Various & Sundry 2024 #8

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I made a lot of changes to the Quilts in Print page after the last V&S was published. I only include books I have read and recommend. I also don’t update the page that often, mostly because I don’t have the time. I had completely omitted Frances Dowell’s quilt novels as well as Marie Bostwick’s Cobbled Court series. This was a serious omission since they are both excellent writers.  I originally wanted to add books that weren’t specifically in the quilt fiction genre, but I think the books by these two authors needed to be included. Now they are!

I also updated the Minikins page. I have been making some non-Minikins Sew Sweetness bags and was reminded recently that this page has some non-Minikins patterns at the bottom. I don’t think all of the non-Minikins bags I have made are there, but there are some.

The Color Strip & Chunk page has been updated to include the Green Strip #3 (The Swamp Thing) quilt.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I saw this “How to Write a Quilt Pattern” course in an email recently. I haven’t heard of the person who sent me the email, though I obviously signed up for the newsletter at some point! Neither have I heard of the teacher. It is a good idea, though. Forget writing patterns! Teach people how to write and market them.

A long time ago, I used to keep this list of small projects up to date. I might do so again. Since various holidays are coming, this list might give you some ideas for gifts for your friends.

I am thinking of making another version of Flying Around with curved Flying Geese. I looked for a tutorial on how to make them myself. I found this Better Off Thread tutorial. I will take a closer look at it and try to make some curved geese later.

–> Join Jeni Baker’s Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along coming in November! If you want to try making a bag, this is a great way to do it. This is an easy project and the support makes it completely doable. It’s a great way to get started sewing and you can use the bag as a reusable gift bag for the holidays, if you don’t use it for a gift! Also, she has a free version as a tutorial. If you want to make a striped version, she has another tutorial!

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

I went to the Sewtopia site to look at fabric and was disappointed to find that you can’t view more than 12 fabrics at a time. That means a lot of clicking. Bleah. I prefer sites that allow you modify how many fabrics to view. They have a lot of, what I would consider, novelty fabrics on their site.

A friend pointed out Common Threads Press to me. I am not familiar with these books and wonder if they are scholarly? The topics certainly seem interesting. Have you read any of the pamphlets?

Media, Books and Articles

The Washington Post had an opinion piece by one of Ruth McDowell’s daughters.

I posted a new book review recently with a lot of links to old books. Books have changed a lot  since I first started quiltmaking. Books now don’t usually have techniques. They only have patterns and one way to make them. Older books had techniques and different ways of making quilts and I always thought that was useful. Often you can find these books at a used bookstore.

I don’t remember mentioning the Quilters’ Guild. This is an overall guild for the entire UK. I am sure there are smaller groups around the island as well. They have a large historical collection of quilts. You can shop for patterns and tools and all sorts of things. The guild also supports historical research. They have one quilt from 1718 that was the one quilt in a book, The 1718 Coverlet**. The book talks about the history of the quilt, how to make a replica and how to make individual blocks using two methods.

Other Artists

Carrie, a former student, is also a glass artist. She makes Halloween and Christmas gifts for some of her family. This is the 2024 Halloween decoration. Isn’t it great?

I love how the wings are sort of see-through. I used to know what that glass was called, but can’t remember.

NQR

I saw a cool story telling chair somewhere last week. This is built by Hal Taylor. Don’t complain about his prices! Beautiful work like this should be rewarded. It is a great chair if you have multiple children or grandchildren.

Dogs seem to be a recurring theme lately. My sister is still working on getting the Recovery Ranch Sanctuary off the ground. You can still help out! See the Cups for Pups club. I have also been spending some time with some puppies my awesome niece is fostering. They are Schnauzer and Husky. I went back to visit the other day and my favorite was gone to a different foster home. 🙁 Two puppies are easier than three!

I still got to have a cuddle with Ginger and Paprika. They are little energy bombs and then they switch off and go to sleep. It is funny.

And a reminder: Cups for Pups: Join my Lil Sissy in helping to fund the Recovery Ranch Sanctuary via GoFundMe. She is working on creating a place where the dogs of those needing recovery will be taken care of while their people are getting help.

 

 

 

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.