The Splendid Sampler II: My Block Design and a Giveaway

I'm so excited that my block design is featured this week along with the blocks of 4 fellow designers: Rob Appell, Gudrun Erla, Laura Kay Houser, and Pat Sloan!

You can find my block, Metropolis, on page 32 of The Splendid Sampler II book, compiled by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson for Martingale. Be sure to also check out the Splendid Sampler website and Facebook page for much, much more!

The fabrics used in my original block (as shown in the book and the image, above) are from Moda. I always use strong, reliable Aurifil thread for all of my quilting projects; the range of colors is perfect for any of your sewing needs!

About Metropolis:

Sketching design ideas is something I enjoy doing and quilting has given me a platform to transform sketches into patterns. When I was a young girl, our family would often visit museums and historical properties in a variety of cities, such as Toronto, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and I believe that's where my love of design began. I always loved seeing interesting architectural elements and the beautiful paintings and fabrics we would see while touring these places. My block represents these fond memories of learning about art and design through our travels.

The center of my block represents a city park in and amongst the 8 pointed-rectangles that represent tall buildings in a metropolitan city. The strips in the  corner patches represent the highways that come into a city center.

You may know that I've been using an older collection called Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda and some other coordinating Moda fabrics for the blocks I've made so far during the Splendid Sampler II journey. Here's the version of my design I made using the fabrics I'm using for my quilt.

Remember the scrappy left-overs you had from trimming the Splendid Sampler II, Block 1 by Alex Veronelli? I used my scraps to make 4 out of the 8 rectangles. I love how the strips of off-white in these patches add interest to my "buildings".

Before sewing my block elements together, I laid out the patches to be sure I liked where they were going to live.

Then, I added my 1" C-squares to make the "building" points, and added my stitch-and-flip 2" B-squares to my corner units for my "highways".

So there you are: My second version of Metropolis.

Tune in later in the week ahead, for tips on how to use my block in new projects.

**Contest GIVEAWAY**

I'm so grateful to be a part of Splendid Sampler II and am pleased to be a part of the momentum of this project. So with that said, I'm giving away a total of 9 items. In order to be considered to win, please carefully read through the following details:

The FIRST item I'm giving away are 3 of my very popular pattern (newly written and released in Fall, 2018): Lexington Sampler. You will have the chance to win one.

The Lexington Sampler pattern is actually 2-patterns-in-one: It includes instructions to make a throw size quilt 68 1/2" x 68 1/2") and a bed size quilt (88 1/2" x 88 1/2"). It also includes a coloring page for the quilt so that you can make this design your own. This was a project that I designed especially for National Quilters Circle last summer and over 44,000 people were members of the group that made the quilt. If you are interested in purchasing the pattern, you can do so, here (please note: if you decide to buy the pattern and also enter this giveaway and become a winner, I'll gladly refund your purchase amount).

Next up, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm offering a new Block-of-the-Month (BOM) program called: Tea with Milk and Honey. My sample quilt is made using Jen Kingwell's collection called Looking Forward for Moda.

Although I haven't yet announced it publicly until now, the BOM will begin on the first Thursday of February, February 7, 2019, and new installments will occur every first Thursday of the month with the last installment scheduled for Thursday, October 3, 2019. More information will be announced through all of my social media channels and on my website this coming Monday, January 14, 2019.

So, this SECOND giveaway consists of the 9-month, monthly pattern to complete a quilt top (no fabric; monthly pattern, only) for 3 lucky winners!


Finally, for my THIRD giveaway, I'll be choosing another 3 winners to win a set of 2 full-size spools of Aurifil Thread. Two of the sets include (one, each): light cream and cream (just a tad darker than the light cream), and the third set contains 2 light gray spools.

How the giveaway contest works:

Step 1: For a chance to win, please visit my website's CONTACT page; fill out the contact form with your name, email address, and in the comments write: Splendid Sampler 2 Giveaway. Here's a link to my HOME page if you'd like to start there.

Step 2: For a second chance to win, please complete Step 1 and then leave a comment on this blog post letting me know what kind of quilting and/or sewing projects you like working on best, such as: "I love hand appliqué," "I like to make quilts that challenge me so that I can learn or improve upon my skills," "I love to make quilts using traditional blocks," "I prefer to make quick quilts," "I like making table runners," "I enjoy projects I can make in a group," "I like making modern quilts," etc., etc.

