Tag: Various & Sundry

Projects, Patterns & Tutorials

Baker Bag from Sew Sweetness. This is a basic zippered, over-the-shoulder bag with a few pockets inside.

I was reminded of the Noodlehead Trail tote. The look isn’t one of my favorites, but Cheryl uses one constantly and I know she loves it.

The Sawyer Bag directions are listed on the Sew Sweetness website. This bag has a couple of hardware loops, but is another basic bag.

The Reversible Box Tote is good for taking along a small knitting project or some quiltmaking handwork. These bags were made for the last BAMQG Retreat and Angela was making some at the CQFA Retreat. They are cool looking and I want to try to make one.

Basic Bucket Tote has a good shape and reminds me of the One Hour Basket, but with longer handles. Another one in which to carry your lunch and reading material on the way to work. I also want to try to make this one.

The Alice Shopper tote has a really interesting handle.

The Laney Reversible Hobo Bag is smallish, but might be good for a lunch bag or small project. Since it is reversible you can put double your favorite fabrics on it!

I am not a big fan of the name of this tote, but perhaps it will make a comeback because of the name. I do like the look of the Ethel tote and think it looks like a useful size and shape. There were no pictures of the inside, so I can’t say if there were pockets or dividers. It was free on Craftsy when I looked.

Thanks to Kathleen for the bag pattern links!

Want some free paper piecing patterns? Super cool patterns? Wombat Quilts has posted some free paper piecing patterns and she has used awesome fabric combinations for the examples. I am not sure why one would need to paper piece all of these patterns, but to each her own. Again, the examples look really good so go forth and make some blocks.

Daisy has posted her latest Outlander Stitch-a-Long pattern. She posts them at the beginning of each month and you can find them all on Craftsy. Check her blog at the beginning of each month for new blocks.

Quiltmaking definitely runs in the Martin/Bennett family. Will Bennett, Judy Martin’s son has a quilt pattern in Quiltmaker magazine, the March/April 2016 issue. It is listed as challenging, which means that if you don’t want to use paper foundation piecing, you need to check out my tutorial on set in seams. 😉

I kind of like this quilt block. It has that lozenge shape again, which I will have to get out of my system at some point.

Tips & Tricks

As you know I am doing an EPP quilt. I saw this suggestion for sewing the pieces together. I tried it when I was adding a big line of stars to the main piece and the stitching was invisible. Nice!

The above tip was for use with The La Passacaglia Quilt, which the Love of Patchwork & Quilting magazine talks about on their blog. This quilt comes from the book Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein. (She has also written Millefiori Quilts 2). This quilt and the style of EPP have become a sensation. Love of Patchwork & Quilting writes “We can’t pinpoint one reason why it’s taken off. At a guess, the blend of precision piecing, geometric shapes and intricate kaleidoscopic fussy cutting, combined with the irregular composition, dizzying rosettes and frankly epic scale of the whole project is a heady cocktail guaranteed to take any English Paper Piecing addict to seventh heaven. Here are just a few of the bloggers who have caught the bug!

• Flossie Teacakes
• Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night
• Lilabelle Lane
• The Little Red Hen
• A Life in Lists
• Sew What Sherlock (includes the coolest stop motion animation videos!)“

Take a look at the quilt and what the other artists have done and tell me what you think. I know a lot of it has to do with the fabric. If I weren’t doing my own EPP project, I might take this on.

Other Artists

If you haven’t seen Pam’s Harry Potter/ Hogwarts quilt, you have to go look at it. It is completely amazing. I enjoyed following along via her podcast during last year as she made it, but the finished object is an incredible feat of quiltmaking.

Libby Lehman is quilting again. Read the February 3, 2016 TQS daily blog to find out about her progress.

Yvonne Porcella died earlier this week after a long battle with cancer. She consistently had a bright and cheerful style that I always admired. TQS has a video about her life and style.

Inspiration

From ResearchBuzz: “18 New York museums had a big Instagram swap day. “Today 18 of New York City’s biggest museums are repping one another’s collections on their Instagram accounts. For 24 hours, each institution will be posting images taken at a partner museum, to draw parallels between the two institutions’ themes and exhibitions.” Cool idea.” Can you do this with your quilt friends?

Fabric, Gifts & Supplies

I didn’t know Tanya had an Etsy Shop. I guess I should pay better attention! She has some cute aprons.

I heard about Barney Pens on The Stitch TV Show. They have sewing implements, such as stilettos and seam rippers, as well. All are gorgeous. Great gifts for your friends, not that any of them have to unsew, of course. 😉

My friend Maureen also has an Etsy shop. Check hers out if you need cards or gifts.

Have you tried the Aurifil online color card?

From the Knitting Department: Isn’t this a beautiful object? I love the spiral. The wood makes me want to touch it.

Events & Exhibits

Make it Modern Events is a new events company owned by my pal, Kathleen! The company is hosting an event in Reno in June and the hotel rooms are unbelievably cheap! Less than $50/night. Of course, there are instructors and will be other quiltmakers there. You should go!

There is now a Reno-Tahoe Modern Quilt Guild. Like the page on Facebook (if the link doesn’t work, search on FB. You know how it is!). If you live in the area, get busy helping to set up meetings.

“Quilts with a Sense of Place” article in the New York Times detailing a citywide exhibit of over 100 quilts in Oakland made by the African American Quilter’s Guild of Oakland. You may need a subscription to read it.

Patterns, Projects and Tutorials

Everyone needs a pincushion and wouldn’t a chicken pincushion make you smile? Check out her tutorials and small projects page for other interesting projects.

The Foldline has an article on using up fabric bits of under a metre (about a yard!). Many clothing patterns.

Meadow Mist is starting a blog series on writing patterns.

Want a BB8 quilt? There is a free pattern posted at the Hunter’s Design Studio site. I am not a fan of the part of the quilt that depicts Ray, but the overall design makes sense. I can’t tell you anything about the directions as I have not made the quilt or read the pattern. Let me know.

Louisa at SewMotion has some pointers to tutorials on inserting zippers into the backs of cushions. Knowing these tutorials are there, and after getting a lot of zipper practice making the Sew Together Bags, I may try insert a zipper closure on my next cushion or pillow cover.

Check out the Improv cactus patterns from Road HOme Quilting. I love the Saguaro!

Charlotte, of Scrapitude fame, has another mystery quilt up: Scrappy Stars Around the Corner. I missed the cutting instructions. She recently released the first sewing clue so I had better get busy if I intend to make this quilt. I haven’t decided, but I am saving the directions.

Other Artists

Jennifer Landau,a CQFA pal, has a spread of her work in Art Quilt studio magazine.

Mark Lipinski has a thank you for all the help and support he received during his illness. You can still Help him with medical bills and lost wages via a donation at the GoFundMe site set up by Meg Cox and Liza Prior Lucy. Over $25000 has been raised. Any amount helps. The goal is $75,000. Mark was in the hospital for over 2 months. He has recently returned home and wrote a post about his journey.

Exhibits and Events

Get ready for National Quilting Day. When I was poking around the Quilt Alliance website I found the following information: “National Quilting Day 2016 25th Anniversary Year! Celebrate the 25th Annual National Quilting Day … on March 19, 2016. The Quilt Alliance is proud to be the new coordinator of this special day! [They] are so proud to take over this tradition from the National Quilting Association and promise to continue providing fun and meaningful ideas for celebrating National Quilting Day, graphics you can use to publicize your own NQD events and a home base for this important day to honor and promote quilting! Click here to view” the NQD 2016 page.

EBHQ Show at Craneway Pavillion March 19-20.

Sherri Lynn Wood speaks at EBHQ on February 29.

From ResearchBuzz: “Lithuania is getting a new modern art museum in 2019, but in the meantime it’s getting an online museum. “[Viktoras] Butkus has collected about 4,000 works of art, mostly over the past six years. They include paintings by surrealist Mikalojus Povilas Vilutis, by Augustinas Savickas — vaguely reminiscent of Chagall — as well as sculptures by Ruta Jusionyte…. Painter Patricija Jurksaityte said the museum would offer a complete map of Lithuanian art unlike the country’s National Gallery, which often displays just a single work from any artist.” The museum’s Web site has an English version (look for the EN link in the upper right corner) so I poked around for a while, and now I really, really want a print of Gintaras Znamierowski’s Victory Boogie Woogie.” (Jan 24, 2016)

Websites, Blogs and Other Artists

Jill, an amazing artist who blogs at the Quilt Rat, now has a YouTube Channel. Jill has participated on and off in the Creative Prompt Project (still going strong!), but also does Scherenschnitte and Zentangle like quilt and embroidery designs.

This quote make feel greedy, but I still love it. See the original.

My Tuffet shows up in one of the posts on the new Scruffy Quilts blog!

Skills and Techniques

Patrick Lose has a video on binding a quilt, which is part of a 12 part series from QNM. This video shows only the  corners. He uses a slightly larger than quarter inch seam allowance – opposite of a scant quarter inch! The basis of the technique seems to be reducing bulk. I look forward to trying it out.

Organization

Need a new organizational system for your life? Take a look at the Bullet Journal. TFQ told me about it. I can’t/ don’t want to do it all, but I do like the index and the page numbering. Brilliant. With the turn of the New Year not very far behind me, I still think about my ‘traditions’ (superstitions?) for the turn of the year. The Yearly Migration blog post on the Bullet Journal blog was very interesting, in light of these thoughts.

Housekeeping

I redid the spreadsheet Pam uses to track her fabric usage. TFQ helped me update it so that I track by project or instance and not by week. Regardless of how it tracks, I need to finish some projects, because I am way up on adding fabric and way down on using fabric. I can say that I am doing a lot of hunting and gathering, but I still need to finish up some projects.

Inspiration

From ResearchBuzz: Stanford University has created a digital archive of Richard Diebenkorn’s sketchbooks. “The Cantor Arts Center recently launched a new website that gives access to the museum’s collection of 29 sketchbooks by Richard Diebenkorn (1922–1993), a renowned artist celebrated as both a central figure in the Bay Area figurative movement and a key figure in the nationwide development of abstract expressionism and color-field painting.”

