Many of you asked for brown fabric that would work for backgrounds in the 12-block Whimsical Quilt Garden quilt. We listened, Linda found the fabric and we have it on our site. Click here for info on the kit. Please be aware that this is for the brown backgrounds only! The sashing and applique fabric is not part of this kit.

I made this brown quilt and I can tell you that the browns in the photo of the quilt are a lot darker than they are in the real world. The kit fabric is much closer to what I used.

We also have fat quarters and yardage of these browns AND some new black and white fabric. Click here to see that fabric.

We'll send out a newsletter with this info later, so you are hearing this news first. I'm leaving for Columbus, OH, on Wednesday for the NQA show. I hope to see some of you there!

If you receive our eNewsletter you know this already, but if you didn't hear the news we are excited to share with you a special chance to watch Becky on “The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims”.

Linda and I worked in partnership with Alex and Ricky to bring you this special invitation to see Episode 611 “Appliqué the Piece O' Cake Way” FREE from June 12 – June 18, 2010. Plus you can receive 20% off a 6 month Membership to TQS! 

To watch for FREE click here.

We hope you enjoy this episode. If you become a member of TQS, there are many many more episodes that are just as wonderful waiting for you.

And, if you didn't get our eNewsletter but would like to get them from now on, click here to sign up. We don't send them out on a regular basis and we don't bombard you with emails. We don't have time to generate them and you don't have time to read them all. We just send out news when we have it.

I've designed this quilt on the wall, without a drawn pattern. No templates – I just cut pieces out by eye, with my scissors. I pinned all the pieces where I wanted them to go. So how do I take it down, manage the pieces, and get everything back where I want it?

I cut a piece of Quilter's Vinyl 16 1/2" x 16 1/2". I drew a 16" x 16" square and the horizontal and vertical center lines on the vinyl. I pinned the vinyl over the quilt on the wall.

I traced the design on the raw edges of the applique pieces. When I applique them, the pieces will be smaller as I turn under the seam allowances so it's a little different than our normal overlay. For placement, it works. I numbered the pieces. I took them off the wall in reverse order as I described in this post.

Here's another little bit of the quilt with the Quilter's Vinyl over it. If you click the photo it should open on a new page and be even bigger.

I cut out lots of flowers and leaves. I would love to show you the whole thing but I think that that is going to give too much away. Part of the World Series Quilt Challenge is a big unveiling of the quilts at Quilt Festival. But perhaps I'm not giving away too much by showing you this little bit. I'll share more little bits as time goes on.

Remember that this is a challenge and you can 'vote' for my quilt already! Right now John, Hollis, and I are even at $56 each.

As I worked on my World Series quilt, I got to thinking about the other seven quilters who are part of this challenge. They would be: Hollis Chatelain, John Flynn, Sue Nickels, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Judy Mathieson, Mary Sorenson, and Ricky Tims. I had to stop and take a deep breath!

I decided that the drawing I started with was a bit light on the applique. I made a new sketch…

Do any of you read Pam Holland's blog? Pam can draw and her sketches make me smile. They also make me feel like a slacker. I should fess up and say that I can draw – I just don't take the time to do it. If you don't make the time, your drawings look like this one of mine above. That said, my lousy sketch works for me because I know where I'm going with it. There will be lots more flowers!

Notice that the center has changed. I want it to appear to be more of a void. I'm reverse appliqueing the square-ish shapes to give it some depth.

…seen on Weird Friends. My husband did his masters work on snakes and I got comfortable with both snakes and lizards. I know some of you won't love this photo. Concentrate on the colors – they are really lovely together.