Various & Sundry 2015 #2

Frances had a podcast episode sometime ago about what we call ourselves. Barbara Brackman has some fun on her blog about that as well.

Have you looked at the glossary lately? I updated it after writing the Maryland posts.

If you would like to provide input on creativity and your habits around creativity, fill out the questionnaire.

Projects, Patterns and Tutorials

Have you seen the Pile O’ Fabric BOM? Katie, of Katie’s Quilting Corner turned me ton to it and it looks like a great skillbuilder. Take a look. You haven’t missed too many lessons.

Aneela Hoey has a new pattern for little pouches. They aren’t what I would call pouches, but, regardless of the name, they are cute. Take a look at the blog post where Aneela shows a lot of pictures.

I know you have seen the Twiddletails tutorial for pillowcases and my changes to it. NoScrapTooSmall notes some changes as well, mostly interms of cutting sizes, which gives you a variety of perspectives on pillowcase making.

Some of the Twilters are working on the Jinny Beyer Block of the Month on Craftsy. One of the efforts is shown on Sandy’s blog.

Have you see the pattern for the Sketchy Road Trip Case?

Nonnie pointed me to a Four Patch quilt-a-long. I love Four Patches.

I really like the recent top from Fluffy Sheep Quilting. the pattern is simple, but the combination of fabrics and the way the artist put it together makes it interesting.

Need a design wall tutorial. Nadine Ruggles has one.

Have you made the Let Them Eat Cake block for the FQS Snapshots BOM? This is a Fat Quarter Shop block of the month project that benefits St. Jude’s Hospital. They are requesting a $5 donation for each block you download. Kimberly of FQS, along with Bonnie and Camille, for moral support, provide a video tutorial on putting the cake block together. You can download the free pattern and go to FQS on February 15 for the next pattern. Remember to hashtag your blocks and photos as #FQSSnapshots

Janeen van Niekerk was featured in the EQ newsletter as a person who offers free paper pieced block patterns for EQ. I visited her blog and found that she is starting a new paper pieced QaL.

Cora Village Fete Dress
Cora Village Fete Dress

Need some Downton Abbey dresses? Here is a magazine full of patterns that Friend Julie shared with me. I am torn, because I don’t know if my favorite dress is in there. The one I like is the one Mama wore to the county fair where she looked at the flowers. I’ll post a link if I can find one.

I have been admiring the bucket bags that BAMQGers received as part of their Retreat kit a few years ago. The other day I saw a tutorial for the bucket bag. The post on elvie’s studio blog just shows the bag and talks about it a little then links to a free Craftsy class. Elvie‘s fabric choices are better than the one shown in the class IMO. I like the combination of dots and the big flower print. If I make this I will do something like that as well.

If you aren’t using the Wing Clipper ruler by Deb Tucker to make your Flying Geese, here is a tutorial by HoneyBearLane that is the same principle, but without the ruler. She also gives a formula for resizing your pieces to make the Flying Geese the size you need.

I haven’t made this yet, but I do like the idea of it. Perhaps I will use this pattern instead of creating my own (remember the caddy on my To Do List?).

Supplies, Fabric and Tools

I bought a Sew Together Bag pattern and needed a bunch of zippers. I found them at Sew True.

SIL and I were talking about her Snails Trail block and that reminded me of the Big Little Book of Die Cutting I bought last year. In it is a reference and explanation to the EDeN die notation system. This is a system to allow you to translate patterns with rotary cutting instructions into use of your Accuquilt dies. Take a look at the chart provided. This system truly makes the dies widely useful, not just useful with patterns from Accuquilt.

If you weren’t aware, Hawthorne Threads now has the capability to print fabric. They are creating their own collections and printing them on demand. This is a great idea, because it means that fabric will, theoretically, always be available. To that end, they have produced a line of Marsala fabric. Marsala, for those of you who have been avoiding Pantone, is the Pantone color of the year.

I saw a tweet about Stash Fabrics and went to their site to take a look at their fabric. I really like it. It is very hard not to buy some, especially some of the sale fabrics they have. Their monthly bundles seem like a package that would arrive and make my day.

