Quilt Candy a virtual trunk show....

Are you missing show and tell with your quilting buddies?? I know that I am!! So I joined in with this amazing group of designers to bring show and tell to you virtually!! 

A different designer will be presenting a 15ish minute trunk show live on their Facebook page at the times listed below.

I am thinking that most of the trunk shows will be saved to their pages so that you can watch them at your convience. I have watched a couple and you are in for a real treat!!--get it--candy--treat--I know that one was lame--but I have been in the house with only my husband for a few weeks!!

There is also a public Facebook page where designers can post their trunk shows. You will also find the complete list there. Designers Quilt Candy Virtual Trunk Show is the page.

Enjoy the show and stay safe friends!!

April 1 

April 1 12pm EST Andi Stanfield facebook.com/Anditruebluequilts
April 1 1pm EST Nancy Scott facebook.com/MasterpieceQ
April 1 2pm EST becky jorgensen https://www.facebook.com/patchworkposse/
April 1 3pm EST carolina moore facebook.com/alwaysexpectmoore
April 1 4pm EST Jackie Kunkel https://www.facebook.com/cantonvillagequiltworks/
April 1 5pm EST Connie Jonson Sayler https://www.facebook.com/PacificRimQuiltCompany/
April 1 6pm EST Laura Piland/Slice of Pi Quilts  https://www.facebook.com/sliceofpiquilts/
April 1 7pm EST Sandra Starley https://www.facebook.com/TextileTimeTravels

April 1 8pm EST Swan Sheridan www.facebook.com/swanamitystudios
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April 2

April 2 12pm EST Lisa Ruble https://www.facebook.com/LoveToColorMyWorld/
April 2 1pm EST Beth Helfter EvaPaige Quilt Designs
April 2 2pm EST Diane Bohn/From Blank Pages https://facebook.com/fromblankpages
April 2 3pm EST Deb Eggers/the cottage rose https://www.facebook.com/cottagerosequilt/
April 2 4pm EST Heidi Pridemore/The Whimsical Workshop https:/www.facebook.com/thewhimsicalworkshop
April 2 5pm EST Kate Colleran https://www.facebook.com/SeamsLikeaDreamQuilts/

April 2 6pm EST Tammy Silvers/Tamarinis https://www.facebook.com/tamarinis/

April 3

April 3 12pm EST Darcy Hunter www.facebook.com/darcydoodlequiltsApril 3 1pm EST Teresa Weaver www.facebook.com/yoursewingfriend
April 3 2pm EST Annette Ornelas https://www.facebook.com/southwind.designs/
April 3 3pm EST Jo Westfoot - The Crafty Nomad www.facebook.com/thecraftynomad
April 3 4pm EST Lynn Kane https://facebook.com/puppygirllynn
April 3 5pm EST Geeky Bobbin https://facebook.com/geekybobbinApril 3 6pm EST
April 3 7pm EST Laura Strickland https://m.facebook.com/orangeblossomquilt/
April 3 8pm EST Jen Frost https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndFabric/

April 4

April 4 12pm EST Sherry Shish - Powered By Quilting facebook.com/poweredbyquilting
April 4 1pm EST Bill Locke - Bill Locke Designs https://www.facebook.com/bill.locke.96
April 4 2pm EST Toni Smith/Quiltoni https://www.facebook.com/Quiltoni/
April 4 3pm EST Tammy Silvers/Tamarinis https://www.facebook.com/tamarinis/
April 4 4pm EST Jennifer Fulton https://www.facebook.com/inquiringquilter/
April 4 5pm EST Jessica Caldwell/ Desert Bloom Quilting https://www.facebook.com/desertbloomquilting/
April 4 6pm EST Monique Kleinhans / Ladybug's Cabin https://www.facebook.com/ladybugscabin/
April 4 7pm EST Heather Long / Coffee and Quilts https://m.facebook.com/Coffee-and-Quilts-197254351073271/?__tn__=C-R

April 4 8pm EST Marija Vujcic, Mara Quilt Designs https://www.facebook.com/MaraQuiltDesigns/

April 5

April 5 12pm EST Ebony Love https://www.facebook.com/LoveBugStudios/
April 5 1pm EST Bill Locke https://www.facebook.com/bill.locke.96
April 5 2pm EST Marlene Oddie https://www.facebook.com/kissedquilts/
April 5 3pm EST Sandy Fitzpatrick https://www.facebook.com/HissyfitzDesigns
April 5 4pm EST Reed Johnson https://www.facebook.com/BlueBearQuilts/
April 5 5pm EST Diane Harris https://www.facebook.com/stashbandit/
April 5 6pm EST
April 5 7pm EST Kathryn LeBlanc/Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio https://www.facebook.com/dragonflysquiltingdesignstudioApril 5 8pm EST

