The winner of the three patterns from Prairie Sky Quilting has been chosen, from all the comments left, by a random number generator. But first ….

I hope you all enjoyed our time spent with Prairie Sky Quilting.  I know that I am hooked on the Fun & Done! patterns.   The Chit Chat table runner is finished and it went together very quickly.  The instructions were clear and Susan gave lots of little tips for making the entire process go smoothly.   The table runner called for 12 blocks but I needed one a little smaller so I only used 10.   It really was Fun & Done!   

A Batting Buddy with help with fabric and batting placement to make the process even easier and faster but it is optional – I didn’t use one, but I do love my quilting tools so I see one in my future.

Okay, back to the winner.  It was Katie Mae Petross, a Facebook Fan.  Enjoy your patterns, Katie!

(Don’t forget – leaving a comment on this post before Friday, January 21 at midnight (central time) will give you another chance to win three patterns from Prairie Sky Quilting!)

Here’s a few of my favorite patterns from Prairie Sky Quilting…

Presto Pinwheels seems to move as your eyes scan the top. I’d love to make this in bright bold colors. Maybe a very light blue for the background and then a bold bright blue for the pinwheels, a red for the squares and purple for the alternate squares. Or florals for the pinwheels and different greens for the alternate squares.

I love the monochromatic Lively Lattice Pattern and can see this in many different monochromatic colorways. It might also be fun to try a colorful small scale pattern for the background and a solid reading tone on tone for the lattice part.

Magnifient Medley includes instructions for crib, lap and twin size quilts.   Wouldn’t this look great in a crib size with these Cat in the Hat fabrics?!  The red stripes in place of the brown with the panel fabric fussy cut for the circles in the brown and then…. might need to play around with the rest of it, but how cute would that be?!  Perfect for hanging on the nursery wall.

I don’t know about your living room or family room, but in mine one quilt just isn’t enough.  I’d love to make Triple Expresso – Shake, Rattle & Roll all in the same fabrics.  Enough quilts to go around and it’d give the room a new look.

Well, it looks like I have lots of projects to add to my to-quilt list!  Do you have any favorites?

(Don’t forget! Any comment made before midnight Friday on any of our blog posts dated between Jan 14 and Jan 21 gives you another chance to win three patterns from Prairie Sky Quilting! Same goes for comments on status updates and links at our QuiltersWarehouse Facebook page!)

In this part of the interview Susan tells us about her daily life as a quilt designer.

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

I’ve come to enjoy so many parts of the quilting process as I’ve expanded into designing.  Today’s software technology has made designing quilts so much fun, and easier than the colored pencils and graph paper that I started with!  I use EQ7 for my patterns, and CorelDraw for my show quilts.  But, I love to sew, and need to do it regularly.  Sewing is how I relax and recharge, but there are never enough hours in the day to sew as much as I would like.

I so agree about there not being enough time each day to sew and I’ll bet our readers feel the same way!  Susan, can you tell us what a typical work day is like?

I began this career when my youngest child started school.  I was still a full-time mom, and I started teaching quilting on a limited basis.  My business grew gradually as I had more time to devote to designing, teaching, and eventually the pattern business.  Now I have 2 daughters in high school and a son away at college, so I’m glad to be home and available to them as needed.  I spend a lot of time on things that aren’t very creative or quilt-related, like packing orders, bookkeeping, and keeping up with emails.  My design and sewing times vary based on the demands of my current deadlines.  No two days are alike, and most days don’t go as planned.  It’s always a challenge to juggle the many responsibilities of work and home life, but I appreciate the flexibility that I have to keep the balance that works best for me.

Can you describe your studio?

I am fortunate to have a room in our basement to use as a studio.  It’s small, but it’s wonderful to have a dedicated sewing space. In my studio, I have many features that I consider to be essential for me.  My favorite sewing maching is set into a large sewing cabinet.  I have a separate cutting table and an HQ16 in a sit-down table for machine quilting.  I hung felt from a rod to make a design wall, which is an essential part of any studio.  My stash is overflowing, so I either need to stop buying fabric or get a larger sewing room.  I think I’d prefer that larger sewing room!  (Yep, that sounds like a plan!)

As my business has grown, so have the demands of maintaining inventory levels on multiple items.  Prairie Sky Quilting has taken over other parts of our house and garage.  As my kids have grown, I’ve moved toys out of the closets, and taken over that space for patterns.  But I do dream of having more room, so maybe when the kids move out, I’ll take over the whole basement!

When you are starting a new project, what comes first for you – the design or the fabrics?

I usually start with the design, then look for the fabrics that work best for that design.  Finding the right fabrics can be very challenging, especially finding the right combination that will photograph well for a pattern cover.  My stash is evidence that my original plan doesn’t always work, and I need to revise the plan and buy more fabric.  When choosing fabrics, I often start with a focus fabric, and pick colors to coordinate with that.

Do you have favorite types of fabrics?

I tend to like more contemporary fabrics and vibrant colors.  As a pattern designer, I try to use a variety of styles that might appeal to a wider audience of quilters, so that challenges me to stretch my comfort zone.  But it always has to be something that I like, because I can’t do my best work if I’m not enjoying the project.

Thanks for sharing with us Susan! 

Three great patterns…

Fun & Done! Quilting Easy Diamonds Pattern is rated for beginners so it works for everyone. If you are more experienced this will be even quicker and more fun.   Try out this easy technique that yields a quilted project when the piecing done.  Bind the Fun & Done! way and you are finished!  I can see this pattern in different shades of one color with black or white sashing… a great visual impact.

Triple Expresso Hop, Skip & Jump quilt pattern gives you so many options.  Just three different blocks – the same three different blocks if that makes sense :)  – give three completely different layout looks.  And as if that’s not enough, there are instructions for five different sizes: crib, lap, twin, queen and king. 

The Eye Catcher, also known as the Spectacle Receptacle, will hold your glasses so you know right where to find them.  I need one of these. I spend (waste) so much time looking for mine!  This would make a great gift too.  Your rotary cutter or tv remote would also fit nicely in one of these.

So, do you want these three patterns?  You have until next Friday (January 21st) at 12:00 midnight (central time) to leave comments.  A winner will be selected with a random number generator.  One person will win all three patterns.

Leave a comment (just one!) on this post.  And for more chances to win, leave a comment on any other post made between now and next Friday.  That’s right, each time you see a new post on our blog, leave a comment and you have another chance to win.  Any comment on our QuiltersWarehouse Facebook posts (between today and next Friday) will also give you another chance to win.  So let’s hear from you!

• only one comment per post
• only comment on posts dated between Jan 14 and Jan 21
• US residents only

This is my first Fun & Done project.  I can’t believe I waited so long to try one of these.  The pattern comes with instructions for several sizes.  Just to get started and for some quick gratification, I’m going to make the table runner.   Fun & Done! Quilting Chit Chat is ranked as a beginner pattern.  If you are trying to choose a pattern you will find a ranking on the Prairie Sky Quilting FAQ page.  Susan also talks there about the Batting Buddy, a helpful template set that will make a fast project even faster.

The fabrics first selected for this project included a full yard of medium for the block background, but that’s been changed.  We’re going for a scrappy look by using four different mediums for the block background.  The combination of Thimbleberries and Jo Morton creams and browns should make the table runner just right for fall and winter use.

 The first step was to sew these pieces. Done.  Believe it or not, the next sewing step is also a quilting step. Back to the sewing room… updates soon!

Our next post will be a giveaway post.  Stay tuned!