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Red &White quilts Hot Trends!

Feb4

03A97D85-DD30-4B4B-A121-A02130A8214D.jpegRemember those beautiful red and white quilts we did as a challenge back in June 2016??  Well, we were ahead of the trend, or perhaps we established the trend. According to the latest issue of Elle Decor magazine (March 2018, page 34), Calvin Klein’s reintroducing the timeless classic of red and white quilts into his interiors.

Well, we quilters knew these would make lovely additions to our interiors, whether Calvin agreed or not. If you haven’t already, break out those red and white quilts and hang them on a ladder, or across your beds. And cherish all the work you put into those beauties!

Barb Schippa

BRQG Special Events Coordinator

Why we quilt…..

May23

Quilting friends, I bet you’ve read Lisa Boyer’s “That Dorky Homemade Look: Quilting Lessons from a Parallel Universe” before, but this is the first time I’ve seen it. Or remember seeing it. She shares 9 principles to making a dorky (as she calls it) quilt. I’m especially fond of 2 and 6. But 9 is good too….okay, I confess, they all work for me. I hope it brings a smile……and reminds us although our perfect show quilts are nice, seeing someone we love wrapped in our quilts is really why we do it.

*****

Fed up with feeling like you can’t meet the standards of the Quilt Police? Do you want to quilt for comfort and pleasure and not to win some high-falutin’ quilting contest? Weary of worrying about what others will think of your color choice or your pieced points? Or your applique stitches? …

That Dorky Homemade Look is the quilting companion you’ve been wishing for. Lisa Boyer, a popular columnist for Quilting today magazine, gives you permission to quilt because you love it. She clears your path of all those merciless judgments pronounced by the Quilting Queens. She invites you to make quilts that are full of life.

This funny book offers these nine principles for the 20 million quilters in America.

1) Pretty fabric is not acceptable. Go right back to the quilt shop and exchange it for something you feel sorry for.

2) Realize that patterns and templates are only someone’s opinion and should be loosely translated. Personally, I’ve never thought much of a person who could only make a triangle with three sides.

3) When choosing a color plan for your quilt, keep in mind that the colors will fade after a hundred years or so. This being the case, you will need to start with really bright colors.

4) You should plan on cutting off about half your triangle or star points. Any more than that is showing off.

5) If you are doing appliqué, remember that bigger is dorkier. Flowers should be huge. Animals should possess really big eyes.

6) Throw away your seam ripper and repeat after me: “Oops. Oh, no one will notice.”

7) Plan on running out of border fabric when you are three-quarters of the way finished. Complete the remaining border with something else you have a lot of, preferably in an unrelated color family.

8) You should be able to quilt equally well in all directions. I had to really work on this one. It was difficult to make my forward stitching look as bad as my backward stitching, but closing my eyes helped.

9) When you have put your last stitch in the binding, you are still only half finished. Your quilt must now undergo a thorough conditioning. Give it to someone you love dearly-to drag around the house, wrap up in, spill something on, and wash and dry until it is properly lumpy.

 

Barb Schippa

BRQG member and blog contributor

Northern Indiana Quilt Shops

Apr24

During a recent trip to Shipshewana I grabbed a current visitor’s booklet for my nephew. Typically my trips to Shipshe include the same quilt shops I frequent from Goshen to Middlebury to Shipshe.  Respectively, our stops begin with the most affordable quilting fabrics and notions, up to the highest.

As I studied the booklet, I concluded there are many shops I’ve never been to so I began compiling a list. Now I’m determined to stop at the new ones in the near future. Knowing many of my quilt guild friends head to Shipshe from time to time, I thought you might enjoy the list too. If you are feeling adventurous, keep the list handy, as there are so many shops within in a small radius. Plug into your GPS and have a great time! Here are the ones I located (as of this writing), in alphabetical order:

 Calico Point
24920 CR 40
Goshen, IN 46526
574-862-4065

Janome dealer, low cost quilters cottons, notions, Amish clothing fabrics, general store

 Caroline’s Cottage Cottons
195 Weston St.
Rome city, IN 46784
260-854-3900

Wools, repo’s, civil wars, 20-30’s, in a historic brick cottage 

 Emma Town Fabrics and Gifts
7785 w 300 S
Topeka, IN 46571
574-349-5991

Quilting fabrics and supplies

 Gohn Brothers
105 S. Main St.
Middlebury, IN 46540
574-825-2400

Low cost quilters cottons and supplies, wools, and general store

 Heartland Sewing
25630 County Road 30
Goshen, IN 46526
574-862-4406

Bernina dealer, lowest cost quilters cotton fabrics, notions and supplies

 I Sell Fabrics
5520 N SR 5,
Shipshewana, IN 46565
630-440-2006

Quilter’s cottons and supplies

 Lolly’s (Little bit o’ Lolly’s is now on main floor)
Davis Mercantile Building
255 E. Main St.
Shipshewana, IN 46565
800-773-2119

