Quilt Project Article - McCall's Quick Quilts

My Temari Puzzle quilt is featured in the upcoming issue of McCall's Quick Quilts. The February/March 2010 issue will be on your newstands and in quilt shops in the next week. The fabrics in my quilt are Flight of the Dancing Cranes by Northcott. It was a beautiful set of fabrics to work with.

Along with the quilt I also designed and made Euroshams and pillowcases to match. Euroshams are covers for 28" square pillows. They look lovely on a bed and are great to lean against if you are reading in bed. The patterns for these projects are posted on the McCall's website as 'Bonus' projects to accompany the magazine.

The quilt is very easy to make - just nine large blocks to make a 92 1/2" square quilt! I'd love to see pictures of your quilts.

Satin Moon Quilt Shop

Satin Moon Quilt Shop is brimming with Christmas goodies! Brenda invited local Victoria designers and artists to bring items for a Christmas Bazaar. The classroom is full of wonderful gifts. From small items (like Lisa's luggage tags) to large quilts (my Gingerbread & Cranberries quilt is for sale), you'll find some very unique and interesting choices.


The new Spring Class Brochure is also now available. I create the brochure for Satin Moon and it is always so much fun to be the first to see all the classes and projects each session.

Brenda has selected a broad selection of classes for all skill levels. If you are a beginner, there are projects where you will learn basic quilting skills, learn to work more effectively with colour, machine and hand applique, and several sewing projects. Intermediate students can explore machine and handwork techniques in more detail, work on design and paint and dye fabric.

Here are a few of the classes I will be presenting at Satin Moon:

Hand Applique - Needleturn Leaves (a short 2 hour session on Tuesday, January 26th)









Beginner Needleturn Applique (one-day, Sunday, March 7th)











Cut & Paste Pickle Dish -my latest Give & Take Applique design (one day, Thursday, March 18th)
















3D Applique with Silk Fabrics (another short session - 3 hours on Tuesday, March 23rd)








Mini-Dream Landscape - learn a unique way to make ANY landscape - machine sewing and embellishment, Saturday, March 27th

My Machine Quilting series is running again:

- 101 is the basic beginner class to build a foundation for machine quilting your quilts.
- 201 is all about stippling and free motion designs.
- 301 builds on your knowledge and skill to enrich the surface with bobbin quilting with thick threads.

My last class for the spring is Sheer Overlays - working with a wide variety of fabrics including sheer organza to create landscapes and underwater scenes. We'll develop expertise in creating interesting collage designs and incorporate embroidery and beading.

I hope these have piqued your interest! Brenda has a SPECIAL OFFER - 10% off class registrations until Sunday, December 13th. You can call the store and register by phone or stop in to see the samples in person, and check out the Bazaar too!

Spring Classes - SHOAL Centre, Sidney

Creative Fibre - a Sampler of Surface Design Techniques is a Play Day to experiment with surface design techniques on fabric. You will experiment with painting and stamping with paints and ink, transferring images to fabric and fusible web applique.


The class is sheduled for February 6, 10 am - 4 pm (students should bring their lunch). Class fee is $85 for members of Beacon Community Services and $95 for non-members. All supplies are included in the one day session at the SHOAL Centre, 10030 Resthaven Drive, Sidney, BC Contact Beacon Community Services at (250) 656-5537 for more information and to register. Hope to see you in this class - we'll have lots of fun!

Upcoming Class - Quilt University

I know it's not even Christmas yet, but if you like to plan ahead for January :) have a look at Quilt University and why not take a workshop online. It's the perfect thing after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Take a bit of time for yourself and learn a new technique!

My Attic Windows class begins on January 15th. It is a Three Lesson class where you will learn to design an Attic Window quilt that will work best with YOUR fabric. Then you will learn to sew perfect mitres as you make your project. This is both a design and sewing class suitable for confident beginners with rotary cutting and basic quiltmaking skills.

For more inspiration, have a look at the Gallery of previous students' work! Hope to 'meet' you in class in January!

More Spikey Blocks

A couple of weeks ago I taught my Aztec Sun workshop at my friend Gloria Daly's studio - Studio G. Here are some of in-progress pictures of student work.

Maureen was using a selection of batik fabrics that a dear friend had left to her. She had a treasure trove of wonderful fabrics!

Greer also used batiks. It was fun to see her work on several arrangements for her blocks on the design wall.

Gerry used a selection of blue fabrics - because she said she had LOTS of blues. I think this is going to be a wonderful quilt too.

Rise and Shine - Design Update

Some of you may wonder how I design patterns and magazine articles. I LOVE using Electric Quilt software because it lets me see exactly what my quilt or project will look like before I cut even one piece of fabric! The Electric Quilt Company asked me to tell them a bit about my design process and they've posted my info on the EQ Blog. Why not go and check it out!

I love how they took a picture of the magazine pages. I don't have a copy yet (being in Canada it takes a bit longer for our newsstands to get them and my quilt and complimentary magazine copy are somewhere between here and Golden, Colorado). McCall's even put a picture of me. How exciting is that!

McCall's Quilting - 100th Issue!

The newest issue of McCall's Quilting is the 100th issue and I have a new Give & Take Applique design in the magazine. Rise & Shine features fast fused squares set as sashed blocks to create graphic sun motifs in this appealing wall-hanging or table topper.

I'm thrilled to be in this issue particularly since I remember the OLD McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazines that my mother collected in the 1960's. She made many projects from the magazines including some wonderful knitted items for my Barbie dolls.


A kit of fabrics for the Rise & Shine quilt top and binding is available while supplies last for $50.60 ppd. (NJ residents, $53.42 ppd.) from Pickle Road Studios, LLC, 13 Pickle Road, Califon, NJ 07830; 908-876-1208; MarkLipinski.com.

