Tag: Various & Sundry

This is an incredibly massive V&S. Hope you can make it through whole thing as there is lots of important and fun links to explore. Maybe two sessions?

Admin

Reminder that if you ask a question in the comments and forget to come back and look at the answer, you can click the “Notify me of follow-up comments by email.” and get other comments on the one post. This will send you a notification when I answer. I do try and answer all comments, though I don’t always answer that same day.

I put up a new page showing all the improvisational piecing quilts I have made or worked on. This page was inspired by my work on the Tarts. I forgot that I had made or worked on so many. The improvisational piecing is different than Improv quilts now. The work I did was unplanned, but not necessarily wonky.

Reminder: all the photos on this blog are mine or I have permission to use them. The artworks are mostly mine, but occasionally I take a photo of someone else’s work and post it. All photos are generally watermarked which says I own the photo. If the artwork is mine, the watermark means that I own the artwork as well. If you want to use my photos, please contact me and provide a link to the photo you want to use and to the location where you want to post it. I am pretty good about getting back to you quickly. I don’t want to go through a fight again. This talks about photos, but all the words are mine as well.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

I found an extensive video (15 minutes) on the flatback stitch.

Natalie, from SewHungryHippie, has a FB page. Check it out for product information, but also for the 7/11 post talking about using interfacing on vinyl!?!?!

Tula has a video comparing the A Place for Everything v.1.0 to the v.2.0 versions of the pattern.

I was looking through some old emails and came across an email about diamonds. Quilting Cubby has a tutorial on sewing Half Triangle Rectangles any size. I haven’t reviewed this tutorial, but I have reviewed the methods I wrote in a series of tutorials on making Half Triangle Rectangles. Remember the Split Recs ruler** by Studio 180 Designs as well. I love that ruler.

My friend came over to get help making a bag. One of the things she wanted to do was use cording for the handles. I had no idea how to do it, so I searched. I found a tutorial, which makes sense. I had to test quite a bit to get the size right for the rope my friend had, but the process encouraged me to learn something new and now I have another option for handles.

One of the things I wanted to do was turn the bag through the interior zipper pocket. This makes for a cleaner finish. Tim showed me how to do it, but I had to look up a tutorial again. I found one from SewYourTV (???), which was pretty helpful, though I feel like it skipped something between the first sentence in step 8 and the second sentence. Robin of RSIsland Crafts shows how to turn the pocket from start to finish in her video tutorial. It shows the missing parts from the above tutorial, which is finishing the bag by stitching it closed. The tutorial is 8 minutes long, but if you go to the 4 minute mark, you will get the salient details and skip the part about the two different types of pockets you can make to turn your bag.

Do you want to help create a local artist & makers market? Contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for such a space in Pacifica.

I have gotten quite a few comments on the Diagonal Nine Patch. I have made a file to share with you. It is a PDF file for you to use to make your own. I have an EQ8 file, which I cannot upload, but may send to you, if you are nice to me. ? For those of you who don’t have Electric Quilt**, I highly recommend it.

Proceeds from the sale of Ujamaa Baguettes patterns goes to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers (G to G) Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF). SLF works to address the consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic upon families and communities in sub-Saharan Africa. The patterns are regular bag patterns. There is a backpack called the Retreat Backpack, which looks similar to the Sew Sweetness Chickadee Backpack with some small design differences. There is a bag called The Laufey, which is interesting. The Liliput Backpack has some interesting design features, though I would probably make it into a crossbody bag. They also have bags with unique shapes. A couple are round and one is shaped like a saddle. The patterns are all PDF downloads which can be found on the Emmaline Designs website.

Marie Bostwick has a great pattern that may work for the guild’s 16 patches. Part 2 was just posted and part one can be found as a link in that post.

The Bag of the Month from the Emmaline Designs website is now available for purchase. They also have hardware kits available.

In her monthly Cornucopia post for July, Friend Julie pointed me to a journal cover tutorial that uses a composition book for the journal.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Lauren Moremino of MoreMeKnow has glitter clips! They probably work the same as regular clips**, but GLITTER!!!

Modern Handmade has a revamped subscription box. I subscribe briefly to their previous version until they cancelled it. The latest incarnation is only $12/month, which is eminently reasonable. It still includes a project, but smaller projects like pillows, tablerunners and bags. There is also a private FB group so you can meet other people who subscribe.

Some interesting zipper pulls, zipper heads (I saw a hedgehog!) and interesting zipper tape can be found on the Gigil Zips site. There are a lot of Star Wars and Disney models, but they are not listed by their trademarked names so you have to be a little creative to find them.

I really like the Essentials Tote available on the Sew Hungry Hippie site. I am tempted to buy the pattern, but think I could make something similar without a pattern, so I have, so far, resisted. I am also afraid I just like the fabric.

Moda had this lavishly illustrated review of Red, White & Blue Star Quilts. (Thanks to Judy Martin’s newsletter)

My friend, Lindsay, shared the New Song Quilt Shop with me. Yes, they have a website. They make quilts and pouches and home accessories for sale.

You might remember that we did a Creative Spark project a few years ago. The last prompt is posted and you can work your way through them now, if you want. This project was based on Carrie Bloomston’s , The Little Spark. She has a follow-up book called The Big Book of Little Sparks Creativity Journal: A Hands-on Journal to Ignite Your Creativity**. It’s described by Carrie in this way: “It’s full of beautifully illustrated pages for you to fill with reflections on YOUR creative process and journey. There are new sparks to inspire you on your journey, as well.” You can join the launch party, if you are in Phoenix, “at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix to celebrate the launch of the book with some bubbles and a conversation about living life wide awake” on Friday, September 9, 2022 at 6pm. If you attend, let me know how it went.

Articles, Tips and Other Information

Tula talks about quilting quilts in a recent video. I like this video, because she talks about all-over quilting patterns vs. custom quilting and I found that I agreed with her philosophy. Check between the 5 and 8 minute marks for the bulk of this discussion if you don’t want to watch the whole video.

I finally sent DH to the carpet recycler with the old life sucking beige carpet from my workroom. It was hard to find the address and all the guidelines and DH had lost heart. I had time so I found all the information, but made him go and do it. The hardwood floor needs to be redone, but I don’t care. I am so glad that carpet is out of my life.

