BOM Mini-series Part 4: Bespoke Blooms

Hey all! Hope you had a good weekend. We're onto Part 4 (whew...) of our Fat Quarter Shop BOM Mini-series. Today's BOM is a bit of a doozy...meaning, it's gorgeous and will knock your socks clean off.

Robyn Pandolph's upcoming program, Bespoke Blooms BOM, is stunning. She has created two versions of this quilt, and we will be doing the yellow version with 12 appliqué blocks and a pieced border. (The other version has an appliqué border, if you were wondering.) The Bespoke Blooms quilt finishes at 74" x 98 1/2" and uses her newest line, Somerset Cottage.

If you are like Kimberly, an avid fan of Robyn's swirling florals and damasks and dainty pastels, this could be your 2010 masterpiece.

Each month (from October 2009 to September 2010) we will send you ample fabric (over 18 yards total), Robyn's instructions, and a monthly color guide for one appliqué block, and in Month 12 you will also receive the finishing kit for Bespoke Blooms. We also have a separate Backing Set available.

We are very, very excited to offer Bespoke Blooms Block of the Month, and even more eager to start! Go to our Bespoke Blooms BOM page for more details!

Today's giveaway? 8 Somerset Cottage Charm Packs!

Want to win? You can...

1) Comment on this post for 1 entry.

2) Mention this BOM and giveaway on your blog for 3 entries, and use this link (http://www.fatquartershop.com/Bespoke-Blooms-Block-of-the-Month-Robyn-Pandolph-RJR-Fabrics.asp)

3) Sign up for the BOM and tell us in your comment for 5 entries!

The winner will be announced in two weeks!

Debbie's Recipe Box: Juicy Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

Juicy Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch from Longaberger Signature Magazines. This fruity seasonal favorite is made even better with the addition of ice cream. Click on the image for a printable PDF!

BOM Mini-series Part 3: Green Piece

Happy Friday!

The BOM for today is one that's been getting a ton of press lately...just because it's from Moda and we think Moda is fab, fab, fab. We're talking about Moda's Green Piece Block of the Month. If appliqué just calls to you, and if you have been wanting to try something a little different...here ya go :)

Green Piece BOM is a 10-month block program starting in November 2009 that mixes pieced blocks (featuring their Fall releases Alliance, Aster Manor, Vine Creek, Blessings, and Close to My Heart) with wool appliqué. Yes, WOOL. A little tingle of fright at that? No worries -- our pal Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilts & Gift Company provided us with an excellent wool tutorial. In it, she covers how to wash, cut, and sew & appliqué wool with 2 different methods. You'll be finishing those suckers with ease in no time at all! Then you can brag to all your friends...JK!

Really though, it is a gorgeous quilt, finished at 76" x 76", filled with the beauty of nature and reminders from all seasons. Signing up to do Green Piece with us at Fat Quarter Shop ensures you plenty of fabric for the top and binding (14 yards of cotton fabric plus a specialty wool kit), error-proof instructions (tested by 3 hawk-eyed (in a good way) quilters), and a full color card to reference for your fabrics and wools. You can also go ahead and reserve your backing set (from Laundry Basket Quilts' Close to My Heart) and just have peace of mind about the whole thing! This fabric is getting attention simply on its own.

Our store sample is nearly done -- here's the quilt top finished and ready for the quilter...

Enticed enough yet? :) I know this quilt is going to have a long hang-time in our offices!

Right right...the prize! Today's prize is a Fat Quarter Bundle from a line used in this collection. You get to choose! And here's how to win...

1) Comment on this post for 1 entry.

2) Mention this BOM on your blog with this link [http://www.fatquartershop.com/Green-Piece-Moda-Block-of-the-Month.asp] for 3 entries.

3) Sign up for Green Piece at Fat Quarter Shop for 5 entries!

The winner will be announced in 2 weeks!

Ok, bye for now from Peyton, Emma, and Will!

