I’m excited to announce the Sarah Jane sale at One Kings Lane, Tonight at 6pm PST/9pm EST! All beautiful, handmade goods, with custom quilts by yours truly! For those of you who have written to ask if I would make you a custom quilt, now’s your chance! The sale is open until Thursday, but I have a feeling it will sell out long before that. I can’t speak for any of the other goods, but I have it on good authority that the quilts are very, very limited. (See above pile.)
Head over quick to grab one-of-a-kind items–all made from Sarah’s beautiful Out to Sea collection for Michael Miller Fabrics.
xoxo
April
PS Can I just say how flattered I am that I got to participate in this with Sarah? She’s a dear, dear, friend, and I’m just so happy I could have a little part in her awesomeness. Sarah, I *heart* you! Mwa!
First of all, I was hopping around the other day when these two magazines hit newsstands.
Why? Well, see that cover quilt up there on Simple Quilts and Sewing? I made it!! (And it made the cover!! Wooo!)
I’ve got another quilt right at the front of this month’s Quilt Trends magazine, too. I had a ton of fun making these quilts, and I’m excited to get them back so I can show you something fun. See, these magazine opportunities came because my Big City quilt was shown in the Free Spirit booth last quilt market. Each magazine contacted me and asked if I’d do a quilt for them using the same fabric line (Grand Hotel by Jenean Morrison). So, I did. And I can’t wait to show you how different three quilts made from the same fabric line can look, just by being selective about your color and design choices.
Another reason I’m hopping around? Today (actually yesterday) two different blog hops started, which I’ll participate in later in the month. Both are super fun, so for sure follow along! A little info about each:
The Moda Sweet Celebrations Blog Tour!
Come visit the blogs of the contributors to the Moda Bake Shop’s newest book, Sweet Celebrations. We’ll answer some strange questions, talk a little about and share our favorite recipe from our chosen holiday! Also, at each stop, you can enter to win a copy of the book (not even in stores yet!) and a Moda precut! Here’s the schedule:
Blog Tour Schedule
October 1 – StashBooks and Moda Cutting Table
October 2 – Melissa Mortenson and Melissa Corry
October 3 – Mary Lane Brown and Natalia Bonner
October 4 – Lissa Alexander and Corey Yoder
October 5 – Jane Davidson and Angela Yosten
October 6 – Jo & Kelli Kramer and Stefanie Roman
October 7 – Sherri McConnell and Megan Jimenz & Heather Andrus
October 8 – Angela Mitchell and Ellie Roberts
October 9 – Katie Blakesley and Aneela Hoey
October 10 – Amy Smart and Angela Pingel
October 11 – Vanessa Christenson and April Rosenthal
October 12 – Moda Bake Shop
October 14 – Readers have until midnight on the 14th to comment on all the blogs for the giveaways.
October 19 –Winners announced on all the blogs.
The Blogger’s Bar Hop Quiltalong!
Remember last year how I did the Chevron Dreams block for the Quilt Uberfest Quiltalong? Well, this year Scott of Blue Nickel Studios is at it again, which means you get 14 more free blocks to add to your repertoire! So hop along and get your free downloadable block pattern from each of these fine blogs:
October 1 Amy Ellis
October 2 Lynn Harris
October 3 Heather Jones
October 4 Jacquie Kunkel
October 5 Ashley Jones
October 6 Emily Cier
October 7 Scott Hansen
October 8 Jan Peoples
October 9 April Rosenthal
October 10 Amy Lobsiger
October 11 Cara Quilts
October 12 Konda Luckau
October 13 Alethea Ballard
October 14 Charlie Scott
Finally, a lot more hopping happening because market is only a mere 3 weeks away, and I have an inhuman amount of work to get done. I may have to call in some reinforcements. Wish me luck (and hop along with me!)
xoxo
April
I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while.
I’ve also wanted to repurpose an old warped rotary mat I’ve had sitting around. So when Moda announced their Sliced competition, I already knew what I wanted to make. Lucky for me, their criteria matched up quite nicely with this project. I cut up the old mat to use as stabilizer, so that this box stays sturdy and doesn’t slouch.
Yippee for a lovely new place to store all that ribbon!
The contest is judged, and doesn’t take votes, but I’m sure lots of nice comments on my project wouldn’t hurt. ;) You can check out my entry here, and all the entries here.
xoxo
April
PS: If you see the crocheted project by akaLauni over there, that’s my mom. Show her some love too, will ya? Mwa!
My (not so) little brother is getting married tomorrow, which of course means that my house is full of flowers.
His little chicky (aka fiancee) wanted to be surrounded with purple, yellow, and white on her big day.
So naturally, her wish is our command.
My house smells glorious, and I’m gearing up to make a billion boutonierres and bouquets.
Right after I go have some yummy food at the dinner in their honor.
This event will also explain why I’ve been a little distracted…I’ve been altering wedding and bridesmaids dresses all week.
But don’t worry, I still love you. And I still have a bunch of quilts and projects to show you, too.
Just as soon as I can breathe.
xoxo
April
Yay! It’s been one year since I launched Prairie Grass Patterns, and boy has it been a ride! Some of you have been here with me from the beginning, and some of you are brand new friends–and I’m so grateful to all of you. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you would give a little bit of your time and caring to support me and my dream. Really, truly, it just…there aren’t words to describe it. But thank you. Sincerely.
Enough with my jibber jabber…let’s get on to the party part!
