New FREE Pattern - The Gobstoppers Quilt

I've had a few requests for the Gobstoppers quilt pattern since a recent post from Char B. and a re-gram of Char's quilt on Missouri Star Quilt Company, I truly appreciate the exposure ladies! and I'm happy to know you are making this quilt. 

The Gobstoppers quilt was designed for the 2015 Utah Shop Hop which occurs every June, usually right before Father's Day.  The theme we chose for this event was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so of course I had to name this quilt after the everlasting gobstopper.

The blocks are set on point with sashing strips and blocks in between.  It looks a lot harder than it is.  There are only 3 blocks to construct for the entire quilt...A square-in-a-square block, the "pegs", and and the sashing post blocks. 

I used 14 coordinating fabrics in the quilt.  You could certainly use more for a scrappier looking quilt.  I previewed several fabrics for the outer border, but the mint green seemed to showcase the blocks the best, and you know any kind of mint candy or ice cream is my favorite so I went with it! 

Each block doesn't take a lot of fabric.  Owning a Quilt shop for years taught me that people love kits!  They like us to choose the fabrics for them, but they don't want to pay for wasted fabric.  The kit for this quilt used 6" x 22" strips of the print fabrics, enough fabric for your blocks and sashing posts, with little waste.   Fat Eighths would also work well for this quilt.

I chose to set the blocs on point which I loved, but how cute would this quilt be with straight-set blocks (below)...absolutely darling!

And a special thank you to Catherine Timmons for the amazing machine quilting.  She never disappoints and does all her quilting free-hand, not computerized!  She is truly talented!

I hope you enjoy making this darling gobstopper quilt!  and thanks for stopping by...

Happy Quilting!

 ~ Joni



Click here for a copy of the Gobstoppers Quilt Pattern

Spring Market Recap part 2

There was a recurring trend at Quilt Market...Glampers!  They were everywhere.  On quilts, hot pads, tea towels, pillows and on and on.  There was even a Glamper parked smack-dab in the middle of market, all decked-out in Carina Gardner's beautiful fabric line "Posy Garden".  This line is just my style with navy, pink, and aqua in vintage style florals, checks, and a bias plaid.  Watch for Posy Garden to be released by Riley Blake in July.   

And speaking of Glampers...isn't this quilt adorable!  It is a new design from my good friend Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup and features her new line of fabric called "Quilt Camp".  This darling quilt is available as a free pattern from Henry Glass Fabrics.  Click HERE for the pattern.  

 Barbara also has a line coming out called "Clean Living" which has that 1950's retro feel in these warm, rich colors of avocado green, coral, brown and orange .  The vintage T.V.B.C. quilt (TeleVision Before Cable) is also available as a free pattern from Henry Glass Fabrics.  Click HERE for pattern

I just love everything that Barbara designs, and these two new fabric lines do not disappoint!


Another great Utah designer is Emily Herrick.  You may know her from her pattern company, "Crazy Old Ladies".  Emily has a new book "Grow with me" coming out June 15th, and her new line "Up, Up, and Away" with Michael Miller Fabrics will be released over the summer.  I love everything in Emily's booth!

Another trend at Market was animals....

This quilt by the amazing Elizabeth Hartman is called the Lepidoptera Quilt which means moths and butterflies.  (I had to google that lol) The pattern will be available soon on her website click HERE to go to her pattern page.  You will recognize other patterns from Elizabeth like Hazel the Hedgehog, Preppy the whale and other darling modern animal quilts.  Elizabeth is simply delightful!  Her new design features her line of fabrics called "Paintbox Prints" by Robert Kaufman. 

speaking of Animal quilts at market...who doesn't love the Elephant Quilt by Violet Craft.  Check out her line of patterns by clicking the link. 

And a few more animal quilts are by Fiberworks.  Laura Heine is famous for her collage quilts like the Giraffe Collage quilt and Freida the Fox.  I have these patterns and would definitely love to learn this technique. 

And now on to the Moda Booths!  Everything is so inspiring at Moda Fabrics, that it would be difficult to post all the pictures I took, so I limited it to my favorite designers and fabrics that I love and can't wait to work with.  


First up is American Jane!  I just love reproduction fabrics, and I always love what American Jane makes. This Puzzle Pieces quilt is made from Sandy Klop's new line "Hop, Skip and a Jump" available in October 2016.

