Join Our Tribe!

Be the first to know about FREE pattern downloads, and new arrivals.

Material Girlfriends

#materialgirlfriends

Another Freebie Fix

by

Free pattern last week and another free pattern today? Have the Material Girlfriends gone crazy. Well… I’ve always said our family doesn’t suffer from insanity. We rather enjoy it.

This Freebie Fix is a GORGEOUS pattern download from our friend ‘down under’, Deirdre Bond-Abel of Hat Creek Quilts. How do we know Deirdre? She is a fabric designer for Marcus Fabrics! I look forward to when we can actually meet in person, but Zoom and emails have been our mode of connecting with Deirdre. Mondays with Marcus is a program run by Marcus Fabrics. The designers all got together, select a Monday and then we offer a free pattern download! Lora and my free pattern download was a few weeks ago, April Showers. You can get your free pattern download from us by filling your email into the “Join Our Tribe” box.

https://marcusfabrics.com/mondayswithmarcus/

Since Deirdre’s website isn’t set up for digital downloads, our Marcus Fabrics designers at Homestead Hearth, offered to help her out. They are hosting her free download pattern and kits in her fabric line. Add her pattern to your cart, and then use the coupon code, Hatcreek, to make the pattern purchase free. Homestead Hearth also has kits in her fabric line by Marcus Fabrics.

Free Download

One of the perks of being a Marcus Fabric Designer, is we can get the pattern early! We thought Deirdre’s design was lovely and wanted to make a sample in Marcus Fabrics Batiks, R06 the Material Girlfriends Collection. Check. It. Out. Lora selected the combination of batiks. We put this together really quickly since we do fusible appliqué. The only difference we made was to add an additional circle to the flower, making our flower a thistle. We only have 5 kits. We are including a printed image of our completed quilt so the fabrics are easy to figure out which goes where, but you’ll need to download the pattern at the link above.

Material Girlfriends Quilt Kit for Deirdre’s Spring Flowers

And a little quilting eye-candy from the back…

Download your pattern and enjoy this fun gift from Deirdre. Check out the other free pattern downloads from the other Marcus Fabric Designers as well.

Happy Sewing!

Lisa W. Norton and Lora W. Zmak

California Poppy

by

Free Bite-Size Pattern today! We just couldn’t help ourselves. Once a month we LOVE offering you a free pattern.

Lora and I have been trying to get more steps in our day. Lora has hills to walk in Clayton, CA. I have the flat farmlands to walk in Discovery Bay, CA. Between checking our step counter and our pulse rates, we couldn’t help but notice all the California Poppies! The poppies are happy staccato notes with each rhythmic step. (FYI Lora has beaten my step count for weeks, now! I’m going to have to tie her shoelaces together.)

The Poppy Bite-Size pattern has been one of our personal favorites as well as one of our best-selling 12″ block patterns when we are vendors at quilt shows. This freebie fix is just for this month. Download your copy of this pattern before May 31.

Poppy Bite-Size Pattern by Material Girlfriends

The colors are so eye-catching. Our Bite-Size samples are in the bright orange poppy with a California blue sky background, as well as, the beautiful purple poppy with the California sunset background. The pattern cover is with the purple poppy, but I can’t wait to see the colors you choose! Be sure to share your project on our Facebook group page and add #PoppyBiteSize to your posting.

Poppy Bite-Size Pattern by Material Girlfriends

The background is just easy strips sewn together. The appliqué is fusible. You can needle turn by hand, but you’ll find the stem is very thin and Lisa is a 4-letter word. If you’re not familiar with fusible appliqué, we have you covered. We’ve made plenty of fusible appliqué tutorials for you to reference. Just visit the Material Girlfriends Patterns channel on Youtube. Be sure to subscribe so you will be notified when we add a new tutorial. Ready to download? Just click on the button below. Make sure when you print it out that you are printing at 100% and not ‘fit to page.’ Remember, limited time only! The button will not work after May 31, 2021… midnight. Sorry, download expired.

