Clever Quilter Mystery Winner!

Jean from the Clever Quilter & us all here at FQ loved reading your 'quilting mystery' comments from Jeans feature post! While some were serious mysteries, others had us all giggling - you guys are great :)

& so to the winner of the Thimbleberries fat quarter pack kindly donated by Jean.....

Number 2! Congratulations Mommarock!

Please drop us a line to winstuff@fatquarterly.com with your details

Be Our Guest: Noodlehead Sews

Hi everyone, it's me, Anna, from noodlehead.  I was very honored that Kate asked me to guest blog today.  If you can't tell, I'm already in the valentines day mode, so here's what I'm sharing:

It's a fun little valentine that should be pretty appropriate for a wide variety of ages.  I think this would be an awesome project to start with for a child who's just learning to sew.  What could be more fun than making your own valentines, right?!

Materials:

• vellum
• white cardstock
• sewing machine, white thread, old sewing machine needle (used only for sewing on paper)
• m&m's
• color printer

Print the two downloadable sheets available here and here, they'll print off 6 to a page.  For the side with 'love mail' printed, I chose to use vellum paper.  You certainly wouldn't have to use vellum (available in packs in the scrapbooking isle at Hobby Lobby or Michaels - don't forget your coupon), instead just use regular 20# printer paper - you just won't be able to get that cool translucent look like the vellum does.  A little tip about printing on vellum: you'll want to give your sheets plenty of time to dry before cutting and sewing them up.  For the to/from side, I simply printed that on white cardstock.

Cut apart the valentines (there are 6 printed to a page).  Have your child address the valentine's to/from parts.  It's easier to do this now rather than try to write on them after you sew them together with the candies inside. 

Place one front piece and one back piece together. 

Sew around edges using a longer stitch length, mine was set to 3.0, but it could be different on your particular machine.  It'll just take you less time with a long stitch. 

When you get to the last side to sew, stop with your needle in the down position and wiggle your finger into the opening of the two papers and insert your m&ms!  (You for sure will want to wash your hands before doing this step or just use latex gloves.) 

Once you've tucked in about 20 candies, scoot them back away from the opening, squeeze the two papers together with your fingers and finish by sewing the last side shut!  No need to backstitch, just clip your threads and you're set. 

February Promotion!

Have you been contemplating purchasing an annual subscription to Fat Quarterly but haven't quite got around to buying it?

Well, for the entire month of February anybody who purchases an annual subscription will receive a FREE 'Curlicue Crush' quilt pattern from Chasing Cottons.

All you need to do is purchase an annual subscription here and we will send you the FREE quilt pattern in a separate email.

**Offer is only available on subscriptions purchased from 1st Feb 2011 to 28th Feb 2011**

A big thank you to Rebecca from Chasing Cottons who has made her pattern available. I asked Rebecca a few questions so you could all get to know her a little better, her work is exceptional and we are sure you will love her quilts.

When did  you begin Quilting?

Two and a half years ago my girlfriend and I had free tickets to a craft show.  We were excited to go along as I had always enjoyed making things but had NO IDEA what was available. How modern, funky and yet vintage, handmade craft had become. It was there that my love affair for fabric began. 

Fabric, is like scrap booking paper...only so so much better!! That day, i took home a few bundles of fabric, a couple quilt patterns, rotary cutter, mat and my first sewing machine. I started sewing that night, and nearly every day since! Even though the patterns weren't exactly what I was after, they were enough to get me started. I had no idea how to make a quilt. That very first pattern I even changed the design and I have been designing my own quilts ever since.

Why do you Quilt?

It makes me happy. Ten months ago I gave birth to my baby number three and seconds after he was born, nurses and doctors couldn't get him to breathe properly. X-rays quickly followed and revealed that his lungs hadn't developed properly. After an indescribable 39hours, he passed away.

 It has been a daily, hourly, moment by moment struggle, dealing with the sudden loss of my little boy Chase. After a couple months, I found myself madly sewing, thinking up new pattern designs, quilting has given me something fun and exciting to think about. Keeps my mind active, has helped me heal and cope with my empty heart and home.