Did you know that Zazzle sells fabric? Unique designs. Go buy some.

By now you have bought a subscription to the Missouri Star Quilt Company magazine,r ight? I, just, this minute, found out about another magazine (? I think) they are publishing (also at an easy on the wallet $5.99) called ModBlock, focused on color. Molli Sparkles is in the first issue.

Other Artists

I talked a little about words of the year. Nadine Ruggles has some thoughts about her words and her life as well.

Julie also has a thoughtful view of her word of the year.

Marie Bostwick bought a….go to her blog to read all about her new purchase.

Did you see Tanesha’s low volume quilt? She also shared some of her ‘duds’, which is a part of creativity. I applaud Tanesha for admitting that not all of her work is perfect.  She talks a little about our meetup, but focuses on my SIL’s Swoon quilt, which was a big hit. You can see the Flipagram from our event.

I thought the mini quilt Amy made was a nice tribute to her grandmother. Something about the clothesline evokes grandmothers, I think. Mine as well.

I know I have mentioned the Year of Making before in reference to the NoScrapTooSmall blog, however I went back and read the post again, which is really worth reading again. I also clicked on the links to other posts, including one from 2013, which actually has resolutions. In the latter post, Marion Felton mentions play. That hits home, especially in reading what she writes about it: “So in the playing vein, I have plans to read all (and most likely swatch through) Principles of Knitting and a couple other books with really intriguing techniques with which I want to play around…”. I plan to do this regularly and never do. I don’t know why, but I don’t. I suppose if I had a studio and dedicated time to go there where I was allowed to go there without guilt, I might play more. I suppose if I had a space in which to read, where I could pile up books and have a stack of pens and post-it notes and paper, I might play more. A lot of ifs….Go read the NoScrapTooSmall  post and let me know what you think.

I can’t believe I missed him, but the god from Mollie Sparkles was in California! He went to the Intrepid Thread, which is not far from my house. Sigh. I was out of town. I love his color sense. He showed the fabrics he bought and I am in love with the pink-blue-orange group in one of the photos. I am tempted to run out and buy some. The sensible, Use-Your-Stash VIMH is saying to walk into the fabric closet and pull out those colors. The voice continues that I must have them somewhere. He is a total temptor as well, asking us (the Glitterati) to link up our purchases with his every Sunday. It is almost like he is giving permission for me to go buy fabric. Sigh.

Exhibits, Shows and Events

The WWII Home Front Challenge exhibit has traveled to the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum and will be there until April 4. Mark your calendars.  There will be an Artists’ Reception on Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum,  Marin Street, Vallejo, California. Meet the artists and hear the stories behind the quilts they made.  For more information and directions, visit the museum’s web site or call 707-643-0077.  To learn more about the WWII Home Front Quilt Challenge visit their Web site at http://www.wwiihomefrontquilts.com/.

Roderick Kiracofe, quilt collector, historian and aficionado has an exhibit of quilts from his recent book at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. The newspaper article says “…and running through May 16, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art presents ‘Unconventional and Unexpected, Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000’…”

Articles and Information

Why am I involved in topics and organizations that are constantly having to prove the value of their work? It is getting old and I would like someone just to say “Oh My God you are a ______________?!? My company cannot live without the services your profession provides!” Here is a recent blog post about a quilt on the front of a Decemberists album (is that the right word?

NoScrapTooSmall talks about her year of making. I am fascinated by the post she wrote on January 1 and have read it several times. I might be trying to get it to sink in. I might be trying to wrap my head around it. I don’t know. Go read it and tell me what you think.

Dierdre pointed out Fit2Stitch to me. They are a show on PBS and have a search feature that tells you when the show is playing in your area.

Off Topic

None of us like to think about exercise. I’d rather be in front of my machine than on the elliptical, but Danny Gregory talks about his experience with exercise, which is similar to my experience and he does so in a human way. Your body is not just a couple of hundred pounds of meet you have to carry around. [paraphrased from the post]

And Finally…

From FB/sewsweetgrandma

Can't Buy Happiness Can Buy Fabric
Can’t Buy Happiness Can Buy Fabric

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

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