Barbara Bieraugel Designs

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Hau’oli Makahiki Hou from the Big Island of Hawaii and welcome to the year of the Dragon. We started the New Year off with a crystal clear sky just over flowing with stars. My New Year wish to you is that you have a peaceful and enriching year.

I have just released my too newest patterns, Pineapple Welcome and Monstera Morning and they are available on my website These are also the two that I will be using at the Quilting On The Beach Retreat that is coming up in February here on the Big Island.

January 2006 was when I released my Tropical Fish patterns, which were the first patterns I made to sell. That means I am starting my seven year in designing patterns. To celebrate I have put all of my patterns on sale for the month of January, this even includes the just released patterns. It has been very enjoyable during these years to see pictures of quilts that you have made using my patterns. When you take them and change them up just for you, I salute you, because I feel patterns are a starting point for you to create something that really reflects you! Your emails and phone calls are always welcome and appreciated, being encouragement, corrections or comments.

Happy Holidays from Hawaii

2011-12-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

I shot this picture of poinsettas growing along the road this morning. There are some glorious poinsettas around the island and some of them look more like trees than a shrub. They certainly are not like the ones we buy in pots. Spectacular colors around this morning.

May all of you have a wonderful and safe Holiday season.

All of January I will be having an anniversary sale on my web site, so please check back in 2012!

Winners of the Blog Hop Party

2011-12-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who stopped by during the Blog Hop Party brought to us by the Quiltting Gallery. Thank you Michelle for your work in giving us all this opportunity. The comments were really diverse and enjoyable to read. They came from around the world which really makes it more fun.

The winner of the pineapple Hawaiian applique kit is Zoe who lives in Sydney, Australia. Zoe please send me your address and I will get your kit out to you.

The winner of a free pattern of her choosing for signing up for my newsletter on my web site is Gwen from the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

Thank you and Happy Holidays to all.

Quilting Gallery is having a Blog Hop Party

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

Quilting Gallery is having a Blog Hop Party starting 12/10 through 12/17 with over 225 blogs signed up. Join the fun!! There are give aways at all the blogs that you have a chance to win.

Since I am a quilt designer living on the Big Island of Hawaii I am giving away a Hawaiian applique kit of my pineapple design. The pineapple is a sign of friendship so I felt this was very appropriate as it is my gesture of friendship to you. I will have the applique cut out for you so that you can start stitching that much faster. I feel very privileged to be a designer and teacher of Hawaiian applique. This quilt art form is relatively young. The Hawaiians were introduce to patchwork quilting in the 1820's by the American missionaries and applique shortly there after. They turned there new found knowledge into their own artistic expression with the large applique that we know today.

To win this kit please leave a comment telling us your favorite quilting tip. The winner will be chosen at the end of the blog tour.

For another chance to win a pattern please visit my web site and sign up for the newsletter. Each month I give away a free pattern to a new signee. http://barbarabieraugeldesigns.com/

Sometime in January I will start selling my 18" Hawaiian applique kits with the applique cut out. Check back for those then.
To continue your block hop tour click on Quilting Gallery Have fun and good luck!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2011

2011-10-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

The fall 2011 Blogger's Quilt Festival put on by Amy's Creative Side starts , October 28, 2011. This is a great opportunity to see what other quilters are up to. Please take time to visit all the quilters and add your words of praise.

My quilt is one that I made for the birth of Etta who was born to Erin and Alex in Minnesota. We watched Alex grow up and now they have a beautiful little girl to create their family. When I asked what colors they wanted Erin came back with mustard yellow, soft green, blue, brown and orange. This seemed like an interesting combination. I found a great juvenile print with animals done in Hawaiian prints. Being that Alex is often seen in a Hawaiian shirt I knew this was the perfect border fabric for my quilt. The quilt really leans towards the boy side in colors but seeing that Alex came from a family of three boys I thought there was a good chance we would be seeing another little boy. However I did put in a little pinkish orange that didn't shout pink to me.

I hope that you enjoy seeing this interlocking pinwheel pattern and I that Etta will make good use of it. I really enjoyed making this interlocking pinwheel using my tear no more paper piecing method.

Quilting on The Beach

2011-10-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

The brochures for Qulting on the Beach are ready. Please visit Come Quilt With Me to request a brochure. There are over 15 classes being offered along with two bus trips and a luau. You get to pick which classes you want in building your quilting retreat. I have two classes schedules at this event: Welcome Pineapple which is a wall hanging of three pineapples along with palm frond done in my TNM (Tear No More) paper piecing technique and Monstera Morning which is a small wall hanging done in traditional hand applique done with the back basting method. This can also be made be used for a pillow top. Both of these patterns will be new designs that I am creating just for this event.

Classes are being offered by Pat Yamin, Amy Bradley, Sharon Pederson, Judy Veltidi, Annabelle Treacy, Mary Moody-Cox, Mariah Bath, Karen Barry, Robert Barry, Susan Distel, and myself. This should be a great event and I hope that you can join us!

There is not a Hawaiian applique class offered at the retreat but I will have my usual Hawaiian applique class at Quilt Passions on Wed, Feb. 15, 1-4pm if you want to take that also.

