Gudrun´s World

New Patterns in the house!

The four new patterns are here! I am really happy with how they turned out and I hope you like them too. They are all Quilt As You Go projects so they go togehter fast. Here they are:

Slivers gives you the option of making a scrappy version and a 3 color version. It also has 2 sizes, the smaller scrappy one uses a charm pack!

Peek A Boo uses a charm squares or some scraps along with some background fabric to create the fun design. No appliqué!

Which Way topper is put together with a Charm pack and a half yard of background fabric. The prairie points are dimensional and make a fun statement.

Abundance will look great on any table and comes together so quickly. Grab 5 fat quarters and dig into that scrap bin for the fun leaves and off you go.

Here is the Modern version of the runner I made first...love love love!!

Make sure to like our facebook page, That´s where we showed these first. There are some giveaways coming up, both here and on the FB page so check back:)

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/GE-Designs

 

 

New Homes

Some of my quilts have found new homes and are happily displayed and used which makes me so happy. Here are some pictures of Pinball Wizard in it's new home!

Isn't it just gorgeous? I love the fact that the room was already decorated in all those colors and the quilt looks like it was the inspiration. It also fits the top of the bed so nicely, no need to have the quilts go to the floor, lay it on top of the duvet as decoration.

I am finishing up some new patterns for market that will be ready for reveal next week. Here is a little sneak peek:

 

Quilt Sample Sale!

Here is the first batch of quilts for sale.

All of the quilts are designed by me and are the original sample in one of my books, patterns or magazines. They have not been used other than displayed in quilt shops and then stored in a pet free, smoke free home. Quilt will be freshly washed and dried when it arrives to you, ready for snuggling.

If you are interested in purchasing one of the following quilts, contact me by e-mail: gudrun@gequiltdesigns.com and we can work out the details. Quilts can be paid by check, credit card or PayPal and domestic shipping is included in the price.

HomeBound Modern 49" x 65",  SOLD!

 From the book Just Your Style.  Fabric: Bonnie & Camille by Moda.

 

Riptide Modern 54" x 66", $250,- 

 From the book Just Your Style.  Fabric: Various.

 

Riptide Traditional 49" x 61", SOLD! 

 From the book Just Your Style.  Fabric: Various Riley Blake.

 

Simply Rectangles Modern 61" x 71", $300,- 

 From the book Just Your Style.  Fabric: Various.

 

Simply Rectangles Traditional 61" x 71", $230,- 

 From the book Just Your Style.  Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Snapshot 70" x 84", $350,- 

From Fons & Porter Easy Quilts.  Fabric: Reflections by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Olivia's Puzzle 55" x 73", SOLD! 

From Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting.  Fabric: Olivia by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Pinwheel Play 67" x 97", $380,- 

From Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting.  Fabric: Amma's Garden by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Criss Cross Double Toss 70" x 87", SOLD!

From the book Strip On.  Fabric: Olivia by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strippers On Wheels 72" x 92", $420,- 

From the book Strip On.  Fabric: Glow by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Angler's Choice 51" x 65", $250,- 

From the book Strip On.  Fabric: Batiks.

 

Pinball Wizard 55" x 65", SOLD! 

From the book Strip On.  Fabric: Moda.

 

Twirl Me Too 67" x 76", SOLD!

From the book Strip On.  Fabric: 3 Sisters by Moda.

 

Easy Breezy 49" x 59", SOLD!

From the book Quilts for Olivia.  Fabric: Olivia by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Hopscotch 68" x 89", $280,- 

From the book Quilts for Olivia.  Fabric: Olivia by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Poppy Court 49" square, $150,- 

From the pattern Poppy Garden.  Fabric: Amma's Garden by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Sisters 56" x 71", $190,- 

From the book Baskets & Blooms.  Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

 

Sun Tiles 50-1/2" square, $150,- 

From the book Baskets & Blooms.  Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Star Trail 59" x 77", with wool appliqué $280,- 

From the book Baskets & Blooms.  Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Spice Berry Path 69" x 88", $320,- 

From the book Spice Berry Trails.  Fabric: Spice Berry Trail by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Sunset Trails 54" square, $150,- 

From the book Spice Berry Trails.  Fabric: Spice Berry Trail by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Butterfly Dreams 63" x 97", $320,- 

From the book From Crib to College. 

 

 

Brown Eyed Julie 55" x 66", $180,- 

From the book Sweet Memories. 

 

Geese All Around 56" square, $100,- 

From a single pattern. 

 

Steamy Windows 57" x 58", SOLD!

