This is an exciting month! Another border will be added, and our quilt is growing. I'm sure you enjoyed the drastically reduced cutting...

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter program by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts for Marcus Fabrics 88 x 100" I'd like to introduce you to a very special project called A Prairie Gathering! This quilt, and the fabric collection by the same name, is what I've been working on for just about a year now. The folks at Marcus Fabrics asked me to do a Block of the Month for them, and to tell ya the truth, I was very, very flattered, and more than a bit intimidated. With lots of encouragement from everyone there, and lots of help from my fellow designers, too, I let my creativity guide me and designed what is really a NON-BOM program. Leave it to me to be a pioneer (prairie?) woman and forge a different path. As you can see, A Prairie Gathering is a two color, Medallion style quilt. There are blocks in the quilt, of course, but it really isn't a traditional block-of-the-month. During the year long program, you will be making parts of the quilt from the center out. By the third month, the entire center medallion is complete. In a few more months, the Flying Geese border, and Checkerboard border are complete, with each subsequent border being completed as you go through the months. The moment I returned from Spring Quilt Market, my friend Deb & I began making the quilt (which is still why I haven't posted photos from market!) It was so fun to see the quilt come together, and I had a great sense of accomplishment when each new border was complete and sewn to the quilt. The other great thing about this quilt that you won't have a big finishing project to do at the end. It's already done! I took photos the whole time we were making the quilt. I plan on blogging all about how the quilt is made when the program begins in January, so you can follow along with my blog posts while you're making the quilt at home! Won't that be so cool?! I thought that was using the power of the internet in a fun way. All of the blocks and units in the quilt use modern rotary and piecing techniques....nothing you haven't done before. No teeny, tiny pieces either. Of course I'll give you lots of good instructions and graphics in each pattern. No worries!! The whole program is paced for you to work on various parts of the quilt each month in an organized and comprehensive way. Patterns come quarterly with monthly "chapters".....hence the title "Quilt of the Quarter" in place of Block-of-the-month. The medallion style quilt is one of my favorites....old, traditional and classic. Among the earliest quilt styles, after the Mosaic, and before the block style we know and love, Medallions lent themselves well to the many causes of the nineteenth century. You know how I love to read and research about life in early America, c.1840. I have done so for A Prairie Gathering as well. In each quarter pattern, I've included short, historical stories about The Sanitary Commission, The Soldier's Aid Society, The Temperance movement, and signature block quilts, all of which used quilts as fundraisers for causes. As you piece your quilt, you'll "Journey the threads of time" TM creating a family heirloom just as your quilting ancestors did! About the fabrics......oh! The fabrics!! If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know red is my favorite color!! The reds in the EQ photo of the entire quilt pictured above are much lighter and brighter than the real fabrics are. My favorite red is more of a cranberry red, and as Marcus always does, the colors and prints are divine!!! A lot of work and effort went into producing just the perfect shades of reds, and the prints are adorable...if I do say so (humbly!) myself. A Prairie Gathering is making its debut July 1st on the Marcus Fabrics website. You'll be able to see all of the fabrics in the collection then. Shop owners will be able to see the fabrics, and get all of the program details beginning July 1st, both on the Marcus website, and from their sales reps. What that means for you is A Prairie Gathering will begin showing up in your local quilt shop as early as November for sign-ups, with the program likely starting in January, 2015. I sincerely hope you like what you see!! Would love to read your comments and opinions.....no matter what they are!! I'm leaving in the morning headed to up-state New York to teach at Patchwork Garden Quilt Shop. Leave me a comment and I'll have a give-away for one lucky winner!

Here we are in month two of my Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter program for Marcus Fabrics. I trust that you have completed your center block in month one!! Looking great so far. Did you measure each step?? Please, I can't stress this enough!! It's so, so important to measure as you piece each step which is why I give the measurements for you. As we begin to add on pieced borders, everything must measure correctly for all the pieces to fit properly. Super important with pieced borders, but honestly...that is true for every quilt you make, so it's a very good habit to have. We begin this month making a bunch of Half Square Triangles from five red prints. We will be using the darkest red HST in a block I call a Corner Square Triangle, and in this case, the "square" in the (lower right) corner happens to be a Half Square. Follow the directions in your pattern to assemble the light print half of the unit, paying close attention to the position of the dark red HST, then add the larger red triangle to complete the unit. Make sure it measures as it should. Next, you'll be using the remaining four assorted red HST's. Follow your pattern instructions to sew the HST's into units as shown, and measure. You'll make (4) of these units. You'll make (4) more of the Delectable Mountain units with the dark red HST in another position (see unit on the right.) Using the same technique, you'll make (4) more Corner Square Triangle units, using a different light print. You now have all of the pieces to construct the larger center block. Using the block from month one, and the units previously made, arrange them as shown. Sew the Delectable Mountains units at the sides of the center block, press and measure. Sew the units into rows, then sew the rows together. You now have a completed center block!!! Yippeee!!!!! This month, we're beginning to piece parts of our Checkerboard border, making Two-Patch units. I arranged my squares so that I didn't have duplicate combinations and chain pieced them. Give them a press, and pop them into your zip bag for safe keeping until next time. Put all of the cut pieces for the Flying Geese and Large Sawtooth Triangle borders, as well as the pieces for the Friendship Star and Ohio Star blocks into their zip bags for safe keeping until next time. I recommend you check the counts on the contents of your bags to be sure you have them all. Because so many quilt shops have the monthly kits ready to ship/pick-up on the 15th of the month, I will be posting my hints around the 20th of the month, giving some time for the mail carrier to make her delivery. Sometimes, as it is now, it's a little later than the 20th because "life" gets in the way of my good intentions! Please forgive. More piecing next month!

