Desire to Inspire - the October contest is now requesting a Challenger!

Where the crossroads meet at rustic natural surroundings and the luxury of living the good life, you have arrived at Moose Lodge.  The Moose Lodge fabric collection is born from the imagination of Jan Shade Beach, one of the most prolific designers of Henry Glass. 

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

Inspired by the Moose Lodge collection? We want you to put your name in the hat for this month's challenge? Comment on this blog post. You MUST put your email in the comment, so we can contact you. These comments will not be published. 

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 "Moose Lodge" fabrics shown above.

5. YOU make something AWESOME during the month of October, 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, a profile with some quilt pictures (and a real name) helps. Enter by commenting with something you have done before. We will not post your emails, or links on the site, it will remain private. We just want to get a flavor of how inspiration strikes you!  

Design to Inspire - September Challenger Laura Piland

Meet our September Challenger: Laura Piland!

My husband and I grew up in the same town in Kansas and met in high school just before he left for basic training in the United States Air Force. He served four years, and was stationed in Kansas for the same amount of time. Then we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for his job. I taught middle school math for most of the time we lived there. I loved it! Math has always been my favorite subject!
Also while living in Las Vegas, I got an inkling to make a quilt for a friend after she had a baby. I had sewn a little bit as a kid, but never made a quilt. I used internet tutorials and YouTube videos to teach myself everything I needed to know! I also called my mom and grandma for quite a bit of advice! That first quilt was made six years ago. As soon as it was finished, I started another. And another. And…I was hooked!

About four years ago, we decided we wanted to move somewhere with lots of trees. We also wanted to move to a small town and start a family. Those desires led us to Mountain Grove, a small town in southwest Missouri. Since moving here, we have had two boys. The oldest is now 3 ½ and the youngest is 1 ½. I am currently staying at home with them. This new challenge of dealing with toddlers has led to much more quilting! I like to say quilting is to me what fishing is to my husband! It keeps me sane!

Sweet Hexie Pillow with Sew Bee It! Collection

Mountain Grove is about an hour away from the “big city” of Springfield, Missouri. The area is referred to as the Ozarks. There are lots of trees and hills, called the Ozark Mountains. We live on a small farm about ten minutes into the country. The dirt road that leads to our house has trees covering several parts of the road. The days just started to get cooler this week, and I am really looking forward to the leaves changing colors! On the way to our house, there are five low water bridges. I had never heard of those before moving here!

Basically, they are concrete patches in the road where the creek flows right over the road. So we drive through the creek five times on the way to our house! During a heavy rainstorm, the water level in the creek becomes too high to pass through. The rest of time, my boys like when we drive fast through the water to make big splashes! Oh, the life with boys!

Pillows and Quilt with Sew Bee It!

Mini Quilted Books

In the six years since I started quilting, I’ve made 79 quilts! 38 of those this year! I’ve made mini quilts, mini mini quilts, table toppers, table runners, baby quilts, and large quilts too. I sometimes make things other than quilts, but I always go back to quilting. In 2014, I wanted to make 14 quilts in 2014, but I didn’t hit that goal. So I changed it to 15 quilts in 2015 – and ended up making 27! I think I’m well on my way to my 16 quilts in 2016 goal too! Ha!

 (You can see all my quilt finishes on my blog!)

Sew Bee It! Quilt Close-up

I don’t really have a set style or type of quilt that I love. However, I really love trying new things! I rarely make the same quilt twice. I always seek out new techniques and short cuts. I don’t want to waste the precious sewing time I get! I tend to like more modern quilting designs, but I don’t limit myself! I’m always willing to learn something new!



I sew almost exclusively on my vintage Bernina 930 Record. I bought it just after starting my first quilt. I quickly realized the “just in case” hand-me-down machine I had was causing more frustration than it was worth! I use my Bernina to piece and quilt. I have a walking foot for straight-line quilting and a darning foot for free motion quilting. I’m not sure I could trade it for any other machine! I love it!

 Finished Quilt with Sew Bee It! Collection

This year, I discovered that writing quilt patterns feeds my love of math and teaching! I have written a few patterns and will be releasing some more very soon! It is a goal of mine to teach quilting classes at quilt shops or quilt guilds one day!

Sew Bee It! Apron 

The online quilting community has really helped me find my “tribe!” I love connecting with quilters all over the world! I’d love to “meet” you and get to know you too! You can find me around the web on Facebook, Instagram, Ello, Pinterest, and of course, my blog. I like to share the stories behind the quilts I make along with behind the seams photos. In fact, I have a blog post up about my Desire to Inspire Challenge with lots of behind the seams photos!

