Because babies come in a couple of different versions and moms have a myriad of different ideas for decorating, the winner of the contest gets to choose between a blue kit, a pink kit or a neutral kit.

That way the lucky baby gets to snuggle in the perfect quilt.

Each quilting image, post or comment is 1 entry. Enter as many times as you want.

It all happens over at http://onlinequiltingclassesmembership.ning.com/

Well Quilters, it is time for another Online Quilting Classes Membership contest. Spring is flower time, sunshine time and baby time.

I think that the perfect prize would be a baby quilt kit. But, babies come in different models, so the winner gets a choice of blue, pink or a neutral color pallet.

The contest starts Monday, July 1 and continues for 1 week. We will be choosing and announcing the winner on Monday July 8th.

Here are the rules –

1. You must be an Online Quilting Classes Member (IT’S FREE!). If you aren’t join at http://onlinequiltingclassesmembership.ning.com/
2. Make a post, make a comment on another member’s post or picture, and/or post a picture.
3. Each quilting image, post or comment is 1 entry. Enter as many times as you want.
4. All entries will be assigned a number and an Internet random number generator will choose the winner.
5. The winner will be notified at the end of the contest, will choose the kit colors and the kit will be shipped out the next day via FedEx.
6. The kit includes fabric for the baby quilt top (you get to supply your own backing).

Everything starts on Monday! We all look forward to seeing what you are working on.

Karen
Learn, Grow, Share – And most of all – Create!

I’m Karen Dennison and I live and breathe quilting!

I love it.

Ever since my youngest child left home several years ago and I converted her room into my sewing studio I’ve been hooked on quilting.

To start with I knew nothing about quilting, but I did know my way around my sewing machine having made clothes for myself and my children for many years.

I wanted to learn how to make some of the amazing creations I’d seen…and I wanted to put my own artistic touches to the quilt patterns. I wasn’t satisfied with simply copying patterns out of a book that someone else had written.

I knew I would need to have a good foundation in the quilting basics if I was going to produce quality products that would stand as heirlooms for the next generation.

So I attended classes. I spent many hours in draughty classrooms learning the fundamentals of quilting. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I learned that “mistakes” can often unexpectedly turn into beautiful creations.

I didn’t realize how far I’d come until my friends started saying “Wow! That’s beautiful! I wish I could do that!”Well they can, and so can YOU! I want to share all that I’ve learned with you.

Here’s a video that talks about a special tool I’ve created to help share my knowledge and experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejKlnQGJwfA&feature=youtu.be

Have you ever walked through a clothing store and seen an outfit that immediately made you think of someone? The unique combination of color and pattern might make you say to yourself, “Oh, wow! That is so Kathy!”…or whoever’s name it happens to be.

Whether it’s in the way we dress, how we decorate our homes, or even the way we quilt, we all have our own unique style. This style is a reflection of who we are, how we want to be known, and what we want to become.

There are opportunities all around us to adopt other people’s styles as our own. In fact, for most of us, we more often than not plug into what other people create instead of developing a truly unique and distinctive style.

The fabulous thing about art, which includes quilting, is that the possibilities of creation are ENDLESS!!! With some basic understanding of the various elements and techniques, you have within you the ability to design things that literally no one else can!

Imagine someone looking at a quilt that you have created and having the privilege of saying, “I designed this!” This gives you an amazing feeling…way more than “I followed someone’s pattern.”

Designing your own beautiful quilts is easier than you might think. In my new instructional DVD “Building Blocks for Quilts – Volume 1”, I teach you some basic techniques and then set you free to explore and create something that is uniquely you. This video is not just about following a pattern (although you can keep it that simple if you want). For details about this exciting tool, click here. http://equiltblock.com/

Have you ever looked at the intricate design of other people’s quilts and wished you could make something as beautiful? Or maybe you think it’s too hard and too time consuming to join all the individual pieces of fabric together in the right way? Have you tried making patchwork quilts in the past and been frustrated by wasted fabric, results that look wrong and no one to ask when you have a problem?

I want you to know that many of those amazingly complicated quilt patterns that you see are created from just a few basic building blocks. Just like a wall is created by placing the bricks in exactly the right patterns, so a huge bedspread quilt is created by piecing together a number of basic quilt building blocks in the right order. Once you have the tools you need and know the technique involved, it really does becomes quite simple.

So you might also be asking how does one go about finding the tools, learning the techniques and finding the support they need to enjoy a solid foundation in quilt design? Of course there are lots of resources available online and through classes, but I wanted to help you cut through the information clutter. I have recently released my DVD called “Building Blocks for Quilts – Volume 1”. It provides comprehensive yet affordable instruction on the fundamentals of quilt design that you can access from your own home!

To learn how you can benefit from this instructional DVD, please visit http://equiltblock.com/

I find it fascinating to think that in the old days, patchwork pieces were cut out individually, tacked onto paper shapes and sewn together by hand. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers worked meticulously to create their beautiful quilts. We live in a different era today with rotary cutters and sewing machines that help make quick work of piecing together fabric for patchwork quilts.

The great thing is that though the tools used in quilting have changed drastically over the years, the fundamental principles and techniques of quilting are still the same. Once you are comfortable with basic elements of piecing, you can translate them into hundreds of different combinations to explore, express, and play.

Learning these basic skills used to be passed down from generation to generation, but nowadays that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Today, there is a vast number of resources available to teach you all you need to know. However, I know that it can be overwhelming to try to learn everything. That’s again where the importance of knowing the BASICS comes in.

All piecing is made up a small number of certain elements. I want to make learning those elements incredibly simple and stress-free for you. I have put together a new DVD called “Building Blocks for Quilts – Volume 1” that lays out the basics of what you’ll need to create your own exquisite quilt designs. You can learn more about this valuable tool at http://equiltblock.com/

I was recently speaking with a new quilter, and she told something that really caused me to think. She mentioned that she only made quilts in one pattern, over and over. When I asked her if she really loved that pattern she replied, “No, but I know that one. I am afraid other patterns will be too difficult.”

That comment stood out to me because I think that a lot of new and even seasoned quilters struggle in this area. It’s normal to feel insecure, overwhelmed or even intimidated by all that there is to learn about quilting.

One thing I have found is that once you know the fundamentals, this allows you to adjust, explore and DO SOMETHING AWESOME!

Check out this video about a special tool I’ve created to provide confidence in the creative process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QSIQrjr6UE&feature=youtu.be

Think back to the last time you walked the aisles of a library. Shelves filled with thousands of books about every topic imaginable. Have you ever stopped to consider that all of those books were written using the SAME 26 letters? With such a limited number of letters, isn’t it AMAZING that the possibilities are literally ENDLESS?!

This idea is not exclusive to literature. Just like each letter plays a vital part in the crafting of a story, individual cuts of fabric are arranged into limitless combinations to make beautiful and unique quilts. In both circumstances, an understanding of the fundamentals, whether they are letters of the alphabet or pieces of fabric, opens up the opportunity for creativity and expression.

In my experience as a quilter, you don’t need to be a seamstress to make beautiful quilts! Yes, it’s true! You can make amazing quilts with no special sewing skills. So long as you can use a sewing machine to sew a few inches of straight line.

I’m on a mission to help people everywhere take up this wonderful hobby that has given me so much pleasure over the past few years. I want to teach you techniques that can be used over and over again to create beautiful and practical works of art. Check out my new instructional DVD called
“Building Blocks for Quilts – Volume 1”. http://equiltblock.com/