2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap

I received my blocks from the 2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap. If you don't know what a siggie swap is, it is a signature block swap. Each person sews a specified block for each person that signed up for the swap. For this one, I made 79 of the same block. I then signed the center block with my name, city, state, and country. The blocks are mailed to the swap hostess. After receiving blocks from everyone, she sorts them so everyone receives one block created by each person.

I love receiving the package in the mail and then looking and touching each one. You cannot look at a block without wondering about the person that created it.

I received blocks from as close as the next city over and as far away as Australia. The creativity in these simple blocks is astounding. My favorites where the ones the used a stamp that represented their state. Such a simple idea, but so effective.

If you have never participated in a quilt block swap, I recommend that you do. Do a little research to make sure that the organizer has done a swap with success in the past. Do not hesitate to email the organizer and ask how many swaps they have organized. Remember, organizing and participating in are very different.

Also, have patience. It always takes longer to receive the packages than what is stated in the swap instructions, but life happens. Sometimes the hostess decides to wait for a few people that are late in sending their blocks. Sometimes the turn-around is too ambitious. Sorting all of the blocks is a very time consuming process and then you have to package and mail. Don't even get me started on shipping international. The hostess deserves all the respect in the world! (Thank you giggles2. I hope you know how much your work is appreciated!)

I am working on a map that marks the location of everyone that participated in the swap. I am halfway done. When I complete it, I'll post the link. It is interesting how a swap can cross seas and bridge language barriers. (Okay, that was a bit sappy, but it is neat!)

Quilts for Causes - Beloved Quilts

This week's quilting cause is the homeless. The goal of Beloved Quilts, a project of Possibilities Factory, is to organize, make, and distribute 100 individual twin-size quilts, each reading "BELOVED," to those displaced by violence or poverty. They are currently seeking donations and volunteers to complete this work.

To help, contact Pascha Marlin Griffiths at pascha@pfactory.org.

Pascha maintains the Beloved Quilts' blog and provides great information on the current needs, efforts, and sew-in events.

Quilts for Causes

This week's feature quilting cause is Wrap Them in Love Foundation. They collect donated quilts and distribute them to children around the world, so they can be wrapped in love and comfort. The foundation feels that a quilt is a very special thing. It isn't just a blanket; it has been lovingly created by a real person. A quilter leaves a part of themselves in every quilt they make. The child who receives it will be able to snuggle up in all the love that comes in that quilt.

Their guidelines are simple:

• Make a quilt or quilts and send or deliver them to:
  Wrap Them in Love
  2522-A Old Hwy 99 S
  Mt. Vernon, WA  98273
  USA
• Tie or quilt them fairly close so that they can hold up to lots of loving and washing.
• Quilts of 40" X 60" size are recommended, but you can make them any size. There are older children as well as babies who need them.
• Please be sure to put a label on each quilt that includes your name, where you are from, and the date you made the quilt.

The web site includes some wonderful pictures of children that have received these quilts.

I know a lot of quilters make quilts as gifts. Why not make one as a gift for a child in need?

Technorati Tags: quilts for causes,quilting for causes,children in need

Christine Friess-Ureel

If you do not know who Christine Friess-Ureel is, you are missing out on viewing the most beautiful and artistic quilts. The truly inspiring thing about Christine's quilts is that when she started she knew nothing about sewing. There is hope for everyone regardless of your quilting level!

Christine is an international award-winning quilter from Vermont. She combines her love of painting and quilting into spectacular pictorial art quilts. She finds inspiration from classical works of art and from the whimsical. The amazing thing about her quilts is the attention to detail. Visit her web site to see images of quilts and close up details. She prefers to use machine applique without leaving raw edges.

She also uses a technique called thread painting, also known as free-motion machine embroidery. Thread painting is the use of different colors and types of thread to create images. Use a free-motion foot on your machine and "paint" with the thread on your material, which is the canvas.

Christine will be teaching a workshop at Keepsake Quilting in April. In the class you will make a smaller version of her "Miranda:The Tempest" quilt and learn how to create the magnificent detail in the woman's hair and in the ocean. See Christine's site for a complete list of her upcoming workshops.

Have you tried quilt painting? I would love to see your work!

