Fall Fancy in Quilter's World Spooktacular Halloween Quilting Book

As much as I want to deny it - Fall is here!  The temperatures are dropping and I'm already planning to roast marshmallows around the fire pit next week.  

I want to share one of my latest designs with you - Fall Fancy.   It's in Quilter's World's new Spooktacular Halloween Quilting book.  I gave you a sneak peak last week when the quilt came back from the publisher with the promise of a proper blog post .. well here is that proper blog post! 

Photo Cred: Nancy Scott

Fall Fancy combines a couple of my favorite elements - leaf blocks and flying geese.  However, these aren't ordinary leaf blocks, they include some log cabin strips in them too... just for fun.  The quilt is pieced in rows, which seems to make it go together quicker too and we all love quilts that are quick and easy to assemble. 

Photo Cred: Annie's

Fall Fancy is a great stash busting quilt too.  When I designed it, I knew my autumnal stash bin was overflowing and I was hoping that this quilt would make a big dent in it ... well, it didn't! So I guess I will just have to make more stash-busting quilts :) 

I also want to thank The Warm Company for providing the Soft & Bright batting I used in the sample quilt. 

If you haven't checked out this book yet - Spooktacular Halloween Quilting has so many neat projects in it for your fall decorating - table runners & mats, pillowcases, quilts, mug rugs and more!  It's one you definitely want to purchase. 


This blog post contains affiliate links which allow me to earn a small commission based on your purchase.  Using the link does not affect your purchase price. Thank you for supporting my business. 

Peacock Proud - New Quilt Pattern Release

I'm pleased to share my latest quilt pattern with you - Peacock Proud! 

This pattern is designed specifically for 2-1/2" precut strips paired with coordinating yardage.  It's a great pattern for showcasing your fabrics. 

The cover quilt is made using the Peacock Galore collection by Claudia Pfeil for Island Batik and Soft & Bright batting from The Warm Company. 

Digital patterns are available for purchase and immediate download in my Etsy shop with print patterns coming soon :) 

My Etsy Shop - Inventory Update

Since all the events I had planned for the first 6 months of 2020 have been cancelled, I've been relying on my Etsy shop to pick up some of the lost income. 

In addition to my patterns, books and DVD's, I've added fabric kits and fat quarter bundles.  While I don't have a huge inventory of fabric, it's allowing me to sell extra kits left over from past shows.  I've also been taking a critical look at my fabric stash and asking myself if I really am ever going to use it all!  If I can't remember when I bought the fabric and what project I was going to make with it, then it's fabric I don't really need!  :) 

As an increasing number of people are making masks, I've been cutting and bundling fat quarters that will work for mask making.  Many are in darker colors which have a masculine feel and feature smaller prints, tonals or are solids.

Here are a few of the fat quarter bundles. I'm finding a bundle of 6 meets most peoples needs and I'm offereing free shipping too! 

Masculine Blue Gray 

Black and Brown Mix

Patriotic & Dark Blenders

I am very grateful and thankful for those who have purchased.  It's a win-win for both of us. 

Feeling Sad - Shipshewana Quilt Festival has been cancelled for 2020

It was just a few weeks ago that I shared my enthusiasm for vending again this year at the Shipshewana Quilt Festival.  Well, that enthusiasm has now turned to disappointment as I received word this week that the event has been cancelled for 2020.

I get it and I completely agree that it was the correct decision ... but I can't help but feeling sad.  After I received the phone call, I was in a "funk" the rest of the day.  

The Shipshewana Quilt Festival is my favorite show.  I've had quilts juried into every show, I've taught school house sessions there for several years and I've vended for several years.  It's what I "did" in June every year.  But not this year. 

So after I wallowed in my own pity for several hours, I pivoted.  Just like I've pivoted so many times in the last six weeks as events that I've planned months for have been cancelled.   

I'm back to my head down, hair up mode, working hard on other income streams to replace the lost revenue from that show in my budget.  

And the planning for 2021 has already begun ....  

Benartex Precut Project Hop - Better Not Pout by Nancy Halvorson

I am so excited to be part of Benartex's Precut Project Hop !  I hope you have been enjoying the hop as much as I have been.  It's so much fun to see all the beautiful fabrics and patterns that are being showcased.   If you are finding the hop for the first time today, be sure to hop on Benartex's Facebook or Instagram pages for the full tour! 

I'm also equally excited to have the opportunity to make a quilt using Nancy Halvorson's Better Not Pout fabric collection.  

Nancy is one of my favorite designers and there is so much I love about this collection - you must check it out.  

I used my new Courthouse Corners pattern which is designed specifically for fat quarters.  The pattern is available for digital download in my Etsy shop and the print pattern will be available soon too!

I had a lot of fun with the layout for this quilt and arranged the blocks from light to dark diagonally across the quilt.  The pattern really showcases the fabrics!  Here are a few more photos of my Courthouse Corners quilt.   Enjoy!

What I'm reading in 2020

I like to read.  I really do.  I just never seem to find time to read so in 2020, I'm planning on reading more.  I'm even putting it in my schedule to read a book per month. 

I'm an old fashioned reader.  I prefer a book in my hands.  

I've tried audio books and I just don't focus well.  My mind is off thinking about 800 other things and the book just becomes background noise.  Or I get so focused on the book then everything else becomes a blur - which isn't good when driving!

I've tried tablets and such and I struggle.  My eyes don't follow a line well.  My eye doctor has a fancy term for it and my glasses help me compensate for it.  Remember the kid in elementary school who had to use a ruler under each line or their finger to follow the words?  Yep, that was me.  And reading out loud ...  I started on one line and ended on the next one down ...  

