Welcome to the third month of the SSSQ Quilt-Along with Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy! We’ve been so impressed by the quilts in progress (not to mention Kaffe and Liza's brilliant advice and the enthusiasm of the participants) that we've extended the SSSQ Quilt-Along until July 31, 2010.

If you’re not quilting with us yet, now is a great time to begin. Click here for Quilt-Along details, including a free pattern from Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts.

In this month’s Quilt-Along post, Kaffe and Liza offer their thoughts on the Quilt-Along so far and what they hope the next two months will bring. Scroll down to see some of the quilts in progress and check out all the gorgeous projects in our Facebook photo gallery. And now some words from the masters themselves...

From Kaffe:

"All I can say is more of the same exciting creativity, please! I love seeing works in progress and it’s very satisfying to see finished pieces with such exciting use of colour. What a stimulation it has been for me to see how many creative people are beaver-ing away in their own corners of the world. How good to see that some of you move away from the computer to make something! Thank you for the ongoing show."

The striking multicolored quilt at right artfully combines fabrics designed by Kaffe. So who better to give feedback than Kaffe himself?

"This dark grid and keeping all the elements of your graphic design constant you are really showing the variety of fabrics to advantage and getting a lot of punch from your colours."

From Liza:

"The Facebook Quilt-Along has been great fun so far. It is wonderful to see how many quilters are encouraging others with their generous comments. Over the next two months, I hope more people will post pictures of their works in progress. As much as I love to see the finished quilts, I really love seeing the ones that develop before our eyes. It is the exciting part of our classes when the design walls start to fill in and the quilts begin to bloom."

This creative take on the Striped Donut pattern from Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts (shown at left) earned kudos from other Quilt-Along members. Liza’s comment says it all:

“Brilliant idea.”

Some quilters started from scratch, while others revisited old projects (see right). Liza dispensed sage advice that any discouraged crafter should take to heart:

"...join the club! Sometimes you just need to walk away from a project for a while. Often when you go back to it, you find you like what you did."

By the way, did you know that Liza's preference for wildly patterned textiles is actually a family tradition? Click here for the full the scoop (and a priceless photo!).

As Kaffe and Liza tell all their students, they LOVE seeing quilters make their own color and pattern choices. One quilter began with the Haze Kilim project from SSSQ and created a "chintzd Up" version of her own.


Here's the quilt from Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts.	And here's the unique (and gorgeous!) variation.

The designs in Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts are inspired by geometric forms found in the everyday world. We challenge you to discover the colors and basic shapes around you.

Quilt-Along members have mentioned marble floors, jewels, and fern trees outside a kitchen window as inspiration. Dream up a quilt inspired by your own world, then share your project with the group.

Thanks to everyone for all of your brilliant contributions so far!