What Quilters Really Want

Quilter’s Wish List

Did anyone catch the ad on the internet for the iSO Sewing Machine, the first iPad compatible sewing machine? While this was unfortunately just an April Fools Day hoax, it got me thinking about what we quilters really want.

Here is my list:

The Stitchmobile and Stitchmobile LE- Volvo and Huskvarna join forces to create the first sewing-machine powered automobile. Piece those blocks while stop-and-go driving around town; quilt them during longer rides. The more winding the roads, the lovelier your free-motion meander stitches. The Stitchmobile LE (Luxury Edition) would come with an embroidery module. Put the feed dogs down and you can ride safely on ice and snow.

The Keurig Stitcher- Just push a button on your sewing machine and it brews your favorite hot caffeinated beverage. No worries about spilling on your quilt; it comes with a permanently attached straw.

The Endless Bobbin- While your bobbin thread is running out from the outside of your bobbin, the Endless Bobbin is rewinding from the inside of the bobbin from a large cone of thread stored under the bed of your machine.

The Longarm for People Who Don’t Have Room for a Longarm- Think Murphy bed for stitchers. Pulls down from the wall when needed. When not in use can be used as a design wall.

The Quilter’s Master Card. Earn trips to Houston, Paducah, Lancaster, etc. Because quilters are sociable creatures and will be travelling “en masse”, you will qualify for great group rates.

Sunshower Quilts: Accuquilt Baby Go! Give-Away!!

Sunshower Quilts: Accuquilt Baby Go! Give-Away!!

In a few hours spring will officially be here, although I've been in "spring mode" for the past couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE winter, but there's something about setting those clocks ahead that makes me want to play all day long. I've been working on new patterns, tweaking old patterns, and giving some of my sewing machines (yes, plural- at last count there were 8) a good workout.

All this activity has made me want some new toys, and this is one I've had my eyes on. When I first saw the Accuquilt Go!, I thought it was a pretty neat idea, but it was the Baby Go! that really captivated me. Maybe it was the price, maybe the portability, but I think the real reason is I really like little things. I love my Featherweight, I love my two Chihuahuas, I think mice are adorable creatures, my smallest quilt measured only 1 1/2" square.

So when I learned Katrina of Sunshower Quilts is giving away a Baby Go!, I had to play along. And in the process I discovered a fun blog with some really helpful tutorials.

Six Gables Designs Schedule, March/April 2011

March 4-6, 2011- Great Escape Weekend 26, W. Alton Jones Campus, West Greenwich, RI

I will be leading this year's workshop; our project will be a brand new pattern, "Cakewalk", which will be available for sale later this spring.

April 11-16, 2011. MQX East (Machine Quilters Exposition), Providence Rhode Island. I will be helping out at the Quilts of Valor booth, date not yet determined.

April 16-17, Quilt show, Northeastern Connecticut Country Quilters, Plainfield CT Town Hall. I will be vending here

Any additions will be posted at a later date.

A New Life for Maggie Mae

I've been neglecting this blog lately; it's so much faster and easier to post on Facebook. But this post is longer than a FB status update, and is about something I care deeply about- the fate of dogs in puppy mills.

Many of you know I have two "second-hand" dogs; prior to that we had ferrets from a ferret rescue. I am a firm believer in "adopt, not shop", and I put my money where my mouth is. Most rescues run on a shoestring budget. Sometimes there is simply no money to take in another animal, but there are animals they cannot turn their back on. I'm hoping some of you will be touched by the plight of Maggie May and will contribute to her care. She is not the only one; today four dogs began their new lives in loving foster homes thanks to Just a Touch Rescue.

The following is from an unbelievably dedicated foster mom named Eileen. She opens her home to those dogs needing the most care.

