Recharging your batteries

As the holidays start to wind down and I look at my travel schedule for the next 6 months. I realize how important it is to charge our creative batteries whenever the opportunity arises. For me it was just a couple of weeks ago
when Matthew and I escaped to Sedona for a couple of days. This is truly one of the prettiest places on earth. It was a quick trip but it did the trick. So next time someone offers you a chance to escape for a couple of days just consider this a chance for you to recharge those batteries.

Be Happy

Modern Blooms for McCall's Quick Quilts

I am finally willing to admit I am not a weekly blogger. I try and try and then forget to post for months on end. Perhaps in it is like other things in life. Once you stop trying sooooo hard, it becomes easier to do. If I remove the pressure I put on myself and stop thinking about it as a task, perhaps I will do it more often.

I am discovering all kinds of things like this and attribute it to turning 40 this year. I know many people do not like to get older but I actually embrace it. I am proud of the fact that I have made it this far and I hope I have learned things along the way.

Just this year alone I have learned to go with the flow, everything happens for a reason and perhaps instead of fighting it, I should stop, look and consider what can I learn from this event my life has thrown my way.

I am also learning that everything does not have to be perfect and what is perfect for others may not be right for me.

As I enter my 40's I have a new goal to try to always work towards things that make me happy. If something comes along that I do not want to do it or does not fit this goal, I am looking at it to decide;

A. Do I really need to do this, why am I doing it and if it really has to be done, do not procrastinate,
get it done and out of the way.

B. How can I make this something I enjoy. (Certain things like going to the dentist are never going to fit here so I go back to A and get through it.) If I have to go to an event I really don't want to be at, instead of being unhappy about it, I turn it into an adventure. I dress in clothes I love and arm myself with a positive attitude. It works (almost) every time.

As the new year approaches, I will promise myself to work towards this goal of Happiness. Attitude is everything and if I want to be happy, only I can make it happen.

So on this note, I want to share with you a quilt I did for this month's McCall's Quick Quilts. It is called Modern Blooms. Here is an example of taking a task that I needed to do and turning it into something that made me happy. They loved the fabrics and left it up to me what to do with them. So I sat down and sketched this quilt out. It was pure joy to work on this design. I used my favorite method and favorite color to create a quilt that made me smile. I hope it makes you smile too.
Until Next time.....

The latest Magazine Quilts

 

Tumbling Monkeys

Feather Friends     

   Opposites Attract

Happy Days  

Wee Witchey Kitty

Well another summer is coming to an end. Usually summers are pretty slow around here, but this summer has been super crazy. It started with moving the studio and ourselves (again) in June and the work started right after that. With the economy being what it is, I am so thankful for each job that comes our way. As a Freelance Designer, it is sometime a real roller coaster ride. Well now I can show you some of the projects we have been working on for this summer. We had several magazine features that came out over the past few months and I want to share them with you, Tumbling Monkeys, Feathered Friends, Happy Days. Summer Sparkler, Peep Squeaks, Animal Party II, Opposites Attract and finally Wee Witchey Kitty. I am posting some of these here for you with a link to our website www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com. We still have six more magazine features coming out before the end of the year, so check back and see what's new. Take care and happy quilting.
Until next time....
Heidi

Happy Days

Happy Days are here again or so the saying goes.

I wanted to share with you our newest magazine feature, Happy Days. It is appearing in the September issue of McCall's Quick Quilts, which is coming out this week. We are (of course) offering a fabric kit for this project.
I was asked to design a "Happy" quilt for this issue. When I saw this group from Timeless Treasures, I knew this was the right group. I came across the fabric while designing the free pattern for Wendy Bently's group called "Lift Your Spirits".
I went to quilt camp (Bear Cabin Inn) in February and worked on this project. I don't know if it was the thrill of being at quilt camp or the effect of such bright and cheery fabrics but I smiled the entire time I was working on this quilt. (Even when I made a mistake and had to tear out a row.) I hope that this quilt makes you smile as well.

I would love to know if there anything you have worked on recently that just brought you pure joy!

Until Next Time....
Heidi

Little Dancers

Hello Friends
I have a couple new quilts to share with you. The first one is a simple panel design featuring "Little Dancers" spinning around the quilt top. I wanted to add a pieced element to the one border so I make little pieced Bow-Tie blocks to mix in with the ballerinas. By doing Bow-Tie Blocks instead of Pinwheel block, I added interest tot he design and cut my piecing time in half.
When I saw this fabric (from Fabri-Quilt) at quilt market, I stopped and ordered it on the spot. The Ballerinas are so cut and I loved the fact that there were a variety of dancers on the fabric. We have a limited number of fabric kits and the Little Dancers pattern is posted free on our website. This is a fun pattern for any panel (Our panel was 34-1/2" x 43-1/2"). Just replace the panel with yours and use matching accent fabrics around the center.

 

Settled in and on the road again!

