Stitchin’ Heaven Howdy

I was pleasantly surprised to pick up the January issue of Texas Monthly to find a really nice article on quilting. More specifically, this was a really nice article about a specific quiltmaker, Jane Hall , written by her son, Michael Hall who is a contributing editor for the magazine. Michael made a video while he was with his mom at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and it is very interesting to hear the opinion of someone who is not a quilter. You can launch this video here to watch it.

Michael says: Quiltmaker Jane Hall—author of The Experts’ Guide to Foundation Piecing, teacher of classes such as Pineapples Plus and Log Cabins Revisited, and the woman from whose womb I emerged fifty years ago—stood in front of her quilt Galaxy and had her picture taken while a steady stream of women walked past, eyeing her and the sharp blue points of the dozen mariner’s compasses floating behind her. She was tired after spending the whole day teaching at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Plus, her knee was killing her.

A woman approached. “Are you the artist?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“It’s just beautiful! Beautiful! How did you get the points so thin?”

“I used a foundation of freezer paper.” The mariner’s compass is a difficult pattern, and Mom was pleased to have the chance to teach a little more.

Until we meet again, may your days be pieceful!

deb
Stitchin’ Heaven is located in Quitman, TX populaiton 2030
Email: deb@stitchinheaven.com

Get your tickets, get your passports! The International Mystery Tour is about to leave the Stitchin’ Heaven station!

Did someone say “Go”? I know you love to go. I know you love to travel and see new places and do new things. Only 3 reasons this new event from Stitchin’ Heaven will appeal to you. Pack your bag (your sewing bag, that is) and you can come along with us as we “visit” some wonderful countries around the globe. And what is as much fun as traveling? Sewing, of course! I have selected some incredible quilt projects that will reflect the style and personality of the country being visited each month.

What do these projects look like? Well, they are mystery quilts, silly! If I showed you, no mystery any more! I will tell you they are all easy enough for a beginner to make them and be proud of the results. I will also tell you that the fabrics are gorgeous and these projects are really, really nice. A typical experienced quilter should be able to make them from start to finish in a weekend without any trouble. And, I will tell you that if you are ever disappointed with the selections you can return the project (before you start, of course) and we will give you a full refund. I want to be sure YOU are protected and feel safe about ordering from us.

We will be offering some wonderful twists on this program:

• You will be issued a passport that you can fill and redeem for a shopping spree. Each month you visit a country with us we will send you a stamp from the country being visited for your passport.
• You have 3 ways to fly in our program: coach (only the fabric kit), round trip (fabric including border & binding), or first class (fabric kit, border & binding, and backing).
• There are 3 different fabric collections for each mystery – you can choose which one you want each month
• Food. Did I say “Food”? Each month you will get a recipe for a casserole, dessert, salad, etc. from the country.
• We will offer a time during the month for you to come to the shop to work on your mystery and sample of the recipe for the month.
• Oh, we have “flight layovers” where you can opt-out of a project 3 times each year if you get overwhelmed or just don’t care for the country we are going to visit.
• …and much more.

Visit the Stitchin’ Heaven website to learn more and register. We leave in February so get on board now!
Until we meet again, may your days be pieceful!

deb
Stitchin’ Heaven
Quitman, TX – population 2030

Dear Deb,

I’ve just finished piecing my second quilt and am ready to start basting. I have it all sandwiched together ready but I’m nervous about starting. On my last quilt I made an awful mess when I got to the basting stage, and I don’t want to ruin all my hard work. Fortunately, it was my “practice” and I need to do a better job on this one.

Basting Blues
Dear Basting,
Well, you won’t be the first and you won’t be the last to have this happen. You’re so proud of your creation and then, almost before you know it, its all wrinkled and bumpy looking! All I can do is share my own method with you and hope that helps. I’m sure that others will write in as well, so you’ll end up with a number of methods for this stage of the game.

I pin my layers together with quilters’ safety pins. These are different to regular pins, they have a curve in them, which makes it easier to get the point through the sandwich and back up to the top again. Most quilters recommend laying your quilt out on the floor so that it keeps smooth but I have a secret tip here:

Get your dining chairs and spread them out around the room, with the backs forming a square, then get your cutting boards or some hardboard and lay these across the back of the chairs – in effect you are making a big table. Lay your quilt sandwich on this ‘table’ and pin. You’ll find it much easier pinning at waist height than sprawling around on the floor! Ooh, I almost forgot – it’s really important that you start pinning at the center of the quilt and work your way outwards, that way any potential wrinkles are pushed to the edges!

There are a number of really good books that can help you as well. One that I would recommend is by Alex Anderson titled Machine Quilting with Alex Anderson. In this book, you will learn about the mechanics of the quilting process from basting to quilting and then even to binding. There are some really great projects in this book as well. It would be a great reference for you if you are new at this. You can order it from my website.

Another equally good book is one from Eleanor Burns and Quilt in a Day Machine Quilting Primer. No one makes things easier than Eleanor Burns. Detailed explanations of commonly used tools and methods are followed by samples to practice techniques. I truly love this book although it has been out for many years. It is one of those that you really must have in your library! You can order it here.

Just remember that all of this is a learning experience and the more practice you have the better you get at it!

Until we meet again, may your days be pieceful!
Deb
Stitchin’ Heaven is located in Quitman, Tx and has a population of 2030
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**Do you have a question about quilting? If you do, there are other quilters who have the same question! Simply email it to deb@stitchinheaven.com and she will answer it for you!

Have you had enough bowl games yet? I don’t think I have missed a single one. Well…it seems as though I did not miss one but I heard there are 32 bowl games over a 3 week period in this country. Tonight I am watching KU beat Virginia Tech but it is only half-time. I asked questions like “What is a Hokie?” And, “I thought KU’s colors were blue and white – why are they wearing red?” And, “Now, exactly what is a Jayhawk?” My friend Jerry explained that one to me. Interesting little history lesson. I watched Texas, and Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and even Hawaii!…We do love our football!

One of the most exciting and anticipated of all the bowl games is, of course, the National Championship. This year, on January 7 at 7:30 PM, Louisiana State University (LSU) will go head to head with Ohio State in New Orleans. LSU is just a short drive to the east of us so I had to design this really neat quilt in their honor. It features LSU logo fabrics in the school colors and I am putting this really soft fabric called “Cuddle” on the back. It would be perfect for a stadium blanket, a sofa throw, or just to have at the end of the bed. You can see all of the details on our website.

My son is an Aggie so we also offer it in Texas A&M fabrics. My cousin’s son is a Longhorn so it is also available in University of Texas fabrics. My good friend Dana’s son AND daughter go to University of Oklahoma so we also have it in Sooner fabric. Do YOU have a favorite college? If we don’t have the one listed you want, please let us know. Who knows, we might can get it for you!

So pop up some corn, light up the fire and watch the big game Monday night…I’ll be there with ya!

‘Till we meet again, may your days be pieceful!

deb

Stitchin’ Heaven
Quitman, TX population 2030
www.stitchinheaven.com