To Be a Better Blogger

Have you seen this magazine? It is full of blogs. Fantastic blogs. Bloggers who post daily or several times a week. They share tons of info on their blogs and thousands log in daily to see what they are up to. Some have little "Blog Awards" buttons on their side bars....... Oh to be one of those bloggers. I had great inspiration when I started to blog to be one of those blogs. I would post gorgeous photos, write witty little posts about my life and quilting, and thousands of you would follow along...... Then reality set in. The fact of the matter is I don't have that much to share that anyone would care to know about. Sure I have all my quilt stuff but sometimes (like now) I am busy working on things that I can't share with anyone. As for the gorgeous photos, well let's get real here, it's not happening.

Some bloggers share posts about cute things that their kids have done or said. My boys are 17 and 18 and let's face it- the crap they do and say is just not that cute.

Some bloggers do posts about the sweet little animals they share their homes with. Well, this is Nell and since most of the time she behaves like a rabid raccoon, the stories I have about her are not really print appropriate.


Some bloggers post pictures about their beautiful sewing rooms. Let's get real here folks, I am working to make book and magazine deadlines. There isn't any beautiful here right now. Take a look at that shelf and you get the picture of my level of chaos.

I could post about the abscess tooth I had this week and the time I lost dealing with it...you could all post comments about how sorry you are for me.....No, I think not.

I could show you these little half square triangles I have been making but I can't show you anymore of it or tell you about it because it's a secret.

So, to avoid doing a Jerry Seinfeld post about nothing, I will tell you about this. I use Best Press by the gallon to prepare all my fabric before applique. Sometimes I run out and the quilt shops aren't open so I have used Niagra in a pump bottle. Others use it and swear by it. It is under $2, which is a plus. My problem is it stinks. I think it makes my fabric smell moldy.

Solution- Maxx by Faultless.

I ran out of Best Press and had to make a run to Wal Mart. I found this. It is in a pump, under $2 and it doesn't smell moldy. It is actually Lavender Vanilla scented. One of the great things about the Best Press is the scents. Now that I have found this in a great scent and readily available, I may stick with it. I can buy 4 of these bottles for the price of 1 Best Press. So there you have it- my moment of wisdom for the day.

You can check back tomorrow to see what I am up to but this is the post you will see. I am such a lousy blogger.

Happy Quilting, Dawn

Hartfield Block 2

Here we are at Month 2. I have a few more details for you.

Some have asked about the name- Hartfield. I was watching Jane Austen's Emma as I sketched the quilt. Hartfield was the name of the family home. Hence, the name of the quilt. Aren't I clever?

The quilt will measure 48" x 63". It is a mystery. It will run for 10 months. There will be 5 months of pieced blocks and 5 months of applique. The last month will be the border and it is all applique, so be ready.

You will need 3 yards for the background fabric. It can all be the same fabric or scrappy. Mine will all be the same this time because I happen to have enough fabric. I tend to favor scrappy backgrounds myself. I think it adds interest.

This month's block is a 9-Patch Star. It measures 12" finished and is easy, peasy to put together. The pieced month's will help everyone stay caught up since they tend to be a little faster than the applique blocks. I have everything switched to google docs so there shouldn't be any printing problems. Here's your link.

Happy Quilting, Dawn

P.S. Great conversation on the Frixion Pens.

Block 1 is now available in the online store. If you would like it sent via email (which would be faster) let me know. Otherwise it will go in the snail mail.

Frixion Pens

Have you tried Frixion Gel Pens yet? If not, run straight to your local Target or office supply and get a pack. You will love these pens. They are erasable gel pens. The gel ink is thermo sensitive which means it disappears when you iron it.


You can see here that I have written my name with all three colors. I drew over it several times so that it would be very heavy. Watch what happens with one pass of a dry iron.

Just like magic the ink is gone. These are great for marking your embroidery designs and tracing your applique shapes. The lines don't rub off, are easy to see and gone with an iron when you no longer need them. The pack contains 3 pens, purple, pink and red. I think I paid around $5 and something. Not a bad price. That's my 2cents for the day.

Don't forget the new block for Hartfield posts on Monday and Block 1 will be taken down.

Happy Quilting, Dawn

Yes, as noted by Cathy the lines return in very cold conditions. I don't recommend them for marking quilt lines. I use them only for applique, (the line gets turned under) and embroidery(you will stitch over the line).

Primitive Quilts and Projects Fall Issue

By now all of you with subscriptions should have received your magazines. Those of you that are still on the fence need to check this one out. I love Fall and Fall decorating. I have a million more decor items for the fall than any other season. I am especially a Halloween freak. Because of all the Fall quilts that I already have, I wanted to make something a little different. I had a beautiful grayed- down blue fabric from Buggy Barn. It has a brown/gold floral stripe running down it. I thought it would be perfect for a Fall quilt. I had gold and orange wool that looked great with the blue and Goldenrod was born.

This quilt is super fast to make. The circles are all made from wool, which really speeds things up. The sashing and piecing is very simple. The quilt measures 43" x 53" and makes a great addition to your Fall decorating.

I rarely make anything from patterns other than my own. I just can't justify the time. That being said, I fell in love with Lori Brechlin's cross stitch project in the issue.

I will not win any awards for photography, for a better view you will have to check out the magazine. I started cross stitching this yesterday. It is a lovely mermaid with a flag and a little ship. I love it and it is really nice to work from a pattern for a change. It will be pretty quick to stitch and gives me a nice break from my work on the book. I will post when it is finished. For more from Lori check her out at www.farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com .

