A blog for the 'fabric obsessed'

If you would like to see a preview of many new fabric lines revealed to the industry at the recent Fall Quilt Market in Houston, Kim at True Up has a blog series just for you, here.

Another service that Kim provides via her blog is weekly 'sales alerts', usually published on Fridays, giving notice of fabric sales by independent fabric stores world-wide. 

tACTile online exhibtion

tACTile was founded in 2001 by a group of ACT-based textile artists to advance contemporary quiltmaking in Australia by exploring the opportunities of the art quilt.
tACTile comprises six members: Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray and Beth Miller, with Beth and Trevor Reid working together in partnership. All the artists are individually acknowledged as leaders in the field of contemporary quiltmaking at local, national and international levels.

tACTile home page

Their latest exhibition, elements is now online here. Several past series are also available to be viewed on the website.

A little tidying ...

... has been visited on the blog list in the right hand column, mostly additions:

The Color Collective provides examples of colour schemes that work, and would be useful for fabric choices, based on colour photographs.

Quiltville's Quips and Snips is Bonnie Hunter's blog - she is famous for her scrap quilts, annual mystery quilts (the 2011 event has just started!) and teaching across America.

Sydney Modern Quilt Guild is a new online group that has held one meeting, and is planning more. Lists more than 25 members' blogs for further reading and looking.

And if you've been following Leah Day's 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs blog, note that she is currently up to filler pattern no 344 - so just a few weeks from her goal!  Her post from yesterday (18th November) gives her take on the Modern Quilt movement, and an opportunity to see and display modern quilts.

Suggestions for additional entries in the blogroll are welcome!

Fabric sale alert: Country Pickin's at the Corner

Apologies for the late notice - Country Pickin's at Dural is having a three day sale from today (Saturday 19th November).

30% off full priced fabric from the bolt and fat quarters. 20% off kits.

Location:  Corner Q Business Centre, Shop 9/829 Old Northern Road DURAL NSW

Speaking of apps ...

... (as we were),  there is as yet a small number of apps that come up on a search of the Apple App Store (part of iTunes) for 'quilting' - but that will change.

The Robert Kaufman Fabrics 'QuiltingCalc' app ('The Quilter's Little Helper') looks like a useful place to start.  It allows you to calculate fabric requirements for eight steps of the quilt-making process, including top fabric, batting, backing fabric and binding yardage, converting between imperial and metric measurements, and calculating setting triangle sizes. It is free for both iPhone and iPad from the App Store, so definitely worth a look if you use an honeod or iPad.  Preview here.

V and A quilts online and an exhibition app

You might recall that a very significant and well-received exhibition of quilts from 1700 to 2010 was  held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London last year.  Here is the V & A's page about quilting - lots to see and read (photos, videos, articles, online exhibitions), and  many interesting links, including this one to an iPhone/iPad app of the 1700-2010 exhibition, that gives a spoken commnetary, some background video and close-up views (one blogger noted that the close-ups were better than the view she had at the actual exhibition, given the crowds it attracted, and the limited time for viewing it).

November exhibitions

If you are up for a day/weekend on the beautiful south coast, the Gerringong Quilt Show is on next weekend, 11th - 13th November 2011. Details on Template Free.

The 17th Annual Braidwood Quilt Event includes the Airing of the Quilts on Saturday 26th November (one day only), and a two day exhibition on 26th and 27th November 2011.

On the same weekend (26th and 27th November), Bungendore Quilters hold their exhibition, just up the road from Braidwood, so you could make a weekend of it.

Added Monday 7th November:
Campbelltown Quilters Show is also next weekend, 12-13th November, details here.

re Potato chip quilt, aka 1600 quilt: video

Here are two short videos showing how  the initial long (1600 inches if you use a whole jelly roll) strip becomes a quilt top ... in one instance, in 35 minutes (it was a race):



The second video shows the result when a spacer strip is used for a different overall effect:


Thanks to Dee on SCQuilters for the links.

International Quilt Festival, Houston: award winners

The International Quilt Festival in Houston is in full swing (3 - 6 November).  The prizes have been awarded - the winning quilts can be seen online here.  Stunning quilts, as expected in a juried show of this calibre.

A 10 min video 'virtual tour' is here.  On the this page's side menu you will find links to other features, like the special exhibition - so much to see!

Among the Australian quilters attending and exhibiting are Lisa Walton from Dyed and Gone to Heaven (her blog is Fibre Inspirations) and Brenda Smith from Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt (and Twelve by Twelve), who will provide ongoing commentary through their blogs.

The Fall Quilt Market (an industry only event) has been in the same venue over the last few days - lots of blogging about new fabrics, new designs and gadgets are all over the 'blogoshpere'.

This is the description of the International Quilt Festival from their Facebook page, to give an idea of the scale of the event:

  The world's largest annual quilt show, sale, and quiltmaking academy.

Founded in 1974, the fall edition of International Quilt Festival is the largest annual quilt show, sale, and quiltmaking academy in the world. Dubbed "The World's Fair of Quilts," by Southern Living Magazine, the show attracts more than 55,000 people from around the globe to Houston, Texas each year. Several thousand people participate in more than 350 classes, lectures, and special events, while close to 2,000 quilts, original cloth dolls, and art garments are featured in Festival's special exhibits. Retailers set up more than 1,000 merchant booths at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Pens for marking quilts

A couple of our members have recently used these pens for marking quilting patterns on finished tops, and were pleased with the results.  The brand is Pilot FriXion Ball, and they have the words “remove by friction” on them. After making marks on fabric and sewing you just hold the steam iron about an inch away and shoot steam on them to make them disappear. Available in a range of colours, and cost about $5.50 each.

Pilot Pens Australia says they are available from Woolworths, Coles, Officeworks, Newsagent or through your corporate stationery supplier.  There is even one that supports breast cancer research.

The website includes a warning not to use the pens for signing cheques and other important documents ...

(Thanks Elaine and Dina for the information)