The Creative Quilter

2012-01-29T10:09:00.000-06:00

This is a quilt I designed that is not a Black Cat pattern. But it is available as a PDF download at www.quickepatterns.com.

I have a group of GFs (you gotta have good friends) and we all got into "rusting" fabric. That's where you take muslin and some old rusted metal, put them together and sit it out in the sun to set. We had Texas stars, chains, nails, horseshoes - all kinds of stuff. You can see my rusted fabric in the large rectangles in the outer border. I had also purchased some fabulous cowgirl prints from www.oldeamericaantiques.com and really wanted to use them in a project. When my friends saw what I had designed, they wanted to make one too. When you design stuff for other people all day, sometimes it's fun to just do something for yourself.

You can put a pieced picture in every block, but I chose to use the embroidery designs from our Rodeo Stars pattern, enlarge them, and stitch them in the blank blocks. I think it makes a really unique quilt and we all had a blast doing it.

One tip - the cowgirl prints were not washer safe so I dipped them in a color set solution before sewing them up. Let them dry and they're now completely colorfast.

2012-01-12T08:20:00.001-06:00

Come on ladies! It's time to get your embroidery on!!

If you're like me, this time of year I'm itching to start new projects. My brain is screaming - Be creative!! I've gotten a little hooked on Pinterest - a good and a bad thing. They have these darling pillowcases with crocheted edges that I'm dying to try. I also have many embroidery projects waiting for me.

If your brain is screaming at you, you need to try our Afternoon Tea designs. There are 18 teapot designs in this quilt and Judy has put them in a great setting. (http://www.black-cat-creations.com/item_details.php?id=147) I always have a zippy bag with a project going in it. This is a great take along stitchery. We even have the threads in a kit available on our website. We like to use Perle Cotton Size 8 threads. You can't always find all of the colors at Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. So, we've put them all together for you.

Don't like teapots? No problem. We have some other beautiful embroidery patterns on our website that I'm sure you'll love. And if you don't like to hand embroider and machine embroidery is your thing, these designs are also available on a CD. http://www.black-cat-creations.com/item_details.php?id=151

Now, I just need to find the time to sit still and stitch....

2011-12-01T09:47:00.000-06:00

Here's Minay at Houston Quilt Market next to her pattern, The Big Block Quilt, as made by Timeless Treasures from their Wild Ginger collection. It looks like a totally different quilt! I think Minay was just as surprised when she walked past and saw it. Kuddos Minay!!

Here's the original Big Block Quilt done in black, red and white fabrics. Both stunning.

2011-11-28T07:36:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with lots of loved ones and great food. I know I did. My son and his family came in from South Padre Island for the holidays and it was so great to hang out with them and the baby. My grandson is 16 months old and like a shark. He never sits still and is super curious. Loved kissing his sweet little face and making him smile.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas holiday season has begun! The tree and decorations are up and I'm ready to shop. Plus, now I can take out my Christmas quilts and snuggle up with them. This is our Night Before Christmas quilt. It's pretty much our only "holiday" design. We don't usually do many of them. This one came about as a request from a fabric company to use their new collection. It's a pretty simple block using flying geese units. Kinda slick, I think. Anyway, it's going on my couch cause we just got a cold front and my feet are chilly! I think this pattern would be great in an assortment of reds and greens with one stunning border fabric.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday filled with lots of good food and friends. Be sure to take time to sew every day. Amy

Quilt Market 2011

2011-11-04T07:09:00.000-05:00

Quilt market is over and we think it was a great success. We had lots of compliments on our designs and our booth layout. We even had fun wearing our newly designed t-shirts. We had bouncy cat headbands, but decided not to include them in the picture since I want this as our new website pic. All in all, a very successful weekend.

Our Sugar 'n Spice quilt. Notice the yo-yo pillow on the chair. I went a little crazy after having to make so many yo-yos for the quilt and I just continued on to make enough for this cute little pillow.

