Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Community News

Starting on July 18th and running through to July 31st, Amy and Kate are co-hosting a Oliver + S 'Ice Cream Dress' Sew-Along.
{Photo courtesy of badskirt}

Everyone is welcome and you can join in on the fun here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/icecreamdress-sewalong/


There promises to be some great prizes up for grabs and we are looking forward to checking out all the different versions that are created.

Amy has already whipped up two dresses, they are super sweet and show how different the same dress can be.
{Photo courtesy of badskirt}

You can purchase your pattern at Pink Chalk Fabrics.

Monday, June 28, 2010

"More for Me" Monday | Tufted Tweets

Congratulations again to our Castle Peeps winners! If you haven't done so already, please send your mailing information to us at fatquarterly@googlemail.com so that we can get your prize out to you ASAP.

So it's Monday again, and you know what that means ... GIVEAWAY!

Today we are featuring one of the hottest, most buzzed-about fabric lines so far this year: the gorgeous Tufted Tweets collection by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman.

Tufted Tweets FQ's

One lucky winner will receive a fat quarter set of the entire collection!

Tufted Tweets FQ's

Like what you see? We thought so! If you'd like to win these fabrics (and, to be honest, who wouldn't?), simply leave us a comment below. Let us know one thing that you hope will be included in our next issue. We'll select one winner at random next Sunday, July 4th.

Tufted Tweets FQ's

Don't forget -- issue #2 of Fat Quarterly will be available Tuesday, July 27th!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Winners & Voting

Entries for the FQ reader design challenge have now closed.

A big thank you to everyone that entered, it has been great seeing so many different versions on the flying geese block. You can take a look at all the enteries at the Fat Quarterly flickr group.

We have selected four of our favourite blocks - but it is up to YOU to vote for a winner. Polling will close at the end of Sunday (27th), the winner will receive a 'Rounneries Layer Cake'.

Block 1: From Jennie at Sunflowerquilt

Jennie said: 'I call this block "Breaking Out". I originally designed it for the Pillow Talk Swap. I have never seen it anywhere else and I love the fact that it's symmetrical and a bit wild at the same time! Fabrics: background is Kona Charcoal and the geese are from the "Modern Meadow" collection by Joel Dewberry.'

Block 2: From Lisa at Upstatelisa

Block 3: From Angela at Banquopack

Block 4: From Tweedledee Designs
To vote, make your selection over on the sidebar.

Speaking of winners...the lucky 3 winners of the 'Castle Peeps' Giveaway are:

Pink Pack goes to: vada0427 said... If I was picking for myself, I'd want the green/brown colorway - saw an amazing quilt made with it just yesterday...but, my sweet daughters have declared that mommy has too much fabric for herself & that from now only they get to pick all the fabric..so, for them, my choice would be the pink colorway so THEY can have a rockin' new quilt! Karen G. 

Blue pack goes to: Sarah N. said... I'd like the blue one. I would make a lap size quilt for an auction at my son's school. They are the Knights!

Green pack goes to: Kristie T said... Fantastic fabric. I'd use the brown and green to make curtains and add some patches to a mostly solid quilt for my son's room. He'll be moving to a toddler bed soon and this would certainly ease the transition.

Friday, June 25, 2010

McKenzie from Dena Fishbein

Dena Fishbein is a very talented lady! You have probably know her better as Dena Designs, the name of her studio.

Her designs can be found worldwide on stationery, home apparel and of course fabric. Her recent lines for Freespirit include Leanika, Snow Flower and Monaco.

Her newest line McKenzie has just been released for Freespirit Fabrics and you should be able to find it in fabric stores very soon. The line is a wonderful mix of florals and geometrics and has a fresh vintage feel to it.

You can find Mckenzie at the Fat Quarter Shop and Pink Chalk Fabrics.

I chatted to Dena to find out more about her and McKenzie.

You are extremely busy with a tv show, a newspaper column and your design work. Which do you enjoy most?

Well actually the television show ran for 2 years, for a total of 26 episodes and then I decided against continuing. It is now just re-runs. It was too intensive. For each episode I had to make the finished item and then each project in each step from start to finish. I am very particular about my projects, so finding the materials and doing the research was also very time consuming.

