The Quilter's Bible by Linda Clements

There are so many 'complete guides to quilting' etc on the market, I thought it might be helpful to document exactly what is inside this book as you may well be referring to it for a very long time.

The Quilter's Bible is written by Linda Clements whose passion is quilting (of course!) with a background in publishing and book production.  Linda is very grateful to the many talented and creative quilters who have contributed projects and work to this book, such as:   Lynette Anderson, Susan Briscoe, Lynne Edwards, Carolyn Forster, Lynette Jensen, Gail Lawther, Pam and Nicky Lintott, Anne Muxworthy and many more.

The book starts out with covering the beginning quilting essentials of Tools, Materials, Working with Fabrics, Using Templates, Drawing and Cutting Shapes and Using Technology.

Note:  Under the Using Technology section there is only a cursory mention of the Electric Quilt Software which doesn't do it justice.  If you have made a couple of quilts and you are addicted, Electric Quilt is an absolute dream to work with.  We cannot give it enough high praise for ease of use, time saving possibilities, fast designing, showcasing colour and calculating fabric requirements.  See our other Blog notes about Electric Quilt.

The book then goes on and covers Patchwork, Applique, Quilting and Finishing Off.  I have listed below each topic covered under these headings where you will find photo's, diagrams, thorough explanations and descriptions.

Bonus:  There is a project to go with almost all of these sub-headings.

Patchwork:
Patchwork Settings, Working with Blocks, Scrap Quilts, Sampler Quilts, Hand Piecing, English Paper Piecing, Machine Piecing, Patchwork with Squares and Rectangles, Patchwork with Strips, Seminole Patchwork, Bargello Patchwork, String Patchwork, Patchwork with Triangles, Patchwork with Diamonds and Polygons, Patchwork with Curves, Pictorial Patchwork, Foundation Piecing, Crazy Patchwork, Puffed Patchwork, Folded Patchwork, Fabric Special Effects, Quilt Art, Using Sashing, Using Borders.

Applique:
Fabrics and Threads for Applique, Motifs and Templates, Needle-Turn Applique, 3-D Applique, Freezer Paper Applique, Fusible Web Applique, Edging Applique, Applique Perse, Hawaiian Applique, Reverse Applique, Shadow Applique, Inlaid Applique, Bias Strip Applique, Shisha.

Quilting:
Preparing to Quilt, Choosing Quilting Designs, Marking Designs, Hand Quilting, Big Stitch Quilting, Whole Cloth Quilting, Celtic Quilting, Sashiko, Kantha Quilting, Machine Quilting, Free-motion Quilting, Long-arm Quilting, Quilt-as-you-go, Tied Quilting, Corded Quilting, Stuffed Quilting, Decorative Quilting.

Finishing Off:
Finishing Edges, Final Touches, Useful Stitches, Project Marking Up, Useful information, Templates.


If I had the time, this is the kind of book you could use to work through a different technique every day, or every week.  By the end of writing this Blog, I have decided I need to add it to my patchwork book collection because it is just so comprehensive and inspiring.

A Thrifty Wedding

I was aghast to learn yesterday that the average cost of a wedding these days is around $50,000.  Maybe I am a bit of a sceptic, or not a gambler, or maybe it was just that I was an 'old', but first-time, bride, however there was no way that kind of money was going to spent on a single day of my life.  With a little bit of thought and putting hand craft skills to work you can save a lot of money and have some terrific fun along the way.  Here are the things we did to have a wonderful, memorable, happy ceremony that was a bargain given the joy experienced by all.

