Newland Quilt Guild Workshop

I spent last week in Newland NC teaching a Lickety-split Log Cabin Workshop to the Newland quilters. One of the Quilters, Linda Covar Owens was my best friend in high school. She is new to sewing and to quilting. In high school Linda was really involved in dance and I sort of sewed my way through school, making my own clothes and designing and making the costumes for the annual school musicals. Here is Linda working on her blocks.

I had quilters in the workshop from very beginners to long-time experienced quilters. The best thing about using the Log Cabin Trim Tool is that beginners...

can easily use this no-math, no-measure method for perfect first-time blocks and experienced quilters...

love sewing a fast and perfect block every time. You can order the trim tool from my webpage: www.jeanannquilts.com - if you belong to a quilt guild in the southeast, I would love to come to your guild for a program and/or workshop. Information is also on my website.

I am teaching the Lickety-split Log Cabin Workshops Oct 18-20 at the Georgia quilt show, www.georgiaquiltshow.com in Duluth, Georgia and the first weekend of November at the Houston Quilt Festival, www.quilts.com. There are still a few openings in each of the workshops, but sign up soon if you want to sign up and start your way making stacks and stacks of log cabin blocks!

Log Cabin Quilts - Basics and Beyond

For the past year my sister and I have been working on our 3rd book, Log Cabin Quilts – the basics and beyond. The quilts are made, the instructions are finished and all has been sent to the publisher. One of the most exciting parts of this process is to see what the book cover will look like. To sell the book quilters must first be enticed to pick up the book and look inside to see the contents. It is the cover that provides this enticement. This cover is spectacular...it is sure to tempt quilters and then some.

Our overall concept in writing the book is to have it become the "go to" book for making log cabin quilts from the most basic to the creative and innovative. 

In the chapter on basics we present seven classic settings for log cabin quilts that come from traditional quilts. We researched antique quilts to find these settings. Some of them you will be familiar with and others are not seen as often. The two most popular settings are straight furrows and barn raising. This is the barn raising setting.

Last year at Quilt Festival two of my good friends, Gyleen Fitzgerald and Beth Ridder volunteered to make a quilt for the book. Gyleen made a Courthouse Steps using her own hand dyed fabrics. Beth took up my offer to send fabrics from my stash to make a quilt design I selected. I asked her to make the barn raising and here is the result. Beth is a fantastic longarm quilter and the quilting is phenomenal. 

In the Stepping Out chapter we present ten contemporary settings for arranging log cabin blocks. All of the quilts in the book can be made using the Log Cabin Trim Tool and the Log Cabin Trim Tool Two. We also give cutting instructions to make the blocks without the tools. The book has photo lessons showing how to make the basic log cabin block so a beginning quilter can enjoy sewing this popular quilt.

Circle of Nine - taking flight

My first book, Circle of Nine, that I wrote with my sister is almost sold out....of the second printing! UPS just delivered the last carton of 24 copies and we are not sure if the publisher is going to do a third printing. If you are interested in this book, best order it now from my website: www.jeanannquilts.com

Here is one of the projects featured in the book. It is called Taking Flight. It is a very easy quilt to make and full instructions are in the book. After you finish making Taking Flight there are 23 additional circle of nine quilt projects to keep you busy sewing for weeks to come. The book is only $24.95 and when you compare the cost of any quilt book to the cost of a pattern (patterns usually cost about $10), then a book with 24 patterns is a real bargain.

I like this quilt because of the cheerful fabrics and "Palm Beach" colors. I grew up in Palm Beach so  fabrics with surf and sand colors capture my attention and just beg to become a quilt. 

September - Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Today's post isn't about quilting. It's about September...Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My granddaughter who is now 17 years old was diagnosed 5 years ago with CML leukemia. Unknown to us, she was born with leukemia, but we didn't find out until she was 13 when she was suddenly in crisis. Two weeks in Scottish Rite hospital in Atlanta and the wonderful treatment she received there saved her life. The generosity of the many people who have donated to childhood cancer research has provided a particular chemo that continues to save her life. I have two pictures to share. One is of Madeline, a happy, healthy 17 year old with a full, active life while living with cancer. She is a senior in high school and looking forward to college.

The next picture is not as exciting. It is a picture of her medicine. It is delivered monthly to her home by express delivery. It is very, very expensive and someone must be home to sign for it as it cannot be left on the door step and must be refrigerated right away. Here is the box delivering life saving chemo to Madeline who would not have lived more than a year after her diagnosis without it.

Our family became suddenly aware of the vital importance of helping to fund childhood cancer research. The whole family, in many different ways, helps the Rally Foundation – www.rallyfoundation.org, an organization that raises money to fund that research. If you have a chance to support someone who is raising funds for childhood cancer research, think of Madeline and all the children like her who are living because of the generosity of others and your good will to theirs.

week #5 Sunbonnet Sleuth

Here is the big reveal....the Back to School Mystery Quilt. It's a school of fish! Directions to finish the quilt follow the photo of the quilt.

Cutting and Sewing Sashings:

1. Cut (15) sashings 3" x 10-1/2" (measurements INCLUDE seam allowances)

2. Alternate 3 fish blocks with 3 sashing strips to make a row. There are 5 rows. Note that three rows have fish swimming towards the right and two rows have the fish swimming left. 

3. Sew the rows together alternating the rows so the fish change directions from top to bottom.

Cutting and Sewing Borders:

4. Cut (5) 1-1/2" x wof strips, sew together end-to end the cut as follows: (2) inside borders 1-1/2" x 50-1/2" and sew to opposite sides of the quilt. and (2) inside borders 1-1/2" x 40" and sew to the top and bottom of the quilt.

5. Cut (5) 5-1/2" x wof strips, sew together end-to end the cut as follows: (2) outside borders 5-1/2" x 52-1/2" and sew to opposite sides of the quilt and (2) outside top/bottom borders 4-1/2" x 50" and sew to the top/bottom of the quilt.

Binding: use same fabric as inside borders and cut (6) 2-1/4" x wof strips. Sew together end-to-end.