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Follow along with Jen of Shabby Fabrics and use her quick and easy tutorial to discover how to create a darling rose embellishment using only ric-rac!

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Artist and quilter, Frieda Anderson, shares some of the free motion machine quilting techniques she uses on her quilts.

Star Members can watch Frieda in Show 705: Tips, Techniques...and a Special Tribute. Frieda  joins us for a show and tell of her fabulously fused quilts and to demonstrate how she builds a fusible applique design and how to make a decorative-edged fused binding.

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In Show #1910, Stacy Iest Hsu introduced us to the fun and easy sewing doll panels. The newest entry are these way too cute bunnies for Spring and Easter. We only have 10 in house ready to ship and 20 on the way, and we will probably sell out.  We have them at a special price of just $9.99, so order now and start making toys for kids, grandkids, or just big kids and get the feeling of Spring around your house.

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The mission of Quilts of Valor is to cover service members and veterans with the comfort and healing powers of quilts. There are many ways that quilters touch the lives of those needing a quilt and the http://www.qovf.org/ is a great way to use that red, white and blue stash. Over 150,000 quilts have been gifted...that is over 150,000 souls who have been given a bit of comfort and, that has to feel good...as much for the receiver as the giver.

You can check out their site and find a contact person in your area.

My friend Marilyn has been making Quilts of Valor for the last few months. In her mind she has made all the family and friend quilts but still loves to quilt. There are so many worthy organizations that need quilts but she chose the Quilts of Valor and has enjoyed making these red, white and blue creations. She's a topper and gets to pass off her tops to be quilted by another quilter who donates her expertise by doing the quilting. A great quilting tag team. I think quilting should be added as an Olympic event!!! All you quilters who donate quilts to non-profit group deserve a Gold Medal!!!

Have a great week and we'll see you next week with an Empty Spools Report from Asilomar!!!

Click here to visit Anna's blog.

Click here to visit Ann's YouTube channel.

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TQS visited RJR Fabrics in Southern California and got to watch how those little 10" squares of fabric are cut and put together to create a Layer Cake. You are going to want to get one of these machines for Deep Crust Pizza night.

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Make a quilt for the new kid in town!

This year, the Quilt Alliance is excited to rekindle a project founded by the National Quilting Association –Happy Birth Day, Baby! Individuals and groups are welcome to participate – it’s easy! Make a quilt for the first baby born on National Quilting Day in your local hospital. Click here for the FREE pattern and more details.

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The African-American Quilt Guild of Oakland, CA created a collection of quilts exploring how their communities are linked. Neighborhoods Coming Together: Quilts Around Oakland involved creating quilts about people, the environment, history, business, culture and other aspects of life in Oakland. The collection is now on exhibit at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. Watch the video to learn more.

The collection is on exhibit until April 11, 2017.

National Quilt Museum
215 Jefferson Street
Paducah, KY 42001

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This week, we continue to study how to include various types of texture in our work, other than with fabric alone. Think of texture in a quilt as the ingredients that make an apple pie a delicious treat. While the spices of the filling enhance the apples, the flaky crust holds and offers a nice counterbalance. By incorporating a variety of different textures, your quilt will be interesting and appealing to the viewers senses.

Using Tree of Life by Debby Schnabel (Show 1512) as an example, let's examine how many ways she included various forms of texture in her work.

Smooth - Debby added clusters of smooth beads to the center of each large tree circle.

Shiny - The use of both metallic and glass beads add a bit of shine.

Hard -The red yo-yo's along the bottom mimic the rock or pebble-like fabric.

Rough - Her use of big stitch quilting add a bit of rough texture, were you to run your hand across the quilt.

Woven - The fabric behind the tree features a woven pattern.

Furry - The tree background fabric looks to be flannel, which is a soft and almost furry feeling.

As you build a quilt, stop occasionally to consider these questions:

What story am I telling, if any?

What emotions do you feel when looking at this?

What is the title, and does it add to the understanding of the meaning?

Are there areas that need something?  Would it help to add something new or a repeat of an already included element?

How would it look if I rotated the piece? Do I like this perspective more?

Valerie C. White (Show 1508) shares how she includes texture when it comes to her work.

Texture by Valerie C. White

Emphasis 

I am an academically trained artist. After years of practicing my craft I unconsciously begin a series or piece thinking about traditional design principals. That may not work for everyone. Many quilt artists rely solely on their own intuition for their design choices. Which is ok too however, if you continue to have composition issues, or problems with color seek out a good book on design principals.

I feel strongly that the fiber arts community should expand their skill set by studying and reviewing art that is not fiber. Comparing and studying work of artists that embrace mediums other than fiber might be the catalyst needed and necessary to develop a better sense of design and successful work.

In the piece “How Deep do your Roots Grow” the bright polychromatic roots rest on a dark background. It is the light roots against the dark background that produces high contrast imagery, thus making the piece dramatic. My color palette is usually a complementary color scheme; I love the richness and depth that follows.

The repeated roots in my work suggest a relationship of unity and importance.  Patterns are created when a design is repeated.  For this series most of the roots were constructed using thermo fax screens.

Texture

Adding stitches either by machine or hand may be my favorite part of the quilting process. I use a variety of stitches to suggest and support the design elements. It’s one sure way of introducing a variety of textures on the quilt surface.

Juanita Yeager a successful quilter and teacher once said to me “ Quilt to express not impress” Rather than quilt using lines or motifs that are unrelated study your piece and ask your self:  will the quilt stitch that I’m considering enhance the design? Is this texture in keeping with the theme of series?

My intention is to select stiches appropriate to the subject and composition. The erratic quilt lines in “How deep do you Roots Grow adds to the feeling of thin fragile roots.

Further more I suggest one should practice and audition quilting lines or designs before moving onto the work it self. I always have a quilt sandwich next to my machine to practice creating quit lines that lend them itself to the work.

Practice Exercise:
Using a completed work of your own making, ask these questions

What do you notice first?
Why do you notice it?
What is the second thing you notice?
Why?
What feelings do you get from the work?
Why?
What do you think were the intentions of the artist?
Were the intentions obvious or obscure?
(From Questions in Learning Art by Marvin Bartel)

Click here for more topics related to the Design to Quilt program.