Tulip Fields, #1401 is a fun dimensional applique, wall quilt in my pattern line. Tangled Threads Quilt Shop in Lynden, Washington, made a model for their shop. This is a close up of the cute little ladybug button they added to their wall quilt. It fits in perfectly, adding additional embellishment and interest to the quilt. The dimensional tulips are a variation of Ruched Blossoms, made with the Piecing Pals, Coin Ruched Blossom Guide TR600, from Quilting Creations International. You can find more pictures of Tulip Fields on my Facebook page and on my website. Pictures of the trunk show Tangled Threads recently hosted may be found on their Facebook photo page. Laura Estes Stencils and Coin Ruching Tools may be found on Quilting Creations International website.
I find it inspiring to see what additions quilters make to the quilts they create from my patterns. A pattern is a guideline to get you where you want to go. Unless you are a quilt shop you’re probably not going to hang the pattern up with the quilt, and even then, your ideas can provide inspiration for your customers.

Punkin, our Manager of Operations, overseeing the making of name tags for my class participants. The name tag base is cut from brown bags, and adorned with a gathered blossom. Student tags are pinned on, but Punkin prefered one to hang around his neck.

These are just a few of my designs on display at Experience Quilts! in Odessa, WA for their Grand Opening March 1 and 2. They carry the full line of my designs. Pictured here from left to right, Dresden at Heart, Suzanne’s Garden and Tulip Fields, any of which would look lovely done up in the fabric grouping pictured in the foreground.
All of these designs feature applique and Coin Ruching. Dresden at Heart may be made in a larger size for a bed quilt.

What fun I have had creating projects for our new book due out in August. Shown here are fabrics from In The Beginning Fabrics and Moda, that we used in the samples of pintucks, pleats and Coin Ruching.

Piecing Pals Coin Ruching Guide and Samples

There are several styles of Ruching. When most people hear Ruching, they think of the traditional zig zag style made with ribbon, but Ruching can be done with all types of fabrics, laces and other trims. In this photo I have a prepared strip (basted and marked with the scallop stitching line using the Piecing Pals Coin Ruching Guide), a strip that has been stitched and gathered and a flower formed from a gathered strip.

Not one inch of space to work.

A clean workspace…now there is room to work and show you some of the fun things I am doing.

Two goals for today:

1. Clear off my cutting table

2. Learn how to size pictures for WordPress, so I can show you the before and after.

By following my own advice, of keeping projects and tools handy to work on in bits of time, I have managed to finish a number of projects, in between writing sessions for my new book. There remains several piles of things to put away, a couple of Trunk Shows to ship out and project leftovers hogging my work space. Today it goes!

Sizing photos for WordPress is kind of a mystery, but it will be solved today. Meanwhile, you may visit laurassagecountryquilts on Facebook to see a little bit of what I and my little helper Punkin have been up to.

How do you organize your applique projects to optimize quilting time? How do you keep your quilting space organized?

With presents to wrap and cookies to bake, applique projects seem to get pushed to the back burner. With a little planning it is easy to keep the current project handy for a few moments of stitching while cookies bake or you wait for kids from program and sports practices. Zip closure bags are handy for keeping supplies together. Place small scissors, needle pack, threader and threads, plus any other applique tools your project requires  in a one quart zip bag(I like the freezer weight). Place your project in a 2 gallon size zip  bag along with the quart bag of supplies, and your project is portable and ready to go.

I’ve been so anxious to get this blog going, but it has taken me some time to get the hang of the program. Meanwhile I have been working on many applique projects, developing new patterns to be released at Spring quilt Market in Portland, OR. Hopefully as I progress through the WordPress class I’ll be able to include some photos of the projects and some visuals of applique and ruching techniques. Meanwhile, you may link to my website to see all the current designs.

Welcome to our blog. I hope you will visit us often to see what new things we are creating with Coin Ruching and other dimensional applique techniques. Each week I will give you an update on new patterns and what shops and sites are carrying them. I’ll post some photos of quick projects and some of B.J. the cat in charge, inspecting quilts for softness.

I’ll post information about events I will be speaking, demonstrating or teaching at, and if you are in those areas, I would love to meet you in person.

I welcome your applique, Coin Ruching, hand quilting and general quilting questions an comments.

Besides our extensive pattern line, Laura’s Sage Country Quilts, I design stencils and the Piecing Pals Coin Ruching Tools for Quilting Creations International. There are links on our website to a number of shops that carry our designs.

Meanwhile, Happy Stitchin.