Tag: Various & Sundry

Media

I finally got a chance to listen to the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady podcast and I really like it. I like the descriptions of her process and what she is working on. Charlotte, the hostess, also has a very calm voice. If you haven’t listened to her episode #2, it is really great.

NPR had a recent story on improving memory and they mentioned quiltmaking! They also mentioned exercise and Photoshop, all things we quiltmakers discuss endlessly.

One of my wonderful quilt friends and fabulous teacher, Pamela Allen, has a piece, finally, in Quilt National. This has been a long time goal of hers. She is featured in an article about her journey. In the piece she talks about arrogance and ignorance and quiltmaking. Read it. You will be inspired.

I am not sure if over-dyeing antique quilts is a sad comment on not valuing our past or helping the quilts live another day. I know I am incensed by the prices. Read the brief article and decide. Thanks to Charlotte of the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady podcast for the link.

So many different kinds of media! Have you seen Alex Veronelli’s paper.li? Check out the links to machine binding your quilt. I might have to try that.

Want to take a peek at the eInsider? It is a magazine of the quilt industry.

Reddit has a quilting board that I have never quite gotten the hang of. Katie, from Katie’s Quilting Corner podcast, post a link to a heartwarming story about the perfection of quilts. Good food for thought.

Projects

People are starting to finish their Disappearing Pinwheel projects. Not me, but Sandy finished hers. Her layout looks really nice. It looks like a flower bed to me.

People are also finishing their Scrapitude projects. Not me, yet, but Jackie posted a picture of hers. I think she quilted it herself! It is so great to see how different they look. It looks like Jackie used slightly darker fabrics for the foreground and a creamy light for the background.

Products, Tools & Supplies

Alex Veronelli, the Aurifil King, recent wondered if sewing machines with print cartridges to color the thread would put him out of business. I was shocked when I saw the photo of the sewing machine/thread printer from Yanko Designs. There is so much wrong with this ad, but the concept also brings up a lot of questions for me. Why would people who hate sewing create this sewing machine? How many print cartridges would I have to buy? What kind of thread does it use and who makes it? Is the color colorfast? How fast will it fade? Will the designers be at Quilt Market? Let me know if you see them? I am sticking to Aurifil, Superior and Presencia even if it makes me a an old fuddy duddy.

Here is a great t-shirt that Scooquilt (Valerie) shared on Twitter recently.

Shops and Stores

I sold another clock on my Cafe Press store! Clearly I have started a trend, so get yours now while the getting is good! 😉 When I updated my store recently, I forgot to change the image for this clock, which is still a detail image of the Flowering Snowball quilt, and now I am glad. I have sold a total of 3, which isn’t 50,000, but kind of amazes me. What do you think of a clock as a quilt novelty?

I have also been making an effort to click on my own Amazon link when I buy stuff on Amazon, so that I can get credit for it that way, too.

Other Artists

The buzz around Quilt Market grew in the week leading up to that event, which is on now. Blogs, Twitter and other social media all blew up with the hashtag # QuiltMarket. Did you follow along? A I have been starting to listen to the QuiltCast, a podcast that started late last year. Amy, of Amy’s Creative Side, and April, of Prairie Grass Designs, are the hostesses and they have both also just come out with new fabric lines with Moda.

Tips, Tricks & Traps

Need some tips or guidance on sewing laminated fabric (oilcloth)? Check out the Glorious Color tutorial. Thanks to Mark Lipinski for pointing it out.

Do you need help selecting a needle? I really liked the infographic from the Sewing Parts Online blog.

Jackie has some definitions of charms in a recent post, in case you were wondering.

Exhibitions, Articles and Quilt Shows

Cathy Izzo of the City Quilter in NYC reported, in her recent newsletter, about the GRAND CENTRAL CENTENNIAL QUILTS OPENING! It is their joint exhibition with American Patchwork & Quilting magazine and was celebrated in an opening event last Tuesday March 25, 2014. 20 of the 30 quilters represented in the show attended. This is a photo gallery from the party at the NY Transit Museum‘s Gallery at Grand Central Terminal.

The Wall Street Journal published a wonderful feature article on quilting and the Grand Central project last week.

To help everyone spread the word about the GCT exhibit, the City Quilter created an easy to remember web address that provides access to all the key information and links about the Grand Central effort: www.grandcentralquilts.com So you can spread the word, too.

If you are visiting NYC, you can find The City Quilter at 133 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001 or you can contact them via phone at 212-807-0390.

Our Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle had an article about Joe Cunningham (“Joe the quilter) who will be featured on Craft in America, the PBS series, next week.

Blogs, Quilts and Pretty Things

I have seen a few tie quilts lately that have really made me think that people are getting their creative groove on more and more. Perhaps the financial crisis is really over and creativity isn’t such a luxury anymore? Someone pointed me to the 24 Blocks blog where she shows a couple of tie quilts. I can’t decide whether I like the Dresden Plate or the 3D Tie quilt better.

Amy has post up about making Sara Lawson‘s Aragon Bag. The photos really show different views of the bag , which gave me a better sense of how it looks.

Remember last fall I made a Day in the Park backpack for Sara Lawson’s Purse Palooza? Marisa also made a Day in the Park Backpack. I am curious to see how she likes hers. Hers looks really different from mine. Different fabrics really changes the look.

Our friend, Sara over at Sew Sweetness has a lot of exciting news (she’s moving to WordPress!, for one) on her recent blog post. She may need some help sewing!

I love this quilt by Valerie, which she posted on her blog recently. It reminds me of the donation quilt on which I am working, but takes the idea a bit farther, evolves the idea I have been using a bit. It is also very nice in terms of color and arrangement.

Mom is working on Scrapitude. I posted some photos of a block to her blog since she is dealing with the learning curve of her new phone.

The other day I went to Britex with my mom. She hadn’t been there in awhile and was practically swooning at the thought. Britex is a pretty great place. The amount of fabric is startling. The number of button offerings is insane. They have embroidered and beaded appliques, multitudes of patterns and on and on. Of course, we had to go up to the floor with quiltmaking cottons where I saw one of the octopus prints from the Tula Pink Saltwater collection. This led me to finally watch a video that The Quilt Show posted about Tula Pink’s studio, which further led me to look around her website. I took a look at her blog and was kind of disappointed. I view other blogs through the lens of my own blog. I attempt to post good content that includes why I am doing what I am doing. As a designer, I know that marketing is part of the job and I expect to see posts on new fabric collections, machine endorsements, etc. I also would like to see more about their process. I saw a post Ms. Pink had written about her City Sampler blocks that people out in the world had made, which was wonderful, but in a few years worth of posts, nothing about her process. 🙁 I guess we can’t have everything. There must be something I am not understanding.

Patterns, Projects & Tutorials

Sara of Sew Sweetness also a new backpack pattern out: the Edelweiss Backpack. I haven’t made it, but the pictures show great structure. There are a number of different examples in all different types of fabric so you can get a god idea of what it would look like in any kind of fabric from large scale print to small flowers. The only thing I think is missing from some of Sara’s patterns are covers for the zippers. I don’t know how hard they are, but I think a zipper cover would give added professionalism to already professional looking bags.

Pam, of Hip to be a Square podcast and blog, has a hilarious pattern for a charm holder for your quilt guild nametag/lanyard. It is a great idea and her particular rendition is fun and lighthearted. It also provides inspiration for other versions of Pam’s flasher.

Tools & Supplies

I saw a book called Doodle Designs Coloring Book in a magazine ad the other day. I remember getting Doodle Art posters as a kid and spending lots of happy hours coloring them. I don’t know what happened to the posters, but the memory of the fun lingers on on in my mind. This book reminds me of that and I want one. The reality is that I probably wouldn’t have time to color it in, so I’ll probably just admire it from afar.

I have been trying to get a new insert for sewing table that will work with my backup machine. I hope to be able to sew on it more comfortably when my main machine is out of commission (cross your fingers that such a situation will not happen often!). What a drama! I thought I had a Horn cabinet, but after going back and forth with the Horn people several times, they finally decided that I do not have a Horn cabinet. My cabinet (who knows what brand?) is outfitted with a Horn lift.

Before I winkled out this nugget of information I visited the Horn dealer in the City. they are terrible. I really don’t like to bash small businesses, but I cannot find anything good about the shop or the service. They have so little interest in any kind of customer service that it makes me think the shop is a front for some kind of illegal operation. I don’t know that, but why have a sewing dealership and not want to sell? Frustrated and feeling like I didn’t need to go to a Horn dealer (the next closest one being about 30 miles away), I called a shop that is near me called Serge-A-Lot. I have driven past it several times on my way to and from picking up the Young Man, so I know it is close. I called on a whim and they were absolutely willing to help me. I was thrilled! I went in the next day with my insert and the ‘blank’ that fits into my sewing table when the lift is completely down. Sherri, the owner, measured and double checked and really helped me. She wasn’t sure if they could make an insert, but said she would contact her vendor and let me know. I sent a long a photo of my table, per her request and she got back to me right away saying she would know in a few days if they couldn’t make one and it might be several weeks to actually get it made. In either case, she promised to keep me in the loop. I haven’t heard back, so I assume I will be getting an insert at some point.

After we finished discussing the insert, she showed me a quilt that was quilted with the embroidery function of the BabyLock (Serge-A-Lot is a BabyLock dealer). She also showed me the vast amount of Floriani thread and stabilizers they carry. These items give me a reason to go and support her shop. I wish it were bigger and had more quilting stuff, but I am happy to have customer service. Perhaps I’ll be able to cross one thing off my ever growing To Do list. Stay tuned!

