What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Back in August of 2002 I set out to make my mother a special surprise for her 70th birthday, which was in June of the following year. I sent out letters to everyone in my Mom's address book asking for photos that I could borrow, short-term, the idea being that I would copy their pictures onto fabric transfer sheets and assemble them into a memory quilt for her; one that told the story of her life

Back in August of 2002 I set out to make my mother a special surprise for her 70th birthday, which was in June of the following year. I sent out letters to everyone in my Mom's address book asking for photos that I could borrow, short-term, the idea being that I would copy their pictures onto fabric transfer sheets and assemble them into a memory quilt for her; one that told the story of her life

I finished up this memory quilt for my SIL in time for Christmas. It's made up entirely of her husband's shirts, Dick passed away a year ago in September. I entitled it "Remembering the Good Times" and hope that she'll gain much comfort from wrapping up in it. Here it is loaded on the longarm; a solid combination of wool and flannel shirts, dress shirts, sport shirts, T-shirts and

I finished up this memory quilt for my SIL in time for Christmas. It's made up entirely of her husband's shirts, Dick passed away a year ago in September. I entitled it "Remembering the Good Times" and hope that she'll gain much comfort from wrapping up in it. Here it is loaded on the longarm; a solid combination of wool and flannel shirts, dress shirts, sport shirts, T-shirts and

Our oldest daughter’s former college roommate asked me to make a memory quilt from her mother’s tee shirt collection. Of course, I agreed. How could I not, she is like another daughter to us. I didn’t want the typical memory … Continue reading →

The weather, at long last, has cooled off a bit! Brisk mornings and clear blue-sky afternoons with a slight breeze have been the norm around here this past week; it's a welcome relief~ I'm SO ready! The Dahlias are putting on a colorful show right now. We made another trip north to New England a week ago, a quick back and forth to avoid Labor Day traffic, it's all good. My mother had been

The weather, at long last, has cooled off a bit! Brisk mornings and clear blue-sky afternoons with a slight breeze have been the norm around here this past week; it's a welcome relief~ I'm SO ready! The Dahlias are putting on a colorful show right now. We made another trip north to New England a week ago, a quick back and forth to avoid Labor Day traffic, it's all good. My mother had been

A couple of years ago, I told Part 1 of this story, in which I mended a memory quilt for a customer.  She shared its sweet story for me to share here.  On the post, you can see the quilt and read the story of family love across generations and many miles.  I've also described the mending and rebuilding that I did. 

Here are a couple of photos from Part 1 to whet your whistle.  In today's post, I will share Part 2. 

Part 2 began when I received this email from the quilt owner.

A few weekends ...

The following is the memory of an anonymous writer of their grandmother's amazing quilt.  Published in the Montreal Star (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on July 23, 1932 it describes an amazing gigantic bed-quilt full of family memories - for better or worse.

 

My January blog post on developing video skills for workshop teaching and YouTube outreach is in need of updating already! 

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I splurged (lucked into a sale!) on a great ring-light designed specifically for filming top-down demos.  I'm glad I waited until I'd done some filming without much investment past my DIY equipment.  That way, I knew what my situation and video goals needed. 

The light is super well engineered, and does away with duct tape set-up and take-down, and the difficulties of reaching around a precariously balanced camera tripod to sew.  It’s more for ease of ...

Here is why people treasure quilts.  This quilt holds so many loving memories, symbolizes such a great story, and inspired this beautiful essay.  (Notes and photos on the repair process follow the story.)

My paternal grandmother made this quilt in the mid-1990s.  It was born from love that went back one long lifetime, and love that she wanted to carry forward several more lifetimes.

Grandma was a proud, tough “Okie.”  Born in 1919, she came of age in the worst hard times:  on a homestead farm between Hough and Guymon, Oklahoma, during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.  She ...

At Christmas I gifted several memory creations to a family. There was a lot of shirting left that they did not want back. It is my son’s girlfriend’s family, and he asked if I would please take the leftovers and make a quilt. Did I say “no” to my son? Of course not! I got on it very soon after!

There were a lot of pockets that I wanted to use. There was also a nice variety of shirt fabrics. Without a full plan, I appliqued the pockets onto gray and dappled gray non-shirt fabrics. I then set ...

In between my work on the McHenry Landmark Quilt, I've been stitching on another quilt which I call my Crazy Trinket Quilt.  These are 6 inch block featuring little do-dads that I've been saving and collecting my entire life.  Some are things from my childhood, some are little things that beloved to family and loved ones no longer with me and some are collected from the flea markets and antique shops that my former husband and I used to go to when we were still together.

This block just showcases some button covers from an Autumn sweater:

The ...

Signature quilts – or friendship quilts – first became popular in the 1840s. Sometimes they were used as sentimental wedding gifts. Sometimes they honored a beloved teacher or minister. And sometimes, they were carried across the plains by pioneer women as a reminder of dear friends left behind. 

These quilts were so cherished, many have survived the generations and can be found in hope chests and museums even today.

This week, Jenny is making her own family signature quilt. It’s adorned with hand-written names of all the Doan kids and grandkids, and I have a feeling this pretty quilt will become ...

Nothing says holidays like handmade. Instead of spending all of your time this year trying to figure out what to buy for that special someone in your life, harness all of that creative energy into a unique crafty gift! Handcrafted gifts come from the heart, each stitch placed carefully with love.

Remember that when it comes to handmade gifts, Jenny always says “finished is better than perfect.” Wrap up any fears you have about creating a homemade gift and show off your craftsmanship with an easy gift idea that will be adored this holiday season!

Fabric Checkerboard

It’s never ...

Quilters are some of the most resourceful, green people we know! We are always saving up scraps and asking other quilters for ways we can reduce, reuse, and recycle quilting and sewing materials. We never want to throw anything away if we don’t have to!

In recognition of Earth Day and being green, here are a few ways that we choose to reduce, reuse, and recycle to demonstrate our support for the environment!

Found Fabrics

Found fabric is fabric that you can find . . . anywhere! Make a trip into your closet, into a loved ones closet, to the closest thrift ...