Quilts And More Magazine!

"Images used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2015 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.” 

I am so thrilled to show you the cover of Quilts and More magazine's Fall 2015 issue!!  

The tote bag and table runner on the cover were each made from one 10 inch precut of my Treenware & Berries fabric collection (Marcus Fabrics, of course)!!  I'm so jazzed!!  

In each issue, the editors choose one precut to feature, and ask three designers to create three different projects using that precut for their Scrap Lab column.  This time, they chose my Treenware & Berries 10 inch precut!  The tote bag was designed by Sherri Falls, and the table runner was designed by Monique Dillard.

"Images used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2015 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.” 

I designed the quilt in the photo above, called Prairie House Stars, which is made using one 10 inch precut, and additional fabric for borders and binding.  

"Images used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2015 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.” 

Two blocks, a Double Four Patch and Sawtooth Star, work with the fabrics to create a colorful, cozy throw quilt that's easy, breezy to assemble!  All three projects are perfect for the coming fall season!  

Look for this new issue of Quilts and More magazine at your local quilt shop, and on newsstands!  It's loaded with lots of goodies you'll love.  

Kits are available for my Prairie House Stars quilt.  Click here to check it out!

Click here to order 10 inch precuts of my Treenware & Berries fabrics.

Click here to purchase a copy of the magazine.

Contest Winners and Treenware & Berries Pattern

Progress....sometimes it comes quickly, and sometimes it just seems to take soooo long.  It always seems to take so much longer when you're in a hurry, don't you think??

Anyway...my Treenware and Berries quilt patterns are all finished.  Click here if you'd like to order one for your stitching pleasure.  

The Tokens: Spice Box patterns are nearly complete.  I'm just crossing the T's and dotting the I's on the pattern, and then it will be sent to the printer.  That feels like good progress, too.

Last week, I decided to move ahead on a pattern idea I've been ruminating over for quite some time now.  It's another Tokens of the Past pattern, with all of the quilts featuring one of my favorite blocks....the classic Nine Patch.  Now, there are loads of wonderful Nine Patch quilt patterns out there already, and I aim to do something different, but still traditional, and I hope you'll like what's coming.  I'll be posting sneak peeks on Instagram and Facebook, so you might like to watch for those posts.  I'll be posting one later today.  Really excited about these Nine's!!

Thank you all for sharing your comments about how you organize your scraps, and the scrappy quilts you make.  I love reading each one, and appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.  It really means a whole lot to me!!

The four winners of the Churn Dash blocks are:

Charlotte S....who said.....
Right now, I am in the process of making scrappy log cabin blocks for a quilt. Sew, my box of scraps is quite low. How did I organize them, you asked. I DIDN'T ! Everything less than 2 1/2 inches was just thrown in a box. It worked for me but was a mess.

Love the churn dash block and the way you made it scrappy. Very creative.



Sewing Rose who said.....
I organize my scraps in tubs just as you do by color. Sometimes I cut 1 1/2" strips for strip quilts of various shapes. I saw your quilt in the magazine last night before I got to my email today. I love it......

45th Parallel Quilter who said.....

I have a clear, plastic shoe holder (2 shoes fit in each pocket) hanging over the back of my sewing room door. I am able to tuck scraps in each of those pockets, sorting by color. When I need scraps or something for applique I need only check out what's in those pockets. When the pockets start to get full I pull them out and just assemble scrappy nine patches, four patches or string piece. Everything is there right in front of you to see! The scrappier the quilt the better ... I especially love those that have pieces of cotton shirtings stuck in here and there. Regardless of whether I win or not (though I would REALLY like to win one of the blocks) I plan to make this quilt ... LOVE the use of so many different fabrics in this classic block!

Barbara who said.....

I love your new quilt. I will be looking out for the magazine. I sort my scraps in containers similar to yours. I have 2 sets of containers. One set for squares and one for long strips. Each set is sorted by colour. It means a lot of containers but it makes scrap quilting so much quicker.

Please email your addresses to me at Pam@HeartspunQuilts.com, and I'll send your blocks out to you right away.  