Quilt World News

Caryl Bryer Fallert and her husband (partner??), Ron, have sold their building in Paducah and will be moving to Port Townsend, Washington. More information is on the news tab of her site. The “home/shop/studio/gallery in Paducah to JoAnne and Jeff Louis, owners of Paper Pieces. http://paperpieces.com/ JoAnne, Jeff, and their staff will be moving  their internet business into our building in early June, and they plan to re-open the shop as soon as they get settled.” Paper Pieces is the company from whom I buy my EPP papers. Paper Pieces will be selling Caryl’s fabric and publications after the transition.

Charlotte Scott has a new podcast published called the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady. I heard about this from Sandy who mentioned it in her episode #154. As of this writing, I haven’t listened to an episode, but it is on my list and I will report back.

And, yes, I have the next design series concept on my list. I’ll get to it soon.

What I am Reading

• City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn
• Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriker
• Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley – one of her older novels that has recently be released for Kindle. I enjoyed it, though there were a couple of parts where I had had enough of the chaos.
• Whisper of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn – novella prequel to City of Jasmine. One of the best written novellas Raybourn has done.

Other Artists

SherriD has made two significant finishes this month. She does beautiful handwork and I have been watching her progress through her U is for Unicorn quilt. She finally finished it and I am in awe at the work. it is beautiful. I finish a number of things over the course of a year, but they all pale in comparison to the work required for this piece. Congrats, Sherri!

Elly at Aurifil posted a link to a piece called Reaching for Words, that in technique, reminds me of my piece, What Comes Next. Seeing it makes me want to stamp letters on fabric again. Fruiti and Spagetti threads are also mentioned and I would love to learn more about those as well.

Patterns, Tutorials and Projects

A Quilter’s Table has a great tutorial on a 3 zipper pouch. Nice colors, too.

Someone brought scissor pouches to show at the last meeting. I looked up tutorials, because I thought it would be a good gift. I looked at two. One was from StamperDog and the other from Stamping with Gail. I thought these would be good gifts.

Services & Sites

I found something via Twitter called the Playcraft Palette Builder 2. I have seen people put up a picture with the exact matches for fabric in neat little boxes next to the image. I thought that they were much faster and more dedicated than I in picking fabrics. They might be, but now I have a secret weapon OR now I know their secret! I loaded Beachtown and came up with a palette! I am not sure it is a great palette. I didn’t realize there were so many greyed colors in the quilt, but also there are a number of buttons and features I have not explored. I can see this as a fun tool.

Fabric, Tools & Supplies

I recently found a site called Polka Dot Tea Fabrics. I don’t know what tea has to do with fabric, though I do drink tea pretty often when I work on my projects. The shop has a lot of great colors, plenty of solids, Japanese fabrics, FQ packs as well as pre-cuts.

I get my rotary blades from LP Sharp because I can send back my used blades and get a discount on new blades. I don’t know what else to do with the used blades besides throw them out and I like the idea of them being recycled. This time I went through rotary blades at a tremendous rate and suddenly I had no new ones. Quickly, I packaged up an order, but the blade in my rotary cutter was sad. On a visit to the Intrepid Thread down in Milpitas, I picked up a Clover Rotary Blade refill. It was 45mm, but I wasn’t sure if it would fit my Olfa cutter. I asked and Colleen told me that Julie buys those because they have a small plastic holder which allows the quiltmaker to replace her rotary blade without actually touching the blade. You can see the tab in the photo. Cool, huh?

I haven’t tried cutting with it, but will let you know if I like the way it cuts. I will probably still use LP Sharp because of the recycling, but I will definitely consider this blade again when I am desperate.

Events, Shows and Exhibits

The East Bay Heritage Quilters show was held March 22 and 23 at Craneway Pavillion in Richmond.

Judy Martin is ramping up her lecturing circuit again now that her son is headed off to start his life. She has some lectures scheduled in the Midwest. I wish they were closer as I am dying to meet Judy in person! I love her work. How long does it take to drive from California to Iowa? The events are:

• March 15, 1:00-3:00 – Pella, IA – The Quilted Windmill (formerly VandeLune Fabrics) – I’ll be signing autographs. Their phone number is 641-780-0676.
• March 21-22 – New Ulm, MN – I’ll be doing 3 Log Cabin lectures at the Prairie Piecemakers biennial quilt show. The show is open on Friday from 9:00-6:00 and Saturday from 9:00-4:00. On Friday I will lecture at 2:00. On Saturday you can see me at 10:00 or 2:00.April 1 – Pella, IA – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Pella Area Quilters Guild. The meeting is at the 3rd Reformed Church, 708 East 13th Street in Pella. April 7 – Dixon, IL – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Petunia City Quilters. The meeting is at the Loveland Community Building, 513 W. 2nd St. in Dixon.
• April 8, 6:30 – Danville, IL – Threads of Time – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture. You can read more about my visit at http://www.threadsoftimefab.com/classes/judy_martin/
• May 14, 7:00 – Ottawa, IL – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Illinois Valley Quilters Guild. Meetings are held at Epworth United Methodist Church, 627 Gentleman Road in Ottawa. You can read more about it at http://www.illinoisvalleyquiltersguild.com/Guild_Programs.html.
• May 15, 7:00 – Naperville, IL – Pride of the Prairie Quilters – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture. Meetings are held at Zion Lutheran Church at 11007 Book Road in Naperville. For more information go to http://www.prideofprairie.org/Programs.htm
• May 16, 6:00-9:00 – Westmont, IL – QuiltFabric.com – I will be doing my Log Cabin lecture. The shop’s address is 818 E. Ogden Avenue. For more information go to http://www.quiltfabric.com/index.htm

The 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Radiant Orchid is now open for entries.

Not Quilt Related

I am a fan of the show Castle. Recently I found two sites that are great. One is a writing about fashion blog called Once Upon a Blog by Julia where the authors periodically mention characters from the show. The other is called Dress Like Kate Beckett. I want to be Kate Beckett! I don’t want to be a homicide detective, but I want her height, boldness, fearlessness and wardrobe. I also want to be able to run in 4″ heels.

What I am reading:

• I just finished Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Silent on the Moor and Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn and am on to The Dark Enquiry again. Yes, again. Sometimes I need comfort books. If I had A Town Like Alice on audio, I probably would have listened to that.
• Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

Tools, Supplies, Books & Notions

Fabric Printing leaps to other work environments when law librarians trying not get their Poster Session posters wrinkled on their way to their annual conference begin printing their posters on paper. They used Spoonflower! The article was in a recent issue of a national law librarian publication. Perhaps quiltmaking is next?

Remember when I was talking about the Girl in profile Serendipity Quilt? Caroline, our teacher said to use a glue stick. Recently I saw a Sewline Glue Pen somewhere. It looks completely awesome and perfect for this project. Of course, I haven’t done more than create the pattern, but still….

Nancy Zieman of Sewing with Nancy and the Nancy’s Notions empire has written a book. Go buy it; she is amazing!

The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket is being republished in eBook form. I dropped by her blog and saw the notice there. She is the publisher this time and discusses working with the people who did the technical work required to get it into eBook form.

Aren’t these pretty notions? I love the wood. He has a whole section of quiltmaking items that would look fabulous and, probably, be lovely with which to work. I haven’t bought anything from him, but I am eying the bobbin holder and the seam rippers. I wonder if they are sharp?

Missouri Star Quilt Company is publishing a new magazine. I haven’t decided whether or not to buy it.

Quilt Colour Workshop (with a ‘u’!) is a new book from the people at Fat Quarterly magazine. It publishes in mid-March. I saw a review and it sounds interesting, though I thought there was a lot of emphasis on the patterns on projects. I went and looked on Amazon and there is a “without the u version” 😉 for sale there. I’d like to look through the book before I commit to buying.

Fabric

I thought about including this category in with notions, but decided Fabric is a thing unto itself.

Anna Maria Horner has decided to create a fabric stack reflecting her mood of the month. Her January Gathering post talks about her inspiration, her own rules for creating the stack and gives some words that reflect the month for her. The precise details for subscribing are posted in a lovely PDF on her site. I am terribly tempted to subscribe. As if I need more fabric.

I love this idea, especially to stay inspired with color and fabric. I am thinking that, although two months are almost gone from 2014, that I could do this as well. I could use my own fabric and not sell stacks, but be inspired by the month, reinvigorate my quiltmaking, reacquaint myself with my fabric and generally be inspired. Who wants to play?

Services & Sites

AQS, as part of their membership fee, now has My Quilt Place. There you can create your own webpage, upload photos, post events & link to your favorite blogs. I haven’t tried it, but if you are wanting a webpage, this might be the place to start. There didn’t seem to be any place to search (wanted to see if anyone was working on Scrapitude), but I think they want Nosy Parkers to login before searching.

Not sure what category this goes in, but I found a great story about why you should label your quilts on Bonnie Hunter’s blog.

I finally opened up Feedly and looked through some blogs I had marked. I came across Malka Dubrowsky’s blog and her “What I am Working on Wednesday” post. This has the same or a similar meaning to Pam (and others) WIP Wednesday posts. Somehow the name sounds different. I really had a blast of blog inspiration that I would do this as well. Then I realized that almost all of my posts are about what I am working on. Back to the drawing board!

