Wish Upon a Quilt Blog

I stopped by Wish last Saturday during the special Christmas event. It was lots of fun. There were yummy treats to eat, raffles, lots of pretty new quilts hanging, and lots of fabric bolts flying! Thanks to all of our great customers for making it such a special event and thanks to the staff for being such good sports and adding to the fun! (here’s a blog tip- if you click on the pictures in the gallery you will be taken to a larger view with the detailed description/caption. You can cycle through the whole gallery this way. It’s a great way to see up close and get more information about the project or picture – try it!)

We had a such a great time last Saturday at our first Christmas in July event. Thank you so much for your overwhelming support of our event. We appreciate it very much!

 Santa has delivered some great fabric and the Wish staff did a fabulous job on finishing their holiday quilts before the event!  To continue the fun, we would like to know which quilt is your favorite? Post a comment to let us know and we will draw a winner for a 1/2 yard of fabric from your favorite quilt on Monday, July 20th. The Wish employee that made the winning quilt will get a special gift from me as well as bragging rights until next year’s event. 

If you missed our event, we have a special candy cane coupon for you in the shop for the remainder of this week. Stop by and see these beautiful quilts in person and don’t forget your candy cane

First up, two great wallhangings using the Crazy8 by Sandy Gervais for Moda collection.

Crazy 8 Panel Pattern quilted by Janice McSweeny

Brrr Pattern quilted by Dottie Biery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy created this beautiful tabletopper using a pattern from the Sizzlin Sixties book and Moda’s beautiful Majestic Yule. For the table runner, also from Majestic Yule, Wendy used the an X Block pattern for the tablerunner and used the Accuquilt Go! to cut the perfect applique pieces for the center.

Sizzlin' Sixtie Table Topper by Wendy DarbyMajestic Yule X Block Table Runner by Wendy Darby

Majestic Yule X Block Table Runner by Wendy Darby

From Nancy Halvorsen’s I Believe in Santa collection, three beautiful projects:

Nancy Kennedy’s quilt on the left used the Shadow Box pattern by Mountain Peek Creations. Cindy Massey used Nancy Halvorsen’s book I Believe to create this great Christmas card holder. One of our customers, Grace Lents, loaned us her quilt for the day from the Believing Tree book.

Believing Tree by Grace Lents

Looking for a quick project? Kris Harris sewed up these stockings and little bag that are perfect for secret pal gifts, gift toppers or hanging on the tree!

Hollie used Moda’s Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey to create this quilt. FREE Pattern here. This beautiful quilt was quilted by Three Bears Quilting.

Figgy Pudding by Hollie Cox, quilted by Three Bears Quilting

For a fresh, fun look this holiday season, here is Swirly Girl’s Perfect Ten pattern using Michael Miller’s Funky Christmas collection. Quilting by Thread Waggle Quilting.

Perfect Ten pattern-pieced by Cathy McKillip and Quilted by Thread Waggle Quilting

Precuts are getting more and more attention as those pretty Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Charm Packs, Sweet Boxes and Honeybuns catch our eyes. Wish recently received new orders of Bali Pops, Neptune, and Fresh pre-cuts. Most quilters recognize the convenience of the pre-cuts but some wonder what to do with them. So we are all searching for the great patterns that are labeled for those beautiful Jelly Rolls, Charm Packs, and Layer Cakes. Moda has  several “cheat sheets” that can show you some common ways to cut Layer Cakes and Charm Packs. They also are very good about offering free quilt patterns for their various fabric lines. Don’t feel like you have to be limited to that fabric line. There is nothing to say that you can’t use a different line.

Moda’s Basic Measurements sheet gives estimates on the size of quilt based on the number of Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, or Charm packs.

Loose Change by Claudia Plett and Lee Ann Weaver has some great patterns that are adapted to Charm Packs (referred to as nickels in the book), Layer Cakes (referred to as dimes), and Fat Quarters. Some can be completed with Jelly Rolls too. It’s a fun book. More Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth has twenty patterns for quilts made with Charm Packs.

Today, I’ve been playing with the Neptune and Fresh fabric lines in EQ6. Moda is very good about providing down loadable image files that can be imported into EQ5 and EQ6. You can find their latest swatch samples here. I like to play with new fabric lines in EQ because it helps me get a better feel for the different values and texures in the line.

I tried to pick blocks that would be pre-cut freindly. Here’s a selection of some patterns I explored.

Moda has also provided a braided easter basket project sheet. The sample is done in Swank and stitched by hand. I’m thinking you could acheive a similiar look by machine using the Bali Bowl pattern. This would be a great project for the sweet Honeybuns Cathy has in the shop now. Check out Moda’s Bakeshop for more cool projects with pre-cuts.

 So do you EQ? and what are your favorite precut friendly patterns/projects?

Ever wish your bobbin would hold more thread? When I found Superior’s Bottom Line, I thought it was a great idea, and loved the way it quilted. However, being a purist and loving to keep all my work 100% cotton, or at least 100% all natural threads, I couldn’t use Bottom Line (100% polyester) on anything I wanted to “last into the next generation.” When I found Superior Threads Masterpiece by Alex Anderson, I knew I had found a product I would love for a long time!

