Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Butterfly Fandango

Ann Lauer's new Butterfly Fandango collection debuted at Quilt Market. These fabrics are truly elegance in motion, and they're laced with metallic for added flair. We're going to let Ann introduce the fabrics to you: 





This is your second butterfly collection, right?
Yes, Butterfly Forest had more realistic butterflies, and these are more stylized. Butterflies are a shape and a creature that I really like. These just have an incredible amount of detail. That’s one area Benartex really does well—they don’t just stamp out flat color. These butterflies printed beautifully.


Can you tell us about the overall look of the collection?
People say it has an Asian flair. I didn’t think of that specifically. I wanted layers of detail and shapes. I like the way the shapes interlock.

Tell us about some of the prints.
I think the line has a fantastic focal print. It works really well in places where you’d use a panel. And the biggie is—there’s a stack and whack made with this that is fabulous (shown further down in the post).
The background on the large focal print is so interesting—swirls, touches of other colors, and flowers are laced through it. Because the background has so much going on, you can have so much fun with fussy-cutting; you don’t have to simply fussy cut the butterfly.



 The smaller butterflies are set on the simpler swirl texture background. They have the same details as the larger butterflies, only smaller.



The stripe came from the focal fabric background. I think it’s really fun to have it swirl. It’s different from my typical stripes, and it can be used in blocks, borders and sashing.


The medallions—holy cow, look at the details in those. They’re great for blocks and sashing.


The black print with gold butterfly outlines is just super cool. The background is simplified, but the butterflies still have so much detail. It printed wonderfully. 


How do the metallic accents enhance the collection?
The gold metallic is in everything except the swirling texture print. I think it’s just the right amount—just enough gold to add sparkle, without being too heavy.

Here's Ann's Stack and Whack quilt, shown at Market--so much fun with only three fabrics! 

Block close-ups:





Ann designed "Fandango Flutter" as a free pattern. It will be available on our website shortly; check back soon! 


Ann has also used Butterfly Fandango in eight different patterns available on her website. Here's a look at two of them; click here to see the rest. 

"Center Stage" by Ann Lauer

"Rock Around the Block" by Ann Lauer

Click here to see the entire Butterfly Fandango collection. 
Click here to find the kits available for Ann's quilt patterns. 



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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Introducing Modern by the Yard: Issue #3

Ready for some modern inspiration? Today we're launching the third issue of Modern by the Yard magazine. You can browse through this e-zine from the comfort of your own computer/tablet/smart phone, or you can download it to your device for easy reference whenever you like. We have four projects featuring some of our favorite modern lines, plus a bonus--Debby Kratovil shares the pattern for the wall quilt she made in her Modern with a Twist column! We've also included a gallery of fabric art from Paula Nadelstern, and a fabric gallery showing more new collections we think you'll love! 



To view the third issue, click the box below. 


We hope you enjoy every page! 

In case you missed our sneak peek on Friday, here's a look at some of the pages:




by Kristen Danis



Modern with a Twist column by Debby Kratovil


X Marks the Spot by Stephanie Kendron



Table Art by Jayne Willis



by Lisa Swenson Ruble
If you missed our first two issues, find #1 here and #2 here.


********************************************************
Thanks to everyone who followed along in our Dreamscape Block Blog Hop the last two weeks! Here are our randomly drawn winners:
Day 1: Rochelle
Day 2: OhioLori
Day 3: AmyScrapSpot
Day 4: Gene Black
Day 5: Miss Pat
Day 6: Sandy Allen
Day 7: BizyStitches

Winners, we are emailing you today for your mailing address. Congratulations!
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Friday, November 25, 2016

Sneak Peek! New Modern by the Yard issue

While you're relaxing after a day filled with turkey or out scoring Black Friday deals, we've got a fun sneak peek for you:
Next week, we'll be releasing the newest issue of our e-zine, Modern by the Yard. We're excited about this new issue and know you will be too! 



Here's the cover: 



And a look at some of what's inside: 
by Kristen Danis

Modern with a Twist column by Debby Kratovil


X Marks the Spot by Stephanie Kendron


Table Art by Jayne Willis


by Lisa Swenson Ruble

That's our Black Friday teaser! Come back on Monday to see the full magazine. 

