Lovin' Me Some Blues

I was delighted to receive this photo from Shari Sistek (who lives in Ohio) of my Prairie Gathering quilt all done in blues.  Love, love, love it!!  It looks so great in shades of blue.  Thanks, Shari, for sending the photo to me.  I'm sure everyone is enjoying your beautiful quilt.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I adore red....it's my favorite color.  But....I must admit that I'm in a BLUE spell at the moment.  I'm very taken by Indigo and all shades of blues.  Let this serve as a clue to what's coming soon (wink, wink)

If you're loving my Prairie Gathering quilt, you can purchase the pattern here and create it in your favorite color!!  

I've been traveling a lot this month which is why I haven't been blog posting as often.  When I am home, I play catch-up for days.  I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't have a busy life and wishes for more balance everyday.

I am excited to be traveling to the Atlanta, GA area in just a few weeks.  On Tuesday, June 19th, I'll be stopping in at the Cottontail Quilt Shop in Kennesaw for a meet & greet.  I'll be there at 3pm, so if you're in the area, please stop by the shop.

Then, later that evening, I'll be giving a lecture  at the Etowah Valley Quilt Guild at 7pm.  They meet at the Cartersville Civic Center.  Workshop the next day.  

I'd love to meet you so please stop by!  

I invite you to visit my blog this week Thursday for an exciting announcement!  

Until then, Be Well....Stitch Happy!

So Cal Quilt Shop Visits

While I was in California, in between working and visiting with my family, I did have some time to visit a two other quilt shops.  Southern California has more than their fair share of really good ones!  Look at my last blog post to see all that Fat Quarters Quilt Shop in Vista has to offer.  

Me, Lisa Bongean and my A Primitive Gathering BOM quilt in the background.

I popped in at Primitive Gatherings in Murrieta and found Lisa in the shop while I was there.  She was on her way out to teach for a guild, but we had a few minutes to catch up and visit.

This Primitive Gatherings shop is not even a year old, and look how chock full of yummy goods and inspiration awaits.  

You can sure linger there a long time to take it all in.

Sometimes, I'm hit with a kind of sadness when shopping at a store like this, only because you are met with a strong desire to make everything you see, and you realize you only have but one life and just can't have it all.  What a bummer!  Teehee!!

I was so jazzed to see this display of my patterns.  They have lots and lots of other designers, too.  So, so much to choose from.  

This is another 'must see' quilt shop if you're in the Temecula, CA area.  Keep up with what's new at Primitive Gatherings blog and Lisa Bongean's Blog.

Temecula Quilt Co shop owner, Sheryl Johnson.  Fabrics next to Sheryl are Old Green Calicos
by Pam Buda for Marcus Fabrics.

The next day, I headed to Temecula to visit with Sheryl at her shop, Temecula Quilt Co.  I was very happy to see that my new fabric, Old Green Calicos was in the shop when I arrived.  

Last year, Sheryl created this awesome Prairie Burgoyne quilt using my Prairie Gathering fabric line.  Love, love this quilt, especially because of the way Sheryl added her name to the top of the quilt.  So vintage repro!!  When I was there last year, I saw the quilt in progress, and was very happy for the opportunity to see it complete this year.  

Temecula Quilt Co. features tons and tons of Civil War reproduction fabrics.  

I think you would agree that Sheryl has a wonderful way of displaying the fabrics and quilts in the shop.

Keep up with what's new at Temecula Quilt Co. on Sheryl's blog as there's always new and inspiring projects waiting for you.


Next week, I'll be visiting the Country Road Quilters Guild in Ocala, FL for a lecture and workshop.  The workshop is filled, but you can still come to the lecture on Feb 4th.  Email Karen at kah577@aol.com.  

Next month, I'll be at The Indiana Heritage Quilt Show March 3-5th, in Bloomington, IN. Click here for more info on the show.  

There will be more new things to tell you about from Heartspun Quilts in my next post.  Until then, hope you find some time for stitchin'!!

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Twelve

I can hardly believe that a year has almost passed since we began this journey together!  My, how the time has flown by.  You have done an amazing job with this quilt, and are about to complete this piecing masterpiece!

Your first task this month is to assemble the two types of Friendship Stars.  There's not much to offer in the way of suggestions here that we haven't already covered.  I'll just say this one last time....measure to be absolutely sure they are the correct size.  I love Friendship Stars as they give a bit of movement to the quilt.  Hope you like them, too!

 The Signature block is the last block to make!  Happy dance!!  It's very simple construction may have you letting your guard down, but even easy blocks can go wrong in just a few stitches.
Once you piece the strip together, be sure to do that "M" word before continuing.  Once you're sure the block is good to go, you'll be sewing four Connector Corners onto the block.

