Various & Sundry #3- Early March

It took me over a year to get up to 100 followers on the AQ Facebook page (check the sidebar for a link). In the past few weeks, I have gotten 30+. I guess this is what pundits mean by reaching critical mass. Thanks, everyone!

I received an envelope from my dad the other day with a brochure and a page of photos from the Tillamook County Quilt Trails. I looked on the web and found they have a web page! This trail debuted at the Tillamook County Fair in August 2009 with 13 quilt blocks. There are now 101 blocks included along the trail map. I was thrilled to learn that my dad had chased around the county to see these colorful quilt blocks.  He has started living life out loud a little more, which really makes me happy. Quilts are everywhere!

Projects, Patterns, Tutorials & Classes

Katie of Katie’s Quilting Corner has posted a tutorial for the QuiltSmart Gadget Cushion. I might need one to keep my phone handy when I am trying to participate in a Google Hangout with the other Twilters.

April Rosenthal has a rotary cutting tutorial.

I saw this GREAT free motion quilting project via a tweet from Elly at Aurifil. I love it. It isn’t cutesy and looks small enough to be a good practice piece.

Little Bluebell has put up a tutorial on HRTs. “HRTs?, you say” Half Rectangle Triangles. I don’t know if that is the correct name, but you get the idea. It makes me want to pull out my BiRangle and find the book I bought with it back in the last century and make some rectangle quilts.

Your path to a new bag is here! Sara of Sew Sweetness has a new bag pattern called the Holland Bag. I like that she shows so many fabric options and lots of inside bag photos in her post.

The newest Snapshots block is out and it is a sewing machine! This QAL is a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Research Hospital. The goal of $10,000 was reached in a month, which means that 2000 of you sent in the requested $5!  They have upped the FQS goal to $20,000! The suggestion is that you donate $5 for each block pattern downloaded. Wouldn’t it be great if the total donation was $10,000 per block pattern??

Need some organization? Want to make a matching set? A recent post shows 12 patterns for organizing your workroom.

American Patchwork and Quilting has a four patch quilt-a-long as well. There is a link to a number of designers who are in on the QAL and the hashtag for Twitter and Instagram is #APQquiltalong. I like April Rosenthal’s ‘Buried Treasure.’ I am sure her block has been around, but I didn’t take the time to look it up. Using Corner Store blocks to connect the four patches is a great idea!

Carol, the art quilt queen turned me on to the Rainbow Challenge. This month’s color is yellow. The main challenge page talks a little about the challenge, which has the main point of using up scraps.

Enrollment now open for EQU online classes. the following classes were advertised in the latest EQ newsletter:

Fabric, Tools, Books & Supplies

Gretchen reviews a Double Wedding Ring book.

I saw looking at the AQS catalog. I saw a task lamp called the Stella Task LED Lamp (item #6289). It has a flexible arm and has a special type of bulb to make it convenient to transport, because it won’t break. The ad claims that it still be working after 12 years. This looks great, but I am concerned that the bulbs will not last for 12 years and will be quite expensive.

Katie has a beautiful way of storing scraps. Not only do they look good, but you can enjoy the colors of the scraps as well.

Articles & Information

Someone pointed me in the direction of the American Craft Council article called The Healing Powers of Craft by Monica Moses. It is less an article that a catalog of the health benefits pointing to the beneficial effects while pointing the reader to the articles that discuss the point. I wonder if the converse is true. Will I not be as healthy if I work instead of sew when I am under a deadline? Are people, in general, less healthy if they do not make or repair?

Jennifer Ackermann-Haywood is ending her stint with mlive and focusing on CraftSanity again. Read her last article for mlive.com.

Even quiltmakers ‘get’ rides in police cars sometimes.

Shows, Events & Meetings

SCVQA Show: Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 10am – 5pm and Sunday, March 15, 2015 from 10am – 4pm.

Art Quilt discussion: March 19, 7:30 pm Richmond Branch of the San Francisco Public Library

San Francisco Quilter’s Guild Show: March 20-21.

Sonoma Museum of Art: Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000, February 14-May 17, 2015

Other Artists

I not always a fan of the quilts that look like they were made from the Stack ‘n Whack technique. The name bugs me. Still, this quilt by Hilda is wonderful. I don’t know if it is the red or the gradation.

OMG! Frances did a video of her Mosaic quilt. Amazing!

NQR

In case you want to catch up with Outlander before the new season comes out in April, the Star series version is now on Blu-ray  and DVD.