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Monthly Archives: May 2010
Wanderings and Give Aways
Anybody know how to get the lentil soup out of my pond?
I love textures… look at the petals on this beautiful tulip. Aren’t the colors and the pattern wonderful?
Siberian iris… a sign of beauty to come!
Hostas… more fantastic textures! I have a quilt in mind for these.
…..GIVE AWAYS…..
Do you sign up for give aways when you see them? What kinds of things do you like to see offered? Michigan Quilts will be having a give away during the month of June, and YOU can help determine what it will be!
Between now and the end of May, leave a comment on this post with your favorite give away item noted AND click to become a follower of Michigan Quilts at the very bottom of the page. Doing that will enter your name twice in the June give away. Additional opportunities to enter will be coming, so you’ll want to stay tuned!
It’s Blogger’s Quilt Festival Time!
I thought for this round of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival I’d share the cover quilt from my first book, America’s Pictorial Quilts, published in 1985 by the American Quilter’s Society. This quilt was made for my son, Loren when he was a toddler. Now, almost 30, he and his fiance’ are preparing for their July wedding.
The quilt was based on a favorite folk tale, Jack and the Beanstalk, and for several years, traveled around the country to various exhibits and teaching engagements. There are many little items that were “snuck in” for giggles… an apple pie on the windowsill, a bra hanging on the clothesline, etc. It is a full-size quilt, tucked away to give him some day. I think that day is not far off.
Note: The quilt is not a wedding present for the couple…
It’s not my favorite color
Pink. This is a beautiful fabric. If you love the fabric and color, this is available from eQuilter.com. It’s from the “Garden collection,” and if you click here it will take you right to where you can order it.
But pink isn’t my color.
If you follow my blog, you probably know I’m working on a redwork quilt covered with owls. Redwork. Red. I spotted a fabric I absolutely had to have. It has a red background, beautiful black swirls and curly ques, and highlights of crisp white. I still love the fabric. 
I always prewash my fabrics, JUST INCASE. Just incase this happens.
Do you see the pretty pink in there? That’s after THREE washings in HOT HOT HOT water to remove the excess red dye. Red dye is a bugger. Red dye loves to get on white fabric and turn it pretty pink. Only when you’ve spent a year working on a quilt that is red and white, pink is NOT what you want to see.
After the rinse above, I pulled out my bottle of Retayne.
Dear God, please be with me and the Retayne and the pretty fabric. Help us keep the dye clinging to the fibers in THIS fabric, and do not let it mess with my embroidered WHITE fabric with the adorable owls. Amen.
Guest Blogger For Hire – Are You Interested?
Are you from Michigan? Are you a quilter? Here’s your chance to show off some of your quilts and tell the world the kind of quilting that rocks your socks! Here’s a chance to get some promotion for your own website or blog. Your writing and pictures will show up right here on Michigan Quilts!
Click on the “Contact Caron” link on the left side of the screen to drop me an email and let me know you’re interested.
How Is Your Eye For Color?
As quilters, we are drawn to color. We might have a favorite color, or prefer certain color combinations in the quilts that we see and those that we make. Some quilters like bright colors. Some prefer muted. My husband says that he can spot my quilts a mile away, because I prefer muted colors that blend into each other. What are your preferences?
How good are you at placing colors into order by hue? Can you take a stack of blue fabrics and arrange them from light to dark easily? How about red? Here’s a fun test to see how well you do at this skill. Give it a try!
FACT: 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency.
Have You Seen This Fabric?
I want it so bad I can taste it. It’s perfect as a border for my Redwork Owls quilt, yet I don’t know who makes it. It was spotted in the latest issue of the Keepsake Quilter catalog as part of a set of red fabrics. And yes, I did contact Keepsake. Here is what they wrote back:
“I’m sorry the fabrics used in the collections are not available as yardage.”
I just want to know the name of the manufacturer. That’s all. What does the selvedge say?
If anyone who reads this has seen the fabric, please let me know!
