Friday, May 31, 2013

The Bees Knees Are Back!

 This last year I have had the wonderful opportunity
to be part of an amazing Bee Group
where 12 of us worked together online.
Each month one member served as host
with the responsibility of mailing
 fabric and block pattern to
the other members of the group.
We kept track of our work
through Flickr
A very talented gathering of ladies
and I learned a lot.
I admit, I was a little sad when our year was up.
 The good news is that our faithful Bee Leaders
Sherri McConnell (A Quilting Life)
and Amy Smart (Diary of A Quilter)
have offered to host another year.
Sherri will keep us organized.
(does that make her Queen Bee?)
Several in the group had to drop out
because of time commitments,
which left 4 openings for new members.
I about jumped out of my socks when I found out
who would be joining our Hive.
 My dear friend, the very talented  
Lori Holt (Bee In My Bonnet)
Oh yay!
How I miss our days of quilting together when I lived in Utah.
Now we can BEE TOGETHER once again.
 My other friend, the also very talented
Jodi Nelson (Pleasant Home)
A few years ago I hosted a small quilt retreat with Lori Holt
 at my home in St. George
and Jodi came all the way from Washington.
Just thinking about it makes me wish we could do it again right now.
BEE-ing is a happy second choice.
 And then I read that the very famous
Carrie Nelson of
will also be a Bee Member!
Wow!
I have not met Carrie but have known of her
and followed her work for years.
I wonder if her block will be a Schnibble?
And fourth,
the darling Melissa Corry (Happy Quilting)
I've not met Melissa either,
but love her pattern designs.
These lady's blogs are on my side bar
where it's fun to keep up with all of their
creative activities.

What an honor to be quilting with such a talented group!
So happy to be continuing on with:
Shari Butler (Doohikey Designs)*Shari created our headers and logo's
Calli Taylor (Make It Do)
Tricia Poolson (Notes Of Sincerity)
April Rosenthal (Prairie Grass Patterns)
Sinta Borland (Pink Pincushion)

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Stitch One Quilt Too

Deborah Segaert 
from the Central Coast of Australia
has written a very interesting article
about using black as a component
in quilt designs.
can be found 
over on her blog
Stitch One Quilt Too
From traditional to contemporary
Deborah gives a nice overview
including cultural perspective
of the use of black in quilts.
How do you feel about incorporating
black when you are planning
out the fabric selection in your quilts?

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

How To Add A Ruffle To The Edge Of A Quilt

 My friend Vickie recently shared with me
her technique for 
adding a ruffle to the edge of a quilt.
 Very simple to do
and another fun way to edge a quilt
rather than using the traditional binding method.
Pattern:
by Threaded Pear
 First, determine the size of the ruffle.
Vickie's ruffle was about 3-inches wide.
She cut a 6-inch width and then folded in half.
For the length,
measure around the outside of the quilt and then
double, allowing for gathers.
Using a pearl cotton
zig zag the thread down using a large stitch
about 1/4th inch from the cut edge of the ruffle.
 A size 5 Pearl Cotton allows
enough strength without breakage for gathering 
a long length of ruffle.
 Once the thread is stitched down,
tug on the end
and gather evenly.
 With an erasable marker,
Vickie had previously drawn  a 
1/2-inch line around the edge of her quilt
as a guide 
so her quilter would not stitch completely to the edge.
Before sewing in the ruffle, 
trim the batting back to the 1/2-inch mark.
 Lay the ruffle around the outside of the quilt,
making sure the gathers are even.
 Once you are happy with the gathers,
flip the ruffle so the raw edges match evenly
against the edge of the top of the quilt.
Pin in place.
Sew down with a scant 1/2-inch seam allowance
to the top only.
Turn the quilt over
and iron the backing down 1/2- inch
to the inside of the quilt.
*Covering the seam line,
stitch down.
*you can either do this by machine or by hand.
Gently press the ruffle around the corners and 
edges and you are done!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Belgium Waffles Quilt and More

