Christmas Comes Early for Quilters

It's that time of year again! Quilt shops everywhere are gearing up for their Christmas in July events. I was at my local quilt shop, Red Hen Fabrics www.redhenfabrics.com this afternoon and Mary Ann Henderson, one of the owners, was busy planning with her staff to get the shop all decked out for Christmas starting next week!

When I got home there was an email from Andover Fabrics announcing a whole collection of Very Hungry Caterpillar quilts using fabrics by Eric Carle, the author of the series. The latest is a really cute Christmas collection. I was thrilled to be asked to design one of the quilts for this collection.

Inching To Christmas

This is a free downloadable pattern that you can access by going to this link: http://andoverfabrics.com/Quilts/Inching%20To%20Christmas.pdf

Another Christmas quilt I designed to be made with my Log Cabin Trim Tools, especially my new Curvy Log Cabin, is my Trim The Tree quilt that I designed for Cut Loose Press. This pattern is $3.99 and can be ordered from my website; www.jeanannquilts.com on the first of July. It is still in the printing process. 

Trim The Tree

Thoughts about "My Dad"

I've been watching the Today show this morning and all of the presenters have shared the one thing they especially remember that their dad's often said to them. It made me think what do I remember most of the many things my dad said to me. My daughters will tell you I am a terrible cook. By the time my Atlanta grandchildren were in elementary school they convinced their mother that she should take them for a drive-thru meal to eat at my house so I wouldn't cook for them.

It's all my dad's fault. The one thing I remember most that my dad said to us over and over again, "Women don't belong in the kitchen. Cooking is a man's job." My dad was a chef and restaurant owner. I could wait tables, bus tables, set up tables, and wash dishes but I was never, ever allowed in the kitchen to cook. 

My mom taught me to sew. Good thing my dad wasn't a tailor or he might have said that a woman doesn't belong in the sewing room! 

Here is my best contribution to my own kitchen. A table runner using 9 2-1/2" precut strips sewn together then cut into hexagons using my Hexagon Trim Tool. I used my Eat Your Veggies fabric for the borders. The entire project was finished in a day.

The directions to make the hexagons and to sew them together are in my new book, Jelly Roll Jambalaya. You can order the book on my website:www.jeanannquilts.com The bed quilt using the same hexagons is featured on the book cover.