Happy Chinese New Year!
"Good friends are like Quilts. They age with you, yet never lose their warmth."
Greetings Quilter - Today begins the 15 day celebration of the Chinese New Year. The last day of the celebration is Fabruary 9 and ends with the Chinese Lantern Festival. It is the year of the OX, and no traditional patchwork quilt block comes to mind representing an Ox, so the next best thing is Chinese Lanterns. This is a fun block to sew together, and another interesting lesson in color value. Watch the video below and see the color value analysis. Funny, both the Dragonfly and Chinese Lanterns are in green and blue. I wonder what is up with that? Go Green! Quilting daughter, Stephanie, would be proud - and amazed.
Last Thursday, quilter Karen Combs joined us for our - Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation
During the Conversation, Karen talked about whether color is important in creating the illusion in a 3d quilt. Listen to her answer:
If you missed the call, order a CD recording to hear everything Karen had to say: http://www.how-to-quilt.com/karencombs.php
Quilting Business on a Shoestring Stop putting your dreams on hold when you can turn your quilting passion into an online business that easily makes 6 figures a year . . . Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Maybe you dream of having a huge business. Or maybe it is a business that simply supports your fabric purchases. Maybe it’s not really the business you dream of, but the vacation, vacation home, quilting studio, or the extra cash you will have with a successful business doing something you love to do. So, what is stopping you from starting your very own quilting business? Are you confused? Don’t know where to start? Don’t think you know enough about quilting, or business. Or maybe you are surrounded by skeptics who think that this is a really bad time to start a business; or they tell you that living in a [small, large, urban, rural -fill in the blank] town and starting a business would certainly result in failure. With the economy struggling, now might sound like a crazy time to start a business, but did you know that more millionaires were made during the Great Depression than during any other time in history. For a very limited time, the DVD recordings of the Quilting Business in a Shoestring Seminar are available. http://thequiltingcoach.com/success.shtml As amazing as it might sound, using the strategies disclosed during this Seminar, my business increased last year - even in the crummy economy - and is picking up steam this year, too. This is not a complicated business. I work from home and love every day - and you can, too. Watch the videos in the comfort of your home and at your speed. No travel or hotel room, just pop the DVDs into your TV or computer and get ready to blast into a fabulous 2009 with this valuable information. This will be available only until February 2. Happy Quilting!
Another Experiment in Color Value One just wasn't enough! Earlier this month, the featured block of the week was the Dragonfly quilt block. When I chose the fabrics for the block, I picked a bright green and a light blue. After the block was sewn together, I realized that the block had lost its definition. Because the values of the fabric were so close, the Dragonfly looked like mud. To test my theory, I made another block using the same light blue fabric, but changing to a dark green. In the pictures below, you can see how the blocks look in color on the left, and in greyscale on the right. Removing all of the color reveals the value of the color (dark, medium or light). It is much easier to see the definition of the patches in the block using the dark green fabric because of the contrast in values.
This week, for the Chinese New Year, I made a Chinese Lanterns quilt block. You'll see the video below. As I chose my fabrics, I paid attention to the value, and selected a dark, medium and light. What is interesting about these colors is that I think the light in the first block (top row) may have too much contrast - the light is too light. See what you think:
Interesting! Postcard Quilts for the Troops – All aboard for Spring! Diane just shipped off more than 200 Valentine's Day postcards for 18 different units in Iraq and Afghanistan! Thanks to all of you who participated :-) There is still plenty of time to send cards for the next Roundup. Penny’s Postcard Posse is Roundin’ ‘em up for Spring. And because of the time it takes to get them to Iraq, the deadline is fast approaching. To make the Spring deadline, get your cards to Diane by March 8. Please send your cards to: Diane is doing a fabulous job keeping the pictures updated, and if you have sent cards in, let your friends and family know that they can see pictures of them here: www.Fabric-Postcards.com Remember you can get FREE postcard patterns at: www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com Featured Block in Video
Happy Chinese New Years! Yes, today, January 26, is the first day of the Chinese New Year of 4706. To celebrate, the video shows how to sew the Chinese Lanterns quilt block. Turns out that the New Years' Celebration continues through Februar 9 and ends with the Chinese Lanterns Festival. Little did I know! Get a free download of this pattern at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com While you're there, invest in Pattern Credits (minimum $54) and get a FREE DVD showing 6 different ways to sew Half-Square Triangles together. We've only go 32 of these left, so get yours quick. Enjoy!
