We quilt for many reasons and each quilter/fabric artist has something that propels this activity.  I’ll mention 10 reasons here.  Let me know if yours is included.  Do you have something else that keeps you stitching?

1. Relaxation
2. Make gifts
3. Create something unique
4. Enter contests/challenges
5. Leave a legacy
6. Tell family stories
7. Earn an income
8. Gain recognition
9. Inspire others
10. Justify buying fabric        

Share your reason here.  It may be one of the above you’d like to expand upon.  Or it may be something completely different.  Perhaps you have more than one.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

10 Reasons Quilters Quilt

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 a duvet cover.  Take a look at: diy wednesday: vintage shirt patchwork “quilt.”  They also give you complete instructions for making your own vintage shirt quilt. 

For variation, you could use women’s blouses, old dresses, skirts, and other colorful fabrics.  Their quilt reminds me of popular ones I made when I operated my at-home quiltmaking business.  Those created with large squares went together quickly and could be priced more reasonably than time consuming designs.

(I used 7-inch or 5-inch squares instead of the 11-inch ones Derek  and Lauren did.) 

How have you become creative with older fabrics or by recycling fabrics?

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Memory Quilts from Old Shirts

Valentine’s Day already! 

Yes, and if you make patchwork and quilting to sell, you must be thinking about this occasion now.  Actually you must do more than think….you must have the products and promotions in place. 

If you make gifts for Valentine’s Day, this is the time to get started if you haven’t already.

If you wait till the week before the event to start letting people know you’re ready for them to do their Valentine’s Day shopping with you, many sales will pass you by.  Or you won’t have those special gifts ready for people you have in mind.

What have you been doing for Valentine’s Day?

Do you have special projects? 

Joyce has been making heart designs at her J’s Quilting Blog.  I don’t know that they’re especially for Valentine’s Day, but they caught my attention as I was browsing her delightful blog.

Check out her post,  More Hearts.  She also made some hearts here for a leukemia quilt, The Alternate Blocks.  (Scroll down to the second photo.)

Why not share how you’re getting ready to make this a big day with gifts, your business, or simply fun projects?

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Gearing Up Your Quilting With Valentine’s Day Projects

As I opened the blinds this morning to let in the welcome sunshine (we’ve had numerous cloudy, snowy days here in New Hampshire), I had to step over some gauze spread out on a plastic bag in front of the large windows.  It was very attractive with streaks of green, blue and aqua.

“Ah, Beth has been painting fabric again,” I realized. 

My daughter had the day off yesterday and worked at some of her fabric painting experiments.  Now I wonder what she’s planning to do with this piece of fabric.  I’m sure if I look around, I’ll find some other pieces of fabric from yesterday that had dried and are folded away.

You can see that many of Beth’s quilting and fabric art activities reflect her interest in her favorite books.  The Painted Quilt by Linda and Laura Kempshall is one appearing on her list that I mentioned in the post, 5 Favorite Quilting/Fabric Art Books.

What are your quilting/fabric art interests?  Share some of your favorite books.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

A “Painting Fabric” Day

I hope I’ve encouraged you with your quiltmaking and fabric art this year, have brought you  information and insight, have gotten you to look at some of your work with new insight and to explore different techniques.

Here are some 2007 posts you might want to check out:

Memories of Quilting and Tea with Grandma

My Mother, the Country Grocer, Inspired My Quiltmaking

The Importance of a Smile in Your Quilting World

Acrostic Quiltmaking?  Sharing Poetry!

Quilting & Patchwork Blogger Guest at Lifestyles Channel Promo Day

A Very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(c)2007 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Quilting & Patchwork Throughout 2007

  “What did you win?”

  “A journal,” Beth explained.
  She had entered a drawing at Sue Bleiweiss’s blog        and received this journal.  Check out    Beth’s Meandering Threads blog for more details and photos of the journal.  You’ll also find on Sue’s blog descriptions for making these, too.

  I’m sure you’ll be enchanted by these lovely journals.

Post from: Blisstree

Winning a Drawing on a Quilting Blog

Warming Up consists of quilting with words!  Joyce Marden added a little house midst a collection of winter words in a piece she has referred to as Winter Words. 

I couldn’t keep on with such a cold quilt so I added a nice cosy house to get warm in, explained Joyce.  She also added a few more words to the winter collage type work. 

This blog entry, Winter Words, shows Joyce’s quilt before adding the little house.  I do like it better with the house. 

 Perhaps you’ll find some tips here if you want to add words to your quilting.

Another interesting fabric project of Joyce’s consists of Luggage Tags.  This is a great way to use up fabric scraps and have unique tags for your luggage when traveling.  It should be easy to spot Joyce’s bags on the carosel at the airport.

Post from: Blisstree

Quilting with Words & Other Fun Projects

That design had been discontinued!

*I discovered this when I was making appliqued quilted vests for children.  A store would order a number of vests, then later want more of a specific design.  If I didn’t have enough fabric, I’d order more, often finding it had been discontinued in a relatively short time.  A customer might purchase a vest from me, then want more just like it.   I learned to say I’d have that fabric design or “similar.”

*A quilt kit producer mentioned this problem recently and said it was so frustrating when customers and stores wanted more kits just like the first ones they had purchased.  Even when he’d purchased fabric and the next week wanted more, he often was informed the supplier was out and the manufacturer wasn’t making more.

Tips for working around this problem, even if you can’t solve it completely (i.e…get more of the same fabric):

*Try to determine right away if you’ll have enough

*Buy a little extra. (You can always use the leftover in some future project.)

*If the store is part of a chain, see if they’ll check with another store for “your” fabric.

*Refrain from advertising that you’ll have that exact fabic in a kit, future quilt, etc.  You’ll have that fabric or “similar.”

*Learn to improvise.

*Smile a lot.

  Have you run into the frustration of running out of fabric for a project?  How did you solve it?

Post from: Blisstree

Quilters’ Frustrations With Discontinued Fabrics

Chloe, at Tangled Thread, has created a unique Christmas tree yo-yo, actually five threaded together with a gold loop at the top.  Check this out and learn what you can do, too.

Post from: Blisstree

Yo-Yo Ornaments – a Fun Project for Quilters

Making an Art Quilt compares techniques used in two similar quilts.  A technique she used in the beige colored piece consisted of staining with coffee.  (My daughter has used tea to dye some of her fabrics, lace, and other accessories.  I don’t think she’s tried it with coffee.)

Making a Monochromatic Art Quilt with the coffee stained pieces results in a lovely antique type piece.

The other day I posted about her September Morning quilt, Superb Creativity in an Autumn Quilt.

Have you created works of art with coffee and tea stained/dyed fabrics and accessories?  If you haven’t, you may want to give it a try, especially if you’re striving for an antique effect.

Post from: Blisstree

Another of Cyndi’s Lovely Art Quilts