Media, Exhibitions and Inspiration

Tula has remade the various bags she likes in her coming soon Moon Garden line. I love these videos where she shows her bags. She mostly uses Byannie patterns, but has branched out this time to a Minki Kim mini iron carrier pattern and the Aneela Hoey Booklet Pouch. I like it that she branched out this time. I did get a good idea for my going to Sew Day problem and that was the Oslo Craft Bag by Sew Sweetness. This is a free pattern given as a thank you if you sign up for the newsletter. The newsletter doesn’t come out very often so it isn’t a hardship. I made one of these for Cyndi. Now I am thinking I may make one for myself and see that will be a good partial replacement for my Going to Sew Day bag.

The one Tula made is the Catch All Caddy by ByAnnie. The bags are essentially the same, though the sizes and features may be different. I find the style of Sew Sweetness bags to be easier to sew, though, as you know, I have made several ByAnnie Bags and they have come out pretty well.

Frances from the QuiltFiction Club shared a video on the Jane Stickle quilt, which is in the Bennington Museum Collection.

Curated Quilts has a post on using neutrals in quilts

Not Quilt Related

Some quilt people are also puzzle people. During the pandemic i might have mentioned that we worked on a 10,000 piece puzzle. It is still in process, but I am working on La Pass at night not a puzzle. DH shared a blog post from the LA Public Library about the history of jigsaw puzzles. The post says that jig saws were related to sewing machines and, thus operated by women.

**Obviously, you should shop at a local quilt shop. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Admin

I updated the Quilt Class page to include more about my teaching. If you want to take a class with me check that page.

I also updated the Minikins page. I love looking at that page, because I am always amazed at how many of the Minikins patterns I have made. I have not made all by any stretch, but I have made a lot.

I made another Ends donation quilt so that page includes the most recent quilt as well.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a tutorial on sewing with vinyl. Have you seen her aqua glitter webbing? I am forcing myself to use the webbing I have then will find a pattern and get some of this. It is so fun! It also comes in other colors.

I am really disappointed that anyone would need a pattern for this simple Sawtooth Star quilt. If you take a class from me, you might need a kit because the fabrics would be hard to put together without one, but you will be able to make this in your sleep. No pattern required. –>Please note that I am not against independent quilt designers creating patterns and I am not against fabric companies giving away free patterns. I am against not learning quiltmaking in a way that allows everyone to parse a quilt design.

Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a tutorial on rolled handles for a bag. This technique uses vinyl tubing (from the hardware store) and foam, like Soft & Stable** or Bosal In-R-Foam**.

My mom wants to make a quick quilt as a gift. We discussed the various ‘Disappearing’ patterns like Disappearing Nine Patch and Disappearing Four Patch. We looked at the versions I have made, like the Food Quilts and the Disappearing Pinwheel. I found this tutorial for a Disappearing Four Patch for her and thought it showed how to make the pattern clearly.

Have you seen the Bucket hats that everyone seems to be making? They seem to be particularly popular with Kaffe fans. Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie made a video tutorial with a free pattern link, if you want to make one as well.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

I heard about Got Interfacing. When I went to the site, it looked familiar and I wondered if I had shared here before. They call it a one stop shop for interfacing. I’ll definitely have to remember to look there when I need SF101 or a bolt of foam. Looks, however, like a UK/Canada/Aussie site.

There has been some discussion in my guild about the Oliso mini iron. I received one as a gift from Friend Julie with its own little case. Other mini/travel irons have been discussed including the Steamfast travel iron**, which got great reviews.

Articles, Tips and Other Information

Friend Julie has a great tip for storing your needles.

She has also posted her monthly Cornucopia post with lots of interesting media and tips.

Exhibitions and Inspiration

The Tanforan shopping mall in nearby San Bruno has provided SAQA space for the Prism Play exhibit based on Joen Wolfrom’s 3-in-1 Color tool. This is a tool I recommend for my students. The post about the exhibit shows a great space.

The show will be at the Peninsula Museum of Art
May 20 – July 17, 2022
The Shops at Tanforan, Space 204
1150 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066

I love this idea. I think malls that provide unoccupied spaces for art will get shoppers that may not otherwise visit the mall. Nancy and I have been kicking the idea of spaces around.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Short, but sweet this month.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Want to know how to make a binding for a curved corner? Check out the Sewn Handmade tutorial. Tutorial is a little bit of a stretch as it mostly just talks about cutting the corner. You will still need to make the binding and bias binding is best for curved corners.

Craft Gossip has a post on 8 easy (HA!) ways to cut your fabric straight.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

My guild hosted Carolina Oneto Tapia to speak about colors. Amy included links to various value finding tools on the web.

Julie mentioned shopping at the French Seam. Great name, don’t you think? I like the clean, fresh look of their website. I noticed they have the Painter’s Palette solids. That fact is worth keeping track of. In their notions section, they have labels for bags and quilts not personalized, but similar to clothing labels except with funny sayings.

In the past I have talked about using a towel holder to put zipper heads on zipper tape. Zipper jigs are now very popular items for sale. Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has one for two sizes of zipper heads. SewHungry Hippie stocks one as well.

Articles and Other Information

Mosaics! Fascinating article from the New York Times about a town built on top of a Crusader era city and the mosaics people there are finding.

Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has posted a video on printing PDF patterns. This is useful whether you make Sew Sweetness bags or not (though you should)

Other Artists

Friend Julie put out her May Cornucopia the other day. Go see the crazy clown/merry-go-round photo, if nothing else. She has some great links and not all are sewing or quiltmaking

Admin

The tutorials page has been updated. Look for links to the posts on how to make bullseye blocks. These are older posts. I ramble quite a bit more on my tutorial posts from back then than I do now. I might rewrite the posts, but for now I am leaving them as is. You can enjoy a small glimpse of my 37 year old self.

Other Artists

C&T has posted a video of me showing most of the quilts from Red, White & Blue Star Quilts at the Springfield quilt show. This book is now available. Judy Martin is awesome and you should buy her book. She also now offers acrylic templates for some of the shapes in her books. Read this page to order.

Create Whimsey has an interview with Judy as well.

Friend Julie’s April Cornucopia post is up and always worth a look.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Take a look at this useful and fun needle pie. The pattern is from Etsy. I think it would be a great addition to sets of gifts or swaps. A clever stitcher could have some fun with the design. Note that one picture shows storage for WonderClips**. There is ample opportunity for embellishing in different creative ways on the outside as well.