1. Invitations and place name cards were hand crafted by my sister, my friend De-Arne and myself
2. Ear Rings were borrowed from my friend
3. Necklace purchased in second hand shop in Bungendore
4. Bracelet was borrowed and I added my Grandmothers stunning Amethyst brooch
5. Shoes purchased on sale for $50
6. Our ceremony was held beside a Sydney sea pool (did I remember to tell the Council??)
7. We timetabled the limo drive to make 3 trips in one hour!
8. My step-sons are wearing shirts I hand dyed with tea bags to match the colour of my dress
9. We booked a fashion photographer at a flat rate who delivered the disk of digital images to us by the end of our lunch (and we negotiated outright ownership of the images)
10. All flowers were purchased at the Sydney Flower Market and made up into bouquets etc by a friend (& it was such a fun early morning shopping experience with my sister and friends)
11. I purchased some cheap vases, hand painted them gold and used flowers from the market as table decorations.
12. I purchased decorative table runners and other exotic fabrics at the markets at very reasonable prices and these were used as table decorations plus to cover the council chairs around the sea pool.  I still use these pieces around our house which bring back fond memories of our lovely day.
13. Friends were allocated the job of going to the venue before the ceremony to decorate the tables
14. All the music was chosen and put together by friends
15. Our reception was booked in a dining room as a family reunion (as we were not having any wedding formalities)
16. We chose not to have a wedding cake, instead our celebrant suggested a 'wine ceremony' with the same significance
17. Bridesmaid dresses were sewn by my sister
18. I decorated my mothers shoes with hot-fix crystals.
19. Wedding guests gave us a 'lift' back to the hotel after our lunch
20. Wedding guests gave us USB sticks with copies of the images they took on the day
21. A neighbour surprised us by videoing the ceremony

The beauty of conducting a ceremony like this is that we involved so many people and they are the truly memorable moments from the day.  Personally I would feel physically ill spending $50k on a single day of my life so I hope these tips may help someone put together a day as special as ours was.

Today is our wedding anniversary and it has been very nice reminiscing.

Sandra Harvey.

Applique Masterpieces

There have been a plethora of applique books released lately and you could be forgiven for not knowing which one is best suited for you.  Let me differentiate them for you:

Beginners:
Learn to do Applique in Just One Day by Nancy Brenan Daniel
If you have been wondering 'where do I start', then this 64pp book is for you.  This is an updated version of an original and new techniques have been added, such as fusible applique and dramatic shadow applique.  The instructions are easy to follow, there's a host of new projects in contemporary styling using bright fabrics, organza and even wool.  Includes classic needle-turn and raw-edge methods




A Lifetime of Applique:
The Ultimate Applique Guidebook by Annie Smith
This is one of those books that you will have for a lifetime of applique - from beginner to advanced.  Features:

The history of applique;
Hand and machine applique techniques;
How to design your own applique patterns;
150 applique elements:  flowers, leaves, stems, bases, birds, bugs and flourishes, allowing you to make each design your own.


Applique using technology:
Inspired by Tradition by Kay MacKenzie

The companion CD (for Mac or PC) in this book allows you to print the 50 different blocks in 5 sizes:  6", 8", 9", 10" and 12".  Of course you could also enlarge with a photocopier to larger sizes if you wish.  Reverse versions are also included.  Step-by-step instructions on how to use the CD are included for there elegant designs.

The added extras in this book are Kay's Hand-Applique Tips, Back-Basting Preparation, Hand Stitching, Raw-Edge Machine Applique, Fusible-Web Management, Q&A plus a gallery of ideas.

Our tip: As a terrific time-saver, try printing these designs directly onto Wash Away Applique Sheets.

Also by Kay MacKenzie "Easy Applique Blocks"


Advanced:
Beautiful Botanicals by Deborah Kemball
Deborah Kemball has traveled to some exotic places, all the way teaching herself how to quilt.  She has developed her very own individual style and is greatly influenced by her love of European cottons, silks, chintzes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which were themselves inspired by Indian designs.

Deborah is a great believer in using household equipment and minimal tools with her major items being:  standard scissors she uses for everything, a few odd pins, No. 9 Betweens (preferably Roxanne's), freezer paper, Mylar heatproof plastic, a selection of threads and thimbles.  She loves the colour RED which is evident throughout the book.  Detailed images and diagrams throughout showing different stitches such as Whipstitch, Detached Buttonhole Stitch, adding beads and how to applique single-curve and multiple-curve stems.

The 45 applique flowers featured are:  Baltimore Beauty Flower, Bluebells, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Daisy, Forget-Me-Not, Fuchsia, Grapes/Wisteria/Hanging Blooms, Iris, Lily, Machaelmas Daisy/Coneflower, Mimosa/Floral Spray/Berries, Pansy, Peony, Pomegranate, Star Flower, Stargazer Lily, Sunflower/Aster/Zinnia, Sweet William, Whirled Flower, Easy Template Flowers, Butterfly, Nosegay plus additional leaf templates.

Projects include:  6 pillows, 7 wall hangings, 1 table runner, 5 border patterns.

