Artquiltmaker Blog – Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity

More on the Great WI Quilt Show

This trip meant my first flight since my last trip for work to Switzerland and Austria.

I was really amazed to see how green it was. At this time of year, California is quite golden (or brown!), so to see such green is a wonderful relief to the eyes.

The sky was relatively overcast and I think there might have been some sprinkles, but by the time we landed, rain was not a problem.

Jim and Christina from Sew 'n Save — Jim and Christina from Sew ‘n Save

When I saw an Elna booth was going up around the corner from the SewTites booth, I knew I had to talk to them about my Harry Potter foot. Jim and Christina are from Sew ‘n Save in Racine, Wisconsin. Their booth was right next to ours.

I started out by telling them how much I love my Elna. Our conversations snowballed from there and we had a great time. I told Jim to send over anyone who was thinking of buying the Elna 792 Pro and I would talk to them.

Throughout the show, I would stop by and chat for a minute when I had a break. It was a fun diversion.

The restroom in the convention center had a really great floor. It is definitely a design I would like to explore as a quilt.

Each tile is a small square, but I would use more strips and chunks and larger squares in my design. It would make the piecing easier and faster. I am not sure what the block would be or if I would need to make the block be a column. I will have to play with it on a piece of graph paper. Do you look for inspiration in tile?

We went out for dinner and then to ice cream one evening. I saw the ‘Carrots’ sign and kind of want one. First, I love the colors, well the pink sign on the aqua/light teal wall. I may have to do something with that combination. Second, I think the words are just so perfect for an ice cream shop.

The ice cream shop had gluten free cones, but a lot of their ice creams were not gluten free. I wanted to try one with rhubarb, but it wasn’t GF. At least they had a list.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe with quilts in booth

Victoria Findlay Wolfe was at the show, too. She was selling books, patterns and templates. I almost bought a set of her templates and the pattern for her Cottage Daisy pattern. It might have been her Cottage Tulips pattern, but I think I decided against that one and moved on to consider the former. In the end I didn’t buy either.

The reality is that I see these patterns and templates and LOVE templates and see a finished quilt. I imagine myself happily working on it, but when I get home I have other project priorities. I put a note in my PKM system and will consider these projects for another day.

The organizers had hung a special exhibit of her quilts. It actually might have been two different exhibits. Because I was working at the booth, I didn’t get a ton of time to study everything at the show in minute detail.

I noticed that the quilts on exhibit were very different from the patterns she sold.

I was excited to see her and wanted to show her a photo of my Pies & Points quilt. It wasn’t on my phone anymore, though, so I didn’t approach. A victim of not enough storage. 🙁

Goldie Lou's t-shirt — Goldie Lou’s t-shirt

I bought some stickers at a booth called Goldie Lou’s. They also had a GREAT selection of t-shirts.

The Cherrywood Abyss exhibit was on display at this show. I have a hard time appreciating the Cherrywood exhibits sometimes. I really liked this one. I think the colors were what attracted me initially. The quilt-lets are always well done. This time the subject matter really appealed to me. I took photos of a number of the octopus quilts. I was disappointed to see that the photo of the porthole quilt-let is a little bit fuzzy. So sorry!

One of the things we did was go to Trader Joe’s to buy shopping bags. Chen’s friend makes zipper pouches from the 99 cent Trader Joe’s bags. Apparently, TJs puts different state designs in different outlets. Chen gifted me with this one. I found I didn’t have enough zipper pouches to organize the bag I take on the plane, so this one will come in handy.

I saw a lot of interesting products and supplies. One was a rolling suitcase that I would describe as a cart that folds up into a suitcase. They had some fun exteriors such as stars, rainbows and pink, in addition to a black one. I am not sure how I would use it. It was pretty tall, maybe 3.5 feet tall

Chen collects patches and puts them on a Trader Joe’s bag.

I collected patches in my youth and always wanted to do something with them. I always thought of a quilt similar to the Boy Scout quilt I want to make for the YM. I am not sure I have enough. I probably have enough for a bag, though. It is an idea. Patches aren’t widely available at tourist spots now, which is a shame, but understandable. They are becoming available at quilt shows, though.

