Daily Blog

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The Patchwork Barn Quilt combines a fun sampler for piecing and branches. leaves, and flowers for appliqué. BUT there is a shortcut. Each kit comes with 3 packages of silhouettes filled with pre-fused fabric to create all the leaves, flowers, and branches. Just place, fuse, and sew. The patterns begin January 1. Remember, we are including a full $49 1-Year Membership with each kit so that all the patterns will be available. Use it yourself, or give a membership to a friend.

Want another kit choice? We have one by Ricky and one by Sue Garman. Both come with the Free 1-Year Membership.

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I'm a grandparent, so sue me if I like cute kid things. Rebecca Lilly Segura won an Honorable Mention for her quilt "Scene from an Ordinary Life" in the Art-Miniature category at Houston 2017. BUT don't miss the techniques used in this adorable quilt. See the sign at the bottom.

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I have pincushions on the brain!  One of my stitch groups decided to have a Christmas pincushion exchange.  Which meant I had to make 6 pincushions. You would think that would be a piece of cake! But, if you look at my Pinterest Pincushion board the choices are endless!!! I can remember as a child that the only pincushion I ever saw was the tomato. Now stitchers are finding creative ways to store pins and many quilters have collections of adorable pincushions in their sewing rooms.


The first recorded origins of the pincushion date back to the Middle Ages in Europe. Seamstresses through the ages found innovative designs for keeping their pins. The tomato with the strawberry attached showed up during the Victorian Era. It was believed a tomato placed on the window sill would bring riches to a home and protect against evil spirits. That was great during the growing season but during the off season a pincushion could be made to look like a tomato and continue the protection.

Pincushions are a very satisfying project as they usually are short and sweet from beginning to end. They also are a wonderful gift for a quilting friend...and, who knows they might provide some protection from the evil spirits! After traveling to Portland this past week and visiting not only Acorn & Threads cross stitch shop but Pioneer Quilts my list of pincushion options has increased!!! I hope you enjoy this little pincushion slide show...there are so many choices and if you want to send me one, I will add it to my collection, LOL!!!

Click here for Anna's YouTube Channel.

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Mel Beach is something of the Queen of Quilt Challenges, more than 18 this year alone, and she often gets asked where she finds those challenges. She has a list of 5 places where opportunities abound. Click on Learn More to read Mel's latest blog for more information regarding each item on her list.

• Quilt Guilds
• Magazines
• Online
• Fabric Companies
• Friends and Fellow Guild Members

Star Members can learn more about Mel and quilt challenges in Show 2112: Creating Improvisational Patchwork and Modern Molas & A New Spin on an Antique Quilt.

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Understanding the Principles of Design which include balance, contrast, movement, rhythm, emphasis, pattern/repetition as well as unity/variety is fundamental when it comes to presenting your work. As the last lesson of this major unit, we want to focus on contrast and the important role it plays in tying all of your elements together for maximum appeal. Força Barça by Rosa Rojas and Olga Gonzales Angulo (Show 1912) is an example of a quilt with maximum visual impact and would stop any quilter in their tracks.

Do you remember at the beginning of our Principles section where we used the example of a very involved cake for a special occasion as a way to illustrate the important roles that each of the various parts played in making the cake remarkable?

It is with contrast that you as the quilter can bring life to your work. It is the last element in the cake assembly process. Contrast is the difference between all of the elements within the entire design. Each part of the cake (e.g. blueberry sauce, lemon curd, marscapone filling, the layers of cake) is unique and interesting, but when combined, helps to bring the finished cake to a whole new level of enjoyment for those who receive a slice at the party.

Creating contrast can be achieved in a number of ways including:
Light vs. Dark
Warm vs. Cool
Black vs. White
Soft vs. Detailed
Large vs. Small
Texture
Shape
Text Size / Font

Let's say you want to design a quilt featuring blue circles.
But find that the design is not that interesting in and of itself.

How about using just two circles, with one being considerably larger than the other?

How about a bit of texture (with quilting or fabric choice) to make the circles stand out from the background?

Color can certainly make a huge difference. But if the colors are of the same value and, as in this example, direct opposites on the color wheel, the combination can be jarring to the eyes. This might not be the direction you want to go, unless you want to create that bit of unease for the viewer.

Colors that are farther apart on the value scale within a design present a calm and quiet message.

 
If both elements (background and circles) are in the same color family and closely located on the value scale, there is still contrast. But the message, again, is of a quiet and calm nature.

Let's look at some examples of quilts featuring various forms of contrast:

Size:

Value:

Texture:

Text / Font:

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There are triangles galore in this block by Jinny. Do you know what it is called? Play the game and find out.

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Using his Innova, Jamie Wallen shares three different background "fillers."

Star Members can learn more about Jamie in Show 1708: Jamie Wallen's Playground.