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!

I am sitting here in my log cabin and the snow is just blowing everywhere outside. I think we are going to get a lot of snow today. I was checking out some products for you when I came across something that I think is crazy good. It is called 60 Degree Double-Strip Creative Grids Ruler.

I will tell you that when I first saw it it look kind of strange. I then went to Checker Distributor website and watched the video of how it works. WOW! It is really cool. The Double-Strip ruler is one of a range of strip rulers designed to make cutting 1/2-sq-triangles, 1/4-sq-triangles, 60 degree triangles, trapezoids and more from 2 1/2″ wide strips quickly and easily! When I said it looked funny at first it is because one side of the ruler is to cut strips and the other side has triangles. You use two 2 1/2″ strips sewn together to make a 4 1/2″ strip. You then cut your pieces from that. If you sew two 2 1/2″ strips together and make a tube you can cut a diamond shape. The rulers come in three sizes. You need to go to the Checker Distributor website and watch the short video on it. You won’t believe it.

Now I have another tip for you from one of my quilting friends and this is a good one that I have never heard of. If you have a project you are buying fabric for but you know you may not get to it right away, then photocopy the page in the book or magazine of the project and put it with the fabric. That way when you pull the fabric out you don’t have to wonder, “What did I buy that for”? I have done that so many times. Great tip! If you have a tip let me know in the comment section. Until next time keep quilting!!

Is it something to eat? No, it is “Grandma’s Pure and Natural Hand Soother.” This is the best lotion you will ever try! It contains jojoba and shea. It is never sticky or greasy, and is scented with grapefruit oil that everyone likes…even men. When I got it I was a little hesitate because my husband gets migraine headaches with perfume smells. It smells like you just peeled a grapefruit, delicious and fresh. Another good thing about it is it only takes a dab to do it. Quilters could use it as well as knitters or someone that crochets. Check with your favorite fabric shop to see if they have it or ask them to get it, you won’t regret it.

Now I promised you some sewing or cooking tips. Today it is a sewing tip.

If you are collecting a certain color of fabric, for example black and white, keep a small swatch of it in a small notebook in your purse. If you are like me you get into the fabric shop and wonder, do I have that one? Just take out your small notebook and look it up. It saves time and money. Have a wonderful day and keep quilting!

I can not believe that the holidays are gone and we are already 20 days into the new year. It seems like each year it goes by a little quicker. My editor and friend Joen Wolfrom gave me a great tip about two years ago that I would like to share with you. She said when she cleans out her sewing room she takes everything out of the room. She then sorts through everything and whatever she thinks she will not use it does not come back into the room. Before she told me that I would always find a little place to tuck those things away that I “might use”. You all know what I am talking about. But after she said that to me I now give those things to someone or donate them. I did this after Christmas and everything is looking neat and tidy in my sewing room. Which brings me to another great product that I own to help me get organized.

It is simply called “Fat Quarter Bag”. You can find it at your favorite fabric shop or at Jinny Beyer Studios’ website. It sells for around $13.00. It is a sturdy bag that is ideal for storing your fat quarters. It is not a new product but it is a handy one. I got about 100 fat quarters in mine. Each bag has a unique see-through lid and convenient folding divider. The bag measures 17″ x 9 1/2″ and 5″ deep. They are a wonderfully compact way to organize and store your fabric. If you have never seen this bag you may want to check it out. Have a great day and keep quilting!

Happy New Year !  Jan. 1st provides us a new beginning, fresh starts, and a chance to wipe the slate clean and move forward. I hope in the next year to bring you lots of reviews on new products, ideas and places to go. Since I am a “foodie” (loves anything that has to do with food) I may slip in a food tip or recipe from time to time. Little “snackies” you take to a class or retreat. Now I need to tell you about the next product I reviewed.

Have you heard or “Marking Magic”? This stuff is great! If you are a machine or hand quilter you can use this. You know how tedious it is to mark a whole quilt? It takes a lot of time! Not now! It is water soluble aerosol spray that comes in white or gray. You shake the can to loosen the product. You place your stencil on the quilt and then you just spray! You need to hold the can 8 to 10 inches away from the quilt and use a sweeping motion so you don’t get too much on. Let it dry a few seconds,yes seconds, not minutes. Now I know what you are thinking. What if I make a mistake? Easy, easy! You just get a mister bottle or wet cloth and wipe the marks away. I made a mistake on purpose to test the product and it does come out very easily. It sells for about $15.00 per can but I think this would do a lot of quilts and save you a lot of time. You can check it out at www.quiltingcreations.com

If you have a product you would like me to check out for you let me know in the comment section. Now be safe and keep quilting!

Wow! What a gorgeous quilt!  A few weeks ago we asked you to send us some pictures of quilts.  Lisa England, from Ashland, Kentucky, created this stunning quilt Elegant Star for her home’s foyer. We understand why this is Lisa’s favorite quilt. The original design is by Sharon Rexroad; it can be found in Sharon’s book Pineapple Stars: Sparkling Quilts, Perfectly Pieced. Thanks, Lisa, for sharing this with all of us.

Make sure to click on the picture so you can see a larger version.

Kaye Prince from Toronto, Ontario, Canada made this very sweet quilt for a dear little baby girl named Viliya. Hence, the name of this quilt is Viliya. We think this quilt is adorable and most likely Viliya will be snuggling up to “her favourite” quilt  for many years. Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us, Kaye.

Quilters:  If you want a chance to take part in winning one of our Quiltmakers’ 100 Block magazines, you can send us an image of a favorite quilt that you have made in recent years. You can send images until December 6, 11:59PST.  Check out this blog post for full details and other second alternative for entering.

(Click on the images to see larger sizes)

I have to hand it to Susan K. Cleveland of www.piecesbewithyou.com for her great tools she has designed. She has made our quilting a lot easier and much more fun to do.

Now I told you about the nifty Prairie Pointer tool yesterday. Now I am going to tell you about the Groovin’ Piping Trimming Tool and the Piping Hot Binding Workbook. I will admit to all of you that I have never put piping on any of my quilts. Why? Because when you trim the piping it is impossible to maintain a consistent seam allowance. Not any more! The Groovin’ Piping Trimming Tool makes this task quick and accurate and it comes in two sizes. The tool has a groove in it so you can’t mess up! Then with the Piping Hot Binding book Susan takes you through each step by step and makes you a pro! You don’t have to use piping on just your quilts, you can also use it on your wearable arts! You need to check this out. Thank you Susan for all the great ideas.

Now what am I going to review for you next time? Well, you will just have to check back to see what that might be. Until then keep quilting!  Don’t forget to check out our current giveaway ending Sunday night!