I bought a few things, in addition to what I bought at Sew Much More, but I wasn’t really in the mood and didn’t have tons of time, as mentioned. Chen found that Sallie Tomato put out a limited amount of Alison Glass cork. I thought I would use it to make some of the Hold Tite folios. Now that I know where to buy the metal parts, I can make them at will. LOL!!

The cork will be a little of a challenge, because the pattern has the maker put a binding on the piece. I will take a look at the pattern and figure out how to make sure I don’t have to fold the cork over. I haven’t decided if I need another folio for myself. Stay tuned!

As a result of my possible Hold Tite Folio project, I bought the metal pieces from the booth towards the end of the show. One of the show specials was to get a needle minder (that green circle) if a customer bought two items from a section in the booth. As a result of my purchases, I got two needle minders. I’ll see what I am going to with them.

Stickers from Goldie Lou's — Stickers from Goldie Lou’s

As mentioned, I did buy some stickers at Goldie Lou’s.

I often say, as a joke, that my sewing keeps the crime rate down in my town, so the top sticker really tickled me.

I LOVED the May the 1/4 inch… sticker. Seeing the first Star Wars movie is one of those days embedded in my mind. I can’t wait to stick it on something. My water bottle is full, but I’ll find something.

The Quilt Gallery is a shop in Kalispell, Montana near where one of my sisters lives. I stopped at their booth a couple of times for various reasons. One was that I wanted to send people from our booth to another booth to find EPP papers and this booth had some. It was a cool modern booth.

Even though I had already bought webbing for the Natalma, I saw some Ruby Star webbing that I thought would be better. The cats will go with the fabric I chose. I bought the ice cream webbing just because I thought it was fun.

Sew Much More Quilt Center

As mentioned, I flew to Wisconsin recently to work at the SewTites booth. After we setup the booth, we had some free time. WE took the opportunity to visit two quilt shops. Sew Much More was near a restaurant we ate at the night we flew in. Unfortunately it was closed by the time we got there. Obviously, we went back and I am glad we did.

This is a huge shop. It’s like Paramount in Eugene. It was also clean, in both the housekeeping and the design sense. I liked the look and feel. The people working in the shop were very friendly and helpful.

Sew Much More - Accuquilt — Sew Much More – Accuquilt

They have more of everything than I have ever seen! They had two rows of Accuquilt stuff! I looked at the strip dies. They had more different sizes of strip dies than I had ever seen!

Sew Much More - Bernina — Sew Much More – Bernina

The shop is a Bernina dealer and it is always fun to see a lot of machines. The photo gives an idea of how big the shop is. The photo is taken from right next to the front entrance looking towards the back of the shop. The Accuquilt items shown above are just in front of the stuff in the left of the photo above/left.

This photo was taken by moving my camera to the right from the same vantage point above by the door. It allows you to see how the whole middle of the store was filled with Bernina machines, sewing tables, accessories and Bernina longarm machines. One of my SewTites colleagues was previously a Bernina ambassador, so she was super interested in the machines.

I was fascinated by the bags that are sold for the Bernina machines and accessories.

Sew Much More - Sallie Tomato — Sew Much More – Sallie Tomato

The shop had a nice selection of bag and pouch patterns, in general.

I was able to see Sallie Tomato hardware and patterns in person. I have never really seen them in person before, so I loved having this opportunity. Between this shop and the show, I really got to see what the Sallie Tomato company offers.

Sew Much More - project batting — Sew Much More – project batting

I liked the large variety of “project batting” that was available at this shop.I was tempted by the bowl cozy batting, but I bought some at the Granary and haven’t made those yet. I have also been thinking about making other Jelly Roll Rug. The cut batting strips was also available and I thought about buying some. I only had a suitcase to bring home my purchases, so I refrained. I might be able to get City Made Quilts to order it for me.

