Tag: Various & Sundry

Fabric, Tools, Supplies & Embellishments

I love the way that this fabric is organized! I would need a much larger closet, though.

I was dying to buy fabric last week, so I washed some of the Great Unwashed and that helped to make me feel like I had some new pretties to pet.

Ruler Recall: Marsha McCloskey sells rulers on her site that make cutting and sewing her Feathered Star blocks easier. She wrote about the ruler recall in her most recent newsletter: “Recently, I learned, much to my dismay, that my last shipment of Precision Trimmer 3 rulers contained defective rulers. Truly, I didn’t know. Rulersmith has produced perfect rulers for me for 15 years. When these rulers were delivered in February 2014, I didn’t check them. My Mom had just passed away and my mind was not on quality control.  The ruler problem is in the placement of the locator hole at the ¼” seam allowance at the corner of the ruler. This hole is used to locate the start and stop point for set-in seams. On the defective rulers, the hole is placed slightly to the right. Not acceptable. I have no idea if all the rulers sold in the last year were made this way or only a portion. Rulersmith has replaced the entire print run with accurate rulers and I will replace your ruler if it is defective.  I will be contacting people who bought the PT3 ruler through my website, but I have no way to identify who might have bought a PT3 from a shop or from me in a class. You will need to identify yourself, so I can replace the defective ruler with a good one. Please, go to the special PT3 RECALL page on my website and follow the directions if you want your ruler replaced. There is a special page for this issue. You can now use PayPal on her site and a lot of her fabrics are on sale for $6/yard.

These notebooks are clever and creative. I love them except for the part about kids using them in school!

Are you a Frixon pens fan? I found a new product that provides another use for those pens. “Rocketbook, designed by startup Rocket Innovations, looks and feels like a traditional paper notebook and pen combination, but it uses heat-sensitive ink and is paired with a smart app. (The pens, FriXion ballpoints by Pilot, are cheap and easy to find at places like Staples.) When you stick the 8.5-inch-by-11-inch notebook in the microwave for 30 seconds, all 100 of its pages are cleared, so it’s infinitely reusable. Its paper features a dot grid pattern that makes it a good sketchbook for designers, typographers, and architects.

Before you erase your most brilliant doodles, Rocketbook will convert them into digital documents. Lots of artists and designers find sketching by hand, not just on the computer, a crucial part of the creative process, but scanning can be a pain. When you want to save your writing or sketches, the Rocketbook app will upload them to the cloud. The app takes photos of the notebook, two pages at a time, and automatically sends these digitized documents to folders in your Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, or email account. Seven icon buttons are on the bottom of each page, and you can assign them to various locations to determine where the document will be sent. For example, pressing the airplane button might automatically send your pages to Evernote.” Interesting idea for your quilt sketches and notes to self.

Websites, Articles and Information

This is a very short article about the Missouri Star Quilt Company without a lot of details. It leaves me wanting more. Where did they live in California? When did MSQC start? Perhaps, it will spur others (DO YOU HEAR PODCASTERS???) on to find out more.

Jackie is starting a series on sewing with children on her blog. She has posted random bits about sewing with children so I am looking forward to this organized series.

Modern Quilts Illustrated issue #10 is available. Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr at the Modern Quilt Studio have gone to a 2x/year publication schedule. There are no more subscriptions, but you can order it on their website.

The International Quilt Study Center quilt of the month is Oil Rigg by Jo Budd.

We all receive poorly written, flame sounding emails. Sometimes I can’t believe the email I receive because the writer sounds so angry just because s/he signed up to receive a notice of my blog posts. Ms. Lottie, who has the fabulous NZ based podcast and blog, posted a reminder from another artist, Dena Crain, about some tricks on how to avoid and respond to less than clam emails. One thing that spoke to me was the paragraph “Truly, our success at accomplishing all of our life goals has to do with how we approach other people.  Give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and trust that most people really do want to do the right thing, even you!” Dena also has a tutorial on making a mosquito netting. I think that is the first tutorial of that kind I have seen.

Ms. Lottie also has an interview with Sue Benner on her most recent podcast.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put up 4000 high resolution art images and made them available for certain uses. The LA County Museum has done this in the past, so I hope the practice will be a continuing trend.  How will they inspire YOU?

Gretchen reviews Adventures with Leaders & Enders

Exhibits, Tutorials and Events

The Home Machine Quilting Show will be in Salt Lake City May 7-9, 2015.

Charlotte of the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady Blog and Podcast has a tutorial on tying a knot for hand sewing. The thing I like about this tutorial is that it is short, gets down to business right away, tells you what you need to know and doesn’t have a lot of distractions.

Projects, Magazines, Books and Patterns

Philippa, AKA OzzyPip has been posting a series of animal blocks to Twitter. I love this little bird.

I know you NEED a cactus pin cushion. 😉 I saw a pattern posted on the Sewing Lab blog and thought you would like it. I know you could make some creative changes to put your own mark on it. If you make one, post a picture to the AQ Facebook page. I’d love to see your work.

A new issue of Through Our Hands magazine from Laura Kemshall is out: http://issuu.com/laurakemshall/docs/throughourhandsmagazinefeb2015/7?e=3297033/11588949

I was excited to see the Bag of the Month club bag over at Sew Sweetness. It is almost the perfect bag. The Hyacinth Bag is great for a purse and place to store a few things you might need at a quilt show. It is almost the perfect work bag for me, but just a tad bit too small. Still, she is getting closer.

I love the use of text fabrics in the quilt by Magnolia by the Bay.

Other Artists

I know that the New Year is long in the past, but I came across this 2014 Year in Review by Sara over at Sew Sweetness. The visuals add interest. I really like the gallery of photos and will see about doing some similar at the end of this year. I love the apron her friend is wearing towards the end of the post and I do kind of like that Rockstar Bag. I didn’t see it when it came out and I’ll have go and check it out. It has possibilities for a “take my stuff and lunch to work on the train” bag. You might see one that I made pretty soon. We’ll see.

Alex Veronelli retweeted a photo of Karolina Bakowska’s thread doodling piece. It is fantastic and I love it! I haven’t seen anything quite like it, but it really looks great.

Take a look at a short video with a Libby Lehman update. I am still hoping she will be able to teach again.

How did you celebrate Pi Day. Take a look at this great quilt.

My mom put up a new blog post with brief mentions of 3, yes THREE, finished quilts. Amazing!

It took me over a year to get up to 100 followers on the AQ Facebook page (check the sidebar for a link). In the past few weeks, I have gotten 30+. I guess this is what pundits mean by reaching critical mass. Thanks, everyone!

I received an envelope from my dad the other day with a brochure and a page of photos from the Tillamook County Quilt Trails. I looked on the web and found they have a web page! This trail debuted at the Tillamook County Fair in August 2009 with 13 quilt blocks. There are now 101 blocks included along the trail map. I was thrilled to learn that my dad had chased around the county to see these colorful quilt blocks.  He has started living life out loud a little more, which really makes me happy. Quilts are everywhere!

Projects, Patterns, Tutorials & Classes

Katie of Katie’s Quilting Corner has posted a tutorial for the QuiltSmart Gadget Cushion. I might need one to keep my phone handy when I am trying to participate in a Google Hangout with the other Twilters.

April Rosenthal has a rotary cutting tutorial.

I saw this GREAT free motion quilting project via a tweet from Elly at Aurifil. I love it. It isn’t cutesy and looks small enough to be a good practice piece.

Little Bluebell has put up a tutorial on HRTs. “HRTs?, you say” Half Rectangle Triangles. I don’t know if that is the correct name, but you get the idea. It makes me want to pull out my BiRangle and find the book I bought with it back in the last century and make some rectangle quilts.

Your path to a new bag is here! Sara of Sew Sweetness has a new bag pattern called the Holland Bag. I like that she shows so many fabric options and lots of inside bag photos in her post.

The newest Snapshots block is out and it is a sewing machine! This QAL is a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Research Hospital. The goal of $10,000 was reached in a month, which means that 2000 of you sent in the requested $5!  They have upped the FQS goal to $20,000! The suggestion is that you donate $5 for each block pattern downloaded. Wouldn’t it be great if the total donation was $10,000 per block pattern??

Need some organization? Want to make a matching set? A recent post shows 12 patterns for organizing your workroom.

American Patchwork and Quilting has a four patch quilt-a-long as well. There is a link to a number of designers who are in on the QAL and the hashtag for Twitter and Instagram is #APQquiltalong. I like April Rosenthal’s ‘Buried Treasure.’ I am sure her block has been around, but I didn’t take the time to look it up. Using Corner Store blocks to connect the four patches is a great idea!

Carol, the art quilt queen turned me on to the Rainbow Challenge. This month’s color is yellow. The main challenge page talks a little about the challenge, which has the main point of using up scraps.

Enrollment now open for EQU online classes. the following classes were advertised in the latest EQ newsletter:

• Welcome to EQStitch (beginner EQStitch) – March session open!
• EQStitch: The Next Step (intermediate EQStitch) – March session open!
• EQ7 Sampler (beginner EQ7) – April session open!
• EQ7 Building Blocks (intermediate EQ7) – April session open!

Fabric, Tools, Books & Supplies

Gretchen reviews a Double Wedding Ring book.

