Spring Quilt Market Redux

Last Monday, after packing the car in the morning, Marcia and I set out for Spring International Quilt Market in Kansas City, Missouri at around mid-day. Smiley Scrap came along to capture some highlights.

Our first stop: Cleveland, Ohio. The hotel offered free cookies at check-in for a quick snack. From the looks of it, Smiley agrees with the sentiment printed on the cookie bag!

The next day, we headed to Kansas City, Missouri, our destination. Along the way, we just HAD to stop for a cherry-lime route 44 at Sonic (forty-four ounces of yummy lime-infused cherry soda). You just have to take one look at Smiley to know we got the happy hour deal!

Of course, if you drink 44 ounces of anything, eventually, you'll have to make a McStop! (Wow, gas is pretty cheap here!) By the way, we were fortunate to have beautiful driving weather along the entire trip to Kansas City!

Ahh. The street banners are out to greet us in front of the Convention Center - the Quilt Market hot spot for the week end!

Booth set-up went pretty smoothly. Smiley's main role was to supervise and keep us happy. (It worked!)

Smiley took advantage of a little down-time in the booth to wander about. Many of the fabric manufacturers seem to be going 'big' with licensed images. Smiley met Darth Vader and Chewbacca at the Camelot Cottons booth.

 

 

You could find Linus and the Peanuts gang hanging out with the Quilting Treasures folks!

Smiley thought about joining the circus over at Michael Miller Fabrics. But you have to be so careful where you step!

Smiley clearly felt the most comfortable in the Andover booth, and Eric Carle's 10 Little Rubber Ducks fabric line. Now, these are critters she can really relate to!

After all that walking from booth to booth, a piece of scrap fabric can get worn out! A stop in Ellen Medlock's booth and a nice soft place to set a spell. Aren't the fabrics in Ellen's new line pretty? (The line needs a little more yellow, don't you agree?)

There's Kim DeCoste, Quilts, Inc. Manager of Education, and Shelly Stokes chatting at the Cedar Canyon Textiles Booth. I think these three are strategizing over how to get Smiley in on the Class Schedule for Fall Quilt Market! Smiley also really liked the Paintstik demo with Shelly!

Marti Michell stopped by the booth for a quick camera snap!

Hope you enjoyed the little tour. It's amazing how long it took to assemble the booth just right. And how quickly it was stuffed back into boxes and loaded into the car for the return trip.

Happy stitching! And Happy Memorial Day!
joan

Half-Square Triangles

Something Fishy Quilt

Two of the most popular ScrapTherapy patterns, Something Fishy (pictured) and Pick-A-Pair Pot Holders were originally written to incorporate Star Singles, a notion that is similar to Thangles. Thangles use strips of fabric to make half-square triangle units. Star Singles papers start with Squares. Star Singles papers are also similar to triangulation templates that you can print on your home printer.











I love using Star Singles papers. All the trimming to produce the correct unfinished half-square triangle size is done before pressing the seams. But they are difficult to find. 

On the "Good News" side of things I met Liz Eagan (the Star Singles designer and manufacturer) at Spring Quilt Market last week, and she tells me that she's got some plans to make Star Singles more accessible. So stay tuned, in the meantime, here's an alternative.

When ScrapTherapy, Cut the Scraps! was written, the Something Fishy pattern was included, but the pattern was re-written to exclude the requirement for any extra notions. Additionally, In the North Woods, from the book, incorporates a similar notion-free method to make eight Half-Square Triangle units from two 5" scrap squares.

Here's how it works.
Start with two 5" squares. Draw two diagonal lines, corner-to-corner on the back of one of the squares and place them right sides together.

 Sew a 1/4" seam on both sides of each lines. That's four seams all together.

Cut through the center, 2-1/2" away from the edge, twice. Like a big + sign. Then cut on the diagonal lines. Like an X. Try not to move the fabric in between cuts, so you can turn your mat and make four nice clean cuts.
 
Take the 8 resulting triangle units to the ironing board and press the seam toward one side or the other per the pattern instructions.

Then trim each unit using a small square ruler that has a bias line to 2" square. Use the 2" markings on the ruler to make sure you are trimming to the correct unfinished size, and line up the bias line on the ruler with the seam in the fabric.

Cut along the side and top, then flip the fabric square and trim the remaining two sides. Don't take a short-cut and trim only two sides, leaving the other two sides all wonky.
  

Ta-Da! 

Eight perfect Half-Square Triangle units! Each Half-Square Triangle unit is exactly 2" square unfinished. Once sewn into your quilt, it will be 1-1/2" square.

Happy Quilting!
Joan

Oh, Shoot!

Last Sunday afternoon, I jumped in the car and headed southeast, toward Newtown, Connecticut, headquarters of The Taunton Press. I loaded about a kajillion finished quilts for the next ScrapTherapy book, a bunch of samples for the procedural shots, and my iPad, loaded with two audio books to pass the time on the five-hour drive. 
 

