I enjoy English Paper Piecing (EPP). It is very accurate, portable, and relaxing. I use the traditional  method of basting fabric to cut papers. I have seen some of the newer methods using glue or freezer paper. They seem very interesting, but I have not tried them yet. I usually EPP when I travel so I am trying to keep it as simple as possible. I just need needle, thread, thimble, cut paper, and cut fabric. The photo below shows some flower hexies that I have been working on The hexies are one inch on a side. I chose these fabrics because they are all the same pattern in various colors. However, after I started, I realized that they are very close in value, especially the lavender and pink. I have not decided what to do about this. I have thought of adding additional fabric, appliqueing individual flowers on blocks, or adding green hexies or triangles between the flowers. We shall see. In the meantime, I am enjoying hand stitching the flowers.

Many years ago, my Mother collected the Ruby McKim  Flower Garden newspaper series that was run in the Indianapolis Star. I was living in Houston, TX at the time, so she would cut them out and mail them to me each week. At that time, I had two small children and not much time. In addition, I was intimidated because I did not know how to transfer the embroidery pattern to my fabric. So they sat in an envelop. When my children were grown, we moved to Oklahoma. Somehow that envelop became lost.

​This year is the one-hundredth anniversary of the publication of Ruby McKim's first quilt pattern. In her honor, McKim Studios in collaboration with Barbara Eikmeier for Paintbrush Studio has produced a printed panel that consists of line drawings of all 25 flower blocks. This Mother's Day, I decided to complete the quilt using the printed drawings. My Mother passed away in 2010, but I like to think that she would be pleased to have me complete it, and it would certainly please me.

​I think that I will put the blocks together  in a non-traditional way. Mom would like that. I purchase a fat quarter bundle of the Vintage Thirties-Ruby's Treasures by Paintbrush Studio as well.  I will figure that out  after I finish the blocks.

I am heading to a retreat this week, so I have packed my blocks and supplies. I have even included a small book on embroidery stitched just in case. I has been a while since I have embroidered. The photo below shows my travel kit.

Today I am linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday. Follow the link to see some other slow stitchers.

​Happy Quilting!

​This post was originally shown on JANDA Bend Quilts.

Yes, I know that I am in the wrong season, but I live on a Christmas Tree Farm, so I sew Christmas year round! Here is my latest finished table runner. I call it Let It Snow!

I used scraps from my Let It Snow! quilt. You may remember my Let It Snow! quilt from a previous post. It was gift to my granddaughter. I cut the tumbler blocks from the scraps with my Accuquilt tumbler die. It was fast and easy. I was unsure about how to make the border, but I decided to start and stop each row with the same fabric and then cut a straight edge on the sides. I really like how this turned out. I sewed rows first, then I sewed the rows together. Therefore, I had no Y-seams. It was pieced on the sewing machine. I quilted it using my sewing machine, sewing along the pieced patches.

Below is a photo of the Let It Snow! quilt. It is a Quilt in a Day pattern entitled, "Candy Cane Lane" from Christmas at Bear's Paw Ranch, Eleanor Burns and Staff. 

Today I am linking up for the first time with Thank Goodness it is Finally Finished Friday!  Click on over and see who else is finishing.

As you know, the past several weeks I have participated in the 2017 New Quilt Blogger group hosted by Yvonne @ Quilting Jet Girl,Leanne @ She Can Quilt, and Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts. I want to thank these wonderful leaders one more time, especially Leanne who was my Let's Bee Quilt'n Hive leader. I learned so much through this experience. My featured blog can be seen here. The Blog Hop has ended, but I had so much fun meeting and following new bloggers that I decided to try Linky Parties.

​Linky Parties are where a blogger links their blog posts and/or quilt photos to another site so that others who have similar interests can easily see them. Typically Linky Parties open on a certain date and have a window of time in which you can link your post. Some of them allow link-ups by Instagram or other social media.  I have heard that participating is a great way to meet quilters who have similar interests and to see quilts made by others with similar interests. If you want, you can view the link-ups without linking up your own post. Simply click on the link. In fact, Linky Parties encourage their participants to visit the linked-up sites and provide encouraging comments.

