JWD Publishing Blog

Hi everyone! I can’t wait to tell you where and what I have been doing:

Last weekend I was invited to go to the Winter Woolen Workshop in Kokomo, Indiana. What a treat! It is put on by the Howard County Historical Society and Beth’s Main Street Folkart. It is held the last weekend in February, so mark your calendars for next year. It takes place at the Seiberling Mansion and the Elliott House in Kokomo. This year there were day workshops and demonstrations in early samplers, colonial painting, punch needle embroidery, rug hooking, spinning, weaving, hand quilting, tatting, rug punch, needle felting, knitting and crocheting. Wow! What a weekend! And there were 22 vendors! The mansion….. oh my gosh…. it was sooooo beautiful.

Let me tell you about one thing that I did learn while I was at the Winter Woolen Workshop:

Kumihimo? Know what it is? I didn’t until last weekend. It is where you weave ribbon on a braiding loom to make cords for necklaces, bracelets, etc. They use eight bobbins and a loom. The loom is about the size of a large grapefruit. You bring the ribbon up and across― and the next one down and across. Thankfully the loom has numbers on it, so you don’t get confused. It was really cool to watch and it looked pretty easy to do!

Tip of the Day is something we should all do…. Put things back where they belong. It sounds so simple, but sometimes we get in a hurry and we don’t. When we do put things back, what we are looking for is always there waiting for us the next time we need it.

See you next time! Keep quilting!

First, let me thank C&T Publishing for letting me review Beth Ferrier’s new book More! Hand Appliqué by Machine. What a wonderful book! I sat down one evening to look it over and before I knew it, I had read the whole book. I don’t usually read my quilt books like that, but it was so interesting that I did just that.

Beth starts out telling you how to do appliqué the usual way with freezer paper. Then she surprises you with another easier way that is over the top! She worked with C&T Publishing and came up with a new product called Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets. This stuff is great! To quote Beth in her book, she says, “For some time, quilters have had water-soluble paper that we can use instead of freezer paper, and it works okay. Without a fusible side, this paper must first be glued to the fabric and then glue basted―a fiddly process. But now C&T has come out with Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets. This iron-on stabilizer will soften and practically disappear with washing. In other words, it’s like water-soluble freezer paper. I know! How awesome is that?” 

And Beth is right, it is awesome!

Now if you are frugal and are wondering if there are other uses for the sheets, I can help you out with that also. It is a stabilizer, so you can use it with trapunto or paper piecing. You can run a sheet through your printer for paper piecing and you won’t have any paper to tear off!! Fantastic!!

The book is full of tips and a few personal stories that I especially enjoyed reading. The patterns! Oh, I didn’t mention the beautiful patterns that are in the book. This is another item in my “things you never knew you needed” category. You need this book and a package of the Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets. There is just too much in this book to tell you about. You just have to go to your favorite quilt shop and pick it up. You won’t be sorry.

Tip of the day comes from Beth Ferrier:  Don’t forget both sides of the fabric! Sometimes the perfect shade can be found on what is commonly called the “wrong side”. Using both sides of the fabric instantly doubles your fabric stash! Thanks Beth! Everyone have a great day and keep quilting!