BOM Mini-series Part 2: Thimbleberries Village Green

Today's our 2nd part of our 2-week BOM Mini-series -- we're really excited by the response so far to Part 1!! Hope you like Part 2 just as much. Debbie is stepping in today to introduce the Thimbleberries Club for 2010, which we just put online this morning, so it's fresh and ready to be ogled LOL!

Fall is just around the corner with the new 2010 Thimbleberries Club. And we were not disappointed this year! This year's club is Village Green 2010 Block of the Month! This 12-month series features one quilt measuring 72" X 82" finished. And, like the 2009 club, there are three wonderful colorways to suit your fancy: Dawn (light), Dusk (medium) and Midnight (dark).

Tradition, tradition, tradition (Fiddler on the Roof, anyone?) -- Lynette Jensen is known for her traditional row-houses, and she doesn't disappoint this season with ten houses tucked in among stars, flowers, trees and fences. And we love the thought of "Village Green"! Kinda gets us all thinking about how we can green up our own communities.

When you join our Village Green BOM, you will receive all the fabric you need to complete the quilt top and binding. We also have a 44" wide backing set available separately. As a member of our Thimbleberries Club you will also receive monthly accessory project patterns as well as two bonus project patterns! The bonus quilt projects include instructions for The Throw Quilt and The Queen Quilt.

So which colorway is your favorite? Sign up before the spots for your colorway are taken! This block of the month starts in January 2010 and ends in December of 2010. Maybe even gather your friends and do this project as a monthly get-together!

We will be blogging about the new additional 2010 Thimbleberries Village Green Kit Klub in the next few days, so be watching for more on Thimbleberries!

Debbie T.

Since the Village Green fabric isn't in yet (due in December!) the prize for today's giveaway is a $100 Gift Certificate.

Same rules apply to win...you can either:

1) Post a comment & tell us your favorite colorway (Dawn, Dusk or Midnight) for 1 entry.

2) Mention this BOM & giveaway on your blog with this link
(http://www.fatquartershop.com/Village-Green-Block-of-the-Month-Thimbleberries-Quilt-Club.asp). Then comment with your blog link for 3 entries.

3) Sign up for the Village Green BOM & tell us in your comment for 5 entries!

We'll announce the winner in 2 weeks, so thanks and good luck!

BOM Mini-series Part 1: Pennsylvania Dutch

** This giveaway is closed! Thanks for playing! **

Happy Monday!...well, aside from those Monday blahs, right?

Hopefully what we've got planned will lift those blahs at least a little. Over the next two weeks, we'll be doing a Fat Quarter Shop Block of the Month Mini-series, highlighting 6 of our Block of the Months that will start between October and January. And each Block of the Month Mini-series will have a nice little prize, too.

Today is BOM Mini-series Pt. 1 - Pennsylvania Dutch BOM...
Back in July we posted about this little beauty.


Pennsylvania Dutch is a 12-month sampler quilt that really speaks to our hearts in the color and art. Betcha didn't know that Kevin pitched in on this one. Yes, in fact, he helped a very pregnant Kimberly select and lay out the pieced border.

We chose Wiscasset by Minick & Simpson because the gorgeous antiqued blues, reds, golds and creams just melded with the pattern by Legacy Patterns, that theme of home tucked into the country. Pennsylvania Dutch starts in November -- we can't wait :)


I mentioned a prize, right?

For Pennsylvania Dutch, we're giving away a Wiscasset Charming Jelly Cake (a Jelly Roll + Layer Cake + Charm Pack).

Here's how to win:

1) Post a comment - get 1 entry

2) Mention this BOM on your blog & link back to this entry (http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2009/08/bom-mini-series-part-1-pennsylvania.html) or to the Pennsylvania Dutch page (http://www.fatquartershop.com/Pennsylvania-Dutch-Block-of-the-Month.asp) - get 3 entries

3) Sign up for this BOM, or if you have already signed up, tell us in your comment - get 5 entries

We'll announce the winner in 2 weeks. Thanks & good luck!!

