Presenting: Quilt Retro!! ((And Give-Away!))

I am really lucky to work with some amazingly talented people. People who quilt, people who write, people who do BOTH and walk ((And SEW!!)) along on this journey with me!

My editor at Kansas City Star, Jennifer, has released her new book called Quilt Retro, and I’m tickled to be a part of her blog tour!

You might recognize Jenifer also as the author of 42 Quilts! She’s linked over there in my sidebar.

Recently she has been showing ways that “traditional” blocks can go modern! She’ll present the Modern way on “Modern Monday”—the traditional on “Traditional Tuesday” and it’s lots of fun to see what she comes up with.

I am so tickled to present to you Jenifer’s “LINOLEUM FLOORS” quilt from Quilt Retro!!

Isn’t this FUN!? I love the fresh updated look of the colors. My eyes just want to travel the whole thing and back again. And never fear…..don’t be over-whelmed! You don’t have to drop everything to start this immediately even if you want to! Plan it out! You can build this quilt with leaders & enders in between the projects you already have going.

I also love the wide open areas for showing off some really fun quilting.

Here’s a bit from Jenifer herself on how this quilt came to be:

What started out as a simple chain quilt turned into a scrap-fest-lolla-palooza! I have no idea how many different fabrics are in the quilt, but I know it grew exponentially from the original plan.

Let me back up. The inspiration for this quilt came from an old quilt book I saw one time. The topic of the book was quilts that survived WWII from Norway. In that book was a simple chain quilt. It was one of those old quilts that was faded badly from over-washing and use. What caught my eye, was that despite the poor condition, an incredible energy came from simple chains of colored squares strung together. I couldn’t shake it from my mind, so I knew I’d have to recreate it!

Originally, I wanted to use all white for the background. As I was playing with this on EQ, I realized that it was pretty stark done up that way. So I started throwing in random light neutrals here and there. Well that gave the background so much depth, I knew I was on to something. I kept adding in different shades of fabrics until I got what I wanted. Next, I looked at the chains of color – all running in the same direction. I wondered what would happen if I made some of the chains go in the opposite direction. With a few clicks of the mouse it was done, and so was the design! Perfect!

So where did the name come from? The fabrics used for the chains of color are from my retro collection. I believe I used fabrics from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and today – that’s 50 years of scraps if you’re counting! When it was all laid out, it reminded me of an old-fashioned linoleum floor – maybe because of all the old fabrics.

Could she have chosen a better quilt for me to reveal to you? I don’t think so! I’ve now got a purpose for all those vintage calicoes that showed up in my mail box a few days ago!

The book features 11 fun quilts all made with different techniques to keep you going and trying new things.

From the back of the book:

“These contemporary, often quirky designs evoke nostalgia, ‘70s vintage fabrics and graphics as well as organic designs. They’re easy to make with today’s popular solids and big prints.”

To order, find the book here

• Pickledish.com
• Amazon.com

Leave me a comment below this post, and I’ll put in you a drawing for a free copy signed by Jenifer herself! I’ll draw for the winner on Saturday, October 8th ---I’ll be traveling to Maryland, but will make it a point to choose a winner that day!

SOMEONE will win it, it may as well be you, and you can’t win if you don’t enter by leaving a comment!

If you comment as Anonymous, please leave your name and email address at the bottom of your comment so we can reach you. If you are a blogger user that does NOT have your email address visible in your settings, you must also leave your name and email address for us to contact you.

Here is the whole line up of the blog tour ---- Be sure to hit them all to comment with your chance to win a copy of Quilt Retro, or whatever other goodie/giveaway is being offered that day on the blog being featured! This way you get to see ALL the quilts featured in the book ---love them all!

Day 1 – Oct. 3

Alissa Haight Carlton

Day 2 – Oct. 4

Bonnie Hunter

Day 3 – Oct. 5

Tammie Schaffer

Day 4 –Oct. 6

Jenifer Dick (Author)

Day 5 – Oct. 7

Angela Walters

Day 6 – Oct. 10

Jacquie Gering

Day 7 – Oct. 11

Deb Rowden

Day 8 – Oct. 12

Kathy Mack

Day 9 – Oct. 13

Pickledish.com

Day 10 – Oct. 14

Jenifer Dick (Author)