Tag: Various & Sundry

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As you probably know from my frequent mentions of Sue and Carrie, my excellent students, I teach a quiltmaking class. You can find notes and tutorials here on the blog for the class, but no video. If you want personalized teaching there is a fee. Recently, I have added notes and links from the design class that I also teach. For the design class, I will give lectures on one topic to groups. Contact me if you want to discuss those lectures.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I saw this tutorial a long time ago, but found it again when I reviewed my guild’s old blog. If you like the Japanese cute animal style, this is for you. It is useful also.

Kylie and the Machine have a free pattern called Snippy Pouch. The instruction booklet tells you how to measure your scissors for a perfect fit.

I found a new bag pattern designer: Love You Sews. I really like the Leah Travel Bag. It has a nice shape and good pockets. I love the way she has used, what looks like some webbing, as a pen holder. I wonder if that would be better than foldover / doublefold elastic**?

Struggling with wavy borders? Check out this comparison of two methods of adding borders.

I found a tutorial on how to use the Creative Grids 7/8″ Ruler to Cut Half Square Triangles.

If you need a tutorial on how to use and refill your Sewline pencil, the tutorial on the Sewline site tells everything you need quickly. 4-6 leads only to refill was the key to getting my pencil back up and running.

My mom is thinking of finishing her Scrapitude quilt. She sewed hers at the same time I sewed mine, but never had the quilting done. This forced me to go look at Charlotte Hawkes’ site again. She has some interesting patterns in her shop and a new mystery quilt just started. You might want to join to see if you like her patterns.

I am still getting temptation from Pink Door about their Pick-a-Petal BOM. Despite warnings from Friend Julie and the promise of applique’, I am still tempted.

MessyGoat (Elaine P) showed a picture of her Kraken quilt, which is really amazing! Her quilt led me to LegitKits and the various patterns and kits they sell. They have really interesting designs!

I am looking at needlepoint again. I am working on the Ehrman design I bought, but am not finished yet. That means I really shouldn’t buy anymore. In all the QuiltCon hullaballoo, Anna Maria  has been showing off her new website and fabrics. I took a look at the site and found some needlepoint kits. I like them, but I think I like the Ehrman designs better. They have some Kaffe designs I might try next if I continue with a needlepoint project.

I really like the pineapple (fruit) blocks. I have a lot to do, but might make one. I found some directions and noticed when I was searching that people made them from all sorts of different units.

Tinberry is the designer that created the Knitting Needles pouch I made. She also has a pattern called the Oslo pouch, which is different than the Sew Sweetness Oslo Craft bag. She has put a tutorial on the Oslo Pouch.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

This isn’t intended to be a photo post, but I do like to throw one in every now and again. A group of fabric seems like a good idea.

I like the colors in this group, but not all of the prints. The prints with the dots are the best. I may actually buy the pink and turquoise dot fabrics.  Too bad the one with the dots on cream is not on white. I want to take a look at that large motif design in person. It is hard to see the entire motif.

Kylie and the Machine have a whole lot of interesting labels.

Jammin’ Threads has a label that warns people about donation a quilt you made to thrift store that I find really funny.

Did you know you can download fabric image files from the FreeSpirit site? Click on a collection and then choose download files.

I really dislike taping patterns together, which is why I usually buy, if possible, the printed pattern. On Sunday February 2, 2025, Sara Lawson presented her Sewcial Sunday show and talked about PDF Plotting. PDF Plotting prints your patterns out on AO paper (very large) and mails them rolled not folded. I haven’t tried it yet, but you can bet I will. Our guild challenge this year is to use a pattern we’ve had laying around. I’ll have to check through my PDF patterns and see what I can use to try out the service.

Judy Martin is updating her Encyclopedia of Judy Martin Blocks & Quilts. It is only an e-book. I with it were in print. “The 588-page Encyclopedia features 957 original block designs shown in drawings and 1029 original quilt designs shown in 247 quilt photos, 197 quilt drawings, and 585 setting variations. It also has 16 original, full-size quilting patterns with sketches showing how to arrange them for blocks and borders. I have added photos for every design that was presented with a photo.” The price is really good for so many patterns and designs.

I am giving up on my main Oliso iron. It stopped working and is no longer under warranty despite receiving a replacement just about a year ago. I LOVE the up and down feature. I also love that it sits on the base, so is lower to the ironing board. I am, however, sick of it giving out on me. I have a backup iron, which is subpar, but works. Either I am going back to buying cheap irons and replacing them when they die or I might get a Reliable iron**. Stay tuned.

Check out the video where Tula Pink introduces her new TTrue Colors for 2025. The variety of prints – the size of the motif on the print – is GREAT. Variety of the size of the motif in the fabrics you choose for your quilt adds a lot of interest.

I bought some fabric.

Media, Books and Articles

Friend Julie had a number of interesting links in her January Cornucopia post.

Parents magazine has an article about “Grandma Hobbies.” Seriously? Grandma Hobbies? I knew many of my grandmothers and all except one I loved dearly. Most of them did some kind of needlework and did it very well. I also have a lot of friends who are mostly not yet grandmas who enjoy quilting, crochet, knitting, needlepoint, and scrapbooking. I currently have a number of quiltmaking projects and a needlepoint cushion on the go. WTH, Parents mag? I am glad teens are delving into pastimes such as these, but why are they called grandma hobbies? Do they know about the thriving knitting community? Crocheters who knit many hats, etc for all different types of communities in need?

