"Honey? What's that strange light coming from the sky?" Oh, it's the SUN! Hello sunshine, hello. It's been dark for a very long time....We have had something like 25 consecutive days of rain here, and today it didn't rain! With any luck, we will have a few days to dry out before the next storm blows in. And if we are really lucky, there won't be any more storms and the sun will keep on shining until next November. Wouldn't that be lovely?
Speaking of lovely things, I want to introduce you someone you may not know very well. Her name is Monique Dillard, and she is the designer behind the pattern company Open Gate Quilts. Bet you are familiar with her patterns! She has been designing marvelous quilt patterns for years, and has a strong presence in many of your local quilt shops.
She often features one of her beloved Old English Sheepdogs on her pattern covers. Are you placing her now? lol She is also well known, and beloved, for her two fantastic rulers "Fit To Be Geese" and "Fit To Be Square", both essentials for every quilter, in my opinion.
Well, Monique has had an excellent year! She debuted a gorgeous line of fabric called Olde World Style. My dear friend Thelma made a quilt with Monique's fabrics, called Olde World Stars. If you are a regular reader of Thelma's blog, Cupcakes 'n' Daisies, you may have seen it. This is Thelma's picture of her quilt.
Well, the exciting news is, the marvelous and talented Monique is coming out with a new book, and has invited Lisa, Thelma and I to do a book tour on our blogs! The three of us, plus Monique will be doing a month of periodic posts on quilts from her new book, "Fat Quarter Winners". You are going to love this new book.
Being a lover of scrappy quilts, I am thrilled that there is a new book on the subject of using fat quarters for making quilts. Monique is a firm believer in using one's stash, so in her book, you will find a ton of ideas on using up that gorgeous fabric you all have on hand that deserves (yes, deserves!) to be made into a quilt. (Your fat quarters are all calling out "Pick me, Pick ME", can't you hear them?)
The book tour will start on Monday, April 4, and we promise you a month of new ideas, tutorials, information and inspiration!
In closing today's post, I would like to say something about the designers, patterns, books, fabric and tools that from time to time I endorse on my blog. In the past week there has been some chatter in Blogland about individuals possibly being "on the payroll" of the companies or individuals they praise. Well, I am not on anyone's payroll, and in fact, do not know anyone who is! Sometimes I wish I were, but nope, nobody is funding me to say nice things about them. Quilt related goodies are not raining from heaven down on my house, I can promise you. I am absolutely sincere about anything I rave about here. Any person or product I review will be written in my own words, from my own heart. With very few exceptions, all items will have been purchased with my own meager funds. If I like something, I will tell you why and how, and show you lots of pictures of why it works for me. And I hope you know me well enough by now, to realize that if I don't care for something, I will be honest about that as well.
