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Quilters Threads Newsletter
and Quilters Keep Learning News
February 1, 2008

http://www.quiltersthreads.com

Announcements

SALE - Silk ribbons 50% off

All other non-thread items 40% off

Sale February 1 - 15

Does not include Poplollies and Bellibones Ribbon, Class Kits, or Norwegian Panels

The next classes start January 18. If you have signed up, you will receive an email with class access directions January 16. Please follow all the directions to prepare for class.

Help Us Get Rid of Some of Our Inventory
We are moving. I really do not want to move everything we have now, so I am putting everything except threads on sale for the next 2 weeks. You store it, not me. Sale prices are only good on items in stock and there will be no back orders filled until we get moved.

Sign Up For Our New Classes

OUR NEW CLASS WEB SITE IS UP AND RUNNING. CHECK IT OUT Quilters Keep Learning

Check out our new class website http://www.quilterskeeplearning.com Our classes are growing rapidly so I decided to develop a web site to present class information. The registration link still takes you to the store to checkout, but the site will give the teachers and I a place to present more information to you. The March and April classes are open for registration now.

There have been some problems with the existing system and passwords. Not helped by having my email with the passwords going out to students being labeled as SPAM and not delivered to many students. Therefore I have installed new software specifically for online classes. The development is going well and I think you will enjoy the integration of lessons, forums and galleries.

The March and April classes are listed below as well as on our site. We may add a few more classes in the April time frame. I am very pleased by the caliber of teacher that we are attracting and feel confident that our classes are excellent learning experiences.

Artful Creations with Angelina - $40
Learn how to work with Angelina while making this great project
Bente Nysaether Malm

Artistic Free Motion - $40
You too can do beautiful free motion quilting. Make feathers, shells, swirls, stipple and McTavish.
Lynn Majidimeh

Bargello Quilts - Creating Colorful Curves - $40
Uncover the secret of those beautiful colored curves. Make 4 projects in this class
Eldrid Royset Førde

Baltimore Album Quilts Made With Your Sewing Machine - $40
Have you always admired Baltimore Album quilts and blocks, but felt you did not have the time to do this? Diane will teach you a number of machine applique techniques to help you do your own quilts. If you prefer to work in another style, such as Folk Art or Free-Form, these techniques are also used there and you can do your lessons with these types of patterns.
Diane Harman-Hoog

Basic Machine Quilting - $40
Get those quilt tops out of the cupboard. Sharon adds a short video demonstration in each lesson
Sharon Baggs

Beginning Electric Quilt And Beyond (EQ6) - $40
Let's get those copies of Electric Quilt (EQ6) off the shelf and working for you
Luann Bruce

Beginning Electric Quilt And Beyond (EQ5) - $40
Take off the shrink wrap and design your next quilt
Luann Bruce

Color it My Way - $40
Cherie is a real ace with fabric and fiber dyeing. She will teach you beginning techniques as well as how to use these beautiful hand dyed products in a project
Cherie Ekholm

Create Memory Quilts With Kids - $40
Get ideas on how to make that class or family quilt with the kids
Cherie Ekholm

Designing Art Quilts Using EQ6 - $40
There have been discussions on email lists about using EQ to design freeform or art quilts. Luann has been taking notes and will work with you on developing the skills to design these quilts.
Luann Bruce

Dollmaking and Embellishment - $40
Explore the world of art dolls with Sherri. These classes will help you make two dolls. You will learn how to make your own simple patterns for a kitchen witch doll plus a second ‘art’ doll.
Sherri Dodds

Dreamwatcher Class $40
You have never seen a quilting class like this. Linda combines design, applique, embellishment and creative writing. really jump start your imagination. Linda is the author of several books including "Quilted Faerie Tales"
Linda M Poole

Fear No Color - $40
Susan is a trained artist bringing a color workshop to the quilting world. She has some unique exercises to teach color theory.
Susan Sorrell

Landscape Quilts - $40
Make landscape quilts from photographs or your own sketches. Not "artistic", come find out that you really are.
Diane Harman-Hoog

Introduction to Altered Photo Artistry - $40
Have fun while learning how to alter photos and use them in a quilt. No special equipment is required. You probably already have it in your home office or studio! Beth and Lori have a new book called "Altered Photo Artistry"
Beth Wheeler and Lori Marquette

