Daily Blog

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On November 1, the online quilt auction of the World Series Quilt Challenge for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) began. The auction concluded November 10th.  Each quilt in the auction was  a 16" x 16" masterpiece created by some heavy hitters in the quilting world.  Bidding grew fast and furious during the final hour which resulted in an amazing total of $12,908.56 for the quilts alone.  

Hollis' Chatelain's quilt, Tangled, led the bidding with a final offer of $3,537.56.  Hollis was part of the American Quilt League along with John Flynn's Heart of the Storm, Becky Goldsmith's When I am empty, and Sue Nickels' Tiny Tea at Tenby.  The Grand Total for the quilts for the American Quilt League was $7,043.56.

The National Quilt League was led by Caryl Bryer Fallert's Feather Flower #2 at $2,500, along with Judy Mathieson's Scarlet and Indigo, Mary Sorensen's Late Bloomer, and our own Ricky Tims' Rhapsody for Remembering.  The National Quilt League total for quilts was $5,865.

As of the morning of 11/11, Ricky Tims led the league in ROOTING - WOO HOO! - The rooting won't count for the MVP totals after 11/11, but the AAQI will continue to offer the World Series Earrings until the end of November. Also, CafePress has Tshirts, totes, etc. with quilt images on them.

Now that the "big doings" are over, don't forget that the AAQI has an auction every month, you can continue to help them by either bidding on a quilt or donating one of your own.  To find out more about the monthly auctions and how you can help, click here.

Please pat yourself on the back for making the AAQI the real winner of the auction.

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Were you one of the TQS members who found out about Margo's quilt a little bit too late to participate?  When you heard, did you say "I Didn't Know."  Well, all you IDKers, here's your chance.  You can still send Margo a block to tell her thank you for all she does.   

Here's what you need to know:

• Make any flower block in colors of your choice. Use at least 1 green fabric in the block. Blocks may be pieced, appliquéd, painted, or printed. Fabric should be all cotton and pre-washed. Embroidery is fine, but no embellishments, please. Nothing crunchy, sharp, sticky, etc.
• Block size should be 8" finished. (This is a change from the original quilt.)  If you are unable to make a flower block, Margo has asked that you  just sign a piece of fabric that will fit into an 8" finished space.
• Please sign the front of all blocks, either with embroidery or with a micron-pigma pen. We don't want anything to run! Please include your first and last names and your TQS screen name, your city, and state or county.
• Please send your blocks to:

Margo/Alex Anderson

PMB 139

1141Catalina Drive,

Livermore, CA  94550

• When you send in your block, please provide the following information:  Full name, address, TQS screen name, and E-mail address.  Please include a piece of your green fabric with the block for making a pieced border.
• The deadline is December 15, 2010.

NOW YOU KNOW!!! - Enjoy a few photos of Margo receiving her quilt.  Thank you to Carol Moellers for the photos.

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Just when we think Sue Garman has out done herself with our BOM - look what she was sharing at market! HEY SUE - Do you EVER sleep????

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Nancy Kerns of Skillman, New Jersey, wanted to reproduce an antique Baltimore album quilt. She chose a design from the D.A.R. Museum in Washington D.C. Nancy definitely chose a winner as, Mary Simon Rediscovered, her quilt, was awarded the Founders Award at the International Quilt Festival in Houston this year. Nancy worked hard to match the fabric's original look. Her design source was the Mary Simon Pattern Set from the D.A.R. Museum.

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As promised here are just a few of the many winning quilts on display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston this year. They come from every category and every part of the world, traditional, modern, embellished, and painted. There is a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy. If possible, the artist who created the quilt was photographed with their quilt. It's always fun to put faces to names. This is just a start, there will be more to come.

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Keep your eyes on the blog as TQS will be reporting all kinds of happenings from the International Quilt Festival in Houston.

Of course, there will be quilts, but you never know who you are going to come across, or what interesting design is going to come your way.

Keep your eyes peeled, it's gonna be great!

First up, later today, some highlights of the winning quilts, along with close-ups.

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This is one of the very few hands on workshop I get the pleasure of hosting each year. Space is extremely limited - so do not delay - tell Santa you have been very good this year, and secure your spot today!

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Marcia Stein is know for creating beautiful quilts based on photographs. Here she shares some examples of these quilts which demonstrate her mastery of machine appliqué. Some of them looks so real you want to touch them or drive them away.

To learn more about her technique, watch Show 709: Quilting with Personality.

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? by TQS member karenlcd

Add a bit of 'picnic humor' to your next gathering with this clever placemat and napkin holder created by our 3rd place winner of our recent TQS Placemat Contest, Karen Milhous.  Find this pattern and those of the other two winners on our Projects page here.  Be sure to check out all of the clever entries in Show and Tell here.

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Sometimes a quilt just calls for a bit of something extra when it comes to binding.  If your quilt is reversible, why not make a two-sided binding using Bonnie Browning's tip from her book, Borders & Finishing Touches 2.

Cut strips from two different fabrics. To determine the cut width of the strips, add the width of the required seam allowances to the desired width of the finished binding. For example, a 1/2" finished binding will require strips cut 1 1/4" wide: 1/2" for the finished binding + 1/4" for the seam allowance needed to join the two strips + 1/2" for the seam allowances needed to apply the binding to the quilt.

Sew the two contrasting strips together lengthwise using a 1/4" seam. Press the seam allowance open. Sew to the front of quilt using a 1/2" seam. Fold the binding to the back of the quilt, turn under 1/2" to cover the stitching line, and use matching thread to blindstitch or hand stitch the turned edge.

See more great binding ideas in Episode 609 with Bonnie Browning here.