Joann Fabric filed for bankruptcy again! An article in BHG talks about it, but it is mostly anecdotal. There isn’t a lot of meaty information. In my opinion, having sales all the time is the big problem. Macy’s has the same problem. Sales bring in shoppers, but too many sales sets the expectation that shoppers can just wait until the next sale. I hope the new owners settle into a routine that includes plenty of help and less mess in stores.

Exhibits and Organizations

Join our guild. We’d love to share sewing projects with you.

NQR

**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.

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A few days ago I tagged a post as OBE. If you don’t know what that means, you can always look at the glossary.

I joined BlueSky. Find me at: @artquiltmaker.bsky.social I don’t post a lot so far, but am hoping to rekindle some of the quilty goodness that used to be Twitter before all the stuff that shall not be named happened.

The Quilts in Print page has been updated

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I saw a couple of ideas for small gifts towards the end of last year. It was too late to make them, but it isn’t too late to make them for next Christmas, if I get started now. First is the Scandinavian Star ornament. I saw quite a few video tutorials:

• • Erica’s tutorial
  • Fran’s Sewing Circle tutorial
  • Mx. Domestic’s tutorial

I like Erica’s tutorial best. She is clear, cheerful and her voice isn’t annoying. YMMV!

Check out Friend Julie’s December Cornucopia, because she has a link to a tutorial for a tree topper. It is large and takes a yard of fabric, but is a great way to relax, make gifts and use fabric.

I have been stalking bags on IG. I saw the Irene Crossbody, which looks like a great and very useful bag. It also looks very much like the Daytrip Wallet (yes, the pattern is part of a bundle) from Sew Sweetness, so I have banned myself from buying the pattern until I make the Daytrip. the Daytrip has been on my list for a long time and I think 2025 is the year.

Coastside Quilt Studio will now be offering rental time on a long arm. You must take a certification class prior to being able to rent the machine. If you have previous long arm experience, please contact Dana so she can determine whether you can skip the class. Registration Opens February 1st! Certification classes begin in March. Check her hours before heading over as they can change during the week.

Want to put a modern spin on your bag straps with little effort? Ribbon Straps are all the rage right now. Check out Sew Sweetness’ free video showing you how to make one!

Quarter Inch Mark shop is open again and I bought the Travel Outbound Bag pattern. I haven’t made it yet, but will soon.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

RockBabyScissors, the bag maker, pointed me to Georgia Girl Stitches as another supplier of zippers and bag hardware. She has a lot of webbing, too. The shop has a few bag patterns as well as some free tutorials and patterns. The free patterns and tutorials include a lot of leather and smaller items. It amazes me how different the bag hardware from different suppliers can be.

I received a Clip ‘n Glide Bodkin for Christmas from Friend Julie.

Do you remember a long time ago when I visited the Fabric Depot in Portland? The shop has since closed, but Gerre turned me on to an online version, The Fabric Depot. It is the same idea, but you don’t have to go to Portland and walk into a grocery store sized store. The prices are really low and not many of the quiltmaking fabrics are marked with the designer’s name, though I did see some Tula and some Violet Craft fabrics. The Tula yardage was $7.92/yard!

Media, Books and Articles

Want some well written quilt stories? Check out QuiltFiction and the Story Guild.

I saw an announcement of the MyQuilts app. The app advertises the ability to keep track of all your quilts as well as tracking the progress on your current or a future project. Adding projects can include as much info, including photos, as you want for each quilt project. Users of the app can experience a social aspect by participating in daily challenges as well. I haven’t tried it, but let me know your thoughts.

Exhibits and Organizations

Join our guild. We’d love to share sewing projects with you.

Jane Sassaman has quilts at the Harvard Diggins Library, Harvard, IL through February. I couldn’t find anything about it on their website, but they do have a lot of craft activities. If you visit, please give a report.

I am pleased to announce that my piece Who Am I? will be in the Women’s View show put on by the San Mateo County Arts Council. I am thrilled that it got in. I read the guidelines and saw that they had instituted a size limit and Who Am I? was over the limit. I was so disappointed, because I finished this piece specifically for this exhibit. It really, truly speaks to the view of women.  I entered anyway and said on the application that I hoped for an exception to the size limitation and why. They granted the exception!! I heard at the end of last week. I am really happy and excited for people to see this piece.

NQR

Philip Jacobs is one of my favorite fabric designers. I love his large flower prints and the inspiration he derives from vintage fabrics and wallpapers. In his spare time, he is fossil hunter. A few years ago, he discovered a pliosaur. He is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the finder and mentioned and shown on the show about the excavation. It was very interesting to watch. Watch on PBS. You may need an account. You can help excavate the rest of the fossil by contributing.

Need art supplies to supplement your quiltmaking? I am giving you a referral link so you can start earning points for free stuff at California Art Supply, 3600 El Camino Real , Suite B – Phone: 650-350-1990. Click the link and register. I know its a pain, but you get points that translate into discounts. I am saving up my points to buy a large set of Emott markers. No, I don’t need them, but the colors are soooo cool!

**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.

The last V&S of 2024! Can you believe it?

