We have a new feature that you’ll be seeing occasionally on our blog. We’ll have guest bloggers who we’ll be introducing you to. Sometimes they’ll be designers who are featured in our issues or other special people we think you might like to learn more about.

Joni Pike has a wonderful collection of whimsical quilt patterns that she sells through her company, Sew Special Designs. You can find her adorable Christmas card holder wall quilt, Special Delivery,  in our November/December ‘09 issue.

“My name is Joni Pike and I’ve been designing fusible web appliqué quilt patterns since 2001 under my company name Sew Special Designs. I’m an accountant by trade but I love all things related to sewing including fabrics, notions, trims, threads, and buttons. My patterns are great for all skill levels and lots of fun to make! The use of buttons and other embellishments add a touch of whimsy. Each pattern has a button pack made especially for that design. My main goal when designing is to make people smile! Check out my fun patterns at www.sewspecialdesigns.com.

In addition to my pattern business, I’ve authored a book for C&T Publishing. Cute as a Button Quilts is primarily a project book but contains many of the “how-to” techniques for completing the book projects. This makes it perfect for beginners or expert quilters alike.  Vote for your favorite pattern and win a copy of my book plus six of my favorite patterns with buttons packs. Click here and add a comment to be included in the drawing, which will be held on October 5, 2009. 

If you’re a big fan of HGTV’s Simply Quilts, you can see my video of the Catnip quilt. The Catnip show has been very popular! 

Look for new designs in the future and visit my website for pattern updates in the coming months. I’ll also be working on a new project for Fairfield Processing, the company that makes batting, stuffing, and pillow forms you see in your local fabric and craft stores.  And, I may even have another book up my sleeve!

Happy Sewing!”

Like our Nov/Dec cover quilt?

Happy Holly Days is now available as a kit. You’ll get beautiful Artisan Batiks from Robert Kaufman (plus one print) like we used to make this fun and simple holiday quilt. Kits are available in a 70” x 89” twin or 51” x 51” wall size. A coordinating backing can also be purchased.

A longtime reader favorite, Flock of Dreams, is also available as a kit. We’ve freshened these fuzzy fleece sheep with whimsical fabric from Wilmington Prints. Available in two color choices, purple or blue, this is a 42” x 54” crib size.

We know kits help you make your quilts faster—and we hope you’ll enjoy more time sewing with the fabric selected for you by the QM staff.

You can order kits now at shopquiltmaker.com or by calling 877-269-8024 from Monday–Saturday, 8:30 am to 9:00 pm EST.

Subscribers will be receiving the latest issue soon. It’s always fun to see where they start arriving–post a comment when you get yours. This issue is scheduled to be on newsstands 10/13.

Preview the issue on our website now. We still have a little bit of content to add, but most of it is ready now. I’m excited about so many things in this issue–I’ll jsut tell you about a couple projects now.

• Check out our fun Happy Holly Days cover quilt, designed by Associate Editor Diane Harris–and watch for big news about kits coming soon.
• Our mystery quilters will soon be finishing their Christmas Lights quilts, with the final installment of Bonnie Hunter’s design.
• And, check out Toolerrific Tote. Make your own tote bag to fill with your quilting tools OR you can win the one featured in our magazine!
• Snowfriends, delightful hand embroidery from Lynda Howell, will help you fill the cooler evenings this fall.

This morning I’m writing product reviews for the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Quiltmaker. Several products are from Jackie Robinson and Nine Patch Media, so I was on Jackie’s site to confirm some information and I found these great free placemat of the month patterns. I think Quiltmaker readers will love them!

October!

June!

February!

Fast, easy and fun!

A few years ago Brenda Groelz, our former Editor-in-Chief bought gummy chicken feet one Easter for her kids.
Once in a while, we receive “treats” in the office. We just received one today from Brenda. She had visited Archie McPhee’s, http://www.mcphee.com/shop/ , in Seattle, Washington and thought of her former co-workers with a box of Gummy Bacon. Yum!
 

Carolyn, Diane and June enjoying our gummy bacon!

Thanks, Brenda!

Last night I started reading a book by Joen Wolfrom called Visual Coloring. It’s not a brand new book (2007 from C&T Publishing) but it’s new to me and I’m finding her ideas really interesting.

She collects photos/ads/images containing color combinations she finds attractive–exciting to her soul, if you will. She files the images into categories such as earthy, watery, warm, cool, autumn, winter, soft, tropical, etc.

When she’s ready to start a quilt/project, she goes to her file and pulls an image with colors that will work in to what she has in mind: here she considers who the quilt is for, how it will be used, the mood she’s after and so on.

She enlarges the chosen image to 8.5 x 11. By studying it carefully, she chooses fabrics in colors to match the image’s colors. It’s so interesting to see her photos and the fabrics she chose based on the photos. There’s a gallery of quilts made using this technique of visual coloring.

If you’re interested in a color method that’s unique, fast and easy, I’d recommend this book. I’m excited to try visual coloring, so the first thing on my list is to start my file of color inspirations. I’ll keep you posted.