I still write a newspaper column for Scripps Howard which is distributed to about 420 newspapers.

But I focus mainly on product design. My favourite thing to do is designing and painting. I design all sorts of products from paper, fabric, bedding, melanine, kitchen and stuffed animals.

You say on your website that you enjoy scouring flea markets for inspiration. What has been your best find?

Oh I just love going to flea markets. Probably my best find was a painting. I had been looking for an old painting of palm trees in oils in a gold frame and I saw somebody pick it up. You should have seen my face. I hovered next to her until she put it down and then I just grabbed it and gave whatever money the man asked for to him. No haggling!

I go to one which is held once a month about half an hour away from where I live and wherever we are vacationing I try and find a flea market.



So, McKenzie is your newest line for Freespirit. Why is your line named McKenzie? What was your inspiration?

Simple answer! My husband was walking by when I was thinking what to name the line and he suggested McKenzie. He said it was a cute name and you know what, it is a cute name!

Freespirit give me no brief but they did say that at the moment people are buying bright happy colours. Fabrics with a neutral palette are just not selling. People want to surround themselves with fresh, happy colours.

When designing the line I thought about what I would like to go together. I like the combination of florals and geometrics. It has a modern fresh feel. So I start by sketching ideas out in the look I want.

I keep files of colours, flowers and pattern layouts and use those to work out what look I am after.

What was your design process for McKenzie?

I usually paint on computer paper. I do a very fast pencil sketch. In about 2 minutes. I look at it and write notes and imagine which colours it would look good in. I then list the colours on the side.

I then sketch the pattern onto watercolour paper and mix the colours. I paint one colourway and then develop the other colourways using the computer.

In this collection the colourways stayed the same and there are usually 1 or 2 prints that are dropped each collection.



Describe to us the colour palette you chose for McKenzie.

The colour stories are black / pink, aqua/green and lilac. I knew that lavender was selling really well and was a trend so I wanted to incorporate that into the line. I love the richness of black and how it makes things look rich and beautiful. And aqua is my favourite colour so a little aqua worked itself into the collection It gives it a modern / vintage feel.



What projects do you have in mind for McKenzie?

I think the line combines very well for all sorts of projects, not just quilting. We have just designed an apron, pillows, dog bedding and I think clothing would look good in the line.

The collection McKenzie will be used for other products as well. I usually design the fabric first as I am always working on fabric collections and then I use those in my other product lines.

What’s next for Dena Designs?

I am currently working on another fabric line but I am not sure what it is called yet. The line I am working on at the moment has a very watercolour feel.

Then there are 2 other lines which are already finished. Pea Garden and Cummary Garden. I am also going to be working on a Christmas line for 2011. I always have several projects on the go. I am working on some greeting cards too at the moment.

Look out for projects designed using Dena's line in our October Issue!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Welcome

to our newest sponsor, Crafty Girls Workshop.

For the month of June, the store is taking 10% off all OZ by Sanae fabric and is including a free pattern with any precut purchase.

Regina and Anna have a fantastic range of fabric both online and at their store, be sure to check them out!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Featured Crafter - Cabbage Quilts

Today, we are sitting down with the exceptional quilter, Cathy from Cabbage Quilts.
 
FQ: Tell us a little bit about your creative journey? When did it start? Where you inspired by any paticular person?  
Creativity has always been a part of our family. My Father is very musical and dabbles in paints, while my Mother taught me different crafts including knitting, x-stitch, tapestries and sewing. 
It wasn't until 12 years ago however that I totally fell in love with quilting when I took a beginner patchwork class at our church. My passion for colour and creating was both fuelled and satisfied in this medium, which has only grown stronger over the years. 
I had the pleasure to work part time in a wonderful Quilt shop in Brisbane before we moved to Victoria. All these people and events have influenced my quilting, however I would have to say from the quilting world that Kaffe Fassett has had the biggest influence on me. 
His incredible use of luscious pattern and rich colours. He encourages us to look at the world around us and be inspired by the natural shapes and colours we see in our everyday world and translate them into our quilting. 