Six months ago I started selling my patterns Sand Castles, Diamond Bouquet, Star Jewels, Rolling Meadows, Curlicue Crush, latest Eden's Garden. At that time I also started a blog, born out of my obsession with fabric, and my love for my little boy Chase. So it started.... Chasing Cottons.

 What is your favourite Quilting Tip?

Don't be nervous to try something new, and find your local quilt shop and sign up for a Sampler Quilt class. A few months after I started quilting, I took a Sampler class.. It consisted of 20 different quilt blocks, each block taught a few different techniques. So, by the time you had finished the 20 blocks, you had many many different ways to work with fabric. It gave me the fundamentals for so many different types of quilting. Although these techniques may not be the new 'modern' way style, you can incorporate these basics into so many new and different designs.

What is your design process?

I find a lot of inspiration everywhere. When it comes to designing a new quilt, the fabric is my main source of inspiration. However my quilts patterns can easily suit any fabric but that is just where I start. I also find a lot of inspiration from many amazing blogs, flickr, magazines etc. I doodle my designs on grid paper to see if I can get them to work in block forms so they will be easily put together. I pretty much work out the whole quilt before I begin cutting. Then the best part - cutting, sewing, quilting!!

Do you sew other things?

Sometimes. I LOVE quilts, and they are my passion, but over the last 6 months I have gained to much inspiration from other blogs and have ventured into making a few quick projects. A dress for my daughter, a couple of gathered clutches and currently I am just setting up a new house and sewing room. So in 2011 I hope to have a few tutorials coming soon. Covers for sewing machines, ironing boards, pillows, kitchen nic nacs, fabric wall art... plus a few new quilt patterns buzzing around in my head.

Anything else you would like us to know about you??In the real world, I'm just a stay at home mum with three kids, Tanner 6, Indianna 3 1/2, and Chase, and a husband who is the most wonderful person in the whole world.

*****Edited******

If your subscription started with Issue 1 of Fat Quarterly, you will have received your last issue as part of that subscription. We will be sending out renewal notices before the next issue of Fat Quarterly is released.

However, if you would like to take advantage of this fabulous offer you can visit our etsy shop and buy a subscription starting with Issue 5.

Featured Sponsor - Clever Quilter

Welcome to one our newest Sponsors, Jean from the fabric store, Clever Quilter!
Jean has dropped my FQ HQ today to tell us a little about her store and more!

FQ: Tell us a little about how 'Clever Quilter' came to open its virtual doors.

CQ: Before I become “one of us” I was “one of them”. My life involved cubicles, “business attire”, financial reports, board meetings, and worse yet, a bunch of “suits” with little imagination! When the company I was with merged, I had the opportunity to re-prioritize my life goals and really think about what I truly enjoyed. It took about a year for me to transition to “one of us”. Business, computers and fabric: I just added a bit of chocolate and voila! CleverQuilter.com was born.

FQ : Do you have a team of helpers at your store who are clever quilters?

CQ: I believe *everyone* is a Clever Quilter. Our goal is to help quilters realize their “Clever” potential through offering easy but lovely patterns, kits and ideas. The projects are fast, portable and totally doable. You can stop in our shop here or read about various projects I’ve got going on at the Clever Quilter blog. We also gab a lot on facebook – look for us and friend us as at Clever Quilter.

FQ: You are also the creator of the intriguing & interactive site, “Quilting Is Murder”. Can you describe to us what it’s all about?

CQ: Certainly. Imagine a fun murder mystery mini-series for quilters complete with prizes and a search for clues. That’s the general idea of the project. Readers can simply enjoy the story a it unfolds over an 8 week period or join in the fun by registering as a “Quilt Detective”. We’re working with Killer Shops (quilt shops) and Deadly Sponsors who provide specials and prizes our detectives learn about throughout the promotion. Quilting Is Murder runs through 3/4/2011 with two new stories planned later in 2011. Come & join in the fun here! Catch up on our blog for updates! We’ve lined up a half dozen *real life* mystery authors to blog as the mystery unfolds. Cool!!

