1000 is Something to Celebrate!!

I started this blog way back in 2007 when Michael and I spent 2 months living in Oxford England. Before I left, a bunch of people asked me to email them and tell them about the trip. I decided that I didn’t want to spend my entire trip on email, so I wrote a blog instead. That way, if someone wanted to read about it, they could, and if they didn’t……

I used the blog for several other trips and then decided to turn it into a “Quilting and Other Stuff” blog in December of 2008.

I posted sporadically for the next 12 years!!

Now, cast your mind back to 2020 and all of that extra time we needed to fill!!

On July 27, 2020 I pledged to write and post a blog entry every single day for 30 days, starting with this one…..

How to Spray Baste a Quilt

Those 30 days went by quickly, so I decided to do another 30 days.

Before I knew it, I had posted 250 days in a row…..

….then 500 days

….and today marks the 1,000th day!!!

And, I recently passed 1,000 in subscribers too!!

For the most part, it has been a fun ride and I am looking forward to continuing.

HOWEVER, I am going to give myself grace to miss a post here or there, so if you wait for the email notification and it doesn’t come, don’t worry I am still here!!!

So, please celebrate with me today!!!

A Documentary on Design

While scrolling for things to watch as I plodded along on my elliptical machine, I came across a wonderful Netflix documentary.

It follows the work of Christoh Niemann as he talks about many of his “New Yorker” covers, and also about his life and attitude toward creativity.

Here is a bit of his work to tempt you further…..

…and don’t you love the front and back cover in this design……

As soon as the video started, I was mesmerized and I hope that you are too…..

In researching this video a bit more, I found that there was actually a Netflix series called “Abstract: The Art of Design”.

If you have Netflix, you might check it out and find other videos…

NOW I don’t have to worry about what I am going to watch tomorrow……Netflix here I come!!

Amazing Interview!!

A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Jan Doyle for her “Wyse Talk” series.

Here is her bio……

Jan is a media personality with her own show, Wyse Talk, on cable and YouTube. Jan has appeared on Good Morning CT for three years with Classroom Connections, taught elementary and high school, and loves to travel.

As a teacher, Jan felt the one page in the history books devoted to the Underground Railroad completely inadequate. Personal interest and study led to the creation of the program Quilts and the Underground Railroad: Fact or Fiction.

Another passion is to “incorporate photography with my quilting. I discovered thread painting my images on fabric is something I love to do. I feel very fortunate to be able to share my interest in photography and love of quilting with others.” Her quilts and photographs have been exhibited in galleries and art centers.

Jan has been honored to receive the distinction MNECC in July 2022. This award was presented at the New England Camera Club 75^th Anniversary conference in MA. Jan received this honor for her numerous leadership roles and service to the New Haven Camera Club community; for her service on the board of the Connecticut Association of Photographers; for her programs presented to local camera clubs and national audience, and her photography exhibits at galleries which include using her photos to create art with thread painting or photo stitching.

Jan presents at conferences, schools, quilt guilds, libraries, art centers, and churches. Jan taught at Houston International Quilt show.

Jan is a past Co-Rep for the Connecticut Chapter of Studio Art Quilt Associates, (SAQA), former editor of the SAQA -CT newsletter.

I enjoyed meeting her and we had SO much fun talking during the 30 minutes. I was surprised when she said that we were almost out of time…..I mean…..hadn’t we just started!!!

She was a great interviewer. She had a plan for the interview, but she still listened as I talked, asked wonderful questions, and then directed me to the next topic!!

I hope you enjoy it………

Isn’t it fun to talk to quilters!!

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If you have an interest in ruler quilting, check out this online course…..

Click HERE for more information

I can hand quilt….

Way back in the 1990s, I started a Christmas quilt. Originally, it was going to be a bed quilt but it got smaller and smaller as it went.

This is how it ended up…..

My original plan was to hand-quilt it and I made a good start but lost interest in the project!!!

Back in 2011, I decided to finish the quilt, even if it meant mixing Hand-quilting and Machine-quilting and I was SO very happy when it was finished.

I pull it out every December and use it as a throw on my couch. Well this year, as I was putting it away, I took a look at the hand-quilting and realized that, at one point in time, I COULD hand-quilt….

Yes, the stitch length is all over the place, but there are runs of REALLY even stitches.

Now, I could lament about how I should have kept going with the slow stitching but, the bottom line is…..

I LOVE FREE MOTION QUILTING and will NEVER return to hand-quilting!!

Where are you on the hand/machine spectrum?

If you enjoy this blog, please share it with your friends!!!

Thank you…….

Hanging a quilt like a picture

Many years ago I read a post from Susan Brubaker Knapp where she gave instructions for how to hang a quilt on a nail….just like a picture.

When we finished Marnie’s quilt, we decided that this would be a great idea for hanging it.

I had to go back to my 2011 blog post to remember how to do it but here are the instructions…..

Cut a piece of fabric that is the same width as the finished quilt and about 2/3rds of the length of the quilt…

Fold all four edges in 1/4 inch, then fold them again and stitch in place…..

I found that using my 1/4-inch masking tape seam guide was helpful in keeping the stitching straight….

Place the piece on the back of the quilt, approximately 1/2 inch from the edges and top. Pin in place….

Measure 1/3 of the way from the top of the sleeve and draw two lines, one inch apart. Repeat on both sides……

Hand sew around the sides and top of the sleeve, leaving the 1-inch area between the marks open…..

Cut a piece of foam core board slightly smaller than the width of the sleeve, and about 2/3rds of the length of the finished quilt…..

Carefully insert the board into the sleeve making sure that it doesn’t bind or stretch the quilt…..

Insert a pencil in the openings on the side and mark the edge of the board…..

Use this mark as a reference for where to punch the hole.

Remove the board from the sleeve and use a needle or stiletto to poke a hole thru the board. I added a piece of Duct Tape on the front and back to reinforce the area….