Sew Bee It! Weaving Pillow

Facebook: Slice of Pi Quilts - http://www.facebook.com/sliceofpiquilts/
Instagram: @sliceofpilife - http://www.instagram.com/sliceofpilife/
Ello: @sliceofpilife - http://ello.co/sliceofpilife
Pinterest: Slice of Pi Quilts - http://www.pinterest.com/sliceofpiquilts/
Blog: http://sliceofpiquilts.blogspot.com/

I have truly enjoyed the Desire to Inspire challenge this month! I still have a fabric panel and some other fabrics left over, so be sure to keep an eye out for more projects from this fabric line! Thank you Henry Glass & Co. for the opportunity to work with these beautiful fabrics!

Let's Get Quilting 2016 - Quilt Camp by Barbara Jone of QuiltSoup

In case you missed this, here is a great interview with Barbara Jones who designed this cute Quilt Camp collection. We are giving away a 6 pc. bundle this week, which is a mix of some of these styles.

Let's Get Quilting - 2016 Quilt Camp by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup

Let's Get Quilting 2016 - McAnderson's Farm - 13 pc bundle giveaway

Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle has designed this cute farm line, and all the barnyard is here!   This collection, called McAnderson's Farm is for all animal lovers, but especially those of us that hold dear memories of farm experiences in our younger years.

Let's Get Quilting - 2016 McAnderson's Farm 13 pc bundle

Here's your favorite fabrics that are SHIPPING RIGHT NOW into your favorite quilt store...

We have two big events in the marketing of fabrics here at Henry Glass. The first big event is when new collections are released to the shops. That is so fun, and our next major event is coming up in just three weeks - which is the Fall 2016 release. 

The second major event is when fabric ships into your local quilt shop, and you can FINALLY go get the cute things you've seen us post about, use for giveaways or see the designers reference.  Now, granted, we ship new collections out every single month. But some months are just bigger and better than others. 

So to give you the low-down, here are just a few of the Henry Glass collections that are currently showing up in your local quilt shop:                                     

"Modern Tyke" is a fun and on-trend juvenile line from the collaborating team of Kim Diehl and her daughter Molly!   There are two spins on the collection, one being more of a 'baby' palette with softer tones, and the other a 'tot' spin on the same designs with a palette for active youngsters.   This modern collection has baby geos, birds, arrows, and words for the modern mom. Do not miss this offering from the talents of the Diehl mother and daughter team. 

"I Love You This Much" is a whimsical dinosaur novelty line from another mother-daughter team, Leanne Anderson and her daughter Kaytlyn of The Whole Country Caboodle. We interviewed Leanne on this blog in February and at that time we had just launched this collection and she and Katylyn were very excited about the warm reception from quilt shop owners.  "Dinosaurs are a timeless icon, they just don't go away," said Leanne. "Whimsical or real, it was our twist on the designs that they would portray a positive message of love even through the eyes of a funny dinosaur."

“Savannah Garden” is the latest collection in the “Reflections of the South” series designed by Mary Ellen Von Holt of Little Quilts.  Savannah Garden is a tribute to the lavish gardens that graced the southern landscape. This fabric collection depicts beautiful floral designs and paisley prints reminiscent of fabrics from an earlier era. The line is created in a palette of vanilla, spa blue, Prussian blue, with accents of honey and soft red. There’s a wonderful toile fabric illustrating song birds, camellia flowers and the Cherokee rose. The Cherokee rose is the state flower of Georgia. Savannah Garden is the seventh in the series which included: Roswell Mill, Tanyard Creek, Whittier Crossing, Hampton Farm,  Pheasant Run,  and Touch of Baltimore.

That's just a sneak peak of what is in stores now waiting for you the next time you stop in. These collections are also arriving now, so go check them out!

Quilt Camp by Barbara Jones at QuiltSoup

See Bee It by Shelly Comiskey

Journey to Versailles by Mary Jane Carey of Holly Hill Quilt Designs

Let's Get Quilting 2016 with Score! a 9 pc bundle giveaway contest!

Get a fresh new look to your projects with this soccer themed sports fabric designed by First Blush Studio. Enter to win a 9 pc SCORE! bundle.

Let's Get Quilting - 2016 Score! by First Blush Studio

Martha Walker of Wagons West Designs shows off projects to make with "A Prairie Journal" Collection

Martha Walker has put the heat on! Literally! Without air conditioning in her house during this summer, she has been quilting up some beautiful pieces using fabric from her latest collection, "A Prairie Journal" which is arriving into quilt shops any day now!

Martha uses a 'strippy vine' applique technique that she generously shares the tips to make on her blog; WagonsWestDesigns.com or find the instructions HERE on the Henry Glass website.

See the whole A Prairie Journal collection, and grab a couple of these amazing free projects HERE.