Summer's End by Kansas Troubles Quilters for Moda

Down in my neck of the woods our seasons are accordingly : hot and dry, hot and humid, freezing (@ 55 degrees), anndd then there might be a week or two of perfect "spring time" weather thrown in.  Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and I wouldn't live anywhere else.. colder.. The only down side is I don't really get to see a true fall with those vibrant reds and oranges. 

Summer's End reminds me of the calming sites down here in Texas until our nature's life becomes bare naked from that 55 degree weather.  Although Lynne Hagmeier (owner and designer of Kansas Troubles Quilters) is a Kansas gal, she captures Summer's End/ Texas fall time with elegance.  And today she is here to give you a little more designer's insight.


My favorite time of year is Summer's End, when the bright blooms of summer fade into the warm mellow tones of fall. Much of my garden is full of flowers that dry well for long lasting bouquets of deep reds, oranges and golds, dark greens and chocolate browns. These are the colors I live comfortably with in my home all year round. When I found the mum floral print on a vintage curtain panel in the new Summer's End fabric collection, it immediately drew me back to that time of year and the rich colors of fall.

The Summer's End quilt is bursting with bunches and rows of flowers in the glorious colors of autumn and features a Moda precut Honey Bun for easy piecing. Projects in the booklet include a queen and lap quilt plus a wall quilt, runner and pillow - all for just $10.95 (Coming soon to the FQS)

Stay cool,


Lynne Hagmeier
Kansas Troubles Quilters



ALSO! Make sure you keep on the lookout...We are going to be doing a giveaway for Summer's End very soon! :-)

Let it Snow Batiks by Edyta Sitar

Snowflakes, snow flurries, snow fall... it's all so sublime..for the first few days at least.  In my state of affairs,  I can say I've only heard how much of a hassle snow is after a couple days, or a week.. or a month.  Edyta Sitar, owner of Laundry Basket Quilts, captured the first few days of snow fall's sublimity in Let it Snow Favorite Batiks.  You can keep that feeling all winter long whether there's a blustering blizzard or glistening green grass. This collection is sure to be a forever classic with it's soothing snowflakes!  Edyta's our special guest today to tell us a little more of what's behind this new winter favorite and also what she has comin' up next in line!

Each of the 16 delicate snowflakes are an exquisite work
 of art!  Quilt kit includes Snow Sparkle Quilt Pattern 
by Laundry Basket Quilts and Let it Snow 
Favorite Batiks fabric for the 76" square quilt top 
and binding.  Backing set is available separately.

Let It Snow Favorites is a wonderful collection that captures the beauty of winter. It's perfect to decorate your home with; not only for the holidays, but through the entire winter season. I love displaying my quilts from Let It Snow Favorites collection on an old pair of skis, or draping my blue snowflake quilt on my dining room table and accenting it with fresh, red poinsettia and crystals.  This line is also extremely versatile!  You can use it for table runners, table toppers, wall hangings, place mats, etc., and of course quilts.


What's wonderful about this collection is that it includes a convenient panel with eight different snowflakes on it, that are very easy to fussy cut and place in your projects. The collection comes in three different shades of blues. The evening blue is the one that captures the beauty of the first snow falling down. The light blue is the reflection of the sky, early in the morning after a snow storm. And after a few days the snow gets dirty and that is the inspiration for the third color of the group.

The newest collection that I am hoping to inspire you with is Sweet Sixteen. It is gorgeous, soft colors of pinks and blues accented with beautiful olive greens and happy banana yellows. Hold on, I think I just described my daughter, Delfina, that just turned 16.



Edyta Sitar
www.laundrybasketquilts.com


Now that you've gotten a sneak peak, make sure you keep an eye out for her next collection... that's called... you guessed it, Sweet Sixteen!

Summer Vacation Quilting Gallery Contest!