I saw looking at the AQS catalog. I saw a task lamp called the Stella Task LED Lamp (item #6289). It has a flexible arm and has a special type of bulb to make it convenient to transport, because it won’t break. The ad claims that it still be working after 12 years. This looks great, but I am concerned that the bulbs will not last for 12 years and will be quite expensive.

Katie has a beautiful way of storing scraps. Not only do they look good, but you can enjoy the colors of the scraps as well.

Articles & Information

Someone pointed me in the direction of the American Craft Council article called The Healing Powers of Craft by Monica Moses. It is less an article that a catalog of the health benefits pointing to the beneficial effects while pointing the reader to the articles that discuss the point. I wonder if the converse is true. Will I not be as healthy if I work instead of sew when I am under a deadline? Are people, in general, less healthy if they do not make or repair?

Jennifer Ackermann-Haywood is ending her stint with mlive and focusing on CraftSanity again. Read her last article for mlive.com.

Even quiltmakers ‘get’ rides in police cars sometimes.

Shows, Events & Meetings

SCVQA Show: Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 10am – 5pm and Sunday, March 15, 2015 from 10am – 4pm.

Art Quilt discussion: March 19, 7:30 pm Richmond Branch of the San Francisco Public Library

San Francisco Quilter’s Guild Show: March 20-21.

Sonoma Museum of Art: Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000, February 14-May 17, 2015

Other Artists

I not always a fan of the quilts that look like they were made from the Stack ‘n Whack technique. The name bugs me. Still, this quilt by Hilda is wonderful. I don’t know if it is the red or the gradation.

OMG! Frances did a video of her Mosaic quilt. Amazing!

NQR

In case you want to catch up with Outlander before the new season comes out in April, the Star series version is now on Blu-ray  and DVD.

Frances had a podcast episode sometime ago about what we call ourselves. Barbara Brackman has some fun on her blog about that as well.

Have you looked at the glossary lately? I updated it after writing the Maryland posts.

If you would like to provide input on creativity and your habits around creativity, fill out the questionnaire.

Projects, Patterns and Tutorials

Have you seen the Pile O’ Fabric BOM? Katie, of Katie’s Quilting Corner turned me ton to it and it looks like a great skillbuilder. Take a look. You haven’t missed too many lessons.

Aneela Hoey has a new pattern for little pouches. They aren’t what I would call pouches, but, regardless of the name, they are cute. Take a look at the blog post where Aneela shows a lot of pictures.

I know you have seen the Twiddletails tutorial for pillowcases and my changes to it. NoScrapTooSmall notes some changes as well, mostly interms of cutting sizes, which gives you a variety of perspectives on pillowcase making.

Some of the Twilters are working on the Jinny Beyer Block of the Month on Craftsy. One of the efforts is shown on Sandy’s blog.

Have you see the pattern for the Sketchy Road Trip Case?

Nonnie pointed me to a Four Patch quilt-a-long. I love Four Patches.

I really like the recent top from Fluffy Sheep Quilting. the pattern is simple, but the combination of fabrics and the way the artist put it together makes it interesting.

Need a design wall tutorial. Nadine Ruggles has one.

Have you made the Let Them Eat Cake block for the FQS Snapshots BOM? This is a Fat Quarter Shop block of the month project that benefits St. Jude’s Hospital. They are requesting a $5 donation for each block you download. Kimberly of FQS, along with Bonnie and Camille, for moral support, provide a video tutorial on putting the cake block together. You can download the free pattern and go to FQS on February 15 for the next pattern. Remember to hashtag your blocks and photos as #FQSSnapshots

Janeen van Niekerk was featured in the EQ newsletter as a person who offers free paper pieced block patterns for EQ. I visited her blog and found that she is starting a new paper pieced QaL.

Need some Downton Abbey dresses? Here is a magazine full of patterns that Friend Julie shared with me. I am torn, because I don’t know if my favorite dress is in there. The one I like is the one Mama wore to the county fair where she looked at the flowers. I’ll post a link if I can find one.

I have been admiring the bucket bags that BAMQGers received as part of their Retreat kit a few years ago. The other day I saw a tutorial for the bucket bag. The post on elvie’s studio blog just shows the bag and talks about it a little then links to a free Craftsy class. Elvie‘s fabric choices are better than the one shown in the class IMO. I like the combination of dots and the big flower print. If I make this I will do something like that as well.

If you aren’t using the Wing Clipper ruler by Deb Tucker to make your Flying Geese, here is a tutorial by HoneyBearLane that is the same principle, but without the ruler. She also gives a formula for resizing your pieces to make the Flying Geese the size you need.

I haven’t made this yet, but I do like the idea of it. Perhaps I will use this pattern instead of creating my own (remember the caddy on my To Do List?).

Supplies, Fabric and Tools

I bought a Sew Together Bag pattern and needed a bunch of zippers. I found them at Sew True.

SIL and I were talking about her Snails Trail block and that reminded me of the Big Little Book of Die Cutting I bought last year. In it is a reference and explanation to the EDeN die notation system. This is a system to allow you to translate patterns with rotary cutting instructions into use of your Accuquilt dies. Take a look at the chart provided. This system truly makes the dies widely useful, not just useful with patterns from Accuquilt.

If you weren’t aware, Hawthorne Threads now has the capability to print fabric. They are creating their own collections and printing them on demand. This is a great idea, because it means that fabric will, theoretically, always be available. To that end, they have produced a line of Marsala fabric. Marsala, for those of you who have been avoiding Pantone, is the Pantone color of the year.

I saw a tweet about Stash Fabrics and went to their site to take a look at their fabric. I really like it. It is very hard not to buy some, especially some of the sale fabrics they have. Their monthly bundles seem like a package that would arrive and make my day.

Did you know that Zazzle sells fabric? Unique designs. Go buy some.

By now you have bought a subscription to the Missouri Star Quilt Company magazine,r ight? I, just, this minute, found out about another magazine (? I think) they are publishing (also at an easy on the wallet $5.99) called ModBlock, focused on color. Molli Sparkles is in the first issue.

Other Artists

I talked a little about words of the year. Nadine Ruggles has some thoughts about her words and her life as well.

Julie also has a thoughtful view of her word of the year.

Marie Bostwick bought a….go to her blog to read all about her new purchase.

Did you see Tanesha’s low volume quilt? She also shared some of her ‘duds’, which is a part of creativity. I applaud Tanesha for admitting that not all of her work is perfect.  She talks a little about our meetup, but focuses on my SIL’s Swoon quilt, which was a big hit. You can see the Flipagram from our event.

I thought the mini quilt Amy made was a nice tribute to her grandmother. Something about the clothesline evokes grandmothers, I think. Mine as well.

I know I have mentioned the Year of Making before in reference to the NoScrapTooSmall blog, however I went back and read the post again, which is really worth reading again. I also clicked on the links to other posts, including one from 2013, which actually has resolutions. In the latter post, Marion Felton mentions play. That hits home, especially in reading what she writes about it: “So in the playing vein, I have plans to read all (and most likely swatch through) Principles of Knitting and a couple other books with really intriguing techniques with which I want to play around…”. I plan to do this regularly and never do. I don’t know why, but I don’t. I suppose if I had a studio and dedicated time to go there where I was allowed to go there without guilt, I might play more. I suppose if I had a space in which to read, where I could pile up books and have a stack of pens and post-it notes and paper, I might play more. A lot of ifs….Go read the NoScrapTooSmall  post and let me know what you think.

I can’t believe I missed him, but the god from Mollie Sparkles was in California! He went to the Intrepid Thread, which is not far from my house. Sigh. I was out of town. I love his color sense. He showed the fabrics he bought and I am in love with the pink-blue-orange group in one of the photos. I am tempted to run out and buy some. The sensible, Use-Your-Stash VIMH is saying to walk into the fabric closet and pull out those colors. The voice continues that I must have them somewhere. He is a total temptor as well, asking us (the Glitterati) to link up our purchases with his every Sunday. It is almost like he is giving permission for me to go buy fabric. Sigh.

Exhibits, Shows and Events

The WWII Home Front Challenge exhibit has traveled to the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum and will be there until April 4. Mark your calendars.  There will be an Artists’ Reception on Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum,  Marin Street, Vallejo, California. Meet the artists and hear the stories behind the quilts they made.  For more information and directions, visit the museum’s web site or call 707-643-0077.  To learn more about the WWII Home Front Quilt Challenge visit their Web site at http://www.wwiihomefrontquilts.com/.

Roderick Kiracofe, quilt collector, historian and aficionado has an exhibit of quilts from his recent book at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. The newspaper article says “…and running through May 16, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art presents ‘Unconventional and Unexpected, Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000’…”

Articles and Information

Why am I involved in topics and organizations that are constantly having to prove the value of their work? It is getting old and I would like someone just to say “Oh My God you are a ______________?!? My company cannot live without the services your profession provides!” Here is a recent blog post about a quilt on the front of a Decemberists album (is that the right word?

NoScrapTooSmall talks about her year of making. I am fascinated by the post she wrote on January 1 and have read it several times. I might be trying to get it to sink in. I might be trying to wrap my head around it. I don’t know. Go read it and tell me what you think.

Dierdre pointed out Fit2Stitch to me. They are a show on PBS and have a search feature that tells you when the show is playing in your area.

Off Topic

None of us like to think about exercise. I’d rather be in front of my machine than on the elliptical, but Danny Gregory talks about his experience with exercise, which is similar to my experience and he does so in a human way. Your body is not just a couple of hundred pounds of meet you have to carry around. [paraphrased from the post]

And Finally…

From FB/sewsweetgrandma

You MUST go watch the video on Tanesha’s blog RIGHT NOW. I’ll wait.

