Hippity, Hoppity, Easter’s on it’s way.  It’s less than six weeks until Easter.   But there’s still plenty of time to quilt some decorative Easter quilts.

 Cotton Tails is an 8 1/2″ X 16″ paper foundation pieced wall hanging. These two bunnies are keeping a close watch on their Easter basket, just waiting for it to be filled.  It might be hard to choose a colorway.  The pink & blue are pretty but yellow and green would be nice too.

Holiday Trees has patterns for three holiday trees so you’ll be a step ahead for Halloween and Christmas. For Easter you can make colorful decorated eggs from felt to “hang” on your tree quilt.  Make your eggs wild and crazy or use soothing pastels.

These Easter Chicks are on parade wearing thier Easter Bonnets.  I love a parade!  Instructions included for a table runner, a penny rug and pillows.

Dress up your table with these colorful Easy Crazy Easter Eggs.  You’ll get a head start on your Spring Cleaning because you’ll be cleaning out your scrap bin.  There are two sizes: 10 X 14 and  14 X 18.  Use them for placemats or set one out on a end table under your holiday decorations.

Easter Cross is a beautiful stained glass wall hanging quilt pattern that reminds us what the holiday is all about. Rich batiks add to the effect.

Ok, time’s a’wasting.  Hop to it and check out all the quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.

Hoppy sewing!

One of the new patterns this week at Quilters Warehouse is  Baby’s Bow Wow Blankie by Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night.

Isn’t it adorable?  If this puts you in the mood to quilt with dogs in mind . . .

Scottie Dog Quilt is a parade of Scotties all dressed in different outfits.  The pattern shows cherries in the center – cute, but no need to stick to that.  You could make a dog house or use a favorite print in the middle.

You’ve heard of Three Dog Night, haven’t you? (oops, showing my age) Here’s Seven Dog Night.  Scotties again, this time in a kid-sized quilt (44″ X 54″) and a pattern for a matching stuffed Scottie.  What toddler wouldn’t love to get this combo?

Ok, if you are still reading you Must Love Dogs .  Change the spots on these dogs to match your own and then embroider your pet’s name on the quilt.

Here’s another kid’s favorite, My Furry Friends.  They get to cuddle up with not one, not two, but three pets! 

If you’re tired of the same old collars and are looking for a fresh look, try this pattern for Playful Pet Collars.  There is hardware included with the pattern, enough to make three collars.  Make different collars for different seasons, holiday collars, collars to match the quilts you make, collars that express your pet’s personality.

Nickel Dogs are charming!  Five inch charm squares are perfect for the dogs in this 52″ X 59″ quilt.  Add a bit of other fabric for the borders and wah lah!

I hope you enjoyed our tour through the pound.  When you’ve had enough of the dogs be sure to browse all the other quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.

You’ll find so much more than quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.  Here’s a sampling.

A scrapbook cover and totebag. Aren’t these just the cutest?! So festive. Use your buttons (you know you have a stash) or embellish your own way.
And for a baby. What new mom wouldn’t like this?  Both of these are by Briarwood Cottage, who also has a couple Block of the Month quilts, and several books.

Good Intentions has several sweatshirt projects, including this patriotic sweatshirt. There are a couple flower patterns, a couple winter patterns.

And this Log Cabin Sweatshirt. At Good Intentions you will also find several “Laps From Fats” quilt patterns and several books.

Cookie’s Creations has several pincushion patterns including these adorable chickens – so cute!  There are pumpkin pincushions in three different sizes and baby shoe pincushions.

Cookie’s Creations  has a count down calendar for Halloween with pockets for treats and pockets for photos.  Your little trick-or-treaters will love it.   It’d make a great holiday decoration.   You will also find a few quilt patterns including one that is a tribute to chemo survivors made out of bandanas.

Then there is Sew Baby, gee, I wonder what they have?  So many baby projects!  And most of the projects are unique.  There are cloth books, hooded animal towels, stuffed animals with attached blankets, bath puppets, bibs, car seat covers and more!

We’re quilters at heart but most of us enjoy other projects, too, and there’s no lack of projects available . . . check them out!

Award winning quilt artist Nancy Rink has designed several quilt patterns using a variety of techniques.  Her patterns include piecing, applique and paper piecing.  From table runners to king sized quilts you’ll find beautiful designs, both traditional and contemporary. 

Today, Nancy Rink tells us how she got her start . . .

“As a young girl, my first attempts at sewing involved making clothing for my Barbies. My grandmother did a great deal of sewing and I would take her discarded scraps home with me and fashion them into what were in all likelihood horribly constructed doll outfits. But in my child’s mind they were beautiful and they were made with my own hands.  Later as a teen, I learned to sew and sewed most of my own clothes.  I was an avid seamstress until I completely fell in love with quilting.  However, I did not fall in love as some do – head over heels.  My love of quilting came on gradually as sewing clothes becase less of a focus and quiltmaking took over my time and ignited my creative passion.  “What was the event that triggered it?”  is a question I’ve been asked many times.  It’s hard to pinpoint one specific event as the trigger.  I think it was more like a confluence of events that came together and illuminated some things about quilting and about myself that I had not previously known.  One of those events was the Hoffman Challenge.   The fabric shop near my house closed down and I “discovered” a quilt shop across town.  A quilt shop?  Would they have dressmaking fabric?  When I walked in I was overwhelmed.  A display caught my eve.  It had the Hoffman Challenge fabric draped gracefully across a shelf and there with it were the entry forms.  The fabric reallly caught my eye – it was burgundy, green, and had shimmering gold streaks.  how would somone use that in a quilt? I wondered.  Up to that point I had used very traditional calicos, plaids, and solids that were characteristic of the early ’80s. and had used them to make ordinary everyday use quilts from simple patterns.