Such a little innocent square can really be a problem if not tended to properly.  Follow these four steps to achieving perfect Connector Corners (CC).  

• Draw the diagonal pencil line perfectly from point to point.
• Place the CC squarely on the base.
• Sew just a thread or two (scant) inside the seam allowance.
• Press, then trim.  Press to check the accuracy of the folded triangle.  Once you're happy with it, then trim the bottom two fabrics.  If it's not perfect, un-sew and re-do.  It's just a little seam, and worth the effort!

Now, for the fun part!  

Arrange the Friendship Star blocks and Signature blocks for final assembly.  Consult your pattern as the top and bottom borders are slightly different.

You're home free now!  Add the final red border and pat yourself on the back!!  You did it!!
Your piecing masterpiece is complete, and what a quilt it is.  Wonderful job and I'm so happy we took this journey together.  

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the historic stories included in the program, and that you learned a lot while piecing the quilt, too. 

I'm already working on several new Block of the Month programs for Marcus Fabrics.  Each is quite different from this one, with new and exciting adventures for your piecing pleasure.  I'll announce them right here on my blog when it's time, so please come back and visit often.

Thank you all for participating in A Prairie Gathering.  I'm so very happy you did!

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Eleven

We gather together once again for our chat about assembling A Prairie Gathering ~ Quilt of the Quarter program.  My goodness...it's month eleven and our quilt has really grown!  

This is an exciting month!!  We're assembling and adding the Large Triangle Sawtooth border!  In many ways, I really feel this border makes the medallion standout.  It's showy and eye-catching without being too difficult to piece.  You'll finish making a whole lotta Half Square Triangles for this baby, and then, it's time to put it all together.  So...let's begin!

You'll choose four assorted HST's and sew them together, making sure they measure what they should.

And then choose five assorted HST's, sew and measure.  Try to choose nine different print combos if you can.  

Sew a red triangle to the correct ends of the HST strips.  Let the graphics in your pattern be your guide.  Carefully, and gently press the red triangles as there's exposed bias there!

Sew the short strip to the large red triangle first.  Be doubly gentle and careful as there's 2 bias edges on this one!  Stay away from using steam until the unit is completely sewn!!

Sew the larger HST strip to the triangle: gently press.  That wasn't too bad, right?!

Now you can sew the medium red print triangles to the pieced unit.  Again...bias, bias everywhere!  Take your time, use those fine patchwork pins that are so wonderful and don't distort your piecing.  Sew and gently press.  

All done!  Now you can steam press your block so it lay nice and flat!  (You can still see the steam marks in my block - teehee!  It was hot off the press!)  Before proceeding, make sure the blocks all measure what they should. 

They sure look good together, don't they?!  Follow the instructions in your pattern for piecing the blocks for the borders.  

Those top and bottom borders get a large HST, too!  Oh, I hope you enjoy piecing your Large Triangle Sawtooth border as much as I did.  And, it sure looks wonderful when added to your quilt.  

Soon, very soon, your Prairie Gathering quilt will be complete, and you'll have pieced an heirloom in 2015!  So very exciting!  

As we're all preparing to give thanks and spend time with family and friends, I just wanted to give you a gentle reminder to spend a little time piecing your Tucker Sew-Along quilt!  I'm collecting more and more photos of Tuckers made around the world everyday, and I don't want to miss yours!!

Please email your Tucker photo to Pam@HeartspunQuilts.com (as an attachment, please!) by December 15th.  

Also, watch my next post for another fabric scrap give-away!  We've been busy cutting and making all kinds of new things, and once again, I have so many more fabric scraps that I just can't use!!  Several boxes full will be sent to good homes!!!

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Ten

Welcome to month Ten....(can you believe it's month ten??!) of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter.  Our quilt sure has grown, and I think we can see the finish line.  That always feels so good!

Shoo-fly blocks now take center stage.  This is just a sweet, simple little block.  I'm very fond of them!  So, now we're ready to assemble the Shoo-Fly borders and attach them to the quilt.  Really jazzed about that!  I recommend sewing one Shoo-Fly block to one plain square.  This is to control your pieced border assembly and make sure they measure what they should, so no yucky un-sewing is necessary.  The combo of one Shoo-Fly and one plain square should measure 4.5 x 8.5 unfinished.  You know the drill by now....that if it doesn't, you have only one seam to unsew rather than a bunch that are suspect and you don't know what is what.  

Follow the pattern directions for piecing your Shoo-Fly borders and check those measurements!!  Attach to the quilt center, and press.  You'll then be attaching another plain border.  Looking sssooooo good!

From here, you'll be making more HST's and putting them aside for next month's piecing.  Fun stuff coming next month!!

