Monthly Archives: August 2009

Author Design Tip: Katie Pasquini Masopust

August 24th, 2009 in Staff Pick
By Kerry Graham

As a designer, reading about design in relation to quilting is interesting. I recently picked up Katie Pasquini Masopust’s book, Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter. There were a lot of great ideas for creative inspiration, composition and color themes. I found a technique that I learned in photography but used in a different way for quilting. I thought this was so cool.

view finder or cropping tool

These are her basic instructions: Start with a photo of a landscape, animals, buildings, plants. Use an empty slide mount or make your own 1-3/8 x 7/8 window within a piece of white paper. Use your view finder to find a good crop for your composition. Trace the shapes within the frame. Here’s the part that’s a little different. A line must connect to other lines to create complete shapes so you always have closed shapes for your pattern templates.

Donna and Her Journal

August 24th, 2009 in Inspiration
By Tristan Gallagher

10997_Bubbles Journal_6 I think my sister-in-law Donna is having a blast with her new Quilt Journal. Last week I shared how she dove into her “Royal Bubbles” and was inspired towards an art nouveau watercolor painting. She was so tickled pink about the paper quality for painting and sketching as well as the size of the journal that she intended to take it along on her upcoming journey to the Washington DC Textile Museum. Here’s how it went in her words…

The Washington DC Textile Museum was everything I expected and more. Interested in Amish quilts I brought my spiffy journal to glean information from these 19th century masters! I was not disappointed. The bold design balanced with loads of charming hand quilting workmanship did not disappoint (something you cannot see in photographs). The innovation practiced by these turn of the century woman was remarkable. I like to think of it as a silent design revolution. But most interesting was the hand quilting design embedded in the overall work. These were the designs I sketched into my lovely little Royal Bubbles Journal.

royal-bubble1

Turning to the graph paper in the back I was able to use the blocks to sketch out the hand quilting designs that caught my eye. The portability of my journal made this possible. I think I jotted down 15 or so charming elements I plan on modifying for my whole cloth quilt I am working on. I am at the “I NEED A PLAN” place to continue this project. I have decided to make my quilt sort of a land and sea design. The sea elements for my ship captain husband and the land elements for my passion for flowers. I found plenty of inspiration in the “garden” elements of the Amish Masters! I love the way these women turned simple elements of their kitchen gardens into true works of American art!!”

Everyday Inspiration

August 21st, 2009 in Inspiration
By Diane Pedersen

A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.

Just
When you think
You’ve
“Found it”
And you’re
Comfortable,
You make a
Mistake—
And the discomfort zone
Strikes again…

(I got
Lulled into
Complacency
This time
Because it was
A long
Time
Between screw-ups…)

Treasure Box Board Book project

August 19th, 2009 in Free Projects, Papercrafts
By Tristan Gallagher

I came across this Project by Angela Daniels in Board Book Play and thought how perfect for Summer. My kids love anything nature related and are continually collecting various rocks, bugs, plants, you name it. These treasures inevitably end up on the car floor, bottom of a bag, or crushed in a pocket. Even if that butterfly wing successfully makes it to a shelf you know it’s a gonner.

The following project using the Ready-to-Go!® Blank Board Book 3″ x 3” would offer them a perfect take along place to safely keep and show their finds.

Sad News and How You Can Help

August 18th, 2009 in News & Events
By Lynn Koolish

We recently received the following as an email from Ken Sandbach, Kathy Sandbach’s son. Kathy has long been an active and vibrant member of the quilting community, including writing books on machine quilting for C&T. Many of you have probably taken a class or two from her.

Hello, this is Ken Sandbach, Kathy’s son. As some of you know by now my mom has been diagnosed with a nasty type of dementia, called Frontal Temporal Dementia. If you were around her the last few years at all, you may have noticed some behavior changes—slight at first, and then progressing to downright bizarre. It took the kids some time (unfortunately), but this last December we finally got the diagnosis, and began putting all the pieces together. Her symptoms these days are too numerous for this email, but if you’re curious Google Frontal Temporal Dementia or go to www.mayoclinic.com and search there.

The reason for writing is to let you know after a long conversation with my sister we have decided to begin selling my mom’s quilting legacy. We are down to about 6 month’s money left for Kathy’s care, and have found that Social Security and Medicare just don’t cut it. Assisted living care is running 7k/month, not including her insurance and mortgage payments (her Oregon house in on the market, but no one is buying these days).

As a test experiment we have put 3 of her quilts on eBay to test reception (check them out soon, they won’t be there too long). If this eBay auction proves to be worthwhile, there are more quilts that will make their way to you—her fans. While this is a tough time, and even tougher decision to make, we’re hoping that the people who love them most will be willing to adopt them.

Please, PLEASE, forward this information to your address books/quilt lovers, and ask they do the same. Kathy has traveled all over the United States and UK teaching, so I am hoping this information will make its way around the entire quilting universe!

If you have any questions feel free to email me at ken.sandbach@beamglobal.com or my sister at kristine.sandbach@wachovia.com. Also there is a guestbook at mom’s old website www.machinequiltlady.com. Please go there and sign the guestbook. It would mean a lot to grasp just how many people Kathy has touched through quilting.

Sincerely,

Ken Sandbach

Quilting Tips: Calculating Yardage for Straight-Grain Binding

August 18th, 2009 in Quilting Tips Series
By The Tech Editors

Binding is something we all need for our quilts and there certainly are mathematical formulas for calculating yardage for it. But what could make it easier than a chart? Here is an excerpt from our All-in-One Quilter’s Reference Tool.

Measure and add up the lengths of all 4 sides of your quilt, then add 10″. Find that number in the column on the left and look across the row to see how many strips you’ll need to cut and how much yardage you’ll need to cut them.

We give yardage for double-fold binding (see the diagram on the right) and for single-fold binding (see the diagram on the left). The cutting width for double-fold is 1 5/8″. The cutting width for single-fold is 1 1/8″. This is for the most common finished binding width: 1/4″. For other finished binding widths, see the Reference Tool mentioned above.

Weekly Giveaway: Making History—Quilts & Fabric from 1890-1970

August 18th, 2009 in Contests
By Tristan Gallagher

Listen up all you History Buffs. This week’s giveaway is Making History- Quilts & Fabric from 1890-1970 by Barbara Brackman.

No one can dispute the fact that Barbara knows her stuff when it comes to quilts and fabric history. This book spills over with the fruits of her passion in the form of Photos, stories, insights into the role of fabrics in everyday life, and 9 vintage inspired quilt projects. The book is broken down into 4 time periods: Machine Age, Arts and Crafts Movement, Modernism, and Atomic Age.

So let the comments fly (here or on Facebook by 8/24/09) and have a chance at winning a copy of this amazing book. Let us know what peaks your interest in the history of quilts and fabric from years past. Maybe it’s stories, photos or quilts you’ve inherited or perhaps your own quilt journey. Look forward to hearing from you all and good luck!

*Comments will be closed at 9am PST on Monday, 8/24/09

Sizzlin’ Summer Paper Chase!

August 17th, 2009 in News & Events
By Lisa Fulmer

The chase is on!!

We are taking part in the 2nd annual Sizzlin’ Summer Paper Chase for Northern California. In addition to sponsoring one of the grand prizes, C&T is joining with Fiskars to host an all-day Stay-n-Play Café during the last weekend of the chase—details below.

Similar to quilt shop hops, paper chases are happening all over the country. Over a period of a couple weeks, scrapbook and craft stores in a particular area band together to offer special events, sales, crops, and make-n-takes. Crafters, aka “chasers,” can get a special passport stamped at each store they visit, and be entered to win big prizes at the end of the chase.

Our Stay-n-Play Café will give attendees plenty of time and space to crop and work on your own projects, plus you’ll have opportunities to experiment with lots of different craft tools and techniques at demo tables throughout the day. We’ll play with all the latest Fiskars tools, as well as canvas books, board books, needlefelting, fusibles, Lutradur, and so much more! There will be treats and prize drawings, a charity raffle for private craft lessons with C&T experts, and shopping, too!

The Café is open to any member of either the Fiskateers or the Creative Troupe. Not a member yet? No problem! You are welcome to attend the Café and join either (or both!) of these fun groups for free while you’re there.

Seating is LIMITED and the spaces are filling up fast – so you need to sign up in advance to attend. Email me at lisaf@ctpub.com with your name and I’ll add you to the guest list!

Don’t miss out—the Café is free to attend—it will be a sizzlin’ good time!

Stay-n-Play Café with Fiskars and C&T Publishing
Saturday, August 22, 2009
10:00 am to 7:00 pm
1651 Challenge Drive, Concord CA
Bring your own lunch and projects to work on!

Weekly Winner!

August 17th, 2009 in Contests
By Tristan Gallagher

The lucky Weekly Winner is Kimberly! Hope you enjoy all the wonders of working with your package of Quilter’s Freezer Paper Sheets.

Thank you to everyone who left comments here and on Facebook. It’s great to hear all the ways you’re using freezer paper and your shared excitement for the “convenience” packaging.

Go on and take advantage of our 20% off special when you order Quilter’s Freezer Paper Sheets within the next 2 weeks. Mention discount code WG20107 when you place your order with C&T via phone (800.284.1114) or at our web site (enter discount code where noted during checkout) on or before August 31, 2009.

Not sure whether to say anything or just quietly let it slide, but didn’t anyone else notice my blunder? Juul :o) caught it! I feel I need to clarify just in case someone thinks, “oh I didn’t know you could bake with freezer paper”, because you can’t! I knew that, but was apparently in a goofed up “thinking mode” when I wrote it. So please bake with parchment paper and save the freezer paper for quilting, printing, stenciling, etc.. Ahhh… my embarrassment is subsiding already.

A Family Treasure

August 17th, 2009 in Inspiration
By Carolyn Aune

Old family quilts don’t have to be valuable or even beautiful to be treasured. I recently inherited a 19″ x 24″ doll quilt made by my grandmother when she was young girl about 8 or 9 years old. She was born in the early 1880′s so the quilt is at least 115 years old.

Notice the original symmetrical design

The quilt is neither beautiful nor finely sewn (she developed those skills later) but it is wonderful to me. She was born in a sod hut on the prairies of eastern South Dakota, so I am sure she was given a few wool, cotton, and silk scraps leftover from clothing construction and allowed to make something of her own. You can also see that she began practicing her embroidery skills on the quilt.

The surprising thing to me is that the pieces had been sewn together by machine before the embroidery was added. Given the place and time they lived, it seems unbelievable, but I am sure my great-grandmother made sure that one of their first BIG purchases when they came to America was one of those newfangled sewing machines! And she was going to teach her daughter how to use it so she wouldn’t have to sew everything for the family by herself.

How this quilt survived over the years, even in its battered condition is an amazing mystery. Most quilts made by children are long gone. I feel so lucky to have it.

C&T Publishing is a group of quilters and crafters dedicated to publishing products tailored to our audience. This blog is where we break away from book schedules and marketing campaigns to focus on what drives us to be creative and how this creativity manifests itself in our every day lives.