Tulip Time

2011-10-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's a little early for tulips, I will admit. This small quilt was made using my Tulip Duet pattern. All the fabrics were hand dyed by Carlene Keller, who also lives on the Big Island of Hawaii. She does a beautiful job and it is great to work with her fabrics. The tulip flowers were made using her silk/cotton fabric which really gives them a wonderful shine. She will have this quilt with her at the Pacific International Quilt Show in Santa Clara which runs October 13-16. If you are there stop at the booth and see her beautiful fabrics along with three of her friends.

Monstera Hawaiian Applique

2011-09-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is NOT the monstera design that is being used at the Quilting at the Beach. That one is called Monstera Morning and can be seen on my web site. I have just finished a Monstera Hawaiian Applique pattern that will make a small wall hanging or a 18" pillow. This is a very pretty pattern made of a leaf that is so readily recognized in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical areas. The design in the middle is the laua'e fern. These ferns are found growing wild all over the islands.

Quilting on the Beach

2011-09-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Quilting on the Beach update. Pat Yamin's computer crashed. We are hoping that she will still get the brochure and class schedule done for the Hawaii quilting retreat for February 2012. It will be a week of fun, sewing, meeting new friends and seeing the wonders of the Big Island of Hawaii. February 11-18. I will post when the brochure is finally done.

Paddler's Petroglyphs

2011-09-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Because you asked for it I have taken the petroglyphs from Paddler's Heritage and made them into a separate quilt, called Paddler's Petroglyphs. I really like how this turned out. It is a small quilt 32"X 35". Because it doesn't have the outrigger canoe with the petroglyphs it would make a great present for any paddler. The petroglyphs are done in reverse applique and are big enough that they are not hard to sew.

Quilting on the Beach Retreat in Hawaii

2011-09-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Quilting on the Beach Retreat in Hawaii - Pat Yamin Of Come Quilt with me is organizing this quilt retreat in February, 2012. It is will be held at the Royal Kona Resort, Kailua Kona, Big Island Hawaii, February 11 through Saturday, February 18. The teachers will be Pat Yamin, Amy Bradley, Sharon Pederson, myself along with four other local teachers from the Big Island. Two bus trips are also included: a shop hop tour around the Big Island, stopping at least six quilt shops and a Big Island tour with stops at Kona Joe Coffee Plantation and the SKEA Quilt Show, a macadamia nut farm and a special luncheon location. Different packages will be available. There will be a brochure available from Pat Yamin, http://comequiltwithme.com/ by the end of September.
You can also email her at: Pat@ComeQuiltWithMe.com If you contact Pat for information please mention that you learned about the retreat from me. Quilt Passions is a sponsor of this retreat. I will be teaching two classes and I hope that I can see some of you in February for this fun event.

Pinwheel Party

2011-09-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished putting the binding on my third quilt using my Dancing Pinwheels pattern and the TNM (Tear No More) foundation piecing method. This one is a real party in a quilt and the quilting done by Pat Boeck gave it the right touch. When you look at the quilt you are thinking about balloons and confetti, childrens party time. It is really fun and you can see the pinwheel pattern really stands out.

Best ever Seam Ripper

2011-08-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have recently gotten what I think is the best seam ripper. This is the Havel's Ultra Pro Seam Ripper. It comes with a blade that is ultra sharp and a stainless steel handle. You look like you are ready to start a surgery when you go to unsew. And you can unsew with ease, even the thickest threads. If you are frustrated with your seam ripper you should look for this at your local quilt store. I also have them in the catalog on my website if you can not find one.

Organization for Dancing Pinwheels

2011-08-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Organization is a must with my pattern Dancing Pinwheels. First off you need to decide where you want your fabrics to go and there is a worksheet provided to assist with this. If you just start cutting before you are sure where each fabric is going there will be cutting errors and wasted fabric. Coloring in the worksheet will make the process go much faster in the long run. I know everyone wants to jump to the machine but wasting fabric is really a bad thing. Today I worked on setting up a small sample that I am going to make and here is a picture of how I set up my pieces after cutting.

I also label my paper piecing foundations so that I know where each color is going. Another time saver in the long run. Now I can sit down at my machine and stitch away without having to think to much about what I am doing. Another time saveris that with my TNM (Tear No More) paper piecing technique you don't have any paper to remove. I really like that. In the pattern I have provided all these organizational suggestions.

Dancing Pinwheels Quilting

2011-07-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

For those who went to the website to see the picture of Dancing Pinwheels I apoligize for the first picture that was posted first, it was not very good. I have put on a new picture that is better. I have been having a hard time getting a good picture that really show the design and colors.

Laura Lee Fritz did the quilting for me. She used an all over design of a variety of tropical inspired leaves with an open feather like design on the border. Laura Lee has written books on Continuous-Line Quilting.
http://www.lauraleefritz.com/ Please check out her web site learn more about her.

August 6 and 13 I have a class at Quilt Passions, Kailua Kona, Big Island Hawaii introducing my TNM (Tear No More) Paper Piecing technique using the Dancing Pinwheel pattern. My tester was doubtful about liking this technique but once she did it she had changed her mind. Not having to tear out the paper, since you didn't sew throughit, is really a time saver.

Dancing Pinwheels quilt is done.

2011-07-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

My Dancing Pinwheels quilt is done and the pattern is available from my website. The quilt was constructed with my TNM Paper Piecing Technique. This was really fun to make and not having to sew throught the paper and tear it off was a dream. I will give you a partial view but to see the entire quilt please visit my web site. Just a tease!!! All the fabrics are batiks from Hoffman Fabrics and they are beautiful!!