Enjoy your weekend, and I hope you find some time to stitch!  

Introducing Tokens of the Past: Spice Box Pattern Trio

I'm so, so jazzed to be able to finally show you the three new quilts included in my newest Tokens of the Past pattern, the second in the series, called Spice Box.

Here are the three Spice Box quilts....

Crimson & Cloves quilt designed by Pam Buda

This is the Crimson & Cloves quilt, and measures 24" x 24".

Ginger Snap designed by Pam Buda

This one is called Ginger Snap and measures 26" x 26".

Cinnamon Sticks quilt designed by Pam Buda

And, lastly, Cinnamon Sticks which measures 12" x 15"

You may have noticed that they all have names with spices in them, which was quite deliberate, seeing as how the pattern name is called Spice Box.  

I took the name from one of my favorite pieces of Treenware...this 'ol Spice Box.  Inside, there are seven cylindrical containers, all for different spices.  I just love it.

I just had to name the pattern after something in my Treeware collection.  After all, the quilts are all made from my newest fabric line, Treenware & Berries, for Marcus Fabrics!!

Just as before, all of the units and blocks for all three quilts can be made from just one Treenware & Berries 10 inch precut!!  

Just add border and binding fabric and you're on your way to three fun quilts!!

For a limited time only, I am once again offering you the Tokens of the Past: Spice Box COMPLETE KIT with FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the U.S!!!!  (If you live outside of the US, you will receive a $9 credit toward International shipping.)  Click here to order the complete kit.

If you'd like to order just the Tokens of the Past: Spice Box pattern, and the Treenware & Berries 10 inch precut only, click here.

You can also order the Tokens of the Past: Spice Box pattern only, or the Treenware & Berries precut only as well.  

Also available for your piecing pleasure are Treenware & Berries Fat Quarter bundles and Fat Eighth bundles.  They are also a Pre-Order item.  Click here to order Fat Quarter or Fat Eighth bundles.

All of these items will ship in April.  The moment they arrive here, we work diligently to get them processed and on their way to you!  

Because the Treenware & Berries precuts are only available in limited supply, your best chance to get a precut, or the kits, is to pre-order them.  Once they're gone, they're gone.

I hope you like the three quilts in the new Tokens of the Past: Spice Box pattern.  They were great fun to piece and will be a very nice addition to your collection.

Make time to stitch today....it will make you happy!
  

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter ~ Month Three

I can't believe it's already time for month three of our Prairie Gathering program!  My gosh, where has the time gone?  We made it through winter (I hope it's over now!) and spring is popping out all over.  

Your quilt center block should look like the photo above, and we're going to grow the quilt this month, add more pieces and sewn units to our zip bags for our pieced borders.  

The first step this month is to sew the four large setting triangles to the center block.  Take care here as that seam is one, very large bias edge!  The triangles are over sized, but if the fabric stretches out of shape, over sized pieces won't fix that.  

Once you have them all sewn and pressed, you have to trim the quilt center to 26 1/2 inches square.  Don't use the photo above as a guide for trimming your center square!!!!!  Your center may be larger or smaller than mine, depending.  Measure first, and if in doubt, draw lines with chalk, and your rulers, to see where you should cut.  

Measure the center seam and the top and bottom of the quilt center.  Turn a quarter turn, and repeat to understand exactly what size your quilt top really is.  The photo above shows the center block floating 1/2 inch from the raw edge.  Yours may be different!!  In order for all of the pieced borders to properly fit, it is imperative that your center block measure 26 1/2 inches unfinished.  You have a little wiggle room here, and it's perfectly OK to have your block "float" a little from the seam.  Your eye will see that the point is perfect, and will never notice that the point doesn't touch the seam once it's sewn.  

The next step is to add the first border.  I designed this deep red, almost red/black fabric to give depth and definition within all of the different reds in the quilt.  It has a very specific job to do.  This border is very small....only 1/2 inch finished, so be very careful, and take your time sewing it to the quilt center.  

That dark red print really pops, doesn't it??  

This month, you are going to begin making Flying Geese, and....