Debbie's Recipe Box: Seven Layer Gratin

Seven Layer Gratin from Family Circle Magazine. Break free from your usual casserole dinners with this great dish when you want to try something new. Click on the image for a printable PDF!

Vine Creek by Kansas Troubles Quilters

Much like other Kansas Troubles Quilters collections from Moda, Vine Creek, Lynne Hagmeier's newest treat, is ready to add warmth and richness to homes and quilts everywhere for the upcoming Fall season. Our exclusive Bear Paths Table Topper Kit (below) is a prime example of how these multitude of darks and lights create art for everyday life. We have been waiting so darn long to be able to offer this line!! Lynne is our guest for today, on this line and the longevity of her designs.

I design in colors and patterns that are easy to live with - warm, cozy country colors in small prints, florals and geometrics with a few larger florals as accent pieces. Being born and raised in Kansas, the changing seasons and beautiful fall hues have always been favorites.

My first fabric collection with Moda was Stitches on the Oregon Trail almost 10 years ago. I have to laugh at myself now when I see the tiny prints and geometrics, swearing I would never do big flowers. As I've collected more vintage quilts and fabrics and fallen for the lush florals from the late 1800s, I’ve started to incorporate more of those in my fabric lines.

Vine Creek features a wide border stripe fabric with a yummy floral vine that I really like. It's been great fun working with something so different, yet it blends so well with the other collections. I enjoy being able to pull fabrics from my stash that look just as great now with a new line as they did several years ago.

Kansas Troubles Quilters has created a few quilt patterns using the Vine Creek collection. A lot of my quilt designs these days are based on Moda's precuts - charm packs, layer cakes, jelly rolls, honey buns and turnovers. It's challenging to me to make a traditional quilt pattern starting with a precut and throwing in a twist of raw edge for fun.

But sometimes I have a specific quilt in mind when I'm searching for fabrics; sometimes the fabrics inspire a quilt. My new line for Christmas 2010 is built around a wonderful paisley print and several smaller prints that looked like gorgeous wrapping paper to me. The line is titled Wrapped in Paisley. That, of course, then led me to sketch a quilt with Christmas packages and ribbons, pieced and appliquéd, for the feature project.

My next collection will be Butterfly Garden, to be shown at Fall Market for release in February/March 2010. Pretty florals reminiscent of a country garden are scattered across several prints. We've been doing a lot of landscaping, trying to establish our flower beds, so the seed catalogs were the inspiration for this collection.

Lynne Hagmeier
Kansas Trouble Quilters

Interviewed!

Well the tables turned. True Up's Kim Kight (fellow fabric addict blogger) got the scoop on our fearless leader Kimberly in this interview. Check out the interview -- we're offering a $75 Gift Certificate via her blog :D
Thanks for the feature, Kimberly K! We love what you do for the fabric community.

Santorini by Lila Tueller

Santorini for Moda has finally arrived. We know most of you have spent months now falling in love with Lila Tueller's bold designs, bouquets of fantastic, snazzy colors. Today Lila gives us a little heads up about her inspiration and what she has in store for us. (Have you checked out the snippets on her blog? Yeah.) Check out the fat quarter bundles and mini bundles, along with our exclusive Santorini Stacks Quilt Kit, using her Santorini line and the 5 & Dime quilt pattern from All Washed Up. Lila also has several of her own patterns featuring Santorini out, and you can find them on the Santorini page too!

I have to admit that I haven't actually traveled to Santorini . . . I was looking at a beautiful pictorial book of Greece, and saw the breathtaking photos of Santorini and fell in love with the olive groves and beautiful gardens and landscapes. That was my inspiration, along with my own imagination! I feel like the collection is very warm and vibrant. I hope others will feel that way too!

My next line is called Eden. It is quite a bit softer, and feels like spring to me. I picture it being used in a young girl's bedroom, or in clothing and accessories.

I feel at this point I have started to really get into the groove as far as my design concept goes, and I definitely feel a shift, so to speak. Not that I will be doing a completely different style or anything, just a little more defined in my direction.

