Why We Love Fall

Pumpkins, cider, changing leaves, trick or treating...what isn't there to love about fall?!?! 


We're feeling inspired by fall and wanted to share some of our finds with you. 

First, the fun and whimsical:

AllPeopleQuilt.com

Check out this link for more ideas for decorating pumpkins with sewing supplies from American Patchwork & Quilting! Some great ideas for no-mess jack o'lanterns!

Then the "scary" whimsical:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/142215300706621652/

And don't forget sophisticated!

Then the super-tasty:

http://thefrugalgirls.com/2009/10/spiced-apple-cider-recipe.html

Photo: The Novice Chef Blog

Yum, yum and yum! There's no shortage of autumn-themed recipes on the web, but we liked this collection of 25 Best Pumpkin Recipes found here. 

And then, of course, there's the fabric. 
Rich harvest tones that keep fall's gorgeous palette around all year round. 
A few of our faves:

"In Alignment" by Tony Jacobson;
featured in the Fall 2013 issue of Easy Quilts

 Find more info here.

"Harvest Lone Star" by Betsy Smith:

featured in The Quilter October-November 2012

Find more info here.

"Chocolate Bar" by Tricia Lynn Maloney;
featured in Easy Quilts fall 2013

 Read more here.

Harvest Home by Joan Shay; featured in Quilt Trends Fall 2012

Find more info here.

"Autumn Tapestry" by Pine Tree Country Quilts;
featured in The Quilter October/November 2013

Find more info here.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out our "Feels Like Fall" board on Pinterest!

10 Ways to Use Tonals

This post is light on images but heavy on links. And trust us, they are worth the clicks!

By now you're familiar with Ro Gregg's Marblehead fabrics, and the Marblehead Challenge. We've even shared several tutorials using these rich, textured tonal prints. 

We've got more good news if you're a tonal lover: a new collection called Leather! 

Whether you're a fan of Marblehead, Leather, or even our Focus II prints, the following 10 links offer up inspiration as to how you can use these fabrics. From free tutorials to plain old eye candy to books you can purchase, we're sharing links for some of our favorite ideas for using tonal prints. 
Enjoy! 

1. "Graduation" quilt by Amy Ellis, featured in her book Modern Basics

2. "Starflower" quilt tutorial, made using half-square triangles, by Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane

3. "Lil' Twister" quilt tutorial (tessellating pinwheels!) by Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works

4. "Pick Up Sticks" improvisational piecing pattern by Faith Jones of Fresh Lemons Quilts

5. "Modern Mirage" by Lee Heinrichs of Freshly Pieced (she's got another gorgeous HST rainbow quilt that you'll see in this link as well!)

6. "Tiki Temple" by Natalie of Beyond the Reef Designs (beautifully quilted by Angela Walters of Quilting Is My Therapy)

7. "Solid as a Block" quilt by Ann of A Girl in Paradise

8. "Broken Dishes" quilt by Rita of Red Pepper Quilts

9. "City Quilts" book by Cherri House. This post is an interview with Cherri by Emily Cier of Carolina Patchworks, and as a bonus you get to see several of her quilts from the book. Cherri has since put out a second book, "Urban Views," in the same vein. You can find both these books through C&T Publishing. 

10. Craftsy's post, "Painting with Patternless Fabric"offers seven different ideas for using solid/tonal fabrics.

Friends of Fabri-Quilt: Shortcuts with Marblehead

Are you thinking about what do sew for the Marblehead Challenge? Today we're serving up some more inspiration, courtesy of Will Simpson from the quilt shop Quilting Around in Weatherford, TX. 

Will used the "Walk About" pattern by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery to showcase the pre-printed Marblehead blocks, and then used one of the smaller Marblehead prints in the border. Quick work with great results!  

Will says: "The pre-printed tile squares add interest without the 'trouble' of applique. Picking the red to contrast was easy--it matches the tiles perfectly. I just love this pattern for the ease; I'm all about easy quilts that have nice visual impact!"

The two main prints Will used:

And a few close-ups of the quilt, machine quilted with a Celtic Knot design:

Here are a couple more Marblehead quilts Will has made, both using pre-printed strip yardage. 

Red, black and white, using the Marblehead stripe featured in the Fashionista collection.

The pre-printed stripe:

Pieced blocks with minimal piecing!

And the earth-tone pre-printed stripe from the original Marblehead collection. 

Made from this:

Thanks so much to Will for sharing his quilts!

What could you do with Marblehead? 

You asked for inspiration...

We'll deliver! 

Here's a mouth-watering close-up of an opportunity quilt designed and quilted by Linda Visnaw and made by five Hopi women this summer.

 The quilt will be raffled off in July 2013 to benefit the Hopi School in Arizona.

The colors, the motifs, the quilting...all we can say is WOW!

We'll be sharing the entire story of this quilt, and of course more photos, very soon.

What has inspired you today?

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