Betsy's NY Roundabout

This picture was sent in by Betsy Dunphy, who stitched a New York Roundabout in Kaffe Fassett and black/white prints.  What a fabulous palette! I do love the movement in this design, and never tire of seeing how different it looks each time it is sewn.

With talk of a postal strike imminent in Canada, I have been busy figuring out alternative ways to ship merchandise.  Certainly a courier is not cost effective for a pattern, so I have been busy converting some of the more popular ones to digital files so they can be downloaded.  New York Roundabout Again has just been added to Craftsy, so if you have been waiting to download this pattern you can find it here. (you do not have to join Craftsy, you can log in with your Facebook info).
Thanks, Betsy for sending along the picture of your beautiful work!

Myrna's New York Roundabout Again

I love seeing my patterns done in different colours and prints.  Have a look at this beauty from Myrna Allison of British Columbia:

Light and dark purple, highlighted by a soft green, makes for a very pretty combination.  Myrna gifted this to some very happy friends to be used as a table topper.  Thanks for sharing, Myrna!
You can find the pattern for Roundabout Again here.

New York Roundabout Again

I've been getting a lot of enquiries about New York Roundabout Again - from all over the world - and figured it must have been posted online somewhere, as often happens.  I had no idea where...and then spotted this ad for a sale at Craftsy.

In the lower right hand corner is New York Roundabout Again made by Jeannine Damstetter of MA. The pattern is not available on Craftsy, nor is it part of a class, but Jeannine took a feather quilting class through Craftsy and used her new skills on her Roundabout quilt. It turned out beautifully and has gotten a lot of well-deserved attention.

 You can find the pattern for New York Roundabout Again on my website.

Eye Candy For Quilters

Awhile back, pattern tester Darlene Gerber worked on my Roundabout Again pattern before it went to print.  She finished the top in no time, but didn't get around to the quilting.  She sent it out to award winning quilter Valerie Smith, aka The Pumpkin Patch Quilter.  You've got to visit Valerie's site to see this piece - her quilting is jaw-dropping phenomenal.  The curved cross-hatching is so effective in the quarter circles, and those feathers in the middle - oh my!

Click the Quilt Gallery tab at the top of Valerie's page to see more. Wow! Please be sure to leave Valerie a comment so she knows you have visited.  I know you will enjoy seeing her beautiful work - I sure did!

Diane's Roundabout Again

Another stunning New York Beauty quilt by Diane Zdep - can you believe it?  This time Diane has chosen to stitch Roundabout Again.  Have a look:

Although the picture doesn't show it clearly, Diane has done some spectacular free motion quilting in the centre sections.  That pop of blue in the setting blocks along the side adds a lot of zing.  You can see two other of Diane's projects here and here.  Thanks Diane - you do such beautiful work!

RA Photos

What a pleasure to receive an email such as this from Jeannine Damstetter of MA.

Thought I'd send you some pictures of my New York Roundabout Again finally finished...  It was a dream to put together with your instructions and pattern.

 I took a few online classes with Angela Walters and the quilting brought it all together.  Thanks again for your great patterns.

Jeannine's colours are spectacular, especially those pale bluish centres peeking out on the sides. They add great dimension.  I hope you click on the photos to see a close up of her gorgeous quilting on those feathered wreaths. Jeannine, I also took a class from Angela Walters and know that she is great inspiration.  Thank you so much for sending this along.

"Just Go For It!"

Yesterday in my inbox I received an email with a couple of pictures attached.  I recognised the display name  - Carol -as belonging to a friendly customer from North Yorkshire, UK.  We had had several emails back and forth and I knew she was intending to enter a guild challenge with the quilt she made from one of the purchased patterns.  I was prepared to see a pretty version of Roundabout Again in blue and white...and I did. 

What I was not prepared for was the second picture, and the words she wrote.  Read on, and prepare to be amazed: (I have Carol's permission to share!)

Hi Karen:

A while back I bought the New York Roundabout Again pattern from you. My intention being to make it using blue and white fabrics. I could then enter it in our quilt groups bi-annual show in the”Blue and White Challenge section”.

Well the pattern was a challenge for me. With your help (you sent me details of fabric requirements and placements of light and dark in the pattern) I picked my fabrics.

I have never completed any curved piecing before but it went like a dream with the minimum of un – picking necessary. Paper piecing makes it so easy to get good results.

The quilting was my next obstacle. I stitched in the ditch around the blocks and then I wanted to free motion it all but had never tried the technique. Well I made up some quilt sandwiches and started practising. I wanted feathers around the edge so that is where I started . I soon became bored practising and decided to “just go for it” I used some coins as templates to draw round to  give me the curves needed on the feathers.

This worked really well and I carried on filling the shapes with FMQ. I even began to enjoy doing it, and am so pleased with the end result, although there is a lot of room for improvement.

The good news though is I won the Blue and White Challenge at our quilt show.

Thank you for a wonderful pattern.  Carol

Carol's first attempt at free motion quilting, done on her first curved piecing project and she came through like a seasoned veteran - wow! For those struggling with free motion quilting, Carol's words are great advice:  just go for it.  Our applause to you Carol for a job well done;  can't wait to see your stitching in a year's time!  

The pattern for Roundabout Again is available here

Marjorie's New York Roundabout Again

Here's a lovely finished NY Roundabout Again from "Shepody's Quilter" Marjorie in New Brunswick.  She and two pals, Connie and Marla, each made their own version.  You can see more pictures on Marjorie's blog, which is aptly named Marjorie's Busy Corner;  you will see she keeps her machine up and running at all times!

Thanks for sharing Marjorie, and for the beautiful work you did.  The pattern for NY Roundabout Again is available on the checkout page of my website.