Happy Quilting, Dawn

Summer Heat Sale

I am heading out for a long weekend with friends.in Nebraska. I am hoping it is a little cooler there. It is smokin hot here in Missouri. The heat index has been above 100 for days now. While I am away, I thought I would offer a sale. Type in the word summer for the code in the online store and get 20% off any and all patterns. You will need to enter the code for each pattern you order. Just know that I won't be back until Monday so they will ship on Tuesday. Offer ends on Tuesday.

Happy Quilting, Dawn

Hartfield- A Block of the Month

My online Block of the Months have been very popular so I decided to do another. Please read carefully as there have been some changes. The quilt is called Hartfield. It consists of blocks of many sizes and is a mix of piecing and applique. My first love is applique but I also like to piece and really like the mix of the two. Also, I am working against several deadlines and the piecing eases the load a little.

I will post the new block on the 15th of each month. It will be available for free for 4WEEKS ONLY. After that a block may be purchased for $3.00 in the online store. I think 4 weeks gives everyone time to print the page. There will be NO exceptions, sorry, that's how it goes. If your best friend's grandma is in the hospital and you have to travel 3 states over to house-sit her diabetic dog and you miss the block while it is free, it will cost you $3.00. Just saying. Keeping things fun and fair for all.

I think you will like this quilt. I love it! and look forward to sharing with you. Here is block 1.

Google is now up and running click HERE for templates. This should fix the problem for those of you who could not print. Thank goodness!

We are starting with applique this month. The blooms are whimisical and the placement is not exact. Make it look the way you like. The block is 9" x 24". Here are the templates. Google docs was down this morning so I am using Scrbd again. Hopefully there won't be any problems. They have upgraded the site, so we will see.

Beth, you are a "no-reply blogger". This means that I can't see your email address. If you send me your address I can send the pattern in a pdf. Still waiting for GoogleDocs to get up and running and I will switch back so most of you will not have any problems.

Happy Quilting, Dawn

Big Stitch Workshop

I have finally nailed down all the particulars for the workshop.
It will be Sat. Sept. 24,2011. 9am - 3:30 pm at Fairview United Methodist Church, Columbia, Mo. We will take a 30min. lunch break. You can either bring a brown bag or head out for lunch. There will be a small trunk show of samples using the Big Stitch method at the beginning of the class. This workshop will provide a kit and everything you need to know to hand quilt using the Big Stitch method. If you are interested, you can get the registration FORM here. Email me if you have any questions.

Happy Quilting,
Dawn

Fruitful Hands

Fruitful Hands is the new book from my friend Jacquelynne Steves. This book is one that has it all. Beautiful quilts, outstanding recipes and fantastic art by Jacquelynne.

You see, she isn't just an author and quilt designer but she is also an artist and fabric designer for Henry Glass. These are just a sampling of her watercolors from the book.

To see more of the book go to The KC Star site and read more. For more on Jacquelynne and all she does go to The Noble Wife and read her blog.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th!

Happy Quilting,

Dawn

Do You Big- Stitch?

Once again I am behind on blogging. I am spending most of my time working on the next book and some magazine work. That doesn't leave much to blog about. So, I thought I would do a quick post on Big Stitch quilting. I get alot of questions on this subject. I am currently working on quilting a quilt using traditional quilting methods and big stitching this quilt. I love both equally.

When I first started making quilts many moons ago, I began by hand quilting tops that were made by my grandmother. I fell in love with the process. It is so relaxing and there is something satisfying about feeling those three layers become a quilt.

Big Stitch is done in the same manner as fine quilting with just a couple of differences in supplies.

Your quilt still needs three layers basted together. I am often asked about batting- I use either Hobbs 80/20 or Hobbs Wool. (the Hobbs guy at Market got me hooked on the wool) I use a quilting hoop, size 12". 14" would be better but I am cheap. This one has served me well for 11 years and until it quits working I won't be upsizing. You use the same rocking motion for big stitch as you do for regular quilting.

I use a Roxanne thimble. I bought my thimble about 11 years ago and it is more valuable to me than my jewelry. I had a hard time finding a thimble that worked for me until I found this one. They are sized, and have an opening for your nail. Do not be put off by the price, they are worth every penny and will last for your lifetime. On my finger under the quilt I have a piece of hospital tape. I have a callus on that finger because I quilt alot but even so I use a piece of tape for extra protection. I usually quilt for hours at a time. The tape gives me that and I can still feel my needle.

I am a bit of a thread snob. I love above all others the Valdani hand dyed perle cotton. I use this for all my quilts. It comes in different sizes and is hand dyed. They have a lovely selection of colors. You can find a color to match any project and the variation of the hand dyed threads really adds to your quilting. I use a size 8 for all my quilting.

And that leaves just the needle to talk about. If you asked 5 quilters what kind of needle they use you would get 5 different answers. I have played around with needles to find what works best for me and found that what I prefer is a size 22 Chenille needle. I generally buy DMC brand as it is readily available in my area. This needle has an eye that is easy to thread with the perle cotton, is sharp and is a nice length to get consistent stitches. That is the key to good big stitch quilting- consistency.

For those of you in the mid Missouri area or within driving distance, I am in the process of setting up a 6 hour workshop on big stitching. If you are interested in more info, shoot me an email.

Happy Quilting, Dawn