Showing posts with label pdq Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pdq Club. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Pretty Darn Quick - August 2014 Edition


Designer Jill Finley of Jillily Studios sent over the latest installment of her pdq*[PRETTY DARN QUICK] Club project. This month, she has designed a simple but lovely quilt using her "Park Drive" line. Download Garden Delight. We love the binding treatment. So interesting. In case you are new to the Henry Glass blog, you can access all of her past projects by clicking the link on the right sidebar.

Her beautiful "Park Drive" collection, which includes florals, paisleys, a toile and other sweet images,  should be in quilt shops this month.  "Park Drive" coordinates with Jill's fun "Jams & Jellies Basics" too! You can find the collection and the link to the free pattern download here.

 
If you haven't seen her current collections yet, make sure that you view them on the Henry Glass website by clicking here. 
 
Happy Wednesday!

-hg

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Pretty Darn Quick! March 2014 Edition


Jill Finley of Jillily Studios has sent in March edition pdq* [PRETTY DARN QUICK] CLUB]! Our blog was having some technical difficulty and this post was delayed. Our apologies. We certainly believe that the wait for this fresh and pretty pillow was worth the wait! "In The Pink" is a lovely spring design featuring a flower and Jill's beautiful collections. The design features quick applique and sewing techniques.


Before we get to the directions for "In The Pink" we wanted to share what Jill's been up to. She has been traveling around the country speaking and teaching to guilds everywhere. Recently she was featured on Fat Quarter Shop's YouTube channel. Stayed tuned for many more videos of Jill on the channel.


Jill used her latest collections, Twirl and Jams & Jellies in the "In The Pink" project and the Twirl quilt project. The colors and prints in these collections are very on trend. There are houndstooth prints, big dots and a gorgeous palette of colors including the new basic color, gray!








As always, you can download all past pdq* [PRETTY DARN QUICK] Club projects by clicking the link at the top right sidebar. Jill is selling kits for this pdq* [PRETTY DARN QUICK] Club project. Please visit her website for more information. You can download the "In The Pink" pattern here.

[Download this free pattern from the Henry Glass website.]
Enjoy!

-hg

Friday, January 24, 2014

pdq* Club [*PRETTY DARN QUICK] - January 2014 Edition


The pdq* Club [*PRETTY DARN QUICK] was so much fun last year that we asked Jill Finley of Jillily Studios to continue it this year. This year will be a little different though. Jill will still design some beautiful projects but she will also give us her best quilting tips. This month Jill gives us some of her great tips for piecing. 

Before we get to the January Edition of the club though, we want to show off Jill's latest fabric collections. Twirl and Jams & Jellies are sweet collections with lots of ballerinas, ballerina flats and fresh basics. The collections should be hitting the quilt shop shelves sometime in February. Meanwhile, you can view the entire lines and also download the pretty quilt pattern on our website here.




Hello Quilters!   This year I think I will use my PDQ Club to share some tips with you that I have learned through trial and (many) errors.  Every once in a while I will give you a free pattern, and we will learn a lot through the year.  Join me every month for my PDQ Club, and we will all be Pretty Darn Quick quilters!!!

Some Tips for Piecing Perfection

We all would love to have perfectly pieced blocks with no cut off points, and matching seams, but it doesn’t always work out that way!  Since fabric is woven, it has “give” and can stretch and ease--  even when we don’t want it to.  So here are a few tips you can use to make your piecing more accurate.


1.   SCANT ¼” SEAM ALLOWANCE:   Quilters usually use a ¼” presser foot on their machines.  But even with this foot, and perfect ¼” seams, sometimes your block ends up a little small.  That is because it takes a little bit of fabric to “turn over” the seam and that can make a difference.  Make sure you use a SCANT ¼” seam allowance, following the 1/4” mark before your foot rather than the edge of the foot.  (This is especially true if you are sewing with tiny pieces!)


2.  PRESS AS YOU GO:  Don’t wait until the block is done to press.  Press after each seam, and give it a shot of steam to “block” it in place.  If you use the long, side edge of your iron to open up the newly sewn piece, it won’t distort like using the point of the iron.  