Today begins a new chapter in your sad life Maggie Mae. You are a 10 year old Bichon that was a slave to the mass breeding facilities. You gave your all and received nothing in return. We picked you up today. You looked worn and tired and scared. You reminded me of this song by Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae. The morning sun when it's in your eyes really shows your age. But that don't worry me none, in my eyes you are everything. And you are. You are the best and the bravest and the most loving mother and little white doll of a dog. You see folks, in the puppymill Maggie Mae lived in a cage with wire for the floor. Her foot slipped through the wires and the dogs in the crate below her chewed off her trapped little foot. We believe that was years ago. I can't even imagine the horror and pain she went through. Yet the "breeders" kept her in that cage and continued to breed her, heat after heat. She must have been a good and kind and caring mother in spite of her pain and lack of a front paw. Or she would not have been kept in that prison. They would have disposed of her:(( Today marks a new and happier chapter for Mother Maggie Mae. She will learn that her needs will be met. That she will be warm and fed and loved. That she will NEVER be screamed at or handled roughly. She will have soft beds to sleep on and doggie and people friends to live out her life with. She will not ever be bred again. She is officially retired from working for a living. If life in a hellhole can be called living. Maggie Mae has dental issues, mammary tumors and needs to be spay. She has a stump for a front leg where the paw was chewed off. If you can contribute a small amt toward her care it would be greatly appreciated. Just A Touch Rescue has taken her under their wing and will be caring for all her needs. Please pass this info along to your friends..if only to alert them to the horrors of the mass breeding facilities.Sadly there are thousands of other "Maggie Maes" waiting on the wires for rescue to come... www.justatouchrescue.com Thank you from all of us at Just A Touch Rescue and Mother Maggie Mae

I guess I'm now officially a ruler inventor

Details on Quilt-a-thon

The Great Northeastern Quilt-a-thon

To benefit Quilts of Valor (www.QOVF.org).

You can make a difference! Help us celebrate the 20th anniversary of Make a Difference Day.

Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored annually by USA WEEKEND Magazine and its 700 carrier newspapers. Make A Difference Day takes place on the 4th Saturday in October each year.

I’m throwing down the gauntlet. I’m issuing a challenge to the quilters of New York and New England: I think we can make 1,000 Quilts of Valor between today, August 14 and Make a Difference Day, October 23, 2010. I need you all to help me get the word out. Forward this to your local quilt shops, to your quilt guild, to your sewing buddies. Post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, call your Grandma. Not from New York or New England? So what? You can still participate.

Rev up those sewing machines and put the pedal to the metal!

Here’s what you can do:

Stitchers: Piece quilt tops, alone or with friends.

Longarmers: Volunteer to quilt QOV’s. You can sign up to be a longarmer on the QOV website

Quilt guilds and quilting groups: At your next meeting make QOV’s. Or ask members to bring in blocks and put the blocks together.

Quilt shops: Have a QOV class/workshop day or days. PIck a simple pattern so all levels of stitchers can participate. Or invite customers to work on their own QOV’s. Keep it free and easy- drop in for an hour or stay all day.

Ask participants to bring in their own fabrics- stick to red, white and blue, or go across the color spectrum (just a note from personal experience, be specific - people tend to bring in more medium and dark fabrics than very light ones). Ask for larger quantities for quilt backs.

Don’t forget to make a presentation case for each quilt.

Don’t forget to make a label.

Do refer to the QOV web site for specifics on how to make a QOV (sizes, materials, etc.).

Do email me if you have any questions. Barbara@QOVF.org

Have fun with this.

Barbara Chojnacki

Quilts of Valor Regional Coordinator,

Region 10 (NY and New England)

Great Northeastern Quilt-a-thon

I'm inviting quilters from New York and New England (and anywhere else, for that matter) to make a difference. Let's celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Make a Difference Day by making at least 1,000 Quilts of Valor between today and October 23, 2010.

Do you like seahorses?

I do. And so do most people. Seahorses are right up there with dragonflies at the top of the list of "Very Cool Creatures". And seahorses are the subject of my friend Linda M. Poole's new line of fabrics (following close on the heels of her first line, "Iridescence", which features dragonflies). You've got to check these out- the seahorses are wonderful, the colors are simply stunning, and the whole line of fabrics is irresistible!

Coming out of hibernation...

Not really. This soon to be past winter has been a creative time for me, and I'm excited about all the things that had been going on in my life that are now coming to fruition.

Four new quilts have been born, and I'm "pregnant" with a fifth. Also on the quilting front, one of my quilts, "The Mystery of the Missing Root Children" (pictured) has been chosen for an exhibit at MQX next month. And there will be other news, but all in due time.

I have also had the immense pleasure (and time, and effort) of putting together a fund-raising cookbook that is almost ready for the printer. This will benefit Just a Touch Rescue. Please let me know if you would like to be notified when the book is out.