Patterns, Tutorials and Projects

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is upon in varying degrees. Bil Kerr posted a pattern for a log carrier on Craft Nectar. It looks like a very straightforward project if logs and fires are part of your life.

Part 5 and the Reveal, Part 6, of Bonnie Hunter’s Allietare Mystery Quilt have been posted. You need to download the patterns NOW as she will remove them in May or June of 2016. I have seen some very nice versions of this quilt. The ones I like have been in cooler colors. I may actually make this one.

Sewhooked has a Favorite Things BOM. The patterns are available free for the first two days of the month, then cost $2 each or you can buy the set at the end of the year. I downloaded the first block, but it downloaded to Google Drive and not to my account, so I am locked out of it. Be sure, if you download, the patterns, you download them to a place where you can access them again.

Skills and Techniques

Lucky Spool Publishers has started the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club. Many of the BAMQGers have joined for just $5/month. They describe it as “the first monthly subscription club of its kind that focuses on challenging you with design concepts in the quilt making process. It’s like a gym membership for quilters! From playing with improvisation and negative space to finding inspiration and creating your own compositions …and everything in between…you’ll be challenged each month with a new skill to try, with pages of instructions, examples, and inspiration from one of your favorite quilters.” I am interested to see what they do, but don’t want to put another ‘should’ or ‘must’ on my list. I am also not much interested in playing with negative space or more on improvisation, which is to say that it may not be for me, but it could be just right for you. Or you could just look at my quilt class tutorials.

I was watching Season 24 episode 12 of Fons & Porter last night, which was showing the steps to make a project called Cubed. Cubed is a quilt made from 60 degree diamonds with Mary Fons and Jodie Davis hosting. This is a GREAT episode. Mary really does a good job of explaining these diamonds and the tricks to getting perfect patchwork. Additionally, they include a worksheet for adding borders. This is a useful worksheet for every quiltmaker and I suggest that you download it immediately. Watch the episode if you can.

Via Twitter, I saw a post about binding with a decorative stitch, but not the way you are thinking. Check out the Auribuzz blog for the details.

Exhibits and Events

BAMQG pal, Mel Beach, has a quilt selected as one of 12 finalists in the CREA-TV Quilt Challenge. See all the winning/finalists quilts on the Be Creative! Quilt Challenge website.

Supplies and Fabric

Mary, a fellow BAMQGer, shared the WAWAK site with me. She highly recommended it for zippers and other notions. I did look at the site and like their filters for weeding out items. I haven’t ordered from them, but will let you know how it goes when I do.

Articles and Information

Creative people’s brains do work differently. Read the article on the research and the conclusions. I thought that this section was particularly interesting …”it seemed that creative people were more introspective. This led to increased self-awareness, including a greater familiarity with the darker and more uncomfortable parts of themselves. It may be because they engage with the full spectrum of life—both the dark and the light—that writers score high on some of the characteristics that our society tends to associate with mental illness. Conversely, this same propensity can lead them to become more grounded and self-aware. In openly and boldly confronting themselves and the world, creative-minded people seemed to find an unusual synthesis between healthy and “pathological” behaviors.” Another interesting bit: “…creativity is messy”

Housekeeping

I updated the blog theme. After several years of having the same theme, I decided it was time to take advantage of some of the new features and functionality available with the newer themes. The most important of which is that the photos and posts will be more mobile friendly. Supposedly. I am still tweaking the options for this theme so there will be some more changes to come. You don’t have to stay tuned, because you will see them!

Exhibitions and Events
The QuiltCon cancellation fee is changing TOMORROW. Through Dec. 31, there is a 50% cancellation fee, but after Jan. 1, no refunds will be available. View the full cancellation policy here.

Quilts Inc. Has a call for special exhibits.  They welcome submissions for proposed exhibits for future editions of International Quilt Festival. If you have an exhibit proposal or a curated exhibit that you would like us to consider for inclusion at a future show, please email our Special Exhibits Coordinator, Becky Navarro. The page also has a list of already scheduled special exhibits.

The Best of Show quilt at Houston IQA was by Janet Stone and called Ewe Are My Sunshine. It is cheerful. The applique’ quilts seem to do very well.

Articles, Books, Newsletters and Magazines
Northern California Quilt Council has a their January 2016 newsletter up. NCQC puts together the New Quilts of Northern California Exhibit at PIQF. There is a GREAT tree quilt included. If you have no other reason to care about Northern California quilts, take a look at the newsletter so you can see that quilt.

In the recent Stashed e-newsletter put out by GenerationQ the following information on the NQA  quilt judging program was shared:

“A new group is picking up where the National Quilting Association and its remarkable quilt judge certification program left off.

After the association disbanded recently, the judges that it certified formed the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ).”The Certified Judge Program has been such a strong voice for fair and professional quilt judging that we did not want to let the program fade away,” says Andi Perejda, the NACQJ spokesperson and a certified judge herself.

The group’s goal is to ensure that quilters participating in a competition have the opportunity for recognition and to receive objective, fair and thoughtful written evaluations that will help build their confidence.

Andi adds that certified judges recognize the emerging movements inn art and modern quilting.

At its website, the NACQJ has a list of certified judges along with their contact information and tips for involving judges in organizing a competition and setting categories.

In 2016, NACQJ will begin welcoming applicants to its judge certification program.”

Tutorials, Projects and Patterns
Modern Quilt Studio, as I mentioned in a previous issue, has a YouTube Channel. One of their first tutorials was about inset circles. Check out Ruth McDowell’s book on Piecing. You may have to get a used version, but it is totally worth it if you are interested at all in technique. MQS also have a binding tutorial in part 1 and part 2. I haven’t watched either of these videos, so you’ll have to tell me how they are.

After reading my BBE post, Annemarie asked about patterns for mat/ruler totes, but in the landscape orientation. Fons and Porter had a landscape version on their show using prequilted fabric. It is show #1206 and they have the pattern for sale. The pattern is also in Easy Quilts, Summer 2008. You can watch the show on QNN TV about the bag for $5.99. Angie’s Quilts has a photo filled tutorial using measurements from her actual mat and rulers. Moda Bakeshop has a tutorial using a Layer Cake. A bag on the Old Dart Room blog looks like it might be a pattern, but I don’t see a link. I found a mobile ironing board and cutting mat pattern, to which handles could be added to make a carrying case. Because I Say Sew has another similar tutorial with the handles already added. I found a Pinterest board and followed a couple of the links to no avail. There have to be some more patterns out there. I’ll keep looking. Let me know if you know of a free or for purchase pattern.

Daisy created an Armchair Buddy Tutorial. You can get started on Christmas and birthday gifts for 2016.

The Janome/ Michael Miller 100 Blocks in 50 Days project wrapped up on Christmas. You can still download all the blocks from that website. Because I am a fiend for blocks, I did save them. I had an idea that I would make all of them, which is laughable now, given the time of the year. I wasn’t wowed by any of them and was a little disappointed to see some classic blocks renamed as part of the project. For example, day 50 had a Dutchman’s Puzzle and it was renamed Pointed Geese. I like the block and think the color choices were good. I would have just liked to have seen some reference to its original name. Perhaps a better challenge would be to take Jinny Beyer’s book, The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, and give designs from it to modern designers and have them re-imagine those blocks in modern fabrics.

A recent Stashed newsletter had a pattern for a sewing machine cover which includes some embroidery.

Websites and Blogs

I was very pleased to hear that Adrianne from Little Bluebell blog and former President of BAMQG has purchased the Pink Chalk properties. You might remember that I wrote about the sale in a recent post. There will certainly be changes, but I am glad this shop will not go out of existence. Kathy did a good job creating the brand and I hope Adrianne nurtures it to further success.

Mark Lipinski was in the hospital for over 2 months. He has recently returned home and wrote a post about his journey. If you want to help with medical bills, you can make a donation at the GoFundMe site set up by Meg Cox and Liza Prior Lucy. Over $5000 was raised in the first day, which is amazing to me. It is shocking that we live in a country where people have to raise money to pay their medical bills, but it is what it is at this time. Any amount helps.

UGH! Copyright fights again. Bleah. I don’t hate copyright, but I do sincerely dislike it that people spread false information. I found a blog post after clicking on one of Nonnie’s links, that I think has good and useful information AND is cited. I am not a lawyer, but have worked in law firms for long enough to know that you can say whatever you want, but without citations, it is just your opinion.

Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville posted a great definition of stress vs. passion. I want it in poster form.

Pink Chalk’s Adrianne has some musings about Robert Kaufman’s new color of the year. The color of the year is called either Highlight or Unabashedly Yellow. It is a bright yellow and I think it would fit very well with 1930s feeling quilts especially those using lilac and bubble gum pink solids. Let me know what you think.

Fabric and Sew-a-Longs

Need an older or out of print fabric? Try Obie’s, if you can stand it. The review makes it sound fantastic and frightening.

The Patchwork Almanac, a GenQ Quilt-a-Long is coming in 2016. This quilt -a-long was designed by GenQ’s own Scott Hansen, also of Blue Nickle Studios fame, to use up your scraps. There is a picture, but for directions and more info, you will have to wait for the next issue.

NQR

If you like mysteries or character driven novels, read Meg Gardinier’s blog post, where I am mentioned. Then buy The Dirty Secrets Club or another one of her books for “light” New Year’s Day reading.

Housekeeping
I updated the tutorials page to include the Wine Bottle Gift Bag guidelines. These make great gifts. I may make these guidelines into more of a tutorial, but for the moment, what you see is what you get.

Fabric

I received some Portuguese fabric from a friend. They were in a fabric shop in Portugal on vacation and thought of me. Isn’t that sweet? The lengths are quite large and may be suitable for a very elegant dress.

Exhibitions and Events
The QuiltCon cancellation fee is changing at the end of this month. Through Dec. 31, there is a 50% cancellation fee, but after Jan. 1, no refunds will be available. View the full cancellation policy here.

Alex Anderson will be teaching a 3 Day block class at Alden Lane Nursery January 16-18, 2016, 9am-4pm. Sign up by calling 925-447-0280 and asking for Cyndee, Becky or Ruth.

