Hello and welcome!
I'm Terry Atkinson, the designer at Atkinson Designs. A former teacher, my love of quilting led me into teaching quilting classes at a local quilt shop, and my most popular class projects became my first two patterns! I’ve been designing simple, easy to sew patterns for 25 years now – time flies when you’re having this much fun!
These days, my husband Kirk and I are traveling in our camper. A few years ago a friend sent me a link to a 1960's retro Shasta camper and it was love at first sight! It was available in turquoise, my all time favorite color! We purchased the camper and began traveling around the Midwest, meeting many new friends on the way. We loved traveling so much that we traded up to a larger camper and are now crisscrossing the country six to seven months of the year. This will be the second year we have left the cold and snow of Minnesota. Love it! Another major plus is recharging my creative batteries. The beauty of the desert, mountains, sea, sunrises, and sunsets is amazing! Of course I bring my sewing machine along and visit quilt shops on the way.
I'm so excited to be one of the designers for The Splendid Sampler 2 book. My block, Road Trip, is on page 63. My design was inspired when we were asked to finish the sentence "I'm living my best quilting life when . . .
I'm living my best quilting life when I follow the design wherever it takes me. For The Splendid Sampler, I started out designing an arrow block, which led me to think of the "wings" on our Shasta camper so I ended up drawing a camper for my block.
I always include "Terry's Tips" in my patterns and and I'd like to share some tips with you for this block!
When choosing fabric, be sure to look at both the right and wrong sides of the fabric to find the exact color you like for your camper. In the photo above, the top of the camper uses the wrong side of the fabric. Why not fussy cut motifs for a fun touch?
When tracing the camper onto the paper side of fusible web, use a ruler to quickly trace the straight edges. A circle template from the office supply store helps to trace perfect circles (5/8" circle for the hubcap and wing, and 1-1/4" for the wheel).
Fuse scraps leftover after cutting to a piece of background fabric for the perfect place to test your machine stitches and thread colors.
For more tips, patterns, and sewing fun, I'd love to have you join me in our Groovy Girls Club and on facebook. Each week I post a live chat to share tips and our travels with you.
If you love retro campers as much as I do, check out my camper patterns: Snack Shack hotpads and Hippie Zips. In our Groovy Girls Club, the free mug rug pattern is perfect for using this camper block!
Be sure to post your block on the Splendid Sampler website this week to be entered into a drawing for Schmetz needles!
Happy sewing and I hope to see you down the road!
