QuiltingAndPatchwork.com   
Have you discovered old quilts and/or patches in your attic or a closet?  Are there quilting patterns there?   
When cleaning out a closet in the old farmhouse where I grew up, after my mom developed Alzheimer’s, I discovered some old quilting patches.  Some were simply pre-cut pieces and others consisted individual blocks with the pieces stitched together.
I’d never seen these before and knew my mom hadn’t made them.  Although she encouraged me in my quiltmaking, she hadn’t done any since she was a young girl.  When I discovered them, Mother no longer had any memories about the blocks and …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
I’ve heard of several quilters recently who have been recycling men’s shirts into quilts. 
*These might be shirts from a family member and thus evoke memories.
*They could be shirts you’ve acquired at a second hand store and thought would make a colorful quilt.
*You might have some colorful shirts with Hawaiian prints that would be very striking in a quilt.
*They may be shirts you were going to get rid of and then had an “Ah! Ha!” moment when you decided they’d make good fabric for a quilt.
Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom at Design*Sponge created an interesting quilt from some of Derek’s shirts and …read more

In my recent explorations
 I discovered fascinating wall art with the artist using some of her grandmother’s vintage fabrics at How about orange…..  The framed hangings of vintage fabric flower petals are bold and colorful and created without stitching. 
Graphic designer, Jessica Jones also provides a tutorial for the hangings and book marks, actually relatively simple to create, yet stunning.  Her fabrics also took me back to the years when I sat beside my grandmother and stitched quilts.  (Does that make me vintage?!!)

“Jelly rolls for quilters!” I wondered, when I first saw this term used at an online store.  “Are they selling foods for quilting bees online or sustenence for quilters when they’re working long into the night on a project?”
Further research revealed that these jelly rolls consist of fabric pieces.   They’ve been introduced by Moda Fabrics and consist of a roll of fabric, tied with a ribbon.  These jelly rolls are comprised of forty 2 1/2-inch strips from a particular collection, then rolled up. Some of the collections in Jelly Roll form mentioned at Quilters Buzz include Kansas Troubles, Gervais, Minick & …read more

I’ve written before about the trend of creating quilts from T-shirts, either Memory Quilts or random quilts or some around a theme.  I also discovered a site with great instructions for making quilts from T-shirts.
Today I’m sharing with you a b5media blog, The Daily Tee, all about T-shirts, by Mike Coutermarsh.  Mike talks about all types of T-shirts and provides pictures of them.
This blog may give you ideas for T-shirt quilts you can make. You might find some that Mike discusses among your family’s or your tees.  Looking through The Daily Tee could provide you with inspiration and ideas for this type …read more

Did you read Peter Rabbit when you were a child or to your children?  Do you enjoy the stories of Beatrix Potter?  Her tales have been among favorite children’s stories for decades.
Now Beatrix Potter, with Peter Rabbit and his friends, are influencing quiltmakers.  At the Snow River Quilts web site I discovered the delightful Garden Tales fabrics with the characters from Ms. Potter’s stories.  These come in yardages and panels…and are delughtful if you’re enthralled by Beatrix Potter’s stories and drawings.
 
           

In northern climates, we’ve been experiencing colder weather and snow.  So as February reaches the mid-mark, our thoughts begin to turn to” spring and flowers and sun.  Julie of Big Horn Quilts in Greybull, WY mentions this in her newsletter and got me thinking about the longer days, flowers, and warmer weather that’s coming before long.
(I receive Julie’s newsletter with the happenings at her quilt store and new fabrics available.) 
So as we think of spring and flowers, we might start searching for floral quilt patterns and fabrics with these designs on them. 
         

I’ve posted a new poll on the blog (scroll down the right side) so you can let me know which fabric you prefer to use for your quilting and fabric art.  We have so many options available to us nowadays.
Question: Which type of fabric do you prefer for your quilting and fabric art?
The possible choices: Polyester/cotton blend; 100% cotton; silk, satin, brocade, metallics; a combination of fabrics.
There’s no right or wrong, simply the fabrics that each artist prefers to use.  Sometimes, too, we’ll find ourselves changing as we venture into new artistic avenues.

Nowadays, with quiltmaking evolving into fabric and fiber art, combination fabrics have become popular.  However, when I became involved in the revival of quiltmaking during the “Bicentennial Years” in the US (1975-76), quite a controversy was gong on concerning the merits of one hundred precent cotton fabric vs cotton/polyester fabric.
Some quiltmakers asserted that unless you used pure cotton fabrics you weren’t a true quiltmaker.  Admittedly, the older fabrics for quilts usually were cotton.
However, this was all the early quilters had to work with, other than linen, wool or linsey-woolsey.  Possibly they might have an occasional satin or silk garment they …read more

Quilters and fabric artists simply can’t resist fabric and are always adding to their “stash.”  When I was operating a quiltmaking business I used the excuse that I never knew what colors or designs my customers would want.  Actually it did come in handy to have a large selection of fabrics to choose from when I’d get orders.
Now that I do my fabric art mainly for myself and gifts, I don’t have the excuse for collecting so much.  However, my daughter has quite an accumulation for her quilt art work….and I can always borrow!
What quilting or arts fabrics do you …read more