Complimentary Sparkle Patterns! (and the APQ Quilt Along)

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Amanda Murphy — Leave a comment

Hi everyone,
Sparkle is starting to ship to stores in March so I thought I’d post the free patterns for this collection. (Click on the captions to have them sent to your email or you can also link to them on the sidebar of my blog or on the downloads page.)

Sparkle_complimentary panel_wallhangingNEW_1000 — Sparkle Sampler

Both of them use the Sparkle panel, but different parts of it so you can make both with one cut, plus yardage. There will even be a couple of blocks left over to make placemats or other small gifts! Oh – here is the Sparkle panel so you can take a peek….

For those of you who are new here, I also wrote up a free pattern for my Sparkle Embroidered gift bags.

And the other Sparkle patterns are in my shop.

And for those of you who are participating in the APQQuiltAlong – isn’t it fun? I haven’t started quilting but I did manage to get my Easy Addition Sparkle blocks (pattern in the most recent issues of Quilts and More) pieced together. It was super-fast-and-easy – so much so it felt like I must be cheating!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Happy quilting!

Amanda

APQ Quilt Along 2016: Part 2

Posted on February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 by Amanda Murphy — 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you guys know that the instructions are now on newsstands for all three quilts in the APQ Quilt Along. They can be found in the current issues of Quilts and More and American Patchwork & Quilting.

I made some progress on my Easy Addition quilt (featured in Quilts and More actually) earlier this week. I’m sewing it in Sparkle, my holiday line for Benartex – which should arrive in stores in March/April. (If you are working on this project remember to follow along on Instagram using the hashtag #APQQuiltalong !

APQ_photo3_favoritecolors — My favorite Sparkle color combination…

APQ_photo2_favoritecolors — I like it so much I made it twice!

APQ_photo5_favoritecolors — Another favorite…

APQ_photo8_wreaths — But maybe I just like the wreaths?

Easy Addition is made in such a clever manner – all four outer corners are cut from one simple square-in-a-square block which you pre-piece and then cut. Which means, if you are using directions prints, that you get all four corners with the prints oriented in the right direction automatically!

Also this year in APQ they are running a quilting series where Angela Walters, Leah Day, and I all show you ideas for quilting a particular block. This month it is the split rail fence. Fun to see that everyone comes up with something very different and unique!

Finally, a lot of people have been joining our Free-Motion Quilting Idea facebook group, which is awesome! We are talking about all things quilting over there. I try to loosely screen membership requests to make sure are all quilters or at least crafters so, if your membership request hasn’t been accepted, chances are that you might need to change your settings so I can see something about you – or message me so I know who you are. If your feed is in another language that is ok, but just make sure that I can see some pictures or posts that indicate your interests so I can tell you aren’t a spammer, ok?

Also, I had so much interest in my last quilting tutorial on swirl feathers that I’ll be working another free quilting tutorial for you all in time for Valentine’s Day – stay tuned!

So that is it – I hope you all have a wonderful week and get in a few minutes of sewing along the way!

Happy quilting!

Amanda

APQ Quilt Along 2016: Part 1

Posted on January 20, 2016January 30, 2016 by Amanda Murphy — Leave a comment

Hi guys,

Have you heard? It is time for the APQ Quilt Along for 2016! This year plus-sign quilts are all the rage and I was thrilled to be asked to join in on the fun! You can choose from one of three projects – appearing in the new Quilts and More issue on newsstands this week and the April issue of APQ, on newsstands February 2nd but shipping to subscribers before then.

But they said that we could give sneak peeks so I thought I’d show you this lovely quilt called Easy Addition, which was designed by Brenda Ratliff and will appear in the new addition of ~~APQ~~ Quilts and More.

Makes you want to quilt along, right? Me too!

I really loved all three options, but I chose this one because it was perfect for my Sparkle collection for Benartex, which has lots of bright colors plus a fun white and aqua print – it ships to stores in March/April. Easy Addition is super easy to piece. It is rather large, so I’m going to make a version with half the blocks – 24 – so I’ve chosen 12 of my favorite small quarters, plus the white/aqua blender for the background.

EasyAddition_1B — These are my fat quarter fabrics for the blocks…

EasyAddition_1C — … and the stripe in the lower right is for the binding.

For more information you can visit APQ’s site. I hope you all will join in! The more the merrier – it will be fun to see all the different variations of plus-sign quilts! Remember to post pictures using the hashtag #APQQuiltalong on Instagram!

Happy quilting!

Amanda

P.S. On the frame right now I’m quilting this Carina version for the Free-Motion Quilting Idea Sampler Facebook Group. There are really some spectacular versions of this quilt in all different fabrics going on there – be sure to join us!