Have you been enjoying Palindrome Week?
I went through the blogs on my blogroll and found that many of them have not been updated in months, some for a couple of years. I guess I will be finding some new blogs to include. Any blogs that you particularly like?
Tell Your Friends
For Sale Items: Take a look at fabric, a design wall and more! Buying helps me get a new design wall. 😉
The Quilt Class page has been updated. Have you made your sampler yet?
Tools, Fabric, Products and Notions
Doug Leko has a new-ish ‘folded corners ruler‘. I believe this is similar to or the same as the “flippy corners” method. I am not 100% sure and haven’t watched the YouTube video to be able to say for sure. Scott of Blue Nickel Studios posted about it.
As I have mentioned, Gen Q Magazine has notebooks with a No Quilt Bullying message. I can’t think of any good reason for quilt bullying or meanness.
Books, Patterns, Projects & Tutorials
Have you seen this birthday cake block by Handmaiden? It is free download from Craftsy. I have a thing for cakes, so this is right up my alley. I am trying to think of ways to use it.
I had seen the New York Beauties and Flying Geese book briefly somewhere, but didn’t pay much attention until I saw mention of it again on the Sew Sweetness blog. Sara has a sample block posted and it looks fantastic. Of course, a lot of it is about the fabric, but the designs are great. I am sad that none of the three libraries to which I have cards owns it.
I mentioned a few V&S post ago that Judy Martin has launched a new eBook venture called Judy Martin eBooks. I am delighted to be a new Judy Martin Affiliate. I love her patterns and books and, most importantly, her sound quiltmaking techniques. I have a goal to take a class with her sometime. This means that I will probably have to travel to Iowa since she rarely teaches outside the area anymore. Did you take a look? She already has a number of her eBooks up on her site. Purchasing eBooks saves pace on your bookshelf. I encourage you to look through her offerings and purchase some. Yes, I will get a very nice cut of your purchase if you click on the links listed, but you will also be directly supporting her hardworking family. Links:
- July Fireworks: this is the first e-pattern I saw as a sample. I was blown away. I love the innovation in the layout.
- Star Happy Quilts is an e-book, originally published in 2001. The patterns are comprised of 3 different star blocks, which are arranged and resized in different ways. The books gives you the design practice to create tons of star quilt designs!
- Celtic Squares Deluxe is a new-to-me pattern and very modern. The interlocking squares make my mind dance with ideas for gradations of color.
- Patchwork Among Friends is not just a pattern e-book, but is a resource guide for getting people together to sew. There are 10 patterns, recipes for potluck dishes and ideas for getting quiltmakers together.
- Starry Night Log Cabin is a pattern from her book Extraordinary Log Cabins for you log cabin fans. Judy has some different techniques for making log cabins that improve accuracy. It is also free!
- Scraps is an e-book of one of Martin’s classics. There are 16 original designs presented in 3 different sizes to help you customize for your needs. The instructions contain a choice of accurate rotary cutting instructions or templates. Fat quarter requirements and yardage are listed for each quilt in every size. Color diagrams show piecing instructions. There are also ratings for each pattern to tell you ease of cutting, ease of sewing, and ease of thinking.
Quilt Rat has a post about embellishing ready made fabric and clothing. She talks about the importance of testing and shows her process.
Exhibitions, Projects & Events
QuiltCon Registration for the general public started July 8, so spread the word to your quilt family and friends. I will be attending and would love to see you there. There are many open sessions as well as more public social events than ever. Hope you can make it.
The MQG Exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is on display until July 16.
Are you doing ICAD from Daisy Yellow? Friend Julie is and she has some great pieces that would make wonderful fabric. I hope she puts some on Spoonflower.
Linda M. Poole mentioned The Big Beach House Quilt Retreat hosted by Charlotte Agnotti in Corolla, NC, Feb 19-23, 2018 in her blog post.
I wanted to remind you that the Quilters Take Manhattan (QTM)event is a three-day event Sept. 15-17 that includes garment district tours, museum and gallery exhibitions, a night on Broadway, a vendor hall, silent auction and raffle prizes. The QTM 2017 keynote speaker is Sherri Lynn Wood, author of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guide to Creating, Quilting, and Living Courageously. QTM sponsor Quilt Alliance recently posted an interview with Sherri on its blog.
And this year at QTM, attendees are invited to participate in the Fashion Challenge, By making garments and accessories featuring fabric from the Quilters Take Manhattan collection available at Spoonflower, they have a chance to win prizes.
QTM is an annual fundraising event for the non-profit Quilt Alliance which works to document, preserve and share the stories of quilts and quilters. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
The non-profit Quilt Alliance is conducting a membership drive through August. Established in 1993, the Quilt Alliance documents, preserves and shares the American quilt heritage. Individuals as well as guilds and small businesses can join. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
Tips & Tricks
Vicki Welsh has a blog post about stapling your quilt to your longarm’s leaders and enders. Her method makes a lot of sense and you don’t get stuck with pins every 5 seconds.
Inspiration
I am behind in my House Beautiful reading, so I was pleased to see a blog post pointing me to the book, Colorstrology. Mostly, I love the cover and the name. I am not sure I need to know what my birthday says about me in terms of color. 😉