Wasn’t that awesome? Don’t you wish someone had told you? This is the whole point of the Creative Prompt Project.

Projects, Patterns & Tutorials

Have you seen Quilter in the Closet’s (Jen), Building blocks Tuesday post from December 23rd? I really like the star block. Building Blocks Tuesday is a regular feature on her blog and it looks like you can learn or practice different skills. What do you think?

Valerie over at Evening in the Garden blog made some packs of gifts that included tissue holders. I decided to try making one. I have some of those small packs of tissues and thought they would make nice small gifts. I ended up making only a couple, but they are on my list for this year for gifts on hand. Valerie used a YouTube video tutorial to make them and they are unbelievably fast. If you have a serger, they are even faster.

If you are following along with the Grand Illusion 2014 Mystery Quilt by Bonnie Hunter, she revealed her finished quilt on New Year’s Day. I like the block, but am kind of glad I didn’t do the project as the finished piece looks really busy. I would not have wanted to pick out fabrics for the piece. I think it would have been more frustrating than challenging doing so without knowing what the quilt would look like.

Nonnie tweeted about a free BOM from Craftsy designed by Jinny Beyer. Yes, FREE! the basic design is a basket sampler. I didn’t buy the kit (have plenty of fabric, thanks!), but there is a kit that goes with the BOM, which you can buy. Even if you have no interest in making the blocks, you might want to ‘enroll’ in the class and listen to Jinny’s color theories. While there are many, many color theories out there, hers is interesting and well thought out. I am not sure I agree with all of her points – the jury is still out – but I like hearing what she has to say. Her theory interests me, especially the part about shading, in terms of my FOTY quilts.

I really liked Polka Dot Finale, a tree made from wool with polka dot leaves.

Articles & Information

There is so much out there on why crafting/making is good for you. Here is another article from CNN. I like this quote “Crafting can help those who suffer from anxiety, depression or chronic pain, experts say. It may also ease stress, increase happiness and protect the brain from damage caused by aging.” The article also mentions flow, which I knew, but had a hard time describing beyond ‘ getting into the zone’ until I read a quote in the article from Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who first described this phenomenon as flow: a few moments in time when you are so completely absorbed by an activity that nothing else seems to matter. Flow, Csikszentmihalyi says, is the secret to happiness — a statement he supports with decades of research.” I like that. Flow. There is also some discussion about “a nonpharmaceutical way to regulate strong emotions such as anger or prevent irrational thoughts. “Flow could potentially help patients to dampen internal chaos”. “

The article includes a video about making electronic gadgets, which was interesting, because it provided an option for those who may not want to glue or sew or stitch.

I can’t help but be a fan of having a hobby and making. This article is really well done, supported by some research as well as anecdotes. I really like it.

Fabric, Tools & Supplies

For those of you who listen to the Hip to be a Square podcast, you know that Pam, the hostess, tracks her fabric usage. She recently posted her year end review and made a few comments on her usage over the three years she has been tracking. Pam has shared a copy of the blank spreadsheet she uses to track her usage, so you can track as well.

Marsha McCloskey is the Feathered Star Queen (I made that up). It is a block that I have always wanted to make and really think it is doable now that I have figured out the Triangle Technique. She talks also about Bernina no longer producing her favorite presser foot for piecing, the #13. I do not have a Bernina and have not tried this foot, but if you want one, now is the time to scrounge around and see if there are any left waiting to be sold. McCloskey also talks about the ultra fine 70/10 Schmetz Microtex (Sharp) Needles. If you use them on your sewing machine, the needle threader may not work. She was told by a nice lady at Paramount Sewing & Vacuum that a 75/11 is as small as you can go for most automatic needle threaders. Haven’t tested this, but will put it on my to do list.

If you have not perused Marsha’s site, now is the time as there are a lot of specials going on. Until January 30, she’s offering newsletter (click to get to the newsletter on Yahoogroups) readers 10% off on all orders over $25 placed at the website. To receive the discount, just type BLUE2 in the space for Coupon Code when you place the order at: http://www.marshamccloskey.com/ Her newsletter is interesting. You can also join by searching for Marsha McCloskey on Yahoogroups.

Sandy found the Inspira Studio by ClosetMaid. Would this studio work for you as your ultimate-the only-studio-you-get-in-your-lifetime studio?

Organization

There are different types of organization, but mostly they fall into two categories: mental and physical. I find that I need to get into the mental frame of mind before I can start to tackle the physical. GoGoKim has made it past the mental and is on to the physical with some good techniques and tips for organizing her workroom.

NoScrapTooSmall is also back on the blogging bandwagon, talking about her Year of Making. She has some interesting links to others doing their Years of Making as well. I am interested in the words that people pick for their year, but have never been able to make it work for myself. I think that something like NoScrapTooSmall’s Year of Making would be a better method for me. I have been swamped so I haven’t been able to follow all the links, but that is high on my priority list.

Nadine Ruggles talks about her Word of the Year and discusses a little of how I feel about words of the year.

Quilt World News

There is a project going on to underwrite the funding needed to update the IQSC space into a special gallery. Linda Pumphrey is launching this campaign to raise funding to pay for the lighting and hanging system in the new ground floor gallery at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, NE. The gallery will be used to showcase work from contemporary quilt makers, regional quilt groups and special selections from the IQSC&M collection.

Classes

The class registration for Sisters, Oregon show is open.

EQ‘s first online class sessions begin January 9th! Learn EQ on your own time, from esteemed EQ teachers. They have one or a few free classes as well.

Quilts, Exhibits and Shows

The International Quilt Study Center’s monthly quilt intrigued me, because of the name: Scherrenschnitte. I took notice for a number of reasons. I have been fascinated by this paper cutting technique for awhile. I also like what Quilt Rat has done with the technique. I always think I will do this technique when I am old and can’t move around.

Sign up for the International Quilt Study Center & Museum’s 2015 Symposium, “Making and Mending: Quilts for Causes and Commemoration”. I want to go. Will you sponsor me? 😉

“Primal Green 2”, a show of CQFA member quilts, is up at the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch through April. It is available to view during regular library hours.

“Most Modern”, a show of BAMQG member quilts, is up the Los Altos Public Library through the end of December. It is available to view during regular library hours.

Other Artists

I took the opportunity to skim the blog of an AQ reader and Canadian quiltmaker, Colleen. Take a look at her blog, Colleen Quilts Too. I saw a Scrapitude quilt, which was very pretty. She has also been doing some hand embroidery lately, which is near to my heart and listens to audiobooks. We must have been separated at birth!

Kathy, a latin teacher in middle school as well as quiltmaker and blogger, commented here, which spurred me on to go take a look at her blog. Her blog is more diverse than AQ including life and work and family posts as well as quilts. She has made a Jack’s Chain, which is a pattern also on my Dream Projects list (though I don’t think actually written down!).  See her version and her tutorial (!!!) by taking a look at her blog. The tutorial includes some photos from the book I reviewed recently 1001 Patchwork Designs by Maggie Malone. The 9 patches would be a GREAT leaders and enders projects. Perhaps I’ll move this project farther up my To Do List! 😉

Did you see the oral history by the Quilt Alliance featuring Barbara Brackman? I want someone to do one about me. I suppose I have to be more important. Thanks to Frances for pointing this out.

I have talked about Linda and Laura Kemshall before. If you haven’t taken a look at Linda’s blog lately, go take a look. I love the feathers she has stenciled on her most recent quilt top.

Media

Michelle has a blog. It is interesting and very true to her actual voice.

Craft Daily sent me an email about Mark Lipinski’s Sensational Bindings video. I did not, yet, buy it, but the preview makes it look interesting.

Annie, the creator of Soft & Stable was interviewed by Pat Sloan on the American Patchwork & Quilting podcast about the development of Soft and Stable and other topics related to bag making

Doing Good

Remember the Stars for San Bruno Project that I did a few years ago? Daisy has a series of raffles going on to raise money for medical expenses for her Dad. See all the info about the project at the dedicated page. Listen to her podcast episode #54 to hear more about it.

QUICK! SHORT DEADLINE! There is a project going on the Mollie Sparkles blog to make quilts for the victims families affected by the shootings in Sydney. The block is a hashtag block, The blog has a tutorial for the block as well. I think is kind of fitting, since this was all posted on Instagram and the Mollie Sparkles blog. There is a FAQ available. I am going to help for the same reasons I worked on the Stars for San Bruno quilt, but also because I like being called one of the Glitterati.

Carol, one of the Twilters, shared a story about ‘fidget quilts’ that are donated to a retirement community centered on working with Alzheimers sufferers. I think that Super G would have loved this type of quilt even though she was not as far gone as some (and I am convinced had dementia as a result of overmedication not Alzheimers or some other illness). She was a really busy person and this could have stilled her somewhat.

Products, Fabric & Supplies

Have you seen Moleskine’s new Smart Notebook? I think it is an interesting start to moving drawings to digital files. The video says that it is rough, but what a great start! It would be so much better for my biographer if all of my journals went immediately to digital files rather than having to be scanned when I am dead. 😉

The list of EQ classes is out for January. The classes are online. The access to class materials is forever, though class forum access is limited. No more waiting to IQF for classes!