I can hardly believe that a year has almost passed since we began this journey together! My, how the time has flown by. You have done an ...

Here we are in month two of my Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter program for Marcus Fabrics . I trust that you have complete...

For the many quilters piecing my Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter quilt, I wanted to write a blog post once a month to go over any piecing tips I may have to help you while you're piecing the quilt for yourself. If you're not making the Prairie Gathering quilt, perhaps you can pick up a pointer or two anyway!! Soon, we will be making many parts of the quilt each month. Included in your pattern pack are Zip-loc bag labels for keeping all those parts organized. I'm organized to a fault, so I'm taking you right along with me! The single most important tip I can give you in making this quilt (or any other, for that matter) is measure, measure, measure!!!!!!!! The success of everything fitting properly in this quilt is totally dependent on all units, blocks and borders measuring exactly what they need to measure to fit. Measuring at each step of construction is so very, very important no matter what you're making. If a unit doesn't measure correctly, un-sew now and make it right while the seam you have to rip is small!! All of my patterns list the measurements during construction so you can be sure you're on track. Follow the measurements given in your Prairie Gathering pattern, and don't proceed until your patchwork measures what it should! I guarantee this will make you a better, more accurate piecer, not to mention you'll be absolutely delighted with the results!! Let's begin sewing..... The first step is to make a Nine Patch block...easy enough, and always a favorite. Then, you'll surround your Nine patch with (4) light triangles. My hint to centering the triangles on the Nine Patch is to fold the Nine Patch in half, wrong sides together. Finger press a crease into the top edge. Take a light triangle and fold it in half, right sides together, and finger press a crease. Now, bring both units right sides together, match the creases and pin. Perfectly centered every time! Sew and repeat for the other triangles. Those light triangles might look like they won't fit, but trust me, they do. Next step...add (4) red triangles. Repeat the finger press creasing to center the red triangles as well. Next up...Half Square Triangles (HST's). (Truth be told, I make all of my HST...no matter how many, a wee bit larger than needed, and trim them to perfection. You can do this, too, if you increase the size of the squares by 1/8th of an inch. In this case, you would cut your squares to 2.5 inches and trim to 2 inches. There are many ways to do this, and all of the tips on how to do this are in my Heartspun Quilts Book of Hints, Tips, Secrets & How-To's!! Perfect every time!) Make your assorted Half Square Triangles ...again measuring them to be sure they are perfect. You have (4) assorted red prints, and one really dark red print to work with. Obviously, the darkest one is positioned in the corners. For the (4) assorted reds, use one red in the same position all around the sides of the block. That way, a print will never be next to itself. Sew the HST's into rows for the sides, then sew to the center block. Did you measure?? Sew the top and bottom rows, then sew to the block. The block is all done and looking great! Place all of your cut pieces into their respective bags and zip them up until next month. If you like what you see and want to make A Prairie Gathering for yourself, click here to find a list of quilt shops offering the program and sign up! More piecing next month....

I can't believe it's already time for month three of our Prairie Gathering program! My gosh, where has the time gone? We made it throug...

I can hardly believe that a year has almost passed since we began this journey together! My, how the time has flown by. You have done an amazing job with this quilt, and are about to complete this piecing masterpiece! Your first task this month is to assemble the two types of Friendship Stars. There's not much to offer in the way of suggestions here that we haven't already covered. I'll just say this one last time....measure to be absolutely sure they are the correct size. I love Friendship Stars as they give a bit of movement to the quilt. Hope you like them, too! The Signature block is the last block to make! Happy dance!! It's very simple construction may have you letting your guard down, but even easy blocks can go wrong in just a few stitches. Once you piece the strip together, be sure to do that "M" word before continuing. Once you're sure the block is good to go, you'll be sewing four Connector Corners onto the block. Such a little innocent square can really be a problem if not tended to properly. Follow these four steps to achieving perfect Connector Corners (CC). Draw the diagonal pencil line perfectly from point to point. Place the CC squarely on the base. Sew just a thread or two (scant) inside the seam allowance. Press, then trim. Press to check the accuracy of the folded triangle. Once you're happy with it, then trim the bottom two fabrics. If it's not perfect, un-sew and re-do. It's just a little seam, and worth the effort! Now, for the fun part! Arrange the Friendship Star blocks and Signature blocks for final assembly. Consult your pattern as the top and bottom borders are slightly different. You're home free now! Add the final red border and pat yourself on the back!! You did it!! Your piecing masterpiece is complete, and what a quilt it is. Wonderful job and I'm so happy we took this journey together. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the historic stories included in the program, and that you learned a lot while piecing the quilt, too. I'm already working on several new Block of the Month programs for Marcus Fabrics. Each is quite different from this one, with new and exciting adventures for your piecing pleasure. I'll announce them right here on my blog when it's time, so please come back and visit often. Thank you all for participating in A Prairie Gathering. I'm so very happy you did!

