Pillowcases with Pizzazz

American Patchwork  Quilting just posted the two newest patterns for the One Million Pillowcase Challenge! You can see the pillowcase patterns sewn from our latest fabrics below; we've also included the links for each featured pattern below the photo so you can pop over to the All People Quilt website, download the pdf, and get sewing! To find out more about the Pillowcase Challenge and the quest for 1 million, click here.

Which one do you like best? 

 Rows of Ruffles featuring Rio 

(Photo: Allpeoplequilt.com)

Feather Applique featuring Under the Sea by Heidi Pridemore

(Photo: Allpeoplequilt.com)

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Imagine waking up one morning and seeing this on your front lawn:

That's right! Plastic flamingos are now trendy. "Flocking" is a gag gift idea turned fundraiser. Many companies on the Internet (really; just Google search: flocking a lawn) offer flocking as a service. It's touted for milestone birthdays and events or just for fun. High school and church groups have transformed the idea into a fundraiser, where houses that have been flocked donate to have the pink birds removed from their lawn and then suggest the next victim. The fundraising idea comes complete with "flocking insurance" that can be purchased to ensure these feathered friends don't end up on your lawn. 

Enough about flocking...back to the birds. Because while pink plastic flamingos are all in good fun, the actual bird is a majestic, amazing creature. 

Who better to feature birds on fabric than Ro Gregg? An avid bird lover, Ro's latest collection, Birds of a Feather, features flamingos and other feathered friends. Why birds? No doubt you've seen birds showing up in home decor  and even apparel--quilting is the logical next stop! 

Ro says, "I've taken inspiration from our avian friends to create a collection for quilters to fill their 'nests.' Birds have a complex culture--they have such amazing building skills, in weaving their nests and creating a cozy space for their babies."

The collection's main pattern is a printed aviary of some of Ro's favorite feathered friends: owls, cranes, woodpeckers, ducks, hummingbirds, as well as some more common every-day birds (and don't forget the flamingos!). 

Other coordinates include two feather prints--one larger and more literal, and the other more geometric. (Wouldn't it make a great textured border or binding?)

Ro also chose a palette for the Birds of a Feather prints that would coordinate with the Marblehead Pleasing Pastels for variety that goes on and on. It just makes you feel tropical, doesn't it? 

Find a free pattern using the Birds of a Feather collection on our website. In addition to the center pieced blocks, the pattern features a flying geese (how appropriate!) border. 

"Tailwind" by Tresa McConachie

See the entire Birds of a Feather collection by Ro Gregg here. 

Two by two...

Happy Friday! 

If you're looking for an adorable, quick baby quilt idea, look no further! 

Noah's Ark is a hugely popular theme for little ones, and we think you'll love our latest version. (And we know you'll love the name: Rock the Boat!)

1 panel + a border or 2 + binding, and your quilt is done!

Panel measures 36" x 45"

Pair this sweet panel with the collection's coordinating prints:

(Backing!)

Love a graphic striped main border

 Narrow borders and binding?!

See the entire collection here.

What's in a color?

We thought we'd have some fun with color today. What is your favorite, and why?

This article from freshome Design & Architecture explores room colors and how they affect your mood. Sure, paint is great, but fabric is more fun, so we've pulled some of our favorites in each hue to coordinate with the article's explanations!

Kitchen:

Yellow - increases metabolism, brightens rooms, gives you energy

1. Calypso Frogs 2. Marblehead 3. French Connection

Dining Room:

Red - encourages appetite

1. Roses Are Red 2. French Connection 3. Belle of the South

Living Room: 

Lavender - calms the nerves, allows relaxation

1. Nite Owls 2. Cherry Blossoms 3. Marblehead

Bedroom: 

Green - tranquility and health

1. Marblehead 2. Baltimore Album 3. Belle of the South

Girl's Bedroom:

Pink - calming, warm

1. Rio 2. Pretty in Pink 3. Calypso Frogs

Office:

Blue - most productive color

1. Indigo Blues 2. Marblehead 3. French Connection

Do any of the rooms (or quilts) in your house match up with these recommendations?

Fall colors in all their glory

As the leaves start to turn, we can't help but be excited about fall! Those rich, glorious colors...

Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts used the inviting prints from our Fall Tapestry collection to create a table setting that brings those delicious colors into your home. 

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

Q. What drew you to the Fall Tapestry prints?
Pine Tree: The richness of the colors. They all have a golden feel to them, and we loved the idea of bringing fall colors into the home through a table runner and coordinating placemats.

