Learn How to Quilt: summer quilting, easy quilts, baby quilt, free quilt block patterns

Machine Quilting Aids
and June Free Quilt Block Patterns

Machine Applique Raffle Quilt

Greetings Quilter -

The report on m. mouse this week is good. It turns out that he needs about 3 weeks to get everything "settled in" with his new-found gum-disease-free body.

In the meantime, we are working to regulate his blood sugar so he has the right amount of energy and is eating well.

He is certainly enjoying his people salmon and tuna - a small luxury that entices him to eat. Over the past month, he has gone from a slim 9 pounds to a really-skinny 6 1/2 pounds. Pathetic to be sure, but we've been there before, and he has bounced back with many meals a day.

We are planning his 16th birthday later this year, and he has assured me that he has cleared his calendar so he can attend. (Hmmmm - I wonder what he had to re-schedule! Oh, maybe an email writing.) Maybe dentures would be the perfect birthday present for him!

In any case, thanks to all who sent their well wishes. We are in the process of responding individually, and with hundreds of messages, it may take a few more days. After all, we also have quilts to make.

Raffle Quilt

If you have been following the articles, you'll know that I started a Raffle Quilt (shown above).

This quilt is for a dinner auction with a group of marketers who are taught by Dan Kennedy whose trademark is No B.S.

With his permission, I have used his trademark as a theme for the machine applique wall hanging. This week, I added the borders, and will finish it next week for the dinner in the middle of July.

This is a really easy way to make something for a Raffle or Auction. And it can bring a good sum of money if you choose a theme that is in keeping with the event or group, and is attractive enough for everyone to overlook the "common-ness" of the fact that it is just a wall hanging, and get excited about the design.

You'll see the finished quilt and I'll let you know how the bidding goes.

Survey Results

It's always interesting to see what's going on in our quilting community and hear what you all would like to see and learn from us.

Here are a few tidbits:

38% of our subscribers are Beginner Quilters
57% are Intermediate Quilters
44% of you make Bed Size quilts primarily
40% make Lap quilts most of the time
80% enjoy Traditional Patchwork quilt block patterns
50% love New Variations on Traditional Patchwork quilt patterns
40% work on baby and kid quilts!
Most of you would like to see more Tips, Techniques, Patterns and Quilt Ideas in the newsletter; we will also try to work in more video, since 64% rated that as a high priority
The top topics:
- Machine Quilting
- Sewing Curves
- Quilts with Stars
- Hand Quilting

Whew! A long list of wonderful quilting ideas - who said there are limited topics to write about and share with other quilters?

We'll be working on these in addition to the suggestions that individuals made.

Thank you to everyone who participated - this information is very helpful as we plan our year!

Fabric Postcards for Penny's Postcard Posse

Take a few minutes to create a small fabric postcard this week for a soldier in the Middle East. A few scraps of fabric is all it takes, and by making one a week - or every few days - you can brighten the life of our troops.

Just a few minutes is all it takes to create one of these small treasures and send it to Diane for shipment abroad. The letters and emails she gets back are remarkable and tell just how much these little treasures mean to the soldiers over there.

You'll find all the information below. This month I'll be sending additional information, including patterns and instructions for making these tiny quilts.

And now for the rest of the news - -

Happy Quilting!

penny halgren

baby quilt pattern Amaze Your Friends with Your Speed!

In Less Than A Weekend, This Quick and Easy Flannel Baby Quilt
Will Be Finished and Ready to Give to a Beloved Baby in Your Life

Quick & Easy Flannel Baby Quilt

Quilting daughter, Stephanie, is getting married, and I would imagine that babies aren't far behind.

After all, she'll be almost 30 when she says "I do."

She and her beau, Cam, are doing some traveling, saving money for a house, securing their careers, and planning for their future, which includes babies (or so I'm told!).

I can hardly wait to start making baby quilts for a new baby in my family! I've made scores of them for other people's babies, and a few for my two, but that was ages ago.

If there is a new baby in your life, you know that a handmade flannel baby quilt is the perfect gift. It sends an ongoing message of love and caring.

And it is a practical item as well.

Unlike diapers or clothes, a baby quilt doesn't get used once and thrown away. Nor does it get outgrown! This gift will be cherished for a lifetime or more.

Learn all my shortcuts, secrets and speedy techniques so you can create this wonderful flannel baby quilt in no time at all.

Be among the first 47 to order, and you'll get a handy canvas project bag that you can keep for your quilting projects, or give along with the quilt so "mom" has something to store baby goodies in.

Tell me more - - -

Summer Quilting Activities

Several books with quilting as a theme will be released soon for your summer reading enjoyment. So, if you need to take a break from your latest quilt project, set it aside and pick up one of these good books.

For heart-touching inspirational stories, check out one (or both of) Mary Tatem’s new books. Quilt of Faith: Stories of Comfort from the Patchwork Life and Quilt of Joy: Stories of Hope from the Patchwork Life were both released June 1. You will be able to spot them on the bookshelves because both covers feature quilt patterns as the background. Both books offer inspirational stories that center around quilts, quilting or quilters.