I love all fabrics, but if I were forced to choose just one favorite designer, it would have to be Fig Tree & Co!  I have made more quilts from Fig Tree fabrics and patterns than any other designer, and trust me when I tell you I have A LOT of quilts!

This amazing new line of fabrics due to arrive in September and is called "Chestnut Street".  I love how she incorporated yellow and black once again into her traditional pallet of orange, aqua, green and red.

 a view of all the inspiring projects made with Chestnut Street.  So much to see!

 Don't you just love the midnight quilt above with the charcoal background!  I definitely will be making this quilt.  It's made from 1 1/2" strips or honeybuns which are not always available from Moda.

I just love the melon quilt and the popcicles!  Click HERE to go to Fig Tree & Co. pattern page to see all her new patterns!


Another designer I absolutely love is Jen Kingwell!  Here are just a few of the inspiring quilts from her booth and a darling picture of Jen and Lindsey.  Her new line of fabrics called "Moving on Lawns" will be released in September.  Jen's fabrics and quilts bring back fond memories of vintage scrappy quilts like my Grandmother used to make and remind me why I started quilting.  If you love the mix of piecing and applique' like I do, you will truly love Jen Kingwell designs!

 Lindsey adores Jen Kingwell and is always a little star struck :)  Check out the amazing quilts from the Gardenvale mini swap Lindsey hosted last year on Instagram

The Halo Quilt is from Jen's new book "Jenny From One Block"  click the link above to view all of Jen Kingwell's new patterns. 

And I leave you today with the talented Bonnie & Camille!  They are truly a favorite in both fabric and pattern design.  This designing Mother and Daughter duo always inspire and delight! Click below to see their newest patterns.  Handmade is their newest fabric line which will make it's debut in September and I can't wait to get my hands on some of this delightful fabric!

 Cotton Way booth, the "Bonnie"

And Thimble Blossoms is the Camille part of the duo.



What fun Lindsey and I truly had and I can't wait to get sewing on all of the amazing projects I have planned for the upcoming months.  I am always inspired by all the amazingly talented people who keep me sewing and quilting.
 
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and subscribe to our blog to keep up to date with what we are planning for the future!

Happy Quilting
~ Joni

 

Spring Quilt Market 2016 Recap

What a great time we had at Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, UT.  This is our hometown, so we couldn't miss the opportunity to attend Market this year

I'm sure you've seen your share of  #springquiltmarket pics on Instagram, like this "#quilt with love" display, but what a great way to describe why we all quilt and what this whole quilting journey it's all about after all.

Of course I took pics of my favorites, but here are some things you may not have seen from every other shop owner and pattern designer out there...

The Lawn Diamonds Quilt made out of Cotton + Steel made by Sarah Schraw Designs.  Pattern available on her etsy site (click HERE for link)

These darling projects are from Birch Fabrics "Tall Tales" by Arleen Hillyer.  I don't know what it is about the Jackalope print, but I absolutely Love it!  It is available in cotton, knit, and double gauze.

This beautiful quilt was in the Andover Fabrics booth.  Although I can't tell you exactly which fabrics it's made of, (I'm guessing Sun Prints 2016 by Allison Glass) I know the pattern is called Eclipse 2.0 by MSM Designs, and it's machine quilted by the amazing Mindy Powell.  (click HERE for link)

This is a fun quilt made with Riley Blake Crayola Color Me Cottons.  There is even a darling Fat Quarter box available in the Crayola Cottons...how cute is that!!!

This quilt was seriously one of my favorites at market!  It's a Sue Daley Design, and made out of Backyard Roses by Nadra Ridgeway, and that diagonal black stripe is perfect.  I absolutely love this quilt and it will be going on my Bucket List for sure!

Sew Kind of Wonderful is always a show favorite.  I love their quick curve ruler and all three of these new quilt patterns are amazing!

Next up are some of my favorite designers from Free Spirit Fabrics.  This darling umbrella is made out of Amy Butler's newest fabric line "Eternal Sunshine" and it's fabulous!

"Mod Corsage" by Anna Maria Horner is another great line from one of my favorite designers.
 Photo cred to Hawthorne Threads for the fabric images. 

