It's been awhile since I've had some giveaways and my reason for this today is two fold: I want to hear from you I need to destash! I never know how many of you actually read my blog. Google blogs have changed the way they keep me informed and I honestly don't want to talk to the air! So, I figured I would have a chance for you (USA only, sorry) to win some fabrics. INTERNATIONAL folks - you can win a free pattern from my Etsy shop! What am I offering? Two bundles from the Follie Collection from Windham Fabrics that have waited in my closet for way too long! Bundle #1: 5 fat quarters in the pink and blue and gray Bundle #2: 4 fat quarters in the orange and gray How do you enter to win? Either leave me a comment here on the blog and tell me that you do read my posts from time to time OR send me an email (because I know some of you can't get into the blog to do that: kratovil@his.com). If you leave a comment here, make sure Google knows your email or I have no way to con...

I have a winner: Diane T. of Richmond, VA. Congratulations, Diane! Yes, I know it's Autumn and the flowers are just about gone. That's why we make quilts with floral fabric, right? The first quilt I made with this pattern was in 2007 and I used some Amy Butler fabrics. I have since given this away. Big blocks make for a nice, big quilt. This appeared in my 2nd book. Dancing with the Flowers: 76" x 76" Those are BIG blocks (and the giveaway is a special single block - just hold on !). Here is a second quilt I made with very different florals. Notice my four corner border squares. I used triangles instead of squares to set the blocks on point. Dancing with the Flowers #2 Here are the parts to my GIVEAWAY block using some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. If you have a luscious floral motif, let it be the center superstar - don't chop it into little, tiny pieces. The simple parts to a Dancing with the Flowers block Here she is stitched out. Yes, I did miter those stripes but I...

I have a winner. I actually had one selected but she never answered my two emails and after 6 days and the blocks getting really agitated, I selected another: Carol D. from Texas. Her blocks are going out today! It's been awhile since I had a giveaway. But, looking through my box of orphan blocks I realized that they might like to go live in another home where they might not have to live in a box! I came upon my Coffee Pot block made in 2004 using a Kaffe Fassett print and his shot cottons. Stay with me - I have TWO blocks to give away! And a copy of the Tea Party pdf pattern. One person wins all. 10" Coffee Pot block  (can be trimmed down) I don't know why I used two fabrics for the background, but it's still lovely, don't you think? Here's the freezer paper template I used for my Tea Party BOM that ran in 2018. Coffee Pot templates Here is the remake I made for the BOM. Same fabrics, different background. 10" Coffee Pot Block #2 was made almost 20 years...

Paper piecing: you either love it or hate it. I have found that my students don't have a middle ground! It certainly can be confusing, having to work with a piece of paper between you and the fabric. But, if you want really sharp points without hand piecing, then sometimes this is the only alternative. CONTEST IS OVER: #5 was my first pick, but she is "unknown." I'm so sorry I had no email to contact you. Then Random Number Generator selected #7, Sherry. Here is my very first Diamonds and Blooms quilt, made in 2008. As you may remember from previous posts, I sew first and pattern later. I do NOT design in EQ and then try to flesh it out in fabric. I like to say: "I do what the fabric tells me to do!" Diamonds and Blooms : 34" x 34" It wasn't the paper piecing units that gave me grief. It was the patterning of those center diamonds! I went on to make 2 more quilts using my workshop samples (minus those diamonds!) I decided to retire this class ...

I have a winner: Susan L. of Connecticut. Congratulations, Susan. Thanks to everyone who left a comment. Stay tuned for more fabric giveaways! Storybook VIII (that's 8 in Roman numerals, btw!) is the sweetest reproduction 1930s collection. Believe it or not, there are 52 different prints/skus. It came out several years ago and I have many of the prints. But the one that tells a story is the one that tells a story! I was able to get 3 sets from the yard of fabric and decided to NOT make another quilt for my granddaughter (and her mother thanks me). I took the 7 panels and machine stitched them to card stock so she and her brother Javier can actually read them as a book. What do you think? Storybook VIII panels The 7 panels are NOT the same size. That's because they were printed in a random arrangement on the yardage. Notice the pink card at the top right with the dancing bunny. I had to cut triangles off the corners because it couldn't be cut square (or the bunny would have...