Before participating in a Linky Party, I decided to do some research. I searched blogs that I follow for their favorite Linky Parties, and I searched for them on the internet as well. In particular, I found that Link Parties at Quiltalong.net  is a useful resource. This site shows many opportunities and provides links to the parties. You can even submit your own Linky Party if it is not currently listed. After much investigation, I chose three Linky Parties that I want to try first.
​

• I wanted some additional motivation to complete projects so I chose Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday! (TGIFF!). It is hosted by M-R @ Quilt Matters and Laura @ Quokka Quilts. The link opens on Thursdays. There are many Party Links that focus on finished projects. However, I chose this one to try first because they allow participants to guest host their TGIFF! Linky Party for a week! I have been considering hosting my own Linky Party someday, so this seemed like a great opportunity to find out if I like hosting. I signed up to the host for a week in July and a week in October, so be looking for me! If you want to know more, click on the image.​​

• ​As discussed in a previous post, I am taking an online course that focusses on scrap quilts because I want to learn more about how to use my scraps to make attractive scrappy quilts. Therefore it seemed natural to link to Scraptastic Tuesday hosted by Leanne @ She Can Quilt and Nicky @ Mrs. Sew and Sow. This party is for works in progress or finished quilts that use up your scraps and for scrappy hints (For example: How do you store and sort your scraps?). The link opens on the second Tuesday of the month and continues through the following Monday. An added benefit of this party is that everyone who links is eligible for giveaways! If you want to know more, click on the image.

• ​I like to do English Paper Piecing (EPP) and hand embroidery when I am traveling. Therefore, I found Slow Sunday Stitching of particular interest. This party is hosted by Kathy @ Kathy's Quilts. It is a weekly link-up that opens on Sundays. I am currently working on several EEP projects so I thought that this party would provide motivation to keep them moving. This link is fine with showing the progress you are making as well as finished projects. I found the link-ups to be inspirational as well. It is sometimes hard to find other stitchers who are interested in slow moving projects. If you want to know more, click on the image.

I hope that you found this information helpful, and I hope to see your quilts and works in progress at a Linky Party site soon.

Happy quilting!

Well, we are meeting in St. Louis! I am excited and a little nervous. This is my first Quilt Market. However, everyone has been very helpful and supportive. Today I attended Schoolhouse which is a series of short presentations (15 or 30 minutes in length) that focus on a particular new product or technique. Here is the Schoolhouse Quilt that I saw at the check-in table:

I have always loved the Schoolhouse block, so I felt right at home.

​The next thing I needed to do was decide which sessions to attend. That was hard! I wanted to go to all of them!

 I decided to go to the 30 minutes sessions so that I wouldn't run out of energy moving from room to room every 15 minutes. All of the sessions that I went to were great, but I have chosen some highlights so that I can get some sleep tonight.

The first session that I went to was given by one of my favorite designers, Darlene Zimmerman. She presented her new fabric line Windowsill Garden from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. With this line she has included two pre-printed embroidery block panels. One panel is designed for redwork embroidery. The lines are printed in red. The other panel is designed for colorful embroidery, and the lines are printed in the recommended color.

​I loved Darlene's embroidery panel for Birds of Liberty! However, I love the new panels as well. I am in a real dilemma because I have not completed the Birds of Liberty panel! The required stitches are basic: Outline, French Knots, and Lazy Daisy Stitch. As she pointed out embroidery is the perfect travel stitching project, plus it is relaxing.  I actually brought some embroidery with me to Quilt Market in case I had some time to sew. It looks like that is not going to happen. Darlene also discussed the history of embroidery. I found it fascinating, but it will have to wait for another time. Tomorrow I am going to her booth to see her demonstrate embroidery, A photo of one the quilts made from the redwork embroidery panel is below. The pattern is a free download on the Robert Kaufman website.​

​I also went to see Missie Carpenter present her method of English Paper Piecing which uses freezer paper and starch. Take a look of one her sample quilts. The hexagons are 1/2" on a side!

