Before We Get the Sew-along Started

Tomorrow, my second Pocket Patchwork Sew-along begins, and I'd like to take a few moments to tell you a few things about it.  First, I'd like to thank all of you who ordered a Forget Me Not kit!  Your response was overwhelming! I had no idea what to expect, and you all blew me away....and I thank you so very much!!  After a second round of kit cutting to meet the demand, I have just a handful of kits left, so if you're thinking about getting one, don't delay.  Once they're gone...they're gone.

Whether you purchased a kit, or have pulled fabrics from your stash...you should know the yardage amounts given have been tested.  You will use some fabrics only once, and others multiple times....so please, cut carefully and sparingly.  In case of a mistake, there's adequate fabric to make a few substitutions.  I really watched the fabric amounts, trying not to overdue, because fabric is so expensive, and I wanted you to have enough, of course, without too much left for scrap. 

All twelve of the quilt blocks will finish to 4.5 inches, and the quilt measures 18" x 27". 

Several of the blocks have Half Square Triangles and Flying Geese units.  To save repetitive instructions, follow the directions below when making these units, unless instructed otherwise.

For Half Square Triangles

*Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the light print.  Sew 1/4 inch on each side of the drawn line.  Cut apart and press to the dark, unless instructed otherwise.  This will yield 2 Half Square Triangles (HST).


Flying Geese

*Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of your light print connector corner squares. 

*Position at the end of a base rectangle and sew (scant) on the drawn line.  Notice my red thread is positioned just a scant bit "inside" the seam allowance....helps a ton with accuracy!

*Fold and finger press the triangle first to check it against the base, then press with your iron.  If it doesn't match the base exactly, rip it out and do over.  (I know....but it's a small seam and it's worth it!)

*Trim 1/4 inch seam allowance of both the base and the connector corner fabric.  If it's a perfect match to the base, like it should be, there's no need to keep the fabric as it's just unwanted bulk!!

I have lots more tips about working with connector corners and oodles of other stuff in my Heartspun Quilts Hints Book.  Click here to read more about it.

Please tell your friends that it's not too late to join the sew-along!!  And...remember, the best and easiest way to receive all of the sew-along patterns (free!!) is via email!  To do this, simply enter your email address in the "Follow by Email" icon, located in the right column of my blog.  My blog posts will come as an email, and you can easily print them.

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As many of you know, I love working with small blocks, and I know not everyone does.  That started me wondering.....what is the smallest Nine-Patch block you are comfortable making?

Vote your answer in my poll, at the top of the blog, in the right hand column!

Your answer will give me a lot to think about in upcoming projects!

Well....that's about all for now!  Tomorrow is a big day,when I will be sewing along

with many quilting friends!  Oh how I love it!

Until then......

Pam

Busy Work Show N Tell ~ Part Two

Let's continue on with the Busy Work quilt show!

Lesley from Nova Scotia

Lisa from Pennsylvania

Lynn from New York

Marcia from Ohio

Marge from Pennsylvania

Margie from New York

Martha from Minnesota

Mary from North Carolina

Renee from Minnesota

Ronda from Michigan

Rose from Delaware

Sandie from Washington

Sarah from New York

Sharon from New York

Sheila from Nova Scotia

Sylke from Norway

I hope you enjoyed seeing all of the Busy Work quilts as much as I did!! 
And now....for the winner of the Fat Eighth bundle of my
Heart of the Prairie fabric collection.......the random number generator
selected....

Sylke from Norway!

Congratulations, Sylke!!!  Please email your address to me and
I will send your fabric to you right away! 

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Here's a few tid-bits about my next Pocket Patchwork sew-along.....

Presently, I am sewing the blocks to test the yardage I've calculated.  I learned a lot from
my last sew-along, and want to give you some time to choose your fabrics
and the yardage needed.  Once I'm sure about the yardage, I'll give you a peek
at the fabrics, and give all of the pertinent yardage information.

The name of the next Pocket Patchwork sew-along is.....

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not is a sampler quilt with 12 blocks and two more assembly parts. 
I have a dilemma.  I've heard from many of you that you've enjoyed receiving
one block every Friday, and it was very do-able in your schedule. 
I feel the same way, however, if I post just one block a week,
our sew-along will take 14 weeks to complete! 

Is that too long?? 

Or....should I post two blocks a week?  That means the sew-along will take 8 weeks to complete but will double your work.  The block size is 4.5 inches finished and
some blocks have a bit more work in them than the others.

I've posted a Pocket Patchwork Sew-along Poll at the top of my blog. 
Please cast your vote!
Majority will decide how long it will take!

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My heartfelt thanks to everyone who sent in pictures of their
Busy Work quilts for all to enjoy!

Pam

P.S.  In preparation for my next sew-along, the very best way to receive your sew-along pattern instructions are via email.  To do this, subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the Follow by Email icon, in the right column of my blog.  You'll receive the blog post as an email where you can easily print the instructions each week and work on your block.  Oh...and invite your friends to sew-along with us!  The more the merrier!!

