Table of contents for Fall - Winter 2016 - Special in Quilt Sampler

How can each of us make a difference? The owners of the 10 shops featured in this issue make a difference in their customers’ lives every day by offering encouragement, sharing insights, and inspiring creativity. While quilters frequent their favorite shops for those reasons, there’s another, sometimes unmentioned reason for shop loyalty, and that’s service, both to customers and the community. Service is part of the fabric of quilting. Quilters and shop owners willingly share their time, their talents, and their fabrics. We have seen this over and over through our One Million Pillowcase Challenge, where we encourage quilters and sewers to make and donate pillowcases to those in need in their communities. Since our challenge launched, we’ve heard countless stories of how one pillowcase has made a difference in…

location: Kaysville, UT established: 2012 size: 2,400 square feet The scene: A departure gate at a Houston airport in 2010. Kaye Nye and Heidi Sansom, coworkers in a Utah crafts store, are waiting for their flight home after attending their first International Quilt Market. The two are daydreaming after days of experiencing the fabrics, the patterns, and the possibilities they saw. They fantasize about having an enormous, well-lit classroom where customers can bring their sewing machines and get instruction. They talk about taking advantage of all the quilting world has to offer. Heidi turns to Kaye. “We could do this,” she says. “The two of us could open a quilt shop.” Kaye is speechless. She has always wanted to own her own business. With her four decades of sewing, handwork,…

MATERIALS • 9×21" piece (fat eighth) light gray tone-ontone (blocks • 11/4 yards total assorted blue batiks and prints (blocks, sashing) • 11/4 yards total assorted blue-green batiks and prints (blocks, sashing) • 7/8 yard light blue batik (sashing) • 3/8 yard red tone-on-tone (sashing) • 12×20" piece brown felted wool (appliqués) • 61/2×16" piece each of blue, lime, and green felted wools (appliqués) • 61/2×24" piece blue-green felted wool (appliqués) • 12×34" piece cream felted wool (appliqués) • 3×6" piece orange felted wool (appliqués) • 61/2×16" piece red felted wool (appliqués) • 1/2 yard red plaid flannel (binding) • 3 yards backing fabric • 54×55" batting • Freezer paper • Perle cotton No. 12 or embroidery floss: cream, orange, red, blue, lime, green, bluegreen, brown • Fine-point water-soluble fabric-marking…

location: Franklin, NC established: 2005 size: 4,300 square feet “Postcard perfect” is the way people describe Franklin, North Carolina (180 miles west of Charlotte), a town with a strong quilting heritage nestled in the Smoky Mountains. That history and heritage are honored in Deb’s Cats N Quilts, a shop tucked into a 1940s structure that originally housed a Buick dealership and today is filled with antiques and Civil War memorabilia. “I chose the building because of its charm,” shop owner Deb Heatherly says. “The creaky wood floors let you know you’ve stepped into a building with a past.” While she appreciates the last century, it is the Civil War era that especially draws Deb’s attention. She lived for 40 years in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was surrounded by Civil…

MATERIALS • 3/8 yard each of blue large print, magenta small print, multicolor stripe, and black small print (blocks) • 1/4 yard lime green batik (blocks) • 5/8 yard green batik (blocks, background) • 5/8 yard each of aqua batik Nos. 1 and 2 (blocks, background) • 6" square pink batik (blocks) • 7/8 yard each of purple batik Nos. 1 and 2 (blocks, background) • 1/2 yard dark purple batik (binding) • 33/8 yards backing fabric • 59×75" batting Finished quilt: 501/2×661/2" Finished blocks: 6" square (A–H), 10" square (I–Q) Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified,…

location: Plant City, FL established: 2012 size: 4,600 square feet owners: Lynn Haberl and Lisa La Pointe “When you visit the shop, you become our friend and part of our family.” About 25 miles east of Tampa, on the way to Disney World, tourists heading to “the happiest place on earth” find themselves stopping at Inspire! Quilting & Sewing in Plant City, Florida. Housed in a brick building, this fantasy fabric land is filled with fabrics galore. Mesmerizing prints featuring flowers, lines, and leaves are on display with brights, batiks, blenders, and solids. Shop owners and sisters, Lynn Haberl and Lisa La Pointe typically buy all the lines in a fabric collection and display them together. Inspire! offers a mix of traditional and modern collections, and Lynn is particularly proud…

MATERIALS • 1/2 yard dark blue snowflake print (appliqué foundation, border 4) • 3×4" piece mottled peach (appliqués) • 11/2" square mottled dark peach (appliqués) • 9×21" piece (fat eighth) mottled crimson (appliqués) • 9×21" piece (fat eighth) mottled light gray (appliqués) • 18×21" piece (fat quarter) opalescent mottled white (appliqués) • 11/2" square solid white (appliqués) • 1" square solid light gray (appliqués) • 2×3" piece white shimmer organza (appliqués) • 1/4 yard cream snowflake print (border 1) • 2/3 yard blue swirl print (borders 2 and 4) • 3/8 yard white tone-on-tone (appliqués) • 1/2 yard dark brown print (border 3) • 11/2 yards mottled cream (border 4) • 1/4 yard each of dark blue tree print, blue snowflake print, and mottled blue (border 4) • 3" square…

