Various & Sundry 2017 #12

Inspiration

A friend sent me this link and it made me sad. A group is selling off Eli Leon’s collection of quilts and aprons to help pay for his care. There wasn’t much detail about whether he is ill or just old and unable to live alone or what. The sale was last weekend, but there are photos at the link of interesting quilts.

Tools, Notions & Supplies

I saw an interesting sewing table on MassDrop. They don’t have a drop on currently. One can always be requested or you can buy it directly. The sewing table is by Merrow and it is small and compact and comes in a lot of delicious colors. if you have one, I’d love to know what you think.

Fabric, Thread, and Batting

I have recently received two unexpected magazines in the mail. The most recent one was from Craftsy. While there is a lot of scope for inspiration, I guess it is basically a catalog. They are touting their holiday patterns, kits, classes and fabrics. The fabrics all seem to be from the ‘Boundless’ line, which I think is a Craftsy brand? A lot of the items are marked down (is that a real sale or just standard marketing?), which is attractive, but makes me wonder if they ever were really sold for the MSRP. My favorite pattern in this catalog is the Puzzle Mixer Quilt Kit. I am not a fan of the fabric, but I like the dimensionality of the design.

Keeping on with the theme of catalogs, I also received a Keepsake Quilting catalog lately. I haven’t bought a lot from them lately, but always like to look at their tools and notions. I meant to write about it a couple of months ago when I received the last one, but didn’t get to it. Keepsake Quilting has changed the look of their catalog slightly. They still have the traditional fabrics, 1930s prints and ‘Call of the Wild’ panels and projects. The catalog, however, looks brighter and more cheerful. They also have a new section called Keepsake Modern. This section has the new Elizabeth Hartman Ocean quilt. Chroma from Alison Glass, along with the patterns, Cobblestone Quilt and Luminary, is featured as well. Sara Lawson has some patterns listed, Heather Givans has some fabrics on sale. The list goes on and on. This is not just a nod to modern. The company has done some investing and seem to be committed to the fabrics and patterns that modern quiltmakers want. Additionally, modern patterns show up in other sections, showing how modern patterns aren’t just for modern fabrics. There was one ‘…of the month’ subscription I considered. If you read Sandy’s blog, you know how popular these boxes and subscriptions have become. KQ has an Aurifil Modern Quilter Thread of the Month Club. the customer receives 4 spools a month and the cost is $49.99+ shipping. Including shipping, that is $13.49 per spool. Red Rock Threads is slightly less at $12.75 for four spools. Their shipping is slightly higher at $5. I found their shipping to be super quick. I ordered some thread and had it two days later even though I didn’t pay for expedited shipping. Still, getting fun mail is, well, fun and I wouldn’t have to do anything except pay. If I could be guaranteed not to receive any brown or beige I would join.

Projects

Did you make a hand? No? Me neither, but it is on my list. Make a hand! I need to make a hand!

Exhibits & Exhibitions

Threads of Resistance will be at PIQF October 12-15, 2017 in Santa Clara. You can sign up for workshops and lectures on their site. Online entry for quilts and wearables is also available now. Deadline is August 29, 2017.

Technique

Charlotte of the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady talks about stippling and gives a nice list of why it is a good quilt pattern.

NQR

I really like this visual chart of the languages of the world.