My seam ripper is, and always will be, my best friend forever when it comes to quilting tools.    It has gotten me out of countless jams and messes and made the day right again. I just can’t get along without one. I don’t know a quilter who can. But I found a runner-up.

I seldom sew by hand. I have even been known to sew my bindings on completely by machine. (Please don’t tell the quilt police.) But sometimes you MUST sew those bindings by hand. It takes me as long to thread a needle as it does to sew the binding. Until I started using this gadget, the Needle Threader. I LOVE IT!

It looked complicated and confusing until I saw how it worked. You just lay the thread across the slot made for it, drop in the needle upside down (the needle threader turns it just the right way!), push the button. Tah Dah! Ready to sew.

It’d be hard to get any easier than this!  Fieldstones can be made from  scraps and you can enjoy seeing bits of all your recent quilts.  Or showcase a new or favorite fabric line and make it from Layer Cakes and Jelly Rolls.    A perfect quilt to showcase a line of fabric or all the fabrics from your recent quilts.  Instructions for crib, lap and twin size.  A pillow pattern is also included.

Goober Peas has a great diagonal or on-point look to it but it’s just hourglass blocks and oversized center nine patch blocks.  Again, easy, but with a great look.  This quilt is a good one for using your reproduction scraps.

We can’t quilt non-stop. Sometimes we have to shop!  Here’s a cute bag you can make to carry with you on your next shopping trip.  You’ll get lots of help with neat tips and cool tricks when you make this EZ Bag.   You can dress this one up or make it flirty and casual. Bet you’ll make more than one!

Control your scraps and make your own Charm Squares.  This Charm Wizard ruler makes it easy.  Also great for fussy cutting.

Blizzard Table Runner can be made with the stitchery center – a very cute snowman – or without.  It’s a winner either way.  If you make it without the stitchery you can use red white and blue fabrics and you’ll have a stunning patriotic table runner. 

These are just a few of the new items.  Check out the rest of the new quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.

By July we’re far enough away from last Christmas to start thinking Christmas again.  And far enough away from the next Christmas that we believe if we start now we’ll be ready when the holiday arrives.  How does the saying go?  Hope springs eternal!  One of these years we will be ready early and not have to rush to finish.  But then would it really seem like Christmas?

So, while we’re in the midst of the summer heat, this is a good time to find some quilt patterns and select some Christmas fabric and start sewing.

These snowmen are adorable..  You can use this fabric for borders. If you are making a set of items (like a table runner, a lap quilt and a wall hanging) all for the same room, wouldn’t they look great if you used a different section of this Black Snowflakes fabric on each one.

This Log Cabin Christmas pattern has instructions for a mantle scarf (with a decidely different flair!), placemats & a table runner.

Try this pattern (Winter’s Stars) with your favorite large print Christmas fabric – maybe some poinsettias.  Or change the color way and use snowflakes in the large squares and make the stars in blues and and whites and golds

Six Halves Makes A Whole Chrismas will keep you busy well past the end  of July!  There are patterns for six different projects (each using 6 half yard cuts of fabric) including stockings, a tree skirt, pillow shams and lap quilts.  If you choose your fabric carefully, the lap quilts will be able to stay out for the entire winter season and not just for Christmas.  Or, better yet, make one in very Christmassy fabric and one in blues and whites and greys.

There are dozens of Christmas patterns specifically for Christmas and then there are hundreds of other quilt patterns that you can turn into Christmas patterns by using Christmas fabric.  Have fun and Merry Christmas (in July)!

There are so many quilt patterns to be found at Quilters Warehouse. In the Pieced Pattern section there are over 1400 patterns! You could browse for hours. So, to save you some time (time you can use to actually quilt!) I pulled a few patterns from deep in the selection just to show you a few of the possibilities.

 
Boston Logs  is fat quarter friendly.  The blocks are put together like log cabin blocks and then laid out in a Boston Commons manner.  You’ll use Stack ‘n Slash, Switch ‘n Stitch technique – Fun!  This is easy enough for a beginner and will be quick and fun for the more experienced quilter.  This would look great with light green background and rose colors in place of the blue – like a rose garden.

This one is great for all your scraps. You can make Boot Roundup as splashy and “out there” looking as you want.  Have fun as you watch your scrap pile diminish.  Any horse lover or country girl would love to have this quilt.

Fractured Diamonds is certainly a different look.  There are instructions for two sizes: a wall hanging (40 x 60) and full size (104 x 87). This is your chance to experiment with color.

Make your bedroom a peaceful place with Zen Garden.   This quilt is King size (100 x 108) and features a separate panel for the head of the bed. Sweet Dreams!

I hope you enjoyed our peek into the midst of the patterns.  Next time you take a coffee break browse through the patterns and see what you can find.