3.  TRIM DOWN TO SIZE:  If  your block uses smaller sub units, like half–square-triangles, I like to make them a little larger, then trim them down to be exactly the right size, with the points exactly in the corners.  

These are just a few little tips to give you more accuracy in your piecing.  But don’t worry too much about it—after all, if you try this and still have less-than-perfect blocks, remember the galloping horse theorem:

“If you can’t see it from a galloping horse, it doesn’t matter.”
--annonymous 

Thanks Jill!  Great tips.
Tell us your favorite tip by January 31, 2014 at 4 p.m. and we will pick a random winner to win a bundle of fabric [our choice] to get you inspired.

Have a great weekend.

-hg


Monday, December 2, 2013

Naughty Or Nice Holiday Party - Day 2 & pdq Club!



Thanks for coming to our party. Didn't you just adore Mary Jane's "horse" yesterday? Don't forget to go to her blog and enter her giveaway. She is giving away TWO block of the month Tour Des Jardins kits.


Here are the general guidelines for this party. Each day we will feature the answers of the questions that we posed to the designers. You will find out about their holiday habits and each day you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts. You will be eligible to win a fabulous bundle of fabric. All you have to do is answer the question on the blog [and/or on Facebook] for a chance to win the bundle of fabric of the day. No substitutions. You can enter on the blog and/or Facebook for two chances to win per day. You have until midnight December 9th to enter and all winners must claim their prizes until midnight December 13th or the prize is forfeited and we will announce a new winner.

Thank you for visiting our website, blog and Facebook page. It has been a great year for the Henry Glass designers. They've been busy working on a big project with the folks at Martingale & Co. The book will be released next fall and we know that you are going to love it. Stay tuned to our blog and Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to receive news about some exciting announcements in the new year.

For this blog party we asked the designers the following questions:

1. What was your favorite gift? Worst?
2. Early or late shopper? Earliest or latest that you've shopped?
3. Favorite holiday drink? Alcohol or none? Recipe?
4. Are you likely one to return a present or to suck it up and keep it?
5. As a child were you likely to make the naughty or nice list? 
1. What was your favorite gift? Worst?
2. Early or late shopper? Earliest or latest that you've shopped?
3. Favorite holiday drink? Alcohol or none? Recipe?
4. Are you likely one to return a present or to suck it up and keep it?
5. As a child were you likely to make the naughty or nice list?


Today, Jill Finley is our guest and she is going to have some fun answers to the party questions. Make sure that you go over to her blog too. She is giving an extra bundle of fabric away there. We are going to show off her pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] project for "November" too. It is the perfect gift to make because it is so festive and an easy project. Here is the link to all of her other projects in the series. We know that you'll find something great to make as a last minute gift or two.

1.  As a kid I always loved getting snow things—like sleds or new skis and boots.  We had a lot of family fun on the ski slopes.  And the sledding was monumental—we lived on a hill and the road was long and steep.  Sometimes in the winter when we got a great snow storm, we would just not plow the road, so it was perfect for sledding.  (Only problem was that cars couldn’t drive up.) Dad would get out the snowmobiles and shuttle the sledders from the bottom back up to our driveway.

[Jill's family doing their annual Gingerbread Houses.]

2.   I am definitely a late shopper!  One year I actually tried starting early—several problems arose:  I forgot what I had purchased and where I had stashed it, and I just kept shopping, the more time there was, the more I spent!  So now I just do my shopping a few days before Christmas.  Our wedding anniversary is on the 17th and we usually would go out—and do our shopping!

[Jill and her mom with daughters Talia and Sarah on their way to the Nutcracker - an annual event.]

