JWD Publishing Blog

“Happiness in a Block” was the block I submitted to Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Edition. I was so excited when it was one of the ones to be choosen to be in the magazine. The block is paper pieced and easy to make.

I designed this block with my mother in mind. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer three years ago. She always celebrated every holiday and made them so special for my family. On our birthday, even as an adult, she always made a “big deal” about it.

What better way to celebrate her life and all the wonderful memories but to put them all in one block. To me “Happiness in a Block” looks like a “birthday present”. Just like one that my mother would have given to me. So I called it “Happiness in a Block”.

I hope you love making it and I hope you check out all the other beautiful blocks in the Quilter’s 100 Blocks magazine. Until then, keep quilting.

We are excited to be one of the stops for the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour!  We hope you have been following the tour all week long.  Look at the bottom of this post for another chance to win a copy of Quiltmakers’ 100 Blocks.

Stars upon Stars:
Because I love stars, I find myself designing lots of star blocks. My plan for this block was to create a design with slender, elongated star points, which could provide a sense of delicacy and dimensionality. Wanting understated beauty, I selected fabrics in muted hues. I used silk fabrics for my stars, although I do not recommend it. I found it a technical challenge to have clean, sharp points with the silk I used, which had a mind of its own. Hint: Using a dry iron with silk star points is a must.

     I have been creating quilts and textile art since the early 1970s. Currently, I find my time taken up with teaching and lecturing; writing books, particularly about color and design; creating quilts and textile art; and being the owner of the pattern company JWD Publishing.

Another chance to win a copy of 100 Blocks!
Just leave a comment on this post by 10:00 pm PST on Sunday, November 15th, 2009, and we will pick a random winner!  It doesn’t matter what you write, just make sure to leave a valid email address (so we can contact you if you win). Here’s our contest rules.

Make sure to visit the 100 blocks blog tour, as they have some great giveaways going on.  Also, look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.

Also, make sure to join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jwdpublishing.

To celebrate two of our designers (Joen Wolfrom and Teresa Fields) being in 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers, we are giving away a free copy to one of our blog readers. 

Just leave a comment on this post by Thursday, November 12th, 2009 PST, and we will pick a random winner!  It doesn’t matter what you write, just make sure to leave a valid email address (so we can contact you if you win).

Here’s our contest rules.

Make sure to keep following the 100 blocks blog tour!

Quiltmaker Magazine is celebrating the release of 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers by hosting a blog tour Nov 9-13.  We encourage you to visit the blog tour each day this week for inspiration, ideas, and giveaways galore! Check out today’s kickoff post for the featured designers and information on their block giveaway

Also, look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.