2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!
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2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!

mspdesignsusa

Hi Fellow Quilters,

Sharon here.  We’re SO excited to be part of the “2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop”!   I’ve enjoyed “meeting” the other new bloggers in the group, and taking in the suggestions offered about how to make our new blog even better. 

As a new participant in the blog hop this year, I enjoyed visiting and critiquing several other blogs.  It was interesting to explore the way other bloggers set up their sites, and to be able to ask questions about how & why they do things that I haven’t yet explored.  I learned a lot, and I’m working on implementing my new learning as I continue blogging. 

We split into several smaller groups (hives) and did some activities within our hives.  I learned how to make a button, which was fun to do!  The button that is displayed on our sidebar today was created for our “Sunshine Quilters” hive by Cindy of Gray Barn Designs.  It has been fun, and I’ve learned a lot!  “Thank you!” to Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts, Tish @ Tish N Wonderland, and Jen @ Dizzy Quilter for taking the time to organize everything this year.  

After you’ve finished reading, please look for the landing page link at the end of this post, and then visit the rest of the blogs as well.  You can register to win some wonderful prizes when you follow a blog or leave a comment.  A great big “Thank You!” to our sponsors for the blog hop!  We appreciate your support!

My sister, Susan, and I have been designing quilt patterns for about three years now.  Each new pattern becomes our favorite, at least until we start working on the next one, and so it is very difficult to choose an all-time favorite!  But, if we had to choose, Sharon’s top two favorite designs, so far, are:

“Pirate Adventure!”  I love the detail that Susan included in the applique blocks for this quilt design, including weapons, costumes, and facial expressions for each pirate.  I think that she did an excellent job of  representing a pirate’s life.  I designed the paper pieced pirates’ ship, which includes fancy painted trim, a Jolly Roger on the sail, and a cannon on the poop deck.  We blogged about this design earlier this year, so you can read here if you’d like more information about this great little boys’ quilt pattern.

Sharon's Pirates Adventure Quilt pattern by Ms P Designs USA

“Ballerina Animals” is another favorite design.  I don’t normally make “girly” quilts, but this one has such brilliant colors that it wasn’t such a stretch for me.  I just loved imagining how a ballet class would look if the ballerinas were all animals.  I’m a huge fan of the cow and the monkey ballerinas, practicing their pirouettes as they prepare for the recital!

Sharon's Animal Ballerina quilt; pattern by Ms P Designs USA

 

 

And Susan’s top two favorite designs, so far, are:

“Zoo 2.0 “  Susan loves the combination of fresh, fun, and feminine fabrics that she chose for this quilt, along with the whimsical personalities of the animal appliques.  The “ferocious” tiger and eye-rolling chameleon are both featured in this pattern, and the looks on their faces are priceless!

Zoo 2.0 Quilt pattern by Ms P Designs USA

 

“Reef Buddies” quilt is Susan’s other favorite design.  The sparkly fabrics on the pieced wave blocks are the perfect complement to the sea creature appliques.  Susan says that she learned a lot about the ocean animals while she was choosing the critters to be featured in our pattern.

 Reef Buddies, quilt pattern by Ms P Designs USA

The name of our design company and our blog, Ms P Designs USA, comes from our maiden name (Passmore) and the fact that we are quilt designers.  We included a mouse in our logo (see the D!) to represent the little mice (and other critters) that Susan and I used to make and sell at craft shows, back in the ’90’s.  Good times, but that’s another story for a different post!

Ms P Designs USA logo

If you’d like to know more about the “birth” of Ms P Designs USA, or about Sharon or Susan, you may click here to read “Our Story”.  We started our pattern design business by opening a shop on Etsy in August, 2015, and then on Craftsy in November, 2015, selling digital downloads of the patterns that we create.   We decided that, rather than selling finished quilts, we would design patterns so that others could enjoy the creative process too.  If you’re interested in seeing more of what we have to offer, please visit our pattern shop.

We were introduced to the quilt blogging world last year when we participated in the Seams to Be Sew 2017 Row Along. (Thanks for the invitation, Marian!  And thank you to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt, for hosting our blog post!)  Read about our 2017 “Christmas Caroling” row here!  Here’s a picture of our 2017 row:

Here We Come A-Caroling Ms P Designs USA
Here We Come A-Caroling Ms P Designs USA

Susan and I decided to begin blogging in September, 2017, because we are having so much fun designing patterns, and we wanted to share our joy with other quilters.  Since then, we’ve participated in several other blog hops, and we have really enjoyed “meeting” other quilters and bloggers from all around the world!  There’s such a great camaraderie among quilters, and we appreciate the enthusiasm and variety that they share with us!  