I really miss the short-lived magazine, thr3fold, by Linda and Laura Kemshall. I recently saw advertisement of a video by them on making Tyvek beads.

Remember when I talked about the bag Mary M made for the guild door prize? I found the pattern. It’s from Ginger Cake not Gingiber and it is listed on the Modern Quilt Co website. Mary M said she would add pockets next time.

I don’t really think you need a tutorial on Sawtooth Star blocks., but Blossom Hill has a slightly different take on the block she calls Star Stamp. She also links out to Accuquilt** instructions. Every month she has a Scrap Buster block, which might be a great way to use up scraps if you aren’t making journal covers or strip blocks.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

I talk about, or maybe allude to, my fabric tracking exercise. The spreadsheet I use is from Pam of Hip to Be a Square podcast (no longer in production). I recently found one by Jeni Baker of In Color Order blog (and those fabulous drawstring bags).

Judy Martin has come out with another book. Red, White & Blue Star Quilts: 16 Striking Patriotic & 2-Color Patterns was released in late February. The cost of the book is $28.95 plus shipping. Order it through Judy’s website.

Some interesting and unusual fabrics as well as some usual fabric can be found at My Handmade Space. They also have bag hardware and zippers. Some of the zipper tapes have stripes and florals.

I like the way Stitch Supply Company displays their fabric on their website. They also have a lot of Aneela Hoey patterns.

I keep getting ads on FB for My Favorite Quilt Store. That always makes me suspicious, but they do have some super cute fabrics. I might be starting on a pillowcase project for two nephews who are heading off to college in the Fall. If I do this project, the florals from Philip Jacobs that I love are not going to cut the mustard. They have a variety of Pokemon fabrics, a lot of great Disney fabrics, including a fun evil witch option, steampunk Halloween, holiday and many others. I haven’t ordered form them, so we will have to see.

Paintbrush Studios has more solids. Not as many as Kona, but you know how I feel about Kona. Check out their new and upcoming print collections as well.

Articles and Other Information

The essay by Franklin Habit is brilliant, sad and and makes you want to hug him. It is also nominally about knitting. I like it because I felt the same way when I moved to Austria and again when I came back to the US. It also talks about not being able to knit for someone whose life is knitting. You can link to his YouTube channel and buy him a cup of coffee via Patreon.

Inspiration

Subscription boxes are (or were???) all the rage. I subscribed to a few, as you know, but quickly unsubscribed. I finally found one I enjoy, the Sew Hungry Hippie Happy Box. One of the things I like about it is that it is not all about sewing. Natalie describes it as about mindfulness, wellness self-care and happiness. I don’t get things I already have or fabric I don’t want. The other thing I like about it is that there is a project, with all of the pieces, parts and pattern, included. I just have to sit down and sew it like I did with the rainbow pin cushion from March. I received a new one the other day and actually watched the video that Natalie made about it. I loved hearing the stories about the items and their makers. The April theme was bananas. I thought the execution of the theme was pretty clever. The project that came with the box was for a banana bag. It is kind of hilarious. I haven’t made it yet, but I will definitely make it, though I will probably gift it. I may still not keep this subscription forever, but for the moment I am enjoying the bit of fun.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Other Artists

Valerie has a fantastic sunflower block (quiltlet?) on her blog. It very cleverly uses  Drunkard’s Path units to make up the design. This would be a very effective and not difficult design to make. I wonder if I could make it larger? Or with more sunflowers? Great job, Valerie! PS Valerie has an Etsy shop where she sells some of her quilts.

The Electric Quilt Company posted this wise advice. It is a good reminder for non-quiltmaker family members that not every minute is a good one to complain to Mom/Sis/Auntie.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Charlotte Hawkes, remember my Scrapitude quilt?, has another mystery quilt. Valerie stopped by the blog the other day. I checked out her blog, which I haven’t been to in awhile and saw her progress on on this quilt.

Because I have no will power I bought the Kit Supply Tote pattern by Aneela Hoey. Have I made it yet? No. The link is to Aneela’s site, but I bought it from the Fat Quarter Shop. Although I prefer paper patterns, I bought the PDF downloadable version as that was all they offered.

Mary C is doing the Glitter Ball BOM. I took a look at the site and this is a really cool looking quilt! Quite different from other BOMs. More like a row quilt.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

I found a shop called Flying Bulldogs. They have great fabrics including some older Martha Negleys. Not the mixed vegetable fabric with the black background, but some nice ones. Really excellent prices, too – $8.00/yard for many prints. I should make sure they are not based overseas as shipping would kill me. They have Joel Dewberry prints, which I haven’t seen anywhere in awhile.

Molly was machine quilting a doll quilt. She has some trouble opening and closing regular safety pins so she was using straight pins and Pinmoors. Pinmoors are bits of foam you put on the ends of pins to keep them from scratching you while the pins are in the quilt. Really great idea! This happens to me all the time. I almost bought some the other day, but decided to wait until my next order.

If you buy a lot of vinyl and are now addicted to glitter and star vinyl, check out Sew Hungry Hippie’s VIP Membership. It’s $5/month and you get a variety of discounts. Click the link to check out all of the benefits.

I do love Sew Sweetness, but I am always on the lookout for other bag hardware purveyors. I found, somehow, Idleblooms. The look and feel is cheerful and they have a variety of interesting bag hardware:

• • • castle zipper pulls
    • Hogwarts zipper pulls
    • teacup zipper pulls
    • zippers with different coil colors
    • all sorts of webbing
    • made bags

Take a look when you need some bag hardware

Tutorials, Articles and Other Information

Remember my zipper head tutorial? Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a video version. She uses a jig, which I believe she sells. You can also use the towel holder I use or a fork. Check my tutorial for more info and other tutorials.

Inspiration

Remember all those merit badges I sewed on to the YM’s sash for Boy Scouts? I have a few by Moda, too, but I can’t find a photo at the moment. I came across merit badges for adults**. These could provide impetus for you or someone else to get things done. Also, who doesn’t want a merit badge for doing something you have to do anyway?

Events

Better late than never: Check out the  QuiltCon Winners.

I found a talk from some academics on contemporary quiltmaking. You’ll have to tell me how it is as I haven’t had a chance to listen.

