5

Yes, this messy room of fabric belongs to Ricky. Apparently his attempt at fabric organization became an epic fail. Ricky says, “The photo of the messy fabric is of a storage closet in our basement that was next to my sewing space when we first moved into this house. If you look close, you’ll see there is some logic in all the mess. I’ve always organized my fabric by color and for the most part that is still evident from the piles. I did put all my plain solids in one area regardless of color. I also used plastic bins or crates to contain each grouping. The advantage here is that I can see most all of the fabric. Another bonus is that the room is dark so I don’t have to worry about the fabrics fading in daylight or artificial light. The problem is that the more I dig into the piles, the more the stacks tip and shift. Over time, they just tumble out and I tend to just stuff them back in. While these are rarely used older commercial fabrics, I still enjoy having them on hand when I have a project where I might need them. I need to set aside a day and just tackle this mess. I will organize it the way I organized my main storage closet."

When Ricky remodeled a garage to create his current studio space, he had organization assistance from Libby Lehman—the Queen of Organization. Between the two of them, they settled on a storage system using bins on shelves. The bins are upright so no fabric can possibly fall out. The downside is that you can’t see into the bins. Ricky solved that problem by putting laminated images showing the fabrics that are in each bin. Ricky says, “I’ve had this new system in place for almost five years and I have not had to reorganize any of these. This new system works like a charm!"
 
 

  8

Christa Watson is walking you through a quick and easy quilt from start to finish at WeAllSew.com. Sort out your scraps and make forty 2 1/2" strips or use up that jelly roll occupying space on your shelf to create this Simple Strips quilt. 

Click here to go to part 2.

 
 

  2

Enjoy more quilts from 2016 AQS QuiltWeek Paducah.  The quilts this year ranged from very traditional to extremely modern with just a bit of whimsy thrown in to keep things fun.

Click here for a list of winners.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

 

  3

Lola Jenkins does wonderful collage work of people, places and times.  Here she shares some of that fabulous creativity.

Star Members can watch Lola in Show 1809: Portrait Collages and Binding Concepts, as well as, Show 902: When Serendipity Strikes - Portrait of a Quiltmaker.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

 

  7

Make this super functional and fun Woodland Tote from Art Gallery Fabrics and WeAllSew.com. Learn how to apply a zipper, make quilted straps and how to sew with the BERNINA Walking foot #50.

Click here for corner templates.

Click on the button to learn more about the tote or watch the video below.
 
 

  13

 

Sometimes your quilt doesn't really call out for a binding.  When that happens, facing your quilt might just be the right thing to do.  Here's a quick and easy way to face your quilt from TheSillyBooDilly.

 
 
 
 

  2
 
The keynote speaker for QuiltConEast 2017 is none other than Angela Walters!
 

Can't wait until 2017?  Star Members can watch Angela in Show 1306: No-Pin Curves and Quilting "Modern."

Registration: Member pre-registration kicks off Saturday, July 25, 2016.  The registration process has been improved this year. The registration link will be posted on the Community site one full week before member pre-registration begins at 10 AM EDT on the 25th. The registration site will not be functional until registration actually begins on the 25th. That means you don't have to wait for the email or visit the site at the stroke of 10 AM EDT to get to the registration site — you can bookmark the link and register as soon as it opens!

Be a Super Volunteer!
New this year, Super Volunteers who work 16 hours or more during QuiltCon are eligible for early registration for the next QuiltCon. For instance, if you worked 16 hours at QuiltCon 2016 in Pasadena, you are eligible for early registration to QuiltCon 2017. (More information will be sent soon to Super Volunteers who qualified in 2016.)

QuiltCon 2017 Super Volunteer signups run from May 15 through June 15, and we will have more information for you in May.

Faculty:

Click here for a complete list of instructors and lecturers.

Important Dates:
May 15: Super Volunteer sign-ups open
June 1: Course Catalog released
June 20: Last day to become an MQG member for member registration
June 25: MQG Member Pre-Registration opens
July 1: General Registration opens for the public
July 1: Quilt entries open
November 30: Last day for member registration*
November 30: Quilt entries close

  4

Alex and Wendy Grande (Show 813 - Enhance Your Appliqué Repertoire... with Ribbon!) visited the National Museum of American History in Washington DC. It is part of the Smithsonian Museums. They searched and found only one quilt on display. It's a wonderful quilt made in 1847 and even has a picture of Saturn on it. Take a look at all of the interesting block designs.

Click on the photo to see a slideshow of the quilt.

 

 

 

 

  35

Sharon teaches you how to make your own stencils using layers of freezer paper.

  2

In the previous lesson with Christa Watson at WeAllSew.com, we completed the quilt top.  Now we are going to piece the back and and get a few tips to spray baste the quilt.

Click here to go to part 4.