Thank you to everyone who completed a Baby Boomer Quilter Survey by our August 1 deadline! We had so many replies, we decided to randomly select 3 winners instead of the 1 we’d planned. Using the random number generator at random.org, the following names were chosen:

Linda Smith of Ivyland, Pennsylvania

Sandra Richardson of East Waterboro, Maine

Patricia Bryan of Hallsville, Missouri

Congratulations winners…your goodie boxes (with contents similar to the photo above) are going out in tomorrow’s mail. And be sure to watch for our upcoming article in McCall’s Quilting about baby boomer quilters!

We are excited to announce that we’re working on migrating the quilt blocks we had on our old site to our new site.  Just added today (A-B):

• 5-Patch Variation (Intermediate Level)
• 5 Star Block (Intermediate Level)
• 54-40 or Fight (Intermediate Level)
• Amish Star (Beginner Level)
• Applique Flower (Intermediate Level)
• Arrowheads (Advanced Beginner Level)
• Aunt Dinah (Beginner Level)
• Baby Four-Patch (Advanced Beginner Level)
• Baton Rouge Square (Beginner Level)
• Beads (Advanced Beginner Level)
• Bear’s Paw Variation (Intermediate Level)
• Best of All (Intermediate Level)
• Blazing Star (Intermediate Level)
• Butterfly Block (Intermediate Level)

One of my favorite blocks of these is the Baton Rouge Square. I love how it looks like a wrapped gift!

My version will be made up as a runner using 4 blocks.

I propose a challenge:  Make a runner along with me for the upcoming holidays! Browse through the blocks we have listed, above, or select another block from our Patterns section of our website. Have fun choosing fabric from your stash, or visit your local quilt shop and ask to see their newest holiday offerings.

Remember that your runner can be as simple as sewing a few blocks together and add binding. Or, add sashing and a border with a coordinating fabric of your choice. Be sure to send us a photo of your finished project and we’ll post it here on our blog to inspire other readers, just like you!

Butterfly quilts are very popular in our quiting world. Have you seen the vintage butterfly quilt we have in our Patterns section of our website?

A reader made this quilt for a family reunion raffle and encourages us to make this pattern, saying it is simple to make (see her comment on the pattern page of our website!). The pattern naturally lends itself to cheerful 1930’s reproduction fabrics. Dive into your stash for this one! Or, try something new, using a contemporary line of fabrics with a solid or subtle mini-print for the background fabric and large squares. As always, have fun and be creative!

. . . that each issue we publish, we have free web bonuses for you?

We include an average of 3 web bonuses with each issue we publish and they can consist of a favorite recipe from one of our editors, free patterns for you to download, or some other special bonus. Simply go to our website’s home page and click on the Bonuses tab for an array of fun projects, recipes or valuable information to enjoy!

Here is a link to our Candy Apple Pinwheels Web Bonus from our July/August 2009 Issue of McCall’s Quilting magazine (click on the photo for the Web Bonus link!). This quilt was designed by Gerri Robinson and quilted by Rebecca Segura of Zeffie’s Quilts. The Web Bonus for this quilt features a queen size version of Gerri’s beautiful design.

Be sure to send us photos of this or any quilt you make from the patterns featured in our magazine. If we select your photo to print in our magazine, The Warm Company will send you a complimentary queen size batt, and we’ll send you two free copies of the issue in which your contribution appears.

Write to us with your pictures at McCall’s Quilting, 741 Corporate Circle, Suite A, Golden, CO 80401. High resolution digital images are accepted on a compact disk with computer printout.

The Arrowheads quilt block pattern, which resided on our old site, has recently been added to the Patterns section of our website.  You can find the block by clicking on the photo.

July is the perfect time to start planning and working on your holiday gifts and this block allows for creativity on your part with fabric selection. Whether you make this block scrappy or decide to make the fabric placement more uniform, the Arrowheads block will lend your finished quilt an interesting and unique look.  Try it with bold batiks, reproduction fabrics, or your newest favorite collection.  Make your quilt with 5 rows of 5 blocks for a 60″ x 60″ throw and you’ll have a lovely gift to give in a short amount of time.

Be sure to check out all of our block patterns while you’re at it. Before you know it, you’ll have a list of fun projects to keep you busy and whittle-down your gift-giving list.

