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Catching Up!
Life has been hectic since Quilt Market and most days I wouldn’t know if I were coming or going without the help of post-it-notes and gentle reminders from Carol Porter and Bill Gardner! A big thanks to them for always having my back. Time moves too quickly and once I post an entry I think of a zillion things I forgot to share. During the blogs on crochet lace I started two receiving blankets for the new baby our Graphics Designer, Leslie, was expecting. I finished the blue one and…
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Featured Guest: Diane Gilleland
Our guest blogger this month is Diane Gilleland, author of Kanzashi In Bloom, published by Watson-Guptill, and Editor-in-Chief of CRAFT. [slideshow] I do a little bit of just about every craft under the sun, but one thing I do make a lot of is flowers. A flower form, whether it’s a rosette or a shaggy mum or a flat daisy, is just the perfect small project, and a lovely way to mess around with a new craft technique and see what possibilities are in it. So, given my years…
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New Products Revealed!
It’s been a busy few weeks! After spending a few days at Nancy’s Notions Sewing Weekend in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, I was home two days before heading to Salt Lake City for the International Spring Quilt Market. As always, though, it was worth the trip … or trips! What a treat it was to leave the cold soggy Northwest and head to sunny and warm Beaver Dam for the weekend. It’s always a blessing to spend time there with the customers who flock to this high-energy weekend of learning and…
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Featured Guest: Marcia Layton
Our guest blogger this month is Marcia Layton, author and pattern designer with a decided penchant for using yo-yos on her quilts. She’s authored two books, both published by Martingale & Company — Handprint Quilts (2003), and Calendar Kids (2007). I wasn’t always obsessed with yo-yos. I started my quilting career back in the late 1990s by making little quilts with children’s handprints. I was a preschool teacher at the time and had plenty of little handprints to play with. I started experimenting and dreaming about all the different things…
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Must-Have Tool: Ball Point Awl
The Ball Point Awl is used for making a hole by carefully stretching the fabric without thread breakage, but I use it for just about everything. I love this little awl! It’s awesome for pulling threads out when I can’t find my seam ripper, and it doubles as a stiletto when I need to guide the ends of my sewing through the machine. Turning corners is much easier with the help of this little tool. If you don’t have one, you should! My grandmother-in-law was from Sweden and loved to do cut work…
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Show and Tell
One of the members of my Laid Back Ladies of the Block quilt group shared a picture of this adorable and creative scarf made by her 16-year-old granddaughter Wendy Keneipp. Wendy had learned the basics of crochet and decided to design her own scarf for friends. Awesome!! That’s a sign of a true needle worker! I look forward to seeing future designs from this talented young woman.
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Fran’s Creative Corner, Lace, Part IV
Oh my, I have been crocheting so much I had to find the Icy Hot for those stressed arm muscles. Crocheting is a very repetitive process and one doesn’t realize the stress put on the muscles in the arm and hand … even the shoulder. So, take a break every so often and make sure you’re using Clover’s Soft Touch Crochet Hook. I finished one of the receiving blankets I mentioned earlier and am well on my way to finishing a second. The picture below shows the blanket made with plisse. The…
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Featured Guest: Nancy Zieman
Our guest blogger this month is Nancy Zieman, producer of Nancy Zieman Productions, author, pattern designer, business woman, home economist, national sewing authority, and host of the popular television show Sewing With Nancy. She also partners with Clover to develop unique, high quality sewing and quilting tools. One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “How do you find the time to sew?” I have the same problem you have – there’s not nearly enough time in a day, which is why I write books and develop products…
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Fran’s Creative Corner, Lace, Part III
Oh my gosh did I have fun working with the Hairpin lace from the early 1900s and will continue to work on patterns. I’ll share my progress as they come together. This week I’m working on crocheted lace from the old magazines. Lace trimmings were very important and popular during the early 1900s If women wanted lace trimmings they had to make them. I’m constantly amazed at the creativity of these women in creating their own designs. One of my favorite projects to make for new babies is a receiving blanket with crocheted edgings. After hemming…
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Fran’s Creative Corner, Lace, Part II
Oh boy! Reading through the needlecraft magazines from the 1900s I found one from 1908 … wow! There is so much history in these magazines I feel very fortunate to have them and be able to look through these treasures whenever I wish. I do fear I may have permanent damage to the eyes, though! Maybe with a few days rest the vision will return to normal. The lace work throughout the magazines captured my heart as crocheted lace is my favorite to make. Hairpin lace, referred to as Maltese Lace in…