Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Canadian Quilters who are celebrating and giving thanks this weekend and on the 12th, Thanksgiving Day!

We quilters have so much to be thankful for, so many blessings to count!
I hope you all have a lovely time with family and friends!

Give-Away: Kathy’s Fancy Stitching News

Kathy’s blog’s subtitle is Ponderings and Postings of a Quilt-Aholic

You will enjoy reading it.

Be sure to scroll down to her Fall Give-Away and enter. Kathy will give two lucky winners their choice of
either a jelly roll or layer cake of Moda’s “Wonderland” fabric by MoMo. What fun to have a chance to win either!

New Tools from Guidelines™ 4 Quilting

Guidelines Seam Allowance Additions from Guidelines 4 Quilting

In my January 2008 Newsletter, I reviewed the first version of the Seam Allowance Additions created by John Brady. If you click on the link, you will see that that they were not coloured. They were clear. You’ll also read about how much I liked them and how very handy they are.

John has created an updated version of them which makes them even handier. They are now colour-coded so when we want to add seam allowances for Squares, QSTs (quarter square triangles) and HSTs (Half Square Triangles) we no longer have to stop and read the letters which identify them. We can go immediately to the right one by colour! Of course, the lettering – S, Q, and H also appear on these new versions.

Like their predecessors, these new colour-coded Seam Allowance Additions are quickly and easily attached with suction cups and easily removed. They take all of the math out of the formulas for adding the correct seam allowance to make QSTs and HSTs. No more fractions to think about!

There is no more effective way to explain this no math concept than the presentation of the Guidelines™ 4 Quilting website, so click here to view it. You can also click here to read the manual that goes with them.

I recently made a quilt with the Guidelines™ ruler and these additions. It was a 60 x 60 inch lap size and made up mostly of HSTs. It was a breeze to cut them all out quickly and accurately.

Please note though, that if you purchased the original Guidelines™ 6 x 12 ruler, these Seam Additions won’t fit. They fit the newest, latest version so check with them before ordering if you are not sure. To go to the website and order them, use the links here or click on the photo of my Seam Allowance Additions above.

Guidelines™ rulers are my favourites. I love the fact that they are non-slip and especially appreciate the guide that ensures quick and accurate cuts. John Brady is quite an innovator and has brought us very handy tools. Be sure to watch him tell you about them by clicking here. To use a partial quote, “Nobody tells it better!” Be sure to watch the video!

Making a Baby Quilt – Step 3: Appliqué Block #3,4,5,6

Scottie from Easy Appliqué Blocks by Kay Mackenzie

This is one of three blocks I’ve just completed for the baby quilt I’m making using the great
appliqué patterns in Kay’s book. Since the dog is a Scottie, I decided to use a plaid fabric for his bow.

On all three of four, the outlines are only roughly cut at the moment. As mentioned previously, I’ll be trimming them more accurately later and using satin stitching as a quilt stitch.

Moon and Stars from Easy Appliqué Blocks by Kay Mackenzie

I would have preferred a blue sky fabric for the background but limited myself to using the white on white background for all of the appliqué blocks in this quilt. (Why it looks pink in this photo, I’ve no idea.) I have also limited myself to using whatever fabrics I have on hand so decided to use all of my yellow fabrics.

Sunflowers from Easy Appliqué Blocks by Kay Mackenzie

I like the batik fabric center for the sunflowers. What a cheerful block!

Chicken from Easy Appliqué Blocks by Kay Mackenzie

I really had fun with this one! At first, choosing colours from my stash seemed to be quite the challenge, but I consulted with my husband – my resident artist – and he chose the fabric for the chicken’s comb and wattle. Once that was done, everything fell into place and the rest of the fabrics began shouting, “Choose me!” so I did. The term “funky chicken” immediately came to mind (refers to both a song and a dance, I think) and so did Florine Johnson’s Radical Roosters. Thinking of them, I couldn’t resist going wild with the colours and I’m absolutely delighted with him. The colours make me think of this as my Easter Egg Chicken.

Click on any of the photos to read about Kay’s book and to buy it.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

If you are a long time subscriber to my Maria Michaels Designs Newsletter (now Maria’s Quilt Scraps Blog) you will remember the great fun had at the The Blogger’s Quilt Festival last October. It was the first annual Bloggers Quilt Festival and it’s already time for year two!

It is timed to coincide with Quilt Market and is especially wonderful for those who cannot attend – and those who can, too!

Click here to learn more about it and to participate. Besides the fun of seeing so many beautiful gifts, there are great prizes to be won!

Crocus Cloth & Emery Polish Paper – For Sale

Michael has a supply of high quality 9 x 11 inch sheets of Crocus Cloth and 9 x 14 inch sheets of Emery Polishing Paper – extremely fine 1200 grade and made in the USA. Members of my Bernina ThirtySomethings have been taking advantage of his sale.

He is making them available at a cost of $3 U.S. each. The price includes delivery charges for Canada and the U.S.

