Daily Blog

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I left a nibble last week about a garden, and with all the freezing cold weather everyone is experiencing, who could even think about gardening! It has been unseasonably cold in Arizona, and the snowbirds teeth are chattering, but when I attended the Valle Del Oro Quilt Show last week I was reminded that Spring IS the next season and it IS going to come! One of the displays was a Tuffet Garden...so sweet and colorful.

If you have never made a Tuffet, you must google and find the nearest class because it is so much fun! I took a class rather than tackle it myself because you need a partner to help you in the final steps and there is only so much that G is willing to do... and Tuffet assembly is not on his list, lol. It does require some tools you may not have at home, and most instructors bring all the supplies. My Tuffet Queen, I mean instructor, is Sheila Sinclair Synder of License to Quilt. She travels around teaching Tuffet and Barn Quilt Classes...both of which I have taken. It was a 2-day class with a homework assignment. But, in the 2-day class, I was able to make myself a French themed Tuffet and, for my DIL, a Tula Pink Tuffet.

After seeing the Tuffet garden, I want to make more...beware, Tuffets can become addicting!!! I hope you all are staying warm and that this time is allowing you to dig into the Smorgasbord, LOL.

Stay tuned and travel along with us on Quilt Roadies...where we are connecting one quilter and one shop at a time!!

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Ricky's Grand Finale is a treasure trove of tips, techniques, and encouragement to finish your quilt. As a Star member, you have access to the full 2 hours of lessons from master teacher Ricky Tims.

This DVD covers everything you need to know once the quilt top is complete: * innovative marking techniques * creating your own quilting designs * managing the quilt *machine trapunto * bobbin quilting * bobbin trapunto * two exciting heirloom bindings made completely by machine. In addition, the DVD contains bonus items of a video gallery of Ricky's quilts, bloopers, and Quilting Caveman Style and Fishin', with original music composed by Ricky exclusively for this workshop.

Enjoy this explanation of the scalloped binding and be sure to Join Us for instant access to all 2 hours.

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Here is a bit of whimsy right before Valentine's Day. It's a dream kitchen featuring a wonderful Rube Goldberg* device...we particularly love the Easy Bake oven reference.

Enjoy Rube Goes Quilting by Linda Beachy-Hughes. It was featured in the Fantasy & Whimsy category at the Houston International Quilt Festival 2018.

*Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. - Wikipedia

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Hoping to spread a little love, Ricky created a fun project in February for Valentine's Day which he named Heart Blossoms. He asked members to spead their love by sharing their finished projects. We thought we'd spread the love by showing them to you here.

The pattern is available on the Projects page. Download the pattern here. Once you are at the Heart Blossoms page, click on the VIEW THIS PROJECT button to see the PDF.

You'll need Adobe Flash to play the Smilebox.

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Julie Cefalu, The Crafty Quilter, has "8 Tips to Create A Perfect Quilt Block." She writes, "I can happily say that my quilt blocks turn out just right (most of the time). I pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and fix the parts that don’t work. I also take lots of classes and watch for new products and trends. I love being able to produce quilt blocks that are accurate and quilts that are easy to put together because all of the puzzle pieces fit!"

Click on learn more to get Julie's tips.

Want more tips from Julie? Visit her classroom here at TQS.

 

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Here Are Some Great Products From Show 2404

Free-Motion Quilting from Ordinary to Extraordinary by Jenny K. Lyon

Quilting teacher Jenny K. Lyon shares her easy, three-step process to help you bridge the gap between ordinary quilting and extraordinary quilting. Learn how your choice of thread, fabric, and batting can improve your experience, push yourself out of your comfort zone with 5 skill-building projects, create your own unique quilting motifs, and more! 

Embroidery Stitching Handy Pocket Guide - 30+ Stitches | All The Basics & Beyond by Christen Brown

Keep this handy pocket reference in your tool kit!

Tulip Embroidery Needles

These fine Japanese Hand Needles are manufactured using traditional needle-making techniques and offer a larger eye, a strong body, and a finer point.

Free Fuse Basting Powder by Quilters Select

Quickly and easily baste quilts for quilting. Free Fuse is so much faster than pinning, and so much neater than spray-basting! 

*FAT* Goddess 21 x 27 Inch Non-Stick Pressing Sheet

This slick Teflon coated sheer fiberglass pressing cloth makes fusing appliqué a breeze!

Wonder Grip Quilter's Gloves

Wonder Grip gloves give you exceptional grip and provide full control of your quilt with less fatigue in hands and shoulders. 

Supreme Slider

Makes your quilt move smoothly while free motion quilting.

Terial Magic Fabric Stabilizer

Terial Magic transforms fabric into a stable paper-like material that can be folded, printed, and cut and sewn without fraying. It is great for raw edge appliqué!

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Barbara Black was "gifted" with an imperfect quilt. When asked why she accepted it, she had a wonderful answer and 6 great life lessons learned from the quilt.

Click here to discover the imperfection and find out what Barbara learned.

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Jenny K. Lyon writes:

"Prairie Conversation was inspired by a quick photo I took while visiting my hometown in north central Illinois, in farm country. The wind is eternal there and I love the way it tostles the crops and roadside weeds. After I took the photo, it just seemed to me that they were in conversation, hence the title."

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Ricky is spreading a little love and hopes you will join the fun! Enjoy this quick and easy project just in time for Valentine's Day. Get your creative juices flowing and see what you can do with Ricky's design!

Download the pattern here.

Once you download the pattern, there are no directions for this design as Ricky wanted you to select a method that speaks to you personally. A few ideas include: Needleturn/mach ine/fused appliqué, felting, make a freezer paper stencil and hand paint or color in the open areas using Paintstiks.

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Suzy's quilt, Bohemian Garden, was made completely from knit fabrics. Yes, you read that correctly, knit fabrics. She wanted to challenge herself to do something new. Inspired by Henri Matisse, it's a lovely quilt.

Watch Suzy Williams in Show 2403.

Original Photo: Suzy Williams