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I now have 100 subscribers! Hooray! Thanks to Eleanor for being the 100th subscriber. If you are not a subscriber and want to subscribe, go to the box on the right and enter your email address. Go through the verification process and you will get an email every time I post.

Happy Birthday to my friend, Pam G! Hope your day is great!

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

Make sure you download the directions for Bonnie Hunter’s Old Town mystery quilt. Part 7 was posted yesterday and the directions will go away in late January or early February. I have made some progress and Friend Julie has as well. She has finished the first clue and is making progress on the other clues. I have finished the first clue and am also working on some of the other clues in a scattershot kind of way. I have to be able to focus and some of the easier parts are better for me at the moment.

One thing I saw right after I posted V&S 2024 #10 was Technique Sheets by Deb Tucker of Studio180 Designs. She is the designer of the Wing Clipper**, which I have mentioned a couple of times. The Technique Sheets show you how to make another design. Sometimes the Technique Sheets refer to one of the Studio180 rulers and sometimes they don’t. There are some examples of what the technique sheets look like on the Free downloads page. Check out the Corner Pop II Replacement Rectangles Technique Sheet.

I was really pleased to see Kristina of Center Street Quilts post some small bag and pouch type projects on her blog for the holidays. She also posted short videos on IG. I am interested in trying the small vinyl zipper pouch. This is a good use of  leftover bits of zipper and vinyl. There is also a small round pouch that looks super fun and could be a great way to fussy cut a small motif you like. Kristina uses a handbag zipper for this pouch. I would use a smaller zipper, but it is good to know that a handbag zipper works. She also has a trinket basket in various sizes, which is great for organizing.

If you want to know how to use the Wing Clipper, check out a tutorial I found by accident. I found it on the Quilting Affection Designs blog.

I saw several new bag designers recently. One was Andrie Designs. The team there have a blog and post regularly. While we all have plenty of bag and pouch patterns, I thought some of these had great shapes.

It’s a little late now, but a good time to get started on a Holiday 2025 project. This Moravian Star tutorial was posted by AQS.  Another option is the Scandinavian Folded Star ornament. I found a tutorial on the SandyStar blog. I wanted to make these for small gifts, but decided not to make myself crazy. Maybe next year.

Check out all the different tutorials available on the AQS site. Some I saw were about binding, pinning, designing your own quilt and many others. I didn’t know this resource existed and was pleased with the quality. A few of the tutorials direct readers straight to YouTube videos.

Want to declutter in 2025? Just Get It Done Quilts has a declutter challenge starting on January 1.

I didn’t see anything earth shattering in this new-to-me group of patterns from Linda Handmade, but some of them were interesting, such as the family travel wallet. The Lindsling is also an interesting shape. I couldn’t quite figure out where you put larger items.

I haven’t worked on any of the Arabesque Scissors patterns I bought. Maybe in 2025. I was perusing her blog and saw the Creator’s Companion pattern. If you are getting a planner for Christmas or Hannukah, then you might want this cover pattern to enhance your new organizational goals. You might want to use a little vinyl in place of some of the fabrics so you can see your stuff.

Also, if you want a printable planning sheet for preparing to create your quilts, Arabesque Scissors has that also.

Have you seen the Pantone Color of the Year for 2025? UGH! They call it Mocha Mousse, which sounds delicious. In reality, the color is a depressing beige. The IG video makes it look fabulous, but it is just beige. I guess those fancy color people were just depressed.

I found a really good tutorial on pinning of all things!

The Kona Color of the Year for 2025 is better than ‘Mocha Mousse’. It is Nocturne and it is a deep purple. Lovely.

I was really interested to be introduced to Sewfisticated. Jassie is a bag designer and her bags are different from some of the designers with whom I am familiar. The FoldnZip Pixie looks like it could be useful for a quilt tools bag. She is one of the designers in the Bag of the Month Club for 2025.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

I have talked about LP Sharp, the company to which I send my rotary blades for credit and recycling. I was talking with Mary the other day and couldn’t find the name. It was clear out of my brain. I wanted to share it with her as they do give a discount when you send them old blades. I am pretty sure they recycle rotary blades they can’t resharpen and re-sell. Try them out. I have been using them for years.

I have only about half a yard left of the Paris fabric I have been using for my sister’s bags. On a whim, I went looking for it. It is old, so I figured it was long out of print and not available. Amazingly enough I found 3 yards of it on a site called US Fabric Shop. When I had a moment, I went to look at the site. They have a LOT of different fabrics. Need a team fabric (except Cal)? Need some peacocks? Travel fabrics? This is your store. I was able to find some new Stonehenge with Celtic knots that was very appealing. They have that chocolate fabric I have used to make pillowcases! I am pretty excited about that. I don’t have anyone for whom to make pillowcases at the moment, but I am keeping that tab open. I will need to buy some more travel fabric for the nephew’s pillowcases, so maybe I’ll add a couple of yards of chocolate as well.

This is listed on Amazon as “MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband for Holding Screws, Nails, Drill Bits for Men”. I think this could certainly be used for quiltmaking. What do you think?

If you want to know everything there is to know about sizes in yardage, check Brown Bird Designs Ultimate Cheat Sheet On The Yard + Make Your Own Pre-cuts. This is a woman after my own heart.

I received an email from Hawthorne Threads about Anna Maria’s new line, Loves Hue. It is all about stripes and I really like the Marathon in Vintage and Marathon in Circus. I could really use those for bindings. I need to see them in person and look forward to them coming to a shop near me.