Step 3: For a third chance to win, please complete Steps 1 and 2 and then visit your choice of ONE or ALL (for extra chances to win) of my social media pages (Susan Guzman Facebook Page - "Friend" me, SuzGuz Designs Facebook Business Page - "Follow" me, or SuzGuz Designs Instagram Account - "Follow" me).

Step 4: For a bonus chance to win, please complete Steps 1-3 and then look for my post that has an image of my Splendid Sampler II Metropolis block on any of my social media pages listed under Step 3 and let me know what you've enjoyed most about the blocks you've been making. Please note: I won't be posting the image of my block on my social media pages until sometime before Noon, US Mountain Time, today; January 10, 2019. Thanks!

The contest will be open for one week. Anyone can enter (no country exclusions). Everyone who enters will have all of their chances entered for each of the drawings; chance to win (1) pattern, (1) free participation in my upcoming Block-of-the-Month, and (1) chance to win a package of 2 spools of Aurifil thread. In other words, if you complete all of the chances to win (Steps 1-4, above), you'll have a total of 6 chances to win EACH of the prizes. So if you happen to win a pattern, your entry/entries will still be viable for winning the Block-of-the-Month and thread giveaways. Prizes will be given away using MrKent.com random generator.

DEADLINE FOR COMPLETING THE STEPS TO ENTER: 11:59 pm, US Pacific Time, Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

After calculating all entries, and due to the expected large volume of entries, winners will be announced through a blog post sometime on or before Friday, January 18, 2019, US Pacific Time.

Thank you so much for participating and good luck!

**One More Giveaway!**

In addition to my giveaway, Martingale is hosting a book giveaway. All you have to do is make my block and post a photo of your finished block on the Splendid Sampler website to be entered. The giveaway is for both US residents as well as for International residents. The prize for US residents will be physical books and for International residents, you'll receive a set of digital books.

If you haven't yet purchased your copy of Splendid Sampler 2, you can do so, here.

Happy quilting!

Much Overdue Blog Post

Hello friends...

Where shall I begin? My last blog post was exactly three years ago, today: December 3, 2013. It baffles me how things work out, as I did not plan this. I certainly was stunned, realizing how long it has been! I'll describe the past three years as an adventure full of change, many fruitful opportunities and, at times, an intense whirlwind.

Little Red Bird, McCall's Quick Quilts, Dec/Jan 2014, image compliments of McCall's Quilting. Photographer: Mellisa Mahoney, Stylist: Ashley Slupe

In 2012, I submitted a proposal for my first book and it was accepted. By this time, I was already designing and making quilts monthly for McCall's Quilting with a few extra, here and there. I had  established regular work with other magazines and fabric companies as a pattern writer, editor, illustrator, and designer (both quilts and graphic layout), among other things. My schedule was overflowing.

Project commissioned Spring 2013 by PFAFF. Click on image for pattern link. This quilt comes in 3 sizes.

Modern Diamonds ©SuzGuz Designs 2013 for PFAFF

Project commissioned Spring 2013 by Husqvarna Viking. Click on image for pattern link. This quilt comes in 3 sizes.

The Garden Patch ©SuzGuz Designs 2013 for Husqvarna Viking

Since that time, my best-selling book, All About Strips: Colorful Quilts from Strips of Many Sizes (see reviews on Amazon and Martingale), was published by Martingale, January 2015. In addition, I had the distinct honor of taking over McCall's Quilting as Content Director upon the retirement of Beth Hayes, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. F+W Media purchased McCall's Quilting at the beginning of 2014, and I came on board to attend Spring Market, beginning to work in the office the 1st of July. At that time, I was in the throes of making quilts and writing patterns for a fabric and graphic designer whose book is slated to come out in 2016. While working at McCall's full time, I would come home and work several more hours into the night and all weekend on the book, wrapping up the last handful of projects. It was grueling, for sure, but I would not have had it any other way. And, wow, did I learn a lot!

Image compliments of Martingale 2015

At the end of August, 2015, I made the difficult decision to resign from my position of running the magazine; one I treasured and valued more than you can imagine. I would miss my highly talented staff and coworkers, working with the best quilt designers in the industry, the ability to work hard to meet our deadlines, the richly creative environment, and most especially, working on creating and molding content worthy of our readership. We all loved what we did and were passionate about maintaining the McCall's style.