Patterns & Tutorials
Bonnie Hunter has her 2015 Mystery Quilt well underway. Find Part 1, posted on Black Friday. Part 2 was posted the week of 12/1. Please note that if you are reading this after 2016, the patterns have been removed from the Quiltville site.

I am making a Sew Together Bag and someone pointed me to the Quilt Barn Sew-a-Long. the tutorials were posted last year, but the pictures and tips are a great addition to the pattern. You do need the pattern to use the Sew-a-Long tutorial.

Yes, you still have time to make a Christmas table runner. Charlotte posted a lovely pattern she designed in just my colors. It is so fresh and pretty!

I never heard of Taylor Hackbarth, but I love the design of his wine tote. It would be great for a housewarming gift or a hostess gift. You could put other bottles of tasty treats in it besides wine, too. You will need the pattern as well as the blog post. His blog bio states that he has a goal of making his own clothes and that the blog was started to document that process. I saw a sew-a-long for a backpack on the blog, but no posts about clothes. I didn’t read the entire blog.

Articles, Magazines & Books

I know that magazines and books ARE media, but I wanted to separate out the print publications for videos, movies and such.

The Modern Quilt Studio will have a new issue of Quilts Illustrated soon. Order on their website. You can also get collections of previous issues.

Charlotte of the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady blog and podcast fame has written an article about the Dear Jane phenomenon and related projects such as Tula Pink’s City Sampler and the Farmer Wife books. I agree with many of the things she says, though she doesn’t mention the social aspect of working on these types of large projects.

For those of you who never heard of or saw the Esprit quilt collection, the name Doug Tompkins will mean nothing to you. I was fortunate enough to be in the right place (San Francisco) at the right time (late 1980s, early 1990s) and be heavily influenced by the Esprit collection. “He was instrumental in disseminating the idea that Amish quilts are art objects of the highest caliber.” The collection was eventually sold when the owners went their separate ways and that was a sad day; the end of an era. Doug Tompkins was killed in a kayaking accident recently. You can read more in an article by Janneken Smucker, which talks about Esprit, Doug Tompkins’ aesthetic and principles as well as the quilts of the Esprit Collection.

There was an article recently posted on the Right Sides Together blog about the Modern Quilt Police. I was shocked when I read it because I had the impression that avoiding the regular Quilt Police was one of the things that started the Modern Quilt Guild.

Websites & Blogs
Pink Chalk Fabrics domain name, social media properties etc are for sale. Do you want to continue the journey?

Media

The Modern Quilt Studio (Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr) has a new YouTube channel. Free subscriptions are available using the normal method for subscribing to YouTube channels.

Other

Samantha Hostutler posted this image on FB (not sure if the FB link will work for you, but you might take a look in the Quilting FB Group if you want to see the image in the wild) after a friend of hers saw it at a quilt show. While I think hourly rates are low, I think it gives a nice outline of what it costs to make a quilt.

Fill your mind with gratitude!

Fall Quilt Market and Festival

Pat Bravo posted a recap of Quilt Market on her blog. Great pictures and inspiration. Not tons of words.

Aurifil had several posts on the subject of Quilt Market and Festival. I really liked one with lots of photos from the Carolyn Friedlander booth (or section of a larger booth??) and Anna Maria Horner’s booth. I love the photos from Mickey Dupre’s new book on hexagons. I saw it in a catalog, but did not buy it. The pictures of Kaffe Fassett’s fabrics made into bags and quilts and even a Tuffet are awesome.

Moda put up a few blog posts about Quilt Market and in Two Down, I loved the quilt with all the squares using their new Flow fabric by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic. I do love Zen Chic designs. I just wish Moda fabrics didn’t fray so much. The post shows a lanyard pattern by Lazy Girl Designs. It looks like it has some serious hardware!

I noticed lots of darker fabric hues in the pictures this year. Dark blues, sage greens, rust, lots of grey and not the light one that I like. Not my colors. I am reserving judgement, but I think 2016 may be the year I don’t buy as much fabric. HA! We’ll have to wait and see.

Fortunately Minnick & Simpson of Me and My Sister Designs have some great colors as usual. And dots. I will have, at least, a bit of fabric to buy. 😉

There are a whole bunch of blogs gathered in one place that are talking about Quilt Market.

TQS has a video of all of the Houston 2015 the winners. I didn’t watch it so I don’t know if you will need a subscription to watch or not. It looks like it is on their Daily Blog so you can watch for free.

Modern Quilts were shown at Houston as well. I was surprised at one of them: a four patch and Flying Geese quilt called Kitsugi 1 (Medallion) by Alexis Deise. It could has easily have been included in a classic/traditional category IMO

There are many other sites talking about Market and Festival. Take a look.

Websites & Blogs

Frances has a new website for The Off Kilter Quilt.

Kathy has a blog where she posts every day (sound familiar?) or nearly every day. I read a very funny recent post about how well she and Jenny Doan are suited and how they should become best friends.

TextileArtist.org had an interesting article on developing work using sketchbooks. The artist writing is a painter, so there is a little different focus, but we can all gain inspiration and learn techniques from each other. One thing I liked is that Bren Boardman, the artist includes journals, scrapbooks and diaries in her list of ‘sketchbooks’. This makes me happy, because I often have my journal with me, but no sketchbook, so I sketch a design in my journal rather than running to get a sketchbook. I do have doesn’t of sketchbooks that I work in periodically, but I don’t have a regular sketchbook habit. Perhaps I should, but I’ll work on that later. Boardman gives ideas for getting started and ideas for what to include. You don’t have to draw! There are also links to other articles by different artists.

TQS posted a link to an article on Libby Lehman’s continued recovery. She started sewing again!

The Sheldon Cooper quilt is amazing, but it scares me. I can see where the challenge would be attractive, but I couldn’t have it in my house. WHEW! One project I don’t have to put on my to do list.

Maureen shared the Bay Area Book Artists website with me. I feel like I have to make another book before I can go and feel like one of the team. I’ll take some time to explore the site more carefully and I may feel different.

I saw the Tim Holtz fabrics on the Sew Sweetness site and went to look at them on his site. I was surprised to see they were by Coats and Clark. I thought Coats and Clark was a thread company! Expanding their horizons, I guess. I was interested in the design of the site. there are all different ways to navigate and, aside from the sorting designers by first name, the navigation looks really good.

Sandy over at Quilt Cabana Corner has a new feature called Fresh Start Mondays. This past Monday’s issue has a nice embroidery pattern and some other fun things.

My friend, Gerre, showed me a photo of her Mimi Kirchner dolls. She made the ones shown for her crafty friends. You can make some using the PDF pattern on the Purl Bee site. Her dolls have such great personality. I love the ones with tattoos she shows on her most recent post (November 2015). I really like the detail on the dresses. I also like the facial features. They don’t look scary to me.

Patterns & Tutorials

Robert Kaufman has a free pattern on their site for this fabulous quilt! The pattern is called Mosaic and is part of the Fragmental fabric pages on the Robert Kaufman site. I am not a fan of the colors, but love the design, which is a variation on the classic Ocean Waves design. It is certainly an appropriate color scheme for Autumn. Don’t you think it would look great in variations of turquoise, sea green and greys?

Need a hostess gift? Want to practice your zippers? Sew Sweetness’ Sara Lawson has a casserole carrier free pattern on her website.

Sew Sweetness’ new Appaloosa Bag looks really great. I love some of the bags that the testers made.

Lucky Spool is starting the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club. It is described as “the first monthly subscription club of its kind that focuses on challenging you with design concepts in the quilt making process. ” There are some big name modern quiltmakers and the cost is $5/month or $50/year. It might be interesting, but I have so much other stuff to do.

Exhibits & Events

Only a few more days to enter QuiltCon. November 30 (YM’s birthday, in case you were wondering) is the last day to enter and their servers might be slammed that day so don’t wait until the last minute. I entered three quilts and hope they all get in.

Kaffe Fassett has an extensive tour of the world. Check his calendar to see if he will be near you. I heard him speak once in Pacific Grove and it was totally worth the cost and the drive.

He will have an exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. The following information is from his calendar:

“Blanket Statements: New Quilts by Kaffe Fassett and Historical Quilts from the Collection of the Quilt Museum and Gallery, York, England

12 March – 28 June 2016

As one of only two U.S. museum venues, this exhibition includes fifteen historic quilts from The Quilters’ Guild Collection, York, England and twenty quilts produced by Kaffe Fassett that were inspired by the designs of the historic quilts.”

Remember Kathy McNeil, who made Song of the Sea, which I posted about in the PIQF post? She has an exhibit coming up in the Spring of 2016 at the LaConner Quilt Museum. in Washington. It is a solo show.

Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center has digitized its collection. “Students, faculty, scholars and the general public can now visit the museum’s website, type in a title, artist, theme or other search criteria, and see high-quality digital images of the majority of the 45,000-plus objects in the collection. Partial inventories of the museum’s collection have been made since it opened in 1894, but this was the first complete inventory since 1916.” (from ResearchBuzz)

Sew Mama Sew has a report on Sewtopia, an event that happened a few weeks ago in Portland. Lots of photos and I see my friend, Kelly O!, in one of them! I am not so sure I would want to participate in the pajama contest.

I just found about about the North Bay Modern Quilt Group. The North Bay Modern Quilt Guild meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 6:30pm at StitchCraft in Petaluma, CA. They were founded in January of 2012 and also have a Facebook page.

The MQG member discount for QuiltCon ends Nov. 30 — so members, if you want your free show pass or discounted lecture and workshop tickets, don’t delay! You must purchase them by Nov. 30th!

Twitter Art Exhibit Call for Artists. This call to artists looks like the art pieces are not returned and donated for charity. The registration form is separate.

An exhibit at the Virginia Quilt Museum about Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry and is called 30 Quilts for 30 Years.