Dancing Pinwheels

2011-07-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

My quilt Dancing Pinwheels is at the quilter. I can't wait to get it back to see what she has done with it. While I am waiting for its return I have been busily writing up the instructions. This quilt is for the person who takes the time to get organized. In the instructions I do suggest how to do this, and let me tell you it is a lot easier to piece one when you are organized. Just ask me why I know that. I made a baby quilt first and that was pretty much fabrics all over my cutting table, pulling colors as I went. I only had them sorted by color, which helped. The second one was much easier to put together when I thought it through first and had my colors all picked out. I can't wait to show you.
Meanwhile happy stitching.

Night Blooming Cereus

2011-07-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the night!! My recent gifted plant from Katy is a night blooming cereus and tonight on the fourth of July it opened three blooms. They certainly are beautiful blossoms. Two more will be blooming in about another week. These beauties started opening about 9pm and will be closed up in the morning. It really is too bad that they don't put on a longer show.

Happy and safe Fourth of July

2011-07-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you that reside in the United States I wish you a Happy and Safe Fourth of July.

I have been busy working on a new pattern that is a very interesting and fun pinwheel design. With this pattern I am using a paper piecing technique without sewing through the paper. I have not seen or heard of anyone else doing paper piecing in this exact way, but then again, if I thought of it someone else probably did also. Since I have some repetitive use problems with my wrists it is not pleasant to tear away the paper when paper piecing, so that is why I decided to try a different approach. Before I have used a foundation and stitched on top of that, and then you leave the foundation in. Actually, this is a pretty good method for wall hangings because it gives them real body. But I am really liking this new method. The pattern,Dancing Pinwheels, will be available by end of July or early August. Here is a peak at the center of a block just to intrique you. The fabrics that I am using are from Hoffman Fabrics shown at spring market and they will be available in Sept. or October.

Butterfly in Black & White

2011-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Butterfly in Black & White

I made this butterfly using the large butterfly pattern in my Butterflies for Amy pattern. This was a lot of fun to make and it looks so different from those in the pattern. Using differnet colors in the fabrics really makes a big difference in how something looks. Some of the wing parts were put together so that the black and fabrics would show up more.

June snowfall on Mauna Kea

2011-06-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is what Mauna Kea looked like yesterday morning after there was a June snowfall of 6 to 12". This photo came from the West Hawaii Today paper. There was a thunderstorm that went through and it dumped hail and snow. What a sight for June in Hawaii!! It seems the weather is strange all over.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2011-05-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

How excitig it is Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival time again. I hope that you will take time to visit many of the quilters to see what they have to show since there are always a wonderful variety of quilts to see. Amy's Creative Side Blogger's Quilt Festival

My entry is a Study in Black and White. Zentangle is a booming craze right now and is usual done in black ink on white. My thoughts are why not do it with black and white fabrics. This is my first one and I plan on doing more because it really was fun. In the white background I used a variety of quilting patterns to carry on the same idea of free form style and thought.

Thanks for stopping by.

Quilt Sampler Magazine Spring 2011

2011-05-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Quilt Sampler Magazine Spring 2011 is now available. Quilt Passions, my local quilt store in Kailua Kona, Big Island, Hawaii is one of the featured shops and they had me design a quilt for them. It was quite an adventure. I think they really enjoyed coming to Hawaii the first part of December to take the pictures for the magazine. All the shops featured look really grand. If you are interested in the wall hanging that I designed, the kits are available on my website. Touch of the Tropics is the name for the wall hanging. The quilt is a wall hanging that has hibiscus applique and then a lattice patchwork around it. It is offered in two colorways. I also made a queen size quilt without applique and that is also available in a kit. You must have the magazine for instructions for the wall hanging. I do have the pattern for the queen size quilt available, separately.

100 Quilt Block Winner is-----

2011-05-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

The winner picked for the free copy of the 100 Quilt Blocks is Mary who said "I love your block, especially in the beautiful Christmas colors. I'm also enjoying looking around on your blog - lots of pretty things! "

I thank all of you for stopping by and commenting on my blog. Please stop by again to see what is going on in my part of the world.
Barbara

Quiltmaker 100 Block Tour Last Day

2011-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog during the blog tour of Quiltmaker's 100 Block magazine. Your kind comments are so appreciated. On Sunday I will announce the winner of the free magazine.

Quiltmakers 100 Blocks

2011-05-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Summer 2011? It has a great group of blocks for you to use and dream about. All the designer's have been most generous in sharing these with all of you. My block, Star Flower, is on page 33. This block was done with paper piecing which makes it easier than it looks.

This block reminds me of a Christmas rose bud. But if you look at the table runner that I made you get a completely different feel. I used three full blocks on point and partial blocks for the set in triangles.

Okay now for another completely different colorway, let's go to pastel. Isn't it fun to play with colors and fabrics? Change them up and it changes the whole look.

Quilting should be fun and I think you all will have a great time dreaming about what you can do with all the great blocks included in this issue. Please follow along the blog tour by going to: http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.html

Happy stitching and thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment and one of you will be lucky enought to win a free 100 Blocks magazine.

Tulip Duet Quilt

2011-04-20T01:57:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and so have the tulips. My newest pattern has just been released and it features tulips, the regal flowers of spring. I give you two applique centers to choose from. In the pattern there are instructions for machine applique, template free hand applique and Hawaiian applique. This wall hanging or table topper measures 54 inches. It also would make a beautiful center of a queen size quilt. I hope you have tulips to enjoy, because we don't have tulips that grow in Hawaii. Visit my web site to order this pattern.