Sew Much More - rulers — Sew Much More – rulers

I was also impressed with the selection of rulers. They had Omnigrid, Creative Grids, the glow rulers and many, many more. The selection at Sew Much More might have been the most rulers I have ever seen. You know I love a good ruler! 😉

Thinking about bowl cozies, I almost bought the Creative Grids bowl cozy ruler. I just didn’t know if the shape would coordinate with the project batting I bought at the Granary.

Sew Much More - Sue Daly EPP — Sew Much More – Sue Daly EPP

I was pleased to see the Sue Daly EPP papers and acrylic templates in person for once! There were quite a few paper shapes available even though the section looked a little decimated.

I think the SewTites rotating mat is better than the Sue Daly version, but I love her other products. My Sue Daly mat hasn’t really healed from my cutting on it.

At the booth during the show, we were asked more than once for EPP papers. I was surprised they weren’t more readily available at the show, but I directed people to this shop to get some. Some of the vendors said they weren’t expecting so many requests for them.

I saw some fabulous Benartex dots in the large fabric department. I held off buying any. I thought I might prefer a fat quarter or half yard pack, but who knows?

Sew Much More - thread — Sew Much More – thread

The shop had the largest amount of thread I have ever seen. I was kind of overwhelmed by the time I got to it and didn’t take careful notice of all the brands offered. I did notice Glide, Blendables, Mettler and Aurifil. There were others, too. Needless to say, it was a lot.

Sew Much More - purchases — Sew Much More – purchases

I ended up buying the Plover Pouch** by Noodlehead as well as some continuous zipper for the Natalma.

Sew Much More
2118 W Beltline Frontage Rd
Madison, WI 53713
tel:+1 608 308 2400

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses, as I did. However, if you are too busy, don’t have a local shop nearby or can’t find what you need, I use Amazon affiliate links. I 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 don’t link to items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.

Showgirl!

Great Wisconsin Quilt Show - 2026 — Great Wisconsin Quilt Show – 2026

Late last year, or earlier this year, I signed up to be a SewTites ‘Showgirl.’ I thought it would be fun and it would give me a break from my normal life. This means that I fly to Wisconsin, setup the booth and sell a bunch of SewTites products.

I had fun, and met new people, saw others eat Cheese Curds, but it was hard work and I was glad to get home.

I had to leave my house at 3:15am, which was way too early for me. I had a hard time going to sleep the night before, so only slept for 2 hours. Not a great start, but I slept like a log the following night, so felt fine and had no jet lag by the second day. The other ladies had to leave just as early, so I didn’t feel so bad once I found that out.

Krista, Chen, Jennie and me: 2026 WI Showgirls

I met the other ladies, Krista, Jennie and Chen, in baggage claim at the airport. We picked up our rental car and then headed to FedEx pick up the booth and the inventory. All of the supplies we needed were on the equivalent of two pallets

Krista did a fantastic job driving a 26 foot box truck while I navigated to FedEx. I was happy to navigate!

The guys at FedEx were kind enough to load the pallet and the rolling box into the giant truck. Krista drove the truck back to the hotel and parked the truck there overnight.

While we were doing that, Chen and Jennie checked us into the hotel and manhandled all the luggage into the rooms. That was really nice. The hotel rooms reminded me of the Oxford Suites in Portland.

The next day we got up early and drove the truck to the convention center, where we unpacked. It took us 4 hours to unpack and setup the booth! We weren’t alone. All the vendors were setting up for the show. The convention center went from an empty hall with curtains to a fully stocked shopping extravaganza.

SewTites booth - WI 2026 — SewTites booth – WI 2026

The others said that this was a really easy setup, but it was physically hard on me. I needed to sit for awhile in the afternoon to recover. I got quite a few steps, but not a Disneyland day’s worth.

The next was show day. The show was from 9-6 for two days, then 9-5 the last day. I thought it was a long day for a quilt show. We made some sales, but the last hour of each day was pretty dead. We recommended they close at 5 each day and 4pm on the last day. Who knows if they will?

I made the first sale of the show before it even opened. I was back from my quick tour around the show waiting for the show to open and another vendor came by wanting to buy some SewTites. It was my first of the show and of the day. Not a big sale, but good enough to learn on. The ladies who have been to a few shows were excited for me.