Projects

Are you doing Grand Illusion, the 2014 mystery quilt, with Bonnie Hunter? Here is part 3 of the directions for your downloading convenience. I am not doing it in time with everyone else, but I am downloading the pattern. You just never know when I might decide to make 210 (or so) checkerboards.

Need some last minute gifts? Here is a video tutorial for a tissue holder given to me by Valerie of Evening in the Garden blog.

Have you seen Michelle’s Plus Quilt? I love the piecing she has done. She has been auditioning backgrounds and asked for my opinion. Silly girl! Of course my opinion was very different from everyone elses. Oh well. We’ll see what she goes with and I am sure it will be beautiful.

Valerie has been making boxy bags. I came across a pattern, project post from Hawthorne Threads, though they use a tutorial from another blog. Will you make one?

Check out the Christmas tree quilt Frances is making with her son. I have always liked that pattern and really like how she is using fabric.

By the way, I found the pattern for the Amanda Jane 7 Pocket Work Apron. It was stuck in between some fabric on one of the shelves. I now remember putting it there, but don’t remember why. It is going in the folder for future use.

Patterns and Blocks

Camille Roskelly posted about Market and included some info about a new Scraps Inc book. She contributed a quilt, parts of which look like inside out Flying Geese.

Starting in January, you can help raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and get a quilt pattern. Read about it on Camille Roskelley’s blog.

EQ held a BlockBase Sew-along back in 2012. In writing a review for you, I found it and thought I would share. I would probably get overly ambitious and do something like make all the blocks in a smaller size a la Dear Jane, but this Sew-along is a good start.

You can always use my pillowcase guidelines, but if you want a different experience, take a look at A Spoonful of Sugar’s pillowcase design. This is a really pretty post as well.

Exhibits and Such

BAMQG members have quilts inspired by Amish quilts at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. There is a recent, interesting article in the San Jose Mercury News, which a friend from Chicago sent me!

Primal Green 2 is on at the San Francisco Public Library. This is the main branch and the exhibit is on the 5th floor. I have three quilts, Beach Town, Flower Garden and the Whole Cloth Quilt in the show.

Social Media

This is such a tough time of year to write a blog. I sometimes wonder why I do it and I realized that I wonder that more during this time of year than other times. I get myself back in a right place in my head and remind myself that I do this writing for myself and my blog has become a great resource for myself! I know you are busy, but take a moment to comment on the blog. I get a lot out of your comments and am glad you are reading.

Tools, Supplies and Fabric

I found out from Alyssa Lichner that she has updatedthe Kona® Cotton to Aurifil Thread Conversion Chart and you can find it by going to her site.

Media

I heard from Ms. Lottie that Linda and Laura Kemshall have a new magazine out, Through Our Hands.

The Electric Quilt Company will soon have online classes. Keep checking their website for start dates and titles of classes.

Fabric, Thread and Supplies
Need some discount fabrics? I mean full quality fabric for less? Check out this post on The Stitches Swap. Just go look. You know you want to go and look.

Hawthorne Threads has now produced its own fabric line. I saw it the other day while I was browsing their shop and didn’t quite understand what I was seeing. Fabric Worm / Birch Fabrics did this a few years as the modern movement was getting off the ground. I guess Hawthorne Threads thought it was a good idea. If you click on Hawthorne Threads as a designer you will see their three collections, Fair Isle, Bengal and Calliope. they have a pattern for an apron using the Calliope line on their blog. Need a gift? There are similarities in the designs even though the collections are different. Glad to see they are reaching beyond just being an online fabric shop.

Patterns and Projects
Moda has their Modern Building Blocks quilt project, which I really like. Not sure how old it is, because I can’t find the original post. Still here are the directions for putting all of the blocks together.

I found a really nice Pineapple quilt.

I know Thanksgiving is first, but I love this poinsettia table runner, even though I don’t love table runners.  I love the colors (not screamy Christmas) and the design (Drunkard’s Path). Thanks to Mark Lipinski.

Tanesha has been working on art journaling pages and she did one recently that I really like. Check it out on her page.

Moda has a post on their blog about quilt math, Bake Shop Basics: Quick Quilt Math by Oda May, using their precuts. They had to make some assumptions, but I think it is a good post to add to your toolkit.

Media

Weeks Ringle posted about a subject near and dear to my heart. I call it “…but I am not creative”, which is similar to the title of her blog post. while I am fortunate to come from a family with a long tradition of needlework and a mother who encouraged (and paid for) a lot of our crazy creative ideas, not all of my quilts are perfect. I cut off points, my borders don’t fit, I can’t draw a human face. For me, creativity in my chosen medium is about getting better. Every quilt I make and technique I try further my knowledge. It also keeps my brain active and keeps me interested. What I would like to say is “banish the phrase (and related sentences) ‘…but I am not creative’ forever.” Don’t acknowledge the concept, don’t think about it. Everyone is creative, but you have to nurture and practice creativity, just like everything else.

Did you know that Abby Glassenberg has a podcast? No? Me either. There is a link on her blog. She is up to episode 32. Does this mean I am not paying as much attention as I should to new media or does it mean I am part of an insular little community that only talks to itself? I might think about that.

Judy Martin writes “Regardless of your skill or experience level, you can win the coveted Best of Show just by playing my new game, Quilt Show. It is out and available. The game retails for $34.95. It is for 2-4 players. You can read more about it or order it at:
http://judymartin.com/products.cfm?action=detail&prod=60&CatID=4 (no affiliation)

If you’re curious about the game but want to see how it plays, I have some short videos you can watch. Richard Ham has a series of videos where he plays games and explains what he is doing as he does it. It’s a great way to follow along and tell if a game is right for you. I’ve added his three Quilt Show videos to my Video page. And Dan King, the Game Boy Geek, does a video review of Quilt Show, explaining how to play. I’ve added his video, too.

http://www.judymartin.com/video-page.cfm”

The game would be great for retreats or Quiltmakers’ Game Nights. I am sure it makes a great gift. 😉

I found about the 45th anniversary of QNM from Judy Martin’s newsletter. See the quilts and read about the event on their blog.

There is an Amish Quilt Exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Read the article and go see it if you get the chance. I was disappointed that none of the modern inspirations were shown in the paper.

Features

I was featured on the Quilty Therapy blog in her healthy sewist lifestyles series.

If you want a good bio of Judy Martin, she was a Battgirl recently and you can read all about her. Yes, I am an inveterate Judy Martin fan. I love her original blocks, her newsletter and her quilts. The follow-up post on Judy’s quilter, Lana talks about Quilter’s Dream Batting in such a way that it makes me want to try it. Have you used that batting?

Thoughts and Ideas
The Badass  Quilters’ Society had this “To be a BadAss Quilter is to be confident enough to embrace your own style without the need to mock the style of others. To at least aspire to fearlessness in your craft as well as authentic, compassionate and ethical treatment of each other. To be generally opposed to dumb-ass behavior that separates, denigrates or makes light of another’s work, style or lifestyle. In short, we are opposed to being a jerk about most things and about quilting most of all.” to say on a post that I marked to share back in April. Regardless of whether you want to call yourself ‘badass’ or not, the sentiment is really good. What is wrong with your style that you are embarrassed to own it? Why are you reluctant to make a change to a pattern that would clearly be better with your change? Why do you make fun of someone else’s work? The article goes on to discuss all the different types of quiltmakers out there. Go forth and embrace your quilt-i-ness!

Abby Glassenberg wrote a blog post on whether money trickles down to fabric designers. The Bad Ass Quilt Society wrote a follow-up post to Glassenberg’s post. I think it was an excellent example of how our expectations of pricing are way off. I don’t buy kits, but I have run my own business and I know everyone is looking for a discount. One of the things I like about the quilt industry is that it is still filled with a lot of small businesses and women owned businesses. Do you really need a discount?

Other Artists
Next week is the American Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. Perusing some of my favorite sites (see link list on the right hand side), I saw that Quilt Rat had posted a turkey that is perfect for coloring. Print out a few copies, buy some new boxes of crayons and set the kids to work while you cook.

I heard Kevin Kosbab speak the other day at the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild. He has a really interesting lecture on Mid Century Modern. Look for a more detailed post about him later. See his work and buy his stuff at: Feed Dog Designs

Looking for a key to acronyms I use? Check the AQ Glossary.

News

My camera broke a few weeks ago, thus the weird photos I have been posting. I haven’t bought a new one yet, but am planning to do so. It is kind of a pain, because I wasn’t planning on learning something new just now. I had a good rhythm with my old camera and liked the photos it produced. I guess we don’t get to choose these things. I’ll probably borrow my son’s camera for awhile since I would like to figure out what I want and try some out. I don’t want to rush into a purchase. What kind of camera do you have?

Results of the 2014 Quilting in America survey, the 7th conducted since 1994, were announced at Quilt Market. Some key highlights:

• Quiltmakers in the US spent $3.76 billion on their passion
• 1 out of every 20 Americans makes quilts, though there was a decrease
• “Dedicated Quilters” (spend more than $500 per year-how many of YOU qualify?) represent 12.2% of all quilting households, and account for 60.4%
  of the total industry expenditures, or about $2.27 billion

CHA, the Craft & Hobby Association, has a new Blogger membership. This should make it a lot more affordable to attend, however there are some limitations. The blog post says “The criteria for membership were established to attract established bloggers that do this as a business versus individuals who are blogging to support their love for crafting.” I know that many of you qualify, so go to the show.