Of course we have kits! Unfortunately, we sold out of the orange poppy with the blue sky background (Already?! Yeah, I know! We should have made more.) Fortunately, we do have the beautiful purple poppy in stock. $14.99 visit our online shop. Below is what the kit looks like. Fabrics are not the same as the cover sample. They were substituted, but Lora picked them out so they’re gorgeous together. Kit includes all the fabrics for the 12″ quilt front and the binding (as shown below). Kit does not include backing or batting. Check out our Bite-Size series and kits at www.MaterialGirlfriendsShop.com.

Be sure to get your steps in and take some time to admire your local wild flowers popping up. Take snap shots of those beauties. Nature’s palette is a great place to start when choosing your fabrics for your Bite-Size project!

Taking time to smell the ‘poppies’,

Lisa W. Norton and Lora W. Zmak

You’re Invited!

by

Join us for a New Year’s Eve Sew Along!

As we kick 2020 to the curb, let’s say “So long” with a Sew Along! Join us via Zoom to celebrate the victories over one of the toughest years we have faced in ages.

Out with the Old, In with the New! Sew on your UFOs with Lora and/or start a new quilt with Lisa. Register and receive your free pattern, Double Irish Chain. The Double Irish Chain is a simple quilt top to construct and it uses up our stash! Register here for $5 to reserve your spot. Register early! Space is limited. An email will be sent a couple of days before the party with the pattern download and the Zoom link.

Lora’s UFOs – Eek! I think she has plenty of work for the night!
Lisa’s stash choices for the Double Irish Chain
Double Irish Chain Graphic – Digital Pattern Download will be emailed with Zoom link.

The party starts at 6pm. Topics we’ll be chatting up:

  • What Makes a Good Scrappy Quilt and Tips on Fabric Selection
  • Strategies to Complete UFOs
  • Double Irish Chain Instruction
  • New Year’s Resolutions for Quilters

Fabric requirements to make throw size, 54″ x 54″ Double Irish Chain quilt:

  • 1 3/4 yards total of lights (or white)
  • 1 yard total of darks (or black )
  • 1 1/4 yards total of mediums (or green)
  • 1 yard border (optional)
  • 1/2 yard binding
  • 3 1/2 yards backing

You can make it scrappy or in 3 fabrics. Pre-cuts (layer cake, charm pack, jelly roll) work great with this pattern. There are so many design options! Check out my Pinterest board on some of the lovely ideas floating in cyberspace. If you need some fabric for the project, contact Melissa or Leslie at In Between Stitches in Livermore, CA, 925-371-7064.

BYO dinner, snacks, mocktails, or cocktails. Feel free to come and go as the evening progresses. Though we will give instructions for the new pattern, the format is low-key and casual. Slip into something comfortable. Unless it is a personal safety hazard, bras are not required.

Have a very safe and Merry Christmas. We’re hoping to see you New Year’s Eve!

Lora & Lisa

Best Sales EVER

by

Lora and I are so thankful for all the support our customers have given us this year, we have fabulous sales to offer you!

30% OFF PATTERNS

Enjoy our Black Friday Sales this entire week! Enjoy 30% off all patterns with this coupon code 30offMGPat, valid now through 11/27/20 midnight. ALL Material Girlfriends patterns are at the lowest sale price ever. Don’t miss out! Patterns are designed, tested, and printed in the USA.

Saturday is our Shop Small Business Sale! Enjoy 20% off your entire order with this coupon code 20offSSB, valid 11/28/20 only. (“Lisa, are you crazy?” “Yep, I’m crazy. 20% off everything on our web page.“) It has been a tough year for small businesses. Lora and I have had to reinvent our business model since we are a ‘Stage 4’ business. We love being vendors at quilt shows and miss it terribly. We are truly grateful for your online order through our web shop.

Quilter’s Project Bag

Monday is our Cyber Monday Sale! Enjoy 25% off Yazzii bags with this coupon code 25offYazzii valid 11/30/20 only. Yazzii bags are wonderful organizational tools. We love these totes and light tablet/mat carriers. The Universal Companion and the Mat Carrier are my personal favorites! This is the best price ever that we have offered on these lovely totes!