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Other Artists

Sandy over at Quilting for the Rest of Us is back. She is blogging again and, apparently, podcasting, too. I got out of the habit of listening to podcasts when my last iPod died, so haven’t checked. I hope that means that the design series episodes we did back in the day will be available again. I also haven’t checked, but will put that on my list.

Check out Friend Julie’s February Cornucopia post. Lots of great links! I love the one about the newly discovered mosaic. At first, I thought the floor was a kind of medallion. If it is the inset (sort of) triangles make a really interesting design. Julie said it inspired her to possibly make a quilt. Me, too. It also reminds me of a book

Tools, Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

This video on why irons leak was posted to my guild forum. People commented on how useful it was.

I may have shared this shop, Modern Quilt Company, with you before, but it is worth sharing again.

I got a link to the new Keepsake Quilting website. I remember getting the catalog and poring over it with a friend, buying fabrics by writing their numbers and descriptions on an order form and sending it in. Their stock seems to be much reduced, however I was interested to see A LOT of different rulers. Many of them I had never seen before. If you are in the market for longarming or quilting rulers, take a look. I was also interested to see Century solids. They are described as “Andover Fabrics’ Century Solids collection is 100 hues of 100% premium fine-combed cotton with a lovely hand and drape.” I am very tempted by the swatch card, but since I won’t be buying any solids for the time being, I am resisting.

I know I haven’t been on my Tula kick recently, but I am back on that horse today. Tula talks about covering a backpack she made with vinyl to protect parts of it. Genius! Why didn’t I think of that? She also mentions the new ByAnnie vinyl product, which is great, because you can actually see the edge to cut it!

Check out Marsha McCloskey’s Sale Table, if you want some books at great prices or years worth of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazines.

For Aussie friends, I found an interfacing comparison chart, so you can buy interfacing in country for bag making. Less wait time, fewer supply chain issues. Will we still have to worry about supply chain?

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

You all know I love Sew Sweetness patterns. I was scrolling through the FB group the other day and saw that someone had made the Hyacinth bag. I didn’t recognize the name and couldn’t bring the design to mind, so I looked it up when I was next at my computer. This is an overlooked gem! It is an older pattern, but a great, larger crossbody bag. As Sara says on her site, it would be perfect for attending an event like a quilt show.

In the Tula Tuesday video mentioned above (about vinyl), Tula also mentions a video for adding rivets to a project. I found it on YouTube, which was linked from the Sallie Tomato website.

Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a great kit for a zipper bag using one of her fun vinyls. The vinyl is called Deep Space soft vinyl. The pieces are already cut!! There is a video walk-through included. This is a great project if you haven’t used vinyl. I have had good experiences using Natalie’s vinyl.

I saw another Tula video where she talks about fussy cutting. As she says, there is one out there, but why not do it again? The video talks about three types of fussy cutting: highlighting a motif, kaleidoscope effect and stripes, which she says is its own method. I saw the details in this video before in a Fat Quarter Shop video.This is a shorter video (25 min vs an hour-ish?), but still useful. I’ll try and find the longer one when I have a minute. It probably won’t be this time around.

Sallie Tomato has a pattern for the Townsend bag, which is similar, if smaller to the Cavalcade bag by Sew Sweetness. This bottom zipper compartment design is popular lately. Making both would make a great set and using Tula’s vinyl trick would keep the bottom clean while traveling. I haven’t tried Sallie Tomato patterns, but I have purchased her hardware. Maybe I’ll get the Townsend pattern and make a set with the Cavalcade bag?

Articles and other Information

QuiltCon ended a week or so ago and the winners raise a lot of questions in the quilt community. Quilting Daily had an interesting editorial.

You can find a list of the winners on the QuiltCon site.

I perused the QuiltCon site briefly and was disappointed they did not link out to the vendor websites. Probably better as I might have bought more quilt supplies.

Jane Brody is retiring from the NYT at 80. I read her last article in which she referred to an article on the health benefits of knitting. You may need a subscription, check your library. Substitute quiltmaking for knitting. I am pretty sure similar findings would apply.

Admin

I actually looked at my statistics the other day and was pleased that 517 views happened one day in mid-January. WOW!

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

A few years ago I made a Scissor Cozy for my mom and one for Julie. Svetlana from Sotak Handmade now has a video to go with her tutorial. She has updated the instructions so do watch the video.

In looking for something else, I came across this easy project for carrying your yoga mat. You can probably adjust the length of the strap to carry other things as well. I am thinking of a rectangular folding workout mat I have. It came with an elastic strap that is losing its stretch. This is a great way to use some of the gorgeous ribbons and webbing out there.

Want to make your own bag kit? Check out Build-a-Box from  Sew Hungry Hippie. You select the pieces you need. No more being subject to other people’s tastes.

From Pink Door re: managing a La Pass BOM:

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Sue Spargo posted about some precision tweezers called Pinzettes. Made in Switzerland. I do sometimes use tweezers when I am seam ripping and I thought the larger finger area would make them useful and also great gifts. Unfortunately, they are $50 so out of my budget right now. They are worth the money and I plan to buy some, but not today.

I saw Brick Bubble on IG one day and took a look at her site. There were a lot of great tags, especially one that says “Handmade – See I’m not just hoarding supplies”. I think it is hilarious.

If you don’t want to make your own using a Sew Sweetness pattern like the Percheron available in Minikins Season 3, you can buy a Maker’s Train Case, also from Sue Spargo’s website. It is designed to fit under most airplane seats allowing you to store all your knitting, stitching, and crafting supplies.

SewFinity found me on IG for the 2 minutes I was visiting the other day. They don’t have tons of fabric, but if you like Kona, this is your place.

Friend Julie reviewed the Sewline Air Erasable Pen I gave her for Christmas. My experience mimics hers.

If you are looking for interesting novelty fabric (I might be starting another college pillowcase project), check out My Favorite Quilt Store. I saw a lot of Disney fabrics I could use as well as other ways to interpret themes for each month. They have a Disney female villains fabric I might have to buy to make something for one of the nieces. They have some Flintstones, Sylvester and Tweety, Baby Yoda, Mickey & Minnie, Hot Wheels, vintage diner signs, bird watching, vintage letters and stamps and a ton of other novelty themes. They have a great selection of fabrics you can use for gift bags. I was really impressed with their selection of birthday relevant fabrics. They also have fun Christmas fabric.  I haven’t bought anything from them yet so YMMV.

