Ready, Set, Go

Here are my leaves all ready anad waiting to be appliqued to a vine border. The fabrics are from Marcus Brothers new Civil War collection.

Free Pattern for Marcus Brothers Fabrics

What could be better than working with Marcus Brothers' fabrics? Here is a beginner friendly pattern I designed for them using fabrics from their Brandywine Flannel collection. You can download the free pattern at http://marcusfabrics.com/makeit/projects/brandywine_flannel_quilt/index.html

OOhhhh, Wildwood by Erin McMorris for Free Spirit

Pssstt. Here's just a little bitty sneak peek of a corner of the quilt I made from some of the fabrics in Erin McMorris's Wildwood collection. This group of fabrics is so fresh, funky, and fun! The quilt has simple piecing with a touch of applique in the borders, which seems to be my trademark lately. The gorgeous quilting was done by Lynn douglass of Lynn's Creative Stitches. She's a longarmer friend of mine here in Bakersfield. Look for the pattern to this quilt in the May 2010 issue of The Quilter Magazine.

Cyber Sunday & Monday Sale

15% off all patterns, kits*, and quilts.

Select Fabric $5 per yard
(one yard minimum)

Discount applied after purchase on online sales.
phone orders 661-205-2649

*discount does not apply to BOM kits

Free Quilt Pattern

Hoffman Fabrics is known not only for its Bali Batiks but for its innovative screen prints. Here's a free pattern I recently designed for Hoffman using the Seville collection. You can download the frre pattern from the Hoffman website at http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/EDocs/Site10/Seville%20quilt%20pattern.pdf. The quilt is made with several half square triangles in an asymmetrical setting and it has a touch of applique.

Finished Pool Wall

Here's the final wall . . now on to the landscaping....

Our Pool's Quilt Wall

If you live in Bakersfield, CA life is easier in the summer if you have a pool. Our temps frequently reach over 100 degrees for several days in a row, so staying cool can be a challege. Oliver and I had a pool in our old house, but when we built out new house the pool decision was one decision too many. Then after a couple of years we just decided we could live without the pool. Well, toward the end of this past very hot summer we changed our minds. it was time for a pool, but we didn't want it to look like just a hole in the ground. Plus, I wanted to do something a little different, something colorful, and something a little quilty. A tile wall was in order. Hope you enjoy the pics of our wall construction. The tile guys were fabulous and had some fun too.

New Block of the Month Quilt

It's time for the new block of the month quilt, Galactic Explosion, to grace my website. I agonized over a colorway for this quilt. I had about four or five diffferent versions, then finally narrowed it down to two: a cool blue/green/aqua/ colorway and and a warm red/orange/coral/yellow colorway. Which one would people like more? I pondered. Red, Blue? Then, it came to me--duh! Why couldn't I just show both and leave it up to quilters to decide what they wanted to do. Heck, it's a free BOM quilt--quilters can make it in an autumn palette, Christmas themed fabrics, or muted taupes. What was I thinking--and why do I think so much? What's that old saying . . .keep it simple. To get the free monthly patterns visit my website http://www.nancyrinkdesigns.com Then YOU can decide what fabrics you want to use for you Galactic Explosion. By the way, if you want to buy the fabrics for the blocks each month, the kits are only $5 each!

Try Something New

I am the first to admit that I can get very stuck in my ways. If I find a method of doing something, and am comfortable with it, I tend not to be very receptive to trying a new or different method. Take half-square triangles for example. I am still making them the way I first learned: layer two squarees together, draw a diagonal line, sew 1/4" on either side of the line, then cut on the drawn line. Voila! I can make these guys all day long this way. I've seen demos for various triangle papers but I couldn't figure out how that method could be any faster, cheaper, or more accurate than my old tried and true method. I've sewn together strips of fabric, then cut them into the squares. This actually is a fairly good method, but the few times I've used it, I've had to find the book with the directions and virtually re-teach myself.

So, now I am in the process of preparing the applique pieces for a vine border to go on a reproduction quilt I'm in the process of designing & making. And my friend would be proud, I'm trying a new method. It's a method demonstrated in a book by a very famous quilter in one of her books on applique. She has very detailed instructions in her book, so I'm not having a problem executing the method. Although, right about now I'd like to execute myself! My normal applique method involves freezer paper and occasionally starch. Famous quilter X's method requires a heavy foundation material. Then you trace your shapes on the foundation. Cut out the shapes. Glue your shapes to your fabric. Turn the edges and glue them in place. Do the edges of my shapes look cleaner and crisper than my freezer paper method? Is the method cheaper? Is it quicker? Will I use this method again? Am I inflexible? Do I have a problem trying new methods? Can I honestly answer all of these questions. Hmmm. . . . back to the glue!

