together, rather than trimming larger pieces. I think it's time saving. It's just a fun quilt to make. 

Q. Tell us some fun facts about this quilt.
Barb: There are multiple ways to assemble this quilt. We featured one in the TV series, and a different method in the magazine. 
Also, I had my first celebrity encounter because of this quilt--my husband and I were out walking the dog and a lady stopped us to tell me how much she liked the quilt in the video. I didn't even know her! 

Q. How did you name this quilt?
Barb: I named it as a tribute to my old neighborhood. There were two ponds on either side of the road, and the geese would walk across the road. They put up a sign for the geese--like a deer crossing sign. 

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
Learn more about Barbara and her work here.
Find the kit to make this quilt here.
Find Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine here. (This quilt was also featured on the “Love of Quilting” 2700 TV series.)

Winners!

Thanks to everyone who followed along with our Vintage Shirtings Blog Hop! We hope you enjoyed seeing the six different block designs as much as we did--so much inspiration! 

Here are the randomly selected winners for each day of the hop, both for the Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints fabric bundles we're giving away, and for the additional prize(s) that each day's host generously chose to give away:

Day 1: Barb Eikmeier
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Susan M.
Book and template set: Sandy A.
Craftsy class, Connecting the Blocks: Jen B.

Day 2: Donna Lynn Thomas
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Maryellen
QE1 and QE2 winner: Kira
Craftsy course Piece Like a Pro: Cecilia

Day 3: Kelly Ashton
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Lori M.
Book: Barb H. 

Day 4: Reeze Hanson
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Janet T.
Three patterns: Gloria C.

Day 5: Sally Schneider
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Linda E.
Book and Gizmo: Lee B.

Day 6: Theresa Ward
Vintage Shirtings bundle winner: Janie
E-book: Lu

Winners, you'll be contacted via email by the host from the day you won to get your mailing address. 

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And, while the winners themselves have been contacted, in the excitement and busy-ness of the Mad for Solids bracket and then the Vintage Shirtings Blog Hop right afterwards, we neglected to officially post the winners from our Ocean Sunrise New Block Blog Hop featuring the Painter's Palette Solids. 

Ocean Sunrise winners:

Debby G.

Anne R.

Veronique O.
Tish
Seacoast Quilter
Sarah

Congratulations to all these winners--we can't wait to see what you make with your fabric! (Please send us photos at fabriquiltblog (at) gmail.com!)

Vintage Shirting Blog Hop: Day 6

Today is the last day of our Vintage Shirting Blog Hop! We hope you've enjoyed all the block tutorials our Vintage Shirting friends have shared!

Head over to Theresa's blog to see the tutorial for her Square and Star block. A classic beauty! 

We'll give you a sneak peek of one of her two colorways here:

Theresa will show you how to make this block on her blog, you'll see her second colorway, and you can also enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle of Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints! 

 Thanks for joining us this week, and if you missed any days of the hop, use the links below:
 
Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints Blog Hop Schedule:

Thursday 4/14: Blog Hop Introduction

Friday 4/15: Barb Eikmeier @Barb's Favorites

Monday 4/18: Donna Lynn Thomas @DonnaLynnThomasQuilter

Tuesday 4/19: Kelly Ashton @KellyQuilter

Wednesday 4/20: Reeze Hanson @MorningGloryDesigns

Thursday 4/21: Sally Schneider @SallySchneider

Friday 4/22: Theresa Ward @AlwaysQuilts

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Vintage Shirting Blog Hop: Day 5

Today is the second last day of our Vintage Shirting Blog Hop! Thanks for joining us this week, and if you missed any days of the hop, you'll find the links at the bottom of this post. 

Head over to Sally's blog to see the tutorial for her Wyoming Valley Star block. This block has star power! 

We'll give you a sneak peek of one of her two colorways here:

Sally will show you how to make this block on her blog (including how to audition your fabric choices for maximum impact), you'll see her second colorway, and you can also enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle of Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints! 

Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints Blog Hop Schedule:

Thursday 4/14: Blog Hop Introduction

Friday 4/15: Barb Eikmeier @Barb's Favorites

Monday 4/18: Donna Lynn Thomas @DonnaLynnThomasQuilter

Tuesday 4/19: Kelly Ashton @KellyQuilter

Wednesday 4/20: Reeze Hanson @MorningGloryDesigns

Thursday 4/21: Sally Schneider @SallySchneider

Friday 4/22: Theresa Ward @AlwaysQuilts

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Vintage Shirting Blog Hop: Day 4

Happy Hump Day! Thanks for joining us on our Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints Blog Hop! 

Head over to Reeze's blog to see the tutorial for her Zig Zag block. It has a totally different look than the first three blocks, and we love it!

We'll give you a sneak peek of one of her two colorways here:

Reeze will show you how to make this block on her blog (she paper pieced the HSTs for more exact points!), and you can enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle of Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints as well! 

Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints Blog Hop Schedule:

Thursday 4/14: Blog Hop Introduction

Friday 4/15: Barb Eikmeier @Barb's Favorites

Monday 4/18: Donna Lynn Thomas @DonnaLynnThomasQuilter

Tuesday 4/19: Kelly Ashton @KellyQuilter

Wednesday 4/20: Reeze Hanson @MorningGloryDesigns

Thursday 4/21: Sally Schneider @SallySchneider

Friday 4/22: Theresa Ward @AlwaysQuilts

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Vintage Shirting Blog Hop: Day 3

Hello! We're glad you're joining us for our Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints Blog Hop! 

Head over to Kelly's blog to see the tutorial for her Evening Star block. 

We'll give you a sneak peek of one of her two colorways here:

Love the dark background here!

Kelly will show you how to make this block on her blog (don't miss her red, blue and cream version!), and you can enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle of Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints as well! 


Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints Blog Hop Schedule:

Thursday 4/14: Blog Hop Introduction

Friday 4/15: Barb Eikmeier @Barb's Favorites

Monday 4/18: Donna Lynn Thomas @DonnaLynnThomasQuilter

Tuesday 4/19: Kelly Ashton @KellyQuilter

Wednesday 4/20: Reeze Hanson @MorningGloryDesigns

Thursday 4/21: Sally Schneider @SallySchneider

Friday 4/22: Theresa Ward @AlwaysQuilts

See the entire Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.