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Inland Empire Quilters Quild
The classroom behind me was abuzz as I set up my Shine quilt on its frame. I turned around to see that the room had filled up with women from the Inland Empire Quilters…
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Pass Patchers Quilt Guild
I’m leading off this post about my visit to the Pass Patchers Quilt Guild, with a look at the friendly faces and bright smiles of the talented quilters who were at the workshop today.…
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Happy August 2019 • This and That
When I looked outside in my garden today, the zucchini plant had wilted from the heat, mirroring how I felt inside. However, unlike my spectacularly unproductive zucchini plant [we’ve only had ONE], I’ve been…
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City Streets • Quilt Finish
Recently my husband and I took my latest quilt, City Streets, out to a small branch library in our town for some photos. It was a deserted Sunday afternoon, perfect for us to find…
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Mending
I’ve had mending on my mind and wanted to write about all forms of mending, but hadn’t been able to find a way in until I saw this: I’m a long-time mender. I recently…
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Wonky Hearts Aflutter
How do I make nearly 60 wonky, improv-y hearts and not go crazy? Now there’s a challenge. I started here, with a rough pattern of how big I wanted my “improv” wonky heart to…
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Far Away Doors • Quilt Finish
Doors opening, closing on usby Marge Piercy Maybe there is more of the magicalin the idea of a door than in the dooritself. It’s always a matter of goingthrough into something else. But while…
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Can We Talk About Rulers?
When I teach,often there seems a disconnect between what rulers students have and what rulers they need. So I thought I’d write a post talking about the basics that I wish everyone could have.…
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Irritated by the Internet
Lately I’ve been irritated by the Internets. And by blogs, although I’m someone who still reads them, someone who still writes them, and still thinks the longer form is useful. All is not well…
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Field Flowers • Quilt Finish
One of the challenges of finishing a quilt is figuring out where to photograph the thing. So one night last week my husband and I went over to University of California-Riverside (UCR) to find…
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Happy July 2019 • This and That!
In this episode of This-and-That posts, I wanted to lead off with a little freebie for your Fourth of July: the instructions for a Teeny Tiny Flag quilt. You can whip this up quickly,…
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Ladybird • Quilt Finish
Ladybird is finished. Ladybird, the name a shortened version of ladybird beetle (or ladybugs as we call them in the States), has a rich folkloric history, with allusions to religion, good fortune, death, and…
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Delectable Baskets: Quilt Finish
Delectable Baskets • Quilt #220Approximately 70″ wide by 90″ high Delectable Baskets gets its name because each basket is filled with food — well — food fabrics. I’d been collecting for over twenty years,…
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Betsy’s Creation: Flag Quilt Top
Betsy’s Creation • Flag Quilt Top Finished! Last week in another post, I threw together a fun little worksheet about how to make a flag quilt, then got busy and not only made this…
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Power of Pattern: Central Asian Ikats
Among the most colorful clothing in the word, ikat robes — which hail primarily from the “the Stans,” or Central Asia — employ “creative use of scale, proportion, and orientation.” They are created by…
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Bee Happy QAL Progress • June 2019
The wheeled devices in the So Very Cute Project I lost my mind and decided to do are completed. It’s nice to see it before it goes to a Time Out in my closet,…
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Trapped in the Dungeon of Cute
Working on this quilt makes me feel like I’m trapped in the Dungeon of Cute. I discussed this with my friend Laurel, who is also doing this, and she said wistfully said, “Yeah. But…
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Christmas Criss-Cross Finished
Christmas Criss-Cross, June 2019Quilt #219 • 60″ wide by 66″ tall I started this for the 20th anniversary of a small quilters group I’d participated in, as we were given mini-charm packs of this…
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Scrappy Radiant Star
Mary, of NeedledMom, chose this block for her June turn as Queen Bee of the Gridsters. Originally found on Wombat Quilts website as a free illustration, I redrew the block to Mary’s specified 6-inch…
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Frida Kahlo Tote Bag Tutorial
I recently had two birthdays to celebrate, that are near each other in the calendar. I cut up my precious Frida Kahlo canvas fabric (made by Alexander Henry), yielding two bags from one yard.…
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Bluebird of Quiltiness
Another Tiny Quilt was hatched today, and its this Bluebird of Quiltiness. Based on a 1-1/2″ block size, I figured it out and made it up, finishing it with the perfect faceted black bead…
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Valley of the Mist Quilters Guild
I’m leading off with my workshop participants, all brilliant conversationalists and quilters. This past week, I gave a lecture and taught my Merrion Square Workshop to the Valley of the Mist Quilters Guild, a…
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What I’ve Been Doing Lately • May 2019
Since I hadn’t posted in a couple of weeks, I did want to blog, but felt pretty scattered about what to write. So here it all is: from finishes to starts, from garden news…
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Utah Valley Quilt Guild • National Teacher
This is the Utah Valley, where the Utah Valley Quilt Guild lives, meets and has way too much fun (check their website to see what I’m talking about). In April, I was invited as…
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Signature Blocks
I’ve done several types of signature blocks, so thought I’d update my tutorial on how to make a signature block for friends. The basic kind I make (L) is a small block, that the…
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Meet the Teacher • Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds
I participated in a new experience this month, when I signed up for a booth at the Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds‘ Meet the Teacher meeting. I had been encouraged to do this…
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Basket Quilt • top finished
Hanging from the thick strands of my wisteria vine, my baskets quilt found a home for a few minutes, while I took photos. Many of these blocks were made for me by my beemates…