April 6

April 6 12pm EST Becca Fenstermaker https://www.facebook.com/prettypiney/
April 6 1pm EST Cherry Guidry https://www.facebook.com/CherryBlossomsQuiltingStudio
April 6 2pm EST Cheryl Lynch www.facebook.com/CherylLynchFiberArts
April 6 3pm EST Annie Smith https://www.facebook.com/anniesmithqs

April 6 4pm EST
April 6 5pm EST Reeze Hanson https://www.facebook.com/Morningglorydesigns/
April 6 6pm EST
April 6 7pm EST Melissa Marginet https://www.facebook.com/melissa.marginet.quilter/
April 6 8pm EST


April 7

April 7 12pm EST Margaret Willingham/ Eye of the Beholder Quilt Design https://www.facebook.com/EyeoftheBeholderQuilt/
April 7 1pm EST Kate Colleran/Seams Like A Dream Design https://www.facebook.com/SeamsLikeaDreamQuilts/
April 7 2pm EST Barbara Cline https://www.facebook.com/barbara.cline.520
April 7 3pm EST Barbara Persing https://www.facebook.com/bpquilts/
April 7 4pm EST Ms P Designs USA/ Sharon Andersen https://www.facebook.com/MsPDesignsUSA/

April 7 5pm EST
April 7 6pm EST
April 7 7pm EST Diane Harris https://www.facebook.com/stashbandit/
April 7 8pm EST Christa Watson https://www.facebook.com/groups/christaquilts/


April 8

April 8 12pm EST Tina Dillard/Quilting Affection Designs https://www.facebook.com/quiltingaffectiondesigns/
April 8 1pm EST Raija Salomaa/Quilters' Treasure Chest https://www.facebook.com/quilterstreasurechest/
April 8 2pm EST Robin Koehler//NESTLINGS by Robin https://www.facebook.com/NestlingsbyRobin/
April 8 3pm EST Terri Vanden Bosch https://www.facebook.com/lizardcreekquilting/
April 8 4pm EST Jackie Kunkel https://www.facebook.com/cantonvillagequiltworks/

April 8 5pm EST Leanne Parsons https://www.facebook.com/devotedquilterdesigns
April 8 6pm EST Laura Piland/Slice of Pi Quilts  https://www.facebook.com/sliceofpiquilts/
April 8 7pm EST Ebony Love https://www.facebook.com/LoveBugStudios/
April 8 8pm EST Tammy Silvers/Tamarinis https://www.facebook.com/tamarinis/


April 9

April 9 12pm EST
April 9 1pm EST Nancy Scott facebook.com/MasterpieceQApril 9 2pm EST Jayme Crow/Bella Nonna Design Studio
April 9 3pm EST
April 9 4pm EST Jen Frost https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndFabric/
April 9 5pm EST      Annie Smith https://www.facebook.com/anniesmithqs/

April 9 6pm EST Karen L. Miller / Redbird Quilt Co. https://www.facebook.com/RedbirdQuiltCo/
April 9 7pm EST Kathryn LeBlanc/Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio https://www.facebook.com/dragonflysquiltingdesignstudio
April 9 8pm EST Monique Kleinhans / Ladybug's Cabin https://www.facebook.com/ladybugscabin/

April 10

April 10  12pm  Sarah Maxwell https://www.facebook.com/DesignsSarahJMaxwell
April 10     1pm  Teresa Weaver www.facebook.com/yoursewingfriendApril 10     2pm  Karen Overton https://www.facebook.com/TheQuiltRambler

April 10  3pm Alison Stothard https://www.facebook.com/hexadoodlequilts

April 10     4pm

April 10  5pm Pat Sloan https://www.facebook.com/groups/QuiltWithPatSloan/ 

April 10  6pm Cherry Guidry https://www.facebook.com/CherryBlossomsQuiltingStudio

April 10  7pm Toni Smith/Quiltoni https://www.facebook.com/Quiltoni/

April 10     8pm Marija Vujcic, Mara Quilt Designs https://www.facebook.com/MaraQuiltDesigns/

#quilterseyecandytrunkshow #fblivetrunkshow

Love is kind....treat bags with AccuQuilt

As an AccuQuilt GO! Getter, I have the privilege of proposing ideas using any of the AccuQuilt products. Their team sorts through all of the potential products to choose which ones to feature on the AccuQuilt blog.