FQ: Which part of the quilt making process is your favourite and why?  
Applique is a passion of mine so I would have to say this is my absolute favourite thing to do in the whole quilt process. There is something so incredibly comforting about sitting down at night with a needle and thread in hand (and a good light over the shoulder!) . 
Taking time to take tiny stitches as you work your way around your applique pieces is so soothing and very satisfying. Kim McLean is an Australian designer who includes lots of beautiful applique in her delightful patterns. I have recently finished a quilt top based on her Hearts and Flowers pattern from Kaffes Quilt Romance book (published 2009).

FQ: Do you have a favourite fabric designer?
I would have to say Kaffe and his friends (especially Brandon Mably, Philip Jacobs, Amy Butler) are my all time favourite fabric designers. Their fabrics continue to surprise and delight me, I especially adore the lush, flamboyant forals released by Westminster each year.
Over the years however I do have fabric lines that have stood out for me such as Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy, Jennifer Paganelli's Girlfriend line, and more recently Amy Butler's Love fabrics. Anna Maria Horner's fabrics have also drawn my eye, and I'm currently in sewing heaven using her Little Folks voile.

FQ: Where do you draw your inspiration from when making quilts? 
The blogging community is especially wonderful for finding inspiration. Seeing what other people are making, reading the fabulous tutorials they write, as well as observing new fabric lines all help to inspire me when I'm deciding on a new quilt. 
Influenced by Kaffe, I also take more notice of the colours and shapes around me. I have beautiful fern trees outside my kitchen window, and these have influenced the applique I designed for the quilt I am currently working on.  There is no end to the inspiration we can find around us.

FQ: Do you have a favourite quilt or other sewn item that you have made? 
I keep coming back to a quilt of Kaffes I made a couple of years ago called Wheel of Fortune from his Caravan of Quilts book (published 2004). I paper pieced this quilt, then heavily machine quilted it. It's hanging in my family room and I still love it. 
FQ: Are there any new creative skills that you would like to try in the furture? 
Hoping to learn how to mosaic. I have some beautiful smashed china mugs and plates that are sitting in the back of my cupboard waiting for the day I give it a go. In the meantime, I have some ideas for some mosaic quilts, hopefully to be seen on my blog in the next couple of months.
 
FQ: Where do you mostly sew?
My creative space is a very tiny room with one small desk, a cupboard and bookshelf squeezed in. I love this room however it is very difficult to photograph!! 

Recently I have made a design wall by pin tacking a rectangle of quilt wadding onto a wall in our house (with husbands permission of course!!). It makes such a huge difference to be able to put blocks and fabrics on the wall, then stand back and critique them. Currently my Fern Leaf Snowball quilt is on my design wall.

Monday, June 21, 2010

"More for Me" Monday | Castle Peeps!

Castle Peeps FQ's

We've been given so many great opportunities to host amazing giveaways for readers that, to make it easier, we're going to be posting all new giveaways on Mondays. It's a new program that we're calling "More for Me" Mondays ... and by "me", we of course mean you!

We've also decided to keep all giveaways open for one week, with each week's giveaway winners announced the following Sunday; i.e., before the next giveaway is posted. We can't promise a new giveaway every Monday, but so far we've had no shortage of fun prizes for y'all.

Castle Peeps FQ's

Moreover, we have begun the countdown to issue #2. Mark your calendars: our next issue is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 27th. To celebrate, we're giving away some of the hottest, most talked-about new modern fabrics. Look for Tufted Tweets, Weekends, and more in coming weeks, but today is all about ...

Castle Peeps FQ's

CASTLE PEEPS ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Readers of our first issue might remember the feature we did on this new line in our first issue along with an interview with fabric designer extraordinaire, Lizzy House.

Well, when I was at Quilt Market last month, Lizzy herself personally handed these to me with strict instructions: "DO NOT keep these. DO NOT cut into them. They are for your readers!" Thanks, but darn. I would have loved to keep these for myself. (Lucky for me, I was able to pick some up at sample spree! : )

Want some Castle Peeps of your own? Simply leave a comment here, telling us which color family you'd like to win and what you would make with it. Be creative! Winners will be announced on Sunday, June 27th.

Good luck!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mo Bedell - Winners!

