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.
Category Archives: Staff Pick
Quilt for a friend
We had an occasion to commemorate—Carolyn was retiring from C&T! Well, not retiring exactly; more like transitioning into retirement. She went from being a very-valued full-time employee to a very-valued freelancer. But we were going to miss seeing her in the office every day. She’d worked for C&T for 13 years and was a great resource as she knew everything a technical editor needed to know, plus some. Carolyn is the type of person who is (Continue Reading...)
Hey, I finished 2 quilting projects!
Maybe you read my previous post about my PhDs (Projects half Done). Well, I’m here to say that I finished something!
A few of the folks at C&T have been making table runners from the book French Braid Quilts by Jane Hardy Miller. They inspired me to give it a try. Above is the one I’m giving to my mom for Christmas. (Mom—don’t look!) All the fabrics but one are from different C&T give-aways over the past year or (Continue Reading...)
Recuperating
I recently had foot surgery and wasn’t able to leave the couch for 3 weeks. Fortunately I had a crazy quilt block made in a class with Allie Aller. I got hold of two books: Allie Aller’s Crazy Quilting and Judith Baker Montano’s Embroidery and Crazy Quilt Stitch Tool. Then I started embroidering and embellishing. It was so much fun. I used the threads and beads I had on hand, leftovers from other projects.
I’m guessing I’ll make this into a (Continue Reading...)
How much thread do you need to quilt?
I am personally a big fan of Superior Threads. I like their products and I like the people who run the company. While reading their June 2011 newsletter, I came across the following article. I have never seen this information presented so succinctly, that I wanted to pass it on (reprinted with permission).
I also highly recommend that you sign up for their monthly email newsletter, it has great educational information, good deals on thread, and a “superior joke” every month from (Continue Reading...)
Do quilters journal?
Yes, quilters use journals to capture lots of information. Fabric samples, sketches of ideas for future quilts, and quilting designs are three things that come to mind. Being a technical editor, I also use mine for math. Whenever I come up with an idea for my next quilt, I graph it out to scale, then calculate the piece sizes and yardages in my journal. That way everything is in one place instead of on lots of little slips (Continue Reading...)
fast2sew™ Ultimate Seam Guide
I put the new fast2sew™ Ultimate Seam Guide on my machine this weekend to try it out. I like that it makes it really easy to sew a nice 1/4″ seam–not always easy on my machine.
But I love the way it makes is super easy to sew on the diagonal, like when you are making binding or half-square triangle blocks.
I don’t think I’ll have it on my machine all the time, so I punched a little hole in one corner, so I (Continue Reading...)
Mixed media journal cover
One of my favorite books is Rebekah Meier‘s Fabric Art Collage—40+ Mixed Media Techniques. The pages just feel so luxurious when I thumb through, and there are many mixed-media techniques that call to me.
A while ago, our Education & Communications Manager, Lisa Fulmer, held a class to teach us newbies how to get our fingers into some of the mixed media techniques Rebekah features in her book. I made the cover of a blank board book into a real work of art (Continue Reading...)
Bright Lights for Baby Lucy
I’m at an age . . . . it’s not my friends who are having babies but my friends’ daughters! It’s wonderful. Recently, Marcie’s daughter, Amy, had her first child—a beautiful daughter named Lucy. To give you some perspective, Amy used to babysit for my children, who are now both in college!
The name Lucy means “light.” So I picked bright fabrics and named this quilt “Bright Lights for Lucy.” The block pattern is really an old one, Cracker, but it (Continue Reading...)
Quick and easy thank-you cards
After the holidays, I like to send thank-you notes for the Christmas gifts I have received. I am a bit old-fashioned…believing that a card in the mail is the best way to express appreciation for a thoughtful gift. Since I am a motivated crafter, I wanted to make my own cards. I used a pack of Carol Doak’s Keepsake Frame Cards for the first time and they are beautiful. The cards and envelopes feel glorious because they (Continue Reading...)
December Creative Troupe Round-Up
Did Santa give you lots of goodies for making arts and crafts this year? Perhaps these projects from our Creative Troupe members can help you turn those supplies into fun projects to give as gifts or decorate your home or office.
A. Carole Grant has been creating amazing journals this month. I really love the way bird lays on top of the subtle background colors of this handcrafted paperbag book. I wonder if she used one of her favorite things, TAP® Transfer Artist (Continue Reading...)
