You Can Finish Your Quilt Tops!

 Have you seen Handi Quilter's focus for 2013?  This is their new button ~ it's all about getting those quilt tops finished!  I'm excited, because I'm hosting an educational event April 5th - 6th comprised of four machine quilting technique classes being taught by the exceptional Debby Brown...And it just so happens this is what I called my event: 

How's that for fitting into a theme :)

If you're local, we'd love to have you join us at our fun weekend of machine quilting demos & technique classes!  You can download the entire flyer with all the registration details by visiting My Website and clicking on the link on the front page...but here are the details in a nutshell:

Machine quilter extraordinaire, Debby Brown will be here for two days teaching an array of machine quilting techniques!  Classes include a Free session on Friday morning, April 5th on HQ Longarm Machine Basics.  Plus three other classes will be available on Machine Quilting techniques the Everyone can benefit from whether you currently quilt on a longarm or sit-down machine! 

Registration fees for technique classes cost $30 for the first class you sign up for, and $20 for each additional class.  The classes are: 

Friday, April 5th       10 - 12:00 Longarm Machine Basics ~ Free Class!

                                  1 - 4:00     Machine Quilting Ruler Work

Saturday, April 6th    9 - 12:00  3 B's ~ Backgrounds, Borders & Blocks

                                  1 - 4:00    Freehand Continuous Line Quilting

The fun will also include Door Prizes, Give Aways, and of course a Trunk Show of Quilts! 

To Register email or call (240) 593-0423

Sign up soon ~ Classes are filling up now!

...And in other exciting news, Handi Quilter is having this Fantastic February promotion Right Now!  Place an order by March 4th for the HQ machine package that you've been wanting, and pay only $20 shipping (a savings of up to $445.00 depending on the model you purchase).  Plus, when you purchase from Spring Water Designs, you'll receive the lowest pricing below MSRP, and a free gift bundle of products and accessories worth about $100!

If you're already an HQ owner, purchase any Handi Gadgets or accessories from Spring Water Designs and receive 15% off your order ~ the HQ promotion is for 13%...but I'm rounding up to 15%  just for fun!

If you've been wanting to purchase a longarm machine, this is the perfect time!  Contact me asap to get in on this great promotion by March 4th, and you can be proudly displaying this HQ Owner's button...and you be getting those quilt tops Finished :)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

We Interupt this Winter for a little Caribbean Sun...

I've been away for a few weeks soaking up some sun in the Caribbean.  I did a whole lot of this...

...a bit of this...

 ...a lot of walking...

...took a lot of photos...

 ...but mostly I just breathed it all in :)

Enjoy the day! 

~ Dawn

I Seem to Like Hearts on my Quilts...

Sometimes just a little heart on a block like in Shoot for the Stars is just what a quilt needs.

 Sometimes I go all out with big hearts and Valentine print fabrics like on my Soft Hearts Quilt.

 And I think no design can go wrong with a nice folksy heart as the centerpiece...

like on My Heart's Content :)

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
~ Dawn

Dreaming of Warmer Weather...

It's that time of year when we start dreaming of Spring and warm weather activities.  My son got together with his buddies, and used his week break from school between his Winter and Spring Semesters to finish making these in preparation for warmer days...

...Cornhole boards (Yes, they're Maryland fans!)  I'm pretty impressed with the job they did ~ and I like how they hung up the Maryland flag as their sample to model after.  Now bring on the warm sunny days :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Shades of Blue

This is my Shades of Blue quilt as it appears in the current issue of Quilt-it Today!  It's a fun, and easy to piece "Broken Log Cabin" style that can be made from scraps.  In this one I used a variety of styles of blue/white fabrics ~ some have a modern feel, and some are very traditional.  I think it's interesting to mix fabric styles in a quilt, especially when going for a scrappy look.  The quilt is made up of just two variations of the same block, so it's a super fast way to complete a larger quilt.  

Quilt-it Today March/April 2013 should be on news stands near you now.

Here's another look at it in totally different lighting in my studio right after I finished it.  You can see the fun dotty outer border that didn't get shown in the magazine shot...of course if dots aren't your thing, you could use anything to border your quilt ~ If you make one, send me a photo :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Little Winter Handwork

Another little project I finished last month was this bird applique block.  It's going to be in the raffle quilt that my quilt guild is making for our next quilt show.  It's a modified version of this Zebra Patterns block that Debra Gabel graciously allowed us to use for our quilt (It's from the Birds 2 collection).  The Zebra Patterns are written for fusible applique, but for our guild raffle quilt we are making them all with hand applique methods, and a different size.

I had a terrible time with the long thin points on the bird's chest this time. (Don't look too closely)  I'm usually pretty good at points, but that black fabric just kept fraying on me.  So I've turned my block in to our raffle quilt coordinator, Margo who is adding embroidered embellishments to the blocks.  I can't wait to see the finished block after she works her magic on my sad little points.  I'll post a picture of it some time in the future after it's all put together in the quilt :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn