This book trailer tells the story of Tile Quilt Revival by Bobbi Finley and Carol Gilham Jones, which was released this past January. Inspired by nineteenth-century tile quilts, the projects in the book work beautifully with today’s colorful, contemporary fabrics, but they retain that folk-art style that makes them so much fun to sew and show off.
Related Blog Posts:
Sneak Peek: Tile Quilt Revival
Fabric to Dye For by Frieda Anderson includes step-by-step instructions for everything from preparing your work area, to mixing the dyes, to washing and drying your hand-dyed fabrics. You’ll love the colors you see in the projects shown in the video trailer and you’ll be inspired to brighten up your own stash with hand-dyed fabrics.
We have a new how-to video on YouTube! It shows you exactly what you can do with the fast2cut® Dresden Plate Template by Anelie Belden. With this tool you can cut blades for 5 different Dresden Plate styles: peaked, curved, 3-D, straight, and 3-sided, each in 3 different sizes. If that sounds complicated, don’t worry. With the video as your guide, you’ll be cutting blades and working on your very own Dresden Plate quilt in no time.
Need some additional inspiration or direction? Get Anelie Belden’s book, Thoroughly Modern Dresden!
When I first saw our Inchie Ruler Tape, I thought…boy I wish I’d had some of that a few years back, when I was doing all that hand-quilting I used to do. It sure would have been SO much easier to use than masking tape! But being that I’m into paper crafting these days, I thought the product wasn’t for me…. till I had a recent brainstorm.
Seems of late, paper and fabric tapes are all the rage in the scrapbook world, so why not use Inchie Rulers the same way? I played around with some – writing on it, and just to see what might happen, I also tried ink, paint and glimmer mist. The tape took all of them beautifully. In the end, I kept my projects simple and sewing related, and used the tape in it’s original form. I just love how this tape makes covering the edges of heavy chipboard super easy.
Wouldn’t the tape be a great accent on teacher gifts too!
So whether you just have a few scraps left over from a quilt project, or want something a little different, Inchie Ruler Tape just might be the ticket!
A couple of years ago, Elm Creek Quilts author Jennifer Chiaverini organized a contest among her devoted Elm Creek Quilts fans. In the novel, Circle of Quilters, two founding members of Elm Creek Quilts Camp decide to leave the fold. The remaining members had to select two new teachers to join their staff, which is really more like a family. In the book as a part of the application process for the teaching position, each of the five finalists was instructed to design an Elm Creek Quilts quilt block as a test of their quilting skills, creativity, and understanding of the spirit of Elm Creek Quilts.
Jennifer decided to invite Elm Creek fans to design an original quilt block to be used as the new logo for Elm Creek Quilts. The entries were as delightful and varied as those in the story do, and the block that best captured the spirit of Elm Creek Quilts was chosen by an online vote. The grand prize winning block was made by Jane Klocker. Click here to see the complete list of winners.
The winning block by Jane Klocker
We are excited to announce that C&T has made the 10 winning block patterns available in a downloadable eBook called To Be an Elm Creek Quilter featuring a sampler quilt project. You can only find it on the C&T website.
Jan Krentz’s latest book Quick Diamond Quilts & Beyond just hit store shelves, but one lucky blog reader will get it from us, as part of a Jan Krentz product package we are giving away in two weeks! Before I tell you what else is in the package, I have to show you some of the project quilts from her latest release because they are breathtaking. There are 12 projects in the book, so these are just a sampling of the quilts you will make… click the image to see it larger.
Distant Horizon, a quick diamond quilt
The new proud keeper of Brown Stewart the Owl is Vittoria! The beloved felt owl by Mika Yamamura has touched the hearts of many while perched here on our blog.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the other items Mika’s talents have touched, be sure to do so at her Etsy Store Cuore.
Stay on the lookout for Little Birds migrating here at C&T in May! See Chewy the Owl among 25 other bird projects and see what all the flutter’s about!
Thanks for everyone’s comments here and on Facebook. Don’t forget to check out the next giveaway that will post right here on the blog tomorrow!
I just came back from a short teaching trip down at the Monterey Peninsula Quilt Guild, where I taught a one day Photoshop Elements class. The guild had made arrangements to use a computer lab at a local senior center. We had 13 PCs all loaded with Photoshop Elements ready to go.
Some of the guild members had used Elements and some had not, so we started out with the basic features and functions and worked our way up. After going through the basics, students had a chance to see how to use the program to create images to print on fabric and to create images that could be interpreted in fabric. We also explored using Elements to design an entire quilt, trying out options for borders, sashing, and so on.
I brought down copies of all of our printing on fabric books, and everyone, including the staff at the computer lab, was awed by all the amazing things you can create when you print your own images on fabric.
I had some free time the next day, so one of the members took me to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There’s a new exhibit there on Seahorses that was fabulous—and of course a fantastic opportunity to take photos.
Lynn Koolish is the co-author of Innovative Fabric Imagery for Quilts.
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.
Thank goodness
We’re different—
We get to make
Different mistakes—
Not the same ones!!!
I can’t be sure how I stumbled across this this fantastic series of videos on YouTube, but I am so glad I did. It may be the British side of me that loves this Monty Python mix of serious and fall-of-your-seat-funny comedy, but this is so worth spending 30 minutes with. You’ll laugh (even when I am not completely sure they intended laughter….with the young lady’s outfit in Part two, for example) and you’ll probably learn something new about your sewing machine. And so, I share the fun with all of you. The Secret Life of Sewing Machines….
And because I know you will want to watch the entire series, here are the links to Part 2 and Part 3.
