EPP Winner!!

First of all, let me just say how thrilled I am that so many of you are fans of English paper piecing! I'm finding this trend wherever I go, which is so exciting!

My book was officially released yesterday,

and it's now time to announce the winner of a copy of the book, as well as an assortment of the paper pieces used for all of the projects in the book. With the help of random.org, the lucky winner is. . .

#6 - happymrs - congratulations!!

Email me at vickibellino@charter.net with your name and mailing address and your package will shipped right off to you!

Until next time, happy English paper piecing everyone!!

Vicki

Happy belated new year & a giveaway!

As usual, I am a blogging slacker! So, this post will be a little longer as I share some new and exciting things so far this year!

In January, I met my good friend Pati at Road to California where we spent 3 days together and had a blast! It's very rare that I get to attend a quilt show and casually and leisurely walk the show, not only one day, but two!! I made the most of it and definitely made my contributions to the quilting industry!! As we walked to the show on opening day, we saw a line of people waiting to get in that I estimated stretched at least two football fields! Go quilters!!

Highlights of the trip for me were being able to take in all of the beautiful quilts, especially the awe-inspiring machine quilting! This was one of my favorites.

Another highlight was being able to visit with dear friends and meet new ones. Marilyn at Cotton & Chocolate was a vendor, and though I feel like I already know her, it was the first time we actually met. My friend Barb Jones (Quilt Soup) was a vendor at the show also, but was able to get away so that we could have a photo taken with Marilyn.

I just love the name of Marilyn's quilt shop! What could be better than cotton and chocolate??? Well, Marilyn is an English paper piecer and was doing demos - loved that!! After I took this quick picture in the morning, I was never able to go back and get another one, as her demo table and boothwas swarming with people! I loved seeing so many quilters with an interest in English paper piecing!

One of my most favorite people in the quilting industry is Beth Hayes, Editor in Chief of McCall's Quilting. I have been fortunate enough to get to know her over the past several years, which has been such a pleasure! She is such a classy lady who is so insightful and a real visionary! I think we talked in one of the aisles for over an hour, which is something we never have the opportunity to do at quilt market.

I returned home so inspired and re-energized and have been working on new designs ever since in preparation for spring quilt market.

It's hard to believe that over a year ago I began writing my second book for Martingale & Company and the release date is now just around the corner! For those of you who know me, it's no surprise that a book centered around English paper piecing was definitely near and dear to me! The 12 projects in the book are made with a variety of fabrics, from reproductions to traditional to contemporary and encompass several different paper shapes - hexagons, diamonds, Dresdens, and pentagons, to name a few.

Here are a few sneak peeks at some of the projects in the book. First, "Just Judie", is the cover quilt that I designed and made as a tribute to my friend Judie Rothermel. The quilt was made entirely of her Civil War reproduction prints that I had in my stash, and was an absolute joy to make!

Dresden Delight is an example of how a simplistic design can be perfect for framing. I chose vibrant prints by Sandy Klop of American Jane (for Moda) for this one.

"Dresden Medallions" was made using one of my favorite fabrics for English paper piecing - Strip-It by Faye Burgos for Marcus Fabrics, which is what I used to make the Dresden plates.

"Diamonds & Sapphires" has more of a contemporary feel and was made with diamond paper pieces and beautiful blue fabrics from Laura Barringer's Blue Storm fabric line (for Marcus Fabrics).

Many thanks to Brent Kane for his beautiful quilt photography! Whew. . . it feels like I've written a post that is more like a book! Sorry about that! Now to the giveaway. . .

In celebration of my book release, one lucky person will receive a book and an assortment of all of the paper piece shapes used for the projects in the book. Whether you're new to English paper piecing, or an avid EPP maniac (such as myself), this giveaway is one you'll love! Just post a comment and a winner will be chosen on February 8th, which is the day after the official book release. The book will be added to our web site at that time.

Good luck!

Vicki

Winner & Wild Rose Retreat

After a wonderful (and much needed) retreat and visit to Washington, I returned home last night, just in time to select a winner for the Garden Party fat quarter bundle and coordinating Quilter's Solids this morning. With the assistance of random.org, the lucky winner is #13, CATSKILL QUILTER!! Congratulations!! E-mail me at vickibellino@charter.net with your mailing address and your package will be on its way!

I can't say enough about the absolutely fantastic accommodations at the Wild Rose Quilt Shop and Retreat Center in Orting, Washington! The quilt shop is on the ground level and the retreat center is the entire second story, with the bedrooms on both sides of the huge sewing area and a full kitchen. State-of-the-art lighting and ergonomic chairs, as well as design walls, cutting stations and ironing boards and irons, were all provided. Many thanks to Robbie, John and Andrea who made sure our every need was taken care of!

They also hosted a wine & cheese party one evening, where I was able to meet and talk with quilters who have participated in my block-of-the-month programs. It was so much fun!

After being gone nearly a week, I have lots of work to do, as well as preparing for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I wish you all a very happy turkey day!

Until next time. . . Vicki

New Fabric Bundles & a Giveaway!

A new category has been added to our web site called "Fabric Bundles", where you will find an assortment of fat quarter and fat 8th bundles, all from the Aunt Grace's Garden Party fabric line, by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics. I can't tell you how much fun I had putting these together!

Our petite bundles include an assortment of prints in three color ways and are just the right amount of fabric for small applique or English paper piecing projects! If you haven't added the Quilters' Solids (by Marcus Fabrics) to your stash, these are a "must have" and coordinate perfectly with the Aunt Grace prints.

Or, if you'd rather have a complete fat quarter bundle of the Garden Party collection, we're offering that as well!

In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to express my gratitude to all of my wonderful customers by offering a Garden Party giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a complete Garden Party fat quarter bundle and Quilters' Solids bundle. Simply leave a comment and then check back the day before Thanksgiving when a lucky winner will be drawn!

