Happy Day

Some days I just can't leave well enough alone.  I am designing two block of the months this year.  One for my quilt guild and one for my blog.  They have a few blocks in common but are really quite different.  So I am playing around with settings for the guild BOM and this is what I have pretty much decided on.

Kaw Valley Quilt Guild Block of the Month Setting.

I added the modern touch of stripes as frames for the blocks and really like how it looks with the black sashing. The blocks are a variety of sizes with a couple of really big blocks in there.

Now here is where I went wacky.  I took those two big blocks and turned them into borders and then made all the rest of the blocks 12" squares and then added a few more blocks I have been playing around with just for fun.

Deco Gardens on steroids.

I kinda like it.  :-)  Not that I will ever make it, you understand.  But it really has that busy nouveau look that I like.

Then I had to see what it would look like with a black background.  This is the part about never being able to leave well enough alone.

Deco Gardens on Steroids at Night

The lesson in this for me is "don't design a quilt that I am not willing to write a pattern for."  Yup, this falls right smack dab into that category.  But I had fun playing with the design in EQ7 on the start of my long 3 day weekend.

But what the heck. . . tomorrow is my 60th birthday, so if I put a candle in this it will make a great cake!  Happy day to all of my birthday twins who share January 18 with me, and my nephew Tim up in heaven.  He didn't get to have many birthdays, but at least he got a good birth date!  :-)

I started looking at cakes and found some I would really like to have!  I didn't go to cake wrecks, altho they have a great selection.  I found plenty of great ones in a google search!

 This one is really cute!  I love the teapot and cups.

And this one has such great colors. . . and M & Ms!!!  Yum.  But these may be my favorites:

I love this camp fire cake.  Reminds me of summer by the lake.  I understand the glass of wine but the baby bottle?  Must be for my grandson.  His 1st birthday is January 21.

This may be just a bit more liquor than I can drink on my birthday, but the idea has merit.

Ok, this is more like it.  I am more of a wine girl than a liquor person.

And this one is even better.  Enough to go around.  I like a good wine tapper.

Now if I leave it up to my kids I am probably going to get one like this:

or perhaps this

but the very best is just chocolate!  Yummmm

Perfect!

Blog Hop Starts Today . . . um er. . .Yesterday!

Join us for for my FIRST blog hop, where you get a peek into these very talented designers’ studios! This only leaves me a little over a week to get my studio presentable!!

The day and list of designers are below……Visit Joanne today at The Fat Quarter Gypsy!  She has giveaways!

January

• 12 – The Fat Quarter Gypsy
• 13 – Wendt Quilting
• 14 – Kenzie Mac & Co
• 15 – Swirly Girls
• 16 – On Point Quilter
• 17 – Artistically Engineered Designs
• 19 – Seams Like A Dream
• 20 – Patchworks Studio
• 21 – Poorhouse Quilt Designs
• 22 – Fabric Confetti by Vanessa
• 23 – ME!   Morning Glory Designs

Take a look and have some fun!

BOM Block 1 is Ready

The first block of the new FREE 2015 BOM Deco Gardens is posted on the 2015 BOM page. Click on the tab at the top, right to go to the download link.

Block 1 Columbine

This quilt is designed with a black background to make the colors glow like stained glass.

I am so excited and pleased to announce that I have partnered with Peggy at ConnectTheBlocks.com to offer fabric kits for each block!  See the 2015 BOM page for more info or you can sign up for fabric kits here.

Click Here To Order Fabric kits

 If you prefer a white background, here is what it would look like.

Yardage information for the whole quilt is available HERE.

Look what I found in the new Spring Keepsake Quilter's Catalog

If you have been reading my blog for a while you will recognize this quilt.  It was my free BOM for 2011-12, the Vintage Sampler Quilt.

This version features 30 of the original 42 blocks done in 30's fabric.  And Keepsake Quilting is offering it as both a pattern and a laser cut kit!!  WOW.   Take a look at page 53 when you get your issue.

