Daily Blog

  0

fShare

Tweet

    "Wedding Celebration" by cyclepatty

Weddings are a special occasion for everyone involved.  It's a party, a family reunion and the celebration of two people joining as one.  What better reason to create a quilt.  We found this happy and colorful quilt recently.  We just know the lucky couple will cherish this loving gift for many years to come.  Have you made a quilt for a special occasion recently?  In our family you have to either get married, have a child, or graduate from school to receive a quilt.  Do any of you hold to these same rules?

Lilo

  0

fShare

Tweet

Recently Bernina came out with a great new foot - the Free Motion Couching Foot. Yes, that's right - FREE MOTION. Until this foot came along, couching (a process of laying a cording on fabric and securing it with stitching) was done with a zig zag stitch and feed dogs up - but no more. Nina McVeigh, national Bernina educator, shows how this great new foot can put you in embellishment heaven. Check out this video and all the great Bernina video clips.

If you would like to thank Bernina for being the Production Sponsor of The Quilt Show and for their pioneering spirit, send your thank you note to marketing@berninausa.com.

  0

fShare

Tweet

"Fishing with Nikki" by Bridget473

Does this ever happen to you? You are strolling through a favorite quilt shop petting all of the new and beautiful fabrics when you are stopped in your tracks by a new quilt pattern. The pattern just screams to be made. Never mind that you have countless UFO's stashed away in your workroom. This pattern will make the perfect gift for...(you fill in the blank).

We recently offered a "work along with us" quilt project on TQS called "Fishing with Pop Pop". The original pattern is from an out of print book by Alex Anderson. Alex's design commemorated her son Joey's catch on a fishing trip with his grandfather. Information and directions for the quilt are available here.

We encourage all those who participated to let us see their version. Bridget473 found this project to be the perfect gift for her father's upcoming birthday. She added the dog Nikki, who was until his recent death, a faithful and loyal fishing companion.

  0

fShare

Tweet

      "Diamond Island" by delupine1

Has everyone in your quilting circle found that they need a new challenge?  What about taking a photograph or painting and recreating it in a quilt?  The image is enlarged and cut into the number of participants.  Each person creates a section based on their piece of the photo.  On a designated date each participant unveils their portion. 

"Diamond Island" was a joint venture with eight quilter's.  Ask your circle of friends if they would like to participate.  It could even be an idea for a guild.  Each small group receives a different photo to work from.  The only problem then is to decide who gets to keep the quilts. 

  0

fShare

Tweet

Stitchin Heaven is celebrating their 11th Anniversary! In honor of this special occassion they are having an ubelievalbe event next week. We know all of our TQS members will be interested so click here and check out all the exciting details and the revamp of their webpage complete with this awesome new logo.

  0

fShare

Tweet

     "Odd Man Out" by Elennah

Quilter's are a curious bunch.  We all use the same basic materials (fabric, thread, needles, etc.); however, the end results are as varied as are we.  And sometimes those results are not necessarily understood or appreciated by others.  Have you ever been to a meeting where an individual stood up to  shown a piece of work they were especially proud of only to receive "well that's interesting" comments from the audience?  It's at those times that the phrase "if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all" comes to mind. 

Everyone has their own unique perspective when it comes to creating a quilt.  Wouldn't it be boring if we all made the same types of quilts?  So the next time you are shown a quilt that just doesn't appeal to you personally, try to find some aspect that you can praise.  Maybe you like the unusual fabrics, or the outstanding quilting.  Remember we are all here to support each other and the work we are doing.  We should be our biggest cheering squad.  Go Quilter's!!

  0

fShare

Tweet

"Grizzly Lunch" by hansen

Our family has for a number of years had a great fascination with bears.  We have pieces of art, family members with bear tattoos, and all of our dogs are named after a type of bear.  So it was only natural that I was stopped in my tracks when I saw this quilt in the Quilt Gallery.  I have never been to Alaska, but what a sight it must be to see a bear hunting for salmon in the wild.  What a great reminder of a time spent in Alaska.

Lilo

  0

fShare

Tweet

"Earth Beneath Our Feet" by pblair

Sometimes a piece of art can be deceiving to the eye. What appears one way from a distance can look totally different upon closer inspection. Think of impressionist paintings by Monet and Van Gogh. From a distance you are able to picture the scene in your mind' eye. But as you come closer towards the paintings you will notice that they really are created by a series of dots, dashes or blobs.

In the case of this piece done by pblair you can't be certain if it is a quilt or a water color painting. Enlarge the image and you will see that there is quite a bit of quilting. pblair does admit to "being a watercolor quilter". The fabric was primarily dyed and painted, but she then added quilting for that final touch. This piece certainly makes you want to examine it much more closely.

The next time you are glancing through the Quilt Gallery notice how the small image of a quilt can appear totally different than when enlarged (see Circles #3: Ripples). The image really fools the eye.

  0

fShare

Tweet

   Photo by:  quiltinlady

Have you seen these two "hayseeds" around anywhere?  They were spotted in the Forum recently.  We are sure that they are up to no good.   Probably out hunting for bears again!  Let us know if you find them.  They have chores to finish.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Nora Ezell, the quilter from Alabama known for her African American styled storyelling panels, along with her vividly colored abstract quilts, died from a stroke on September 6, 2007. She was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the home of one of her granddaughters at the time of her death.

Ms. Ezell's works are now in collections throughout the world, including the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan, New York. In 1992, she received a National Heritage Fellowship award from the National Endowment for the Arts. and a Folk Heritage Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 1990. Please click here to read her obituary in The New York Times.