I was sooooo blessed to be able to do this Kindness Treat Bag with my grandkids for a Valentine blog post!!

Kindness can never be taught too early!!!

Also, sharing is important!! Isaac was along too, but was not cooperating for the photo!! Loren's father recently moved into a full time skilled nursing facility. The move has been good for him.

Oh the joy of a child's heart--and their grandma's heart--watching them share ALL the treat bags with the residents and staff!!

You can read a full tutorial showing how to make your own Kindness treat bags on the AccuQuilt blog HERE.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. " 1 Corinthians 13 : 4-7

Cast Iron....new pattern from Lizard Creek Quilting

...with a pattern name like Cast Iron, I just had to find the perfect backdrop for it!! And our little town had just the spot!!

There is a great little pasture on the edge of town where these horses graze. The golden hour in photography was approaching. So I coaxed my dear husband to get in the Ranger and off we went into town.

He braved all the mosquitos that come out at sunset and crawled down the steep roadside ditch to hold the quilt for me!! How supportive is that?!?

Cast Iron finishes at 64" x 80", so it is a great size lap quilt. While it looks super complicated, it is actually strip pieced into 8" blocks. Color placement is key to creating the zig zag effect. Pattern includes a detailed color combination chart along with a coloring page to come up with your own color placement!! Both print and PDF download patterns are available on my website Lizard Creek Quilting. Use the code CASTIRON in my shop for 30% off the PDF download until 2/7/2020.

Fabrics are from the Mesa Verda by Kathy Engle line for Island Batik. Look for it in your quilt shops soon!!

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."
--Mother Teresa

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27 : 17

3D Blowing in the wind..with Island Batik...

Here we are....the 30th of December-2019..what a whirlwind of activites this past year has been!!! And I have enjoyed every minute of being an Island Batik Ambassador during that time...but have decided to let the experience go so that I can make time for other new and exciting things to come!!

But let's leave that for another time...and move on to my last monthly challenge--make something 3D with Island Batik fabrics!!

The weather is cold and frightful with a strong north wind today--so the thought of taking photos outside--just went out the window--as I took this photo out my studio window!!

My concept for this  3D design challenge started long ago when I was at Spring Market in Kansas City.  I was browsing in The Fat Quarter Gypsy's booth and fell in love with their Windsock Pop-Ups. She offered me a pattern in return for mention in the blog post. You have to go check out her designs--they are amazing.

The pattern comes in booklet form with step by step photographs that were easy to follow. Some of the steps may seem a little tricky--but just follow the pattern--and it will work perfectly!! Finally cutting the spring loose was my favorite step!!

I started with strips leftover from Electric Desert by Jackie Kunkel for Island Batik. See what else I made with these gorgeous fabrics HERE.

As  you can see by comparing above photo with pattern cover, I don't always follow directions well!! I chose to put a traditonal sawtooth star in the pop-up portion of my windsock. I used the 6" Qube from AccuQuilt to cut out the star pieces.

Sooooo pretty--I can't wait to hang it out on my patio next summer!!

I chose the enclosed seams option for the tails--and by using a different fabric on the back--such a wonderful riot of color I should get when it blows in the wind. And yes, I did actually lay on the floor to get this shot!!!

I just had to figure out a way to get a blowing in the wind photo....so here the windsock is...hanging in my open studio door!!! It took a few shots to get this lovely swirl of tails, but oh so worth the cold!! Good thing nobody drove by on the road and saw this crazy quilting lady taking photos in an open doorway with her pj's on!! But now you know the behind the scenes!!

So it is....I close the door on this time as an Island Batik Ambassador. But have no fear, I still have plenty of batik fabrics and ideas left!! Plus, I still plan on designing patterns with their amazing fabrics!! Thank you to Island Batik for this AMAZING opportunity--I am forever grateful!! To the other sponsors--Aurifil, AccuQuilt and Hobbs Batting--thank you!! And to The Fat Quarter Gypsy for this super cute project!!!

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
Ashley Smith

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  John 3 : 8

Luxury Holiday Stockings with AccuQuilt stocking die

Oh man--how did it get to be 7 days away from Christmas?!?! Harvest was long and hard on the farm here at Lizard Creek--so there needed to be some rest and recuperation days taken!!!

I did make some time to use one of AccuQuilt's new fall release dies--the GO! Stocking #55854. As part of their new GO!Getters program--I get to come up with amazing projects using their dies--which I am given by them--and then write a post for their blog with all the specifics on how you can make the project also!!

