Quilt Calendars - The Perfect Holiday Gift!

Block a Day Calendar

Martingale is my book and calendar publisher and they feature 5 wonderful quilting calendars that will be sure to please any discriminating quilter. One of them is my own perpetual Quilter's Block a Day Calendar (both desktop and on CD).

You can see all five calendars here: Stitch This! Blog by Martingale
There are 3 wall calendars of quilts and two desktop calendars of blocks (mine and Judy Hopkins). You can see mine here. You can also see ALL THE BLOCKS as contained in the calendar by visiting my web site. Yes, you can see all 366 of the blocks and their size (you just don't have access to the cutting instructions). This way you can decide for yourself if it's a value (which I think it is, btw).

   

Quilter’s Block-a-Day Calendar by Debby Kratovil Well-known author Debby Kratovil has been an avid block-pattern designer and collector for many years. Her perpetual calendar includes 366 pieced and appliquéd block patterns that spotlight traditional, pictorial, seasonal, and holiday themes. The pages are listed only by day of the month, not by day of the week, which means it can be used year after year!

The Quilter’s Block-a-Day Calendar Companion CD allows quilters to easily print each block from the calendar in two different sizes. The CD also contains 12 complete step-by-step quilt patterns.Want to see the astounding range of designs in the Quilter’s Block-a-Day Calendar for yourself? Debby has compiled illustrations of all the blocks from her calendar on her website. Visit Quilter by Design to see them all before you decide who on your list will get this gift that keeps on giving!

Gift list checked! Order the Quilter’s Block-a-Day Calendar and the Quilter’s Block-a-Day Calendar Companion CD now.

You can order these from Martingale, find them at your local quilt shop, or even order the companion CD from me. I don't sell the desktop calendar.

She Came; She Sewed . . .

Timber & Leaf Collection by Sarah Watts (Blend Fabrics, 2012)

My oldest daughter Audrey enjoys sewing with me. (Never quilts, btw. One can only hope.) She comes over from time to time with an idea and digs through my stash and we work out the details using my 40+ years of sewing experience. You may remember this time last year when I created a few things from this awesome fabric collection:

An apron for Audrey from the fox fabric, which she loves!

More fox fabric with the tree rings print

My "go to" pattern for a flanged pillow. Added a simple bow.

Simple tote, pattern from my favorite magazine Stitch

Audrey wanted to make a flanged pillow for the nursery for our upcoming 3rd grandchild (her first baby, a girl). She pulled out the Timber and Leaf Collection and here is what we came up with:

We chose a soft gold for the flange so the bears would pop!

We made two of these pillowcases for her own bed and squeezed out the last of this gray print

Decorated a bag with giant yo-yos and clip earrings

Her sister in law, Marga, was visiting from Mexico (she lives there with her husband; they're both Spaniards) and she sat and decorated a pre-made shopping bag. I have this huge bag of giant yo-yos from a yard sale that she chose from. Leftover clip earrings from my mother in laws jewelry box.

We had a marathon day but quite fun. It's always a good day when I can sew. And Audrey loved everything we made, of course!

(Not) Going Black on Black Friday

Quick! Why is it called "Black Friday" (here in the USA)?

1. Jonathan Black was the first merchant to open a store in the newly colonized America, right after the first Thanksgiving

2. The hibernation period for Black Widow Spiders begins on the Friday after Thanksgiving (no matter what the date in November)

3. Men in Black (movie) opened in theaters on the Friday after Thanksgiving and it caused a lot of people to go shopping after the matinee showings because they felt so good to NOT have these guys running around in their community

4. It's the first time all year that small businesses get out of the RED (their ledgers finally show a profit, also known as operating in the BLACK)

You can find the answer after I show you a few quilts from my first book, Bold, Black and Beautiful Quilts (AQS 2004):

The Royal Star - traditional pattern (early 1900s) using today's Fossil Ferns (by Benartex). You can read about this quilt and get the free pattern by clicking the link.

The Royal Star - still one of my favorite quilts

A new Dresden Plate design, discovered by accident. But I sure do love these Nighttime Butterflies!