I know there are lots and lots of talented fabric designers out there, and fabric consumers have many options to choose from. So I really appreciate those of you who have helped me along my way!

Thanks!
Lila Tueller
LilaTuellerDesigns.blogspot.com

Debbie's Recipe Box: Moist Lemon Cake

Moist Lemon Cake from Family Circle Magazine. Perfect for dessert, but can also double as a breakfast pastry. Click on the image for a printable PDF!

2 Bundles of Joy are finally home

Will & Peyton

Hello hello! Happy Friday! Twin boys William Matthew (20.5") and Peyton James (19") came home with Kimberly and Kevin this past Sunday, and she finally sent us some pictures to post! (We'll get to the Fat Quarter Bundle winners after the photo flood :P)

last time as a family of 3

From Kimberly:

"William was named after my father who passed away in 2006. He definitely has a slight temper. Peyton is very calm and looks a lot like Emma and Kevin, and I think he will look just like his daddy when he gets older. Their big sister Emma just loves her new babies! She's been giving them lots of kisses. And Kevin and I love having a family of five."

Emma meeting her new brothers

Emma giving a brother sweet kisses

Will & Peyton ready to head home for the first time

Now a family of five!

OK now for the winners...thanks for opening up with your moments & advice! Enjoyed reading them all...happy and sad, all life-changing!

Spencer Family said...
"Congratulations!!! I can't wait to see pictures of them. Biggest life changing moment would have to be sons birth. It's when I became a MOM!" <-- AGREED!!

Love 2 Quilt said...
"Tell Emma she is a great big sister and will have so much fun with her brothers. Congratulations.......enjoy them while they are little. They grow too fast. And hold them, and cuddle them, I don't believe you can spoil a baby with loving them too much!!" <-- AGREED!!

Ladies, contact me at jocelyn(a)fatquartershop(dot)com to get you your prizes! Don't make me hunt you down :)

Happy weekend everybody!

Painted Posies by Erinn Kennedy

Erinn Kennedy is here to introduce her first fabric collection, Painted Posies for Andover Fabrics, to the Jolly Jabber readers! She has beautifully illustrated the brightly colored floral designs on with a clean, bold primary palette. The vintage-inspired line is simply eye-catching and fun, and we hope you enjoy it too! Don't forget to check out the two free quilt patterns as well!

Hello Everyone!

I’m so happy to be here on the Jolly Jabber blog to share with you my first fabric collection, Painted Posies for Andover Fabrics! This group was so fun to design! It was inspired by my love of Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Art and Baltimore Album Quilts. It’s a fresh, charming group with a vintage feel, and it includes a panel fabric with 8-inch blocks. Each block has a flowerpot with a sweet bouquet of summer flowers that would be just perfect for so many projects - quilts, table runners, placemats and home decor...lots of possibilities! There is also a free quilt pattern I designed especially for the Painted Posies collection.

My background is in drawing and painting, and many of the designs in this collection started out as paintings. It has been such a great experience to watch the artwork go from the drawing board onto gorgeous quilting cotton!

Currently I am working on more fabric designs and starting to play with creating sewing patterns that I’m really excited about. They will be cute and beginner friendly. For updates and photos visit my website and blog. I’m so glad you can find Painted Posies here at the Fat Quarter Shop!

Have a fun day and happy sewing!


~Erinn Kennedy
Erinn Kennedy online
Erinn Kennedy blog

Animal Party by Amy Schimler

Illustrator and fabric designer Amy Schimler has just released her fifth collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics, called Animal Party. Her love of little woodland creatures has expanded to include the jungle with brightly colored monkeys, hippos, giraffes and more fun four-legged friends. This collection features three different colorways: Boy, Girl and Retro. Bundles are available for all, and we have new Roll Ups to go with it! Check out the site for the quilt kits, great for the little animal lover in your household.

Let me first start by introducing myself! I am Amy Schimler and I live outside of Atlanta, Georgia, in a lakeside cottage surrounded by lots of giant green trees and quacking ducks. I am an illustrator as well as fabric designer. I am influenced by so many things . . . nature walks, color, texture. I aim for a whimsical and fun feel to my work, particularly my fabric designs. I love the whole process of designing – I love playing with color and watching a design unfold in front of me.

