Quilting By Design

Centennial Stitches,
Oklahoma History in Quilts


     What do Sam Walton, Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Willard Stone, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Kate Barnard, Carrie Nation, Alfalfa Bill Murray, Frank Phillips, and John Wayne have in common? Their stories and quilts are included in the book, “Centennial Stitches–Oklahoma History in Quilts”, written by Judy Howard of Buckboard Quilts.
     Judy Howard collects, studies, buys, sells, makes, and honors quilts. As a dealer of quilts, Judy is always on the lookout for a new one to join her ranks. And did I forget to mention that Judy also writes about quilts?
     The full-color, hardcover, coffee table gift book is available in this limited collectors edition for $39.95. It contains the eighty centennial quilt contest winners with stories, along with fifty-six stories of other Oklahoma historic quilts and thirty-two pages of a sampling of 1800’s cherished legacy quilt photos that would have traveled into Oklahoma in covered wagons prior to statehood. “Centennial Stitches” inspires and entertains as it transports you into the lives and hearts of pioneer and contemporary women. This book celebrates the 100th birthday of Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s Centennial is November 16th, 2007. The Downtown Cushing Main Street program proudly presents Judy Howard’s collection of Centennial Oklahoma art quilts July, 6 - 8 in Downtown Cushing. Exact location and times to be announced. An admission fee of $3 will be charged.
     On a side note, there is an entry in the book made by an officer of my local quilt guild, The Pryor Patchers. In this entry, Susan Hatchette interviewed Mrs. Willard Stone. Many of you may have heard of Willard Stone; a famous Native American sculptor that was born in 1916 on a rocky hillside farm east of Locust Grove, Oklahoma.
     ”Centennial Stitches” would make a great purchase even if you are not a quilter! It is full of interesting stories and the photographs are amazing. This book is sure to capture the interest of anyone seeing it laying atop a table or on a shelf beneath an end-table.
     All book profits go to non-profit groups making charity quilts.

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, Quilting By Design, Quilting Passion, Judy Howard, Centennial Stitches

FABRIC MATCHER


     Sewing has become an essential skill, let alone “hobby“, whether quilting, crafting, or sewing garments. With the popularity of crafting, in general, increasing, more and more people are visiting fabric stores to select their fabrics for their upcoming projects. For some, this can be a stressful and frustrating experience, as it is hard to visually imagine the finished project with fabrics and colors that you may have in mind.
     With that said, enter FabricMatcher.com! This global, one-stop shopping site allows you to match fabrics, patterns, and colors, easily customizing your projects right on your computer’s monitor screen. The site also has the capabilities of storing your projects, patterns, selections, etc.
     Fabric Matcher partners with Hancock’s of Paducah, in Kentucky, to aid users in creating their personalized project components. Hancock’s is a very well-known and respected quilt shop, both online and offline (located in Paducah, KY). Hancock’s has thousands of bolts of fabrics to choose from, and if you have ever had the honor of visiting their shop in person, you probably found that there was not enough time in a day to look at the entire store! In fact, I never made it out of the batik section!
     Fabric Matcher also has formed relationships with some of the world’s top fabric, quilt, and cloth designers to create a huge variety in patterns that are available. New patterns are added to the site on a monthly basis, too.
     So, who is Fabric Matcher? Fabric Matcher is owned by a husband and wife design team, Damian and Sarah Fielke. Sarah is a passionate quilter and crafter, while Damian joined forces with her to help develop a crafting community online (hence, the birth of Fabric Matcher). The Fielke’s live in Australia; proving once again that the Internet brings the world closer together, making us all neighbors.
     In addition to all of the cool features of this Web site, with each purchase from Fabric Matcher, an organization called “Trees for the Future” with the Fabric of Life Project will plant a tree in an effort to help combat the negative effects of CO2 in the atmosphere. It is a nice thought to know that your online shopping can help the environment, too!