I can hardly believe that a year has almost passed since we began this journey together! My, how the time has flown by. You have done an ...

Welcome to Month Four of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter! Boy, these months are passing by so quickly....too quickly! This month we begin a new quarter which means there is another historic story coming your way, and the subject this time is how nineteenth century women's contributions to many, many Soldier's Aid Societies made a lasting change, and helped untold soldiers in their time of need. It was so fun doing the research for this story, and I hope you enjoy it. Twenty First century women still bring aid and comfort to all of the folks in our Armed Services! Awesome!! Beginning with Month Four, you will also begin to get more fabrics from the Prairie Gathering collection, which means more to play with!! Always a good thing! Let's get started on what we're sewing this month. For the next three months, we will be doing a lot of sewing to make units all building up to start assembling those gorgeous pieced borders. I didn't want you to have to sew nothing but Flying Geese for a whole month, or Two Patches for a whole month...that would be boring. So, I mixed it up and mixed up the fabrics, too, to bring a little mix into our piecing. You'll be making more Flying Geese and will be playing with some of those new fabrics. You'll me making more red/red Two Patches.... ....and red/light Two Patches. You will also make the cornerposts for the Flying Geese border. The hints I have for cornerpost units are the same I have for making Flying Geese using the Connector Corner method. The pattern instructions say to... 1). Draw a diagonal line from point to point. That means that your pencil line should go from point to point. Don't position the ruler on the points as then your pencil will be slightly off center. It would be off enough to make a difference. 2). Position the Connector Corner square on the base. Be particularly careful when doing this. It seems like such a 'no brainer' thing, but can also make a difference. Take care to precisely position the light print exactly on the corner of the red square base so that the two corner edges are perfectly aligned. If you're even a little off 'center', it will effect the way the triangle is positioned. 3). Sew on the diagonal line. Actually, that is a misnomer as you should really sew a thread or two inside the seam allowance. This is the same effect as sewing a scant 1/4 inch, which allows for the threads lost when the fabric is folded over. Look at the square in the upper left corner of the photo. You can clearly see my stitches just a thread or two inside the drawn line. 4). Press, and then trim the Connector Corner. Actually, a lot of patterns instruct you to trim then press...never do it in that order!! Always press first, and then check to see if the triangle is completely even with the corner of the base. If it is, then trim both layers of fabric under your triangle...you don't need them, and leaving them in only adds to bulk, which robs you of accuracy. If the triangle is not a perfect match to the base... if it doesn't line up on the two sides, then unstitch those stitches...it's a small seam - not a lot of stitches to rip. Resew the seam (and you can easily do that because you didn't trim and then press!) so it's perfect. You'll be happy that you did when you get beautiful points for your trouble!! You will begin to assemble Shoo Fly blocks this month, too! Fun, fun, and I love Shoo Fly blocks. They are often over shadowed by their cousin, the Churn Dash, or even confused that they're the same block, but they're not. (The Churn Dash has two squares instead of the light rectangle...a light and a dark square.) These are about as easy to assemble as a Nine Patch. Just sew them into rows, then sew the rows together. Easy, breezy!! Hope you enjoy your piecing this month, and I'll be back next month with more helpful hints while we make this journey together!

Welcome to Month Five of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter program!! You're gonna think that this month, you're in the movie Ground Hog Day, because this month's piecing is nearly the same as last months. You're making more lovely Flying Geese.... ...more red/red Two Patches for the Checkerboard Border..... More Two Patches..... ...and more Shoo Fly blocks. The only thing you're not making this month are the four Flying Geese border cornerposts. Click here to see all of my hints from last month's post. Hang in there with me!! Come border assembly time, you'll be so happy you took your time and prepared all this piecing. It's soooo worth it!

A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter program by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts for Marcus Fabrics 88 x 100" I'd like to introduce ...

We gather together once again for our chat about assembling A Prairie Gathering ~ Quilt of the Quarter program. My goodness...it's month ...