Hello All,
Well, after a whirlwind month and a half, we are back from quilt market, finally moved to our new home and now in Prescott, AZ for the Thumb Butte quilt show this weekend. We are all set up and ready to go. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello. We have everything on sale. If not we just started our semi-annual 15% off sale on our website. Just use our code SM15FF when placing your order.This great sale runs for the month of June. Well until I am back in the office, happy creating.
Heidi

Happy Go Lucky

Hello Hello,
Today's quilt is from a group of fabric from P&B Textiles called "Happy Go Lucky" just the name alone makes one smile. I love, love, love this quilt. With so much black and white out there. This was a nice group that also included gray. Every once and awhile it is hard to ship out a quilt, knowing I will never see it again and this was definitely one of them. I created the blocks by making a simple framed square and then cutting a the red floral fabric to the same square size. I laid the two squares on top of each other with right sides up on both. I then used a wavy ruler to cut across the diagonal of both squares. I matched up the top half of one side to the bottom half of the other side and sewed them together. SIMPLE! and yet it make the quilt look so contemporary and fun. I think I will have to make one for myself someday. Maybe even but the fabric and kit it. Let me know what you think about that. I will let you know when the pattern is available online, this time from P&B Textiles website.
Until Next Time....
Heidi

Back from Spring Quilt Market

Hello all,
Finally back in AZ after spending four wonderful days in Salt Lake City for quilt market. It was a busy trip catching up with clients and friends as well as meeting so many new people. I also found time to buy some really cute fabrics to share with you all soon. I also wanted to show you some of the quilts I designed for the different fabric companies this time. I will start with one of my favorites. I used Thimbleberris' new line of fabric "Shades Apart" to create this lone star beauty called "Star Abloom"!
I used only this collection to create the radiating star and then in the appliqued corners (shown below). It is a perfect group with a larger variety of colors that all work so well together.
The pattern and the entire collection of fabrics will be available on RJR fabrics website as soon as I finish writing it in the next week or so. I will let you know when it will available. I know what you are thinking and even I was surprised this was my favorite. I guess not EVERY quilt needs to be bright.
Until next time....
Happy Creating,
Heidi

Publish Post

And the winners are.....

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful comments. It is such an inspiration to hear from you all. Sorry for the delay posting the winners it has been a little crazy here as we get ready for quilt market next week. Now with out further delay, here are the winners:
Vicki T.
Lee
Joyce M.
Stormy Days
Jen

I have sent out emails to the winners and again thank everyone for visiting.
Until next time....
Heidi :)

Welcome to The Whimsical Workshop on the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour

Hello and welcome.
We are so excited to to be a part of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour once again. If you leave a comment today with your email address, we will be giving away several copies of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks magazine which is hitting newstands on 5/10/11 to our lucky readers.

Do not worry if you don't win,  we have copies of the magazine available for sale on our website www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com

Ducks in a Row- Fabric Kits available

If you have not guessed yet, our block was this cute little rubber duckie. I designed a simple crib quilt using our duckie block shown above as an example of what you can do with the block. The setting instructions are available FREE on our website. PLEASE note you need the magazine for the actual duck templates. I would love to see any quilts made with our block and if you would like we will add your quilt to our "Bragging Rights" page on our website, where we like to showcase our customer's quilts.

We have a limited number of fabric kits that include the fabrics as shown for the quilt top and binding along with a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine and our instructions to make the "Ducks in a Row" quilt for $54.95 for sale on our website.

Make sure to check out all the other great designer's blogs on the tour. For a complete list go to http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.html 

If you like our designs make sure to sign up to receive our email newsletters  to see our newest designs and fabrics. Have fun!!

Until Next Time....
Heidi Pridemore

OOPS!

Hi everyone
I was informed I had the wrong day for our Blog posting on the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour. Our Day is Weds. May 4th. (The same day my long awaited Ipad will be delivered to me!!!!) Big day for all.
Heidi

Hello all,
We are excited to let you know we are participating in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog tour next week. So if you have not done a blog tour before, this is a fun one to start with. You can go around and visit all the different designer's websites and see what they are up to as well as sign up for tons of giveaways!

Our scheduled day to unveil our Block is Wednesday May 4. So make sure to come back and sign up for our giveaways as well as a preview of our block and companion quilt. So mark your calenders!!!!
We will also have the magazine for sale online this time, so make sure to check out our website
www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com

I will give you a hint about our block, it made the cover!!!! Can you guess which one is ours???? Let a comment with you answer!


Until Next Time,
Heidi

Quilts for Japan Update

Hello All,
Here is some updated info for any quilts to Japan. Please note address which cannot received quilts until the end of April.

