Color, color, color (and a contest)!

The new issue (October 2009) of American Patchwork and Quilting is out, and although I'll admit to some bias for the publication in general (and not just because I write for them, I swear), this one is a special favorite of mine. It's all about color and the projects are so enticing. There's also a great profile of Sue Spargo, whose work I adore: folk-arty, but with a graphic twist, and her use of color gives it contemporary feel. It's an issue worth checking out.

I had the pleasure for this issue of interviewing three great designers/design teams for the Contributors Page. I loved Miriam Kujac's story of starting her antique quilt collection by going to farm auctions as her family took their summer vacations: she's now got more than 400 quilts and rotates them through her house—it must be a constantly changing visual treat. I've long been awed by Flavin Glover's quilted scenes using tiny log cabin blocks: her sheep are special favorites of mine. And I was introduced to Colleen Reale and Chloe Anderson of Toadusew: their quilts are colorful and graphic and just a little bit different. They're also triple-tested by quilters of all skill levels.


Toadusew offered to share some three of their patterns with Pearl the Squirrel readers. So it's not really contest (I just liked the alliteration in my headline) but a giveaway. Readers who are brave enough to leave a comment (come on you guys, you can do it!) about what draws them first to fabric: the colors, the patterns, or something else all together, will have the opportunity to win one of three Toadusew patterns: Pot Luck, Harmony, or Just Like Sunshine. I'll choose the three winners from comments left by August 21.