 Those Mesa ladies have been busy
quilting the last month.
 For Show and Tell 
Peg brought her finished 
Belgium Waffles Quilt
just back from the quilter.
 Belgium Waffles
by Monica of Happy Zombie
is offered as a free pattern
over at Moda Bake Shop
 Peg really did a great job in color selection.
 And her back is as pretty as her front.
These ladies always make the most beautiful backs
out of their left over scraps.
 Janet brought her finished 
Snowball Quilt
 Most of the ladies in the group made this one too.
 Holly was binding a quilt she
made for a grand daughter.
I thought it was very nice of her
to color coordinate her outfit
as I took pictures of her quilt.
 All  hand quilted
 Janet finished her
Pattern by our very own 
Gina of Threaded Pear
 Love the scalloped binding.
 Cute quilting
And Janet, like the others in our group
made the back with the left over scraps.
Such a great idea!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

St. Louis 16 Patch Quilts

 Yesterday was our fun day
with the Mesa Ladies.
A few of us gather at our church
have a wonderful lunch
and work on quilts.
 Amanda and Gina both were putting the binding on their
St. Louis 16 Patch quilts.
This quilt is definitely on my "to-do" list!
A great stash buster.
 Gina's version is for her son who graduates
from high school next week.
She chose more masculine fabrics
and added borders.
 Amanda is our hero.
She makes quilts for each of her children's school teachers
as a thank you gift.
How wonderful is that?
 The St. Louis 16 Patch 
is offered with a free tutorial
by Stephanie
of SKBurton Designs
 This quilt has really hit the blogging/ instagram world in popularity.
Seems like everyone is making it.
I like it because it can be made from Fat Quarters
cut into large 4-inch squares,
and works up fast.
 The back of Gina's quilt is as interesting as the front.
 Our friend Pat Roche
did the long arm work.
I'll share more tomorrow 
from the Show and Tell 
by the other ladies.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Alto Intuitive Sewing Machine

Have you seen this 
very cool innovation
created by 
Industrial Designer
Sarah Dickins
of the United Kingdom?
The Alto Sewing Machine
is a prototype Sarah built
for the 2012 James Dyson Award Program
accepting the challenge to "solve a problem".

Sarah wanted to put ease and
a more intuitive operation
back into the sewing experience
especially for beginners, 
who often express frustration in using their machines.
Among the many features:
*simplified thread path 
*no pedal.  The fabric is fed
through downward pressure at the throat plate
*adequate space to the right side of the needle 
Sarah created the Alto with the intention to help
sewers feel more comfortable 
mending their clothes.
But I think it would be perfect for the 
beginning quilter, too.
In addition,
the Alto is beautifully designed!
I think it's stylish enough 
to display
in any room of the house.
Here is a link for 
a 2 minute
You Tube video
where Sarah explains her 
Alto Intuitive Sewing Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7ohEWr9g4w

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Petunia Patch Quilt

 On Saturday the
Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild 
met in a new (to us) location.
We gathered at
a wonderful store
in Mesa, Arizona
 One of the things I like about meeting at ETC,
is viewing all of the quilts on display.
by Lauren + Jessie Jung
 Isn't this a fun quilt?
I really like the geometric design in the flower block.
Finished size 61" X 61"
 Jelly Roll friendly
they say the pattern can be purchased 
through United Notions.
But if you are wanting to visit
or order online
at my favorite quilt store in the Phoenix Metro
2820 E. University Dr. #111
Mesa, AZ
480-854-2303
On line orders:
shop@scrapbooks-etc.com

Monday, May 20, 2013

Marrakech Elephant Embroidery

 A few months ago
the very talented
Danny Heyen (Mommy For Reals)
brought this darling
Elephant pillow
that she had embroidered.
All of us at the 
Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild
fell in love with it,
and asked her if she would come and
teach a hand embroidery workshop.
 Saturday we gathered to
learn several stitches
that make this 
Marrakesh Elephant
practically come alive.
 The art of embroidering on 
quilt fabric is becoming increasingly popular.
 Danny did a great job as a teacher!
She was well prepared
 brought samples
drew diagrams
and gave individual help.
 And the room was packed!
The Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild 
is really growing!
 Danny started us out by providing
a section of fabric
Karavan line
This is an older fabric that is harder to find
and almost out of print.
Danny found it at
She said she had to 
"kill a lot of elephants to get one good section to work with"
 We were fortunate because Danny provided us 
with kits,
complete with floss 
generously donated by DMC
 I've done some embroidering in the past,
but learned some new techniques that were very helpful.
My favorite part was learning the 
seen here on the gold curly sections.
I find hand work 
very relaxing and look forward 
to spending some time with my 
Marrakesh Elephant
Thanks for a 
GREAT workshop Danny!