You can read about my first AccuQuilt blog project--Gather Fall Blessings pillow HERE!!

Now to Luxury Holiday Stockings...funny backstory to both of the fabrics used in this project!!

I was cleaning out a sewing room cupboard--you know one of those lovely corner ones--yeah--I took out the spinning thing--to make more storage room--and sometimes it just becomes a catch all place.
So in digging to the back of the cupboard, I unearthed this peice of upolstery fabric that I had purchased when we were building the house. I was going to have my sewing chair recovered with the fabric. Well that did not happen--but I still loved the color!! In popped the idea to make Christmas stockings that would match my decor!!!

So I pitched the idea as a GO!Getters project of using unusual fabrics with AccuQuilt dies! Great idea--project accepted.

Now, let's get to the faux fur backstory. My friend, Lois and I go to a sewing club at Heirloom Creations in Sioux Falls once a month--and have done so for almost 20 years. We take the day off from quilting and farm life to learn new things at sewing club, catch up on each other's life over lunch and do a little errand shopping. We always have a great time and I highly suggest this practice!!!
Well on this particular Tuesday in September after an outdoor lunch downtown, we went to the local JoAnn's where I purchased several different faux furs to try for this project. We finished our shopping and went home--nothing unusual so far!!
Later that evening, around 11:30 pm, Sioux Falls was hit with a tornado--right through the center of  many businesses and the heart hospital!! There were no fatalities--thank the Lord!!! But the strip mall where JoAnn's is located was severely damaged!! And has not been open since!! You don't realize how much you use something until it is gone!!

Remembering the history behind these fabrics will make me smile every holiday when I hang them!!

Read the full blog post on AccuQuilt blog HERE to learn tips about working with unusual fabrics and AccuQuilt dies!!

Have a Blessed Christmas Season!!!

Window Box Blooms....new pattern

This quilt was so much fun to design and make!!! And what a perfect day to introduce it!! There is snow on the ground here in Iowa today!! But the flowers where blooming so beautifully this spring when I made the quilt!!

The fabrics are from the Foundations line of Island Batik. This means quilt shops can order them anytime and they are readily available. 

Can't get enough of these blooms!!! The pattern includes full size templates for the curved pieces. Or use AccuQuilt GO! Flowering Snowball die #55252.  Use my affliliate AccuQuilt link in sidebar to order your die!! Don't let the curves scare you! These are very gentle curves and great first time curve sewing project!!

The pattern is available in my shop as a printed or instant PDF download. Use the code BLOOMS for 40% off the instant PDF download pattern. Code good until 11-18-2019.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love." --Max Muller

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another!!"  1John 4:11

Farmhouse Runner....Island Batik way....

October is here, along with a new challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors. Make a holiday runner that includes applique. Well, I have had an idea running around my brain this summer so this is the perfect opportunity to bring the idea to life.

I started with fabrics from the Foundations line--Custard and Smoke. The strips were torn along the lengthwise grain of fabric. Because of the tightly woven nature of batik fabric--tearing the strips is easy and quick!!

To keep my seam allowance accurate and straight, I used the seam guide for my 97D foot on the Bernina 790.

Now for the applique. What I thought was going to be a simple addition of letters to the runner, ended up taking me MULTIPLE tries!! But I persisted, because I was going for a specific farmhouse look for this runner. Most of the tries were user error on my part. I was torn between matching the letters to the stripe or making them from the solid black batik.

Using a ruler to align the  black solid batik letters across the runner end worked so well!!

Time for the quilting. Aurifil #2315 was the perfect match to Custard.

I chose my go-to design. Walking foot soft wavy lines that overlap!! I should come up with a name for it!!

I wanted this runner to have more of a farmhouse feel than a quilty feel--so a faced binding was just the right choice. Having never tried this technique before, I searched Pinterest and used the tutorial I found HERE.

I am just over the moon excited about the finished runner!!! It came out better than I had even hoped for--so there might be a winter one made too!!

Just a little glimps into my dining room corner. I love how Island Batik fabrics from the Foundations line blend so well with their other lines. Read about the little table topper on the chair HERE.

Since I enjoyed this project so much, I thought others might too. So I wrote up a little pattern leaflet. The leaflet is available in my shop. Use the code GATHER to get the leaflet free until 11-21-2019.

"What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering than the family and the gathering."
--Robert Breault

"For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills." Psalm 107 : 9

Thanks to Island Batik and Aurifil for suppling the products for this project.