I am thrilled I can finally announce my big news:  this beauty is mine.  Arbor Lane, JoAnn’s 2010 QuiltBlock of the Month quilt design, is mine.  My goal for this quilt was for it not to look like a Block of the Month.  I wanted to develop a design that had never been done before.  I love medallion quilts, but had never made one, let alone design one.  Why not?  A girl can dream, can’t she?  I must admit, the team was skeptical.  Designers had tried to fit a medallion quilt into monthly kits before, but it hadn’t ever worked.  Too many restrictions on shapes, number of pieces, and a lot of behind-the-scenes details.  But I was determined.  After all, nothing presents a challenge like hearing “that’s never been done before.”

Here’s are photos of the quilt top in my home, before it went to the longarm quilter to work her magic:

I’ll be sharing the genesis of Arbor Lane with you each day this week.  I give you a sneak peek into my design process, unveil thumbnail sketches, alternative color palettes, and designs that ended up on the cutting table and never made it into the quilt.  It’s going to be fun week:  don’t miss it!

To kick things off in a grand scale, let’s have a contest, shall we?  I’ll be giving away a fall color palette of fabric to the lucky quilter who can guess how long it took me to make this quilt.  Leave your guess in the comment section and I’ll award the fabric at the end of the week.

If you asked God to grant your biggest dream, what would it be?  My answer would be different depending on when you asked me.  Some dreams come and go, while others stick with you, and others you work diligently to see to fruition.

My first dream?  A happy, healthy marriage.  No small feat for any couple, but my parents experienced an acrimonious divorce, my dad’s been married three times, and my mother all but swore off men.  Not exactly a start that holds hope for marital bliss.  When I married David, I had no experience with what a stable, Christian marriage could be.  This month we will be celebrating 20 years of just that.  Thanks God.

My second dream?  Motherhood.  I didn’t grow up imagining being married or having children.  I came from a unique family, and my mom really encouraged me to get my education and be a career woman so I could be independent and support myself no matter what happened to me in life.  I did all that, married a delightful man, and five years later we had a son.  Another five years later I gave birth to our second son.  Two of the most wonderful boys you will ever meet.  Again, thanks God.  I was, after all, a good mother.  Maybe even a great one.

My third dream?  Interestingly, I didn’t even have the imagination for this one.  All I knew is that I loved books.  I grew up quite the bookworm, often getting lost in the library shelves at my school, rereading my favorites and discovering new volumes with glee.  Librarians loved seeing me come through the door and would guide to me the newest titles.  On Career Day, we students heard from laywers, doctors, policemen, and of course, teachers.  Not a single author in the bunch.  It never occurred to me I could become one.

So it is with great pride, humility, and joy that I share my latest news:  Color Mastery is a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin 2009 award for Best Craft Book of the year.  I am being recognized for excellence in publishing.  I’m a publisher.  Not just the author and quilt designer (which would be quite enough, thank you!), but I’m also the editorial director, sales and marketing team, and finance department.  It’s a job whose work never ends, but on most days it doesn’t seem like work.  Instead, it feels like. . . . .bliss.

So again, thanks God.  And thanks to all of the quilters who have been so loyal to me in supporting Color Mastery.  Quilters are really the big winners here, as you are getting some incredibly creative, beautiful, and outstanding books from independent presses.  In fact, all three finalists in the Craft category for the awards are quilting books.  Wow.

Come celebrate with me this enormous accomplishment.  It’s going to be a month-long party here and at my Color Mastery blog.  I’ll be holding contests, giving away stuff, and will be offering many surprises along the way.  Let the party begin!

Posted via email from mariapeagler’s posterous

Posted via email from mariapeagler’s posterous

Thank you to everyone who visited yesterday during Day 3 of the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  I was so moved by your comments I selected not just one winner but two!  Congratulations to:

• Diane Muska
• Maeve315

Send me your mailing addresses to maria@colormastery.com and your issue and Old Glory will be on their way to your mailbox and sewing machine.  If you weren’t one of the lucky winners you can still buy your own copy of the special issue by going to the 100 Blocks website.

Thank you for sharing stories of veterans in your families, and the mention of two special organizations:  Quilts of Valor and Soldiers Angels.

I profiled Quilts of Valor in my latest email newsletter as I was so impressed with their mission.  They organize quilters to make tops for wounded soldiers, then match you with a longarm quilter who beautifully quilts it.  They ask you to document the making of the quilt with a journal, make a casing, and sign the quilt.  I heard from many of you who plan to use Old Glory in your Quilts of Valor.

Soldiers Angels is a tremendous organization that offers an incredible number of ways to support our soldiers.  Here are just a few ways:

• adopting a soldier
• baking homemade treats
• making blankets
• letter writing

And that’s just a sample.  You really need to visit their website to see all the ways we can serve our troops.  This war has been so hard on so few in our country – I know I will be sitting down with my own family and discussing how we would like to support a soldier through Soldiers Angels.

Now the Call for Blocks:

I would like to make a Quilt of Valor for a wounded soldier from the Old Glory blocks, so here’s the call.  Make your own Old Glory block (you will need the issue for instructions), sign it with your name, city, and state, and I’ll put together in a quilt.  I’ll make sure it gets beautiful longarm quilting, will make a journal (if you’d like to include your own letter or note please do). Send me a message at maria@colormastery.com telling me you’ll be making the block, and I’ll send you the mailing address.  Deadline for blocks:  Dec. 11.  Quilts of Valor has long been on my heart, and it will be so meaningful for a soldier to receive a message of support and love from a group.  Thank You!