Quilting my way through life!

Have I got a plan for you!

They say the father of invention is necessity.

I can add to that by saying if you add a bit of lack of time-to-do-it-all or procrastination, well, my quilt-as-you-go lap quilts are the answer!
Back in September one of my older brothers (I’m #5 of 6 children) turned 50.

Not that I didn’t know it was coming, but my summer was so crazy that I didn’t have a chance to think about what gift I would give him. Before I knew it, it was here and I’d still not made a decision. I wanted to make him a quilt since I’ve not made him one up until this point. I’ve made some of my siblings and siblings-in-law quilts for milestone birthdays, so I asked him at his 50th birthday party if he had any special requests.

His reply, being a U of I Fighting Illini alum x2, was that he wouldn’t mind it being blue and orange Illini colors.

I decided that would be an easy task. I found Illini fabric later that month, but was so busy with fall quilt market prep that I didn’t have the time or energy to put into even designing it. Finally last Sunday I had Clare help me baste the backing & batting.

Then I decided what the quilt would look like and made the giant “I” applique.

Next, I cut all of the strips.

Everything was set to sew.

FINALLY I started sewing!

If you’re familiar with any of my quilt-as-you-go lap quilt patterns, they all work on this principle.

Bast the backing to the batting (I like spray baste) then use that as a foundation to sew strips onto.

Once the strips are sewn on, the quilting is done.

I added the applique, then the binding.

And here it is in all its blue & orange glory…

If you think it’s bright, that’s just because you’re not an Illini fan!!!

Dennis’ 50th(+) birthday gift, check!

I hope you’re making time to sew something for Christmas (or birthdays, etc.).

Until next time,

Susan

A Giveaway!

Sew, 3 Lucky Winners!!!

November 7, 2012 suznquilts

I’m impressed with all of your comments on the quantity of baby quilts you have made and so many of them for babies other than your own,

WOW!

Charity, friends, friends of friends, co-workers…

Quilters are definitely some of the most kind-hearted and generous of all people.

That just makes me smile!

I’m happy to be able to share in giving 3 lucky winners more inspiration to work with, so here they are.

First, the lucky winner of 100 Blocks Vol. 6 to inspire,

Becky in Georgia, congratulations!

Next, the two lucky winners of a Suzn Quilts Pattern of choice,

Gill,

who likes my Wheels & Dashes pattern.

This pattern starts with a bunch of charm squares so a lot of the cutting is done for you.

Next Scarlette,

who likes my In Season for Christmas pattern.

This is part of my “In Season” series. There is one quilt for each month.

It includes a little bit of applique, a bit of hand stitching with perle cotton and just a bit of quilting.

It’s quick & easy enough that Scarlette will have time to make and hang it this Christmas!

Thanks for all of the great responses to my new “Baby” block.

There is more blogging fun with opportunities to win more prizes the rest of this week.

Check over at Quiltmaker for the list of participants.

For those of you that don’t win an issue of 100 Blocks,

look for them on newsstands starting next week.

Until next time,

Susan

A Giveaway!, Applique quilt projects, My Life, New Quilt Pattern Magazine

Welcome to Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Kick-Off Blog Tour

November 5, 2012November 5, 2012 suznquilts

I’m honored to once again have a block featured in

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers Volume 6!!!

It’s a new issue with 100 more original blocks complete with full instructions.

I submitted this block last spring when I was knee-deep in preparations with

my new “Baby Love” book.

We all have opportunities to sew quilts for babies at some point in time.

I can see so many possibilities with this block.

Make just one block and have a cute center focal point.

By adding a few borders to this block, it can quickly make a small baby quilt or wall hanging.

If a more generous size quilt is what you’re after,

make 5 “Baby” blocks and set them with 4, 12″ coordinating fabric squares to make this 42″ baby quilt.

As you know, the possibilities are endless.

Of course there is a give-away!

To enter to win a free copy of the new 100 Blocks Volume 6,

go UP, UP, UP to the TOP of this post and leave a comment letting me know how many baby quilts you’ve sewn so far.