We have lots of new designs in the works, at various stages of development, so check back from time to time to see what else we’ve been doing.  Our goal is to publish new pattern at least once per month, so there’s always something fun to see!

We’re often asked about what inspires and excites us about designing quilt patterns.  We’ve each taken some time to ponder this question, so here goes:

For me, excitement comes from the challenge of creating something that doesn’t (yet) exist.  That’s why I decided to start drawing paper pieced vehicles!  I was inspired in this direction because of my two boys, who loved the big vehicles (garbage truck, fire engine, etc.) when they were small.  I’m always on the lookout for inspiration, and have been known to whip out my little sketch book when traffic is held up by construction, just to draw a piece of unusual equipment that isn’t already on my list.  Don’t worry though; I always wait to sketch until the traffic stops, since I’ve already drawn patterns for a wrecker and an ambulance!  (I don’t really wish to see either one up close!)

Susan says that she gets inspired by visiting the local quilt shops to see the new fabric lines and share with other quilters.  Susan gets excited by working with beautiful fabrics, and that keeps her going until the project is finished.  The key for her is to always use fabrics that she loves and can hardly wait to see in the finished product!  Susan also says that she has images of little critters in her head, clamoring for her to draw them.  Don’t worry though; Susan is still able to function exceptionally well in the real world, even with those cute little critters in her brain!

So, now that you’ve heard from us, what inspires you about quilting?  What gets you excited to start a new project?  And what keeps you going, all the way through until the last stitch is sewn and the quilt is ready to be loved?  We’d love to hear from you!  We promise to read each and every sweet comment, but it may take a little while for us to respond to you since we’re at our day jobs all day long.  

Thank you so much for visiting us today!

Happy quilting,

Sharon & Susan

Links for Today’s Bloggers, April 23

 Velda @ http://freckledfoxquiltery.wordpress.com

Carrie @ http://carriebeecreates.blogspot.com

Sharon & Susan @ http://mspdesignsusa.com (You Are Here!)

Ann @ http://laughinggasquilts.wordpress.com

Nicole @ http://handwroughtquilts.wordpress.com

Becca @ http://prettypiney.com

Sherry @ http://poweredbyquilting.com

Stephanie @ http://lowcountryquiltsandembroidery.com

Visit the 2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop Event Host Page to see the full list of participating bloggers and to register for amazing prizes from our sponsors!  

 

Published by mspdesignsusa

Ms P Designs USA: Creators of whimsical quilt patterns

133 thoughts on “2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!”

  1. Great post! I hate Crapplique – but your designs are so darn cute!!! (ekes … I might change my mind – one day!) Thanks for tell your story! You’ve come a long way in a short period of time! What gets me excited about quilting? I really like starting projects, working on them for awhile … then they become UFOs … then I get back to them and get really excited about the FINISH! Happy Quilting!

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    1. Thank you for your comment! Sharon does all her “crapplique” on the machine and I do mine by hand because it relaxes me! Happy Quilting to you as well! Susan

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    1. Thank you, Michelle! Sharon has done a nice job on our blog and I really loved making reef buddies and zoo 2.0. The best part of doing the applique designs is the giggle that comes with the drawings for all of them! Susan

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    1. Hi Velda, I like to tell people that I am not a patient person, but I persevere quite well! Like it says in the post, I choose fabrics and put together designs that I love and wait to add the face until the very last, so it is always a surprise as to exactly how cute my critter is! Thank you for your kind comments! Susan

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  6. I love all your patterns. Your appliqués characters are so cute.i am inspired to complete a quilt once I have a pattern or idea and the fabrics ready. (Although I have a few that did not make it to the finish line!)

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  7. Ladies, I enjoyed your story and am glad you joined the blogging world. Your patterns are adorable and I may need to try some applique in my future.

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  10. The two of you are full of ideas! What a great team. It’s been fun getting to know you over the past couple of months. I get excited about a project where I have artistic license, but one or two design restrictions to work within–that helps me to narrow my focus, which paradoxically feels freeing to me. I think that’s why I have so much fun with challenges and swaps!

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    1. Becca, I understand what you mean! The fun part is coming up with a theme and executing it! The ahhh you feel when it all comes together is indeed freeing! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  14. Okay, so thank you for clearing up the fuzzy feeling in my menopausal melon about Sharon/Susan/MsP…there ARE two of you but ONE name…LOL. Lovely designs and lovely learning some more about the girls behind the name – I’d love to hear that story sometime about the mice!

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    1. Good morning, Sandra! Thank you for your kind comments. We shared part of the mouse story in our Christmas Row Along that we did last year. Sharon put that link in this blog (I think). Yes, we are two people! Susan

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    1. Thank you, Beth! Since we both work full time, it can be a challenge, but so far it is working! The best part is that I never have to search for someone to go to our local quilt shops with me! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  17. You are lucky to have such a wonderful quilting partner! Your designs are great and I can’t wait to have grand babies to sew for! I LOVE the ballet quilt, it is adorable (I only have boys so I never got to make girly things)!

