The Twinkle Magic Show - Computer.m4v

Wanted to share the schoolhouse presentation I just gave for Twinkle at International Quilt Market in Minneapolis.

I promise to really soon learn how to do voice overs.

This looks like a great way to show someone how a quilt goes together.

Color Mastery and Twinkle meet and are friends.

Hello UrbanAmishers!

Just a few more days and off I go to Minneapolis for the debut of two of my fabric lines for Blank Quilting, Avignon and Twinkle. When I return I'll tell you all about Avignon and I'll also post the PDF files for my schoolhouse presentation: The Twinkle Magic Show. It contains lots of fun ideas for using Twinkle and will get your creative juices flowing merrily downhill where they will puddle easily into a beautiful new fabric dream masterpiece.
The above image is a quilt idea that reminds me of Life Savers, the classic assortment. All you need is width of fabric strips of red ,orange , yellow, green and black Twinkle to surround the candy colors and off you go. You can get a closer look and free Twinkle patterns by clicking here.

And here's a chance to get some free Twinkle fabric to play with along with Maria Peagler's fabulous Color Mastery book (also free!).
The fabric kit looks like this and it's great for doing some of the exercises suggested in the book.

And here's all about the give away at Maria's Color Mastery blog.
In Maria's own words and pictures:



The goodies get more interesting each week, don't they?  This Color Mastery/Twinkle Fabric Collection prize pack is up for grabs this week, and it includes a Color Mastery book, the Color Journal Kit CD, and all ten colorways of Yolanda Fundora's brand new Twinkle fabric collection.  Is this fabric not totally yummy?  And it goes from a light value to a dark value in one hue.  What possibilities it holds!



Rest easy: this contest is a bit easier.  I really had ya'll searching all over the internet for the answers to last week's contest.  This week, here's what you do:  become a Fan of Color Mastery on Facebook by clicking on the Like button at the top right of the Fan page.  If you aren't a member of Facebook, it's time to join:  your quilting friends are already there, and it's a great way to see what everyone's working on.

So after you join Facebook and become a Fan of Color Mastery, then what?  Well, nothing, or something, depending on how many times you want to be entered to win.  Here's how it works:

   
1. Visit the Fan page and recommend Color Mastery to your friends by writing on the Color Mastery wall.  It then shows up to all your friends (remember that Herbal Essences shampoo commercial?  "I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on ....".
   
2. Each day I select a winner from all the Fans who've written on my wall that day for a unique surprise - a different one each day.
   
3. Each day you visit and write on the Color Mastery wall, I'll enter you in the Friday drawing for the Color Mastery/Twinkle prize package.  If you've visited every day, you'll have five total entries.  Just for spreading the word about Color Mastery!

So UrbanAmishers...get yourselves over to Maria's fanpage on Facebook and see if you can win this fun set.

Twinkle! It's here! And Happy Bunny Day!

Since the beginning of this year it seems time has accelerated triple-fold. Not a day goes by without having one more UrbanAmish thought pop up in my head. But do I tell you about them?

No, not at all! I looked and was aghast that my last post was three months ago! All that time I had been talking to you in my head but never got around to actually posting. So I feel a bit ashamed and hoping you will be kind and forgive me.

And I also need to confess that I really don't have another lesson fully ready to upload and share.

However I'm very excited about my new Twinkle line and wanted to share it. Playing with it does make me very happy. I'm hoping that spreads right out to you wherever you are.

The Twinkle is a hybrid of sorts. It's a novelty-blender-fabric stash.

Each Twinkle sku is a star-filled blender offering four coordinated shades on one fabric.

Here is an overview of what the entire width of the fabric looks likes (This is the blue colorway.)

And the transitions from one color to another let you create interesting effects with little sewing such as faux half-square triangles.

Here are close-ups of the three transition areas starting from dark to light.

Take all ten fabrics in the line together and with just a minimum of fabric from each you end up with all these colors. A rainbow of rollicking Twinkle fabric fun!

And Twinkle does have it's quiet contemplative side. It works great in a supporting role as a blender with a bit of sparkle.

Here's a sneak preview of a project to be published in a coming issue of The Quilter that uses twinkle with another one of my coming new lines, Avignon, to make a very elegant little tabletopper or wall banner with a bit of a bargello effect. (I'll keep you posted when that quilt pattern is published.)

This design is called Heavenly Blues and it's in honor of my beloved morning glories that get to grow rampant around my porch in late summer. Here's a pix of one of the best seasons ever. That blue makes my colorheart sing. And calms me too. Nice hue to have around if you are in a quiet mood.

But back to fun and rollicking wild times and let the colors flow! The wonderful folk at Blank Quilting commissioned me to design not just one but three gifts for you in the form of three free downloadable quilt patterns.

And here they are for your convenience all gathered in one place.

First is Twinkle Rainbow Sampler.

Click here to download PDF file.

Next is Twinkle Fiesta Ware, really lively fusible applique projects.

Click here to download this.

Or check out these Twinkle Cottage lap quilts with matching placemats to keep your beach or lakehouse comfy and spruced up.

By now Twinkle should be showing up in independent quilts shops everywhere. Please support them. We need them! They are at the heart of our quilting lifes. If you can't find these fabrics locally, you can also get them from me at www.urban-amish.com. Check out the Rainbow sampler packs.

And also www.quiltwoman.com just published two of my Twinkle pattern designs.

Great little gift banners. Quick and easy! You can make two up in a day. There are two designs per pattern. 

So quilting UrbanAmish bunnies everywhere! Have a very happy Easter holiday with all your bunny loved ones!

Take good care. And may your chocolate Easter Egg come in the flavor you like best!