A Few Tips for Making Scrap Quilts No need to limit your quilting during an economic downturn - even a recession! For years, quilters have made beautiful family heirlooms and warm, loving coverings from scraps of fabric or clothes that are worn out. This year can be the Year of Scrap Quilts! Yet, scrap quilts can also be made from newly bought fabric, so no limitation there, either. To hear the possibilities, we will host Bonnie Hunter, from www.quiltville.com for our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation on February 8. To give you a jump start, here are a few tips for sewing scrap quilts I found in some of my resources:
Stay tuned for more information about making scrap quilts! January Quilt Block Patterns The January selection of free quilt block patterns includes some especially for celebrating the Chinese New Year as well as some great quilt patterns for any time of the year. These are the same patterns that were included in the Week 1 newsletter. Our patterns are so popular, we want to be sure that everyone receives them, whether you are new to the list or missed one of the emails. Each week we will include tht quilt patterns for the month.
Click here to download your January FREE quilt block patterns New Deal for Eavesdropping Quilters :We now have a new special level of membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com for the Official Eavesdropping Quilters Club. This level of membership gives you access to all of the same information Eavesdropping Quilters have gotten in the past – the Telephone Worksheet, the Transcript of each call and a copy of the CD recording delivered right to your snail mailbox. Now, with membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com, in addition to the special notices of telephone calls, telephone worksheets and transcripts, you will get the full unedited recording of the call online. This is the from-start-to-finish call and includes all of the questions from quilters. This recording is posted a few days after the call, so you can listen to it on your computer immediately and not have to wait until the CD recording comes in the mail. Members will still get the CD in the mail just has before. In addition, you will have access to everything in a special download area on TheQuiltingCoach.com. That is where the transcripts and telephone worksheets are posted, and in addition, there are hundreds of quilt block patterns and step by step instructions for quilts and other projects. Plus, there is a search engine on the site that makes it really easy to find things you are looking for. I'm sure you will agree that this is a great deal - you are getting more information for the same price, and still getting the CD recording in your snail mailbox. And, the first 30 days are free, so you can test it out. Because I want you to see for yourself how good this is, by signing up for membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com at this new membership level during November, you get the first 30 days to give it a try on our nickel. And, the current rate for membership in the Eavesdropping Quilters Club remains the same as it is right now - $24 per month. And you get the Telephone Worksheet, transcript of each of the calls, and the CD recording in the mail. But this deal is only for a limited time. After the first of the year, new members in the Official Eavesdropping Quilters Club will not get the first 30 days free and will be paying a higher rate. And, once you sign up, the $24 rate will be yours as long as you remain a member. It can never be increased. So, you'll want to take care of this soon, otherwise you will miss out on this deal, and end up paying more to get access to this information. When the Official Eavesdropping Quilters Club began, the plan was to have one interview a month. Because there is so much information and so many quilters to interview, scheduling them has resulted in having 2 interviews for most months. I love providing all of this information for you. But, as you can imagine, this means that the cost per month is double! And I have continued to maintain the cost to my loyal Official Eavesdropping Quilters the same low $24. By joining TheQuiltingCoach.com as an Official Eavesdropping Quilter today, you will guarantee that same low $24 with all of the extra benefits of membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com. Here is the special link to use for your Official Eavesdropping Quilters Club membership. Take care of this today, and you will be sure to hear every word Rosie says on November 19: |
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