The 1600 Quilt (Part 3): More of the Quilts

This is the final set of photos from our 1600 Quilt workshop.  I want to point out that Laurel (the wonderful photographer - thanks again, Laurel) mentioned it's probably best to avoid directional fabrics when selecting your jelly rolls for the 1600 Quilt.  She made special mention of monkeys on pogo sticks.  Aside from that, however, I think most any fabric collection works well with this pattern.  I haven't seen one that I didn't love.  What do you think of these?

I think maybe these were the monkeys to which Laurel was referring.  I gotta say, though, I think it's pretty adorable.  And I think I need some pogo stick monkey fabric.  Actually, I think everyone could use a little pogo stick monkey fabric in their stash.  Am I right?

Gorgeous colors in this one.  I don't know if she added one, but I'd love to see it with a deep chocolate brown border. 

I'm a sucker for a batik quilt, and this is no exception.  

One word for this one: Stunning!

And this one is oh so pretty in pink.

I don't know about you, but I've got some jelly rolls calling my name.  I think I may just have to have my own personal 1600 Quilt workshop.  If I lived closer, I'd invite you all over to join me.

The 1600 Quilt (Part 2): The Quilts

If you weren't tempted from the last post, I'm sure you'll want to make one of these after seeing the finished products.  These were all quilts made during our workshop.  Did I mention that these quilts are super fast to make?  In fact, one of the women in the jelly roll races video finished her top in just 35 minutes! These might've taken more than a half hour to complete, but they sure are gorgeous.

Beautiful in Batiks

Doesn't the border on this one make the red just pop?  Gorgeous!

I think I'm in love with the lime green in this one.

And it's lovely in warm colors, too.

Are you inspired, yet?

The 1600 Quilt (Part 1): In Progress

Last month we had a 1600 Quilt workshop, and it was loads of fun.  What's a 1600 Quilt, you ask?  Well, it's a fun, fast and easy to make strip quilt.  And if you haven't made one yet, I'm going to try to tempt you.  First, you take a jelly roll (or any set of 40 - 2 1/2" coordinated strips).  Cut 18" off the first strip, then sew it (the short end), on the diagonal, to the end of the next strip. 

 

Repeat this process with the remaining 38 strips until you have one really long (1600 inches, actually) strip of continuous fabric.  

 

Find the beginning and ending edge of the long strip, and place them right sides together, then start sewing. 

 

When you get to the end of the strip, cut the strip set apart and complete the seam.

Now you've got an 800" strip set.  Find the ends as you did before, and stitch the strips together along the long side.  

 Repeat the process a total of 5 times.

Thanks so much to Laurel Hinze for the great photos of the projects in progress.  Thanks also to Heirloom Creations Blog for the brilliant idea and for posting the video of their Jelly Roll Races.

Photos of the finished quilts still to come!

East Cobb Quilt Show

The East Cobb Quilters' Guild 2011 Quilt Show, Georgia Celebrates Quilts, begins today.  It runs through Sunday, and if you've never been I highly recommend it.  It's a judged and juried show, and the quilts are always phenomenal.  The show's hours are today and Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  It's held in the Cobb County Civic Center, and admission is $8.00.

Along with all the gorgeous juried quilts, there are also small quilts available through an auction and a beautiful raffle quilt, Dear Hannah.

  

One of the best parts of any show, to me, is the vendor area, and the East Cobb show always has a wonderful selection of vendors.  We will be there, of course, so if you come to the show, be sure to stop by our booth and say "Hi".   

Oh, and don't forget to bring your camera!

Fall Newsletter

Our Fall Newsletter is now available to download on our website HERE, and it's one of the fullest schedules we've had in a long time.  Along with some fantastic classes, we have a mini retreat scheduled in November.  It's a full day of fat quarter friendly projects that we're sure you will love.  

We've also brought back an old favorite, The Blooming Nine Patch:

I really wish I was still in Georgia - I would love to take that class.  Isn't it gorgeous?

If you're in the mood for something more festive and feeling a bit adventurous, then sign up for the French Braid Tree Skirt:

It looks a bit intimidating, but Margaret is a great teacher, and I'm sure she'll have some great tips.

Whatever classes you decide on, be sure to sign up early.  You don't want to miss out on the fun.

Fat Quarter Friday

Friday is the first day of July, and you know what that means...it's Fat Quarter Friday!  All the fat quarters in the shop will be only $1.75 each.  It's a great day to build up your stash.  And if you're wondering what to do with all those fat quarters, here are a few fat quarter friendly patterns to get you inspired:

Whimsy is a great pattern that would be fabulous with bright kids' prints or even more formal holiday fabrics.  And, you can download the pattern for free from Michael Miller.  