Machine Precision Piecing - $40
Jean helps you learn accurate machine piecing so that you can have a good foundation for all types of quilting. Jean is the author of the book by the same name
Jean Folkes


Passport to Sewing With Specialty Threads - $40
Liz has a wonderful passport sized project to make as a reference sampler as you try out many threads and learn the secrets of working with them. This is essential information for thread painting and free motion embroidery.
Liz Kettle

Taking the Mystery Out of Your Computer - $40
The instructor has been in the computing world for many years and would like to help quilters learn some basic computing skills to use in their quilting work. This is not a tekkie class, it is designed for quilters like you
Diane Harman-Hoog

Think Like An Artist - $40
This is a repeat of the long awaited art quilt class by Pamela Allen. Pamela has won many awards with her unique style
Pamela Allen

Learn more about all these classes and the instructors at http://www.quilterskeeplearning.com
 

 

Hints From Diane

 
I belong to a number of email lists so that I can keep listening to what quilters are interested in. This is constantly changing. I was pleased to see that two topics that I brought up in the last newsletter were topics of conversation on a number of lists. People do read this.

I am going to tell you how I cut pieces without having to stand for any period of time. If any one has suggestions for those of us who deal with arthritis or other physical problems send them in.

I have to cut sitting down. I was concerned about accuracy. My solution has been to use the Shape Cut ruler by June Tailor and the Martelli ergonomic rotary cutter with a very short handle. I also use a trick that I learned from Mary Ellen Hopkins which is to cut the most basic of the pieces first, sew them together and cut the next one to match. So if you are sewing a nine patch with alternating plain squares in between the nine patches, make your nine patch and then measure it and cut your plain blocks to match the size.

Let's Talk About Batting
Batting is becoming "green"

The polyester batting we have been using is sometimes made of recycled polyester products such as large soda bottles. To me using a recycled product does not seem all bad.

The cotton used for our cotton batting has in the past been treated with chemicals when growing and treated with other chemicals when being processed. We are now seeing "organic" cottons which has to be grown without chemicals on the land for at least 3 years and other cotton battings made by less environmentally damaging processes. Most manufacturers now have one or more of these.

Wool batting, with and without other blended fibers is available.

Silk batting are becoming more available.

In addition, we are seeing some synthetic battings made of other plant fibers. There is a bamboo batting made by Hobbs and a corn sugar based batting made by Mountain Mist under the brand name Eco-Craft.

My life has not lent itself to testing these batting the last few weeks. I am clipping a little descriptive information provided by the manufacturer of some new types.

Factors I would consider when trying to decide which batting to use are:

  • Is the shrinkage factor compatible with the quilt that I have planned.
  • What are the care requirements of my project and how does that fit with the care the batting requires.
  • Does the batting retain its loft?
  • How close together do you have to quilt the batting?
  • Does the batting beard excessively (work its fibers through the fabric of the quilt)?

Here are some manufacturer claims for their batting:

  • Fairfield Makes a Nature-Fil Bamboo Batting

Bamboo batting is made with
50% luxurious bamboo fiber and
50% organic cotton batting. This is an ideal batting for machine quilting. It has a beautiful loft and when quilted it provides and smooth, even drape. The thin scrim allows a quilting distance of up to 8". It has a 2 -3 % shrinkage rate.

  • Mountain Mist is making Eco-Craft battings
To meet this initiative Leggett & Platt® has partnered with Nature Works LLC using Ingeo Fibers to introduce the world's first man-made environmentally friendly, naturally based craft fibers. Fresh from American cornfields, our unique brand is based in the American heartland. To create Ingeo fiber, also known as PLA, a polymer is made from lactic acid, which is a natural product. Lactic acid is made from fermentable sugars, sugars that are found in plants and more specifically corn. This process is both revolutionary to the textile and fiber industry and patented by our partner, Nature Works LLC.

EcoCraft products offer the best of all worlds.
  • 100% Nature-based
  • Easy Care
  • Breathable
  • Natural resilience
  • Hypoallergenic
  • Washable
  • Superior Softness
  • Safe for the planet and your family

  • Hobbs Heirloom Organic cotton batting with scrim binder is needle punched cotton batting with a thin polypropylene binder .  We use the same pure organic cotton which is grown without pesticides or other chemicals as we do in all the organic cotton products, thus assuring the quilter that the batting is free of all chemicals which could cause an allergic reaction.  The scrim binder provides additional strength which enables the product to be quilted up to 8-10 inches apart, or used as the outside layer for craft projects.  This batting is primarily for machine quilters and crafts.