FQ: With 2 busy websites to maintain and all this mystery solving, do you find time to sew for yourself? If so, what’s your favorite item to sew?

CQ: I’ve been doing a lot of fusible appliqué work recently. The Last Rose and Guy the Giraffe are two projects you can read about on our blog. Fusible appliqué is fun, fast and oh so satisfying! I can start and finish a project (except final quilting) in a few evenings. Creating art quilts like this, is my chocolate fix: I grab one, work on it and am instantly gratified. We’ve been focusing on kitting more art quilts in the shop so I’ve been in heaven lately!! Oh and I can’t forget to mention these kits usually involve BATIKS. Lovely BATIKS. I purr when boxes of them arrive in the shop…..

FQ: Do you plan to start more interactive websites in the future? Can you give us any clues as to what those plans might entail…?

CQ: Yes, I can tell you but then I’d have to kill you… My uncle was an intelligence officer in the army and I remember he’d use that line all the time when he didn’t want to answer a question. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized, hey, he might just be serous… LOLOL!! Anyway, you’ll just have to sit tight and wait and see. Keep on eye on Quilting Is Murder’s Facebook page, CleverQuilter.com and QuiltingIsMurder.com are keeping me on my toes right now. What’s up next is a ….mystery!

Thanks so much Jean for joining us today!

Jean has generously offered to give away a fat quarter pack of Thimbleberries fabric in Dark to one lucky reader! For a chance to win tell us about a sewing mystery you've experienced (missing fabric, ufo's that mysteriously pile up in the corner of your sewing room, baffling techniques you just can't work out.......you get the idea ;) ) & please go and like Clever Quilter on facebook!

We'll randomly select a winner & announce them here on 5th Feb. Good luck!

Chit Chat..

Hello, it's Kate here!

Just popping in to let you know that I will be chatting with Sarah from Swell Cloth and Stash Resolution a little later on.

Sarah is asking me a whole heap of questions about craft and getting the inside scoop on how things are run here at Fat Quarterly.

If you want to listen in, the podcast can be found (for free) here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stash-resolution/id362562161

Sarah will also be uploading chat notes here: http://stashresolution.blogspot.com/

Edited ***********************

It is not possible to listen live. The podcast will be uploaded to the Stash Resolution site when ready.

Meet designer Amanda Murphy

Today we're excited to introduce you to Amanda Murphy, an exciting and prolific designer based in John's home state of North Carolina! Besides being a prolific sewist and pattern designer, Amanda recently released her second fabric collection with Robert Kaufman fabrics (Swiss Chocolate) and is set to release a third, Veranda, at Quilt Market this Spring.

Of course, Amanda comes bearing gifts!

• First, she has designed a quilt pattern especially for readers of Fat Quarterly! Chocolate Torte is a roll-up friendly quilt pattern featuring Amanda's current line, Swiss Chocolate, and is free to download for all readers.
• Second, three lucky readers will win a roll-up of Swiss Chocolate to begin making their own Chocolate Torte quilt, courtesy of Robert Kaufman.
• And finally, Amanda will have another chance to win over on her blog. Head over there, say hello, and become a follower for your chance to win.

And now let's learn a little bit more about Amanda!

Please tell us a little bit about your background, and how you came to pursue fabric design.

I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in design. For years I produced corporate design work, for both print and multimedia. After moving to North Carolina and starting a family I began to do freelance work. Over the years my work has become more illustrative, and I’ve been lucky enough to incorporate my love of fabric and sewing into my design.

Your bio describes you as a lifelong sewist. How long have you been sewing & quilting, and how did you get started?

I can’t remember when I learned to sew, but my mom taught me the basics. As a grade schooler, I spent an inordinate amount of time fashioning Barbie “hoop skirts” out of muslin and floral wire and made houses for those lucky ladies out of appliance boxes in our basement. I made a quilted angel tree skirt when I was ten or eleven – I decorated the angels faces with actual makeup. I also made a dress for my mom fashioned completely out of pink polyester lace. (It was the early eighties, but I don’t think it was “in”, even then.) Yes, Mom wore it, although she has recently admitted that she only wore it once.

