Designer Sampler: Block #6

We're celebrating National Quilting Month with a Sampler Quilt created using blocks by many of our fabric designers. Throughout the month, we'll share a block made by each of the designers listed below and featuring their newest fabric line, along with directions to sew that block. Come sew with us!

Block #6

Today we're featuring Ann Lauer's 8-pointed star block using her new Cat-I-Tude Christmas collection.

Cutting

6745M-12 Playful Cats Black/Multi

Fussy-cut (1) 6-1/2" square

6747M-66 Playful Flakes Purple

(4) 4-1/4" squares

6748-20 Snowflake Spree Rose

(4) 4-1/4" squares

6748-40 Snowflake Spree Mint

(4) 4-1/4" squares

(4) 3-1/2" squares

7555M-43 Featherly Paisley Forest

(4) 4-1/4" squares

Make the Block

1. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of (1) 4-1/4" Snowflake Spree Rose square. Place it right sides together on (1) 4-1/4" Featherly Paisley Forest square. Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line, cut on the line, and press HST units open. 

2. In the same way, make HST units using 4-1/4" Snowflake Spree Mint and Playful Flakes Purple squares.

3. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of (1) Mint/Purple HST, perpendicular to the seam. Position it right sides together on (1) Rose/Forest HST, aligning the green sides. Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line, cut on the lines, and press units open. You'll make the mirror image units shown below. Square to measure 3-1/2" square. Make a total of (8) QST units (4 will be mirror image). 

4. Sew a QST and a mirror image QST together as shown. Make (4) pieced units. 

5. Sew pieced units to opposite sides of the 6-1/2" Playful Cats square, noting orientation. Sew 3-1/2" Snowflake Spree Mint squares to opposite sides of the remaining pieced units and then sew to the top and bottom of the center section to complete the block. 

Click here to see the entire Cat-I-Tude Christmas collection.

Click here to visit Ann's website. 

Follow along with our National Quilting Month Designer Sampler!

Introduction

Block #1: Jackie Robinson - A Festival of Roses

Block #2: Paula Nadelstern - Piece & Joy

Block #3: Amanda Murphy - Thankful

Block #4: Christa Watson - Abstract Garden

Block #5: Nancy Halvorsen - Home Grown

Block #6: Ann Lauer - Cat-I-Tude Christmas

Block #7: Cheryl Haynes - Harvest Berry

Block #8: Cherry Guidry - Hearty the Snowman

Block #9: Modern Quilt Studio - Warp & Weft

Assembly

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Cat-I-Tude 2 Virtual Trunk Show

Cat-I-Tude 2: Purr-Fect Together made quite a splash at Quilt Market, and it's shipping to quilt stores now. Check out Ann's virtual quilt show for ideas on what to sew with these purr-fect prints. 

The star of the show in the booth at Quilt Market: the paisley chair! The white pillow on the chair features designs from the upcoming OESD embroidery collection.

We loved Ann's jacket, made by Delberta Zimmerman using the Little Something Jacket pattern. She embellished it with cut out cats and hand painted gold scrolls. It's beautiful! (And check out the Oh My Stars! quilt in the background!)

Ready for some cat quilts? Here we go!

Oh My Stars!

"There are actually two different stars in this quilt--the purple star with the checkerboard through it and the larger white stars. And then of course the cat blocks. The three different values of blenders create a great gradation effect in the pieced border, which I love."

Click here for the Oh My Stars! kit.

Something Special
"This quilt features straight-line piecing that gives the illusion of circles. It uses a half-rectangle ruler in the secondary block. The border really showcases that wonderful stripe as well."

Click here for the Something Special kit. 

Afternoon Delight
"This is one of my most popular patterns, and it's perfect for use with the cat prints!" 

Click here to purchase the Afternoon Delight kit.

Free Fall
"Try out a bargello design with the various values of prints in Free Fall. These prints have so much movement, which definitely translates into the design. A great wall hanging!"

Click here to purchase the Free Fall kit.

Line Dance
"Line Dance combines fussy-cut cats with large squares of other cat prints and coordinates. This design is also really nice for showing off the paisley print and paisley border."

Click here to purchase the Line Dance kit.

Aristocrats
"This design is great for using the panel and surrounding it with pieced borders. Depending on how big you want the quilt, you can choose from a few different border options. It's classy and easy."

Click here to purchase the Aristocrats kit.

Did you see our interview with Ann about Cat-I-Tude 2? Click here to read it.
Click here to see the entire Cat-I-tude 2 collection.
Click here to visit Ann's website. 

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Cat-I-Tude 2: Purr-Fect Together

The cats are back! Cat-I-Tude was so popular that Ann Lauer created Cat-I-Tude 2: Purr-Fect Together. These cat prints prove that two heads are better than one! 

Like the original collection, Cat-I-tude 2 features stylized cats that look like painted porcelain. Keep reading as Ann walks us through the collection. 

This collection starts with a panel of different sized blocks.

