Hello and Happy Summer! I hope you are all doing well since my last check in. Life has been very busy here with the kids, sports, friends, the end of school and trying to meet all of my work deadlines. I thought I would pop in quick to tell you about a couple of those work related things.
First of all, my Snowed In collection with Riley Blake Designs is hitting stores now! It was such a fun line to create and I’m really excited to have a holiday/winter line out again. It feels like it’s been a really long time since I’ve done one! I’m looking forward to decorating my house this winter with all the quilts that I’m making with it.
Here is a closer look at the prints:
I also wanted to show you this cute little animation that Riley Blake Designs made for the line using my artwork from the main print. It’s pretty cute.
If you are interested in these fabrics, you can ask at your local quilt shop. You can also find them in my online store here. We have all the precuts and several kits available.
The other big thing that I wanted to tell you, is that I’m hosting a sew along with these fabrics using my Snowed In Sampler pattern. The Sew Along will start on June 17th and run for 2 months. Each Thursday I will send out an email for that week, for those that have joined the SAL. My plan is that that email will contain a link to a video on my YouTube channel that you can watch whenever it’s convenient for you. You can find my YouTube channel here.
Here’s a closer look at the schedule: (this image is a screen shot of the lookbook, so if it’s too fuzzy for you to read, click the link above to open the lookbook).
If you would like to join the sew along, please drop me an email at heather@ankastreasures.com and I will add you to the list. If you want the kit pictured on the pattern front, you can find it here. If you have any questions for me about any of this, please leave me a comment here or drop me an email.
This runner finishes at 17″ x 44″. The center of the runner uses 5″ squares and the watermelon is made with fat eighths. The watermelon wedges do require the use of an included template, my Triangler ruler or this ruler by Creative Grids.
The featured fabric is my Shades of Summer collection from Riley Blake Designs that came out last summer. You can pick up the kit here.
When my boys saw the props that I was going to use for these photos, they wanted to be in this one. Any guesses why? They love to see funny outtakes and eat props.
This runner is called Picket Fence. It’s super quick and super easy! It uses 2.5″ strips, so it’s perfect for leftover jelly rolls or rollie pollies or even odds and ends from leftover binding strips.
This version features the fabric collection Rosa by Crystal Manning for Moda fabrics, with the addition of the navy background from my Wildlfower Boutique collection. I am currently loving navy backgrounds (which you will see when I get to announce my next fabric collection at Spring Market!)
The next version features the Bloom and Grow fabric line from Simple Simon and Co, also for Riley Blake Designs. I added the blue Essex Linen background.
Twinkly Stars in the next runner to share and also features my Shades of Summer collection from Riley Blake designs. I wanted to include an offset design with a little bit more of a modern flair, so that is how this design idea started.
The offset design creatives lots of negative space to show of some fun machine quilting.
If you like this one, you can get the kit from us here.
When I came up with this design, I could also envision it in a patriotic color combo and a darker background. I found this line, Fireworks and Freedom by Bella Blvd and mixed it with some blue yarn dyed Essex linen for the perfect 4th of July table topper.
This runner is called Gem Stones. It features my Wildflower Boutique collection and finishes at 17.5″ x 35.5″. It’s just a simple star design and the layout features a spot to show off a favorite large floral.
I wanted to have every season covered, so I’ve included two fall runners in this collection. This design is called Fall Colors and is made completely from my stash. It was really fun to pull all these fabrics and arrange them in rainbow color order. I love how the colors pop off this grey linen (which we have in our online store here. The runner takes 1 yard of grey and this includes the binding). You could also make this runner from 2 – 5″ stackers or charm packs.
I also wanted to include a couple of directional runners. I have two reasons for this – First of all, I display many of my runners in my dining room and when you walk in, you are facing the table as shown in the photo below. I think it can be really eye catching when everything is facing right side up as you walk towards it. The other reason that I wanted some directional runners, is that they make great wall quilts (as you will see with the next runner).
This runner is called Autumn Garden. It also features 5″ squares and some of the prints from my Shades of Summer collection. The oranges are from my stash. I used this background. The blocks are all made using folded corners, so no templates required.
Alpine Drive is last runner in the preview and I designed this one specifically to hang above my fireplace. It makes a cute runner on a table too, but I decorate a lot with snowflakes and trees on my mantel, so it fits right in 🙂
This version features my Snowed In fabric collection from Riley Blake Designs that will come out in May. I haven’t added a preorder kit for this one to my website, but let me know in the comments if you are interested and I may add it if I get enough interest.
This second version is made from my stash and uses lot of Riley Blake Basics. I think this version really shows off the piecing in the trees. By the way, those trees are just made from half-square triangles, pieced in rows and then cut diagonally in the shape of a tree. You can see this a little better in the close up photos.
That’s everything from the book. It was so fun once again to make a collection of runners to add to my collection to decorate my house with. For those that have the book, I hope you will enjoy making them too! Thank you for stopping and if you saw anything that you liked and don’t already have the book, you can find the book here.
At the beginning of January, I asked my Instagram followers what they would like to see from me for content in the next year. The most comment response that I got from people was “Sew Alongs and Tutorials”. So, I’ve been busy thinking of ideas of things that I want to share that are related to these requests!
I’ve already posted a couple of quick tutorials on my Instagram account and on my You Tube channel (click here to view or subscribe). These were both on binding, as that was the most requested topic. Next, I am going to host a Sew Along for my Heart to Heart runner, so I wanted to pop in quick and tell you about it.
This pattern can be found in my Trendy Table 3 book and it’s a quick and easy project to make. It’s easy enough to newer quilters to join in, but with some details that experienced quilters will enjoy too. Or maybe you are just looking for a small Valentines project to make for fun. Whatever your reason, it will be like taking a mini class from me.
If you are interested in watching a little video of me talking about the sew along, you can hit play below! In the video, I talk about some fabric options that I have available in my online store and show 2 different color variations that I am working on. Click here to see some of the options that I talk about in the video. You can also use your stash or I’m sure many of you also have a charm pack laying around in your sewing room that you could use!
After gathering your supplies, your next step will be to watch the video that I post this Saturday at 10:00 am. I will post it to my Instagram account (click here) and I will also put it on my You Tube channel. Either way, you can watch it whenever it’s convenient for you and sew along to have a finished runner for you home in time for Valentine’s Day. I hope you see you there!
Hi! You have reached the blog of designer Heather Mulder Peterson. I design and publish quilt patterns, along with a few other things. I hope you'll stop by often to see what's happening in my little world!
Trends and Traditions 