…my randomly drawn winner is Jan, living in the Hills of Kentucky. Jan - please read this post and send me your email so I can send you your prize. I could figure out on your Blogger profile that you are a grandma with three daughters and seven granddaughters, and you are quilting together with your teenage grand girls. So I think in this household a fatquarterbundle of the modern Sphere prints will be used up at once :-)

To all the other lovely participants: Thank you so much for being my guests, reading my blog and taking your time to comment! I hope you enjoyed this blog hop and the inspiration from the different designers! I appreciate your encouraging words for my work always!

Spell it with fabric – Moda Designer blog hop

Welcome to the SPELL IT WITH FABRIC Blog Hop! Have you followed all letters so far? If not then you really should go back to check out the ones you’ve missed. Today's posts will be the lasts but not the leasts: X & Z and “special characters”.

Barbara Brackman - http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/
Zen Chic - http://www.farbstoff-bridge.blogspot.com
Gina Martin - http://www.patternandhue.com

During this entire hop you not only have learned some fun things about all of us designers but you are also provided with all the letters of the alphabet as you go and enter to win some amazing giveaways in the process.

I wished my letter would have been B for Brigitte or just H for Heitland. But one had to find someone for Z I assume and seems I had to sacrifice with my ZEN brand ;-)
So my letter is....  Z. I guess it cannot get more challenging than that! There are so few words in the English language which begin Z, let alone words which would allow me to introduce you a little bit to my world. Luckily, my native German offers slightly more options, so I am going to treat you to a quick German lesson.

What are your initials? B. H.

My favorite quilt block- is of course now the Z-block from the Moda Alphabet, no question on this!


My favorite memory about school.... “Zehnerpause”, the recess which occurs around 10:00 a.m. in most elementary and secondary schools.

My favorite book, movie or television show starting with your letter… “Zufällig verheiratet” – “The Accidental Husband”, a romantic comedy. What’s not to love about a romantic comedy.

I love quilting because...  “Zahlreiche Möglichkeiten” – numerous possibilities. I don’t think I will ever run out of ideas.

What if everyday was a holiday?... “Zeit” – Time. I would have all the time in the world. And that’s a big dream for all quilters.

Is there an object, tool or anything that you cannot work without?…  “Zirkel” – a circle. You know, many of my designs use these curved shapes.

Do you have a quote or motto you live ( or work) by?…  “Ziel” – goal. I love to work towards a goal.

Something I like...“Zitronenlimonade” – lemonade

Somewhere I have been... “Zürich” – Zurich

Somewhere I want to go... “Zypern” – Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sunshine! Water!

Someone I know... “Zollbeamter” – custom official. Actually, I know my local custom official better than I care to. I often have to pick up shipments from America and pay customs duty.
To get the pattern for my favorite Z block, click here.

I made the Z out of the dotted print of my current collection SPHERE, a range of fabrics which has the sense of fresh, blue air, white clouds around a warming sun, whispering of Spring days just around the corner.


To give you the same feeling which inspired me I have a little eye-candy for you – a video. I prepared this video actually for my Quilt Market presentation which ended in a kind of disaster – don’t ask!
I ordered all the audio-video-equipment for a fortune and it wasn’t there in time!!!! Can you imagine! I mean I was refunded in the end, but what a disappointment, when preparing hours for hours and then your audience is eagerly waiting and you have – nothing, but two quilts in your hands and the courage to make the best from that situation.
Well – now you have the opportunity to see my presentation. It had to be scaled about nearly 10 min duration, but I guess most of you like it a little bit shorter. So just skip the intro ( a spectacular sphere metamorphose I borrowed from Ion Lucin) and jump forward to minute 2:40 when the actual fabric video starts.

Back to the essential of this blog post: Our giveaway! (YEAH!)

I hope you have got lots of ideas how to use all these fresh fabrics

and now maybe you would like to have your own FQB???? Do I hear: Yes, give me, pick me, here I am! What do I have to do to win?


To be into the drawings that will be held on the last day of the HOP on February 28 you just follow Zen Chic on facebook by becoming a fan and if you haven’t so far, subscribe to this blog. So I can keep you updated with all new info!

Charm Pack Cherry Fun

at Fatquartershop.com

So many lovely fabric collections at your quilt shop you just can’t resist. And then those appetizing charm packs in the shelves.
A quick and simple idea for a weekend project is always welcome – for a throw, a baby quilt or maybe with a thinner batting for a table cloth…
Voilà – fatquartershop gives you a free downloadable pattern using – as the name reveals – two charm packs and some solid. What I really love about: I can just buy my favorite collection in a bundle, I can even mix two related collections (one Charm Pack of each), I have a precut format which saves me lot of cutting time, the pattern is so easy and quick that I did the entire quilt in one weekend, it looks great although it is simple, all my charms of the bundle are used up, no waste here – this all summed up makes me to want sew another and another and another one: for the couch of my brother, for Mother’s Day, for the birthday of my best friend.

Spend about $30 for the top and a sewing weekend – and a nice quilt is ready – that’s perfect.
A nice group of designers is participating in this “pattern festival” and every designer will show you the quilt in  her current collection. Mine is SPHERE for Moda, a fresh, graphic and modern group with colors ranging from white, grey, blue, turquoise and teal to yellow.

Precuts and yardage from Sphere are already shipped to stores now.
 
So where to get the miraculous pattern? Find the free download right here. Grab your assortment of fabrics, your ruler, rotary cutter and your cutting mat, and off you go.

And tataaa! Here is the Sphere Charm Pack Cherry version!

