GETTING READY FOR HOMEWARD BOUND

 The 2023 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show is Homeward Bound. This quilt is designed exclusively for The Quilt Show by Sarah Fielke. It features piecing and applique, lovely flora and fauna shapes, and makes a beautiful year-long project:

Best of all, the patterns are FREE to STAR MEMBERS of The Quilt Show. If you join before December 31, 2022, you also have access to the entire 2022 BOM--Garden Party Down Under by Irene Blanck. After December 31, 2022, those patterns will only be available for purchase from Irene. 

TIPS FOR GETTING READY TO MAKE HOMEWARD BOUND:

1. Have paper and printer ink ready. The pattern is usually up the first of each month. A little birdie told me Month 1 will be up December 29, 2022.

2. Plan to watch Facebook LIVE/YouTube Friday December 30, 2022 at noon central time. I will discuss how to find everything, how to ask questions, how to post photos, and give some special tips for the tiny center cabin we make in Month 1. Find the LIVE on Facebook at The Quilt Show page OR  on Youtube.com, The Quilt Show channel there. All the broadcasts are recorded and remain available all year for you to  watch when it's convenient.

3. Have a notebook you can store your patterns in. I get a 3 ring binder with 12 page tabs so each month is kept separately:

If you bought the KIT from The Quilt Show, you will find it helpful to have the Materials Requirements document printed or saved where you can quickly find it. Each fabric is listed by the Month it will be used and what it is used for. This is also helpful information if you are using your own fabric: 

4. BEFORE YOU BEGIN, each month, watch any VIDEOS that are available for that month. Month 1 has two videos, a Main one and one on making Bias Stems. The VIDEOS  supplement the written pattern. Also READ the pattern completely before you begin. READ my blog for that month--I often make suggestions for ways to do something you may want to try.  

5. January 1, 2023 will be the release of The Quilt Show featuring Sarah Fielke in studio. It is sure to be an informative show and will give you an overview of the entire project. The Block of the Month show is often FREE FOR ALL TO WATCH so check it out even if you don't plan to do the Block of the Month project.

6. The Block of the Month project is a good one to make with friends. Find one or two or several friends who want to make this with you. Gatherings don't have to be in person, though that is fun. My group of Sunday Sew and Sews began January 2017 to work on Halo Star Medallion, that year's Block of the Month. We are still going strong today as a group of 13 who meet one Sunday a month to cheer each other on.

7. Use the FORUM on The Quilt Show website to ask questions and post your progress. We love to see all the great fabric choices that everyone is making. I am there to answer all your questions so help is available should you need it.

I look forward to our year together. I hope you will join in the fun and learn some new techniques--I did!

Let's quilt.

Babara

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Festivus--whatever makes your heart sing, I wish good tidings for all of you.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

QUILT GUILD HOLIDAY FUN

 I have been able to attend my local quilt guild meetings recently. the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville is celebrating our 35th year with some special activities during the year. 

Last week was the annual "HOLIDAY DESSERT PARTY" with the Board providing sweet treats for the membership. Santa even had some elves there to help:

Sarah P, me and Kari H

The spread of goodies was impressive, guided over by Tamara P, the hostess with the mostest: 

Tamara P, Hospitality chair

Last month the Past Presidents were celebrated and many were able to attend the event and tell the story of their "President's Quilt"--the gift they received at the end of their year of service. It was good to see so many: 

As busy as we all are, it's still enjoyable to get together for fun and friendship. Happy holidays to all!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

LOCAL CLASSES STARTING IN JANUARY

 As busy as most of us are this time of year, I am looking ahead to local classes starting in January.

At Patches & Stitches, the longest continually operating quilt shop in the country, in business since April 1978, I will begin a BRAND NEW Quiltmaking 101 class. 

QUILTMAKING 101: Saturday January 28 and February 11, 2023, 9-4. Learn the 3 most important steps in piecing a quilt: the cutting, sewing and the pressing. You can expect to have a completed top ready for quilting by the end of the second session. Students will have all supplies purchased and ready by the start of the first session. Sure to be lots of fun and very educational, even for those with experience:

DISAPPEARING PATCHWORK:  Friday February 17, 2023, 9-4. Learn this FAST and EASY block then play with design ideas of your own. Neutrals are fine but so are any other color combinations you love. Don't miss this really fun class:

Register for these classes by going into PATCHES & STITCHES or calling the shop, 256-533-3886.

At SOUTHERN CHARM QUILTING, another class for those wanting to learn the basics. From selecting fabrics to finishing the binding, learn it all in this 3-session class:

START QUILTING -- SOUP TO  NUTS:  Friday January 27, February 10, and 24, 10-3. A simple sampler that allows you to create your own unique design. This is a fun class that will teach you a lot:

 

SUNRISE SUNSET: Saturday February 4 2023, 10-4. This looks so much more complicated than it is. Kits are available for the colorful background. The pattern is called "Aether" by Patty Murphy, I named mine "Sunrise Sunset" for ease of pronunciation. See my blog post about this HERE.

Register for these classes by going  into SOUTHERN CHARM QUILTING or online.

I will continue my monthly blog posts with supplemental instructions for HOMEWARD BOUND, the 2023 BLOCK OF THE MONTH quilt for THE QUILT SHOW  The pattern is FREE for STAR MEMBERS of The Quilt Show--and there are many more reasons to join The Quilt Show. But, even if you are not going to make HOMEWARD BOUND, each of my monthly posts will teach something that can be applied to other quilt projects, so don't miss those. They are my free class to you:

70" square, piecing and applique, you choose your favorite method

Let's quilt.

Barbara

SELF-BINDING PLACEMATS

Yesterday, I saw a friend's Facebook post with a link to a video for making Self-Binding Placemats. In just a few quick minutes I saw how brilliant this would be for a simple finish to a simple gift.

