Various & Sundry #9 – Mid July

Websites, Articles and Information
Is this a new podcast? CraftyPlanner?

Faith, over at Fresh Lemons blog, talks about Quilter’s Bug, a new-ish company that has created an online haven for quiltmakers. There is a forum, classified ads, online journals and more. I haven’t had a chance to take a look, but it sounds like Quilter’s Club of America.

Sherri Lynn Woods will speak at our guild this month. I saw an article by Melanie Falick about what she has going. Take a look at the Test Quilt Blog Hop in which Ms. Woods is involved.

If you want to try a new method of gathering, which is billed as perfect every time, take a look at the post on the Sew Mama Sew blog.

Pam talked about getting a good quarter inch seam allowances in one of her recent podcasts and provides some resources for you.

Wanda, over at Exuberant Color, has a wonderful color wash quilt on her site. It is arranged like my FOTY 2013 quilt and I am scared that I am not being original. I want to think that she selected the fabrics especially to make the gradation more successful, but I really don’t know.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects
QuiltCon West is having a triangle challenge. I thought I would enter my FOTY 2011 quilt, but the template is too small.

Marsha McCloskey has a tutorial on her blog for a block called the Winter Star Tutorial. She posted another lesson recently. This one is about cutting for a 3″ Ohio Star for the center of the block, and includes the particulars for making a 1” finished 4-triangle square. The rest of the sewing part will come soon.  “As always, in a class, teaching a specific block is just a vehicle for teaching skills and techniques. This tutorial includes drafting, bias-strip piecing, rotary cutting, trimming points, precision piecing and a “cut-larger, trim-it-down” method for the making the star points of the tiny Ohio Star in the center of the block. The Winter Star block finishes at 11?.” All the posts she’ done so far are available at the address above.

Torie turned me on to Sweet Jane. She has a simple tote bag pattern on her blog, which you might want to try.

Michael Miller and Modern Quilts Unlimited are having a Block of the Month project. You have to use Michael Miller fabrics. Find the directions on a dedicated website. There are two entry parts to the challenge – a block a month entry and a finished quilt. Great prizes! The July block is already available.

California Shirt  (back)
California Shirt (back)
California Shirt  (front)
California Shirt (front)

DH’s cousin was inspired by the California shirts SIL and I made. She made one for her husband. She was only making one shirt, so she was able to do more with the motifs. I really like how she put the California letters on the yoke of the back. That was inspired!

I found a row quilt (http://bit.ly/1DmjAb6) I could love. It is a Craftsy class from Crazy Mom Quilts.

Over at Bemused blog, Jan is talking about the Chuck Nohara QAL on Instagram. I am ashamed to say I have never seen his block dictionary, but the blocks are so unique that I may need to join in. I love the colors Jan is using in her blocks so far. I haven’t visited Bemused blog in awhile and I am glad I did.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments
Remember the shirts SIL and I made for DH and BIL when I visited her in January? I found more of the tablecloths. You can find them by searching Google for ‘california tablecloth’ or at the Home a la Mode website (no affiliation).

One hour basket pattern: I know you have heard about it, but here is a link so you can make one. A couple of friends have timed themselves and it really does take approximately, an hour. I may use this pattern as interim bathroom baskets until I find or design the perfect pattern.

This is dangerous. How did I not know about the Quilty Box? Perhaps I don’t need to know about the Quilty Box? It might be good for gifts, though. The web page is pretty slim. There are is only one page and it gives you some info on how the subscription works. There is no information about what was in past boxes, but they do discuss the value of the products inside the boxes. Instagram has photos if you search for #quiltybox

Exhibits, Tutorials & Events
The Electric Quilt Company now has a search tool that allows you to search for in person classes. If you are not an online class person, then this is for you!

There will be a FUN-raiser (their words not mine) to support the International Quilt Study Center. It is a cruise to Alaska with all male teachers. Find more information. To get the free goodies, you have until July 21 to sign up.

I’ll be taking a tuffet class (FINALLY!!) on August 6 and 20th at Scruffy Quilts. I originally saw the tuffet at the 2006 Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters show they used to have at the Seattle Center in Seattle. The pattern was sold at Quiltworks Northwest. I never got around to making it and when Kelly pointed the class out to me last week when we were out together, I had to sign up. Now I have until August 6 to cut strips. You can find out more about the class on the website.

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

4 thoughts on “Various & Sundry #9 – Mid July”

  1. Once again lots of fun stuff here! The “new” gathering is exactly what my mom taught me around 1959. I prefer the ‘zigzag over string’ method as it is ever so easy to draw up the gathers.
    re: Exuberant Colors. Wanda is a master of color wash and has a huge stash and many many trays of precut pieces. She has an unlimited pallet unlike what you do with your FOTY fabrics.
    Wow! you found more tablecloths!
    I’ll be interested in your progress on the tuffet.

    S

  2. Do we really need another online place to go to connect? I wish for one place for all. Pipe dream I know.

    The Quilty Box sounds like too much fun and dangerous to the pocketbook but oh so tempting.

    1. I know what you mean on both counts. I think people keep coming up with new forums, ways to connect, because the right mix of features and functionality has not been found. What needs to happen is a dashboard where the user can plug in what they want to see – Twitter, FB feed, listserves, etc. This could be universal and not limited to just quiltmakers, which might make it more viable.

      I know. The Quilty Box. I want it, but I don’t want to get into that cycle.

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