Technorati Tags: Christine Friess-Ureel,pictorial quilting,thread painting,fabric art,quilter,workshop,machine applique,free-motion machine embroidery,quilting technique

Mystery Quilts

If you are new to mystery quilts you are in for some fun! The idea of a mystery quilt is that you do not know what the final quilt will look like. The patterns are provided one step at a time. You only see a little bit, unless you just cannot help yourself and you skip ahead, but that takes the fun out of it.

Many of the following quilts can be completed in one day, so they make great rainy afternoon projects or something different for a quilting retreat. Have fun, and I’d love to see photos of any that you complete.

Scrappy Mystery Quilts
Here are some mystery quilts that use scrap fabric or fat quarters. This is a great why to get rid of those bits and pieces that you just couldn’t throw away (and a great why to make room for more fabric).

• A Little Bit'O This and A Little Bit'O That Scrap Mystery Quilt 94" x 70"
• Scrap Mystery Quilt 36" x 36"
• Fast & Easy Fat Quarter Mystery Quilt 84” x 84” or 38” x 38”

Summery Mystery Quilts
I don’t know about you, but I am sick of winter. This time of year in Northeast Ohio can really wear on a person, so why not brighten up your days with a nice summery quilt?

• Summer Mystery Quilt 37.5” x 37.5”
• Summer Garden 89"x107"
• Think Spring Mystery Quilt! 33” x 33”
• Orange Crush 77”x90”

Miscellaneous Mystery Quilts
Here’s some other mystery quilts that just sound fun.

• A Patchwork Puzzle 45-1/2" x 59-1/2"
• Golden Oldie 48" x 60 "
• A Quilter's Spin by Sunbonnet Sleuth 40”x40”
• 2009 New Year’s Day Mystery Quilt size not specified

The Great Prewash Debate

A long standing debate in the quilting world is whether or not to prewash fabrics. The answer to the question depends on the person you ask. There are many people who never prewash fabric, and there are just as many people that always prewash fabric.

My advice is to do whatever you are most comfortable doing. I know this is not the clear-cut answer you want, but hopefully the following information helps you to make an educated decision.

Reasons Not to Prewash

Reasons people do not prewash quilting fabric is to save time, to make preparation easier, and to avoid puckering.

By not prewashing fabrics you not only save the time it takes to wash and dry the fabric, you also skip a lot of ironing! When fabric comes out of the drier, it may take an hour or more to iron it. Also, the fabric is softer and may be more difficult to fold, mark, and cut accurately.

In this technologically advanced day and age, it is not surprising to see products developed that help quilters with long standing issues. For example, many people who prewashed in the past because of the issue of color bleeding, no longer worry. Most high quality fabrics are less likely to have color bleeding because of manufacturing advances. Also, quilters can buy dye magnet products. These products go into the wash with the final quilt and attract any dye in the water. The dye magnet prevents the color from bleeding onto the lighter colored fabrics. I personally always use a dye magnet product (my favorite is Shout’s Color Catcher) when I wash my quilts regardless of prewashed fabrics.

The last reason people do not prewash is because they want a final quilt that lays flat and does not have puckers. Batting is fragile so it must be hand washed and air dried if it is prewashed. Do not prewash to avoid hassle, uneven shrinkage rates, and puckering.

Reasons to Prewash

Reasons people prewash fabric is to avoid a lot of worrying. Making a quilt takes a lot of time (and occasionally sweat and tears). The last thing a quilter wants to go wrong is color bleeding, fading, and uneven shrinkage.

By prewashing fabrics – darks with darks and lights with lights – you do not have to worry about the cute white bunny on your niece’s baby blanket, which took a month and several pin pricks to complete, becoming a pink nightmare. Even though prewashing gets rid of most color bleeding, I still use a dye magnet when washing the final quilt, especially if I used whites and reds in the fabric choices.

Prewashing not only helps avoid color bleeding, it also uncovers any color fading fabrics and resolves uneven shrinkage rates between fabrics.

I admit that I am a prewasher, but I do not take the time to prewash my batting. I like a little pucker in my quilts because it brings to mind comfort, warmth, and my grandmother. If puckering does not bother you, then you are safe prewashing your fabrics and not your batting.

The long lasting debate about prewashing fabric does not appear to be ending anytime soon, but the important thing is for you do what is best for you.

Copyright 2007 Jennifer Beaujon