Susan Brubaker Knapp is the new Quilting Arts TV host. No word on what Pokey Bolton is doing now, but it seems that she is making a lot of changes in her life. Everyone needs a change at some point even if they are immersed in the quilt world. Good luck to both!

Projects, Patterns & Tutorials

Wondering about tension? Eileen has a tutorial on her blog for testing tension, working with your bobbin and general information about tension. You might not need it, but it is a good refresher.

In a recent Quilts & More, I saw a cute backpack and decided to make it for a young lady I know. The Fat Quarter Shop still had kits of the fabrics. While I have plenty of fabric, I decided to use the kit, because I would probably put too much pink in it for her tastes. Want to make it with me?

Remember when I talked about the fabric handbags? I haven’t forgotten about them; I just haven’t put them on the front burner. I need to. I just haven’t. I was surfing the web and came across a post by the Happy Zombie where she makes what she calls the Small Treats Totes. These might work. I don’t mind the other pattern at all. I did think it was a little cumbersome to make, but not terrible and I am sure I can change the pattern a bit if I work with it. Also, all the bags done have to be the same., do they?

Ami Simms recently talked about crumb blocks. Katie of Katie’s Quilting Corner and Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville both talk about crumb blocks and I always thought it sounded faintly odd. Basically I didn’t understand it and never took the time to look it up. Seeing Ami Simms blog suddenly put it all together for me. I call the process that creates crumb blocks Mosaic Piecing. I suppose it could also be called crazy piecing. I am not exactly sure if there is a difference. I know that when I make my crumb/mosaic blocks I use all the same color in one piece. I noticed that Bonnie Hunter used all different colors in her blocks.

Daisy Fraser Wreath told me about a Skillbuilder Sampler, which I thought I would share with you. I am all about building skills as it prevents frustration! There are a number of blocks there that I have not made, which means, perhaps, I should go and build some skills. The quilt-a-long is over, but all the information is still there and my Quilt class tutorials would dovetail nicely.

I stopped by the Be*Mused blog and saw she had made one of Jenni Baker’s drawstring bags. This is another good way to wrap gifts, similar to my gift bags

Carol recently pointed me to the Quilt Rat’s blog where she had posted a post on design and repetition. It isn’t exactly on repetition like we discussed in the podcast with Sandy, but another way to enhance your art with repetition. She shows how much can be done with a simple outline and give examples of modifying it for different techniques. This is a great exercise to add to your arsenal, if you are stuck, as well.

I became aware of the Modern Bias Blog when I saw that someone with that name on Flickr favorited my Russian Rubix blocks. I looked through some of the posts. She has some information about paper piecing in a post where she extolls the virtues of another blogger’s Economy block. A lot of the information can be found in a multitude of other sources, but the fabric combinations are fantastic and might just be the inspiration you need.

Jackie recently posted a link to 15 pincushion patterns. If you need a gift, there are all sorts of different pincushions at this site from which to choose.

Other Artists & Inspiration

Have you seen the Mrs. Billings quilt? It is really amazing. Thanks to Moda for tweeting it out.

Remember my Corner Store quilt? I saw another one on the web recently. It is very nice and I like the cheerfulness as well as the grey background.

How about the Olympic Patchwork Quilt? It is really pretty and kind of reminds me of FOTY 2010. Are Olympic quilts a thing? I remember a book about the Atlanta Summer Games quilts, but do people make quilts for each Olympics? I haven’t searched (no excuse, I know), but let me know if something quilt related is going on for the Olympics in your local guild or quilt group.

Here is a follow-up to the exhibition of Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle’s work at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Weeks wrote a blog post about it, some background and the artists’ reception.

Danny Gregory wrote a post recently about his commute to work. It struck home, because of my Ferry Building 365 Project. My commute is the same everyday. I don’t really have the option to walk or bike, but the FB365project helps me look at at least one part of my commute with fresh eyes every day. This quote spoke to me “But with novelty comes a renewed awareness, another bucket of ice water over the head, the shock of the new.”

I heard about the Adventures in Arting podcast (also available on iTunes) recently, perhaps from Tanesha. I downloaded a few episodes, but only listened to the first two over the weekend. Oh My Goodness! This is a great podcast – at least the first two episodes were great. In the first two episodes they talk about a couple of my mantras: intention and failure. In the design episodes with Sandy, I often mention the artists intention. This is YOUR intention when you are making something. Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and her guests discuss intention in the first episode and I love what they say. In the second episode, there is a guest, Ronda Palazzari, and the three of them (Julie’s mom is co-host) discuss failure. Eileen, Julie’s mom, talks about what a negative and unhelpful word failure is and gives four different and more helpful ways of thinking about failure. No, this is not a quilting podcast, though, there was a brief mention of stitch, but you can glean a lot about creativity from listening. Give it a try. I’ll let you know if I decide I don’t like it later.

From ResearchBuzz: “Now available: the digitized scrapbooks of Harry Houdini. “The collection contains ten scrapbooks filled with advertisements, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, reports, how-to articles, and almost everything else regarding magic from roughly the 1830s through the 1920s. Houdini owned all the books at the time of his death, but he did not compile all of the clippings.” These are mostly an interesting collection of advertisements, but if you are interested in magic and the history of magic, there will be another element for you. I thought they were interesting as a specimen of scrapbooking.

Housekeeping

I have been receiving a lot of cranky-sounding emails from readers about the email subscription. Most recently I got a frantic comment from a reader asking to be unsubscribed from the email. This comment was followed a few minutes later by an email.

I am always sorry to see people leave the emailed version of my posts. I am happy to unsubscribe you, but you can also unsubscribe yourself. The picture to the side illustrates how to unsubscribe. The spot can be found in the upper right hand corner of my blog.

Please keep in mind that I am one person, I don’t have a team of social media people available to help with issues. I would appreciate it if you would give me some time to help you before contacting me multiple times. The best way to reach me is via email at poste [at] arquiltmaker [dot] com. Comments about unsubscribing left on posts will be deleted. Thank you.

What I am Reading:

• Night Music by JoJo Moyes
• A Place at the Table – not at all what I expected!
• Fatal Grace by Louise Penney
• The Lilac Bus by Maeve Binchy
• How Light Gets in by Louise Penney
• Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardinier

Supplies and Tools

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of Soft and Stable. I may just end up using it for all the bags in which I don’t use ShapeFlex (another fave, thanks to Sara at Sew Sweetness). I received an email over Thanksgiving from ByAnnie, the company (and lady) who invented Soft & Stable telling readers of her newsletter that her husband had died and shipping would be delayed. I don’t see a similar article on their blog, to which to refer you, but perhaps they will post it later. The article in her newsletter was beautiful. It made me truly hope I have such wonderful things to say about my husband when we are at the end of our lives. My heart goes out to Annie and her family.

Alison Glass has a new line of Aurifil thread that are really bright and cheerful. I like them.

Other Artists

I really like this three eyed doll by Daisy at Colorize.

On the Web

June has started a Flickr Group for projects made with hand-dyed fabric. Post your projects to the group. I believe that you can post projects even if you didn’t dye the fabric yourself. You can also find June and her projects at the Stitched by Me blog.

There was an interesting article about inspiring workspaces of the famously creative. I particularly like the pool table in Mark Twain’s space (may be a recreation?). I also want the bookcases that Nigella Lawson has. I need those bookcases! All of these people had light and most had a lot of space. Pablo Picasso’s space is spectacular. I love the shape of the doors. Ruth Reichl’s space wouldn’t work for me as a workspace, but I love it anyway and would add such a corner to some other kind of workspace. Some of the spaces actually fit their people. Does your space fit you?

Sophie commented a few times during BFSI so I went over to look at her blog, Sophie Junction. First, I loved the name. She also had a great quilt on the front page the day I looked that I thought had possibilities to be quick and not boring. Sophie is also a good writer. This is one of the great things about the BFSI – new people stop by and leave their web addresses. It is fun to see what others are making.

I noticed that Joann will provide space for craft group meetings and get togethers. I am sure it depends on the space of your local store, but check with them and see if your quilt group can meet for free.

Chris has been playing with Inktense pencils. I got some from Lisa and need to try them out. In my spare time. Yes.

Projects

If you are thinking and swearing that you will start on handmade projects early next year, Adrianne created a list of projects to get your creative juices flowing. Of course you can pull an all nighter!

Julie over at the Intrepid Thread is looking for Sample makers and pattern testers for her shop. She posted all the details on her blog. Use the special email address she has set up to apply. Great opportunity!

Blog Follow-up

DaisyW shared the following in a comment after I wrote the post called the The Rag Man. “BTW, if you have damaged clothes/other unusable fabric, Goodwill will take it. This article: http://earth911.com/style/donate-worn-damaged-clothing/ quotes a Goodwill VP as saying they’ll take all textiles in any condition. If they can’t sell it as clothing, etc, they can still sell to salvage textile recyclers, sort of like the rag man on a grand scale.”

I receive the Judy Martin Newsletter via email, as I have mentioned a couple of times. Recently she sent out an issue and she included a line from an email she received. It was:

“Sorry you are so Freakin boring. .  I have to unsubscribe from your so-called bragging newsletter. . you’re really sickening to me.     Goodbye!!!”