Welcome to Month Four of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter! Boy, these months are passing by so quickly....too quickly! This month we begin a new quarter which means there is another historic story coming your way, and the subject this time is how nineteenth century women's contributions to many, many Soldier's Aid Societies made a lasting change, and helped untold soldiers in their time of need. It was so fun doing the research for this story, and I hope you enjoy it. Twenty First century women still bring aid and comfort to all of the folks in our Armed Services! Awesome!! Beginning with Month Four, you will also begin to get more fabrics from the Prairie Gathering collection, which means more to play with!! Always a good thing! Let's get started on what we're sewing this month. For the next three months, we will be doing a lot of sewing to make units all building up to start assembling those gorgeous pieced borders. I didn't want you to have to sew nothing but Flying Geese for a whole month, or Two Patches for a whole month...that would be boring. So, I mixed it up and mixed up the fabrics, too, to bring a little mix into our piecing. You'll be making more Flying Geese and will be playing with some of those new fabrics. You'll me making more red/red Two Patches.... ....and red/light Two Patches. You will also make the cornerposts for the Flying Geese border. The hints I have for cornerpost units are the same I have for making Flying Geese using the Connector Corner method. The pattern instructions say to... 1). Draw a diagonal line from point to point. That means that your pencil line should go from point to point. Don't position the ruler on the points as then your pencil will be slightly off center. It would be off enough to make a difference. 2). Position the Connector Corner square on the base. Be particularly careful when doing this. It seems like such a 'no brainer' thing, but can also make a difference. Take care to precisely position the light print exactly on the corner of the red square base so that the two corner edges are perfectly aligned. If you're even a little off 'center', it will effect the way the triangle is positioned. 3). Sew on the diagonal line. Actually, that is a misnomer as you should really sew a thread or two inside the seam allowance. This is the same effect as sewing a scant 1/4 inch, which allows for the threads lost when the fabric is folded over. Look at the square in the upper left corner of the photo. You can clearly see my stitches just a thread or two inside the drawn line. 4). Press, and then trim the Connector Corner. Actually, a lot of patterns instruct you to trim then press...never do it in that order!! Always press first, and then check to see if the triangle is completely even with the corner of the base. If it is, then trim both layers of fabric under your triangle...you don't need them, and leaving them in only adds to bulk, which robs you of accuracy. If the triangle is not a perfect match to the base... if it doesn't line up on the two sides, then unstitch those stitches...it's a small seam - not a lot of stitches to rip. Resew the seam (and you can easily do that because you didn't trim and then press!) so it's perfect. You'll be happy that you did when you get beautiful points for your trouble!! You will begin to assemble Shoo Fly blocks this month, too! Fun, fun, and I love Shoo Fly blocks. They are often over shadowed by their cousin, the Churn Dash, or even confused that they're the same block, but they're not. (The Churn Dash has two squares instead of the light rectangle...a light and a dark square.) These are about as easy to assemble as a Nine Patch. Just sew them into rows, then sew the rows together. Easy, breezy!! Hope you enjoy your piecing this month, and I'll be back next month with more helpful hints while we make this journey together!

Welcome to month Ten....(can you believe it's month ten??!) of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter. Our quilt sure has grown, and I think we can see the finish line. That always feels so good! Shoo-fly blocks now take center stage. This is just a sweet, simple little block. I'm very fond of them! So, now we're ready to assemble the Shoo-Fly borders and attach them to the quilt. Really jazzed about that! I recommend sewing one Shoo-Fly block to one plain square. This is to control your pieced border assembly and make sure they measure what they should, so no yucky un-sewing is necessary. The combo of one Shoo-Fly and one plain square should measure 4.5 x 8.5 unfinished. You know the drill by now....that if it doesn't, you have only one seam to unsew rather than a bunch that are suspect and you don't know what is what. Follow the pattern directions for piecing your Shoo-Fly borders and check those measurements!! Attach to the quilt center, and press. You'll then be attaching another plain border. Looking sssooooo good! From here, you'll be making more HST's and putting them aside for next month's piecing. Fun stuff coming next month!! Don't forget to come back on Friday for the next post about my new Pocket Patchwork Sew~Along, Tucker! You'll begin piecing!! Yay! If you're just finding out about my FREE sew-along called Tucker, click here to get the scoop! Oh, and I'll be hosting another scrap fabric give-away very soon!

Welcome back to the Jolly Jabber! Today, we're going to chit chat with Pam Buda about her newest Block of the Month for Marcus Fabrics, A Prairie