Quilter’s cottons, batiks, reproductions, flannels, kits, notions, threads, books

 Pumpkinvine Quilting
500 Spring Valley Dr., Suite 3
Middlebury, IN 46540
574-825-1151

Babylock dealer, quilters cottons, batiks, flannels, kits, notions

 Sew Creative Threads
2727 Emerson Dr.
Elkhart, IN 46514
574-266-7397

Viking dealer, quilter’s cottons, notions, supplies

 Spector’s Store
305 S. Van Buren St.
Shipshewana, IN  46565
260-768-4439

Quilter’s cottons and notions, general store

 The Cotton Corner (behind Yoder’s)
350 S. Van Buren St.
Shipshewana, IN 46565
260-768-7393

Bernina and APQS dealers, large selection of batiks, quilters cottons, threads, notions, supplies, patterns, long arm services

 The Quilt Shop at Essenhaus
240 US 20
Middlebury, IN. 46540
800-455-9471 ext. 300

Quilts, quilters cottons, kits, books, patterns

 Yoder’s Department Store
300 S. Van Buren St.
Shipshewana, IN 46565
877-768-1945

Quilters cottons, batiks, reproductions, flannels, largest selection of solids (all brands) in the Midwest, apparel fabrics, kits, notions, books, general store

Have fun!

Barb Schippa

12 Steps to End Quilters Slump

Mar27

Hello quilting friends…..I read an interesting blog recently about being in an artistic img_4051slump. You know, that time when everything you normally love to do, whether it’s quilt, paint, draw, write, weave, sculpt, etc…..just isn’t doing it for you. You need a push, and you find yourself depressed over overachiever friends. Everyone finds themselves in creative blocks now and then, so I reinterpreted the suggestions for quilters. But these work for pretty much anything…..just fill in the blanks. It also ties in with a fascinating documentary that aired on PBS……about Dr. Marian Diamond, MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE BRAIN, about neuroscience and brain plasticity, our human need to continually feed our brains with new things…..remember the old saying, use it or lose it.

1. Show Up: This is the single most effective thing you can do to improve your creativity and productivity…spend time in your sewing room. Get in there. Even if you are just looking around, sorting fabrics, thumbing thru quilt magazines, or organizing your space. Simply spending time in your studio will inspire you, and improve your productivity and creativity.

2. Set Goals: Set goals for yourself and break them down into smaller categories: Long Range, Short Term and Immediate. Example: I am going to piece 5 blocks today, 2 rows this week etc and you’ll be finished in no time.

3. Dress the Part: Get comfy. Put on your favorite comfortable sewing clothes for motivation. Discover your power outfit and wear it when you need to perform at your best.

4. Connect with Community: Join an online forum or a local quilt guild and meet once a month. Start a blog and invite people to share their comments. Attend a retreat where you meet with old friends or make new ones. Join a bee. Visit quilt museums and shows. Connecting with others will keep you going and inspired.
5. Make Yourself Accountable: Tell someone what you are working on and share your progress with them. Enlist their help to keep you on track. Knowing that someone is waiting to see your results can help maintain your momentum.
6. Adjust your Expectations: Not every quilt will earn a ribbon or grand prize so take off the magnifying glasses and stop obsessing over matched seams. Keep in mind where it’s being used….is it a throw quilt or show quilt!?!
7. Open Your Studio: Invite friends over to quilt. This will motivate you to get your sewing space cleaned and organized. It’s just the kick in the pants you might need, and gives you time in your space.
8. Enter shows: Nothing like a deadline to get you motivated so enter quilt shows and create new work to submit. Even if you don’t win a ribbon, the exercise of judging your work is invaluable. Yes, we said stop being so critical, but it’s all about balance.
 
9. Take a Class: Sign up for a class or workshop. This will help you plug into your quilt community and connect with like minded folks. It’s a perfect way to find additional inspiration.
10. Organize a bee: Invite friends over to discuss what works for everyone. Is it a large open bee, or small group that meets in homes? How often do you meet? Again, more accountability for each of us when friends keep us motivated.
11. Trade knowledge: Share your knowledge and techniques and welcome the same from others. Use the feedback you receive to improve. The exchange of ideas (those lightbulb moments) will help you stay energized.
12. Give Yourself Permission: This is the most important tip of all…Don’t let other work trap you into paralysis. Yes, the dishes, laundry and errands need to be done, but nothing has to suffer if you schedule your time effectively.  Assign tasks to others….say that spouse that is glued to the couch watching TV??? Schedule time and give yourself permission to do what you love……quilt!
Happy quilting!
 Barb Schippa