INTERVIEW

TERRY: Share a little about yourself, your family, hobbies, etc.?
DAMIAN: I am married to Sarah (co-owner of Material Obsession) with two boys - Charlie, 9 and Oscar, 7. We live in Sydney, Australia and my professional background is in design, marketing, and new product development.
TERRY: Damian, are you a quilter?
DAMIAN: No, I am not a quilter, but am a husband to a quilter who runs a business. I have been developing product and marketing for their business for the past three years; they have a contemporary spin on traditional blocks and quilts.
TERRY: In a nutshell, what is your Web site about?
DAMIAN: Having a wife as a quilt designer and quilt shop owner has added another dimension to our lives. Not only have we made some great friends in the quilting community, but we have also had a fun time trying new and innovative ways to approach design and color.
     That is where the fabric matcher idea came from. We used to watch quilters come in to the shop, buy a pattern, and then spend a lot of time trying to match fabrics and build a kit that suited their color needs. We then developed a Web site to help bring fabric, color, and patterns together in one spot. It’s the world’s first one stop shop for matching fabrics, patterns, and color to suit your imagination. I understand that this will not be for everyone, but hopefully will be a successful addition to the wonderful array of quilt and fabric sites on the Web.
TERRY: What makes your Web site truly unique?
DAMIAN: We have developed innovative color and matching tools to help you choose and match fabric to your projects. You can customize quilt and home sewing creations, then buy the fabrics and patterns you need right now. There’s even a place to stash your projects, including favorite photos, patterns, your creations and much more. It all sounds so easy? I know it isn’t, but hopefully people will find the site fun to use, inspirational, and a place where you can share ideas and learn from the community of sewers and quilters.
     The site is also a great marketing tool for fabric designers and pattern designers – these companies have a chance to showcase their fabrics in a number of ways across a variety of patterns.
TERRY: Do users of your site need a subscription or do you offer free services?
DAMIAN: We have two levels of subscription:

• Basic membership which is free – You can use all the functionality, like search fabrics and patterns, match fabrics to patterns and buy the kits.
• Premium membership is $25 for 12months – This allows users to also save projects, images and searches into their own stash so they can come back and review, change and show to other customers what they have been working on.

 
TERRY: When did your site launch and how long did it take it?
DAMIAN: The site launched during the second week of May and it took four months for it to go live online. If users find an error, please submit it to info@fabricmatcher.com. There is also a feedback form in Contact details on the Web; it is a new site and any feedback is much appreciated.
TERRY: Is Hancock’s of Paducah the only fabric shop you partner with?
DAMIAN: Yes, we have formed a partnership where I am able to have them fulfill all the orders around the world. Justin Hancock has been very supportive of the whole project.
TERRY: What is the average length of shipping time for an order?
DAMIAN: Shipping time depends upon the location being shipped to. Details are given on our site.
TERRY: Do you think living in Australia hampers your site in any way?
DAMIAN: Interesting question. One drawback is I probably won’t be able to have a face to face contact with the industry, but from my Web experience, the way customers now purchase over the Internet and the international participation in the craft, people are now more accepting of buying from most key countries in the world. My key strength is that I am working with a well respected US online fabric retailer company who delivers to over 72 countries around the world. My Web site is just another way to help customers make fabric and pattern choices online.
TERRY: Do you have any future plans to share with us?
DAMIAN: Look out for clothing and accessory patterns to be added in the coming months. Plus we will put up new patterns and fabrics every week.
 
     If you are a pattern designer, fabric designer, or fabric manufacturer and would like more information regarding partnering with Fabric Matcher, or if you would be interested in having your product featured on Fabric Matcher, or you are an advertiser of crafting products, or if you would simply like additional information, please feel free to contact Damian.
     Hopefully, you have gleaned enough information about this revolutionary new Web site to motivate you into checking it out! Please feel free to leave comments and/or suggestions in the Comments area below.

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, Fabric Matcher, FabricMatcher, FabricMatcher.com, Quilting By Design, Quilting Passion

60° Triangle, by CREATIVE GRIDS

CREATIVE GRIDS is not just another company that makes acrylic rulers. This company, founded by Sheila Waterfield of Leicester, England in 1989, distinguishes itself from others by developing rulers with the non-slip, opaque gripper dots. Creative Grids® rulers are sold around the world and recommended by well-known quilting experts and teachers. Each ruler features embedded gripper dots and easy-to-read black markings. The company carries a large variety of products and offers an online demo, which requires that Macromedia Flash Player be installed.