  • Hobbs is also coming out with a new silk bonded batting that is 90% silk and 10% syntethic. This is bonded together and is like a fabric.

  • The Warm Company -We've selected the highest quality cotton fibers grown in the US make up Soft & Natural. The natural cotton fiber is cleaned mechanically in our facility and like all Warm battings without the use of chemicals. It is gently needlepunched into itself without using a scrim creating a stable and highly anticipated pure cotton batting with stability. Thousands of long barbed needles entangle the cotton fiber into an evenly layered strong batting. Ideal for hand quilting and for quilters that need pure cotton, Soft & Natural offers consistent loft and is so soft to the touch with a pliable hand.

Featuring Three of Our Teachers

Beth Wheeler

Class: Altered Photo Artistry

As soon as I saw this new book, I contacted Beth and her friend Lori Marquette to see if they would like to teach for us. Beth will be teaching this class as Lori is her business manager.

Beth Wheeler has been a fiber artist for most of her life. She began embroidering by hand at age 5, crocheting at age 6, sewing garments for dolls and people at age 7, and quilting at age 16. Decades of study and exploration in design, color, and technique have led to the development of Threadography™, an art form that combines photography, computer artistry, and fiber techniques.

Wheeler’s art garments have traveled the globe in invitational and juried fashion shows. Her quilts and fiber art are in innumerable private collections across the country. She is the author of hundreds of articles for consumer and trade publications and her 45th book will be released in October 2007.

Lori Marquette is a freelance artist and certified massage therapist with a growing passion for art, photography, and graphic design combined with fabric, threads, and technology. She has worked with Beth, providing balance and marketing Beth’s designs for 16 years. During this time, Lori has renewed her childhood appreciation of quilting and crafting from the many hours spent watching her grandmother hand-quilt and embroider. She brings life-long passion of the healing arts, unique perspective, and a healthy sense of adventure to artistic creativity. This facilitates therapeutic persuasion in her technique and design.

Threadography is currently featured in galleries in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and New Mexico, as well as private collections across the country. Please visit the website to view a selection of Threadography and fabric postcards featuring this unique art technique.

www.threadography.net 

Beth's class will include removing imperfections from photos, choosing a good photo, enhancing your photos, printing photo in different sizes on  fabric and thread painting embellishment. The projects below are photos printed on fabric and enhanced with threads.

 

Beth and Lori

Desert Rose

Delphinium Postcard

Four Roses for Houston

Everlasting Glow

Three Graces

Linda M Poole

Class: Dreamwatcher

Linda M. Poole is a Quilt Instructor, Lecturer, Author and Designer, who teaches extensively in the United States and Internationally. She is the International Outreach Coordinator for The Appliqué Society and writes for many quilting magazines.

Linda has a fond passion for traveling the globe, learning from people and passing forward everything she learns to those she meets. Her laughter and humor is contagious in the classroom and lecture halls and her patience to teach is always appreciated. Linda mentors those she meets, to believe that they “can do it” and non appliquers walk out of her class with the “I did it, I can appliqué” attitude! Linda comes from a line of artists, watercolorist, impressionists, stained glass artisans, weavers, sculptresses, silversmiths and winemakers….all things that make “Life Good!”
She currently has authored “Turkish Delights to Applique”, “Bended Bias Applique” and recently, Quilted Fairie Tales” for AQS, American Quilters Society.

This class combines applique, embellishment, inking of facial features and creative writing. This is a good boost for stalled creativity.

 

Linda and All Soul's Day

Daydreamer by Linda M Poole

Earthangel

Fairy Godmother

Lotus Moon

Linda M Poole


 

Diane Harman-Hoog

Classes:

Baltimore Album Quilts by Sewing Machine and Taking the Mystery Out of Your Computer.
I keep promoting my teachers, but this time I want to include myself. This job combines several of my skills and loves. I have been quilting for over 20 years, trying just about everything. The style I have settled on recently is free motion embroidery as embellishment and as the quilting.

