Norman Quilting – A to Z Challenge
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Tag Archives: quilters
Music, Food, and Quilts
Cajun cooking, jazz music, Mardi Gras parties, with all that going for it Louisiana must have quilts. They do, quilt guilds across the state, at least one show each year, and they have their own block.
The Louisiana quilt block is a patchwork block of flying geese set in a pin wheel design.
The Louisiana Quilt Block, image from ideas-for-quilting.com/images
According to Quilter’s Resource there are two major quilt shows in Louisiana, and I’ve missed both of them this year. That’s ok though, that just gives me more time to plan on visiting.
The first show, presented by the North Louisiana Quilters Guild is a biannual event. That gives me a whole year to plan that visit. Their next show will be in February 2015.
The second show, sponsored by The Gulf States Quilting Association, is an annual event. Held in Slidell Louisiana , one of the towns affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they have a wide array of teachers, vendors and I’m sure quilts. This one is definitely going on my quilt tour list.
Have you ever been to Louisiana? If so what was your favorite thing to do or see?
Are you from Louisiana? Do you know of other quilt shows?
Have you made a quilt using the Louisiana block? Share it in comments?
Please join me on Facebook at Devoted to Quilting for more quilting fun.
Joining the The A to Z Blogging Challenge which includes creative bloggers from all areas and across the globe.
Kentucky Quiltin’
What do you think of when you hear “Kentucky”, that little patch of red over toward the eastern border of the United States?
It looks like a small patch on the USA quilt, but it’s filled to the borders with quilters
For some it’s the Kentucky derby. Others think of the bluegrass of Kentucky, and bluegrass music. For the music lovers there is the song, My Old Kentucky Home,
But for quilters, it is the home of the Paducah Quilt show. An event most of us have on our wish list. From all reports it is a fantastic time. Not only is there the event itself, but the town gets into the stitch of things.
Visiting Paducah Kentucky, will take a few dollars. The trip to and from won’t be too expensive but I can’t imagine going those miles, to such a great event and not spending money.
I’d probably have to save my “getting home” money in a special spot, or I’ll spend it too.
Have you ever been to the Paducah Kentucky show?
What quilt show is on your “have to visit” list?
What’s your favorite fabric?
April is the month for the A to Z challenge. Check them out, there are hundreds of bloggers, you’e sure to find some one new to follow or visit.
I is for International Quilt Show
I
is for the International Quilt Show in Houston Texas.
2nd Place Novice quilt by
Lilija Kostenko, Netherlands
The show runs for a week, and every day is needed. There is so much to see and absorb.
Pictures and memories from the 2012 show have had to sustain me, as I missed last year’s show. This year though, I plan to attend.
The show has everything; international quilts, like the winning quilt shown above, unusual displays, vendors, and more quilt.
Since the show is held the first of November, sometimes it runs into October and Halloween. That happened in 2012 and some of the vendors, to add a little more fun to the event wore “Halloween things.” Like this vendor with the spider on her head.
Spiders don’t stop us from quilting
I’m guessing they have fun and unusual displays every year. They certainly did in 2012. Ever seen a quilted Yurt? Goodness, I’d never even seen a Yurt except on television.
And another view
A quilted Yurt
The Quilted Yurt was the brain child, and work of Linzi Upton. If I didn’t live in windy Oklahoma I’d consider constructing one for myself.
One of the quilts on the inside of the yurt
Amid all the quilts is the opportunity to see live and in person a quilt mentioned, or shown on Facebook, or in a blog. Like this quilt, Anni in the Modern Quilt Showcase by Heather Jones, a quilter and blogger I follow.
In addition to seeing all the cool quilts, learning about new tools, and meeting new people is the opportunity to actually participate in the show. In 2012 they had a mug rug exchange. Quilters brought a mug rug to contribute, and took a mug rug home. Very fun to see even if I didn’t have a rug to exchange.
Aren’t they pretty. I especially like the egg shaped ones. The International Quilt Show in Houston is definitely on my list of quilty places to visit.
Have you ever been to the Houston Quilt show?
What would you enjoy most about going to the International Quilt Show?
What would scare you the most about going?
This month I am participating in the A to Z challenge. I hope you’ll visit some of the other bloggers following the alphabet with their posts.