Butterflies at Night

 98 Dancing Squares using all solids, except for the two border prints.

98 Dancing Squares is hanging on the Giant Quilt Rack in the Sky (ie, stolen)

Ooooh. Another Dresden Plate quilt!

Notice that my Dresden Plate quilt above has no border. It told me it was finished and that was that! And also notice that the base of the wedge units are NOT CIRCLES, but triangles. Easy enough.

You can see all 16 of the quilts at my web site: Bold, Black and Beautiful. I'm hoping to have this as an e-book for sale at my Craftsy pattern site, but for now you can see them and read a little bit about them. I enjoyed working with brights and black to create them. About half were stolen in 2005 when I was traveling and teaching. That's behind me now. I like to say they are hanging on the giant quilt rack in the sky! It makes the angels smile, I hope.

Oh, I almost forgot. The meaning of Black Friday?

4. It's the first time all year that small businesses get out of the RED (their ledgers finally show a profit, also known as operating in the BLACK)

Leave a comment about your thoughts on Black Friday. I am NOT ( I repeat NOT) shopping today. At all. Never. Want. To.

I will give away a copy of my book on CD (all 16 quilts with instructions as they appeared in the book) to a random winner. Contest is over Sunday, December 1 at midnight.

Thanks for stopping by.

Boogie in the Hen House (But No Black Ties)

Fowl Play Collection by Benartex Fabrics

Contest is over and Joyce is my winner of the fat quarter bundle with 6 of the chicken panels. Congratulations, Joyce!

I get to rock out again in the hen house with the Fowl Play fabrics I used a few weeks ago in a tutorial for Benartex. These are just so much fun, as you can see in the stack above: little chicks, chicken wire, chicken scratching and BIG hens with names from REAL chickens from a REAL chicken farm. There's even a border print with chickens on a wire which I used at the top and bottom of this table runner.

Table runner using my Arrowheads "tilt" template

You can see what I did here: Rock out in the Hen House

I wanted to revisit these fabulous chicken and rooster panels and do something very different. This time I chose those with the blue chicken wire backgrounds.

Same chickens with a blue background

Then I did something radical (at least I think so). I ignored the square shape and cut them out using a hexagon shape!

OK. What kind of crazy thing is she going to do now?

If you've been following this blog for any length of time you know that I am enamored with hexagons and putting them together into a variety of ways. I decided to put these together into a hexie ring. No y-seams; only straight seam sewing!

Add two 60 degree triangles to each hexagon chicken

Sew three units into a larger half-hexagon (top and bottom as shown here)

But there's a BIG HOLE in the center!

Yes, there's a big hole in the center, right? Time to cover it up. Cut out a hexagon, interfaced it, turned it right side out by clipping into the interfacing.

Interfaced hexagon

All edges of the hexagon neatly turned under without any hand applique!

What does it look like finished? Well, first the center which I call: Chicken a la Ring

Chicken a la Ring Center

And now for the table topper, which I am gifting to my daughter Hilary's friend Anita who happens to have a fond affection for chickens. She actually was raising some in her back yard in Pittsburgh last year!

Chicken a la Ring Table Topper - on my dining room table

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Chicken a la Ring Table Topper - outside in the fresh sunshine!

Yes, there's a giveaway (if you've come this far).

4 fat quarters and 6 chicken panels (all different chickens)

Tell me your "favorite" barnyard animal (if you have one). Or if you have chickens or cows or goats at your house. Contest is over midnight Sunday November 24 at midnight. I am traveling and teaching, but I promise to read every single comment, though it's really hard to reply due to time constraints (and only an iPad with those blasted, funky keyboards). I love having virtual visitors!

Many thanks to Vicki of More Stars in Comanche who coordinated this hop. I love her blog and especially her dog TITUS. Hey, Titus - how're you doing today? (He's a dachshund who is as cute as my own dog). And of course, Madame Samm of Sew We Quilt who keeps all of us in line (or at least tries to). Now, go visit the other bloggers for today and see what they've come up with for the Black Tie Boogie!