If you’d like a chance to win a pattern of your choice from my website…

Subscribe to my blog and leave me another comment telling me which of my patterns you would like to win.

If you’re already a subscriber let me know that in your comment along with your favorite pattern choice.

Two winners will be drawn for a free pattern.

Respond before midnight Tuesday to win the drawings,

and don’t forget to leave your email address.

Please visit the other bloggers this week, by going to Quiltmaker’s blog for the complete list.

There are lots of great prizes all week long.

Thanks for stopping by & good luck!

Until next time,

Susan

Blog tour with give-aways

November 5th, just one more day…

November 4, 2012November 4, 2012 suznquilts

Yep, just one more day until all the fun begins!

Let’s face it, you don’t want to see one more political commercial either!!!

What better way is there to spend your free time this week

than to join me in

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks blog tour?

None!

There are lots of nice blocks to see and lots of give-aways too.

My blog day is tomorrow, so I’ll see you back here then.

Until tomorrow,

Susan

Quilt Market

Houston Fall Market 2012

November 2, 2012 suznquilts

Market was good!

This was my home away from home for the weekend.

I enjoyed speaking to lots of shop owners about my new patterns & books.

Some came from as close as Texas and as far away as Australia & Chile to name a few.

This is also where other quilt entities such as catalogs, magazines and fabric companies come to get ideas for their next business endeavors.

I met up with old friends & met some new ones too, that’s the best part of market.

My neighbors were

my friend Celine Perkins, of Perkins Dry Goods.

We shared a hotel & car at this market.

Celine always has new, expertly pieced quilts with great patterns.

My new friends & neighbors this market were,

Margaret Travis of Eazy Peazy Quilts.

She makes the cutest placemats with Bosal’s Placemat Craft Packs.

Margaret’s booth was directly across from mine,

so I had plenty of pretty to look at while not chatting with anyone in my own booth.

Next to Margret was

Sue O’Very of Sealed with a Stitch.

Sue has lots of cute designs for machine embroiderers.

Her theme for this market was Paris.

Her business cards were attached to French coffees and teas.

On the other side of my booth was

Sheila McKay of McKay Manor Musers (and her sister).

They have the cutest patterns for making super-soft animals, scarves and other cute stuff.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a helper at this market so I didn’t get out of my booth much to look around at what others were showing.

Market is always a whirl wind.

I work frantically getting everything done, then before I know it, I’m back home and starting the next round!

I hope your fall is going well, and that you’re getting some quilting time in.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, Quilt Market

Off to Houston for International Quilt Market

October 25, 2012October 25, 2012 suznquilts

Market, like Christmas, seems to come faster each year.

Is this a sure sign that I’m getting old?

DON’T answer that!

I’m off to Houston…again.

Houston is home to some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten,

and home to some of the smallest parking spaces anywhere I’ve even driven!

It really is a pretty city.

We’re staying out at the Galleria again.

Our drive each day will take us through beautiful Memorial Park.

It will undoubtably be full of joggers, walkers, and sport enthusiasts of all types.

If I lived in Houston, it would have to be near Memorial Park, so I too could be one of them.

For us market workers,

we will just have to enjoy the park on our drives to and from the convention center each day.

We will get plenty of exercise setting up our booths and standing in them all weekend.

That’s ok, I’ll take it!

I hope you have an enjoyable week.

I’ll be back with photos upon my return.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

New Pattern for Fall Market – Charmed Jelly Roll

October 18, 2012October 18, 2012 suznquilts

So, you’ve seen what I can do with new fabric yardage and then with the scraps,

now you can see what I can do with pre-cuts.

This next quilt is made with just one jelly roll & a charm pack.

The only other fabric you’ll need is 2 yds. of backing fabric and you’ll have a nice lap quilt.

It’s made with my quilt-as-you-go technique.

So, you know you can make this quilt in a day because with pre-cuts, the cutting is done for you. This is yet another sample of what you can make with the new Odds & Ends by Julie Comstock for Moda.

