Abbi Mays Exclusive Quilt Kit: GOLD RUSH!

Sue, our sample quilt maker, first saw this quilt, GOLD RUSH, at the 2012 Houston Quilt Market (quilt in the middle),

 and knew immediately what fabrics she wanted to use to make our bed runner sample quilt!


Finished size: 27" x 97" (it would very pretty on my king size bed).  She made it look as rich as it's name, using batik fabrics from Holly Tayor's Trails End.

The Gold Rush pattern by Chris Hoover for Whirligig Designs includes instructions both a quilt and bed runner.


Skill level: Intermediate

Quilt: 67" x 97"
10 3/4 yards for top, borders & binding
Not included 5 2/3 yards for backing

Bed Runner is 27" x 97"(as pictured)
5 1/2 yards for top, borders & binding
Not included: 2 2/3 yards for backing






We have kits available for the quilt or bed runner.
Purchase your kit here: Gold Rush

Good morning Saturday!

I woke up this morning to this beautiful sunrise! Doesn't if just make your day start off on a positive note!

Tree of Life from Timeless Treasures

Tree of Life
from Timeless Treasures by Chong-a Hwang.

These fabrics are from from Timeless Treasures by Chong-a Hwang. Chonga's artistic taste is demonstrated in these elegant fabrics with florals, butterflies, ferns stripes and geometrics. 

Many of the fabrics are accented by gold metallic. 

This beautiful quilt uses the pattern from Mountainpeek Creations.

Finished size: 50" x 67"
Skill level: Easy

Included in kit:
Pattern - Sidelights by Mountaincreek Creations

Approx: 5 yards fabrics for top, borders & binding
Purchase your kit here for $62.75 + shipping:  Sidelights 

 Not included: 3 1/3 yard backing.

Coming Soon and Tree of Life kit: BRICKS

Dimensions: 54.5″ x 68.5″
Quilt Pattern by Mountainpeek Creations

What's for lunch?

Just Arrived: Blue Morning from Clothworks

by Iron Orchid Designs
Blue Morning has 13 prints and 4 companion fabric collection is 100% Quilters Quality Cotton.

These fabrics were inspired by the delicate beginnings of a Spring sunrise, The Blue Morning line of Fabrics by Iron Orchid Designs has romantic vintage findings and love letters sweetly hidden among the lush Spring florals. 

With fresh yellows, periwinkles and lavenders this collection will be perfect for your baby projects, Easter dresses, little girls decor and more!

The Quilt Kit Blue Morning includes a Free Pattern!

Finished size: 50 1/2" x 60 1/2"
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
Linda Hahn, Frog Hollow Designs designed the pattern.
The is written in really nice detail with lots of pictures!

Included in kit:
Free Pattern
Approx: 6 3/4 yards fabric for top, borders & binding
Fabrics used in this quilt are as pictured (we've made no substitutions).
Purchase your kit here for $72.50 + Shipping: Blue Morning


Not included: 3 3/8 yards fabric for backing.

Yum Yum! Peanut Butter Desert

INGREDIENTS

1 cup peanut butter*

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

5 dozen miniature pretzel twists (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar until combined.

Shape into 1-in. balls; press one on each pretzel. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until peanut butter mixture is firm, about 1 hour.

In a microwave-safe bowl or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and oil.

Dip the peanut butter ball into chocolate. Return to baking sheet, pretzel side down. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

BOM Saturday Soiree 4 month in Red or Blue

Saturday Soiree Quilt uses fabrics from the Gallery in Red and Blue Collection by Faye Burgos from Marcus Brothers. The 4 month block of the month was designed by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores of  Homestead Hearth.
This project can made in either the RED or BLUE colorway.
This four month block of the months starts in January 2013.

Each quilt uses 14 prints from the red or blue colorways. 
Finished size: 79 3/4 x 101"
Skill level: Advanced Beginner
Total yards for the quilt: 16 1/4 yards


The pattern includes rotary cutting diagrams for each block, and precise pressing ensures more accurate results. There are 3 blocks used in this quilt: Half-Square Triangles, Square-in-Square and Flying Geese.

Block of the months (BOM's) are a great way to make a beautiful large or intricate quilt while spreading the payments over four months.

Each month you'll receive kits that include fabrics and patterns to make your blocks.  Instructions for this quilt are written using basic quilting tools and skills.
Mailing schedule:
Month one: blocks 1 - 4
Month two: blocks 5 - 8
Month three: blocks: 9 -12
Month four: finishing kit (includes 12 1/4 yards of fabric)

 **You will be put on automatic shipment with the blocks being mailed the third week of each month. Your credit card will be invoiced monthly at the time of shipment. This is a FOUR month commitment with no cancellations.


