It's all about personal taste?
How many times have we seen someone's quilt and thought how much nicer it would have looked if it had just been made with different fabrics?
That's why the Fons & Porter staff will often show our readers a 'Tried & True' modified version. A great example of how fabric selection can dramatically change the overall appearance of any design would be the Sunshine Serenade quilt in our fall issue of Easy Quilts. The Tried & True example would take the original quilt of bright, sunshiny oranges and yellows down to a much more subtle version in beige and brown tones – perfect for a seasonal quilt. And don't leave the suggestions up to us, we always love to see your 'tried and true' versions as well - keep those emails coming!
From our readers
Bear quilts with me…
submitted by Debbie Deshotel, Kalispell, MT.
I got your magazine for the first time a year ago, and wow, I loved it. I had to make three baby quilts in the months ahead and was looking for a fun, easy way to accomplish that goal. I started with the Baby Craze pattern from your Easy Quilts 2008 issue, and managed to complete all of the 6-inch squares in one day. In preparation of sewing the quilt top together, I was laying the squares out on the floor when, Bear, my 13-year-old rescue dog, started circling around as if thinking if it was on the floor, it must be fair game – so I kept him away, and all was well, until … I went to the bathroom. When I came back, Bear was fast asleep on my baby quilt.
So, I waited until later, when Bear was busy elsewhere, and put all the blocks together again. Since this quilt was so easy to construct, I guess I will have to make another one just for Bear. He is a true quilt lover – I think it is because when we rescued him years ago, he stayed a lot in my quilting room, in the loft of our log home in Montana. I made him a puppy quilt then, and now, he thinks that every quilt I make is his.
Circles for everyone…
submitted by Alyce Downer, Metairie, LA.
I watched the Fons & Porter program on making circles and sewing them together so that the back of the quilt is a square. I made eleven of these quilts in 2008. I used a kitchen plate to trace around so that all my circles were exactly the same size. My husband made me a square piece out of a piece of wood. (I've attached a picture of this piece of wood - It works wonderfully. This is the largest square that can be made inside my circles. I used this square so that all circles would line up correctly. For most of my grand children, I made the quilts square, 8 blocks by 8 blocks, then I made little pillows about 7 inches across to match the quilts. They could use these little pillows to play checkers. The quilts are warm and they are also perfect to play a good game of checkers on.
These are the quilts I made, all from the same pattern, using different material that was picked special to match each child:
Purple quilt with lips
for my granddaughter Felicia - made out of fabric that I had previously made nighties for her
Cars & Trucks
for my 2-year-old grandson who loves cars and trucks - this one was made out of flannel
Dinosaurs (click to see picture)
for my 5-year-old grandson who absolutely loves dinosaurs
Jungle Print (click to see picture)
for my 14-year-old grandson who loves animals and animal print
Princesses
for my 9-year-old granddaughter who loves the Disney princesses
Basketball (click to see picture)
for my 15-year-old grandson who loves sports of all kinds.
Bugs & butterflies
for my 9-year-old grandson who loves ants, bugs and butterflies
Cars - the Pixar movie
for my grandson who love TOMATER
Pink baby flannel with little bears (click to see picture)
for my cousin's granddaughter
Baby hand and foot prints
for a friend's new granddaughter
But, for the life of me, I can't think of what the 11th one is. And, I can't find a picture either. So I'll show you my favorite picture of my grandson Eyan - I knitted him his sweater and of course had to take a picture - he made such an adorable POUTY face. It just makes me laugh and I wanted to share it with you.
Kudos from our quilting friends…
I wanted to tell you how much I love your magazine. I have purchased many other magazines but yours always has the best info and nicest patterns for my quilts. Keep up the good work. I have only been quilting for 10 years so I have a lot to learn. Thank you!
- Starlet Peedle
Happy Quilting!
Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting
Give a Gift Subscription to Love of Quilting Magazine
A great gift that quilters love is a subscription to Love of Quilting magazine. Did you know that when you give a gift subscription, you are actually giving three different gifts?
#1. Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting
Each issue is filled with must-do projects, helpful tips, and the newest techniques from America's favorite quilting experts.
#2. Sew Your Style
The sewing professionals at Bernina® with Marianne Fons and Liz Porter, along with their daughters bring you this exclusive booklet of easy-to-learn techniques for stunning quilts, bags, home decor items, and wearables! With tips from the pros to guide you every step of the way it will be easy to create projects that match your own style. You don't have to work on these projects alone, they can be made with your daughter or a friend. Learn embellishing techniques to enhance any project and to take them from ordinary to extraordinary! Remember, we'll send this booklet FREE with your Love of Quilting subscription!
#3. Quilts for the Whole Family
This fun-filled booklet contains 15 SUPER quick-and-easy gift ideas you can stitch in no time. The experts at Paintbrush Studio™ teamed up with Marianne Fons and Liz Porter to bring you some of their favorite patterns for any occasion. Each project contains color photos, diagrams, and easy-to-follow instructions to make assembly a snap. Each design has alternate fabric options to suit your tastes. We'll give you tips and easy techniques to help you achieve success. Best of all? This booklet is FREE with your subscription!
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