Quilter's World: Poinsettia Centrepiece

 Sometimes life circles back on itself...

When I started designing quilts professionally, my first submission (back in...cough...1989) was to Quick & Easy Quilting magazine. The pattern was for a set of placemats using Seminole piecing.  Then editor Sandra Hatch accepted the design for publication and contacted me again to ask would I be interested in doing a regular column on that technique? Writing that column (pre-internet, and on my typewriter with hand-drawn piecing diagrams) spanned the next 12 years, and was a wonderful, wonderful learning experience. Eventually, three sister publications merged into a new and revised format, called Quilter's World. One of my designs appeared in the very first issue of Quilter's World, and made the cover for the second issue of the magazine, in Feb 2003.  

I went on to design for Quilter's World for a couple of years (issues shown below) ...leaving only to work on my first book.  And then my second.  And so on, and so on.  

Over Christmas last year, deciding that some of my Christmas linens needed updating, I sketched out a design for a somewhat modern table centrepiece.  It may not be a traditional representation of a poinsettia, but to my eye it's like looking down into the centre of one, with red leaves and a touch of green swirling around.

I knew those reds needed to be vibrant Island Batik, and they graciously sent me lots of these beauties to work with. Thank you, Island Batik. ♥♥♥ These are all from their Basics and Foundations, which are always available. 

With foundation piecing, it went together quickly.

"Birthing" the centrepiece  means there is no binding to deal with, making the finishing super quick.

They are quilted simply, with a leaf outline and pebbling in the centre.

The size makes it usable as a table centrepiece...

...or as placemats. As you can see, I've made several of these now, and they take no time!

I am delighted that Quilter's World still welcomes my designs, and have showcased this one in a newly released special edition called "Merry Quilted Christmas".  

The issue is filled with lots of full sized quilts, as well as smaller gifty projects you can work up in time for the holidays. The magazine is on newstands now (locally I've seen it at Pharmasave and Walmart) or you can purchase it online from Annie's.