What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

This week we hear from And I Quilt personality, Dorien Keusseyan. Dorien is a hockey player, a mom, and she quilts. Before COVID, Dorien led an active, busy life as an athlete and mother, but always found time for quilting.

A pandemic has a way of changing what everyday life looks like. But it didn’t change Dorian’s love of quilting and giving. She dug deep into her favorite endeavor to find a place of peace. And she found a way to comfort a friend along the way. Here’s her story:

My COVID escape

Quilting keeps me going ...

Jeresther Thorpe, And I Quilt personality, Principal, Mom, and Quilter, joins us again this week with her story of quilting for a special little boy. She shared a couple of weeks ago just what quilting means to her and what she gets from quilting. Sometimes we are called to do something hard, something big, something important. Quilters have what it takes! Here is Jeresther’s story:

Quilting For a Special Little Boy

As I shared, I find healing, peace, joy, celebration, and life in quilting, which is why most of my quilting (completed quilts) are done and gifted to others ...

Jeresther Thorpe, And I Quilt personality, Principal, Mom, and Quilter, joins us again this week with her story of quilting for a special little boy. She shared a couple of weeks ago just what quilting means to her and what she gets from quilting. Sometimes we are called to do something hard, something big, something important. Quilters have what it takes! Here is Jeresther’s story:

Quilting For a Special Little Boy

As I shared, I find healing, peace, joy, celebration, and life in quilting, which is why most of my quilting (completed quilts) are done and gifted to others ...

This week we hear from And I Quilt Personality, Jeresther Thorpe. Jeresther is a school principal, a mom, and she quilts. All of us who quilt know the process of starting a project, bringing the fabrics together and and having the pieces fall into place to create that warm, comforting thing of beauty that we know as a quilt. It takes a lot of thought, effort, and time but in the end it’s all worth it. A lot of things in life are like that. Jeresther knows this very well……

And I Quilt

In the midst of the pandemic ...

This week we hear from And I Quilt Personality, Jeresther Thorpe. Jeresther is a school principal, a mom, and she quilts. All of us who quilt know the process of starting a project, bringing the fabrics together and and having the pieces fall into place to create that warm, comforting thing of beauty that we know as a quilt. It takes a lot of thought, effort, and time but in the end it’s all worth it. A lot of things in life are like that. Jeresther knows this very well……

And I Quilt

In the midst of the pandemic ...

I haven’t abandoned quilting amidst my printing and collaging. In fact, I finished “Whitewashed,” sewing straight line arrow heads with off white thread set at varying intervals. After a long time (years?) without buying a quilting book, I bought Jacquie … Continue reading →

Dear Quilters,

This year has been so completely out of the ordinary, and challenging in so many ways, that I find myself simplifying again and experiencing great joy in the things that I have often taken for granted. Now, preparing for the holiday season is less about the hustle and bustle of finding just the right present, but taking the time to help create a warm, welcoming spirit in my home and in my community. 

As I contemplate the spirit of generosity, I recognize that giving comes in many forms. Some give of their time and energy, some share love ...

I am pleased to have And I Quilt personality, Kelsey Cooley, join us on the blog this week. Kelsey is a CPA, a daughter, and she QUILTS! Her Mom, Janie, introduced her to the art, and now the two are regular quilting buddies.

Kelsey joins us from Dallas, Texas, and she shares just why she quilts. And she has some very good whys!

The Reason Why I Quilt

I became a quilter while I was in college and what began as a pastime soon became more. I am now a part of a unique community of quilters, I discovered an ...

I am pleased to have And I Quilt personality, Kelsey Cooley, join us on the blog this week. Kelsey is a CPA, a daughter, and she QUILTS! Her Mom, Janie, introduced her to the art, and now the two are regular quilting buddies.

Kelsey joins us from Dallas, Texas, and she shares just why she quilts. And she has some very good whys!

The Reason Why I Quilt

I became a quilter while I was in college and what began as a pastime soon became more. I am now a part of a unique community of quilters, I discovered an ...

At Handi Quilter we love to hear quilt stories. How a quilt came to be, what techniques were used, how the maker came to quilting. This curiosity is the inspiration for our And I Quilt campaign. Getting to know quilters is fun and fascinating!

Lisa Walton is a textile artist living in Sydney, Australia and she is doing a series of YouTube videos called Quilt Stories. In this series Lisa is interviewing accomplished quilters from around the world. I’d like to highlight two of the quilters here. Both of them quilt on Handi Quilter longarm machines.