I really can’t believe someone would send an email like that! What is the point? What do you achieve? I felt bad for her, though she handled it humbly in the newsletter. If you want to subscribe to her newsletter, you can do so at: http://www.judymartin.com/newsletter.cfm and click subscribe

Not Quilt Related

I’ll need someone or multiple someones to attend these events announced in Deanna Raybourn’s December newsletter: “And when you’re filling in your new calendar for 2014, don’t forget to mark January 18 if you’re in the northern Virginia/DC area—I’ll be at the Salem Church branch of the Central Rappahannock Library in Fredericksburg with JOANNA BOURNE and SUSANNA KEARSLEY! We’ll be chatting and signing and hope to see you there. Susanna and I will also be at Murder by the Book in Houston on March 1 to celebrate her newest release, THE FIREBIRD and to launch CITY OF JASMINE on its birthday. Details coming soon on the Tours page of my website.” I won’t force you to buy me a present, but do attend if you can. I’d love to k now about the event. I would attend myself if I weren’t 3,000 miles away.

 

Tools/Supplies

One of the things I wasn’t able to do when my machine was in the shop was to sew on merit badges. I finally was able to sew on the most recent two – chess and sculpture. He has more merit badges than are shown. I just folded over the sash, because I was in a hurry.

I got my Aurifil package for October (or, perhaps, November) while I was away. I was somewhat disappointed with the last installment and I was disappointed in this installment as well. I really wanted bright colors and wasn’t getting them. I decided to cancel my subscription to the Aurifil club. I still think the Aurifil Club is a great idea. I know running a small business is hard, I just don’t want to receive the colors I already own or are locally available. I know some of you are thinking that I should tell Mary Jo and Matthew. Yes, you are right; I just didn’t have the energy to explain at this time. They, of course, have no way of knowing what I like and don’t like. I might join again another time. We will see.

The other day I posted a review of Sarah’s video. Towards the end of the video she mentioned a free Quilting Daily eBook called Quilt Binding and Finishing: Free Tutorials on How to Bind a Quilt Plus Tips on Finishing a Quilt. It is in PDF format (I would prefer Kindle, but beggars can’t be choosers. All you have to do is sign up for the Quilting Daily newsletter. It is annoying to get it everyday, but I usually take a quick glance and glean what I can and delete it. The eBooks are great. They aren’t like real books, but free is good.

I did buy a bolt of ShapeFlex. The bolts are only 15 yards big and about $80. I had a 50% off coupon from Joann, so I used it for that. I am pleased and have already cut into it. One great thing about ShapeFlex is that I can use the little bits and pieces to fill in places where I just need a bit.

Exhibits

I got the notice that my local county fair is starting up marketing for their 2014 exhibit. Commit to entering your local county fair. Usually, the cost of entry is low. At our fair, as I have mentioned, we get entry tickets and parking passes, which makes the cost of a day out with the family very affordable. Why not? What have you got to lose?

Projects

Need an idea for birthday card. Check out how Jill made a great card with machine embroidery.

While Sewing
As many of you know, I listen to audiobooks as I sew. I pretend that I only buy quilt books, but, in reality I do buy audiobooks from Audible.com. They make it easy to download and listen. Still, the cost adds up even with a plan. If you are on the fence, there are free books from Librivox, but also you can borrower them from your local public library.

Other Artists

Camille Roskelley posted another version of her Round and Round pattern. I love that block. It is essentially a Friendship Star, but she has made it better. I guess I should say that she has taken a moderately successful block and made it really interesting. I know I sound judgmental, but I think that the Friendship doesn’t work well as a large block (e.g. 12″), works better the smaller a quiltmaker makes it. Roskelley’s version takes the best of the block and really makes it sing.

You might remember that I recently participated in a blog hop for Sarah Ann Smith‘s new DVD Workshop. As part of that, she wrote a nice post about me! It was fun to see the impression that I make on someone else.

Inspiration

I love this idea: Winter is a chromatic palette cleanser. This is paraphrased from The Lost Art of Mixing.

Go out and get The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister. It is a beautifully written book with gorgeous descriptions and characters that could be your next door neighbors. I finished listening to on Audible and would highly recommend that production as well.

I am also in the process of reading:

• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• The Private Patient by PD James
• Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache #1) by Louise Penny

On the Web

I took some time to vote in a recent Spoonflower contest about pie fabric. Only one of my choices made the top 10, which is sad, but, clearly, I am not dancing to the beat of the same drummer as everyone else. Oh well. Dance on, I say! 😉

Nadine Ruggles is back with her blog and website. Well, she has been around the whole time and I have just let her drift off my radar. I first found her when she started a podcast. it was an amazingly well produced podcast, and is still relevant,which you can still find on iTunes.

Need to make a badge? Check out the article that points to a site where it is pretty easy to make badges. The icons and clip art are education based, but you can upload images to make the badge your own.

The Grinnell, Iowa Arts Council created a series of posters that depict art in the community. Judy Martin, one of the people who got her own poster describes the effort as “It was designed to show that art isn’t some hoity-toity abstraction created by self-absorbed cosmopolitans but instead comes in many forms and its creators and practitioners are your friends and neighbors.” I love that it included someone who did hair design and baking, two things that often come under the ‘trade’ label. Aside from quiltmaking, what is your art?

Tattered Garden has shown her finished Easy Street quilt. It looks like she used something similar to the recommended colors. Her quilt came out great.

If you’d like to read some new information (to me!) about Bonnie and Camille, there was an interview posted on the Fat Quarter Shop Website.

I mentioned Judy Martin did some videos for QNM. They are coming out now. The first two available are:

• Meet Judy Martin –
• Tips for Successful Log Cabin Quilts

Patterns, Fabrics, Tools and such

I got another two-pack of thread from the Quilt Bear. I think I need to remind them that I want brights as these are more autumn-y than my quilts tend to be.

Their offerings are always nicely packaged and lovely to receive. This group includes 2692 (black) and 2277 (orange). I might have to start quilting to use up the thread I have received.

As you know, I was part of Purse Palooza. I have been trying to go and read the reviews every day. One day, I found a great satchel bag pattern reviewed. It is called handmade by Mrs. H Satchel Bag. It looks like a good size and I like it that the reviewer made the bag twice.

Let’s all make giant squids. Why not? This pattern is adorable and it isn’t like you have a shortage of fabric. Don’t you think a squid in Philip Jacobs fabric would be GREAT?

I suppose the stuffing would be a pain, but I think this squid is very cute. If the Young Man sees it, he will definitely want it.

If you missed the Don’t Call Me Betsy 2013 Lucky Stars Block of the Month, you are in luck! Elizabeth from said blog will be hosting the 2014 Lucky Stars Block of the Month for the second year. Susan from the History Quilter did this BOM, so she may have some tips and opinions. Apparently, you can still join in on the 2013 blocks for a deal.

I often think I should go on a fabric diet and I do when money is tight. When money is not tight, I drift back into buying fabric because I love the possibilities that come with buying a new fabric. I don’t see a piece of fabric; I see a gorgeous finished quilt. In a recent Judy Martin newsletter, she explained her stash philosophy, which I am adopting as mine. If you don’t read her newsletter, you should. It is much more than just fluff marketing. I love it.

[Judy’s] STASH PHILOSOPHY
I view my stash the same way I view my public library: I’ll never come close to reading or using every book in it, but I am glad they are there because when I am looking for the perfect book, I want a healthy selection from which to choose.

When I’m pulling out fabrics for a scrap quilt, I want a healthy selection from which to choose. While that will get me started, invariably I have to head out to the quilt shops to fill in the gaps. It’s not about the efficiency of dying the day after I use my last scrap so that no piece of fabric went unused; it’s about the efficiency of finding the perfect fabric when I need it to make the quilt I’m making right now. And if I go to my grave with a room or two filled with fabric, it served its purpose by giving me choices when I needed them. (from Judy Martin’s newsletter)

Have you ever thought of Feathered Stars? Marsha McCloskey, the queen of Feathered Stars now has some patterns on EQ in the EQ Boutique. Making the Feathered Stars in different patterns is now possible using EQ. The Feathered Star Quilt Blocks I and Feathered Star Quilt Blocks II collections are available at MY EQ BOUTIQUE. Currently, you need a PC to run the free program that comes with the block collections. (There is a rumor that EQ will soon be available for the MAC, but not now.) The advantage is that the block templates can be printed out in any convenient size. For instance, if you want to make the Radiant Star as a 7-1/2″ block, the program will give you templates for that size.  Here’s the address for the Feathered Star block collections: https://www.myeqboutique.com/Shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=76   To download the promotional flyer with the Special Offer coupon code for 15% off and see Marsha McCloskey’s 7-1/2″ Radiant Feathered Star, go to: http://www.marshamccloskey.com/myeqboutique.html

Creativity/Creative Process

This is one view. I found it on Facebook, courtesy of Lisa Fulmer and the Craft Report. I am not sure about the binge eating, though I do tend to get into the chocolate after 2pm. Please discuss.

What I am Reading

Heat Rises by Richard Castle
River’s Edge by Marie Bostwick
Frozen Heat by Richard Castle
Deadly Heat by Richard Castle
The Murder Room by P.D. James

Yes, there is a lot of murder and mayhem going on in my reading life right now. The Heat books were all Kindle books, 2 of which I was able to borrow from the library. Since I haven’t been around much, the Kindle books are great for reading on the go. The last book is getting me back into the P.D. James/Adam Dagleish series. I am more interested in the character development of Dagleish than of the murder, really. Thus book is on audio. P.D. James writes mysteries that tend towards academic, but you get all the information and there are no loose ends, so I like them. I would have finished it during my trip last week, but Mom and I talk rather than listen to books.