I enjoyed myself. I got to meet new people and do something different. I enjoyed showing off the SewTites products and seeing people go away happy. We hit the sales goal the company set for us after 1.5 days. That earned us big kudos! We sold out of the medium “Sew Magnetic Cutting System” and had only one of the “Sew Magnetic Expanded Cutting System” left by the end of the show.

Among all the fun things, one fun thing I found: SewTites sells the Lilyella hardware kit / metal pieces needed for the Hold Tite Folio. Remember when I talked about that project a few months ago? I was so excited to see them that I went on a selling binge of the Hold Tite Folio metal pieces. Krista said she thought I had sold more of the metal pieces than anyone else ever! 🙂 I am really glad I know where to get the pieces now and the pattern is free. The Hold Tite Folios make really good gifts and are not difficult to sew.

Another fun thing was seeing all the bags people were wearing as they toured around the show. I had made many of them or was familiar with the pattern.

Even More Pandora Charisma #2 Progress

I spent the Labor Day weekend, when I wasn’t at Sew Day, working on the Pandora Charisma #2. I really wanted to finish it, but didn’t quite get there. The ripping that happened took time.

I sewed some of the panels together wrong. The panels are sewn back to back once they are all done. I sewed two of them to the ‘wrong’ sides. I thought it would be fine, but I found the final assembly to be really confusing. I couldn’t quite translate the panel in the instructions into the way I had sewn them during the final assembly. I ripped back all the stitching and sewed the correct panels to each other.

Since I was taking the panels apart anyway, I took the opportunity to fix one of the vinyl pockets. I thought the crookedness of the one on the left would bug me since it wasn’t quite extreme enough to be a design feature. I didn’t have any more of that turquoise foldover elastic, so I used some black, which looks good. Maybe better.

I did figure out why the binding of the last one was so difficult. I was supposed to sew both sides of the binding at one time. I just figured that out through a cryptic note I had written to myself.

Putting the binding on this way is difficult. My machine was able to handle it, but it doesn’t look great and I think it might be too big for the space – the binding isn’t filled. The completed binding seems to get in the way of the zipper also, though I have to wait and see since I need to do some trimming and clearing up of threads.

Another Mini One Handle Tote

I decided it was time to make another Mini One Handle Tote. I am sort of feeling at loose ends, despite all the projects on which I could make progress. This is a fast project, which is very satisfying to make.

I am behind in my efforts to make 20 or so of these by my own timetable. I haven’t wanted to work on them because I couldn’t find the template last time.

Nobody is harassing me to get these finished, BTW.

I went looking for my folder and have once again hidden it from myself. < insert eye roll emoji here >

WTH? Every time I go to make one I have lost the file. This is really unlike me. I was thinking that it was a good thing I wrote the tutorial, because otherwise I would have to figure out the whole process over again.

After making a new template and making this latest bag, I cleaned up my cutting table. In the process, I found the two other templates I have made.

Note the difference. The fat template is the first one that I made and the tote handle turned out slimmer. Not skinny, but slimmer. I couldn’t figure out why the handles were so fat in the two latest bags. Now I know. I had been thinking I would move the template more towards the middle to mitigate the fatness of the handle. Now I don’t need to, thought I might try it with the original template just to see the difference.

I got it in my mind that I used an index card to make the template, which is why the two templates on the left are mostly the same. I clearly didn’t use an index card for the original template.

In this version, I used Decor Bond, which I don’t think I will do again. I had a hard time pressing out the wrinkles. I’ll have to look back and see which interfacing I like best.

Now I have made a project file so the templates, at least, are stored in my normal manner.

Finished EPP Ball #15

Is this look what I finished week?

Apparently, it is.

Like the Black and White EPP Ball (#14), this is another project I forgot to post.

I was inspired by the black and white ball and all the pink I have been using to make a pink and black version. Again, I selected charm squares from my boxes of 5 inch squares and started piecing.