Media, Books and Articles

My DH does Artle every day, or nearly every day. One day he showed me a piece by June Paik, which I think looks like a quilt. It does until you look closer. I like the outlines as well.

I thought this short video on the archeology of knitting was really interesting. The narrator speaks really quickly, so pay attention!

Other

Are you a Bay Area reader? Join our guild, Bay Area Modern Quilting! We want people who want to socialize, sew, learn and share. We want YOU! Click on the link to see about our activities and join.

**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.

Admin

I have updated the Tutorials page with a link to the new Orange Peel Circle tutorial. Get a Clammy** and try it!

I have updated the Color Improv Donation Quilt page with the new Swamp Thing.

Of course, I updated the Minikins page since I can’t seem to stop making those pouches and bags!

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I am really tempted by the Tula Pink Mini Bag Club. There are some downsides, though. Most importantly I am concerned that I already have the patterns they will send. Still, maybe I will try it for a few months.

Basketweave Baby is moving up my ‘To Make’ list. In the meantime I have been looking at woven patterns. I saw one by Leah Day that I might make as a quick baby quilt.

Julie has a great post about pre-washing with example photos. While you make your own choices, if you don’t normally pre-wash your fabric, you must read it.

Need to find the average for a border? Check out this site that shows the  decimal equivalents of eights, sixteenths, thirty-seconds and sixty-fourths of an inch. 

The Bonnie Hunter 2024 Mystery, Old Town is coming on November 22, 2024. Check out the preliminary blog post.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Take a deep dive into using fabrics and images with EQ8. Check out the recent blog post.

Friend Julie has a post about the new Sew Tites Rotating Cutting Mat. She always does great product reviews, so if you are thinking of buying this product, take a look.

I was very pleased to see that you can download fabric images in different formats for EQ8 and other uses. I downloaded Sweet & Plenty.

At the Granary the other day, I saw a large selection of pre-made BIAS binding. I have plenty of fabric from which to make binding, but I like the colors (MUCH better than those packages** at old timey sewing shops and also on Amazon). The tape is made by Moda and is 2.25 inches wide and already pressed in half. I thought there was a good selection of colors as well. If you go onto the Moda site, they have even more colors than pictured here.

I found a list of design wall companies from who knows when. Sadly, none of the websites were operational. What design walls have you seen lately? Yes, I know how to make one and have done so, but do you know of any design wall companies you have used or like?

Media, Books and Articles

Friend Julie mentioned the Hey Quilter newsletter in her September Cornucopia. I thought I would share here in case you missed it.

NQR

Another 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 going into 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.

Admin

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.

Admin

The Minikins page is updated again. So many patterns! So little time.

The Niece-phews page has also been updated. The more nieces and nephews I get the more quilts get added to that page!

The Quilts in Print page is one I haven’t looked at in a long time. I took the time to update it this month when a quilt was mentioned in a book I was reading.

The Color Strip and Chunk page has also been updated to include the new green top as well as some new formatting.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

Friend Julie found a Backpack Organizer tutorial and posted it in her July Cornucopia post. She has a lot of other interesting links on a variety of topics as well.

At PIQF I was startled by a designer who was glad I had returned to her booth and was ready to demo something like the 1 hour circle technique for me. I was startled because I had never visited Snapdragon Quilting before. Once we got that straightened out, I was able to look around the booth. I like the patterns she has designed. They are fresh and fun. It is also great to see a new and enthusiastic designer. She has a blog. One of her posts has good information about pre-washing fabric.

Check out the new subscription box options from Alison Glass. Kudos to her and her team for thinking up something new: 2.5 inch squares. There are a lot of good quilts to make from 2.5 inch squares!

Create Whimsy has an EPP resource page. It includes tools, supplies, books and a lot of information to help you start learning English Paper Piecing.

Need some binding refreshers? Ali from Arabesque Scissors has three different binding options on a recent blog post.

MaryC did a trunk show at the guild meeting this month. I loved the show and learned so much about her quiltmaking life! One thing I didn’t know is how much she loves Jelly Rolls. One quilt she made is called Simplify from Cluck Cluck Sew. This is a great quilt and I might want to make it. I don’t really want to buy another pattern, however.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Have you seen all the new kits, fabric, patterns and books on Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s website?

Check out the new fabrics on Sewing Party’s website.

Media, Books and Articles

Desiree Habicht designed the steampunk aquatic print I bought at Feather Your Nest in Gresham. I went looking for more information and found an interview with her on Create Whimsy. I love reading about how artists get to where they are and how they find inspiration. Find more about her work at her website, Desiree Designs.

The DAR is hosting a symposium on November 1 about the role of sewing and textiles in American history, and it features a lecture on “Quilts as Messengers” Lynne Zacek Bassett! In this lecture, Bassett will explore the historical roots of today’s popular use of quilts to convey powerful messages. If you’re interested in learning more about how quilts have been used to express love, sorrow, protest, piety, community, patriotism, and memory, this is the event for you! You can learn more about the symposium  on Eventbrite.

Other Artists

OMG! What is happening? Quiltmakers are passing away at an alarming rate! We lost Faith Ringold in April. Recently, I talked about my sadness at Ruth McDowell’s passing. In the last week or so I heard that Carol Lyles Shaw, Freddy Moran and Sarah Bond also passed away. I am really sad. The guild had a very successful workshop last year with Carol Lyles Shaw. I didn’t take it, but I have been enjoying the results and the confidence people got from her.