Friend Julie has a quilt in the Curated Magazine coming out in April. She provides an affiliate code link which gives you 10% off, so read her post and get the code, then go buy the mag.

Articles

I saw an article on how to start knitting in the New York Times. You may need an account to access this article (check your local library). I like the way it talks about practical knowledge you need to know to get started, what the terms are, where to buy and the differences and benefits of a LYS vs Joann or Michael’s. There is also a getting started book recommendation.

I saw an article on the Cricut vs. Silhouette cutting machines

Design Walls, Furniture and Sewing Rooms

Christa Watson shows how to build a design wall. Check out the TikTok video on IG or the post on her blog. Can you believe how clean her sewing room is?

Inspiration

Letterlocking was the cyber cryptogography of Queen Elizabeth’s time. Check out the video to see how it worked.

Other Artists

Friend Julie posted her January Cornucopia. She has lots of great links, especially if you want to enter Visions or start a 100day project.

Sarah Goer sent out her recent newsletter, which is always filled with great links and projects. Sarah also has a 2021 wrap-up post. I enjoy comparing my same Year in Review posts with other people’s – not to compare who has finished more, but to compare the structure of the post. I don’t want to bore you so I am always looking for new ideas.

Welcome to the first V&S for 2022. Hope you find some fun things in the collections I compile this year. Send along anything interesting you find and I’ll include it.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

I was looking at The Crafty Quilter site and saw a recent post. When I saw the picture I thought for sure Julie (of The Crafty Quilter not Friend Julie) had made a Mega-Pinnie. I have never seen anyone else make a Mega-Pinnie, so I was intrigued. It turned out to be a super box-like pouch not a Mega-Pinnie. The post, however, reminded me of the Mega-Pinnies. Maybe I need to make some more. Gifts??? The Mega-Pinnie designer’s post has some interesting options. One has a wrist strap. I didn’t see that before and it would be useful. Another uses horizontal stripes for the pockets. Blue Patch Quilter shows a number of different Mega-Pinnies. They are used for different things and have a variety of features and decorations. Would you use one for remote controls?

QuiltFolk is supporting a Kaffe-style color class.

Two people brought needlepoint projects to the Sew Day Holiday party last month. NEEDLEPOINT! I didn’t really think people did needlepoint anymore (stupid, I know), but there they were. Now I am seeing it everywhere. I saw a link to Ehrman Tapestry for Brandon Mably designs. I navigated around and found some Kaffe pages with inspirational information and a video. Now I want to do needlepoint. I am not going to buy a kit, though. I don’t need anymore cushions and I don’t need anymore handwork. Still it is tempting.

Tula had a video on how to sew 30 degree triangles.

Natalie from Sew Hungry Hippie has a whole Drive folder full of free patterns.

Check out the Bust the Stash Challenge from Border Creek Quilts. The block is now available. The block information is very complete and looks like the author knows how to write quilt directions. If you make at least 52 blocks (one per week for 52 weeks), you can qualify for a special prize. The page has previous stashbuster challenges as well. This project forces me to ask will your stash ever be busted? What does busting a stash look like? Will my stash ever be busted?

Do you want to know how to use SVG files with your Cricut Maker**? This is made with information from Michelle Graham who works with Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Enamel pins are not really supplies, but Sew Hungry Hippie has some cool examples. I saw the color wheel pin and had to buy some as gifts. They have others that have really great crafting sayings.

I found this shop, Modern Quilt Company, when I was testing a tool at work. I always use quilt topics as I know the subject so well. I can identify the errors or weird results more quickly. They have the regular modern fabrics. They also have a blog with an interesting bag pattern. I also like the way their menu stays the same regardless of what page you are visiting. That feature makes it much easier to navigate. Lots of pre-cuts. If you want the Daydreamer kit, Pining for You by Tula Pink, they have some.

There are a lot of great places to buy zippers. Have you tried Zipper Valley?

Furniture

I am thinking of buying an EddyCrest Cutting Table. The model is 6040. I met this company when I went to Houston in 2014. They have really nice pieces. The sewing table I have now is really nice, but it doesn’t fit my upgraded machine, so I think a new sewing table is in my future as well.

Media and Inspiration

Barbara Brackman posted a unique and beautiful red and green quilt on 12/27/2021. Apparently there are three of them, which she followed up showing on subsequent days. I know this is really a modern quilt, but the angle of the swags and the spinning look of the Rose of Sharon variation blocks is amazingly beautiful. The quilt is owned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It makes me want to make one.

The Butler Method is a technique of putting in a zipper pocket. Someone mentioned this method when I complimented them on their work and they shared this video.

Check out the Quilter’s Last Will & Testament

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Jennifer Marx has a lot of CriCut tutorials and classes as well as a complete guide. she has lots of tutorials on paper and wood, but I also saw one on cutting fabric.

 I’ll be making a couple of bowl cozies as gifts. I was given a tutorial to use, which seems ok. Do you have a favorite?

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Someone in the Sew Sweetness group turned me on to Hapa Fabrics. They don’t have a lot, but if you like anime or Disney fabrics, take a look.

I also found Stitch Supply Company, which has a great selection of fabrics, but also has a fantastic variety of bagmaking supplies. I am not talking about a few patterns. I am talking about different kinds of hardware, different kinds of interfacing – the whole 9 yards. I haven’t ordered anything from them yet, so I don’t know how their customer service is, but I will definitely order something and check. They have a lot of colors of strapping for handles, lots of ByAnnie products such as zippers, mesh and Soft & Stable.

Ginger subscription boxes are available on their site. Do you need a birthday or holiday gift for someone special?

Short V&S this time.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

My friend Marty showed me Kohatu Patterns website. She was making a pumpkin tablerunner. I decided I want to make a pumpkin tablerunner for my buffet after seeing her blocks.  I was interested in the patterns, but not as much as the blog, which has some very interesting tips and tricks. She calls them Modern Quilting Guides.

Lindsay pointed me to an older Tula Pink project called Rainbow Waves. It is a basic Storm at Sea quilt, but the fabric selection is GREAT.

Watch Sara from Sew Sweetness as she talks about the magnetic snap die for a rivet press.

If you want to sew along with me, get the A Place for Everything v.2 pattern from ByAnnie. Watch Tula Pink’s video on her versions.