3.  Hot chocolate!  If  you are spending all that time outside sledding and building snow forts, you have to have hot cocoa!   No alcohol here—we have plenty of fun without it!  Now if you want really great hot cocoa, this is what you do:

Heat together on the stove in a large pot:
4 cups milk
4 cups half and half
1 cup cream
Stir it contanstly so it doesn’t burn.  When it is steaming, and almost to a boil, add in a large package of chocolate chips.  Stir until they melt.  (You may want to add a few more or less, depending on your taste.)
Add a dash or two of salt, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Stir and enjoy!  (you can add flavorings like orange extract or peppermint or cinnamon, etc)  YUMMM.

4.  It depends what the present is, and who it is from.  Sometimes it is just not worth the effort and pain to return it!  We often make homemade gifts, and they are really not returnable!  (Not that you would want to!!)

[Grandkids with new jammies.]

5.  Well. . . .if you were to ask my mom, I am quite sure she would say I was often on the naughty list.  I know this because she would frequently remind me and others who might be listening how “difficult” I was.  I think she was always a little amazed that I turned out to be a “normal” adult.  At Mom’s 90th birthday party, she said a few glowing comments about each of my siblings, and when it was time to tell about me, she told the story of when I was so naughty that I stood in the corner ALL DAY rather than say I was sorry.  I was only 6.  

I wasn’t really that bad, just, as they say, a willful child.  I think I have done a few good things since then.  Let’s hope so! Mom is gone now, and every day I am grateful to her for all she taught me—even though I was “difficult.”


HG: Thanks Jill. Your answers were fun. Now we want to show off the next pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] project. It is an easy and beautiful project and you can download the pattern here. If you make this project [or any of the pdq Club projects, make sure that you show us! We love to see your versions. Just e-mail us here.








Jill styled this shot to make her sofa look so festive and comfortable. We love the reds and greens that she used in the pillow.


Today's featured fabric is Weekend Retreat by Jan Shade Beach. This fun line boasts beach balls, kites and sail boats. Jan has designed a couple of beautiful quilts to go with this line and they are available as free downloads on our website.




In addition to the fabric bundle that is featured today, Jill has generously offered a bundle of her gorgeous Poppy Patio line to give away as well.


To win these two scrumptious bundles of fabric, tell us what sewing notion you have on your wish list?

Good luck!

-hg

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

pdq* [PRETTY DARN QUICK] - September Edition


We don't mean to alarm you but the holidays are just around the corner. It's time to start thinking about making gifts. Jill Finley of Jillily Studios has been designing some special projects for our on-going series, pdq* [PRETTY DARN QUICK] and we know that there's a great idea or two in this series that can inspire you to make some for gift-giving. All of the previous posts are linked at the top right sidebar of our website.


This month she has designed an adorable notebook cover. What is special about this idea is that she suggests using orphan blocks that you may have hanging around that you don't know what to do with.


Here she shows you a fun way to use them -- make notebook covers with the block as the star! Jill had an applique block that she had used in demos but it didn't belong to any project so she decided to stitch it onto the front of her new notebook cover to add some interest. The cover is quick and easy [hence, pdq = PRETTY DARN QUICK] so it makes the perfect easy project.


You can download the instructions here.

Jill sent along some photographs of a beautiful quilt that she made with her Beyond The Gate fabrics.
Gorgeous!




Check out all of Jill's fabric collections and read a little more about this talented designer on our website here.

*Edited: We forgot to name the winner and to announce the next giveaway. Apologies.

This month our winner is
 pamspretties57 said...
Hiya Jill!!! What a wonderful idea. Actually, my daughter has made quite a few of these for gifts. Hmmm, she's not given me one yet. Could it be that she thinks I have too much stuff already??? Lol. Well, maybe I'll get one for Christmas this year. That table runner is adorable, just love it. Thanks for the giveaway. Blessed be, hugs!!! Pam

pamspretties57 at gmail dot com
September 7, 2013 at 6:29 PM

Leave Jill a message here in the comments section by midnight October 20, 2013 and we'll draw a name for a bundle of fabric of our choice. Good luck!

-hg

Friday, August 30, 2013

pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] - August Edition


Thanks for entering our Back To School Giveaway. There's still a little bit of time to enter. All information is in the post here.  Good luck!