Don't forget to come back on Friday for the next post about my new Pocket Patchwork Sew~Along, Tucker!  You'll begin piecing!!  Yay!  If you're just
finding out about my FREE sew-along called Tucker, click here to get the scoop!

Oh, and I'll be hosting another scrap fabric give-away very soon!  

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Nine

This is an exciting month!  Another border will be added, and our quilt is growing.  I'm sure you enjoyed the drastically reduced cutting this month!  Yahoo!!  

Construction of our Four Patch border is the first task.  I've had about half a dozen emails in the last few weeks about pieced borders that don't fit.  This is a very common problem!  The solution?  Hate to sound like a broken record, but measure, measure, measure. So much of quilting is mathematics....like it or not.  Our impossible mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make as close to a perfect quilt as your skills allow.  Unless you're willing to take months, if not years making the perfect quilt, it's not likely that each and every unit and block will be truly perfect.  

I promise you, the only truly perfect quilts I make are constructed in Electric Quilt!!  

That said, I do everything I can to be as perfect as I can, with skills and tools (if they truly help) to get me there.  Measuring is one skill that is paramount in every unit, block and quilt you make.  It's easy and the results are soooo worth it. Onward....

Your (on point) Four Patch blocks should measure 3 1/2 inches.  Sew 7 pairs together, press, then measure again.  They should measure 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 unfinished.  If they don't, you only have one seam to look at and correct.  Don't proceed until all measure what they should.  

Next sew two pairs together, press and check that they measure 3 1/2 x 12 1/2.  Repeat to make a total of three groups of 4 Four Patch pairs.  (You'll have one pair left over.)  Proceed to sew the border together, using the three 4 Patch groups and the single

pair unit.  Your border should measure 3 1/2 x 42 1/2 unfinished.  Repeat to make four Four Patch borders.

Sew two borders to the sides of your quilt center, press.  

Sew a Four Patch cornerpost unit to both ends of the remaining borders, press.  Sew to the top and bottom of the quilt center, press.

The red "chain of squares" will bend the corner nicely!  Refer to your pattern and check to be sure your quilt measures what it should.  Then, proceed with sewing the next plain border to your top.  

Here's what our quilt looks like after Month Nine!!  So exciting!!  You'll also be constructing some Shoo-Fly blocks and working on Half Square Triangles for the Triangle Sawtooth border.  

It's all coming together!!  Only a few more months to go!  

Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Eight

Hello Prairie Gatherers!  

How did you fair with piecing your Flying Geese borders?  I'm hoping you have been measuring each step of the way, and that your Flying Geese borders fit snugly and perfectly. I'm sure hoping the pieced border hints I gave not only helped you with this border, but will help with all pieced borders to come....in this quilt and many more!

Here's what your quilt top should look like.  It's really a nice table topper at this point, but we're piecing onward!

We're about to add another border!  So exciting!!!  The Checkerboard border is what's coming next.  

After piecing the remaining red/red print Two-Patch units, we will begin to sew them into pairs or Four-Patches.  Be sure each Four-Patch measures 2.5 x 2.5 inches unfinished.  If not, unsew and do-over.  Those seams aren't that big, so it won't take long, and you'll be so glad you did.

Then proceed in sewing two Four-Patch units together.  They should measure 2.5 x 4.5 inches.  If not, you know exactly what seam to look at.  

Continue adding Four-Patch units, always checking the measurements as you sew along.

This isolates any problem seams so if there is a measurement discrepancy, you know exactly what seam to correct.  Follow your pattern directions, adding a single Two-Patch at the end to complete your border to the correct size.

Then you can sew your Checkerboard borders to the quilt center.  Now that feels like real progress!! 

Your next task this month is to add triangles to your Four-Patch units.  To make this a little easier, I suggest carefully folding your triangle in half and finger-press a crease marking the half way point.  With right sides together, match the crease with the center seam of the Four-Patch.  That way, your triangle is sure to be centered.  They should all measure 3.5 inches.

Lastly, you'll be making a few Odds & Ends units for upcoming blocks.  What can I say...easy, breezy.  Just another type of Four-Patch.  Be sure this unit measure 2.5 inches.  One of the things I check for is to make sure there isn't a shortage in a corner.  Ya know, one of those corners in the unit just doesn't quite make it to the edge.  Hhmmm.  Why does that happen?  Well, you may not have matched the raw edges squarely and evenly.  Perhaps your seam was a little too big when you began.  No matter, if the unit isn't quite square and perfect..do take a few moments to unsew and make it right.

Geez....all this talk about sewing makes me want to sew something.  I think I can search my sewing room and find something to work on!

Enjoy the journey.....take your time, and slow stitch your patchwork.  More fun next month!