Even though you belong to online quilting and fabric art groups, most quilters enjoy getting together in person with a local group periodically.  My daughter Beth finds these bi-weekly Friday gatherings a break in her schedule and a source of inspiration.
They share, they try different techniques, they enjoy refreshments, and they sometimes go on day trips.  These are something like the old time quilting bees when women gathered at one another’s homes for quilting and socializing.
Beth often discusses her group’s gatherings in her Meandering Threads blog: 
*Check out her December 3, 2007 entry which describes a workshop at Sue’s house where …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
Here is where my daughter and I find inspiration in our snow-filled New Hampshire world.  This is looking from the deck down the driveway after one of the many snow storms that we experience in winter.

This is one of Beth’s photos, but we both take them for memories, fabric art inspiration and for cards and note paper.  When you look at these photos, expecially in summer, you forget about the snowblowing and shoveling.
How would this inspire your quilting or fabric art?
*A white background with green splashed across it as trees or simply slashes of cloth. 
*Perhaps you put green fabric under …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
   Do you have favorite books that have helped you with your quilting and fabric art? Perhaps they are instructional. Others may be inspirational.  Maybe they delve into quilting history.  Also, you may read some for pure enjoyment.
These also may change, depending on your current quilting needs and interests. Some of your favorites may be out of print, but if someone searches diligently, they probably can find with a copy.
I asked my daughter Beth (Meandering Threads) what her five favorite books currently are.  She actually came up with six, two by the same author.
1. The Painted Quilt by Linda & Laura Kempshall
2. Landscape in Contemporary …read more

          I discovered The Quilt of Life at Christian Crafter and have put it on my “must read” list.  This book, a patchwork of devotional thoughts, was written by by Mary Tatum .  Kristen, host at Christian Crafter, has quoted from this book, and Mary Tatum’s thoughts about quilting reflect the linking of the generations this craft can provide.
A quilt bridges the generation gap by connecting people from the past with people yet to come.  Perhaps that longing to participate in the future gives quilting its strong appeal. 
(Check out Kristen’s blog to learn more about Mary Tatum’s book and the …read more

Have you ever been dissatisfied with a quilting or fabric art project and thought it might be wasted effort?  What about turning it around?
That’s what my daughter did with the piece pictured below.  Beth called this her “ugly” fabric.  It was a piece she had dyed but didn’t like the results.  Then for one of her classes at Quilt University, Beth had to take piece of fabric she didn’t like and use it in a small quilt.  I think the result is striking!

Beth gives, at her Meandering Threads blog, more details about the process of making this piece of fabric art.

Your quiltmaking celebrations don’t have to be public events or exhibits to give you a feeling of accomplishment. Private celebrations of quiltmaking enable you to feel good about what you’re doing, according to Lynn at Fiber Fantasies in her post, Private Celebrations of Quiltmaking.
Take pride in the work that you do, find enjoyment working on it and celebrate the finished product.  If you have a blog, you may want to post it there as my daughter does in Meandering Threads.  She shares her work with her blog friends and the artists in her local fiber arts group.
Celebrate you work!  And …read more

Jen, at so you wanna be a Domestik Goddess? was so impressed with my daughter, Beth Mastin’s sun dyed fabric (mentioned in a previous Q & P post) that she referred to it in an article,  at her blog, Sun Prints on Fabric. 

Jen also researched and mentions a book and instructional web site where you can learn more about this fascinating technique.

The upcoming issue of Quilting Arts Magazine mentions working on your quilting and fabric arts projects by doing your designing from the items around you.  If you don’t have the inspiration or inclination to make the actual projects this summer, you can sketch, take photos, gather objects, and receive inspiration that you’ll later use in the creative process.
My daughter Beth does this all the time.  From her collections and photos, she receives inspiration for her art work.  Recently on a vacation to Cape Cod, she took numerous photos that soon will find their way into her fabric art and quilting.
Here is one, …read more

 My daughter had an enjoyable day today painting and sun dyeing fabric for her quilting and fabric art.  Beth started with fabric she’d previously dyed.  Today she incorporated items from nature, ferns and leaves, for the designs on the fabrics below as she used sun dyeing and painting techniques.  She said she eventually may do some stamping on the fabric.  I think they are lovely in the photos as well as “in person.”

(Fabrics are originals by Beth Mastin at Meandering Threads.)

 
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