★After the end of April,please send the quilts to:
Naomi Ichikawa, Editor
Patchwork Tsushin Co., Ltd.,
2-21-2, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo, JAPAN 113-0034
I will appreciate if you help me. Nao
Note from Patricia Cummings:

When mailing any quilts, it is important to NOT write the word “Quilt” anywhere on the outside of the package, if you want a better chance of it reaching its destination.
As you know, quilters always step up to the plate when there is a critical need for “comfort quilts” such as those being requested in the letter. I am re-posting this note, so that you will have addresses in Japan to send quilts. As she said, any size is acceptable and they can be for babies or adults. Please help, if you can. If you can’t make a quilt, please help spread the word by re-posting this note to your guild or group page or Facebook page.

Back Popular Demand

 Hello Quilters
Don't fall over from surprise, two blogs in one day! 

Back by popular demand, Black and White Delight pattern and Fat Quarter Bundles. When we unveiled these items at our Phoenix show in January, they sold out almost instantly.


I love working with black and white fabrics as well as throwing in a splash of red from time to time. So I wanted to design a pattern using a variety of these fabrics. I also love when one pattern shows you different techniques and seeing how I was the one writting the pattern, I figured that is exactly what I was going to do. SOOOOO here it is:

 

My new pattern Black and White Delight pattern includes instructions to make a table runner and four place mats OR the wallhanging quilt using eleven fat quarters and 2-1/2 yards of Kona Black Fabric for the borders, binding and backings.
We have a limited number of Fat Quarter Bundles that include nine black and white prints or Red/Black and White prints (shown below) and one fat quarter of each Kona Black and Kona White. The Black and White Delight pattern is included with each bundle for FREE ($9.00 value)

Black and White Delight fat quarter bundles with pattern are $29.95 with free shipping. 
 Click here to order the Black and White FQ Bundle with Pattern

Click here to order the Red/Black and White FQ Bundle with Pattern 

www.TheWhimsicalworkshop.com 
Happy Creating,
Heidi and The Whimsical Workshop Elves

Quilts for Japan

Hello All,
I just read this blog post on The Quilter Magazine website and wanted to pass it on to all our friends. As we watch the horrible events unfolding in Japan and many of us wonder what can we do to help, Here is a way, donate a quilt. I have always felt being wrapped in a quilt is like getting a hug from someone who cares. Well here is our chance to let the Japanese know the world cares for their suffering. So please consider sending a quilt to Japan and pass this on to your quilting groups. Thanks for listening.


Dear Quilters: It is still bad situation now in Japan. We are still nervous about shaking and radiation, but no way to escape. I start to announce to the quilters to send us comfort quilts for the people who are suffered. I would like to [ask] the world quilters. We will deliver the comfort quilts to the people who are very difficult situation. Could you please help to announce it to the quilters? We accept any size of quilts (baby to adult), new or unused.

★After the end of April,please send the quilts to:
Naomi Ichikawa, Editor
Patchwork Tsushin Co., Ltd.,
2-21-2, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo, JAPAN 113-0034
I will appreciate if you help me. Nao
Note from Patricia Cummings:

When mailing any quilts, it is important to NOT write the word “Quilt” anywhere on the outside of the package, if you want a better chance of it reaching its destination.
As you know, quilters always step up to the plate when there is a critical need for “comfort quilts” such as those being requested in the letter. I am re-posting this note, so that you will have addresses in Japan to send quilts. As she said, any size is acceptable and they can be for babies or adults. Please help, if you can. If you can’t make a quilt, please help spread the word by re-posting this note to your guild or group page or Facebook page.
Patricia Cummings


Quilter’s Muse Publications

Coming Soon

Hello Friends,
I am so excited to share with you that our new website is almost done. We are madly adding all our products to the website and hope to have it available to you by March 1. We have added over 100 fabrics for you and hope you enjoy our new website. It has new features to make it easier to select and order items. We have also added quilts for sale and fabric jewelry for sale as well. I will keep you updated on how it is all progress over the next couple of weeks.
Until next time,
Heidi

NEW! Furry Friends Embroidery Disk

I am so excited to introduce our first embroidery design disk. Over the years we have discussed having my artwork digitized into embroidery designs and just did not find the best company for the job. Then I met Sue at The Needlework Factory. This small company does an amazing job of taking an artist's work and recreating it without losing any of the character of the original artwork. I have created this simple baby quilt (42" square) to showcase nine of the large designs.

This free pattern is available on our website.  

Click Here to download the Furry Friends Embroidery Pattern.

The Multi Formatted CD includes 39 design for 4" x 4" and 5" x 7" hoops. 

Also includes PDF files with color charts for reference.

Disk includes the following Formats:

 ART • PES • HUS VIP • SEW • XXX • PCS • EXP • DST 

Click Here to order the Furry Friends Embroidery Disk 

I hope to work with Sue on future collections and encourage any of our embroidery customers to check out all of her work at   www.TheNeedleWorkFactory.com


Until Next Time....
Heidi

Phoenix Sew and Craft Festival

Hello all,
Just finished unpacking from the Phoenix Sew and Craft Festival. What a great show!! Just wanted to thank everyone who came by. We have the best customers! Check back for some great new patterns coming your way this year. Thanks again everyone.
Until next time,
Heidi