Geared for Guys Blog Tour!

disclosure: this is a sponsored review & giveaway by Crazy Old Ladies & Emily Herrick

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Welcome to the Geared for Guys Blog Tour!!

I was very excited when Emily informed me that she had written a book with guys in mind. There is often lots of "boy" fabrics & "baby" things... not not many GUY patterns! The book is full of information on fabric selection with guys in mind & so much more. 

When Emily sent me the book to review I instantly fell in love with the Gamer pattern.

It has nice clean lines & typography... how could you go wrong??

So I made my own Gamer quilt from Robot Factory by Caleb Grey for Robert Kaufman.

The wind was a bit crazy this morning so it was impossible to get a flat shot. The fabrics I chose have less contrast than the original, but I'm quite happy with the result. I made this quilt with my special someone in mind, but I have a feeling my brother is going to ask for a matching one!!

I need your help so I can finish this quilt. Please help me decide which fabrics I should use for binding & backing. {I also have enough of the background blue for binding, but not backing.}

I need 1 binding fabric & 2 backing fabrics for a pieced quilt back.

Emily is offering one book to a lucky reader!! Enter to win by helping me decide. {Final decision of fabric choices lands with me... unless the recipient voices his opinion... and then he can pick whatever fabrics he wants!!}

:-)

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THE RULES1. Leave ONE comment to enter. Tell me what fabrics you use for the binding & for the backing. 
2. Simple as that!!
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You have until 10PM PST time Tuesday, May 8th to enter!Giveaway now closed. Winner announced later today now that all 3 giveaways are over!
Winners will be selected by True Random Number Generator.
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*Note*

A large number of people have commented on giveaways recently without leaving their contact information. If you have your settings set to "no-reply" please leave your e-mail address in the comment or change your settings. Many have also said "pick me" and not answered the question. I like to keep giveaways as simple & fun as possible, but if you don't follow the rules you will not be eligible to win.

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The next stop is tomorrow at Canton Village Quilt Works!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Today marks my 600th post!

A few days ago I realized that I was coming up on my 600th post. When I started this blog almost 3 years ago I couldn't imagine it would become what it has.

Some big moments over the last 600 posts.

Making my first dress.

Posting my first tutorial.

Having my first tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop

My first Quilt Market

My first magazine publication.

Sorting Siggy Swap Blocks

Sharing Elijah's journey with Leukemia.

Announcing that I'd be moving across the country.

Telling you about my book, Skip the borders.

Too many to list them all!!

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So to celebrate I'm having a giveaway. I'm going to give my 6 new patterns to one lucky reader. Yummy, Varsity & the four I haven't even shared with you yet. {I will in just a few days!!}

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THE RULES1. Leave ONE comment to enter. Tell me what you are working on right now!
2. Simple as that!!
--You have until 10PM PST time Sunday, May 6th to enter!
Giveaway now closed. Winner announced soon. {Once all 3 giveaways are over!}
Winners will be selected by True Random Number Generator.
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*Note*

A large number of people have commented on giveaways recently without leaving their contact information. If you have your settings set to "no-reply" please leave your e-mail address in the comment or change your settings. Many have also said "pick me" and not answered the question. I like to keep giveaways as simple & fun as possible, but if you don't follow the rules you will not be eligible to win.

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5 - Blog Tour

Welcome to the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 5 Blog Tour!

I'm excited to again have a block in this great newsstand special issue. I have all 5 volumes and love seeing the creativity!!

My block was inspired by this stack of fabric. It is Robot Factory by Caleb Gray for Robert Kaufman. I knew I wanted to make something where I could fussy cut the robots.

So I created this block! It's a wonky square in a square, but for those of you who are aren't ready to get wonky... have no fear it is paper pieced!

I had big plans of making a quilt for Elijah from this block, but then Quilt Market prep went into full swing! Luckily I think he'll understand and be able to wait a few weeks!

Block #434 - Robox by Julie Herman, featuring Robot Factory by Caleb Gray

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Here are some layout ideas.
Alternate the block with a solid one.

