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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases. 

This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction!  This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.

Meet "Indian Princess" by Karen Bernstein

Indian Princess wears the sun-drenched colors of India. She is beautiful, smart, but also kind and generous with her time for those less fortunate, especially children with RARE diseases. She wears a simple bejeweled chain of pearls ending in a silver and citrine pendant on her forehead, a silver filigree nose, brilliant filigree eyes and a necklace to match the rest of her ensemble. At the end of a long day, Indian Princess enjoys a bit of dancing or practicing her yoga moves.

Click here for links to see more Celebrity RARE Bears.

Karen Bernstein made her first quilt in 1974 because she needed a new bedspread. When she was done, she swore she'd never make another one. In 1981, for reasons unknown, she got a yen to make another one -- a very large one with very small pieces. And she decided to enter it into a quilt show. When she informed a friend who actually knew how to quilt, the friend asked, "have you popped your knots?" Karen's response was, "have I whatted my whats?" Her friend immediately came over and they ripped out all the quilting.

After that, Karen showed and sold her work regularly for the next decade and was an active member of the San Francisco Quilters Guild. Her quilts were included in "New Wave Quilt" by Setsuko Segawa and were featured in a window display at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.

In 1992, she took a break from her artwork when she and her husband David Flores founded BioCentury Inc., a biopharmaceutical information service. For the next 20 years, she devoted her time as chairman and editor-in-chief to building BioCentury into a global company serving the biopharma industry.

She has received numerous awards for her work in the industry. In 2015, Scientific American named Karen as one of The WorldVIEW 100 most influential people in biotech today. In 2013, she was named as one of the 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. In 2007, Karen received a Special Recognition award at the American Liver Foundation's Salute to Excellence, honoring individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to biotechnology and medical innovation. In 2005, the annual gathering of biotechnology chief executive officers at The Biotech Meeting in Laguna Niguel, California, inducted Karen into their Hall of Fame, citing her lifetime contribution to the biotech community.

Last year, Karen stepped down from the editor position at BioCentury, while remaining chairman, in order to sit on several corporate boards and devote more time to her artwork. She has returned to her quilting -- and notes that the quilting world has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Her machine is smarter than she is and nobody quilts by hand anymore. She also designs jewelry and her work can be seen on her website, sancarloshilldesigns.com, and on Facebook.

She is proud to be one of the artists chosen to make a RARE Bear.

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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases. This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction! This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.

 

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This quilt was made c. 1840 by Mary Tayloe Lloyd Key (yes, Mrs. Francis Scott Key) and is currently in the collection of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. It was made using English paper piecing from the letters of Francis Scott Key. The quilt measures 90" x 84" and was a gift of Mrs. Francis C. Cox and Sarah Gummersall to the museum.

Want to learn how to make your own hexie quilt?  Star Members can watch Show 1507: 21st-Century Paper Piecing - Explore Hexies with a "Hexpert" featuring award-winning quilter, Cheryl See.
 

Cheryl launches English paper piecing into the 21st century, and you'll be amazed by her quilts; each incorporates a little "secret" or two that draws you in for a closer look. In this show, Cheryl shares loads of tips for making precise and perfect hexies and diamonds, and then shows a number of clever and versatile 3-D projects for trying her techniques without committing to a huge project.

Need a little more help? Star Members can watch Mary Elizabeth Kinch in Show 1502 and then download her practice block to give it a try.

Click here to download the .pdf file.

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Not sure what foot to use? Today we will share with you the top 10 BERNINA presser feet you should know, love, and own. based on feedback from BERNINA Ambassadors.
 
 

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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases. 

This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction!  This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.

Meet "MB" AKA "Man Bear" by Rob Appell

Rob writes,

"Man Bear" has been hanging out in my studio for a month helping me be creative as a textile artist.  It was such a pleasure to create him.  My kids even got super involved and helped me decide what special items he needed.  For example, you probably noticed his awesome hat with the Man Sewing Logo, but did you see he's also sporting a matching pair of high top logo sneakers?  Pretty cool, don’t you think? His swim trunks are made from a Batik featuring Morro Rock, which is where we live in Morro Bay, CA.  But that's not all. Like any cool surfer dude, he has a one of a kind “Bengal Tiger Quilt” necklace featuring one of my Endangered Species Quilts, and a Fabric skate board. When MB isn’t hitting the waves, he hangs out in his cool Man Sewing t-shirt (which by the way you can wear).

