We are so excited about our new “Summertime” fabric collection for Henry Glass & Co. The idea behind the collection is that summer is a busy time for everyone, what with soccer, baseball, gymnastics, vacations, etc. I wanted to design a collection that included prints that were large enough to stand on their own with no appliqué and still make an interesting quilt. That way, if you are on the go all the time, you can still make a simple pieced quilt that is interesting to look at with a contemporary feel.

We included a little black and gray in our palette this time and love the result! We have lots of ideas and projects planned for this fun line. One of them is a month to month appliqué sampler.

If you start the quilt when the fabric arrives, you will finish it just in time for summer!
Stay tuned for updates as our fabric arrives!

And, by all means, ask for this line at your local quilt shop!
For more information on Barbara Jones or her different patterns...Check out her website at http://www.quiltsoup.com/

HG Designer Kim Diehl Blogs for us this Summer!

A big summer “hello” to everyone! This is the time of year when I usually want to be out in my garden more than I want to be inside sewing, but since receiving my Along the Fence fabrics, I’ve had to dig deep for enough will power to wander outside and water my poor flowers!

My college-age daughter, Katie, came home for a visit recently and she couldn’t wait to dive into the pile of prints when she saw them. Before I knew it, we were hip-deep in craft projects! In addition to re-covering some of her bulletin boards, we made her a simple but WAY cute earring hanger for her wall.
Here’s how we did this: First, we purchased a frame and removed the glass and all the parts and pieces. Next, we used the backing to cut a piece of foam core board to size, and then cut a piece of quilt batting and green print 5337-66 to be about 3-4” larger than the foam core board. We wrapped the layered green print and batting over the sides of the foam core board snugly, anchoring them in place to the back of the board using a hot glue gun along the edges. We knotted lengths of 1 1/2”-wide purple ribbon and positioned them over the front of the fabric, again anchoring them to the back of the board with hot glue. To keep the lengths of ribbon sturdy, we wiggled straight pins into the ribbon knots to hide them, angling the pin points between the layers of the foam core board. Last, we re-assembled the frame with the covered board and backing, and added earrings.

I hope this will inspire you to whip up some fun little projects (and maybe even some quilts) of your own!

Kim ~

For more information on Kim or to see her other designs check out her website: http://www.kimdiehl.com/