EBHQ is preparing for their bi-annual (March 19-20, 2016) show next year by showing the guild raffle quilts at the Celebration of Craftswomen show at the Herbst Pavilion at Ft. Mason in San Francisco, November 27-29, 2016.  It is a three-day craft extravaganza featuring over 150 juried artists.    The guild is so thrilled that they were accepted as an exhibitor and look forward to a great show for the quilts. Go join them–the show runs from 10 am to 5 pm each day.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

As I have gone on about repeatedly, I love coloring in coloring books. I have colored all of my life on and off. I am so thankful to Johanna Basford for making it cool again for adults to color. I want her Lost Ocean book, but it seems ridiculous to buy another one when I am only partway through the Enchanted Forest. AND I am not making any progress, because of my injury. It doesn’t keep me from ALSO wanting the new 36 set of Staedler pens that just came out and Johanna is endorsing. Greedy, I know since my set of 20 are perfectly fine.

Denyse Schmidt and Free Spirit have brought back Denyse’s line, Katie Jump Rope.

Articles & Information

Frances pointed out an article called Mainstreams: History seen through the Lens of a Handmade Quilt. I wonder if the organizers of the project started with the NC Quilt Project quilts?

This is a fantastic article about an amazing project that was a precursor to the Pantone color guides. there is a lot of information about the Pantone process, when it started, etc. I really like the way this article is written and there are some high resolution scans of the pages. I was THRILLED to read this article.

Websites & Blogs

One of the reasons I am interested in journals, thus all the journal covers you see, is because I write in my journal almost every day. I draw pictures and ideas. I doodle. I use my journal as a way to work out problems and relieve stress. Thus, I am the recipient of links and information about others who journal. Maureen sent me a link to a blog, Judy’s Journal, and as I scrolled through it I saw this quote “We are in a new time when fabrics are suddenly relieved of all science, of all utility,
of all function other than aesthetic. ” It turns out that this is an older quote; she did not write it. I was struck by how apt it is for today. It made me think about the quilts I make. Many of them I make because I feel a compulsion to make something and then they hang on the wall or over my banister for weeks, months, years. They have the possibility of utility, but are not being used at the moment. What does it mean to us to buy and have fabric just because it is pretty?

I mentioned the CQFA meeting the other week. Someone brought some copyright guidelines from The Blue Bottle Tree.com that are written in a decision tree format. I am always skeptical of advice given by people who are not lawyers, but this set of guidelines is basic and looks well thought out. She does have the appropriate disclaimer. Scroll down to find a version for Crafters and Hobbyists.

Johanna Basford, the coloring queen, has a new YouTube channel. Go look and get some tips for coloring.

Sarah Ann Smith reviewed the Schoolhouse Tunic. I bought this at the Fabric Depot in Portland and my dressmaker whipped one up for me.

My report on PIQF report was included in the Fair Vendor paperli newsletter.

Patterns & Tutorials

Here is a new pattern for a tote bag. It is billed as a Hallowe’en treat bag, but if you made it with different fabrics, it would just be a tote bag.

I was surfing Pinterest while I listened to my book and found some really cute apron patterns on the Seasoned Homemaker blog. My favorite is the Halter Chic Apron pattern. I love the plunging neckline. 😉 I didn’t go and look at the site right then, but when I finally did, the author also had a recipe for gluten free pumpkin spice muffins with maple cream cheese frosting. I am not a huge fan of pumpkin spice, but the frosting! YUM! She has other posts about finding time to sew, crockpot recipes and a list of online tutorials and online learn to sew sites.

Kati posted a link to a tutorial for ornaments. They are really cool.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe posted on Instagram about a free hashtag pattern on the Marcus Bros site. It was a little bit of pain to find, but I finally did. You are welcome. 😉 It is called Revved Up Retro by Sarah Maxwell.

The holidays are coming and I found a really long list of small gifts. Lots of gift ideas were also posted on the BAMQG blog, but not all the entries have tutorials associated with them. I know the blog editor is going back and adding tutorials etc as she finds them.

In just a few days, Modern Quilt Studio will publish Fat Quarter Love, a pamphlet of patterns that use fat quarter cuts. These patterns allow you to “use solids, large-scale prints, your favorite basics and even hipster novelty prints. The projects range from crib-sized quilts that can be made in an afternoon to more ambitious queen-sized bed quilts.” Fat Quarter Love will retail for $10. Look for it at your local quilt shop. If you can’t find it locally, they’ll be selling it beginning October 23 on www.modernquiltstudio.com. They ship free to US addresses. There is more information on Craft Nectar.

Remember Ms. Russian Rubix, April Rosenthal? I used her pattern (sort of) to make my Russian Rubix quilt? I saw recently on Instagram that she has another fantastic pattern called Parcheesi. I love it! One of the things I like is the way she added some Flying Geese to the sashing to add interest. Easy and very effective! We’ll see if I make it. Wouldn’t it look fantastic in scraps? I will definitely keep that Flying Geese design trick in mind. How big are those squares anyway? 1.5″? It is an older pattern (2-3 years old), but I must have missed it. She describes the pattern in a blog post and you can buy the pattern in her shop. (No affiliation)

I found the Astrodelic quilt pattern on the Fabric Depot Website. Looks like a cool block.

Exhibits and Events

Twitter pal, Kitty, shared a Textile artist site. I really like it.

A group is getting quilts together that depict diseases or feelings about health issues and related ideas. If you have such a quilt, get in touch.

My friend Natalie pointed out this piece of art by Jasmine Uy to me (isn’t the web wonderful??). Which side is true for you?

Books, Magazines and Projects

I saw a Fons & Porter show a few weeks ago with Deb Tucker. It was from the 2600 series and the project was called County Fair.  I like her products, so when I saw a Quilt Show episode with her, I sat down and watched it. You may have to be a member to watch. I like her style, because she is positive and confident. She also has a lot of basic knowledge that will help you be a better quiltmaker. I have the Flying Geese ruler (using it for the Flying Geese Exchange) and I am tempted to buy the Squared2 ruler to make that Carpenter’s Wheel version from the Fons & Porter show. It is a block I think I could sink my teeth into. I am able to make it with FGs instead of the diamond square unit, but you know how I love rulers.

Jenny Doan has a pamphlet out on Pre-cuts, the Quilter’s Precut Companion.

Janome and Michael Miller have a 100 blocks project where you can win a new sewing machine.

Mrs. K told me about the Sew Powerful Purse Project, which is in association with Liberty Jane. The video shows how to make the purse as well as shows the look and feel of the inside. This project supports African girls in academic achievement.

Reva sent along a link to a book, BiblioCraft, about getting inspiration from libraries. I am kind of shocked I didn’t hear about this sooner. You can read the review or just buy the book. From the review: “BiblioCraft is not just a “how to” project book, but oh-so-much more, because it teaches you how to use the library to glean inspiration so that you can conceive ideas for your own projects.” I haven’t seen this book in person, but I love the idea. I always want more than projects and good photos when I buy a book.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

ByAnnies has a new tool called the Stiletto and Pressing Tool. It is a wooden tool with a stiletto on one end and a flat pressing side on the other. This seems to me to be useful for finger pressing. The information says that it has a sanded tip so that the tip of the stiletto won’t slip off your project. That could be useful. Cost is $19.95 plus shipping etc. It looks similar (from web photos) to the tool by Alex Anderson. Alex’s is called the 4-in-1 Essential Sewing Tool and includes seam ripper, stiletto, presser, and a turner.

I bought one of these, but couldn’t find it to compare when I saw the ByAnnie’s tool and don’t remember using it much. I know I have used it as a stiletto on the odd occasion, but my mom gave me a nice gold stiletto for Christmas or my birthday and that has been the tool I keep near my sewing machine.

I think the ByAnnie’s product looks less fussy than Alex Anderson’s tool, but it also do as much. If you have both, let me know what you think.

I saw this Indiegogo campaign for a Quilter’s Planner on Instagram.

Inspiration

If you need color inspiration, you need to take a look at Sweetapolita’s site. She makes cakes. Beautiful cakes that are full of color. I first saw a gorgeous photo of baking chalk (who knew?) on Instagram. Her site is so pretty.

 

Websites, Blogs, Patterns & Tutorials

Twitter pal, Kitty Pearl,  has a pattern available, Saguaro Sunset. Take a look.

I recently saw this article in the ResearchBuzz newsletter “Zooniverse is going beyond nature to a new crowdsourcing project: AnnoTate. “In addition to creating art, many artists wrote diaries and letters and made sketchbooks that contain rich details about their lives and creative processes. Help transcribe documents from the Tate collection, and reveal the secret lives of artists.” You may remember I mentioned a similar Smithsonian project last year. This latest project is even more relative to us as creative people because the insights gained from the journals might give his insight into our own work.

Despite being overwhelmed with new fabric, I was needing some friends around me after dropping the Y.M. off at college so Julie and I went to lunch. Right near a quilt shop. Of course. While there I saw the Basket Weave pattern by Pam and Nicki Lintott. There are a few renditions around the web and Connecting Threads has a pseudo tutorial. I didn’t buy the pattern, but think it would be a great Christmas quilt, which was the coloration for the sample I saw. I’ll have to see if I can borrow the book, New Ways with Jelly Rolls, from the Library. Of course, I also have to have time to make this! Have you seen my dream projects list?

We are approaching the end of National Sewing Month. What did you do to celebrate? Lindsay of Hawthorne Threads wrote an interesting blog post about it, which is also her picks for the month. She is a shop owner, after all. I really liked the picture of the french lady’s dress. I’d love to see that baby up close!

Jackie or Gretchen turned me on to Sue Garman. Apparently she posts once a month and the post I saw showed a gorgeous, absolutely stunning Baltimore Album quilt. This site is more in the classic quilt area, but the quilts, regardless of style, provide excellent inspiration. I know that Julie will like the trick or treat quilt Sue shows. There is also a tutorial on using applique’ patterns, which is useful. This is a super long post that I would have broken into several, but to each her own. Worth a read.

I have added a tweet button to the site to allow you to easily tweet about a post you like. Check the sidebar to try it!

Aurifil has a Top Ten Tuesday post. I enjoyed one from a few weeks ago that was described on Twitter as “a fun collection of free tutorials”. The tutorials are about labels (put a &^%$# label on your quilt!!!), folding quilts and storage (always need more!)

