Fun Gifts for Quilters + Giveaways

Shopped enough for yourself, and now looking for something special for your quilt friends? Sure, a fabric gift is always welcome, but let's go a little further and think outside the box. Take a look at these fun quilt themed gifts - two are even giveaways!

(Note: Amazon affiliate links are provided for further information on the items listed. I do receive a small commission, which does not affect the price, if the item is purchased through the link).

First up is this 1000 piece Thimble Blossoms puzzle. A perfect gift for the puzzle lover or quilter during these shelter-in-place times. And I know just who I'm gifting this one to!

Next, a book full of quilt themed word puzzles. Crosswords, word searches, word scrambles, etc fill this book. It's perfect for those wanting a quilt themed brain-teaser book.

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to win this book! Open to continental US residents only, now until midnight December 6, 2020.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's a fun gift: a quilt themed license plate frame. Show the whole world how much you love quilting!

My son got me a personalized frame last year, with QuiltFabrication.com on it, 

and we could have gone with a personalized plate too, but decided this was enough.

For a fun, colorful item, check out these Peels thread spool holders - aren't they cute?

I could definitely use some of these, as I've got a few spools with no way to hold the thread end. 

For those who love mysteries with a quilt theme, Carol Dean Jones puts it all together in book 11, Beneath Missouri Stars. There's even instructions for creating the cover quilt given at the back of the book - bonus!

 

Enter a second Rafflecopter giveaway to win this book! Open to continental US residents only, now until midnight December 6, 2020.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners will be announced at next week's Midweek Makers.

And one last gift idea, which I'll be gifting to myself. It's an inexpensive lightbox for tracing applique. It's about time I upgraded from the window!

That's all there is for now and good luck on the giveaways!

Happy Quilting

My Favorite Patterns

Gnome for the Holidays

Let's finish up this year in a festive way, adding some fun with Gnome for the Holidays!

I don't know about you, but I've been seeing gnomes everywhere - quilt patterns, embroidery patterns, sales fliers, websites, and stores. They're so darn cute, I had to make one myself!

Gnome for the Holidays is so easy with fusible applique. The plump little gnome next to his Christmas-y snow-covered house, plus the wonky, snow covered trees makes such an adorable little table decoration!

 

As a table runner, Gnome for the Holidays measures 14" x 36".

Or make a small wall hanging by removing the right hand section with the extra trees - it would be just as cute!

If your seeing a lot of gnomes and just have to have one, the Gnome for the Holidays table runner pattern is now available in my Etsy shop. As usual, with a new pattern release, special pricing is going on now through CyberMonday, November 30. 

And if your interested in a learning how to use a freemotion zigzag to stitch around those appliques, avoiding all the fabric turning, check out last week's tutorial, Freemotion Applique.

Happy Quilting!

My Favorite Patterns

Freemotion Applique

Bet you're wondering what freemotion applique is. 

 

It's a process of using the machine's zigzag stitch along with it's darning or freemotion foot to stitch down the edges of fused appliques.

So, how is this different than any zigzag to secure appliques? This technique doesn't involve stopping with the needle in place, and rotating the fabric. It's all stitched moving the fabric side to side or up and down, just like freemotion quilting.

Bet you're wondering why. For me, the quicker I can get applique stitching done, the better. No stopping to turn the fabric shaves off some precious time.

Now I know this technique is not for everyone, as it does take a bit of control to move the fabric to catch the zigzag. But with practice, it moves along fairly quickly. And that's a big plus in my book!

Go ahead and watch this little video, Freemotion Applique, that I have of the process. 

Note that when I'm on a more horizontal plane, the stitches zigzag at an angle, like this,

 

as seen on this tree, in both white and green thread.

And when going around curves, the angle switches direction.

Here it is on the gnome's nose.

Looks pretty good, right? For me, I love this technique for speeding up my applique stitching. Not sure if the quilt police would though!

As far as my gnome project, it will be here Monday - stitching, quilting, and pattern writing have taken longer than expected.

Happy Quilting!

My Favorite Patterns

Pinwheel Parade - Free Pattern

Another finish to report this week - Pinwheel Parade, my project for RSC2020.

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, especially with the few adjustments since I last showed progress. I decided to move the red and yellow pinwheels to balance out the values in the quilt. Otherwise, there would have been a lot of strong colors on one side, and light colors on the other. 

And that idea of black? Too strong for this quilt, though the backing is mostly black with a cream print. Fortunately, I had a taupe in my stash that worked perfectly to add a bit of interest in the setting squares, coordinate with the background, and not overpower all the other colors.

The quilting? Just like the Rainbow Celilo quilt, this one too has the Happy Times pantograph and a variegated thread of primary and secondary colors. Both work so well!

