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Sue Garman recently discovered this blog called the Star Crazy Log.  We figured we'd let it speak for itself. It shows what can happen when you are inspired by a quilt.

In October 2009 I had the opportunity to go to International Quilt Festival/Houston and work in The Quilt Shoppe booth for The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. For three days I stood by Star Crazy, TQS's pieced 2010 Block of the Month. And fell in L.O.V.E.  Star Crazy was designed by the extremely talented Sue Garman.  It was a thrill to meet Sue and to talk to her about Star Crazy.

Here's what happened next.

I started Star Crazy Log, a blog devoted to 12 months of working together.  The response was more than I had hoped for.  We had 31 participants from all over the world. Spanning most the United States to Australia, Sweden,United Kingdom and Norway, we have spent a year getting to know each other through our love of quilting. We have shared our cultures, our family activities, and become good friends. To date, we have 119 followers, with 15,635 visits, and 28,716 page reviews.

What an adventure!

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Do you study antique quilts? Do you look at their designs for inspiration?  Do you copy their quilting patterns? Where do you find your antique quilts?  Do you go to shows, flea markets, auctions, Ebay?

Submit a comment and let us know about your antique quilt connection.

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At Road to California recently, a little trinket caught our eye.  It was a shiny bracelet with beautiful natural stones. (Looking at the design you could see why it might appeal.) But for goodness sake, it was a quilt show, not a place to buy jewelry.

What is the craziest thing you've ever bought at a quilt show, that had nothing to do with quilting?

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We found another one!  Does this look familiar? Aren't the colors great?

How are you all doing with your past BOMs? Getting them finished up so you can start on Ruffled Roses? Will we find your quilt in Road to California next year?

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Often at quilt shows, you run into quilting celebrities. Recently at Road to California, TQS ran into Gregory Case and Elena Morera, our illustrious Quilt Show photographers and owners of Gregory Case Photography.

This happy couple recently graced the pages of Quilter's Home Magazine Feb/Mar 2011 in an article entitled "Q-Love: 4 Quilty Couples & Their Material Attraction."

What quilting celebrities have you run into?

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The Friendship Triangle Exchange has begun and has been given a new name.  Please join in the fun with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Triangles Exchange (our apologies to anyone in the Brotherhood.)  All of the guidelines can be found in the Forum.  Any questions should be sent to the Forum as well. For some helpful hints for using the Forum, click here.

P.S.  Even Edyta is joining in the exchange!

Sign Up Now
Even though you said you wanted to participate in the Batik post, please reply again on this post. There were a lot of people who said they might want to join, but weren’t sure. This way we’ll know for sure that ‘you’re in’.

If you want to join, please try to let us know by next Wednesday, January 26. 

It would be fun if you’d include your city/state/country when you post a reply. And, if you’re comfortable with it, please include your first name too. If you need us to send the Half-Square Triangles (now to be referred to as HTS’s) papers, you can include that here and we’ll contact you directly about that. And, if you know how many you plan to send, tell us that also. The more information we have, the better we will be able to gauge what to expect.

When and Where
Since we have participating members from all over the world, we need to allow enough time for postal services. Our deadline for sending your HST’s will be April 1st. However, if we find that postal services are slower than expected, we will be flexible when it comes to distributing the HST’s. 

I will be securing a P. O. Box number within the next couple of days and I’ll provide that as soon as I know it.

HST Papers
To ensure that everyone’s receives the correctly sized HST’s, we do ask that you use HST papers, whether you use Edyta’s, some you can purchase near you or some already. They must be 2” finished. 
They can be purchased thru Edyta’s on-line shop at http://www.LaundryBasketQuilts.com. They are $10.95 for 25 sheets that will each yield 28 HST’s. The entire package will make 700. They are called 2” Triangle Exchange Paper and the item number is LBQ-0222.
Both Clara (ClaraLawrence) and I have already ordered several packages from Laundry Basket and either one of use can send them to you. 

How Many?
That will be up to you. The more you send the more you will get back. If you send 28, you get 28 back. If you send 84, you get 84 back. We only ask that you send a minimum of 28 since that’s what one sheet will make. From there on, they need to be in increments of 28, i.e., 28 (1 sheet), 56 (2 sheets), 84 (3 sheets), 112 (4 sheets), etc., etc., etc. However, if you do send in hundreds, there is the possibility that you’ll receive some of your own back because we’re not sure how many people will send that many in.