We worked hard. I remember last December, as a blizzard was blowing through and the entire building was empty of people except myself, our art director, and graphic designer; how we had our nose-to-the-grindstone so that we could meet a deadline (we were short staffed at the time, and all had to pull together to get the work done). The entire staff worked straight that day and the three of us worked into the night. I remember getting punchy that evening and insisting how we all needed a break and to get a bite to eat. We piled into my SUV and, although the roads were dangerous to drive, we made it out and back safely. Looking back on my entire experience, I cannot tell you how proud I was of our entire staff. Their dedication and hard work at times brought tears to my eyes.

My first issue as Content Director for McCall's. Image compliments of McCall's Quilting. Photographer: Mellisa Mahoney, Stylist: Ashley Slupe

I'm glad I was able to accomplish these milestones: Work on the tail-end of McCall's last special issue (Heritage Quilts Made Modern, Fall 2014), and Beth Hayes' last issue (McCall's Quilting, Nov/Dec 2014). F+W Media changed the Editor-in-Chief title to a new title that encompassed video and digital media: Content Director. My first issue as Content Director was Quick Quilts, Dec/Jan 2015. I was able to work on the last perfect bound, larger-size magazine McCall's published; the Mar/Apr 2015 issue. I was so proud of that cover because it showcased a more casual elegance and playful feel, besides the fact that my dear friend, Amy Gibson/Stitchery Dickory Dock, made a mini quilt, Apple Blossom, for that issue and it topped off the stack of other lovely quilts that made the cover beautiful: Lilli's Pond, by sweet Bev Getschel, Shimmer by long-time contributor and prolific designer, Gerri Robinson, American Wildflowers by dear Audrey Hiers, Cross & Crown, by another sweet lady, Sandra Clemons, Keepsake Violets by the talented long-time contributor team of Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith. I believe Amy, Bev, and Audrey used fabrics from their stash, Gerri used her current collection at the time, Summer Cottage for Red Rooster, Sandra used Hadley by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit, and Sarah and Dolores used Victoria's Violets by Molly B's Studio for Marcus Fabrics.

New HOME page for SuzGuz Designs

After leaving F+W/McCall's, my plan has been to revive my business: SuzGuz Designs. In October, my husband tore his labrum (shoulder) and had two tears in his bicep, all at once. And it all happened on his dominant, right side. He's been in a sling since then, and had surgery two weeks ago. This sort of injury is extremely painful and the surgery results in post-op pain for weeks. We look back on this experience and realize how it is all part of God's plan. If I were still working outside of the home, I would have had to take a leave of absence to care for him. As much as I get queasy around anything medical-related, I'm sure glad I've been able to help him; he's been my rock and biggest supporter since I started in the quilting industry.

Good News, Bad News (But Really Not That Bad!)

I'm going to give you the not-so-good news first . . .

I'm forced to postpone the AURIfil giveaways I've been promising until sometime next month. My husband and I are moving into our new home at the beginning of July, and it's virtually impossible to successfully pull it off without hiccups and perhaps an unplanned glitch or two. As you may know, preparing for a move across several states can be daunting.

When I first planned this giveaway, we were not aware we would be moving. Postponing will allow me to enjoy the giveaway right along with you, as I'll be able to give my full attention to it! In addition, this will be a great kick-off to an idea I'm sharing with you early, in this blog!

With that being said, and as I'm getting my studio in order for packing day, I've decided to make my giveaway even bigger and better!!

I will be giving away lots of Moda pre-cuts,

A Fat Quarter bundle (or more? hmm... )

Some Amy Butler products, a selection of my most popular SuzGuz Designs quilt patterns, as well as packages of generous-size spools of AURIfil thread!

I've been thinking about, and have decided, that I will be starting up a FREE Block-of-the-Month. It will be a re-do of my popular "Take-A-Break" applique quilt. I designed this quilt several years ago when Heather Bailey first came out with her collection called, Fresh Cut. I thought it would be a great time to re-introduce this quilt because the collection has been re-introduced this year, as well; more opportunity for you to find most of the fabrics, if you wish to use them, too. More on this later!

Before we leave our current home, I'll continue to blog and hope that you will follow along. Tomorrow, I'll be taking you through how to make Artist Trading Cards. It was something I did for the first time this weekend, and I know you'll find it as fun as I did!

So stay tuned for my upcoming Suz-A-Palooza!!

Everyday blessings...

Susan

More Market Updates from Minneapolis

Last week was crazy-busy. I finally have a moment to share a few more of my observations from Spring Market . . .

What to look for in upcoming months, online and at your favorite quilt shop:

From Robert Kaufman . . .