So maybe it's hard for us at Fat Quarter Shop to go even 24 hours without having a contest on or around the Jolly Jabber... I hope you don't mind. (hehe)

Each week Michele Foster hosts a themed contest on the Quilting Gallery's blog, and this week we get to sponsor it. The theme is Summer Vacation and we are awarding a prize to the top 2 winners! The prize will be a Layer Cake (sampled to the right) of the winner's choice.

Good luck and happy quilting!

View more about the contest.
View the rules and guidelines.

Saltbox Harvest by Deb Strain.. PLUS A Special Surprise (or two)!

Happy Monday to everyone!  Ok, I really can't wait to announce the special surprise... Today turned into another Monday Funday!!  Last weeks winner of the Lumiere de McGuffey quilt kit sadly never claimed her prize.. Luckily for everyone else they get another chance!  I hope everyone's now perked up on their toes... the contest seemed to be a real hit last week.


Ok, now that I got that off my chest... I'll be announcing the winner after Deb Strain for Moda (who has creeped inside our jolly jabber blogging world once again) shares her endearing words of inspiration from her fall line, Saltbox Harvest.

Hello once again Dear Friends!

Can you believe that fall and all of its beautiful splendor will be here again before we know it?  As a designer, we are always looking ahead to the next season for our inspiration.  With Saltbox Harvest, I didn't have to look far.  It is inspired by our own Saltbox home in the fall (image to the left).  As autumn approaches, and the leaves start to turn, we start decorating for this favorite time of year. Thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, harvest, visiting with family and friends more and the unique smell that only fall can bring.  Pumpkins, mums, gourds and apples combine with the brilliant array of leaves to create a warm, cozy scene.

I especially love the coordinates in this group!  The mini-pennyrugs remind me of one of my favorite Folk Art embellishments from the past, the pennyrug.  Paired with more contemporary patterns of polka-dots and overlapping trees, this group contains a mixture of both old and new motifs. Similarly, the colors are traditional fall favorites, presented in a clean, bright way. The same rich reds, oranges and ochres, in Saltbox Harvest, surround our home most of autumn. When paired with black, these colors really pop!  I can't wait to hang this beautiful autumn scene in my own Saltbox house this fall!

Always,
Deb
More illustrated products by Deb Strain.


Thank you again Deb, for sharing your inspirations! The line is absolutely gorgeous!

And now to announce the winner of the Lumiere de McGuffey quilt kit... give me one more drum roll please.......

Congradulations toooo....Laura!

-- to claim your prize e-mail "Stephanie (at) fatquartershop (dot) com"... and make sure you do it by the end of the week! For more details, refer back to last Monday's blog.


Now to the "(or two)" part....
Vanessa at Crafty Gemini is also giving away some sweet Fat Quarter Shop prizes over at her blog, namely a pattern & gift certificate. Hop over to read her pattern review, and comment on her post for chances to win.

Once again Happy Monday from the Fat Quarter Shop!

Awesome by Sandy Gervais

We're in the midst of summer, but fall's creeping up faster everyday.  If you haven't already started, it's time to get crackin' on this year's fall quilts....If you're still trying to decide which of our fab lines you want, maybe today's the day to put that to closure...  The oh-so-adoring Sandy Gervais is visiting us today to give you a little taste of the "pieces from [her] heart" that helped her create this year's cheery fall collection of Awesome.  Her designs pipe up the small beauties and you can almost feel the textures of fall.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next... I hear she has already started on her fall collection for 2011!


What an Awesome time of the year.

A time when nature displays the last burst of color before it is put to bed for the winter.

Our yard is full of oak trees that have probably been there since the late 1800's. I have a love - hate relationship with the oak trees.

I love their stately old look and the wonderful umbrella of shade that they provide our house during the hot summer months. I love watching the busy little squirrels running here, there and everywhere, gathering acorns for the winter.

However come fall when it is acorn season and we are literally scooping the acorns off of the driveway - then I don't like the old oak trees so much.

The panel from my fall line Awesome features the old oak trees and the busy squirrels from our yard.