...Two Patches for your Checkerboard border.  I have been asked why piece the same color patches together for this border?  The answer is easy....for sparkle and interest!!  I could have chosen one red print for a plain border, but honestly.....when you add this border to your quilt, all the different reds, and variety of mediums and darks, will make it just sparkle, and it's a whole lot more interesting to the quilt.   Believe me....it's well worth the effort!!

The only other task you have left this month is to cut pieces for future borders and blocks.  Be sure to do a count of all of the pieces and sewn units you are supposed to have in your zip-bags.  You will find the tally for everything in your pattern instructions. 

Hey...that wasn't so hard, was it??  And, look how far we've come.  Your quilt is already 27 1/2 inches, and you have something pretty to hang on your design wall and enjoy.  I'll be back again next month, around the 20th, for more info as we take this journey together.  

As Quilt Market grows ever closer, I'm very busy preparing and designing new things for your piecing enjoyment.  Here's a little glimpse into what I've been up to, and some new things coming very soon.

The Treenware & Berries fabrics arrived late this week, and we immediately began cutting the quilt kits for all of you who pre-ordered them.  We're working to have those ship to you ASAP.  I'll email you when they're on the way!!  The patterns are all done as well, and will be on my website very soon.

My new Tokens of the Past: Spice Box quilts are very near completion.  I'm just binding the last two, and they're off for photography on Monday, which means they will be available soon as well.  

I will have another Tokens of the Past pattern debuting at market with 3 brand new quilts all featuring the classic, and timeless Nine Patch.  The pattern name is Tokens of the Past: Nine Patch Reverie.  This Tokens pattern is not linked to a specific fabric line, or pre-cut.  The Tokens series was always meant to have a variety of three, classic and fun quilts of whatever inspires me.  I'm love, love, loving the new Nine Patch quilts, and I hope you will, too!!  

The first round of strike-offs for my next fabric line have come and gone.  It's coming together very nicely, and I'm excited to share it all with you, but that will have to wait a little longer.

I am also formulating my ideas for a new sew-along.  This one will be completely different than anything I've ever done before.  You will get to see the quilt design before we sew....no mystery, and it may go on for many months, but will be some of the easiest piecing you've ever done!! Intrigued??  Oh, and did I mention it will be all stars??  

Watch my blog very, very soon for news about a new, original quilt design appearing in a national magazine! It's super, super scrappy, and I hope you'll like it!!

Don't forget that Lynne Hagmeier and I are traveling to Montpelier, ID this coming week, to The National Oregon/California Trail Center, for a series lectures/workshops, so if you're in the area, we'd just love to see you!!

I try hard to post sneak peek pictures of what I'm working on, and you can see them on Instagram and Facebook, so I invite you to follow me if you'd like.  

So, that's a little recap of  some of the stuff that I've been up to.  I do hope you find time to do something you enjoy this weekend....like a little stitching?!!  I'm going to try to do the same.

Blog Hop Winners & Treenware Quilted

Our Spring Thyme Blog Hop is over now, and we really hope you enjoyed it.  Did you find a few projects that inspire you?  I know I did, and I gained quite a few new recipes to try as well.

As promised, I have two lucky winners on this "unlucky" Friday the 13th.  They are....

Anonymous, who posted......Pam, thank you for the lovely pinkeep pattern and yummy salad recipe. Can't wait to try them both. the Union Forever fabric is awesome - is it still on the market for purchase. Thank you so much for all your wonderful tips and all you bring to the quilting community. Here is Michigan the weather is slowly creeping into the 40's - Spring is on the way!! Take care. Dolores

Dolores, to answer your question about the Judie Rothermel fabric, it may still be available at your local quilt shop, but is at least 2 years old.  Happy hunting.

and....45th Parallel Quilter, who posted.....

Lots of quilting and sewing accomplished this winter. Northern Michigan is known for its cherries so I definitely will be trying that salad ... thanks for sharing! Pinkeep is adorable and would make the perfect Christmas exchange gift for my guild dinner ... thanks for the instructions! Thanks also for the contest ... always fun! Linda

Congratulations to the winners!!  Please email me at Pam@HeartspunQuilts.com, and I'll send your leather thimble dots and perfect patchwork pins out to you right away.  Hope you like them!!