I thought about joining KnitStars this year. It looks awesome, but I slapped myself and didn’t. My knitting skills are not up to the challenge even though I want to pretend they are. Also, remember when I said I was super busy?

Bonnie Hunter has written the introductory post for this year’s Mystery Quilt, Rhododendron Trail (I can see this name quickly becoming RT!). I will definitely read and save the posts, but I am going to wait for the reveal to see if I want to make the project. I do like the colors, however. The pinks and turquoise/aquas are right up my alley. That Burgundy/ Garnet, however, ruins the look for me. Bleah.

Emmaline Bags has a tutorial for installing an internal zipper pocket into a bag. I still like Sara’s video.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Stash Fabrics has a Kona themed wall calendar. Even if you no longer use a wall calendar, this one would be a great year long color inspiration piece.

Modern American Vintage has some beautiful tools. They make wooden point turners, seam rippers and Hera markers. Often wooden tools are over the top, but these are simple and gorgeous. They also have an IG account.

I found a shop called Mashe Modern. They have a great selection of fabrics and great prices. It is a great addition to the list of shops from whom I should not buy more fabric. < LOL >

I am thinking about getting the block-of-the-month option for making Tula’s Butterfly quilt. Petting Fabric has two great selections of fabric. remember when I talked about being super busy? That is what is holding me back.

I am a huge fan of color cards. They are very useful for online shopping and for identifying, especially, solids when they show up on your doorstep.  I have been using mine to differentiate between the Free Spirit solids, Sweet Pea and Freesia, in my Pink Door La Pass BOM fabrics. It comes in very handy for such things. Hawthorne Supply has a good selection.

Media and Inspiration

I haven’t been surfing much lately, so I missed some of Julie’s posts over at High Fiber Content. Take a look at Friend Julie’s August Cornucopia for more, interesting links.

Do you like mid-century modern designs? Carrie P pointed me to a site with a ton of mid century modern designs. They really should open a Spoonflower shop and make the designs available in fabric and wallpaper, etc.

I follow Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness on Facebook, as you know since I can’t shutup about her, and get to see the creations of of her other followers. One is Stephanie and she has a great shop filled with bags. She uses lots of Tula Pink fabrics, if that is your jam. She showed some fabulous Daytrip Wallets, but they never made it to her shop.

The International Quilt Museum presented “Abstract Design in American Quilts at 50: Raising the Profile” with Dr. Jonathan Gregory on June 9. The video is now on YouTube

Exhibits & Shows

Did you attend PIQF? I didn’t for the first time in, maybe, 15 years. I have scaled back my attendance in recent years, but have always gone. I wasn’t up for dealing with the crowds this year. Apparently, there were no crowds. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the event, if you attended.

Other Artists

One of the things I enjoy about fiction set in England is how well versed the fictional British are with poetry. I think they are often assigned poetry in fictional schools and it carries over into their fictional lives where they quote it at appropriate times in their fictional days. I read Shel Silverstein poetry to my son and he demanded more and more. Beyond that and a few long poems in high school, I am woefully under-educated in poetry.  One of my exceptional nieces (I have a few), Michaela, is a talented performer. She has recently started a YouTube channel where she reads poetry.

The County Library System is creating a makerspace and they need supplies. Take a look at their wishlist and buy something or send them a gift card. I hope they get the Cricut so I can try it out.

Melody Johnson of the Chicago School of Fusing fame is creating some really great knitting lately.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Recently my guild had Heather Black as a speaker. She was a really good speaker. I went to her website after and bought a couple of her books. The price was better than on Amazon! I also noticed that she has the Classic Curves ruler for sale. This is the Color Girl quilts ruler I bought some time ago. The thing I liked about Heather’s site was that she said which of her patterns could be used with the Classic Curves ruler. GREAT idea and GREAT marketing. Heather is also updating her blog again after some life upheavals.

The last time I bought Decovil Light (Pellon #525) I had to buy it from Emmaline Bags. That isn’t a bad thing as Emmaline Bags is awesome. The problem is they are in Canada so customs, shipping, etc. I found some, based on a recommendation from a fellow Sew Sweetness fan, at HarrisSquared on Etsy.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

I am thinking about doing Tula Pink’s Butterfly quilt. I have the pattern, but have never made it. Friend Julie pointed out the Colorways shown on the Gnome Angel site. I found a site called Petting Fabric, which has kits that are much more my style. Now I have to decide if I want to take on another kit type project like this.

Angela sent me a link to Kitchen Table Quilting’s ‘Valued Scrap Quilt’. The pattern reminded her of my Fabric of the Year quilts.

Need to make a simple tote bag? Apple Green Cottage has a basic pattern that you can use to make a quick gift. They have a ton of other free patterns as well.

If you are interested in the A Place for Everything 2.0 bag, you can see a full demo on one of Tula Pink’s IGTV videos. It shows the size, which is smaller than I thought, and all of the features. Tula also talks about the differences between the newer vs the older versions.

Sara Lawson just came out with 4 new patterns. If you want to see the first two, check out her Sunday Sewcial where she shows and talks about two new tote bags.

Really interesting patterns on the In Sewing Times page. The iron carrier is interesting. It looks like the same idea as the Mini Maker Case I made awhile ago. I also like the Swing Basket.

Judy Martin has reduced one of her patterns and recolored it as a wreath. Great idea for reuse.

Basket tray free pattern from Noodlehead. I saw it mentioned somewhere…NY Times, maybe?

Carrie P shared a new pillowcase video tutorial with me. She made an adorable mini-pillowcase for her friend’s travel pillow.

Media

Accuquilt has videos on how to use different dies. I think they come out with them as companions to a new die. A recent new die is the Schoolhouse block. To accompany the new die, they asked Barbara Brackman for a history fo the block. She has some great examples of Schoolhouse quilts, including one that is a village, in a recent blog post.

Sara Goer pointed me to Material Girlfriends, a blog and shop. They have a cheerful tone in their posts.

Timna Tarr’s gallery is awesome!

Check out John Lovett’s color page. It is fantastic!

Exhibits & Shows

Luke Haynes and Joe Cunningham will be doing a collaborative show. the opening will be on September 26 at 1803 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103-1107 from 3-6pm. Find out more information on their FB page.