Hopping for Quilting
No rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma in the Quilt stores, especially in April.
No, in April (April 24-May 3) we have the HOP THE RIVER SHOP HOP. An extravaganza of quilt store shopping that couldn’t be contained in one state.
The Hop includes five stores in Oklahoma and four in that state below the river (Texas). A complete list of the stores involved in the hop can be found at The Quilt n Bee.
Hopping from store to store, especially with friends is a great way to spend the day, weekend, or week.
Stores offer prizes and have gifts for their customers during hops. However, the best thing about a hop is seeing different quilts, almost like a quilt show on the road. Instead of the quilts traveling, the visitors are.
Each store has different fabrics and tools. Sharing, learning, visiting, and fabrics. This will be my first time to Hop the River and I’m looking forward to the adventure.
Have you ever participated in a shop Hop?
How often do you visit new stores?
How many stores would be your limit to visit in a day?
Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you.
This post using the letter H was brought to you by the friendly folks at the A to Z challenge. Over 2,000 bloggers are participating.
A to Z Blog Challenge
Thanks to Nancy Doyle, I realized the other day that the A to Z challenge was almost here. For some silly reason I thought it came later in the year, don’t know why.
Sew, I got busy and started thinking what I could do for a theme. Had one too, almost had enough ideas for the month even. For a pantzer like me (a pantzer is someone who does things by the seat of her pants rather than planning) that was amazing. True, the posts weren’t written, but the ideas were there for most of the letters.
Then, the idea changed. No problem, still plenty of time. Next I realized it was time to reveal the theme. Goodness, I hadn’t even signed up yet, and here it is time to post the theme. Good thing the ladies on the quilting page over on Facebook are such troopers.
Thanks to them I now have a theme, Quilty Destinations, and a quilty place for almost every letter. Goodness, I may become a planner yet. Naw, not going to happen.
Stay tuned though. Coming April 1, there will be a blog post here. Every.Single.Day. Well, except Sundays, we take Sundays off. Which is fair, I don’t sew on Sunday, so I guess no traveling on Sunday either. At least on the blog.
Come along in April and Travel with me to different Quilty destinations.
Amish and Quilting
The A to Z challenge begins.
A is for Amish. While Ohio and Pennsylvania are known for their Amish communities. Oklahoma also has a couple of nice size Amish areas and they have auctions each year featuring their quilts. Clarita is the home of Since this blog is about quilts and quilting,
Visiting the Clarita Amish Auction means lots of walking, eating good food, and admiring beautiful quilts. The ladies make quilts using traditional patterns as well as new ones.
A couple of years ago, Paula Nelson, my friend, and partner in my local quilt store, Prairie Notions, designed this quilt for one of the Amish ladies to make.
While the price of the quilts put them well past my spending range, looking at them is free. The food however, I can afford and enjoy sampling their wonderful cooking at the auction as well as purchasing breads, cakes, and candies to take home and savor.
Is there an Amish community near your?
Have you ever had the opportunity to purchase an Amish quilt?
Have you ever sewn a quilt by hand?
Joining other bloggers with the A to Z challenge. Stop by and see what some of the other bloggers are up to.
5 Uses for Painter’s Tape in the Sewing Room
Today’s sewing room tool came from the garage. Actually, it came from my junk drawer. Wherever you find it, that blue tape used to keep paint off woodwork when painting walls is useful in the sewing room. Five ways I’ve found to use it are:
1. To keep templates from slipping when cutting fabric. A couple of pieces of tape on the back of the template will help keep it place with less shifting. Leaving no sticky residue when it’s removed.
2. Marking the sewing line on the machine. If no 1/4″ foot is available, placing the tape on the machine 1/4″ inch from the needle will help keep all seams uniform. This works well when sewing something with a larger, or smaller, seam allowance. There aren’t special foots for every seam size.
3. Remove loose threads. Once the quilt is finished, or even as we’re sewing, threads find their way to the top of the project. If a lint roller isn’t available, balled up tape will easily remove those threads. Works on our clothes before going out too. Because while no outfit is complete without a few threads, we don’t want to look as though we rolled on the thread-covered floor.