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Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and your family a happy thanksgiving--a day filled with good company, good food, and relaxation! On this day of thanks, we'd like to say thank you to you, our fabric-loving friends. We appreciate your support.


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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Dreamscape Block Blog Hop: Day 7

Hello, fabric lovers! 

It's the last day of our Dreamscape Block Blog Hop. We hope you've enjoyed all seven block tutorials we've shared here--bookmark them to give them a try after Thanksgiving! 

For this blog hop, we selected a six-color palette from our luscious Dreamscape prints to play with: Navy, Cloud, Lime, Grape, Daffodil and Lead. You'll love the variety of blocks our designers have created! And make sure you enter each day's giveaway for a chance to win fat quarters of these six Dreamscape prints! Enjoy!



Here's Wendy! 
Hello Friends,  Happy Thanksgiving to you!  I am happy to be a part of the DreamScape Blog Hop! 

Each blog hop participant was given the following fabrics to come up with a 12" block.

My "Diamond Layer" block is going to look like this.  It consists of making two sub-units twice.  Easy peasy  - you shall see!


Constructing Unit A
Let's tackle the top right and bottom left sub-units - as they are the same. 

a.  For both unit A's, we will cut
(1) 7" x 7" square from Daffodil and Cloud
(2) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square from Lime
(2) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square from Grape
(2) 3" x 3" square from Lead

b.  Then, I turned all my squares over, and drew diagonal lines on the wrong side of each square, except for the Cloud square.

c.  HST UNITS.  Place the Daffodil square on the Cloud square, right sides together.  Sew 1/4" away from, and on right and left sides of drawn line.  Cut along the drawn line to yield 2 HST units.  Aligning the diagonal seam against the 45 degree line of quilting ruler, square HST units to measure 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" raw edge to raw edge.  These two HST units will be the starting point for Unit A.

d.  The Lime corner triangle is shown to be on the Daffodil side of the HST unit.  So, place the Lime square, right sides together, at the Daffodil corner of (1) HST unit.  Sew on the drawn diagonal line.  Trim 1/4" away from sewn line.  Open and press to reveal Lime corner triangle.


IMPORTANT NOTE:  That sets the precedent on how to add subsequent squares in Unit A, as well as Unit B.  I will not go through in detail for subsequent steps as they are the same.
e.  So, on the cloud side of the HST, first place the Grape square, right sides together, at the Cloud corner of the HST unit.  Sew on the drawn diagonal line.  Trim 1/4" away from the sewn line.  Open and press to reveal Grape corner triangle.  Repeat with Lead square to complete (1) Unit A.  Repeat to make (2) Unit A.


Constructing Unit B

a.  For both unit B's, we will cut
(1) 7" x 7" square from Daffodil and Lead
(2) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares from Navy
(2) 5" x 5" squares from Lime
(2) 4" x 4" squares from Cloud
b.  Follow the same method used to make Unit A to make (2) Unit B - take note that Navy is on the Lead side of the HST unit, and Lime and Cloud on the Daffodil side of the HST unit.


Block Assembly
a.  Sew (2) Unit A and (2) Unit B in a four-patch manner to complete the block.


What to do with the trimmed off "dog ear" triangles? I save all of them for a future projects. :) 
Thanks so much for dropping by.  I hope you like my block "Diamond Layer" block as much as I have liked making it. :)
Thanks Wendy!
For a chance to win a bundle of the six Dreamscape prints we used, leave a comment below letting us know that you follow us on at least one of our social media platforms (either right here on the blog--options in the right hand sidebar, FacebookInstagramPinterest), as well as telling us what your favorite Thanksgiving dish. We'll randomly pick a winner and announce it next week! Giveaway is open through Sunday, November 27th at 11:59 pm EST.  
Follow along each day of the hop!
Tuesday 11/15: Chris from made by ChrissieD
Friday 11/18: Kristen from KD-Quilts
Monday 11/21: Benartex blog design team
Wednesday 11/23: Wendy from Ivory Spring 




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