And the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour Winner is...

Elizabeth L

"I can see this as a wallhanging quilt - it's GORGEOUS!!! Who knows... maybe I'll see it - literally - on my wall soon?!"  by Elizabeth L

Thank you everyone so much for participating in the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  We had such a great time reading all your wonderful comments!  We hope you had a fun time and maybe we will see you next time!

Arlene and Melissa
quiltcompany@yahoo.com

Welcome to Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour!

Hi!  You made it our blog tour. Today it’s all about celebrating Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volume 8 magazine.  We love this magazine!  If you haven't had a chance to look through one, you really should, it is just filled with wonderful and inspiring blocks.  Many times they are just the block we need to finish off our latest project.

Well, I have to say we have actually been in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks before...but this is the first time that we have participated in the blog tour. When we first heard "blog tour" we were like "what...blog what?!?"  So a few years later, we got our blog up and running and now here we are participating in Quiltmaker's famous Blog Tour.  Here is a photo of the magazine and there is our block ON THE COVER (upper left hand corner) so unbelievable...we are SO excited about that!!!

Our block is called Red Rosy #780 and can be found on page 64.  

We are always trying to think of new and interesting blocks to submit to the magazine, but this one just fell in our laps.  We were in the process of designing one our of new Block of the Month patterns (Peppermint Place), which is a Christmas themed quilt.  As always we were thinking about an interesting border for the quilt...we thought poinsettias might make a nice pieced element to that quilt.  So we got started making various pieced "poinsettia" blocks on the computer, this one turned out just how we liked but...it didn't work with our quilt.  Funny how you like something so much and are just sure that it will work and then, poof no good!  So, it was scrapped for the pattern, but perfect for Quiltmaker's 100 blocks.

Red Rosy, #780 on page 64 of Quiltmaker's 100 Block, volume 8

Here is the Peppermint Place quilt that we were trying to design the block for.

Peppermint Place, Block of the Month pattern available for purchase at www.quiltcompany.com

This block also works well joined together, here it is as a table runner.

I like how it doesn't look overly "christmas".

Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour (today is the last day!) at The Quiltmaker Blog Quilty Pleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore!

Be sure to leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing to win a great prize. You enter the giveaway by leaving any comment on this post (nothing specific, we just love to hear from you) and you will be entered to win a copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 8 and your favorite Quilt Company pattern!

The winner will be posted here on Saturday.

Thank you for stopping by our blog tour!

Arlene and Melissa from The Quilt Company

Fall Quilt Market 2013

Well after a very tight schedule, trying to get our newest BOM done and family in town...we are off to Quilt Market in Houston, TX.  We leave today and will arrive just in time to setup our booth and then dash off to Sample Spree!  Looking forward to another action-packed weekend at Quilt Market!

Blog Spot

Check out Fat Quarter Shop's Blog Spot, featuring The Quilt Company's newest quilt...Summer Fun!

http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-fun-block-of-month.html

Quilt Market!

We have arrived at Quilt Market in Portland, OR.  We set up today and are having a bite to eat before we tackle Sample Spree tonight.  Love to see all the booths filled with new and fresh ideas.  Will post more with photos...

100 Blocks

This is a great magazine...Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.  You literally get 100 patterns of blocks submitted by designers just like us...what a great idea!  It used to be if you just submitted a block you were in the magazine but now because they get so many blocks submitted there is a selection process.  Well, one of our blocks made it in this addition!  You might recognize it, it is part of Block 1 from Garden Friends, we just love this block. 

"Summer Fun"...Celebrate with everything Sweet about Summer!

Finally!  Is it summer yet?  Be ready for summer with our new quilt...Summer Fun!

Summer Fun has five super easy pieced blocks with a strip-pieced and fusible applique Starry Swag Border.  There are Lemonade and Fireworks Stands, an Old Fashion Ice Cream Cart, a Farm Fresh Strawberry Stand and even a darling Beach Cabana!   The Accessory Fabric Packet has all the adorable specialty fabric for the blocks including the lemonade and strawberry fabrics and even the little girl in the swim suit!  Finished Quilt is 74” x 63”.

Patterns available April 29 on quiltcompany.com!

So Close...

We are so close to revealing our latest quilt design. We did an email preview to shop owners a week ago and now we are frantically trying to get the patterns printed and stuffed in time to get them out to customers.  I have really been wanting to post a picture but thought I better wait until we can actually sell the pattern.

I will tell you it is a Summer Theme and so far the shops have LOVED it, you may have already previewed it from them.  As many of you may know, mom and I really love piecing at heart but sometimes pieced blocks can be a bit boring, a little applique can really add that "cute factor".  Well we really had fun with this summer themed pieced and appliqued quilt.  I included a small sample of the quilt, tell us what you think!

Melissa

"Fabric" Invitations

I belong to a quilt group that has been meeting 3 times a year for 25 years!  Well I haven't been meeting that long, but my mom, Arlene, has.  This group was formed 25 years ago from a class that she taught in Fallbrook to a group of ladies that just didn't get enough after the class was done and thus the "Fallbrook Group" was created.  I was invited into the group about 4 years ago and have really loved it ever since! We even have members that live out of state that come back into town just for the get togethers!  It is nice having a group that doesn't meet every week or month, with my crazy busy family and work life, just the 3 times per year really works out well for me right now.  We try and rotate the hosting of the meetings and my turn is in April.  I have to say when I signed up for April, I had all these grandiose ideas about making an entire invitation out of fabric, or some 3D egg or flower that was unfolded to reveal the invite, ha!  Well as a result of the aforementioned life, I wasn't able to do that, but I did find these adorable cards from Papyrus.  These are handmade cards that do incorporate fabric elements with stitching and embellishments.  I just think they are so cute.  So I am sending these out to the girls today to put them in the spring feeling for our get together.  Hope you enjoy!

Finished!

We finished our latest Block of the Month design on Sunday, wohoo!  I think from start to finish it took about 3 weeks to design and make...not too bad.  We used the new line of fabric from Maywood Studios called My Secret Garden...we used more of the red and blues.  The quilt is at the machine quilters right now and then off to be photographed next week.  In the meantime, we are writing instructions for our test group to make the second sample and test the patterns for errors.  After we release it to the quilt shops, we will post a photo of the quilt on our blog, website and facebook, yeah.  Can't wait for you all to see the newest design!

Designing

Mom and I are working hard at designing our newest Block of the Month.  We worked on quite a few concepts, but sometimes they just don't come together right away.  My desk is a mess with all this beautiful fabric, pictures, drawings and notes all scattered around!  Just goes to show you that even when you have been doing this for over 20 years, it is still hard.  Always looking for suggestions, any ideas for the next quilt???

We just got back from Road to California in Ontario, CA, where Arlene was the Featured Artist.  What an honor!  It was great seeing all of her previous students and chatting with everyone about her older patterns and our newest ones.  We were even asked to sign a few autographs, how fun is that!