Let's Get Quilting - Happy New Year and "Ta-Da!" an 8 pc bundle giveaway!

It's a story for those of us who believe in fairy tales. A story of the charming princess and the magical frog. If only kissing that frog would really work! Just say the magic words, "Ta-Da!" and this happily ever after could be yours. Here are the images from the collection. 8 pieces, including the panel are included in the bundle. Happy New Year!

Let's Get Quilting! 8 pc Ta-Da bundle from designer Dana Brooks

Desire to Inspire - The December Challenge by Victoria Steel

Here is an account from Victoria Steel, our December Challenger, of what the month has been like immersed in the Desire to Inspire Challenge! 

December's Challenge: "Clean Living" 

It has been a crazy - but fun - month.

I found the Henry Glass “Desire to Inspire” post via a link from a pattern designer I had been following.

The variety of Challengers and their projects was amazing, and I kept thinking “what would I have done as the Challenger?” - but I didn’t put my hat into the ring.

When the December “Clean Living” Challenge was released, I could no longer resist (I have a fondness for mid-century modern and “Jetson-style” atomic design). I gave myself a pep talk and sent an email to Henry Glass with some photos of works-in-progress. Over the weekend I played with ideas and kept a hopeful eye on my inbox. On Monday, within minutes of the invite, I ecstatically accepted - and settled into a month-long state of nervous excitement (occasionally bordering on mild panic).

Co-workers, friends, and family were all tireless cheerleaders and I set up a Facebook page to provide them updates - and keep me accountable. One of the most useful things about challenges is that it gives you boundaries. Like many creatives, I find that the possibilities - the “playing” with colors, and fabrics, and design, can be endless - and often not conducive to actually completing anything (even if it is somewhat meditative and just plain fun - I often joke that I don’t finish anything unless there is a baby or a wedding on the way). This challenge had a bundle of beautifully-coordinated fabrics (Henry Glass kindly included extra cream for the background) and a deadline.

December may not be the easiest (or wisest) month for accepting a challenge, but luckily, I was not traveling over the holidays and was done with my shopping (I usually gift audiobooks or online classes). An intense few weeks of designing, sewing prototypes, re-designing and getting feedback (and cheering on) followed.

Christmas Day was cold, snowy and very windy (pretty average for a Wyoming winter) - perfect for a sewing day. By the evening I was the satisfied architect of a finished “Clocks and Pots” quilt top, inspired by the spiky clocks and enamelware of the period.

Here is a picture of the quilt with hour and minute hands that will be added after quilting. (And no, my kitchen counters are never really this uncluttered.)

This week my top will be off to Rambling Rose Quilt Shop for longarm quilting and I will be catching up on chores and laundry. When it returns and the weather settles (perhaps by June) I will take a better picture outdoors.

I still have some fabrics left over and I am thinking about making a table runner with just the stock pots and maybe some smaller spice canister blocks (I’m already playing with a design).

I did promise some fabrics to a friend as “payment” for her modeling the fabric bundle opening (she’s envisioning a 50’s style apron with ruffles). Pictures of her theatrics can be found here.

I want to thank Henry Glass so much for the opportunity, the wonderful fabrics, and the chance to stretch my skills and expand my quilt designing experiences. If you have been considering this - do it - you won’t regret a wild, joyful minute of it.

Also this month I launched this website which shows some of my mid-century modern inspiration.

Victoria Steel

Let's Get Quilting Holiday Style with a special holiday bundle from Kim Diehl

We have saved the best for last in this last version of Let's Get Quilting Holiday Style. A great bundle of fabrics from Henry Glass designer Kim Diehl. Who wouldn't love this one? We are giving this holiday giveaway an extra couple days so we can enjoy the holidays with our families, and we sincerely hope that you do too!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Henry Glass.

*Note: to enter this week's giveaway we are asking for all of our faithful blog followers to sign up for an awesome newsletter we are planning for 2017!

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style!

Designer Spotlight: Mary Jane Carey of Holly Hill Quilt Designs

Mary Jane Carey of Holly Hill Quilt Designs

  

Mary Jane Carey will totally admit to being a gypsy. Or a being an original hippie. Or both.

Either way, she has had a fascinating life story that has led her on a path to becoming a fabric designer for Henry Glass & Co., Inc.

Mary Jane started her quilting adventures in Western Massachusetts in 1970. There were no nearby quilt shops or fabric stores in the area.  Mary Jane was determined to quilt, so she bought sheets at the local department store, cut them up, and sewed them together. She learned her basic sewing skills by observing her mother create clothing, but the quilting gene goes way back. 

Her great-grandmother made quilts for the rooming house she owned in Arkansas.

On each of the beds was a handmade quilt for the travelers that stayed there.  Even though Mary Jane never met her great-grandmother, who she was named after, instinctively she knew she wanted to try and follow her great-grandmother's model and create quilts.

The quilting bug caught on. Imagine her excitement when she purchased her first pair of good scissors. Mary Jane still has this same pair of scissors, almost 50 years later.

