Calling quilters

As you all know, I design rulers or Creative Grids and design and sew companion quilts for Their pattern company, Cut Loose Press. The have new policy and I need pattern testers.

Here are some of my typical patterns, all made with one of my Creative Grids rulers...Log Cabin, Pineapple, Hexagon, and Square on Square rulers, full size and mini will be used. All my projects are strip pieced.

I will provide the pattern to be tested, the ruler if you don't already have it, and the fabric. Testers then make the quilt top, table runner, or the tote bag.

As you sew the project you will be asked to make detailed notes on the instructions I send,  if there are any corrections to be made. 

For a small project I will need a turn around time of about a week after you receive the materials for a table runner or tote bag, or pillow, or about two weeks for a quilt top (Typical size: 60" X 72"). You do not have to quilt the project (except for tote bags). If you want to quilt the project you may do so, as the project is then yours to keep.

You keep the Creative Grids ruler, quilt top or smaller project to keep or give as a gift. 

You will scan and send the instructions (with your notes, if any) PLUS a photo of the sewn item to me..

Anyone interested? If so, then visit my website: jeanannquilts.com to see the typical projects I do, and then email me: jeanannquilts@gmail.com

Jean Ann... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE MINI PINEAPPLE RULER AND PATTERN!

I wanted to wait until i had something to show you... finally managed that last weekend. It’s just a little potholder make with scraps of REAL FEEDSACKS that I have been collecting for awhile. Your mini pineapple tool is great for these tiny pieces that might otherwise get wasted!

Don’t look too close though... I had to piece together some of the too small pieces to get enough of a color I wanted to use. But I figure that was an honorable “waste not - want not” way to honor the 30’s fabric and the women who used them. Hoping to finish it soon, but life is not cooperating at all (which is why this thank you is so tardy).  

We are also busy enjoying our very first (and most likely only) grandchild born Dec 28! At age 62 i am planning to work another few years before I retire, but if life doesn’t slow down soon my husband and i may rethink that plan!

Thank you again... I plan to do another ruler demo at guild in the fall because so many people are interested!

MINI PINEAPPLE tool and patterns are available at jeanannquilts.com

Hexagons and Precuts

I have two new ideas for using my Hexagon Trim Tool using jelly roll strips. I just can't resist buying a pretty jelly roll and they do stack up in the sewing room. Here is my first offering, Hexies Go Round.

The quilt uses 36 of the 40 strips in the roll plus white yardage and border yardage to add the finishing touch. I didn't have a fabric in my small stash for the border so I planned a trip to Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg, Maryland capitalquilts.com to spend a pleasant afternoon on a "hunt" for the perfect border. This is a large store with hundreds of bolts of fabric. Instead of my anticipated search, I walked into the shop, spotted the Kaffe Fassett stripe immediately and it was perfect.

Hexes Go Round

Hexes Go Round and the Pine Tree Banner and Table Runner aren't on the website yet...but they soon will be there along with a few other new ideas. jeanannquilts.com

Banner and Table Runner

I have been sewing like a mad woman to make new quilt designs. I wonder if I will live long enough to make all the quilts I  have stuffed in my head. Two years ago I acquired a Strippy Stars Creative Grids© ruler by Deb Heatherly debscatsnquilts.com. I love it! So I designed a quilt using my mini Log Cabin and Curvy Log Cabin rulers jeanannquilts.com.

I finished the banner and thought' hmmmm...it would also make a great table runner. And it did! I made both projects in just one week. Using mix and match rulers is a lot of fun.

When Friends Quilt - They Make Pineapples

Here is an email I just received from an enthusiastic quilter.

"My friend, Rita and I have taken a LOT of classes in the 25 plus years we have been quilting - two of remembrance were Pineapple quilt classes.  Unfortunately, after buying all of the books, assorted rulers, and class attendance we were still not very excited about the process although we very much wanted to make a Pineapple quilt.

The Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool for 6, 8 or 10in Finished Blocks changed everything for us and we are now happily scouring our stashes for prospects for making more and more blocks!  Recently we attended a couple of all day workshops - at every one we had inquiries about the ruler that made things SO EASY!  

I believe this ruler would also lend itself very well to projects with multiple participants as the finished product always yields a standard size block.  This is so important when combining the efforts of many quilters into one group participation quilt!  Many of us have bad memories of block swaps where ultimately the blocks gathered from multiple contributors (with a variety of skill levels) leave one struggling to somehow homogenize block sizes in an effort to assemble a finished quilt.  This ruler (used as directed) would almost certainly guarantee the standardization needed for the task!

I am also a quilting instructor (further classes on indefinite hold until my day job doesn't take such a huge bite out of my available time).  This ruler would be the PERFECT subject for a class - or even a demo if time was tight!   

I have always maintained that I would never teach a class just for the sake of teaching a class - it is important to me to BELIEVE IN THE PRODUCT... this ruler DEFINITELY meets that criteria for me!

Thank you for producing such quality, innovative products to improve the quilting experience and keep the art alive and relevant to all ages and skill levels!  Below, please find an example of our happy playtime - as you can see, it doesn’t matter what colors/patterns you pull from your stash cuz they ALL WORK!  And by the time you have been quilting for as many years as we have, you have a LOT of leftovers and scraps to feel guilty about!"