As far as I can tell, Freddy Moran does not have her own website, though search results point to a number of artists and journalists talking to her or about her. There are a number of videos. I was a fan of Gwen Marston and became more of a fan of Freddy when the two of them started to collaborate. Their book, Collaborative Quilting**, is wonderful. I worked with red and pink as backgrounds and was thrilled when Freddy started to tout red as a neutral.

Finally, I am really sad about Sarah Bond. She had been fighting breast cancer for years. She couldn’t quit her engineering job to teach full time, because of the health insurance. She needed it for her illness.  Her work is shown on her IG feed. I am sad because she was young, but also because I loved her designs and never got the chance to take a class from her. I really like her Flying Geese quilt and the plates quilt(s). I don’t see any patterns or a website for her, but will continue looking.

I guess this is a lesson to take the classes I want to take when I can, don’t wait.

NQR

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.

Tim showed me a bag he bought recently on his travels. It is from Coba and made of some kind of thick felt. It is a really interesting bag.

**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.

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.

Admin

Do you want to be ready for anything in quiltmaking? Check out the Quilt Class and Teaching page. And, get in touch if you want to learn a wide variety of techniques. I am hoping to start a class at the end of July.

I updated the Color Chunk & Strip Donation Top page.

The Niece-phews page has also been updated.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

Carrie sent me a link to using up scraps. It is based on Elizabeth Hartman’s ‘Map of the States’ tutorial. Unfortunately, the content no longer exists on the new elizabethhartman.com site. Yes, I did check. Remember that using scraps is very personal. If you cannot deal with scraps, shove them in a pet bed and move on with your life. Don’t stress because you aren’t using your scraps. I wrote a post recently about using my scraps.

Take a look at this tutorial for making Flying Geese.

Anna Maria is coming out with a pattern called Echinacea. Pink Door has pre-orders now, but it is only for the fabric, it seems. The website says the pattern will be available in November from Free Spirit. There aren’t a lot of details so I am holding off for now.

It’s a beautiful quilt, but that is a lot of applique’ for me.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

The first thing I noticed about the Color Cube is that it was very attractive. Those little squares of color really pulled me in. The Color Cube comes in 2 volumes, each containing 250 color combinations as cards. The idea is that you use them to choose color combinations. The hex codes are on the back, which are great for digital artists, but can’t really be used by quiltmakers as we never know what our favorite designers used for colors. As I have experienced with the Pantone Project, the leap from paper to fabric isn’t always smooth. Still these would be fun to look at or use for inspiration.

I was referred to a template site in hopes I could get some bag templates made. I was thinking of templates like Moni Malene uses in her reels on IG. I am not sure they have that sort of thing.

Media, Books and Articles

Check out the current size of the quilting industry.

I read this NYT article about LL Bean tote bags. While we do not have to copy the LL Bean classic tote bag, the same feelings can come from a tote bag you make. Perhaps you have a pattern you love (mine is the Jane Market Tote) and you make often. If you often make it as a gift, people might look forward to getting their own. I do like the sturdiness of the LL Bean tote bags as well as the open wide design. Check your library if you do not have a subscription.

Do you want some awesome inspiration? Check out Christine A. Moore Millinery. Yes! Millinery! Hats! She is the Official Milliner of Breeders’ Cup and makes hats for the Kentucky Derby.

Other Artists

Gustaf Westman is a furniture designer and he has some interesting furniture.

NQR

As mentioned last time, my sister is opening a Sanctuary for dogs who need a place to stay while their people get treatment for various addictions. She has a GoFundMe and I hope you will donate. Even $1 helps.

Admin

Because I love the Minikins patterns, I have made more of them and, thus have updated the Minikins page.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

 Moni Malene has some interesting pouch patterns. The pattern appears to have just one main pattern piece that you sew and fold into a pouch. I see a number of her videos on Instagram.

For a long time I have been using the AllPeopleQuilt video tutorial for a binding invisible join. It worked really well at the beginning, but lately it hasn’t been working. The binding has been coming out too saggy/baggy and as I hand stitch the back of the binding down, I have had to adjust to the bagginess. Finally, I got fed up and went looking for another tutorial. I found several, of course, but tried the Madam Sew tutorial. This tutorial was not ideal, but it worked a little better than the AllPeopleQuilt tutorial this time. I know the basics of an invisible join, so it didn’t matter than I couldn’t follow the end of Step 3. The measuring is the key and that, I think, has been the problem. Something about the differences in the way the two tutorials measure the ends of the binding makes one work and one not work. What do you use as a guide?

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Cutter Pillar magnet sets work with your lightbox to hold your design in place. I bought a set and will let you know what I think.

Media, Books and Articles

In Make Modern Issue 57 ( can subscribe to the library’s electronic copy via Libby-try it!), Sarah Ashford writes an article called 10 Minutes a Day. In the short article, she talks about the benefits of quiltmaking and how getting it back into our life when it has been banished by life can help our health. She also gives ideas about what you can do in 10 minutes. I am a huge fan of this type of strategy. The other day I had 10 minutes left in my lunch hour so I sewed one seam shut on several pouches I was making. Did I finish the pouches?

