Aurifil's November Designer of the Month: Laurie Tigner

Please enjoy reading about my friend, Laurie Tigner, and the processes she goes through to create her works of art. She shares a her free block design as Aurifil's November 2013 Designer of the Month.

I had the pleasure of meeting Laurie in person at the Fall 2013 International Quilt Market, recently. She's just as lovely as I knew she would be. Her smile lights up a room and her personality is warm and inviting!

When finished, check out Laurie's work by visiting her website.

Spring Market Quilts: Free Patterns on QT's Website

Here are two quilts I made for Quilting Treasures, that hung during Spring Market 2010 . . . Patterns for these quilts will be on Quilting Treasures' website, soon!

My camera was not on the best setting, resulting in a blurry photo . . . This is Jim Shore's new line, called: Royal Family. Quilted by Linda Barrett of Threads and Traditions. Linda did a beautiful all-over swirled pattern in a periwinkle thread.

This photo was taken before the quilt was sent to Market. Playing card images are hand appliqued onto the pieced blue/cream check background. Bonus throw pillow pattern included!


Here is the second quilt: Made using Sweet Baby, by Susan Branch. Again, not such a great photo, but I wanted to share the image with you.

The chicks were hand appliqued, then eye and legs/feet applied using black pearl cotton embroidery floss. Linda custom quilted this one. Pretty scalloped edge, swirled motif in white spaces, blocks are stitch-in-the-ditch, chicks are outlined, and fanned motifs in chick block corners, resembling a chick's footprint.

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.

Updates from Spring 2010 Market, too!

Image compliments of Cloud9 Fabrics

One of my new favorites: Cloud9 Fabrics. Fresh and crisp, modern, yet nostalgic, happy and fun! Such beautifully selected colors for their designs. Makes you want to cover your bedroom in it! Check out their blog to see a photo of their booth during Spring Market 2010.

Moda/United Notions booth is ALWAYS a treat to visit!

It's A Hoot, by MoMo for Moda, Spring Market 2010 - Compliments of Moda/United Notions

Always pretty and a fabric wonderland.

 Compliments of Moda/United Notions, Spring Market 2010

Always making a statement with beautiful fabrics.

 Compliments of Moda/United Notions, Spring Market 2010

From contemporary to vintage, playful to traditional, their fabrics are a staple to quilt shops around the world.

More Market updates coming soon . . .

Our October NuzLetter is Published!

It's a good one! Go to our website and click on the October 2009 Nuz . . . Click on the image to go directly to the 7 page document. You will find an interesting article on Dena Fishbein of Dena Designs (designer for FreeSpirit Fabrics), an article on English Country design, a medieval cookie brought into present times, an update on 2009 Fall Houston Quilt Market, among other interesting tidbits!
Click on the image and . . . Enjoy!

The Gift of Roses

Erv picked me up from the airport last night, carrying a dozen roses . . .


Pretty, huh :)

Sign Up For Our Latest Giveaway During Market 2009

Do you like Folk Art quilts and rug hooking projects? Don't miss a chance to win this timeless softcover book by That Patchwork Place!

Back Cover Information

Give any home a fresh look with charming quilts and coordinating rugs! Two talented sisters team up for a one-of-a-kind collection that breathes new life into traditional folk art.

• Eighteen projects showcase a mix of patriotic and Americana themes
• Choose from simple-to-make motifs such as stars, hearts, flags, and houses
• Patterns for Polly Minick's much-admired rug designs are published here for the first time ever
• A "Make It Yours" section will show you how to easily design your own rugs

I'm off to the International Quilt Market tomorrow. Sign up to win this terrific book, filled with Folk Art projects by Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson - It's a gem!

Simply leave a post, saying that you'd like to win and I will pick a winner next week. Deadline for signing-up for this giveaway is Tuesday, October 13th at midnight, EST, with winner announced on October 14th!

All photos are taken from the book, Folk Art Friends, Hooked Rugs and Coordinating Quilts, by Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson.

Good Luck!

2009 International Quilt Market . . . Fast Approaching!

Here is my very pretty, fun, energetic, vibrant mother-in-law hanging out with John Wayne in Benartex's booth at the 2007 Market . . .

An excellent quilter in her own right, she will be attending this year's Market with me, too. Please say hello if you happen to see us there this year!

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.

June, 2009 McCall's Quilting Magazine

This is the new June 2009 McCall's Quilting magazine cover. And this is the quilt I designed and made, called: Polka Dot Pinwheels. It is in this issue on page 78. I am so amazed at how wonderful their layouts are and when it's your quilt, you feel like a proud parent. When you check out the quilt, you may do a double-take, as the name was changed to: Nonpareil.

I'm talking with the fabric company - Lecien Corp. - about making this quilt into a kit, so stay tuned! And they requested the quilt for their booth at Spring Market in Pittsburgh, PA, so you can see it in person there.

Russ Adams of The Back Porch Quilters quilted it.

Photos compliments of McCall's Quilting.

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!)

"In A Snap!"

