There are still 8 days left to our “12 Days of Christmas Special”!

Select items are 50% off with a $25 purchase.

Things like tools!

Patterns!

Books!

 and lots more!  Shop AND Save!

Until November 1st, all quilting books by The Quilt Branch are available for 10% off! We all love our patterns, but books offer so much more.   Except in the case of larger, more complicated patterns (like samplers or intricate piecing), most quilt books contain several patterns.  You will also benefit from the designer’s experience as the author/designer ofter shares helpful tips and shortcuts for the piecing process, suggestions for fabric selection, and sometimes even quilting ideas instead of the dreaded ‘quilt as desired’.

The Six Halves Make a Whole book series contains patterns that can be made from bundles of six half yard cuts of fabric.

Six Halves Make A Whole Sampler not only has instructions for a 62″ x 72″ quilt, but also patterns for using the blocks in a table runner and to make a tote.  Any of the blocks would look good by itself as a mini- quilt.

Six Halves Make A Whole Christmas quilt book has instructions for six different projects using six half yard cuts of fabric.  Make Christmas stockings, a tree skirt, pillow shams, and lap quilts.

Other titles in the series are Six Halves Make A Whole Quilt (6 projects), Six Halves Make A Whole Lot More (6+ projects), and Six Halves Make A Whole Starburst Quilt (Quilt and Table Topper).

Cottage Creations Quilt Book gives complete instructions for using the Creative Grid Cottage Ruler to make 45 degree patterns.  The book includes three quilts, pillow shams, a table topper, and placemats.

And then there is the Table Topper Series with 4 books…. one for each season.

Table Topper Series Book #3 Fall has patterns for three octagon shaped table toppers, one each for September, November, and December.

Choose a book (or two, or three!) and take advantage of the discounted price.  Use coupon code CB2013 at checkout.

Happy reading and happy sewing!

Susan Knapp and Mary Jane Mattingly of The Quilt Branch have written a series of books titled “Six Halves Make A Whole”.  Each book has several projects each of which can be made with six half yard cuts of fabric.   Fabric Bundles are bundles of fabric from a fabric collection - you can choose 1/4 yard cuts, whole yard cuts, or half yard cuts – perfect for pairing with “Six Halves” books!

Six Halves Make A Whole Christmas has patterns for Christmas Stockings, a tree skirt, pillow shams, and lap quilts.  The Holiday Medley fabric bundle would pair with this book nicely.

The first book, simply Six Halves Make A Whole.  Try the Farmland fabric bundle with this book.  The Farmland Bundle has 7 fabrics.  Make your quilt with 6 of them and use the 7th for the binding. Or, for your resident sports fan, use the Sports Xtreme Patch fabric bundle.

Six Halves Make A Whole Lot More has patterns for five quilts and a set of placemats.   Pair this book with the Petite Odile fabric bundle.  The 7 fabrics of Petite Odile feature greys and muted reds reminiscient of 19th century France.  Enough fabric for your quilt and for your binding.  Or use that extra piece as part of your backing.

Two more books in the series are Six Halves Make A Whole Sampler

and Six Halves Make A Whole Starburst.

What fabric bundle would you use for these two books?

 Rare is the quilter that doesn’t save her scraps.  Unfortunately, that’s as far as some of us get.  Break out of the mold, pull out your scraps and make a quilt!  Here’s a few patterns that might work for you.

This one is for the itty-bitty scraps.  Use them up in this Scrappy Nine-Patch.  A neutral background showcases all those little bits of color. 

Syncopated Ribbons makes use of your odd shaped scraps.  Instructions are includes for four sizes, from baby to queen.  Time to sort those scrap pieces into colors! 

 You won’t need many large scrap pieces for this one – you’ll be able to use up lots of your smaller scraps.  And it won’t matter how bright or subdued your fabrics are – Pinwheel Sampler will make them into a cheery quilt.

With Fiesta Wear by Sandy Klop, anything goes.  Prints, solids, tone on tones… use them all.  The black border and black sashing really accent the colors.

Little Big Star has the look of a Trip Around The World.  Your scraps, plus a little white and a little black will create this amazing quilt.

Scraps & More is a book full of patterns for your scraps.  Nine in all, including quilts, a pillow pattern and a table runner.

If you didn’t like any of these, browse the Scrap Quilt Pattern section of QuiltersWarehouse.  

Happy quilting!

Art for art’s sake is not found in a typical Amish home.  Amish quilts are one of the few forms of art acceptable in the Amish community and that is only because they serve a pratical purpose.  No wonder the women enjoyed expressing themselves as they made quilts for their families.  Over time, the quilts evolved from whole cloth with plenty of quilting to added cornersquares and finally color throughout.  Still simple, but beautiful in their simplicity. 

Historian, quilter, and noted expert, Rachel Thomas Pellman provides an information packed look at the development and tradition of Amish quilting in her book,  Amish Wall Quilts.  The distinctive quiltmaking characteristics of three different Amish communities are discussed.  You’ll learn details about how Amish women use quilting as a creative outlet.  Included are fifteen projects for wall quilts in the Amish style.

Almost Amish is less traditional, but still Amish inspired.  Three star blocks and tone on tone fabrics are used to create the beautiful, simple look.

Buggy By The Fence Rail uses the traditional rail fence block to provide a backdrop that looks like a country field.  The silhouette of a buggy is appliqued in the ‘field’.

And, for your puzzling pleasure, Amish Quiltscape Jigsaw Puzzle by SunsOut Puzzles. Relax and enjoy putting together this peaceful scene. Who knows, maybe it will be inspiration for your next quilt!

 When you are not quilting, be sure to enter our Pinterest contest and have a chance to win prizes!

More than just a pattern for a quilt, this book is a collection of thank you letters and photos from children who won ponies by selling subscriptions to The Farmer’s Wife magazine in the early 1900′s.   Laura Hird selected 90 letters from the lucky pony winners and chose blocks inspired by the stories and photos.  The sampler quilt consists of 90 traditional 8″ blocks to make a large queen sized quilt.   Though the blocks are traditional, many of them will be blocks you don’t see used over and over.

As Laura states, “these endearing, poignant, and sometimes hilarious letters provide a unique window into the lives of children in rural America at the turn of the 20th century”.   

Following the letters is a section with complete, detailed assembly instructions and illustrations for each block.

  The book includes a CD with templates, foundation patterns where needed, and full sized line drawings of each block.  There are assembly diagrams for not only the queen size, but also king, lap and twin. 

Sampler quilts are always interesting to make and this one is even more so.   Just two blocks a week and you’ll be finished this time next year even if you take a few weeks off.   The Pony Club Sampler Quilt would make a great project for a quilt guild and would provide for interesting conversation.

You may want to join the Yahoo group “The Farmer’s Wife Pony Club Quilt“.   There you can chat with other quilters about your progress, post pics of your finished blocks, and view pics of other members’ work.

Laura Hird has been collecting copies of the Farmer’s Wife magazine and has one of the most complete collections in existence.  You can follow her blog, The Farmer’s Wife Quilt, where she posts excerpts from the magazines, and discusses upcoming projects.