 Another cute freebie from Michael Miller is The Big Easy (below), which you can find here.  

If you're looking for a quick and easy project, this adorable fat quarter friendly pillow would be perfect.  Download the free pattern for the Rickrack Pillow from Better Homes and Gardens' All People Quilt website.

 
See you Friday!

Books and More...

We've gotten some great books in lately, including French Braid Transformation by Jane Hardy Miller.  If you enjoyed French Braid Quilts and French Braid Obsession from the same author, you will be inspired the 12 new projects in French Braid Transformation.  From traditional to more modern interpretations of this classic quilt pattern, there's something for everyone. 

 

If you've not been living under a rock, you have more than likely heard about Twister quilts.  I haven't made one yet, but it's high on my list.  There are tools to help you make the process easy, but if you're really interested in making a Twister quilt, we've got room in our Twister Quilt Class, next Thursday (June 30) from 10am-2pm.  

And for even more twisted fun...

 

Another great book we got in recently is Jingle All the Way.  There are some of the cutest Christmas projects in this book.  I want to make them all.  That peppermint candy mantle quilt is just adorable - add jingly bells to the centers and you've got a fun and festive decoration that everyone will love.

 

And if you like the book, you'll love the Jingle All the Way fabric.  We've got the entire collection coming in soon.  Here's just a small sample of the group.

 

 

Cat and Dog Quilt Sale

Our 7th Annual Cat and Dog Quilt Sale fundraiser was held earlier this month.  As always, the doors opened at 9:00 A.M., and as always, we had a crowd gathered anxiously waiting to get in the shop.  

 

Our classroom was loaded down with hundreds of dog and cat themed items, from bibs and bags to quilts of all sizes.  

With limited space, what couldn't be hung on racks and walls was folded and placed on tables which were bare by the end of the day.

Though the crowds were a tad smaller this year, we made more money than ever for the Clayton County Humane Society - over $14,000!!!

It was a wonderful record-breaking day, and we are so grateful to all who helped us accomplish this terrific feat.  But, we've got loads of work ahead of us if we're going to break that record in 2012.  In fact, we've already started making quilts for next year.  If you'd like to help, we sew cat and dog quilts every second Friday of the month.  The next sew day is July 8th.  Mark your calendar, and bring your sewing machine.  You'll have a great time and make a difference in the lives of our four-legged friends.

Welcome to the Roost Challenge

If you've read our most recent newsletter, you know about our twice-ordered fabric fiasco. Needless to say, we see so much fabric going through that occasionally we will order the same group twice...apparently.

Anyway, we decided to have a little fun with our blunder, and offer up a challenge to all of you. Here's how it will work. You'll need to use at least 1/2 yard of the Welcome to the Roost border panel.

Add as much or as little as you wish of at least one more coordinating fabric from the group, like these:

Turn your finished project in to the shop by September 1st. We will display all of the challenge quilts, bags, whatever you've chosen to make for the next week and allow our customers to choose their Viewer's Choice favorite. Everyone who enters will receive a coupon for a free fat quarter of their choice. The challenge winner (who will be announced on Saturday, September 10) will receive a $50 gift certificate!

And, if you're in need of a little inspiration, you can download a free project sheet on South Seas Imports' website:

Thimbleberries' Christmas Naturals

Just in time for Christmas in July, the new Christmas Naturals from Thimbleberries are a fun and festive group that you're sure to love. Here's a sneak peak at just a few of the selections from this holiday group:

Botanica by Henry Glass

Have you seen the Botanica fabrics from Henry Glass? Oh my, they are fabulous! We got the entire line in, but the bolts are flying off the shelves, so if you're looking for it you better get in now before it's all gone.

Here are some of the pieces from the red group (there's also a blue colorway that's equally gorgeous):


Sue Falkowski designed a very pretty quilt for this group, and you can download the free project sheet from Henry Glass' website.

Summer Classes and Events

It's been feeling like 147 degrees in Atlanta these days, so what are we thinking about? Christmas, of course! We have some fantastic new Christmas groups that have hit the shelves recently and more to come in the next few weeks. We've also got a great line-up of Christmas in July classes and events...including a sure-to-be-fabulous 3-day retreat! You can find all the info. about these events and all the goings-on for August and September in our Summer Newsletter.