Coming to stores in July: Monaluna's Metro Cafe. Add some solids, and this line would make into a beautiful Candy Bar Road!

Like butterflies and darling coordinating prints? Check out Remix by Ann Kelle. This grouping is very colorful and fun! Great for quilt backings, or try all prints with one of our easy patterns, such as Patchwork Rendezvous.

I saw lots of touches of gray in many of the new lines coming out, this Summer. Check out Nancy Mim's Free to Grow; a new organic cottons line. Try it with our Bachelorette Party pattern for a dynamic throw.

Keepsake Quilting has Fleur Vivant Kit

Last October, we gave you a sneak-peek at an upcoming pattern using RJR Fabrics new line called Harlequin. After making the quilt, it took a quick trip to Keepsake Quilting to be photographed for their catalog (photo courtesy of Keepsake Quilting):


Keepsake Quilting is now selling kits to make this quilt, which includes one of our newest patterns for 2010, called: Fleur Vivant. Fleur Vivant will come in the yellow/black colorway, as shown, and a red/black colorway, as well. Both patterns (only - no kits) will be available on our website, very soon! We have a few more patterns we will officially release at the same time. They will include two patterns we're featuring with Moda Fabrics, so please check back for more information.

Our Block-of-the-Month for 2009 came to an end in December. Due to the studio being closed for most of January, our final pattern instructions on how to finish the quilt top will be available to our BOM Club Members before the patterns are released this month!

No it's not . . . . REALLY?!

I cannot believe it is already January 25. Really?! Wow . . .

We've been out of the studio for most of December and January, doing some freelance work, and are back with a bang! Lots and lots going on, so stay tuned. You should see more activity, here in the blog, with new designs coming out, as well.

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday and I wish each and every one of you a prosperous and memorable New Year!

RJR Harlequin Patterns - Coming Soon!

Two new SGD patterns: Pretty, simple, easy designs. A quick project; your choice. Fleur Vivant in Yellow, and Fleur Vivant in Red . . . kits will be available in quilt shops, too! Look for them, soon . . .

Peppermint Candy Goes Traditional

Want to see what our Peppermint Candy quilt pattern does when it goes traditional?

Here it is using Moda's new Christmas line, called: Christmas Melody by Sentimental Studios, in shops now:

What I love about this fabric line is that it has a whimsical elegance. Love it.

You can buy kits soon, from Pieces & Patches Quilt Shop . . . this will be their sample, so if you are in the Columbia, SC area, stop by the shop and ask for shop owner, Audrey. She is a wonderful lady and will be thrilled to meet you and show you the quilt (should be available to see, soon!). Shop phone number for ordering or more information: (803) 359-3442.

Treat Yourself To A Box of Chocolates, Now!

Our Box of Chocolates quilt pattern is super-easy and so fun to make! AND so easy to shop for (whether it's in your stash or at your local quilt shop!). We used fat quarters to create this one, just for you.

Click on the image to go to our shop for more information and to order our newest addition to our growing line of patterns!

And The Winner Is . . . !

I really enjoyed all of the comments left for the giveaway. Thanks so very much! They were very fun to read and heartwarming, as well!


A huge thanks to Michael Miller Fabrics for their generosity in providing the fabric for this giveaway, and to my friends at Electric Quilt (EQ6) for spreading the news. ThANk YoU!!!

We ended up with 311 entries. I used www.random.org to select the winners. Yes, I said "winners".

I decided to give away 3 patterns in addition to the grand prize. This is how it turned out:


Grand Prize package of pattern and 25 fat quarters goes to:


Comment #65 - sharon cowling said...

I am brand new to quilting. Since February I have lost 52 pounds, avoiding things like fat and chocolate. This prize of fat quarters and chocolate would be DELICIOUS!! Thanks for picking me as the winner!

sharonsharalike@yahoo.com

September 9, 2009 1:52 PM

First Runner-up pattern prize goes to:

Comment #89 - Paula said...

Love your blog, What a brilliant idea for the debut of your pattern!
Who doesn't love Chocolate especially the no-calorie kind? I would be honored to be awarded the "prize"!

September 9, 2009 5:01 PM

Second Runner-up pattern prize goes to:


Facebook entry #282 - Deb Smith


Third Runner-up pattern prize goes to:


Comment #82 - Nancy said...

WOW-O!! What a great giveaway!!

I Love this quilt... Such beautiful colors...

September 9, 2009 3:48 PM

Congratulations, winners! Please send an e-mail with your mailing address to: info@suzguzdesigns.com. I will immediately send out your prizes.

