http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/ en mike_echo@hotmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-07T17:24:20+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/when_cold_winds_blow/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/when_cold_winds_blow/#When:13:18:36Z When Cold WInds BlowIn spite of the weather and the date being Friday the 13th, the January sew-in proceeded without too many difficulties.  This was the first year for a sew-in at Concordia Lutheran Church which presented some new challenges, mainly a shortage of electric outlets which would have allowed us to all be in one room.  But that would have had us falling over one another.  We used both our regular meeting room and the Atrium room (where we’ve held workshops).  While I did get to work on a top a little bit with my group, I spent a lot of my time wandering around seeing what the other groups were doing.  We do have some very creative people who can turn the phrase “when life gives you scraps, make quilts” into reality.  I’m quite anxious to see the finished results.    I spent the following weekend putting together a quilt top from blocks which someone had turned in.  I had the opportunity to help our Sew-In Coordinators sort and coordinate the blocks which Guild members had been making for the last few months and took a collection of blocks home to work on.  I might even have the whole quilt finished by the February meeting for Show and Tell. And one final note about the quilts we are making for Angels Arms – if you need batting for your quilt top, please give me a call (314-822-4673) with the width of the quilt.  I will cut the batting and bring it to the next meeting for you.  Our batting is 96” wide so length should not be a problem.  The remaining blocks; fabrics; and backing fabrics will be available at the February meeting for you to pick up if you were not able to attend the January meeting or if you just want to make another quilt. With the cold weather (finally) here, I’m finding it a great time to be in my sewing room working on various projects – one being my UFO.  I started a “Dear Jane” quilt a few  years ago and it really is time to complete it.  My problem is Jane loved applique and to applique very small pieces onto 5-inch square blocks.  My hands just aren’t that small; by the time I get the applique pieces ready my fingers basically cover the area I need to be appliqueing.  And then there are the 9 quilt tops that just need to be sandwiched and quilted.  And, of course, I have new projects I want to get started on.  Hope to see everyone at the February meeting.  In the meantime, keep quilting! Susan Guild News 2012-01-19T13:18:36+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/quilt_expo_2013_dates/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/quilt_expo_2013_dates/#When:01:24:33Z Dates have been set for 2013!The 2013 Quilt Expo will be held at the Greensfelder Rec Complex in Queeny Park, Ballwin, MO on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17, 2013. Guild Expo News 2011-04-30T01:24:33+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/magnificent_sprial_mandala_quilts_by_ranae_merrill/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/magnificent_sprial_mandala_quilts_by_ranae_merrill/#When:17:24:20Z February Book Review by Mary Ellen AdamsText coming soon. Guild News 2012-02-07T17:24:20+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/the_quilters_album_of_patchwork_patterns_by_jinny_beyer/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/the_quilters_album_of_patchwork_patterns_by_jinny_beyer/#When:13:35:20Z January Book Review by Mary Ellen AdamsIf you can own only one reference book on quilting, this is the one to have. There are more than 4050  pieced blocks featured in the book and each block is illustrated in color. The blocks are organized by style (square, hexagon, etc.) and according to grid type. There are instructions for drafting your own designs using blocks in the book and for how to draft your own blocks. The instructions are thorough, clear, and well illustrated. Each block is accompanied by the historical reference indicating its earliest documented appearance as well as alternate names for the block. Each block is shown twice – once in a larger color picture and again in a smaller line drawing that more clearly shows how the block is drafted. As an aide to finding familiar blocks, quick reference sections are scattered throughout the book. If you are looking for basket blocks they may be drafted on different grids and therefore will appear in various locations. The quick reference guide makes finding all the airplane blocks, for example, a cinch to find. Appendices at the end of the book categorize blocks further according to origin (Ladies Art Company, Laura Wheeler and Alice Brooks, Nancy Cabot, Nancy Page, Kansas City Star, Jinny Beyer) . You are able to look up a block by name in the alphabetical index at the very end of the book. And of course, sprinkled throughout are beautiful full-color photographs of Jinny’s quilts. Guild News 2012-01-11T13:35:20+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/adventures_with_leaders_enders_by_bonnie_k._hunter/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/adventures_with_leaders_enders_by_bonnie_k._hunter/#When:14:54:15Z December Book Review by Mary Ellen Adams One thing about quilters that is nearly universally true – they all produce scraps and they all sew pieces of fabric together. If you fall into that category – I know I do – this is the book for you. Bonnie Hunter is known to many for her Addicted to Scraps feature in Quiltmaker magazine. She has also written two previous and popular books, “Scraps and Shirttails” and “Scraps