Do you need some inspiration? A book about quilting should do the trick.
All Things Spring by Anne Cosgrove includes quilts, wall hangings, a table runner, placemats and more.  All the quilts have instructions for several sizes.  Get sewing and then decorate for Spring.  If you enjoy this book and Anne’s patterns, you can try All For Fall.

Has your collection of fat quarters gotten out of hand?  Fat Quarter Five by Heather Mulder of Anka’s Treasures has five quick and simple quilts.  Get those fat quarters off your shelves and into a quilt. After you make a few of these quilts your stash of fat quarters will start to look depleted and you get to go shopping for more!

 If you still need to pare down that stash of fat quarters, More! Laps from Fats will help. There are 12 lap quilt projects included. You can stack your fat quarters and get the cutting done faster.

Are you ready to learn a new technique? On The Edge will teach you how to make mitered corners. Your quilts will look so very professional. Make some tableclothes and napkins and perfect the technique then try it on a quilt. You’ll be so impressed with your talents.

There are so many more quilt books to choose.  There are books just for jelly rolls and for layer cakes. Books with pieced quilt patterns  and appliqued quilts. Books with gifts and curtains. And so much more. Enjoy!

Sometimes you want to make a quilt lickety split.  A quilt pattern that incorporates a fabric panel will go together pretty quickly and will look great.  Here’s a few examples.

A Garden Party is just the right size for a throw or a wall hanging.  It would look great in a young girl’s bedroom.  A center panel, some squares, a few appliques and a border… how easy can it get?!

Around the Cabin would look great in your family room.  This one has a center panel, some log cabin blocks (how appropriate for a woodsy quilt) a bit of applique and some borders. It finishes at 48″ X 68″ so this would also make a perfect size throw or a great wall hanging.

Hearts and Home wallhanging would make a nice gift.  It measures 21″ X 21″ and is easy, easy, easy!   Two panels of houses,  8 heart blocks, some borders…. DONE!  And if you want to go even quicker you could substitute the hearts with a favorite fabric and you’ll be done before you can say Look At My Latest Quilt!  AND this project is available as a COMPLETE kit.  That means topping, backing, batting, binding, pattern…. WOW.

And don’t forget Love is in the Air (a personal favorite!).  Isn’t it pretty?

Of course, you can always select a fabric panel and add whatever YOU want.  Then no one will have a quilt just like yours.  Watch for an upcoming post… we’ll give you some ideas for this.

What do you look for in a batting?   Quality is important, of course.  The ability to machine wash and dry your quilts without worrying about excessive shrinkage is always a plus.  You want your needle to glide through nicely.  Quilters Dream Green is all of that, plus it’s wrinkle resistant.  Sounds like a dream already, doesn’t it. 

But that’s not all!  It’s GREEN too!   It’s made from recycled bottles.  Every pound of Quilters Dream Green Batting keeps 10 plastic bottles from our landfills.  Think of it – you can quilt away enjoying yourself AND know that you are helping the environment. 

Here’s how many bottles you will be keeping from the landfills with each size….

 Description      Size         Bottles kept from landfill

Craft           46” X 36”           3.5 bottles
Crib             46” X 60”           5.5 bottles
Throw          60” X 60”           7 bottles
Twin            93” X 72”          13 bottles
Double         96” X 72”          17 bottles
Queen        108” X  93”          24 bottles
King           122” X 122”         28 bottles

Isn’t that great?!  So get quilting and saving the environment. 

Of course, Quilters Dream Batting  is sold in many different styles and sizes and lofts and….

Kay Gentry of Noble Needle Quilts has lots of patterns available at Quilters Warehouse.  I had a chance to interview Kay recently.  Here’s what she had to say. 

How did you first become interested in quilting?
“I started sewing at age 8. Have sewn just about everything imaginable from upholstery to wedding dresses. My degree is in Textiles and Clothing from The Ohio State University. I made my first quilt in 1980. About 1996 I pretty much stopped doing other sewing to concentrate exclusively on quilting.”