Another inspirational selection available for readers who enjoy quilting is Quilts Are Forever: A Patchwork Collection of Inspirational Stories by Kathy Lamancusa. This book isn’t new (it was published in 2002), but it will be available for the digital book format as a Kindle book on Amazon.com in July. The inspirational stories included in the book are timeless Again, the essays offered feature stories based on quilts, quilters or quilting..

Quilts, throughout history, have served a dual role of comforting and inspiring. It seems that these three books do the same.

Do something for yourself this summer!

Remember, it’s okay to set your quilting project aside for a break. But to keep yourself encouraged, try reading a good book or one of the other methods discussed here.

Another inspirational activity you can do when you lay aside your quilting project is to talk with others about quilting or sewing in general. Set up lectures or discussion groups about quilting.

Visit your local nursing home and strike up a conversation with a resident about his or her lap quilt. Ask quilters there for the best advice they ever received about quilting. Ask if they have a favorite pattern or time saving tip. Just visit about the craft you both have in common.

It’s easy for quilters to get buried under their projects. Sometimes human contact gets unknowingly cut to beyond minimal. When you realize it, that’s the time to put the project down and get out and start talking with people about quilting.

Some quilters are inspired by seeing others learn the craft. If that sounds like you, inspire others by holding a beginner quilting seminar. Maybe you could volunteer to host one through your family church or local community center. Check with an area school to see if you could bring your quilt seminar to a home economics class.

Better yet, tie your quilting in with a lesson plan that students are already discussing – like the use of quilts in the Civil War, the role of quilts in politics and causes, English crazy quilts, etc. Maybe you could plan a small quilt show for a Girl Scout group, a school art club, or another type of youth group. If you are feeling adventurous, plan a small quilting project to teach.

You can also share and gain inspiration by writing about your quilts. Start an old fashioned quilt diary or journal, or use technology to blog about your quilting projects. Not sure what to write about? Write just like you are talking with a fellow quilting friend.

Write about why you selected to make a particular quilt, what you like or don’t like about a pattern, how many times you had to rip out seams to get them just right, etc.

Write about the special feeling you had when you completed your first quilt or why you began quilting . You’ll find that writing about these things will make you a better quilter. You’ll begin to realize why you favor certain fabrics, patterns or colors, and which areas of quilting you seem to have difficulty with.

Take a moment for yourself. As quilters we spend time thinking about others and doing things for others - spend some time this summer enjoying things YOU want to do!

A Cool Quilting Website

If you are looking for some fun quilt blocks and instructions for sewing them together, visit: Ludlow Quilt and Sew.

Rosemary Smith is located in Ludlow, England and is developing her website to be a great resource for quilters like us.

In addition, Rose has patterns for other fun things like table runners, place mats, tote bags and more. And - as if that weren't enough, she also carries quilting products that everyone can use.

Rose has been a How-to-Quilt.com newsletter subscriber for many years, she started her website from scratch, and continues to do an amazing job in adding great information and patterns.

I suggest you get on her newsletter subscription list so you, too, can get quilting information you can use.

Ludlow Quilt and Sew in the UK

TheQuiltingCoach.com provides answers to your quilting questions; tips, techniques and shortcuts to make your quilting fun and easy; quilt block patterns with step-by-step instructions (including photographs of what to do); quilting projects; and tons more.

Beginning Quilters or more experienced quilters, we're anxious to have you join our community!

For this month, you can join for a special rate that will give you access to everything online in TheQuiltingCoach. You'll find hundreds of free quilt block patterns as well as quilt projects - including the new Jelly Roll / Bali Pop Quilt.

Visit: www.TheQuiltingCoach.com for more information. Click on this link for the special rate: Special Deal for TheQuiltingCoach.com

Postcard Quilts for the Troops

Halloween Roundup Next - Deadline September 29!

Wow! We sent more than 1,900 fabric postcards to the Middle East for the 4th of July!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this worthy event. I know it will mean a lot to the soldiers who receive those greetings of thanks on the 4th of July.

This year, we've decided not to do the Birthday Roundup, and focus our efforts on Halloween and the end of the year holidays.

So the next Roundup is Halloween -

Halloween, like the 4th of July, in Iraq or Afghanistan is just another day unless it becomes something different by virtue of quilters' intervention!

Now you can send postcards for our Halloween Roundup. This is just a fun time of the year - with Trick or Treat fabric, memories of Halloween costumes and marching around the neighborhood begging for candy.

You can bring those memories back for the soldiers stationed abroad by sending them tiny quilts - fabric postcards decorated for Halloween.

We want to keep Diane doing the Penny's Postcard Posse project, but she is terribly allergic to smoke. So, if you can be sure that your fabric postcards are smoke-free, it will be much appreciated!

Check out the postcard patterns on www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com I will continue to add designs, and patterns for the fabric postcards are always free.

To make the Halloween deadline, get your cards to Diane by September 29

Please send your cards to:
Diane Malaznik
14215 Westmore St.
Livonia, MI 48154-4149

Diane is doing a fabulous job keeping the pictures updated, and if you have sent cards in, let your friends and family know that they can see pictures of them here: www.Fabric-Postcards.com

Remember you can get FREE postcard patterns at: www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

June Free Block Patterns

These free June quilt block patterns will make your summer quilting fun. These quilt blocks include easy blocks as well as some that are a little more difficult.

Click here to download your June FREE quilt block patterns