Debra Gabel - Quilt Blocks Across America: Appliqué Patterns for 50 States & Washington, DC • Mix & Match to Create Lasting Memories

Text and Illustrations copyright 2010 by Debra Gabel

Photography copyright 2010 C&T Publishing, Inc.

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor: Susanne Woods

Editor: Gailen Runge

Copyeditor/Proofreader: Wordfirm Inc.

Cover/Book Designer: Kerry Graham

Production Coordinators: Jenny Leicester and Zinnia Heinzmann

Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi

Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systemswithout written permission from the publisher. The copyrights on individual artworks are retained by the artists as noted in Quilt Blocks Across America. These designs may be used to make items only for personal use or donation to nonprofit groups for sale. Each piece of finished merchandise for sale must carry a conspicuous label with the following information: Designs copyright 2010 by Debra Gabel from the book Quilt Blocks Across America from C&T Publishing, Inc.

Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following exceptionpublisher and author give permission to photocopy for personal use only.

Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages you to use this book as a text for teaching. Contact us at 800-284-1114 or www.ctpub.com for lesson plans and information about the C&T Creative Troupe.

We take great care to ensure that the information included in our products is accurate and presented in good faith, but no warranty is provided nor are results guaranteed. Having no control over the choices of materials or procedures used, neither the author nor C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. For your convenience, we post an up-to-date listing of corrections on our website (www.ctpub.com). If a correction is not already noted, please contact our customer service department at ctinfo@ctpub.com or at P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549.

Trademark (TM) and registered trademark () names are used throughout this book. Rather than use the symbols with every occurrence of a trademark or registered trademark name, we are using the names only in the editorial fashion and to the benefit of the owner, with no intention of infringement.

CityStampTM, GetAwayStampTM, StateStampTM, and NationStampTM are trademarks of Debra Gabel / Zebra Patterns.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gabel, Debra, 1961

Quilt blocks across America : appliqu patterns for 50 states & Washington, DC : mix & match to create lasting memories / Debra Gabel.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60705-349-1 (softcover)

1. Appliqu--Patterns. 2. Quilting--Patterns. 3. United States--In art. I. Title.

TT779.G32 2010

746.445--dc22

2010024419

Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

I would like to dedicate this to my husband, Gary. Gary is, and always has been, supportive of me and my art and business ventures. He is the father of our three boys, Brooks, Austin, and Cole; my business mentor; my creative sounding board; my webmaster; my life and business partner. He was by my side in 2003 when I was diagnosed with and treated for the better part of a yearthrough chemotherapy and a stem cell bone marrow transplantfor non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Gary, this one is for you. I hope we get to travel together and see every state in this book and more. I love you forever. Thank you for everything you do every day to support and guide our family.

This first book has been a dream of mine for many years. I would like to thank C&T Publishing, and especially Susanne Woods, Kerry Graham, Jenny Leicester,Zinnia Heinzmann, Alice Mace Nakanishi, and Gailen Runge, for being so kind and professional in providing this opportunity. The writing and production were painless with C&Ts help.

My boyssons Brooks, Austin, and Cole, along with husband, Garywere my personal creative focus group. I would design a state block, and they would all have to give their okay on the design before I moved to the next pattern.

Jackie Bingham and Carolyn Adams, of the inspiring Patches Quilting & Sewing in Mt. Airy, Maryland, have provided encouragement and support since the founding of Zebra Patterns.

Fellow guild members at Faithful Circle Quilting Guild and Mill town Quilters of Columbia, Maryland, and Nimble Fingers of Bethesda, Maryland, are always generous with thoughtful feedback to new patterns and ideas. I will never forget that the very first CityStamp, Baltimore, evolved from a guild challenge and fellow members requestsGlenda Krugers, in particularfor a pattern after seeing the submission.

The Where Ya Been? online volunteer group, many of whom I have never met, has been exceptional with samples, pattern testing, editing of instructions, and input. Patti Rusk must be singled out for help above and beyond the call of duty. I am very excited that volunteers samples appear in the Gallery ().

Lastly, I would like to thank all the guilds that have invited me to lecture and lead workshops.

You are all part of the success of these patterns, and you all played a critical role in helping me zero in on a book that you wantedand that C&T Publishing would bring to market. Everyones kindness and positive energy are sincerely appreciated.

This is a book of firsts. It is my first book! It is the first time I have made such a large collection of patterns on one subject. It is the first time I have written a preface, acknowledgments, and glossary. It is the first time I have put my detailed raw-edge appliqu techniques and tips in writing

As the designer of more than 100 commercial patterns under our Zebra Patterns brand, I have always wanted to create a book, but not just any book. There are thousands of quilting books out on the market. My first had to be unique in meaning and presentation. The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive collection of image blocks for each state in the United States and the District of Columbia, as well as to serve as a library of designs. My style is not abstract or whimsical; rather, it is quilting representational. This means that. I try to capture subjects in a realistic way I put on my quilting hat and ask myself how each design will transfer to cloth.