Products, Thread and Fabric

Need help matching thread and fabric? PlayCrafts has a new app out just for that. Now you can match your Kona solids to your Aurifil.

Michael Miller has something in the works for Janome Sewing machines and their fabric. They put up a sneak peek.

Patagonia, the outerwear maker has a cool Twitter feed (@patagonia). It is not just filled with ‘buy this’ and “look at how awesome we are”. They are awesome, because they engage with their readers in their area of expertise. They have beautiful pictures of nature, they show recycled and upcycled products, including a quilt made from old down jackets. I never knew what happened to those down jackets that no longer fit or …. whatever. Now I know one thing. My dad would love this! I was alerted to Patagonia’s down recycling project and went on to read a blog post by Alabama Chanin, which tells more about Patagonia’s relationship with their garment during the entire life cycle of the garment. There is a video that talks about one aspect of the project. This is such a novel and exciting concept. It really makes me want to buy Patagonia products.

Red Pepper Quilts does a Sunday Stash Report and recently she posted about Mimosa by Another Point of View. I thought that I really liked the fabric when I saw a little sliver in a picture of a stack, but I drew back, because a little sliver is a lot different than an 10″x10″ or half yard piece. She posted larger pieces of the blue colorway and I definitely like them.  I am not so sure about the red colorway. I also noticed that a couple of the prints look a LOT like Some Denyse Schmidt prints from Flea Market Fancy. Hhhmmm.

Other Artists

Have you seen Carol Wool’s quilt from her Gwen Marston class? Don’t those stars look like Women’s Work?

What about Charolotte’s Scrapitude blocks? They are very different than the others I saw, but also uniquely her. Charlotte also writes about the comfort of stitching and her words are exactly how I feel. I love her posts and her work.

Mom finally got back on the blogging bandwagon and has a bonanza of projects to show.

Quilt Market

Bonnie Christine have two new lines. I like Cultivate. Enough to buy? I don’t know.

Timeless Treasures talks about what they are introducing, which you should have seen by now. They also sort of explain the Judy/Judel Niemeyer confusion.

Julie, over at the Intrepid Thread, talks about her wardrobe for Market, which is always of interest to me.

Barbara Brackman has a new reproduction line coming out. She is not going to Market, so has created a virtual booth.

Melissa Mortenson is debuting her new fabric line and her book of projects for teens.

Have you taken a look at the tutorials page lately? There are a lot of great step-by-step directions on various quiltmaking techniques and I have made some updates lately.

Exhibits, Websites and Blogs

I have a quilt in an exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library. The exhibit, Primal Green 2, started on October 11 and will end in April 2015. This is a kind of follow up to our Primal Green exhibit from a few years ago. Read all about it in a recent newsletter.

Modern Quilts Illustrated will no longer have subscriptions. Read all about it on the Craft Nectar website.

Marie Bostwick has new shop on CafePress! This is something she has been working on “for some time. The shop features unique Cobbled Court themed merchandise including t-shirt, tote bags, coffee mugs and more, souvenirs of your armchair travels to the fictional village of New Bern, home of the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop.”

100% of profits from purchases will be donated to charity! Proceeds will be shared equally among The National Down Syndrome Society, Quilts for Kids, The Freedom Service Dogs Foundation, and The National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Banned Books Week passed and Tanesha and Sandy did their excellent work encouraging art quilts again using BBW as the theme. Tanesha has a comprehensive list of BBW links on her blog, Crafty Garden Mom. Take a look at the Flickr group for all of the entries, including past entries. I saw a post on a blog by a woman whose mother tried to alter school district reading list because of the content of the books. One thing that I notice when I read a book that someone somewhere has tried to ban is that the books seem really tame to us, especially those that are older. I also saw a post that discusses the 10 more popular reasons for banning books and gives examples of books that were banned. A great reading list, if you ask me.

Antonia left a comment on the Triangle Technique post and left her URL. I went to take a look and found a quilting search engine, Quilting Hub. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore, but there was a pretty comprehensive list of quilt related stores, guilds and other organizations when I put in my zip code.

I really like Jackie’s blog and I thought her recent Week in Review post was particularly good. I am amazed at how much she gets done in a week and I read her post wanting more info about all of her projects. I love the photos in her post as well.

Jill, over at the Quilt Rat pointed me to the Janome blog where I saw a great tutorial on installing a concealed zipper. The post is about using one of the Janome feet, so you get 2-for-1.

TFQ sent me a link to a site that shows how to make a Pineapple block with no paper piecing and no special rulers. I really think this is similar to the way the Possibilities ladies show how to make a Pineapple Block. I don’t know how I feel about it since I just bought the special Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Ruler.

Fabric, Tools, Books & Supplies

I saw a whole bunch of posts for the new Konas. finally I got to see them all on Pinterest. I am probably late to the party. My favorites are Jamaica and Heliotrope. What are yours?

Modern Stitch Holidays is available for purchase at the Interweave site. I haven’t been to any stores to see if it is available elsewhere. I love the colors and the pillow design is luscious. You know I am a sucker for turquoise! Still, I probably won’t buy this magazine as I rarely, if ever, make holiday projects. $14.99 is too pricey for eye candy right now.

Are you afraid you are a fabri-holic even though nobody is being injured or going hungry because of your fabric ‘habit’? Do you go on regular fabric diets? Read this post and give up those nasty habits. Enjoy your fabric!

Peggy gave these fabrics out as party favors when we did the Charity Sew Day. They are a little different for me, but I like them and it was fun to get a gift as a small thank you.

Projects

Aneela Hoey has a great post about foldover pouches. There are a couple of different styles and they look like they would be great gifts for friends. The larger pouch is about $9 and the smaller is about $7, both are for patterns only. While I was there I saw her book pouch as well. That is also a fun project.

I do believe that story quiltmakers tell about the ugly fabric making the fabulous fabric look even more fabulous. Ugly fabric is ugly and I am not using it. You can’t make me. 😉 Then I saw Jackie’s Ugly Quilt. The Jacob’s Ladder one. I really like it. I don’t want it, but I really like the way it came out. Jacob’s Ladder is a fabulous pattern regardless, but this quilt is not what I would consider ugly. There is a lot of interest, the eye moves around the piece and it is interesting. Good work, Jackie.

I made a bag for all of my cables and cords for traveling. I like it, but it is big. I have a lot of cords, so it has to be. I saw another version and like it very much. Free PDF pattern download.

The colors and yardage requirements for Bonnie Hunter’s Winter mystery quilt are posted (Posts will be retired on June 1, 2015, so print now). Is it that time of year already? No, I am probably not doing it, but I really like the colors. I have been thinking about color stories lately and Bonnie’s explanation of her choice of colors is a great story, though I am not a fan of her actual fabric choices- mauvey in the pink realm for me. You know I like BRIGHT and to each her own. I saw an article in House Beautiful with great colors. Since I am thinking of color stories there may be a blog post about it.

NQR

The Smithsonian is out of beta for their transcription project. They are crowdsourcing the transcription of hand written diaries that have been digitized. The examples aren’t really enticing for me, because they are famous people everyone knows a lot about already. I will be more interested when they start transcribing diaries of normal women who had ‘normal’ or ‘everyday’ lives – people like you and me who went to work, picked the kids up from school and made quilts. If you want to help, take a look at the instructions.

Road Show

Marie Bostwick is on the road again signing books. She had an event on September 26 and the subsequent dates are:

• October 20 York County Quilters Guild, Rock Hill, SC
• October 21 Greater Columbia Quilters, Columbia, SC
• October 23 Florida Writer’s Foundation, Lake Mary, FL
• October 29-31 Houston International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX
  *Marie will be signing at The Craftsman’s Touch booth in the vendor mall on Wednesday during Preview, Thursday all day, and Friday morning.

*Marie will be teaching a day-long workshop for aspiring writers, “Conception to Completion: A Bestselling Author’s Guide to Writing.” See her website for more information. Visit her online calendar for more details or go to her website.

Last But Not Least

And one last thought….

Tools, Supplies and Fabric

Do you have a Silhouette Cameo cutter? If so, you might want to read a post by Sarah Vedeler about cutting shapes successfully. Of course, YMMV.

Did you know Elizabeth Hartman has a Kona Designer Palette? No? Me either.

Projects

Timeless Treasures had a Sew-a-thon to make pillowcases for the Conn-Kerr Cancer Center and the Million Pillowcase challenge. Not only did they make pillowcases, but there are a lot of resources on the post for patterns and other resources.

There is (or was, maybe) an Aurifil Designer challenge. I happened to pop by Quilt Jane and see Pat Wys’s block. It is another great use of baby Friendship Stars. Remember the Friendship Star block, designed by Camille Roskelley, that I used for Kelly’s Round Robin? I really like that block and the work I did on Kelly’s Round Robin. I might have to make another one. 😉 BTW, if you make one Pat’s blocks (pattern on Auribuzz post) and post it to their Flickr group, you could win a prize.

Remember Scrapitude? Well, Charlotte is at it again with a new mystery quilt. Sandy announced it on her blog this week. The cutting directions are out now and there is no sewing until January. I have been thinking about making another Scrapitude quilt, mostly to tweak the colors that I used in Scrapitude Carnavale. I like that quilt a lot, but there are few things I would do differently. Perhaps this version would be a good design with which to to play with color and fabrics. Still ….mystery quilts. Hhmm. The BAMQG mystery quilt did not work out so well for me, so I am sort of off mystery quilts.Will you play this time?