Welcome to Month Four of A Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter! Boy, these months are passing by so quickly....too quickly! This month we begin a new quarter which means there is another historic story coming your way, and the subject this time is how nineteenth century women's contributions to many, many Soldier's Aid Societies made a lasting change, and helped untold soldiers in their time of need. It was so fun doing the research for this story, and I hope you enjoy it. Twenty First century women still bring aid and comfort to all of the folks in our Armed Services! Awesome!! Beginning with Month Four, you will also begin to get more fabrics from the Prairie Gathering collection, which means more to play with!! Always a good thing! Let's get started on what we're sewing this month. For the next three months, we will be doing a lot of sewing to make units all building up to start assembling those gorgeous pieced borders. I didn't want you to have to sew nothing but Flying Geese for a whole month, or Two Patches for a whole month...that would be boring. So, I mixed it up and mixed up the fabrics, too, to bring a little mix into our piecing. You'll be making more Flying Geese and will be playing with some of those new fabrics. You'll me making more red/red Two Patches.... ....and red/light Two Patches. You will also make the cornerposts for the Flying Geese border. The hints I have for cornerpost units are the same I have for making Flying Geese using the Connector Corner method. The pattern instructions say to... 1). Draw a diagonal line from point to point. That means that your pencil line should go from point to point. Don't position the ruler on the points as then your pencil will be slightly off center. It would be off enough to make a difference. 2). Position the Connector Corner square on the base. Be particularly careful when doing this. It seems like such a 'no brainer' thing, but can also make a difference. Take care to precisely position the light print exactly on the corner of the red square base so that the two corner edges are perfectly aligned. If you're even a little off 'center', it will effect the way the triangle is positioned. 3). Sew on the diagonal line. Actually, that is a misnomer as you should really sew a thread or two inside the seam allowance. This is the same effect as sewing a scant 1/4 inch, which allows for the threads lost when the fabric is folded over. Look at the square in the upper left corner of the photo. You can clearly see my stitches just a thread or two inside the drawn line. 4). Press, and then trim the Connector Corner. Actually, a lot of patterns instruct you to trim then press...never do it in that order!! Always press first, and then check to see if the triangle is completely even with the corner of the base. If it is, then trim both layers of fabric under your triangle...you don't need them, and leaving them in only adds to bulk, which robs you of accuracy. If the triangle is not a perfect match to the base... if it doesn't line up on the two sides, then unstitch those stitches...it's a small seam - not a lot of stitches to rip. Resew the seam (and you can easily do that because you didn't trim and then press!) so it's perfect. You'll be happy that you did when you get beautiful points for your trouble!! You will begin to assemble Shoo Fly blocks this month, too! Fun, fun, and I love Shoo Fly blocks. They are often over shadowed by their cousin, the Churn Dash, or even confused that they're the same block, but they're not. (The Churn Dash has two squares instead of the light rectangle...a light and a dark square.) These are about as easy to assemble as a Nine Patch. Just sew them into rows, then sew the rows together. Easy, breezy!! Hope you enjoy your piecing this month, and I'll be back next month with more helpful hints while we make this journey together!

I can't believe it's already time for month three of our Prairie Gathering program! My gosh, where has the time gone? We made it through winter (I hope it's over now!) and spring is popping out all over. Your quilt center block should look like the photo above, and we're going to grow the quilt this month, add more pieces and sewn units to our zip bags for our pieced borders. The first step this month is to sew the four large setting triangles to the center block. Take care here as that seam is one, very large bias edge! The triangles are over sized, but if the fabric stretches out of shape, over sized pieces won't fix that. Once you have them all sewn and pressed, you have to trim the quilt center to 26 1/2 inches square. Don't use the photo above as a guide for trimming your center square!!!!! Your center may be larger or smaller than mine, depending. Measure first, and if in doubt, draw lines with chalk, and your rulers, to see where you should cut. Measure the center seam and the top and bottom of the quilt center. Turn a quarter turn, and repeat to understand exactly what size your quilt top really is. The photo above shows the center block floating 1/2 inch from the raw edge. Yours may be different!! In order for all of the pieced borders to properly fit, it is imperative that your center block measure 26 1/2 inches unfinished. You have a little wiggle room here, and it's perfectly OK to have your block "float" a little from the seam. Your eye will see that the point is perfect, and will never notice that the point doesn't touch the seam once it's sewn. The next step is to add the first border. I designed this deep red, almost red/black fabric to give depth and definition within all of the different reds in the quilt. It has a very specific job to do. This border is very small....only 1/2 inch finished, so be very careful, and take your time sewing it to the quilt center. That dark red print really pops, doesn't it?? This month, you are going to begin making Flying Geese, and.... ...Two Patches for your Checkerboard border. I have been asked why piece the same color patches together for this border? The answer is easy....for sparkle and interest!! I could have chosen one red print for a plain border, but honestly.....when you add this border to your quilt, all the different reds, and variety of mediums and darks, will make it just sparkle, and it's a whole lot more interesting to the quilt. Believe me....it's well worth the effort!! The only other task you have left this month is to cut pieces for future borders and blocks. Be sure to do a count of all of the pieces and sewn units you are supposed to have in your zip-bags. You will find the tally for everything in your pattern instructions. Hey...that wasn't so hard, was it?? And, look how far we've come. Your quilt is already 27 1/2 inches, and you have something pretty to hang on your design wall and enjoy. I'll be back again next month, around the 20th, for more info as we take this journey together. As Quilt Market grows ever closer, I'm very busy preparing and designing new things for your piecing enjoyment. Here's a little glimpse into what I've been up to, and some new things coming very soon. The Treenware & Berries fabrics arrived late this week, and we immediately began cutting the quilt kits for all of you who pre-ordered them. We're working to have those ship to you ASAP. I'll email you when they're on the way!! The patterns are all done as well, and will be on my website very soon. My new Tokens of the Past: Spice Box quilts are very near completion. I'm just binding the last two, and they're off for photography on Monday, which means they will be available soon as well. I will have another Tokens of the Past pattern debuting at market with 3 brand new quilts all featuring the classic, and timeless Nine Patch. The pattern name is Tokens of the Past: Nine Patch Reverie. This Tokens pattern is not linked to a specific fabric line, or pre-cut. The Tokens series was always meant to have a variety of three, classic and fun quilts of whatever inspires me. I'm love, love, loving the new Nine Patch quilts, and I hope you will, too!! The first round of strike-offs for my next fabric line have come and gone. It's coming together very nicely, and I'm excited to share it all with you, but that will have to wait a little longer. I am also formulating my ideas for a new sew-along. This one will be completely different than anything I've ever done before. You will get to see the quilt design before we sew....no mystery, and it may go on for many months, but will be some of the easiest piecing you've ever done!! Intrigued?? Oh, and did I mention it will be all stars?? Watch my blog very, very soon for news about a new, original quilt design appearing in a national magazine! It's super, super scrappy, and I hope you'll like it!! Don't forget that Lynne Hagmeier and I are traveling to Montpelier, ID this coming week, to The National Oregon/California Trail Center, for a series lectures/workshops, so if you're in the area, we'd just love to see you!! I try hard to post sneak peek pictures of what I'm working on, and you can see them on Instagram and Facebook, so I invite you to follow me if you'd like. So, that's a little recap of some of the stuff that I've been up to. I do hope you find time to do something you enjoy this weekend....like a little stitching?!! I'm going to try to do the same.

