Houston Market Finale

jill here...  just getting ready to head back to Iowa.  It was a fun market and even more fun for get it all packed up in just two suitcases and be out of the mayhem in record time.  A great burger, a glass of wine and we're ready for travel early in the morning.

We met so many nice contacts and customers.  Our main goal was just to promote our book and that we did!  Hardly knew how to ring up a sale of our patterns...pathetic.   Back home tomorrow where there is no threat of hurricanes and the pumpkins are awaiting a seasonal celebration!

Our booth of Quilts du Jour samples.

Lines of  fans forming for our book signing!

It was fun to greet quilters and sign books at the C & T booth.

 'Till next Tuesday....

Tables filled with pillows and quilts from Quilts du Jour!

Marny here...
Last night Jill and I presented a Trunk Show at the Fabricators meeting.  Check out their public Facebook post and pictures of the event here. We want to thank them for inviting us! The members and their guests were so warm and welcoming! We had a blast!

Sushi (foreground and It's a Wrap blocks and their respective quilts!

Celery Sticks (foreground) and Crispy Wonton blocks and their quilts!

Salsa (upper) and Crudites blocks and their quilts.

We had fun sharing the pillows and quilts! We really love doing Trunk Shows! Again, thank you to the Fabricators.
Till Tuesday...

Quilts du Jour Mise en Place

 jill here...Perhaps you have heard the term 'mise en place' as it pertains to kitchen ingredients.  We debated on whether to use the term in our book but since most of us don't have command of the French language we chose the term 'prep the ingredients'.  Either way, we're getting our ingredients in order for our upcoming social engagements!

Firstly, we have our inaugural book signing at the Ames' Quilting Connection! We'll be there from 1-3 pm this Saturday, October 17th.  The Q.C. is our former stomping grounds so we look forward to seeing friends and customers and introducing our newest designs.  Most all of the Quilts du Jour projects will be displayed through this week.  Please join us!

On Monday evening, October 19th, we're presenting the quilts to the Fabricators Quilt Guild (based in Gilbert, Iowa).  April West, our long arm quilter, will also discuss the featured quilting designs. The Fabricators meet at 7 pm in the Gilbert Lutheran Church on School Street, Gilbert.  A $5.00 donation is requested for non-members.

And just before International Quilt Market, the end of next week, we will present at Schoolhouse.  It's a classroom opportunity to share our featured quilts and describe how retailer's can best use our book.  We'll show the chapters on Appetizers ( 6 blocks), Tasting Menu, Settings Menu and Desserts!
The blocks work well for a Block of the Month with lots of teaching options for easy to more complex projects.

The first block in the Appetizer Menu...

Make the Crudites blocks into the
quilt Antipasto Platter from the Tasting Menu....

Make the Crudites blocks and set it
into your own desired size and layout....

This menu has options galore to create your own....

Or make the Crudetes blocks into
this Tempting Turnovers quilt
from the Dessert Menu!

Hope we can connect at one of these upcoming venues!  Otherwise, 'till next Tuesday....

Our Blueberry Plaid baby quilt is in Modern Patchwork Fall 2015

Marny here...we have a really cute and easy baby quilt in Modern Patchwork Fall 2015. The magazine arrives at newsstands today! (You can see more inside and order the magazine directly here!)

Our Blueberry Plaid baby quilt uses an analogous color scheme of blues punched up with a touch of orange. The quilt was so quick to cut and piece that it is an almost instant baby quilt. Now I want to make one in another nursery suitable palette! Can't share a picture of the entire front here, but...it sure is cute in the magazine spread!

Nice quilting April! 

Back of Blueberry Plaid. I love quilt backs! They are such a great place to experiment with scale, color, and quilt ideas.

Modern Patchwork Fall 2015 is a stunner. It is filled with projects, large and small, all sorts of techniques, great articles and oodles of news from the quilting world. I'm going to curl up with my issue tonight. Hope you will too!

Till Tuesday...

Win a copy of Quilts du Jour and completed Petits Fours quilt

Marny here...last Friday C & T posted our Quicker Bindings from Quilts du Jour blogpost. Head on over there and enter the Raafflecopter giveaway on their site to get a chance to win a copy of our new book. Only a couple of days remain for entering.

Plus, take a look how we apply binding quickly, accurately, and in a way that is meant to last through washings and lots of love.

You can see below, the cute bias binding Jill put on a recent sample made from Quilts du Jour! The sample will soon be hanging at the Quilting Connection here in Ames, Iowa. They plan to have kits available! Hint, hint!

The newly completed Petits Fours quilt using It's a Wrap Blocks,
found in Quilts du Jour. 

Jill blogged about this quilt backing here. 

Close up of the bias cut binding and the cute Blend fabric collection! 

Bound and 'bound for' the Quilting Connection as a sample.
Kits available!! While they last.

Petits Four Backing Tutorial

jill here...A brand new book sample is close to completion.  This Blend collection is a perfect  gender neutral baby combination.  Polar bears and penguins, oh my!

I had 3 fairly large pieces of a similar taupe to get my backing  started.
I left the selvages intact and turned to the outside.
The majority of the piecing will be central to the back.

As we showed you earlier with scrappy backings, I'm using pretty much of what is leftover (plus scrap yardage from my stash).  The last chapter of our book Quilts du Jour shows all the backings of our quilts with descriptions and some recipes to build on.  An improvisational flip side is not always faster but is definitely more interesting.

Small rectangles, leftover strips, a fat quarter and some yardage
from my stash will be featured.

The prints were sewn between the white backgrounds
that were made the same width.

Here are the leftover strips pieced .

I checked my widths and trimmed to keep
them straight and square.

Trying different arrangements for better balance...

I'm not usually a pinner but sewing long spans
helps those measurements to merge equally.

My big board helps keep those edges straight while I pin.

A bit odd but lots of fun and different from the usual!

We'll show you the finished product soon.
'till next Tuesday....

Quilts du Jour shipping!

Marny here...two pictures tell it all!

Today!! Quilts du Jour is shipping from C & T Stash now!
This means distributors will be receiving them soon and will be shipping them onto stores soon!

To illustrate how far we have com...photo of the first six patterns taken in September 2010. Where did the time go? We've come so far.
Thrilled to meet a lifetime goal...book published. Check!

Till Tuesday...