Wow – we have had some amazing submissions to our Mystery Quilt Blocks gallery.  I just wanted to share some from Sharon English of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Sharon was one of our lucky travelers on the McCall’s Quilting Adventures trip to Ireland and sent these pictures in to our editor, Laura Roberts.  It looks like she will have a real batik beauty on her hands at the end of this story.  Congratulations, Sharon!

Make sure and upload your pictures into our gallery today.  Just go to McCallsquilting.com and click on the Mystery Quilt icon, then click on “Add an Image” in the upper right hand corner. It’s easy! Then everybody can see and admire your blocks.

Thanks!

Kathy

Congratulations to our 100 blocks blog tour winners – Barb Calvin, Cindy Barszczewski, and Linda Armenti! Thanks to everybody who entered our drawing and visited our blocks on the tour.

Three of the editors from McCall’s Quilting magazine were thrilled to participate in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designer’s Issue!

Each of our editors designed a very different block showcasing their different styles and personalities.

Beth Hayes' Block - Posy Power

Our Editor-in-chief, Beth Hayes, designed a pretty block showcasing large floral prints.

Kathy Patterson's - One Happy Family

Our Senior Editor, Kathy Patterson, contributed an appliquéd Advent wreath, a remake of a block featured in a quilt she designed for a McCall’s Quilting issue (One Happy Family, December 2007, page 60).

Laura Roberts' - Moss Ross

Our Assitant Editor, Laura Roberts, designed a vibrant batik block in pinks and yellows and green.

Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily Nov. 9-13 at quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore! Look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at quiltmaker.com/100blocks.

To celebrate our participation, we are giving away 3 copies of the 100 Blocks issue. Just e-mail your contact information to Kathy Hannah at khannah@creativecraftsgroup.com by noon November 12, 2009 and you will be entered to win!

Happy Quilting!

Well, with Quilt Market and getting McCall’s February issue ready, we’ve all been too busy to blog. However, this was too good to pass up. Our own Sherri Bain Driver, Associate Editor, has a quilt that was awarded a Judges Choice ribbon in the Pacific International Quilt Show. (See pictures below.)

Sherri is an amazing quilter, and the author of Layer, Baste, Quilt in our magazine. Her column always has great tips on machine quilting. Don’t miss it!

We put the ribbon for her quilt next to her name tag. You will note that she has a guard flamino. The flamingo was a recent addition that she brought in for the pictures for Coral Beach Christmas in the current issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts. Somehow, they’ve become a permanent addition to her cube!

Once again, Congratulations Sherri!

Sherri and Sonoran Stars

Sonoran Stars

Guard Flamingo

That’s right, the staff at McCall’s Quilting wants to see your projects made from our patterns… and you might win a prize for your efforts!

We’ve put together 3 great prize packages that include a fall fabric package from Andover fabrics (including a festive panel with coordinating fabrics), some great patterns and useful tools, all for you!  You can see by the picture below that it’s a great win! (Each package may have slightly different, but comparable items.)

McCall's September '09 Contest Prize Package

All you  need to do is click on the link below and upload a picture of a project that you made based on a McCall’s pattern.  (If you are not already registered with the Quilter’s Village site, you will need to register before you can upload your picture.   Don’t worry, it is free… and easy!)

http://www.quiltersvillage.com/my_admin/gallery_contribute?idx=8862

Click the browse button to search your computer for the picture of your quilt (the ideal size is 300 x 300 pixels).  Then make sure to name your quilt in the Image Title/Caption box.

You must enter by September 30, 2009.  Upload as many different projects as you like, as long as they are McCall’s patterns and are each different projects.  For each picture you upload, your name will be entered into the drawing.  On October 1, 2009, we will draw 3 names and these 3 people will each win a prize package!  (You may only win one of the prize packages.)

Happy Quilting!

The Staff of McCall’s Quilting

Hello all!

It was a strange day last week when the staff of McCall’s quilting gathered in our heavy coats and scarves, draped ourselves in winter quilts and stomped out in the 85 degree sunshine to get our winter holiday picture taken.  Yes, that’s right – 85 degrees!

That is one of the strange things about working 4 – 6 months ahead of time.  Sometimes, you just aren’t dressed right for the weather!

I won’t spoil your fun and show you any of the pictures (you’ll have to take a look at the December issue for that), but I wanted to share another picture with you.  In this picture, photographer, Melissa is behind the camera, and art director, Ellie, is helping her with the shot.  Editor-in-chief, Beth Hayes, is just on the left side of the frame.  Now, when you see the picture in the magazine, you’ll know what it’s like from the other side!