I also enjoyed the Christmas edition. Mostly I want people to just give me the projects so I don’t have to make them. 😉

Butterflies are everywhere! One of the best patterns I have seen was on Instagram recently. This pattern was originally posted on the Lillyella blog and there are a few variations (check the wing tips). You can download the paper piecing patterns on the site. She has a number of other block downloads available as well.

The Petite Sewist shared a cool, cool tag cloud site. I tried it out using the fabric link from my tag cloud. I adore the tag cloud I made. I would like to make some merchandise from some tag, but the licensing prices are not in my budget at the moment. If you want something with the image above, let me know and if I get enough interest, I will buy the license.

Amanda of 3and3quarters.net posts a lot of video tutorials. She has a YouTube Channel to which you can subscribe and her tutorials vary from blocks to the Poppy ANZAC Broach. In September she worked on posting everyday. Take a look at what she is doing.

QuiltingHub is a site that I wish I had found before I went to Portland. I did a search on Portland to San Francisco and found that my own planning was pretty good.

If you need graph paper, Daisy pointed out a site, which can generate different types of graph paper for you to print for your designing pleasure.

Articles, Classes and Information

This was posted a few weeks ago on the The Quilt Show blog: “Eleanor Burns had heart surgery, Monday Sep 14. Orion (her son) says she is doing well. Let’s cheer her up with cards of appreciation and good wishes. Let’s stuff her mail box with cards and quick notes to:

Eleanor Burns

c/o Quilt In A Day

1955 Diamond Street

San Marcos, CA 92078

Eleanor has given so much to the quilting world. She has an amazing story. It’s worth seeing again, but if you haven’t heard about her journey, it’s a must see.” The Eleanor Burns Quilt legend show is one that is free to all on the TQS site. Go and take a look! I sent a small card with dots and just told her what I was working on. I enclosed one of my cards in case she wants to take a look at FOTY 2014 or my other work. You never know. 😉

Sara Lawson, who told me about Annie’s Soft & Stable recently posted a review of Pellon’s Fusible Felx Foam to her blog. In that post, she answers some of the questions running through my mind, namely would the bag be crinkly after using a fusible. I am not always happy with fusible in a finished piece because of this. All the work that goes into a bag only to have it look amateur makes my heart jump.

We are almost at the end of National Sewing Month. Stashed! from GenQ magazine reported a number of ‘Doing Good’ type patterns when they wrote “… September is National Sewing Month, there are links to many resources, including free patterns to make in-demand items such as chemotherapy turbans, walker caddies, wheelchair totes and the “anti-ouch” pouch for mastectomy patients.” These are good patterns to keep handy in case you need to make some quick charity projects.

You might remember my review of Sara Lawson’s Big City Bags book. In that review I talked about what great tips she had on zippers. She recently posted zipper tips to her blog as well, which are worth saving for future zipper related needs.

I was kind of surprised to see that spray basting had such a large following in the results of a poll by TQS on their blog. If you have heard me talk about the allergic reactions when I use unwashed fabric, you might be able to imagine the reaction from the smell of spray baste, so it didn’t occur to me that others would love it so much. I suppose that is a very tunnel vision view! It is easier except, of course, for not basting at all and having someone else load your quilt on to the longarm, which was my answer. 😉

Exhibits & Events

The Board of Directors of San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is delighted to announce that Joan Phillips will become its new Executive Director, effective immediately.

Joan has her Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and her Arts and Cultural Management Masters in Professional Studies degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  She has been working in the not for profit sector since 2003 and has held senior leadership and executive roles in other arts organizations.

She plans to continue building relationships with key community organizations and stakeholders and to focus on the fundraising plan and programs that she implemented over the eight last months as the Museum’s Interim Executive Director.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, she decided it was time for a change of scenery and in September of 2011 moved to California to begin working in the San Jose arts sector; where in the same year she was voted as one of San Jose’s Emerging Arts Leaders by genARTS Silicon Valley.  Joan currently resides in Fremont where she recently finished her creative coaching certification, creates mixed media art and is an enthusiastic baseball fan.

NQR

This article explains exactly how I want to be.

Articles, Classes and Information

The Fons & Porter TV show comes and goes on my local PBS station and it is currently available. I watched an episode the other night and the Memory Star block caught my attention. I was excited to share this project with you, because of the way they used the Flying Geese to make chevrons. They have this project on the website and the picture is so terrible that you can’t see the fabric or the design. Very disappointing. It makes me think they are terrified that people will steal the project without buying the pattern. The project is called Fluttering By and it is from the 2100 series. The block is available in EQ.

Mary Fons will be writing for the Quilts Inc website. Check out her first column.

Bonnie Hunter is teaching an online scrap quilt class via Craft University. The class runs Oct 12th 2015 – Nov 23rd 2015. She has a discount code on her website. The timing makes me think she will have her regular quilt-a-long starting the following week as usual.

TQS posted a link to the last 16 years of Pantone Color Choices of the Year. It is really interesting to see them all together. It looks, after an impressionistic glance, that they choose a warm one year followed by a cool color the next year. How do you think a quilt would look using all of these colors?

I am not a fan of this year’s color, Marsala. Looking at all of the colors, I also think Chili Pepper is not one of my favorites. I guess I like the more scarlet-y reds.

Today’s Quilter has an interview with Liza Prior Lucy. She works as a designer with Kaffe Fassett. I am in love with the quilt hanging in front of the armoire and draped on the red wing chair. LOVE it!!!

A friend sent me an article about a quilt shop in Minnesota. It reminds me of the BAMQG in its activities. The article also mentions the Slow Stitching Movement. Thanks to Craig!

I saw a post on Instagram and the image interested me enough to go and look at the blog post. It was a blog post about how the rants of professional quiltmakers can affect their business as well as some paragraphs on the conservatism of quiltmakers. It was an interesting piece to think about and reminded me to be kind. It was in the vein of Abby Glassenberg’s article about Alex Veronelli.

Websites, Blogs, Patterns & Tutorials

Chris C has a couple of posts on her blog about a Craftsy class called Beyond Basic Machine Quilting by Ann Petersen. I believe a couple of the podcasters talked about this class as well. I liked the way Chris talked about what she learned over the course of a few posts.

We had a little discussion about squaring up HSTs that started when Valerie mentioned her way (trim before opening or pressing requiring only 2 cuts), which turned out to be new to a lot of us. A big discussion ensued, which led us to a tutorial on this method using Eleanor Burns’ Quilt in a Day Square Up Ruler. The rulers come in 6.5″, 9.5″ and 12/5″. I have had this ruler for awhile I could never understand how to use it. Since I am planning to make a bunch of HSTs from the Ta Dots FQ pack I received a few years ago as a gift, I am planning on trying it out now that I understand how it works.

If you used Threadbias, you have already heard that they shut down on August 30. They could not get the traction they needed and went the way of Tomspoolery and SeamedUp. I was a member and added projects and had followers, but just couldn’t keep up with the blog and that site as well. They are keeping their Quiltcanvas software going.

If you would like to download the Modern Quilt Guild Quilt of the Month August pattern, Altitudnal Ecosystem, you can do so at the site.

The Crafty Magpie has some instructions for creating a thread holder that has space for the matching bobbin as well. This is a great thread holder – the best I have seen, except I would put a clear door over the front to keep the dust out, but allow me to see the colors.

The GenQ Stashed newsletter is out. In addition to have a $400 dollar off offer on a Bernina 550QE sewing machine, they also have an explanation of the new modern category for PIQF. Look for the lunchbag pattern and some information on various exhibits. I gave up my subscription to Quilt Now and may have to see about a GenQ subscription.

Pam, of Hip to be a Square podcast fame, and her friend, Lynn, have a new venture called The Stitch. They have their first episode up as well as a few blog posts. This is a commercial venture so go and take a look to support all the contributions Pam has made to the quiltmaking community.

Barbara posted a cool bookshelf quilt on Facebook.  I hope the link works. If not, search for Barbara in the Before & After folder. I shared with the Twilter FB group.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects

The Auribuzz blog had a round up of bags and accessories a couple of weeks ago. There are ten great bags, totes and wallet-like accessories. Many of them use the fabric they chose very well. The Sawyer bag from Sew Sweetness caught my attention. It turns out it is a free project from Sara Lawson. Very Berry Kerry also has a sewing portfolio project, which seems to be a complete free project on the Liberty of London site. Christmas is coming and it would make a good present for a very dear sewing friend. Very dear.

Little Green Bean put a great saying (meme??) up on Instagram. I think it is good advice. It was re-grammed all over the place.

Today’s Quilter is a new magazine by the folks who put out Love of Patchwork and Quilting. They will be revisiting traditional quiltmaking. I don’t know what that means, but you can be in their 1st issue if you take the time to tell them which notion you can’t live without and why. Email todaysquilter@immediate.co.uk You can also get a subscription: 3 issues for £5. I don’t know for sure that that price includes US customers.

Another new magazine is Simply Moderne (yes, with an E). Alex Veronelli pointed it out to me and wrote ” ‘Simply Moderne,’ the new magazine by @quiltmaniaeditions [shows] a Great Wave of pure energy and modern style, tracking the latest tendencies [sic] in the quilting world and celebrating creative fresh new ideas by young designers from all over the world! In this first issue great projects and a portrait of @victoriafindlatwolfe and insights about #quiltcon. Find out much more on their website.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

QuiltHome, an online quilt shop with an excellent selection of modern fabrics, also has a product called ‘Surprise Endings‘. These are curated bolt ends from your favorite designers. When I looked at their current selection, I saw Denyse Schmidt, Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Heather Bailey and many others. Take a look and see what you need to fill in your fabric collection.

I cannot help but like this image, which was posted by Robin of the Ornament Girl on Facebook.

I found an article about how fabric is cut in shops, which highlights the difference between fabric cuts in the UK and fabric cuts in the US. This is a really handy guide.

There is a new website and catalog for buying fabric called Craft of Quilting. It was recommended to me by FreckleMama (Chris).

