A New Quilt Project - Jelly Roll Quilt, Tools for Quilters with Arthritis
and May Free Quilt Block Patterns

Greetings Quilter -

Now that the t-shirt quilt is finished, it's time to start on a new project.

This month, I will be working on a Jelly Roll/Bali Pop quilt. As I was wandering the aisles of the San Diego Quilt Show last year, I found some yummy Bali Pops.

Wow! A package of 2 1/2 inch wide strips of batiks from Bali. The most difficult part of getting these fabrics was deciding which package to get. They come in the most amazing fabric combinations.

Standing next to me in front of the table jam-packed with Bali Pops was a quilter who was referring to her "list." Turns out she collected them, and was still trying to figure out how to make a quilt using them.

Or, maybe she enjoyed admiring her collection. Frankly, I can relate to that, but still - I've decided to remove mine from the package and create a fun quilt with them.

Because they come in a fabric selection that ranges from dark to light in a particular range of color, the first step (once the strips were removed from the package and unfolded) was to hang them up in an approximate arrangement from dark to light.

My next step was to take a picture and convert it into grayscale, so I can re-arrange them according to their "real" dark to light.

My Bali Pop fabric	The Bali Pop fabric in grayscale

In contrast to other quilt projects, this time, I was fairly accurate in the placement of the fabric. It's amazing what practice will do!

After I re-arrange the strips, I will be in search of quilt block patterns for the project.

For that part of the project, I'll head on over to the QuiltBlockLibrary.com to check out a huge collection of quilt block patterns. We had some trouble with the site, but everything is up and running now, and you can get tons of patterns - free ones as well as ones for purchase.

Each pattern comes with a picture of the quilt block showing the placement of dark, medium and light fabric, as well as full size templates and rotary cutting instructions. When you make your selection, simply purchase credits and download your pattern immediately.

Your downloads will stay in your History so you can get them any time.

And, all fabric postcard patterns are FREE!

Fabric Postcards for Penny's Postcard Posse

Take a few minutes to create a small fabric postcard this week for a soldier in the Middle East. A few scraps of fabric is all it takes, and by making one a week - or every few days - you can brighten the life of our troops.

Just a few minutes is all it takes to create one of these small treasures and send it to Diane for shipment abroad. The letters and emails she gets back are remarkable and tell just how much these little treasures mean to the soldiers over there.

You'll find all the information below. This month I'll be sending additional information, including patterns and instructions for making these tiny quilts.

Online Quilting Business Success

Whether you already have an online quilting business or are wondering what you can do with your website to generate some serious revenue, this resource will give you the resources you need to jumpstart the online portion of your business.

This is as simple as 1, 2, 3 to learn and do. And it can be done in less than about 45 minutes each week. This week I will hold the first webinar training, so get in on the ground floor and get personal guidance from me.

The webinars will be completely online, and will include audio as well as visual resources, making it entirely FREE. Once you invest in the Online Business Success System, you will receive information to register for the event.

If you're not ready to invest in this great information, sign up to get Weekly Tips. You'll learn more about how the system works and how you can use it in your quilt shop or web-based business. This system works regardless of the type of business you are in - from quilts to school supplies.

Learn about the Online Quilting Business Success System.

In about 45 minutes a week, you can generate tons of online sales using my Online Business Success System. Tested and proven to work - this is the system I use. Learn more - - -

And now for the rest of the news - -

Happy Quilting!

P.S. Every once in a while something crosses my Facebook page that is worth sharing with lots of folks, and this is one of them.

It's an amazing video of a cat in Turkey. The description of the video tells the story: This stray cat was filmed in Turkey( Kızılsaray district of Antalya ) trying to reanimate his female friend who got hit by a car. Even though some people tried to help him, the white cat wouldn't let them come near for two straight hours. Finally a vet arrived and took the injured cat. Sadly, it was too late and he couldnt resuscitate the feline.

Sometimes "it's just a cat" doesn't apply. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAaH_HlUD68

TheQuiltingCoach.com provides answers to your quilting questions; tips, techniques and shortcuts to make your quilting fun and easy; quilt block patterns with step-by-step instructions (including photographs of what to do); quilting projects; and tons more.

Beginning Quilters or more experienced quilters, we're anxious to have you join our community!