Kati had some top finishes recently and showed them off. Great work. The Lucky Stars quilt is especially awesome.

Books

STC Craft has a new book, Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000, out by ROCK STAR quilt history person, Rod Kiracofe. He used to be involved with the Quilt Digest and has written other books. The awesome part of this book is the dates. It covers some of my own quilt life and that of my friends. Perhaps I’ll see one of my quilts in it. (HA!!) The book is mentioned on a recent blog post on the STC Craft blog. The book also has its own page on the Abrams site. Let’s all buy it and make it a success!

Media

This quilt caught my attention when it was posted to the guild’s group.

I bought a subscription to Quilt Now! I think I like Love of Patchwork and Quilting better, but they sent me a ruler and you know how I love rulers! You can subscribe to Quilt Now! through Pink Castle fabrics, if you live in the US. If you live in the UK, you can subscribe directly.

Melody Johnson has a new blog. You can read about why on her old blog, which will stay as is for the time being, but not be updated.

Color

I  was going through the magazines stacked up next to my bed the other day and found a quote I wanted to share with you. In the January/February 2014 issue of Fons & Porter: Love of Quilting (pg.13), there is an article about two color quilts. In it the author writes “There is a tendency for white to dominate since it has a great degree of reflectivity than most other colors in the spectrum. The quilt designs that are the most successful are those that utilize the two colors in equal quantities.” Part of me wants to believe this, because it is Fons and Porter, after all, and they do their research, right? I haven’t done a test, but I do think that ratios are really important and that using a little less white, even a VERY little and a little more color might be a better way to go.

Thinking

I am a little hard pressed to figure out where to put this article about thinking like an entrepreneur. Now you are thinking “WTH, Jaye, why should I think like an entrepreneur?”.  The article quickly morphs into a way to develop a vision for yourself as an artist and a vision for your work. It is interesting. Who wants to start?

Here is an article from Lifehacker that talks about 6 obstacles that hinder your creative projects. How many are relevant to you?

Knitting Request
If you are willing to knit or crochet a hat for a man going through chemotherapy, contact me privately. Hats for work especially needed. Thanks.

Projects
I am so lucky that people share their work with me.

Gretchen shared a block from Fat Quarter Shop BOM. I love this block design and think I will make a block like this. It has a lot of pieces so I am not sure it would work for a donation quilt, but in the Star Sampler (or a similar type of project) it would have shone!

I have never done a BOM and am not sure I will, though I never thought I would do a mystery quilt and look at Scrapitude! I love the dots in this block, of course, but am not so fond of the overall look of the fabric. I wonder if you can just buy the block patterns and make the quilt in your own fabric.

Gretchen says that this is block 2, so I assume it is a 2014 BOM, but I can’t see which one it is on the Fat Quarter Shop BOM page. Try them all! 😉

I like the style of this eReader cover. The fact that it has some style is awesome! Yes, part of the style is the fabric, but there is also that curve on the foldover cover. Very nice. [The nagging back part of my mind wonders if that curved pointy part would get caught on other stuff when you stuffed it into a bag?] There are some tips on the Whistlepig blog, but you can buy the pattern from Whistlepig Creek Productions. I saw it first on Pinterest.

Mrs. K has also been hard at work on her project, which I wrote about in a previous post. She shared a picture of her back with me and I love the back as much as the front. I feel so fortunate to have friends who will share their projects with me.

Fabric and Thread

Have you seen Leah Duncan’s fabric? It reminds me of Marrimeko. I like the colors of her Aurifil thread as well.

I am just amazed at the variety of thread boxes that Auriful is putting out lately.

Media

I saw this site posted on FB. If you need a bit of eye candy, take a look at Quilt Inspiration.

Here is a sensible 12 Step Program for quiltmakers.

I happened across the blog post on La Vie en Rose. I love reading about why people make, what they make and how they make. No matter how much we love the rooms in House Beautiful and Elle Decor, I think we all feel compelled to put our own stamp on our surroundings as well as to leave a legacy.

As you might remember, I linked up to Design Wall Monday on the Patchwork Times last week. It was a whim. I don’t know if I’ll do it again. I probably won’t do it every week. I decided to go back and look at some of the other design walls. I was actually kind of disappointed, because the first several I clicked on were beautiful finished projects not design wall. I felt like the one person who showed up to the party wearing a costume only to find that nobody else wore costumes. I really put myself out there and others didn’t seem to. In all fairness, I may not understand the rules.

The Rosie’s Quilt Cupboard blog got questions from the The Quilting Life and answered them in a recent blog post. The writer is funny, though the jokes are subtle. I especially liked her cave drawing comment. 😉 I also liked her comment about not annoying women with sharp pointy things. I’ll have to use that line sometime. It is amusing to read her answers to the questions and think about my own. I followed along with Weeks Ringle on her Modern Quilt Studio Homework that . These questions are a good opportunity to get the brain working again. I am considering answering these questions as well, but we will see. Thanks to Sandy for tweeting it.

You know I love leaders and enders. Great news for those of you who don’t know what to do with those leaders and enders you have made into blocks: Bonnie Hunter’s new book, More Adventures with Leaders and Enders is out. Take a look at her blog for more details. I like the cover.

I like the tips in this TextileArtist.org post on keeping an art blog. You might have wondered why my posts don’t have a lot of different topics in one post. This post explains it very well.

Tutorials, Tips and Tricks

I found a post that details caring for your scissors.

Want to make a coffee cozy? Here is a Fat Quarter shop Tutorial via I’m A Ginger Monkey. I know there are thousands of coffee cozy tutorials out there. Perhaps this one will work for you?

Around and About in QuiltLandia

Want to enter a contest? This one is about animals.

I heard there is a Bainbridge Quilt Festival! Go visit Bainbridge Island Saturday Sept 13th.

I found a great post from Weeks Ringle about their participation in the Million Pillowcase Challenge. I liked it that she was able to find out about the recipients and make some pillowcases that might go with their decor. She has some good tips about making them to fit into a decor about which you don’t know much.

Something Completely Different

This was a ‘cheap date’ ad on Google. Yes! Isn’t this a great line? Isn’t it true?

Reading

I love to read and periodically I subject you to lists of books I am reading, which I am not going to do today. I did want to point you to a really interesting discussion of what people should read and who is an arbiter of reading/literature. If you have a chance, listen to Books on the Nightstand #286.

Tutorials

Jeni Baker of In Color Order and Love of Patchwork & Quilting magazine has a tutorial on machine binding a quilt. Her machine binding looks really good. she also shows how to put the ends together with the Fons & Porter ruler, so if you don’t want to buy a specialty ruler check out this tutorial. She makes me actually want to try to machine bind a quilt.

You have heard me swoon over process. A recent post over at Be*mused blog is another commentary that makes me swoon. It is all about choosing background. Some of you might say “kill me now” and just pick a fabric, but this detailed description of picking a background denotes that it is an important part of the process of getting the quilt right.

Need thread storage? Becky shows you how to create portable and stackable thread storage.

Media

Do you want to know the impact that quiltmakers have in the economy. 13 Spools has an infographic and commentary (over a couple of posts) on the astounding amount of money quiltmakers spend, which contributes to the economy, job creation not to mention all the quilts that get made. It occurred to me that they (whoever ‘they’ is) could have added a question about the respondent’s own perception of his/her dedication to quiltmaking. Those answers would have added a whole layer of meaning that could have been reported to the data.

One of the things I love about Twitter is the random gems that arrive in my Inbox. I love this one, because I believe that creativity has an element of work – a joyous element of work, but work nonetheless.

Mark’s Slow Stitching Movement got a mention on the DMC website. Check out the article and let him know you saw a mention here!

A recent Modern Sewciety podcast (#35) has a FANTASTIC interview with Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. It is one I will listen to over and over, because their philosophy is so sensible. I also enjoyd the interview with Malka Dubrowsky. Go listen to it as soon as you are done commenting here. 😉

Tina (WeezyWorks) has a new podcast. It is available on iTunes, so go check it out.

Judy Martin’s Quilt Show game is now available on her site.

Fabric and Supplies

I am not sure if I like the range of colors together or if I like the individual dots. I haven’t seen these to purchase anywhere, but I keep seeing them on Instagram and on various blogs.

Field Day. Hhm. I like it, but it has so much brown. I want it, or at least I think I do, but it has so much brown. Are you buying it? There is something rich about the overall look of the colors.

Other Artists

Libby Lehman continues to improve. The classes that I have taken from her were some of the best I ever took and hope she will be able to quilt and teach again.

I couldn’t help, after posting about the Charity Sew Day, showing you a close-up of Rhonda’s house in her House Block Quilt. I love the way the door opens. It would have been cool to put a novelty fabric in there.

Projects

Are you going to do the Banned Books Week challenge this year? I wasn’t planning on it, but I got some new fabric, then was listening to BOTNS and got an idea. Perhaps I will! Regardless, I always enjoy the interpretations!

Yes, this month you get two Various & Sundry posts! I had planned to post #6 on July 20, but it was getting so hefty that I posted it earlier this month. I promise not to bore you with more fiction books.

Media and Tutorials

Thanks to Daisy for sharing this great blog post putting to rest misconceptions about quiltmaking.