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    1. Thank you, Stephanie! The ballet quilt was fun for me to draw! I studied ballerinas and the positioning names to make certain my critters knew all the right moves. Grand babies are wonderful! I have three of the little critters (but they are getting too old for baby quilts)! Thank you for your kind comments and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  18. Wish I could draw like you. Your patterns are wonderful. I get a real high from patting fabric and pulling fabric together. The next high comes when I see the quilt top coming together and realizing my ideas actually are working.

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    1. Thanks Nancy! Since we have been doing this almost three years, I feel that my drawing has gotten better. I look at the first quilts and think “if I could do this over, I would …..” Guess that’s normal in any creative process. Thanks for your kind comments and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  19. Your designs are DARLING!!! I love them! I really get inspired by secondary design elements and lots of color. Sometimes I affectionately call it rainbow vomit on my quilts… but I love It and it makes me happy. There are very few quilts that I make that I have that bout of I hate this quilt why am I doing this, I realized it happens more often with smaller blocks. So big blocks it is! and Barn Quilts… I love barn quilts

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    1. Hi Sherry! Thank you for your sweet comments! Your rainbow vomit made me giggle! My son tells me that I always make things in the rainbow colors, but I LOVE all colors. The only “what was I thinking” quilt that I have now is a king-sized whole cloth, hand quilted and hand appliqued quilt. It is almost done, but I just can’t get inspired to go there! It is more fun to make our critters! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  20. H Ladies,
    It was a pleasure learning more about you today! Fabric always inspires me and since there is new lines being introduced every day, there is always new inspiration. That and it is so fun to start a new project! ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. Hi Roseanne! Fabric inspires me WAY too much! I have so many “me” projects that if I only made those, I wouldn’t have time for the shop! Nice to meet you and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  22. It was nice to get a look at your deign process and quilts. You certainly have a very whimsical style and your quilts are very cute! I get excited about starting every new project – just wish it would last all the way through to the finish!

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  23. Thank you, Sue! I use what I call a punishment and reward system. I punish myself by making myself finish the project that I’m pretty much bored with (you know like the quilting and binding part) before I can make the first cut for the project that I am SO excited to start! That way throughout the process of finishing the last quilt, I can anticipate how happy I will be working on the next one! Thank you for your comments and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  24. Hi, I love your designs because they would appeal to my 6 yr old granddaughter. I am always on the look out for something she would like. Nice to meet you!

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  25. I like the colors and design in quilting–must be fun to work with your sister–I have two sisters who also do quilts.
    bjkaup(at)(abbnebraska)(dot)(com)

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    1. Hi Barb! It is fun working with my sister! We have very different tastes and we each like different styles of quilting/piecing, but I think that is what makes our partnership work. If we both liked the same things, there would be something missing in our creative process! Thank you for stopping by our blog and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  26. Hi Christine, nice to meet you as well! My 8-year-old granddaughter is one of my biggest fans! I show her what I am drawing and she adds her own special perspective. Mimi (as she calls me) has even been known to change a design just because she says I should! She is the reason, after all, why we started down this whole path to start with! Thank you for your comments and Happy Quilting, Susan

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  27. Hi, I love that you and your sister can do this together. I only have a brother and he couldn’t care about quilting. I get excited buying new fabrics for a project. When I gift them to loved ones, I get the warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

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    1. Hi Cherie! I understand, we have two little brothers and although they think quilting is “interesting”, I won’t say that either of them are overly excited. We featured our brother, Blake, in our Outdoor Cats blog a couple weeks ago. He is creative in his own right! The giving of the quilts is my favorite part too … mostly the awe that comes with my loved one understanding that I made a quilt (or pillow or wall hanging, etc.) just for them. Thanks for visiting our blog and Happy Quilting, Susan

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  28. Hello, and welcome to Blogging Land! Your quilt patterns are perfect for little ones and a great way to highlight such cute fabrics. I get inspired by the new fabric collections that come out each season, as well as other quilters’ finished quilts. It’s all good!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments, Barbara! I live by the adage that when we die, the one with the most fabric wins! I have favorite designers, love Northcott, Michael Miller and Riley Blake. They tend to work well with our designs. Thanks for visiting our blog and Happy Quilting, Susan

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  29. You two come up with the cutest designs! I think the little cow ballerina is my favorite 🙂 I love that you write/run a blog with your sister. I can’t wait to see all the designs you guys come up with, and I love drooling over your sister’s hand applique.

