Jay here. And I just heard some great news. The Minnesota Quilters are recognizing Darlene Zimmerman as "Minnesota Quilter of the Year." I love regional, guild shows. The shows become a wonderful place for everyone to gather together to have fun, renew friendships, make new ones, get inspired and learn. The Minnesota group is the largest "all-volunteer" quilt show in the US, with over 50 volunteers pulling together to make it a success. This year they are celebrating their 30th anniversary--and they are hanging 620 quilts. Congratulations! By the way, the show is June 26-28 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN. Check out their website -- better yet, check out the show.
Of course, their choice to recognize Darlene's accomplishments in the quilt arena is very near and dear to my heart. Darlene is a wonderful inspiration. Her first book was published in 1992, and her most recent book -- Quilts from Lavender Hill Farm -- just came out. That's 16 years of really great quilt publishing. Darlene has taught us all so much. Darlene ventured into new territory with this book. It is all about time, place and great quilts. I highly recommend it.
Darlene's life is pretty full these days. She also has one of the special exhibits at the American Quilter's Society Quilt Expo in Nashville, TN this August. The large quilts from the new book are there. The exhibit is sponsored by EZ Quilting by Wright. She will be signing books there -- make sure to stop by and say "hi."
I'd love to hear what your guild is planning. Just drop me a line or leave a comment.
You know, mycraftivity.com is a great place to set up an online presence for your guild. You can have your own group, private blogs, keep everyone up-to-date on guild happenings via the calendar, and have your own "show-n-tell" via the gallery. You could even set up a "virtual" guild. If you want some help setting one up, just let us know. We'd love to help!
Hello, Jane here. I’ve just heard from Pam Lintott, co-author of Jelly Roll Quilts (if you're in the US find the book here) and founder of The Quilt Room, that she and her daughter Nicky have started a new blog from their website. As you would expect from The Quilt Room team, it has lots of great news about new fabric collections and neat ideas. They also have an online shop, which is stuffed with the latest goodies and very efficient in getting orders out quickly, in my experience.
Pam and Nicky launched their book at the International Quilt Market in Portland last month. Have a look at their Portland Quilt Market photo gallery to see them with some of their favourite designers, such as Heather Bailey, whose fabric features in one of the quilts in their book. Fellow author Mandy Shaw (Quilt Yourself Gorgeous due out in July) also appears in some of the photos, as do I (gulp!). We had a great time at Market, and afterwards I was lucky enough to carry on with a bit of a quilting odyssey. I made it as far as Sisters, about 150 miles south east of Portland, where Jean and Valori Wells beautiful shop, The Stitchin’ Post is located. They will be holding their annual open air quilt show this weekend, so if you are in the vicinity please go and take some photographs and then upload them to MyCraftivity so that the rest of us can imagine we were there too!
Summer has arrived and I'm finding myself in a "project" desert. The Kapa Moe project is just too heavy for hot weather. I need involvement. I heard that Project Linus is about to have the summer meeting in Illinois next month, maybe I'll attend. They have chapters all over the country, creating thousands upon
thousands of quilts, blankets and afgans to give to children in need. Great way to meet new people.
That got me thinking. I believe that the quiltmakers and
knitters/crocheters get more out of Project Linus than the children do
-- we get to learn new skills in our craft, feel we are contributing
our energy to a good cause, and we get to have fun! In the end, isn't that why we quilt? That's what I need, to shake off the winter doldrums.
Meryl Ann Butler, author of 90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Make in an Afternoon, is all about coming up with projects that are easy, fun and give back. She has been giving back "forever." Her daughter was at Virginia Tech in 2007. Meryl Ann got to work and made "Hugs for Hokies: Hearts and Hands Reach Out to Virginia Tech," She has worked with Girl Scouts to come up with great charity programs revolving around quilts and so many other art and youth groups. Now she is working with Project Linus. The quilts out of Meryl Ann's book are so fun and easy, we can all make a few quilts for charity.