and Shirttails II”. By now you have probably deduced that this most recent book is also about scrap quilts. Hunter suggests using the “leaders and enders”, those small pieces of folded fabric that we use to sew on and off at the beginning and end of chain piecing, as building blocks for quilts. This requires a bit of planning so that you always have a small basket of pre-cut pieces at hand for this purpose. Instead of using random bits of fabrics as leaders and enders, filling them with thread until tossed into the trash, use pre-cut pieces Without any extra effort you will slowly but surely build up enough pieced units for another quilt. The units need not be squares; rectangles, triangles, diamonds, or strips will also do. Hunter has a number of tips for organizing scraps, cutting them up, and finding time to do both. The book has a dozen projects to use up the units you make. They are all quite lovely and interesting, and you could, of course, just dive in to your scrap pile and make only one of them as a primary project in their own right. If you are one of those that already organizes their scraps by size and value, you are ready to roll! Hunter’s philosophy ignores any “quilt police” ideas about mixing color, pattern, and style of fabric. Anything goes! The only guidelines are regarding value and color (if making a two-color quilt, for example). Otherwise any and all scraps are grist for her sewing mill, including recycled fabric from clothing. Novelty prints and outdated calicoes from the 1960s and ‘70s only add additional interest to the projects in the book. I have added this book to my small but steadily growing collection of scrap and string quilt publications. Hunter points out that scraps cost the same per yard as new fabric - $10 per yard and rising daily. Why throw out this valuable resource, not to mention the cost of our time, thread and energy, when something beautiful and useful could be made from it? Here is your blueprint for doing so. Guild News 2011-12-08T14:54:15+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/material_obsession_2_by_kathy_doughty_and_sarah_fielke/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/material_obsession_2_by_kathy_doughty_and_sarah_fielke/#When:15:29:05Z November Book Review by Mary Ellen AdamsThis is a fun and quirky book by quilt designers Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. They also own a quilt store, Material Obsession, in Sydney, Australia. Australian quilters have been showing us wonderful  creations from “down under”  for some time now. Their style is imbued with a fresh and unique quality entirely their own. This book is no exception. As the authors say in the forward to their book, it’s all about the process. They acknowledge and revel in the inspiration they find around them. The book is set out in ten pairs of quilts. Inspiration comes from the same design source and then each person interprets it in their own way.  Inspiration may have come from a piece of fabric, a vintage quilt, a specialized ruler, or a favorite quilt block. It’s a lot of fun to look at how differently each woman interprets the same idea. The quilts include a variety of construction techniques, such as medallion quilts, scrap quilts, appliqué and foundation piecing. A confident beginner could tackle some of the projects in the book, but for the most part this is a book for those with at least intermediate skills. The more advanced quilter will find several projects worth the challenge as well. The instructions are complete, well-written, and accurate. I have made one wall hanging from this book and have my eye on several others. I can recommend this book both for the fresh style and good quality patterns. Guild News 2011-11-09T15:29:05+00:00 http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/scrap_republic_by_emily_cier/ http://www.thimbleandthreadstl.org/news/scrap_republic_by_emily_cier/#When:00:06:22Z October Book Review by Mary Ellen AdamsEmily Cier is the talent behind Carolina Patchworks patterns. Her latest book is  Scrap Republic. If you are a scrapaholic, or just want to make a dent in your scrap pile, I can recommend this book. The author gives you eight projects with directions for using scraps or yardage if you prefer a more controlled colorway. I would rate half the projects as suitable for beginners and the balance for intermediate piecers. Although none of the patterns is really difficult, there are circles, curved piecing, and bias edges to contend with in some of the patterns.   The author’s love of color is immediately apparent and the design sensibility definitely leans towards a contemporary feeling. There are basic quilting directions included in the book, but they are almost cursory in nature. I would not look to this book if you need extensive instruction in this area. That said, most of the patterns are pretty simple and you can almost figure out how to put them together by looking closely at the layout diagrams.   There are good ideas about sorting your scraps and figuring out how to determine what color a piece of fabric is. This is not a book with detailed organizational suggestions about cutting your scraps into strips or squares and storing them in a studied way.  The author has a simple way of sorting scraps which I found appealing and easy to follow.   The instructions include ideas for alternate piecing of blocks in case you don’t care for the block that is shown with a particular pattern. I enjoyed looking through this book and will definitely be making one or more projects from it. “Plumb” and “Beeline”, two of the quilts in the book, especially appeal to me because of their simplicity. I can see a quick baby quilt resulting from either of them. Guild News 2011-10-11T00:06:22+00:00