Exhibits & Events

On Sunday, September 20, 2015, 2-4pm, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles presents Fiber Sunday in Pacific Grove! Join fellow fiber enthusiasts to see and learn more about recent acquisitions including quilts by Michael James, Jane Sassaman, fiber art by Flo Oy Wong and more. Shown by Curator of Collections Nancy Bavor. Location: Back Porch Fabrics at 157 Grand Avenue, Pacific Grove. Please RSVP to Debbie Aguirre at 408-971-0323 or debbie@sjquiltmuseum.org

Quilting in the Garden is at the end of this month on September 26 and 27, 2015 at Alden Lane Nursery, 981 Alden Lane – Livermore, CA 94550 – (925) 447-0280. This year’s featured artist is Freddy Moran and guest artist is Sally Collins. 

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is coming October 15-18, 2015. Have you gotten your badge yet? I ordered mine and got a ‘nice’ letter saying they wouldn’t mail it to me this year, that I would have to visit the registration desk. If you have ever seen the registration desk line, you will know why I am annoyed. I hope they have a separate line for those who pre-registered.

New Quilts of Northern California is a juried exhibit (purported to be an annual favorite) at PIQF. NCQC says you can view the work of Northern California’s most well-known and upcoming quilt makers. This amazing exhibition of recent works is presented by the Northern California Quilt Council and curated by NCQC Board members. I entered my Russian Rubix quilt into this exhibit and it was accepted. I guess I had better finish sewing on the sleeve.

Judy B. Dales’ solo show “Ahead of the Curve” is currently on exhibit at the Shelburne Museum through October 31. There is an article about getting an exhibit in a museum on the SDA Vermont blog. The article talks about Dales’ struggle with the “quick and easy” dilemma, one with which I struggle as well. I was glad to see I was not the only one. I need to absolutely remember this quote “The first, and the most important, is to do the work. Get into your studio and make the work, and keep making it. There will be good pieces, horrible pieces, unfinished pieces, and a few brilliant ones. There will be good days and bad. There will be anxiety, worry and frustration, mixed with a little jubilation and pride. You just have to keep making art if you want to make something of yourself as an artist. You have to do the work. There are no shortcuts.” It is so true, so well said and excellent advice to remember if you don’t remember anything else about this article. Thanks to Ms. Lottie for the tweeted info.

Creativity in other Realms

I, too, have succumbed to the coloring bug. Remember the V& S June post where I mentioned it? I am actually waiting for the YM to leave for college so I can ‘borrow’ his massive set of felt pens. Yes, I have my own but he has more colors! There was an article in Quilt Market’s eInsider. Aside from Johanna Basford, the creator of the Enchanted Forest and the Secret Garden coloring books, the article talks about other options, especially those from Tula Pink and Jamie Fingal. As you know both are quiltmakers. I am planning to ask for Basford’s Lost Ocean as a gift when it is available.

Doing Good

From ResearchBuzz: The Vatican Museums have launched a new app to crowdfund restoration projects. “The Vatican Museums have released a crowdfunding app called Patrum, with the intention of raising money for a series of upcoming restoration projects that include the restitching of an 18th-century French tapestry and the conservation of 13th- and 14th-century Chinese calligraphy scrolls.” I do wonder why the Vatican needs money…

NQR

In addition to the general daily drama, I have also been dealing with a flare up of a long standing injury. This is preventing me from doing much hand sewing and no coloring at all (see above) as the brace impairs my fine motor skills.

Websites, Articles, Classes and Information

Tina, of the Weezyworks podcast wrote a limerick for me. I was so thrilled! It was very sweet of her. Go listen to her podcast. It is listed on iTunes and at WeezyWorks. She reads my limerick on episode #25. The limerick is:

There once was a woman named Jaye
A quilter from San Francisco Bay.
She turns her dots
and fabric spots
Into a quilty ballet.

Molly, Jan Burgwinkle of Be*Mused blog fame’s daughter, has a website and Etsy shop called Tokodots. Her cards are cheerful, colorful and vaguely quilt related. The site has an associated blog, which seems to be more about her projects than about sales. It is a nice refreshing change to read about loving fabric, then sincerely disliking it, only find that it is perfect again two days later. Her post on the robe she made in Field Study fabrics is lovely.

Marsha McCloskey really popularized the Feathered Star pattern when quiltmaking was young. Craft University has captured her genius with a class, Craft University Online Feathered Star Workshop. It begins on September 15. Too bad Craftsy didn’t get to her first.

I was very pleased to see a story about quiltmaking on NPR’s All Things Considered. Of course, it was about the Missouri Star Quilt Company and Jenny Doan, but still! It is good to get the word out about the fabulousness of quiltmaking out to the Muggles.

Sherri D shared a couple of posts from Geta’s Quilting Studio with me. The first is about washing quilts pre-binding. I don’t have experience with this as I don’t wash my quilts pre-binding. The second one is about making binding right after you have finished the top. I do this all the time as making the binding is such a chore that I just want to get it done. Having it done feels like an accomplishment. Also, my quilter machine sews the binding on for me, so I have to have it done before I take it to her.

I was very pleased to see a post on labels on the Dining Room Empire. Cheryl Arkison uses the same print on fabric technique that I use. Yay!

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects

The New York Beauty block on the Sew E.T. blog makes me want to get back to some spiky triangles. The thing about this block is that she has some fabrics in a rainbow configuration. I want to do that, but will have to take the time to organize the fabrics.

As if I need to add more to my To Do list, Amanda shared the X Plus pattern with me. I love the scrappiness of the versions I have seen on Instagram. Perhaps this would be a good pattern (and a reason to make it!) for my next Niecephews quilt.

Generation Q magazine has a new newsletter called Stashed. Aside from being super fantastic, I am not sure how I got on the list. It wasn’t too long, had plenty of pictures and a giveaway (which is probably closed by now). Take a look and let me know what you think.

I love the X Plus pattern!! Id on’t know why I love it so much, but I do. Perhaps that lozenge shape that I have been seeing? I am plotting to use this X Plus pattern somehow. I have an idea for one of the Niecephews quilts.

Ami Simms has some good ideas about bibs. She has taken those ideas and made a tutorial.

I saw another fabric basket like the One Hour Basket. I thought I might try it but after reading the directions, I thought it sounded like the fabric handbag pattern TFQ and I made together one time (last time??) when I was at her house. I am not sure how I feel about using the paper bag as the interfacing either.

Kathy M put up a tutorial on making a pillowcase. It is a smaller version of the burrito or magic pillowcase tutorial.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

A few weeks ago, I took a trip with two friends to Scruffy Quilts. It is not to far from me. It is a small shop, but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of quilt related tools, fabric and supplies they had. For my pillowcase project, there were a wide variety of designs from which to choose. I was also interested in the Judy Niemeyer patterns available. I don’t plan on making one, but the complexity and possibilities for the designs were wonderful to look at. I also had fun looking at the notions! I did sign up for a Tuffet class. I had been wanting to make one since I bought the pattern. I tried to win one at the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show, but was not successful, so I bit the bullet. Check out Scruffy Quilts if you are in the area. They also have an online site.

Check the accuracy of your rulers, tape measures and cutting mats. That might help your accuracy.

Exhibits, Tutorials & Events

Marsha McCloskey has posted another lesson in the Winter Star Tutorial on here blog. This one is about finishing the 3″ Ohio Star for the center of the block, and includes setting up to piece, and an accuracy test. You can see all the posts she’s  done so far at: https://featheredstar.wordpress.com/

I always like to find good basic tutorials, because then I don’t have to write a tutorial for everything. 😉 Sewmotion has a tutorial on cutting fabric. It is a good, basic tutorial and not long. My only problem with this tutorial is that the photos show her rotary cutter ope in between cuts. CLOSE YOUR ROTARY CUTTER EVERY TIME!!! You never know when you will be called away and little fingers (or big) will come nosing around. Alternatively, you can get a rotary cutter like mine that closes automatically and can be locked closed. I can’t live without it.

Doing Good

“From Stashed Newsletter: Last April, Nepal suffered a devastating earthquake that killed 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000. Even more thousands of residents were left homeless from the destruction the 7.8-magnitude temblor left behind.

Luana Rubin is a GenQ friend, owner of eQuilter.com and one of the most compassionate quilters around. Over the years, she’s led efforts to bring quilts to the victims of other disasters, as well as standing charities helping people throughout the world. For more information, go HERE.

Now she’s leading a quilt drive to benefit the Nepalese people left homeless by the earthquake and she’s asking for our help. She needs lap, twin and double-sized quilts in bright, cheerful colors. You can donate finished quilts directly to Luana by shipping them to eQuilter, 5455 Spine Road, Suite E, Boulder, CO 80301. Consider getting your bee, guild or small group together to make some quilts, too. It’s all about fellowship and giving back, something we quilters have always done.

On our own home turf, GenQ staffer Bev Mabry is collecting quilts for victims of recent floods in Wemberley, Texas. If you have finished quilts or you can make a top, contact bev@generationqmagazine.com.”

NQR

If you have a kid going to college as I do, you might enjoy this article about the grief int he process. A librarian friend sent it to me. I don’t know how I will feel, but I will miss my Young Man.

Websites, Articles and Information
Is this a new podcast? CraftyPlanner?

Faith, over at Fresh Lemons blog, talks about Quilter’s Bug, a new-ish company that has created an online haven for quiltmakers. There is a forum, classified ads, online journals and more. I haven’t had a chance to take a look, but it sounds like Quilter’s Club of America.

Sherri Lynn Woods will speak at our guild this month. I saw an article by Melanie Falick about what she has going. Take a look at the Test Quilt Blog Hop in which Ms. Woods is involved.

If you want to try a new method of gathering, which is billed as perfect every time, take a look at the post on the Sew Mama Sew blog.

Pam talked about getting a good quarter inch seam allowances in one of her recent podcasts and provides some resources for you.

Wanda, over at Exuberant Color, has a wonderful color wash quilt on her site. It is arranged like my FOTY 2013 quilt and I am scared that I am not being original. I want to think that she selected the fabrics especially to make the gradation more successful, but I really don’t know.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects
QuiltCon West is having a triangle challenge. I thought I would enter my FOTY 2011 quilt, but the template is too small.