May Magazines

2011-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to your local quilt store will be the Quilt Sampler, spring addition. One of the chosen shops this year is Quilt Passions located in Kailua Kona, Big Island Hawaii. They asked me to creat a quilt for this magazine. What we have in the magazine is a pretty wall hanging, which has applique and patchwork. I can't tell you too much about it, but it does have something tropical in the applique that I have seen as summer plants in other places than Hawaii. There will be kits available for the wall hanging and also one for a queen sized quilt that just has the featured patchwork. Watch for this magazine early May.

I also have a block in Quiltmakers 100 Block Magazine and I made the cover. Never been a cover girl before!!! I will be taking part in a Blog Tour in early May when this magazine becomes available. In the magazine I also have a table runner to give you an idea of how the block can be used. From the cover of the magazine I can tell you there are some great blocks being featured from some great designers. This will be a very good magazine for you to pick.

Tulips are coming!!

2011-04-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but tulips just say spring to me. BUT we don't have tulips growing in the ground here in Hawaii. So I have created some of my own. Two wall hanging size quilts from my soon to be released pattern, Tulip Duet, are at the quilters. What a good feeling to have them almost ready. I am hoping to have the pattern ready for release before the end of the month. I will post soom pictures once I get them back.

The Wednesday Quilt Show

2011-02-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Please visit Jenifer Dick's blog on Wednesday for The Wednesday Quilt Show. She promises that this week there will be a special guest contributing a quilt picture.
http://milo-designs.blogspot.com/

This a small quilt that I called Painted Lady Butterfly. I made it using my pattern Butterflies For Amy. The lovely colors just make you think of the days of summer. The original quilt was made in honor of my cousin Amy as she was in treatment for leukemia. The symbolism of the butterfly seemed to be quite fitting for her health crisis. We are so glad that her treatment worked and I feel every sale of the pattern is sending her all the good wishes across the miles.

My Hawaiian Fruit

2011-01-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

I finally have a pineapple that is fruiting in my yard. This one happens to be a white pineapple. Removed the top from one that I bought and rooted it and then planted it. I have a both white and gold pineapples that I have done this with but this is my first fruit.

My papayas are growing and still flowering. You can see both in the picture below. I love this growing my own breakfast!!

Hawaiian Memories

2011-01-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

Just finished is this wall hanging that I call Hawaiian Memories that was made using my pattern Memories. I used photos of the Big Island of Hawaii and and printed them using the EQ Printables. I have entered this in Jenifer Dick's Wednesday Quilt Show . Please check her blog out to see what interesting quilts she puts up.

End of year sale

2010-12-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have put all of my own patterns on sale until the end of December. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has taken interest in my quilt patterns over the last five years. I appreciate the e-mails and comments about my patterns and always love seeing pictures of quilts that you have made using my patterns. Many of you have visited the Hawaiian Islands and my patterns have given you a little of Hawaii to take home with you. Thank you again from Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Mahalo, Barbara

Fun with Fish #2

2010-12-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here is my Fun Fish #2 The base pattern is my Lagoon Triggerfish, the humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua'a, as it is called here in Hawaii. It was so much fun making the humuhumu so very colorful, which is very different from their normal color in nature. To dress up your own fish and try a number of different techniques will be at Quilt Passions, Kailua Kona, Big Island, Hawaii on January 20, 2011.

Hawaiian Garden Delights

2010-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

This delightful flower is what has popped out on my papaya that is less than six months old. Did you think this was how they started?

See the garden visitor on the bird of paradise? This is a gecko and they really are a prettier, brighter shade of green than shows in the picture. Of course the bird of paradise flowers are pretty, too.

The flower shown here is that of a Ti plant. We have such a wide variety of Ti plants in Hawaii and it the foliage that we plant them for, but I think the flower is delightful.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing some of what I saw in a walk around my gardens today. My lemon tree is loaded with lemons also but they didn't present as a good picture. But I sure see a lot of lemonade in a few months!!

Fun with Fish

2010-11-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my Butterflyfish all dressed up. I am going to be doing more of these fun fish using my different tropical fish patterns. They will look nothing like the fish found in the waters off of Hawaii but surely they will be just as glorious. January 20, 2011 I will be teaching a class on these fun fish at Quilt Passions here in Kailua Kona, Big Island Hawaii. Visit my web site to see what classes I have scheduled.

Under the Sea-With Me

2010-11-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

Finally I have finished my Under The Sea-With Me. This quilt is made using my three patterns in the series. The graceful manta ray, the glorious colored parrot fish and the pretty little yellow tang grace this quilt beautifully as a small segment of the Hawaiian waters. It seems other projects kept getting in the way and that is why it has taken my so long to finish this quilt. I think it looks pretty good and would look even better if someone were to embellish it with beads. Hopefully one of you will do that and send me a picture. I love seeing pictures of what others do with my patterns.

Orchid Inspiration

2010-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Aren't these just wonderful blooms? The first picture was taken a couple of weeks ago and the second one today. The plant now has three orchids on one stem, showing the two older blooms in the background. I spotted this at a neighbors house. They happen to be out of town and I brought it home to admire and smell. I hate to waste it!! Nature shows us amazing things.

