Spring Classes at Quilted Bear Den

April showers seem to have arrived a few days early, but they say the soil is really dry and we need the rain. Rainy days are great for quilting because I don't feel like I should be out raking the lawn or something else. This weekend I finished the quilt as you go place mat samples. This is a really easy project and if you have never done a stitch and flip construction, you are going to love how quickly these go together. We are offering a class on April 26 from 12-4 and I hope you will join us.

The crocus have flowered in my garden and the purple flowers are just beautiful. I have been busy making some new samples for the shop. The table runner of the month for April is a pretty applique and rail fence piece. I did it in spring colors, but if you like a more muted look, it would look great in another color pallet. The class for this runner is scheduled for April 10 at 10:00a.m.

The robins have finally come back to my yard. I love to see them running around the yard looking for the worms. I have been working on more samples and the summer fabrics, especially the batiks, have been calling to me. I had to make up the sample for the bag of the month. April's bag is the French Bucket Bag. I used the blue and white batik and accented it with a pretty red fabric. Red, white, and blue just seems perfect for the warm weather that has to be coming soon. This bag is really easy, perfect for someone just starting to make bags. The class is scheduled for April 17 at 2:00 p.m. Hope to see you at the Den!

March's Table Runner of the Month

Hello everyone. Here is another fun project from the Top it With a Runner book. It is a great project for those large scale prints. I chose one from the new Amy Butler fabrics we just got in and some coordinates for the triangle borders. There are a lot of triangles to put together, so I used the Marti Michell's Corner Trimmer. This handy gadget is used to cut off the points of the triangles so you can sew them together with greater accuracy, and it really works! We are having a class for this project in March - it is our table runner of the month. Hope to see you there--at the Den!

Irish Chain Class

Hello again everyone. Below is a photo of my Single Irish Chain quilt. It is made in a dot from Bleeker street and a Batik from Timeless Treasures. In the open squares there is a quilted shamrock. I really love the way this turned out--Irish with a twist (or a dot). The class for this fun quilt is on February 28 from 10-4 and I hope you will join me for a little "luck of the Irish." See you at the Den.

Winter Table Runners

Hello! This cold weather really makes me want to make some quilts. I have been working on table runners. John designed a Valentine's Day runner that goes together in a snap. I made this gold and ruby runner in batiks. Then, I made this patchwork runner in the Jinny Beyer fabrics. The patchwork runner will be a class on February 13. Check the schedule for details. Hope to see you at the Den!

New Book & Fun Potholder Class

Are you starting to think about holiday gifts? Well, I have a fun idea for you. John brought a great little book back from Houston called POTHOLDER PLAY. It is full of fun little projects that would make great gifts. I have made up some of the coasters. These little "quilts" are so much fun. Just grab some of those fat quarters you have been collecting, and pick a project. There are potholders, coasters, a tea cozy, casserole jacket and even a market bag. I plan to take these coasters or mug mats and find a coffee mug to match. Maybe I'll put a few teabags with it and wrap it all up for a fun gift. Believe me, once you get started making these projects, you won't want to stop. Hope you will join me for a patchwork coaster class using this fun book on November 13 from 1pm-3pm. See you at the Den!

Autumn Quilting

Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this lovely Autumn weather. The chill in the air really makes me feel like firing up the machine. My younger son went away to college, so he really needed a new quilt to take with him. He requested the school colors of red and black. I chose a pattern called Waterfalls from the "Creative Quilt Collection" from That Patchwork Place. This quilt may look like a million pieces, but it is cleverly designed to use the strip piecing method. We added in some black for contrast, and Tom was very pleased with the final quilt! See you at the Den.

Welcome Autumn

Hello to Autumn!! The crisp morning air makes me want to get to the sewing machine. This week the "Punkin Heads" wall hanging was so fun to work on. Just gather some orange pieces and some black pieces and get working on those pumpkin faces. It is a good chance to practice your machine appliqué skills with a small project. If this technique gives you trouble, come on over for the class we are offering on September 19. We will be working on using some of those decorative stitches on the faces of those pretty pumpkins. See you at the Den!