Guest On American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast

Guest on American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast

Graphic courtesy of American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast

Graphic courtesy of American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast

It's always a big honor when Pat Sloan of American Patchwork and Quilting asks if you want to be on her radio podcast - um, of course, YEESSSS!!!!!

I love talking with Pat, she's so knowledgeable about this industry and genuinely a wonderful person. This is my second time on her show--I could talk with her all day long!. Listen to my first live podcast interview on episode #336 which aired April 10, 2017 where Pat and I talk about fabric design and style of quilts. 

The new episode #373 will air March 19, 2018 sometime after 4 pm Eastern on Patchwork and Quilting Radio.

Or on Pat Sloan's website under Radio Shows.

Episodes can also be heard at the All People Quilt magazine's website.

Photo by Sharon Holland

Photo by Sharon Holland

In new episode #373 interview, Pat and I talk about my Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book for Landauer Publishing and what it means to create a utility-style quilt as well as the behind the scenes makings that went into the book and it's photography.

Bobbin quilt from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

Bobbin quilt from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

There's so much that goes into a craft book. Of course, first and foremost is a concept for the book then comes the making of the projects and writing of the manuscript. For me it snowballed into even more...

Goose Chase from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

Goose Chase from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

I soon found myself behind the camera shooting the type of life-style photos I wanted depicted in my book. Really, the behind the camera is a happy place for me in my multi-passionate career--I just wish I had a bit more time then was given to meet the 2-week press deadline.

I found surprising and creative solutions for capturing the look I wanted for this book and thank goodness for my wonderful friends that let me trash their homes to get that perfect shot! Hear more on that behind the photos on the podcast interview with Pat.

Star Crossed from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

Star Crossed from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living quilt book. Photo by Sharon Holland.

I like to give each quilt a personality before I even begin and by doing so, it also helped me streamline how the quilt was to be photographed. Star Crossed has a tween-girl storyline for me and was a fun quilt to style. Pat and I talk more about my process behind selecting which fabrics to use in my quilts and how I came up with the different utility quilt looks for my book.

Fabric stack photo by Sharon Holland

Fabric stack photo by Sharon Holland

When you listen to the podcast interview, I tell Pat my concept behind this book and how I want to encourgage quilters to find their voice and make beautiful quilts that give you permission to use them everyday and love them to pieces. 

This book is geared toward the beginner but a seasoned quilter will love the quick-make quilt projects and the freedom to explore design. Basically, this book is an excuse to go through your fabric stash and have fun sewing!

I had a ton of fun digging into my stash of fabrics for my 12 quilt projects in my book. Many of the fabrics used are vintage gems I've been holding onto for a long time and I'm so happy they are now in quilts that I can use and enjoy rather than the fabrics being stashed away in a closet.  

See what others are sewing using the patterns in my book by searching the hashtag #UtilityStyleQuiltsforEverydayLiving on Instagram! 

 

 

H-Block Quilt

H-Block Quilt

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Some time ago I did house cleaning on my Free Patterns page to clear out PDFs that were not up to my current formatting and pattern writing standards. Unfortunately, the H-Block baby quilt pattern was one that was pulled. I have been intending to bring this pattern back but it's hard to find the time to devote to a free pattern or get excited about remaking a quilt when new projects keep cropping up! 

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Well, I got a whole bunch of motivation not only to publish a new version of this free pattern but to make a baby quilt for a new grand baby coming this spring! Now I was ready to remake this quilt with renewed love and excitement. 

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The H-Block quilt it simple but so much fun and rewarding to make. It would be an excellent use of jelly roll strips because all the pieces are 2-1/2"-wide. I selected an assortment of prints from my various Art Gallery Fabrics collection: Gossamer, Coastline, Tapestry, Bountiful, and Fusions reprints (of my prints and other designers like Bari J. and Bonnie Christine) from Bachelorette, Woodland, and Floralia. I've also added in AGF Smooth Denim for a lovely departure from solids. See my Fabrics page for online shops that carry my collections.

My quilt uses 8 dark fabrics, 8 medium fabrics, and 6 light fabrics. My daughter wanted an earthy-boho look too the quilt and goes beautifully with her eclectic style of decorating. I couldn't be happy with how the quilt came out!

Download the free PDF H-Block pattern from my Free Patterns page.

