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This week's puzzle is "Ring Cycles Reversed" by Lessa Siegele our TQS BOM 2016 designer. 

Star Members can watch Lessa in Show 1801: Piecing Perfection from the BOM Designer.

RingCyclesReversedbyLessaSiegele - 36 Pieces Non-Rotating

RingCyclesReversedbyLessaSiegele - 100 Pieces Non-Rotating

RingCyclesReversedbyLessaSiegele - 300 Pieces Non-Rotating

RingCyclesReversedbyLessaSiegele - 100 Pieces Rotating

RingCyclesReversedbyLessaSiegele - 300 Pieces Rotating

Original Photograph by Gregory Case

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In Memoriam - Blanche Young

Blanche Young, who passed away on January 2, 2016 at the age of 96, was an internationally-known quiltmaker and author. She taught at guilds and conferences across the country and Europe and Japan. She was the author of ten books on quiltmaking, including the best-selling Tradition with a Twist. She continued to travel and teach until she was 91. She was a prolific and generous quiltmaker, having made and donated more than 100 raffle quilts among the hundreds of quilts that she made in her lifetime.

"Blanche taught quilting for decades, including many times at the International Quilt Festival, and she was well known for being a ready volunteer to make raffle quilts for good causes. She made several very successful ones for IQA. Blanche was an early friend of Festival and a dear personal friend. The quilt world is a poorer place without Blanche Young."

Karey Bresenhan ~ Founder and Director Emeritus of the International Quilt Fesitval

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Ever wonder how fabric is made?  This video from the Discovery Channel will give you some idea.  You might be envious; the bobbin that's used can hold 250,000 meters of thread...

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Have you heard about the Whipstitch Sewing Café?  It's located in Providence, RI.  For $6 you can have a cup of coffee and one hour on a sewing machine, as well as access to an ironing board and other essential tools. You might receive some help, but they have no formal lessons.  The cafe also sells supplies and fabric and encourages people to learn to sew or just to enjoy sewing with other people. 

Click here to learn more.

Do you have a shop like this in your area?  Even if you have a machine at home, how much fun would it be to have a sewing party with your friends?

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There will be a second "Quilts of Valor" special on Public Television, featuring our very own Alex Anderson, along with the wonderful Marianne Fons and the amazing Mark Lipinski.

According to Marianne Fons, "All PTV member stations will have access to "Quilts of Valor II" later this month. Each one decides when to air it. As it is a 'pledge special,' they will be most likely to air it when they do their fundraising."

To make sure this unique and compelling program is aired on your local station, contact your station's programming department and ask it to schedule the show.

For help in finding your local station, go to http://www.pbs.org. Contact your station via email, phone message, or personal note to let them know you want to watch "Quilts of Valor II."

To learn more about the Quilts of Valor program, click here.

To watch a segment from "Quilts of Valor," the original show, click here.

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Kathy McNeil is a fearless quilter (would you cut up your wedding dress?), and as a longtime critical care nurse, she is very aware of the health benefits of quilting.  She uses a variety of techniques to create the effects she desires.  Need a color that you don’t have?  Kathy shows how to heat set crayons to create any fabric color you need.  She achieves different looks depending on whether she sets them while wet or dry.  She then shows how to build a landscape or pictorial quilt by creating collage units.  This allows her to move around the elements before finalizing the design.  Her choice and use of fabrics will change the way you look at them.  Her unique style extends to elements of her home as well.  Then, Ann Harwell creates precision cut and pieced masterworks, inspired by nature and images from the Hubble telescope.  She shares her technique for piecing with pins directly in the seam.

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Class has started with Kathy McNeil teaching her award-winning techniques. This full length DVD class is streaming all year online at TheQuiltShow.com.

You can see this 2 hour class or other classes by clicking Watch>Featured Guest DVDs on the menu bar above.

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Alex is excited to show you her latest fabric line from RJR Fabrics, "Chirp."  A little birdie tells us that she might just let you sneak a peek at the quilt she designed with those fabrics. (It's a Free Pattern for You).