I’m introduced to designers in many ways—Quilt Market, other designers and also from our friends at the different fabric manufacturers that we work with. I’d like to thank Lissa Alexander, Marketing Director for Moda Fabrics for introducing me to Julie Herman. Julie is a young designer who also makes projects for the Moda Bake Shop. She’s fun and full of energy and ideas. You can find her pattern for Cornflower Fields in our March/April ‘10 issue. Read about Julie and leave us a comment for a chance to win one of the 3 prizes Moda Fabrics has provided: a Jelly Roll, Honey Bun or Charm Pack from the Nature’s Notebook collection by April Cornell, the same collection used in Cornflower Fields. I’ll randomly draw 3 names next Tuesday, February 2nd around noon.

Julie Herman

If you asked me 10 years ago what my creative “thing” would be in 10 years… quilting would have been the last thing I said!  I’ve always been artistic, but the quilting bug didn’t bite me until 8 years ago.  Prior to quilting, I painted, sculpted with clay, worked with beads, did graphic design and even a bit of needlepoint.  My mother has been sewing since well before I was born and so I naturally had no interest in doing the same thing as her!  Well eventually the quilting bug bit me and I’ve never looked back.  I always thought I was the first quilter in my family.  Recently I learned that I’m not upon the discovery of three quilts made in the 1930’s by my great great grandmother.

My style of quilting is all over the map.  I’ve made traditional to modern… detailed appliqué with hand quilting to simple and fast, no fuss.  Cornflower Fields is the largest quilt I’ve made.  At 96″x 96″ it may seem challenging but large pieces enable it to come together very quickly.  I normally start a design without color in mind but I worked backwards with this piece.  My goal was to come up with a bold design that would have a floating on-point appearance set within a standard grid.  All three borders were attached at one time using the same technique I show on my blog for mitering multiple borders. Mitering borders is much easier than most people think and gives a great finish to many quilts!

Unlike many quilters I love the math involved in quilting.  I find joy in calculating how big pieces should be cut and how much yardage will be needed for a project.  This skill comes in handy when working at a quilt shop, attending a show, or getting a phone call from quilter friends while they are in the middle of a project. Yes this has happened!  My background in design has also helped me tremendously. I attended Drexel University for design and had the pleasure of taking many great classes including one silkscreen class where I made a quilt as one of my projects out of custom fabric.

Blogging has been one of the best additions to my quilting life.  It has enabled me to share my work and meet a ton of new people.  In 2009 I was lucky to be able to design for the Moda Bake Shop, attend my first quilt market, as well as work and shop at 4 other shows.  I’ve got a lot planned for 2010 and I hope you’ll join along on my blog, where I post “WIPs”work-in-progresses, finished pieces, my weekly stash report, as well as all kinds of things!

You may not be familiar with her name, but you’ve seen Peg’s work on the pages of Quiltmaker for many years. She is one of our home sewers and also designs patterns, most recently the crazy quilt stocking ornaments in Holiday Handiwork in our Nov/Dec ‘09 issue.

Hi, my name is Peg Spradlin.  I’m a home sewer for Quiltmaker and Quilters Newsletter magazines and have been for the past 20 years.  They’re great magazines and I’ve enjoyed every project sent my way—big or small, challenging or easy.

I’m a great believer in learning from other quilters and have sharpened my quilting skills by taking classes from some of the best in the industry—Hari Walner, Diane Gaudynski, and Sue Nickels to name a few.  I also teach classes nationally on all aspects of quilting, including machine quilting, foundation piecing and applique.  A complete list of my classes is available on my website at handicraftsbypeg.com.

Also available, for a limited time on my website, are decorative hooks made from

fine flatware that may be purchased and used to display the miniature crazy quilt

Christmas stocking ornaments (a design of mine) that are patterned in the Nov/Dec ‘09 issue of Quiltmaker.

I’ve also designed a quilt block, Spring Blossom, which is being included in the

new Quiltmaker publication “100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers”  (on sale 11/17).

Look for my shadow applique calendar holder which will be featured in the Jan/

Feb 2010 issue of Quiltmaker.

I met Sue Marsh years ago and fell in love with her whimsical designs. She has branched out in another direction, adding fast and fun patterns made from precut fabrics. She created a wonderful trio of wool wall quilts, North Pole Pals, for our Nov/Dec ‘09 issue. 

“Hi! I’m Sue Marsh of Whistlepig Creek Productions. Fall is my favorite season. I love the colors of the leaves changing and the intense blue of the sky. The weather is perfect here in Colorado. Not that I get to enjoy it, as Fall is also my busiest time of year. Vacations are over, kids are back in school and quilters are gearing up for Christmas. There is nothing more perfect or welcome than a handmade gift. They are among my favorite things. Quilts given to my nieces and nephews at birth are now in tatters and still being carried around.
 
I love working with the precut fabrics that are readily available. Charm packs, Jelly Rolls, Twice the Charm and fat quarters are among my favorites. I’ve taken to making smaller projects such as tote bags and table runners. Pre-cut packages are perfect for these. A good chunk of the work has been done for you, the fabrics are cut for you and coordinate perfectly. There is little or no waste and they are very reasonably priced. And… if you don’t happen to get the project done, sewers are very happy to receive the little bundles as gifts!
 
As I mentioned, Fall is my busiest season. I go to two wholesale markets a year, and one of them is this week, Quilt Market in Houston. I have nothing completed, but lots of things almost done. I will be finishing these up right after I get out the hair color and take care of these grays that pop up in profusion as the stress level raises. Chances are real good that I will be sewing buttons on the plane.

You can find some of my designs on the pages of Quiltmaker, North Pole Pals in the Nov/Dec ‘09 issue and Grandpa’s Farm in Quiltmaker’s Quilting & Embroidery, Summer ‘09. Look for more of my designs in these magazines in 2010.”
 

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.

Celebrate our new site with two free patterns: Zoo-for-Two and Lavender Fields. Both use fun, large-scale fabric for quick and easy quilts.

Zoo-for-Two is made from Urban Flannel by Valori Wells for FreeSpirit Fabrics. The QM staff knew how fun that fabric would be when we first saw it. The best thing about Zoo-for-Two is how you end up with 2 quilts from one pattern. Hope you like how we used your fabric Valori!

Lavender Fields started as the color option after I saw Willow by McKenna Ryan for Hoffman California Fabrics. But I wanted to make a throw so I changed the patch size and it needed two borders, so this one became its own pattern

Happy quilting!