No.

Sarah adds up the minutes for us, which really brings the power of 10 minutes per day into focus. 10 minutes per day becomes 1 hour, 10 minutes per week. 1 hour, 10 minutes per week becomes 4 hours and 40 minutes per month.

Did I make progress?

Yes.

As you know I like to finish things, but I really care about progress. Just finishing that one seam means I have one less thing to go next time I get to sew. Make some progress.

A kind friend sent me a pattern out of the blue. It is the Encore Purse Insert by Studio Kat Designs. This is fortuitous as I have been thinking of making myself a purse organizer. I am not familiar with this pattern so I went looking for reviews. I only found one, but in the course of my travels, I found a site with a ‘knowledgebase‘ that includes a variety of different sewing topics. Note the topics are general sewing related, as far as I could tell. You have to be a member to see search results, so I can’t tell you about the quality.

Events, Shops, Exhibits and Shows

The Quilter’s Hall of Fame has a GoFundMe. They are in urgent need of funds for repairs, maintenance, and preparation for our upcoming Celebration and induction of our 2024 Honoree in July. Read more by clicking on the link.

Ace Makerspace is a new (to me) member supported 501c3 makerspace in Oakland near Emeryville here in the Bay Area. SIL2 and I met them at the EBHQ Show last month. This was one of the bright spots of the show. The 24/7 shared workspace includes classes and skill-sharing. They have several different sections that include Textiles, 3D printing, art, a laser, woodwork, metalworking and a large collection of other types of tools and areas. They have 25+ classes that are open to the public every month. You can take classes without being a member, which is nice since memberships are on the steep side

Admin

My friend, Kathy, posted this on her Facebook page and I think it is a pretty awesome quote.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

Do you need to start thinking about small gifts for teachers or co-workers? Try the coffee cozy by Sew Hungry Hippie. Natalie has a video tutorial to help you be successful.

Larissa has just released some new wool felt projects. They are stars and can be used as Christmas decorations as well as other types of decorations. Her patterns are available exclusively from her Etsy shop.

Recently I watched a Fresh Quilting Episode where the host showed how to sew a multicolored binding. I went looking for that episode and found some others as well. Sylvia Schaeffer talks about straight seams and angled seams when doing a multicolored binding.

I couldn’t decide whether this tidbit should go in this category or in NQR. It is definitely not quilt related, but something in which I dabble from time to time. I just finished the book End of Story by A.J. Finn. In it one of the characters folds paper butterflies. I imagined them as large and complicated. I had to look up some tutorials. I didn’t find what I saw in my mind, but I saw a few tutorials and will let you know if I try one. This one by Michelle looks the most intricate.  One from MyCrafts only has a video, which is both good and bad. The Mavink site has a collage of different kinds of paper butterfly tutorials. I’ll let you know if I try folding one.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Fabricworm has moved. Visit them in their new space at 1745 Riverside Ave. Suite A Paso Robles, CA 93446

I saw another request for ideas about where people shop in one of my Facebook groups. Whenever I see that kind of post I wonder if there are people who don’t Google fabric they want then shop online? To each his/her own. Anyway, one of the good things about this request is the suggestions. One was Sew Yeah. I have never heard of them, but they have some interesting fabric.

Brooklyn Fabric has a lot of fabric (not all!) for $9-$11 per yard.

Media, Books and Articles

The New Yorker Magazine has an article called Piecing for Cover, about quiltmaking. A quote from the article explains how quiltmaking helps me when it says “Quilting is a craft that requires the use of the brain and the body, that involves the senses of sight, touch, sound, and smell, that requires mathematical calculation, forward planning, and rapt attention. It begins with a pattern, or, in the case of what’s known as improv quilting, an idea, an emotion, or even just a whim. (“Today, I’m in the mood to make circles!”) Then there’s the fabric. You choose it not only by color but also by how it feels in your hand. For this pattern or idea should the fabric be slick, or should it be nubbly? Do I want to see and feel the warp and weft or am I going for a sleeker effect? Even the smell of the fabric comes into play: it has a mellow, warm aroma, especially under a hot iron.”

Quiltmania is shutting down. Website / IG post. This makes me sad. Go buy a magazine.

Events, Shops, Exhibits and Shows

You know PIQF will be held in July, right?

Other Artists

Friend Julie shared these cool prints with me.

NQR

My sister is setting up a sanctuary for dogs who need temporary shelter. Check out the volunteering page. Her descriptions are hilarious.

Admin

The Minikins page is updated with my recent Piebald pouches and some other links I needed to add.

The Quilt Class and Teaching page has also been updated. Do you want to be ready for anything in quiltmaking? Get in touch if you want to learn a wide variety of techniques. I am hoping to start a class at the end of July.

I updated the Color Improv donation top page with some new information.

I finally was able to take some good photos of my Pointillist Palette quilts. I will show each one in its own post down the road. In the meantime, I have updated the Pointillist Palette page.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

DH thought up these fun decorations for his flycasting club potluck. Aren’t they clever?

Carrie shared a cute bird block pattern with me.

At Bag Club, we talked about Noodlehead patterns in preparation for our group project, the Oxbow Tote. In the course of the conversation, Lynette mentioned the Noodlehead Open Wide pouch, which is a free pattern. Be sure to look at the updated size chart as well. Perhaps I’ll make one to reacquaint myself with her patterns.