Set it on point and add some sashing.

Make one block twice the size.

The options are endless. Especially when you start thinking about how it would look in other fabrics & colors.

You can also rotate the block so that it appears more wonky.

Another option is to play with gradients of fabric. I think that Vanessa's new line featuring ombre would make for amazing blocks.

Check out Quiltmaker's blog for the full details of this blog tour & lots of opportunities to win more goodies!

If you are interested in purchasing a copy I have some available in the shop!

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Quiltmaker is offering a copy to one lucky person! Details on how to enter the giveaway are below.

THE RULES1. Leave ONE comment to enter. Tell me what fabric you would use to make my block.
2. Simple as that!!
--You have until 10PM PST time Friday, May 4th to enter!
Giveaway now closed. Winner announced soon. {Once all 3 giveaways are over!}
Winners will be selected by True Random Number Generator.
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*Note*

A large number of people have commented on giveaways recently without leaving their contact information. If you have your settings set to "no-reply" please leave your e-mail address in the comment or change your settings. Many have also said "pick me" and not answered the question. I like to keep giveaways as simple & fun as possible, but if you don't follow the rules you will not be eligible to win.

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If you are looking for the Geared for Guys blog hop, today's post is over at http://www.ribboncandyquilts.blogspot.com/. I'll be posting on Sunday!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Book Review: Quilts from the House of Tula Pink

When I learned that Tula Pink had a book in the works I was instantly excited. It was October at Quilt Market and I even was so excited that Rachel & I took a photo in front of the cover. I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, but had to get it since I am Tula's biggest fan.

The book was released in March. {I guess the decided to change the cover.} I like them both, but the quilt on the original cover is my favorite. This book is more than quilts. It contains 10 quilt patterns and 10 sewing projects.

The photography is stunning. The feel of the paper and the printing is also very nice. I have a very large book collection & appreciate a well made book!

This photo alone made me want to go live with Tula in her old house in Missouri. I always like to take photos of quilts outside and in fun places, not just laying on a bed.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Tula's education on how to pick colors for a quilt. She goes over the basics of color theory and shows lots of examples.

This book is part coffee table book part quilt education. It is very easy to sit down and just get lost in it. It is a must have for any Tula Pink fan.

The quilts are unique. Not all of them are my style, but I've never bought a book that has all quilts that are my style. For the price of the book vs. the price of a pattern it is more than worth the value.

Normally I prefer illustrations to be simple and graphic. Tula did hand-drawn step-by-step illustrations for this book. While that isn't usually my preference it fits the style of this book, and Tula has the chops to create great hand-drawn illustrations. Sometimes hand-drawn illustrations aren't the best because bad ones can make the directions un-clear. I adore this quilt and plan on cutting into my precious Tula Pink stash to make it sometime soon.

I also love this body pillow & plan on making one after Quilt Market.

I'm also in love with her Houndstooth quilt. I think the idea of using a few lights and a few darks makes for an interesting pop! In addition to all the information that Tula provides, there is also a lot of information from Angela on the quilting of each quilt.

Tula isn't a fan of the camera... so I found this photo of her to be very fitting!

The book is available in Quilt Shops & Online.
Quilts from the House of Tula Pink: 20 Fabric Projects to Make, Use and Love - Amazon
Quilts from the House of Tula Pink - Tula's Pattern Shop






© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

A week of reviews

Martingale just sent out their new catalog... and they featured my quilts on the cover! I had no idea this was going to happen so I was SUPER excited when I saw it arrive in the mail.

Recognize any of the quilts??

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I'm still busy working away getting ready for Quilt Market. I fly to Kansas City two weeks from today... eek!!

Yesterday I made a baby size version of Yummy using Marmalade by Bonnie & Camille. I love how it looks with the bright red sashing!

Since I don't have anything else I can show yet... I have a few book reviews & more panned for you this week. Some will even have giveaways! Stay tuned!




© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/