Tuesday, May 9, 2017

My Solo Blog Hop WINNERS!

First, I want to thank everyone who visited -- I really enjoyed reading about your quilting inspirations.  Quilters are extraordinary people and if every person in the world had a quilt -- it would be a better world. 


 Here are our lucky winners:

Janet from California won a copy of my book, I Love Precut Quilts!  Congrats to you, Janet!



Pat from Michigan won a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 15.  Yay, Pat! 


I was so very pleased with your responses that I added another copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 15.  

 Joy from California won that copy.  Hooray, Joy!


What fun -- I think I'll have to do this again soon.  Anyone want to do another blog hop this summer?  Let me know -- I'm in!!!





 

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Quilt Blocks Volume 15 + Giveaway

Hello and Welcome to my Blog!


Today I discovered that the Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Quilt Blocks Volume 15 Blog Hop started on Monday and today -- Thursday -- is actually day 4.  Somehow, I missed the Blog Hop boat and I have no idea how that happened.  I emailed Quiltmaker today to find out what was going on, but they didn't reply....

I'm pretty disappointed that I did not get to participate because Blog Hops are SEW MUCH FUN.  I decided that I would do my own Blog Hop GIVEAWAY since I didn't get the opportunity to participate in the official blog hop.

So....WELCOME to my very own solo Blog Hop!
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My block is called CITY BLOCK and it is #1476, on page 48.





Isn't it fun?  I chose a selection of modern fabrics by Cotton+Steel.   This block uses 2 1/2" strips so you can use jelly roll strips, too.

Here it is, replacing the printed fabrics with solids.  Striking, isn't it?


Look what happens when I use a black solid background in my favorite red, black, grey (or white) colorway!  Isn't it really sharp?



Now that we've played around with the block a little bit, let's see what it looks like in a project.  Here's a very mellow beachy table runner design using 5 blocks.  




How about a couple of trendy place mats?



I hope you've enjoyed playing around with my block a little bit.  I hope you'll look for the magazine at your favorite quilt shop or newsstand.  

________________________________________________________________________


BUT WAIT....................DON'T GO.....................THERE'S STILL MORE!  
KEEP READING......YOU'LL GET TO THE GIVEAWAYS SOON, I PROMISE!!!
_________________________________________________________________________ 

Ever since my new quilt book, I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! came out, I definitely have precuts on my brain (oh no -- I hope it's not contagious!).  Just look at my City Block block (sorry about the repetition here......).  You can make this block from Jelly Roll strips, fat quarters, or even out of your stash.  Just about every quilt that I make now,  I find some way to incorporate precuts.  I'm even starting to challenge myself to make small projects out of my leftover precut bits and  pieces....


If you're new to my blog, let me tell you a little bit about my latest book.



 My book has 16 go-to projects ranging from place mats and table runners to wall quilts, throws, and YES! even big bed quilts.  The projects are easy enough for beginners but interesting enough for more advanced quilters, too.  It  has a fun fresh contemporary feel that is light and airy and all of the projects feature traditionally-pieced blocks.  

Here are some of projects from my book:




I'm really excited right now because I'm heading to Spring Quilt Market in St. Louis in 2 weeks for my book's official debut.  I will be participating in a Schoolhouse lecture and doing a book signing at the C&T Booth.  So if you're headed to Market, stop by -- I'd love to meet you and show you my new book.

Want your own copy??????
You can find my book (ebooks are also available!) at these locations online:

 
I  also have SIGNED copies available on my website:

(Psst!)  Don't forget to ask for it at your favorite quilt shop.

SURPRISE!  I'm also giving a copy of I Love Precut Quilts! away, see below. 
____________________________________________________________________________________

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY

 You've all been very patient, reading through my entire blog, so I promise that it'll be worth it!

I will be giving away the following:

  A  copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 15

 A copy of my latest book, I Love Precut Quilts!


Who knows?
 I might just add some more prizes along the way if I get lots and lots of encouragement.
(Wink!  Wink!)

Here's how it works:

You have up to 3 chances to win the prizes listed above.

1.  Leave a comment and tell me what inspires you as a quilter.
2.  Become a blog follower and leave a comment telling me you that you're a blog follower.
3. Follow me on Instagram @tricia.maloney and leave a comment telling me you're an Instagram follower.

Ready!  Set!  GO!

You have from Thursday, May 4th through Sunday, May 7th to participate.
 Winners will be selected randomly on Monday, May 8th.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!
 


Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Returning to the Land of Quilt Blogging!

Hi There!

I am finally resurfacing after a long time away from blogging.

What have I been up to?

Well, I've been quilting, quilting, quilting......with little time for anything else right now except more quilting, writing instructions, and shipping quilts as fast as I can make them.  Oh, and my "day job" too, of course.  :)

So I thought I'd take a little time to catch up.