EPP Ball #15 - side 4 — EPP Ball #15 – side 4

EPP Ball #15 - side 3 — EPP Ball #15 – side 3

EPP Ball #15 - side 2 — EPP Ball #15 – side 2

Time for the Natalma

I had to put this project on the back burner while I made the Urban Sea backpack, but I am gathering supplies so I can get started.

I laid all of my choices out, so I could see what I had. I realized that I don’t have a long enough zipper. The ByAnnie 40″ is a bit short, so I’ll need to get some continuous zipper tape in a coordinating color.

The teal cats fabric will go on the outside. I haven’t decided where the other fabrics will be placed, but I want the pink cats to be seen a lot, so they will be in a primary position.

Another Remembrance of September 11

Another year and I know things are not better. Take a look at the Strait of Hormuz. I blame Geo. W in general for the way the world is now. If he had acted differently, considered, talked with more people, things might be different now. Fewer post 9/11 dead, fewer wars, less nationalism and hatred. Of course, some of the post-9/11 Presidents haven’t helped the situation. Easy for me to say, I know.

The same old men are still in charge. There are still people dying in the Middle East. I am not excusing the radicals; I just don’t know if there is anything that can make everyone tolerate everyone else, stop killing each other for religion and stay in their lane. It is depressing to think about.

There are now adults who weren’t even born on that day, which I know I said last year. Now they are in the workplace and don’t even react when September 11 is mentioned. There are even more adults who were too young to remember. Do they even care?

I made two quilts to commemorate the lives lost during the destruction of the Twin Towers. The first one was Fireball, which is the imagery I saw as I sat and watched TV the week after the event. Those images are burned into my head. This quilt is a tame version of what I saw.

I was doing woven art pieces at the time and this is one of them. It is chaotic, reminds me of smoke and flames. This is a small quilt, maybe 12×12, and I was able to channel the pure emotion into this piece as I made it very quickly. The quilt was shown at the Houston Quilt Festival in 2001.

The quilt I really wanted to make took longer. I wanted to plead for something different than what ended up coming out of that terrible day. I wished for something different than a 20+ year war. People just want to fight when they are attacked; they don’t want to talk. What Comes Next is above and is one of my favorite quilts even though the reason I made it was horrible. The message was the one I wanted to send out into the world, but had no effect. I am still writing letters telling politicians to stop killing people and I will continue to do so.

This is a hard post for me to write. I had to force myself once again to write it this year, to get the message of What Comes Next out there, so, perhaps, people will think and do something different next time, though I hope there isn’t a next time.

My friend Kathy wrote a essay on this topic.

Two Cosquillas

After writing the post the other day, I thought about how using different fabrics makes the pouches look so different.

Cosquilla - finished front — Cosquilla – finished front

Rose Cosquilla finished - front — Rose Cosquilla finished – front

Beth's Cosquilla: 3/4s view — Beth’s Cosquilla: 3/4s view

These have similarities to the yellow Cosquilla I made first.

One can definitely see the differences on the same pattern, whether quilt or bag, when looking online. I am sure I could make one bag pattern over and over and never make the same kind twice. Of course, I have done that with a few patterns, like the Hackney and the project bags.

Finished: Floral Reef Cosquilla

Hooray! I finished the newest Cosquilla.

I know I said I was sewing this pouch quickly. I really was and I actually finished it on August 13. However, I had a lot of other stuff to post. I put this pouch straight into use then I didn’t post about it.

I am pleased with the other two Cosquilla pouches, but I think this one is my best so far. I was very calm and not in a hurry when I sewed it. I took my time and I think this is the reward.

I wanted to highlight the seahorse, but it’s head is hidden by the zipper placket on the pocket. 🙁 I also wanted to cut off the snake, but it’s head is still visible. Oh well. At least it is a pink and purple snake.

Cosquilla - seahorse surprise — Cosquilla – seahorse surprise

The seahorse is a pleasing surprise when the pocket is opened.

I used two different kinds of vinyl on this pouch. As mentioned, I thought putting the Floral Reef vinyl over the busy Floral Reef print would mean that I couldn’t see either clearly.