I can't believe it's already time for month three of our Prairie Gathering program! My gosh, where has the time gone? We made it through winter (I hope it's over now!) and spring is popping out all over. Your quilt center block should look like the photo above, and we're going to grow the quilt this month, add more pieces and sewn units to our zip bags for our pieced borders. The first step this month is to sew the four large setting triangles to the center block. Take care here as that seam is one, very large bias edge! The triangles are over sized, but if the fabric stretches out of shape, over sized pieces won't fix that. Once you have them all sewn and pressed, you have to trim the quilt center to 26 1/2 inches square. Don't use the photo above as a guide for trimming your center square!!!!! Your center may be larger or smaller than mine, depending. Measure first, and if in doubt, draw lines with chalk, and your rulers, to see where you should cut. Measure the center seam and the top and bottom of the quilt center. Turn a quarter turn, and repeat to understand exactly what size your quilt top really is. The photo above shows the center block floating 1/2 inch from the raw edge. Yours may be different!! In order for all of the pieced borders to properly fit, it is imperative that your center block measure 26 1/2 inches unfinished. You have a little wiggle room here, and it's perfectly OK to have your block "float" a little from the seam. Your eye will see that the point is perfect, and will never notice that the point doesn't touch the seam once it's sewn. The next step is to add the first border. I designed this deep red, almost red/black fabric to give depth and definition within all of the different reds in the quilt. It has a very specific job to do. This border is very small....only 1/2 inch finished, so be very careful, and take your time sewing it to the quilt center. That dark red print really pops, doesn't it?? This month, you are going to begin making Flying Geese, and.... ...Two Patches for your Checkerboard border. I have been asked why piece the same color patches together for this border? The answer is easy....for sparkle and interest!! I could have chosen one red print for a plain border, but honestly.....when you add this border to your quilt, all the different reds, and variety of mediums and darks, will make it just sparkle, and it's a whole lot more interesting to the quilt. Believe me....it's well worth the effort!! The only other task you have left this month is to cut pieces for future borders and blocks. Be sure to do a count of all of the pieces and sewn units you are supposed to have in your zip-bags. You will find the tally for everything in your pattern instructions. Hey...that wasn't so hard, was it?? And, look how far we've come. Your quilt is already 27 1/2 inches, and you have something pretty to hang on your design wall and enjoy. I'll be back again next month, around the 20th, for more info as we take this journey together. As Quilt Market grows ever closer, I'm very busy preparing and designing new things for your piecing enjoyment. Here's a little glimpse into what I've been up to, and some new things coming very soon. The Treenware & Berries fabrics arrived late this week, and we immediately began cutting the quilt kits for all of you who pre-ordered them. We're working to have those ship to you ASAP. I'll email you when they're on the way!! The patterns are all done as well, and will be on my website very soon. My new Tokens of the Past: Spice Box quilts are very near completion. I'm just binding the last two, and they're off for photography on Monday, which means they will be available soon as well. I will have another Tokens of the Past pattern debuting at market with 3 brand new quilts all featuring the classic, and timeless Nine Patch. The pattern name is Tokens of the Past: Nine Patch Reverie. This Tokens pattern is not linked to a specific fabric line, or pre-cut. The Tokens series was always meant to have a variety of three, classic and fun quilts of whatever inspires me. I'm love, love, loving the new Nine Patch quilts, and I hope you will, too!! The first round of strike-offs for my next fabric line have come and gone. It's coming together very nicely, and I'm excited to share it all with you, but that will have to wait a little longer. I am also formulating my ideas for a new sew-along. This one will be completely different than anything I've ever done before. You will get to see the quilt design before we sew....no mystery, and it may go on for many months, but will be some of the easiest piecing you've ever done!! Intrigued?? Oh, and did I mention it will be all stars?? Watch my blog very, very soon for news about a new, original quilt design appearing in a national magazine! It's super, super scrappy, and I hope you'll like it!! Don't forget that Lynne Hagmeier and I are traveling to Montpelier, ID this coming week, to The National Oregon/California Trail Center, for a series lectures/workshops, so if you're in the area, we'd just love to see you!! I try hard to post sneak peek pictures of what I'm working on, and you can see them on Instagram and Facebook, so I invite you to follow me if you'd like. So, that's a little recap of some of the stuff that I've been up to. I do hope you find time to do something you enjoy this weekend....like a little stitching?!! I'm going to try to do the same.

