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There is going to be an exciting new event happening at The Festival of Quilts  from August 6 - 9, 2015 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. It is the first Game of Quilts. 

Click here to go to the Game of Quilts website.  Click here for their Facebook page.

Game of Quilts is about completing a quilt from the first cut to the last stitch on the label during the 7 hours that the Festival of Quilts is open each day.  BERNINA sewing machines, cutting and ironing equipment are supplied on the stand.

Each day, three teams of four members each, will try to meet this challenge. 

The quilts must measure no less than 48" square.

The teams will have complete freedom over their designs, but they will have instructions on how to construct the quilt top. This will be their starting point for a special quilt, which will allow all the skills and talents of the team members to shine.  

Any style, technique and material is permitted, as long as it is practical.  The quilts will be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity at the end of the Festival.

The fabrics for the quilts to be supplied by the teams and the choice of colors is entirely theirs.

The teams will be working in full view of visitors, who can watch their progress and engage in conversation.

This is not a competition and there is no elimination of teams.  All are winners, in that they will have achieved something great in aid of a very special charity.

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The 9th Annual Prague Patchwork Meeting was attended by many national as well as international visitors.  See some of the wonderful quilts on display.

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Sheila Frampton Cooper talks about her quilt, Venus in the Garden, at the Houston quilt show in 2013.  

"Go Tell It at the Quilt Show!" is a Quilt Alliance project designed to capture the stories of quilts where quiltmakers gather.

Star Members can watch Sheila in Episode 1306: No-Pin Curves and Quilt "Modern," also featuring Angela Walters.

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When it comes to improving your machine quilting skills, following a "Don't Do" list can be an effective way of enhancing the quality of your work. Based on a lecture given at QuiltCon, Angela Walters shares the things that you should stop doing to become a better quilter.

Star Members can watch Angela in Episode 1306: No-Pin Curves and Quilting Modern.

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Wondering what Ami Simms has been up to lately?  Well, she's dyeing underpants, yes underpants, and you, too, can become part of the Yo-Yo Sisterhood of the Traveling Panties.

She is once again offering to dye your underpants once the weather warms up (see her panty lines in the photo), but there are rules.  Click here to go to Ami's site.

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Have you ever wanted to see Eastern Europe but were not sure what to see or where to go?  Let Ricky Tims and Jim West (of Sew Many Places) take you by the hand to show you what you have been missing.  Travel in style and comfort AND find out why this is one of Ricky's favorite parts of the world.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:
Round-trip airfare from New York, private motorcoach, professional driver & tour guide, all breakfasts, some dinners, first-class hotel accommodations, sightseeing as listed in the itinerary and much more! This tour is personally escorted by Quiltmaker & Musician, Ricky Tims and Sew Many Places founder, Jim West!

See BUDAPEST, VIENNA, & PRAGUE:

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Photo by Gregory Case Photography

Joanne Sharpe’s (Episode 1610) quilts and fiber art pieces are filled with vibrant colors and joyous words. Her love of philosophy and her life work as an art teacher for all grade levels brings a special joie de vive to her work, which started on canvas and paper, and is now incorporating fabric. Joanne demonstrates how to use your own hand-written word to make a simple but unique small quilt. She also shows Ricky how to use Dyna-Flow dye to create a flower with a few easy brush strokes. Earlier in her career she designed holiday outdoor flags, and shares some of her products. On a field trip to Portland, TQS visits with Jennifer Murche, who creates incredible bowls with just fabric and thread. Learn her secrets and try it yourself!

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Elisabeth Strub Madzar works with incredibly old and often deteriorating pieces of Turkish textiles to create outstanding works.  Having completely immersed herself in the Turkish culture, she uses her love and respect of it to make pieces that are esthetically beautifu,l while at the same time giving life to precious textiles from days gone by.  Elisabeth says that she is always inspired by the ancient decorative arts found throughout Istanbul and other parts of the country.  Her work involves the use of hand-woven linens, silks, velvets and satins (decorated with delicate embroidery), combined with new luxury fabrics. Each element of the work, from start to finish, is done by hand.

When working in paper maché, she constructs the form and then attaches textiles that are too far gone for saving in a quilt.   Come into her studio to see where she works to create stunning pieces of art.

Listen to Elisabeth's interview with TQS

To learn more about Elisabeth and her work, check out her book Turkish Patchwork by QUILTMANIA

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This week Lea McComas (Episode 1609) shows you how to prepare your drawing and applying the Gutta.  This class is a great way to do something creative with that young person in your life.  Join now!

Don't forget to post your work, to be entered in the drawing to win your own set of Dye-Na-Flow Paint!