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It took quite a bit to get this quilt together, but probably not the way you think.  Sharon Pederson began this quilt in 2009 and with the help of her friends from all around the world, she organized and ran the Rose of Sharon Block Challenge.  You'll want to read the whole story at Sharon's website.  Here are the names of the designers of the blocks, including one from Sharon.

Starting at the upper left corner and going across the top, they are:

Simonetta Marini of Bologna, Italy, Judy Best from Ontario, Canada, Dianne Gronfors also from Ontario, Canada, my block, Leslie Collins from California, USA, Jo Moury of Virginia, USA, Rebekah Reinheimer from Jerusalem, Israel, Suzy Pricket of Florida, USA, Barb Vlack from Illinois, USA, Candace Door of Nebraska, USA, Pat Daniels, from Manitoba, Canada, Claudia Change of Taipei, Taiwan, and Kari Bauer from Illinois, USA.

BTW, our own Alex and Ricky judged the final blocks!

Rose of Sharon 1 - 120 pieces, non-rotating

Rose of Sharon 2 - 100 pieces, rotating

Visit Sharon's website. 

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There was a special exhibition at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last Fall. "If These Quilts Could Talk," which represented a small portion of the Quilters' S.O.S. project from The Alliance For American Quilts.

This year at Festival, the Alliance’s Q.S.O.S. volunteer team will be recording the stories of Texas quiltmakers whose work is featured in Lone Stars III: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1986-2011. Interviews will take place in a dedicated space on the show floor thanks to the generosity and support of Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes (two of the co-founders of the Alliance) and the whole staff at Quilts, Inc. All volunteers who work at least one time slot will receive complimentary show admission for the day you work and a special Q.S.O.S. t-shirt and lapel pin. Those who volunteer for additional time slots will receive exciting incentive prizes like fabric, notions and sewing tools.

Click here to visit the Alliance's website for more information on how to sign up to volunteer for the Q.S.O.S. project at Festival.

While you watch "If These Quilts Could Talk," see if you don't recognize a few familiar faces.

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C&T Publishing is proud to announce PatternSpot.com the online destination for everyone looking for quilting and sewing patterns. PatternSpot.com is a great place for designers to upload their patterns for sale as downloadable PDF files. It's a great place for shoppers of all types; quilters, crafters, and garment sewers to find new and exciting patterns, which with just a few simple clicks, can be downloaded to their computers.

Uploading patterns and opening your "shop" can be accomplished in just a few steps.

• Go to www.PatternSpot.com.
• Click on the Upload Your Own Patterns icon.
• Follow the three easy steps for setting up your account, selecting your files to upload, and editing and publishing your files.  (All files must be in PDF format and no larger than 50MB).

That's it!  After uploading their original ePatterns, designers receive monthly payments of net sales (total sales less upload and transaction fees) from PatternSpot.com.

C&T will advertise and publicize PatternSpot.com widely and regularly in a variety of online media, as well as in national quilting and sewing magazines. It will be featured in C&T Publishing's catalogs, collateral, email blasts, and booth exhibits, as well as their heavily-trafficked blogs, website, and social media sites.

PatternSpot.com also offers e-newsletters for both designers and shoppers.  The Designer's newsletter is filled with helpful sales and marketing tips.  The Shopper's newsletter is filled with inspiration, exclusive offers, & giveaways.

To see a Designer FAQ, click here.

Head on over a take a look, there are already a number of familiar TQS guests, Laura Nownes, Barbara Olson, and Laura Wasilowski, to name just a few, with their patterns already online and ready to be downloaded.

But the great thing about the site is that you don't have to be a famous quiltmaker to set up shop.

Anyone can do it and so can you!

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Superior Threads is having a special on their New Brytes thread collection.  For the month of June, they are discounting the thread 40%.  Superior has also decided to change the name of the thread to So Fine #30 as it is the exact same thread as their popular So Fine thread, just a heavier weight.

This thread, by Caryl Bryer Fallert is a beautiful 3-ply polyester and is lint free and extra strong for machine quilting, outlining, and heavier-thread embroidery.  You'll want to head on over to Superior Threads to take advantage of this great deal!  

To entice you further, Superior Threads is giving TQS two $25 gift certificates to give to their members to purchase thread from the New Brytes/So Fine #30 collection or another Superior Threads item of their choice. To win a gift certificate all you have to do is:

Send an email (if your email is not "tied", you will have to copy the link into your email) to superior@thequiltshow.com and type in  "New Brytes" in the subject line.  The deadline is June 13, 2011 at midnight PST.  This contest is open to ALL TQS members worldwide, so enter today.

New Brytes/So Fine #30 is a definite favorite with Cindy Needham and in this video she demonstrates its use in one of her projects. New Brytes is a thicker topstitch thread which is great to use when defining stitches are the goal. Cindy shows us how a simple "wisp" inside of feathers adds a new look to the standard design.

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Sharon visits the Brewer booth to learn about new machine embroidery collections.

Visit Sharon's website.  Visit NinePatchMedia.

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There seem to be all kinds of "rules" for quilting; always use a 1/4" seam, press to the light, don't sew through pins, etc.

Submit a comment and let TQS know what rules you ALWAYS follow and what rules you just might bend if necessary.  And really, are there any quilt police out there???

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Sharon talks to Karen Burns at Martingale & Co. about their current and future products.  Also take a peek at Sharon's cute earrings.

Visit Sharon's website.  Visit NinePatchMedia.

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Join Sharon as she talks with Karen Combs about her fabric line, Pink Ribbon Boutique, and some wonderful ways to use the line.

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The Alliance for American Quilts wants to make sure every quilter and quilt lover knows about its "Quilters Take Manhattan" fundraisers in NYC this summer. There are three separate events on the schedule.The main program--a celebrity-filled afternoon on Saturday, August 6,2010---will feature presentations by Marianne Fons and her daughter Mary. In addition, there will be a live interview with Project Runway winner, Jay McCarroll, for the Alliance's oral history project, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories. The event will be held at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology), and will include food, goodie bags, amazing door prizes, demos, and a silent auction.

Here's the scoop: tickets are on sale now at the Alliance website (www.AllianceforAmericanQuilts.org), with special discounts for early birds. But that's not all: anyone who becomes a member of the AAQ before June 23 (for as little as $25) is eligible to win two free tickets to "Marianne & Jay on the Runway," plus a free hotel room that night in NYC's famed Garment District. The winner will be announced on the AAQ website on June 24. It's the perfect opportunity to enjoy a special day (and night) in The Big Apple and to support a wonderful, non-profit organization with your membership.

Note to current Alliance members: If you already are an Alliance member, your name automatically is included in this drawing!