Lonestar Rose

2010-10-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

LONESTAR ROSE is a quilt that I recently finished for my newest grandniece Nevaeh Kiana in honor of her birth. I had never made a lonestar before and after reading a couple of books about the technique I was ready to start. Jan Krentz has a book that is really most helpful and well written. The quilt went together quite easily, which did surprise me. Taking your time and being precise is the key. The colors that I chose, which I call bright baby, worked out very well in complimenting the wild rose pattern that I designed. The top block of applique is the family block with roses or buds for each one in their family. I hope that Nevaeh and her family can enjoy this quilt for many years to come. For those of you who know about Inklingo, the lonestar is very Inklingo friendly.

The rose bud represents Nevaeh and the roses for her parents, Darrick and Carla.

Hawaiian Mini's Tote bag

2010-09-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished this tote bag that features one of my Hawaiian Mini's. I used a pattern from Pink Sand Beach, Tahoe Tote, as the base and then made additions to it it. The pattern was easy to follow and went together easier than I expected. I love how it turned out. The mini's have been selling really well at the store and it gives someone just a small taste of what Hawaiian quilting is all about.

Showers all around, with a ray of sunshine.

2010-08-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

This was late afternoon when a small hole opened up in the clouds. It really gave an unusual look to the ocean and it only lasted for about five minutes. We can see quite a bit of the ocean and it is always interesting to see the rainshowers circling around us. A little bit of sunshine.

Hawaii Blooms

2010-08-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I last posted. We have a grandniece, Nevaeh, being born in August so I have designed a quilt for her. It is started but will not be ready when she arrives. It has rosebuds on it and I think it will be really pretty. This is not an everyday use quilt but one to hang on the wall and hopefully she will enjoy it when she gets older also and hang it in her house. Soon I will posts soon pictures of some of the parts that are done. Meanwhile here is what I have just gotten finished.

Hawaii Blooms was just released this last week. The fabrics I used were designed as a compliment to the book The Aloha Quilt. I just love the soft colors that are so reminiscent of Grandmother's flower garden. When the fabrics came into Quilt Passions they were immediately very popular. It took me a couple of weeks to sew the quilt(52" square) and get the pattern written. And the main flower fabric was already gone in the colorway that I used. New shipment is already on the way and should be in this week. I also designed a queen size quilt and have a couple order for kits already in that size. I can't wait to see pictures of those finished.

Holualoa Farm and Ukulele Festival-Big Island Hawaii

2010-06-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely morning in Hawaii Saturday morning and a couple of my friends and myself went to Holualoa to see the goings on in this quaint old town.

Mei making friends with a minature horse. This little horse is a therapy horse and a former show horse. She was very patient with all the people who wanted to meet her.

I don't know what this flower is other than it is a type of succulent. The picture does not do it justice. The bottom is a beautiful red and then much darker purple flowers. They hardly looked real.

A little local color. These orchids are sitting on the front porch of the Kona Hotel, otherwise known as the Pink Hotel. It is quite old and is still in operation.

This is a landmark in this town that is in the middle of the Kona coffee belt. In November this little town is the site for the Coffee festival art and coffee walk.

The Lilikoi Inn had a booth with this wonderfully carved watermellon.

And what do you think of this plate of spaghetti salad? It was very tasty. You could have a forkful or buy a plateful. They do catering and the book they had to look at mad your mouth water.

This is a lovely vine of lilikoi. Aren't they just beautiful. It is one of the sweetest fruits I have ever tasted. You can eat them with a spoon out of the peel, make juice or put it in deserts. I have had it on top of cheesecake and it was one of the best cheesecakes I have ever eaten.

I hope that you have enjoyed some of the pictures of the day here in Holualoa, Big Island of Hawaii.

Floral Inspiration

2010-06-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Isn't this just beautiful? I love the combination of colors. We can learn so much from nature. I have not used this in a quilt but I thought everyone would enjoy seeing this unusual flower that comes from a type of succulent.

Hawaiian Flower Inspirations 3

2010-06-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Plumeria (pua melia) are probably the most used flower in Hawaii. Their fragrance floats on the breeze and is wonderful to smell as you are drifting off to sleep. They were referred to a cemetary flowers years ago because that is where they were often seen. Because of this they were not used in lei's for many years. Now I would say the different species of plumeria are the most often used flower in lei's. This was my plumeria inspiration in my Melia Beauty Hawaiian quilt pattern. Visit my Web Site to see more quilt patterns or to order your pattern

Hawaii Flower Inspirations 2

2010-06-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Bird of Paradise has to be one of everyones favorites. There are quite a few different varieties and they belong in the Heliconia family. This one just happens to have two flower heads. This is not that rare but it does look unusual and more exotic. They come in a variety of colors but all have red to orange in their colors, hot colors.The combination of red, yellow/orange, blue, and green is just grand and showy. I have used this flower in two of my quilt patterns.

Melia Beauty Visit my Web Site to see more quilt patterns or to order your pattern

The Quilted Horse

2010-06-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Pictured is a pillow made using the pattern The Quilted Horse that I have just added to may website. It was designed to show the ulu or breadfruit that was so important to the Hawaiians over the years. The faithful and trustworthy horse was very important to the Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) who took care of the ranches. This quilt pattern is brought to us by Nancy Lindsey whose family goes way back in Hawaiian history. Visit my Web Site to order this pattern.