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    1. Hi Tish! Thank you for visiting our blog and your comments! We have some fun stuff coming up in the future (I just finished our 2019 drawings). I won’t spill the beans as to what we are working on now, but I will say that I can hardly wait! As for my hand applique, I guess that I’ve had so much practice that I can almost do it in my sleep! Thanks again and Happy Quilting, Susan

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  30. Your designs are lovely. Thanks for sharing your story. I love to work with fabrics of all types and I love to play with color and this is what keeps me coming back to the sewing machine. Always new things to explore.

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  32. I am always inspired by fabric! But then, too, I can be inspired by design. I have been at it along time and it never grows old (somehow I do!). Enjoy the hop – I participated last year and met some great people!

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    1. Nice to meet you, Kathleen! I’m famous for buying the “back” for whatever I’m thinking about drawing and using it as my inspiration! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  33. Your children’s quilt designs are absolutely adorable. That pirate quilt … a lot of work but what a special quilt for a little boy! What inspires me most about quilting is playing with the fabrics. Even though my favorite part of quilting is machine quilting, it’s the fabrics that get me excited.

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    1. Hi Liz, thank you for stopping by our blog! It is fun to see what people are inspired to create, but fondling fabric is quite therapeutic! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  35. Someone get my plot ready, I died in delightful laughter with your outdoor cats!!! Imagining my own inquisitive feline on such adventures. My recent inspiration comes from finding UFO’S and finishing them! Thank you for sharing all your talents with us.

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    1. Hi Melody! I’m happy to hear that you experienced delightful laughter with the Outdoor Cats! I really have fun writing the blogs for the quilts that I make for the shop and am happy to hear when people are entertained! Thank you and Happy Quilting, Susan

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  37. My inspiration comes in spurts. I feel one coming on, but I am not in the spirit at the moment. So, this is the time to surf and blog hop for inspiration!

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    1. Hi Janet! Inspiration usually does come in spurts. Might I suggest that you find a small project for someone you love to get the juices going? It always helps me! Thanks for visiting our blog and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  38. Hi Susan! It looks like you and your sister are having too much fun!! How nice that you get along so well😊 Your patterns are fun and whimsical. I can see the creative juices brewing right off the page:). Great job! My inspiration comes from so many creative people like yourself. ❤️❤️

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  39. It was so fun to read your story. I don’t have your kind of creativity, so kudos! I’m happy putting my own spin on someone else’s pattern. New fabric keeps me motivated; I love to look at it and feel it passing under my sewing machine presser foot. The rhythm of the machine is soothing.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by our blog! Choosing what you want to do, and when to do it, is also an act of creation! I call my sewing room my “studio” because no matter what I am creating, it is a unique work of art! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  40. How neat to come across fellow Montana natives! 🙂 My inspiration comes from so many things. I dream of designs mostly. I don’t know where they come from, but the best ones come to me in my sleep. 🙂

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  41. Hi Susan and Sharon
    It was nice to learn a bit more about you (two) 🙂
    I don’t really have a problem getting inspired, my problem is holding off inspiration until I get my current project (or in my current situation – my current LIST of projects) completed.
    Cheers
    Terry

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  43. I enjoyed reading your Blog and I Blog hopped for the Christmas rows. You are all are very creative! Thanks for sharing.

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  44. Thanks for sharing your story in the blog, glad to hear you are enjoying the learning process of blogging. I am inspired by trying new and different color combinations in my quilts.

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    1. Hi Dawn! Perhaps I should experiment by trying new and different color combinations! I’m not a blue person, so perhaps I should start a project that features blue! Happy Quilting, Susan

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  45. you have some very cute quilt designs. I think seeing the way fabrics and colours work together and influence each other is what keeps me quilting. That and the friendship.

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    1. So true, Lisa! I love the way that any time you meet a fellow quilter, the two of you are instantly friends! Thank you for reading our blog and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  48. My grandchildren have been my greatest inspiration for quilting, these past 9 years. Another one due in a few weeks, need to get his quilt finished.

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    1. Congratulations on the new grandson! My oldest granddaughter is 11 and she has decided that it is time for her to start learning how to quilt! Have fun finishing the quilt and Happy Quilting! Susan

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  49. I love being inspired by the people I’m making for (most of my projects are gifts). I also love a good fabric browsing session!

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    1. Hi Sarah! There is nothing like visiting my favorite quilt shops to fondle the fabric. Somehow they seem to hop into my cutting pile and then I can fondle them again at home! Thank you for visiting our blog and Happy Quilting! Susan

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    1. When you figure out how to use up your stash, please let me know how! I seem to accumulate way more than I will use in this lifetime! Thanks for your comment on our blog and Happy Quilting! Susan

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