Fabrics
Batiks, prints or both…anything is acceptable. Just be sure to use quilt shop quality fabrics. And yes, you can mix a batik with a print as long as it’s one light and one medium/dark fabric. Have fun picking out the fabrics!

To Wash or Not to Wash
No rules here…do what you think is necessary with the fabrics you are using. If they are really dark, intense colors, test them to see if they might bleed. Batiks shouldn’t run because they have been rinsed many times in the processing, but I have had some than ran. 

Sewing and Pressing
Using the HST papers makes sewing a snap. They are perfectly accurate if you follow the lines carefully and press carefully. You can turn out many HST’s in no time at all. Press your fabrics right sides together (light fabric on top) on the paper before you start sewing and make sure there are no wrinkles. Remember to use a finer thread (Edyta recommends Aurifil 50 wt.) so your seams aren’t bulky. Edyta also recommended shortening your stitch length a little so the paper will tear off easily.
After sewing, cut the squares apart on the solid lines, leave the paper on and press carefully, but be sure to leave it folded. This will also help keep them from wrinkling during transport. Now they’re ready to mail.

Preparing for Mailing
Depending on how many you send, you might want to put same/similar color HST’s in small sandwich bags. That way, when we start to sort them out, we can make sure that everyone gets at least one of each of the colors. Then put them into a larger plastic zipper bag (quart or gallon Ziploc-type) to protect them in the mail. IMPORTANT: please try to use a bag you can write on (or tape a note to the bag) with your name and the number of HST’s you are sending. This is important because we will use that specific bag for your return HST’s when we are sorting them. Please do not write directly on the clear plastic bag…that happened in my last exchange and those bags were very hard to read especially when they got wrinkled.

Mailing
Please use a very sturdy envelope. You will also need to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for returning to you. The amount of postage to return them to you should be about the same as sending. If you are unsure of the postage, please check with the post office. And, for those using International mail, you’ll also need to check with your postal service/carrier to determine how much it will take to send back to you from the States. 

I would appreciate it if you would send me an email or post a reply on the Forum to let me know what you have mailed your package (and how many HST's you sent) so I can be on the look out for it and then I'll let you know when I receive it. As mentioned earlier, we would like to receive all the packages on or before April 1st. If we know you've sent them and they haven't arrive by that date, we'll hold off on sorting until we receive them all. 

Where to Mail
I’ll let you know the information on the P.O. Box number as soon as I get it set up. I expect to have that by this weekend or early next week.

When Will You Get Them Back
Hopefully we can get them sent back to you by mid-to-late April, depending on when we get them all in and how many there are to sort out. We'll be sure to keep you informed on the progress.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
We want this to be as FUN and EASY as possible. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask and if you have any suggestions or concerns, please let us know.

View My TQS Profile
NaneeWolf

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TQS Member are always so creative, ladyquilter, has taken the 2011 BOM and put her own twist on it. Here's what she has to say, I'm making mine with the Theme of Old-Tyme Christmas, I designed a new center block to replace Sue's so it would fit my theme. There will be several other parts of the quilt that I will rework to keep with my theme. It was great fun making up my own design. I now have a whole new appreciation for folks that do this for a living. We can't wait to see the rest!

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Poking around the Internet, you never know what you might find.  Quilter extraordinaire, Karen McTavish, recently posted this wonderful page from a Singer Sewing Manual. I'm sure we all still follow these rules to this day, right?  FYI, Tater Patch Quilts in Merrill, Oregon is a wonderful quilt shop.  It's definitely worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood.

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What do you do with your broken, worn out, or just plain cranky quilting tools?  Do you repair them, recycle them, re-designate them for paper use? Submit a comment and give us hints on what to do with that broken, used, or cranky tool.

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Did you know that "colors" are selected for consumers every year?  Pantone, who  provides design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity selected PANTONE® 18-2120 Honeysuckle, a vibrant, energetic hue, as the color of the year for 2011. According to Pantone,

Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.

What do you think?  Will you rush out to buy this color fabric for your latest quilt?  Do you love it? Hate it? Let us know.