Inspiration
Virginia, a CQFAer, sent an interesting thought: Pablo Picasso said:  “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls”

Death Cab for Cutie is also providing some inspiration with their album cover for Narrow Stairs. The name of the album (do they call them that anymore?) looks like a selvedge. I wonder if they know? Is it a secret conspiracy to promote quilts? Thanks to Liesl Gibson of Oliver+S for pointing it out.

Fabric, Tools & Supplies
Look at these nice looking swivel clips! One of my frustrations with bag making is that the hardware isn’t that appealing. I was pleased to find this store so I can get some nice looking bag hardware.

Anna Maria Horner announced a new bag pattern recently. Some of the examples she shows are lush…a little over the top lush, but also a treat for hardworking women. The post also has some beautiful pictures and some of her life.

I might have mentioned that Friend Julie made an iron tote. I liked the idea so when I was on my way down to Super G’s house and happened to stop (ahem) in at Quiltin’ Cousins in Pismo Beach, I saw a pattern and, once Julie confirmed it wasn’t the one she used (she had trouble), I bought it. The pattern came with a piece of that insulated silver stuff. One of the things I liked about it was the fabric they used for the pattern. They used a Philip Jacobs-like fabric and Ta Dot dot for the straps and binding. Why didn’t I think of that?

I think I need to make one for myself. I don’t know that I will use it much, but I love the idea of a Philip Jacobs something that I can carry around.

 

I wanted to make it for my secret Santa at BAMQG, but that is not on her list, so, perhaps, I will have to make some for other friends. I have no comment, yet, on the pattern. I’ll let you know how it goes.

As a result, I don’t know what I’ll make for her. Perhaps a needle case? It seems so small, though it is on her list. I’ll think about it and come up with something to make it special.

On the Web
Thanks to Katie, we can now use the hashtag #qhc when we engage in quiltmaking. Researchers in Scotland have done a study on hobbies and speficially mention quiltmaking. The article in the Daily Mail online talks all about it.

I heard about a QuiltGuy retreat. Only guys? Do they go to quilt shops? Talk about their kids? There were some photos. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Awhile ago, I posted about my work on Chris’ start to the BAMQG Round Robin. Kathleen did a blog post recently about a start she worked on. I am posting a link so you can see more of the group’s work.

I love the quilting on the quilt on this post from Melody Johnson. There is something about the few rows of stitching in, what looks like, Perl Cotton that is simple and effective. I don’t visit Melody’s blog as much as I would like. Her colors are so fabulous.

If you want to be really impressed with some longarm quilting, check out this quilt, which was quilted by Kathy Perino. It looks like trapunto in some places. She does longarming if you need a quilt quilted….

Jill is always doing something interesting and now the ‘something interesting‘ is with wool and Perl Cotton.  She even dyed some of the wool. I can’t wait to be retired. I should buy a lotto ticket.

Out and About
Thanks to Cathy Izzo at the City Quilter for these tips:

• MET OPENS EXHIBITION ON GLOBAL TEXTILE HISTORY The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a fascinating exhibition, “Interwoven Globe”, opening on September 16 (and open till Jan 5) about the world textile trade between the years 1500 to 1800. Already up on the Met’s walls is the complementary exhibit of John Forbes Watson’s extraordinary Indian textile collection. These should be well worth the visit.
• KATE STIASSNI OPENS AT THE ARTQUILT GALLERY·NYC Just opened in our gallery is Spaces in Between: Contemporary Textiles, 16 striking quilts by Kate Stiassni. This show will be up through October 19.

The Virginia Quilt Museum is having a fundraiser. Vicki Welsh turned me on to the antique looking, though newly made quilt. I can think of a few of you in whose houses this would look great. You can purchase chances through PayPal.

Luke Haynes et al will be showing quilts at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC call Alt Quilts. The show will be up from October 1, 2013 – January 5, 2014.I hope some of you are able to visit and will tell me all about it.

Purse Palooza 2013 started yesterday. Have you visited the Sew Sweetness blog to see the bag reviews?

Other
I was reading a blog post by Abby Glassenberg about having a successful craft blog (not getting into the art vs. craft of quiltmaking here or now!), which said that to have a successful blog, you should tell your readers why they should care about what you are writing. Sharing isn’t enough. I haven’t decided if I believe this yet, but I am going to try to figure out why you should care about what I am writing in each post. In the meantime, this post from the Creative Creativity blog is a good start when she says “you create what you consume.”

 

 

Why Should You Care: I write these Various & Sundry posts because I think it is good to expose you to things you might not normally see or read.

 

On the Web

Anna Maria Horner talks about giving herself a break. While the comments are just a few sentences, they made me think. It almost made me wonder if the universe is sending me some challenges to get me to give myself a break.

If you want to read a really nice and sweet 1st blogiversary post, check out Valerie’s post in celebration of her first blogiversary. Congratulations, Valerie!

Katie pointed me to a great interview with Lily Ashbury on the Fat Quarter Shop Blog. One of the greys will work with my background idea for Easy Street. Yes, I bought fabric. 😉

Pam and Darla talk about nerdiness quite a bit. If you want a non-quilty take, check out the N3rdc@st, episode 1. I downloaded it, because I thought there was an interview with Sarah Addison Allen, of Gardenspells, The Sugar Queen, the forthcoming Lost Lake and the The Peach Keeper fame. No interview, but there discussion of nerds was kind of interesting. The podcast, well, the first episode, at least, wasn’t as well produced as some of our quilty podcasts, but we all improve.

I really liked this post from The Cutting Table talking about Sampler Quilts. Moda retweeted it. Thanks, Moda!

I saw this very clever Periodic Table of Sewing Elements on the Scientific Seamstress, first on FB then on her blog. She has files on the 2011 post that are high enough quality for you to download and print or have printed in high quality at a copy center. This post also discusses her thought process for making over her sewing space. Great food for thought.

The show featured in this blog post will be the last for the guild. The guild has dwindled to 10 members. The quilts shown in the photos aren’t particularly traditional, which makes me wonder why other quiltmakers in the area aren’t joining this guild and keeping tradition going? The KCMQ is huge in the area. Can’t they join forces? I am sure I am missing the politics of the guilds in that area and politics are probably the underlying issue. I hope something replaces that show; it sounds great.

Interesting quilts on the Modern Bias Blog. I also like the quilting on the flying geese quilt.

This blog post was painful to read at the beginning as I know exactly what the mom was feeling, but as I read through the post, I saw the blossoming and expansion of creativity on both sides.

Moda posted a review of the True Cut system. I am keeping my system in place, but I find it interesting to read about new quilt technology. I do use the True Grips, as I have mentioned. They are great at helping to prevent rulers from slipping.

I saw this picture on Twitter and thought it was very clever.

Straight from ResearchBuzz: “Check out this cool Web app that turns a collection of Flickr photos into an “average” photo. This morning’s photo is an “Average” for five photos tabbed Lincoln Memorial.” I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would be cool to try it with my Ferry Building photos.

QNM put up a very interesting layout for a sampler quilt. Everything is on point and the center block is larger. The colors are depressing and I would love to see this in pink and orange, but the layout is great. Thanks to Pam for pointing it out.

Amy Butler is now teaching online via CreativeBug. Have you seen the courses?

Fabric, Notions & Tools

I saw the blog of a Quiltmaker who is really putting the leaders and enders idea to work. She discusses fabric storage and scraps on her blog. Thanks to Adrianne for pointing it out.

Who knew so many people were producing acrylic templates. I did a search on Etsy and really had my eyes opened! Richard, of the Russian Rubix fame, has his shop up and running, so go get your templates, so you can sew along with Susan and me.

You might have seen Alex Veronelli (of Aurifil fame)post about being at the Checker Open House. Checker is a distributor of all things quilty. There are 3 posts about the open house from their newsletter. Take a look at Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 to get the inside scoop.

Katie of Katie’s Quilting Corner mentioned Art Bins in a recent podcast. I use them also for storing progress projects. Katie said that she can fit everything for a project in one, which I can’t do. She might find larger ones than I have found. I like the one that measures 3.5″ x 14′ x 15.25″ (approximately) for projects. I used one to keep the Flowering Snowball parts all together. There is a larger version (15.2 x 14 x 6.2 inches), which holds a lot more, but still not all of my fabric. Remember I tend to use a small amount of a lot of different fabrics for my projects rather than larger amounts of coordinating pieces. The handles are great and keeping most of a project together, especially the cut pieces, patterns, etc is useful.

Sheesh! Camille Roskelley has another new line of fabric for Bonnie & Camille called April Showers. She talked about it very briefly in a recent blog post. It is more of the same type of colorway that Happy-Go-Lucky had with the dark blue. I didn’t think Scrumptious was out yet and I am waiting for that line. I guess I had better go shopping. 😉

Downton Abbey fabrics from Andover for all you fans- coming in the Fall. You can download Mood Boards. Looking at them and the final collections might be a good way to inspire your own mood boards.

Juliana Horner, yes, Anna Maria Horner’s eldest daughter, has designed a fabric collection, which you can find at Joann.

Creativity

I really didn’t know where to put this story about living a life where you do exactly what you love every day. This blog post describes how I feel when I am working with fabric, but especially when I am making quilts.

A post by Danny Gregory echos how I have been feeling, especially the line about “nose pressed to the window.” I guess I need to get in gear and do some stuff before I take the leap.