There are so many great causes. Many of you may belong to a guild that has a pet project, or a church group, or you have even formed your own "help out the world quilt group." Whatever it is, get together, make great stuff and have fun!!!
Just for your info -- the Project Linus mission:
First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of
security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill,
traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade
blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”
Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service
opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities,
for the benefit of children.
The weather here in Cincinnati is finally mild enough to throw open the windows of my studio. And the moment I did, all the junk I had been piling around went flying. Plus dust blew in from the garden. Time to clean and get a few things organized.
Some friends came through with great tips:
Save old prescription bottles and put a small hole through the center of the plastic lid. Put your hand quilting or appliqué thread inside. Just pull the thread through the hole. The bottle keeps your thread clean, and great if you work while traveling.
Rolling tool boxes (like Craftsman) are great for organization all your tools and notions. The shallow drawers hold all your scissors, rotary cutters, pins, etc., that you use every day. The next sized door is great for templates and rulers. As you progress down, the doors get a little deeper, so they hold more bulky stuff (like cone thread, and irons). They are usually on wheels – handy for any studio. PLUS, they are usually on sale around Father's Day.
Use skirt/pant hangers (I ask for them everything I buy new), to hang fabric, works in progress, and blocks. I can easily find them in the closet by just flicking through. Plus they stay reasonably crease free.
A small, empty tissue box (the little square kind) makes a great tabletop waste basket. I keep one on my cutting table and near my sewing machine. Plus the printed box adds a little spice to the décor.
Place a tape measure on the edge of your cutting table or sewing cupboard with wide transparent tape. You can measure fabric, quilt blocks, etc., without getting out the ruler.
Those 7-day pill organizers you can get from the dollar store, are great bobbin holders – especially if you are headed to a class.
I have an old silverware basket from a long ago, dead dishwasher. I keep it next to my sewing machine to hold all my scissors and pencils, seam ripper, etc. to use while I'm working.
Rubberized shelf protectors are great at preventing your sewing machine foot pedal from slipping all over the place, Just cut a piece larger than your foot pedal and place it underneath. This also works on the bottom of your sewing machine, if it tends to walk across your table.
Those pesky, fly-away cards that come in all magazines make good "emergency" templates. I have a little wooden card file on a bookshelf, where I store them.
Use a small piece of Astro-Turf in front of your door. Walk (or shuffle) on it before leaving the studio. It will catch all those annoying threads; thus not carrying through the rest of the house.
EXTRA HINT: Did you know that if you prick your finger and bleed on to your fabric, your own spit will take out the blood. But it must be yours -- it has something to do with your particular body chemistry.
Hey, if you have great quilting tips, post them on the message board for others.
Well, Portland's Spring Quilt Market has drawn to a close, and a vibrant and exciting show it was too. I saw so much that was really appealing. I know I'm biased, but David & Charles author, Mandy Shaw was a sensation whenever she presented her new book, Quilt Yourself Gorgeous. Her schoolhouse session on Thursday had everyone enthused and giggling at her stories. Lots of quilt shop owners approached her on the days that followed to ask her for workshops as far afield as Alaska. If you are a quilt shop owner reading this in the UK and want Mandy to teach a class, I would book her quickly!
Other simply gorgeous offerings included these fabulous Japanese bags, which were showing off the fabrics from Kokka. (Sorry the photo's sideways - slight but apparently insurmountable (by me) tchnical hitch!)
Also gorgeous was Anna Maria Horner's booth, which won first prize at the show. Here's a snapshot of her schoolhouse presentation, which shows some of the quilts that hung in her booth (which I wish I had taken a photo of, it was so beautiful). I hope the quilts and a visit to her website will give you some idea of the loveliness!
Quit show season is now well underway in the UK and I'll be bringing you reports of the Festival of Quilts in August, but I have plenty to share with you before then,
