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Did you know that Olfa has Craft Demonstration Videos on their site?

You can learn how to change your rotary cutting blade, learn how to cut perfect circles, how to make chenille, and how to use their "Frosted Advantage" rulers.  Click on the button to watch the videos.

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If you happen find yourself in the Bellingham, WA area this fall, you just might want to put one of these exciting quilt events happening at the Whatcom Museum on your 'must-see' list. 

• Quilt Exhibition American Quilts:  The Democratic Art.
  This is show curated by Bob Shaw, is the first exhibition to tell the whole story of the American quilts and quiltmakers, providing a visually compelling, in-depth study of the art, history, and cultural importance of American quilts, from their European origins to the present day.
  

• One Day Antique Quilt Sale
  featuring 19th and early 20th century American, English, and French quilts for sale in a wide variety of styles, sizes and prices.
    Sunday, August 5 (ONLY!)
    internationally recognized quilt dealers
    Julie Silber & Jean Demeter
    Jane Lury & David Hupert
   
• Join Julie Silber, Joe Cunningham, and Bob Shaw for Quilt Adventure #3, a day of enlightening, entertaining and endearing, everything you ever wanted to know about quilts.  The day includes curator and expert-led morning tours, plus and afternoon of presentations sure to expand your knowledge of quilts created from the early 1800s to the present.
  

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August is almost here which means that The Festival of Quilts 2012, one of the largest quilt shows in Europe, is just around the corner! This year's festival, supported by Twisted Thread in conjunction with the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles, will be held in Birmingham from August 16 - 19. Along with many classes and lectures, visitors can also enjoy special exhibits, including a retrospective of the work of Pauline Burbidge and an exhibit focused on Turkey red quilts. 

Learn more about the fascinating process for creating the color known as Turkey red.

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Are your quilting tools taking over your workspace tables?  Go vertical with these clever storage solutions that work in both a small or large creative space. 

• Use repositionable hooks to hang scissors and other items near your sewing area.

• Use skirt/pant hangers to hold WIPs waiting to be completed.

• Small metal office supply baskets keep cutting tools handy when needed.

• A wall mounted rack holds cutting rulers.

• Over the door shoe rack holds scraps by color.

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Do you love to reinterpret traditional quilt patterns?  If so, you might want to enter the 20th Annual New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest, coordinated by The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. 

The block chosen for 2013 is Jacob's Ladder, and quilters worldwide are invited to enter their interpretations of this classic design. Submissions are due by November 1, 2012, so you still have time to create your masterpiece. For more information on the contest, click here.

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Mark your calendar to join us on July 21 as we "tag along" with fiber artist, teacher, and author Jane Sassaman (Episode 301) on her current Blog Tour. (For the uninitiated, a blog tour is sort of like a cyber Shop Hop!) 

Jane will be sharing tips from her new book, Patchwork Sassaman Style...AND one lucky person will have a chance to win a copy of the book!! Keep your eyes peeled (on the Daily Blog) for the fun and games.

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Do you have a vintage quilt that you want appraised? Do you need to know how much to insure your latest art quilt for before you send it off to Houston?  Then you might want to seek the help of Robert Shaw. Robert is one of the most highly regarded experts on contemporary and antique quilts in the world and an author of numerous books.  He was also the curator at the Shelburn (VT) Museum from 1981-1994.  

Robert prepares appraisals for a number of artists and quilt owners wanting to establish current insurance and/or fair market sales value of their quilts. He offers formal written appraisals that can be used for tax and insurance purposes. His appraisals are based on comparable sales, the only legally approved method. Please contact Robert for more information.

You can also visit his redesigned website, The Art of the Quilt, here.

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Sally Collins is one of Alex's favorite teachers. Now you can experience Sally's expert teaching in your own sewing room!

As a Star Member, you'll have access to this wonderful teacher. Start now so you don't miss this golden opportunity to master Sally's techniques for creating precise and beautiful quilts. Here's the scoop:

• This outstanding 75-minute, detailed DVD is online NOW for all Star members as a gift from TQS. (Other websites charge you $39.99, or even $59.99, for an individual course.)

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We saw this great info on Carol Ann Waugh's blog recently.  "I’ve been thinking about how to attract the “modern quilter” to explore Stupendous Stitching techniques for their projects and give their “esthetic”.  Here’s how the “Modern Quilt Guild” defines the characteristics of  a “Modern Quilt”. Carol Ann Waugh (Episode 1011)

• Make primarily functional rather than decorative quilts
• Use asymmetry in quilt design
• Rely less on repetition and on the interaction of quilt block motifs
• Contain reinterpreted traditional blocks
• Embrace simplicity and minimalism
• Utilize alternative block structures or lack of visible block structure
• Incorporate increased use of negative space
• Are inspired by modern art and architecture
• Frequently use improvisational piecing
• Contain bold colors, on trend color combinations and graphic prints
• Often use gray and white as neutrals
• Reflect an increased use of solid fabrics
• Focus on finishing quilts on home sewing machines

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Do you know about the Quilt Index a joint project of The Alliance for American Quilts, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online at Michigan State University and the Michigan State University Museum. Read more about the history?  It represents years of research and development to bring together quilt information in a centralized online tool for education, research, and public access. 

The Quilt Index aims to be a central resource that incorporates a wide variety of sources and information on quilts, quiltmakers and quiltmaking. 

This will include:

• images and information on privately held quilts compiled by state and regional quilt documentation projects in the United States and internationally;
• images and information on quilts in museums, libraries, and private collections;
• images and information on quilt-related ephemera;
• lesson plans, online exhibits, journals and essays;
• bibliographies of secondary materials relevant to quilt study; and
• finding aids developed to assist researchers with locating hard-to-find quilt-related primary and secondary materials in public collections.

This website currently features images and information, provided by an array of contributors, on thousands of quilts from documentation projects, museums, libraries, and private collections.

And, you can take it with you!

The Quilt Index to Go Mobile app features a quilt of the day and endless access to images from the Quilt Index. New features will include quicker response time and searching directly from the app.  iPad and Android versions are coming soon and it's only 99 cents!  Click here to get the app.