Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

Thanks June, for sending me a picture of the block.... you're so sweet!

"Windflowers" first corner is almost completely stitched!!! YAHOO!! only 3 more to go! Then I can get started on the beading and mother of pearl buttons. That will REALLY be the fun part! I got the border fabric from MODA this morning so I should be able to have this stitched, bordered, embellished and the pattern written by the end of the month (barring any difficulties! knock on wood & all that!) I'm planning on releasing it in January or February. I know that this seems a little out of the ordinary for me, but really it's not. I dearly love so many different styles and color palettes.... I just haven't dragged them out for everyone to see yet!!! This fabric just sang to me when I was shown it be my very sweet MODA rep, Bonnie Tyro. It has another fabric that will be used as the outer border..... it looks like a band of gorgeous, ...."gasp"....watercolor-y lace laid over the blue background! It's SO beautiful!!! I used that same band of lace but cut it up and pieced it for the inner border. There are two other colorways in this line too... I want to use the beige one too because it will come out looking snow-ish!... It's called "French Lace Batik". There are so many types of fabric that would look good with this. Everything from soft florals to Kaffe Fassett or Amy Butler. All that would have to be changed would be the floss colors used. I'm using 1 yard lengths of 10 or 12 different flosses randomly. It's been so much fun doing something a little bit different than the norm! I hope that everybody likes it!

Several months ago I was asked to design a block for a book called "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from Today's Top Designers". I designed a simple to stitch urn full of buttonhole stitch daisies with an old fashioned cross stitch type border done all in rich golds and chocolate browns (Though you could use any colors you'd like, of course!). I wish I'd taken a photo of it before I sent it off to them but I just never thought I'd need one! Joke's on me!!!... because I really could use it right now! LOL!!

Anyway... They're doing all kinds of fun stuff to kick off the book's release. One thing is a "blog tour". You can follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily November 9th through 13th at www.quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore! Look for 100 Blocks from Today's Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks. They will be posting new links and prizes each day and all of the designers in the book have donated items that have been put together into a "Big Bundle Giveaway" that will be given to one lucky reader at the end of the blog tour.

www.quiltmaker.com/100blockshttp://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks

We will also be choosing a winner within the next 24 hours who will receive a copy of the book and another winner who will receive a little gift from Crabapple Hill! All you have to do is contact us by email through the website http://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/ or directly at info@crabapplehillstudio.com and we'll put your name in the hat! If you enter by commenting on the blog we may not be able to access your email address to contact you. Sounds like fun on a cold November day, doesn't it????