Applique Quilt (by machine):
Flowers Hearts and Garlands Quilt by Liz Jones
Liz explains the journey behind this machine applique quilt was the desire to be able to applique any shape and to guarantee perfect placement.  Her method fulfills both these criteria and she explains it in detail.  You can quickly free-motion machine baste applique pieces of any size or shape and finish the appliques with a smooth satin stitch.  Some of the recommended essential tools we have linked to this book on our website.    If the whole quilt seems too much for you, start out with making one of the lovely floral blocks for a cushion or table runner.  Stunning use of colour.  

Experimenting with your Sewing Machine

A few years ago I had a creative moment and decorated a cheap denim jacket with all kinds of treatments i.e. obscure images printed onto Inkjet fabric sheets, hot bondable Angelina Fibres fused on, buttons, lace and more.  I found some high quality gold metallic thread and then selected some different stitches on my machine and set to work creating my masterpiece.  The result, lots of oooohs and aaahs from friends saying 'do you know, I have never played with all the different stitches on my machine'.

These days sewing machines are loaded with hundreds of variations of stitches and all you need to do is play with them and discover a new kind of joy, as I did with my denim jacket.  Add variegated threads or metallics and suddenly you will be patting yourself on the back for your creative genius.

Another great idea is to clip together two pieces of fabric with a scrap of batting in between and again, play with decorative stitches and different thread combinations.

To whet your appetite, have a look at "Your Machine's Decorative Stitches" by Karen Lindusha.  Karen also shows you how to add texture with netting, tulle or even onion bags.

If you are a crazy quilt fan, you would be crazy not to consider taking advantage of what is already on your machine.  Take a look at "Crazy Quilts - Histroy, Techniques and Embroidery Motifs".

Where do you Craft?

As a function of being a crafty person and being lucky enough to work in the industry, I notice other crafters whenever I happen upon them; knitters in hospital waiting areas, patchwork bags over the shoulder as you walk down the street and hand made embellished clothing.

I must say though that I rarely notice people crafting at airports or on flights.  I recently took a sewing needle in my coin purse along with a needle threader & Clover Pendant Thread Cutter onto a flight so I could sew missing buttons onto my coat which I badly needed on arrival in Melbourne.  Apparently using a needle is ok however it is up to the discretion of the flight crew (I have been asked to put my needle away once when I was sewing a sashiko panel mid-flight).  If anyone has more information to add to this, please let me know.

Returning from Melbourne I got in some crochet practise ahead of my 'learn to' class.

I find it strangely comforting to always have a portable project packed in a bag and ready to grab as I race out the door for long car trips, cricket or football games or potentialy time consuming events so I don't feel like I'm idle for too long. 

Organising Craft Space - Part 2

For all my current disorganisation, I actually do have a desire to be organised. I recently found myself sorting all my pins by colour, and back into their original containers, strange but true.

Let me give you a visual on my craft space: we have recently claimed a childs bedroom and converted it into an office / craft room / spare room (complete with futon, 2 x printers, a scanner, a shredder, 2 x computers, 5 x 5 Ikea book case and 2 sewing machines). The floor space is limited as we have failed to sort and file as we have moved into the room, so clutter abounds. I am really starting from a place of desperation as the room is not conducive to work or craft. Here is how I approached the organising of this space:

1. Checked to see when the local council is having a clean up day (this weekend - lucky!) and I have committed to "cleansing the house" of those items I know I will never use.

2. Located my trusted best friend - a Dymo labelling machine.

3. Considered how many shelves and storage boxes I may need.


4. Strategically positioned 2 boxes: 1 = rubbish bin, 1 = donation or re-gift box

5. Gathered together any plastic see-through (preferably double sided) bags in readiness for preparing dedicated project bags. I hoard commercial manchester or pillow bags. A recent purchase for our dog came in one such bag, in a very handy size too.

6. Got realistic about how the space will be used i.e. my space is a shared space so everything does need to be put-away-able. I also like to do my craft in the living room so I'm still surrounded by the family which means I need well organised project bags and I need 1 bag always packed with all the essentials which can be used for retreats, going to my quilting group or simply joining the family. Carolyn Woods has a section in her book "Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter" covering what to pack for retreats and quilting in small spaces.

7. Set a time limit for having the space organised.

In summary, before you start 'doing', there may well be some 'strategic thinking' required to ensure your efforts are executed in an efficient manner.

Good luck. Sandra.

Organising Your Creative Space

This week I have arrived at the point of "I simply must organise my craft items". When I found myself with mending tasks and the easiest thing to do was go out and buy what I needed rather than try to find it in my craft supplies, I knew I had reached a point of no return. It is time to change my organisational paradigm.