Hawaii Flower Inspirations

2010-06-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

The tropical flowers that are all around us in Hawaii can give us so much inspiration. The colors are glorious and we can look to them for color combinations that just sing.
I will be showing you some of the flowers that I see in my garden and around the island so that you too can see the beauty that surrounds us here in the Hawaiian Islands.

The picture above is a hanging heliconia that grows in my garden. It was used in my Hawaiian applique pattern Heliconia Hearts which is pictured below. Visit my Web Site to order this pattern or see all the other Hawaiian applique patterns that are available.

Melia Beauty

2010-05-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Melia Beauty pattern is now ready. I made this small Hawaiian wall hanging to use a beautiful half yard cut of hand dyed fabric. The yellow really sets it off nicely. This really turned out just the way that I wanted it too. Nice when that happens.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

2010-05-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

Blogger's Quilt Festival put on by Park City Girl Amy is now started. This is a great time to put your feet up and browse through a lot of marvelous quilts.

My contribution this year is really two quilts. They were made for the birth of a

great niece and nephew a couple of years ago. That explains the colors of the rainbow. In the Giraffe Twins the boy giraffe is looking adoringly at his twin sister. In Sweet Pea there are twin butterflies along with the pretty sweet peas. These were so much fun to make that I decided to also make them available as patterns. I hope that you enjoy seeing them and enjoy the rest of the show!! Show special: I have reduced the price on the patterns for those that order before the end of June. To order these patterns please visit my Web Site.

Quilting Tutu

2010-04-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

I thought you would all like to see a picture of the Quilting Tutu that just arrived at Quilt Passions in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Isn't she just a hoot.

Memories Quilt Pattern is ready.

2010-03-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

MEMORIES my hot off the presses quilt pattern. The size shown is a wall hanging size at 42" x 54". I also give instructions for a double size quilt. Instead of showcasing fabrics you could use photos and have a wonderful memory quilt. I think it would make a great gift for graduation, an anniversary or birthday.

Saturday morning update

2010-03-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

What a glorious morning here on the Big Island with a little chill in the air but the Kona coffee takes care of that. Since it is late March the whales are starting to leave. They say the golden plovers lead them back to Alaska and I still see many plovers still around. It has been a great year for the whale watching with some of the fisherman saying that there have been more this year than they have ever seen.

As per usual in my world, progress on Under the Sea has stopped, with other projects pushing to the front. While working at Quilt Passions lately I have had quilters looking for a pattern to showcase their Hawaiian themed fabrics. So my mind just can't let those comments go by the way side. I have the top ready for the borders and should start the quilting this weekend. It will be called Memories, and can be used to showcase any beautiful fabrics or it would also be good for a memory quilt using photos transferred to fabric. I will post a picture shortly of this quilt, since some of you may want to use it for making a graduation present.

Quilt Passions will be getting in their exclusive turtle fabric in two weeks. I have designed a quilt to use with this fabric. Maybe I can have some of the components done by the time the fabric arrives. This quilt has yet to be named. I told Karen, the owner of Quilt Passions that she could name it. I would hate to publish a pattern that says "waiting for a name".

Happy stitching!!

Under the Sea Quilt Continues

2010-03-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Progress is being made. As you can see I have the floor of sea glued together and ready to add to the Under the Sea quilt. One of the fabrics does not seem to be showing up and I may use some paints on it to lighten it up a bit. It really is fun picking fabrics to showcase the wonderful colors that we see on the ocean floor. I am hoping that it actually shows similar to the ocean floor here in Hawaii.

Under the Sea update

2010-02-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

This week the parrotfish has been added. I am comfortable with hand applique and like how it looks so I have used the back baste method of applique to put on both the manta ray and the parrotfish. But for those who like to fuse these patterns will work very well. I really believe we all have to find our comfort level in our craft and go for it. Learn many methods and then use the ones that you are comfortable with. The parrotfish looks cartoonish but really they are very colorful and there is one out in the ocean that has the same coloration as this one, maybe just a little more turquoise in nature. Now I will put on the yellow tang before putting in all the coral and sand. So far I am liking how this is turning out.

Yesterday we had a tsunami warning that thankfully did not get as big as was predicted. It was good to see the evacuation of the areas close to the water worked very well. The sirens went off at 6am and I thought tornado, having grown up in Minnesota this was an ingrained response. Then I quickly thought tsunami and turned on the tv. What we did get was very interesting to watch and the fastness of the water moving in and out really gets your attention. It is easy to see why a large tsunami would cause so much destruction.

Happy stitching to all, Barbara

Under the Sea quilt-a work in progress

2010-02-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of my Under the Sea-With Me quilt combining together the three patterns in the series. I did not want a solid background but something that added movement to the piece. At first I was thinking of using twelve inch storm at sea blocks using blues all in the same tone, with different textures to them. After making one I decided that was not for me. Adding three waves of similar tones of blue fabric onto my primary background seems to fill the bill for my idea of water movement. In the photo the manta ray is all appliqued and the sea weed is just laying on the fabric. Right now I have the sea weed attached and will be starting to add the parrotfish. I will post a picture when that is done.

Happy stitching to all.

Newest Under the Sea-With Me

2010-02-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

In the last couple of years a few of you have asked me to make a pattern for a manta ray and I have finally done it. Maddie, this delightful graceful creature is finally done. This is the third in a series of ocean wall hangings. Under the Sea-With Me-Manta Ray can be combined with the other two small Under the Sea quilts, Yellow Tang and Parrotfish for a nice ocean scene. I will be making a combined quilt and when it is done it will be posted. Would a pieced background using light blues look good? The fabrics would have to be very close in value so as not to make the quilt too busy. It is something I have to think about and any imput from you is always appreciated.

