QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
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 …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
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 …read more

             Quilt…(n) a bed covering made by sewing together pieces of fabric; (v) the act of sewing together the layers of a bed covering with decorative stitches, either by hand or machine.
What comes to mind when you say or hear the word “quilt”?
This word will bring to mind memories, pictures, music and feelings.  What does it mean to you?
1. Sitting beside my grandmother in her farmhouse kitchen and learning to sew pieces of fabric together to make a quilt for my bed when I was 8-years old.
2. The bed covering of multi pieces and many intricate hand stitches that covered the bed …read more

My daughter enjoys painting and dyeing fabric, creating original canvas, so to speak, for her quilting and fabric art work.  Chloe, at Tangled Thread, has a very interesting post, printing on fabric – playing with surface design.
For this, she’s using taffeta as the fabric and her own hand-carved stamps.  She gives you a mini tutorial at her blog so you, too, can create your own exotic designs.
In addition to Chloe’s suggestions, you may want to check out ideas in some of the many books on this topic.  Chloe keeps her techniques simple which is great for the beginner.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s “Quilt to Remember,” creating awareness of Alzheimer’s disease is on national tour.  A very informative story about the quilt and it’s origin can be found at Alzheimer’s Weekly, “A Quilt to Remember” – National Tour, written by Peter Berger.
“The exhibit is made of large panels crafted by individuals, including some with dementia, and organizations across America.” 
More than 350 individuals and organizations committed to contribute panels for this large scale quilt.  It’s a tribute to those affected with Alzheimer’s, their caregivers and families.
Check to see if its tour will come anywhere near you

                                                
Quilters at the DeKalb County Nursing Home will donate a quilt to the Northern Illinois University’s Blackwell History of Education Museum.  Titled DeKalb County One-Room Schoolhouse Quilt, it consists of  nine  squares, picturing one-room schoolhouses of DeKalb County.
Pat Barger, a volunteer at the nursing home, constructed the quilt along with 13 other quilters who meet at the nursing home weekly.  Check out the link above to learn more about the quilt and the one-room schoolhouses of DeKalb County, Iowa (USA). 
The schoolhouse block is a well-known one in quilting history.  However, quilt blocks consisting of pictorial renditions of actual schools, past and present, bring …read more

We all find blogs and web sites that inspire and excite.  Some become favorites that we check out regularly.  Others are new ones we discover in the course of our web and blog explorations.  Still more are referrals from quilting colleagues.
There are so many I’ve come across that give me ideas, encourage me, and let me know that the quilting and fabric arts are venturing into exciting arenas.  I’m starting with ten in this post but will have to continue another time with more.

(Original quilting art by Beth Mastin at Meandering Threads)
Meandering Threads by Beth
StegArt by Terri
How to Quilt by …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.

 Utilizing themes, such as the pirate one mentioned in the previous post, Have You Made a Quilt With a Pirate Theme, can help you achieve recognition for your quilt art and for a quilt business (if you’re developing one).
Laura, at Work From Home Momma, mentioned in her comment to a post on Home Biz Notes, Basing Your Home Business Promotions Around Themes, that business owners can begin planning for next year when it comes to themes.  This idea also can apply to making quilts for exhibits and contests, many of which are based on themes. 
“It’s not too late to put …read more

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