Anyway, here are some titles that are on my 2020 read list. 

Austin Kleon's three books - Steal Like An Artist,  Keep Going and Show Your Work. Obviously, they are on my nightstand right now :) 
I started with them in this order and need to re-read each one again.  

Another perennial favorite of mine is A Whack on the Side of the Head, by Roger von Oech.   I re-read this book about every 18 - 24 months and I'm always gathering something new from it.   It was published over 25 years ago and it's lessons still hold true today.  

The Launch, by Jeff Walker, has been on my list for over a year.  I need to just buy it and read it ... and stop with the procrastinating! 

As you can tell, I'm pretty much a non-fiction person who loves to read about business strategies and self-improvement.  

But I love to read cookbooks too as I'm always searching for new cookie recipes especially ones with chocolate!  

What's on your read list for 2020? 

Beautiful Bouquets - COVER Quilt of Quilter's World Spring 2020 issue

UPDATE:  Single Print & PDF Digital Download patterns are now available for this quilt.  Here are links for your convenience. 

Print pattern (shipping included)

PDF Digital Download pattern 

Right before Christmas I got one of those emails that puts a big smile on your face and makes you do a happy dance!  It was a sneak peek of the cover of the soon-to-be-available Spring 2020 issue of Quilter's World magazine and MY QUILT was on the COVER!

When I designed Beautiful Bouquets I knew I really liked the design and I hoped it would be accepted for publication.  For those who don't know, designers receive a call for submissions from the publisher for each magazine and I typically submit 3-5 designs for each call with the hopes that maybe 1 will be accepted.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be selected as the cover quilt!

Beautiful Bouquets is a great stash buster with each bouquet featuring a different set of spring colored fabrics.  The precise stems and leaves are achieved with a bit of paper-piecing.  I used fabrics from my stash to make quilt with the Soft & Bright batting graciously provided by The Warm Company. 

Also with her name on the cover is my friend, the amazing Debby Brown of Debby Brown Quilts.  She writes a super-informative quilting column which is always a must-read.  

Making this cover even more special is the location of the photo shoot - my friends Ben & Lana's beautiful home! 

You can pick up your copy of Quilter's World at your local quilt shop, at variety of craft retailers or online.  I would love to see your version of Beautiful Bouquets! 

December 31, 2019 - The end of a decade

For the last week or so, I've been writing drafts of my end of year blog post.  Some years I've put together a video slide show of all the quilts that I've made during the year (you can catch previous year's slide shows on my YouTube channel and while you are there, be sure to subscribe - pretty please) but this year I wanted to focus on something bigger.  It's not only the end of a year but also a decade and tomorrow is 2020.  

To say 2019 was a walk down easy street is far, far away from the truth.  

Lots and lots of changes in both my personal and professional life and some days I have to consciously remind myself that change isn't always bad.  It's easy to get negative when you can't find Easy Street. 

I'm really liking this quote.  It pretty much sums up how I've gotten stuck in my comfort zone.  I know I've been stuck for a year or two so 2020 is the year to get unstuck!  And if you are stuck too - please join me in getting unstuck, I'd love the company!

So without typing on and on about philosophical stuff, I'm going to step outside my comfort zone and share some of my 2020 dreams and goals with you. 

1.  Design quilts that make my heart happy.  It's easy to design to match a magazine or fabric companies' submission call but sometimes I'm not really "in love" with the design.  And those quilts are tough to make no matter how easy the pattern.  

2. Learn Adobe Illustrator.  For the last two years, I've taken Bonnie Christine's Immersion course and I still have NOT mastered Illustrator and I'm disappointed in myself.  I can do better and I need to do better.  Is designing fabric on my horizon?  I'm not sure but I know if I don't get the software figured out, it won't be. 

3. Start a weekly email newsletter.  Some days I can be the Queen of procrastination and a newsletter has been on my goal list for a couple of years - well maybe more than a couple!  I just need to get it done and get over the fact that it won't be perfect. And if you would like to subscribe, leave your email in the comments and I will be sure to add you to my list. 

4. Exercise more.  I know it's cliche and it's on every ones New Year's resolution list.  But ya see, we got this Corgi puppy (isn't she cute?) and we have already discovered that increased puppy exercise and better obedience go hand in hand.  So if I don't want a terror puppy in my studio, then exercise needs to be on the list! 

5. Submit a book proposal to a publisher.  I met with several publishers last May at Spring Market and started on a proposal but didn't finish it.  Again I'm disappointed in myself.  So it's time to get back on the band wagon and finish the designs for the submission.  I know one of the areas where I got stuck - I started designing based on what's trending in customer sales instead of designing quilts that make my heart happy - see #1. 

6. Share what I know.  By the time you reach the 50-something age group, you've learned a lot over the years about how to and how NOT to run a business.  I'd like to start sharing more of my knowledge and experience as a small business owner. 

7. Get back to fancy quilting.  I've always loved custom quilting and the jaw dropping look of a competition worthy show quilt.  That's one of the things that  brought me to this career.  I used to quilt like that.  And somewhere I've drifted away from it.  And I miss it.  It's been a long time since I've quilted feathers like these.  I'm itching to do it again. 

Well, it's not a Top 10 list but 7 heartfelt areas where I want to spend a lot of time in 2020.  If you have made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope you will follow my progress in 2020.  I wish you a safe and joyful New Year's Eve tonight and a happy and prosperous New Year!