FabShop Hop

2010-01-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

Aloha everyone
It sounds like a nasty, cold winter is covering the mainland USA. Inside staying warm, why not check out the FabShop Hop? It is a chance to win some wonderful prizes and see some exciting new web sites.

Win The Perfect Caddy, 50 yards of fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics, or 50-1 yard cuts of batiks from Hoffman Fabrics! Plus many more prizes. FabShop Hop - January 1-31, 2010 http://www.fabshophop.com/hopmain.asp

I have also put Hope Blooms, Sweet Pea and Giraffe Twins on sale for this month. So it you have been thinking about getting these patterns now is the time to order them.

Stay warm, check out some new web sites and keep on Stitching!!!
Barbara

Happy Holidays from Hawaii

2009-12-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone.

I know a lot of you have probably seen this before but thought I would put it out there for those who have not.
*'Twas the night before Christmas,
And the quilts were not made.
The threads were all tangled, the cookies delayed.
The stocking weren't hung, the pantry was bare.
The poor weary Quilter, was tearing her hair.
Stacks of fat quarters, tipped over in streams.
Visions of Log Cabins, had turned into dreams.
When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.
They went straight to work with just a few mutters,
Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.
The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,
Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.
Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese and Bear Tracks -
Each quilt was a beauty - even the backs.
Her house how it twinkled, her quilts how they glowed.
The cookies were baking, the stockings were sewed.
Their work was all done, so they folded their frames,
And packed up their needles, without giving their names.
They boarded the bus, and checked the next address.
More quilts to be made, another quilter in distress.
She heard one voice echo, as they drove out of sight,

Happy quilting to all and to all a good night!

*Author Unknown *

Quilt Challenge for ALS

2009-12-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Please join me in donating quilts to Quilter's Dream "Hopes and Dreams". I have a quilt already in the mail for them. Give the gift of a quilt to warm the life, the heart and the lap of an ALS patient, and help raise awareness and research money for ALS-Lou Gehrig's disease. They are excepting quilts that are 35" x 44" or larger, lap or bed quilts of all sizes.

This is the disease that my father passed away from in 1997. We need more research to help those that live with ALS to have a better quality life because right now there still are no treatments for this disease. This is the most common neurological disorder we have let us raise the awareness of ALS.
http://quiltersdreambatting.com/

Quilter 's Cookbook

2009-12-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

My Great Aunt Rosie's Hot Fudge recipe is the one that I submitted to this cookbook. Let me tell you it is some awesome stuff. Hot on ice cream or eat it right out of the refrigerator with a spoon. Click on the cookbook above to check out this cookbook by quilters with quick and delicious recipes to get you back to your stitching.

December is upon us

2009-12-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

Happy December to everyone. We have snow on the summit of Mauna Kea and the humpback whales are here, so winter has started in Hawaii. I love to see the spouts from the whales that have come here to frolic for the winter months. Later today there are forty foot waves forcast for the northern shores of some of the islands, an other show of winter. We have been greeting returning quilt friends at the quilt store, those that spend a few months here every winter. It is always so nice to see their faces again and their smiles as they see new merchandise and new quilts.

For those of you who are going to be coming to the Big Island this winter I have a class for Beginning Hawaiian Applique every Tuesday. Other classes that I will be teaching are:
January 16 Beginning Hand Quilting
January 21 A twisted log cabin using the pattern Rainbow Rosettes by Viv Smith.
I will post my other classes as they get firmed up.

Happy stitching to all. Barbara

Ovarian Cancer

2009-11-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

November 11th was a beautiful day and a very clear starlit night but it also became a sad day as the world lost a courageous person. Penny Van Beek who asked me to make a quilt for Minnesota Ovarian Cancer a few years ago has passed away. The quilt Blooming Hope that is shown in an earlier post is the quilt that we came up with for their raffle. Recently, as I was working on a new pattern I needed a name for it. My patchwork quilt Penny Cove was also named after her as a way to send hugs across the ocean. My cousin Arlette Carlson also was battling this cancer at the same time as Penny and she also lost her life recently. This cancer is often found too late to treat successful but with research we are slowly making progress. May we all continue to support research to help in the treatments so that the suffering that goes on with this disease can be lessened.

Under the Sea_With Me-Parrotfish

2009-11-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here he is in all his glory. A gorgeous parrotfish down among the coral. The second quilt in my Under the Sea series. The parrotfish is a relative of the colorful wrasses that are also tropical fish. Where do the beautiful coral sand beaches come from? Well part of it comes from the parrotfish who scrapes off the algae on the coral and also some of them munch up the coral and what they excrete becomes sand!!! Now aren't you glad that you have learned that? I completely fused and machine appliqued this little wall hanging but it certainly can be done with hand applique for those that choose. If you want to purchase this pattern please visit my web site.

