Sunday, April 23, 2017

Patterns, Patterns Everywhere!

If you haven't checked out the "Patterns Available" tab on my blog -
what are you waiting for? 

By June 1st, I will have 17 - YEP, 17 new patterns released. 

I have been designing for magazines, books and fabric companies for the last 4 years and now I am also publishing designs under my own Masterpiece Quilting brand. 

The first four patterns are available on Craftsy as pdf downloads -

Many have introductory pricing - so you don't want to miss that.



My top-selling pattern is Blossom, which is a huge surprise to me.


Be sure to keep checking back frequently as new patterns will be appearing all the time!

Friday, April 14, 2017

Furry Friday

As an Island Batik Brand Ambassador, we do more than just play with mega cool fabrics (really we do!) 

We help spread the word about several initiatives including Furry Friday by sharing on our blogs about animals that are in need of adoption.   This weeks Furry Friday is brought to you by Benartex.

This week's focus is on two pets that are in need of fur-ever homes.

First is Chester - a beautiful male black and white cat.



Chester may look tough, but that's because he's a natural-born leader. Chester lives in a cage-less facility and uses his alpha personality to make sure all the free-roaming cats get along. In addition, he LOVES dogs, and makes sure his fellow felines are nice to them too. Still, Chester longs for a forever home where he can snuggle in your lap and help with the laundry (really!). Meet him at Animal Refuge Center, Inc., in Vine Grove, Kentucky.

You can learn more about Chester or any of the other cats available by clicking here.

Next is Ceasar, this beautiful pooch.



Spunky senior Ceasar is 10 years young and, no matter what conventional wisdom holds, he loves learning new tricks! (Although he already knows sit, down, shake and high five!) Caesar gets along with other dogs, walks nicely on the leash and loves to play with toys and cuddle with his person. Meet him at the Humane Society of Summit County in Twinsburg, Ohio. 

You can learn more about Ceasar by clicking here.

I totally understand that your family may not need a new pet (we have a 2 dog limit!), but there are still ways for you to assist pets who are awaiting adoption.

Kennel quilts are easy to make and can be donated to your local shelter or rescue for use be either cats or dogs.  Here is my Miss Lilly, who we adopted from a local rescue, along with Zoey, in the back, modeling some of the kennel quilts I made earlier this year.
 




Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Adventurous Applique - Island Batik Challenge


It's finally spring and what is more springy than a big ole bouquet of flowers?  I have lots of them popping up in my flower beds around the house and they are so beautiful.


As part of my role as an Island Batik Brand Ambassador, each month we are given a challenge quilt to make.  April's challenge is Adventurous Applique.  Well, I will gladly admit that I enjoy applique a whole lot more than foundation piecing, which was last month's challenge.  If you haven't read about my foundation piecing experience, then click here.



I am doing triple duty with this pattern - It's my Adventurous Applique Island Batik challenge, my Stitching Stars Blog Hop feature quilt and the first release of my new pattern line!  Talk about a perfect trifecta!

So without further adieu - I would like to introduce you to Blossom...






Blossom is a 21" x 21" wall hanging that is perfect for chasing away the winter blues and bringing a splash of Spring color into your home.  In addition to the Island Batik fabrics, I used Aurifil thread for piecing and Superior Threads for the blanket stitch around each of the appliques.  This pattern is a great stash buster with its scrappy border.

Here is a close-up of the quilting.  I quilted a free-motion swirl in the background around the applique and into the matching fabric sections of the border so it appears to be one area.  In the pieced border blocks, I used a curved line to accentuate the piecing.




To celebrate Blossom as my first pattern release, I have special pricing on this pattern at $5.95 for the entire month of April!  You may purchase it as a pdf download from Craftsy.   Print patterns will be available by May 1st.  Just leave me a note in the comment section if you are interested in a print pattern and I will connect with you.




Friday, April 7, 2017

Stitching Stars Blog Hop

Stitching Stars Blog Hop



As I'm writing this blog post, I must admit I'm a bit nervous ...  This is my FIRST blog hop to participate in as a blogger!  And I want to do a really good job, so it won't be my LAST blog hop post :)

The Stitching Stars are a group quilters and sewists who met last Fall at the inaugural Sew Pro Conference in Chicago.  It was an amazing time. I learned so much, gained confidence in my abilities as a designer & blogger and forged friendships that will last a lifetime.

Blossom is the theme of this Stitching Stars Blog Hop and I would like to introduce you to my new design, Blossom.




Blossom is a 21" x 21" wall hanging that is perfect for chasing away the winter blues and bringing a splash of Spring color into your home.   I used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread for piecing and Superior Threads for the blanket stitch around each of the appliques.   This pattern is a great stash buster with its scrappy border. 

To celebrate the blog hop, I have special pricing on this pattern at $5.95 for the entire month of April!  You may purchase it as a pdf download from Craftsy.   Print patterns will be available by May 1st.  Just leave me a note in the comment section if you are interested in a print pattern and I will connect with you.

In addition to my Blossom quilt, I also stitched two blocks for our Blog Hop give-a-way quilt, Rising Star. This beautiful quilt was designed by Lissa of Lovingly Lissa and quilted by Lisa of Lisa and Loralai.


To enter, just follow this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway


This is the final day of our blog hop, so if you are just now joining us please take some time to check out the posts from my fellow bloggers this week.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading each post and seeing how each blogger has interpreted the blossom theme.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Friday, April 7, 2017



A final few words before I close, social media is a powerful tool that has changed the way we communicate with others.  We all love likes, comments, fans and followers - so don't be afraid to share your love with all of us!  Here are my social media connects:

Facebook: Masterpiece Quilting or Masterpiece Home Décor
Instagram: @masterpiecequilting
Pinterest: MPQuilting