Is it procrastination that stops us, or the size of the task we think it might be to organise all our essential supplies (of course, nothing can be thrown out as we might need it one day!)?

"The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started." ~Dawson Trotman

This book "Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter" recently came across my desk and of course, I procrastinated looking in it because I just knew it would tell me what I didn't want to hear i.e. Author, Carolyn Woods offers Step One as "Identify the Causes of Clutter". Well there is only one answer to that - ME. I am the cause.

Carolyn also offers these shuddering questions; "To Keep Or Not to Keep" and "How Much Is Too Much?". Are six rotary cutters really too many? How do I know whether I might need this in a year or two? My answer to these questions was to ask my husband to move some of his files to give me more space to keep the things I don't know if I need or not!

Stay tuned - I will keep you posted with my progress.

Sandra.

Sewing and Community

An article in Vogue Living Australia (May/June ed) caught my eye. It's called "Sweat Shop" - a "cafe couture", a new creative concept situated in St Martin, Paris. Imagine 10 work stations equipped with 10 SINGER sewing machines and one communal table. Welcome to a world of creativity, of DIY ethics, a piping hot tea and funky furniture. A serene atmosphere where work and relaxation go hand in hand. Check it out.

Top 10 Reasons Why Quilters Use EQ7

Here are the top 10 reasons why quilters use EQ7:

1 Save money by printing your own patterns. EQ7 has over 5000 blocks. Or make money by becoming a professional designer yourself!
“With this new version, I really can design whatever comes out of my imagination. There's no limit to my creativity….”Scarlett Rose, http://www.scarlettrose.com/

2 Preview fabric in your quilt before you sew.
“I never tried to scan fabrics before because I thought it would be too much trouble. WOW! I did it tonight on EQ7 and it was the easiest thing I have ever had to do with a computer.” Carol Maddox

3 Invent new block designs instantly, without drawing.
“The addictive Clip and Flip, Shrink and Flip, Kaleidoscope, and Fancy Star block capabilities create seemingly endless ways to develop new blocks.”Linda Erickson

4 Create quilt or block images for your blog or web site.
See how Judy Butcher designs a new quilt daily for her blog.

5 Let EQ7 do the math, calculating yardage for you.
“EQ7 does a lot of the work that was hard for me (math!!) and makes it fun to plan a project."Sue Legg

6 Personalize quilts with photos.
Read how Liza Lucy made a special and easy photo quilt, designing, editing photos and printing on fabric right from EQ7.

7 Design and print quilt labels.
It’s so easy to make a special label for your quilt! See real-life examples here.

8 Gain design and color confidence.
“You just have to try the brand new Swath Tool. Have you ever wanted to put a meandering line of Flying Geese in a Fall Picture? Now you can… “Jo Moury

9 Preview quilting on your quilt.
See some of the beautiful quilting designs EQ users have created!

10 Get a helping hand whenever you need it.
“For everybody with any ''fear'' of EQ7: not necessary...just buy, install and play!!”Yvonne Muller, Netherlands
"The dynamic help feature, videos and EQ7 help manual built into the software make this an exceptionally easy program to learn."Katrina Hamer, Washington
“For brand new beginners, there are tutorials and help topics galore, plus the very kind real people at EQ, always ready to explain."Nancy in Mississippi

This text is from the Electric Quilt Website. Regards Sandra.

Craft Mailbox Catalogue Ritual

What's your ritual?

Over the years many customers have told us how they have a special ritual when their Craft Mailbox catalogue arrives in the mail. For Example:

One told us how she clears everything off the table, gets a felt pen, spreads out the catalogue, boils the kettle, makes a cuppa, finds a Tim Tam and then spoils herself to some special time in 'craft world'.

Another was someone who turns off the phone, pours herself a sherry, props herself up in bed and reads every last corner of it.

Please tell us if you have a ritual too as we absolutely LOVE hearing them?

Sandra.

Jean Greenhowe Knitted Dolls

One of our lovely customers recently shared with us her beautiful Jean Greenhowe knitted dolls which have won prizes at her local show. She is now being asked to sell them but does not know what price to put on them - what do you think? Please feel free to tell us what you think. They are very cute, very colourful and very faithful to the Jean Greenhowe patterns.

