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A new exhibit recently opened at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  "The Other SideBacks" runs through April 11, 2016.
 

Have you ever wondered what the backs of some of your favorite quilts from the Museum's collections look like?  Now is your chance. All the quilts in this exhibit are hung so you can see both sides of some very famous quilts.

 

The quilt below is "Corona #2: Solar Eclipse" by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry.  Click on the photos to see the whole back and front of the quilt.

 

  Click here for more information about this historic quilt and how it was made.

 

 
 

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QuiltCon West 2016 is the largest modern quilt show of its kind and attracts attendees from around the world.  This year the show is being held in Pasadena, CA and includes a juried modern quilt show, and of course vendors, lecture and workshops from top modern quilting instructors.  TQS is in Pasadena this year and wants to share some of the innovative and modern designs seen at the show.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

 

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(View from upstairs studio down into the living room)

Tuesday evening, February 17, 2016, David Taylor’s home in Steamboat Springs, CO caught fire from an explosion. Steamboat Today reported, "It is thought that snow falling from a roof triggered an explosion at a Steamboat Springs duplex Tuesday night …” David is an award-winning quilt artist and a beloved quilt teacher who has also been featured on TheQuiltShow.com. David was was not home at the time. He was teaching in Chicago.

 
David texted Ricky Tims this message: "My house blew up while I'm here in Chicago. I am devastated, but will be fine. I think my Berninas melted.” Subsequently he said, "My friends who were allowed in to get stuff from my office do not want me to see inside because, apparently, it's devastating to look at.”
 
TQS will report more as soon as we know more details. TQS is asking the quilt community to keep David in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult and emotional time.

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In this video tutorial, Angela Walters from Quiltingismytherapy.com demonstrates how to use rulers on your domestic sewing machine or sit-down longarm.

Star Members can watch Angela in Show 1306: No-Pin Curves and Quilting "Modern" also featuring Sheila Frampton-Cooper.

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Rhonda Pierce, Marketing Director and Sewing Educator for SCHMETZneedles.com discusses SCHMETZ Household Needles and how to read the SCHMETZ needle package.

 

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Have you visited  RJR Fabric's Pixie Party? This is a terrific program brought to you by Cozy Quilt Designs® and RJR Fabrics. Each month they release a new quilt and kit that features pre-cut fabrics.  Here is a colorful quilt from their January release, "Cotton Rainbow."  Watch the video to see how simple it is to put together.

Click here to learn more and to find participating Pixie Party shops.

 

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Hand appliqué, hand quilting, thread painting and fabric painting highlight Part 3 of these quilts from AQS QuiltWeek Phoenix 2016.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

 

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(Image from beebeautiful)

Last week we shared ideas for using 1" strips of scrap fabric.  This week we return to highlighting ways to incorporate assorted scraps into new quilts.  These ideas will certainly cull that scrap pile significantly.  Rebekah from beebeautiful made this stunner of a log cabin quilt (above) using her scraps. 

Need some ideas for creating a more contemporary Log Cabin?  Check out Jacquie Gering's super tips for shaking things up in Show 1202.   

     

Here's another example: Colorful log cabin blocks with strips that are all relatively the same width.

Want to make a more traditional-looking quilt?  How about adding some fun background fabric to a square-in-a-squre Sawtooth Star? Lynn Harris of LittleRedHen string-pieced triangle units using 2 1/4" strips.  The background fabric features the streets of Paris. And, did you notice the scrappy binding?  We shared that idea in Week 4 of our Let's Get Organized series.

 

How about blocks of strips in different lengths? The sky's the limit when it comes to busting that stash of scraps!

And here's another stunning take on a String Quilt.

Want one more idea?  We found this very addictive ongoing project (Circa 2016) currently running at the Temecula Quilt Company.  Those little jewles are so darn cute.  Who wouldn't want to make a bunch of these darling blocks every week?  Next week we are back to work on clearing out/reducing your stash of magazines and patterns.

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Do you know about the World of Threads Festival? It showcases contemporary fiber and textile art in all forms.  It is also known for its Weekly Fiber Artist Interviews which have already featured 133 artists.
 
Click here to go to the World of Threads Festival website.

Main Festival Venue

Address: 2302 Bridge Road, Oakville, Ontario, (closest major intersection Bridge Road & Third Line)
Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm, Sun. 12 - 5 pm
Parking: Free
Exhibitions Pages: The Red and the Black | Solo Shows & Installations
 
 
 
Installation View: Variegated Threads - Curated by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.

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Barbara Black's quilt, "Red and White - By the Numbers," was selected as the commemorative quilt for the Ruby Jubilee, the 40th celebration of the International Quilt Festival.  Now Barbara is working on the TQS BOM 2016, "Rajah Quilt Revisited" and sharing her work in her blog, "MY JOYFUL JOURNEY: My life as a Quiltmaker and a Quilt Teacher. All things QUILT!"

Barbara's already made one change to her "Rajah Quilt Revisited" that you might want to think about if you find the center appliqué a bit daunting.  She has elected to use a vintage textile as the center.
 
If you find a vintage textile and it isn't quite big enough for the center of the quilt, you can always add "coping" strips, otherwise known as an inner border around the textile, to bring it up to the correct size.