Other Artists

You can now purchase your own Gee’s Bend quilt from the comfort of your living room. Etsy has partnered with the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers and XX to make their works available with no fee for the quiltmakers from Etsy. A blog post talks about the whole program and provides links to the individual quiltmakers’ shops. I found all of the information in a New York Times article about Souls Grown Deep, a foundation working to preserve art made by diverse artists. The details of documenting Joe Minter’s installation artwork is amazing. The photos in the article are interesting as well.

Events, Articles, Exhibitions and Shows

Bonnie Hunter reminded me that the Quilters Take a Moment virtual event is coming up on September 17-18.

Quilters Take a Moment is a virtual fundraising event for the nonprofit Quilt Alliance, featuring captivating speakers, deep-dive interviews, joyful conversations, a quilt exhibition and moments of community for quilt lovers everywhere. Tickets are now available. Because the event is online you can watch live or watch the recorded content any time, anywhere! And because it is a virtual event – you can participate from anywhere in the world, from the comfort of your own home, wearing whatever you want to wear.  We live in the world of Zoom, etc now, so we all know this, right?

Lots of interesting artists, speakers & presenters. I was interested to see that there were a number of researchers and historians on the agenda.

Media

If you want to learn how the best way to thread a hand sewing needle, watch the EPP n.2 video with Tula Pink. Check at about minute 13.5 or 14.

If you want to learn how to glue baste fabric to EPP papers, watch Tula’s first EPP video, about halfway through.

Tula talks about pattern-first quilting and fabric-first quilting in a recent video. She also talks about making colorwash type quilts (similar to my Fabric of the Year quilts).

I am sort of Tula obsessed right at the moment. I blame Lindsay, though I have to admit that she helped open my eyes to the genius of Tula. I still am not a huge fan of the animals, but I admire her work ethic, her creativity and her willingness to share her process. I love process and hearing about other people’s process for creativity. I found an old interview with her from a UK Quilt Shop. In that interview, she talks about a book called Quilts from the House of Tula Pink**. I want to take a look at it.

A needlework pocket book was mentioned in a recent Barbara Brackman post. I was able to find it in the collection of the Royal Collection. [Warning: librarian speak coming] I was disappointed that the metadata wasn’t better and I wasn’t able to find it using Mary Delany or ‘sewing’ as search terms. I am interested in this as I ma making some Sew Together Bags and the items are related because they are both designed carrying tools and supplies around. I wish the Royal Collection had a picture of the pocketbook open so I could see how it was laid out. Also, I wonder what some of the items are used for. A spoon? What about that twisty hook tool (bottom right)? Eventually I’ll look them up, but for now I will wonder.

The Wall Street Journal, periodically, attempts to talk about crafts in an intelligent way. They don’t seem to be able to find someone who actually does the crafts and come up with interesting, if somewhat stilted articles. This time it was about crochet. (You may need to login or use your library)

Other Artists

Friend Julie put up her cornucopia post at the end of July. It is so interesting to see what different sites and links she finds, then chooses to share. One interesting link was for Seamwork – a kind of how-to-sew network. I hope they can make it work.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

We all need a plush whale, don’t we?

Need some chickens? These are appealing to me, probably, because of the polka dot fabrics. Make them into pincushions and give them as gifts.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

I am obsesssing, as I have said, about Tula Pink right now. I don’t have an embroidery machine, but I wanted to see her machine embroidery options. I finally found a link, which was not quite as easy as I thought it should be.

I am trying not to buy more bag making supplies, but in case YOU need some, check out Gold Star. they have a wide variety of different things. It looks less ‘curated’ than some of the quilt shops. they have some industrial type machines to install grommets and such in case you are churning out bags for sale. They have a variety of lobster clips in different shapes and finishes.

I have the Tula Pink Butterfly Pattern. I saw the video she produced about her updated version of the quilt and it got me interested in making it. I saw a quilt store that has fabrics packs – a kind of subscription – for that quilt. I don’t think I want to buy it. I have a lot of fabric and I want to use it. Anyone planning to make the Butterfly Quilt?

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Admin

Anyone whose email is on my Feedburner list has been moved to the WordPress feed. If you have not verified your email, then you won’t get any emails. I have deactivated the Feedburner feed, so if you weren’t able to make the change up until now, you will no longer be hearing from me. 🙁

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then ignore this admin talk and read on for quilty goodness.

Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Check out Friend Julie’s village blocks. I think this is a larger project. Are you working on these blocks?

As I said, I am gearing up for the La Passacaglia project. The first month’s shipement of the BOM is shipping at the end of this month. <squeeeee!!!> The BOM group is really fun and I can’t wait to read the messages every night to see what people were talking about. Many of the participants are trying to organize their supplies. To this many are making the A Place for Everything 2.0 bag from byAnnie. I, too, would like to make one as I do think it would be a great bag for this project. I might make one, but I don’t have the bandwidth right now (have  you read my posts about clearing out my workroom?). I do enjoy thinking about it, though.

Tula Pink has a FB video where she talks about her process for making byAnnie patterns. One of the things she highlights is the way she chooses fabric with fussy cutting in mind. I think I am seriously going to make the A Place for Everything bag for the La Pas project. When? Who knows. Soon. Maybe. I enjoyed the TulaTalk video, though she does say ‘like’ a little more than I like. ?

If you want to learn the basics of EPP, Naudia Tatum has an EPP 1 video where she discusses making the Smitten BOM with Pink Door. This BOM has already started, but you can stretch your imagination to your own project and learn about the tools she uses. She goes into a good amount of detail. From what I have watched, I agree with her on most points about tools. She uses the Jen Kingwell template grips**. As she shows how to use them, they look just like True Grips**, which are what I am used to using. I use a different kind of thimble, but any thimble that works for you is fine. The second part of the video discusses cutting.The third part discusses glue basting. I don’t glue baste, but I was interested in her discussion of the direction of her dog ears (at about~50 minutes). I can use that information, I think even though I will be thread basting.

A good follow-up to Naudia’s video is another one by Tula Pink. The thing I like about this video is how she talks about choosing fabrics. She says choosing fabrics for EPP is like eating an elephant. If you try to cram the whole thing in your mouth, you will choke. Watch this video. It is really helpful.

Yes, I have EPP on the mind!

Barbara Brackman’s Flora Delanica block-of-the-month has setting and fabric options posted, now that all the blocks are finished.