We are happy to present the August edition of pdq* Club [*PRETTY DARN QUICK] by Jill Finley of Jillily Studios. Who doesn't need a French memo board? Forget the really expensive store-bought ones. You can make your own at a fraction of the cost and you can customize it with your own fabric. The, dare we say it,  holidays are right around the corner. All of these pdq Club projects are quick and easy. 

Jill always designs fabulous projects that are equally beautiful and functional. This month's design is no exception. Remember you can go back and check out all of the other club projects by clicking on this link. [You can access the patterns as always by using the icon on the right sidebar at the top of the page.] 





Jill sent along a note about how she was inspired to make this French memo board:

"I have been wanting to make a French memo board to help keep things organized and in sight around here.  Putting "to do" items and fun inspirational things up on a board is much better than leaving them in a stack of papers on the desk top, don't you think?  Start by gathering your supplies.  I ran to my local home improvement store and bought the insulation board and peg board.  I had them cut to size right there to save time and trouble.  I spent around $7, and that included the Diet Coke and Cheetos that I deemed necessary to finish the project!  As soon as I got home I picked out some fabric, ribbon, and buttons from my stash, and in no time I was done with this darling project.  I hope you enjoy these free instructions! 

The fabric I used was from my new Poppy Patio collection.  This black and white print is just so versatile.  I also used it to make a darling table runner with yo-yos placed on each flower.  This runner is called "Lotsa Dots," and the pattern will be available on my website next week."


[Editor's note: Isn't that table runner darling? We'll let you know when Jill has the pattern up on her website.]

You can grab this month's pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] instructions here.


Jill has a couple of new releases that we are showing to your local quilt shops now. Jams & Jellies and Twirl are two darling new lines that will be coming out in the future. You can find out more about these lines on our website.





This month's winner of a random selection of fabrics is:

Blogger Barbara Pricola said...
This is darling and just right for carrying an ipad and a couple of essentials. Thank you.
July 22, 2013 at 3:19 PM

Congratulations! Remember to leave Jill a message here in the comments section by midnight September 22, 2013 and we'll draw a name for a bundle of fabric of our choice.

Have a great weekend!

-hg

Monday, July 22, 2013

pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] - July Edition


Just when we think that Jill Finley of Jillily Studios has designed the cutest project possible for our pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK], she comes up with another adorable project for you. You can check previous projects by clicking the icon on the sidebar.


This month's project is called iCarry. What a wonderful project to make for yourself or for the student who's going off to college in a few weeks. iCarry is a great minimalist bag for your iPad and you can have fun with different fabrics. We love how Jill used her chevron fabrics with her floral fabrics. You can download the pattern here.











































The winner for last month's fabric bundle is:

Beth said...
Your PDQ patterns always make me smile, because my dad used that phrase with us kids. Meanwhile, I know my mom would have loved Jill's vibrant fabric and her color choices.
June 20, 2013 at 5:43 PM
Leave Jill a message here in the comments section by midnight August 18, 2013 and we'll draw a name for a bundle of fabric of our choice.
Good luck!
-hg

Monday, July 15, 2013

Congratulations!


Thank you for joining our Summer Fabric Party. We had tons of fun. Stay tuned for some more exciting happenings in the next few weeks. We think that the heat and sun makes us giddy. That's great news for you because it inspires us to dig into our stash and share it with you. If you do make something with our fabric, please share. We also love to see what you sew with our fabric.

We have Jill Finley's pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] project next week and the Desire To Inspire Challenge the following week. Speaking of Jill's projects, have you had a chance to make any of them? We love the baby quilt that she designed last month. That giveaway is still going on until the next one is posted. You can find the pdq* Club [PRETTY DARN QUICK] posts here.





Last month's Desire To Inspire challenger, Anjeanette Klinder at byAnjeanette.blogspot.com 
did a fabulous job with her challenge fabric. We can't wait to see what the next challenger sews.


Now to the news that you've been waiting for. We have the winners to announce this morning. Congratulations!


a Rafflecopter giveaway -hg