4. Marking the measuring line on the template. Most template have several measurements on them, it makes them more useful and we can make items in various sizes. Sometimes, if I’m not careful, I cut my fabric too big or too small because I followed the wrong line. The blue tape used to keep the template from shifting, will also work to help me keep all my cuts uniform. Simply place the straight edge of tape along the appropriate line. No more miss cuts.
5. As a quick thimble. Many quilters have a collection of thimbles. Not me. I don’t like them, and haven’t learned to use them. Still, there are times when hand sewing that a thimble will be helpful. On those days, wrapping my finger with tape will work.
Masking tape can also be used in place of painters tape. However if using the tapes on the templates or sewing machine, remove them after completing a project to ensure no sticky residue remains.
Have you ever used masking, or painting tape in your sewing/crafting projects?
Do you have another use for the tape?
Do you have another quick fix thimble?
This post is part of the 31days of Shopping The House for Sewing Supplies.
Skirt Hangers aren’t just for Skirts
Do you keep those plastic skirt hangers when you buy a skirt at the store? Of course you do. Even if you have nice hangers at home, you need these for your sewing room. And really, what will the store do with them? Throw them away? Recycle them? You can recycle them just as easy, maybe easier than the store, and no other outside costly energy is expended in the process.
How can you use a skirt hanger:
1. Hang your cutting mat on it when not in use. If you only have a small area for your sewing and quilting your mat needs to be stored in a flat area so it doesn’t warp or get all wonky. Hanging it up with a skirt hanger is the perfect solution.
2. Store blocks in progress. Hanging your blocks on a hanger allows you to have them in view (if you want) yet out of danger of being covered up with other fabric. It also keeps them free of wrinkles. You can add each block as it’s finished which also lets you see at a glance how many are completed. These hangers often will slide, so it doesn’t matter what size blocks you’re making.
3. Hanging a quilt for photos. We want pictures of our quilts, but taking them is often challenge. Experts suggest taking the photo straight on, that is having the camera and the quilt at the same height and angle. If you don’t have someone to hold the quilt, or a sleeve on your quilt for hanging this can be difficult. Skirt hangers to the rescue. Once you take a “straight on” photo then you can take more artistic ones. Pictures of the quilt covering a loved one, on a bed, draped over a chair or fence. All quilt pictures are worth taking and viewing.
4. Store your fabric.If storage is at a premium add a lower rod to your closet and hang your hangers of fabrics. They will be out of the sun, out of plastic tubs, and easily viewed. Of course this will only work for a few of your fabrics, so you’ll have to make some choice. After all, few people have that many closets.
5. Holding fabric for a project. When you buy fabrics for a specific quilt you can clip all of them to one, or two, skirt hangers to keep everything together as you work on the quilt. You’ll know where the backing and binding fabrics are because they will be on the hangers.
Do you use skirt hangers in your quilt room?
Do you have other uses for skirt hangers?
What non-sewing items do you use in your sewing room?
This post is part of the 31 day challenge. Check out some of the other blogs posting there.
Wax Paper in the Sewing Room
Save time and money. Shop at home.
The time you save can be used working on a project. The money will go towards your next fabric purchase.
Shopping at home allows us to finish our projects without making a trip to the store. Today we’re shopping in the kitchen for emergency sewing supplies.
There it is. In your cabinets with other kitchen papers.
The roll of wax paper.
What can you do with wax paper.
Allow me to wax on about the benefits of wax paper in the sewing room.
1. The paper can be used for quilting over tee-shirt quilts. Often the presser foot will stick to the design of the shirt, making quilting difficult. Placing the wax paper over the design allows the presser foot to glide.
2. Draw the quilting design on the wax paper and place the paper over the quilt. Since you can see the quilt pattern through the paper, you will be able to tell if this pattern works for this quilt.
3. If you don’t have fusible handy when making a tee-shirt quilt, wax paper will help stabilize the stretching tee-shirt fabric for sewing.
4. Use the paper as a quilting template. Draw your quilting design on the paper then pin it to your quilt top. Stitch through the wax paper following your design. The wax paper will tear away when you’re finished, tweezers will help get the tiny pieces.
5. In a pinch wax paper can be used in place of a silicone sheet when pressing fusibles. The sandwich your fabrics between two pieces of wax paper. The paper will protect both your ironing board and your iron.
Nita Beshear - A Patchwork Life 