Media

In another video Tula talks about the new Free Spirit pre-cuts. In an offhand sort of way she highlights that nobody ever knew where to measure pre-cuts when they had pinked edges. FreeSpirit is now cutting layer cakes and 5 inch charm packs with straight edges! Yay!

Alison has shop called And So There. She makes beautiful cards, journals and other paper products. Take a look at her small journal with the scissor motif.

Textiles in Lockdown is a podcast by Ruth Singer which “explores the research project ‘Textiles In Lockdown’ which she has created for Gawthorpe Textiles Collection. During August 2020 Ruth created surveys to delve into the stories of textile making practice over the months of lockdown. 180 hobby makers and over 120 textile professionals responded to our survey to share their stories.” The “Gawthorpe Textiles Collection is an internationally renowned collection of global textiles located in the heart of Pennine Lancashire. The Collection is an accredited museum and independent registered charity with a focus on education, well-being and the preservation of traditional craft skills.”

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

I was led to the FIGO fabrics site and spent a happy amount of time looking at their current and forthcoming fabrics. I love their solids and Bijou is interesting.

Check out the Hemline various bags and boxes for sewing supplies. Their Craft Bag looks very similar to the Ultimate Carry All Bag.

Articles, Exhibitions and Shows

I found an article on Fons & Porter in the Quilting Daily. I think I saw it on Friend Julie’s blog. While their quilts may not be your style I have always admired them. I watched their shows on Friday nights while the YM and my DH were at Scouts. I would draw pictures of interesting blocks in my journal and try to make them later. This is an interesting article about the trajectory of their business and what they have been doing since they sold it.

I read an article about Russel Wright and his ceramics in the Wall Street Journal while I was waiting for a meeting to start. That sent me on a journey to find out more about him and his work. I read an Artnet article. I love his dishes and, especially the pitchers.  They have a great shape.  I saw a blog post, which shows more of his work and links out to the Metropolitan Museum of Art article about him.

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Admin

Google will be removing FeedBurner from its suite of products. I don’t know when. They sent me an email some time ago and I thought I would deal with it later. Well, it is later, unfortunately.

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Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials

Moda Blockheads #3 has an archive of all the blocks, the blog posts and the instructions. What a great idea! Thanks to Cyndi W.

Crafty Gemini has a new, free mesh tote bag video tutorial. If you need something for wet bathing suits, this is your bag.

My mom told me about a Missouri Star Triple Play video she watched. She loved the special surprise in the middle of the video. I liked that segment as well, but I REALLY loved Natalie’s version of their Missouri Star quilt. It is a small Missouri Star block in a large Missouri Star block. I think what I really like about it is the True Kisses by Heather Bailey fabric she used. I might have to make a block to see if I want to make a quilt. They use a perfect trimmer**, which I have never seen before. I may need to try one.

Media

It is worth checking on this NY Times article on crafts, What We Learned from a Year of Crafting, for the following quote “And the qualities that craft teaches — resourcefulness, resilience, flexibility — were much needed in a year filled with so much uncertainty and loss….”. It talks about crafting during the pandemic, how it took off, the benefits, how people returned. A great acknowledgment of something many of us do on a daily basis.

Check out Friend Julie’s Cornucopia post. Lots of interesting links to follow.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Check out the Remarkable Rainbow Block Resizer from Tartankiwi. The Remarkable Rainbow Resizer is a simple table which will allow you to increase or decrease the size of a wide variety of blocks.

Articles, Exhibitions and Shows

Check out the crocheted coral reef.

I really like Joanne Sharpe’s work. Take a look at her website.

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Other Artists

The Gee’s Bend Quilters are raising money to improve the lives and working conditions of their quilting community. Make a donation now.

Media

I recently took another class from Maker’s Mercantile. This was a color class. Though I am confident in color theory and choosing colors, taking a class is a good way to learn new things. During the class, they instructor used a site called Unsplash to find photos he could use in his presentation. The site describes itself as “… the Internet’s source of freely usable images.” I, of course, tried looking for ‘quilt’ – just doing a simple search in the search box. The photos that came up were beautiful, but there is a lot of scope for more beautiful quilt photos. I also searched for ‘Austria’ and found photos of places I know. In searching for ‘red-violet’, I came up with a variety of subjects which all included that color. I am impressed with the search engine.

The other site I learned about was the Adobe Color site. First, choose a ‘rule’ on the left, then move the arms on the wheel to your desired color. Under the color wheel, you will see the colors based on your choices. The colors are listed as RGB, but you can switch to CMYK, HSB and LAB, if you prefer. Use your fabric color chart to match the colors listed to fabric.

My guild was filmed back in 2016 and the video has just his YouTube. I am not in the video, but many current guild members are pictured. Many quilts are shown as well. If you want to see what our guild is about, take a look.

I mentioned Alex Anderson’s Stash building classes a few weeks ago. These are free classes on YouTube. She styles herself as a Luddite and that gets old since she is clearly successful in her profession and not an old geezer. I watched two and half of them the other night. They are seriously dumbed down color classes, but not without their usefulness. The first ‘class’ is about Value, Character and Color Family. This class was interesting, especially when she showed examples of different kinds of fabric and show she puts them together successfully. She uses a lot of tone on tones/blenders in these examples and doesn’t show many ‘modern’ fabrics. I think you could translate what she is showing to your own fabric collection. She also uses solids a bit throughout the series. The second is about how to use the color wheel for different results. The third is about how Alex buys fabric: quantities, etc. I like the terminology she uses for the different fabrics and she goes into that a bit more in the third class. I didn’t plan on watching the third class, but they lost Internet at the end of the second class so she finished up her talk about the color wheel at the beginning of the third class. The classes are free, but you have to watch the bits of The Quilt Show marketing she throws in. I did skip some of that, which was possible since I wasn’t watching it live and didn’t have much interest. Also, she shows pictures of her grandchildren and talks about her family quite a bit. In a way, these classes are part of the conversation Alex and Ricky are creating in the Quilt Show. They want their viewers to think they are part of the family. I respect that.

Books, Fabrics, Notions & Supplies

Those tempters ad temptresses at Maker’s Mercantile send me a newsletter every week. It is often easy for me to resist the fabulous yarn temptations, but this most recent newsletter showed that they have mulberry silk embroidery thread. It comes in a bout 33 colors, some of which are variegated. I’d love to try it. There is no shortage of embroidery floss at my house so I am resisting for the moment.