Daily Blog

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The deadline has been extended through International Quilting Weekend -  Sunday March 20th!

While the gang is gathered around the TV watching March Madness, stitch up a "bearskin" for a child with a rare disease
AND be entered to win an iPad Mini!

How long does it take to make a "bearskin"?  By the time the buzzer sounds and
the last bite of snacks have disappeared, you will have made a "bearskin" -  or two!
A team of volunteers at RARE Science will stuff and finish the bears.

Did you know?:

• 20 million kids have rare disease
• 30% of them die before the age 5
• Rare diseases are responsible for 35% of deaths in the first year of life

Want to know more about the contest?  Here are the rules. 

There are a few steps, but we know you want to participate and not miss out on this chance to help out AND WIN.

Each bearskin should be made to specific guidelines using Simplicity pattern C5461 (just $5.96). It is the contribution of your own stash fabric that will make the bear unique.  RARE bears given to kids include a special serial number tag and fabric feet.

1.  Visit the RARE Science website to receive the special numbered tag and feet fabric that will be sent to you via mail.  Mention (in the message area) that you are participating in the RARE Bear Game Day Sew-In Contest.

• If you only need the serial tag and feet fabric, please specify.
• If you are having trouble locating the pattern and need that along with the serial tag and feet fabric, please specify.

  2. Then gather all of your supplies and start sewing your 'bearskin.' 

  3. Once the 'bearskin' is completed, upload the photo of your handiwork on our RARE Bear Community area by Midnight on
      Thursday, March 20, 2016 to be entered in the contest.

• You must be logged in first to enter your photo. All members are included: Free and Premium "Star".
• If you are not a Free Member, just click on "Join Free" in the brown menu bar at the top of the page.
• Once you are in the RARE Bear Community area, Click on the blue "Join Group" button to join the group.
• Click on the photo icon to upload your photo.
• Don't forget to write - "RARE Bear Contest Entry" and your name in the Status Box.

  4. Don't have your serial tag and feet by the time the 8th rolls around, but your skin is made?  Not a problem.  Upload your photo
      and you will still be included in the contest.

So, if you post your "bearskin" image by Sunday March 20th, you will be entered into two contests.  One for the iPad Mini and also the International Quilting Weekend contest.  (Yes, Rare Bear makers are allowed TWO entries into the International Quilting Weekend Contest). So that's two ways to win and help out a child. Make sure you upload your photo and you will automatically be entered to have a 2nd chance to win in the International Quilting Weekend Contest also. During International Quilting Weekend, Rare Bear makers will be automatically entered a 2nd time in the regular contest!

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Okay, admission here. I don't understand football. I never did, I never will. I used to tune into the Superbowl just to watch the half-time show. But I think that snack foods are the order of the day when the Superbowl comes around, right? Here is one of my most favorite snacks--Crispy Pecans. A simple recipe--only three ingredients--but they need to be made ahead of time. They are well worth it!

Happy Superbowling, everyone. I'll be spending the day in my studio. Don't you really want to join me?

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Janna Thomas finds much of her quilting inspiration in flowers and antique stitchery designs.  Her specialty is borders, and she shares her ideas for transitioning a quilt from the center out to the border – or borders!  She is a stickler for accuracy, and she shares basic tips on creating accurate blocks, as well as how to prepare and handle them during assembly, to keep them from losing their shape.  She demonstrates how to make quick diamond-in-a-square and triangle-in-a-square blocks.  Frustration with her cutting ruler prompted her husband Paul to design a new ruler for her, and they now have a quilting tool company.  They share the sweet story of how they met, and why they named their company Courtship Quilts.

Alex and Ricky each have their favorite – and least favorite – tools for marking quilts.  They debate the merits and drawbacks of various tools.

Show 1803: It's All in the Border debuts on January 31, 2016.

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Jane writes:

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Did you know that there are health benefits to doing puzzles?

"Studies have found that when we work on a jigsaw puzzle, we use both sides of the brain, and spending time daily working on puzzles improves memory, cognitive function and problem solving skills."

Did you know that you can have a jigsaw puzzle created from a photo of one of your quilts?

Did you know that there is a whole section of the TQS website dedicated to puzzles and games?

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(Jane Sassaman: Moths and Moons Quilts)

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Patricia Belyea of Okan Arts visited the Tokyo Quilt Festival this year and wrote a full report with loads of pictures including quilts bags, and a special William Morris exhibit. The International Great Quilt Festival, held the third week in January, is the largest quilt show in the world and attracts 235,000 visitors a year.

Photo: Patricia Belyea Okan Arts)

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Whoops. It's Now Open. Sorry

Quilter, teacher, author, Sharon Pederson has done it all and now she is sharing with TQS tips and tricks she wishes she had learned as she was beginning to quilt.  Up first, Sharon shows us how to find straight of grain in our fabric.

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The parade of amazing quilts continue. Here is a slideshow of the 1st place winners by category.

Click the picture to start the slideshow

(We recommend pausing the slideshow and going through manually so you can read the artist's comments.)

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Yoko Saito is a quilting leader in the use of quiet shades of taupe and fastidious attention to detail.  This year a special exhibit at the International Great Quilt Festival in Tokyo will feature the work of her group of students to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter with "The World of Peter Rabbit."   Patricia Belyea at Okan Arts has written about Yoko and visiting the festival to see the exhibit.

Star Members can learn more about Yoko Saito in Episode Show 1505 with Priscilla Noble:  East Meets West.  Priscilla is a quilter familiar with the Japanese design aesthetic and was the obvious (authorized) choice to translate, publish, and distribute the works of Yoko Saito.