Animal Party is my most recent collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. On A Whim was the first, and then A Cow Says Moo. Creatures and Critters was followed by Forest Fun. I was approached by Robert Kaufman and Quilts for Kids, a non-profit organization, to design Animal Party. All the sales of this collection goes to a great cause (Quilts for Kids), and I didn’t hesitate to join the project. This line was a bit more challenging, since there was a specific request for the line. I think there are so many applications for these fabrics, and I can’t wait to see what people make using this collection.

I am really excited about the upcoming collections. There are some really fun fabrics in the next few lines. One will mix heart designs, geometric shapes and animals – lions, cats, more birds and owls. Read my blog to keep up!

Amy Schimler
AmySchimler.com
Red Fish Circle Blog

Debbie's Recipe Box: Blueberry Muffins

The always loved Blueberry Muffins recipe from Family Circle Magazine. Everyone has a had them or tried them, but if you're like me, you are always on the look out for a new take on the classic muffin. The orange zest in these is spectacular. Click on the image for a printable PDF!

Twin Updates

Thanks so much for all of your outpourings of love and well-wishes! Happy to report Mom is doing great, just needs a lot more rest, and babies are wonderful. We were finally able to tell you the names they chose after Emma heard them first.

They are William (Will) Matthew Jolly and Peyton James Jolly, and last we heard they weighed 8 lbs and 5 lbs 12 oz. Kevin said Emma was "as sweet as could be" when she met them for the first time :)

We'll have more photos next week! Until then, keep commenting on Wednesday's post! Got their 1st pictures up! We love reading your life-changing moments & tidbits of wisdom! And I guess the fat quarter bundle giveaway isn't hurting it any either ;)

Have a great weekend, all!

The Jolly Jabber Block Lottery Winners

It's been a very exciting week, no doubt. Mom and babies are resting well. But I've gotta breakaway for the moment to relieve some patient and eager block-makers. Announcing the winners of our Jolly Jabber Block Lottery!Altogether we wound up with 34 blocks, so we grouped them as best as we could and randomly drew 3 block winners. Jedde, Merumo, and Calee -- congrats, you've got some awesome blocks headed to you! Just to clarify, you won't be getting your own blocks back.

We've also got 3 randomly drawn $50 Gift Certificate winners: Barbara Lee from Australia, Megumi, and Mette!

E-mail me at jocelyn (at) fatquartershop (dot) com so I can confirm your addresses! Thanks to all you ladies who entered blocks, and thanks to Debbie for the great idea!

2 Bundles of Joy!

**Edit: Names! Hello, William (Will) Matthew & Peyton James Jolly :)**
Kimberly sent us these photos from her phone -- they look so much like infant Emma!
The twins...

Emma at about 5 months

We're so happy to announce that, at 1:21 PM today,2 Jolly boys joined the family. They weigh 7 lb 15 oz and 5 lb 11 oz, and both Mom Kimberly and babies are doing great. Dad was on hand to give them each the right names (he insisted they couldn't be named just on the order they arrived alone, and he's probably right), and now Emma is one proud big sister! We can't tell you their names yet, but we will as soon as we know them!

Now we gotta have a giveaway for an occasion this momentous and life-changing! Comment on this post and tell us one of your life-changing moments, or a piece of advice for a family that suddenly has 3 little ones!

The prize? Well, two Fat Quarter Bundles, of course (get it, bundles of joy? Ha-ha?) We'll randomly pick 2 winners who get to choose a Fat Quarter Bundle of their choice.

We'll be posting photos soon! In the meantime, I'll use this as a placeholder :)

Debbie's Recipe Box: Jalapeño Cheese Quiche Squares

Jalapeño Cheese Quick Squares from pal Judy Wilson. Delicious, perfect for quick 'n easy appetizers with adult and kid appeal at get-togethers. Click on the image for a printable PDF!