I have to do a huge shout out to Faith Gordon, who made this quilt pictured in the catalog, and to Quilting Bits and Pieces Quilt Shop in Eudora, KS, and their owners Christy, Eula, and Kaye who had the confidence in me to offer this as a successful block of the month last year.  I had the quilt at Market this fall where Keepsake Quilting's Jo Hellberg saw it.  This is my second quilt to be featured in their catalog.  Both were 30's quilts!  LOL

My sincere thanks to Faith who made the quilt, Christy who quilted it, and Jo Hellberg who chose to include it in the catalog.

New Design will be featured in The Quilt Pattern Magazine

If you haven't discovered The Quilt Pattern Magazine yet you ought to take a look.  It is entirely online and publishes 12 jam packed issues a year for an incredibly modest subscription price.  I have published more than 20 EQ7 tutorials in it over the past two years and three quilt patterns.

The first one came out last year -- my Summer Iris Picnic Quilt -- and two more will be coming out this year.

This is the Summer Iris Picnic Quilt.  Don't you love my really high tech photo studio?  LOL  My driveway in front of the garage door on a windy day!  This pattern is now available on my website: Morning Glory Designs.com.  

(Oh and keep an eye out for the spring Keepsake Quilting Catalog.  You might just see laser cut kits for this quilt.)

This February the second of these quilts will appear.  It is called Candy Stars, and my absolutely wonderful niece Krista made the sample. She did an amazing job on the quilt, and my machine quilter, Brenda Weien, worked her magic on it as well.  The result is pretty fun, I think.

Candy Stars published in The Quilt Pattern Magazine

I am not really a purple kind of girl but these colors appealed to me and I wanted to do something more modern looking.  The irony of that is that the design is inspired by 2nd century roman mosaic tile floor!  LOL

The pattern will be available Feb 1 in TQPM.  If  you haven't subbed yet take a look.  You can get this whole pattern plus a whole year full of other patterns, articles and tutorials for the cost about 1 pattern!  Quite a bargain.

And I fixed a great Green Chili Chicken Enchilada casserole for dinner!  haha, just had to add that. LOL

New Block of the Month for 2015

Happy New Year!

I have been working on a new Block of the Month for 2015 and as it turns out, I had about 8 different ideas I wanted to try and all of them turned out less than satisfactory.  That is the thing with designing, sometime it doesn't go the way you expect.  But I finally quit dilly dallying (isn't that a great phrase?) and put the design down and worked out all the blocks.

I have two versions of it and you can set yours either way you wish.  Here it is.  I call it Deco Gardens.  In addition to offering the block this year, Peggy at ConnectTheBlocks.com will be offering fabric kits for each block!  WOW, you say?  And how, wow!!!

Blocks and fabric kits will be ready soon so watch my blog and Facebook Page for news about how to get them.

Deco Garden in the Round

This first version is my personal favorite.  I just love the idea of putting blocks into a quilt upside down.  Just imagine, you could hang this quilt from either end, or even either side.  All sides are UP!

For those who just can't get quite that far outside the box, I am offering a more traditional setting as well.  All the blocks face up, but I couldn't resist turning some of the border motifs upside down.  Heehee.

Deco Garden in Rows

If you think you would be interested in the fabric kit, leave a comment and let me know which of these designs you prefer:  In the round, or In Rows.

To celebrate the new year and the new bom I will choose one name at random for a free Charm Pack!  Drawing takes place January 15, 2015.

Or just leave a comment and let me know what you think of this year's design.  I tried really hard to do a pieced BOM this year as many of you said you wanted to do something pieced, but the applique just wouldn't wait.  I promise to offer some pieced blocks as part of the surprises and bonus blocks to subscribers this year.

NOTE:  21 days and counting until I retire!

Fine Print:

Here is how this year's BOM program will work.