Life is a Series of Dogs

Comedian George Carlin had a routine I loved called "Life Is A Series of Dogs". My first dog, Punky, was a character who lived to be 15 years old. He survived being hit by a Suburban, but had to have his front left leg amputated and steel pins held his pelvis together. His vet, who did his surgery, said he was a miracle dog and, in fact, wrote an article for a veterinary medicine journal about Punky's cutting-edge surgery. After Punky, I thought I would never get another dog. But I am adept at eating my words, and less than a year after Punky went to dog heaven, we brought home a ditsy Shepherd mix named Daisy. She's a rescue dog--the best kind--and she's a love. The other day I took her to the groomers and when I picked her up the girl at the front counter said. "Oh Daisy--sigh--she's a sweetie. She's been talking to everyone all day and giving everyone kisses." That's Daisy! She doesn't bark, but she's a talker. Trust me--I've had entire conversations with her. Plus I get a thousand kisses a day from her.

Long Beach Show

Oliver and I are back from the Long Beach Quilt Festival. We've finally managed to get everything unpacked and in its place. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good because our inventory is the most organized it's ever been. Naturally, I over-prepared for the show. I brought too many kits, too much fabric, too many patterns, etc. My dear husband loaded and unloaded all of my stuff, helped me set up our booth, and served as cashier. I could not have done it without him and his unending support. He remembered the camera and took several photos of our booth. I managed to snap one of him though--he's the handsome man in the third photo!

I've been "flocked"

Okay, when my son David who's in town for his ten year class reunion came home late last night from hanging out with some of his old high school buddies, he woke his dad and I up saying, "You've got to see this." Across our front lawn and down our driveway was one plastic flamingo after another. They were in the shrubbery too and one was even hanging from a tree. One flamingo perched by the front door sported a sign danging from his neck which read, "You've been flocked by Frontier volleyball." I couldn't help but laugh. I'd had a major number of these talented and beautiful high school young women in my AP Comp course this past academic year at Frontier High. In my mind's eye I could see them stealthily creeping around my front yard, placing every flamingo so it was in just the right pose, all the while trying to suppress laughter.Of course my question now is, what do I have to do to get rid of these flamingos?

Manic

Okay, in my last post I stated that am lucky. Now, thanks to menopause, I'm in another mood (don't we love the ever shifting state of emotions "the change" brings us?). I've received so many fabulous fabrics in the past month that in an effort to get EVERYTHING ready and just so for the upcoming Long Beach Quilt Festival, I've pushed myself over the edge just a bit. My design was says it all. Three quilts in the design stage??? What am I thinking. I also have two that need quilting, and one that needs a binding. I've two other collections that need to have samples made up. And I'm also trying to get directions written, patterns published, and kits made up. YIKES--I've got to get back to work!

Lucky

What a lucky lady I am! Look at these gorgeous fabrics from Marcus Brothers Fabrics. They are from two collections: Cotillion and Cotillion Yarn Dyes. Pati of Marcus Brothers, sent me the collection and said, "We want to see what you can do with this line." Oh,ho, ho, I thought. Do I love a challenge? Well the quilt is all pieced together and is about to go on my longarm. I've consulted my longarm experts Lynn and Christiane, for quilting ideas, thread color, etc. and feel like I'm ready to tackle the quilting. The quilt is so, so soft and pretty that I want to do it justice. I'll be sure to share a sneak peek when it's done.

A New Venue For Best Of the Valley

This year the Best of the Valley Quilt Show moved from the Tulare Agri-Center just outside of Tulare, Ca to the McDermont Field House in Lindsay, Ca, which is about 15 miles west of the old site. If the name "Lindsay" sounds familiar, it's probably because you've opened a can of Lindsay olives or two. In fact, what is now the McDermont Field House was once packing sheds.
The show to go off without a hitch, due to the expertise of the staff who puts on the BOTV show each year. This year, Bobbie Moore turned over the reins to Suzanne Kistler, who seemed to handle her duties with grace and style.
Here are some photos of my booth at the show. (I'm in the hot pink sweater)

Kits are done

Thanks to my wonderful friends--Lynn Douglass, Eve Hall, and Christiane Marzi--the Mellow Yellow kits, plus two other kits are put together. We laughed through several days of cutting, folding, arranging, and packaging kits. These gals are incredibly creative. I just stood back and let them work their creative magic. Can't wait till we do it again, girls!

Mellow Yellow

Every time I say the name of this quilt and fabric collection, I cannot help but start humming the song "They call me mellow yellow . . . that's right." The quilt is designed, the fabric is in, and now I need to make a sample quilt. Boy is the fabric gorgeous--the yellow is truly yellow--like crayon yellow. For a free pattern, visit the Exclusively Quilters website. That will also take you to a link for the kit.

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while. But that's because I have been madly working on several projects. Finishing some, beginning others, and just letter some ideas percolate for a while. Here's how the butterfly wallhanging came out. Look for the pattern in a spring issue of The Quilter Magazine. I'll let you know the exact issue when I get word.