 And last up for today is the infamous Tula Pink!!!  Her booth was sooooo busy that this is the best picture I could get of her and her booth.  We went back several times and there was always a huge crowd...so this is an obstructed peek at her new quilt design from her "Slow and Steady" fabric line.  I know there is a better pic out there of this darling lady, Queen Tula, but I couldn't get one so go and check out her feed @tulapink on Instagram for more inspiration...

I was able to snap a pic of this amazing "Set Sail" quilt by Julie Herman of Jaybird quilts.  Another must make from Slow and Steady! (click HERE for link)

and how seriously cute are Tula Pink's new fabrics!!!  I absolutely love the top print called clear skies.  I can't wait to make something wonderful with this line of fabric!  Watch for Slow and Steady by Free Spirit Fabrics to be released very soon!




Check back in the next few days for more Quilt Market inspiration!  I will have more pics from Barbara Jones, Emily Herrick, Art Gallery, and all the adorable cuteness from the Moda designers. Thanks for stopping by and please leave any comments below of what your favorite things from Spring Quilt Market are and what you would like to see from us in the future.



Happy Quilting!
~ Joni and my adorable market side-kick and quilt model,  Lindsey!
 

Do you Swap?

I participated in my very first mini quilt swap!  The Gardenvale Mini swap hosted by my daughter @linneypooh.  The fabrics used were from the Gardenvale line by the amazing Jen Kingwell.

I met Jen and her daughter Lucy at Houston Quilt Market and I immediately fell in love with them!  Jen is simply delightful!  I loved her style, her designs, and of course her Gardenvale fabrics!

I just love her great sense of color and how she uses a lot of prints, florals, stripes and dots in her quilts...and gray is a recurring theme in most. 




Although I was a little nervous to participate in a swap, I couldn't go wrong if the fabrics were Jen's!  right...

 So I decided on the Cathedral Window pattern and it showcased the fabrics perfectly.  I used darker fabrics in the "base" and medium and multi-colored prints on the "top".  This was my second attempt at a cathedral window making only a pincushion once before...and I loved how it turned out

Click HERE for the free pattern Charming Windows by Angela Nash on Moda Bakeshop

It was really hard to let this one go, but it went to a good home...to Stacy Lee in West Monroe, LA @tophatquilter.  Her favorite color is purple so I chose the pebble print for the center block and the inner border.  I love the scrappy binding don't you?  I machine quilted this on my Featherweight and it's not great quilting, but I think it turned out okay. 


So when your daughter is in charge of a quilt swap, and someone drops out you become an "angel" so this quilt was plan "A" for my gardenvale swap and luckily I had the top finished when I was called to be an "angel", so I only had to finish the machine quilting and the binding.  This one went to Cathy Kirk in North Carolina - @thequiltingcowgirl

 I used the Missouri Star Bordered Periwinkle pattern and tutorial and the large triangle papers.

 click HERE for the tutorial on MSQC

I used black Essex Linen for the "borders" between the blocks, and for the outer border.
(see previous posts for helpful hints on making this block)  I echo quilted the entire top in 1" increments.  I am not a great machine quilter and I could use a lot more practice.  Cathy is a full-time machine quilter, so I hope she doesn't laugh out loud at my machine quilting skills!



So after sending off my two swap quilts,  To my surprise I received this beautiful mini quilt from @amysews from Charleston, SC!  Isn't it absolutely gorgeous!!!
 

 Amy hand pieced and appliqued the flower block, and also hand quilted this beauty.  She really spent a lot of time and I am so appreciative of all the work she did on my quilt. 

 

 The back of the quilt (upper right) is one of the polka-dot prints from the line and I love the striped binding.


 

 

I also received so many goodies in the package.  The "jug" is a mason jar with a lid and straw and Amy made a quilted coozie for it.  (I love real southern sweet tea and can't wait to use this!) She made a pieced needle-case, and a finger pincushion for me which I have always wanted.  I got some Bennie cookies, a coloring book with colored pencils, and a postcard from Charleston, SC  with a cute note.  Amy really spoiled me!


 If you have the chance to check all the truly AMAZING quilts that were made take a look on Instagram at the #gardenvaleminiquiltswap.  I am so thankful to my daughter Lindsey for putting this awesome swap together for us.  Jen Kingwell would be so proud of what we all made out of her beautiful fabrics!


I enjoyed this swap so much I just might join another one...or two.  I got lucky with this one, but the fun of a quilt swap is...you never know what you are going to get!!


until next time... 
Happy Quilting!
 ~Joni