Birgit Schueller

Birgit ...

At Handi Quilter we love to hear quilt stories. How a quilt came to be, what techniques were used, how the maker came to quilting. This curiosity is the inspiration for our And I Quilt campaign. Getting to know quilters is fun and fascinating!

Lisa Walton is a textile artist living in Sydney, Australia and she is doing a series of YouTube videos called Quilt Stories. In this series Lisa is interviewing accomplished quilters from around the world. I’d like to highlight two of the quilters here. Both of them quilt on Handi Quilter longarm machines.

Birgit Schueller

Birgit ...

BLOCK Magazine is always looking to publish original stories from quilters like you. We believe that everyone has an important story to tell and that sharing our stories brings us closer together.

Today’s, What’s Your Story?, will touch your heart (you may want to grab a tissue!). It’s one of love, fate, and hope that all stem from a single quilt.

Thank you Marie D. for sharing your beautiful story…

About seven years ago, I was involved in a quilt guild that was making quilts to send to Wounded Warrior. The quilts were given to men and ...

I was telling my neighbor about the sewing adventures I have seen while selling sewing machines during the quarantine. She said the news was inspiring. Here are my stories, so you can judge for yourself.

A young couple with a new baby came in. They had just received their stimulus check and asked me to help them pick a serger. They wanted to sew their own baby clothes.

Half a dozen men with no sewing experience have come into the shop. They were all starting mask making businesses because they had been laid-off from work. They were fearlessly learning to ...

As many of you know, I am a member of Cloth in Common. A couple of weeks ago, I shared all of my quilts from Round One.

Our Cloth in Common founder, Karol Kasmaul  ,has created a book for purchase that shares the group’s journey through the first round of prompts. You can order that book here.  I volunteered to write a blog post about the book on the Cloth in Common blog. It is the least I could do considering I am the reason Karol had to wait so long to complete the book! THIS blog post is ...

Many of you may know that I am a member of Cloth in Common. We are an international quilt group. Every two months one members shares a prompt for all of us to use as inspiration for creating new work.

Our ROUND ONE of working together lasted 22 months and included 11 prompts—one from each member. The underlying theme for these prompts was Unusual.

Perhaps my Cloth in Common name should be Notoriously Slow, as I am constantly struggling to keep up with the pace of the group.

We are now well into the Round Two prompts which have ...

The Year in Quilts 2010 was really about processing what my first three weeks of study with Nancy Crow were all about. 

The Year in Quilts 2011 is about the beginning of several essential explorations—you might call them series—that continue to be part of my practice eight years later.

In 2009, we purchased an almost 100 year old cabin in McCarthy, Alaska a small mountain village located in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. 

Over the years, I have tried to document that landscape in my own way.

This documentation has resulted in the workshop Abstraction through Color ...

2010 was a big year in quilting for me.

In 2009, I received a Rasmuson Project Award to travel to Ohio and study with Nancy Crow for three weeks. Thank you Rasmuson Foundation for supporting and believing in Alaskan artists.

I have written about my adventures studying with Nancy Crow many times. If you would like to share in that experience, you can by reading the following blog posts.

A Message from the Barn
Crow Barn Week One
Crow Barn Week Two Part One
Crow Barn Week Two Part Two
Crow Barn Week Three
Crow Barn Reflections
Crow Barn Week ...

No, that’s not a typo. I sat down this morning to write the blog post The Year in Quilts 2019.

The first step was to see how I had structured this blog post in the past. I went to my ABOUT page and typed in Year in Quilts.

In my mind, I have been writing a Year in Quilts blog post since the beginning of this blog, which began on December 27, 2012. Seven years ago! 

This morning, I discoverd that I have actually only written a Year in Quilts blog post twice—in 2013 and 2017.

The rules ...

I just got back from New Zealand, well, I arrived back in Anchorage on October 7, and now I am departing again. Too quick for much more than an underwear change—okay, a wash and change.

Before I leave on my next and final trip of 2019, I would like to share a quick, fun bit of eye candy.

The New Zealand Quilt Symposium was awesome. Check out my view from the hotel window.

Aussie and Kiwi quilters have a reputation of being hard working, good natured, and creative.

They all lived up to their reputations in spades.

A favorite ...