The two lucky winners of the Mo Bedell giveaway are:

Pam said... My favorite party dress was a pale peach chiffon dress I was supposed to wear as the flower girl in my cousins wedding. Unfortunately I woke that morning all puffy ...I had caught the mumps from my sister and cried and cried. I wore that dress every chance I had, until I outgrew it and it was handed down to my sister.

Dandelion Quilts said... My grandmother made me a Strawberry Shortcake pink gingham dress with lace for my Kindergarten graduation. It was my most beloved dress ever. Thanks for the chance to win.

Congrautlaions ladies! You will each receive 11 x fat quarters from the collection and 1 yard of the cheater hexagon print.

We can't wait to see what you create.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Book Review: Small Stash Sewing by Melissa Averinos

While at Quilt Market in Minneapolis last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Averinos. Melissa is a painter, a blogger, a shop owner, a fabric designer, a prolific Twitterer, an artist, a princess cake pusher, a unicorn lover, a Bronte / BBC devotee, and an all-around cool and crafty woman. And now, Melissa can add author to that list.

Melissa was in Minneapolis to promote her new book "Small Stash Sewing: 24 Projects Using Designer Fat Quarters". I was fortunate enough to get a copy and wanted to share my thoughts with all of you!

Small Stash Sewing

First off, let me say that I am a fat quarter* junkie. I will rarely buy yardage of a fabric unless I have a plan and know what I am going to use it for. But with fat quarters, all bets are off. When I enter a shop that display bins of fat quarters, I feel like a kid in a candy store. The small size (versus entire bolts) makes it much easier to put things next to each other and experiment with unexpected fabric combinations. And the relatively small price tag allows a few fat quarters here and there to be a nice little treat.

With my ever-growing fat quarter stash, I am always on the lookout for new & unique project ideas. Small Stash Sewing certainly fits the bill! All 24 of the projects in this book were designed to use cuts of fabric no larger than a fat quarter. Many of the projects, however, do use multiple fat quarters. This is not a book of items to make using only one fat quarter.

The book is broken down into three sections: To Wear, At Home, and For Kids. I'm not a big garment sewer, but there are some really cute ideas (fabric shoelaces!) in this section. I particularly like the idea of this Fleecy Cowl as a cool way to showcase a favorite print. It's a nice alternative to a scarf and would make a great gift idea. Also a great way to use some of Moda's new Snuggles fleece fabrics.

DSC_0021

The At Home section featured a few more project ideas that I would like to make. I love the Daydreamer Lap Quilt, simply pieced in strips but with the added whimsy of some soft, puffy clouds quilted to the top. I can see these clouds made with flannel or corduroy, or another fabric with some added texture.

DSC_0022

The true gems of this book, however, are in the For Kids section. This book will become a go-to resource for many baby shower and birthday gift ideas. I mean, what little boy wouldn't want a Magic Caper magician's cape? Or look adorable in a Jester Crown & Cuffs? For girls, there's a very pretty (and very girly) Yo-Yo Tiara. I'm not even going to LET my twin girls see that, for fear that I'll be up all night making yo-yo's!

This Lovely Ladybug stuffie would make a great baby shower gift (made of some Tula Pink Flutterby fabric, perhaps?)

DSC_0023

For those of you (like me!) who enjoy a touch of embroidery, there is a beautiful pattern called Unicorn *Hearts* Moon based on some of Melissa's original illustrations. One of my daughters has already logged her request for a unicorn pillow.

DSC_0025

And finally, let me talk for a moment about the crown jewel of this book. Take a look at this next project, adorably named Owlie McPillowpants. I knew IMMEDIATELY upon flipping through this book that this was a MUST-MAKE project. Owlie is a large, pillow-sized project that is fairly easy in its construction, but truly impresses.

DSC_0024

I made this version for a friend who is having a baby girl out of some Hunky Dory prints, but I've already been commissioned to make 3 more -- two for my twin daughters, and one for my wife. Yes, even my wife wants one. I filled mine with super-soft, organic bamboo filling. I can easily see this becoming a staple gift idea for people of all ages. Oh, and for those of you who collect vintage sheets -- this would be the PERFECT project to start using them up.

Owlie McPillowpants

One quick note for quilters: I didn't realize until a few steps into constructing Owlie that the book assumes 1/2" seam allowances. As a quilter, I live and die by the 1/4" seam, so I didn't even think to check the front of the book for general instructions. I was able to very easily make a few minor adjustments on the fly and my Owlie turned out great, and now I'll know for next time about the seam allowances.