The colors are bright, yet soft.

No applique here, just straight piecing and no wondering how to quilt it when you’re finished, you’re quilting as you sew it.

There are two stipulations that I make for these quilts,

1.) Only Warm & Natural Cotton Batting

2.) Walking foot is a must!

Incorporate one into your Christmas gift sewing this year and you’ll be making more throughout the year, they’re that fun.

Charmed Jelly Roll is available on my website now.

Until next time,

Susan

New Quilt pattern sample, Quilt Market

New Pattern for Fall Market – Daisy Baby Buggy

October 17, 2012October 17, 2012 suznquilts

Pictures of fabric are nice, but nothing compares to having the fabric in-hand.

I’m ALWAYS inspired to design with fabric that I can handle, how about you?

That’s why when once I had all the samples for my “Name That Quilt” book made with Odds & Ends fabrics by Julie Comstock for Moda, I was inspired to create this next sample from my scraps.

Once I have the fabrics and start sewing, my brain just starts creating and won’t stop.

By chance I had just enough of the right fabrics to create this.

Daisy Baby Buggy is all pieced, using two fabrics for the buggy, plus a background fabric, then the daisy wheels & handle are appliqued on top.

This kind of piecing always reminds me of building a puzzle.

I lay out the fabric squares on my design floor and start to sew.

Too many big windows in my sewing room for a design wall…

If you chain piece the squares, you’re less likely to get the squares out-of-order while sewing.

Another cute baby quilt don’t you think?

Want to know something else nice about this pattern?

It’s small enough you can easily quilt is yourself.

A great way to practice your machine quilting if you’re not already proficient.

So how about you?

Do you shop for fabric on-line,

or are you like me and want to go out to the quilt shops and see the fabric in person;

visit with a friendly shop owner & have some fun?

I spend plenty of hours at my computer, but not fabric shopping!

Daisy Baby Buggy is available on my website now.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New Quilt Book, Quilt Market

New Book & Patterns Ready For Fall Market

October 16, 2012 suznquilts

I finally have all of my printing done for market, yeah!

My new covers and books were delivered last week, but I’ve been busy doing other things like getting my distributor packets together, packing & putting the new designs on my website.

So, as I introduce my new designs this week, know that you can go to my website and order them and not have to wait for me to do that task after market.

Now for the best part, introducing them to you.

First, my new book.

You may remember me showing you the new Odds & Ends fabrics a couple of months ago, and then showing you the backing and batting of all three of these quilts basted and ready to sew.

Along with them I also designed and sewed some name banners.

I was lucky enough to get two more perfect models; Delaney my little friend, and my new great-nephew, Benjamin.

Aren’t they cute?

In this new book you’ll find Quilt-as-you-go instructions to make the name quilts in either baby size or lap size.

You can see from the photos that the lap quilt is the perfect size for any age kid to cuddle up in and the baby size is generous enough for wrapping any age baby into. (you know, for when the baby is 6 months old and you still don’t have a gift…)

The name banners can be made either horizontal or vertical and can say anything you want, not just names.

Entire full-size alphabet is included.

Instructions and yardage guidelines are given in the book too.

This summer our family moved into the next generation with the birth of Benjamin.

Upon trying to decide what to give the expectant parents, knowing I would be setting a precedence with 10 nieces & nephews plus 3 kids of our own, I decided on a quilt using my unique quilt-as-you-go technique. It’s really quick, cute and usable!

I was able to match Benjamin’s nursery colors, personalize it with his name and it was quick & easy.

I also thought ahead for those of you sewing for babies that maybe are not named in time for gift sewing and giving, just put on it the word “BABY” such as I did for the quilt above that Ben is lying on. Problem solved!

I’m so excited knowing when all those babies start coming very close together, and you know they will and soon, I will be able to sew up a quick quilt by just selecting 3 fabrics and starting to sew.

Pretty smart of me, huh?

I hope you will give them a try.

Look for two more new designs coming up.

Until next time,

Susan