I've been making quilts for a lot of different publications recently and I'm also looking forward to Spring Quilt Market next month in St. Louis.  My book, I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! will be officially debuting there so I'll be participating in Schoolhouse and doing a book signing at the C&T booth.



Here are some of the other publications that you can find me in right now:


Stash Busting Quilts by Annie's Quilting

My adorable scrappy strippy quilt, CAKES, can be found in Stash Busting Quilts.
 
Quilter's World Magazine Summer 2017   



My quilt, FLUTTER, featured in QW Summer 2017.
BIG BLUE OCEAN, also featured in QW Summer 2017.

Quilting Quickly May/June 2017 issue
My super fast jelly roll quilt, JELLY SANDWICH, can be found in Quilting Quickly May/June 2017.




Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks vol. 15
Here's my block, #1476, CITY BLOCK.  



 Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for the Quiltmaker's 100 Block Volume 15 Blog Hop.  It's sure to be lots of fun with great quilt blocks and quilt ideas......and super prizes, too!










Sunday, February 19, 2017

Jelly Roll Challenge.....Round 2

Five years ago, my quilt group had a Jelly Roll Challenge as part of our monthly group get togethers -- that year, we were making smaller projects every month instead of a big sampler quilt.  It was a pretty awesome experience because we were racing against a group in Chicago at the same time.  You can see my post about our first race here.

Many of the same quilters from the PA team participated in our recent race.  Check out our finished tops!

Here is Jill. 
 She is still the  Jelly Roll Champ, finishing in 34 minutes.


Here I am.  I was second again with 42 minutes.


 This is Linda's bright and fun quilt.  This was her first Jelly Roll Race.

Looking good,  Mary Lee!

Both Gaynel (here) and Shirley (below) started with the same Jelly Roll, but they each added fabric from their stashes.  LOVE how there quilts turned out a little different.

Hello Shirley!


Here's Anita's quilt. This was her first Jelly Roll Challenge, too.

Way to go, Sherry!


We had one more Racer -- Debbie.  But sadly her machine quit on her part way through and she couldn't finish her quilt top.

Ready for another rematch???

Maybe in five years????



Monday, February 13, 2017

I Love Precut Quilts! Blog Hop Winners

WINNERS FROM THE I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! BLOG HOP:



Book Winners:


Pam from Oregon
Vicki from Kansas
Kathleen from BC, Canada
Christi from North Carolina
Patricia from Texas
Wendy from Minnesota
Jeneta from Australia
Cyn from Connecticut
Sandy from Tennessee
Colette from Michigan
Jan from Michigan

(Please note that there are a few more winners who haven't confirmed yet, so I will add them to the list just as soon as I have confirmation.)

Fabric Winners:


Laura from BC, Canada
Ellen from Maryland
Rina from Montanna


Congratulations to everyone!!!

If you didn't win a free copy of my book, please don't be sad......

You can still get your own copy --

Ask your local shop to carry I Love Precut Quilts! 

Stop by my website and order your very own signed copy -- www.orphanquilter.com

Visit your favorite online shop or check out www.ctpub.com or www.amazon.com


Sunday, February 5, 2017

The Blog Hop



I am happy to say that I survived the very first blog hop that I've organized.  It was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be, but a lot more fun too.

Today, winners were contacted and as soon as everyone has confirmed, I'll announce the winners.

If you didn't win, you can still get your own copy of I Love Precut Quilts! 

You can ask your local shop owner if he/she isn't already carrying the book. 

You can visit my website:  orphanquilter.com to order your very own signed copy. 

Or visit your favorite online shop such as C&T Publishing or Amazon.

I am really quite pleased how the blog hop went.  Sure, there were a few bumps along the way, but we got things figured out and kept moving forward.  The one thing that I did learn, though, is that not only is it important to have participant blogger email addresses and blog addresses, but a phone number would be helpful too.  All in all, though, not bad for my first planned blog hop.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO EITHER PARTICIPATED AS A BLOGGER OR PARTICIPATED AS A HOPPER.  Without both of you, this blog hop would have never succeeded.


Thursday, February 2, 2017

I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! BLOG HOP FINALE AND GIVEAWAY

WOW!  This has been such a fun week.  I'm sew very thankful that I've had this wonderful opportunity to share my new book with you.  Thanks for coming along! :)

Of course, I couldn't have done it without my awesome bloggers!  I want to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU HUG to  Bea of Beaquilter, Mark of Mark Lipinski's Blog, Julie of The Crafty Quilter, Sandy of  Upstairs Hobby Room, Camelot Fabrics, Generation Q Magazine, Joy of Am I Shouting Yet?, Cheryl of Cheryl's Tea Pots 2 Quilting, Bernie of Needle and Foot, and my publisher C&T.  Yay!   I really appreciate each of you taking the time to participate in my blog hop.

I'm a little sad that it's time to wrap up my blog hop, but what a fun time it's been -- 

kind of like a week long book party!  

 

PSST!  Don't forget to read all the way to the bottom for a GREAT GIVEAWAY!