I considered different fabrics to use for the binding. Overall, I think the Tula Pink purple (Aster??) Tiny Dots works very well. The purple doesn’t quite match the zipper. They work together well anyway.

I had some clear vinyl, so I used that over the pocket and the Floral Reef vinyl for the side main panel. I still think the motifs on the fabric and the motifs on the vinyl interfere a little with each other, but it isn’t too bad. I’ll have to think about that when I consider buying other printed vinyls.

Cosquilla #3 - handle — Cosquilla #3 – handle

I think I probably should have put some SF101/ProFuse on the handle, but the handle won’t get much use, so I think it is ok.

I am so pleased with the binding. I used the HP2 foot again and sewed slowly. It was a little short, so I added a straight of grain piece, which was a little problematic when sewing. Otherwise, machine sewing the binding worked very well. I am not embarrassed with how it looks.

I think this was a good fabric combination to use for this pouch. I wasn’t sure how I would use the fabric once it arrived. Seeing it in use when I need a handbag zipper will make me smile.

Additional Pandora Charisma #2

The Pandora Charisma #2 has been on my mind. I worked on it a little last week and realized I was at the assembly point. Nearly all of the pieces are ready to be assembled into a bag. The sewing of this version has been a lot easier than the first time. And much less anxiety provoking.

The next step was to get the zipper gusset done, but I was anxious about the layers. The outside is made with the same pleather/Diamond Vinyl as Pandora Charisma #1. I took a breath, cut the pieces I needed and made a start. I had the good sense to install a leather needle and the HP2 foot*. I don’t know what HP stands for in the Elna world, but maybe I should call it my Harry Potter foot since it is really magical. 😉

There were about 5 layers of the Diamond Vinyl through which to sew. Once I was setup, I went for it. My machine sewed through them all like a champ. Granted I sewed very slowly, but it worked!! I was thrilled.

I had to do a lot of ripping over the weekend. It was one of those “it’ll be fine” moments and I should have taken heed sooner. Live and learn!!

I was able to rivet crucial points at Sew Day, thanks to MaryC.

Now I am on to final assembly.

*N.B. “Suitable for the dual feed narrow system, the HP2 foot combines the advantages of a slim ¼” foot with dual feed capability. Providing high visibility, it is ideal for precisely sewing curves and topstitching. In addition, it guides simultaneously the top and bottom layers of fabric for perfect results when quilting and matching patterns. It must be used together with the HP needle plate.” from Elna site

La Passacaglia Again

In May of 2024 I said that La Pass wasn’t dead. It pretty much was, though, as I haven’t worked on it since then. Lately, it has been calling my name.

I pulled it out the other day and decided that the border fabric was a bad choice. I have been ripping it off. You can see at the top that the border that was there is now gone. I still need to add some pieces so I can keep the gorgeous woven rosette that I designed. I am working slowly on what to do about that.

Part of that process is looking at a section very carefully and extending out parts that were cut off for some reason. There are a lot of places where this needs to be done. I thought I could just fill them in with a border, but that isn’t going to work. This isn’t a bad solution, however, as I really like English Paper Piecing. I have enough fabric, so far, and I think it will make the quilt better.

I am going to back to the idea of cutting off some of the edges. I just want to be able to choose which edges carefully.

Sherri D on Another Remembrance of September 11Saturday, September 12, 2026
Thank you for sharing your works for 9/11. I still remember when you first finished them and showed them. Very…
Eleanor Jackson on Another Remembrance of September 11Friday, September 11, 2026
Good morning, Jaye. Yes, a horrific day in history, was 911. I was getting ready to teach first grade. So…
Eleanor Jackson on Most Recent BAM BOMWednesday, September 9, 2026
Very cool! Thanks for sharing this. BTW I completed by Birds in the Air! So far it is the best…
JayeL on Flower #8Saturday, September 5, 2026
Thank you for your kind words! We missed you at Sew Day.
Eleanor Jackson on Flower #8Friday, September 4, 2026
WOW, You made my day. What a knock out showing of this new flower. Thanks for sharing. You and your…