Because of friendship. . .

It was just over a year ago that I was inspired to make a special gift for my friend, Anne Sutton, over at Bunny Hill. I wanted the gift to be reflective of our friendship, so I began by preparing appliqué pieces for a bunny on a hill holding blooms on a vine. I just happened to have the perfect fabric for a friend that loves pink . . . Aviary (by 3 Sisters for Moda), with it’s beautiful shades of pink, cream and green florals, I couldn't go wrong! Once framed, it was packed and shipped off to Bunny Hill headquarters . . .

And after that . . . it led to a quilt designed, made and quilted by both Anne and I, which we then submitted to American Patchwork & Quilting.

And now. . . it’s featured in the current issue (April 2010) that subscribers will begin to receive this week (due to hit newsstands in a few weeks).

And after cutting, folding and packaging all of the fabrics for the quilt top and binding. . .

You too can make this quilt! Kits are available at both Bloom Creek and Bunny Hill, while supplies last!

With special thanks to APQ and my friend, Anne, so ends the story of a collaboration of friendship and design. . .

Vicki

A new year, new patterns and new kits!

A very happy new year to all of you! It’s hard to believe 2010 is here, but there’s something about a new year that really jump-starts new ideas and a fresh beginning to what I hope will be a great year!

To kick off the new year, we’ve added two new patterns and four new kits to our web site. The first new pattern is the Versatility Tote that was made using the most beautiful new fabric line called Rural Jardin, by the French General for Moda. Watch for this fabric in your local quilt shop in a few months! It’s a beauty!

The second new pattern, Goodnight Avery, was designed for a special little boy so that he could have a quilt to call his very own for years to come. We used soft and cuddly flannel prints from Goodnight Monkey, by Erin Michael for Moda. (His dad loves sock monkeys, so this fabric was the perfect choice!)

In a few weeks, a brand new kit will be added to our web site. All that I can say right now is that it will be featured in the upcoming issue of American Patchwork & Quilting and is a collaboration of friendship and design with my friend, Anne Sutton, of Bunny Hill.

More on that story in a few weeks!

The best of everything to you and yours in the new year. . .

Vicki

And the winner is. . .

Congratulations to #14, sallyannequilter, you are the winner of the pre-cuts!! Please e-mail me at vickibellino@charter.net with your mailing address so that your package can be sent out right away!

We hope to have some new kits and new patterns added to our web site in mid-January, so check back in a few weeks! In the meantime, I wish you all the happiest of holidays and all that is good in the coming year.

Vicki

Winners and a Giveaway!

After all of the wonderful comments about the mini Patriot's Home, I couldn't choose just one winner, so there are three of you that will be receiving the kit to make this miniature quilt! With the help of random.org, three numbers were selected. Congratulations to the following winners:

#10 - BJ

#31 - Christy

#57 - Claire

Please e-mail me at vickibellino@charter.net and provide me with your mailing address so that I can get your kits shipped out to you!

How about another giveaway? Who wouldn't' like (or need!) an assortment of pre-cuts to add to their stash? Post a comment and one lucky winner will win all of these!

Check back the morning of Sunday, 12/20 to see the winner is! Good luck and happy, happy holidays!

Vicki

Happy Holidays Giveaway!

Because one of my favorite things about the holiday season is the spirit of giving, I've decided to have a "give-away" once a week until Christmas.

This week's give-away is the kit for the miniature version of my "Patriot's Home" quilt that is featured in the current issue of McCall's Quilting.

The kit includes all of the fabric for the top, backing and binding, the instructions and the paper pieces for this 16" x 16" project. (The English paper pieced blocks are easily made using "Strip-It" fabric from the American Patriot collection by Marcus Fabrics.)

Leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing. The winner (or winners!!!) will be drawn next Sunday morning, and another give-away will be announced on that day as well.

A very happy and safe holiday season to all of you!

Vicki

Happy Turkey Day!

With early morning turkey preparations about to begin, I wanted to take some time to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe that tomorrow the craziness of the holiday season will be underway. Where did this year go?!?!

I was fortunate to have a feature, "Patriot's Home", in the 100th issue of McCall's Quilting, which should be out on newsstands or in your local quilt shop right about now.

This quilt was a sheer joy to design. The fact that McCall's requested I do another English paper pieced quilt was an added bonus! I chose fabrics from the "American Patriot" collection, designed by Faye Burgos for Marcus Fabrics, which was a perfect fit for what I had in mind for this project.

If you've never tried English paper piecing, purchase the Jan/Feb 2010 issue and you'll find a great step-by-step photo tutorial that the great staff at McCall's put together for this article!

As an added bonus, a miniature version of this quilt that measures 16" x 16" is available as a free download on McCall's web site.

Kits are available on my website, and include the fabric and pre-cut paper pieces for both the quilt and miniature version of the quilt. These are going fast, which I believe demonstrates there is a bit of patriotism in all of us!

Enjoy this holiday and take a moment not only today, but every day, to reflect on what you are thankful for.

Vicki

Bloom Creek Down Under

How exciting to be featured in Australian Homespun! If you've never had the opportunity to read this magazine, I would highly recommend it! It's beautiful from cover to cover, and I'm so honored to have my quilt shown on the cover of their "Red Issue", Volume 10.11. I was asked last April if I would be willing to do a project for this issue, with a request to design a project based on my Blooms for Annabelle pattern and choosing a fabric line with a hint of "red". That was an easy decision for me. . . "Snippets", designed by Sandy Klop of American Jane (for Moda) was the perfect choice for my "Patches and Posies" design. I don't believe the magazine will be available in the United States until December, so I thought I'd share a few photos with you here.

I had so much fun quilting this, and of course, had to add a personal touch with a quilt label on the back of the quilt that mimics the applique used in the quilt.

A very special thanks to Catherine Sanchez and Elizabeth Newton at Homespun, who were wonderful to work with on this project!

Cheers!. . . Vicki