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Since this is the last stop, 

let me tell you why I love my book,

 I Love Precut Quilts! 




IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FABRIC! 


Whoever invented precuts was absolutely brilliant!

Fat quarters were my first introduction to precuts.  I loved my fat quarters so much that I infected both my nieces when they were quite young -- I can still remember taking my oldest niece, Meghan to the quilt shop and encouraging her to pick out  fat quarters from the sale suitcase. (Meg, I still can't believe that you picked out that hideous pink and blue big polka dot fabric -- what were you thinking? I guess as a 2 year old, you probably didn't have a sophisticated fabric sense yet....)  I guess if I had to have the fabric bug, then I wanted everyone else around me to have it too.

Then I discovered 5'' charm squares..........be still my beating heart. Now I could buy an ENTIRE fabric collection for a small amount of money.  Charm squares were an easy transition for me into all sorts of different precuts. It wasn't long before I started cutting my leftover fabrics into 5'' squares, 2 1/2'' strips, 10'' squares, 2 1/2'' squares -- you get the picture.

Now that I had this terrible precut addiction, what was I going to do????  Too much fabric and not enough time.

VOILA!  Time to write a new quilt book with projects featuring all my favorite precuts.  The funny thing is, I didn't originally start out to write a precut book, but strange and wonderful things can happen when you least expect them.


FAST AND FUN PROJECTS = DONE PROJECTS

  I am a quilter with a short attention span.  I like fun projects that I can get finished fast so that I can move on to a new project.  Precuts have really helped me with this whole concept.  But it's more than just precuts -- the projects have to be designed to go together fast too.  When you add precuts to fast projects then you can make more quilts in less time.  Who doesn't want that?????

Here's one of my favorite SUPER FAST projects from my book:

It's called "Big Bow Ties" and you can literally make this bed-sized quilt top in a matter of hours with matching layer cakes and charm squares,  a collection of fat quarters, or even your stash.  The blocks are HUGE and there's only 16 of them to make.  
Add a couple borders and you end up with an 88'' x 88'' square quilt.  WOW!

Here are a couple more QUICK QUILTS from my book:



It's called "Around and Round" and you don't even have to cut up your charm squares!  
Choose a coordinating fabric and get sewing -- you'll have this cute throw done before you know it!


 This one is called "Breeze" and boy is it a breeze to put together.  It's big enough for a
 twin-sized bed, but you could easily add more rows to make it larger.  Or subtract rows to 
make a baby quilt or a throw.  Whatever size you make it, the hardest part of this quilt is deciding where to place the blocks!


MORE OPTIONS

Be honest.  Who doesn't want more????  I love that we had room in my book to add a lot of USEFUL EXTRAS.  Like "Tricia's Crayon Box" where I show you two additional colorways for a quilt.  Or how about TIPS scattered throughout the book to help you get the most out of your quilting?  There are alternate sizes for the quilt "Bounce" and a discussion about color theory for "Spritely."  I even threw in an extra project for a coordinating throw pillow. 
   
Here are two quilt variations that I put together to demonstrate that I Love Precut Quilts! isn't just a project book -- it's a springboard to more ideas and inspirations --YOURS!



This striking wall quilt is adapted from the "Divide and Conquer" bed runner.
Red, white, black, and grey is one of my favorite color combinations.

This cute little table topper is adapted from the wall quilt/children's quilt, "Bounce." 
Don't you love the batiks on solid black?

It never fails to amaze me how changing fabrics and adding/subtracting blocks can give
you an entirely new project. 

What project will you make first???

 

Now that you're as excited about my book as I am --

  

THE FINAL GIVEAWAY:

 

You've all been very patient, reading through my entire blog, 

so I promise that it'll be worth it!


I will be giving away the following:

1.  A copy of  I Love Precut Quilts!   (International winners please note that you will receive an ebook version)


2.  A pastel collection of hand-dyed fat quarters. 



3.  A bright collection of hand-dyed fat quarters.


4. A set of 42 hand-dyed 5'' charm squares.

Here's how it works:

You have up to 3 chances to win the prizes listed above.

1.  Leave a comment and tell me the craziest thing that ever happened to you while quilting.
2.  Become a blog follower and leave a comment telling me you that you're a blog follower.
3. Follow me on Instagram @tricia.maloney and leave a comment telling me you're an Instagram follower.

Ready!  Set!  GO!

You have from Friday, February 3rd through Saturday, February 4th to participate. 
 Winners will be selected randomly on Sunday, February 5th.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!

If you are not selected as a winner, don't be sad -- 

you can still get your own copy of my book  :)


1.  Ask your local quilt shop owner to carry my book.
2.  Order your very own signed copy on my website:  www.orphanquilter.com
3.  Visit C&T Publishing, Amazon, or your favorite online retailer.
  

Thanks for coming along on my Blog Hop!  It's been fun. 

 Let's do it again sometime.