Daily Blog

  0

fShare

Tweet

The Alliance for American Quilts will be auctioning off their New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest quilts on Ebay this fall, which led us at TQS to wonder, have you ever purchased a quilt from Ebay or Etsy or any other online site? Where did you purchase it? Were you happy with the quilt?

Submit a comment and share your experience.

The Alliance for American Quilts auction dates on Ebay:

Auction #1: Monday, Oct. 25 - Monday, Nov. 1 2010
Auction #2: Monday, Nov. 8 - Monday, Nov. 15 2010
Auction #3: Monday, Nov. 15 - Monday, Nov. 22 2010
Auction #4: Monday, Nov. 29 - Monday, Dec. 6 2010

Quilt by Meg Cox - AAQ Board Member

  0

fShare

Tweet

Yesterday, Jeanie's last Printing on Fabric lesson went up on the site and I finished my project (the sewing part can be completed in an afternoon, no problem).  What did I learn about printing on fabric?

1)  Read the directions.

2)  All printable fabric sheets are not equal, experiment until you find the one you like.

3)  Jeanie recommends using Photoshop Elements but there are other programs available.  I used EQ7 because I already had it.

4)  When re-sizing your photos, don't forget to take into consideration seam allowances, not just for sewing but to make sure you don't crop off part of the photo when you make your seams.

5)  Don't use busy fabric, as you can see from my pillow, the fabric is so busy, the pictures get lost.

6)  When making your pillow top/quilt sandwich, watch out for dog hairs. hee! hee!

7)  When in doubt, watch the video lesson again (I did).

8)  When you are having a  problem, visit the FORUM, someone always has an answer.

What you have learned?

  0

fShare

Tweet

Time for a little bit fun, TQS wonders,  "Why are the latest trends in fabric cuts named after food?" There are jelly rolls, turnovers, layer cakes...and honey buns. Is it any wonder that we have fat quarters? Personally, TQS was more than happy with "charm" packs. There was something magical about that.  What's next?  Bon bons, lady fingers, truffles? Does anyone know how or why this phenomenon began? Submit a comment and share your knowledge. And tell us, "What do you think they'll come up with next?"

  0

fShare

Tweet

With Margo's recent win in Knoxville and Ricky's wandering quilt, TQS thought we'd share a tip about insuring your quilts when you send them away from home.   If you are worried about sending out your quilt, you should get a certified appraisal and then obtain a find arts rider on your home owner's insurance rather than paying for shipping insurance.

Why?  It turns out that most carriers, even if you purchased their insurance, will not cover more than the cost of the materials of the quilt, without a written appraisal. This means that all the time you spent creating the design and making the quilt will not be covered.  Please, if you value your quilt and your time and effort, have a certified appraiser appraise your quilt.  You'll only have to spend a small amount to have great peace of mind.

From the Heart - by Margo

  0

fShare

Tweet

Congratulations to MaterialChick whose entry If van Gogh were a Quilter: Starry Night Over Sisters, took 2nd place in the 2010 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show theme contest: Stars over Sisters.

Here's what she has to say about her award-winning quilt, "I was inspired by van Gogh's painting Starry Night. I included the Three Sisters mountains above a stylized town of Sisters, Oregon and the surrounding agricultural area. The larger building represents the Stitchin' Post, a local quilt shop. The tall trees represent Ponderosa Pines, and I made the smaller, 3-D trees with thread painting. To create the swoosh in the sky I used 4 colors of Sulky Holoshimmer threads (hand sewn) and 6 colors of weaving thread (bobbin work) I bought in Guatemala. Some of the mountain details are thread painted."

Did you know you could search for other award winning quilts in the Quilt Gallery? Just click on Quilt Gallery, then click on Advanced Search, you'll see a box for Award Winning Quilts? Check that box and hit submit; you'll see all the quilts in the gallery that have won quilting awards.  It's that easy!

  0

fShare

Tweet

While at the Sisters Quilt Show, various forms of quilting "jewelry" caught our eye.  Everything from our lovely TQS patches/pins to sterling silver charms.  What type of quilting jewelry do you own? Do you have any antique chatelaines? Do you have a quilting charm bracelet?  Do you make quilting jewelry?

We'd like to see your pieces and you can post your pictures in the forum.  Just click here, and you'll hop over to the Forum, SCRAP BAG, Everything Else, Quilting Jewelry topic.  All you have to do is post a reply, click on upload attachment and follow the directions.

Come on, show us your bling, you know you want to!

  0

fShare

Tweet

There has been discussion in the Forum lately about what color thread to use on a multi-colored top.  Some favor "invisible" thread, others variegated, some want high contrast, and some want the thread to disappear.

Have you encountered this problem, how did you solve it?  Submit a comment and share your opinions.

If you'd like to follow along in the Forum, click here.

Quilt by TQS Member, LadyRags.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Summertime is a very busy time in the quilting world.  There are an abundance of local and national quilt shows right outside your door.  (And if you don't believe us, look here under FEATURES/EVENTS.)  This week is the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon and is where Ricky, Alex, John, and Justin will be hanging out.  And then Alex is off to the AQS Show in Knoxville, TN.

Do you have a favorite quilt show, local or national, that is always on your must-see list every summer?  Do you make your vacation plans around that show?  Is it a small local show that is truly a treasure?  Or do you treasure the hustle and bustle of a larger show?  Submit a comment and let TQS know where you like to go.

  0

fShare

Tweet

You won the blue ribbon, but you still need to take a peek and see what the judge's have to say about your quilt. This can be a very daunting experience, even for a winner.  But you know what, judges are only trying to help.  Most judges offer constructive criticism and are trying to help you improve your quilting.  

So tell us, "What have the judges had to say about your quilts?"  Was it helpful, hurtful?  Did you agree with what they had to say?  Did you wonder if they were actually looking at your quilt? Were you able to improve a skill or technique based on their advice?

Submit a comment and let us know what the judges had to say about your quilt in the show.

  1

fShare

Tweet

There are times when you are quilting when a sense of humor comes in handy.

It might be the 3rd time you've ripped out the same seam. Or when you cut your borders wrong, twice... Did your son drop his wet swim trunks on top of your black background fabric?

Or maybe, your best quilting buddy asked, "What were you thinking?" after you spent six hours appliqueing a chicken to your quilt.  

What quilting memories do you have that as you think back now, make you laugh?  Or, let TQS know how you recovered from a whopper of a problem.  We are always looking for solutions.

Submit a comment to share your pain and share the fun.

And to brighten your day, here's a joke Libby Lehman told at the Ricky Tims' Super Seminar,  "I got a sewing machine for my husband...I think it was a good trade!"

Esther The Easter Chicken by clhughey