Welcome to my first post for Amy’s Creative Side’s twice-annual Blogger’s Quilt Festival! First post? Yes, that’s right! I will be entering two quilts this year!

Be sure to read to the end for a fun giveaway!

The timing of this particular festival could not be better as my Wall Hanging entry, The Body in the Library,  was just finished earlier this month!

For weeks I’d been wracking my brain for an idea for the perfect birthday gift for Jewells, my best friend of almost 20 years.

While thinking about things I know for sure she enjoys, Agatha Christie came to mind.

On a whim, I began Googling.

Then I found this:

Immediately, I knew it was The One. This was what I was looking for and it HAD to be a quilt; in fact, it had to be THE birthday quilt!

Don’t the graphics just shout QUILT!?

Within moments of finding this image, I’d fired up EQ7 and begun drafting.

In approximately two days, I designed, paper pieced, hand embroidered, pieced, free motion quilted, bound & labeled this little gem.

The shelves of the quilt are entirely paper pieced.  These three shelves contain more than 36 pattern pieces. Not pieces of fabric, but actual pattern pieces!

Watch the video where I talk about this quilt!

I straight-line quilted around the books and free-motion quilted the shelves, border and background, all on my Baby Lock Quest Plus.

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“Agatha Christie” is hand embroidered using DMC in a font called Alpaca 54. “by” was drawn by me.

The back of the quilt shows the quilting much better than the front!

You can also see the tabs I created for hanging. To make them, I fold a 3″ square in half on the diagonal and stitch them onto the corners when attaching the binding. Simply place a dowel rod in the pockets and it’s ready to hang! The best way I’ve found to do this is by using two 3M Command wire hooks placed approximately 6″ apart. The label is a larger square created the same way as the pockets at the top.

The Body in the Library is a Miss Marple mystery story.  According to Freaky Trigger, this particular cover is the  1942 Australian Collins Crime Club edition.

 

As an added bonus today, comment on this post with the name of your favorite book for a chance to win one of two prizes! I’ll be giving away a free copy of Quiltmaker’s Quilts from 100 Blocks  and a copy of of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol 7. to TWO random commenters at the end of the festival!

Quilts From 100 Blocks includes my pattern Corn Maze and Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 7 includes my pattern Make Lemonade. Want these magazines now? Get them in my Etsy shop!

 

There’s always lots going on around Sewhooked! In October, join me Name That Mustache and Crafts of Halloweens Past!

Don’t forget to check out the Blogger’s Quilt Festival for more fabulous quilts!

I hope to see you around!

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