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
Author Design Tip: Katie Pasquini Masopust
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.
These are her basic instructions: Start with a photo of a landscape, animals, buildings, plants. Use an empty (Continue Reading...)
Author Design Tip: Lorraine Torrence and Jean B. Mills
Today I was looking at Fearless Design for Every Quilter by Lorraine Torrence and Jean B. Mills. This is a book that you’ll want to read cover to cover. This book teaches you how to improve your work by sharing insights in critique groups. Critiquing can be difficult both for the person critiquing and for the person receiving the feedback. The way the authors teach you about creativity and critiquing makes interesting reading. The authors set up 10 exercises or (Continue Reading...)
Ruler, Ruler, Who’s Got a Ruler?
There are so many rotary cutting rulers out there, it can be hard to choose. A while back, I received several rulers from OLFA, and I have to say they’ve become my go-to rulers.
They are called Frosted Advantage. And the frosted back does two things:
It makes them non-slip, but still easy to move and position on the fabric.
It’s easy to see the markings on all types of fabric.
I still have and use other rulers, but these OLFA Frosted Advantage are (Continue Reading...)
Charlotte Ziebarth’s Artistic Photo Quilts
I so admire the imagery in Charlotte Ziebarth‘s new book Artistic Photo Quilts. She has a wonderful eye for color and composition. She says that “There are many useful design principles listed in art books: rhythm, balance, unity, and so on. I have found the three that were taught to me by my friend, mentor, and art professor, Helen B. Davis, to be very useful and simple to remember: Simplify, Exaggerate, and Repeat.” Charlotte uses those principles to stunning effect.
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Loosening up with Piece O’ Cake Designs
I’ve been editing the Piece O’ Cake books ever since Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins became C&T authors so I know their work really well. I’m really excited about their new book Applique Outside the Lines.
It presents a new approach–more spontaneous and improvisational–and the quilts are fabulous. As Becky says in the book about making her first improvisational quilt:
In making this quilt I realized that I am so used to following my pattern that not doing that was hard. But (Continue Reading...)
Finally getting this top quilted
A bit ago, I blogged about having a few UFOs. Most of them are waiting for borders. Well, I’ve decided to forgo additional borders on this one and have it quilted as is. Ruthmary in Sales and Marketing is going to long-arm quilt it for me. Hooray – one UFO down!
My inspiration for this Ohio Star came from Piecing the Piece O’ Cake Way by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.
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Over-the-Top Totes
Anita G. Solomon has a favorite addage: sew on Federal holidays. Sew I did, and I was able to finish my tote bag. The tote bag that took 100′s of hours and lots of money to get “just right”.
I have a real soft spot in my heart for Baltimore Album quilts. When Ellie Sienkiewicz started writing her series of books on these quilts, I bought all of them and have made about 15 blocks so far, over 15 years. The (Continue Reading...)
Jean Wells: Ahead of the Curve Again!
I have known Jean Wells for close to 20 years, since I first joined C&T Publishing. I was impressed, then, by her best-selling book, A Celebration of Hearts. Over the years, as I worked on her books, and tracked her progress through the quilting world as an artist and businessperson, she has always been ahead of the curve in style and technique.
Her latest book, Intuitive Color and Design, is no exception. It is the next step for many quilters who (Continue Reading...)
Gift Box Studio to the rescue!
June and July are jam-packed months for my family. Between the 6 birthdays, Father’s Day, and the inevitable summer weddings and new babies, let’s just say my head is spinning.
Yesterday as we headed out the door to my parents’ to celebrate Father’s Day and my sister Becky’s birthday, I realized that I had forgotten to wrap her gift! I found her a sweet vintage stone rose pendant that is dangling from a long, delicate gold chain. The consignment shop that (Continue Reading...)
Extreme DIY Excitement
2009 is a big year for me. I am saying goodbye to my twenties, getting married and buying my first house. Before I started working at C&T, I did not consider myself a crafty gal. Let’s just say DIY was not in my vocabulary. But, after being surrounded by so much creative talent every day for more than a year, I am excited to take advantage of all the EXTREME DIY OPPORTUNITIES in my future.
My first focus is home decor. I have (Continue Reading...)