The completed booth. It's really hard to coordinate the quilts when we have so many different styles and colors. But I think it looks great.

We had this outside wall to also display more quilts, so we put Minay's Love It or Leaf It quilts up. They were very eyecatching.

More finished booth. We like the open layout of a double booth. It allows customers easy access to see the quilts up close.

If you made it to market and visited us - thanks! It's always nice to see our customers. If you couldn't make it to market, please check out our website to see all the great patterns you missed seeing up close and personal.

Amy & Judy

2011-10-06T00:25:00.000-05:00

We're getting ready for fall market in Houston and decided we needed something different to add to our garland surrounding the top of our booth.

So, after many ideas, we came up with these fabric flowers. I think they came out great. We just layered different fabric shapes, tied them together with wire, then painted them with fabric stiffiner. They'll be placed in groups around the garland to add some "zing" to the booth. I hope it works! If you're coming to market, stop by (#2113) and let us know what you think. ~ Amy

2011-09-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

We've been working like dogs getting 13 new patterns ready for market! That's right 13. We'll have a double booth (#2113,15) and we have lots to fill it with. This quilt is one of them. It's Claudia Atchison's "Wild in Texas". She used Texas wildflower fabrics to create this eyecatching quilt. She also used Texture Magic to create the flowers. That gives the flowers a 3-D effect on the quilt. Very cool! That just leaves 1 more quilt to get done and I'm in the home stretch! Stay tuned and I'll post it when it's ready. Amy

2011-08-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

I was in Houma, Louisiana this past weekend for a family reunion and happened across this great quilt shop, Quilting Niche. They had the greatest Saints and LSU quilts and after striking up a conversation with Janelle Moen and Jamie Elfert, discovered they were our pattern, Short Stacks! I didn't even recognize them. The shop was hopping - literally - they had a shop hop going on. They also had these great one piece quilts made up in different colorways. You just had to get a kit before you left.

All in all, a great shop. If you're ever in the area, you need to drop in. And if you're a die hard LSU or Saints fan, you need to order their fabric kits with our pattern!

Quilting Niche
1220 St. Charles St.
Houma, LA 70360
985-876-9077
www.quiltingniche.com

2011-08-16T07:45:00.000-05:00

This quilt, Wingdings, was designed by Judy Dohrman. She used lots of batiks to create these whirling blocks. I think her border design adds alot of interest to the quilt. This pattern will be ready in a couple of weeks.

Cheerios

2011-07-26T07:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a great scrappy quilt from Judy Reynolds. It's called Cheerios. We give you a foundation template and you sew 'n flip till it's covered. Then add light fabrics on each end. That's the block! So simple. I think I'm gonna make a couple of these up and just keep them on hand as baby gifts.

Nancy's Fancy

2011-07-11T19:07:00.001-05:00

Nancy Altsman, one of our guest designers, has designed this gorgeous block of the month quilt. It's also a teaching quilt, which means you'll be learning piecing skills with each block you construct. It would be great for groups or shops to use for a class or just when you get together every month with your quilting friends. Look for it soon on our website.

Fall Patterns

2011-06-27T18:38:00.005-05:00

Cheerios

We've been working hard on lots of new designs. Judy has gone crazy for brights and has come up with the cutest kids quilts we've ever done. I think you'll like them too. Look for them soon on the website. They're in production right now.

Happy Shacks

All 3 of these quilts are great for scraps, jelly rolls, charm packs - well, anything bright for sure!

Cheerios has a foundation block which makes it even easier - a total no brainer!

Short Circuit

Happy Shacks is purely up to your imagination. We give you the basic idea and it's up to you to create a row of wacky houses and trees. It's fabric fun at it's finest.

Short Circuit is just colorful fun. I'm totally in love with dots right now. They're fun and playful and go perfectly

with these colorful designs.