I have invested in several colors and love it! A bobbin will hold close to twice as much Masterpiece as a regular 50 weight thread, yet is strong enough for quilting. The secret is this: it is made of 2-ply long stable cotton. Combined with Superior’s King Tut as the top thread, I don’t break threads when quilting and that makes me very happy! I have also heard that some people like to piece with Masterpiece. The reason is that their blocks turn out the right size because their thread is not so thick! If you have not tried it for the bobbin for a machine quilting project, I would recommend it!

Piecing the Piece O

I love books. I find the collection in Wish Upon A Quilt difficult to stay away from. I like leafing through to see what the projects look like, what techniques are being demonstated, etc.  Recently, I was leafing through Piecing the Piece O’ Cake Way by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. This book would be great for a beginner quilter or someone wanting to go back and refresh themselves on the basics. The quilts pictured are cheery and colorful. Every page  of the 127 page book is packed with pictures demonstrating techniques and projects. I was impressed with the discussion on color and contrast at the beginning of the book. 

Some projects listed are Log Cabin, Pinwheels, Drunkard’s Path, and Diamond Stars. There are 15 skill-building projects and 27 quilts. There are mulitple pictures of each quilt to show the difference fabric choice makes in each quilt. I really liked the beginning sections that detailed color and value, fabric choices, preparing fabrics, rotary cutting, and making templates. There are a lot of helpful tip sections through out the book too.  I especially like that the authors discuss practical issues like when your blocks turn out the wrong size.  A beginner quilter could confidently step through the quiltmaking process successfully with this book in hand. The authors step the reader through fabric choice, machine setup, cutting for patterns, assembly, layering the quilt, quilting, and adding the binding. What are some of your favorite books?

I was working in the shop yesterday and I have to share some of the beautiful quilt tops that came in. 

Snowman Dresden Plates

 The first was this Dresden plate brought in by Diane Shults. Nintey percent of it is made from the Merry and Bright Christmas fabric. I also see some of the Secret Santa prints too. I loved the way Diane framed the snowmen in the middle of the plates. She says it only took her two weeks to assemble the top and claims it was easy. It  certainly looks fun!

The second top was brought in by Mary Relyea.

Recurring Waves

She called the pattern “Recurring Waves”. It is one of her own designs inspired from an architecture book. She used black and white blenders. I loved how she worked in the Asian character print. I’m not sure if she was using Asians by Andover or the Lakehouse Little Blessings print. It was very effectively used.

New scarves at Wish

I’m a collector by nature. I collect pottery, hats, fabric, fountain pens, stationary, and scarves.  Just to name a few.

I think my love of scarves comes from seeing the glamourous movie stars of the 40′s and 50′s always donning a scarf. The right scarf can add a wonderful finishing touch to an outfit. Not to mention become an impromptu purse, hair tie back, or shawl.

Cathy just showed us some beautiful oblong scarves from Island Batik. I loved the patterns and colors. One walked out of the store with me that day. I realize that while many women love the glamour of scarves they don’t always know how to wear them or add them to their outfit or wardrobe. So I thought I’d share some useful tips on how to use scarves. 

I often like tying an oblong scarf to a purse. It makes a cute addition to the purse but it’s a practical one as well. If I go out and find that  my hair is getting blown around or into my face (quite dangerous for driving and annoying) I can turn it in to an impromptu ponytail holder or headband.  If I spill a little lunch on my blouse, it can become an impromptu tie or sash to cover the stain.

Oblong scarves also make great sahses and belts. They can also be tied around the neck to help draw attention up towards your face and elongate the line of your body, making you look slimmer. (Much like a long necklace does.)  Sometimes I like to tie them around my wrist like a bracelet and leave a little tail flowing. That’s when I want to feel a little dressier, not so practical when baking or rotary cutting -then the tail tends to get in the way.

When deciding on what scarf to buy, think about your wardrobe for a moment. If you have a lot of patterned tops in your wardrobe – look for a solid scarf in a color you love. If you have a lot of color, but little pattern in your wardrobe- consider a scarf with a pattern that pulls several of your favorite colors together. Also think about what the dominant neutral colors are in your wardrobe (blue, brown, black, grey, etc) and what would look good with those. The scarves that Cathy has are great because they read as more solid but have subtle patterns and textures that blend several colors together – making it a versatile additon to your scarf wardrobe.

If you get tired of a scarf in your wardrobe you could always use it as gift wrap for a present and let someone else enjoy it for a while.

Check out some of these online guides to scarf wearing to get even more ideas.

http://www.texeresilk.com/cms-scarf_tying_guide.html

http://www.greatestlook.com/tyingscarves2.html

http://blissfullydomestic.com/tag/scarf-tying-tips/

Wendy with her new scarf. Casual knot shown.

Here is a picture of me in my new find. I’m very partial to the Casual knot on Texeresilk’s site. I like the woven knot look – and it’s easy to do and remember. Not bad for a five year old photographer. I had my son take the picture for me. My arm wasn’t long enough to get the scarf in the picutre.