Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! Ebook

Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend!

Who Else Wants to Create a Gift that Will Touch a Life Forever?

Unlock the Secrets of Making This Beautiful, yet Easy-to-Make Rag Quilt Using a Proven and Simple, Step-By-Step System

Dear Friend,

What do you give someone who has everything?

I always struggle with that. Sometimes I take the easy way out and get a gift card to Barnes and Noble. Other times, I just head off to my local Hallmark store and see what's there.

Sound familiar?

But, if it is a special family member or another quilter, I have a more difficult time. Certainly a fellow quilter will certainly appreciate a gift card for a quilt shop, but somehow I think a gift card for anything is kind of cheating. It's like "I didn't have time to think about the gift, so I just sent this random money."

Yes, there are plenty of family members and quilters who would love a gift card to anywhere, but, what about those special ones? The ones you really want to do something more for, but they really don't need anything, and even when you ask them, they can't come up with something they really want.

What do you do for them?

Not too long ago, I was struggling with that kind of gift. A quilting friend of mine, Sarah, was celebrating her 50th birthday. And she wasn't looking forward to it at all. For her, that milestone was 10 times worse than when she turned 30 (and you probably remember how traumatic that was!)

In any case, the Big 5 - 0 was coming up for my friend, and she was not a happy camper. And there I was trying to think of some creative gift that would bring a smile to her face.

A quilt is always a welcome gift - especially from one quilter to another. But, I wanted to do something different from a patchwork quilt with blocks and sashing. I poured through my books, I visited my favorite quilt shop haunts looking at books I didn't own. I talked to my friends - searching for a suggestion for some unique quilt design that would be perfect for her.

Sarah loves hearts, and she has them all over her house. Her kitchen towels have hearts on them, many of the pictures on the walls around her house have hearts on them. Even her dinner plates have hearts on them! And whenever I see something with a heart, I think of Sarah.

Often I pick up little heart treasures for her in my wanderings-about. One year I found a fantastic heart-shaped wreath stuffed with little squares of Christmas fabric for her. That seemed to solve the issue of finding a new decoration for her front door every year.

In any case, as I thought about what to get Sarah for her 50th birthday, hearts certainly came to mind. Then it occurred to me - why not one giant heart, and a quilt that was something a little different from any she already had?

Traditional patchwork quilts made up most of her collection. Blocks of all sizes and designs. She has fan quilts, star quilts, tumbling block quilts, and even some heart quilts - no surprise there! But, she didn't have any rag quilts.
She had made a few rag quilts for some of her family members and friends, but she didn't have one herself. So, I decided to create a rag quilt with hearts. In my wanderings I had seen a rag quilt book that had a bunch of small hearts appliqued onto squares around the quilt. It looked really nice, but applique isn't really our favorite quilting thing to do. Early in my quilting life I appliqued hundreds of little hearts onto squares and made baby quilts. And I feel like I have appliqued more than my share of hearts onto squares.

Then the idea struck me - how about one giant heart that covered the entire quilt. That would be unique and a fun memory of Sarah's 50th birthday - not like some of those 'old folk' gag gifts she was sure to get at her party.

Once I had the idea, putting the quilt together was a breeze. As a matter of fact, I had the entire quilt made - from cutting fabric to fringing the seams - in one short weekend.

As Sarah's birthday came closer, and her anxiety increased, I felt really great about the gift I had created for her, and I knew she would have a pleasant memory of that stressful birthday.

The party day arrived, and as she opened gift after gift, there were some great things. She got the usual assortment of "Over The Hill" items, some nice bath salts, a gift card for a day at the spa, and then she came to my package. I held my breath waiting to see her reaction. It's funny, during all of those years, we have never once made a quilt for one another. We've made plenty of quilts together, but never for each other.

As she carefully lifted the lid from the box, I could see tiny tears welling up in her eyes, because she knew it was a quilt. And since I had used some fun heart fabric on the back of the quilt, she knew that the theme would be hearts - her favorite. As she unfolded it, there was silence in the room of previously-giggling gals. And then she stood up so everyone could see the whole quilt. I'll admit that I was pretty proud. For once, I had created the perfect gift for a friend.