The line features prints and polka-dots in the rich fall colors that nature provides.

It is very hot and humid here in Iowa today, but before we know it the days will be cool, school will be starting and fall will have arrived. Really, it is not too early to be thinking about getting those fall projects started.

Happy summer, happy fall, happy quilting.

From my heart,
Sandy Gervais

Pieces from my Heart Website
Pieces from My Heart Blog

Makin' New Friends by Deb Strain

Ok, it's time to pause on the giveaway galore and come back to the people that make everything happen! Today, Deb Strain for Moda is here to tell us her inspirational memories behind her darlin' line, Makin' New Friends! Although I've personally only seen real snow once in my life down here in Austin, Texas, that one time sticks out of my memories like a sore thumb of happiness... Deb triggers an emotional past, or even future, with children, snowmen and singing birds.

Some other fun thoughts... I hear Deb is working on getting a blog of her own up.. can't wait! Anyway...with no further delay... here she is, the lovely Deb Strain....

Hello Friends!

We are enjoying the beautiful warm weather here in Ohio, but remembering colder, snow-filled days in my newest winter line, Makin' New Friends. Both the panel and coordinating fabrics of this heart-warming group are filled with children, snowmen, birds, pine branches and snow. Using traditional winter colors of holly, berry red, wintery blue, pine and ivy greens, I have illustrated one of our family's most treasured winter traditions...building our own new friends out of snow!

What could be more fun on a winter day than building a snowman? This blustery group was inspired by memories of the "friends" that we have made with our own children each winter. After collecting old scarves, hats and buttons, we would find the biggest carrots for the noses of our giant snowball sculptures. Katie and Taylor, my youngest daughter and son, always hugged their snowman friends and greeted them each morning before school.

Living in the woods, we imagined that the birds would visit our snowy creations at night and keep them company with their songs! What wonderful memories we have made while building our new friends out of snow.

Hope that you enjoy my newest winter collection as much as we enjoyed our winter fun!

Deb Strain
More illustrated products by Deb Strain.

Monday-- the new Funday!?

I hope everyone had a splendid care-free weekend!  Today is Monday, July 19th.. do you know what that means!?  It's time to start off the week right and announce the winner of the Lumiere de McGuffey quilt kit presented by Carrie Nelson the great!  First off, thank you to all of you Jolly Jabber readers who participated.  We are so thrilled this was such a hit!

Just a reminder of everything included in the kit:
Two Layer Cakes and inner border yardage from Lumiere de Noel, and a signed Schnibbles Times Two book-- all packaged in a Schnibbles project bag!  All you'll need is the backing and binding of your choice.


AND NOW... selected at random from a fabulous 535 comments!...the winner is...



Deborah!-- she said "So many inspiring designs! I'd love to win the giveaway-- best of luck to all!"

--To claim your prize just email "Stephanie (at) fatquartershop (dot) com"... and make sure you e-mail me by the end of this week!


Once again, give a queen-sized thank you to Carrie Nelson for her generosity of putting today's giveaway together!

Your Favorite Schnibbles Winners!

Did you revel in the Schnibbling from Monday's post? After all of your efforts showing-and-SchnibblesTimesTwo-telling we have randomly selected 4 winners of the contest! (And just remember... everyone's a winner in my book!) I know you have all been waiting for this!

If you had commented on our first contest post, that was 1 entry. Each Schnibbles Times Two quilt made and shown to us somewhere via the interwebs counts for 3 extra entries!

Here are those quilts once again!

Entries from Debi Lohr:

"Bennington" with Make Life and Odyssea Layer Cakes

"McGuffey" with Tweet Tweet Layer Cakes

Entry by Cara Quilts:

"X-Rated" with Essence Layer Cakes

Entry by Simone de Clerk

"Little Red" with Blush Layer Cakes

Entry by Bree's Place

"Open Season" with Whimsy Layer Cakes

And the winners of $50 Gift Certificates are...(Drum roll please)....