Attending Fall Market in Houston was a wonderful, relaxing experience. Because I didn't have a booth, I was able to spend five days submerging myself in all things quilting and had time for visiting with friends I don't often get to see. A Prairie Gathering Quilt and the three Tokens of the Past: Gathering In Red Quilts by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts My Prairie Gathering Quilt-of-the-Quarter quilt hung in the center of the Marcus Fabrics booth along with other outstanding quilt projects that will soon be coming your way! Tokens of the Past: Gathering In Red quilts by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts My brand new Tokens of the Past: Gathering In Red series quilts made their debut at market, and I'm so very happy to say, were met with rave reviews!! The three Gathering In Red quilts are made from just one of my new Prairie Gathering 10 inch precuts!! Yes, Yes!! You can make all of the units and blocks for all three quilts from just one package of 10 inch precut squares!! Much more about this, and a special offer from me, coming in just a few weeks, so stay tuned. Anyway...back to market news..... Mill Works by Nancy Rink Also in the Marcus Fabrics family is Mill Works by Nancy Rink Designs. A new BOM. Judie's Album with fabrics by Judie Rothermel I loved seeing Judie's Album quilt in person. As with all quilts, of course, they're so much better in person than a photo. I have long admired this quilt when I first saw it on the cover of Judie's book, and signed up to do the BOM. My kits will come in 2015, but who knows what year I'll end up making it! No matter....it will be there whenever I'm ready. Do you do that too, or am I the only one?? LOL The Quilted Crows Pantry Club Well, The Quilted Crows sent a bevy of new projects for their new Pantry Club. Missed you L & D, and your awesome quilts and projects made for a whole lot of eye candy in the aisle!! Add caption Victoria Park fabric by Karen Styles of Somerset Patchwork & Quilting Red Crinoline's booth was just across the aisle from Marcus. Soldier's Waltz by Red Crinoline Quilts Hanover Stars by Red Crinoline Quilts Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison had lots of new quilts. These are just some of their new pattern offerings. Bonnie Blue by Red Crinoline Quilts If I had a favorite, it would be this quilt, Bonnie Blue, because I just love me a two color quilt!! Joyce Weeks of Geoff's Mom Designs As I roamed the market aisles, I found quite a few friends and their gorgeous designs! This is Joyce's new wool BOM...just loving the textures in all that wool!! Had to buy the pattern for this small quilt called Weezer's Paws. Kathy Cardiff of The Cottage at Cardiff Farms and me Always have to stop and see Kathy Cardiff of The Cottage at Cardiff Farms. Her wool designs really speak to me. They say 'buy me, make me!" Geez..there's so many goodies to choose from, but I must admit..... ..it's the wool pinkeeps like these..... ...that get me every time!! Both of Kathy's pinkeep books came home with me! Annemarie Yohnk of Quilts Remembered Annemarie Yohnk of Quilts Remembered always, always has quilts that touch my heart. Abigail pattern by Annemarie Yohnk of Quilts Remembered This red and cream quilt stopped me dead in my tracks! The pattern is called Abigail and I fell madly in love. (Are you giggling over the "No Photos Please" sign? I had Annemarie's permission, I promise!) Kansas Troubles Quilters booth No visit to market would ever be complete without stopping at my pal Lynne Hagmeier's (Kansas Troubles Quilters) booth. We all got our first look at Lynne's newest fabric collection, Clara's Garden. Clara was Lynne's great, great-grandmother, and she has quite a story. Click here to learn more about Clara and Lynne's fabric line. Lynne never fails to WOW me with how many different quilts she creates from her 'layered patchwork' technique. Isn't this just awesome?? One of my favorite quilts to see at Market was Di Ford's mystery quilt for Quiltmania magazine. It was just jaw dropping-ly beautiful!!! I was thrilled that Di chose to use so many of my fabrics in her quilt, and as I stood there, I got goosies just looking at them. Actually, there are many, many Marcus fabrics in her quilt, including fabrics from Judie Rothermel, Paula Barnes, and Molly B's. Every market has a large exhibit of quilts. I usually don't have time to peruse them as I'm always in the booth, but this time, I had time to wander. As you can imagine, this exhibit was a show stopper. Much like the Infinite Variety show in New York City a few years ago, this display of red and white quilts had everyone talking. What is it about red and white quilts that draws us all so much? They're vibrant, striking, colorful, and happy.... but maybe that's just me? Do you like red and white quilts, too? Perhaps you're working on a collection of your own? May I suggest a few new red quilts for your collection? Shameless, I know, but you can't blame a girl for trying! I hope you found a few things in these market pictures that are speaking to you. Thanks so much for visiting my blog today!

