Happy birthday, USA. I’m planning a quiet morning on the 4th but then we’ll head south to Colorado Springs for a barbeque with family friends. It should be great fun. With all the fires in Colorado, there will be no fireworks. My heart goes out to all who have lost their homes. I’m grateful for all the firefighters and their hard work. I’m also grateful for the generosity of all the people who are doing what they can to help. I’m always amazed and thrilled to watch how people pull together in crisis.
In the August/September issue of Quilters Newsletter, I talked about the baby blankets that I made for my twin sons. These were some of my first quilts. Gabe’s is the blue one. Zac’s is the peach gingham one. I know a lot more about quiltmaking now than I did then, but these quilts are 35-years-old. I’d be pretty disappointed if I hadn’t gotten better in that amount of time. My hint for you is if you are going to applique crocheted doilies to a baby quilt, wash them several times first so all the shrinking they’re going to do will be done before you put them on the quilt.
The two baby quilts that I’ve completed most recently are Alana’s and Soraya’s. Alana’s is the yellow and green one. I found the pattern in our sister magazine, McCall’s Quick Quilts, December/January 2012. Soraya’s is the teddy bear quilt. The pattern was in another sister magazine, Quiltmaker, January/February 2011. I chose the quilts based on the color schemes that the mothers chose and the fact that they were something new that I’d not done before.
Be sure to go to our website for the five fun, free web extras that are new with the August/September issue. We have a pattern for a quilt by Quilt Dad, John Adams, the pattern for a fun table runner by Pat Bravo, the pattern for a throw by Pam Rocco, the pattern for an Eight Hands Around quilt block and the beginning foundations for the Christmas Flag.
And don’t forget our new online TV show! I am getting very excited about Quilters Newsletter TV: The Quilters’ Community. The first show will be available Thursday, July 5. Right now there is a preview on our website. The show is free on our website, QNNtv.com, YouTube and Bliptv. We’ve taped quite a few episodes and I can hardly wait to see the finished product!
I hope you all have a super holiday!