Thank you all for entering! I look forward to seeing you around again, soon!

09/09/09 Free Giveaway: Sign-up for a chance to WIN!

Dear Friends:

Whether you are a quilter, a sewer (who would like to try their hand at making a quilt!), or a spouse or loved-one of a quilter, please read-on for a chance to win!


SuzGuz Designs has a new pattern coming out, called: Box of Chocolates. This delicious concoction is calorie-free and a blast to make! Our sample quilt is made using the funky-cool fabric line called: Anda Lucia, by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics. The fabric is bold, playful, and fun! We showed you a sneak-peek of our sample quilt top on August 19th.


To celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime date (09/09/09!), and our newest quilt pattern design, you may have a chance to win the following: 25 fat quarters to complete a quilt top using our newest pattern (batting, quilt backing fabric, and binding fabric is not included). You will also receive our Box of Chocolates quilt pattern, which contains 2-patterns-in-one. This is a wonderful prize or gift for any quilter, as you'll have the fabric and pattern needed to complete an 80 1/2" x 80 1/2" quilt top, all compliments of SuzGuz Designs and Michael Miller Fabrics!


Here's what you'll need to do for a chance, or chances to win: (1) Add a message to this post, letting us know why you'd like to win this free gift! (2) For an extra entry, go to our website and sign up for our NuzLetter! (3) You will get 2 more entries if you find me on Facebook, then please send a friend request and mention this give-away in your subject line by typing "09/09/09 Giveaway"!

. . . and that's all you have to do!

The winner will be chosen on September 18th . . . "09" days away!

It is my distinct pleasure to provide this give-away to all of my customers and friends, old and new! I appreciate your business and will hold another give away for my appreciation, soon!

Good Luck!

SpEciAL NoTicE!!: Please note that Box of Chocolates quilt pattern, as well as all SuzGuz Designs' patterns, would not be possible without the EQ6 quilt design software by The Electric Quilt Company.

Sneak Peek . . . Newest pattern!

With a resounding response for our Candy Bar Road pattern . . .

Meet Box of Chocolates . . .

Two sizes . . . coming soon!

In A Snap! . . . now, in Pattern form

Adding binding to a quilt is one of my very favorite things to do. I received my sample quilt back from Russ and am slowly but surely adding the binding. That's my sample of Patchwork Rendezvous in the background.


Often times, the pattern is written and published before the quilts have been quilted.

Upcoming Design: Mary Ellen's Basket

This afternoon, I began cutting Turnovers out of Layer Cakes, and this is what I have left to cut (there is a whole row of Layer Cakes under what you see).



Take it from me: It is better to simply buy the Turnovers than to cut them out of larger pieces of fabric.



However, the fabric I wanted to use for my sample for Mary Ellen's Basket did not come with Turnovers, thus I'm doing the cutting (you can see the stack I've cut so far in the background, which consists of the rectangular pieces you see spread out on the cutting mat).

It's been a lot of fun seeing the different fabrics that are in this line and I look forward to seeing how they all come together.

In the last photo, you'll see a printout from my EQ6 program where I printed off the yardage. With the yardage estimate comes a tiny picture of each individual fabric you use in your design. I keep these close by when designing, especially if I'm dealing with a lot of different fabrics. I like to mark on this page, the number of cut sizes I will need of each fabric. I love being organized and this has helped immensely!

In A Snap! Almost Ready For Finished Pattern . . .

I write my patterns as I make the samples up. So this quilt pattern is almost finished . . . Isn't the Snippets line darling?!

The quilt top is ready for Russ Adams of The Back Porch Quilters to machine quilt it. Please be sure to seek out his quilting services . . . he does excellent work for a great price! And even with shipping, he's still probably lower than your local quilter and such a great person to deal with. He will become your quilter for life . . . believe me!

(Hey Russ, this one will be in Monday's mail!)

Birds, birds everywhere . . .

Image taken from McCall's Quick Quilts website.

Have you noticed how popular birds have become lately? I see them in fabric design, used as embellishments, as well as images used on note cards and accessories for the home. They are everywhere and what a wonderful symbol for the new Spring season!