I did a search for creativity in the podcast part of iTunes and found a number of interesting podcasts of varying lengths and topics. NerdEcon episode X was an interview and discussion with the author of Imagine. I thought it would be too dry, but there were some great tidbits that I was able to takeaway and will use for a big project in which I am involved.

Books

My friend, writer at Little Bluebell and the former president of BAMQG, Adrianne Ove, will be included in a forthcoming book by Kansas City Star, Classic Modern Quilts. See some beauty shots on their blog.

Projects

A question came up about the receiving blankets I made a few weeks ago. The receiving blankets are a great gift and moms love them. They also USE them, which is why I started giving the receiving blankets instead of quilts.

I use 1 layer of flannel. One reason I don’t double them like a quilt is that the mom can layer them depending on the temperature she needs. I buy 1.25 yards and square it up, then I do a double fold hem on the raw edges. I don’t hem the selvedges, but my friend does. I am too lazy. I use a decorative stitch and will, sometimes, stitch the baby’s name in the blanket hem, if I know it. Sometimes I stitch “Baby Jones” into the hem. I give 3 to 5 receiving blankets to each mom.

Remember the pillow covers I made a few weeks ago? DH made fun of me for just putting the new covers over the old ones. Well, what am I going to do with the old ones? On another pillow cover topic, to add insult to injury, the fabric doesn’t even feel nice against our skin. Napping on the couch isn’t nearly as pleasant with those pillow covers. Ergh!

I saw a pillow on the ailyn-Nilya blog that I couldn’t stop looking at. Finally I clicked on the link and ended up on Flickr in the Ferris Wheel group. Ferris Wheel? Yes, the pattern kind of does look like a Ferris Wheel and, while I love the imagery, I also thought that the pattern looked like Jack’s Chain. I looked it up in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns and the pattern is actually called Ferris Wheel – well, that is one of the names. It is also called Block Patchwork (boring name), Building blocks, Hexagon, Morning Glory and Wandering Paths, in addition to The Ferris Wheel. Jack’s Chain is similar, but has 9 patch blocks where the squares are placed in the The Ferris Wheel. Perhaps I will try The Ferris Wheel sometime. It looks like the makers used English Paper Piecing. I wonder if it would be horrific with Y seams? I should finish the Attack of the Hexies first.

Inspiration

I really like the images in the Basic Grey post from a few days ago.

Inspiration is a funny thing. You never know when it will show up, strike you, appear on your radar.

The hard part is what you have to recognize it when it shows up and seize it.

Seize it? Put it somewhere. Remember it. Keep track of it.

Here is what is inspiring me today:

A Little Sap

Thanks to Carole for taking the time. Though I write this blog for myself, these kind of comments are another reason to continue on.

Free PR
One of my blog posts was featured in Alex Veronelli’s paper.li newsletter. I am not sure featured is the right word, but the post was in the newsletter and I was thrilled. I’ll have to mention that I use Aurifil almost exclusively and am using up my Mettler basting fabric to paper in my EPP Stars project.

I am also going to be part of Purse Palooza. Sara Lawson of the Petrillo Bag fame and Sew Sweetness invited me. Now I have to go pick a pattern and make a bag and review the directions. Yikes! Check out last year’s event.

On the Web
The Getty Museum now has over 4,500 high-resolution images of its collection available for free use, modification, and publication. Thanks to ResearchBuzz. Go forth and be inspired!

Aylin-Nilya has written a bag love-fest post on her blog circling around the new book (due out in November), Big City Bags, by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness. One of the things I like about her blog is that she writes in English and German, so I get to practice.

Remember the bags I am working on perfecting that will be the basis for my gifts when I am Queen Poobah? Well, here is another tutorial that shows, with great pictures, how I make straps for as many bags as possible. The author also has a photo of the kind of interfacing I tried as well. It makes the bags stiff, which is a good idea. As an update, I haven’t gone any farther in my explorations than the previous post. I was thinking about the project yesterday, though and will need to get back to it.

Also, I saw this ‘sleeping bag’ pouch on the Aylin-Nilya blog as well and wondered what you thought about making it part of the gift bags? I would have to put in 12 zippers, but I bet I would be really good at zippers once the project was over.

Those Eff block girls were talking about ticker tape blocks recently. I asked what they were, but didn’t understand the answer, so I went surfing to see if I could figure it out. Stitched in Color has a reasonable description (raw edge applique’ teeny tiny scraps on a background). She also points to a Flickr group that shows a lot of different examples. I think I am officially out of the loop. This concept didn’t even get near my radar.

I am guarding what is on my iPod until I get iTunes on my computer back in order. Some of what I am listening to has been on my to-listen list for awhile. The other day I listened to an interview with Pat Bravo on the Jackie’s Quilting Chronicles episode 32 podcast. It is from December 2011. What a GREAT interview! I don’t think I have ever heard Pat Bravo speak and her enthusiasm was fantastic. Just listening to her made me feel better about my life. Don’t worry she is not so gushy that she makes everything seem perfect in her life; it is her attitude that was a good reminder for me. Take a listen!

Katie talked about practicing an invisible ladder stitch, which is the preferred way of closing stuffed animals, bag linings, etc. She talked about it in a recent podcast (you are listening, right?) I didn’t know what this was, so I checked out some web tutorials. Taffy has some nice photos in her tutorial. I don’t understand the first couple of pictures from the Sewing for Beginners tutorial, but it turned out pretty well, so I’ll probably go back and look at it more carefully. There is also a video from another blog, which I didn’t watch, but may.

Media
I listened to an older podcast of Daisy‘s about Quilt Mythbusting. I loved it! She doesn’t give dissertation quality references, but she does give references to her information as well as practical advice and tips surrounding the alleged myth. Good job, Daisy!

I listened to a  really interesting podcast about creativity from a radio show called On Being with Krista Tippett. Worth a listen. For you quilt/science geeks (Pam!), there is a lot about the brain and other science-y stuff.

Speaking of science geeks, Pam saved me some time by trying out the iron-on vinyl. This a product that makes any fabric (probably not upholstery fabric, but certainly quilting fabric) into a laminate. She used a different brand that the link above, but I wanted to give you some idea of what we were talking about. The idea is to make part of the bag waterproof. For example, you might want to put some on the bottom of a bag in case you set it in something wet or icky. Jennifer Paganelli mentioned using leather on the bottom of a bag to reduce wear (Jackie’s Quilting Chronicles, April 15, 2011). Same idea. I talked about it when I mentioned the changes I want to make to the Petrillo Bag pattern. That updated bag is still on my radar, in case you think I forgot.

Another article on how to find free eBooks and free audiobooks, in case you need some entertainment when you are not sewing.

Stuff to Think About
Tanesha over at CraftyGardenMom podcast and blog posted an essay about the low cost of Anthropologie ‘handmade’ quilts. People made some good comments about the post on Reddit as well. This has been on my mind as well, but from the Garnet Hill quilt perspective. The prices are outrageously low. All I can think about when I look through the Garnet Hill catalog is an ugly room full of desperate women who can’t feed their families without making these quilts. I think about the garment workers in Bangladesh who were injured and killed when the building they were working in collapsed. I could never make a quilt for the price they quote and I couldn’t buy one of Garnet Hill’s or Anthropologie’s quilts, because that is all I would think about.

I think we have a problem with value vs. cost in this country. We will drive for miles for a ‘deal’ and not worry much, or say “oh well” when it breaks next year and can’t be fixed. Some of this is why I stopped listening to one of the podcasts that others love.

Someone will be reading this and thinking “well, I wouldn’t be able to make a quilt and I couldn’t afford a quilt if the cost reflected its true value.” Handmade craft – any kind of craft – has value. The beauty of the hand labor has value. It is hard to put a dollar value on it. I make quilts for myself – to keep myself sane, to have something different from my job work to do, to work with beautiful fabrics, to feel soft texture in my hands. I don’t make quilts to sell, partially because it isn’t worth it. When people inquire I say that my quilts start at $1000 and that usually stops the conversation right there. If a person doesn’t make anything, they can’t conceive of the time and effort it takes. Go make something, even a toothpick house and see how long it takes you. There is effort involved in handmade and we should all be glad to pay for it.

Cool Tools, Thread and Fabric

Susan talked about the Russian Rubix pattern on her podcast recently. I mentioned it also, in a recent post. I looked around the web for version of the quilt and came across the Tiffany is Sew Busy blog where she talks about the pattern and her friend, Richard. Richard is my new hero because he offers to make templates for the Russian Rubix pattern. I ordered two sets, one for me (ruler junkie) and one for Susan. I received them, but I haven’t tried them. They look great, though. Very professional! He even offered to make templates for other patterns as well. I want to take him up on that! He followed up to ask if I had received them and told me he is working on getting them up on Etsy and on his website. I don’t see anything yet, but you can email him by going to Tiffany’s blog and getting the information there.

Why didn’t you tell me Camille Roskelly hooked up with Aurifil and created a Simplify thread pack? I want it. I want it now and I want YOU to buy it for me.  Thank you. 😉

Challenges and Group Projects
EBHQ’s Voices in Cloth Show will be held at Craneway Pavilion on March 22 & 23, 2014. The show will include the WWII Home Front Quilt Challenge, which has recently been launched!  Please visit the Home Front Challenge website for information and to view the Call for Entries. You can print the call for entries from the site.  To request a copy be mailed to you, email your request with your mailing address to: 2014challenge@wwiihomefrontquilts.com.

Quilts selected from the entries will be exhibited online and in a special exhibit at Voices in Cloth 2014. EBHQ is working on other venues and hope to show the quilts throughout 2014.