For the many quilters piecing my Prairie Gathering Quilt of the Quarter quilt, I wanted to write a blog post once a month to go over any p...

Well...it's that time of year again. Pre Quilt Market sewing is upon us. The great rush and crush of work that comes in getting all of the new things ready for the big event. It's still months away, and there's lots to do. I haven't been posting much because I'm working on new stuff that I'm not quite ready to show you, but it won't be long now. Deb and I have been watching a marathon of Downton Abbey episodes while our machines are humming along. My Treenware & Berries quilt is coming along nicely. I'm madly in love with how those blocks are turning out and can't wait to see it up on the design wall with the brown floral print that ties it all together. Better get back to the marathons.....I'll try to post progress soon.

Enjoy the Prairie Burgoyne Parade of Blocks and read all about how you can get them at the end of this post. Prairie Burgoyne is another new Block of the Month. The fabrics above are from Pam Buda's new line Prairie Gatherings and will be used to create this striking Red and White Burgoyne Surround. Prairie Burgoyne will begin shipping in December and would make the perfect Christmas gift to yourself. You can find all the details here. I am still waiting for more fabric to arrive to complete this project but you can see a little bit of my inspiration below.

We gather together once again for our chat about assembling A Prairie Gathering ~ Quilt of the Quarter program. My goodness...it's month ...

I can't believe it's already time for month three of our Prairie Gathering program! My gosh, where has the time gone? We made it throug...

Appropriate for craft projects, quilting, curtains and bags, bed sheets and pillow cases. It works well for a variety of projects. Make gifts for loved ones, or decorate your own home. Machine wash cold. No bleach. Tumble dry low. Fabric Content/ Material: 100% Cotton Type: 44" Wide This listing is per yard 36" or per metre 39" - multiple quantity of fabric will be cut in one continuous length. Sold by the yard or the metre. Qty 1 = 1 yard or 1 metre Feedback is important to sellers and buyers, please consider leaving feedback once you receive your item. All questions or concerns are welcomed, please message me if you have any.

Looking for some quilting inspiration? Try these Nine Patch block ideas.

Prepare for a fairytale picnic in this cotton gauze maxi dress, its patchwork print as charming as a quilt sewn by pioneer grannies. With cap puff sleeves that flutter like butterflies in a meadow, you'll be the belle of any prairie gathering. The dainty bust tie lets you adjust your fit quicker than you can spread a blanket under a cottonwood tree. Cotton gauze maxi dress with cap puff sleeves Tie at bust Lined with cotton Center back zipper closure To ensure the best fit, measure your across bust and high waist before ordering and steam for optimal beauty. Nyadeng is 5’9.5” and wearing a size M in Selkie. Her measurements are 38” bust, 29” waist, 44” hip.  Fabric: 100% Sheer Cotton Gauze Designed and fit in LA, Made in partnership with our reputable and expert production team in Jianying, China. Our products are made with the utmost in quality by some of the best craftsman in the industry. Learn more about our team and see our facilities!

I received a bunch of requests for how to make this chevron block, so to start the week a quick tutorial. This is a great block to use up scraps, so grab a bunch and let's get started.Start with a square. Mine is about 4" x 4". The size of your starting square will establish the approximate width of your chevron. The chevron in the block above is 3 1/2" wide unfinished. The remainder of your scraps should be rectangular (sort of) strips about 4" long...a little shorter or longer works too. Your strips can be the same or different widths. They should have one straight side so you can sew a nice straight seam. If your starting square is larger, your strips will need to be longer as well. Place the first strip as shown below to create the initial angle. The strip should extend to about the halfway point of the bottom edge of the square. Sew along the strip using a 1/4" seam. Trim the excess of the square maintaining your 1/4" seam. Flip the strip and press. Audition the next strip to create the next angle. Again sew, trim, flip and press. Can you see the chevron shape starting to appear? Continue adding strips in this manner alternating right and left side. You can vary the angles of the strips from gentle to severe. As you get to the length you want your chevron to be you might want to lessen the angle, but you don't have to. When your chevron is the desired length, trim to a rectangle. I added some solid fabric to each side of the chevron to bring the block to size. I see so much potential for these blocks...different shapes, sizes, positioning, fabric combinations. Have fun making chevrons! I'd love to see them if you do!

Ta Da! Here's a look at the first quilt for The Prairie Women's Sewing Circle club ~ Journey Five! The name of the quilt is Pleasant Prairie. Had loads of fun making it. Remember how I covet the border fabric which is an old Jo Morton? I only had a fat quarter of it, which wasn't enough to make the quilt with whole pieces, so I "made-do" with what I had and pieced the side borders together. They turned out fairly well, I think. Next week, I'll start on another.....so stay tuned. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you get some time to sew. As always....thanks a bunch for stopping by! Pam PS....don't forget to email me your Orphans & Scraps photos along with where you live. It's almost time for the "Airing of the Quilts"!!