Michael explains, “These sheets are ideal for cleaning and polishing metal parts of sewing machines and for polishing the carbon deposits off sewing motor commutators. Use them to polish surface rust, nicks and rough spots off all hardened metal parts and smooth sliding and rotating shafts if they have wear marks from bushings. These are great supplies for do-it-yourself projects or for restoring smooth action to a machine which has been stored without adequate lubrication.”

“These are meant for cleaning metal parts only, not for chromed, painted or enameled surfaces. They will smooth and polish shafts and wipe off stains, surface rust and moisture-related discoloration.”

“The Crocus Cloth is a very fine (1200 grade) jewelers rouge impregnated cloth for polishing out nicks, rough spots and burrs and it is also very gently but effective for polishing hard metal parts that have gotten discolored due to rubbing without adequate lubrication, or machines that have been stored in damp locations without proper protection. When shafts move through close-fitting bushings they start to get marked and Crocus Cloth will clean up the shafts and smooth out the pick-up marks.”

“For quilters who use older machines like the Featherweights, 301s and Slant-o-matics I can also include a free 6 inch piece of New Heat Shrink Tube (Electrical Insulation Tubing) with each Crocus Cloth order – enough to do a couple of wiring repairs.”

To make inquiries and to order sheets send a message to Michael at ducati860@SPAMgmail.com but remove the letters “SPAM” first. (This is a new way to prevent email addresses that appear online from being harvested and used for spam purposes.)

Life Magazine

Many will remember the popularity of Life magazine, its great photos, and perhaps even its impact in our pre computer days. Google has now created an archive of every issue between 1936 and 1972!

Looking through all of its pages will be nostalgic for some and a view of history for others. Click here to begin viewing them.

September Pattern Winner

Our pattern winner for September is:

debra@debra…………………………

Congratulations Debra! You can choose from any downloadable PDF pattern on my pattern pages with one exception – the patterns on the Guest page.

Winners can claim their free patterns by leaving a comment here and including the pattern name they have chosen.

Winners must claim their free pattern by no later than October 30, 2009 after which they are no longer eligible.

*Note: Winners will need the free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader to print their patterns.

QuiltCampus – Online Quilt Classes About to Start!

I am greatly looking forward to teaching two sets of online quilting lessons at QuiltCampus this fall.

They both start this Saturday, September 26th.

A Simply Plaid Halloween is one of my classes. It will include making both the wall quilt and the Boo Bags which are pictured below.

A Simply Plaid Halloween - Designed and Quilted by Maria

I made the plaid version to help quilters learn how to use them successfully and to show that using plaids can be lots of fun. Naturally, this wall hanging can also be made in regular colours and fabrics as seen in the one below made by Carole Amyotte. This cute lineup of pumpkins is sure to add to your children’s delight in Halloween.

Simply Halloween - Quilted by Carole Amyotte

Boo Bags in 3 Sizes by Maria

These bags come in 3 sizes with the smallest being perfect for tiny toddlers and the largest for older children. The largest can be used by adults as well while shopping between now and Halloween. Besides being fun, these bags support going “green.” Naturally, you can add as many or as few appliqués as you like and vary their position as well.

Come join us in this class and have fun making both! Visit QuiltCampus to sign up!

Your First Quilt is another class I am teaching which also starts on the 26th. It is for those of you who are “wannabe” quilters. No previous experience is needed. Come join us and produce a quilt similar to the ones below.

Zoology - made by Maria

Sunbonnet Sue by Martha Des Roches

To make learning quilting skills and terms easier, we will use a panel as the center of the quilt. You will have lots of fun shopping for and choosing one. Join us!

There are many skilled quilt teachers to be found at Quilt Campus and many interesting classes. More are starting next month. Be sure to visit the Quilt Campus website to see what is on offer and to choose some fun classes yourself!

Book Review: Quilt of Belonging

Quilt of Belonging by Esther Bryan and Friends

Esther Bryan is a quilter who wanted to celebrate the fact that Canada is home to many immigrants. She also wanted to promote a sense of greater belonging among the diverse groups. She was inspired to organize a collaborative quilt to celebrate cultural diversity.
The resulting quilt is about 120 feet long and 10 feet high. It is made of 263 squares representing 71 Aboriginal groups and 192 immigrant nationalities found in Canada.

The quilt has been greatly admired and celebrated and has been exhibited in museums, fairs, and other centers in both Canada and the U.S.

The book is definitely eye candy for quilters! Each quilt block has its own page with its photo and a photo of its creator(s) along with the story behind its creation – pages and pages of unique designs embellished in many ways using, among other things, bobbin lace, shells, amber, porcupine quills, worry dolls, broaches, wool, and more.

The book is a feast for the eyes, or, as is often said, “eye candy.” It celebrates quilters and quilts from all over the world. You will sit with this one often and be continually inspired.

If you already have the book or when you get it, leave a comment on your favourite block in the book. I’m trying to choose one and having a difficult time!

Publisher: Boston Mills Press
Number of Pages: 296
Cover: Soft
ISBN: 10: 1-55046-435-3
ISBN: 13: 978-155046-435-1