Debby Kratovil Quilts (that's me)

Seams To Be Sew

Robins Fabric Nest

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle

Windham Wednesdays on Tuesday - a Thanksgiving Table Runner

Hexagons created with the Downtown Collection by Windham Fabrics

Congratulations to Deb. G in Virginia, for being the winner of the 16 pre-cut hexagons and 2 fat quarters from this collection. The contest was over midnight Friday, Nov. 22.

Would you like to see a tutorial on how to make an EASY pieced table runner for your holiday table using modern fabrics? Windham invited me to work with this new collection called Downtown by LB Krueger.

I share how to cut both the hexagons and the small setting triangles out of a 60 degree ruler. Yes, you can cut whole hexagons out of a multi-sized ruler.

16 of the 21 fabrics in the collection.

Take a visit to the Windham Snippets Blog to see the wonderful table runner that anyone can sew using these modern looking fabrics. I have step by step photos and show you how to cut and sew.

I have a GIVEAWAY of the extra hexagons (16) that I was able to cut from the strips - plus 2 fat quarters of those fabrics I didn't use. Just go see the tutorial and let me know that you were there. Let me know what you think of the fabrics - too modern? Not modern enough? Inspire you?

Contest is over at midnight Friday, November 22. I am on the road and find it very hard to reply to comments, but I do read every single one and love that you've taken the time to write! My husband and dog don't blog, so even though they're here, they just do their own thing!

Modern Patchwork Magazine Highlights

Yes, I have not one, not two, but THREE projects in here

The latest issue of Modern Patchwork is on newsstands NOW.

How can a 60-something quilt designer, in love with traditional patterns, create something to appeal to modern quilters? Why, use some of the newest fabrics and think outside the box. I love the refreshing, clean (not busy) and simple designs that our younger quilters are bringing to the quilt world. Here are my 3 projects that you will find in this magazine, on newsstands now:

The Improv Adventure quilt was made using the Windham Fabrics Gees Bend Collection of solids.
The hexagon kitchen ensemble was made using the Windham Fabrics Bella Collection by Lotta Jansdotter.

Improv Adventure - a fun class that I've taught that helps students step outside the box

3 Hot Pads, strip pieced using a 60 degree ruler (lined with batting)

Four block table runner using same technique as the hot pads

I think the straight line quilting is a modern appeal. I love the clean lines of it.

Here's my funny story about these three projects:

I submitted these and a few other projects to the editorial staff. A few weeks later they contacted me and said they would like to include these 3 projects. Then I realized I no longer owned them! I had already gifted them to my two married daughters. I had to ask for them back. The Improv Adventure quilt was already hanging on my daughter Audrey's wall. Her husband Dani said this is his favorite quilt and was heartbroken I would have to ship it to be photographed. You have to understand that when a project is scheduled for print, it usually sits with the editors for 3-6 months! I was lucky - it was only 4 months.

So, visit the Interweave web site to see some of the other projects: Modern Patchwork

Technique Tuesday with Benartex Fabrics and Giveaway

The Dori Collection by Benartex

Contest is over: Sharon of Phoenix, Arizona won the fat quarter bundle of Dori fabrics. Congratulations, Sharon!

New fabrics to play with. I revisited a pattern I designed last year for another Benartex Collection which appeared in the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Magazine Issue 5. Come with me to the Sew in Love with Fabric Blog (Benartex) to see what I made with these.

Here's a sneak peek:

Is that a curve? Do you really want me to sew a curved seam?

Yes, I show you how to not only sew a curved seam but how to fussy cut a beautiful flower:

Oooh! What a lovely flower. How do I get it in the center of that circle?

Here's my giveaway: 4 fat quarters in the blue fabrics:

4 Fat Quarters from the Dori Collection

Just leave a comment for me here. Tell me you've visited the Benartex blog to see my tutorial and your HONEST thoughts about piecing curved patches. If you are not a Blogger, you must leave your email or you come through as a no-reply blogger and you aren't eligible to win. Contest is over midnight Sunday, November 17.

So, go visit the Sew in Love with Fabric blog today to see how I cut and sewed this block and turned it into a larger quilt. Don't be afraid - these curves are easy and I show a few tricks to ensure accuracy.

I love the happiness of this fabric collection, don't you?