Your first collection with Robert Kaufman was "Ambrosia". What was the inspiration behind that line, and what did you learn about designing a fabric collection?

That line was inspired by mosaic tiles, Indian prints, and tropical blooms. I learned a lot about what can and can’t be printed on fabric, as opposed to print, and a lot about the logistics of fabric production in general. Robert Kaufman was great to work with.

Your current collection is called "Swiss Chocolate". What can you tell us about that line?

With Swiss Chocolate, I was really aiming to produce a collection that could work well with the existing décor in any home, as a quilt or other project. I wanted something rich, classic, and sophisticated (which you see in the scroll and blossom motifs) but I wanted something a little playful too. This playfulness is probably best reflected in the large scale motifs inspired by oriental rugs. I also wanted a line that could be used in quilts that would appeal to both men and women.

So many of us have brown wood tones all over our homes, and I tried to pick up on that. The chocolate color story also features reds and salmons for a warm look – I love those colors! The mocha story features cool blues, in conjunction with the browns and light caramel colors. I had a lot of fun designing for that color story too.

Most importantly, unlike real chocolate, Swiss Chocolate is non-caloric.

What is your favorite thing that you've seen made from your fabrics by someone else? What's your favorite thing that you've made with them?

I’ve seen lots of things other people made that I love, but the prize has to go to my mom. She made hundreds of Swiss Chocolate flying geese to recover her dining room chairs in just a few days, and she has never quilted before. I loved teaching my mom to quilt – it was a special experience. We don’t often get to teach our moms how to do something we love, do we?

My favorite thing that I’ve made? Well, I really love some of the quilts that I designed especially for Swiss Chocolate that will be featured in upcoming magazines– including a complimentary pattern for you all! It uses a jellyroll, with a little extra yardage. (Find the Chocolate Torte pattern here)

From where you do you draw your inspiration?

My two greatest sources of inspiration are nature and the decorative arts. I’m not one of those quilters who is also a gifted gardener, though. A plant has almost no chance of survival if I have anything to do with its care – I just love to visit the gardens of others. As for the decorative arts, I love furniture, paintings, clothing, pottery, porcelain, samplers, quilts – just about everything, and I wish we knew more about their creators. That ordinary people of earlier centuries managed to create such beautiful art when everyday life was so hard is a testament to the human spirit. I fantasize about spending unlimited time in places like Winterthur and Williamsburg. Philanthropists like Abby Rockefeller and Henry du Pont did so much to preserve this heritage too – they were ahead of their time.

What's next for Amanda Murphy Design?

QUILT MARKET! I’m going for the first time this spring and I’ll have my own booth with Robert Kaufman. I am SO excited about this. I cannot believe that I will be meeting all those talented people in the quilting industry. (I’ll have to get over my fear of flying to do it, but I can’t think of a better motivator.) If any of you out there will be going to market, please stop by because I’d love to meet you!

Thanks so much, Amanda! We hope you all enjoyed the interview. To enter to win a roll-up of Swiss Chocolate, simply leave a comment on this post below. We'll randomly select three winners on or around next Saturday, February 5th.

In the meantime, don't forget to download your free copy of Amanda's free quilt pattern, Chocolate Torte.

Our "ghost" article

We hope by now that many of you are enjoying our latest issue, devoted to the subject of quilting and sewing with solids. The most observant have also alerted us to a missing article in this issue: "Quilting Cotton Solids", written by our own Tacha Bruecher.

Mysteriously, this article was included in the table of contents but didn't make its way into the issue. We're calling it our "ghost" article!


So for those of you who have already purchased issue #4, and as a special bonus to all of our blog readers, we are making the article available as a stand-alone PDF file. You can access it here:

Quilting Cotton Solids, by Tacha Bruecher

For those of you who haven't yet purchased any of our issues, this is a great preview of what you can expect in our magazine.

Enjoy!


*** Edited ****

For those of you with no google account, you can download the solids article by clicking on the button below. The button will add a copy of the solids article for $0 to your cart. Simply click to purchase and you can download a copy of the article to your computer the same way you download an issue of the magazine.