By the time I arrived in Newtown, a lovely, picturesque New England town, I was worn out. Last week, my time was dedicated to finishing up text and illustrations for the third round of book content submissions. So, imagine my delight to see my accommodations at the Dana Holcombe House in Newtown, right in the center of town next to a white spired church.

The Dana Holcombe House, Newtown, CT

The inn is surrounded by a beautiful garden, carefully tended by the inn's proprietors John and Jane Vouros. The lilacs, my all-time favorite flower were just starting to bloom.

The blue room, furnished tastefully with antiques, a fluffy bed, and lots of sunny windows was a welcome sight. I could have stayed all week! Don't you think a handmade blue and white quilt would make a lovely addition?












The next morning. I was off to Taunton headquarters. And found this bookshelf in the lobby - Cut the Scraps is on the bottom shelf all the way on the left!

Taunton offerings cover a lot of non-quilty territory - wood working, gardening, knitting, sewing.

My husband is the gardener guy at our house. So, after a strong recommendation from Jane at the Dana Holcombe House, I signed Dave up for a Fine Gardening subscription. Based on her garden, Judy seemed a good authority on gardening publications!







Renee Neiger and Shawna Mullen, my editors, gathered me up after a quick camera snap, to head to a studio building in an outer area of the spacious Taunton campus.





Burcu Avsar, or Buj for short, our fabulous photographer, met us at the studio. She immediately and expertly began creating an elaborate set-up of lights, tripods, cameras, and computer equipment so we could review each picture as it was taken.


















In the meantime, Alison Wilkes, art director, and I sorted through scrap fabrics to pick some favorites to go into instructional photos.









The day flew by. I lost count of how many pictures we took. But we were on schedule and wrapped up right around 4 or 5 pm. The art staff used the rest of the day to sort through the quilts for potential book cover candidates for the next day's photo shoot, which I did not attend. So many choices!

This picture reminds me of my sewing studio when a quilt is in progress. Kinda messy, don't you think?

Seems such a long way off before the next ScrapTherapy book will be in hand! It's targeted for March 2013! I can't wait, how 'bout you?'

Joan

What's in a Name?

When I finished my first quilt, someone said to me, "Your quilt needs a label."

A label?

See, I have a knitting background. You make a sweater; you put a little tag in the collar when it's done. That's about it. Nothing special. Or, at least, I never did anything special.

Knitted socks, same thing. No label. The whole thing is either stuffed in your shoe, or hidden under your pant legs, invisible.

So I said, "What for?"

"Well, the quilt needs a name, for starters."

Me: "A name?"

In my mind, I'm going back to the sock thing. I mean, for real, do you name your socks? This one's 'Joe,' and that one is 'Sally?'

So, what on earth would you name a quilt?

Then they said "and you should record the important stuff about the quilt, like who made it, the pattern, the date, etc."

Really? (My mind can't let go of the sock concept.)

But, of course, nearly ten years later, I see the wisdom of that advice. How many times have you heard the story of a quilt found at a garage sale or in an old trunk. No idea who made it, for what event, the inspiration.

And naming a quilt, it's almost as much fun as making the project. If you listen to the quilt, it'll tell you its name (no, I haven't gone off my rocker - at least I don't think I have . . . yet!)

A quilt label can be a valuable record. Marked in your handwriting with a permanent pigma marker or with printable fabric and computer software: the name of the quilt, the person who made it, the quilter, the pattern that inspired the design, the occasion it commemorates, where the quilt was made, special washing instructions. A bounty of information for the quilt's journey. It's more important than you might think!

Add some decorative stitching to embellish the label. Make it from scrap fabrics. It can be more than just a record, it's part of the creative expression. Simple or complex.

For this reason, I created a label pattern, called You Name It! that you can use for your finished quilt projects. Secure it to the back of your quilt, placed on point or straight up. The pattern is free, but there's a catch (a little one!)

You have to click over to my newly redesigned website (isn't it pretty?), and fill in your email address in the space on sidebar. That enrolls you in the soon-to-be-launched weekly eNews from Hummingbird Highway. The eNews has a name, too; it'll be called "Good Migrations."

From there you'll receive two emails in response, one to confirm your email is added to the email list and a second one from me with a link to a special page where you can down load your own pattern.

So, what's in a name? Well, You Name It!

Happy stitching,
Joan

The Week in Review

It's Friday.

For those who work a standard 5-day work week, it's time to celebrate.

And reflect.

When I look back at my week, I like to review what I wanted to get done and what I accomplished, and maybe celebrate with a nice dinner along with a tasty glass of wine.

So, this week was no different than any other.

I'm sure it's no surprise to most, I've been working on some new quilt patterns. Scrappy ones. Could there be another book in the works? Hmm. Patience.

Lots of times, a new quilt starts with some scratchy notes in a notebook. Messy stacks of paper on the corner of the desk. And a few sewn samples. Just to see. No commitments yet.

Then it's decision time. A fabric or color theme. Additional fabrics, then the sewing begins. Somewhere in the middle, there always seems to be that twist in the stomach - at least for me. "Who would want this?". . . "Am I crazy?". . . "Does this look good?" And the point in the creative process where I just want to stop. Turn back! Abandon ship! Sometimes I do.

