Perkins Dry Goods

Welcome to the French Connection Sew Along!

This has been a busy week with a quilt deadline looming….

You’ll see this project in Quiltmaker’s Quilts from 100 Blocks this spring.  I thought you might like a few tips on some of the quick tricks I like to use when I’m working.

I’m right handed and my table is set up so that it works better to have the bulk of the yardage I’m working with off to the left.  This is a work-around to allow me to easily cut my strips from the right hand end of the fabric. Click on the image for a closer look.

I am also excited to be included in the newest issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks – Volume 10!  Join me and Quiltmaker here next week for the Blog Tour.  My day is Monday…there will be prizes too!

I sew every day – 365 days of the year.  I never imagined that I would have this job, that I love dearly.  But I also rarely get a sewing vacation!

My friend Marilyn Foreman from Quilt Moments convinced me to join her and two other friends last March at the Spring Mystery Weekend at Glad Creations in Minneapolis.  Glad’s is where is took my first quilting class in 1983.  It was like coming home!  And even better is that I got to sew just for me!

There is a Fall Mystery Weekend too; it was my turn to do the convincing and tomorrow is the day – Mystery Weekend #48!   “Civilian Sewing” is what keeps coming to my mind….I’ll be “off-duty” so to speak.  Not teaching, not designing, not responsible for anything but my very own seam allowances!

There is show and tell each time and earlier this week I though maybe I could get a few more blocks finished from the Spring Mystery…unfortunately, this is where my progress stopped…but I got everything out again and reorganized it so I can keep going.  Not like I’ll finish this queen sized quilt before I go tomorrow, but I made an effort!

Greetings to everyone! And welcome to the first day of the 100 Blocks Blog Tour!  I think this issue is outstanding!  Look for it in your local Quilt Shop and on Newsstands May 10th.

Be sure to comment on this post – there will be a drawing for an issue of 100 Blocks Vol. 3 ~ don’t miss it!

My block is #293 and is called In and Out.
The fabric I used is Halo from Red Rooster by Gudrun Erla.

What I’m going to do today is show you what happens when you change the placement of fabric within the block.  I’ve put together these four-block toppers with 1.5″ sashing between the blocks (cut it 2″ x 12.5″) and a cornerstone in the center (cut 2″ x 2″).  Add accent and outer borders and you’ll have a topper that’s perfect for a table top, wall hanging or baby quilt. The Block finishes 12″ x 12″, the topper as shown without borders finishes 25.5″ x 25.5″.

Notice the cool secondary patterns that are created with each version.

#1 – The Original Block

#2 – The Green print and the Background have switched places.

#3 – The Pink print and the Background have switched places.

#4 -The Pink print is the only one that didn’t move in this version!

#5 – The Background is in the same spot, Pink moved to green, Green moved to Light print and Light print moved to pink.  If that makes any sense!

Stop by Konda’s blog – Moose on the Porch Quilts –  for the block pattern and more info on the Quilt Along!

Leave a comment and you will be entered into a drawing for one of my newest patterns!

A special treat – a runner project that you can make from the block pattern:

Click here for pattern.

Greetings blog tour visitors – thanks for stopping by!  Quiltmaker has outdone themselves with this issue of 100 Blocks Vol. 2! If you would like to purchase a copy, they are available from Quiltmaker’s website, your local quilt shop after Nov. 16 or from my website soon.

It’s give-away time!  Leave a comment and you will be entered in a drawing for a copy of 100 Blocks Vol. 2 or one of my new patterns released at market.

I jumped at the chance to submit another block and was thrilled that it made the cut!  I hope you enjoy it.

When I started to think about what to design, I had a pile of my favorite fabrics – a collection of Jo Morton’s lines from Andover – on the table and went to work with them.  First I chose a medium and a dark blue print, a dark brown and of course a background that these yummy fabrics would pop against.

I thought you might like a project idea, especially with the Holidays approaching.

Star Dance Topper 26″ x 26″

Click here for printer friendly version.

In addition to the yardage for the Star Dance block on page 65 in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 2 magazine, you will need the yardage listed below.  Note: before you cut your strips into rectangles, measure your block for accuracy and cut the rectangles to that size.

Dark Brown:  5/8 yard
Tan 1/8 yard
Dark Blue 1/4 yard
Binding 3/8 yard
Backing 7/8 yard

Border #1 – Dark Brown

1. Cut 2 – 2″ strips on the width of the fabric.
2. Cut 2 – 2″ x 12-1/2″ and 2 – 2″ x 15-1/2″ rectangles.
3. Sew the short rectangles to opposite sides of the block, press away from the block.
4. Sew the long rectangles to the remaining sides of the block, press away from the block.

Border #2 – Tan

1. Cut 2 – 1/5″ strips on the width of the fabric.
2. Cut 2 – 1.5″ x 15-1/2″ and 2 – 2″ x 17-1/2″ rectangles.
3. Sew the short rectangles to opposite sides of the block, press away from the block.
4. Sew the long rectangles to the remaining sides of the block, press away from the block.

Border #3 and Cornerstones – Dark Blue

1. Cut 1 – 4″ strip; cut 4- 3-1/2″ squares, cut strip down to 2 -2″ wide strips and cut 2 – 2″ x 20-1/2″ rectangles.
2. Cut 1 – 2″ strip; cut 2 – 2″ x 17-1/2″ rectangles.
3. Sew the short rectangles to opposite sides of the block, press away from the block.
4. Sew the long rectangles to the remaining sides of the block, press away from the block.

Outer Border – Dark Brown

1. Cut 2 – 3-1/2″ strips on the width of the fabric.
2. Cut strips into 4 – 20-1/2″ rectangles.
3. Sew 2 rectangles to opposite sides of the quilt top, press away from the top.
4. Sew 3-1/2″ Dark Blue cornerstones to opposite ends of the remaining two Dark brown rectangles. Press away from the cornerstones.
5. Sew these final borders to the remaining sides of the quilt top.  Press away from the quilt.

Instructions are for personal use only.  Thanks for respecting our copyright.

Exciting news! My Sweet Morsels quilt is in the Nov/Dec. Issue of Quiltmaker Magazine!

Kits are available at my website.  Click here for more information.

I also have table topper in this issue….Citrus Cooler.  Isn’t it fun to see what happens with a dramatically different color combination?

Kits for this topper will be available SOON in the Pink and Brown colorway.

Watch for more information on purchasing the topper kit.

I will be teaching my Scalloping Basics class at Silver Lane Quilting in Forest Lake, MN on January 30th from 1:30 – 5:30.  If you are in the area, you don’t want to miss this class.  Contact Silver Lane to register at 651-639-8800.  We will be making a scalloped table topper and you will have the binding on, ready to stitch down by the end of class.  Really!

I came across this cool little tutorial on making a tissue cozy at Kimberly Mason’s (KimQuiltz) blog yesterday.  She has a project called Share the Love!  Make two – give them to a friend who can keep one and pass one on.  These go together super fast – you won’t be able to stop making them.  Click here for the pattern.  Thanks Kim!~

Roseann is doing the cutest sampler quilt – one block each day over at her blog.  Today is block #8, but you can go back to the beginning and start from there.

So far, I’ve only been out to two shops!  Quilted Treasures in Rogers, MN and Silver Lane Quilting in Forest Lake, MN.  Both are neat shops.  My goal next week is to get out to see Roseann in North St. Paul!