Marsha McCloskey has a tutorial on her blog for a block called the Winter Star Tutorial. She posted another lesson recently. This one is about cutting for a 3″ Ohio Star for the center of the block, and includes the particulars for making a 1” finished 4-triangle square. The rest of the sewing part will come soon.  “As always, in a class, teaching a specific block is just a vehicle for teaching skills and techniques. This tutorial includes drafting, bias-strip piecing, rotary cutting, trimming points, precision piecing and a “cut-larger, trim-it-down” method for the making the star points of the tiny Ohio Star in the center of the block. The Winter Star block finishes at 11?.” All the posts she’ done so far are available at the address above.

Torie turned me on to Sweet Jane. She has a simple tote bag pattern on her blog, which you might want to try.

Michael Miller and Modern Quilts Unlimited are having a Block of the Month project. You have to use Michael Miller fabrics. Find the directions on a dedicated website. There are two entry parts to the challenge – a block a month entry and a finished quilt. Great prizes! The July block is already available.

DH’s cousin was inspired by the California shirts SIL and I made. She made one for her husband. She was only making one shirt, so she was able to do more with the motifs. I really like how she put the California letters on the yoke of the back. That was inspired!

I found a row quilt (http://bit.ly/1DmjAb6) I could love. It is a Craftsy class from Crazy Mom Quilts.

Over at Bemused blog, Jan is talking about the Chuck Nohara QAL on Instagram. I am ashamed to say I have never seen his block dictionary, but the blocks are so unique that I may need to join in. I love the colors Jan is using in her blocks so far. I haven’t visited Bemused blog in awhile and I am glad I did.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments
Remember the shirts SIL and I made for DH and BIL when I visited her in January? I found more of the tablecloths. You can find them by searching Google for ‘california tablecloth’ or at the Home a la Mode website (no affiliation).

One hour basket pattern: I know you have heard about it, but here is a link so you can make one. A couple of friends have timed themselves and it really does take approximately, an hour. I may use this pattern as interim bathroom baskets until I find or design the perfect pattern.

This is dangerous. How did I not know about the Quilty Box? Perhaps I don’t need to know about the Quilty Box? It might be good for gifts, though. The web page is pretty slim. There are is only one page and it gives you some info on how the subscription works. There is no information about what was in past boxes, but they do discuss the value of the products inside the boxes. Instagram has photos if you search for #quiltybox

Exhibits, Tutorials & Events
The Electric Quilt Company now has a search tool that allows you to search for in person classes. If you are not an online class person, then this is for you!

There will be a FUN-raiser (their words not mine) to support the International Quilt Study Center. It is a cruise to Alaska with all male teachers. Find more information. To get the free goodies, you have until July 21 to sign up.

I’ll be taking a tuffet class (FINALLY!!) on August 6 and 20th at Scruffy Quilts. I originally saw the tuffet at the 2006 Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters show they used to have at the Seattle Center in Seattle. The pattern was sold at Quiltworks Northwest. I never got around to making it and when Kelly pointed the class out to me last week when we were out together, I had to sign up. Now I have until August 6 to cut strips. You can find out more about the class on the website.

Housekeeping

Have you seen the new email option? It’s over in the sidebar —->>

Enter your email address:Delivered by FeedBurner

Try it out! You’ll get a notice of my posts. I am trying to make it easier for you to read.

Websites, Articles and Information

Some of you were kind enough to take a look at my client’s site. She now has her own domain name and moved the site to http://www.eleanorswalks.com/. I hope you will go and visit again.

I checked out one of Mark Lipinski’s posts and really liked it. His conglomeration posts are really like these Various and Sundry posts, but with more photos and fewer words. I really want someone to make me the Samoas (gluten free version) from the recipe he posted. I can’t buy them from the Girl Scouts, because they don’t make a gluten free version. Also, I am lazy and they look like a lot of work (another reason I would happily give my money to the Girl Scouts). Perhaps I’ll get a good book and just take the time to make them some day. Of course, there are a lot of wonderful links and photos in his post, especially the doughnut pincushion, so go take a look.

A few of you were kind enough to go and take a look at my client’s site. Thank you! For those of you who left a comment, she was thrilled. She is moving all the posts to her own domain and will be adding her drawings soon. If you wouldn’t mind taking another look at the work we have done, we both would be very grateful.

Free ebook on selling your crafts. I haven’t read it, but thought some of you might be interested.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects

The Fat Quarterly is back on sale. They have figured out the EU VAT reporting issues and are slowing adding products back into the FQ shop. Go take a look at new issues and back issues.

I love these birds.

I don’t know if you remember Doodle Art? Doodle Art were contained in tubes you could buy. Each tube contained a black and white poster, a set of pens and some other unimportant stuff. I colored many of these posters, including the Ecology poster, in my day for the sheer joy of working with color. Johanna Basford has come on the scene with her coloring books that remind me very much of Doodle Art. She has become so popular that her books were sold out in all outlets. YM bought me one for Mother’s Day, The Enchanted Garden, and it just arrived this week! She also has The Secret Garden out and The Lost Ocean will be coming soon.I encourage you to look at her work and get some pens and start coloring. You can download a free page.  You can also read about Johanna’s journey to create adult coloring books. It is very sweet,

Here is a list of 50 books on creativity and design thinking. Some interesting titles. The post includes a hashtag if you want to discuss.

I suppose an e-newsletter qualifies as a magazine or, perhaps, a book. This Quilt insider newsletter is short. It showcases new products and I thought the Robert Kaufman fabrics were interesting. I still have the One Block Wonder using panels on the mind.

The Fat Quarter Shop’s most recent Snapshots QAL charity block is up. You can find this sundae (cute! cute! cute!) block on their site.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

All you need to know about pins!

I saw this Robert Kaufman Explore America fabric in a newsletter and really like the vintage look. It reminds me of the vintage posters they have at Disneyland – a 1950s idealized look at the American West. As I said above, I still have the One Block Wonder using panels on the mind, but I am going to restrain myself. If anything, I will buy some of these fabrics for boy quilt backs. We’ll see.

Exhibits, Tutorials & Events

Aurifil has a survey out and they want your answers. I believe it is still open.

Other Artists

I didn’t know about Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday until she contacted me via a post on my blog. She invited me to post about one of my projects, which I did. I was interested to see all the different projects that were posted. I will have to get back to doing more art quilts to linkup there regularly! It is a great way to get new readers and I always like more readers (that is YOU!!!). There are so many of these daily linkup posts that I am sure everyone can find one that works for them.

BAMQG will be selling Opportunity quilt tickets at the San Mateo County Fair June 6-7 from 11-8 both days. Come and get a ticket and buy some for your friends. We use the money for charity and guild activities. Oh, you can see me as well, if you come on Saturday.

Take a look at my Cafe Press Shop. There might be something that you need for summer!

Websites Articles & Information

This blog post neatly recaps a great article is about  the beneficial effects of crafting. I love the list, because I have thought it a zillion times and I love the neat way in which it outlines my thoughts. The result? Go craft something!

Guy’s guide to hanging out in fabric stores and shopping for fabric with your wife/girlfriend/S.O.

Have you seen that Gretchen has a companion Facebook page to her website? I didn’t know either. Go like it and show Gretchen some love.

I made the Fair Vendor Paper.li paper, because I retweeted a Daily Deal from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. It is kind of sad for that to be my claim to fame after all the other writing I have done here.

From the inspiration department, check out Eleanor’s Walks. Eleanor is a client of mine and she has started a blog on walking San Francisco city streets. She has about 5 posts so far, including an About Me post and is going great guns. Her posts are illustrated by digital images at the moment, but she is a watercolorist and draws, so some of her drawings will color the blog as well. I think it s a great project and glad to be helping out. Go take a look and leave a comment.

Fabric, Tools, Shops, Supplies & Embellishments

I was fascinated by this blog post about how a fabric order gets processed and delivered. the comments are interesting as well.

Color theory class review by your fave and mine, Carol Wool!

Exhibits, Tutorials & Events

Have you seen Linda Gass’ work? She does aerial views of the San Francisco Bay Area using quiltmaking as a medium. Take a look at her work from a recent exhibit.

The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles has acquired part of Penny Nii’s collection including pieces from Libby Lehman, Michael James and Jonathan Shannon. Take a look at the press release.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects

Need some summer dress patterns?

Sew Sweetness is have a Dress Up Party as well. People are reviewing different patterns on her blog. There are a lot of dresses, but other patterns as well. Check it out.

Remember the receiving blankets I talked about making last month? Here they are in use, cute baby not included. I am very pleased that the new mom likes them and they are in use.

Have you joined the Dresden Plate QAL? SherriD is putting it on and Frances, of The Off Kilter Quilt fame, is joining in as well. Check out Sherri’s ‘Have a Plate of Goodness’ post for directions. In a recent post she talks about inspiration. Check out the Quilt Index and search for Dresden Plate under the pattern option in the Advanced Search screen. I am not doing the QAL, but it was fun to look at the DPs in their collection. If you don’t know how to make a Dresden Plate, check out my tutorial.

Other Artists

If you haven’t taken a look at Daisy W’s Escape Velocity piece, you must go RIGHT NOW and do so. I love stitching and embroidery and this one is very appealing. I love the color and the spiral design as well the way the ends trail off into, what looks like, a fun tangle. If this piece doesn’t make you wish you had joined the Valdani drop on Massdrop, I don’t know what will. 😉

Diana Leone died recently of cancer. She was a quintessential quilt artist and owned the Quilting Bee in downtown Mountain View for years. She had the same birthday as me (a few years older, though) and founded CQFA. She also wrote the book used in the Sampler class I took to  learn to quilt. I still use it, mostly because of the annotations made over the years, to make binding. Her obituary is available in the Mercury News.

Books, Patterns, Magazines & Projects
I am blowing through Marie Bostwick’s Second Sister. This is her most recent release and not part of the Cobbled Court series. I thought I would be resentful, because I really want to know what happens in new Bern. I was pleased to find that I really like the characters, the premise and the story in Second Sister. I was kind of annoyed at myself for not giving this new book a chance right off the bat, but I am over it. As soon as I started reading, I was all in. This is a well written, modern book that I think many women who work at demanding jobs and have family life intervene can relate to.