**Price for each month is $50 + shipping ($5.75)
Click here to start your BOM: SATURDAY SORIEE in Red or Blue


We also have available these options available from:
Quilt Insurance Package: 14 fat 1/8's for $17.50 plus shipping. This gives you a little added security in case you make a wrong cut.

 Backing: 2 1/2 yards X 108" + shipping. Add Backing now and save 20% (will be added to month 1)

You can purchase you kit for a one time cost for: $199.00  + shipping ($11.50) (Purchase these kit from the BOM listing)

Hello January!

Yum - Yum! Potato Chedar Soup!

Active Time:  15 Minutes
Total Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  Serves 4
A few simple ingredients make a sumptuous soup. Be sure to use a high-quality cheddar; it's crucial to the dish's flavor. Choose a yellow cheese for the richest color. For a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and just break up some of the potato with a spoon.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, chopped
3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops

Get Cooking: http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/potato-and-cheddar-cheese-soup-recipe-2096.aspx#ixzz2Grkwm5p1

"Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM Quilt

The 2013 BOMquilts.com original block of the month quilt (free pattern!) has a very interesting story behind it. The owner and designer of the website is TK Harrison.  She and her husband homeschooled their four young children in 2006.  During that summer, TK's husband had speaking engagements in Portland, Oregon as well as Sacramento, California.  They decided there was no better way to get an education for their kids than to allow them to experience a summer on the road - stopping at historical sites, interesting places and participating in local customs and food.  So, they loaded up themselves, their four children, two dogs and as many sewing supplies as there was room for into a Suburban attached to a 35' camper and headed for the Pacific northwest!  At the time, they lived in northern Utah - so they went on vacation time and took a scenic route through Boise, Idaho and points west.

It just so happened that July 4, 2006 found them in Pendleton, Oregon.  They sat on the lawn of a tire business to watch the fireworks with a number of other local people.  Although they had limited knowledge of the Pendleton Woolen Mills, many of those locals told them it was a 'must see' while in their town. 



The next day, they went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills and took a look around.  They joined a small group on a guided tour through the factory and did a little shopping in their on-site store.

TK truly saw a gem in the making, except instead of wool blankets - she saw a quilt!  Or a lot of quilts!  Or a block of the month quilt!  While in the store, she purchased a stunning coffee table book, filled with the history of the Pendleton blankets as well as a number of their original designs. 

Before they even departed for the next town on their adventure, TK was already sketching quilt blocks and patterns inspired by the Pendleton blankets!

That is the background for this year's BOMquilts.com 2013 "Pendleton Inspired" 12-month block of the month quilt.  And although TK designed this quilt in 2006, she sat on it and waited for AbbiMays.com to get just the right fabric in that would do this quilt the justice it deserves.  So, BOMquilts.com's "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 block of the month quilt is made with Moda Marblehead fabrics!  They are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and coordinate well with the original Pendleton blanket colors.

The following image is the "Pendleton Inspired" quilt top.  Your colors may vary, depending on your own creativity in choosing just the right Moda Marblehead fabrics for your quilt top.



And this is the first block in the "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM quilt:

This quilt has 15" finished blocks, three borders and completed, measures 70" x 87" - perfect for a twin-sized bed quilt!  Or a warm and colorful snuggly on a cold winter's night.

The "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM Quilt from BOMquilts.com instructions begin on February 15 so don't wait to purchase your "Pendleton Inspired" Marblehead fabric kit!
Included in kit:
22 fat eights (9" x 22")
1 1/2 yards light fabric for sashing
3 1/2 yards for blocks, borders and binding
Purchase your kits here for $82 + Shipping: Pendleton Inspired



Pretty flower!

My friend who's vacationing in Key West - emailed me a picture of this flower:

It's beautiful!
Anyone know what kind it is?

Yum Yum! Toad in the Hole!

what you need

8 slices  bread

1Tbsp.  margarine, softened

3/4cup  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

4 eggs

2 slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Cut hole in center of each of 4 of the bread slices, using 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter or rim of drinking glass. Discard removed bread circles or reserve for another use.
SPREAD remaining bread slices with margarine. Place, margarine-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with cut-out bread slices to make four sandwiches. Break 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the bacon.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until cheese is melted and eggs are set. 

Thanks Kraft Foods! 

3 days til Christmas!

What are you thinking about?
Still shopping for last minute gifts are groceries?
Be Merry and Bright!

Sneak Peek 2013 Quilt Fabric: Antoinette

Antoinette by Michele D'Amore from Benartex

Beautiful classic design, done Michele D’Amore style! The graceful rhythms and swirls of Jacobean designs have made them a favorite style that has endured for centuries. When you add trendy colors of chocolate and pink, and new design elements like pencil stripes, mod dots and tattersall plaid, the look is wonderfully fresh. Some other interesting “twists” to this collection:  a 3-print double border (perfect for curtains, pillowcases and more) and a two-print stripe (both diagonal and pencil stripe on one handsome fabric!)  Antoinette is perfect for wherever a touch of updated tradition is wanted.