I'm leaving in a couple of days for a retreat at a fantastic shop in Orting, Washington called "Wild Rose Quilt Shop". I've heard so much about it and will share photos with you upon my return. It's very rare that I take the time to actually attend a retreat, so this is really exciting!! I'm taking along some new Moda fabric collections and plan to start working on new designs in preparation for Spring 2012 quilt market. (I know it sounds like a long way off, but the time really creeps up on me fast, so I'm trying to get an earlier start than I normally would.)

Until next time. . . Vicki

New patterns & quilts for sale!

It's that time of year when new quilts are designed and made, instructions are finalized, photos are taken and patterns are printed in time for International Quilt Market. I must say, I'm extremely thrilled with my new BOM designed for use with Strip-It fabric (by Faye Burgos for Marcus Fabrics). Her Vintage Rouge fabric collection is just beautiful, which made designing the quilt an extreme pleasure! This BOM pattern includes several techniques - English paper piecing, applique and embroidery. Check with your favorite quilt shop to see if they will be offering this program, which is scheduled to run from May through October. We've added the complete Vintage Rouge pattern pack to our web site today.

Another of our newest patterns is called Very Cherry and was made using two Aunt Grace's Garden Party prints and 1930's quilters' solids, by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics.

And finally, a new pattern that is very near and dear to me, Remembering Annabelle. I chose fabrics from the Etchings collection by 3 Sisters (for Moda), and I know Anne would have loved it!

Also new to our web site are several Bloom Creek quilt models for sale. All of these quilts were used for our pattern cover photographs. I had the opportunity to donate several quilts to wonderful charities last year, but we are still busting at the seams and need to make room for newer quilts! We hope you will find the prices to be reasonable, making it that much easier to find good homes for our quilts!

Coming soon to our web site are fat quarter bundles of the Aunt Grace's Garden Party collection, assorted fat 8th bundles, as well as 1930's quilter's solids, all by Judie Rothermel.

Until next time. . . Vicki

Garden Party & Hexagon Madness!

With September approaching, I wanted to share with you that together with Marcus Fabrics, Judie Rothermel and myself, our new Aunt Grace’s Garden Party BOM program will be kicking off in just a few weeks! Judie and I have become fast friends over the years and have learned that we both have aunts who have had such a profound affect on our lives – Judie’s Aunt Grace and my Aunt Janet. After learning that gardening was also a passion for both aunts, it was quickly decided that Garden Party would be the theme of this quilt.

While the complete pattern pack is available on my website, if you’re interested in participating in the six-month program (yes, you’ll have the complete quilt made in six short months!), check with your local quilt shop or on-line shop to sign up before it’s too late!

Completing and submitting my English paper piecing manuscript to Martingale Publishing several months ago kick-started a hexagon craze in my house! I have been basting 3/4” hexagons from a vast assorted of Fig Tree fabrics for a quilt that I hope to start assembling in a few months. I found the most perfect clear plastic boxes at Office Max that neatly stores about 250 hexagons. There's something so rewarding about just looking at all of them stacked up and in rows by color!

To my delight, after teaching my 10-year-old granddaughter Lexi to paper piece a few months ago, she has been basting like a maniac and tells me the tiny 1/2 hexagons are her favorite. I can't tell you what she's going to do with them because she's working on top secret presents for Christmas!

She brings her paper piecing cases and EPP supplies whenever she comes to visit and we have such fun sitting side-by-side, talking, laughing and sharing our passion for English paper piecing. We’ve been talking about designing an English paper pieced quilt together – how fun and special that would be!

With summer coming to an end, it’s time for me to buckle down and start working towards new designs for fall quilt market! The first one to be introduced is “Remembering Annabelle”, which is in the process of being photographed for the pattern cover. Hope to share it with you in a few weeks!

Until next time. . . Vicki

In Loving Memory

As some of you might know, my dearest, sweetest friend, Anne Myers, lost her courageous battle with cancer in May. My sincere thanks to those who have supported and comforted me during this most difficult loss.



Anne and I met through quilting many years ago and became instant friends! My first Bloom Creek pattern, Blooms for Annabelle, was designed and named for her and I always told her she was as much a part of Bloom Creek as I am!

We called each other "sister friends", which best describes the close, meaningful relationship we had. For those of us who were fortunate enough to know Anne, I think we would all agree that our lives were truly enriched by just knowing her. I truly believe I am a better person for the years I spent with her and will have wonderful memories of our friendship for the rest of my life.

Not only was Anne an avid quilter who especially loved applique, English paper piecing and embroidery, she was proficient in needlepoint and made the most beautiful, one-of-a-kind Christmas stockings for each member of her family. During my last trip to Kentucky to spend a week with her in April, she was trying her best to finish the last stocking for her grandson who was born last fall. She had a sense of urgency about finishing it so that his stocking would be able to hang with the rest this Christmas. I promised to finish it for her, and after a quick brush-up on my needlepoint skills, I have been working on the stocking every chance I get, which has brought me a sense of joy that has been quite therapeutic.



I must admit that I have been in somewhat of a design "funk" for the past 6 weeks. However, I recently decided to design a new quilt that will be called "Remembering Annabelle", and I'm happy to say, I'm no longer in my funk!. I instinctively purchased a new fabric bundle at quilt market by 3 Sisters (for Moda) called "Etchings", most likely because 3 Sisters was one of Anne's favorite fabric designers. So, with Etchings on deck, I'm designing a quilt that will encompass many of Anne's favorite things. I hope to have it finished and ready to introduce by August!


And so my sweet friend, though you are missed more than words can say, you are always in my thoughts and will always be a part of Bloom Creek.

Until next time. . . Vicki