And my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading every one, and hearing about where you live, and what you're stitching on.  Thank you so much!!

Treenware & Berries by Pam Buda using the Treenware & Berries fabric collection for Marcus Fabrics

My Treenware & Berries quilt has just come back from my friend and quilter extraordinaire, Ronda, who worked her incredible magic quilting my quilt.  I will be stitching binding all weekend (woohoo!!) so it's ready for photography Monday morning.  

I thought you might enjoy seeing more pictures of the quilting designs she chose for the quilt.

Hope you enjoy your weekend.  Spring finally arrived here in Chicagoland, and we're enjoying every lovely moment of it.  And, I hope you find time to spend with needle and thread.....Pam

Pre-Order Your Treenware & Berries Quilt Kit!!!

Treenware & Berries Quilt

I've had a lot of email requests asking about quilt kits for my new Treenware & Berries quilt and fabrics, and with the fabrics shipping soon, I wanted to offer you the chance to.... 

PRE-ORDER a quilt kit.  

The quilt is being quilted right now, which means I don't have the professional photo yet, and therefore the pattern cover isn't ready either.  I expect the fabric and the pattern to be here in March.

This quilt uses all of the fabrics in the Treenware & Berries collection!!  The blocks are nice and big, finishing to 9.25 inches, and the Flying Geese in the border are 2 x 4 inches.  Quilt size is 81 x 93 inches.

Pre-Order your Treenware & Berries Quilt Kit by March 16th 

and you'll receive the pattern FREE!!!

Click here to order the quilt kit.  

Click here to see all of the Treenware & Berries fabrics made by Marcus Fabrics!!

Treenware & Berries Fat Quarters and Fat Eighth bundles will be on my website soon!  

There will also be a 10 inch precut of this collection as well!  Yay!!!  

I'm working on a new Tokens of the Past pattern, called Spice Box, for the Treenware & Berries precut, and it will once again feature three small doll-sized quilts. Check out my Facebook page and Instagram if you'd like to see sneak peeks of the quilts in progress!  

Spring Thyme Blog Hop Line-Up!!

I'm so, so jazzed to post the line-up for our next handwork blog hop.  We all have such a great time doing this, and we're sure hoping you enjoy it as well.  I'm anticipating some inspiring spring projects.  

For those of us living in the Polar Vortex (I don't ever remember hearing that phrase until last year, but it sure is fitting!), we can really use some signs that spring will return.  Quite frankly, living through a winter sure makes us appreciate the renewal spring brings, right?  Honestly, I can't complain about our winter at all when we have our fellow citizens in the Boston/New England area trying to survive the worst winter in 100 years.  My heart goes out to all of you. At least we know that the families of quilters have plenty of cozy, comfy quilts to keep them warm.  

Anyway....I digress.  Back to the important stuff.  Here's the line-up and dates for all of the talented designers invited to tempt you with recipes and new projects:  

March 1 * Quilts By Cheri

March 2 * Plumcute Designs

March 3 * Gail Pan Designs

March 4 * Woolen Willow Designs

March 5 * Ali Strebel Designs

March 6 * The Cottage at Cardiff Farms

March 7 * Sew Unique Creations

March 8 * Wooden Spool Designs

March 9 * Heartspun Quilts

March 10 * Notforgotten Farm

March 11 * Crabapple Hill

March 12 * Threadwork Primitives

March 13 * Buttermilk Basin

March 14 * Calico Moon

If you're not sure how all of this works....just visit the designer's blog on her day, to see the free project she has created for you, to read more about her and her work, and get a yummy recipe. 

Next week, I'll post my sew-along instructions for month two of A Prairie Gathering Quilt-Of-The-Quarter, and some photos of my newest quilt, Treenware & Berries.  You can see sneak peeks of my progress on my Instagram & Facebook pages.  I have three more quilts to make out of Treenware, so if you'd like sneak peeks of those, follow me on those sights, and of course they will be right here on my blog.

