I saw this image at Kruusn Quilt Shop. It was a sticker from Moda they had displayed near the cash register. Look for a review of that shop in a few days.
Admin
When I look at my website stats, the Finishing the Tuffet post is always at the top, even after 9 years. So strange!
Of course, I updated the Minikins page.
Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials
When I was in Portland, I sat chatting with my Mom and sister and working on the EPP Ball. My sister finally realized what I was doing and was amazed that I had gotten so much done while sitting there talking. She suggested I make a ball that kids could grab. I imagined as an Orange Peel ball. They are also called Montessori puzzle balls. I finally found a pattern. I found some other options at Timothy Jerrin.com. There might be something wrong with the site as the formatting looks weird in some places, but it could just be translated. This site gives me some ideas about translating one of the patterns to EPP. I don’t want to make these balls on the machine.
Julie talked about a Summer Olympics block series (sampler project?). You can sign up on Jessica Steele’s site.
Ruby Star has a big bow pattern. Remember the 1980s?
Bonnie Hunter has a new Leader and Ender Challenge.
If you want a faux piping tutorial, check out the Kruusn quilt site. There are a few other tutorials on that site as well.
You might remember that I made a few of the Retreat Bags, a free Emmaline Designs pattern. I saw an enlarged version with handles, which I thought was a great idea. I went looking for some additional information, but couldn’t find the IG post of which I was thinking. The free pattern has a link to a YouTube tutorial, but my friend Lynette found an even better one from Juju Creations.
Check out the chart of Pellon stabilizers. One helpful aspect is that it tells you best uses for the different stabilizers. I’d love to find one with equivalents in other brands. I know I have looked before.
Need some quilt math cheat Sheets? Check out the version from the Crazy Quilter’s Guild. There are a lot of different sheets that may be helpful.
Carrie and I have been talking a lot about using templates to make bags. I am not talking about the Sew Sweetness templates, which are designed to help with rotary cutting, but templates that are used like origami instructions to make bags. Moni.malene on IG. The fabric piece created by the templates turn into one bag or pouch. It is so hard to explain. Carrie made a couple of examples (+notebook and pen).
Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic has a travel sewing case featured in a blog post. It isn’t free. It is from Rosie Taylor Crafts and is called the Rosie Sewing Case. The really good thing about it is all the vinyl pockets. I think that Aneela Hoey has some similar cases in her book, Stitched Sewing Organizers**. This is the book I used to make the 2-in-1 Cases. Regardless of whether you buy the pattern the idea is good. You could modify the 2-in-1 case to include a few of the features highlighted in the blog post. Just buy the pattern and support an independent designer if you can’t be bothered. 😉
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
If you need some Tula Homemade, check out Springville Quilt Barn. She also has a little bit of Zuma. Look for my review for them in a week or so
Cheryl told me about Klum House bags. She uses heavier duty materials than I normally use and has kits that include everything to make a bag. They also have classes.
I heard about Quilt Ink as I was downloading the Summer Games QAL blocks. It is a site where designers can post patterns and users can color in various designs. I haven’t tried it, but it looks interesting.
Other Artists
Ruth McDowell passed away. A former quilt group member of mine wrote a remembrance of her on the C&T blog. This is such sad news. If you want to be able to piece anything, get her book, Piecing, and work through it. I took four classes from her and am much better at piecing than I would be otherwise. Do I always want to piece inverted Vs? No, I don’t, but if I want to achieve an effect, I know how to do it. Her book is out of print, so you will have to get an e-version (not ideal IMO, because you can’t make notes), or a used copy. The Quilter’s Hall of Fame posted a remembrance as did the Visions Museum of Textile Art.
Shows & Exhibits
I finally have a quilt that I want to enter, and feel is good enough to enter, into Quilt National.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe has an exhibit at the International Quilt Museum. Thanks to SueG for sending the link along. This is an example of what I love about quiltmaking. Virtually the same block (or chunk) rearranged in different ways to make something different.
NQR
At home I have my computer attached to a large screen. If I am having trouble seeing something, then I move it to the large screen and I can usually see what I need to. However, on vacation, I only had my laptop and I could not really see the images I was loading into the ‘waiting to process for the blog’ folder. Finally, when I returned home I was having the same problem. I fiddled with the display and, amazingly, the brightness was at near ZERO!! I moved it up and I can see the laptop so much better. It saves me, because I was considering replacing my large screen with an even larger screen.
Did you know that condensed tomato soup is used as an ingredient in cake? No joke. I read it in a book and then had to look it up. Check out the recipe. There are a bunch including one on the Campbell’s Soup Company site using a spice cake mix. The history was probably done by a librarian.