CUT BIAS STRIPS Strips for curved applique pieces and for binding curved edges should be cut on the bias (diagonally across the grain of a woven fabric), which runs at a 45° angle to the selvage and has the most stretch. To cut bias strips, begin with a fabric square or rectangle; use an acrylic ruler to square up the left edge if necessary. Make a cut at a 45° angle to the left edge (Bias Strip Diagram). Handle the diagonal edges carefully to avoid distorting the bias. To cut a strip, measure the desired width from the 45° cut edge; cut parallel to the edge. Cut enough strips to total the length needed. MAKE AND USE TEMPLATES MAKE TEMPLATES A template is a pattern made from extra-sturdy material so…

location: Macomb, IL established: 2004 size: 4,000 square feet For 26 years Kathleen Percy worked for a national grocery chain, managing a crew of employees and maintaining order on the shelves. Now the owner of Piece to Peace Treasures Quilt Shop, she operates her own store with the same aesthetic. “I’m picky about our displays,” says Kathleen, who insists on full racks and well-positioned fabric bolts. With 4,000 square feet of quilting provisions, her shop in Macomb, Illinois— 70 miles west of Peoria—is a Midwestern shopping resource. Lime green, teal, and yellow walls reflect the colors in the delicious mix of fabrics, which includes brights, batiks, 1930s reproductions, primitives, and tone-on-tone selections. “Most of the fabrics stay within their collections,” Kathleen says in reference to how the shop is organized.…

MATERIALS • 41/4 yards white tone-on-tone (blocks) • 21/2 yards pink print (blocks, borders 2 and 4) • 23/8 yards coral tone-on-tone (blocks) • 17/8 yards black print (blocks, border 1, binding) • 13/4 yards mint floral (blocks, border 3) • 71/2 yards backing fabric • 90×102" batting Finished quilt: 811/2×931/2" Finished block: 12" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. From white tone-on-tone, cut: • 84—41/4" squares • 84—3" squares • 504—23/8" squares • 84—23/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 168…

MATERIALS • 4 yards cream tone-on-tone (blocks; quilt center; borders 1, 2, and 4) • 2/3 yard black-and-cream print (quilt center, border 1) • 21/4 yards solid black (blocks, quilt center, borders 1 and 6) • 3/4 yard black-and-tan print (blocks) • 13/8 yards black vine print (blocks, binding) • 41/3 yards backing fabric • 78" square batting Finished quilt: 691/2" square Finished blocks: 41/2", 6", and 9" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. From cream tone-on-tone, cut: • 5—2×42" strips for border…

location: Jesup, IA established: 1997 size: 4,000 square feet owner: Merry Backes “Customers get inspired by all our samples. We have so many that it’s hard for them to decide which ones they want to make!” For more than three decades, shop owner Merry Backes has called an idyllic 13 acres nestled among cornfields, gardens, and 100-year-old pine trees near Jesup, Iowa, home. Since 1997, that pastoral setting has also played a serene host for her quilt shop, Merry’s Stitchins. Customers enjoy its rustic locale 2 miles down a gravel road, and new visitors are pleasantly surprised by what awaits them as the spacious 4,000-square-foot building comes into view. “I wanted it to be inviting with a front porch and lots of flowers,” says Merry, who fittingly accented the front…

MATERIALS • 11/8 yards multicolor pastel stripe (blocks) • 11/2 yards pastel blue floral (blocks; we allowed extra for fussy cutting) • 11/2 yards dark pink polka dot (blocks, middle border) • 3/4 yard dark aqua floral (blocks; we allowed extra for fussy cutting) • 11/4 yards green polka dot (blocks) • 11/4 yards pink print (blocks) • 1/2 yard aqua floral (blocks) • 1/2 yard solid aqua (inner border) • 23/8 yards lavender floral (outer border, binding) • 71/3 yards backing fabric • 88×100" batting Finished quilt: 80×92" (full-size with 13" drop; queen-size with 10" drop) Finished blocks: 12" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions…

location: Aberdeen, MD established: 2010 size: 3,500 square feet First-time visitors to Hoppin Bobbin make the same furtive gesture before walking in the door. They rub their fingers over the 4-foot-square patchwork blocks fastened to the shop exterior, checking to see if they are made of fabric. They aren’t, but the illusion is good enough to fool newcomers. The eight blocks were first made in fabric, then digitized and re-created in a laminate material. Once inside the door of the shop, located in Aberdeen, Maryland, a town of about 15,000 residents about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, visitors have another surprise: the shop’s official greeter is a red 8-year-old Pomeranian, Tootsie, who does not bark. “Customers adore her, and she has quite a fan base,” says shop owner Kelly Davis.…