Other projects were in line first, but today I was able to start on the sample of one of my newest, super-fast designs I previously told you about. Here is a sneak-peek, using Snippets by American Jane for Moda. This pattern will be available through United Notions and for those of you attending Spring Market, you'll be able to see the quilt in the United Notions booth. More updates soon . . .

Click on the picture for a close-up of the fabrics.

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!

Nudges of Spring Market

Plans are forging ahead for Spring Market, 2009! I'm designing & making the last sample quilt in the series of "I Love Lucy" fabric by Quilting Treasures. The fabric line is called: "Hollywood At Last". I've also designed & will be making the quilt for their upcoming Norman Rockwell's "Christmas" line, as well. These quilts will be displayed in QT's booth in May.

In addition to the Block-of-the-Month I'm hosting through my website, I'm in the process of finishing the design for a BOM that will be distributed by Brewer (available to quilt shops everywhere). Quilts, Inc. has to put the final approval on it, but I've also been asked to do a "Schoolhouse" presentation promoting the Block-of-the-Month. I'm excited about it because the design is fresh and modern and I'm hoping to turn on some would-be appliquers into great lovers of this resurgent art form.

RJR is coming out with a new line called: Fifth Avenue. I'll be making a quilt from this fabric for Market, too.

Now Showing This Week at the International Quilt Market

This quilt design is called: Bachelorette Party! It is made with RJR Fabrics' Soiree line that came out in September. It will be showing in RJR's booth at the International Quilt Market.

You can purchase the pattern for this quilt on our website, SuzGuz Designs. Be sure to check out the Green/Lt. Blue/Brown colorway of this quilt, as well.



Showing in Quilting Treasures' booth, the following quilt is made with fabrics designed with Norman Rockwell's artwork. The line is called Rowdy Kids and I named the quilt design, Fond Memories. If you click on the pictures, you can see a closer view of the panels used. In addition, be sure to check out the outside border . . . kids hanging out of car windows.

Quilting Treasures will have a free pattern on their website in November 2008, so you can re-create this quilt, if you are interested.



This young girl, sitting outside the Principal's office, sports a shiner . . .




And the young boy in this frame, concerned for his best friend, patiently waits for the Vet . . .



This is another Quilting Treasures line designed by Julia Cairns called Joyful Days. I named this quilt Joyful Village. It shows off the colorful variety of fabrics you can get with this line and it, too, will be a free pattern available on the Quilting Treasures' website in November 2008, and is also hanging in their booth during International Quilt Market.




All quilts are quilted by Russ Adams of The Back Porch Quilters.

Houston International Quilt Market and Block-of-the-Month News

The International Quilt Market, which takes place in Houston next week, is such an exciting event. My dear friend Kari Ramsay, of Fresh Cut Quilts, will have her first booth there, so if you are a quilt shop owner or will be attending the show under other circumstances, please be sure to stop by her booth and say hello. She's a great gal who has some great designs, so please check her out and give her support for her first time displaying her lovely quits and patterns.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending this year's Market. But that's okay, as I have lots to work on. I'm talking with a fabric company about doing a block-of-the-month using their fabrics, then distributing the pattern through their sister company. I'll actually be reviewing the fabrics that will be out during Market, after Market. The next week will give me time to wrap up my ideas for this project, which I am very excited about. In addition, I will be hosting a block-of-the-month on my website. I should have the designs complete within the next 4 weeks, so this should be a fun one to participate in, as it will be ready to go on January 1st. Anyone can participate and if someone decides to join later in the year, the patterns will still be available. I will be charging a minimum (very minimum!) fee because I will be using a third party to deliver the blocks to each club member and the funds will go toward that cost. Using the third party should eliminate any delivery problems we had over the past year with returned e-mails due to problems on the receiver's end. I'll talk more about this real soon!

SuzGuz Designs will have 4 quilts at Market. I know we'll definitely have two, but I believe a third quilt design of mine will be in Quilting Treasures' booth. The 4th quilt will be in RJR's booth. Again, if you are attending, please ask to see our quilts in QT's and RJR's booths! Say hello to Donna for me at Quilting Treasures', and Beatriz at RJR's booth.

Our Quilts At Market

SuzGuz Designs had two quilts at this year's Spring International Quilt Market in Portland, OR.

The quilt hanging to the right of the Kona Bay Fabrics sign in the photo below, is the quilt I designed and made for Asian Fabric magazine's March 2008 issue. The name of the quilt is "Sadako's Prayer". You can find the free pattern in the magazine. I wish I could show you the fabrics in person, as this photo doesn't show the beautiful color and pattern of the fabrics. I have some scraps left over and will have to see if I can photograph them accurately for this blog. If I can, I'll add a separate post.


The second quilt was designed and made for Quilting Treasures. I used fabrics from the new line called "Kids Go Green", by Kari Pearson. This quilt has 3-D prairie points around the rectangular medallion with the large sun in the center of the quilt. The quilt was also embellished with pink buttons surrounding the sun and on each of the corner blocks, flat silhouettes of butterflies and a dragon fly in the center, and sunflower buttons sewn in between each of the diamonds in the outside border. Again, the colors aren't as beautiful as in person. This free quilt pattern will be available from the Quilting Treasure's website soon!