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June 15, 2012
Hello all, ME here. Kind of sounds like an ice cream flavor, doesn’t it? It’s actually a great bright quilt. Shows how the humble half square triangle and solid fabrics can be made into a wowser of a quilt. I’m always looking for more ways to quilt with my walking foot and I appreciated the close up of the quilting. I get so many questions from quilters at the shop about ways to quilt other than free motioning. (Is that a word?) I keep a collection of quilting designs that could be done with a walking foot-some photos, some sketches, some my own ideas, some CASED* from magazines and quilt shows. There certainly are so many that one needn’t stay in the ditch-that’s actually harder to do accurately anyway. Does anyone know of a quilt shop in the area that has a nice selection of solids like the ones used […]
June 12, 2012
Hi everyone, I just had to share this quick – Quiltspirations is a new, looks-like-fun game fro us quilters, from designer Ebony Love (up and coming designer and long arm quilter with great ideas!). I saw a post about it on Facebook, that led me to the Moda Fabrics blog that explains somewhat what it is, althought I think all the details and possibilities are still to be determined. Do you think we need this for the Guild? Sound like that to me! 🙂 I just got information form Ebony on both, how to order it on-line and how our local quilt shops can order it too – yay! I like the word Quiltspirations. It came to my attention today quite serendipitously it seems – I just finished last night and posted today on my blog something that could definitely be described by that word! In trying to “come back” […]
June 12, 2012
Hi y’all. Mary Ellen here. Here’s an interview with an artist whose work is influenced by quilts. Love to listen to a Southern accent, any accent actually. The title of this entry is a quote from the artist. Here’s the blog post that actually got me looking around to find out more about Greely’s work. Greely wrote an article that was published in the July 2012 issue of American Quilter. After reading the article I went to the internet…enough said? Follow the links in the articles to find even more. So cool that the quilts are made of recycled street signs! Wouldn’t it be great if we could put something like this on the grounds of the museum?
June 12, 2012
Hello everybody, Mary Ellen here. Ran across this blog post about a quilt the blogger will never ever make again. I give her tons of credit for starting, sticking it out through all the paper piecing, and completing the assembly. Now she has the task of removing all of that paper from the back! OMG! I think I like her version better than the one she shows on the pattern cover, but God bless her little pea-picking heart, she has WAY MORE patience and determination than I do. Have you ever made a quilt (finished one or even started one) that you will never ever do again? I have an unfinished top that I started a while ago. It has paper pieced spring flowers around a pieced center, and it should have a border of pieced triangles. The trouble is that the directions have been inaccurate the whole way through. […]
June 11, 2012
Hello again, Mary Ellen here. If you have been a fabric fondler for a long time, particularly if you enjoy all types of fabric–not just quilters’ cottons–then I’m fairly certain you know of Liberty cottons. Make in the UK for several hundred years, they have a certain “look” about them, and a texture or “hand” which is well-remembered once you get a chance to experience it. Many a fabricaholic has brought home several meters of Liberty cotton as a souvenir of a trip to England–and then not wanted to cut into it. Liberty cotton is a cotton lawn, finer and softer than what we use in our quilts. Imagine the ethereal nightgowns of a Victorian novel, or the best of christening gowns in old money wealthy families. The quality, and so the price, is far superior to other cottons made for similar purposes. Liberty is now going to be adding […]
June 8, 2012
Hi again, Mary Ellen here. If forced to categorize your quilting sensibilities, would you call yourself modern or traditional? I’d have a hard time with that myself. I love the graphic geometries of traditional blocks, traditional quilt layouts. I also love the modern fabrics that are so abundant these days. Large colorful prints-nothing muddy or grayed out. My own quilting is becoming more and more of a hybrid I think, marrying those two loves. How about you? I have written quite a bit about the modern movement in quilting. Denyse Schmidt’s name often comes up in the discussion on modern quilting. Here is a blog post from etsy (another modern development for selling your crafts) that nicely introduces you to Denyse. Her latest book’s inspiration is discussed. It’s interesting to read the reviews at Amazon from those who have purchased the book. Not very many yet, but the dissenting reviews […]
June 7, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Have you ever been to an Olympic Games? Perhaps you had the chance when the Games were in Lake Placid here in NY. Or in Atlanta?… I’m sure you know the Games will be in London in the UK this time around. Do you recall the project that quilters were involved in for the Atlanta Games? The flag bearer and Olympic official of each country received a quilt made by quilters from all over the Atlanta/Georgia area. The London Games have inspired quilters in Britain-as soon as they realized that London had won the games the project began. Each country will be receiving a quilt and each athlete will receive a banner. They have expanded the scope of the project to include the ParaOlympics, and the Special Olympics. Here’s a link to 2 videos with interviews with the project organizers. You can’t see all the […]
June 5, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. If you love making purses and bags, I’ll bet you would enjoy following this Purse-palooza 2012. Reviews of patterns, giveaways, etc. Try this link. Remember when Darlene Zimmerman visited us not too long ago? Gave a lecture at a meeting and class the next day. She has been designing quilting tools for 20 years for EZ quilting and a celebration is underway. I have her Dresden Plate ruler which I have used many times, not always for dresdens. It works great as a tumbler template too. Here’s a link to a challenge, with goal to use that ruler, that is running through the summer. Great prizes to be awarded. If you’re working on a dresden, or want ideas for one, here’s a great inspiration blog hop to follow. Perhaps you’ll want to enter the contest-perhaps just use it as eye candy. It has only been […]
June 4, 2012
Hi everyone and happy Monday! (oh, and never mind the “lunch-break” part…I apparently don’t know how to “schedule” a blog post, so this one didn’t come out when I thought it will, hence, I am doing it now (4 pm) manually…sheeesh) Yes…I am hanging my head in shame for being so MIA lately…Thank heavens for Mary Ellen and her great posts! 🙂 I promise to get better organized and have a regular contributions here (as well as on my own blog). I DO.(hand on my heart) 🙂 Although, I have to say, sometimes I just plain get…intimidated? (not sure if that is a correct word), thinking along the lines “why would anyone care what I have to say”…or something like that. Yes, I know, I know – our blog really isn’t about that, its about sharing all things quilting, tips, news, ideas etc. But nevertheless, I get that feeling sometimes. […]
June 4, 2012
Hello all, Mary Ellen here. A few years ago in my previous position as guild newsletter editor I shared a tip from John Flynn for calculating the size of a piece of fabric needed for your quilt back. Some of you who have not been at this quilting thing since a coon’s age like the rest of us may not know who John Flynn is. Great big guy from Montana who does wonderful hand quilting, and comes up with quilting gadgets. Here’s a link to his humorous story of how he got started as a quilter. Sometimes when our quilts are too wide for a standard width of 40-42 inches, but not really wide enough to justify buying the 108 inch wide backing or using two full widths of backing fabric, we try to make do with a pieced back. Of course, if you have enough fabric to piece together […]