Nostalgic Christmas Part 1: Chatty Cathy

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Uncategorized

I’m calling 2018 the Year of the Nostalgic Christmas. Everywhere I turn, I’m swept up in memories of my childhood Christmases. They’ve pressed down on me so frequently and with such ferocity that I’ve been finding the items in thrift stores, antique shops and online auctions. Most of the time, I wasn’t even looking for them.

When I around four or five, all I wanted in life was a Chatty Cathy. You may remember from the early 1960s that she was a talking doll with a sweet face, and you could get extra outfits for her. If I could have only one Christmas present that year, then fine, as long as it was a Chatty Cathy. Nothing else mattered.

Handi Quilter Owners: An Invitation

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Quilt Lifestyle

Handi Quilter is inviting owners of their longarm and sit-down quilting machines to take part in an upcoming marketing campaign: AND I QUILT! Here’s the scoop directly from Handi Quilter:

Are you a Handi Quilter owner with a story to tell?

We know you love quilting, but tell us the rest of your story (and let us share it with other quilters).

I am a teacher. I am a gardener. AND I QUILT!

I am a soldier. I am an aunt. AND I QUILT!

I am a knitter. I am a doctor. AND I QUILT!

Tell us your story!

 

 

Submit a short, three-minute video to introduce yourself with these words: “I am a ____________, I am a ____________, AND I QUILT.”

Then show us!  We’d love to see you in your creative space with your HQ machine (and your quilts, too!)!

Video Requirements: Three minutes or less

Video must show both you and your HQ machine and must refer to your other two descriptors.

All submissions are due by January 18, 2019.

Visit the AND I QUILT page for more details.

Small Bear, Big Story: Part 1

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Quilt Lifestyle

Today’s feature is a guest post by my friend Donna di Natale. She’s a quilter and author with Nebraska roots. After retiring from the medical field, Donna was an editor for Kansas City Star Quilts. She lives in Lenexa, Kansas and enjoys history, antiques and vintage quilt treasures.  

Part 1
by Donna di Natale

During a recent visit to Hamilton, Missouri (mecca for quilters), I stopped at a small antique shop called Junke and Disorderly. With a name like that, the shop had to contain hidden treasures, right?

Upon entering the shop one has the impression that it might have been a home. There are small rooms leading to other small and even smaller rooms. This seems odd because from the outside it looks like any other turn of the century brick storefront. Perhaps the front room was a shop and the back was living quarters. But that’s a story for another time.

Junke and Disorderly in Hamilton, Missouri

When We Don’t Live Long Enough…

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Quilt Lifestyle

I have been trying to write this post for a week. I can’t put my finger on what it is I want to say.

The family of a recently deceased guild member invited us into her home last week to shop her fabric stash. Two dollars a pound. I keep trying to find words for how this made me feel. I don’t seem to have the words.

What’s a Tomte? Do You Know-m? Giveaway!

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Giveaways, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

I’m not the least bit Scandinavian, so when cute little creatures called “tomten” started appearing in my Instagram feed last year, I had to Google.

It turns out they’re a little bit like gnomes. From Wikipedia:

A…tomte…is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore…typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season.

Winter Sewing, Slow and Easy

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows, Uncategorized

Every year it seems like I have time to sew during November, December and January. Other people are busy shopping, cooking and decorating. But my life is the opposite, and that’s kind of a good thing.

Thanksgiving was quiet with just five guests (two bigs and three littles). The meal was easy and the company departed around 3:30. I sewed for four or five hours after that. We ate leftovers and quickie meals the rest of the weekend, so there were many more hours in the studio.

Changing It Up: From Christmas to Industry

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, Quilt Lifestyle, Uncategorized

I posted an image of my recent modern Christmas wreath quilt on Instagram, and a follower named Karen saw “urban-industrial style Christmas.” What a great description!

Oh, Christmas Wreath by Diane Harris; quilted by Julie Lechner @beenquiltin

Her thoughts moved me to play around with this design and purposely go for an industrial look. So I moved away from Christmas entirely, to these possibilities.

A little bit different, but it still feels like the same quilt. Sashing is wider and all of the background and the border is one color.

Here I moved to a darker background color. I kind of like this idea. In terms of fabric, I’d use a lot of variety in the Bow Ties. (Ha, they don’t even look like Bow Ties now!)

More playing around. I’m not sure how effective this really is. But you never know until you try, so I don’t rule anything out when I’m experimenting, especially if it’s just in EQ. Even in fabric, play is the name of the game.

Whoa. This happened by accident! The background is the same color as one of the Bow Ties, so that piecing disappears and they look like weird C’s. Now we’re getting somewhere. In reality you wouldn’t actually piece the C’s, you could just use a solid patch in the same fabric as the background. I love this one, and surprisingly, it looks Christmas-y to me once more.

I had one more thought. I changed the gray to another green.

Like I said, you never know until you mess around!

A note about Electric Quilt design software: I resisted upgrading to EQ8 from EQ7 because I thought I didn’t have time to learn a new program. But when I did upgrade, I was blown away by how easy and intuitive it is. I spent almost zero time learning EQ8 because everything felt natural and logical. I love it. If you’re interested in designing quilts, you should get it. Well worth the investment!

Today, I wish you the courage, the curiosity and the commitment to play.

Let’s Talk Quilts! Does your quilt group need a speaker for 2019 or 2020? I’m booking entertaining, energizing, inspiring trunk shows now.

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