You may remember my recent post concerning making hexagon quilts with no Y-seams on the sewing machine. Well I enjoy English Paper Piecing as well. In fact, I am working on a Christmas Wreath made from hexagons that are 1/2" on a side, but it does not compare to the complexity of Missie's work. She is giving a demonstration tomorrow as well, and I plan on attending.

I also saw Kim Schaefer's new Brushline fabrics from Andover Fabrics.
​They are beautiful! Take a look at a quilt that is from her new book, Festive Fall Quilts:

​Finally, I took an hour-long class tonight taught by Morna McEver Golletz entitled, "Social Media Marketing 2.0 Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Oh My!" I could not believe how much I learned in one hour!

About 100 people signed up for this presentation. I was sitting toward the front. Many of my questions concerning social media were answered. We were even able to stay after and ask questions. I think that I will save details until another day, but here are some highlights.

• ​There are many forms of social media. Concentrate on the ones that your customers use.
• Don't get overwhelmed. Start with one social medium and get good at it before you add another.
• Concerning Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, use a business account and keep your personal accounts separate.
• Review the analytics that accompany business accounts.
• Consider forming a Group Facebook page to facilitate engagement among your customers and potential customers.
• Social media are best used to develop relationships.
• Remember to point back to your blog or web site when using social media.
• Using an opt-in form on your blog or web site is a good idea.
• Newsletters, blogs, and social media can all focus on the same content because primarily people see the content in one of these places, not all of them.

​Technical aspects were discussed as well: the use of member only pages on a web site, how contests can increase engagement, and how to schedule your time.

​Well tomorrow the Exhibits open at 9:30 am, and I have a class tomorrow night. So it sounds like another rewarding day. I would love to hear your comments or questions concerning Quilt Market.

Happy Quilting!


​This post originally appeared on JANDABendQuilts.com.

St. Louis here I come! I am so excited about attending my first International Quilt Market! Quilt Market is held twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. It is a trade show for the quilting industry. I was very pleased to be credentialed as a professional quilter this year so that I could attend. While I am there, I will see the newest fabrics and quilting supplies, and meet the people behind the products. Many of my favorite suppliers will be there: Accuquilt, Andover Fabric, Aurifil. Baby lock, Benartex, Cotton+Steel, Hoffman Fabrics, In the Beginning Fabrics, Island Batik, Janome, Jen Kingwell designs, Maywood Studio, Michael Miller Fabrics, Missouri Star Quilt Co., Moda fabrics, Northcott,  Paper Pieces, Timeless Treasures, Tula Pink, Windom Fabrics, Zebra Patterns, plus many more... You get the idea.

​I hope to see old friends and make new ones as well. Some of my friends from the 2017 New Quilt Blogger group will be there. I hope to see them!

In addition, I am enrolled in the following classes (You may see a trend here.):

• ​Social Media Marketing 2.0
• Social Media Made easy
• Blogging Is Not Dead (Personal note: I am counting on that.)
• Independent Publishing

I am hoping that the classes will help me be a better blogger and teach me how to publish my own patterns!

​I will be blogging about my experiences and hope to bring you the latest news from the quilting world.

​Until then, Happy Quilting!​​

This is the fourth and final week for the 2017 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop. Please  visit the following new bloggers from the Let's Bee Quilt'n  Hive:

• Sharon at Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
• Becca at Pretty Piney
• Gwen at Tillalili
• Wendy at Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

In addition, you can visit blogs in the other hives and register for giveaways at any of our leaders' blog sites:

•  Leanne from She Can Quilt
• Beth from Cooking Up Quilts 
• Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl

​I want to thank all of our leaders for their time and their encourage. You are awesome! I particularly want to thank our Let's Bee Quilt'n hive host Leanne from She Can Quilt. She was very helpful and understanding. Thanks for being our hive's Queen Bee!

​Happy Quilting!