Online Learning

My next online class with Quilt University starts later this week. Ripless Paper Piecing offers all the accuracy of regular paper piecing but you will save time and money! No ripping off the paper when the blocks are done and no preparation of one foundation for every block you sew. Why don't you join me in class and learn all about this fun and easy technique. If you've tried paper piecing before and were not a fan, this method may just be for YOU!

Last day in Houston

I'm waiting for the shuttle to take me to the airport to fly home. Have had a wonderful time here in Houston. The Quilt Show was spectacular as usual with quilts that were visually exciting and workmanship that made me catch my breath. I took many, many pictures and will post a few over the next few weeks. In the meantime you can see all the prize winning entries on the International Quilt Association website Enjoy!

Market Report

Hello from Houston. Have been very busy walking the show floor and seeing wonderful quilts, exciting new fabrics and few new tools that will make our quilting easier and more successful. Hope to have some pictures of these to show you later in the week.

This sculpture is across from the convention centre where Quilt Market and Festival are held. It is very unique - haven't managed to get across the street yet to see if there is a write up about it but hope to do that later in the week.

I joined a couple of other Canadian designers (Jean Boyd and Pippa Moore) and Patti and Hanya from Northcott Fabrics for dinner at the Benihana steak house tonight. My friend Peggy has also travelled to Houston with me to check out the shows. We were joined by two ladies who own quilt shops in southern California. We had a great dinner and enjoyed the show from our chef.


I'm taking a class tomorrow morning with Caryl Bryer Fallert and then it's back to the show floor for the last few people I need to see in the afternoon. Must try to get across the street to see that sculpture close-up!

Want to be Notified when I Blog?

There is an easy way to follow blogs if there isn't an RSS feed (or it won't work). If you follow the steps below you'll be notified when I add an entry. This will remind you to check for my postings from Houston. Ami Simms posted this info on the Find A Quilt Teacher blog (www.findaquiltteacher.com)

Here's what you do:

1. Go to the blog you want to follow. Copy the URL (control + C if you are using a PC).

2. Go to FeedMyInbox.com and paste the URL (control + P) into the spot that says, conveniently, “Enter a website URL.”

3. Type in your email address. Submit.

4. Open the email FeedMyInbox.com send you and confirm by clicking the link provided.

Works beautifully and you now don't need to try to remember to check someone's blog.

Travels

I'm flying off to Houston later this morning to attend International Quilt Market and to teach at Quilt Festival. Bags are packed - filled with stained glass quilts to show at my publisher's booth during Market and quilts and supplies for my students at Festival.

I hope to blog while I'm there and post a few pictures of the excitement. Stay tuned!

Teaching in Nanaimo

I taught Splashed!, one of my Give & Take Applique designs, at Serge & Sew in Nanaimo on Saturday.

I had three very enthusiastic students. They made excellent fabric choices and learned all the tricks and tips for machine stitching around their applique shapes.

I came home on the Mill Bay/Brentwood Bay ferry. Just as I left the dock, the full moon was coming up above the hills.

Binding with Charlotte's Fusible Web Thread

I've been working for the past few weeks on some samples for the Bobbin Quilting class I will be presenting in Houston at International Quilt Festival. One of the samples uses a very interesting fabric I bought in Honolulu just before we left on our Hawaii Quilt Cruise in April. It is a white fabric with heavy white overpainting with tropical flowers and leaves. I thought it would be perfect for bobbin quilting.













I used Superior's Razzle Dazzle for the bobbin work and then decided to use a cotton/metallic fabric for the binding. I have been wanting to see how I could use another of Superior's interesting threads so I could apply my binding completely by machine and still have a product that I like. I have tried to stitch the binding down by machine but was never happy with the look on the back of my projects. Of course, you can't see the back if you stitch in the ditch of the binding seam on the front and sometimes I would miss the binding edge completely.

So, here is what I did. I am using two Superior threads: Charlotte's Fusible Web (yes, it's a fusible thread) and Monopoly (polyester thread, clear, can take high heat). I prepared my binding strips as I usually do. I cut 2 1/4" strips, join them with 45-degree seams and then press the binding in half with the right side out. I also fold under a 1/4" at the beginning of the binding.

The next step is to thread my machine with the fusible thread in the bobbin and monopoly on the top and stitch 1/8" from the folded edge. I stitch so the monopoly is on the outside edge and the fusible thread is on the edge that will be against the back of the quilt when I turn it to the back.

Then I stitch the binding to the quilt just as I normally do with a 1/4" seam allowance and my walking foot.

This is what it looks like after I have sewed the binding all around the quilt.

Next step is turn the binding to the wrong side, hold it in place with the fold over the stitching line and press it in place. Hold the iron on long enough to fuse the edge to the quilt. Mitre the corners and iron them in place.

When the entire binding is pressed in place you will see that the monopoly thread is a bit loose - in fact it just comes right off when you pull it gently! How cool is that - you don't have that thread showing at all on the binding!

For added security, I stitched in the ditch all around the quilt on the right side, with monopoly in the top of my machine and a thread to match the binding in the bobbin.

Hope you'll give this a try. It's great to be able to sew the binding down completely by machine!

New Pattern - Medals & Mountains

I've just put the finishing touches on a new pattern just in time for the upcoming cold weather. It's a flannel lap quilt using Northcott's Winter Sports Flannel fabric. The fabric includes pictures of athletes competing in Olympic Winter Games sports so it's just in time to celebrate the Games being held in Vancouver in February 2010. Technique is easy - a great quilt for confident beginners. And it's quite large (52" x 72") - perfect for snuggling under when you watch the Games!

The pattern is available for ordering now and we'll begin shipping after September 20th. Fabrics should be arriving in your local quilt shops in early October.