After I discussed Color in Your Quilts & Art, I discovered another article by Penny Halgren about quilter Joen Wolfrom and her use of color in dyeing and quilting. 
Combining colors in a striking palette becomes an art in itself.  Although these articles are about dyeing fabrics for quilting, you can utilize the theories for other art work.
My daughter delights in dyeing her own fabric, although I’m not sure I’d have the patience.  She finds it relaxing and discovers combinations she wouldn’t find otherwise.  Amazingly, she does this on the kitchen counter or dining table because she doesn’t have space for a …read more

Quilt Block History, recapped by quilter Penny Halgren, gives us insight on how this art has changed and evolved over the decades. 
With new techniques and materials, fabric artists have more to work with than their forebears did.  Manystill stick with the traditional patterns and techniques.  Others combine various ages in their work.  While the most modern quilters continue to experiment with working “outside the block.”
Reading Penny’s article will give you insight of the evolution of quilting and where you are in the picture.
What type of quilting do you like to do? 
 My daughter Beth and I find we’ve evolved from making …read more

Quilters, fabric artists and seamstresses generally have a love of fabric.  That’s sometimes why they’ve gotten involved in these hobbies, then turned them into businesses to justify all the fabric they collect.
How to disguise the fabric as they bring it into the house and then where to store it once it’s there becomes a challenge.  What are your techniques and where do you store your fabrics?
My cousin uses some of her fabric (that which overflows the sewing room/office) in the living room as part of the decor.  When I walked into her home, my eyes immediately focused on the fabric …read more

The basic 9-Patch Quilt consists of nine squares, arranged in rows of three, each square alternating.  This is one of the oldest patterns used in quilts, but quilters have developed many variations.
Although it’s fairly simple to make, usually in blocks of two colors or two fabric designs, Penny Halgren, at How to Quilt, shows us, step-by-step, how to create a 9-patch quilt even faster by strip piecing.
I’ve also made simple and more complex 9-patch pillows when I had a quilting business.  These also are good patterns for beginners, patterns I used when I taught quilting workshops.
What experiences have you had …read more

The other day we discussed the Irish Chain pattern in connection with the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.  Why not a Double Irish Chain?
Penny Halgren, at How to Quilt has posted the pattern and directions for the Double Irish Chain.  She says that even though it looks complicated, it’s really fairly straight forward since the quilt is made by using only two basic blocks.
(Amazon image)
If you give it a try, let us know how you make out?

With St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, coming up, we begin to see information about quilts and fabric art relating to things Irish.
At Penny Halgren’s How to Quilt web site, we discover directions for an Irish Chain Quilt.  Penny says this is a perfect project for a beginner, at least with her instructions.  She also gives you ideas for using colors other than the traditional greens.
(Amazon image)

To some quilters, tying your quilts seems “the easy way out.”  However, there are times for tying the three layers together and other times for stitching them.
Since my grandmother, my aunt and their friend Susie tied their quilts, that’s what I knew.  When I helped them make quilts, you might say I attended a “tying bee,” when they spread the layers out on the large dining table and tied and chatted.
When I began making quilts during the Bicentennial Years of 1975-76, I naturally tied them.  I continued to do so to make the quilts affordable.  Because it doesn’t take so …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

This is Flag Day in the US, a day to commemorate our stars and stripes flag and all that it means to us and our country.
Quilters also remember the flag in many ways and create numerous colorful designs in red/white/blue with stars and stripes incorporated within.
Stop by Penny Halgren’s web site for Rag Flag Quilt information: How to Make a Flag Rag Quilt in a Weekend.  Penny also reminisces about the flags in her life.
Do other countries have a special day for their flag?  If so, when?  Do you, as a quilter, create or use designs resembling your flag? 
I’d love to …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
Sewing triangles and getting all the points to match up is more difficult in some patterns than others and more challenging for some quilters than others. 
Penny Halgren, by popular request, has developed a tutorial with videos at her How To Quilt web site for making a quilt with triangles.
As Penny explains:
This quilt offers opportunities for different kinds of
triangles, and has given me a chance to try some different
methods for sewing them together that make your results
more accurate.
These methods don’t necessarily save fabric. But they do
save time and aggravation by making the resulting triangles
a little more perfect.
You may want to check out Penny’s …read more

 QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

  I discovered some really neat ideas for T-shirt quilts at Penny Halgren’s How to Quilt web site.  Penny says:
Create a unique T-shirt Quilt that someone in your family will be proud to show off instead of the same-ole’ T-shirt Quilt like Susie down the street made
Have you saved those old outgrown T-shirts your children wore, you purchased on a trip, perhaps even some you wore in school? 
Penny describes her T-shirt stash that consists of tees from various phases of her and her family’s life.  The memories here are many so you don’t like to toss them out or use them as …read more