Yes. This time there's an 18" square in the middle, which is great for bags, jackets and pillows. The four blocks around it work for 8", 9" or 10" squares like the first collection. There are gold scrolls around the cats, which creates a really delicate texture in the background.

Tell us about the large cats.

These cats have realistic poses like the first collection, and I love the two cats snuggling together. They're dsigned to fit a 9" or 10" block. So with a 12" cut of fabric, you'll get three different cats. There are six cats total. 

Are there more cats in this collection?

Yes--in addition to the panel and large cats, there are prints in multiple sizes.These Sweetheart cats are more portrait-like--they're such sweet, snuggly faces.

That paisley is fantastic!
Thanks! It has a great black and white check look in it, which makes it really playful. The paisley shows up again in the stripe, which is perfect for fussy cutting.

Can you tell us about the palette? 
It includes deeper reds, blues, and greens, along with the purple. The coordinates come in different values. There's the gold-accented paisley, and the squares on point, which also shows up in the background of some of the cat prints. The lightest coordinate is just outlines of the squares on point.

Later this week, we'll be sharing quilts and projects using Ann's Cat-I-Tude 2 collection. 

Click here to see the entire Cat-I-tude 2 collection.
Click here to visit Ann's website. 

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Tour the Benartex Booth: Quilt Market

Take a virtual tour of our booths at Quilt Market! Today we're sharing the Benartex section of the booth; next up will be Contempo and Kanvas. 

We're celebrating 20 years of Paula Nadelstern fabric design! The booth highlighted her new collection, More is More, along with a retrospective of all of her fabric lines.

Thank you, Paula, for 20 years of gorgeous fabric!

A gallery of square quilts made by various designers using Paula's fabric:

An advent calendar with gorgeously detailed ornaments counting down each day.

Fabric and beaded spheres, as well as a dimensional star from Indygo Junction.

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Next up is Nancy Halvorsen's new collection, Home Grown. It includes a panel ready for fussy cutting and plenty of Nancy's whimsical applique designs.

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Ann Lauer brings the cats back with Cat-I-Tude 2: Purr-Fect Together.

She's wearing a jacket made with Cat-I-Tude 2 prints!

Fussy cut cats alternate with star blocks.

We love the furniture!

And a tote bag:

Take a sneak peek at Jackie Robinson's new Christmas collection, A Festive Season 3.

We hope you enjoyed seeing the quilts featured in the Benartex section of our booth. Tomorrow we'll be sharing the Contempo booth, and then the Kanvas booth on Sunday.

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Market Preview: Ann Lauer & Eleanor Burns

Quilt Market starts Saturday, November 3rd, and we have so many new collections to share with shop owners at this industry-only show! We'll be showing you photos of the booth after the show, but we thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peek of what's coming. 

Cat-I-Tude 2: Purr Fect Together by Ann Lauer
(It's National Cat Day...hug yours today!)
If you loved Ann's Cat-I-Tude collection, you'll be thrilled to know that she has a sequel! These cats come with friends--pairs of sleek, porcelain-painted felines appear both on the panel and in coordinates. The line also includes larger cats that can be fussy-cut for a quilt block center, pillow, or tote bag. Ann has added in new coordinates and colors, including a cool black and white paisley, a paisley stripe, and two versions of a square tonal blender. 

If you're attending Market, don't miss Ann's School House on November 2nd from 4:55 - 5:25.
Click here to see the entire Cat-I-Tude 2 collection.



Eleanor Burns: Forty Years with the Log Cabin

We'll also be celebrating Eleanor Burns--can you believe her Log Cabin pattern came out 40 years ago? She'll be sharing at a special Schoolhouse commemorating that anniversary on November 2nd from 5:30-6. 

Come back for more sneak peeks this week!

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Midnight Poppies Virtual Trunk Show

We've had fun sharing Ann Lauer's Midnight Poppies collection with you this week! We hope you'll enjoy Ann's virtual trunk show of the quilts she has designed featuring her new fabrics. 

 "Love That Print" showcases two large prints in a quick and easy design. 

Click here to find the kit.

"Midnight Stars" - this one really sparkles! This two-block quilt is easier than it looks and shows off a large focal print as well. 

Click here to find the kit.

"Montana Summer" features on-point blocks. The pieced blocks are made from three-fabric strip sets, and the border showcases the iris border stripe. 

Click here to find the kit.

"Afternoon Delight" is made with fast flying geese, four-patches, and large focal print squares. 

Quick and easy! 

Click here to find the kit.

"Free Fall" is one of my most popular designs. The wall quilt version is assembled using quilt-as-you-go technique, and the colors blend beautifully together! 

Click here to find the kit.

"Poppy Toss" is a free quilt pattern available on Benartex's website. The centerpiece is the large poppy print, surrounded by strips of pieced stripes. Finish the quilt off with fussy-cut appliqued poppies!

Click here to download the pattern.
Click here to find the kit.

Click here to see the entire Midnight Poppies collection.

Click here to read our interview with Ann about Midnight Poppies. 

Click here to visit Ann's website and see her additional Midnight Poppies patterns.

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