I found a leaders and enders Linky party over at A Quilting Chick. I don’t really think of my leaders and enders in the same way she does, but I added my most recent O9P post to the Linky party to 1) get more traffic and 2) acknowledge that the progress I am making is all because of leaders and enders. I wonder what my life would be like if I only worked on one project at a time?

I have always been interested in casserole carriers and other things like that. I thought they would be good gifts, especially for a shower. “The Casserole Carrier measures 9-1/2″W x 14-1/2″L x 4″H and transports a standard 9″ x 13″ casserole dish. Zippered pockets on top and bottom will hold utensils, napkins, a cutting board, and more. There’s even an inner mesh slip pocket for a hot/cold pack. Measuring 11-1/2″D x 3″H, the Pie Carrier is perfect for pies (even deep dish!) or cupcakes.” My only concern is whether the casserole would get on the inside top of the carrier. I saw an interesting pattern in the May 1 ByAnnie newsletter. You might also need a shower gift or a room parent gift.

In the same newsletter, I also saw a baby travel accessories pattern that would make great baby shower gifts. I especially like the pacifier carrier.

The Lindy Petal Skirt is a free pattern from Itch to Stitch. I love the petal look and the designers says you should be able to sew it in an hour. (Not me, but you)

Other Artists

During Ricky Tims’ concert at the Paducah show, he got on FaceTime with Libby Lehman and the brief conversation was projected on the screen for the whole audience to see. Libby was also able to interact with the audience. She has come such a long way from the aneurysm and stroke she suffered a few years ago.

Nancy Zieman is a giant in the world of sewing. In recent years, she has also jumped into the quilt world and produced some great projects and products. Now she has been diagnosed with cancer and it is time for us to give back. All of us have  cancer somewhere in our families. Some of us, sadly, know better than others the day to day worries and emotions that engulf a patient and a family. I saw an article recently about Emily McDowell, an artist and cancer survivor, who has produced a line of cards to send to someone with cancer. I am not saying to go buy one of these cards, but go read the blog post about why she produced this line before you write to Nancy or anyone else you know who has cancer. It will change the way you phrase your words. At least it did for me.

Weeks Ringle posted on her blog about this and Nancy also has a video posted explaining what is going on. You may not be a fan of Nancy Zieman, but she has, no doubt, worked hard in this profession and contributed.

Websites, Articles and Information

Mandy Applebee of Yellow House Quilts wrote a great blog post about encouraging others and not breaking them down. One quote was “I am instead asking that we take a moment to BUILD OTHERS UP, speak up, stand up and ENCOURAGE others to create their best work right now, encourage them to TRY, practice and create whatever makes their hearts happy.  Support others, it doesn’t take anymore time to build another person up instead of breaking them down.  ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE, ENCOURAGE and help build others up!!  This industry is big enough for everyone no matter their level of skills and training, so help and support others whenever you are able.  Be a builder and take a stand against the bullies!!  PLEASE!!”

I am not diminished in my own process or projects if you sew up a storm. I find joy and inspiration in what you do. I want everyone to share the excitement and challenge I feel in quiltmaking. Why are there quilt bullies? What is the point? Is it the same reasoning as for other bullies? Thanks to Ms. Lottie for sharing.

Gretchen was kind enough to point out an article on pre-washing in a recent blog post. What was interesting was the shrinkage. I would have thought bleeding would be the issue, but shrinkage was much more noticeable. I was surprised to see that one fabric shrank 1/2″ on the weft side. The article is well organized by fabric manufacturer. (As an FYI: I wash all of my fabrics in hot water with Retayne and dry them on low).

12 revealing facts about rulers (not the Queen Elizabeth kind) is an informative and entertaining look at rulers. It mostly has history, but a few bits about quiltmaking rulers as well and the history gives an interesting foundation to the tasks we perform with our rulers.

I have wanted to make a Feathered Star blocks since I first saw what Marsha McCloskey was doing. She has a number of books out and I own a few. Now with the Triangle Technique, it is a lot less daunting. Still, I have not done it, but it is on the list. Marsha McCloskey finally has her blog up and running. Take a look at: https://featheredstar.wordpress.com/

Fabric, Tools, Supplies, Shops & Embellishments

Rock Baby Scissors has an interesting Etsy shop full of bags. If you need some quick gifts for Comicon fans, this is your shop.

Exhibits, Tutorials and Events

“Kevin Kosbab, who wrote the popular book, Quilter’s Appliqué  Workshop, is dedicated to helping other quilt artists use appliqué easily and creatively, using his tips, tricks, and techniques.

Here are some of his suggestions for success:

1. In general, for both hand and machine appliqué, start sewing an appliqué along a straight or gently curved edge rather than a corner or point. The corners look neater this way.

2. To reduce stiffness from fusible web, cut the center away from your fusible shape, leaving a border of about 1/4″ inside the traced outline.

3. Try different types, sizes, and brands of hand needles to find the best one for you. I use a size 11 sharps for hand appliqué, but you might find it easier to manipulate fabric edges with a longer milliners needle. Ask for recommendations from friends or quilt shops, but ultimately it’s a personal decision.

4. Cross-wound spools of thread generally feed better on your machine’s horizontal spool pin, while stacked (parallel-wound) spools work best on a vertical pin. If your machine doesn’t have a vertical spool pin, try a thread stand-also a good idea if you find monofilament thread tangling when sewing invisible appliqué.

5. When combining piecing with appliqué, press the pieced seams in the direction that makes sense pictorially-that is, press seams away from whichever fabric is supposed to be the “background.” When pre-piecing fabrics to sew down as a single appliqué shape, press the seam allowances open to reduce bulk in the turned edges.

Kevin has many more tips, techniques, and patterns for creative, stress-free quilt appliqué, and he shares them all with you in Quilter’s Appliqué Workshop.”

Stay tuned for a special event coming on the blog on May 9.

Purchase some gifts for Mom at my Cafe Press Shop. Cafe Press is having a 20% off sale April 19-23 with the coupon code, MOMSROCK. Restrictions apply. Thanks for your support!

Success!
I finally found instructions for the folded Starburst Wreath. I made a large one a long time ago with a friend and several smaller ones as gifts thereafter, but time goes by and I sewed more than I folded. I kept looking at the large one I have in my workroom and decided I wanted to make another one. I am no longer able to contact the friend, so I started looking on the web. My first search terms were not finding what I needed and I gave up, but the other morning I tried again on Pinterest. After a couple of tries, I was successful and now have the directions again. Hooray!!! Look for some folded paper stars coming to a blog near you!

Other Artists
I love the pattern/block design Bonnie Hunter showed on Instagram recently for Four Patches. These aren’t my colors, but I can easily imagine it in brighter colors.

SherriD reviews a recipe on her blog for a breakfast treat. The review was really great and made me think of quiltmaking patterns and how some of us need more direction in our patterns than others.

Patterns, Magazines, Books & Projects
If you have been following along with the Twilter Round Robin, you will be interested in Molly’s finished-or almost finished- top. I also love the word Rosevale which is mentioned on her blog. It reminds me of Anne’s, of Anne of Green Gables, imagination.

I just love this chicken imagery. I am not much of a chicken-as-decorative-image person, but this one is bright and cheerful.

Exhibits, Tutorials and Events
Quilting Daily had an article about using MistyFuse.

Jolly Jabber update: English Paper Piecing with Jen Kingwell

“Not Fade Away: Sharing Quilt Stories in the Digital Age is a two-day conference presented by the nonprofit Quilt Alliance. This biennnial educational event is for all who care about documenting, preserving and sharing the stories of quilts and their makers. Come meet filmmakers, artists, curators, historians, educators and fellow quilt afficionados. Enjoy a power-packed weekend of learning, socializing and sharing at the Not Fade Away Conference in conjunction with the Sacred Threads Exhibition in our shared venue, Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. ”

I wonder if this applies to the general quiltmaker, someone like you who just makes quilts?

Not Fade Away Conference tickets are now on sale.

Judy Martin will be giving the keynote address at this June’s NQA show in Little Rock, Arkansas. She says she has long had respect for the National Quilting Association and all they do to promote quilting. You can read more about the show and the NQA at http://www.nqaquilts.org/quiltshow/site/2015/  In addition to the keynote address, she’ll also be doing a lecture the next day.

July 17-18 in Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia and take a look at the full information.

The International Quilt Study Center & Museum’s April 2015 Quilt of the Month is Hexagon Mosaic by Grace McCance Snyder. One of Nebraska’s most famous quiltmakers, Snyder has been recognized for the technical complexity and quality of her quilts.

Kathy Matthews put up a Double Churn Dash block tutorial. Those tiny Churn Dashes are pretty cute!

Websites, Articles and Information
Quilting Focus is a new website for quiltmakers in NZ. Our own, Ms. Lottie of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady fame is one of the teachers (owners??).

Article about Why Thread Matters from Jillily Studios.

Judy Martin and her husband Steve Bennett were interviewed about their game, Quilt Show. Have you played it? You can buy the game directly from their website.

Need standard bed sizes?

I found a more definitive article on Jenny Doan. Yes, I am fascinated!

Want to read about <sniff> the downfall of Etsy?

Fabric, Tools, Supplies & Embellishments

Perhaps you have the Apple watch on your ‘must have’ list. Not me as I cannot see the screen, but if you are on the fence, take a look at the quiltmaker’s version. I don’t know if it means anything that it was posted on April 1, 2015….

Kitty has some brief reviews of apps to help you draft quilt blocks.

I have been thinking about tools lately. I have had a number of my tools since I started quilting back in the Dark Ages. My mat is most on my mind. With these thoughts swirling around my mind, I came across this article about ruler inaccuracy from the Badass Quilters Society.

I was VERY disappointed in the recent Jo-ann fabric Daffodil Dash. I was so excited to get some 50% off coupons and it turned out I was unable to use any of them. Everything I wanted and needed was already on sale for a much lower percentage off. I guess the coupon did the job, because it got me in the store and I did buy a few things, but not everything. I have always been skeptical of Jo-ann’s coupons and their real value, but I have been sucked in recently. I am back on the skepticism bandwagon.