Next Under the Sea-With Me

2009-11-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a peak at my next Under the Sea-With Me. Does anyone know what kind of a fish this is? Leave a comment and one of you will get a free pattern when it is finished. This has been so much fun to work on and the fish is absolutely gorgeous!!!! I brought out the stash to go through while picking out the fabrics that would come close to the colors of this fish in the ocean. Stay tuned and keep on stitching. Barbara

Quilt Repair

2009-10-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

My newest pattern is Penny Cove. As I stated in the blog before there were some misplaced fabrics in my lap/wall hanging size quilt. I saved the quilt by appliqueing the proper pieces on top of the offenders. Then I turned the quilt over and with a marker went over my quilting lines. I unsewed the quilting lines and requilted them. Unless someone really got close and personal with it I don't think anyone will notice. See if you can find the changes. The fabrics are both in the green family but one is lighter and brighter. Sorry the pictures look like they have different colors.

The offender is on the left and the actual quilt that is now on the pattern cover is on the right. On both sides of the quilt there were two squares in the outer two rows that were changed. The other ones changed are in the third and fourth row from the top and in the middle.

It is so easy to change pieces around as we move them to our sewing machines. Many times I put a pin on the tops of the finished blocks so that I know which end is up. Didn't do it here and it lost me a few days. Live and learn, and I hope that my error will help you.

Happy note: The humpback whales are back on vacation. They come down to the Hawaiian Islands for the winter to play, have babies and mate. I have been told they do not eat while here because they are having so much fun in the sun. When they head back to Alaska in the spring there will be plenty of time for eating.

Keep on stitching.

Check twice, sew once!!!

2009-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Check twice, sew once is a great practice. But somewhere in sewing up what is suppose to be the cover quilt for my newest pattern the blocks got moved around. When was this error discovered you ask? Well, while I was quilting I noticed that I had two four patches on opposite sides that had the lighter green fabric where the darker green was suppose to be. Okay, I say that doesn't bother me too much because it is still balanced and I go on quilting. The sleeve and binding go on and I put it down on the floor to look at it and low and behold I see that I have some more pieces out of place. Now this is just too much for pattern cover. What I did was changed up four twelve inch blocks. I must not have liked how some of the large triangles looked next to each other and moved the blocks not looking at the greens. Now, I have to ponder how to save this quilt and make it pattern cover worthy. Stay tuned. Making mistakes like this I think improves my instructions. At least I hope so, because I feel I have already made the mistake and if I had done it the way I will write the pattern it would not have happened. Sure, like I always follow a pattern exactly. LOL

Blooming Hope for ovarian cancer

2009-10-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

I am taking part in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy looking through many of the quilts that are included in all the blogs.

This quilt is Blooming Hope and I made it as a raffle quilt for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Having a cousin and a friend who both were courageously fighting this disease there was a lot hope and hugs put into the quilt. There are five doves pieced into the quilt, four that are very neutral and blend into the quilt representing those that have passed on and the colorful one in the sky is the survivor. With research we hope that there will be more of the colorful doves in the future.

Machine quilting

2009-10-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have been busily machine quilting lately. This has never been my favorite task and I would be so tense that it was never fun. Anything that I could think of to do to get myself away from it was what I did. Finally I am beginning to loosen up and I am not telling myself you are ruining a perfectly fine quilt all the time as I am quilting along. It has always been a very noisey project!!! I love the quiet calming effect of hand quilting but some projects just do not need hand quilting. The project I have going now is for my new pattern that will be called Penny Cove. It is named after my friend Penny Van Beek who is battling ovarian cancer. Naming my quilts after people is my way of sending out hugs and good vibrations from a far. I am not brave enough to quilt the queen size version and it will be taken to a long arm quilter once I find the perfect backing fabric. The pattern will probably come out with just the wall hanging size pictured on the cover. Now back to the machine and may it be a quiet day today.

Paradise Stitched

2009-10-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

Paradise Stitched by Sylvia Pippen has just been released and it is delicious. Sylvia also lives on the Big Island. She has a wonderful way with applique and sashiko and her flowers are so real you would think that they were just picked. The pictures alone are worth the price. If you are interested you can purchase her book on my web site. There will be a book signing at Quilt Passions in Kailua Kona on Saturday, October 24th, 10AM to 12. So if you are in the area please join us.

Breast Cancer Awareness Quilt

2009-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness. This disease has touched many of you just like it has touched my family and friends. Last spring I designed a quilt to bring awareness and hope to this disease. It is called Hope Blooms. For the month of October I am giving $1.00 off to everyone who buys this pattern and then you can add your hope to the race for a cure.

Liquid Thread for Applique

2009-09-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for a new method to do fusing and machine applique. Since I really love to hand applique part of this machine process is attitude adjustment. I do believe that there is a place for both and do use both methods in my quilts that I make for patterns. Recently I have been experimenting with Liquid Thread for my fusing process. Have any of you tried it? I would love to hear your comments on ease of use and if you think this is a method to persue.

FabShop Hop

2009-09-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Aloha
The September FabShop Hop has started. For those who have never participated here is your chance to visit many very fine quilt web site and also have the chance to win prizes. There are always some great prizes waiting for you after the hop is done. I hope that you can join us.

Newest Pattern Release

2009-08-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

My newest pattern release, Under The Sea With Me-Yellow Tang. Right now I am planning on having this be a series of four small wall hangings. What the time table will be for all four to be done, is a mystery to me. Keep checking back for more updates!!

My First Post

2009-08-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii. We have five volcanos on the island and Kilauea has been active for over 25 years. It is an awesome sight at night. As the island grows it seems the energy from it feeds the artistic spirits of those that live here.

I hope that I can give you inspiration from my images of the island and also from my quilts. The colors and smells, the flora and fauna on the island are so inspirational. So join me for my journey and I hope that you will be inspired also.