The Christmas Shoppe was established in 1993 as a once a year retail pop-up in her home. Mary Jane's specialty was a handmade muslin Santa Claus.

She fastidiously created a body out of muslin and made his clothing. Over the years, she adding lots of other products including small quilted projects.  Mary Jane’s love affair with quilts went over the top in 1997.

Mary Jane's experiences lead her to some self-discovery, she had been a natural-born merchandiser all along. Setting up a retail shop once a year just wasn't enough for her, she yearned for more. Currently, her traveling retail store includes 2500 pounds of merchandise; that is then packed and shipped to over 10 - 15 different locations for 3 to 5-day shows all around the country.

This itinerary is just another illustration of her gypsy tendencies.

Mary Jane's early life was also quite the nomadic trail. After graduation from high school in Northern California in the long-romanticized era of Haight-Ashbury and the hippie generation, she met her husband while at her job at the Bank of America.  He had just arrived in Berkeley from Boston and needed to open an account.  From Berkeley, they moved to New Mexico. There was great food, but the desert was not for her. They moved to Boston when their baby girl was six months old.  The relocation continued all around the New England area 27 times in the next 10 years, with a short detour to Nevada for a year.

Though Mary Jane has had many changes of address over her lifetime, she does have strong ties with her family.  Some 47 years later, she still has the same husband, and she has managed to "settle" down, living in the same home for 19 years.

Mary Jane's putting down of roots has allowed her living room to warehouse some 2000 bolts of fabric.  Mary Jane inexhaustible energy and drive are evidence in her 155 traveling days for shows all around the country.

"It is part of my Norwegian upbringing," she says, "I am genetically inclined to be a hard worker."

Several years ago, Lisa Loessel, Design Director, for Henry Glass & Co., Inc. approached Mary Jane Carey at the fall Quilt Market.  Lisa was interested in Mary Jane's design style, her color pallet and merchandising sensibilities. Mary Jane after that received an invitation to design her first fabric collection for Henry Glass. She now had fabric created to compliment the quilt patterns she designed and sold through Holly Hill Quilt Designs.  That was several fabric collections ago. Mary Jane's fabric designs reflect a shabby chic hinging on a romantic style, capitalizing on her sophisticated sense of color.  Her popular collections include Journey to Versailles, Peaceful Garden, Purely Christmas, and most recently Reindeer Magic.

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style 5 pc bundle of Kringle Krossing by Shelly Comiskey

The Holiday Style giveaway of fabulous Christmas season fabrics continues this week with a 5 pc. bundle of Kringle Krossing by Shelly Comiskey. Here are the fabrics from the collection that are in this giveaway.

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style! Kringle Krossing by Shelly Comiskey

We have a challenger for December Desire to Inspire - Meet Victoria Steel

Meet Victoria Steel - December's Challenger

Tune in to this blog at the end of December as our challenger has nearly the whole month to take these fabulous fabrics and create something that has inspired her.

This fabric line, "Clean Living" by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup is shipping into fabric stores now. Victoria was inspired by this collection because she is a fan of mid-century modern design. When we notified her of being accepted as the challenger, she shared a quilt design that she had already started with these fabrics on her software!

Meet Victoria Steel, originally British, she has lived all over the world. She now resides in Cheyenne, Wyoming where she works full time at Laramie County Community College and in her free time enjoys quilting and quilt design.

Let's Get Quilting Holiday Style - 7 pc Tinsel Toes bundle by Dana Brooks

Hope the season is cheerfully upon you! This week's bundle is by Dana Brooks, called Tinsel Toes. It is lively and fun! Just like we hope your December is going too!

Click here to see the entire collection of Tinsel Toes!

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style!

Desire to Inspire - Call for a December Challenger!

Inspired by mid-century modern style?  Strangely drawn to orange chairs?  If so, you could be the lucky challenger to put something together with this collection called "Clean Living" by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup. 

In this month's challenge, you will receive the fabrics shown above, and a nearly whole month to create whatever you want!!! Plus you get to keep them when you're done!  

Are you inspired? We want you to put your name in the hat for this month's challenge! Comment on this blog post or email vanessa@jaftex.com.

PLEASE REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! We will pick someone on Monday!!  

This is how it goes: 

1. YOU sign up below with your email or blog name to this post.

2. WE pick a winner. 

3. YOU send us your address.

4. WE send you the "Clean Living" fabrics shown above.

5. YOU make something AWESOME during the month of December, with pictures and your story.

6. WE post it. 

7. YOU keep it. 

*We would like to have challengers show us they can do it. So while you don't need a blog, you may send pics to the email address above, so we can see what inspires you! 

Desire to Inspire - Our November Challenger Cynthia Brunz

Cynthia Brunz 

Desire to Inspire Challenge for November

Desire to Inspire Challenge this month was using the Coffee House collection from Deb Hron. Our challenger Cynthia Brunz accepted the challenge at the beginning of November, and has obviously had a busy, busy month. 

Below you can learn more about Cynthia and see the gorgeous things she has made. Don't forget to leave a comment and give her props for the hard work. Okay, and fun too!