Congratulations Debi, Cara, Simone & Bree, you are all winners!


And the winner of the $25 Gift Certificate is.... Rogerik!


Congrats! Just email "Jocelyn (at) fatquartershop (dot) com" to claim your prize.

It was a good week in many fun giveaway events! There's still one left from Mondays blog that is open till this next Monday, July 19th.  Just look for the bold print to see the detail on how to win a complete kit to make the Lumiere de McGuffey quilt kit! 


Also, on another note, this week we reached 3,000 likes on facebook!  *cheers*  We are so happy ya'll are enjoying our facebook adventures!  Can't wait till the big 4,000 comes along!

Your Favorite Schnibbles Contest Quilts! And an extra surprise!

"Your Favorite Schnibbles" quilts are due!! I'm excited to show off what you've made with some fabulous Layer Cake choices! If you are just now joining us, this is the conclusion to our little contest/giveaway. It is based off of Carrie Nelson's book Schnibbles Times Two, which may arguably be the best thing to ever happen to Layer Cakes. (And -- who knew -- if not for the Jolly Jabber, the book may have not come to be!!??)


Carrie Nelson the Great is here today to give us an update on the life and times of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. (La Vie en Rosie LOL!); new Schnibbles, revamped pattern... be sure and read through to the end for a nice little surprise and some show-and-tell!

Hidee ho Jabberettes!

What’s new with you? It’s a hot, hot day in my neighborhood… but that’s not really new for Phoenix. Did you know that the line “Hot time, summer in the city” was written with Phoenix in mind? Okay, not really, but it could have been. That’s one of my favorite summer songs, by the way. Actually, I think it’s everybody’s favorite summer song... but I’m digressing. As usual.

It’s been kind of a crazy year since I was here last time, in part because of something I wrote last time… but more on that in a moment.

Have you seen the new Schnibbles patterns? Joy Luck is probably my favorite, probably because I love, love, love the Verna collection by Kate Spain. I love Fandango too, but Verna is definitely my favorite. I love that French General too. My Mon Ami (coming soon to Fat Quarter Shop)...wait until you see it… you'll wonder, how in the world did she manage to work 268 half-triangle squares into a 33” x 33” quilt? It was easier than you think.

And then there’s that fabric thing ~ Fresh Palette will be here in October. It’s making me crazy to have to wait to actually get the fabric in my hands but then again, it will get crazy when I actually have it and have to get a couple of quilts made. Pronto. It’s a mixed bag, isn’t it?

Books! Spice of Life Quilts and Schnibbles Times Two are already out and A Touch of Rosie is coming this October. As beautiful as the two Leisure Arts books are, I really miss the cows. (Schnibbles Times Two ~ page 59. It’s my favorite picture in the whole book… and but for a series of events set in motion by something I wrote here last year, it might not have happened.


In telling you how the Schnibbles patterns came into being, I kinda sorta suggested that maybe, just possibly someone was making a little bit of extra work for me with her ideas and pestering. You know her. You love her. Yes, Moda Lissa. That’s who I’m referring to.

A few weeks after Lissa had written a nice post trying to explain the reasons for her pestering me, I e-mailed her to make sure she knew I was teasing because, well, not everybody does. And it was important that she know I was teasing… just in case I needed some more charm packs. (Okay, so that’s probably why I e-mailed her in the first place, but my version sounds better.) When she wrote me back, she told me that she had this idea for turning my charm pack quilts into layer cake quilts. An e-mail to the lovely ladies at Martingale and a week later, I’ve got a contract, a dozen quilts to get made and a manuscript to write. And oh yeah, by the way, this was all taking place about two months before Spring Market.

I told you she’s good at making work for me. In the most loving way possible.

Before I forget, if you went back and read the post from last year… the nine-patches were part of Quadrille, the scraps in the basket became Sweet Tea and the Bella Solids are in a version of Blue Skies that will be out in another month or so.