Very Sincerely, April (a quilter from Central City, IA)

Note: Pineapple Trim Tool full size and mini plus patterns: jeanannquilts.com

Japan - International Quilt Festival

Thirty years ago my daughter had a Japanese exchange student as a roommate for two years at boarding school. Keiko came home with Heidi for every school holiday except for the summer vacation. I became her American mother. During my recent trip to Japan to attend the International Quilt Festival I was able to see Keiko again and meet her daughters.

Keiko calls me her American mother and her daughters, Haruna and Manami, are proud to have an American grandmother. I am equally honored to call them family. 

Here are some of the quilts from the quilt festival. One of the fascinating things about Japanese quilts is the many small pieces that care used to make the quilts. They are all about 6 feet high, good size pieces of fabric art.

Rainbow Swirls

Rainbow Swirls is one of my most popular patterns. I made mine using batiks I had been collecting for some time to make something "special". The pattern uses my 6" Curvy Log Cabin ruler. Pattern and ruler are on my website www.jeanannquilts.com

 Hilary Hastie took my Rainbow Swirls class at Capital Quilts in capitalquilts.com in Gaithersville, Maryland. Hilary chose hues of blue, aqua, and lavender with a white background. She just sent me the photo of her finished quilt. Hilalry hopes to teach the class in June. If you live in the area you can sign up for the class at Capital Quilts and learn to use this fun ruler. Capital Quilts is one of my favorite quilt shops in the metro Washington, D.C. area.

Rainbow Swirls

Hilary's comments about the quilt: "I took this class with you at Capital Quilts a couple of years ago. This is my finished version. I would like to teach this class in June. I hope this will be ok with you. By the way, I just taught another Circle of Nine class, and it went very well."

Madeline Strong

I rarely post family news on this blog. Quilting is much more interesting than my family. But next week we are celebrating a great family event. My granddaughter was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just 3 days shy of her 14th birthday. Nine years later she is celebrating her 23rd birthday with 9 years of remission due to the life giving medication that was many, many years in research.

Madeline in Hospital 9 years ago                           Madeline's Joy Today

Did you know that only 4% of the US budget is allocated for childhood cancer research? Private donations are essential. Someone else's donations provided Madeline with her lifesaving medication. Madeline graduated from college this past December and last week started her first job. Instead of giving her a birthday gift this year Madeline has asked friends and family to donate to the Rally Foundation  rallyfoundation.org. She wants to give the gift of life to other children with cancer. A few years ago Madeline was asked to write a short essay about living with cancer. She started her essay by writing "When I got cancer, I found joy... Madeline is the joy of our family.

Van Gogh inspiraton

Now that you've seen the small project with the Square on Square ruler here is a quilt made using the 8" Square on Square ruler. It is a traditional Square on Square design. I call it Starry Nights Storm At Sea. One of my favorite paintings is Starry Nights by Vincent Van Gogh. I even have a Starry Night umbrella with images from the Van Gogh painting. I also saw the Van Gogh movie this summer. He is one of my favorite artists.

This is the quilt I made using the colors from the Van Gogh painting. I made it for a Cut Loose pattern jeanannquilts.com.

How to make the quilt using the rulers is featured in a Creative Grids Youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Wr8gFrV68

Starry Night Storm At Sea

Snow or Sew?

Quilters know what to do on snow days. They sew! I have been playing with my Square on Square rulers over the past few months and I have designed a series of Storm at Sea blocks and projects. I went a little crazy with the small projects with the 8" Square on Square ruler jeanannquilts.com. For the patterns I made a tote bag, a table runner, placemat and potholder set, a chicken kitchen set with apron potholders and placemats and a pair of pillows.

Stormy Beach Bag 

Bon Appetite Table Ensemble

Chicken Kitchen Set with Apron, Placemats and Potholders 

Storm at Sea Pillow Pair

New Year's Resolution Time

It's time for me to get this blog up and running again. I have been so busy for the past year....and hope to be just as busy with quilting in the year to come. But, all the business with designing new rulers and making project to go with them has made a big claim on my time.

I am still working on mini-rulers to go with the full size rulers I have previously designed. The latest is the 4" Curvy Log Cabin. It is available on my website, along with 5 patterns for quilts and projects. jeanannquilts.com

With each new ruler comes new quilt and quilted project designs and Cut Loose Patterns. My creative brain spurts have produced smaller projects to go with the smaller rulers. Here are two projects I designed to go with the 4" Curvy Log Cabin Ruler. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

I couldn't resist making this table runner and placemats and naming it for a famous southern treat, fried green tomatoes. Take the photo required a trip to my favorite southern supermarket, Publix, to buy some green tomatoes and an orange pepper to dress up the photo. Also a trip to the quilt shop to get just the right orange fabric for the borders and backing. The 4" blocks are arranged three across in each row to make the circles and curves. The overall size of the table runner project is 16" wide and 36" long. 

Round The  World Tote

Here is another easy to make project. I have resisted making tote bags because I don't like sewing the zipper part. So all of my totes don't have zippers and they are super easy to make. This one has eight 4" curvy blocks to make the modern design. My daughter, who is an exhibits designer for the Smithsonian here in DC, is adopting my totes so she can have one to match whatever she is wearing. This is one of her favorites. More totes to come...!