Busy Work Show N Tell ~ Part One

It is my pleasure to show you the photos so many talented quilters have sent in of my very first Pocket Patchwork sew-along!  I have about 30 photos to share with you, so I'll have to post in two parts.  Blogger won't let me post that many photos all at once!!  I am thrilled with the response to my sew-along, and thank all of you, including the hundreds of you that haven't sent in pictures!! 

Right now, I am sewing up the next Pocket Patchwork project.  It's taken a lot longer than I would have liked only because I don't have a lot of time to sew right now. (sigh)  I'm working on two new fabric lines, finishing Journey 4, along with an active travel schedule.  All good things to be sure, but that makes other things go a bit slower. 

Let's get to the photos of your Busy Work Quilts!  Tomorrow, I will post the winner for the Fat Eighth bundle, and tease you with a few more details about the next sew-along!  For now....enjoy the show.....

Barb from Massachusettes

Bea from France

Billie from Texas

Carol from Nebraska

Cheryl from Illinois

Barb from Illinois

Dale from California

Doniene from Texas

Gretchen from Illinois

Jaci from Illinois

Jan from Utah

Jill from Oregon

Karen from Minnesota

Laurie from Utah

Isn't it great to see all the different versions!  More coming in my next post! 

Pam



Lucy's Prairie Pockets!

Lucy's Prairie Pockets pattern is all finished!

I just had the best time creating a bunch of these pockets for my new pattern.  Not familiar with what a Prairie Pocket is?  Here's a bit of early American history to fill you in......

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,

Kitty Fisher found it,

Not a penny was there in it,

Only ribbon round it!

This nursery rhyme, published in England in 1842, tells of poor Lucy losing her pocket, which was very likely a  fabric pocket worn separately, on top of her petticoats, and worn under her skirt or dress.  17^th, 18^th and 19^th century American women made and used these pockets as well, as their clothes contained no sewn-in pockets as we know them today.  The pockets were flat, and somewhat U-shaped, that tied around her waist.  A slit in the side of her outer skirt allowed the women discreet access to the pocket and its belongings, which lay underneath.  Women wore these pockets singly, and in pairs, which helped to accentuate her hips, being the style at the time. 

Pockets were made from every fabric imaginable.  Some were embellished with beautiful crewel and embroidery work, some with patchwork and scraps, and others of plain cloth.  Women kept all kind of needful things in their pockets such as letters, books, glasses, etc., and of course, thimbles, needles, thread, and patchwork.  At night, they often hung from the bedpost to hold a watch, handkerchief or glasses. 

Pockets were very much a part of housewifery in early America, and today, we can enjoy making a pocket for our own needful things, to wear as we work, or just to decorate a room. 

If you love reproducing old, antique quilts, and are a fan of early American life, Journey the Threads of Time, and make a Prairie Pocket for your collection!  It's a wonderful way of piecing the past!

Pockets come in two sizes.  The small pocket measures 6.5 x 8.5 inches, and the large pocket measures 11 x 14 inches.  These are historically correct sizes.

My Lucy's Prairie Pockets pattern features instructions for three different types of pockets:
A plain front which will showcase a beautiful reproduction print, a pieced tumbler front, and a hexagon front, for a wonderful scrappy look.  The pattern cover features both photos seen here. 

Click here to order Lucy's Prairie Pockets pattern and create a bit of history for yourself!

Thanks so much for taking a moment to visit with me today!

Pam



Lynne Pays a Visit

Sunday afternoon, Lynne (as in Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Quilters) arrived at my doorstep for a visit and some much needed girlfriend time.  I coerced her to stay a few days on her way home from Osh Kosh, WI, where she taught and lectured at a wonderful quilting event there.  Honestly, (and happily) it didn't take much to talk her into it! 

Her visit gave me the perfect reason to take a break from my quilt market preparations at the keyboard and spend time just talking about family, friends, and work related stuff.  This also gave us another opportunity to do more planning for our first quilting cruise ~ The Great Girlfriend Get-Away.  We're going to Alaska in August, and, of course, we'd love for you to join us.  We have two cruises in the works for next year....one to the Caribbean, and one to Canada & New England, just in time for the fall colors.  We'll be posting more about that once all of the details are worked out, so please stay tuned.

Lynne and I were able to do some sewing, and I worked on American Gothic, which is pictured in the background of the photo above.  I still have a few more rows to go and then it will go out for quilting.    It'll be featured in an upcoming post once the photos are done.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading to WI to meet my girlfriends for a quilting getaway at The Mill Creek Settlement Retreat.  More sewing, sewing, sewing on new patterns for market....YAY! 

Don't forget that my Pocket Patchwork sew-along begins on Friday.  See the posts below for more info on that. 

I'll have oodles of stuff to blog about next week.  Until then...Happy Stitching!

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Join Lynne Hagmeier and me as we cruise to Alaska on The Great Girlfriend Get-Away!  Click here to find all of the details!

