Spring is nearly over in that part of Texas and it was almost hot with high humidity. My hostess Elizabeth took me to Houston Botanical Garden where things are very much in progress, beautiful nonetheless.
This cactus was so happy—it was covered in new growth.
I recorded it on Feb 2 and today I’ve made it available to everyone through Thursday, March 13. It lasts about an hour and I hope you’ll have a look.
I speak and teach for quilt guilds across the US and Canada but I want to keep widening that circle. I love being with quilters both in person and online. If you’re in a quilt group anywhere in the world and you enjoy the trunk show, please share my name with your leaders. I’d love to bring my scrappy fun to your neck of the woods!
Access the handout for this trunk show here.
When I watched this back, I made a mental note to move some of the best samplers toward the beginning. So please don’t despair at the duds I show early. It gets better!!
Now sit back, relax and enjoy. 🍿
If you attended the Conquer Your Fabric Scraps Summit and upgraded to the bundle, then a ticket to this talk is included. But if you didn’t and you’d like to come, you may purchase a ticket any time this week.
One of my interests is taking simple ideas and seeing how far I can run with them. I love designing quilts that feature just one patch, such as a brick.
In this talk, some of the things we’ll cover include:
And the best part? I’m creating a handout that will show you how the bricks are arranged for many of these ideas! You can print it and have it at your fingertips as you begin your own journey with bricks. Normally, each quilt idea would be developed into a pattern for sale, which would retail for around $12. So if you get 10 ideas worth $12 each, that’s $120 worth of content that is included with your $20 ticket to the talk.
One of the quilts I usually bring is Framework, below. I made it years ago but it illustrates some important truths about scrap quilts.
This quilt, made by Becki in Arlington, Texas, was one of my favorites. She worked with third graders after a guild friend hosted a similar project for her grandchildren.
It exudes joy and I fell in love with it. Becki is on the left during show and tell at the Trinity Valley Quilters’ Guild meeting, where I shared One Hundred Small Quilts.
Becki observed that it was pretty easy to tell which blocks were made by girls and which ones were by the boys. I think that’s a fascinating part of human nature.
A guild here in Nebraska was badly snowed out recently. I’ve invited them to this trunk show on a complimentary basis, and I decided to offer tickets to others at the last minute.
I’ll be sharing some of my best tips and tricks for making great scrappy quilts. Just above is Lingering Effects, which appeared on the cover of Quiltmaker Jan/Feb ’24. I think the border is what takes this quilt to the next level.
It is one of those designs you just can’t mess up. Any and all fabrics look terrific. There’s one secret to each block, and I’ll tell you what it is in Thursday night’s talk.
Row Your ‘Bow was a thoroughly entertaining quilt to plan and create. There is so much clash in these fabrics, and that’s what makes them sing! It was quilted by Julie Lechner. You can see this quilt in the 4200 series of Love of Quilting on PBS. It hasn’t aired in my area yet so if you’ve seen, it, you’re ahead of me!
I look forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes,
Find the episode with some of my best tips for scrappy quilts broken down into some of my favorite C’s: color, contrast and cohesion. What else?!
You’ll find a wealth of information on so many topics at The Quilt Show. You can fall down many a rabbit hole there.
The Quilt Show folks got in touch last spring and invited me to tape with them in Phoenix. So off I went for a day of fun with Ricky Tims and the crew.
We shot a few different segments but it was all pretty relaxed which I appreciated. The TQS team is highly professional but really cordial, and they made me feel right at home. That helped keep the nerves at bay, mostly.
One scary part for me was traveling with the quilts in checked bags. I wondered what I’d do if the quilts didn’t arrive? I often put quilts into checked bags but every time, I worry. Thankfully nothing was lost.
I was the third guest of the day, following Shannon Conley and Vicki Conley, who are both art quilters. They’re mother and daughter, and they’re friends with my friend Diana Fox, another contemporary art quilter.
Which reminds me: Ricky Tims is unbelievable when it comes to work ethic and stamina. He carried the full load during this shoot, as Alex Anderson was not on set. (She was at home recovering from surgery.) Ricky remained cheerful, helpful, engaged and engaging even though he must have been exhausted. It was impressive. I can’t say enough nice things about Ricky Tims. (And I’m happy to say that at a recent shoot in Colorado, Alex was back at it.)
I hope you’ll take time to watch the episode. You’ll be exposed to the plethora of resources at The Quilt Show, and you might hear something new about scrappy quilts. We all have scraps and stash and it’s great when we can use them to make something both unique and beautiful!
A special shout-out to Diana Fox, who shared my name with The Quilt Show folks as a potential guest. And thank you to Ricky, to Shelly Heesacker, Lilo Bowman and Kristin Goedert as well. You made me shine. ☀️
Could you use an hour to yourself? Let me wash your Christmas cares away with the
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2022, 7 pm Central
The trunk show will be recorded so that if you can’t attend live, you may watch it later at your convenience for up to a week.
Tickets are $20 right here. Get yours now!
There are all kinds of quilts to see. Quick and easy quilts, more challenging quilts, and quite a few in between.
There are wonky quilts and traditional quilts. Big quilts and small quilts.
There’s a little something for everyone. You’ll get a sneak peek of upcoming holiday quilts, too. You’ll have a front row seat because that’s how Zoom works. Everyone sees everything perfectly. It’s a wonderful invention and I consider it the silver lining of the pandemic.
I’m really excited to be sharing the Jingle Bells Trunk Show on Zoom. Lots and lots of Christmas quilts for you to just sit back and enjoy from the comfort of home. This presentation is open to all and tickets are on sale now.
Everyone has a front row seat and there are plenty of detail shots. Since I sew mostly scrappy quilts, I’ll share my ideas about what makes each quilt work (or sometimes not work). If you enjoy scrap quilts, there will be some great takeaways.