Queen Anne Quilt Kit will include a free quilt pattern: Queen Anne

Finished size: 53" x 71"
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Graceful rings are linked together in a beautiful classic design.
It’s a great use of Michele’s elegant Jacobean florals!

Kits will be available here: Queen Anne

Yum! Butterfinger Rice Krisipe Treats!

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Krispie cereal
• 3 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 1 (10 oz bag) mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Fun Sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter

How to Make

1. Lightly spray a 9×9 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large saucepan melt your butter over medium-low heat.
3. Add in your marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
4. Pour in your cereals and salt and stir until almost combined.
5. Pour in your chopped Butterfinger bars.
6. Stir until distributed evenly and press into your prepared pan.
7. In a microwave safe bowl combine your chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between each until melted and smooth.
8. Drizzle on top of your krispies.
9. Let the chocolate set and cut into squares.

www.abbimays,com

Snow Quilts - Wow!

These are pretty amazing. You've got to wonder how, at ground level, he can see what he's creating well enough to be sure that it will be symmetrical. 

Snow Quilts 
Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather!  Along the frozen lakes of Savoie, France, he spends days plodding through the snow in raquettes (snowshoes), creating these sensational patterns of snow art.  Working f or 5-9 hours a day, each final piece is typically the size of three soccer fields!  The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from higher levels.

How long these magnificent geometric forms survive is completely dependent on the weather.  Beck designs and redesigns the patterns as new snow falls, sometimes unable to finish a piece due to significant overnight accumulations.  Interestingly enough, he said, ''The main reason f or making them was because I can no longer run properly due to problems with my feet, so plodding about on level snow is the least painful way of getting exercise.   Gradually, the reason has become photographing them, and I am considering buying a better camera.”  Spectacular art for the sake of exercise!

What's a Grinch Pill? and we have Grinch Fabrics

 What's a Grinch Pill? 

We have yardage and kits for Chrismtas Grinch Quilt Fabric in stock in cotton or flannel!

Whoville Forest Quilt Kit

It’s the Quilting Gallery’s 5th birthday!

It’s the Quilting Gallery’s 5th birthday and to celebrate we’re having a HUGE party, with give-aways from quilters around the world!!





Welcome to Gabbi Abbi May we are helping celebrate the Quilter's Gallery 5th Anniversary Blog Hop Party!  What a wonderful way to network and see fresh and exciting designs--thanks, Michele, for providing the opportunity!

I will be giving away a Fat Quarter Bundle of 6 Christmas Fabrics!  If you would like to enter the give away, simply leave a comment here with why you would like the bundle.  I will randomly choose one recipient per day, December 10 through 15 and send the winner a copy. Take a moment to sign up for email notification of new posts in the right-hand sidebar--and Thanks for stopping by!

I will randomly choose one recipient per day, December 10 through 15 and send the winner a copy. Take a moment to sign up for email notification of new posts in the right-hand sidebar--and Thanks for stopping by! 

Oh the weather outside is frightful......

but it was delightful!!!

This is the first snowfall in December.  My camera wasn't set on the right setting and the picture turned out blue.

We challange you to make Pillowcases for others!

My monthly quilt club Sew Fun Quilters got together this year made a total of 86 flannel pillowcases! These will be donated of our local charities to use this Christmas as gifts.

We challenge your quilt club or bee to do the same for your local charities this Christmas Season!

This is how we did it: we organized ourselfs into groups of assemblers, piners, sewers and pressers!

This also would be to do with your grandson or granddaughter! All you need is pins, scissors, iron and sewing machine.

Abbi Mays has cotton and flannel pillowcase kits for you to use that are already precut with 27" case, 2" strip and 9" cuff for $5.00 for adults and kids!

 Purchase here for:
Adult Pillowcase
Kids Pillowcase
Kids Flannel Pillowcase

Toys for Tots 2012

Last night our quilt guild PALS (Patchers at the Lakeshore) had our annual Christmas Potluck.

The primary focus of our December meeting is always a toy drive for the US Marines  "Toys for Tots".  It was a huge success and lots of toys were donated!

A Troup Marines came to accept these toys and we were treated to a special time of hugs and thank yous!


Click here for more information about this project: Toys for Tots

Semper Fi Marines!

Sneak Peek: Incense & Peppermints coming in 2013.

Robyn Pandolph from RJR designed this new quilt fabric collection Incense & Peppermints:

We will have yardage, fat quarter bundles and quilt kits.