Stay tuned - we have lots more...... Amy

Works in Progress

2011-04-14T08:33:00.001-05:00

These are a couple of projects I'm doing just for ME! Sometimes you just have to stray off the beaten path to get your creativity recharged. I found a 60 degree ruler in my stash of rulers one day and after watching Fons & Porter on TV one morning, began cutting strips from my K. Fassett collection. This is how it ended up. It's still an ongoing project, but I will finish it one day so it can grace the end of my sofa. It's not as challenging as it looks and the ruler really helped alot.

My other project, or obsession, is this hexagon quilt. I say obsession because I can't stop stitching hexagons. They're so addictive. This will be my third hexagon quilt - so be warned. I tried the mylar templates but didn't like how rigid they were. I'm now using the Paper Pieces templates and really like them. If you don't stitch your fabric to the paper and only tack down the corner edges, then you can just pop them out and not have to pull out the basting stitches. A real time saver. This is also a great take along project for car trips and vacations.

I wanted the look of it to be vintage with a modern twist. I used Aunt Grace fabrics for the centers and a black on white print to surround each design.

And, yes, after this one I do have another in mind. Like I said, addictive.

Amy Cotham

New Patterns

2011-03-18T07:45:00.001-05:00

Our 2 newest patterns are hot off the presses! Hot Ziggity, designed by Judy Reynolds, is a simple log cabin style block made in black, white and red fabrics. Very graphic.

Patches of Sunlight, designed by Minay Sirois, looks complicated but is really very simple. Simple star blocks and nine patches are all that make up this beautiful quilt. The challenging part is fabric selection and placement. This quilt blends from light in the center to dark around the edges. Minay used batik fabrics for a rich blended look. Look for them on our website soon.

Happy quilting! Amy

Retreat

2011-02-26T16:41:00.001-06:00

Just spent the most fabulous 5 days on a quilting retreat with 3 of my very best friends. We stayed at the 1890 House in Cedar Hill, TX. A great 2 story 100 year old house with all the amenities. We had the whole house to ourselves! Plus, within walking distance, a totally outfitted sewing cottage. Cutting tables, irons, design walls, microwave, ice box, bathroom - what more could a quilter need?? Oh yea, a vintage 1951 Singer Featherweight!! That's right, I snapped up the cutest little sewing machine I've ever seen. I'm in love!

Plus there was a brand new quilt shop within walking distance, Corner Square Quilts. Thanks Rhonda for all your help and recommendations. You are awesome!

All in all, a great time was had by all. I even got 3 projects finished. I promise pics once they're quilted. More later, Amy

Engagement

2011-02-13T06:34:00.000-06:00

My son, Neil, and his girlfriend, Joni, have just gotten engaged. My family is growing again! Plus, now I have a little more girlpower in the family.

Guess I need to get started on that wedding quilt. Any suggestions??

Tic Tac Sew

2011-02-10T08:05:00.005-06:00

Another new pattern done 'n done!

This one is Tic-Tac-Sew designed by Judy Dohrman. It will be ready in a few weeks and just in time for the Houston Area Shop Hop in March.

Watch the website for availability.

More Claudia

2011-02-01T06:49:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Be sure to check out the Quilter's Showcase blog for more on Claudia's patterns. http://www.quiltersshowcase.com/

New project

2011-01-29T06:25:00.001-06:00

Here's a little preview of a new quilt we're working on. It's called Patches of Sunlight and was designed by Minay Sirois. It should be ready for our Shop Hop here in Houston the end of March.

Free Pattern

2011-01-28T07:34:00.002-06:00

Don't miss this opportunity to win a free pattern.

Claudia's A Bouquet for My Love pattern will be given away to a lucky poster.

Just go to http://www.quiltersshowcase.com/ and follow more of their interview with Claudia.

Interview with Claudia Atchison

2011-01-25T21:38:00.000-06:00

Don't miss the interview Quilterswarehouse is doing with our designer, Claudia Atchison. They'll be making her pattern, Ramblin' Rose and highlighting some of her other wonderful designs.