Historical cemetery of the day

The state of Rhode Island has nearly 3000 historical cemeteries. If I counted correctly, Westerly has 97 if those.  Even many natives don't know this one, in Watch Hill, exists. Yet it's just a block away from the center of the village, a couple hundred yards past this lovely old yacht. 

Here's RI Historical Cemetery #31, 

containing approximately 100 graves with stones dating from 1740 to 1830. You can see headstones, many barely peeking up from the ground.

 Sadly, this lovely stone broke off its base. The carving is barely visible, it appears to be a setting sun. The name and date of the person interred below is no longer legible.

A lovely autumn morning...

and a good time to take advantage of the sunshine before the rainy weekend arrives. This happy fellow greets visitors to Smith's Flower & Farm here in town.  

Quilting Spooky- A freebie for you

Now that your Halloween quilt top is completed and is ready to be quilted (you DO have a Halloween quilt, don't you?), you need a quick and easy quilting design. If you have basic free motion quilting skills, you can do "Loopy Bats." 

Upcoming Events

October 3 I will be teaching "Take Four", a set of four placemats designed by Cary Flanagan of Something Sew Fine. The class will be held at Quilts & More, Mill Pond Plaza, Westerly, RI.

October 14 I will be doing a trunk show for members of the Clamshell Quilters at the Waterford Community Center, Waterford, CT; the next day I will be teaching my pattern "Earth, Air, Fire, Water", pictured above.

Oct. 23, 24, and 25 I will be vending at the Ninigret Quilters show (this is my local guild), at the Westerly Armory, Westerly, RI

And yet another pattern...

Totes for Two is my newest pattern, a pair of matching Mother/Daughter tote bags. It's a very simple pattern, using 1 yard each of two great fabrics for both totes. Every piece is individually lined, so by the time the tote is stitched together, all the lining is already there- no fussy finishing work left to do before you can enjoy your bags. Although it makes two items, it is not a Patty Piper pattern because each tote is individually cut and sewn. On the Patty Piper patterns, you cut, stitch, cut again, and create two quilts from the (already partially sewn) pieces.

Totes for Two, all the Patty Piper patterns, and more, will be available at the New England Quilt Designer's Cooperative booth at the Greater Hartford Quilt Guild show this weekend in New Britan, CT. Stop in to say hi. Mention this blog and get a free gift!

Who is Patty Piper...

and why does she piece in pairs? 

     Patty Piper is my alter ego. She's notoriously frugal with my stash, and tries to create quilts that make use of the scraps that would otherwise be tossed or, even worse, find a home in a dark corner of my sewing room where they could propagate like rabbits. She rears her quilty head from time to time.

    Patty Piper pieced pinwheels; painless pointless ones to be exact. And from those pinwheels she created two quilts. Not satisfied to end there, Patty Piper tackled circles next- twice! A remnant of Parrot home-dec fabric got Patty's creative juices going with Patty Piper Strikes Again (see photo in previous post). Knowing some quilters prefer smaller projects, Patty then pieced a pair of pretties for the dining room, Dinner with Patty Piper.

Sneak Peak

Here's an upcoming pattern hanging on my first clumsy attempt at assembling my gridwall display.

Fairie Feet Part 2

Here are the Fairie slippers I got back from Kay, as well as the ones I made for her. What fun! 

Vintage scrap self-challenge

Yes, I have won yet another pile of someone else's unwanted scraps. This batch had an intriguing assortment of vintage (early '60's???) pieces that appear to be fabric samples as they are all the same size and include different colorways of the same prints. Some are quite pretty, others less so. I tried to sort them into groupings of somewhat coordinated colors as the assortment taken as a whole was...um...difficult to do anything with. I have an idea for one of the groups, the one with the warmer colors, but don't want to cut into those babies just yet. Click on the pictures to see them in all their dubious glory.

Fairie Feet

I'm hosting a swap on the Fairie Goddess Mothers Yahoo group. Six of us are swapping "Fancy Funky Fairie Feet". We are paired off and each player sends a new pair of slippers in her own size to her partner. The partner has until April 30 to turn the slippers into fairie slippers and mail them back to their owner. These are my unembellished slippers, which have just arrived in Minnesota at my partner Kay's home. I can't wait to see what she does with them. I have her slippers, and will post pictures of them in progress if she promises not to peek!

A video for animal lovers...

Please watch this video.  The two tiny Chihuahua babies are currently being fostered by Just a Touch Rescue here in Rhode Island. A special web site has been set up to tell their story.