Overall, I think this book is a solid addition to any sewist's library. The photography is beautful and the fabric choices for the many projects are inspiring. For me, even just having the Owlie McPillowpants pattern and the embroidery patterns more than make up the cost of the book ... after that, the rest is bonus material!

-- John

* What's a fat quarter? A fat quarter is a quarter yard of fabric. However, instead of being cut along the width of the entire bolt of fabric (resulting in a piece of material 9" x WOF, typically 44" for quilting fabrics), a fat quarter is made by cutting a half yard of fabric (18" x 44") and then cutting that in half width-wise. This will produce a piece of fabric 18" x 22". Fat quarters are popular among quilters because many feel that the size of the cut is much more flexible for a wide variety of projects and quilt blocks.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Welcome

Welcome to our newest sponsers!

Harts Fabric has all those must have new lines (FFA2 and Castle Peeps among them) and will shortly be holding an offer of 10% of all batiks and free domestic shipping over $75.

Sheree's Alchemy offers fat quarter and mixed fabric bundles, rare and hard to find fabric from the U.S. as well as Europe and Japan.

Go on take a look!!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

'Party Dres's by Mo Bedell giveaway

'Party Dress' is the debut fabric line by designer Mo Bedell for Blue Hill fabrics. This pretty little collection would work equally well for both dresses and quilts and features the gorgeous cheater hexagon print above.
Mo has given us two!!!! prizes to give away today.
Each of our two winners will recieve,
11 x fat quarters from the collection
and 1 yard of the cheater hexagon print.
To enter, simply leave us a comment below letting us know all about your favourite party dress from your childhood!!!!!
Please include your email address to make it easier for us to contact you should you win.
Giveaway closes on Saturday 19th of June, winners will be announced next Sunday.
Good luck!!!!!!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Giveaway winners

Here are the winners of this week's giveaways.

The winner of Wish upon a quilt's giveaway for a signed copy of Sandi Henderson's new book 'Sewing bits and pieces' is.....
number 188,
Lael said -" I'd love to win the book. Looks chock full o' inspiration."

Winner of a jelly roll of the new 'City Weekend' by Liesl Gibson of Oliver & S for Moda is..........number 333,
Christian said - "The oliver + s fabrics! I already own almost every single pattern the company makes. :) "

The winner of the Blue underground quilt patterns is.......
number 293,
Deborah A said - "I love Lumiere de Noel by French General - I would love to see Christmas projects made created from this line. Dr. Suess will be great for "little" projects and anything by 3 sisters inspires me. "


CONGRATULATIONS! If you could please email your postal details to: customerservice@fatquarterly.com

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Featured Crafter - Pigeon Pair

Today, we are stting down with the lovely Christie from Pigeon Pair.

FQ: Tell us a little bit about your creative journey? When did it start? Where you inspired by any paticular person? 
My mum is a big inspiration, I grew up with her sewing & knitting for my sister & myself. Mum could make anything & I loved being able to do a drawing of what I wanted & having her make it for me. I also have fond memories of visits to our local fabric shop, we went there alot!


I didn't really get into sewing until I was pregnant with my second child. I wanted to be able to sew her some clothes so I borrowed my mums sewing machine, went to a sewing class & got bitten by the bug!

FQ: What do you like to make when sewing?
Anything & everything! I really enjoy hand sewing & embroidery, I like making softies & toys & sewing clothes, especially for my kids & I like making quilts too.

  
FQ: Is there any paticular item you have made that is a favourite? Can you tell us why?
There is a tiny rain cloud quilt that I made & I'm quite fond of. I had it framed & it now hangs in my daughter's bedroom. I think my most favorite things to make are the least practical, the ones that I do just for pure enjoyment & indulgence.

  
 FQ: Are there any new creative skills that you would like to try in the future?
At the moment I am trying to master the art of hand piecing in an attempt to make a full sized quilt & next on the list to learn is pattern making, I would love to be able to confidently draft my own clothes patterns.
 