The backside of the quilt shows you how we used up some of the leftovers and added them to a piece of solid – so we have a kind of reversible quilt. We used an oll over pantho as quilting, a graphic rectangle spiral.

For those of you, who are new to quilting and love to have some guidance – here is a wonderful video showing exactly step by step how simple to sew this quilt is.

You sew together all the squares and get – tataaaa! – your (Sphere) version of the Charm Pack Cherry quilt.

 

There are so many different appealing fabric groups available as Charm Packs – it will be hard to choose. But all make this pattern a success!

  

I guess now your fingers itch just thinking about this – so why not click below to get a super deal? This week (only) Fatquartershop offers a 20% discount on all Charm Pack! (psst – spread this to your best friend)

Happy Quilting and Enjoy!

Fatquatershop introduces SPHERE with an interview about my inspiration for this line

 

This is FatQuartershop’s introduction of my current line and all their Questions, my Answers ;-)

picture source: Fatquartershop

Q: Tell us a little about the Sphere collection. What were you inspired by?
A: I often get inspired by images, objects, or even household items. In this case it was an assortment of china which caught my attention with its combination of blue, yellow, turquoise, and white colors. It gave me a springtime feeling, like when you see a bright blue sky dotted with white clouds and stretched over a field of daffodils. Or a dish of clotted cream on a table set with white linen and blue china. The mood is light and playful, the colors are clean and crisp, and the hues are clear and with medium weight. With these elements in place, I created a number of related designs that would work well together as a “fabric family”. I always aim to include a number of graphic designs in a variety of scales in my collections.

Q: What is your design process when beginning a new collection?
A: Once I have an initial impulse for a collection, the design process often takes on a dynamic of its own. In the case of Sphere, the spacious and expansive quality of the color scheme soon sent me into outer space. I had visions of space shuttles and even the Milky Way. And in this way the designs for the Sphere came about. The circle became the dominant shape for the collection and gave rise to other designs base on round objects such as balls, dots, and so on. The mood and overall feel also contributed to the design process. It made me emphasize things that are light, breezy, or reminiscent of the sky in springtime. In this way the Wind Flower print was born.

 

Q: What design trends are you currently exploring?
A: I am currently exploring chalk on blackboard and related color schemes, because they seem to be popping up in all kinds of places these days. This is actually not a new color scheme for me, because as luck would have had it, I have used similar colors in previous collections and they turned out to become my favorite designs. I must have been somewhat ahead of a trend which is now catching up with me. So it is with a sense of great affirmation that I am now revisiting this particular color scheme to see what else one could do with it.

Q: What projects do you hope to see made with Sphere?
A: My quilt designs tend to have a close affinity to modern art, and therefore I am always pleased when quilts from my collection end up as the center piece of a room - either as a day cover for a bed or a wall hanging. But as a designer I am also mindful of my clients’ need to mix and match and I seek to give them a variety of fabrics which they can take in many different directions. Since the original impulse for “Sphere” was an assortment of china, it would lend itself especially well for a table setting, either as a table cloth or as quilted place mats with coordinated napkins. At the same time, the light and playful features of the collection make it also a great choice for children’s clothing.

Q: How do you describe your style and how has it evolved over the years?
A: My style tends to be elegant, sophisticated, and urban. My preference runs towards clean lines and a minimalistic pattern, to which I add a bit of playfulness so that it is not too severe. I have a tendency to create designs for stand-alone pieces, but since each collection has a large variety in scale and hues, my clients can take the fabrics in all kinds of directions. I am often pleasantly surprised by the creations they come up with. When I began designing I had a somewhat more traditional approach and was more focused on learning the craft for myself

Q: What is your most memorable quilt project to date?
A: It’s hard to pick just one. In each collection there is at least one which has become a favorite. There is the “London Tube” of the Juggling Summer collection, with its little bands of color that sparkle like jewels on an evening dress. Then there is “You Rule” of the Comma collection, where circles and stripes interact and create an unusually striking design. I will always have a special affection for this one! And more recently I created “Shine Through” for the Barcelona collection, where bright colors peek out from a dark background like hidden gems. A little bit like the hidden talents (and sometimes not so hidden!) talents of the many amazing quilters which I am meeting all over the world.

 

Moda Blog Hop – Spell It With Fabrics

During our last Quilt Market the motto for all of us Moda Designers was SPELL IT WITH FABRIC. Each of us was assigned to a particular letter, which we designed a block for. At the end all blocks made a sampler quilt.

In this blog hop each designer will introduce her block, tell a bit of her story around this letter and provide you with the sewing instructions.
Following the entire blog hop will give you all the letters of the alphabet for a beautiful sampler quilt.

But even better – each of us has a goodie for you to win! Don’t miss you chance to have beautiful quality fabrics for a gorgeous new project!

Get your blocks, take your chance to win and learn more about the person behind the fabric line.

For the complete list of participating Designer blogs and blog hop information, visit Moda’s Spell it with Fabric page.

If you are following along and creating your very own Spell It with Fabric Quilt, be sure to add thebanner image to your sidebar and link it to http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/p/spell-it-with-fabric-designer-blog-hop.html

And we love you to share your progress and finished quilts using #spellitwithmoda with your choice of social media.

Start for the first blogs to visit today and hop over to

American Jane - http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/
Aneela Hoey - http://comfortstitching.typepad.co.uk
Bunny Hill - http://bunnyhillblog.com/
Cotton Way - http://cottonway.blogspot.com/

I’m not a B – you will guess it – i’m the Z.
So stay tuned for a great bundle of new Sphere fabrics and find my giveaway on the 27th of February!