I was starting to get calls from people saying where are you at? There is nothing new on the blog!! Sorry. I have been playing hooky. With the warm weather and the gardening and now the apples are coming in I just got side tracked. But I haven’t forgotten my promise to you to continue to bring you new and unique products.

I do have one thing I would like to share with you. It’s something sad that also caused me to delay from writing on the blog. August 25th my faithful companion Nico, a beautiful German Shepard, died. That morning she was with me in my sewing room. I was designing a new block for Quiltmaker Magazine 100 blocks series that will come out in 2011. I looked at her and said, “I should name this block after you”. She tilted her head like to say, “ya mom that would be great”! It’s a star and she is one of the stars in my life so I thought it would be appropriate. That evening she was sitting at my feet and she had a seizure. Before I could get her to my veterinarian she died. My veterinarian said it was a blood clot to the lung or heart. My husband, my other dog Mystic, and I have been sad for her leaving but are happy that she decide when to go and that we were with her. By the way, the new block is named “Nico’s Star”. I think she would love it!

Let me touch on one product I did find for you. Carol Doak’s Foundation Sheets by C&T Publishing. I have used these myself. You can use them in most inkjet or laser printers or copy machines. No shrinking, curling, or turning brittle! And the best thing is it tears away easily! What makes it different is it is lightweight so, it won’t create bulk. It’s absorbent so less ink transfer where you don’t want it. And it’s non-coated so fabric won’t slip on it! It comes in 100 sheet package for around $10.00. Check it out! See you later, Teresa

1.  Send us a jpg image of your favorite quilt that you have made in the last few years. Include your name, your city and state, and the name of your quilt or your design.  Note: Let us know if you are willing (or not willing) to have us show your quilt on our blog and/or facebook page in December.  Send your image and information to contest@jwdpublishing.com by December 6, 11:59 PM, PST. 

OR

2.  Go to our JWD Publishing Pattern page. Select your top 3-5 favorite pattern quilts. (To see enlarged views, click on selected quilt images.) Besides giving us your top picks, we would love to hear what you most like about your top quilt picks. Just leave a comment on this post with your selections by 11:59 pm PST on Sunday, December 6th, 2009, and we will pick a random winner!  Please make sure to leave a valid email address (so we can contact you if you win). Here’s our contest rules.

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.

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.

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!

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