FQ: How long have you been blogging for and why did you start?
I have been blogging for just over 3 years. I started my blog to document our first overseas trip with our kids, but once our holiday was over the blogging continued & I began to focus on sewing & craft.


Monday, June 7, 2010

Quilt market giveaways!

My head is still reeling with everything I saw and everyone I met at the International Quilt Market in Minneapolis a few weeks back. I'm pulling together all of my thoughts for a longer piece in our next issue, but in the meantime I came home with some amazing items given to me specifically for our FQ readers.

IMG_0005

First up, I had the pleasure of meeting Liesl Gibson, the founder and chief designer of the hugely popular oliver + s line of children's wear patterns. Even before heading to market, I was really looking forward to seeing Liesl's new fabric line for Moda, called "City Weekend". It did not disappoint. The fabrics are as lovely as Liesl herself.

I really enjoyed speaking for a bit with Liesl ... and even scored an invitation to the oliver + s studio for a tour the next time I am in my hometown of Brooklyn, New York! Imagine my surprise both when I discovered that Liesl is a Fat Quarterly reader and when she reached under her market table and gave me a jelly roll of City Weekend to give away to one of our readers.

Liesl Gibson of oliver + s

Thanks, Liesl!

Another display that made a huge impression on me was featured in the Blue Underground Studios booth. I've long been a fan of this company's patterns, referred to as "cutting edge patterns for the modern quilter" on their website. Take a look at the bold colors and patterns on display:

Blue Underground Studios

And get a load of this ... after talking to the folks at Blue Underground about Fat Quarterly and our readers, they supplied us with a bundle of their patterns to give away to a lucky winner. That's 9 patterns in all ... an $80+ value!

IMG_0011


To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. Let us know what new & upcoming fabric lines you're most excited about, and which you'd like to see us use in an upcoming issue of Fat Quarterly. We'll pick two winners and announce them next Sunday, June 13th.

Also, our Wish Upon a Quilt giveaway for an autographed copy of Sandi Henderson's new book is still open. Head over here to enter to win that prize.

Big thanks again to oliver + s and Blue Underground Studios!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Agony Aunt - Heather

Dear FQ Readers,

I'm looking to start a t-shirt quilt, yet have never quilted before. I have a whole bunch of t-shirts.

A lot of them are from high school, so there are a lot of basketball shirts, our school colors were green and white. So those would probably be some main colors.



I've thought about trying to somehow do high school shirts on one side and college on the other, my college colors are red and white.



I haven't really narrowed them down yet. I kind of wanted to get a pattern or idea first. I also don't really want to do a log cabin pattern but something more unique.

Do you have any patterns or places I could get patterns from? Any advice?

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The SSSQ Blog Tour!

Have you seen Kaffe Fassett’s beautiful book Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts yet?



In this absolutely stunning book Kaffe Fassett shows how natural and man made geometric shapes have inspired his quilt designs. There are 23 amazing quilts which cater for all abilities and tastes along with step-by-step instructions for making each of them. As well as this being a fabulous quilt book it also doubles up as a great coffee table book absolutely full of eye candy!

To celebrate the publication, STC Craft kicked off a really exciting quilt-along on April 13th. What makes this really exciting is that it is your chance to show Kaffe what you’re doing and to get feedback from him and co-author Liza Prior Lucy!!

I’m giving it a go and have chosen my project. It’s really easy to get involved in if you fancy joining me!

Firstly you need to decide what project you’d like to work on.
You can either make the Yellow Potpourri quilt from the book as they are very generously offering a free pdf download of the pattern, you could work on one of the other stunning quilts featured in the book, or you could get creative could choose a project of your own inspired by the shapes and colors around you. It’s your choice!

You can then join the SSSQ Quilt-Along with Kaffe Facebook group where you can share your progress with the other members by uploading photos to the group album so that Kaffe and Liza can see what you’re up to and comment on the images of your quilts.
Be sure to visit the blog on the first Tuesday of every month for fresh inspiration and wisdom from both Kaffe and Liza., and visit their website all the information you need!

We caught up with Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy to ask them some questions:

How did the idea come about for the quilt-along?

The fabulous Abrams Publicity and Marketing team came up with the idea. They are younger than us and understand the world of Facebook and blogging better than we do. It has turned out to be a real pleasure for us to learn these new ways to communicate with quiltmakers.

