Wish Upon a Quilt Blog

Kaffe (left) and Batik (right) colorations for 2010 "Y-Not" BOM program.

In case you haven’t heard, sign ups for the 2010 Block of the Month program have opened up. We will be introducing Y-seams, or partial, inset seams in the “Y Not?” program. Half of the blocks feature y-seams and half give you a break from them. It’s a great way to learn how to sew these seams and how to work with parallelograms. All of the pieces in the kit are die cut for your convience. Just take your kits home and sew them up.  Or participate online and have the kits shipped to you each month.

We will be posting helpful videos on the blog each month to help you get your blocks finished. So don’t forget to sign up the next time you’re in the store. Or register for online participation just select Kaffe or Batiks.

The kits will be available January 1 for in store participants.

Batik and Kaffe BOM blocks for August.

The August block of the month kits are ready. You can pick them up at Wish Upon A Quilt between August 1 and August 10. Can you believe that we are 3/4 of the way through with this year’s blocks! We hope you are having as much fun as we are. We’ve been working on the final setting of some of the samples and we can barely keep our excitement contained. We plan to offer setting kits in both colorways, so stay tuned!

This month’s block is really fun because you have some design leeway. You can place the block components exactly as the block pictured (Dutch Puzzle pattern) or you can go for a more traditional pinwheel. We encourage you to have fun and play with the block pieces before you sew the final seams.

Here’s the video demonstration. Please feel free to call or email me if you have questions.

Aug_BOM_Demo

Please be careful to check your work at every step. A threads width off on all the blocks can cause you to loose a 1/2 inch all around the block! (I’m speaking from experience.) The seam allowances are a scant quarter of an inch. Check them regularly, especially if you’ve gotten used to sewing “generous quarter inch seams” for you other sewing projects. The thread line should be within the quarter inch mark on your ruler, not on it. The flying geese components measure 6.5 inches by 3.5 inches and the point should be a scant quarter inch from the edge. The block quadrants should measure 6.5 inches square. The block measures 12.5 inches square, unfinished.

Using a fine thread like Alex Anderson’s Masterpiece thread can help improve your seam accuracy as well.

Cathy has been getting some beautiful new batiks in. I’ve been surprised that she has found some very unusual border prints that are being produced by Bali Textiles. I hadn’t seen a border print in a batik until I saw this one navy print. But she had four more come in! A couple are subtle and it’s hard to see the border in the online images, like the blue, green and pink ones. The black/rainbow print also has a leafy/vine like border on it too. The navy border print pairs nicely with a coordinating vine. Batik lovers should definitely check these out.

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.