This review concentrates on one ruler: The 60° triangle. The ruler, product CGRT60, retails for $15.50 US$ (even though I only paid $14.50 for mine at a local quilt shop) and the package contains one non-slip triangular acrylic ruler, that makes up to (in 1/4″ increments) an 8″ finished size, and step-by-step laminated instructions written by Lynne Edwards. Also included in the package is a cardstock image, actual size, of the triangular ruler that can be cut out and used as a template (even though there is no reference to this in the package).      Lynne Edwards is an internationally known quilt designer, teacher, and author. Lynne has exhibited many of her own works in galleries, museums, and festivals including the National Crafts Council Gallery in London, Suffolk Craft Society Gallery in East Anglis, and International Quilt Association Festivals in Houston, Chicago, Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. Lynne has published numerous books and articles. She has given demonstrations of Creative Grids® at quilt shows throughout the world. The patterns she has created for Creative Grids® illustrate how amazingly simple these quilt rulers are to use that can yield results!      MY REVIEW: The Good - The laminate instructions are on one sheet, front and back, and give fairly good directions on cutting both 30° and 60° triangles (the larger triangle instructions are easier to understand). The real benefits of this gadget are in the nice easy-to-read black printed surface and the embedded grippers! Another plus for this acrylic ruler is that the tip is pre-cut off of the template, which makes cutting the triangles a snap, especially if you are cutting from strips! The Bad - On the downside, in my opinion, the instructions could be enhanced to include more about how to put the blocks together into a quilt after they have been sewn. Personally, I feel it leaves the user hanging, especially if you are not a “math person”, able to figure out the angles and how to sew them together yourself.        MY CONCLUSION: If thinking about purchasing this specific product (note that I am only reviewing the triangle), be prepared to handle a fair amount of calculations and quilt design yourself. On the other hand, if one is experienced in working with triangles and/or has very good math skills and/or does not mind doing some legwork in learning, it is an excellent gadget!        Please feel free to leave your comments, especially if you have used this gadget or if you plan on purchasing it!

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, Creative Grids, Sheila Waterfield, Lynne Edwards

Watercolor Quilts

Monet Painting

Watercolor quilts are quilts that are made from many small squares, usually 1" to 2".  These quilts are usually considered in the artistic arena and favor the impressionism movement.  They have become quite popular over the past few years and each quilt is truly unique, even if using the same fabric selections and pattern.      Watercolor quilting can easily be learned!  There are many sites that provide helpful instructions in creating these impressionist quilts.

There are quite a few options available when making a watercolor quilt, including, but not limited to:  1)  A simple design using light/dark as the focal point, 2) A more complex design using different fabrics to create a secondary pattern, 3)  An even more complex design using a combination of the first two, or 4) A design, either simple or complex, used in combination with appliqué to create a layered effect.      Often times, many watercolor quilts are made using either floral fabrics and/or with a floral theme. This seems to be the standard, probably because of the Paris-based artists in Europe in the 19th century and the types of paintings they expertly brushed onto canvas.      Many sites offer patterns for watercolor quilts.  A few of the more well-known sites include: Connecting Threads, Whims, Mostly Quilts, Lenore Crawford, That Patchwork Place, Deanna Spingola Designs, Everything Quilts, Keepsake Quilting, Cathouse Quilts.      Sites that share photographs of watercolor quilts include: Forget Me Not Studio, Mostly Quilts, Lenore Crawford, A Watercolor Vest, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Gallery 1, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Gallery 2, Deanna Spingola’s Personal Gallery.      A few books with watercolor patterns and instructions include: Watercolor Quilts, Strip-Pieced Watercolor Magic, More Strip-Pieced Watercolor Magic, Quick Watercolor Quilts:  The Fuse, Fold, and Stitch Method.      Hopefully, this is enough information regarding watercolor quilts to whet your appetite!      Have you made any watercolor quilts that you would like to tell about, and possibly share a photograph?  If so, please comment in the area provided at the end of this article!

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, watercolor quilts

QuiltPox.com

     This is the first Web site review that I have done and, in my opinion, it would be very difficult to find another site that equals the quality and potential that Quilt Pox has to offer.
     Quilt Pox is owned and completely maintained by Kimberly Crapsey, a very talented and incredible (not to mention highly intelligent) young woman!
     Grab a cup of coffee, hot tea, or your favorite beverage, then sit back and relax as you enjoy a personal interview into the life of Kimberly!
     