All sales are limited to stock on hand, and my husband thanks you for clearing more space in our ‘warehouse.’

What’s new with Material Girlfriends?

New on our web shop is this fun dual tool. Check out the Quilter’s Ruler and Seam Guide Phone Stand. Lora and I like to think we came up with this clever tool, but it was Lora’s husband, Kelly, that made it all happen. He had made her an acrylic phone stand with our logo on it with his fancy laser engraver machine. We thought, why not make it a ruler and seam guide too?! After a few prototypes, Kel designed a fabulous multi-tool. It is a 3″ x 5″ acrylic ruler with a slit near the bottom. The T-stand is a tool to test your 1/4″ seam setting. Slide the T-stand into the base of the ruler, and it creates a stand to hold your phone for hands-free chatting with your quilting friends, taking Zoom classes, or watching Youtube tutorials! Follow us on Youtube!

Quilter’s Ruler & Seam Guide Phone Stand

A few weeks ago Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company featured our Confetti Star quilt pattern in a tutorial.

The Confetti Star tutorial and pattern have received an incredible response! It has been such a pleasure working with Jenny and her team. They have been amazing in supporting and promoting our little pattern business. We met Jenny at the Road to California show in January 2020. Jenny and the Missouri Star Quilt Company team have been a highlight of our year!

Road to California, January 2020

We have Confetti Star patterns, kits, 2 1/2″ rulers, 8 1/2″ squares, and corner trimmers available in our shop.

I’ve been combing through recipes and making grocery lists. Thanksgiving is this week! Yes, we’re getting together, but it is just 11 of us, and we’re eating outside, spread out, and doing our best to keep each other safe. Whether you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving big, small, or privately, we hope you too can reflect on the reason for the holiday; thankfulness and gratitude. We are truly grateful for your support. Truly. We hope you enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving celebration.

Lisa Norton & Lora Zmak

Lovely Weather for Ducks

by

Lora and I are happy to share with you a fun and FREE pattern today. As Marcus Fabric designers, we were invited to participate in a program called Mondays with Marcus. Every Monday a free pattern download is offered by a Marcus Fabrics designer or designer team. Monday, November 9, is our turn to offer a free pattern download! We are very excited to share Lovely Weather with Ducks Pillow pattern with you!

LovelyWeatherForDucks.MaterialGirlfriends.FDownload

There is a sweet old song called Lovely Weather for Ducks, sung by Rosemary Clooney. 

"When it’s pouring rain and people complain
And things aren’t worth the shucks.
Don’t you yell, just say Well,
Lovely weather for ducks..."
Listen to “Lovely Weather for Ducks” sung by Rosemary Clooney

If you’re loving the fabrics, so are we! The fabrics in the Lovely Weather for Ducks kit are designed by Material Girlfriends (that’s us) and printed and distributed by Marcus Fabrics. Be sure to request these pretty batiks at your local quilt shop. Click on this link to purchase Lovely Weather for Ducks Kit.

We also created a video tutorial for this pattern. We will take you from start to finish.

But wait, there’s more. We have an opportunity to actually connect. We miss you! Yes, really. Let’s chat via Zoom and make this fun project together. Check your calendar for this coming Sunday, November 15, 2020 from 1pm – 5pm Pacific time. Click on this link to register for Lovely Weather for Ducks Zoom Class with Lora Zmak and Lisa Norton.

We wouldn’t want you to miss out on the other free project downloads by the Marcus Fabrics designers. Visit the Marcus Fabrics website for more free project downloads. Be sure to follow us on Facebook so we can clue you in on the next freebie. Follow us on Instagram, Material_Girlfriends, because Lora’s always has pics of gorgeous quilting and her talented quilt photography.

Thank you! Stay safe and sound.

Until we can see each other again, happy sewing!

materialgirlfriends.com

Lora Zmak and Lisa Norton