Near PERFECT MOMENT

I cut my complete lines of fabric into Sample Slices 5"x 9 1/2".  Rectangles are such a great shape and this size shows off so much more of the fabric than 5" charm squares. 

Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms is 33 pieces.  I figured that 2 sets should be good for one of the Slice and Spacer patterns.  I chose PERFECT MOMENT to get some length as well as airiness to the prints.
This may be a new card someday--it would work nicely with a Layer Cake.

Meanwhile, here are the altered measurements for this one.  Fabric for the Spacers and Row Sashing--1 1/2 yd.  Cut the Spacers 1 1/2" wide.  To offset the blocks, cut 2 3/4" off the right end of the odd rows, 2 3/4" off the left end of the even rows.  The top finishes 58"x 63".

Millie P's Display

Millie P's in Anoka MN is a must-see shop--chock full of brilliant, colorful projects.  Here is an idea for displaying the cards that owner Becky Carlson made, customizing the size for our cards. 

RED ROSE in Anna Lena's

Karen Snyder of Anna Lena's just shared her photo of RED ROSE made in her fabric lines from Timeless Treasures fabrics.  She has a very reasonably priced kit available on her website, annalena.com.  Karen is the author of 2 fat quarter books, Bundles of Fun and Fat Quarter Fun--great stuff--along with her Quilts in my Garden and Big-Print Quilts.

In her latest newsletter, Karen recommends our RED ROSE pattern for college kid quilts.  It is fast and thrifty and you don't have to fret over the use or abuse it might get in a college kid's room.

Rocky and Bullwinkle ANGEL FACE

Not just a pretty face, our ANGEL FACE can feature more than one fabric.  Rocky and Bullwinkle here are the perfect 3 to be featured here.  The pattern has 12 blocks, and one 10" strip from a third yard of fabric will yield 4 squares.  3 fabrics times 4 squares equals 12 blocks--I love it when the math works out to our advantage.

So the changes in ANGEL FACE to make this a great kid size or even big kid throw 48"x 60":
1/3 yd each of 3 Theme Fabrics
2/3 yd each of 2 Frame Fabrics
1 yd Border, cut 5 1/2"
1/2 yd Binding
....Less than 4 yards of fabric--nifty and thrifty.

SUNSPRITE Doubled

The SUNSPRITE pattern can easily be doubled.  Use either 1/2 yard cuts of all of the fabrics, or 2 identical 6 Fat Quarter packs.  Make 6 blocks each.  Lay it out 3x4.   The patchwork finishes 54"x 60", and would be nice bordered as well.

This first model is the Artisan Batiks from Kaufman.  I see many more in the future--in fact, another is on my machine as I write.  And the doubled size will probably be published as a new card.

EASY DOES IT with Gallery Fiori

Gallery Fiori--the fabulous new collection from P&B by Karen Tusinski.  Got fabric?--get out a RoseCard.  The prints are not too too big, so they look good in our 4x8 inch.  And there were several great choices for the spacer fabric.  We had originally picked the orange, but I switched to the brown.  I do like the subtle richness of the brown.

Asian GRANADA

For many years now we have been working with 3 1/2" strips of Asian fabrics, all with the gold highlights.  The pattern we have used most was called Madame Butterfly, later renamed by us as What Four, later published on a RoseCard as CHARITY.  I called it What Four because it is constructed using strip sets of four, made into a 4x4 sixteen patch--but you really can't see the 4 Patch in it.  This pattern uses 28 strips to make a throw size.

We've have always strip packs of 28  3 1/2" for the What Four.  And as luck would have it--GRANADA used 28  3 1/2" strips, too.  I was almost shocked how nifty the math worked.  For What Four or CHARITY we used all multi-colored prints--roughly divided 14 light-ish, 12 dark-ish.  For GRANADA, 6 strips are usually a single, tone on tone Asian print.  The remaining 22 are multicolored.  The solid strips are the centers, and it is always fun to pair them with the prints.

GRANADA gave new life to my Asian strips.  I was selling the packs before the quilt was bordered and before the pattern was published.