We understand these knitting patterns are hard to find - we do have 20 of these in our collection of books available online or by calling us on 1300 307 721.

Sandra.

Craft Mailbox - Fabrics from $10 per metre !

The Australian Dollar over the past 2 months has taken us all by surprise. Our top quality fabrics are now priced from $10 per metre. We have plenty of stock so get in and take advantage of these great prices.
We have also drastically reduced the price on many of our patchwork and textile art books. Plus we have stocked up our Bargain Box - many of these are one off's (don't snooze or you'll miss a great bargain) - but there are some seriously good stocking fillers on offer.
Our latest catalogue is now available in .pdf format with all our latest products, plus the online catalogue features 20+ additional brand new books and products you won't find in the mail order catalogue.


Pre-Christmas Massive Stock Clearance
Angelina Fibres fresh stock, new colours
Patchwork and Quilting Books - SAVE 15%
Christmas Gift Ideas
BeJeweler Kits and POSTAGE FREE Hot-Fix Crystals
Elm Creek Quilters - Novel Series
Electric Quilt Software - Now $230
Quilting Fabric Savings
Bali Watercolours $12pm
Kaffe Fasset $20pm
Orientals from $10pm
Moda Pre-Cuts - save 25%
Widebacks from $18pm
William Morris Fabric $19.95pm
Sewing Notions - Save up to 30%
Shiva Paintstiks - Save 20%
Textile Art Supplies for Schools, Teachers and Textile Students - Save 15% on most books

Happy Crafting!

Sandra.

Tyvek - Sample Testing

Sometimes you may receive a tear proof envelope in the mail that feels slightly slippery but with an interesting texture. This is called Tyvek. It is easily stitched, glued and painted with different mediums. It is strong, tear and water resistant with a fabric-like feel and can be used for making kites, stage backdrops, bags, clothing, table covers, embellishments ....... Fibre and Textile Artists the world over are having a lot of fun printing on it, sewing it then heating it until it bubbles, burning it for distortion, layering it with Angelina Fibres and creating dimension.



Image one - 3 kinds of Tyvek ranging from soft structure to paper structure, painted with water based paint red on one side, silver on reverse. We then used a long diagonal straight stitch, only on half of the painted area.







Image 2 - this image shows the stitching and one of the samples has started to distort. We used baking paper on both sides of sample, then a household iron. We tried holding it just above the baking paper but didn't show a result so we started to dab the iron onto the baking paper and then we saw some action.



Image 3 shows distortion on the 3 different weights of Tyvek. The one in the middle has been flipped over to show the reverse side effect as often the reverse side is more interesting.







Image 4 shows our finised work after using a heat gun (in addition to the iron)






Image 5 is plain white tyvek paper structure, overlaid with Angelina Fibres. Heat has been applied. As the Tyvek distorted, the fibres became embedded into the Tyvek crevices.



Sandra & Catherine.

Quilting Fabric Efficiency

I read this quote by quilt designer Kathie Holland today in Sew Scrappy, Volume 1 (Quilts for Fabric Lovers) magazine, which made me smile about just how efficient a quilter can be.
"I usually buy half yard cuts. Every fabric I bring into my sewing room I first cut in half, which leaves me with 2 fat quarters. I put away one piece and cut the other into strips 6.5", 4.5", 3.5" and 1.5" wide. I toss those strips into baskets marked by widths. For me, it became a time-saver. I got tired of making a mess pulling out all my fabrics every time I started a new project. Having these strips ready, I now just pull out the basket and most often have what I need to start cutting. Even for applique shapes, I can usually cut the pieces I need from the wider strips I already have. If I want a bigger piece, I go to my stash and still have enough remaining for an 18" square".

Does this not demonstrate just how determined quilters are to be organised and to not waste any lifetime quilting opportunities!
Sandra May

To Quilt Label, Or Not?

‘Maker unknown’. Those two words bring dread into the hearts of quilters. All that work put into a quilt and we never know who made it, when and why. Was it a gift for a special occasion, or made for pure enjoyment? And how should it be cared for? And if it was to be lost, how would it be returned to its rightful owner?

There is one word to answer all these questions. A label provides future generations with a record and guarantees that the information on your quilt remains accurate. Information to include:
The Name of the Quilt
Who made it, when and where.
For whom it was made and the occasion.
Date of completion or presentation
Instructions on how to wash & store the quilt.
Always use 100% cotton fabric, prewashed and ironed.
The design possibilities are endless. It can be simple or elaborate, a plain piece of fabric or pieced, handwritten, rubber stamped, embroidered or digitally printed. Use a spare block from the front of the quilt or make a pretty border.