Meet Cynthia Brunz

I live in the beautiful Willamette Valley which is located in western Oregon.  It is green, lush and very muddy this time of year!  I also love to garden so the weather here is perfect for me.  I have quilting to do when it rains and weeds to pull and flowers to pick when the sun shines.

Finished Coffee House Quilt

I feel quite blessed that I make my living and support my household through quilting.  I have an established longarm quilting business, teach classes and just recently I started publishing some of my own patterns.  Even though I work long hours, at the end of every day, I feel like I spent the day playing.  I wish everyone could spend their day doing something they truly love!

On the long-arm getting it's due attention

It is pretty hard for me to choose a favorite style of quilting.  I love traditional quilts and their use and evolution through history.  I think I am always influenced by tradition whether I am doing paper-piecing, applique, simple patchwork, English paper piecing or modern quilting.  I do like to play with scraps.  My philosophy is why use a few fabrics when you can include hundreds of prints in a quilt.  I really like to explore how to use scraps in new and different ways.

 And she has a blog, too! 

Snuggle with a cup of coffee! 

I love to share my quilting adventures on my blog – http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com.  It has been a great way to meet new friends and share my passion.  You can also find links to my patterns and the other social media I use.  I hope you decide to hop over and join me in my journey.  (Check it out on December 2 for a surprise treat for Henry Glass blog readers)

Cute 6.5" x 9.5" oversize mug rugs; enough for coffee AND cookies too! 

It was great fun to play with the Coffee House collection that Debi Hron designed.  I really appreciate Henry Glass Fabrics for giving me the opportunity to work with such wonderful fabrics.  Definitely something I would love to do again in the future!




I really do appreciate this opportunity to play with these fabrics.  I have always loved to come up with fun ideas for using a stack of fabrics.

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style 5 pc. Arctic Antics bundle by Shelly Comiskey of Simply Shelly Designs

This is the season to be JOLLY!  Today's giveaway features the cutest penguins and polar bears you have ever seen!

Here is the one of the prints from the collection to make you say, "awwww."

So enter to win this 5 pc bundle today!

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style! 5 pc Artic Antics bundle by Shelly Comiskey of Simply Shelly Designs

Let's Get Quilting Holiday Style - 7 pc bundle of Holiday Traditions by Jan Shade Beach

We recently featured this collection in our Desire to Inspire feature on the blog. The projects submitted by the challenger, Joanne Hubbard, were so darn cute we are including them here for inspiration of what can be done with the collection up for this week's prize; a 7 pc bundle of Holiday Traditions by Jan Shade Beach.

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style! Holiday Traditions by Jan Shade Beach

Let's Get Quilting - HOLIDAY STYLE! 5 pc bundle giveaway contest!

We have a whole season of holiday bundles that we are filling our sleigh bag with for giveaways on the blog.  Don't miss out a single week between now and Christmas!! We have lots in store for you!

Let's Get Quilting - Holiday Style! Holiday Frost bundle by Jan Shade Beach

Around the Henry Glass Designers Booths at Quilt Market

There is so much to see at Quilt Market in Houston, we hope you didn't miss a thing! In case you didn't get to see the designers of Henry Glass, here they are to give you a quick update on their presence at Quilt Market.

Janet Nesbitt of One S1ster Design at Quilt Market

 

Emily McGlothlen Little Red Hen 

Mary Jane Carey of Holly Hill Designs

Leanne Anderson of The Whole County Caboodle

Julie Love and Brittany Love-Bonda of Stitches of Love

Henry Glass Designers Hold Schoolhouse at Quilt Market

Sad that you couldn't attend Quilt Market? Wondering what the Schoolhouse business is all about?

At Schoolhouse, the designers of Henry Glass each have approximately 15-30 minutes to talk about their new lines, and offer tidbits, ideas or something very informative for shop owners. Henry Glass designers had 4 Schoolhouses on Friday before Quilt Market.

We are including here for you the YouTube links to those four Schoolhouses. You can pay a quick visit to all of them or return here when time permits to view them at your leisure.




Henry Glass Fabrics and Stitches of Love, featuring Julie Love and Brittany Love Bonda


















Henry Glass Designer Mary Jane Carey of Holly Hill Designs




















Henry Glass Designer Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle





















Henry Glass Designer Janet Rae Nesbitt of One Sister Designs














Watch one, watch them all! Have fun! We sure did!

Let's Get Quilting 2016- Kim Diehl's Latest book: Simple Christmas Tidings: Scrappy Quilts and Projects for Yuletide Style!

Just in time for Christmas! You have a chance to win Kim Diehl's latest book -

Simple Christmas Tidings: Scrappy Quilts and Projects for Yuletide Style

In December, the latest Kim Diehl collection, called Katie's Cupboard will be shipping into stores. Take a sneak peak of the collection here.

This book was published earlier this year, and used prints from many of the collections Kim has designed with Henry Glass.  Here are a few projects you will find inside this book:

Let's Get Quilting - 2016 Kim Diehl's book, Simple Christmas Tidings: Scrappy Quilts and Projects for Yuletide Style