It was an honor to use my sewing skills to help raise money for this great organization, now it’s time for MB to become your RARE Bear.

Much Love, Rob Appell"

Star Members can watch Rob in Show 812: Protect our Planet...with Quilts.

Click here for links to see more Celebrity RARE Bears.

Rob Appell blends his love for the ocean with his work as a textile artist and designer. When he was younger, Rob landed a job in his mother's quilt shop, "The Cotton Ball," in Morro Bay, California. It was at The Cotton Ball where Rob found a fondness for Hawaiian shirt making. Shirt scraps make beautiful quilts, and so does Rob. He learned to quilt by trial and error, and definitely brings a masculine touch to this age old tradition. Rob's quilts are 100% machine made and focus on appliqué work.

Now, after almost twenty years in the industry, Rob designs quilts for Michael Miller Fabrics, has authored a few books, countless quilt patterns, including The Endangered Species Quilt Project, produced a few DVDs on his techniques, is inventing sewing and quilting tools, and services sewing machines in his studio in Morro Bay, California.

He is blessed to travel the world sharing his experiences and joy in quilt making and sewing machine technology.

Please contact Rob if you would like him to do a Trunk Show for your Quilt Guild or you need a pattern for one of his quilts.

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This vintage sewing ad from 1940 will have you believing that sewing a great dress is all a young girl needed to make a great impression. And don't we all wish we had "private" sewing rooms.

 

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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases. 

This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction!  This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.

Meet "The Boho Baby Boomer Bear" by Wendy Grande

The Boho Baby Boomer has honeycomb on her mind and belly.  Her Red Hat and Purple Vest evoke a definite sense of confidence while keeping true to her sense of fashion. Her Red Hat, adorned with a wreath of hand-made silk roses, is reminiscent of the Baltimore Album Quilts she collects. The addition of green flowing silk ribbons and 2 ladybugs encourages viewers to come in for a closer look. Boho Baby Boomer completes her ensemble with an embellished purple ultra suede vest featuring beads and silk ribbon embroidery.

Star Members can watch Wendy in Show 813: Enhance your Appliqué Repertoire...with Ribbon!


Click here for links to see more Celebrity RARE Bears.

Teacher, author, and appliqué artist extraordinaire Wendy Grande uses ribbon, as other quilters use fabric, to create her beautiful appliquéd designs.

 

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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases.

 

This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction!  This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.

Meet "Bumble Bear" by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Victoria writes,

"Thinking about how my daughter's childhood lovey-toy when she was young, and how it has been repaired many times. Considering that I sew my scraps together to make something that you can love and snuggle, it seemed appropriate to make a bear from my favorite yellow scraps. I love the homemade quality, because when I was a kid, my mother always asked for home made gifts, not store bought. I love that you can tell that it was made by my hands, and pieced with love."

Star Members can watch Victoria in Show 1404: Jump Start Your Creativity with 15 Minutes of Daily "Play".

 

 

Click here for links to see more Celebrity RARE Bears.

 

Victoria Findlay Wolfe is a New York City based award-winning international quilter, author of 15 Minutes of Play and Double Wedding Ring Quilts: Traditions Made Modern (C&T publishing). She also teaches and exhibits internationally, along with designing for Marcus Fabrics, Dies with Sizzix, and Aurifil thread sets. She is the JUKI USA Ambassador.

She is active behind the scenes as well with the Quilt Alliance, and advisory board member of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Textiles, and her own community based quilt drives. 

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Julie writes,

"The quilt top is finished.  The layers are basted.  It’s time to quilt…

Coming up with a plan for the quilting design can be a challenge.  Sometimes it’s a complete mental roadblock when I try to decide on a design. I often fall back on a crosshatch or grid pattern or I just stitch in the ditch. Sometimes it depends on how much time I’m willing to spend on this stage of the process and what (and who) the quilt is for.  Here is where stencils can come to the rescue."

 

For more tips, click here to visit Julie's classroom at TQS.

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These two ladies hand printed fabrics to create hundreds of designs back in the 1940s. Watch the meticulous work and think about how easy you have it shopping online or stopping by your local quilt shop to get what you need.