There is additional information on the website, including a list of partner organizations. you probably need to be a member of the group to participate, but the membership fee is very reasonable and the Voices in Cloth show is one of the best guild shows around. Email  2014challenge@wwiihomefrontquilts.com if you have any questions, or if you need information in a different form. Please help us get the word out and thanks.

The cat beds were delivered to the Homeless Cat Network this past week. Look at this van! Amanda took the photo to show us how much work we had done ‘for the kitties’ as she likes to say. She had to fill the beds with her stash of schnibbles, so she had plenty of work to do after I (we) sewed the beds. You can see some of the cat beds I made in the photo.

Housekeeping
We are up to 39 email subscribers! Yay! I know it is silly and so far below some of the way more popular blogs, but I don’t care. Thanks, chicklets!

I received my Aurifil club selection from The Quilt Bear on Monday and it is cute. I was piecing with turquoise thread other the weekend, because it was in the machine after I did some decorative stitches on the napkins and I figured I didn’t need to change it. I think I have plenty of piecing thread and can use whatever color is to hand. I do like the light grey for piecing, though. You, too, can join in the Aurifil club fun by checking out theAurifil Club page on The Quilt Bear site.

Blogging
Sister Diane (not my sister, but what she calls herself for some reason I don’t know) over at CraftyPod blog had a great post about marketing and blogging. I have to admit that I haven’t been asked to feature any products on my blog, though I do write book reviews for Lark. I write for Lark, because they offer me something. I am pretty sure that you all don’t wait for me to say “go and buy X product” then run out and buy it. S. D. says that we bloggers don’t need stuff to write about. I think we want exchanges with our readers and that can extend to marketers who want our attention as well.

I especially loved these lines “When you ask a blogger “Please mention this to your readers,” you’re essentially saying “Please come up with a great marketing idea for me. I won’t be paying you for this service. Thanks!” ” Sister Diane has good ideas for anyone wanting something from the blogger. If you had done what she suggested I would be more inclined to listen to your proposal than someone who just says they love my blog and does not show that they love it. Loving my blog means reading it periodically.

This is a well written and coherent post. I would urge you to read it and let me know what you think.

On the Web

Piecemeal Quilts has 4 posts on the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. The last one is here.

Katie talked about Fear of Failure on her blog recently. I am less nice and say “get over it and move on. There is always more fabric and you can worry when you are dead!” I know, not very nice, but I bet I made you laugh. I am also really sick of people putting themselves down. Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a loser. Mistakes were invented so we could learn. Katie shows her progress in machine quilting as an example. I think I will try and do a post about progress on something. NOT machine quilting since you know how I feel about that, but perhaps there is something I felt frustrated about and can show progress. I would do it all for you, Chiclets. I put up mistakes so you can see that it is not all peaches and roses here at AQ. Let’s accept our mistakes and move forward.

Katie asked this question “So ask yourself, what is your fear of failure holding you back from achieving?” Tell me your answer.

Perhaps I’ll go do some machine quilting.

Gretchen has a great book review on one of Carol Doak’s paper piecing books. I am not much of a paoer piecer, but the technique does have its uses. The brief description given makes my mind soin with the possibility of adding corners and borders to blocks to make them more interesting or just different.

Tools

Camille Roskelley has a great photo of another clever use for WonderClips. (scroll about halfway down) Do you have any? No? Go buy some RIGHT now!

History Quilter Susan and I will be working on the Russian Rubix project together — well, alongside each other is a better description. I meant to buy the pattern when I was at Always Quilting for Sew Day, but forgot so I was surfing the web looking for a good price on shipping when I found a picture of a ruler to go with the project. (I know Flickr does sell stuff, but I got distracted!). That led me to the blog post with the link to Richard, who made the ruler/template. The templates are $15 and I think there are two, but you need to contact (info@red-designs.com) him yourself if you want more information on purchasing the rulers.

Housekeeping

Do you know about the Glossary?

34 people are now subscribing to the blog via email. Yay! And, thanks. 😉

Have you see the Quilts in Print page? I started a list of references to quilts in fiction, mostly, that I came across. Obviously it is not exhaustive, but I will note down what I find as I come across references. it is something I have been wanting to do and am glad I started finally. I plan to also surf around and see if someone else has done something similar.

Big doesn’t even begin to express the size of the mess I made over the weekend in my workroom. I think it wasn’t helped by bring a lot of stuff to sew day. It took me forever to unearth the floor. I did get a lot done and that was nice.

Housekeeping
31 email subscribers! Isn’t that exciting? You may not care, but I am thrilled. Thanks for subscribing!

The above photo has been making its way around social media. For good reason, I think. it is a great way to think about a lot of things in life. In quiltmaking, we could yell DESIGN TWIST and move on.

Fabric
This blog post explains another way of thinking about fabric for projects: no stash. Huh?

Adrianne at Little Bluebell has made a version of Sparkle Punch, an Oh Fransson design.

Books
As you know, I often listen to audiobooks while I sew. As an aside, I have, lately been devouring print and eBooks as well as audiobooks. Thus I pay attention when I hear about deals that involve downloading a free audiobook from Audible. You often have to use a certain URL. You may have heard about such offers on podcasts such as The History Chicks. Openculture has a list of free audiobooks including those from Audible.

Quilt in Print: I went to visit TFQ last week and borrowed one of her books, Henry’s Sisters by Cathy Lamb. Isabelle mentions quilters in passing on page 85, “The card playing ladies came in on Tuesday night and the quilters came in on Thursday.” I started a page (find it under About, in the navigation bar above) with quotes and references to quilts and quiltmaking in fiction.

I also read, in eBook form, Whispers Under Ground, the newest book by Ben Aronovitch. I checked this book out from the Library and was able to easily download it. I was actually amazed at how easy it was to download it. I am in the process of reading The School of Essential Ingredients.

Quiltmakers in the News
Mary Ellen Hopkins died recently. She was the author of It’s Okay If You Sit on My Quilt.  and many other titles. Most of her books were slim volumes. I loved her personal style and always wanted to take a class from her, but never did. I attended at least two of her lectures and they were a hoot! There is a tribute on the AQS site.

A memorial service is being planned for later this summer with the time and place to be announced. Thoughts and sympathy cards for Mary Ellen Hopkins can be sent to her son at this address:

David Hopkins
946 Woodgrove Drive
Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007

Jeffrey Gutcheon died as well. He was big news when I started quilting, because he and his wife owned a fabric company, designed fabric and wrote books. I believe they were some of the first fabric designers to put their name on the selvedge. They had a very public divorce that involved important, at the time, quilt properties/brands. I remember hearing others talking about “the scandal” in my first quilt class.

You can see both of their obituaries on the QN blog.

Libby Update: From the TQS Blog “Libby is progressing slowly. She still sleeps most of the time. Recently they played a TQS DVD of a show with her good friend Katie Pasquini. Libby watch carefully and even laughed at the right time when Alex and Katie messed up.”

Ways to help:

• Caring Bridge – Follow Libby’s progress and donate at www.caringbridge.org/visit/libbylehman
• Send a check: Please make checks, money orders, and cashier’s checks in US Dollars payable to “Libby Lehman Medical Fund” and send them directly to Libby’s sister: Cathy Arnold, 2220 Stanmore, Houston, TX 77019
• Bank Account: A bank account has been set up at JPMorgan Chase Bank. The name of the account is the “Libby Lehman Medical Fund.” Checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks (U.S. dollars only) should be made out to “Libby Lehman Medical Fund” and mailed to her sister, Cathy Arnold, 2220 Stanmore, Houston, TX 77019.  Please include your name and address if it is not on the check. If you wish to use an online secure transfer method from any bank (called Chase Quick Pay), please email Cathy’s husband, Bill Arnold, at bill.arnold@rice.edu, and he will provide you with proper instructions.
• PayPal-Libby’s family has set up a PayPal account for Libby’s Medical Fund. If you would like to contribute directly via PayPal, click on the HELP LIBBY tab below and follow the steps outlined there. One hundred percent of your contribution goes to the Libby Lehman Medical Fund.
  1. Visit www.paypal.com
  2. Login or set up a new account.
  3. Select the “Send Money” tab.
  4. In the “send to” field, put: Libby.medfund@gmail.com
  5. Select the total you wish to contribute, it will be billed to your credit card and foreign currency is converted to US dollars on the receiving end.
• Donate for chances to win a quilt – There is a Help Libby tab on the TQS website. go there to enter the quilt giveaway
• Send cards and letters to: Libby Lehman c/o Cathy Arnold, 2220 Stanmore, Houston, TX 77019 – If you cannot afford a donation, a card or letter to Libby is very welcome. They cannot respond to all letters.

Remember that even $5 helps.

Nota bene: AQ.com has no direct affiliation with Libby Lehman. I am just a satisfied student.

Sarah Ann Smith, thread queen, came to town and Julie and I got to have dinner with her and her family.