If you’d like to design your own label, we have some great tools for you. To write on your fabric, try the Zig Permanent markers. A great tip is to back the fabric with a piece of Freezer Paper – you can even draw guidelines on the freezer paper that will show through to your fabric. The freezer paper backing makes it much easier to write and draw on the fabric.

If you don’t want to design your own label, we have 3 great books for you: Iron-On Transfers for Quilt Labels, 50 Nifty Iron-on Quilt Labels, and the follow up; More 50 Nifty Iron-on Quilt Labels. Barbara Baatz Hillman has done the designing for you. Just heat the iron, choose your label, and press away. You can then colour in your label with crayons or Fabrico Markers (instructions included), embroider away, or fill in the relevant details and secure to your quilt.
Creative Tips: Another fun way with labels is to use vintage lace edge doilies with enough clear space for your information to be written or embroidered with DMC threads. Try incorporating a leftover block or small piece of the patchwork into the label.

EQ Printables are fabulous for making very personalised labels. You have the choice of all the available fonts on your computer and many design options including using Powerpoint, Electric Quilt 7 or even Photoshop. A lovely photo of you and the recipient on your label will make your gift even more personal. Or include a photo of the quilt. The packets of fabric are already treated to go through your domestic printer so you just have to let your imagination go.
If you’ve put all that work into your quilt, it deserves a great label.

More William Morris in Applique - Printing Delay

There is high anticipation for the arrival of the follow up to William Morris in Applique. There is however a printing delay and to the best of our knowledge we will be despatching More William Morris in Applique in December.

Meanwhile, The Adelaide Collection of William Morris inspired fabrics have arrived plus we have lovely pearlised cotton to use as a background to William Morris applique projects. We have a wonderful quilt kit called "Morris Magic" - the pattern is in the first book (William Morris in Applique) which we have a plentiful supply of. You will just love the fabrics in this kit. Sandra May.

Civil War, Reproduction & Vintage explained

When a lot of us hear ‘reproduction’ our first thoughts go to Civil War reproduction prints. These have become very popular and of course look wonderful in the classic patterns of that time. The Civil War in the United States (or not united) went from 1861-1865 but the look covers the years both before and after that. A fabulous book to get you started, or to add to your collection, is "Reproduction Quilts from the Civil War Period 1850-1865" from one of the queens of reproduction fabric, Judie Rothermel.
Another time period that often gets fabric collectors weak at the knees is the 1930’s. The Depression era produced anything but depressing fabrics, with the time known for its distinctive clear brights and co-ordinating prints. Feed sacks (for animal feed or domestic flour) were printed with popular designs to encourage housewives to buy the products. The double wedding ring pattern and Sunbonnet Sue are very evocative of this time.
An excellent resource is "Dating Fabrics – A Colour Guide 1800-1960" by Elieen Jahnke Trestain. If you have an antique quilt and you’re trying to date the pieces, this is definitely for you. Images of the fabrics in full colour and full size allow easy identification or even a trip down memory lane.
Despite much research, it is my interpretation that the term ‘vintage fabric’ has no known universal definition. It can refer to simply ‘old’ fabric, however we are seeing more of the 1960’s-70’s being referred to as vintage (we suggest ‘contemporary’).
Vintage is well represented in ‘Sew’ by Cath Kidston showing off this style beautifully. A great idea to get you started on this pretty look.
We have put together a collection of reference and pattern books which are the best available in the various era’s.

Award Winning Craft Books

Best Selling book "Fibreart Montage - Combining Quilting, Embroidery & Photography with Embellishments" has recently won the "Ben Franklin Award" for Best Craft Book of the Year from the Independent Book Publishers Association, USA. We congratulate the author, Judith Baker Montano and the publishers on producing such an amazing mixed media technique masterpiece. See our extensive Blog review from November 2009.

Another winner was "Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts". Award winning quilter, Maria Peagler, teaches how to develop your own imaginative colour combinations. Both traditonal and art quilters alike will gain a deeper understanding of colour. The ten principles she teaches in this book will take you from "matching to the focus fabric" to your own unique style.

