One of my readers, Jayne in Australia is looking for “feedback on the top 3 questions people have about quilting.”I thought this would be an intersting survey for you all to participate in.  Do you have questions you’d like answered?  Are you curious about certain quilting topics?  Have you searched for answers to a question but can’t find it?
How about letting us know, in the comments, what your questions are.  If you only have one question, that’s okay?
For instance, I wonder how many people do traditional quilting and how many have branched off into mixed media.
What is your favorite quilting …read more

Are you looking for a good cause to make things for this fall?
I’d like to suggest “Craft Hope” – it’s a small organization that makes sewn projects that are then donated to different groups in need.

Their latest project is a joint project with Margaret’s Hope Chest.  For this project, Craft Hope needs volunteers to make simple quilts, which will then be donated to homeless children.  Margaret’s Hope Chest has made over 100 quilts in the past two years, which have been given to children and adults in need.
They’ve set a high goal this year – which is why they need …read more

It’s exciting to see some photos of the Fiber Divas’ gallery show since I haven’t been able to visit it yet.  One of the Divas’ (Lynn) took photos when she was interviewed for a newspaper story.  My daughter Beth, another Diva, posted them on her Meandering Threads blog, Fiber Divas’ Exhibit.  The Gilford (NH) Public Library has proven an ideal location for the show, and they have really nice show cases to add interest and security for the Fiber Divas’ items.    The fiber art will be on display through the end of November.
What shows are you participating in?  Do you …read more

My daughter’s fiber arts group, the Fiber Divas, participate in numerous shows and sometimes hold private gallery showings.  At least annually, they’re involved in something new.
This year, their quilts and fiber art will spend some time at a library with a large display area.  So, Beth has been getting ready for several weeks.  Their highlight projects center around six challenge quilts, each designed by each member, then each contributing.
I’m sure Beth will post her finished project soon on her Meandering Threads blog.  However, here are some posts that describe a few of the quilts she made for the challenge.
Some New …read more

We generally think of quilts and patchwork pieces made by grandmothers and other elders in our families as heirloom pieces. 
They are passed down through the years.  So we try to discover their stories and learn more about the quilters and their place in our lives.
However, what about the quilts we make?  Won’t they be heirlooms for our children and grandchildren?  These could be:

Quilts and fabric art you give as gifts
Those that you show and win prizes for
Fabric art you simply use around your home
Quilts you make from fabrics with special meanings
Those that use fabric from our children’s lives.
Quilts we make …read more

Soon after the disasters associated with 9-11, many quilters turned to their needlework for solace for themselves and to bring comfort to others.  They also have used quilting, fabric art and mixed media to commemorate family members,  friends, and other heroes of that fateful day.
Here are a couple of sites you may want to check out to learn more about some of this art.
9-11 Memorial Quilts
World Trade Center Quilt 

My daughter, Beth, has been involved with themed quilts that her Fiber Divas group are creating.  Each quilt artist selected a theme for her quilt, then the others made something based on it for her.

This is one Beth did for Anita,  based on Ecclesiastes 3:1,  Read more about it at her Meandering Threads blog.  When you see the piece close up, this panel is even more amazing.  Each lady made a quilt using Anita’s theme.  Then Anita will combine the six to make a larger panel.
(Original design and photo by Beth Allen Mastin)

My granddaughter spread a large quilt on the deck the other evening and proceeded to re-tie it.  This quilt that I’d made for her great grandmother several years ago had come into her possession when Grandma GG went into an assisted living home.
Now Kara is going to college and wants to take GG’s quilt with her.  Many of the ties had come out so it needed re-tying.  As she tied, and then her mom joined her, I thought, “The legacy of quilting goes on in our family.”
Beth, when she was Kara’s age, had helped me tie the original quilt for GG.  …read more

As I researched information about six-pointed star patterns in answer to Misty’s query, I discovered the numerous patterns incorporating eight-pointed stars.  What an ideal topic for Thursday 13!

Blazing Star
Sunbean Block
Feather Edged Star
Lone Star
Eight-pointed Star
Virginia Star
North Carolina Star
French Star
Tennessee Star
Le Moyne Star
Saw Tooth
Rising Star
Lone Star

Of course, there are many more variations of eight-pointed stars.  What have you made utilizing these designs?  They also can be incorporated into other types of art and crafts.

Misty, one of my readers mentioned,  I have a quilt that is made of six point stars. I don’t know the name of the pattern.  I would love to.So I began searching for names of six-pointed star patterns and came across these few.

Star of Bethlehem
Rising Star
Lone Star (one variation)
Double Star
Texas Star

Some of these also are made as eight-pointed stars.  Or, at least there were some with eight points bearing the same name as these six-pointed ones. 
Misty, perhaps if you searched the Internet and quilt books for these names, you would find one that resembled yours, unless the quiltmaker created her …read more