MATERIALS • 5/8 yard red print (blocks) • 2 yards dark blue floral (blocks, border, binding) • 5/8 yard solid yellow (blocks) • 1 yard white tone-on-tone (blocks) • 1/2 yard light blue print (blocks) • 31/2 yards backing fabric • 63" square batting Finished quilt: 541/2" square Finished block: 24" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. Designer Kathleen Percy prefers to make triangle-squares larger than necessary, then trim them to size. To use this method, cut 4" squares instead of the 37/8"…

location: Troy, OH established: 2002 size: 3,975 square feet owner: Phyllis Meiring “I appreciate today and look forward to what each new day brings.” At the edge of Troy, Ohio (20 miles north of Dayton), shop owner Phyllis Meiring oversees In the Patch Designs, an enterprise that specializes in wonderful hand-dyed wools. The fact that her business exists is somewhat of a miracle. In 2002, a month away from opening the quilt shop, Phyllis suffered a serious brain injury while bicycling with her husband, Mitch. “I sustained a subdural hematoma that had an 87 percent mortality rate,” Phyllis says. “However, I think heaven wasn’t ready for me yet. I kept going because I was too stubborn to quit. I opened my shop only two days later than projected.” When the…

MATERIALS • 30 or more 1/4-yard pieces assorted yellow, gold, orange, brown, and gray prints (units) (Designer Cristen Jones used 20 gray prints and 21 total remaining colors.) • 11/8 yards mottled beige (units) • 11/8 yards mottled gray (rows, binding) • 47/8 yards backing fabric • 75×87" batting • Fine-point water soluble fabric-marking pen • Dark gray hand- or machine-embroidery thread • Acrylic ruler marked with 60° angle (optional) Finished quilt: 661/4×781/2" Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. Patterns are on Pattern Sheet…

location: Cannon Beach, OR established: 1994 size: 1,500 square feet owner: Julie Walker “People who come to Cannon Beach are attracted by the spectacular scenery, birds, wildlife, and marine life.” Center Diamond Fabrics, a quilt shop in Cannon Beach, Oregon, has several back stories. First, there’s the building itself. Its rustic and weathered exterior is fitting for a structure that served as the headquarters of a logging company from 1938 to 1964. “When we bought the building, the wood floor still showed marks from loggers’ boots,” shop owner Julie Walker says. “Where loggers once lined up for their paychecks, today quilters can be inspired by our colorful offerings.” Then there’s Julie’s story. This jack-of-all-trades has done technical recruiting for Microsoft, worked behind the scenes on the TV shows Mystery Science…

MATERIALS • 8×10" piece solid red (blocks) • 16—5×11" pieces or 1 yard total assorted cream and tan prints (blocks) • 16—5×11" pieces or 1 yard total assorted dark prints in black, brown, red, orange, green, and gold (blocks) • 1/3 yard tan print (appliqué foundations) • 21/2×7" piece brown houndstooth felted wool (appliqués) • 9×12" piece dark orange plaid felted wool (appliqués) • 8×10" piece dark orange felted wool (appliqués) • 5×6" piece off-white felted wool (appliqués) • 3×4" piece green felted wool (appliqués) • 3×4" piece green textured felted wool (appliqués) • 3×4" piece burgundy felted wool (appliqués) • 3×4" piece brown felted wool (appliqués) • 3×5" piece gold felted wool (appliqués) • 11/2×21/2" piece light brown felted wool (appliqués) • 11/4×23/4" piece dark brown herringbone felted wool…

location: Appleton, WI established: 2011 size: 3,800 square feet In the prime papermaking region of the United States, the Fox River Valley in east-central Wisconsin, Going to Pieces Quilt Co. celebrates another kind of fiber—fabric. Located in Appleton, which is 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee, the shop provides the community of about 75,000 residents with a forest of fabrics. Just inside the shop’s front door, visitors experience a color explosion that stretches nearly 80 feet deep. Modern fabrics live alongside wool, children’s prints join batiks, and Australian aboriginal fabrics—with their spirited designs—dance among Kaffe Fassett’s cascading blossoms. “We don’t pinhole ourselves with only reproductions or brights,” co-owner Joanne Mjos says. While Joanne likes bright, complicated designs, Mary leans toward traditional, darker reproductions. Happily,…

MATERIALS • 1/2 yard each of light tone-on-tones in blue, orange, green, yellow, purple, and pink (blocks) • 1/2 yard each of medium tone-on-tones in blue, orange, green, yellow, purple, aqua, and pink (blocks) • 2 yards light aqua tone-on-tone (blocks, middle border, binding) • 65/8 yards solid black (blocks, inner and outer borders) • 91/4 yards backing fabric • 110" square batting Finished quilt: 1011/2" square (king-size with 12" drop and 9" pillow tuck) Finished block: 12" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following…

Deck the halls with cute Christmas projects from the December 2016 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting ® magazine, on sale October 4. Fill your home with adorable handmade decor from the Fall/Winter 2016 issue of Make It Yourself™ magazine, on sale September 20. This simple pillow project combines appliqué and embroidery for a look that’s oh-so-merry. Pick up the 2016 edition of Christmas Quilts and More™ magazine, available now, and start stitching. It’s packed with projects to give—and some so cute you’ll want to keep them. Visit your local quilt shop, newsstand, or AllPeopleQuilt.com/shop to get a copy.…