Have you ever made a quilt as part of a quilt-along?

No, never.

What advantages do you see of being involved in a quilt-along?

We love the way quiltmakers can show their creations and how they support each other with comments and suggestions. It is a virtual quilting bee.

Do you have any tips as to how people can get the most out of it?

I wish more people would post questions and ideas. It seems that few make comments unless there is a photo to respond to. It would be nice to have more conversations.

Tell us about some of the projects that people are making - which ones have caught your eye?

What has really delighted us is how the quilters are doing their own thing and not doing exact duplicates of our quilts. It is thrilling to think that an idea in one of our books launches quilters to take off in a new direction.

Do you know how many people are involved in the quilt-along?

There are about 275 at the moment.

Quilt-alongs foster a great sense of community and brings people together from around the world. How important do you think this is for the crafting world?

We see this as a way of going global and it is exciting. The internet has changed everything for us. Our first book was produced before email, before digital photography. We had to rely on the mail system and long distance phone calls between the UK and the US to communicate and work on the book. Eventually we got cameras, email accounts, etc, and that improved how we could work together. But we could still only teach 20-30 people in a day.
Now the whole world is at our fingertips and we see the future of the crafting community online.

What are you enjoying the most about watching peoples progress on the Facebook page?

We have especially enjoyed the couple of quilters who have showed their design walls and the progress they are making with their quilts day by day. We would love to see more of this.

What are your favourite quilts from the book?

Liza: My favourite is Haze Kilim. It was an idea I had from the very beginning and couldn’t pull off effectively until Kaffe developed the right stripes and palette.
Kaffe: I love the Bounce and Stripe Scape. Of course, you could ask me tomorrow and get a totally different answer. I think the same goes for Liza. We really love all the quilts in this book.

Describe an average day in your lives.

Liza: Kaffe is 5 hours ahead and has usually put in several hours painting, knitting and working on various commissions before I get up. I call him most mornings and we discuss the quilt projects I will be sewing. Most days pictures fly back and forth in email. I sew or cut fabric 2-6 hours each day.
Kaffe: That sounds about right! When we are together, we put up 2 huge design walls in Liza’s living room and Liza cuts patches and works out the geometry while I place the fabrics on the walls until the pattern is just right. Rarely is any sewing done while we are together.

As children what did you want to be when you grew up?

Kaffe: I wanted to be actor and dancer and artist.
Liza: I wanted to make stuff, although I studied to be a clinical psychologist.

How many quilts do you actually own and how do you store them?

Akkk! We have so many. We have absolutely no idea how many. A good guess is 200 between the two of us. We each store the quilts in our homes, folded on shelves. They are kept out of the sun. Neither of us smoke or use air fresheners and our homes are quite dry so the quilts don’t pick up any odors.

What’s next?

Another book!! Right now we are intrigued by an idea we have to use the woven range of fabrics, the shots and stripes only. Stay tuned.

Fancy joining us?

New sponsor giveaway | Wish Upon a Quilt

Fat Quarterly would like to welcome its newest sponsor, Wish Upon a Quilt!

Wish Upon a Quilt is a fantastic shop that carries a wide selection of modern quilting fabrics and patterns, including precuts of all of the newest lines. It also happens to be the hometown shop of our very own Quilt Dad, so if you enjoy the fabrics he uses in his project, chances are he picked them up at "Wish".

To celebrate the shop's sponsorship of the Fat Quarterly, store owner Cathy McKillip would like to give one of our readers a very special prize. Cathy was able to get a copy of Sandi Henderson's latest book, Sewing Bits & Pieces, autographed by Sandi herself at the International Quilt Market last weekend.


Cathy wanted all of the Fat Quarterly readers to be winners, so she is also offering a special 10% off code to be used on online orders to all of you! Simply use the code FatQ when placing your order. Happy shopping!

Be sure to sign up for Wish Upon a Quilt's newsletter. Each newsletter features a link to a free pattern and subscribers are automatically entered to win monthly prizes (including shop gift certificates!) from Wish Upon a Quilt.

Want to win the one-of-a-kind autographed book? Simply leave a comment on this post and we will choose a winner on Friday, June 11th.