As for Schnibbles Times Two ~ I wasn’t 100% sure about them when I first started because… well, the pieces are kind of big. Seriously! A couple of those quilts have flying geese that finish at 4” x 8”! Huge! But here’s the rub… the bigger pieces are perfect for all those fabulous contemporary collections, like Verna. And Fandango. And Freebird ~ yes, I’m in love with this one too. Who knew that those really big pieces meant so many more fabric options for moi?

And it wasn’t like I couldn’t occasionally put a few small pieces into the quilts, just to get it out of my system if I just had to. For example, instead of just cutting a big square, I could make a couple half-triangle squares and piece them to make something the same size. That’s how I came up with Lumiere de McGuffey. It’s just the McGuffey quilt from the book with a little tweaking. All you need are two Lumiere Layer Cakes ~ though any two layer cakes will work, so long as you have 83 squares, a half-yard of fabric for an inner border and the Schnibbles book. And these free revised instructions.

Okay, my glass of iced tea is empty so that means it’s time for me to go.

Oh, one last thing… if you leave a comment here by next Monday, July 19, you can win a complete kit to make the Lumiere de McGuffey quilt. The kit includes two layer cakes, the inner border yardage, and a signed Schnibbles Times Two book. And it comes packed in a Schnibbles project bag. All you need are the backing and binding.

I’m betting that Kimberly and Co. can help you out with that.

Did you hear that, Schnibbles fans?? Thanks to Carrie for her generosity!!
Now let's do a little show-and-SchnibblesTimesTwo-tell so we can out some fab prizes too!

Entries from Debi Lohr:

"Bennington" with Make Life and Odyssea Layer Cakes

"McGuffey" with Tweet Tweet Layer Cakes

Entry by Cara Quilts:

"X-Rated" with Essence Layer Cakes

Entry by Simone de Clerk

"Little Red" with Blush Layer Cakes

Entry by Bree's Place

"Open Season" with Whimsy Layer Cakes

If I've missed your entry, please let me know ASAP!!! We'll announce the winners & prizes in the next post!! Good luck to all, and thank you for playing!!

Not Quite June Cleaver Interview

Susan Dahlem, author of Not Quite June Cleaver, asked to interview little ol' me on her blog. It's kind of strange and nice to be on the other side of the table! Go visit her blog, if not to actually read about me, to leave some comment love for Susan. Plus, a comment on the interview gets you entered to win this neat little prize pack of patterns, honoring Susan's favorite vice (aprons!), and who knows, we might even have a coupon posted there as well...hmmm!

The prize pack has some Bari J in there, some ModKid Boutique, some Bunnyhill, Heather Bailey... good, good stuff!

Have a great weekend, and see you back on Monday when we conclude our Schnibbles giveaway! (So yes, you do have time to finish your quilt tops and take pictures!)

Good luck!

Fast, Flirty & Fun Book Winners!

Did y'all (on this side of the pond) have a good 4th of July weekend?

Last week we featured Sarah Bisel and her very first book for Martingale, Fast, Flirty and Fun! I hope you found it surprising, delightful, and most of all inspiring. Today we're announcing the winners of the four copies we're giving away. If you haven't yet, take a look through some of the comments and see what big dreams are mentioned...they definitely made me smile!

Drum roll please...

The lucky winners are...

Misty "I'm a mother of four small children too. Although I don't have a lot of time, I really want to learn to quilt! I would enjoy making quilts to pass on to my children and future grandchildren. I dream of pretty quilts scattered throughout my home."

Quiltingdaisy "This book is exactly what I started looking for this week. I have some large focal prints in mind to make a fast, simply pieced quilt as a going away gift for a friend."

Shellie "I dream of creating my own fabric line designed to be more than just seasonal."

Donna Harper "I'd be honored to make a quilt from this book! What fun! Thanks for this opportunity."

Congratulations! Please e-mail jocelyn (at) fatquartershop (dot) com for your copy.