Daily Blog

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I know most of you could not possibly come to La Veta for my Christmas concerts, so instead I was able to put together a video of one of the songs from concert for you. The song is Do You Hear What I Hear and it was the opening song of the show. It had been twenty years since Kat Bowser and I have peformed together. I had a blast creating the arrangement and I hope you'll enjoy this holiday song.

Justin taped the four shows from different angles - so the video is a compilation of them all. 

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Just when you think you have heard this song one too many times - Kudos to the men of IU

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As you can imagine it was VERY hard to pick a winner. From pirates to alligators and simply speeding and bribing - your ideas were awesome! The judges were stumped when trying to decide who had the best story. after hours of deliberation, they put all submissions in a hat and drew a winner - Congratulations BETH in MI - you won! I do have to say, your story was VERY good!

I will reveal one secret of the picture.  The Hummer is not mine.

Stay tuned for more story telling opportunities!

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          "Together We Can" by Wendy Butler Berns

Do you enjoy making quilts and taking photographs?  Why not combine both to create an outstanding quilt?  Wendy Butler Berns' newly available book Photo Album Quilts will certainly be helpful along the way.  Wendy takes you from the creation of a line drawing based on an enlarged image, to fabric selection, to construction.  Breaking the process down into managable segments makes the task much less daunting.  The book includes 25 inspiring projects to get you started.  To find more information on Wendy Butler Berns and her work click here.

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           "Together We Can"  by Wendy Butler Burns

Do you love quilting and photography?  Why not combine both in one outstanding quilt?  Wendy Butler Berns' newly available book Photo Album Quilts will certainly help along the way.  Wendy takes you from the creation of a line drawing based on an enlarged image, to fabric selection, to construction.  Breaking the process down into segments makes the taks much less daunting.  The book includes 25 inspiring projects to get you started.  For more information about Wendy Butler Berns and her book, click here.

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Look at us - We are twenty five thousand strong - WOW - time to celebrate. Thank you to EVERYONE who is a part of our world wide community - Just wait until we hit 50 thousand - one of YOU will win a top of the line Bernina courtesy of ARJJ (Alex, Ricky, Justin and John) - Help us spread the word!

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As we made our way through the homes I noticed we had a quilter/crafter on the tour. Her sewing room was incredibly organized, but what I found more fascinating was................check this out!!!

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Look what we found while searching the web!  Some of you may already know of this or have even used it, but for those who haven't, we thought we'd post this information for you from the HP website:

With the HP Custom Quilt Label kit, quilters can design and print their own custom fabric story labels, made-by labels and matching gift cards. The story labels allow quilters to tell the story behind the quilt with their own words and images, while the made-by labels provide quilters with a custom means of signing their work. For gift giving, a matching card can be created to match the quilt or the occasion.

This easy-to-use software provides step-by-step instructions, tips and suggestions to help users quickly design quilts using a number of templates and themes. Quilters can choose from an extensive variety of quality artwork, color schemes and templates or they can create their own designs using personal text, photos and graphics to make their labels look as artistic and unique as their quilts. The software is both PC and Mac compatible.

The HP Custom Quilt Label kit is available now at hpshopping.com for an estimated U.S. retail price of $24.99.(1) More information on the kit and where to buy it is available at http://www.hp.com/go/quilting.

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Fallowfield, Manchester, Great Britain, March 9, 2008. This fair incorporates the Societies and Guilds Show, lectures and demonstrations with 130 stands piled high with fabulous textiles and garments from all over the world which are collectable, hangable or wearable. Racks of vintage dresses and ethnic clothing, textiles from the mysterious East, wearable Japanese kimonos and Chinese robes and Central Asian ikat coats. Bundles of braids, loops of ribbons, boxes of buttons, silks and satins, English costumes from 18th and 19th century, embroideries worldwide and knitting, along with old household linens from France. Arts & Crafts textiles and newly fashionable 20th century Artist/Designer Textiles will also piled high. Children’s’ clothes from across the globe, smocks, hats, shoes and bags from the 18th century to 1970’s.

Dealers travel across the country, some from France, set out their stands in a huge hall that is quickly transformed by the colours and textures of beautiful fabrics. Specialist book dealers, and conservation experts, all gathered in one convenient place for the amateur or professional’s delight. The Embroiders’ Guild will have a bookstand, whilst the experienced practitioners from the Quilters and Lace Guilds will demonstrate their skills and be pleased to offer advice.  

For full details of lectures, dealers attending, Society and Guild presence please refer to www.textilesociety.org.uk

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     "The Beat Goes On" by Ricky Tims 

If you aren't already familiar with the nonprofit Alliance for American Quilts, then you'll want to go immediately to visit their inspiring website, www.centerforthequilt.org.  As fans of this dynamic organization whose mission is to preserve and share the stories of quilts and their makers, we've asked the AAQ to contribute a monthly segment to this blog.

These monthly segments will showcase various projects of the Alliance, explain how to navigate the Alliance's fast-growing virtual quilt collection, and announce newsworthy events such as contests and the posting of new interview, quilt records and documentary profiles.  First, let's look at two of the best known Alliance projects, the Quilt Index, featuring historic quilts from many private and public collections, and Quilters' S.O.S-Save Our Stories, an oral history project with today's quilters.

Quilters who drool over vintage quilts love to stop by the AAQ website, www.centerforthequilt.org to visit the Quilt Index, a vast online quilt collection jointly run by the Alliance and Michigan State University.  So far, there are about 18,000 quilts on display, many from state documentation projects.  You can search by historical period, quilt pattern, maker's name or browse an entire collection. Look for the number to quilts online to explode soon, swelling to more than 50,000 documented quilts, including entire collections from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum and the Museum of the American Quilter's Society, among others. 

For the sake of temptation and inspiration, here is a stunning 1850 Baltimore Album quilt from the D.A.R. Museum collection, posted last year.  In contrast to the vintage quilts at the Index, the Quilters' S.O.S.-Save Our Stories project allows you to look at a vast range of quiltmakers working today, including many famous teachers, art quilters and prize winners.  For each interview, the quiltmaker brings a "touchstone" quilt to talk about, explaining his or her personal quilt history.  More than 650 quiltmakers have been interviewed so far for the Q.S.O.S.  Above is the photo that accompanies the interview with Ricky Tims' conducted at the Houston International Quilt Festival in 2000.

Read more about The Alliance for American Quilts on the blog next month:  if you want to stay up to date about Alliance news meanwhile, you can sign up for a free e-mail newsletter on the homepage, www.centerforthequilt.org