Road Show
Marie Bostwick will be on the road this summer! If you are near, you can see her at the following locations:

July 12
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Festival
4pm (Reading & Signing) Paulina Spring Bookstore
Sisters, OR

July 13
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Festival
Various hours (Signing only)
Paulina Springs Bookstore
Sisters, OR

July 17
RWA “Literacy for Life” Autographing
5:30pm
Marriot Marquis, Atrium Ballroom
Atlanta, GA

July 27
12pm “A Literary Luncheon” Seward Civic Center
$10 ticket includes lunch, purchase in advance at the Seward Library
Seward, NE

July 27
Quilt Nebraska 2013
6pm Banquet Speaker Concordia University
Seward, NE

August 4
Denver Library Quilt Show Opening Reception
2pm Speech and signing Central Library
Denver, CO

August 28
Milford Valley Quilters
7pm Speech and signing Delaware Valley Middle School
Milford, PA

You can find more calendar dates on the Appearances page of the MarieBostwick.com website. If you are able to attend, tell Marie hi for me and send me a nice long email recounting the adventure.

Shows and other News

SAQA has a calendar of events that you can find at their site under Art News. The Kaleidoscope of Quilts XVI Show and Competition will take place July 19-20 in Sylvania, Ohio.  This well-respected regional quilt show will feature bed quilts, wall hangings, art quilts, and quilted garments.  A variety of classes and lectures will be offered over a five day period, by local and nationally recognized instructors, beginning on Tuesday, July 16th.  Enjoy special displays, quilting challenges, and vendors with the latest in quilting supplies and machines.  For more information go to www.gcqc.org.

Fabric and Tools

Did you see the mini-tutorial that Carole wrote about building an extension table? The super clever part is that she put it up on Flickr!

The Intrepid Thread has dangerous new fabric club options for you. You can grow your stash by leaps and bounds.

Deanna is shedding for different reasons, but I am feeling this urge to lighten the load as well. Piles are making me crazy and I am sewing quick things move fabric along the pipeline to make space for newer fabric so I can see it. I am thinking about it and trying anyway.

A recent Timeless Treasures blog post starts off with the line, “Basics are the backbone of the quilting world.” The post goes on to highlight the different types of ‘solids’ TT makes. It is an interesting post on a lot of levels. First, it is visually appealing and encourages the reader to look at the typical view  of a solid fabric and expand on it. It also makes me think back to the Dark Ages when I started making quilts. The Cotton Patch had a whole room full of solids. I think they were there because the bold graphic quality of Amish quilts was so popular. In the mid-late 1990s, solids virtually disappeared from LQS shelves. Now they are back and ‘modern.’ Everything old is new again?

Have you been hearing about ice dyeing on Sandy’s podcast? Here are some great photos of Friend Julie’s fabulous ice dyeing experiments.

There is an interesting discussion going on the Sew Sweetness site about using patterns/books you actually buy to make a project. Sara gifts her patterns and books after she makes the item once (probably not for books) and says she is a process person. I use my books for inspiration for the most part, though I usually do intend to get inspired to make something from each book I buy even if it is not that exact project. For example I have a number of books about antique quilts. They are not project books, but I get inspired by them and may make a block or use a setting from them in a new and different way.

Patterns are a completely different story. If I buy a pattern, and I really try not to except for bags, I intend to make it. I have a number of bag patterns that are lined up waiting to be made, because I am still so enamoured with quiltmaking and there just aren’t enough hours in the day. What do you think? This topic might require more thought and a longer post.

Creativity and Inspiration

Lil Sissy pointed me to an article about creative people. Perhaps this will help you understand me better?

Danny Gregory talks about those evil voices in your mind telling you you are not smart enough, pretty enough etc in a recent blog post. He calls them the monkeys who are holding you back. It is a really good blog post and funny, too. He writes “… holding us back. Your shrink will tell you that we just have to realize that those monkey ghosts are only alive become [sic] we resuscitate them. You can defeat the specters by making stuff, by asserting your talent, by ignoring the grey-bearded monkey ghosts rehashing childhood bullshit. Want to relive an ancient drama? Read Hamlet.” He brings in a lot of interesting things to illustrate his point including The Exorcist, cells not to mention Hamlet. Get rid of those ancient wounds! Worth a read.

By the way, you are smart enough AND pretty enough! 😉

Need to exercise? Can’t get out of your chair because you are too busy sewing? Try the Quiltmaker’s Shuffle! Now there’s even a video to help you learn the steps.

Some thoughts on a well done quilt.

I really like the predominantly pink and yellow color combinations in this post about antique quilts.

If you are in need of some inspiration, take a look a Friend Julie’s photos of Death Valley. And this is not a place with the tarot death of transformation meaning. In Death Valley, follow the rules or be dead. Just saying. The pictures are amazing, though.

Have you seen the Packwood House quilts? The pink, olive and black one towards the bottom of the post is really intriguing! Interesting color combination.

Projects

See the San Mateo County Fair photos, including the ones you have already seen. 😉

Sara at Sew Sweetness has a new bag out, the Lapin Noir bag. Take a look. It is available for download. The first example on her site is just in my colors! I also like the one in Joel Dewberry fabrics.

Visiting

If you are heading to NYC,or live there, here is a list places that sound fabulous to visit. You can relax at several after visiting City Quilter and Purl Patchwork.

Did I point you to this quilt? TFQ wrote it when I was ruminating about how old some of my projects were as I, once again, reviewed the 26 Projects list. I remember reading it and thinking I needed to tell you about it, but I can’t find it on the blog. She wins on the geezer quilt front every time with no quibble from me. She has been quiltmaking longer and sewing even longer.

Weeks Ringle goes to the Shipshewana Quilt Festival in Indiana and writes a heartfelt blog post about it. she includes some commentary on a service project some young Amish people were doing and the converse in her neighborhood. I really like it, especially this quote “I admitted to myself that the pressures of my life have shifted my focus and that I need to shift it back. Like those disciplined horses unbothered by 18-wheelers, I need to not succumb to the pressures of modern life that I don’t or shouldn’t truly care about.” I love her writing, so, perhaps, I am biased?

On the Web

Here are some more reflections of Quilt Market 2013 by Diana at Pink Chalk. You need some fabric, too, right?

Jane Davila is getting a new studio. She has some photos up on her blog showing the beautiful light and windows. The fabulous part is that she will be starting a mentor program for artists. She writes great articles for various magazines about the business of art and I see this as a great extension. I wish I lived close enough to sign up. I hope those of you in the area will take advantage.

 

Reading

I know I haven’t been good about telling you what I am reading. I have just finished Midnight Riot by Ben Aronovitch. Carolyn of BBQ suggested the series. I am listening to the second in the series, Moon Over Soho, on audio. I am also reading A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. I read Marie’s new book and wanted to revisit the characters.

Projects

As I work on finishing the Star Sampler, I am beginning to think of my next project. I have a zillion projects on my list, a number of UFOs begging for my attention and The Young Man reminding me that his t-shirt quilt has an open spot on his bed. What I really want to make is another Petrillo bag. Reading glowing missives about Sara‘s fabulous-ness is not dissuading me even with the screams of those UFOs echoing in my ears.

I cut some 2.5″ background squares to make another donation quilt, but haven’t done anything about the foreground yet.

I also sewed on one of the Young Man’s newest merit badges, Camping. It is Eagle required.

Other Artists

If you haven’t seen Julie’s relatively new quilt, take a look at Contained Observation. There is a lot to look at and fun surprises. She also did some fabulous ATCs, which I missed out on for some reason. 🙁

Mom hasn’t been writing much, but take a look at her blog. She has written some good, heartfelt posts recently.

I was wandering around Blogland a few few Fridays ago when i was just too exhausted to even move to the couch. I stopped by the Fresh Lemons blog only to see this great mini-hex project. I know they are half hexies, but I am ignoring that. The layout reminds me of my Eye Spy quilt, but I love the idea of doing a scrappy version in the diamond layout. HOWEVER! I am not allowed to do any hexie projects until I finish, or make serious progress on the Flower Sugar Hexagon quilt. I really should work on it. It would be so great in my country manor…

Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr will be doing a West Coast Road Trip. Check out the locations and dates on their blog. I will be in the San Mateo class (I have already signed up!). They are really good lecturers, so the experience is worth the price of admission.

Media

Sandi at Piecemeal Quilts wrote a great post recently about blogging platforms. If you don’t know the difference between WordPress and Blogger or aren’t sure what a No Reply Blogger is, go over and check out her post. And remember: she does the great Skillbuilder Series.

Gretchen did a short review of Judy Martin’s The Creative Pattern Book.

The image that Danny Gregory posted on his blog is partial, but what is there is fabulous. It reminds me so much of how I want to take to take notes and illustrate my life. It reminds me to stop and look. If you don’t read Danny Gregory’s blog, it is full of inspiration. Yes, he draws. That is his thing, but he is a creative person and we can gain inspiration and tips from other creatives.

Check out this colorful article on Kaffe Fassett. It is so beautifully illustrated.

Techniques and Tutorials

Here is a tutorial for the Ribbon Star. I wish I had seen this before I made mine!

Here is another quilt block library. Some of the blocks in the library are ones that I have been seeing around the web lately. The Ribbon Star is in this group as well. Odd since it seems like it is an old block. It is, at least, similar to an old block. I looked it up in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns and found three blocks (pg.139) that are similar, Capital T (Louisville Farm Journal, 1883), Tea for Four (Nancy Page, 1937), and Rippling Star (new design, which first appeared in Jinny Beyer’s previous book, The Quilter’s Album of Blocks and Borders book in 1980).

Gen X Quilters has a tutorial on Contrary Wife.  It is part of the Sisters’ Ten Modern BOM. I have no idea what that means. I just like these types of blocks – the ones with that strong diagonal line.

Robin has a tip on seam ripping.

New Pieces has some info about thread.

Below is my Quilt Bear June Thread offerings.