Can you describe your first quilt?
“It was a brown sampler for a double bed. I used a red pen to trace around cereal box templates. I was completely self taught from an old quilting book. I hand quilted the quilt. It was marked with an early blue wash out pen and the residue of the marker has turned brown over the years.”

Do you have a favorite quilt block?
“I collect antique quilts and love the Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern. I think I prefer to make appliqué blocks. Or combine appliqué and piecing.”

What is your favorite part of the quilt-making process?
“Show and tell with other quilters!”

…your least favorite part?
“Deciding what to do with the leftover fabrics after finishing a quilt.”

Do you ever hit a slump, and if so, how do you get out of it?
“Spending time with other quilters and seeing what they are working on can help. It can also happen by just picking up a magazine and seeing possible projects.”

Do you have favorite fabric color combinations?
“I prefer clear colors. I go in spurts of working with 30′s, Civil War, Batiks, florals, solids- but all in crisp clear colors.”

Do you prefer to hand quilt or machine quilt?

Thanks for your time Kay!  I have to agree, I never know what to do with my leftovers either.

Here’s a sampling of Noble Needle Designs . . .

Antique Garden

  Collide-O-Scope

Twirling Blooms

What a great idea!  A new year - a new block of the month!

Add some whimsy to your world.  Angels Four All Seasons can be made as a large quilt 64″ X 80″  or make several wall hangings… one for each season.  Hang them as a grouping or hang just one and switch it for the season.

PlayTime would be a great one to start when there’s a new baby born to someone close to you.  It’s a nine month project so it’ll be ready for the baby’s first birthday.  Most BOMs have a bigger price tag on the last shipment because it includes the extra fabric needed for the borders and layout.  This one gets the big one out of the way right at the start.  The first month has a lot of fabric for the rest of the months so that the dye lot matches.  The blocks have lots of toys and some traditional blocks. 

If you’re itching to get started, Heart & Home ships around the 5th of the month.  You could be sewing this beautiful quilt by next week!  The colors are so pretty and romantic.  And no wonder – this quilt was made with the fabric line “Return to Romance” by Maywood Studio.  Start now and you’ll be finished by summer as this is a six month Block of the Month.

There are several more Block of the Month projects (18 in all!).  So instead of a New Year’s resolution, make a New Year’s “reservation” for a block of the month.  After you’ve done that, browse the rest of the quilt patterns and find a few projects to work on in between your BOM blocks.

Have you checked out the newest Designer at Quilters Warehouse? Nicole Chambers-Kaya of Tiger Lily Press has a variety of designs from table runners to totes to full size quilts.

Do you have some favorite fabric that you really want to use but just don’t want to cut it up? Kabuki is the perfect table topper pattern to showcase those favorites. It’s fairly easy and will go together quickly. There are also instructions for place mats.

Autumn Splendor is a table runner with a more intricate looking design.  Large prints would work well for the center of the blocks.  The colors you choose for the rest of the fabrics will bring the project to life.   Don’t limit yourself to Autumn…. you could make one to suit each season.

 And now for something completely different:  Ba-Da-Bing…Ba-Da-Boom…It’s a Basket.    You’ll find so many uses for these baskets.  Make any size you want. And any theme you want.  Use as a gift or as gift wrap!  Organize your sewing room.  Dress up a potted plant.  Put one on your dresser for makeup or nail polish bottles. How about one near your front door for keys? 
Simple Quilts is a book with step by step instructions for 20 quilts.  They range in size from lap size to queen size.  Each quilt is shown in two color ways.  If you are new to quilting you will learn construction techniques and have some stunning quilts to show for your efforts.

Tiger Lily Press has lots more projects so browse away, and then browse through the rest of the quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.   And don’t forget – only a few more days to take advantage of the special pricing on the 6500P Memory Craft Janome Sewing Machine.