Spring weather is always interesting here, but this year it’s pulling out all the stops. I live 8 miles up the canyon from work (at about 7500 feet). The terrain keeps us from having tornadoes in my town, but the storms go right over us on their way down the hill to the plains (where they can become a real problem). Usually we get a heavy rain with thunder and lightning, but the other day was an adventure. It started with the sound of rocks on the roof. I was just heading outside to see who was throwing them when the sky opened. I’ve never seen anything like it. Hail the size of a 25 cent gumball was charging toward the ground at an incredible pace! I jumped back in the house where the sound was unbelievable. I have 5 ft. plate glass windows that I expected to break and hail was bouncing out of the fireplace. I was speechless!
However, my 10-month old kitten was not. Poor baby. She was huddled in the back hall wailing and crying. I picked her up and she was shaking so hard I could barely hold her. I tucked her inside my shirt, used one hand to cover both her ears, and sat down on the floor. And there we sat in the hall (which was the quietest place in the house) while the hail went on and on. It lasted a good 25 minutes! And when it was over, we just sat there enjoying the silence. Even the thunder seemed quiet. I have no idea how long we sat in the hall recovering, but eventually I tucked Moth (kitten) under the quilts on my bed and went outside to have a look.

Holy cow! Naked trees, a dimpled car, and enough ice for any 4th of July picnic. My poor trees. The evergreens lost all of their new growth and the leafy trees are shredded. My lilacs are now tasty fodder for the deer.  But, within minutes the hummingbirds were clustered at the feeder and the finches were back in the trees. I have no idea where they went to hide, but I’m so glad they did! And, I can’t complain. We’ve been dealing with drought for many years so I’m grateful for any moisture we get. All I ask it that the next storm be a soft, gentle, overnight spring rain. The kind that make the pine trees smell like heaven and turns the entire canyon green.
And I’ll bet the Rockies (baseball) are thinking the same thing. Yesterday they were playing the Mariners when a tornado warning was called. Sure enough…on the news last night there was an amazing photo of the tornado in the background and the ballpark in the foreground with people swarming up the stairs to get under cover. No one was hurt and nothing much was damaged, but it was still scary.
Do you know the best cure for feeling scared? Fabric. Soft, squishable fabric. Just ask Moth! And fabric in the form of a quilt is the best kind of all. Next time you’re watching that horror flick or sitting in the basement waiting for the storm to blow over, make sure to wrap up in your quilts. Nothing is as comforting as putting your face in a quilt while you feel the soft cotton in your fingers. Thank goodness for quilts!

One last thing… do you see the tag in the photo? It’s attached to the cord for the snow-melting equipment on my roof. Maybe I should plug it back in!

One of the signature patterns of the Great Depression, this photo shows an example of a Double Wedding Ring Quilt from the family collection of Nancy Ferguson shown in McCall’s Quilting presents Vintage Quilts Annual 1999/2000 issue.

The Double Wedding Ring Quilt has been a popular pattern with our readers. Yesterday, it was added to our new site’s content after being unavailable for a short time.  You will find the pattern, here. Although we sold out of the issue mentioned, we still have 9 different issues available for purchase, showing us beautiful examples of designs from the past.

If you’re a “quilter of a certain age” (Baby Boomer age, that is), we’d love you to take our little survey. You’ll find instructions for getting your copy at:

http://www.quiltersvillage.com/mb/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=287159&sid=87b197a06b73b7add15cd9295cb3393c

Everyone who returns a completed survey by August 1, 2009 will be entered in a random drawing for a box of quilting goodies (and we have really good goodies here at McCall’s)! Hope to hear from you soon…peace out!

It’s always a treat to come to work in the McCall’s Quilting offices, but today was especially nice, thanks to Susan Guzman, our associate editor. She baked a wonderful dessert so it could be photographed as a web bonus (you’ll see the real photo in the October issue of McCall’s Quilting), and once the picture was taken, she shared her treat with everyone. Pears, chocolate, and hazelnuts, in a flaky crisp crust……dynamite! Watch for the recipe, coming to our site sometime the end of July. Until then…I’ll eat these last few bites and think of you!

This morning I woke up to the sound of birds singing and the splash of water as cars drove by my open window.  Ah, Spring rain – we need the moisture!  When I looked out my kitchen window, I was surprised to see a blanket of snow on everything and huge flakes still falling.   By the time I got to work, the snow had almost stopped.  Three hours later, the trees outside the CKMedia offices were still white and fresh.   In another couple hours there may be no evidence that it snowed, and by tomorrow the only proof we will have are the pictures.