The fabric equivalent of an ice cream store...

I just LOVE the Quilter's Market in Tucson... its my favorite quilt store EVER.

The way they have the fabrics displayed; I feel like I am in the happiest place on earth! 

They offer sew-ins, BOMs, and all the gorgeous fabric and know-how you could possibly want!


Additionally, they participate in many community service projects, which I love. 
They actively support their local food bank, project Linus, Hospice, and many, many more.

 I truly think I could stay there all day!!

Quilter's Market is also a sponsor of AngelGownsbyjacki and provides us with minkee, ribbons, and serves as a drop off location for donated dresses. 

I truly thank them for their involvement with their community!!

National Quilting Month

National Quilting Day was started in 1991 and is said to be the celebration of both the quilts and the art of quilting itself. 

 A quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of 3 layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. A quilt is distinguishable from other types of blankets because it is pieced together with several pieces of cloth. “Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties.

Did you know that quilting can trace its origins to China as early as 3000 B.C.?

A Brief History of National Quilting Day
(http://eliqg.com/eliqg-national-quilting-day

In 1989, the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society organized a “Quilters’ Day Out” on the third Saturday of March to celebrate the rich tradition of quiltmaking in Kentucky. In 1991, the NQA officers were so enthused with the concept and success of “Quilters’Day Out” that they voted to take it to a national level.

The first National Quilting Day was observed in 1992 and since then it has grown into a global celebration for all quiltmakers and quilt lovers. Helen Storbeck, one of the founders of National Quilting Day, wrote in The Quilting Quarterly, “Groups of quilters were encouraged to hold special events, publishers and shop owners were invited to sponsor promotions especially for quilters and it quickly became a grassroots endeavor with quilters in every part of the country participating.  In the first year of National Quilting Day, quilters in other countries asked to participate. They were welcomed with open arms. As our feelings of a community network has evolved to include a world community, it is only appropriate that quilters and quilt lovers everywhere united to give recognition to the special art form.”

In 2015, National Quilting Day is Saturday, March 21.

However, in the quilting community, the entire month of March is commonly celebrated as National Quilting Month. 

What better way to honor National Quilting Month than by gathering up the girls, pulling out an easy pattern, using up your scraps, and share your love of all that is quilting skills with others.

• Teach a kid to use a sewing machine.
• Share one of your favorite FREE patterns on social media (do not violate any copyrights and make sure you give credit to the designer when sharing).
• Surprise a quilty friend with a bag of scraps or a fat quarter.
• Start that quilt you have been wanting to do for so long.
• Donate a lap quilt to a nursing home or care facility.
• Donate a baby quilt to a women's center.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
― Albert Pike

There are lots of places to find free quilt patterns.   I find patterns here and there, both in print and online, but I will limit my post to include my 'go-to' sites where I consistently find a pattern I want to make... maybe scrappy...  maybe not:   Jenny Doan's Missouri Star Quilt Company and Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville. 

Quilts can be easy or complicated....  appliqued or pieced...  quick to put together or take years, or even generations, to finish.  They can be themed, or scrappy...  machine sewed or hand sewed...  muted or loud...  large or small...  whatever they are, they are a piece of us and they take us with them, wherever they go.

Celebrate Quilting...  
Celebrate What Makes You Happy...
Celebrate Yourself.... 
Celebrate Your Blessings....

The best quilt corners EVER

I spent most of the day marathon watching last season's Downton Abby and worked on organizing my studio after a rough few months (meaning that its embarrassingly messy).  

Anyway, I needed a break so I grabbed a handful of scraps and made a couple "Tea and Tart" mats.

I usually save the "Tea and Tart" mats as quick leaders/enders and sell them at craft shows and bazaars.  However, they were a mindless break and had been sitting patiently and waiting while I worked on putting together a couple quilt tops.

I had recently watched a video by Tom Russell on how to get really square (and pointy) corners so I thought I would try it on these mats.


Please note: Tom shared his technique in a video on THE QUILT SHOW and only with membership. 

Out of respect to Tom, I will not replicate his process.  At publication,  I can not find that he has shared his process except with THE QUILT SHOW.)

I am TOTALLY thrilled with Tom's technique!

I made the noodle mat first. 
The corners on the button mat are much improved over the noodles but not yet perfect.


Using Tom's method, my corners are MUCH better than I have consistently achieved on my own. 
Thank you Tom, and rest in peace. 

I have been Hexed!

I have received some questions regarding my English Paper Piecing (EPP) hexies.

I will share what I learned...  and where I am...  with hexies.  This is not intended to be a tutorial...  just a quick rundown on what I learned.

I started with the plastic templates but gave up on them very quickly.  They were too thick for me and I had trouble achieving the crisp edge I wanted.  Plus, they were expensive and I would need a billion of them.

I tried making my own templates from the poly school-type folders...  I was unhappy with those too.

Next, I tried a paper punch (bought at Joann's with a 50% off coupon) and paper....  no, didn't work.  
A punch and card stock...  mmm, not really much better.
A punch and those stiff postcards we get as advertising in the mail.  BINGO.

I then punched out about a million hexie templates.  I stored them in rubber bands...  I figured this out AFTER I spilled them and picked them up at least 10 times.

I then cut the hexie shape out of fabric scraps.  I held the cardboard hexie shape on the fabric and eye-balled it about 3/8" larger than the template and cut them out.

My background fabrics (whites and very light neutrals) were cut from 2 1/2" fabric strips.

I paired up 6 'petals' and 1 center, pinning them together in the middle of each set.

Some of the sets were matchy and some were not but I did try to have a contrast in all of them.


Using old thread to baste (it will be removed later), I folded the fabric around the templates and gave them a quick stitch in the corners to hold the fabric in place. 

As these were completed, I stored them in bundles held by rubber bands....  again, after I had spilled them several times.

In the rubber banded bundle, each set of color is a flower (petals and a center).  The blue set will be a double flower.

The basting step is great for car trips, plane trips, and sitting in waiting rooms!   Easily picked up and put down.


With a poly thread (I tried cotton but the thread broke too often), I began stitching the flowers together.

I tried many stitches, including whip stitch, ladder stitch, etc, but for me, they didn't give the results I wanted.

I ended up liking a blanket stitch.

It seemed to give me a flat flower and no show on the front.  I DID NOT fold the hexies back on each other when stitching them together.
 

I am providing close ups of the back and front of flowers as an FYI.

And here is my quilt top.  First, it was going to be a table topper... then a lap quilt...  then a twin...  at this point, I have decided to go to a queen. 

Notice the double flowers thrown in here and there for interest.  I though they added a bit of unexpected whimsy.  

Its actually bigger than it looks...  its sitting on a queen bed and is about 1/2 of what it needs to be.

Considering its humble beginnings, I am extremely pleased with it.

May all the hexes in your life be of the paper kind.