TERRY: Kimberly, how did you get started quilting and when?
KIMBERLY: Well, the honest truth is that I started quilting when I was about 15 years old and bought a package of 6″ squares from the local variety store and sewed them all together. I had always been fascinated with quilts, even though we had none in our family. Well, I had a top and no idea what to do after that. Fast forward about 16 years, in 2000 (that original top was later used by a brother as a oil cloth when I went away to college and left it behind!) I really got the quilting bug. A girl I worked with made some simple quilts for a few colleagues and I begged her to show me how. With basic instructions, and a trip to Joann’s, the quilting bug was born in me. I had no idea what the heck I was doing back then, but I learned quickly and absorbed everything I could. As I tend to not stick with things, I only bought a cheap Brother sewing machine, which I quickly broke and then evolved to my first mechanical Viking. Fast forward 7 years and I now have a Husqvarna Viking Lily 555, a Brother PQ1500, and a Bernina 180e.
TERRY: I have seen your hand-dyed fabrics both online and in person. They are absolutely gorgeous! What caused you to begin hand-dyeing your own fabrics?
KIMBERLY: While a member of a different quilting forum, one member shared some of her hand dyed fabrics. I had already fallen in love with Bali hand dyes and batiks, by now having graduated to mostly quilt shop only fabric. I was so taken with the hand dyes, that I had to learn myself. So, I got a starter kit from Dharma Trading, and that was all it took. My kitchen isn’t set up well for dyeing now so I don’t get in as much as I would like, but I love having the opportunity to dye my own color backings.
ADDITONAL NOTE: Kimberly taught a hand-dyeing class on QPU earlier this year and the results were awesome!
TERRY: Do you have any current projects that you are working on?
KIMBERLY: Wow, too many. I have started several and not gotten far, among them, a folded flower wallhanging from Rebecca Wat’s book. I also have a hexagon vest in the works using the Quilt Patis. Of course, both of these are labor-hand intensive. Then I have 3 different block swaps that I have participated in that need to be sewn together and quilted. That doesn’t include the ideas in my head. They never end.
TERRY: How do you fit quilting and your Web site into your very busy schedule?
KIMBERLY: Well, that is the hard part. I was spoiled, in a way, by working at a help desk, graveyard shift, for many years. I worked 3 - 12 hour shifts so not only did I have time to work on my site from work, but I had lots of days off to work on quilts. Now that I am doing a real 9-5er, I don’t have nearly enough time, and can’t work on my site from work. I still try to add something new at least once a month or so, even if it is only a new tip or quilting term.
TERRY: How did you come up with the name, “Quilt Pox”, and what does it mean?
KIMBERLY: Well, almost as soon as quilting “stuck” with me, I knew being a geekette that I would need a website. Up to this point, I had several playful for me sites. So, when I was coming up with names, many were taken. Then I remembered hearing this term “quiltpox” to describe what happens when quilters get addicted. Surely that name was already taken? But, nope, it was mine for the having. I was so thrilled. What was even more shocking was about 5 months later when I found a LQS (Local Quilt Shop) in my area named “Quilt Pox Shoppe.” They have now changed their name, but it was a funny coincidence because I became friends with the owners and even helped them with their website.
TERRY: I have been to your site numerous times and I know that you definitely have the bragging rights to something unique. Will you share with our readers what that is?
KIMBERLY: My quilter’s dictionary. It is the largest that I have found on the web. Eventually I would like to move this to a database and have the search function work better but it is quite extensive. I spent many months working on that and I am happy to say that I knew about 75% of them just from my own knowledge and education.
TERRY: Your site continues to grow! What else does it offer?
KIMBERLY: Well, I have quite a number of free patterns. My most popular are Hugs & Kisses (for baby quilts) and the Quick ‘N Easy Wallet. Those two patterns alone get as many hits as all of the others combined. I have lost track of how many sites link to them now. I also have some tools and how-to’s, including beginning dyeing session. I also host a challenge twice a year in conjunction with Quilting Passion Forum, so those are on the site as well. I also have a place for readers to leave their favorite tips, and a large quilting dictionary.
TERRY: What are your future plans for Quilt Pox?
KIMBERLY: I would like to add a few more patterns that I have half-written up, and I have one major addition coming as soon as I get the code written. That will be a surprise.

     Well, I can certainly say that I am definitely looking forward to Kimberly’s “surprise”, as you probably are now, too. I believe that if you will take a few minutes to visit her site, you will find a lot of valuable information, as well as eye candy for your quilter’s soul!