Sarah rushed over and give me a big hug and "thank you." And all I could do was cry. After a few minutes, the party went back to the giggling gals and we had a great time ringing in Sarah's 50th birthday. Sarah keeps her heart quilt on her sofa so she can curl up under it as she is quilting or watching TV. And every time I visit her, I remember her 50th birthday and the joy the quilt brought to her that day and every day after.

Heart Rag Quilt - Share Your Love!

And you can bring that same joy and happiness to someone you love.

Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! is a really easy quilt to make. As a matter of fact, even if you have never made a quilt before, once they see your heart quilt, your family and friends will probably be asking you where you bought it - so they can get one for themselves. (Careful - you may be making them for everyone in your family!)

Because the blocks in this rag quilt are 8 inches square, it takes just 30 blocks to make this full size quilt that measures 48 inches by 40 inches finished size. Just think - only 30 blocks. And it is all done on the machine. No hand sewing, nothing complicated.

Imagine, in a spare minute here and there, you could make a fabulous gift for anyone who might enjoy this fun quilt with a beautiful message.

Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! is the perfect step by step Guide to walk you through making this quilt.

All of the Mysteries of Making a Rag Quilt are Revealed in This Book

From fabric cutting to seam cutting, you get everything you need in Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! It's not the number of pages that count, although this manual is a full 39 pages with tons of full color photographs of each step along the way.

It's the instructions that count. And this manual was created in the same, high quality, easy-to-understand, step-by-step, guide-you-by-the-hand instructions that we at www.How-to-Quilt.com and www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com are known for.

And it's the secrets that we share that other quilters don't.

Here's Just Some of What You Get:

From fabric cutting to seam cutting, you get everything you need in Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! Here's a sample of what's inside:

• Did you know that your rag quilt can be made from flannel, denim, cotton or cotton blends? Heart Rag Quilt in a Weekend! divulges why polyester might not be the best choice for a rag quilt, and what type of fabric you should use to get the fuzzy fringe that makes a rag quilt unique. (pages 13-14). With complete knowledge, you decide what kind of fabric to use, based on who your quilt is for and how it will be used. No guessing or playing "follow the leader." You choose based on what you want. And your trip to the quilt shop will be relaxing and completely fun, because you will know exactly how much fabric to buy.
• Sew your blocks together with the speed and efficiency of a professional quilter. This book is jam-packed with tips and tricks to save you time sewing your blocks together. Did you know that one of the most frustrating parts of making a quilt is keeping the blocks in the right sewing order? Heart Rag Quilt - Share Your Love! lets you in on the secrets of keeping your blocks in the correct sewing order, and shows you how to speed piece - saving you precious time and energy. (pages 31-32)
• Seams open or sewn to one side? That really is the question in making this quilt. In traditional patchwork quilts, quilters generally agree it is best to fold seam allowances to one side. Is that true for rag quilts, too? Sometime "yes," and sometimes "no." You'll find out in your copy of Heart Rag Quilt - Share Your Love! (page 35)
• Binding or no binding? The simple answer is that this rag quilt requires no binding. You will discover the easy method for finishing the edges of this rag quilt to secure the inside layer and ensure that your quilt doesn't "fringe away." (pages 37-38)
• Fringing and finishing - what makes it fringe, and how do you created the fringe without ruining your quilt? All of the techniques to create the fringe and finishing touches are right at your fingertips. Your finished quilt will age with grace as it is loved and used, and will be just as together 50 years from now as it is today. (pages 38-39)

From Fabric Cutting to Seam Cutting! Make sense now?

If You Can Sew a Straight Stitch, You can Make this Quilt!

A true beginner - even a non-quilter - can make this rag quilt. All of the sewing is simple, straight seams, and can be done on the machine. Even making the half square triangles are simple using the tips and secrets spelled out in this manual. Even if you never thought about making a quilt, planned to make a quilt, or imagined that you could make a quilt, you can make this one!

Intermediate and advanced quilters may choose to simply refer to the pictures and zip right through making the quilt, checking in for the tips, tricks and shortcuts sprinkled throughout the book.

Regardless of your skill level, your finished quilt will look like it was made by an experienced quilter. Your family and friends will be amazed at your creativity and skill.

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