My true quilting loves are applique (especially broderie perse) and free motion embroidery and quilting. I used to do a great deal of hand applique, taking it as I traveled over went visiting. My arthritis progressed as I got older and I have gotten busier, so I have moved on to mostly to machine applique. Fortunately I ad taken a very good class in machine applique from Maurine Noble and also one from Eleanor Burns, so I was well prepared for this change. The first machine applique project that I did was a Purple Baltimore Album quilt for my mother. I have since learned many different ways to machine applique and will be teaching most of them in this class. Thus, if you prefer folk art or some other form of applique, my techniques will work for you too. This class is called Baltimore Album Quilts On The Sewing Machine and you will do four large blocks in whichever style you prefer.

 

Patterns from Elly Seinkwicz, Jeena Kimball and Irma Conway

Pattern by Elly Seinkwicz

Fruit Basket - My own patterns

Pineapple, A Folk Art Quilt from Applique, Applique, Appliqué

Mr MacGregor's Garden, QNM Series Quilt

Diane and Rachel
I will also be teach a class called Taking the Mystery Out of Your Computer. This is a class of hints and explanations for the non-technical quilter. I will cover some terms, so you can talk the talk, and a lot of short cuts, some starter instructions for MS Works or MS Office and basic graphic instructions and some help with printing. The idea is to give you the basic building blocks you need to do more than just email or the computer. Even if you have never done more than turn on the computer and read email, this should be a class you can handle.

You see, computing is one of my other loves and I have been working with PCs since they first came out, about 25 years or so.

Join me in this class, we will have a good time and learn.

New Informal Contest

I often put little lessons in these newsletters like the embellishment series. Please suggest other topics you would like me to write about. As usual I will send a small gift for the first person to suggest a subject that I use. Other winners have enjoyed their little surprises. Email me info@quiltersthreads.com.

More Hints From Diane
If you do not already have it, go to http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT3/intl/en/index.html if you have the Firefox browser and to http://toolbar.google.com/T4/index_pack_xp.html if you have XP. Down load the Google Toolbar by following very simple directions.

Now you can go to the Settings Tab on the Toolbar and set Options for Autofill and automatically fill in those pesky online forms.

You can search with a regular Web Search, but you can also search just images, or for News only or for Maps. So if you really want a picture of a giraffe, you enter giraffe as a search term and then click on the icon to the right of the regular search button and choose images and you will get only pictures of giraffes. Google has great news archives that make entertaining reading. I just went back to 1860 - 1870 and read about Lincoln's campaign for the presidency. Keep asking for more dates and you can go back quite far.
I Was Thinking About This The Other Day

Well, it seems like I was just a kid not too long ago and now I have been retired for 9 years from my corporate job and my husband is getting ready to retire. This is going to take a lot of rebalancing in our lives. Some of you have already made this leap. We have always had a policy between of us of doing our own thing, but will it hold up with more togetherness?

I am hoping that he will work or volunteer part time. He says he would like to be a campground host at a National Park. I will go visit him. Camping all the time does not appeal to me. I think it is great that he is interested in doing this.

He says he will help me with the business. Or perhaps he will work during the winters for a temporary agency. I sure do hope he gets interested in something as I am intensely interested in just about everything and I want to continue to explore these interests.

Because of his retirement, we have bought a new house about an hour south of where we live now that will be closer to our grandchildren. I am very excited about the new house, but not at all excited about moving. I am already working very long hours, 7 days a week. Perhaps some of you would like to come help me pack up? No? I thought that would be your answer.

One of the things I am really excited about in the new house is that it has raised planter beds so I can do a little gardening again. I used to always have a vegetable garden, but bending over and kneeling do not work as well as they used to, so now I can sit on the edge of the bed and reach in.

Now I get to redefine my studio space, the storage for the store,  my kitchen. That is always fun.

I am trying to get rid of a lot of my things. So far my house packrat has not pitched in to do his things too. I am hoping. Not only do I not want to move all that, but all those dusty magazines he never looks at and things like that really interfere with what he really does need to store.

Well, it should be an interesting couple of months. After we get moved, we need to fix up our current house to sell. So this could drag on for a while.

Sometime during this moving period I will have to close the store for a few days, but it should not be for long. I will give plenty of notice.

So help me out, by at least getting things on sale. I will put the threads on sale too, but not discounted as deeply towards the end of the month. And wish me luck with this transition.

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