But that Hoffman Challenge fabric called to me.  I bought two yards.  I also bought a book about mariner’s compasses by Judy Mathieson that day.  I took that book home and must have read it cover to cover at least ten times.  Transfixed by the mariner’s compass, I was certain that that was what I would do with the Hoffman Challenge fabric.  And because I was on my own, learning by myself with Judy to guide me, I did not know that a mariner’s compass was a hard thing to make.  And so I made the mariner’s compass.  It was beautiful.  The gold streaks in the fabric shimmered.  But there needed to be more.  The compass was not enough.  It needed a border.  I drew several ideas out on graph paper and finally settle on one.  And that is when I became a designer.  I worked doggedly to finish the quilt – or wallhanging, actually, and my first one at that.  I filled out my paperwork and sent everything off.

Several weeks later, after I’d moved on to another project, I received a phone call.  It was from someone at Hoffman Challenge who wanted to congratulate me on winning first place!  For the life of me, I cannot recall my reaction.  I actually don’t think it registered.  Moreover, I know I did not understand the magnitude of the award.  I’d never seen any Hoffman Challenge quilts, and I’d never seen a quilt show other than the quilt exhibit at our county fair.  At that point I had absolutely no idea that a whole world of quilting existed beyond my doorstep.  But what I did know is that at that point quilting changed for me.  I realized that quilting could be art, that I could design my own quilts, and that there was fabulous fabric, books, tools, etc. waiting for me to put them to use.

Now, I’ve been to, and exhibited in, numerous quilt shows.  I proudly display my award ribbons on a wall in my “studio”.  But when it comes down to it, I’m just a quilter.  I decide on a quilt pattern.  I pick out fabric.  I cut, I sew, I quilt (these days on a APQS longarm).  And like many quilters, I enjoy trying out new gadgets, new tools, new techniques, new materials, new books, and new fabric.  When I get in a slump I look through some of my favorite quilting books for inspiration.  Judy Mathieson’s Mariner’s Compass book is still one of my favorites and I have designed many quilts using it, and her subsequent mariner’s compass books, as guides.  Or I get out that gadget I’ve yet to try and put it through its paces .  And now, thanks to the internet, I can browse websites, read blogs, and look at quilt photos on Webshots and Flickr.  Sometimes I am actually daunted by the wealth of materials and wonder how I am ever going to try all of those new tools and techniques, how am I going to finish all of my planned projects, and how am I ever going to use up my stash . . . especially when it seems that more goes in than comes out!

Thanks, Nancy, for sharing your story!

Check out the Top 20 at Quilters Warehouse.  Here’s a few of the things you will find.

This is the third in the Fat Quarter Table Runner series.   This table runner uses four fat quarters and since it is a “quilt-as-you-go” it’ll go together quickly.   When you see how easy this is you’ll want to try the rest of the series.

Doesn’t this just make you want to have a Cupcake Party?  Your kids will love to use these placemats everyday.  And they’ll dress up any party.  Make a table runner, a table topper or placemats.

The top 20 includes another Fat Quarter Table Runner, more placemat patterns and table topper patterns.   Dress up all your tables!

You’ll also find a couple of  “Fun and Done” quilt patterns.  This one Quilting – Lively Lattice uses 2 1/2″ strips and you only need two colors.  Instructions are included for Crib, Lap and Twin sized quilts.

Make your own grocery bag – the “Go Green Bag” and skip the plastic and paper.  Everybody is “going green” and here’s one thing you can do.  And it’s so much prettier than a paper or plastic bag.

Well, now you’ve seen just four of the Top 20.  Check out the rest at Quilters Warehouse.

January is over.  February is well under way.  Enough of winter already!  Get the feeling of “Spring in the air” with these beautiful quilts . . .

Who could feel dreary with this quilt around?  Olyvia will transform any little girl’s room into a bright and cheery place.   This fat quarter friendly quilt finishes at 62″ X 84″. 

Palmettes and Flowers is just a bit more subdued but so pretty.  This applique wall hanging (35″ X 35″) can be done by hand or machine.  The wide border and the center background give you plenty of opportunity to change the look of the quilt to just your style.  

What says Spring more than Tulips?  Beautiful applique tulips will lift your spirits.  Choose some of your favorite scraps and let your garden bloom.

Spring Row Quilt is seven rows of cute birdhouses.  The blues and cremes look good, but another colorway would be  medium green borders and sashing and the birdhouses in rose with very a light green background and flowers any color you like and, of course, white picket fences.

And here’s what we are all doing . . . Waiting for Spring.  Kitty might have something different in mind than we do, but we’re all waiting with bated breath!  This 16 1/2″ square wall hanging is paper foundation pieced and fusible appliqued.  Pretty flowers, pretty birds and one focused kitty.

Choose a quilt pattern (or two or three) and quilt away.  And before you know it Spring will be here.