UPDATE: Here are all 9 made in a few hours: 

Today I am making 9 of these placemats for a party next Saturday. Once I pulled out the Christmas fabrics and cut all the pieces, I was ready to go:

That is all the fabrics needed, top and bottom, for a dozen placemats.

The instructions are a FREE download from Shabby Fabrics. You give them your email, they provide the free pattern download. Find it here: 

Link to VIDEO and FREE DOWNLOAD

While on my walk yesterday, thinking about how I wanted to make placemats now, I came up with the idea to make 8 right away. Then I thought it would be fun to make HAPPY BIRTHDAY placemats too, for kids. I will be on the lookout for Happy Birthday fabric and will make a stack of them to have on hand. All I would have to do is give one to a family before the child's first birthday. It could be used for all  members of the family on each person's birthday. You would only need ONE per family unless there happened to be multiples with the same birthday.

This simple project would be good for housewarming gifts. Or other seasonal decorating. Lots of ideas floating around.

If you wanted quilted placemats, it would be easy to add thin batting to the bottom of the fabric "sandwich" before you start sewing. Cut the batting the same size as the top. It would require some simple grid quilting when the placemat was finished to keep the batting flat, but that is an easy, extra step.

These make up very quickly. I made the first two to be sure I understood the process, then will go into "production mode" to get the rest done fast. The steps are repetitive so it is much faster to make more than one at a time. 

And this self-binding technique lends itself to small quilts too. Easy peasy.

So glad my friend Darlene C turned me on to this video. I  have saved it to my Pinterest boards too, under Mug Rugs/ATC's/Etc. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara

RECIPES

This is the only time of year I do much baking. But, boy, have I been busy!

This year I tried a new recipe--CRANBERRY WALNUT ARTISAN BREAD, here is mine:

My friend Kim Brunner posted the recipe on her Facebook page and I thought "this looks easy and yummy". It was both. But it did cost me about $100 to make because I didn't have a Dutch Oven. So now I do and I will use it for lots more things in the future, bringing the "cost/loaf" down considerably. There are several recipes for this method using different ingredients--ROSEMARY is up next at my house.

Another of my favorite things to make are Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti cookies. Find my post with the recipe here: CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI. I ran out of pistachios this time so used some walnuts too and that was just fine: 

An easy recipe that I love is for 'FORGET 'EMS". Made from egg whites and sugar, they are basically meringue that has chocolate chips and nuts added. You can add food coloring for red and green ones or pink and blue for a baby shower. They are called "forget 'ems" because once you put them on the cookie sheet while the oven preheats you TURN OFF THE OVEN and FORGET 'EM overnight in the oven. Easy and so good. 

The recipe is in that same earlier post: HOLIDAY BAKING:

All of these go directly into the freezer to keep for the next few weeks. And I usually ship some off to friends in need of a sweet gift. 

Still yet to be made this week are Toffee and Butter Cookies. And the week before Christmas I will have Stella here for a cookie baking sleepover so we will make a few other types of holiday goodies.

We might even work on a quilt.

I save LOTS of recipes on my PINTEREST boards--they are saved  in categories like SWEETS, BREAD, SAVORY ENTREES, INSTANT POT, etc. You can easily find my Boards by using the FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST link right over there on the right side of this blog.

Happy baking!

Barbara

ONE LAST TIME -- LET'S CRUISE

It won't be long, the HARMONY OF QUILTING CRUISE is March 11-18, 2023. There are a few spaces left for those who want to enjoy a great vacation on a magnificent ship AND make quilts. Put on by the good folks at Stitchin Heaven Quilt Shop, they are pros at these cruises and know how to give you the best experience. 

My class project: Scrappy Plus:

The Kit I used to make it:

This is my last push to encourage you to join us--since you still have time to make travel plans to and from Miami. The closer it gets, the more excited I am. My husband and I are now planning which excursions we want to take at the 3 ports. And I am beginning to think about clothes.

What you don't bring is a sewing machine--you will have a brand new Bernina available to you all week, just for your personal use. If you don't want to bring fabrics, you can simply order the Kits available when you register. There are two different quilt projects, taught by me and the other teacher, April Jaehn. Each of us teach all the students, on different days. We move between classrooms, the students stay in one place. It couldn't be easier.

Here are links to the previous posts I've written about the cruise, which was supposed to happen in April 2021: 

JOIN THE FUN

COME CRUISE WITH ME

CRUISING FUN

 SCRAPPY PLUS QUILT

The next time I post about the CRUISE, it will be to tell you what a fantastic time we all had! I hope you will join us while we still have a spot for you,

Let's quilt.

Barbara

A New Project

 While teaching last April at the Virginia Consortium of Quilters I met Patty Murphy. She was teaching a great quilt I was really taken with:

This is Patty's photo, taken from her website, find all her information about this quilt here: Patty Murphy Handmade.

During Show and Tell at VCQ, I saw her students' work and how to make this quilt became apparent. First, make the background:

Then add the Orange Peels:

Isn't that great? I bought the pattern and started looking for background fabrics. 

I found 9 ombre pieces at  Southern Charm Quilting and bought them, along with a few large florals for some of the Orange Peels:

I recently had time to start making the background:

Then I started playing with the Orange Peels:

T

This is still a work in progress but it is fun.  Playing with the fabrics is part of the fun. I had to add more background fabrics from my stash. Now I have to cut and prepare more Orange Peels. Once they are made and placed, I will machine applique them to the background,

There are several ways to make the Orange Peels--mine have turned edges--but they could be easily cut and fused too. 

This will be a class at Southern Charm Quilting sometime in 2023--just as soon as I can get the top completed.

Let's quilt.

Barbara