Q. Favorite print in the collection? 
Pine Tree: It's a toss-up between the large leaves on black and the circles.

 

Q. How did you decide on the design for the runner and placemats?
Pine Tree: We knew this was a fabric line that could do all the work in a visually simple design. Turning sashed squares on point adds an extra element to the design--sort of dresses it up a bit and creates movement. The arrangement of the different fabrics [rather than a random, scrappy layout] adds an elegance to the runner, too.

Q. And the decision to use black as an accent?
Pine Tree: The black sashing and binding really helps the prints to pop. They almost jump out at you! And the rust cornerstones bring in a little extra color since the prints we chose to use in the runner are primarily green and gold.

Find the kit for Autumn Tapestry here.
See the entire Fall Tapestry collection here.
Find The Quilter magazine here.

Love the Fall Tapestry fabrics? See another quilt made with these prints here. 

Come rock with us!

One of the most inspiring parts of being in the fabric business is seeing how designers use our products. We love seeing what their creativity leads to, and "Rockin'," by Terry Albers, is no exception. Look at how she used Ro Gregg's Rock Around the Block prints combined with Marblehead Global Brights in this cool quilt!

"Rockin'" designed by Terry Albers and machine quilted by Sandy Schilawski;
featured in Quilt Trends fall 2013

Q. What attracted you to the Rock Around the Block fabric?

Terry: I think it was the rather wonky shapes that first appealed to me…along with Ro’s Marblehead Brights.

This fabric does all the "heavy lifting" to make Terry's quilt so neat!

Q. How did you come up with the design idea?

Terry: I designed this quilt from the outside in.  I started with Ro’s print as a wide border. I wanted blocks to repeat the feel of her design without taking away from it.  That is when I chose the layered bull’s eye block. I have always loved the raggy bull's-eye technique. The blocks are easy to make and quilt has double snuggle factor after it is washed and the edges of the circles fluff up.

Q. Tell us about the bull's-eye circles.

Terry: I started with a main print square, two different Marblehead circles and added the top circle with a centered motif. I was looking for an opposite of this for an alternate block, so I used a Marblehead square, print circle and then two Marblehead circles. Then I took it one step further; sewing sets of circles together, cutting them in fourths, mixing them up and sewing them back together. This worked best by anchoring the pieced circles to just one color for the squares. The trickiest part was organizing the cutting to write the pattern!

Q. What do you like best about this quilt?

Terry: Another easy question…I love Ro’s bright colors.  I like that it’s bright and busy but orderly; the sashing and Marblehead borders give your eyes a place to rest and contain the busy-ness of the blocks. 

Q. The cornerstones have such a neat look! Did you plan to use the print from the beginning, or did you try tonals for those squares first?

Terry:  Yes, I did audition the regular Marbleheads but they didn’t add anything to the quilt. I also tried fussy-cutting the cornerstones but, in the end, random cuts worked better.

Q. Can you talk about the machine quilting decisions?

Terry: I asked Sandy to quilt everything but the bull's eye circles.  Then I put on my free motion foot and quilted the circles, spiraling out from the center.  (I often plan to fine-tune the quilting to highlight certain areas or components of my quilts.)

Q. What do you envision this quilt being used for?

Terry: Wouldn’t it make a great tween or dorm quilt? This one is earmarked for my granddaughter who loves bright colors. I also think this quilt would be great fun made up in black and white prints with the Marblehead accents, especially reds, oranges & yellows with black.

Find Rock Around the Block here and Marblehead Global Brights here.

Learn more about Terry and her designs here. 

Find the kit for this quilt here.

Find Quilt Trends magazine here. 

You can never have too many...

Fill in the blank:

You can never have too many ____________.

Chocolate desserts?

Shoes?

Baby quilt patterns?

While we'd love to send a box of chocolates or some new Jimmy Choos your way, we're in the fabric business, so we'll stick to what we know, so baby quilt pattern it is! 

We love showing off quilts made from our fabrics here on the blog, and this one has an added bonus--it's a free pattern, courtesy of Quilt Trends magazine. Designers Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts created this sweet baby or child's quilt using Mystic Forest. 

"Hopscotch" designed by Pine Tree Country Quilts

They chose the monkey print, as the main fabric, but you can use elephant or bear prints and change the palette as you like. 

Find the free pattern for the "Hopscotch" quilt here.
See the entire Mystic Forest collection here.
Find the kit for the "Hopscotch" quilt here.
See Quilt Trends magazine here.

Like Mystic Forest?

Check out some other projects made with these adorable children's prints.

PUL snack bags

Ruffled edge growth chart

Our spring Quilt Market booth photos

10 irresistible baby ideas