Nancy Rink’s studio was broken into and many, many quilts were stolen. Read about it on Bonnie Hunter’s blog. There is a link to Nancy Rink’s blog/website.

This Penguin UK book quilt is a fabulous idea for a reading chair quilt.

If you want to get the Jenny Doan (Missouri Star Quilt Co.) magazine called Block, you buy them at Always Quilting. They have three issues and the issues look like books.

AuriBuzz has an interview with Camille Roskelly.

If you want to make bias binding or the fabric for piping using the tube method, Whip Stitch has a tutorial.

Ms. Lottie gives some tips on writing a quilt pattern.

I am on the fence about talking about something like the post on a very popular blog. I was disappointed that this was posted after only a few days of viewing the Twitter feed. Personally, I can stop following the person in question if I am offended. I am more offended by things like the Hobby Lobby decision about WOMEN’s reproductive rights than the tweets. Perhaps the tweets are offensive, but to condemn someone so publicly is something I wouldn’t do. Yes, I am being circumspect, because I want to avoid, if possible, my blog being caught up in the firestorm that this has already generated. It makes me wonder if I am too quick to judge and stop buying a product? It makes me wonder if I am making unfair judgments about people based on social media (perhaps they dont’ write well or are still learning technology?) and whether unfair judgments are being made about me?

I heard that the Quilt Life magazine will be ending its run in October 2014. Even with the star power of Alex and Ricky, the magazine wasn’t sustainable. No layoffs are anticipated as a result, which is great. I get the magazine and I have to say that issues are piling up. There are some really good things about it, but others that just don’t grab my interest.

Easy Quilts, Fall 2014 issue is surprisingly cheerful for a Fall issue. One of the patterns, called Viola Blossoms is basically a Flowering Snowball recolored.

Patterns, Tools and Notions

ByAnnie has a series of tutorials that help you use their zippers by the yard. I think I need to try these so I can get the colors and lengths that I want in one package.

In my endless quest to push out corners into a shape that actually looks like a sharp corner, I bought the Quick Points Mini Point Pusher about a month or so ago. I still get a little rounded tip on the very corner, but this does a better job, without poking holes in the project, than anything I have used before. I sometimes have a difficult time getting it in the right location, but the idea is really good.

Fabric and Supplies

If you need to know all about bag interfacing, Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness fame (remember my Purse Palooza post?) has a post all about it. She includes the Vilene conversion, so if you are in the UK, or other places where you commonly use Vilene, this post is for you, too. If you don’t care about bags, you have to go to the post anyway, because the main image is hilarious and everyone needs a good laugh.

They hooked me with Jamaica. If the actual color of the fabric is anything like this color on my screen, I am all in. Yes, please, I’ll take 5 yards. Thanks.

I guess this means there is a new color card (or an update) in my future.

Other Artists

Pamela Allen, one of my favorite teachers, now has an online gallery. Go take a look.

Katie of the fabulous Katie’s Quilting Corner podcast posted some fabulous photos of her Hopscotch Lane quilt. The design, quilting – just everything came out very well. Her photography is wonderful as well.

Exhibits

The following are thanks to Ann May:

•         Fiber inForms Show at the Michaelangelo Gallery 1111-A River St. Santa Cruz across from the Tannery, August 1-24, 2014. The First Friday Reception will be Friday, August 1 , 6-8 pm.  (2 newer pieces)

•          Featured Studio for the Pacific International Quilt Festival studio tour, Santa Clara Convention Center, October 17, 2014.

•          Primal Green II, Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists group Show, San Francisco Public Library, Wallace Stegner Environmental Library, fifth floor Main Library, October 11-April, 2015. I will have at least one piece at this event. I have entered three pieces.

•          Abrazos del Alma( Hugs from the Soul) an art  exhibition inspired by her love of Mexican culture will be a special exhibition as part of Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara Convention Center, October, 2015.

What I Read

I couldn’t help myself from sharing these non-quilt books with you. If you don’t read fiction, I am sorry. Go ahead and skip this part, because I am going wax rhapsodic about some fiction for a minute.

I have read the three best books recently. I can’t say they are the best books ever, but all three blew me away. You have to buy them RIGHT NOW (after you finish reading my blog), stop what you are doing (ahem-after you finish reading my blog) and go read them.

• Delicious! by Ruth Reichl – this is about transformation and love. It is about grief as well and how grief can stunt transformation. The characters were realistic and there was a lot of kindness and caring in this book. Read review.
• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell – This is another book there there is a lot of kindness and caring (hhhmmm…I wonder if this is a theme I need to investigate in my own life). The characters seem really real. They are not perfect and they don’t always know what to do.
• The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin – it was all I could do not to sit on my bed and read this book cover to cover. Some of the writing is so clever. The story is so great and I love the characters. I wanted to throttle some of them (Augusta for sure), but this is a book I will definitely read again and I might even read the American Heiress again. Daisy Goodwin cannot write fast enough for me. I do wish she had spelled Elizabeth the Austrian way, Elisabeth.

If you don’t like the above reading suggestions, you might want to take a look at the STC Craft suggestions. I am kind of interested in the Natalie Goldberg color book and wonder if they have it at the library?

Patterns, Tutorials and Sew-Alongs

Moda Bakeshop is having a Trifle Dish Sew Along. The first row is a spool type pattern, which I can’t figure out how it relates to Trifle, but is an interesting block nonetheless. Not all of the patterns have been posted, so you’ll have to keep checking back.

Amy has a power cord wrangling tutorial on her blog that I thought was handy. She is trying to get her blog up and running again, so go leave a comment. Life intervenes for all of us, so show her some blog love.

Are we fortunate to have so many people putting up so many tutorials? It is nice to have a lot of resources on different ways of how to do things. Kati has a put up a tutorial on attaching borders without a measuring tape.

Need to thinking about gifts? How about a nail file cover? The J&O Fabric Store has a tutorial. I can’t vouch for the tutorial as I h.aven’t made one yet, but they might make good stocking stuffers or shower favors or be handy for travel

Products, Tools, Thread and Fabric

Lori has a great review up on her blog about Flatter.

Have you seen the second issue of Moda Piece? No, me neither. It is on the Issuu platform which has an Android app as well. I was able to look at the whole issue (124 pages) on my phone so I guess it is free. Don’t quote me.

Look how beautiful this Aurifil display looks! I also love the name of the shop, Crimson Tate. Thanks to Alex Veronelli!

I wasn’t sure whether to put this tidbit in products or media. Judy Martin has designed a game called Quilt Show. After 5 years in design and production phases the game was recently released at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Steve (Judy Martin’s husband) and Judy were on hand as the first box was opened up. They spent two days demoing Quilt Show to throngs of eager gamers.

The price of the game is $34.95, which is a steal for a game with this many components of this quality. The game weighs 2-3/4 pounds! That’s a whole lotta game! The box and the tiles have a linen finish. The cards are sturdy. Judy thought there was a chance it would hit $50!

Because of the weight of the game and the fact that she can’t ship it by the very cheap Media Mail, she’ll have to charge $10 to ship a game in the United States. 🙁 Judy won’t be able to ship it outside the United States. There will be distribution in Europe, and I’m sure there are retailers who will ship anywhere.

I see games being played at quilt shows, like Quilt-O, which is played at the Pacific International Quilt Show in Santa Clara. I know it is pricey, but support Judy and her small business by buying a copy. I never would have thought that quilting would make it into a game. I wonder how this fits into that study of improving memory, which was reported on NPR and other media outlets.

Gretchen recently posted a review of the Perfect Angles product. Apparently, this tool prevents the quiltmaker from having to draw lines for half square triangles and such. Go read her review and become an expert. Gretchen is also making progress on her BOMs, which she shows.

Jackie gives some ideas on organizing bobbins, including discussing various products available. One of her commenters, Rebecca, chimed in saying she had done a post on bobbins as well. It is always fun to check out a new blog.

Continuing with our hacking theme, Barbara hacks her sewing machine and answers the age old question of “why does the machine need a handwheel?” Fascinating intersection between sewist/sewer and engineer.

Media

Marginally quilt related, and only because many of you Tweet, are Gail Carriger’s blog post about Twitter etiquette. I am not saying she is the guru, but her points are good and I agree with them. If you haven’t read any of her books, try Etiquette & Espionage. I believe Pam talked about this book on her podcast and I wrote a short review. This is an entertaining book by which to sew.

Abby Glassenberg of While She Naps and stuffed birds fame started a series of blog posts about patterns that changed people’s lives. The first one is about Sara of Sweetness. She, if you don’t know from studying this blog intently 😉  , is the authoress of the Petrillo Bag, which I have discussed endlessly and will, no doubt, discuss more in the future. I look forward to reading more of Abby’s interviews.

As an aside, I reviewed her book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction, back in February. Did you buy it?

Here’s an interview Judy Martin did for Fave Quilts back in early May. The book giveaway is no longer current, but you might find the rest of it interesting.

Also relating to the Martin Family, check out the Accuquilt blog for the winner and photos of their block contest!

Take a look at the SAQA donation quilts! There is one from Miss Lottie, the hostess of the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady podcast and also one from fellow CQFA-er, Jennifer Landau! Great work, ladies!