1. Each block will be offered free for 30 days and then they will be available for purchase on my website.  
2. After 30 days the block will be removed and a new block will take its place.
3. You will be able to download and print one copy of the pattern for your personal use.  Any other use requires permission of the designer.
4. You may not share your copy.  Please direct friends to download their own copy. Guilds may request the use of the Block of the Month for a modest fee.
5. Requests for past blocks will not be honored.  They will be available for purchase on my website.  This is how I make my living.  Please honor the hours and hours it takes me to prepare these designs by respecting my guidelines.
6. Blocks are 12" and are designed for machine applique.  In each pattern you will receive instructions, templates and a full size layout guide.
7. If you wish to purchase the fabric kit, you will be able to subscribe to the entire BOM at ConnectTheBlocks.com.  Your kit will be shipped each month and your credit card will be charged for each shipment after it ships. Fabrics will be high quality batiks in the colors featured in the design.
8. Those who subscribe to my newsletter will get a monthly announcement when each new block is posted, a free bonus block, and other discount offers and freebies not available anywhere else.  Only newsletter subscribers will have the opportunity to purchase finishing kits for the sashing and borders.  If you are not a subscriber please sign up in the bar on the left side of this page.
9. I respect your privacy and I don't clutter your inbox.  I send out 2 newsletters each month, and I NEVER share your information with anyone. You can unsub at any time right from the bottom of each newsletter.  Please make sure your email is correct when you subscribe.  

Cute Buttons

Do you love buttons?  I can't resist them.  At quilt market I went a little crazy at the button booths.  Look at these absolutely adorable buttons I found at this great booth from Brazil.  I have to look up this vendor and see if he has an outlet here in the US.

My sister-in-law and I both had to buy a set.  At first we were just going to get the Mary and Joseph and baby button, but then we saw the donkey and cow and sheep buttons.   We couldn't pass those up.  Then the angel and star buttons were next and it was all over.  We decided we would embroider a manger scene onto some kind of Christmas background fabric, then sew on the buttons for a totally cute wall hanging.  I have a great gold on cream classic print which will look totally perfect.  

Now. . . where can I find a manger to embroider??????

In case you lost count, I retire in 60 days, 3 hours and 49 minutes.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

And my deepest apologies to all of you who have to work on Friday after Thanksgiving.  It is called Black Friday because so many people have to work that day who should be getting a day off instead.  Support the local small businesses in your community.  They support you!  Just my 2 cents.

Happy Sewing Day

Many thanks to the ladies of the Perry Sew Day on Saturday.  What a wonderful group of ladies, spacious and welcoming facility, and positive atmosphere.  What a pleasure it was to spend the day with all of you.  And super thanks to my friend Barb Eikmeier for inviting me and sharing her wonderful talent and positive energy with all of us.  I got a lot done!

I have been watching Lea Day's machine quilting lessons on Craftsy: The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting and thought it would be a good time to try out what I am learning.  I stretched out my backing and taped it down, smoothed my batting carefully over it, and pinned my Diamond Stars quilt top on top.  Pinned it in place as instructed, and ready to quilt.

It was times like this that I wished I was a better quilter!  How I wish I could do all those pretty designs that look so effortless when the experts do it.  I harken back to all the lessons learned from quilters I admire (Brenda Weien, who does all my big quilts; Diane Anderson, who is just about the best quilter I know; Pam Clarke, who's method for quilting between the dots really inspires me; and Lea Day, who makes free motion quilting look so easy).

But my friend Barb gave me a great suggestions and I decided to quilt in the ditch while I mulled over other fill-in ideas.

Here is what it looks like all quilted in the ditch.

I was thinking of doing some kind of fill in the what spaces.  What should I do in the stars?  Any suggestions?  There will be buttons in the middle of each star so I don't need to do anything super dramatic.  This is a small quilt after all.