So, that's whats been happening with me.  I hope you're warm and cozy, happily stitching away where you live.  Counting the days until we spot the first blooms of the year!

Back In The Swing

It was just a few days ago that I was enjoying warm, sunny days poolside on a vacation with my family.  It was wonderful as both of our grown kids finally had clear schedules, and we all escaped the daily grind to relax for a week in the sun.  

We arrived home just as the first snowflakes began falling on what ended up being the 5th largest snowfall in the Chicagoland area since they've been keeping track of these things.  20 inches in 30 hours.  Back to reality!  All in all, we have no complaints.  We had a safe trip home, and so far, our winter hasn't been so bad.  It is...after all....still winter in the Midwest, so the snow we have is to be expected.  

Winter has its fun moments, too!!

While I was gone....look what arrived!!  Yay!!!  My Prairie Gathering 10 inch precuts are now in the house, which means that we can begin to process the Tokens of the Past: Gathering In Red kits!  And, that's exactly what we're gonna do.  If you ordered a kit, I will send you an email when it's shipping.  Thank you all for your patience while we were waiting for these babies to arrive.  

January was a busy month with a lot of travel.  February and March will be crazy busy as I sew up the quilts I designed for my Treenware & Berries collection.  I can hardly wait to get started!!  There are other things fun things in store coming your way soon, and I know you'll love them.  I didn't have too many blog posts in January, and hope to have many more in February...so stay tune to my blog, Facebook, and Instagram for pics of the quilts as we create them!!  

If the snow is falling where you are, enjoy the season as it really doesn't last all that long.  Spring will be here before you know it!!

Treenware & Berries Coming Soon!!

Any day now, the sample fabric of my newest collection for Marcus Fabrics, Treenware & Berries, will arrive on my doorstep.  As much as I've anxiously awaited its arrival, it's just my luck that it's coming now that I'm out of town!!  

I wanted to share at least the EQ image of the quilt I've designed using this warm and toasty assortment of yummy browns, berry reds, and creamy light fabrics.  The quilt pattern is also called Treenware & Berries.  I can hardly wait to begin!!  Don't we all feel that way about a new project?!!

You really have to take a look at all of the prints.  

Click here to go to the Marcus Fabrics website and see them all.

In addition, I've asked for Marcus to make up 10 inch precuts of the Treenware & Berries collection.  Yay!  They said sure!!  So, I've designed three awesome and irresistable doll sized quilts (I say that oh-so-humbly!!) using the Treenware & Berries precut.  

Treenware & Berries will ship to your local quilt shop beginning March 1st!  (If you're not familiar with the word "treenware", click here to read all about it.)

I promise to show you pictures when I'm making the quilts!  Doing a happy dance!!

More Treenware & Berries

In my last post, I wrote about what the term "treenware" means, and since it's items made from wood, and wood is brown, I thought it was a fun nineteenth century name for this line.  There are some reds in the line as well, hence the berries.  

Here are all the fabrics in the collection!  

(I apologize for the poor photos.  Believe me, these browns and reds are beautiful, warm, lovely colors.  I have a terrible time taking pictures of fabric, as somehow, even without a flash, they seem washed out!  Trust me...you'll love the fabrics!!)

The print above is the main print in the line.  I hesitated to even show it to you because the photo is so bad.  The colors don't look anything like the real fabric, which is a warm and beautiful brown.  This print is adorable and I'm so excited about it! 

 There are ten browns....

 Five reds.....

And six creams.

I'm still putting the finishing touches on the quilt designed for this collection.  

Watch for more news on Treenware & Berries, coming soon.  It will be shown to your local quilt shop owner in January, and fabric will be in the shops March or April of 2015!!

Don't forget!!  One week from today, December 1st.....

....our Primitive Christmas Handwork Blog Hop begins!!  

Be sure to visit Cheri Payne's blog, Quilts By Cheri, as she kicks off our designer holiday celebration.  

I invite you to return right here on Dec 9th when I post my project.  This is gonna be so fun!!!!!!!!!!!!