Other Artists

Reene over at Nellie’s Niceties blog posted some NY Beauty pillows she made. I showed my mom as we were together and we had a discussion about color wheels as a result. She said that the color scheme of these pillows worked because they are compliments on the Munsell Color System. She swears by Munsell. She wrote a few blog posts, which you can read on her blog, Mary’s Art Musings. She also posted about these pillows as well.

Travel

I went down south to visit Disneyland with some of DH’s family. We had a great time, but that part of the trip is not quilt related (Disney no longer sells fabric in the parks), so you’ll just have to wonder about our trip. 😉 The quilt highlight was meeting up with Susan of History Quilter fame and spend some time with her and her family. I got the grand tour of the remodel, which was great, because it looked like the photos, but was oriented differently in m mind. I saw where the podcast magic happens! I also got to meet her family and talk some quilting. I loved one quilt where she is doing different textures. I actually really liked all of her quilts (got to see her UFOs), especially the free way in which Susan puts patterned fabrics together. Because I am very bossy, I gave her some advice (ideas, hopefully) on how to continue with her UFOs. Now that the remodel is done and school is out, she can get back to her quilting. I look forward to seeing her progress.

Techniques, Tips & Tutorials

I have talked about using French seams in pillow cases and gift bags. They really make the seams look nice. Perhaps I can use them on the free motion tote bag I haven’t yet made if I cut out the batting? I’ll have to see. Here is a tutorial that might give you more information.

I found a video of Sue Nickels machine quilting and was pleased to see that A) she marks and B) she doesn’t run the machine at a demon speed. I don’t feel like such a fish out of water after watching this video and I think it opens up the possibilities of machine and free motion quilting to other quiltmakers who didn’t feel comfortable moving the machine a long as fast as it would go.

The Fat Quarter shop has a YouTube Channel they describe as great if you are looking for tutorials, tips, and fun videos?

I love this binding. the designer embellished it. It is the last thing I would have thought of, but it does provide another venue for embellishment and surface design.

Torie showed a picture of the beginning of her Texas Braid quilt, which I thought was a cool unit. The teacher has a post with students showing long strips of braids. I kind of like the units alone and wonder what I could do with one.

Joe Cunningham, of San Francisco, has a video on the TQS blog about sewing something to something else. While it is a simple idea, it is also profound and opens up your quiltmaking to a host of design possibilities.

Remember the Sarah Ann Smith online class I reviewed? Recently I saw a Melinda Bula video that illustrates the idea in a couple of minutes. I don’t think this video replaces the Sarah Ann Smith online class (which you should buy, if you haven’t already done so), but it does give you a good reminder of the steps in only a couple of minutes.

Exhibits, Shows & Challenges

Homefront Challenge. Entries are due August 30.

I like the layout of this Disappearing Four Patch that ZAnyMouse shared on Twitter. I like the way the small squares form, what looks like sashing and the larger part of the blocks form real four patches. Peggy at BAMQG said she has laid out some of the Disappearing 4 Patches this way. It makes me want to make a Disappearing 4 Patch! If you want to make something like this, check out the Material Girl tutorial.

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is trying to pay off their permanent building so they can have more financial options. To do this they are having a fund raising campaign. They write ” 37 years, 37 weeks, 37 reasons why you should join us to Realize the Dream. We have raised 50% of our $1.4 million goal but we need your help to Realize the Dream. These funds will eliminate the debt on our beautiful permanent building and home. Make our dream a reality by giving!” 50% is a fantastic start! Even if you can give $1, $5 or $10, every dollar counts. Give now to help maintain a resource celebrating all quiltmakers and available for all of us.

Media, Blogs and Other Artists

Kathy Matthews is a reader here and she does a quilt column for Chicago Now! Head over to her online space and tell her you read about her here. One interesting post was about a guy who wanted to return to work, because he had no hobbies. Can you imagine? The dude needs to start quilting.

Torina has redesigned the Tubaville Blog and looks cheery. She is working on the Gypsy Wife project. I will have to look that one up as I am not familiar with it. She also shows a picture of her finished City Sampler quilt on an April 29 post.

Anna Maria Horner gives the backstory of her new collection of fabric, which is sweet and sad and triumphant, but all in very lowkey ways. We think of designers in our realm as superstars and this post gives a very real view into the very real life of a woman who is mother, daughter, caregiver, nurturer and how all of that can overwhelm that woman when the roles get out of balance. The description of how her art and craft helped her return to her normal balance is heartwarming and inspirational.

The LA Times had a series of stories about Modern Quilting. Thanks to Pink chalk for the tip.

Quilt Market Recap

My pals at quilting Adventures have great posts on what they bought and saw at Market. Day 1’s post includes Carolyn Friedlander’s booth, which must have been a stunner (anyone have the list of booth winners?), because everyone is talking about it. One of their photos has a wonderful Dutchman’s Puzzle quilt where each block is made from 2 fabrics. I also really like the gridded flying geese quilt with the grey background. I could replace the flying geese with other shapes to make it a little different, but the flying geese are great.

They also did a Sample Spree post. I have a basic understanding of Sample Spree, but it is still a bit of a mystery to me.

Phoebe, on Day 2 of Market, was having so much fun she forgot to take photos for the blog! What a girl! Still she produces a valiant post. She reminds readers to check back for a Market giveaway.

If you haven’t seen Angela Walters post, be sure and read it. It is very poignant and makes me like her all the more. I am very partial to grandparents and she talks about her grandpa in this post quite a bit.

Deer with giant horns were prevalent. I saw a number of prints in various blog posts as well as a full on mounted, stuffed deer head – made form fabric. I think it is a strange trend, but to each her own.

Do you need a good laugh? Check out these photo captions from The Fat Quarter Shop. You can also see the thoughts of the FQS girls by taking a look at their Twitter feed during the show.

Lazy Girl Designs talks about her demos in the Clover Booth of “Press Perfect.” She also has some great photos. Short but sweet recap.

Nicole from Modern Handcraft (I wonder if this was the name of her blog before ‘Modern’ became a thing…when did ‘Modern’ become a thing anyway?) has a photo collage  and lots of detail shots of her Market experience.

Riley Blake has a two part blog post recapping the market experience of that fabric manufacturer. Part 1 talks about their booth theme (sea, beach) and shows stuffies, including a whale!, made from their new fabric lines. They say that navy and orange are the hot new color combination of the season. I guess I won’t be buying much fabric this season. I do like the flamingos (I’ll have to look for a pattern) on the pillows, but wish they were pink and the tree silhouette quilt is wonderful, though I wish it were made from different colors. Part 2 talks about more of their fabric lines, shows many, many projects and fabrics.

Bonnie Christine shows her booth, Winged, which is named after her new fabric line for Art Gallery Fabrics. Her post has mostly a fabric collage and she promises to talk more about Market soon, so stay tuned for that.

Jaybird Quilts has a nice post with a lot of different types of pictures: her projects in various booths, schoolhouse, setup. There is a picture of tula Pink’s new ribbon, one of which has the octopus motif that I used in one of the City Sampler blocks on it. I am not sure on which project I would use octopus ribbon, but I still kind of love it.

It is fun to look at a random sampling of different posts to get a sense of what Quilt Market was like. If you search for “quilt market pittsburgh 2014” recap you should get some interesting results as well.

Moda has videos.

Projects and Patterns

I don’t know how seem to miss blog hops. Moda had one recently called Spell It with Moda. It included patterns for letters, numbers and punctuations. I found it a link on Camille Roskelley’s blog.

I have been thinking about dong the Farmer’s Wife project. It will be awhile since I am working on the City Sampler/Tale of Two Cities projects and a person can only handle so many blocks at one time. I do like looking at them. Lori from Quilting Unleashed posted a nice picture of her blocks in the midst of a vacation post that makes me envy how much she got done.

Fabric

You’d think I had enough fabric. Not in this case. I need the right fabric: fabric with images of California. I want to make shirts for the boys to wear when they are travelling together as Grand Officers, or to wear at Grand Parlor. There seems to be a dearth of nice (read: suitable for grown men to wear on their bodies) California themed fabric. I have seen the following:

• California, USA – this is probably the best of the bunch
• California – this is a little cartoony, but could work
• Zebra Patterns Mini Panel – this could be sewn on to the back of a shirt
• California Poppies Floral – I’d have to consult with them to see if this is too girly. The California poppy is the state flower, so they might be up for it.

Spoonflower has some great designs and I would love to use some of them, but the fabric is pricey. Some of them would have to be cut and matched very carefully and I am not that good at making garments.

• California’s Pride – oranges in a vintage style
• Traffic fabric – a reality of life in California and it is entertaining, but I don’t know if the boys would like it that much
• I left my heart in SF – I don’t think this would work very well for a shirt, because of hte directionality. Again, I don’t know that much about arranging fabric for garments so it might work
• California birds – might be too girly
• Cross Country California – kind of boring colors

I’d really like something like the vintage silk pieces that I saw online at Etsy or another on Etsy or on Flickr, but there is not enough of them to make a shirt and they may be too fragile. I wish Michael Miller or Robert Kaufman would reprint fabrics like this. Tell me what you have found. Perhaps there is some old bolt of awesome fabric that you have found.

Tools and Supplies

A downloadable PDF version of the Aurifil color card is now available! the colors may not be completely true, because of the color reproduction on your computer, so just use it as a backup to your printed (real) color card.

A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color and Design is back in stock at Amazon! Click below to order it if you have not already bought a copy. This is a fantastic resource for those of you following along with the design series.