2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze: "Artistic Photo Quilts: Create Stunning Quilts with Your Camera, Computer, & Cloth", by Charlotte Ziebarth (C&T Publishing). Transform Your Digital Photos into Luminous Fabric Art. Enjoy altering photos and use them to create beautiful, original works of fabric art. Work through 11 exercises:

• Learn to alter images with Photoshop Elements®

• Use photos that really enhance your work (Hint: it's not always the best-looking shots!)

• Find inspiration in your own albums, from other artists, and in nature

• Make large-scale quilts with a standard-size inkjet printer

This accessible guide to creating fine fabric art with digital photos covers everything from the tools and equipment you'll need, to designing, finishing, and assembling your quilt.

Enjoy!

Sandra.

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrage from EQ6 to EQ7

Ten Reasons to Upgrade from EQ6
Users upgrading from EQ6 will feel right at home. We've used the same friendly interface, plus loads of new user-requested features. EQ7 will do everything EQ6 did, and so much more! Here are 10 new features we think EQ6 users will love. These are just some of all the new features we've added.
1. Help, Help & More Help
EQ7 is one of our most user-friendly versions to date. We've integrated new Help buttons into much of the interface and ToolHelp. If you see a Help button or "Get more details" link, click it and the EQ7 Help will open to the exact page describing how to use the feature.
Click Help to learn how "Channel Mixer" lets you adjust only certain colors/channels in a photo.
You asked for more software lessons and asked for them to be in color... we listened. EQ7 includes 22 PDF lessons in color which teach you about designing quilts, drawing EasyDraw blocks, drawing pieced PatchDraw blocks, drawing appliqué PatchDraw blocks, working with images and printing.
Working through these easy lessons may take some time, but it will be time well-spent. Even advanced users of previous EQ versions may learn new tips, tricks, and tools.
With all this help right in the program, you'll always have the answers right at your fingertips. You can learn to use EQ7 from the EQ7 Help files, Dynamic Tool Help, all new Help Videos, updated User Manual, and all new PDF lessons. And keep in mind, anything you learned in EQ6 will still work the same way in EQ7!
2. New Image Worktable
You can work on quilts... you can work on blocks... but now you can work on images! Import images into EQ7 and crop them right on your screen. After that there are infinite possibilities for adjusting color, saturation, lightness, histograms, contrast, and even mapping colors in the image to colors on the color wheel or in palettes of color. Memory quilts, T-shirt quilts, and photo art quilts will be a blast to design in EQ7 now that you can work on your images and set them in your quilts all in the same software.
Add images and variations to your Sketchbook to use in your next printable fabric project.
3. Apply Effects, Filters & Symmetries
Choose Apply > Effects, Apply > Filters, or Apply > Symmetries from the Image menu and you'll be on your way to a whole world of new image possibilities. EQ7 has over 45 different effects that can be applied to images, including artistic, noise, blur and many more. Filters allow you to sharpen, unsharpen, or detect the edges of your image. Square and Circular symmetries take portions of your image and repeat them according to your choices.
You can apply more than one to an image for a truly unique effect. Print these images onto printable fabric to use as whole photos in your memory quilts, or chop the printed images up to make one-of-a-kind fabrics for your piecing.
Create unique images to use as photos or fabric in your quilts.
4. Drag & Drop and Snap to Grid on the Quilt Worktable
If you found setting blocks in Custom Set quilts or on Layers 2 or 3 cumbersome or clumsy, you'll love the new drag & drop features we've included on the Quilt worktable! Just grab the block, motif, stencil, embroidery, photo, or fabric from the palette and drag it onto the quilt. Turn on the Snap to Grid features to make sizing and positioning blocks easy in Custom Set. Not only can you drag & drop items onto the quilt, but you can sort items in many of the palettes this way too!
Drag the item from the palette and drop it onto the quilt. It will show as transparent as you drag. When you release, it will size according to its saved design size. Then use the Adjust tool as you normally would to re-position, re-size, or rotate it.
5. Photo Layout printing style
When printing photos in EQ6, it was always one at a time. Now in EQ7, you can maximize your printable fabric using Photo Layout to fit many images together on one sheet before printing. Snap photos to the grid to help you account for seam allowance and fit as many images on the page as you can.
Position and size images in Photo Layout so you don't waste printable fabric.
6. Eyedropper Improvements
Choose whether you pick up fabrics or colors when you click on the quilt. You can even click on photos to find matching fabrics or colors in your Sketchbook Fabrics and Colors palette that match. Not only can you find fabrics and colors, you can also use the Eyedropper to find blocks. When you click, EQ7 will find the exact block and coloring in the Sketchbook Blocks palette so you can set it elsewhere in your quilt.
Use the Eyedropper to find fabrics or colors even from photos!
7. Swath Tool for Drawing Curved Flying Geese
If you liked the Brush Stroke from EQ6, you'll love the new Swath tool in EQ7. Drag out a freehand line with the Swath tool and pick the swath's properties. Each one can have diamonds or triangles inside and be as plain or curvy as you like.
Accent old blocks or make new blocks with the Swath tool.
8. Photo Patchwork Quilts
Want to make a fun One Patch quilt? Click QUILT > New Quilt > Photo Patchwork and import an image. Choose from lots of patch styles or make your own custom patches. EQ7 takes the pixels in the photo that cross that patch and colors the quilt for you! These quilts are great for printing on fabric too.
Choose a photo, choose a patch style and convert the image to make your own Photo Patchwork quilt.
9. Import & Edit Fabric Scans Right in EQ7
We've all done it at least once: forgotten to crop an image before importing it and our resulting quilts and blocks look like they have tile grout lines. Now in EQ7, you can edit those imported fabric scans without having to jump back to an additional software to fix the scans and re-import them. Edit the images in EQ7, add the new versions to the Sketchbook, and begin coloring again. Fix crooked stripes, crop out trimmed edges, adjust hue or brightness in EQ7 so your quilts and blocks look great whenever you color them.
Copy fabrics to the Photo section so they can be edited to the new Image Worktable. Crop and adjust the scans, then choose IMAGE > Add to Sketchbook as Fabric.
10. Four More Serendipity Options
Draw blocks without drawing! In addition to Framing blocks, Tilting blocks, and Merging blocks which were added to EQ6, you can now Clip & Flip blocks, Shrink & Flip blocks, Kaleidoscope blocks, and make Fancy Star blocks. With 7 Serendipity options in all, you can create your own custom designs from other blocks in seconds.
Frame blocks one or more times using any of our pre-designed frames.

