I'm pleased to announce that my next novel, The Giving Quilt, will be published on October 30, 2012. You can find more details about the book here, including an excerpt from the first chapter. More information about the book tour will come in the months ahead. I hope you enjoy the sneak preview!
I'm pleased to announce the winner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5 Giveaway: Jeanne Gwin!
Jeanne Gwin said on May 03, 2012 at 8:50am
"I would have to make 3 of these quilts just to be happy. The first would be a memory quilt as a Loyal Daughter to my MoM, sure miss her, and it would be in her favorite colors pink and green with cream, very much like yours. 2nd would be for me in yellow and blue, uhmmm so warm and 3rd would be burgundy, hunter green and cream another one that says uhmmmm so warm. Thank you Jennifer for the chance to win one of these GR8 magazines."
Congratulations, Jeanne! Please send me your postal address so Quiltmaker can mail your prize to you.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
I'm pleased to announce that one of my original quilt block designs, Loyal Daughter, will be included in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5. This wonderful new collection of block patterns officially goes on sale on May 8, 2012, although you may be lucky enough to spot it on the shelves of your favorite quilt shop or newsstand even earlier.
The Loyal Daughter block is featured in my most recent novel, Sonoma Rose (Dutton, Feb 2012), in which Rosa Diaz Barclay decides to make a special quilt for her steadfast eldest daughter, Marta, to thank her for her loyalty and love in difficult times. I used fabrics from my Red Rooster Fabrics line, "Elm Creek Quilts: The Winding Ways Quilt Collection," for this version of the block.
As much as I like these pretty spring colors, I decided to try a few other fabric options for the Loyal Daughter block just for fun. What could be more appropriate than the vineyard harvest colors of the fabric line inspired by Sonoma Rose, "Elm Creek Quilts: Rosa's Collection"?
The rich, classic hues of my fabric line, "Elm Creek Quilts: Anneke's Collection" makes a much bolder statement:
I think my "Elm Creek Quilts: Circle of Quilters Collection" fabrics lends the Loyal Daughter block an antique, Christmasy look, don't you?
Arranged into a quilt top in straight sets, the block above would look a little something like this:
Here's how the Anneke's Collection version appears when arranged in straight sets with sashing and cornerstones:
The blocks are set on point in this rendition, made from Rosa's Collection:
This version also uses fabrics from Rosa's Collection, with the blocks set on point with sashing and cornerstones:
Here's another rendition of this same quilt using the soft, romantic colors of "Elm Creek Quilts: Caroline's Collection," which was inspired by my novel, The Wedding Quilt:
Wouldn't you like to to try your hand at this fun block and some of the other 99 patterns in this special issue? The creative staff of Quiltmaker have graciously offered to give away a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5 to one lucky person who visits my blog today. All you have to do is comment on this post, describing how you would select colors or fabrics to make a Loyal Daughter quilt that has special meaning to you or to an important person in your life. A winner will be selected at random from those who comment on this post before 11:59 PM Central Time tonight.
Don't forget to follow the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour April 30 to May 4 for inspiration, conversations with some of your favorite quilt designers, and lots of great giveaways. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5 will be available in your local quilt shop by May 8th, or you can order it directly from Quiltmaker.
Thanks, and Happy Quilting!
Jennifer
If you saw me on my Sonoma Rose book tour earlier this year, you might have found your eye captivated by the beautiful batik purse and computer bag I brought along on my travels.
These are two of the many beautiful handbags batiked and sewn by women in Ghana, and offered for sale by an organization called Point Hope. The mission of Point Hope is to be "a voice for forgotten children." To that end, they offer support services to children within the foster care system here in the United States, and also operate numerous emergency relief and educational programs to support families, widows, and children in Africa. One of these programs helps the women of Ghana aquire marketable job skills by teaching them the art of batik design, a labor-intensive, time-consuming process that results in equisite, unique fabrics from which the women create various handicrafts like my own two bags. As Point Hope explains on their website, "The graduates of this course have trained others and have worked with the ladies from the sewing course to create garments and accessories. They have also recently registered in Ghana as their own business under Project Hope: Gye Nyame to establish themselves as residents of Ghana and successful entrepreneurs. This is a major step toward independence and a prosperous future for these brave women who have known such hardship and tragedy."
Earlier this year, I happended to meet Point Hope Executive Director Jan Haynes in the green room of the Wisconsin Public Televsion studios, where we were both taping episodes of Nancy Zieman's program, Sewing with Nancy. I was delighted to see Jan's photographs of the women from Ghana batiking the very fabric from which my computer bag was made.
You too can support these entreprenurial women of Ghana by purchasing a batik bag through Point Hope. When you visit their website, you can also learn more about the important work Point Hope accomplishes both here in the United States and abroad, and you can discover other ways you can support their mission.
I love the idea of women supporting other women in their efforts to become self-sufficient, independent, and prosperous—especially stitchers supporting other stitchers!
Today at 11:45 AM Central Time, I'll be chatting with Wisconsin Public Radio host Larry Meiller about SONOMA ROSE. You can listen online by visiting the WPR Live Webcasting page and following the links for WPR's News & Classical Music Network.