This month's McCall's Quick Quilts (April/May 2009 Issue - on newsstands now!) has a lovely display of items you can make using Susan Branch's In Love With Nature fabric line by RJR Fabrics. You can go to McCall's Quick Quilts' fabulous new website to download instructions on how to make my wall hanging/quilt design and the accessories (bird ornaments, a pillow, and tea towels - designed by other talented women). Simply click on the caption below the photo and it will take you directly to their site. Once there, click on the Web Bonus Get it Now button and you will receive a free PDF version on how to make my quilt design. The fabric is so cheerful, I designed two more wall hangings with some little bees that you can either machine or hand applique to the top before it is quilted. The wall hanging designs will be available soon through my website!

Wholesale Orders Now Through United Notions

United Notions is now carrying 5 SuzGuz Designs' quilt patterns and will also be carrying the two upcoming patterns I've spoken of recently. Shop owners who buy wholesale, you can order the patterns, here. Retail customers can always buy directly through our website and please ask for us at your local quilt shop or online quilt shop. We'd love to be a part of your quilt shopping experience in your neighborhood!

June 2009 issue of Quilter's Home Magazine, etc.

I received a phone call from Mark Lipinski of Quilter's Home magazine on Friday, asking a few questions about a quilt I made specifically for QH.  The name of the quilt is "Go Bananas!", and it will be in the June 2009 issue, along with some other colorful quilts.  I used the fabric line called: Minny Muu, by Lecien (a Japanese fabric company).  The fabrics are very playful and fun and I hope you'll enjoy the quilt, too!  The quilt's center is a traditional, somewhat-difficult pattern but I made it up so that anyone can make it easily.

I just checked my photo album to see if I could give you a sneek-peek, but I had forgotten that, at the time, I was rushed to get the quilt in the mail and never took a picture of it.  All I have is the EQ6 image and it simply doesn't show the fabrics as well as in person.

This afternoon I must work on the upcoming "Norman Rockwell's Christmas" collection quilt for Quilting Treasures.  It's a very simple design and I'll let you know when it is available as a free pattern on QT's site (sometime after May).  The quilt will be shown at Spring Market in Pittsburgh, as well, for those of you who are attending.  I'm waiting for my "I Love Lucy" fabrics (also QT).  That's the next one I'll be doing for Spring Market, as well.  The new line is called: "Hollywood At Last".  The thing I love about QT's fabrics is that they bring back such fond memories of the past!

This Week: Playing Catch-up . . . with RJR

I designed two wall hangings a couple of months ago with the new Susan Branch's "In Love With Nature" fabric by RJR that I will be making into patterns. I got my fabric and measurements out today so I can start cutting & sewing them together. They both have the same applique on the tops (falling leaves and a few bumble bees!) but the patterns themselves are slightly different. One is called: "Picnic In The Glade" and the other is called: "Summer In The Forest". PITG is made using stronger tones from the line and SITF is made using more muted tones. I hope to have them finished soon and they will be available as patterns on my website, hopefully within the next few weeks. I'll post pictures, too.

Next on the agenda was to finish a design using the newest RJR's Everything But The Kitchen Sink fabrics (due in quilt shops this month). I finished it yesterday and made some minor tweaks today. I ordered the fabric and will begin that project, soon. That's another one that began a few months ago but, due to several deadlines, it had to be delayed. The name of this new design is called: Butterscotch Candy and it uses an array of fabrics from this line. I'm excited to get started on it, as I know the fabrics are going to go together quite well and will look so much better in person (I used my EQ6 software to place the fabrics into my design). It is always a bit challenging to design on EQ6 with the 1930's prints because the tones are lighter and aren't very true-to-life. And although this new pattern will have some traditional blocks, I hope the encouragement of using many different fabrics will peak quilter's interests to try it!

There are more things to come with RJR, but for now I can cross a few more things off of my list . . . :)

Coffee or Tea, Anyone? And how about a piece of pie . . .

I talked about it earlier but realize that I never came back in to chat about my 2009 Block-of-the-Month. The name of the quilt design is called: Take A Break. You can find out all of the information you'll need to join our BOM Club on our website, here.

The photo you see, above, is of our Teabag block, which is one of the January blocks you'll receive when you become a Block-of-the-Month Club Member. All blocks can be either hand- or machine-appliqued. I'm using Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut fabric line by Free Spirit.

Our Block-of-the-Month is only $2 per month and you'll receive fabric yardage requirements, templates for all of the blocks, as well as a monthly recipe that goes along with our theme of taking a break from the busyness of life. Lastly, if you sign up before the end of January, you'll be included for a drawing of a box of current fabrics. Not bad, huh.

If you have further questions, please contact us at: info@suzguzdesigns.com