Ok, back to making mashed potatoes for our early thanksgiving dinner with the kids later today.  I have a Sweet & Sour Pot Roast on the stove cooking, a chocolate mouse pie in the fridge chilling, hot spiced cider mulling in the crock pot, and potatoes waiting to be scrubbed for garlic smashed potatoes.  The pot roast is an old German recipe from my mom's dad's side of the family.  Made with a big chuck roast, bay leaves, vinegar, ginger snaps, sugar, and raisins, it is just too good for words!

Oh, and I almost forgot!  My new Indian Blanket Pattern and Sea Glass Diamonds Pattern is still on sale on my website for 20% off with the coupon code MGD20% -- but only in November.

Indian Blanket

Sea Glass Diamonds

Not Enough Time to Quilt

Since I returned from Quilt Market I have not had a minute to do anything quilty. Well, that is not entirely true.  I haven't had time to do anything quilty at home, but I did go to a fabulous retreat in the gorgeous Ozarks of Arkansas for five days in which I completed a few projects.  Actually is seems that is the only way I get things done. . . quilt retreats.  I am blessed to be able to attend a lot of them so it keeps me on track.

Here is what I got done at my last retreat:

I completed the top to Diamond Stars.  Wow, was this pattern fun to make.  And with a jelly roll and a yard of background fabric it was really fast!  I am taking it with me to a sewing day tomorrow where I will quilt it and put on the binding.  Once that is done I can photograph it for the pattern cover.  The pattern is ready and just waiting for a good color picture for the cover.

The cool thing about this pattern:  there are no set-in seams.  It is put together in strips and there are no Y seams, or tricky piecing.  It is super easy to do and amazingly fast.

The entire quilt, center and borders can all be made from 1 jelly roll and a yard of white fabric.  It really is amazing.  It can also be made from two charm packs, with the addition of a little yardage for the thin borders and binding.  A less expensive alternative, but still way cool.

And here is the best news of all.  I will be offering this quilt as a KIT!  I am just waiting for the fabric to arrive from Moda and kits will go on sale!

Here are some more ideas from QuiltWoman.com to find time to quilt.

Hope you find some time to quilt this weekend.  I am taking all day Saturday as a quilting day, and then spending Sunday cooking and eating with my kiddos and g-baby.  Oh, did I forget to mention he is the cutest baby on the planet?  Not that I am biased.  :-)

And guess who made that adorable quilt he is sitting on?  hehe.

November Block Posted

The free Block of the Month for November is up.  We are getting close to the end of this year's BOM and I am looking for ideas for next year's free BOM.

This block is called Feather Flower (Block 11).  Go to the 2014 BOM page to get the free pattern.

I am back from Quilt Market in Houston and trying to get organized and caught up with all the follow up I need to do.  It was a great week of quilt mania, and you will be seeing the results of that craziness in the coming weeks.  Three quilts will be featured in Keepsake Quilting catalog, probably the spring edition.  They are all 30's quilts and will probably be sold as kits as well as patterns.

Here is a small preview of my newest quilt.  I just finished the top and will be quilting it next week.  It is called Diamond Stars and the pattern will be on my website next week.

Here is a peak at my booth at Quilt Market.

The quilts on the left are two of my newest patterns.  I kept the name Indian Blanket for the one with the black background.  But I took the suggestion of one of you for the other quilt.  Thanks to Bonnie B for the suggestion Sea Diamonds.  I changed it just a bit to Sea Glass Diamonds, and I really love the name.  Bonnie will receive a free pattern!

Graphic designer Anne Ashley designed my "book", table covers and morning glory banner.  They really added to the booth.  She is an incredible designer and I really recommend her work.

This is my sister-in-law Mary Jo, who helped me in my booth.  She was an incredible help setting up and running the booth.  And of course, she is a great quilter and a wonderful sister!

My new patterns should be up on my website by next week.  Taking some time for me to get everything unpacked and put away from my big trip to Houston.

More to come. . . . .