Kathy Brown and Strip-Smart II

We had tremendous fun last Saturday when Kathy Brown brought her trunk show for a show and tell. We never know what is in store so sitting back and watching it all unfold is a real hoot and roller coaster ride and Kathy never fails to impress us with her creativity and humor.

It started with a sneak preview of her up-coming Red Rooster children's line, A is for Animal,  (or Alphabet! Kathy's recurring self-deprecation is her ability to confuse names and nouns, but never faces)

While at Houston for Market, Kathy had samples of her newest patterns hanging up and they really attracted serious attention. Here are three of them.

Then we got busy seeing quilts from her new book, Strip-Smart II and the Double Strip Ruler, or the Dolly Parton ruler, as she calls it.

By now you are surely familiar with the ruler and how it helps you take 2.5" 'jelly roll' strips and quickly cuts them into half-square triangle blocks. Once you mix up the blocks, you can create a wide variety of quilts. 

What is different in this book, you ask? 

This time, Kathy explored using a 'background' strip for the other half-triangle and the results are very good! You end up with more negative space to play in with your quilting and the modern quilt look is very much evident.

Here are three quilts from her book to illustrate what I mean.

If you were unable to attend, here is a quick video of the highlights.





Ask us to show you her CHubbies patterns and the newest, Sleep Sack. They are super!

Quilted In Honor - Veteran's Day Observance

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day or Armistice Day and in observance of this day, I would like to take a moment and tell you about a program through Island Batiks called Quilted In Honor and Operation Homefront.

Quilted in Honor is a 2 year long fund-raising initiative by Island Batik and industry sponsors like pattern companies and quilt designers, big names you will recognize. The goal is raise awareness and money for our returning veterans and their families as they transition back to civilian life after service in the armed forces.

Now, this is NOT to be confused with Quilts of Valor, another fabulous program of donating quilts to wounded servicemen and women.

Through the purchase of patterns, fabrics and notions, a portion of all proceeds will be distributed to Operation Homefront to be used in their on-going assistance to their goal of assisting EVERY service member 

So, when you ask yourself, "What can I do?" the simple answer is, "Do what you love". If you love to sew, make a quilt to donate to Quilts of Valor and use one of the new batiks and you will be helping both organizations.

 If you want to make a quilt for someone you know, consider using Island Batiks new range of Quilted in Honor fabrics. A portion of what you purchase will be given directly to Operation Homefront. Or purchase one of the patterns and use your scraps and still a portion of your money will go to Operation Homefront.

If you come in to Bright Hopes Quilting and see the gorgeous line of batiks that were created for this program, you can flip through our catalogue of free patterns and get the yardage you will need and then download the pattern for free from the Island Batiks website at home. Go ahead, pop over now and check them out.

You will also find a number of them that are for purchase as well as 2 Blocks of the Month you can make at home. Even if you make one of these for yourself, you will be supporting the Operation Homefront organization and make a difference.

Okay, you ask, just how much is a "portion"?  Island Batik has pledged a minimum of $25,000. Now, that is a goal worth rallying around in my book!

But wait, there IS more!  If you go here, you can purchase a chance to win PJ Anderson's beautiful quilt, Stars of Glory, and every dollar goes directly to Operation Homefront AND you can enter a contest to bring Eleanor Burns to your favorite quilt shop for a workshop! Double-plus Good!

Each donation is $5.00 and there is a secure PayPal form after you fill out your drawing information.

So, I hope you have a memorable Veteran's Day tomorrow. We are open for business and look forward to showing you the beautiful batiks.