Daily Blog

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Well, it had to happen, after the Yarn Car, everyone's coming out of the yarnworks to share their knitting and yarn inspirations.  TQS member, atkinssm, is sharing these Yarn Tree Stumps in Sammamish, Washington.  Some knitters made covers for the stumps before Christmas.  They now have covers for spring and plan to cover the stumps two more times before they are moved. atkinssm says, "Letters to the editor in the local paper ranged from "terrific" to "terrible." You be the judge."

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Congratulations to TQS members, Mary L. and Pam B.!  They are the winners of the $25 Gift Certificates from Superior Threads.

Don't despair, if you didn't win, Superior Threads is still having a special on their New Brytes collection.  For the month of June, they are discounting the thread 40%.   Click here to go to Superior Threads.

In this 4-minute video, Cindy Needham shows how nicely New Brytes (soon to be re-named So Fine #30) enhances your quilt.  New Brytes is a #30/3-ply polyester thread so it is heavier than the average 40 wt. thread.  Ideal for quilting, thread painting, and embroidery.

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Joseph's Coat by MaryVal

Just look what your local thrift store can yield!

This coming weekend is Father's Day in the U.S., and in honor of that special man in our lives, we're sharing a quilt made by TQS member MaryVal from 100%-cotton plaid shirts that she collected at the thrift store.

We're sure that any man--or woman--would love to receive a beauty like this one.

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Alden Lane Nursery hosts one of the most spectacular quilting events each September with dozens upon dozens of beautifully handcrafted quilts displayed against a backdrop of our magnificent oaks.

Have you ever wanted to see your quilts hanging in a quilt show?  How about outdoors where the quilts are hung from hundred year old oak trees (editors note:  350 year old oak trees)?  Don't miss this chance to help celebrate Quilting in the Garden with a masterpiece of your own. Click here for more information on how to enter your quilt/s.

Photo courtesy of Alden Lane Nursery

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There was a special exhibition at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last Fall. "If These Quilts Could Talk," which represented a small portion of the Quilters' S.O.S. project from The Alliance For American Quilts.

This year at Festival, the Alliance’s Q.S.O.S. volunteer team will be recording the stories of Texas quiltmakers whose work is featured in Lone Stars III: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1986-2011. Interviews will take place in a dedicated space on the show floor thanks to the generosity and support of Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes (two of the co-founders of the Alliance) and the whole staff at Quilts, Inc. All volunteers who work at least one time slot will receive complimentary show admission for the day you work and a special Q.S.O.S. t-shirt and lapel pin. Those who volunteer for additional time slots will receive exciting incentive prizes like fabric, notions and sewing tools.

Click here to visit the Alliance's website for more information on how to sign up to volunteer for the Q.S.O.S. project at Festival.

While you watch "If These Quilts Could Talk," see if you don't recognize a few familiar faces.

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C&T Publishing is proud to announce PatternSpot.com the online destination for everyone looking for quilting and sewing patterns. PatternSpot.com is a great place for designers to upload their patterns for sale as downloadable PDF files. It's a great place for shoppers of all types; quilters, crafters, and garment sewers to find new and exciting patterns, which with just a few simple clicks, can be downloaded to their computers.

Uploading patterns and opening your "shop" can be accomplished in just a few steps.

• Go to www.PatternSpot.com.
• Click on the Upload Your Own Patterns icon.
• Follow the three easy steps for setting up your account, selecting your files to upload, and editing and publishing your files.  (All files must be in PDF format and no larger than 50MB).

That's it!  After uploading their original ePatterns, designers receive monthly payments of net sales (total sales less upload and transaction fees) from PatternSpot.com.

C&T will advertise and publicize PatternSpot.com widely and regularly in a variety of online media, as well as in national quilting and sewing magazines. It will be featured in C&T Publishing's catalogs, collateral, email blasts, and booth exhibits, as well as their heavily-trafficked blogs, website, and social media sites.

PatternSpot.com also offers e-newsletters for both designers and shoppers.  The Designer's newsletter is filled with helpful sales and marketing tips.  The Shopper's newsletter is filled with inspiration, exclusive offers, & giveaways.

To see a Designer FAQ, click here.

Head on over a take a look, there are already a number of familiar TQS guests, Laura Nownes, Barbara Olson, and Laura Wasilowski, to name just a few, with their patterns already online and ready to be downloaded.

But the great thing about the site is that you don't have to be a famous quiltmaker to set up shop.

Anyone can do it and so can you!

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The Alliance for American Quilts wants to make sure every quilter and quilt lover knows about its "Quilters Take Manhattan" fundraisers in NYC this summer. There are three separate events on the schedule.The main program--a celebrity-filled afternoon on Saturday, August 6,2010---will feature presentations by Marianne Fons and her daughter Mary. In addition, there will be a live interview with Project Runway winner, Jay McCarroll, for the Alliance's oral history project, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories. The event will be held at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology), and will include food, goodie bags, amazing door prizes, demos, and a silent auction.

Here's the scoop: tickets are on sale now at the Alliance website (www.AllianceforAmericanQuilts.org), with special discounts for early birds. But that's not all: anyone who becomes a member of the AAQ before June 23 (for as little as $25) is eligible to win two free tickets to "Marianne & Jay on the Runway," plus a free hotel room that night in NYC's famed Garment District. The winner will be announced on the AAQ website on June 24. It's the perfect opportunity to enjoy a special day (and night) in The Big Apple and to support a wonderful, non-profit organization with your membership.

Note to current Alliance members: If you already are an Alliance member, your name automatically is included in this drawing!

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Do you want to know what it takes to sort over 200,000 half-square triangles? How about a whole bunch of volunteers, a little bit of prayer, and a pinch of sorting magic? We're not sure what Debbie Wolf and Clara Lawrence thought they were getting into when they volunteered to manage the Sisterhood of the Traveling Triangles, but we're sure glad they took on the challenge.

As you can see, it was quite a job and as they say, "many hands make light work."  Take a moment to see what they did and who helped out (loved the TQS nametags).  Give them a pat on the back and round of applause.

Way to go girls and guys!

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This car was minding its own business in a parking lot by the ballpark, but that didn't stop us from wanting to share it with you.  A lot of time and effort went into creating this piece of art.  Sometimes creativity just can't be controlled, and that wouldn't be much fun anyway.  Yarn Car owner, we salute you!