From the book Strip On. Fabric: Halo by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip Bars 61" x 75", $250,- 

From a pattern Strip Bars. Fabric: Journey by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip Bars 45" x 59", $150,- 

From a pattern Strip Bars. Fabric: Amma's Garden by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip Cocktail #1, 57" x 71", $200,- 

From a pattern Strip Cocktail. Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip Cocktail #2, 57" x 71", $200,- 

From a pattern Strip Cocktail. Fabric: Baskets & Blooms by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip In The Box, 53" x 73", $200,- 

From a pattern Strip In The Box. Fabric: Halo by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Strip Stars, 49" x 61", $200,- 

From a pattern Strip Stars. Fabric: Various by Gudrun Erla for Red Rooster.

 

Winner and Quilt Sample Sale!!

Thank you for all of your great comments on my quilt in theQuilts from 100 Blocks issue. 

The winner of the free magazine is Erin

Congrats Erin, look for my e-mail in your inbox:)

As soon as we have your address, you will have your magazine in the mail!

 

 

 

 

This month I have been feeling like I need to clean out my house. I don't know if it is connected with my husbands surgery or not, but since he came back from the hospital I have cleaned out all the closets and taken lots of clothes to the consignment store and Goodwill. Maybe it has something to do with the doctors cleaning out the tumor....I feel the need to clean out other parts of our lives:)

My next attack was my quilt storage! It has gotten way too cramped with quilts so I have decided that those quilts deserve something better than sitting on a shelf in my storage. They need to be used and enjoyed. 

So the GE Designs Quilt Sample Sale starts tomorrow, September 8th!!

These are mostly the original quilts used in my books and patterns, some were made and published in magazines. They are going to be priced to sell because I need the space and want them to be enjoyed by others. I am going to list them here on my blog to begin with and then move them to my Etsy shop later. It's gonna be a first come, first serve playground rules:) If you like anything you see, shoot me a quick e-mail and we will work out the details. 

Here are just a few of the quilts that will be up for grabs starting tomorrow. Please help me spread the word about the sale, I would really apreciate it:)

I have already put some of my smaller items in the Etsy shop, like runners and placemats. Check them out here. 

 

Quiltmaker Rocks the Blocks!

Welcome to the Quiltmaker: Quilts from 100 blocks Kickoff event.

They are celebrating the release of the first issue of this magazine where you will find quilts using the blocks from the best selling 100 blocks publication.

I am so fortunate to have a quilt called Fiery Flower in this collector's issue and it even made the cover!!

The block that I used for the quilt will be in the next 100 blocks issue, vol 6 and is called Fire Burst.

When I was designing the block and quilt, I was in the midst of working on my new book Big Blocks - Big Style which has quilts made with blocks that are bigger than 12". Since all the blocks in the Quiltmaker 100 blocks are 12" finished, I knew Iwanted to keep going with the "Big Block" theme and design a block that could be combined to create a larger design.

The center is put together with 4 blocks and sashing and then the blocks are repeated in groups of 3 in the first border around the center. 

Then I added four blocks in the corners of the quilt to tie it all together. 

The fabrics used in the quilt are from my Reflections collection with Red Rooster Fabrics. It is available in quilt shops now. I loved to play with just the reds, greys and a touch of yellow. It makes a striking combination full of contrast. 

You can see the full line of fabrics here, and if you are looking for a place to get it, I have some fat quarter bundles here!

This is a great issue with 19 great quilts in it, and you can win your very own copy! Just add a comment to this post and one lucky reader will get a free magazine.

Make sure to go visit the Quiltmaker blog for more chances to win and see what other goodies are to be found inside:)

 

 

Two in One

I want to start this Monday off by thanking all of you for your wonderful comments on my last post. It's been great reading all of them and I have gotten some wonderful e-mails as well with very kind words. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

 

As I said in my last post, I am returning to my regular, "fun", "quilty" posts this week. This one is a first for me. The fall issue of Easy Quilts is on the stands now and I not only have one project in there, but TWO!

 

This is a great issue with multiple quilts I could see myself making.

 

 

Here are my two quilts in there:

 

 

Snapshot. This quilt is made with my fabric collection Reflections. I used almost every print in the line and love how it turned out. The blocks are large because I designed this quilt when I was working on my Big Blocks-Big Style book. When the blocks are put together and turned, they create a very fun secondary pattern.

 

It's a quick and easy quilt to put together even for beginners.

 

The second quilt in there is a baby quilt called Polka Park. I used a Riley Blake fabric line for this quilt called Scoot. It is just perfect for a little boy. 