I've received lots of compliments on my scrappy pinwheels, using the "Making Blocks from Crumbs" tutorial and video. For this quilt, those crumb blocks and background squares are 7".

After stitching on both sides of a diagonal line, then cutting on said line, 

there are four HST's which are trimmed to 6.5" square.

Put them together and they make one 12.5" x 12.5" pinwheel block.

Here's part of the setting squares, cause I forgot to take a finished picture of those. Just three 4.5" squares, finished off with 4.5" x 12.5" strips for a 12.5" block.

And let's not forget those setting corners and triangles to finish off this on-point quilt. Cutting those setting triangles on each diagonal gives the quilt an edge that's on the straight of grain. Woohoo for no waves!

If you would like a pdf version of all the cutting sizes, instructions and details, feel free to download Pinwheel Parade from Google Drive. It's a free pattern to say thank you for following along!

Happy Quilting 

 

My Favorite Patterns

Rainbow Celilo Quilt

Yay! I have a scrap finish to report! My Rainbow Celilo is a now a beautiful quilt!

Just look at how well she drapes on this outdoor swing - a perfect size to cuddle under!

All of those scrap blocks I've been working on have created a great quilt. 

Doesn't she look stunning on this bench too? 

Hubby was kind enough to be my quilt holder, so here's the full on, straight version.

Aren't the cascades of rainbow color just wonderful? All that color came from the scrap bag, then balanced with white, which is the absence of color.

To keep with the color theme, I happened to find 3 yards of a black FreeSpirit print in my stash for both the backing and the binding.

If you didn't already know, black absorbs all the colors and is the absence of light. So, I've got the spectrum plus no color on the front all being absorbed to make black on the back. Wild, huh?

And because this quilt is pretty cheery with all that color, it's quilted with a variegated thread and the Happy Times pantograph.

Ah, the stars aligned once again and the quilt gods have smiled on this one!

I have now updated the Celilo quilt pattern to include color fabric quantities for making a lap size Rainbow Celilo quilt. To make your own scrap rainbow, find Celilo in my Etsy shop.

Happy Quilting!

My Favorite Patterns

Poinsettia Quilt Block

I've turned the page on the calendar, which means new free quilt blocks for  November from the Quilt Block Mania group. The theme this month is Winter Celebrations, and I'm celebrating with a pretty red Poinsettia Block.

There's just something about red and poinsettias for the holidays, as they certainly brighten long, dark days. In recent years, we've have several poinsettias outside our door each December. Hubby and I do the cold, early morning wait outside Home Depot for their Black Friday poinsettia special. It always amazes me how all those poinsettias are sold out within 5 minutes, but hey, that's part of the fun. We give most of them away to friends and family, but save a couple to brighten our front door. 

For 24 designers, our color theme this month also happens to be a beautiful poinsettia image from Design Seeds, 

so that we create a fabulous group of color coordinated blocks. 

Check out each designer for their beautiful block.

Christmas Wreath by Slice of Pi Quilts
Baby Sue's First Christmas
Celebrate by Inquiring Quilter
Gifts at Always Expect Moore
Snowflakes by Blockofthemodotcom
Gifts of Friendship
Fireworks at duck creek mountain quilting
Wreath & Chain at Stash Bandit
Christmas Star by Michelle Renee Hiatt
Adirondack Mountain Quilt Block
A Present from Penny
Candlelighting at Pretty Piney Quilts
Poinsettia from QuiltFabrication
Harbor Holidays at Blue Bear Quilts
Christmas Cracker at Perkins Dry Goods
Sparkling Spruce at Patti's Patchwork
Jingle All the Way at Orange Blossom Quilt
Snowflakes & Candy Cane Trees at Quilt Moments
Tower of Gifts by Oh Kaye Quilting
Winter Memories by Carolyn Burgess
Holiday Block by Seams to Be Sew
Ticker Tape Tree at Devoted Quilter
Evergreen by True Blue Quilts
Merry and Bright at Around the Bobbin
Ski Vacation

As for mine, I pretty much managed to use all but that last color which is rather beige. I could have put it in my poinsettia flower's middle but ultimately, I went with a golden yellow, seen as Kona Curry below. Looks more to life, don't you think?

Just like all the other blocks from Quilt Block Mania, the Poinsettia flower finishes as 12" x 12". It's super easy to assemble using paper piecing, and suitable for the confident beginner quilter, even with no paper piecing experience. 

And such a playful block, with the leaves spinning off!

Feel free to tell others about QuiltFabrication.com and become a follower yourself through any or all of the following: direct delivery of posts to your inbox, or by following on Bloglovin, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

Happy Quilting Everyone!

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My Favorite Patterns