Tilt blocks to turn blocks on-point or create your own Twisted Log Cabin-like designs.

Merge blocks together by choosing a background and a foreground block.

NEW! Clip and Flip blocks to make new blocks using the top-left quadrant of the design and rotate however you like.

NEW! Shrink and Flip blocks to make new blocks using the entire block and rotate however you like.

NEW! Kaleidoscope blocks by choosing a Half-Square or a Quarter-Square triangular portion of the block.

NEW! Make Fancy Star blocks with 5 to 10 points and rotated however you like with or without the background block.
Thanks for using EQ6, and for suggesting so many new features for EQ7. We hope you like the EQ7 Upgrade!
Once installed, the EQ7 and EQ7 Upgrade are the same exact program.

This information has been supplied by Electric Quilt. Sandra.

The Perfect Day

My husband and I often speculate about what would be our perfect day, which is quite obviously largely different given the 'mars and venus' theory. Let me tell you about my Sunday, an almost Perfect Day in my books.


I started at the Eveleigh Artisans' Market (supporting independent designers and artists) held in Darlington (Sydney), adjacent to Carriageworks. My fingers were tingling with temptation and anticipation as I surveyed the felting, bright gorgeous knitting, garments (some featuring oriental fabrics), innovative delicate pottery, screen printed textiles and much more. Note from a dog owner: it is even a dog friendly environment!


Feeling like my creative soul had been nurtured, I was driving home when I stumbled upon the Mitchell Road Auction Centre - 2 storeys of fossicking ensued. The upstairs area is full of traders with antique and vintage items. Being on my own (i.e. husband and child-free) I was able to explore every nook and cranny, every book case and every jewellery display. My heart soared. I found vintage ribbons, fabrics, silks, tea towels, table cloths, buttons ........ I spent hours there with my repurposing creative juices running wild.


Leaving there with my head spinning, I returned home to bake a beautiful lamb hot pot. Then it was time to attack the mending pile - where I discovered I can no longer thread a needle, unaided. Thank goodness for self-threading needles, a good Arial lamp and suddenly a dark winters night was not stealing my precious time.

After a delightful family meal, a visit from some family friends gladly assisted by wine and laughter, this for me is about as perfect as a day can get. A satisfied soul that sighs as you retire for the evening. Sandra.

PS Stay tuned for my July market excursion - the Bundeena Markets