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, quilt pox

How many times have you tried your hand machine-quilting, only to become frustrated and lay it aside to try another day? Or how many times have you been in the midst of machine-quilting and thought that there had to be something that would make it easier?

If you have been in either of the above situations, then read on!      This gadget is one that I purchased several years ago, but thought worthy enough to review.      This gadget, the "Free-Motion SLIDER™", was developed by a national, award-winning quilter, Pat LaPierre to make the process of machine-quilting more fun and much easier.  Pat did just that.      The "Free-Motion SLIDER" is made from a pure Teflon® sheet and helps make the dreaded drag on your sewing machine disappear.  The SLIDER allows your quilt to glide over the surface of your machine with zero friction, making it easier to negotiate the machine-quilting process.      Using this cool tool is a snap!  The SLIDER is easily attached to the bed of your sewing machine, as shown in the photograph above, using ordinary tape.  Merely tape down the four (4) corners of the SLIDER (aligning the pre-punched hole in the SLIDER with the needle opening on the machine), attach the darning or free-motion foot, pull the bobbin thread up through the hole, and you are ready to go!         The SLIDER can be used with or without lowering the feed dogs.  I found it more helpful to lower them.  When I first purchased this gadget, I was skeptical as to its true effectiveness in aiding with the drag factor.  At the time, I was not an experienced machine-quilter and I needed all the help I could get!  I tried it and found that machine-quilting was easier than I had thought it would be, so I decided to save a few minutes and not use the SLIDER the next time I sat down at my machine.  BIG mistake.  I would never have guessed that such a little, inexpensive gadget could improve the quality of my machine-quilting!       The SLIDER can also be customized to fit your sewing machine’s bed, by cutting it to fit with an ordinary pair of scissors.  The SLIDER is also reusable, time and time again.  It does need to have the tape removed after each use and stored flat, however.      The SLIDER retails for $19.95 and is definitely worth the investment, in my opinion.  Especially if you are wanting to try machine-quilting for the first time, new to machine-quilting (with very little experience), or whether you are an old hand at machine-quilting and simply need something to make it faster and easier.      A newer version of the SLIDER is also now available, the "Supreme Glider®".  The main difference to this version is that it has a new self-sticking surface on the bottom side, eliminating the need for tape.  It retails for $27.95.       If this article has sparked an interest in you, then this tool would be a good investment. Bring Pat’s SLIDER into your home and make machine-quilting more fun and easy!  Pat offers secure online shopping and accepts major credit cards.      Please feel free to leave your comments, especially if you have used this tool or if you plan on purchasing it!

 

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Original article first published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, free-motion slider, slider, free-motion quilting, free motion quilting, machine-quilting, machine quilting, Pat LaPierre

	Jan Krentz is an expert quiltmaker, designer, author, and teacher with a style that is truly unique. Jan’s talents shine in two (2) areas, specifically: Color selection and technical skill. Jan began quilting in 1973 and lives in California. Her enthusiasm is contagious!
Talk about taking Lone Star Quilts to a new level; Jan Krentz does it, and then some. Her work is superbly designed and crafted and the perspective that she shares in this book gives this type of quilt new dimension. Jan’s writing style allows almost every quilter that has average sewing and cutting skills to easily understand how to create this classic quilt, and the fact that she includes “extras” gives the quilts a fresh, new, updated look that makes them appear to be much more difficult to piece than they actually are.
Included in this book are: Six (6) colorful and beautiful projects, Time-saving rotary cutting tips to speed the process, Creative additions to the projects, such as: “Designer diamonds” (fussy cutting your fabric to get them) and spectacular appliqué patterns, Everything you need to know about making Lone Star Quilts; from start to finish and also from the most simplistic, to fantastic quilts that are enough eye candy to last you for awhile, A gallery of photographed, finished quilts made using the included project patterns. These photos should provide enough inspiration to get you going!
If this article has sparked an interest in you, then this book would be a good investment. Bring Jan and her expertise into your home and allow her to guide you step-by-step through the projects. This book would even make a wonderful coffee table book!

Quilting By Design Site Map.
Original article published on Quilting Passion by Terry Crawford.

quilting, quilts, lone star quilts, jan krentz, krentz, lone star