Catch you later,

Kathy

How the other side lives!

Hello all of you fellow quilters out there.  You may have noticed the Help Wanted entry a few weeks back.  Well, I’m the lucky person who is filling those shoes!

My name is Kathy Hannah and you’ll no doubt see my name around on the website, answering questions and posting information to the blogs.  I’ve been quilting now for over ten years and sewing for more than twenty.  My 18-year-old daughter claims responsibility for starting my quilting career because she wanted a quilt for her bed when she was 8-years-old.  It makes no difference that I remember it differently, she would still claim responsibility for it!  At this point, it doesn’t matter because I started with that simple quilt of squares and rectangles and never looked back!  Since then, my extended family jokes that you aren’t a member of the family until you’ve received a Kathy Hannah original because of my habit of giving quilts for Christmas, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, (well, you get the idea…. basically, I just need an excuse to make a quilt!)

This position at McCall’s Quilting is something of a dream job since quilting has been my one of my passions for the last decade.  Up until July, I had a much less fascinating career as a medical office manager and specialist in electronic medical records.  I will really miss the patients, but you can only imagine how much fun it was with all of the recent upheaval in healthcare and the general joy to be found in middle management.  However, I was pretty much convinced that I had to work here as soon as I walked through the door.  How could I not!  There were quilts hanging everywhere!  It was hard to talk to the people because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from all of the quilts!

Although it may have been a little hard to focus on the people the first time I met them, I have since learned that they are all warm and kind, and amazingly knowledgeable about quilting.  From the latest fabric line to a question about machine quilting, there is always somebody with the answer.  I feel like a child who is soaking up knowledge like a sponge!  (And loving every minute of it!)

The other members of my family include my husband of twenty years, my 18-year-old daughter, my 15-year-old son, and my 24-year-old horse (see picture below).  You will note that the only picture I am sharing is of my horse.  You are welcome to read meaning into that.  But really, when I asked my son for a picture, he said, “Dude, no way!”  When I asked my daughter, she said, “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”  When I asked my husband, he said, “Is this really necessary?”  But when I asked my horse, he was blissfully silent.  Now you know why I have a horse 

Catch you later,

Kathy

Pride and Kathy

Do you love cats?!  There’s a special commraderie among cat lovers that I did not fully understand, until I had one of my own.

Kitty Memories, Designed by Dawn E. Navarro

In our September/October 2009 issue, you’ll find one of the coolest cat quilt designs you’ve ever seen.  It’s colorful and fun to make, combined with simple embroidery stitches and kitty collars galore.  You’ll find a description of the quilt on our website, along with a link to additional photos of cat faces and collars, and a line drawing of the assembled quilt for you to try out color arrangements.

This feline-lover’s delight, designed by author Dawn E. Navarro, was machine quilted by Pamela Dransfeldt of The Joyful Quilter.

Check it out . . . the pattern is on newsstands, now!

The Quilters Village Shop is offering a limited-time store promotion starting today through August 19, 2009, for all domestic (United States) online orders.  Use offer code: FREE-SHIP-OFFR.

Current Issue: McCall's Quilting September/October 2009

Stock up on your favorite magazines, books, patterns, and special issues, now! And don’t forget about any recent issues you may have missed . . . (click on the images in this blog for a peek at magazine’s content) . . .

McCall's Quilting July/August 2009

McCall's Quilting May/June 2009

McCall's Quilting March/April 2009

In addition to recent issues, take advantage of our past issues for projects you can make now for the upcoming holidays!

You will receive free shipping on your order. This offer applies to domestic online orders, only, when using the offer code: FREE-SHIP-OFFR.  Offer ends August 19, 2009.

There is an incredible amount of talent among our McCall’s Quilting staff!  With our September/October 2009 issue, we’re able to share some of that talent with you, with Sherri Bain Driver’s Half Past Autumn quilt.  Our photographer, Melissa Mahoney, captures the minute details of Sherri’s quilt in all it’s glory!

Award-winning quilt: Half Past Autumn, by Sherri Bain Driver, as shown in Sept/Oct 2009 McCall's Quilting Magazine

Pick up a copy of this magazine (Sherri’s quilt is on the cover, too!), on newsstands, now!  You will be amazed at the gorgeous, easy trapunto method Sherri used that was developed by Hari Walner.