Giveaways galore this week–so let me explain. Before I show you the goodies, here’s how it’s going to work: A comment on this post will get you your first entry. Any comment you leave on other posts this week (Today, October 3 through Sunday, October 9th) will earn you additional entries. Winners will be chosen Monday, October 10th.
Here goes!
There are 3 AMAZING giveaways this week, something to suit each level of quilter–from beginner to very advanced.
Beginner Basics
A copy of Elizabeth Hartman’s The Practical Guide to Patchwork
Rotary cutter, mat and ruler (Yes, those are mine, but I’ll send you new ones, I swear!)
Charm pack: Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda
Stash Builder
Fat quarter bundle from AdornIt! in their newest line, Vintage Groove, Grey colorway.
Layer cake: Jovial by Basic Grey for Moda
Jelly Roll: Spirit by Lila Tueller for Moda
Charm Pack: Clothesline Basics by Darlene Zimmerman for Robert Kaufman Fabrics
Quilting Queen
Russian Rubix
Fat Eighth bundle: Ruby by Bonnie and Camille for Moda
***************
There they are! The three amazing giveaways I have for you this week. To enter, tell me which of the three prizes you would LOVE to win.
And that’s not all…
“Like” Prairie Grass Patterns’ Facebook Page for a chance to win an additional Grand Prize! If the Facebook page gets to 300 followers, I will do a special Grand Prize giveaway next week, so be sure to share with your friends!
Finally, for Happy Anniversary week, use coupon code HAPPYWEEK to get 20% of your ENTIRE ORDER in my shop! Code expires 10/10, so be sure to use it quick. (And you just might notice, PDF PATTERNS ARE HERE!!)
Hooray for Prairie Grass Patterns, and for one year anniversaries! Be sure to check in all week for more fun freebies, recipes, and tutorials, plus my day to share my block for the Quilt Uberfest is coming up too. Today it is Karen Linton’s turn, with her block “South for the Winter.” Head over to get your free PDF!
A couple months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Scott, of Blue Nickel Studios, at spring Quilt Market in SLC. He was kind, and gracious, and even had a beautiful quilt being shown at one of the manufacturer’s booths. A month or two after that, he emailed to ask if I’d like to participate in a little project he was putting together. I said “Count me in!” and the rest is history.
Introducing Quilt-Uberfest!
For the first 16 days in October, one of 16 different quilty bloggers will share an original block with you. Scott sent us the fabric (more on that later), and a set of guidelines, and said “Get to work!” So we did, and now we’re (almost) ready to share them with you!
Here’s the lineup:
Oct 1 John Adams (Quilt Dad)
Oct 2 Kaye Prince (Miss Print)
Oct 3 Karen Linton
Oct 4 Konda Luckau (Moose on the Porch Quilts)
Oct 5 Amy Lobsiger (Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts)
Oct 6 Ryan Walsh (I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts)
Oct 7 Scott Hansen (Blue Nickel Studios)
Oct 8 April Rosenthal (<—that’s me! Prairie Grass Patterns)
Oct 9 Cara Wilson (Cara Quilts)
Oct 10 Heather Jones (Olive and Ollie)
Oct 11 Susan Sobon (Chickenfoot)
Oct 12 Jan Peoples (Sew Sow in Love)
Oct 13 Erin Singleton (Two More Seconds)
Oct 14 Charlie Scott (Qubee Quilts)
Oct 15 Emily Cier (Carolina Patchworks)
Oct 16 Rachel Locke (Sweetteamom Designs)
Be sure to follow along and get each of the block patterns each day. They will be available at each blog as a PDF download. Plus, I think there just might be a giveaway at at least one of the stops. Just sayin’. The Uberfest button in my sidebar will bring you back to this post so you can get back to the list quickly each day.
Happy fall!
Ten years ago.
I was standing in my workout clothes in the middle of the gym. 
Surrounded by televisions blaring different channels, overhead music on the speaker system, and the clanking and slamming of weights being lifted and dropped.
I remember wondering why all the sudden it was quiet.
Why everyone had gathered around one television and the music had stopped.
We all stood there, staring up at the wall-mounted TV.
At 20 years old, I wasn’t truly sure what I was looking at, or what it meant.
How it would impact anything, everything.
I watched live as the first tower fell.
We carpooled back to our homes in silence.
When I got home I turned on the radio, told my mom what was going on. 
I got the radio on just in time to hear about the second tower, and then the Pentagon.
I stayed glued to the radio until I was late to work.
I worked at a bank at the time, which of course was a tricky place to be in the middle of a crisis. We had to be there. To be confident and appropriately “cheerful”. To help people not panic and pull all their money. There was absolutely no options for staying home, or even keeping abreast of the news. Having a TV on, or even the radio was not an option. To say I was frustrated is an understatement. 
Later that day, I went to attend class at BYU. They were all canceled.
Although I did not suffer personal loss in the events that day, it was perhaps the first time I felt connected to a community outside my own. Connected in a way that defied distance, ideology, or age. And when, eight years later, I was able to stand in New York City for the first time, I wanted to somehow tell those people there that I knew. That I had seen and remembered. That despite the fact that we were complete strangers, we were neighbors, too. Brothers. Sisters. That back home in a little city, we were praying for and loving them. Putting messages on our billboards. Raising money. Because that’s what people do when they love each other. They take care of each other.
We remember, New York City.
And we love you, too.
Let’s Socialize!
Hello!
My name is April. I'm a quilt pattern designer, twin-mama, and color lover. Welcome to my little space, where I blog about all the things going on in my studio and creative life. Relax, and stay a while!My Cute Quilting Bee
Bees and Blog Hops