Most of the time, I keep going. "Let's see what this wants to be."

Was this really a good idea?

So, here I am. It's Friday and I'm somewhere in the middle of piecing a new quilt.  This week, I made some 900 (!) small half-square triangle units. Then trimmed them. Yikes!

Trimmed and trimmings

The weekend ahead may hold some interesting developments in the sewing studio . . . Or not. Shall I 'abandon ship?' Or forge ahead?

What did you accomplish this week, and more importantly, will it be red or white with dinner?

Enjoy the weekend!
Joan

Get Away!

This past weekend, I headed out of town for a change in the usual routine, to Minnowbrook Conference Center, Blue Mountain Lake in New York's beautiful Adirondack Mountains, to be specific! Here's a quick review in photos.

It doesn't take long for quilters to create a home away from home. Sewing machines, patterns, notions, fabrics and way too many projects come out of boxes and bags to create a happy chaos at each table.

A quiet moment; creativity awaits.

Pam looks up from her purple and taupe piecing.

And the sewing begins.















Looky-looky! "Feedsack Peaks" from Cut the Scraps! Quilter-Janet is a little camera-shy.

Sharon at the design wall. Blocks get set in the perfect arrangement, carefully planned.

Kathy made this two-color block from a paper-pieced pattern by Carol Doak.

Laura is making this Irish Chain quilt for her mom. A touch of Piping Hot Binding was just the ticket to frame the center medallion.

Lynn and her sister Tammy enjoyed some family time. This is Tammy's very first quilt. Lynn is an accomplished teacher - didn't they both do a great job, teacher and student?

 Pat made a Snap Sack Quilt, "Harvest Tradition."

My table mate, Gail completed a small quilt top with these colorful squares. Pretty!

 

Inspired by my surroundings, I brought a woodsy toss print fabric and my scraps, of course! What's this going to be? You'll have to wait to find out!

Sunset over Blue Mountain Lake

Magically, at the end of the weekend, all the colorful fabrics and creative energy are stored away for another sewing session on a new day. All is secured safely for the drive home.

All cleared away.

 
Just for a short while, it's nice to get away and just sew.

Until next time . . .
Joan

There's still time!

Each year, when the December calendar hits double digits, I start to get a little bit nervous. I count the days left to Christmas and then count the number of gifts I still have to make. I normally have plenty of fingers to count the days left, but I run out of fingers when tallying up how many gifts I have left to make. H-m-m. Have you noticed that, too?

Here's a quick little idea for a fun-to-make sewing gift. These cute little flower pot pin cushions are so easy - I bet you have time to make a couple! Be sure to make one for yourself, too!

Run out to the craft store and pick up some supplies. You'll need a 1-1/2" diameter clay pot, a glue gun, an Olfa circle cutter or make a 2-1/2" diameter circle template - you can also raid your stemware cabinet - I bet you have a wine or juice glass that is just about the right size. You'll also need a miniature button, needle and thread (regular thread and pearl cotton), and some leftover batting or fiber fill. To make mini flowers, add pearlized pins to your shopping list. And dig out your felted wool scraps.

Then go into your ScrapTherapy scrap fabric bins (naturally) and choose four 2" scrap squares and one 3-1/2" scrap square. The 2" scraps should coordinate, but the 3-1/2" square doesn't have to be matchy-matchy; it will not be visible in the end product. Make a four-patch from the four 2" scraps.

Two four-patches, one sewn, and one pre-sewn.

Cut a circle from the four-patch, centering the seam intersection. If you are not using the circle cutter, trace the circle onto the four-patch and cut out with scissors.

Place the four-patch circle right sides together on the 3-1/2" scrap square. Sew a scant 1/4" seam around the edge of the circle, leaving about an inch or so unsewn for turning.

Trim extra fabric from the larger square, and turn inside out. Stuff with leftover batting or fiber fill. Don't be shy with the stuffing! Sew opening closed by hand with a whip stitch. Neatness isn't terribly critical to close the opening, but try to maintain the circle shape.

Thread your needle with pearl cotton and knot the end. Starting from the bottom, pull the thread up from the back and through the center of the four-patch. Then pull the thread around the side of the cushion and back up from the the bottom in the middle. Pull thread tight. Turn the cushion, one quarter turn, then repeat pulling the thread up from the back three more times, pulling tightly each time. The cushion should be nice and "poofy." Secure the button over the center of the four-patch. End with the thread in back, and knot.

Next put some batting scraps in the bottom of the clay pot.

Add a bead of hot glue along the inside rim of the clay pot, then position the four-patch cushion in place. It will be a little larger than the mouth of the pot, so squish it into place gently hiding the side seams. Work quickly while the glue is still warm.

To make flower pins, cut small flower and leaf shapes from felted wool and stick them onto a pearlized pin, layering one or two flower petals, then a leaf. Place a small bead of hot glue between the bottom flower petal layer and the leaf layer, then press toward pin head

And that's it. Ready for gift giving!

Now, how many more do I have left to make. . .

Happy holiday crafting!
Joan