For this month, you can join for a special rate that will give you access to everything online in TheQuiltingCoach. You'll find hundreds of free quilt block patterns as well as quilt projects - including the new Jelly Roll / Bali Pop Quilt.

Quilting Tools for Quilters with Arthritis

RuleSteady holds your ruler while you cut fabric with your rotary cutter.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. Many people have the notion that arthritis only affects the elderly population. That’s just not true. The fact is that arthritis can affect people of all ages.

It’s a condition that certainly makes your quilting more challenging.

Challenging. But not impossible.

Naturally, your ability to quilt will depend on the severity of your arthritis symptoms. Your doctor may even tell you not to give up quilting because a little exercise in your hands and fingers might help keep them nimble. The key is to ask your doctor and be honest about your pain.

There are tools available for quilters who have arthritis. If you are affected by painful joint swelling in your hands, wrists or fingers, some of these may help extend your ability to quilt.

If you have been using scissors, change to a rotary cutter. You still have to hold the cutter, but it’s less motion for your fingers to endure than scissors require.

When you’re using a rotary cutter, you’ll need to make sure you can cut straight lines. If you have an arthritis flare up, it can be difficult to hold your rotary ruler in place while you cut. There’s a product called the RuleSteady that changes all that.

Use your rotary ruler on your fabric, and place the RuleSteady on top of the ruler. The Rule Steady should be off to the other side, so you can cut your fabric. The trick of the RuleSteady is that a bar on top of the tool holds evenly distributes pressure to hold the ruler while you cut. You don’t even have to hold the bar. Just put your open hand in the middle of the bar and put pressure to hold it in place. The pressure is distributed and cutting is a snap.

There are also small frames that assist machine quilters who have arthritis. The frame, called the Quilting

Quilt Halo for machine quilting

Halo, is used for free motion quilting. It works with most machines. Instead of having to grasp fabric and jostle it around under the sewing machine needle, this frame makes it possible to guide the quilt through with flat hands that are more relaxed.

The downside is that the frame is relatively small (about 7 inches). You’ll have to relocate the hoop often, but if it saves some pain in your hands, it’s probably worth a try!

If these tools don’t help lighten your arthritis pain while quilting, back away for a while.

Quilt in shorter amounts of time. Instead of quilting all weekend, give yourself 30 minutes each day to enjoy your past time.

Ask your doctor to recommend treatment for your specific symptoms, but ask your local crafts clerk to refer you to any special products made just for quilters with arthritis.

Postcard Quilts for the Troops

July 4th Roundup Next - Deadline JUNE 5!

The 4th of July in Iraq or Afghanistan is just another day unless it becomes something different by virtue of quilters' intervention!

I wanted to do something to let the soldiers in the Middle East know that there were hundreds - even thousands - of folks here in the US who appreciated what they were doing.

Our first Penny's Posse Rounded up more than 139 tiny postcard greetings for the soldiers in Iraq for the 4th of July 2006.

Those fabric cards were sent through Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, and pictures of fabric postcards sent in the first Roundup are posted on this site.

You can read the first webpage with the original idea here.

After the first Roundup, Penny received emails from several quilters asking if she would please do another Roundup so they could participate. And more Roundups were added.

As quilters, we know what those postcards mean to the men and women who recieve them. Some who get them receive no other mail from home. And for all of them, it's a reminder of the wonderful freedoms they are fighting for and the comforts they will enjoy when they return home.

Still others have fond memories of their mothers or grandmothers creating quilts to keep them warm and safe as children.

The 4th of July Roundup is in full swing - the deadline is June 5!

It's not too early to start making patriotic cards for our 4th of July Roundup. This will mark our 4th Year!

Check out the postcard patterns on www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com I will continue to add designs, and patterns for the fabric postcards are always free.

To make the 4th of July deadline, get your cards to Diane by June 5

Please send your cards to:
Diane Malaznik
14215 Westmore St.
Livonia, MI 48154-4149

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

These free May quilt block patterns will make your summer quilting fun. These quilt blocks include easy blocks as well as some that are a little more difficult.

Click here to download your May FREE quilt block patterns

Buried Treasure	Fish in the Dish	May Basket	Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
Rock Garden	Spirit of St. Louis	Stepping Stones	The Pinwheel Quilt
	Wild Goose Chase	Wisconsin

Click here to download your May FREE quilt block patterns