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The finished size of this quilt is 46'' x 58'' and a great snuggling size as baby gets bigger. I used a very simple free-form half circle with a loop machine quilting design that was fast and easy to make. I didn't mark out the design ahead of time--just free motioned it and it's not perfect but I love it! 

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For the batting I used my all-time favorite Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting. It's incredible in every way. The batting handles like cotton but it light weight. The drape of the quilt is exquisite and will be warm and soft for years to come. I machine washed the quilt before brining it to my daughter this weekend and dried in the dryer on low. There we no noticeable shrinkage of the quilt so this makes an excellent product for a baby quilt. 

A Community Sampler Giveaway - Week #1

Community Sampler Giveaway - Week #1

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Each Friday, throughout the Community Sampler sew-along, which Maureen Cracknell and I are co-hosting, will be a Giveaway Friday. We've coordinated special giveaway prizes with our amazing participating sponsors for each and every week! If you've happened to miss the first Community Sampler posts, take a look back from the first post Sneak Peek at the 2018 Sew Along to get caught up to the present. Feel free to start sewing with us at anytime--it's never too late to join in, and it's free! 

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The Community Sampler Sponsors

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Lady Belle Fabric  Omnigrid   Aurifil Thread  Art Gallery Fabrics 

Hobbs Batting  Dritz  Fat Quarter Shop  Bloc-Loc

Today Maureen and I are kicking off our weekly Community Sampler Giveaway with a prize from the two of us!!!

That's right, this week we're offering the winner a 12-piece Community Garden curated bundle including six gorgeous prints from my Bountiful, Tapestry, and Sketchbook collections for Art Gallery Fabrics. These prints mix perfectly with coordinating prints from Maureen's beautiful new Love Story collection and a favorite from Nightfall also from Art Gallery Fabrics. This bundle will include a fat quarter cut of each of the 12 prints that you see here. 

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This bundle is also available exclusively at Needle in a Fabric Stash! See their online shop for more information and orders will get a bonus fat quarter free to make a baker's (or gardener's) dozen. Plus, don't forget to shop their huge selection of Art Gallery Fabrics and check out the Sharon Holland Sampler bundle with free shipping!

ENTER TO WIN!

Here's how: Since Maureen and I are taking turns hosting the Community Sampler Giveaway Fridays, this week I'm sending you to Maureen Cracknell's blog to enter!

A BIG thanks to all of you who are joining the 2018 Community Sampler sew-along and to those who enter our Giveaway!  

♡ Sharon

Sneak Peek at the 2018 Sew Along

Sneak Peek at the 2018 Sew Along

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It's been so difficult keeping secrets but the news is finally out that Maureen Cracknell and I will be co-hosting another virtual sewing bee! The 2018 sew along is called Community Sampler. We gave it that name because of the amazing community that grew out of last year's Sewcial Bee Sampler event. The response was incredible and so were the many friendships formed over a common love of quilting. So, to everyone that joined us last year and made the sew along such a success and to all the new friends that will be made with our new sampler--this one's for you!

Next week on Wednesday, February 21st around 9 am Eastern. Maureen and I will be posting to our blogs and release your first PDF download. This sew along is a free event and all you need to do is follow along on this blog and Maureen's blog to find the new PDF release each week, enjoy tips and tutorials, block inspiration, and weekly giveaways. 

With our new name (and new look!) starts a new hashtag pool in Instagram. Grab either or both of the buttons above for sharing on your blog or social media platforms to show your support for the Community Sampler block-of-the-week sew along. When posting your makes to your Instagram account, use the hashtag #CommunitySampler and then you can connect with all your fellow CS Makers by following the hashtag--it's that easy!

Public Instagram accounts will enjoy the added bonus of automatically being entered into the weekly giveaway drawings each and every time you post and use the official #CommunitySampler hashtag. We'll give more details on that as we get underway next week. Remember, this is just a sneak peek and the full reveal will be next week, starting with the Introduction PDF download. 

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The Community Sampler is proud to announce these generous sponsors:

Lady Belle Fabric

Omnigrid

Aurifil Thread

Art Gallery Fabrics

Hobbs Batting

Dritz

Fat Quarter Shop

Bloc-Loc

We look forward to you sewing along with us. Next week cannot come soon enough so to keep yourself busy, finish up all those UFO projects!