New BOM blocks posted

BIG NEWS this month!!!

First, Jewels in the Crown BOM is doubling up!  This month I am posting 2 blocks!  I know, its like an end of summer bonus!!!  But I want to get all the borders for this quilt in before the end of the year so I needed to double up on a few blocks.

GO TO THE BOM PAGE TO DOWNLOAD BLOCKS!

Block 8 is Glowing Sceptor and Block 9 is Carnelian and Ruby.  Instructions and optional foundation patterns are available FREE for 2 months (August 1 to October 1).

Block 8: Glowing Sceptor

Block 9: Carnelian & Ruby

Next, post a picture of your completed blocks 8 and 9 on the JEWELSBOM Flickr site and be entered to win a free patterns and Fat Quarter Pack.  I got a little behind on this during the spring, but all the prize packs have now been sent out and I am ready to start up again.

So here are the winners for May, June and July:

May: Swalla2011 is the Winner!!!!!

Send me your snail mail address so I can send you your free pattern and Fat Quarter Pack!!

 June: Sassymisspeanut is the Winner!!!!

Send me your snail mail address so I can send you your free pattern and Fat Quarter Pack!!

July:   Quiltyjen is the Winner!!!!

Send me your snail mail address so I can send you your free pattern and Fat Quarter Pack!!

Congratulations to the summer winners!!  I am just thrilled by the colors you use and the gorgeous blocks you create.  Please be sure to post pictures of completed blocks for the 2 August blocks as there will be a DOUBLE PRIZE PACK for the August Winner!

BIG NEWS!!

I am having my website rebuilt and it is going to be spectacular!! Want a sneak peek??

It will be going live the beginning of next week and I am so excited about it.  It will have SOOOO much more functionality, much easier shopping cart, a wholesale site for shops, and a much nicer look.  I am learning to use Word Press and working with my web developer to make everything work.  Once the final testing is done on it we will go live.

To celebrate my new site I am having a BIG contest!  Watch for details.  There will be some great prizes and entering is easy.  Stay tuned for more on this big event.

Finally I gotta brag on my web development TEAM!  Anne Ashley, the graphic designer is just the best and so great to work with!  Thanks to my friend Connie in MA for putting me on to her.  She is a treasure!  And her buddy Jo Ericson, the web developer, is so talented and amazing.  If you are looking to update or develop a new web presence I strongly recommend these two incredible women.

anne@pixelmapcreations.com

jo@yourpagetoday.com

Phew!  Now back to my apple core quilt!  Oh, and did I mention, I got the borders on last night so the top is finished????  I can't believe I actually got something done JUST FOR ME!!!!  LOL

  Till later. . . .

The Apple Core Quilt

This little quilt patch is called an "apple core."  It is a traditional "charm quilt" shape.  A charm quilt was a quilt made from patches that were all the same shape (square, diamond, hexagon, trianglel, kite etc.) with lots of different fabrics.  It was the quintisentiall scrap quilt.  I have always wanted to make one.

I bought an Accu Quilt GO Cutter a year ago and bought the apple core "die" to go with it.  At a retreat a few months ago I brought it along and everyone brough 30's fabrics.  We all cut up TONS of fat quarters and swapped them around.  I had a HUGE pile of them and have wanted a chance to put them together.

The gentle curves are easy to piece and the "built in" notches from the die make lining up the curves simple.  I put them together without pinning as I think it is easier to align the two edges when you aren't wrestling with pins. 

The only challenge is to be able to work with both hands doing different tasks.  For me, my right hand controls the bottom piece and my left hand controls the top piece.  The raw edges don't line up until just before they get to the presser foot.  This works great and I find the ends work out very close to each other.  I keep a small pair of pointy tip scissors close by to clip curves as I go if one pieces needs a bit of stretching.

At another retreat Iattended this past week I finally got the top together!

There are 288 apple cores in this quilt top.  I am going to add another 72 apple cores of solids in 30's colors as a single row around all four sides as a border.  Then I plan to bind it with bias around all the curves!  The final tally will be 360 apple cores!  A happy co-incidence that a quilt with curves should have the same number of degrees as a circle.  Whoo Hooo. 

I'll post more pics once I get the border applecores cut and assembled. I am thinking about writing this up as a pattern.  Any interest in that?

This has been a totally fun project!

Irish Chain top done

Done is good.   I completed the Irish Chain runner last night and off it went to the quilt today.  I was going to quilt it myself but chickened out at the last minute!

 I really like how the borders came out.  And in this picture you can't see the very cool piping.  Can't wait to see what the quilt does with this. . . .

Now onto another project. . . hmmmm, after I finish writing the instructions for this baby.

Irish Chain progress

I am working on my Irish Chain table runner and making some good progress on this long weekend.  I started with this design:

 and then I bought this yummy pile of fabrics:  Farmhouse Retreat from Andover Fabrics.

Then I cut strips and started putting them together in 9-patches.

Once they are together in rows, I join the rows to make a block:

I build some sashing strips to join the blocks and get my first MAJOR four-patch.

Whew!!  that's a lot of little squares!!!  Especially when they only finish to 3/4"!!  But they are totally fun to make, and actually very easy since the whole thing is strip pieced.

So then I had to make another four-patch, cuz there are gonna be three of them in this quilt.

Now I am considering if I need to do another whole set of four blocks or if just two more would make it long enough.  Hmmmm, what do you think?
Now, some serious self criticism -- I am not crazy about using the blue and white plaid in there.  I think the scale of the plaid is too large for the size of these squares.  I wish I had used a solid light blue instead (which is what I originally designed).  There was one in this line of fabrics but I couldn't find it and ended up using the next best thing, which was this plaid.  Not so sure it was a good choice.  oh well.   This design will be published in the Feb issue of Quilter's World next year.

Back to the sewing machine to finish these blocks and do the border.  Suggestions are always welcome.  Hehe, wait till you see the piping!  LOL

July Block of the Month is Posted

July is finally here and that means several very special things at Morning Glory Designs:

1. The new BOM for the month of  July is posted on the BOM Page.
2. Summer is well and truly begun and oh how I love the summer!
3. I am working on my last deadline quilts I have scheduled for this year!

Here is a peak at what I am working on. This is called Spinning Stars and my great friend Peggy Harnett made the top for me.  She did an INCREDIBLE job.  I am going to quilt it this weekend.

I am also working on a Irish Chain table runner using Farmhouse Retreat fabrics from Andover.  Aren't these luscious??

And there is one other piece of incredible news!!  Well. . maybe 2 pieces.  hhhh or more.

First -- I am getting a new website and it is going to Rock Out!  Anne Ashley and Jo Ericson are doing the work for me and they blow me out of the water every time I get a peek at it.  All I can say is WOW.  Anne is a Kick A*s Graphic Designer and Jo is an incredible Web Developer, and the two of them together are blowing my socks off!  I highly recommend them!

Second -- I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age by my graphic design team.  I now have a Facebook Page for Morning Glory Designs.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.  LOL

Finally -- My last capitulation to Generation Exers. . . .I got an iphone and one from my husband also.  I figured that if I was going to do it he had to also!! Ohhhh and what fun I am having with apps!

My favorites so far. . . besides the cool calendar, camera, and other great utilities. . .

QuiltCalculator from Robert Kauffman

Quilt Fab app

Color Matcher

Sewing Kit

Check these out at the App istore.  If you know of other great apps for the iphone related to sewing or quilting that you want to recommend, leave a comment and I will send you a free pattern download!  Be sure to leave your email if you want the free pattern.

That's all the good news for now.  Hope you all have a great July 4th Holiday weekend.