I designed the quilt originally for a precious little neighbor, Eli. I put his initials on the top of the quilt which is a great way to personalize a quilt. Fons & Porter has a free download of the letters on their website so you can use whatever initials you want.

 

Both of these quilts are available as kits from the Fons & Porter website. Check it out here.

The curveballs of life

I have been trying to write this post for a few weeks now. I have started many times but always stopped when the words got too hard. Today, I am determined to finish because I know this is going to be therapeutical for me. 

As you know, my blog has been very quiet this year. More like non existent! Well, this year has been like no other for me. It´s presented us with scary challenges we hoped not to face, at least for a while. I have gotten e-mails and personal messages from many of you readers asking if everything is ok, that you miss my blogging and I can´t tell you how good it is to hear that. Life has just been such a rollercoaster lately with an endless list of things to do, that blogging has just been easy to put off. I have also tried to keep my blog light and fun in the past, focusing on my work and quilting adventures, so I felt like people didn´t want to hear about challenges. If you don´t, I´m sorry.... just skip through this post and tune back in next week....I will return my regular programming with fun quilty stuff:)

Here goes...

If you have read my blog for a few years, you might know that my husband Torir, has been dealing with brain cancer since 2006. He had 2 surgeries right after being diagnosed where they removed most of the tumor, but we knew that it would grow back at some point because of the characteristics of the cancer. In March 2010 he had his first recurrence and went through a year of chemotherapy. The treatment went well and stopped the growth until March this year. The second recurrance was a reality and the timing really sucked. It was a week before my teaching trip to Iceland where I took my kids with me. He started chemotherapy again while we were in Iceland and I still don't understand how I was able to focus on teaching those 2 weeks. It was very stressful, but thanks to my family at home and the awesome Icelandic quilters I met, we had a wonderful trip. Torir did well in his first round of therapy and we were hoping he would breeze through it like last time. He had to have MRI's every 2 months to make sure that the tumor behaved through chemo.

The second checkup after starting chemo again revealed some shocking results. The tumor had all of a sudden grown very fast and was creating a lot of very dangerous pressure in critical areas of the brain. We had always been told that radiation would be the next course of treatment if chemo didn't work. Shockingly the doctors didn't trust him to do radiation because that would cause inflammation and increase the already dangerous pressure in his brain, so we were kind of out of options at that point. More surgery had been considered when he had his first recurrance but we were told that it was not an option any more because the tumor was growing into some really critical areas. The Oncologist wanted us to consult with Torir's surgeon again, just to see if he could do something. We went into that appointment in July, really expecting to hear nothing but bad news. Surprisingly, his surgeon wanted to perform another surgery, pretty much as soon as possible since the pressure in the brain was building. He convinced us that he could go in there safely and remove as much of the tumor possible without causing Torir any more damage or deficits.

Torir had surgery on August 1st. They were able to remove about 70% of the tumor, enough to really release all of the pressure and immediate danger. He has been recovering remarkably since then and I am finally feeling like the clouds have started lifting. He will be having regular MRI's to watch the tumor, but until it starts to rear it's ugly head again, he can just focus on healing from surgery without any treatment.

This spring and summer, my focus has been solely on the family, trying to keep the kids schedules as normal as possible through all this. I have really missed my sewing machine and been craving to create. There have been moments I have been able to get some time in but nothing nearly like normal. Once kids are back in school, I can't wait to give the business my full attention and get things back to normal....well, I should say...start to create my new normal:)

We have hadgreat support from our family and friends in Iceland but it's been hard to be so far away. Probably harder on them than anything. I have to give huge thanks to my US friends and neighbors that have stepped in and shown us so much love and support through all this. Whether it's taking care of the kids, drive them around to activities, bring us meals or just sit with me and sip on a glass of wine when things got too overwhelming. It has all been so much appreciated. I love you all and don't see how I would have made it through without you.

Our cancer journey is far from over but now it seems that we have at least been able to dodge some of the curveballs thrown at us this year. Every day is a blessing and I try to remind myself of that everyday and smile. The smile might not be from ear to ear, but practice makes perfect right? Fake it until you make it:)

The storm will pass - The sun will come up - Today is a new day!

Hugs to you all:)

Book Winner!

Thank you for your great comments on the book. I am excited that you like so many different things in it. 

The winner of the free book is:

Shirley Marie :

"I liked Lopapeysa on your last blog entry, so that's the one I'd do first. Really do like the BIG blocks, they sew up so fast. "

Please e-mail me your address Shirley and I will send your book out right away.

Have a great day.