Judy Martin wrote in her most recent newsletter “…one common practice makes absolutely no sense to me: cutting strips on the crosswise grain. The lengthwise grain is parallel to the selvage; the crosswise grain is perpendicular to it. Why does this matter? Primarily because the crosswise grain is so much stretchier compared to lengthwise. There is simply no reason to start your sewing off on the wrong foot when lengthwise or crosswise strips take the exact same effort and skill. You can see a vivid demonstration of how stretchy fabric is on the crosswise grain compared to lengthwise…

Another advantage of lengthwise strips is how well the strips follow the print. I cut my strips 18″ long and call them short strips. That length works perfectly for the fat quarters and half-yard cuts of fabric that I use so often. Since I usually make scrap quilts, the shorter-than-your-usual crosswise strips offer much greater scrap variety. Best of all, you don’t have to throw out everything you’ve learned about rotary cutting to start using short lengthwise strips today. Everything is the same except the length of your strips and the direction that you turn the fabric when you cut it.”

See what she means  by watching her video. I have known this technique for years and I should do this, but I don’t like cutting off strips parallel to the selvedge. That seems really dumb, so I may have to change my ways.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Have you seen the new line of Philip Jacobs fabrics? I saw them at Sew Hungry Hippie. I am totally in love with this print. I am usually not much of green girl, but this is just so fabulous.

He has quite a few flower prints in his new collection. I am not surprised, but very pleased. The Dorothy designs are interesting.

I haven’t been a huge fan of his feathers, but I really like the yellow colorway. The floating Hibiscus from last year is still available and very tempting. He has a new flower print (coming in August) called Papaver in a grey that is different from some of his other prints.

Martha Negley has a new vegetable print that is similar to some she has had in the past. No idea when it is coming out. I really need to sew faster!

These socks mean that you will always have a color wheel with you.

Media, Books and Articles

A follow-up article to the Women’s View exhibit was posted. You can still see the show. It is open until April 26.

In a recent New York Times article from the Well section, they talk about working with your hands. In the article, Dr. Lambert has another hypothesis. “With depression, people experience something called learned helplessness, where they feel like it doesn’t matter what they do, nothing ever works,” she said. She believes that working with one’s hands is stimulating to the brain, and that it could even help counteract this learned helplessness. “When you put in effort and can see the product of that, like a scarf you knitted, I think that builds up a sense of accomplishment and control over your world.” The article is well worth reading and distributing to others.

Events, Shops, Exhibits and Shows

I visited the East Bay Heritage Quilter’s Guild show last weekend. It was held in Oakland, once again, after many years in Richmond. It was clear that the show was very well organized and had a lot of interesting stalls outside of the quilt show. There were a number of interesting quilts. I was attracted to the geometric quilts in bright colors. I was disappointed that most of the vendors were clothing, housewares, jewelry and skincare vendors. I was in the mood to buy quilt things and there was not much available.  New Pieces was there with a few fat quarter packs. They didn’t bring any yardage to cut.

Other Artists

Want to see some one-of-a-kind tapestries by Kaffe? Take a look at his gallery. They are amazing.

One of the quilts at the EBHQ Show was by someone who did the Julia McLeod “Lone Robin” prompt project. I found some of the prompts on the SFQG website. The prompts are from 2021, so it would have been a pandemic project. I don’t know when EBHQ hosted the project or whether the artist engaged in the project at another show. I thought it was a good idea and I really liked how the quilt came out.

Admin

The Minikins page is updated with new Bluestem pouches, a new Piebald pouch and new I Spy pouches.

The Quilt Class and Teaching page has also been updated. Get in touch if you want to learn a wide variety of techniques. I am hoping to start a class at the end of July.

The Quilts in Print page has been updated with one new book.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

My friend, Carrie, is always sending me different tutorials and pattern ideas, mostly for bags and pouches. She recently showed me the IG feed of AtelierCoraCaoEmRetalHos. She has some great bag shapes and some clever ways of putting them together.  Very inspiring.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

The Quik Hang Magnetic Quilt Hanging System is the new product from Sew Tites. As I have said before, those women are on fire! The product enables quiltmakers to hang quilts and wallhangings using magnets. I haven’t tried it, but it does look interesting. “The system has 4 metal strips with pre-drilled holes to install permanently onto your wall and 6 super-strong SewTites magnets. You can leave the strips white or paint them to match your walls before installation. You may use all four strips, spaced however far apart you would like them, or just use two or three to accommodate all of the sizes of quilts you make.”

Media, Books and Articles

The MQG has a catalog of QuiltCon quilts for purchase. Pre-orders are available now. Note: I could only find the link to purchase on the MQG’s IG page. It was not on their website.

Events, Shops, Exhibits and Shows

Women’s Work 1 is in a show called Women’s View, March 1-April 26, 2024. The page for this quilt has been updated as well.

There is an interesting exhibit at the deYoung called Lee Mingwei: Rituals of Care. It includes a part where the artist and/or his assistants will embellish torn clothes for you. The information about the exhibits is evocatively written in the article.

Other Artists

A friend of mine has become a master glass artist. Check out her website, Glass Art by Tracey, to see some beautiful pieces, such as bowls, cake stands (or footed bowls?) and wine racks.

Admin

I updated the gifts post as I received something recently.