 

Pocket Patchwork & Another Journey 4 Quilt

The sewing machines have been humming, and the keyboard has been getting a good workout as well as we plow through the patterns and quilt projects for spring market.  I'm just beginning to see a dot that is the light at the end of the tunnel!!

This little gem will be in Journey Four.  I don't have a name for it yet because I haven't decided what historical story will go with it.  Knowing the subject matter and writing the story always plays a huge part in naming the quilt.  I have all the subjects chosen and research complete, I just haven't had the time to write them yet.  I love the soft tones of the background fabrics (Mrs. March by Lecien) and paired it with a bunch of dark browns.  My make-do block is in black and I love how it all turned out.  What do you think? 

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Pocket Patchwork News

My first Pocket Patchwork project is ready to go and will begin in earnest next week Friday, March 30th.  We will sew-along once a week.  I thought since we're all pretty busy, that would be do-able.  I'm hoping that if I can find a few minutes once a week, that you can, too!

The photo above shows you the fabric selections I made for this little quilt.  This is a sampling of what you'll need.  Choose three colors, a light, medium, and dark.  I choose to work with Little Gatherings by Lisa Bongean for Moda.  I used 3 charm packs and a Fat Quarter of the brown to start with.  I may add one more Fat Quarter, but haven't gotten that far yet. 

If you want to sew-a-long with me, the best way will be to sign up to receive my posts via email.  You can easily do this by entering your email address in the "Follow by Email" icon on the right side bar of my blog.  That way, you can print the email which will have the photos of what you're making, and the cutting instructions.  While you're at it, sign up to be a follower of my blog, too!

Pass the word to your quilting friends, and ask them to follow my blog, and sign up to sew-along with us.  The more the merrier!!

Sunday, I'm expecting an out-of-town guest for a good long visit.  We'll be here at the house sewing away, and then we'll head up to the Mill Creek Settlement Retreat for a long weekend of shopping, antiquing, eating and laughter.  Sounds like just what a stressed out quilter needs!  Stay tuned for lots of news and photos to come.

And, as always, I thank you for taking a few moments to visit with me! 

Pam

Lucy's Prairie Pockets & Pocket Patchwork!!!

Happy National Quilting Day!!

Today, we celebrate our passion with the rest of the nation.  Like so many of you, I can't begin to find proper words to express how much quilting enhances and fulfills my life.  It allows me to touch and connect with our quilting ancestors, express my creativity, spend time with kindred spirits, brings peace to my heart just from putting two pieces of fabric together and guiding them thru the machine, and fills my very soul.  I know it's the same for most of you, so I honor all of you today as well.  Celebrate!  Spend some time with your fabric, sewing machine, and needlework.  I know I will!!

Lucy's Prairie Pockets & Pocket Patchwork!

I've been promising for several weeks now to tell you about Pocket Patchwork, and I think that today is the day!  The Prairie Pocket in the photo is one of three pockets featured in my new pattern, Lucy's Prairie Pockets.  Let me tell you a bit about what a Prairie Pocket is.....

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,

Kitty Fisher found it;

Not a penny was there in it,

Only ribbon round it.

This nursery rhyme, published in England in 1842, tells of poor Lucy losing her pocket, which was very likely a  fabric pocket worn separately, on top of her petticoats, and worn under her skirt or dress.  17^th, 18^th and 19^th century American women made and used these pockets as well, as their clothes contained no sewn-in pockets as we know them today.  The pockets were flat, and somewhat U-shaped, that tied around her waist.  A slit in the side of her outer skirt allowed the women discreet access to the pocket and its belongings, which lay underneath.  Women wore these pockets singly, and in pairs, which helped to accentuate her hips, being the style at the time. 

Pockets were made from every fabric imaginable.  Some were embellished with beautiful crewel and embroidery work, some with patchwork and scraps, and others of plain cloth.  Women kept all kind of needful things in their pockets such as letters, books, glasses, etc., and of course, thimbles, needles, thread, and patchwork.  At night, they often hung from the bedpost to hold a watch, handkerchief or glasses.  Pockets were very much a part of housewifery in early America, and today, we can enjoy making a pocket for our own needful things, or just to decorate our homes.

I can't tell you how much fun I've had creating a bunch of pockets.  They were so much a part of women's lives in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and I just had to make them!  The pattern will be available, hopefully, in April, and I will let you know when it's ready.

Now....about the Pocket Patchwork part.....as you read, the women kept fabric patchwork, needles, thread, and scissors in their pockets.  As I did my research, I found it was common for the ladies who met at a church or social function, to pull the patchwork from their pocket, and sit and sew while they visited together.  So....In that spirit, I thought we should sew together, too!  Pocket Patchwork will be a sew-a-long with me!  We'll be making small doll quilts together, and you can be sure I'll throw in make-do's as well.  I had hoped to have our first project ready to go by now, but other work has kept me from doing so....but it won't be too much longer, I promise!  I'd love to hear what you think, and I can't wait to get started sewing with you!

Wishing you peace while piecing!

Pam