Daily Blog

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Karlee created a quilt for her baby boy, Nate. Here she talks about how she did it.

Learn more about Karlee and her quilts in Show 2607: Graffiti Quilting and Lettering.

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Alex returns to her LIVE teaching. Thank you for joining, chatting, and your support. Today Alex takes on "Pressing Matters".

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Ricky is going LIVE today and you can watch it here. Don't worry if you miss some, it is being recorded for you. Stay safe, stay creative and watch for Ricky LIVE.

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Join the fun and learning from the comfort of your home with our FREE quilt focused art program designed to help you find the artist within by:

• Expanding your skills
• Exploring your creative side
• Improving your quilt compositions

Do you want to improve your understanding of color and not always feel the need to use a pre-made kit? Would you like to create original work that has real impact on viewers? Do you feel intimidated by a formal art class?

If you said yes, to any one of those questions, then you are the reason we created this program. Join TQS for learning, fun, and exploration as we guide you through the basics of Elements and Principles of Design and a whole host of other topics centered on the quilting art form.

• Twice a week lessons (Sun. & Wed.). Check your newsletter for the link.
• Lessons are Free to all. Sign up for the TQS Newsletter, if you haven't already done so.
• Learn how leading quilt artists use these techniques in their work
• Topics will include helpful images and a practice worksheet
• Work at your own pace while learning the fundamentals

Apple Collage by Valentina Maximova.

We encourage you to gather your school supplies together before our first lesson, which will begin on Sunday, March 29, 2020.

Items we suggest:

• Three ring notebook with dividers
• Assorted colored pencils
• White copy paper
• Graph paper
• Construction paper in assorted colors
• Other craft tools such as glue stick, scissors, ruler, etc.
• Scrap fabric from your fabric stash

Join in the fun! You'll be glad you did!

Click here for more topics related to The Art of Quilt Design program.

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We continue our selection of quilts exhibited in 2019 at the Houston International Quilt Festival as part of their 45th Anniversary, the Sapphire Anniversary. The Sapphire Celebration exhibit is described as:

"Quilters have long used the color blue to symbolize trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Sapphire is also the chosen gem to celebrate 45th anniversaries—which International Quilt Festival is doing this year (2019)! These new and antique blue and white quilts will be suspended from the ceiling in a spectacular and unforgettable display."

To be a part of the exhibit, quilts had to fit the following criteria:

• Entries may be Traditional, Modern or Art.
• Entries must have been made between 1974 and 2019.
• The minimum size is 50” x 50”

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1. Two layers: Batik fabric (very tight weave) on the outside and a cotton knit as the lining for comfort. Most of these have been with the elastic made to go around the ears. I think they are good for a temporary use, for example answering the door, or going to pick up groceries. They can also be worn over a molded medical mask for extra protection, but in that case ties around the back would be more comfortable for longer periods.
2. Three layers: Batik fabric on the outside, a very light woven (iron-on interfacing), and cotton knit lining. An extra layer of protection, still not medical grade. This could possibly provide more protection for the elderly or someone with another condition or illness who is at home. I found that three layers of traditional fabric was most successful when using ties as the elastic application became very bulky and difficult.
3. HEPPA filter: Batik fabric on the outside, HEPPA filter in the middle and cotton knit lining. A friend recommended trying this, as the filters claim to be a barrier for pollens, bacteria and virus! We are experimenting to see how they hold up during washing. If it handles well, it might be the closest I can come to a medical grade mask in filtration. It may not conform to the face perfectly, but it may well be much better than nothing for a medical professional. HEPPA filters are made for vacuum cleaners and for furnaces. They generally are accordion pleated, so many can be cut from one filter.

Click here for Anna's blog.

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Homage by Debbie Jeske and others (see sign below), of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild, was featured in the Group & Bee Quilts category at QuiltCon 2020.

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

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If you are a quilter, you are an artist. It never hurts to learn a little more. This is a great time to learn approaches that will make your quilts more interesting and more fun to make. These quick classes are fast, easy, and understandable. It's a Master's Course in Art in bite-size pieces. Alex Anderson finds out what it is all about from Lilo Bowman.

Click here for more topics related to The Art of Quilt Design program.

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So the pattern says to make the quilt block a certain size. Are you stuck with that? Alex says no. Join Alex as she goes LIVE with her current quilt lesson.

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The Harmon’s Pie Town Restaurant.  Photograph © by Russell Lee, image courtesy of John and Sue Bunton.

 Pie Town, New Mexico Quilt
by Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D.
Curator of Clothing and Textiles, Museum of Texas Tech University

Pie Town is a small town in western New Mexico that was on the road taken by many who were escaping the Dust Bowl on their way to California during the Depression. Pie Town and its people were photographed in 1940 by Russell Lee, a photographer for the Farm Security Administration of the United States Government during the Great Depression.

One of the founding settlers of Pie Town was Harmon L. Craig, who moved there in the 1920s. He met his wife, Theora, when she brought food from town to feed hungry cowboys who were working a roundup for one of the ranchers. She had been cooking and doing laundry in the Hall Hotel in nearby Magdalena. Theora had been abandoned by her first husband, who left her and their two daughters when he fell on hard times in business. After their marriage on July 29, 1924, Mr. Craig brought his family to live in a log home he had built in Pie Town. Shortly thereafter, a small addition (which served as a café), was built onto the house. While Theora was busy managing the café, H.L. focused on building other businesses in town.

Harmon L and Theora Craig on their porch.  Image courtesy of John and Sue Bunton.

The family states that interviews with New Mexico residents at the time document that the pies, cakes and cookies offered at the café were famous for a hundred miles. Cowboys on long cattle drives began to plan routes to include a stop for a rest in Pie Town just so they could have a slice of pie and a cup of coffee.

Although others have claimed the title, Theora’s descendants claim she was the original Pie Lady of Pie Town. H.L. Craig was instrumental in the development of Pie Town, often interviewing people driving through who were escaping the Dust Bowl. If he liked the person’s work ethic, H.L. would offer to help them get started, with the understanding that they would settle in Pie Town.

The images of Pie Town taken by Russell Lee document the hard life and determined spirits of its residents. Many were photographed wearing garments made of printed cotton feed sacks; those images were included in the museum’s recent exhibit on feed sacks.

Harmon L. and Theora Craig in their Pie Town, New Mexico home, where the quilt was used. Photograph © by Russell Lee, image courtesy of John and Sue Bunton.

The family says that Theora loved her garden more than quilting, but she left behind a beautiful charm quilt made to keep her family warm. Typical of many quilts made at this time, this one employed a wide variety of scrap fabrics cut into large hexagon shapes.

Charm Quilt made by Theora McDonald Baum Craig (b. 1887, m. 1907, m. 1924, d. 1980) Mrs. Harmon L.)
circa 1940 in Pie Town, NM.  Gift of John and Sue Bunton, 2020-009-001.
Image © the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Learn more about the Clothing and Textiles Collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Click here for related articles from the Museum of Texas Tech University Textile Collections.