I also updated the Color Strip & Chunk donation top page. I have made 16 of these tops!

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

It is so much easier to open a zipper on one of my bags when I attach a zipper pull. I have been trying to find nice zipper pulls in packages of several. I found some on Amazon**, but wonder if you have ever bought them? These look easy to use and have a nice design.

I heard about Felt Right Tiles, which some quiltmakers are raving about. I almost went ahead and bought a set to replace the ‘new’ design wall. I am not happy with the current large design wall, because my fabric pieces don’t stick to it. I am glad I read more about the Felt Right tiles before I took the plunge. One of the FAQs on their site says “Will quilting fabric designs stick to Felt Right tiles without pins?
Some quilters choose to apply batting or flannel to the tiles before placing pieces of fabric. Without batting, you will need to use pins or thumbtacks to hang fabric.” Having to add felt or batting kind of defeats the purpose for me, though they would be snug against the wall, which would be convenient. I’ll keep looking.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

The guild had a pincushion swap for the holiday party. This set my mind to thinking about pincushions, which I looked at on Instagram and Pinterest for a few days. Carrie shared a pincushion image with me, which sent me off to the blog post about it. It is from Anna Graham’s (Noodle-Head) book, Handmade Style**. I am also sharing the tutorial for a Wagon Wheel pincushion, another one from from Noodle-Head. I like round pincushions.

I am working my way through various Quiltfolk issues. One for Illinois has Mary Fons’ Little Black Dress Quilt on the front. I might want to make this quilt. It looks interesting, so I went hunting. I found a picture of it straight on. I also found that you can buy the pattern from Quilting Daily.

Jane Sassaman has a virtual class coming up in January and February. I want to take it, but the time is inconvenient, so I have to think about it.

K Azcona Designs has some interesting shaped bag patterns such as Y-fronts, stars, ice cream cones and hearts.

Media, Books and Articles

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is looking for volunteers! In 2024 The Museum will be launching a new community program; our very own Social Needlework Circle. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to offer support during our drop-in hours. We are excited to grow together and welcome you to our fiber community. If you’re interested in joining our team, please fill out their form. 

I recommend the Sewcial Sunday video from Sew Sweetness, if you are interested in waxed canvas. Sara interviews a friend who is an expert in using waxed canvas.

Events, Shops, Exhibits and Shows

Jonathan Shannon’s quilts are at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles through April 7. He had at least one quilt at an EBHQ show where I also displayed a quilt. At the beginning of my quiltmaking adventure, his quilts were VERY controversial because of the themes of some of his quilts. Seeing his quilts inspired me to make some quilts commenting on political situations. Seeing what he experienced gave me the courage to express bottled up feelings about situations where I was powerless. I am thrilled that the museum has 20 of his quilts. The link above shows several that I remember seeing in person.

I stumbled across the site, Abandoned America, on Atlas Obscura. It has a lot of interesting photos, though I am not 100% in love with the old, decrepit, and broken places. There is a kind of beauty in the photos. Also, it dovetails with a book I read last year, They Disappeared**, which features a lot of abandoned buildings and urban explorers. It is a good book with a lot of layers, a murder mystery, of course.

Other Artists

I have a soft spot in my heart for felt food. I have no idea why. I just think it is wonderful and a great toy for kids. You can imagine how thrilled I was to Lucy Sparrow’s work discussed in a local paper. I went looking at some of the links and saw this amazing spread for the Queen’s Jubilee. This UK artist’s website is full of wonderful images, too. I saw in one blog post that she sews on a Janome!

Julie wrote a post about the Hackney Bag I made her.

This is how creativity and working on some projects is for me. I didn’t make the difficult bags and quilts I make now when I started out. Even now, when I know a lot more, I go through this process.

Thanks to @mounika.studio for a great drawing.

**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.

Admin

If you care about pouches, I updated the Minikins page again.

I am tempted to put all of my donation quilts on one page and all of my other quilts on a different page.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Janome came out with the Continental M17. I was sort of interested when Sarah talked about it. She also wrote a post about the embroidery function, specifically. I saw that the price is almost $20,000. I am not going to do enough machine embroidery to justify that price. The M7, I thought was the same, but the non-embroidery version. It isn’t the same, but is ‘only’ $8000. The M8 is $9000 and also not what I was thinking about. Hhhmm. Maybe they don’t sell the one I was imagining. Or maybe I imagined it! Or I don’t need a new machine.

I do not recommend using your ironing board as a desk. How would you be able to iron your quilt projects? The good thing is that you can raise and lower the height to suit your body’s needs.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a tutorial on using the printed vinyl she sells, like the glitter vinyl I swooned over.

Check out Sarah’s tutorial for Lapped and Felled seams.

Sweetseamz has a great version of the Retreat Bag from Emmaline. Her modifications make it much more useful! The Retreat Bag is a free pattern, though you do need to buy the frame, if you don’t make your own. I have made a few of these, like the Sugar Skull version, and like the open wide design.

If you want to learn rotary cutting, a video that Carrie shared with me is pretty good. Jennie at Clover and Violet talks about using Creative Grids** rulers and the same kind of Olfa rotary cutter** I like. Her point about not using the cutting mat lines to measure is excellent. Please note that pressing your fabric before you cut improves accuracy

Bonnie Hunter has started her annual mystery quilt again. Check out the tab on her blog or go to Part 1.

**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.