Big Blocks - Big Style GIVEAWAY

As promised, here are are pictures of the rest of the quilts from the Big Blocks - Big Style book.

This quilt is called Lopapeysa - the quilt! It is featured on the cover of the book. You might wonder about the weird name.....it means wool sweater in Icelandic. This might explain:

My inspiration came directly from the traditional Icelandic wool sweater. The patterned yoke is distinct and easily recognized. Every person in Iceland has a Lopapeysa. If you are not a knitter (which I am not) you can have the quilt version, like me!!

The Icelandic Lopapeysa is usually made with the natural colors of the Icelandic sheep and I wanted to stick with that for my quilt. I used the Tokyo basics from Red Rooster fabrics, black, grey and white. It also makes the quilt look very modern, even if it comes from such a traditional inspiration. That is my favorite thing to do....taking a new spin on the traditional and making it look modern!

Starburst is done using the 60 degree triangle ruler. If you saw the Easy Hex quilts in my previous post, you might notice that this quilt uses the same basic block, just put together a little bit differently. I used the blues, greys and yellows from my Reflections fabric line for this quilt.

Kite Runner is a simple quilt to make with the 60 degree triangle ruler and some fat quarters. It might look complicated but it is easy! Large triangle blocks consisting of small triangles make it very modern. I love the bold and unique look of Tula Pinks fabrics in this quilt, they were a perfect fit.

Daisy Dreams is also made from my Reflections fabrics, only using the red and yellow tones. The bed runner is pictured but there are 3 other sizes offered for this block. Fat Quarter friendly:)

Teen Spirit is my "Manly" quilt. Probably got that nickname because it is made with Parson Gray's Curious Nature fabrics, which is designed by a man. I used the blue, grey and brown fat quarters out of the line and came up with this very simple quilt.

There are no flowers on those fabrics and the block is very masculin so that is the only reason for me calling it my manly quilt. I could make this look very feminine with another fabric choice of course.

Just check out this kids version I made using the crib size and some adorable Adornit fabrics.

I just love this quilt because of it's simplicity....yes you can whip it up in a day!! Just grab a stack of fat quarters and go. This is going to be my go to quilt to make when I need a quick gift. As a matter of fact, I have some fat quarters already cut up and ready to go next to my sewing machine!

 

Now for the giveaway!!

If you would like a free copy of the book, make sure you add your comment here below.

Tell me what you think about the quilts in the book, what you love, which one you would make first or if you have a person in mind that would love to have any of the quilts in the book.

I will randomly draw 1 winner per 50 comments on Friday and send them a free book:) So you have 1:50 chances to win! Spread the word to increase your chances. (One comment per person please)

Hope you all have a great week.

Pigs Fly huh!

I bet you weren't expecting a blog from me until....well...pigs would be flying right? Yes, it's been a while. I am not going to go into a long and boring list of excuses for not posting for over 6 months. The important thing is I am still here, I am working, breathing, taking care of my family and myself. I will tell you more about what has been going on around here soon, but now I just want to show you this:

This is my newest book that came out in May. It includes 9 quilts that all are made with big blocks. They are simple in construction even though they might not look like it. Most of them are stash friendly so you can just dig into your fat quarters and whip them up. Multiple sizes are offered for each of the quilts.

Here are some of the quilts in the book:

Charm Shuffle is made with Charm Squares. I used Kate Spains Terrain fabric line for it and just love how it turned out.

When we photographed the quilts, the crabapple trees were in full bloom in Minnesota and they just made the quilt look so perfect there. Sneaky photographer caught me in the pic!

There is a lot of Scandinavian influence in this book as I went back to my Icelandic roots. The Nordic Visions quilt is one that is very close to my heart. I used fabrics out of my newest fabric line, Reflections for the quilt. Just 3 colors but very striking.

Carnival uses fat quarters and I had fun digging in my stash for red, grey and blacks. The huge blocks make a big statement and come together fast.

Easy Hex is a quilt that is made from fat quarters, using a 60 degree triangle ruler. There are two versions of this quilt; Easy Hex Split shown above where the hexagon blocks are separated with a background triangle. Easy Hex Scrambled is shown below.

Both quilts are easier than they look. If you have never done a quilt with 60 degree angles, this is a great one to start with because there is no matching of seams on the bias cut edges! SWEET!!!

The book has been getting great reviews since we introduced it at quilt market in May. Hopefully you have been spotting it in your local quilt shop. If you haven't and are interested in a copy right away, click here.

I will be sharing more pictures from the book this week and who knows...maybe a giveaway!! 

Check back....if anybody is still out there:)