Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour Road Rally

DAY 1: May 1, 2017

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Welcome to the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 15 celebration! We are excited to share the latest issue with you, a collection of traditional and modern block designs and techniques from your favorite designers, as well as an introduction to the creative efforts of some new ones.

Vol15 COVER Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Travel to your local newsstand to pick up a copy; it’s available beginning May 1st. Or, purchase your copy at our Quilt and Sew Shop.

To celebrate the release of this issue we’ve planned a 5-day Blog Tour Road Rally where you’ll see some of the blocks up close. You can take a side-road for a quick block stop to visit with the designers to learn more about them and the blocks they’ve created. Pick up some advice, a tip or two and see some of the other designs they’ve been working on. We hope you’ll join us every day!

You’ll have the opportunity to win prizes during your travels. In addition to some of the designers offering giveaways from their blog sites, we will award daily giveaways. Your comments or questions about the daily blog posts give you a chance to win one of these. Winners will be chosen for each day and announced on the blog.

We’re also giving away 3 grand prizes at the end of the rally. Join the adventure each day for a chance at a grand prize. Here is how it will work:

  • It’s something like a treasure hunt, but we’re calling it a Souvenir Hunt.
  • I’ll post two questions somewhere in the Quilty Pleasures blog post each day of the Road Rally.
  • The souvenirs you are looking for is a word or phrase to answer each of the questions.
    • Sample question: What is my favorite piecing technique?
    • Answer: Foundation
  • To search for answers, click on the links to the designer sites presented on that day.
  • Jot down the answers you find to the questions. We’ll post a link to a questionnaire on Friday, May 5th to submit your answers to enter the drawing for a grand prize.
  • You will have until 12:00 midnight Sunday, May 7th to submit your entry. We will announce the winners in the Quilty Pleasures blog post on Monday, May 8th!

Let’s Get on the Road!

First Stop: Our House

So many readers ask us about our work and what we do to put together Quiltmaker’s magazines. We’ve decided to give you a tour of the steps involved to create an issue of QM’s 100 Blocks. Just a note here, EVERY member of the team is a quilter too! Click on the image below to see our staff in action.

Shortly after Deb McDonald receives designer blocks we send them off to Denise Starck to begin crafting the artwork. Denise passes the blocks to Erin Russek and Tricia Patterson, who write the patterns. Tricia coordinates testing and sends the patterns to at least 3 testers. The testers send a photo of their test block and an evaluation to Tricia that lets us know how we can correct or improve the pattern directions, and then Erin and Tricia make necessary changes to the pattern. When a pattern is finished it goes to Carolyn Beam for final proofing. During the process, each pattern is proofed 5 times! Mellisa Mahoney photographs all the blocks for the publication. Kelly Eisinger joins the team to communicate with designers and sponsors, coordinates designer and tester thank-you gifts. She also organizes the block giveaways for our readers, and more. And, last but surely not least, Natalie Nettles, our Quilty Pleasures blog site guru, helps pull together and present the blog tour and supports it throughout blog week.

One very important element of our team is our testers. As you can see in the map below our testers live all over the United States, and we have a few from Canada and The Nederlands. Each tester is assigned at least 13 blocks to test in a 3-4 month timeframe. Their participation is invaluable!!

Vol 15 Tester Map Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Now, You Are in the Driver’s Seat!

100Blocks SouvenirHunt Day1 Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Check out the following blocks from Volume 15. Don’t forget to take a Block Stop to visit with the designers, and look for souvenirs!

Block #1448
Designed by: Nancy Allen
bountifulheirlooms.blogspot.com

 Pinwheels All Around takes off with the quilters’ favorite Pinwheel block. It’s an easy-to-piece pattern with the Triangle-Squares and Stitch-and-Flip techniques.

Click on Nancy’s block to see color options made by our testers.


QM100 BRICKEY Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Block #1415
Designed by: Cheryl Brickey
meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com

Sizzle Star. What a fun modern variation of a star pattern! Cheryl made this block with fabric from Yuwa Fabrics and Robert Kaufman. It’s easy to match up all the points with foundation-pieced sections. If you haven’t tried foundation piecing, or just need a refresher, click here for a free download of the Foundation Piecing Primer.


Block #1401
Designed by: Sandi Colwell
quiltcabanapatterns.com

Bunny Love. And, who wouldn’t love this cheerful applique bunny? You can use fabrics from your scrap stash to make this little critter for a special child. Sandi used fabric paint to highlight the bunny’s face. Embroidery floss works too!

Click on Sandi’s block to see color options made by our testers.


Block #1456
Designed by: Melissa Corry
happyquiltingmelissa.com

Celtic Tricks. Some of the beauty behind Melissa’s block pattern is that it would be very easy to re-size into a larger wall hanging, crib quilt or make multiples for a bed-size quilt, just by making the patches longer. Melissa chose Desert Bloom by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda Fabrics to make her block.

Click on Melissa’s block to see color options made by our testers.


Block #1461
Designed by: Yvonne Fuchs
quiltingjetgirl.com

 Four Way Blocks. Oh, the places you could go with this block pattern. Make it scrappy, use batiks or change up the colors. Do all three! Yvonne created her block with Cirrus Solids from Cloud 9 Fabrics.

Click on Yvonne’s block to see color options made by our testers.


QM100 PILAND Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Block #1484
Designed by: Laura Piland
sliceofpiquilts.blogspot.com

Split Mountain. Laura’s block verges on the trendy improvisational piecing. For this block, you simply make it, cut it apart, arrange the pieces and sew it back together again. Check the pattern in QM 100 Blocks Volume 15 to see how it’s made!

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We’ve made it through the first day of the 100 Blocks Volume 15 Blog Tour Road Rally. You can make a quilt sampler with the blocks we are showcasing in the 5-day tour. We picked up 6 blocks today.

Vol 15 Setting 1 Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

You can find the patterns for incorporating any of the blocks and this quilt layout, plus more, in— you know it—100 Blocks Volume 15!

Tip: You can sign up to have all of the Quiltmaker special issues, including 100 Blocks, delivered straight to your mailbox! Sign up for our Special Issue Auto Ship program and we’ll mail our special issues to you as they are released. Learn more here.

Enter the Daily Giveaway!

Wait! Before you leave, comment on this blog post to enter your name for the daily giveaway. Let us know which of the blocks we looked at today inspired you the most. Tell us why.

Leave your comment by midnight on Tuesday, May 2. Winners will be chosen and announced Wednesday, May 3.

Today’s winners will receive a copy of 100 Blocks Vol. 15 plus a fabric bundle from one of today’s two tour sponsors, Hoffman Fabrics and Robert Kaufman, and/or a collection of other surprise quilty goodies. (Be sure to visit Hoffman’s blog for a free pattern and more!)

  • 4 winners will receive a copy of Vol.15, a fabric bundle and other quilty goodies from the designers and QM.
  • 3 winners will receive a copy of Vol.15 and other quilty goodies from QM.

Winner’s of the Vol.15 Day 1 Blog Tour Giveaways are: Elizabeth Russell, Sandy A in St. Louis, Lori Smanski, Kathleen Scargle, Kristine Clay, Martina and NancyB from Many LA. Winners have been notified by email.

Hoffman logo Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Hoffman Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

RobertKaufman 250 Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Robert Kaufman Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour: Day 1

Join us tomorrow for Day 2 of the 100 Blocks Blog Tour Road Rally!

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Special thanks to the following participating designers and sponsors who contributed products for our daily and grand prize giveaways.

Designers:

Industry Partners:

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