New Pattern! Butterfly Garden

I, like most of you perhaps, have a love for not only fabric, but threads. I especially love working with the beautiful hand dyed threads created by Valdani Threads and Weeks Dye Works. Each company has its own unique palette. In my newest pattern, Butterfly Garden, I use threads by both companies to create the embroidered flowers in blocks, which are then set on point along with pieced scrappy blocks, the "butterflies".

Detail - Butterfly Garden

This little 28" x 32 1/2" quilted "garden" is bordered by a picket fence using a scrappy assortment of cream and beige prints.

I'm offering the pattern as both a printed pattern to be mailed to you, or as an E Pattern for you to download, thus saving you shipping costs. Your choice! I'm going to try to do this from now on with new patterns,
as the cost of shipping can sometimes be cost prohibitive when ordering one pattern, for instance. I use USPS flat rate shipping so that I can track orders to make sure that they arrive to my customers, and it's fairly economical when you think about gas, travel, etc. from me to you (I know there are cheaper ways to ship, but no tracking). But still, I'd like to provide the option.

Here's hoping you're having a beautiful summer, with lots of butterflies!

Until next time,
Martha

Betsy's Scrapbag

Today is the first official release day of my new book, Betsy's Scrapbag! It's now on our website, and we have a lot of work to do to get it out and about to your favorite quilt shops.

The first of my Scrapbag Girl TM series began with Annie's Scrapbag, a pattern book of quilts and projects inspired by my fictional seamstress, Annie, a girl living in the early homesteading days of the American frontier.

Annie's Scrapbag

Book 2, Betsy's Scrapbag, follows with quilts and projects inspired by the American Revolution, and Betsy's story of her family's role in the fight for American independence.  And just as in Annie's Scrapbag, Betsy's Scrapbag includes FULL size applique placement diagrams for all of the projects, including the wool applique projects. No drafting on your part needed - whew!

Betsy's Scrapbag

Just like in Annie's Scrapbag, Betsy's Scrapbag includes patterns for quilts, wool applique, and this time a punch needle project, Lady Liberty, one of my favorites! Lady Liberty is made primarily with Valdani 3-ply floss, with the addition of DMC embroidery floss. I also have instructions for my easy method for finishing punchneedle, that "stiffens" it for hanging or applying to a platform, such as a box, or basket, but it's archival, meaning no glues are used.

Lady Liberty

Autumn Stars is one of the five quilts in the book, and is the largest quilt, - a queen size 89" x 89". 

Autumn Stars

There are 10 projects in all, with four wool applique projects, one of which is the Liberty pillow, appliqued using my favorite Aurifil Lana wool threads, which you can also find on our website:

Liberty pillow

To celebrate it's release, I'm having a giveaway for one copy of Betsy's Scrapbag! Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and I hope you find Betsy's Scrapbag soon at a quilt shop near you! I will announce the winner of the giveaway on Monday, March 21st!

Until then,

Martha