Area 3 Chapters

Area 3 Chapters in the beautiful state of Maine:


*Bog Hoot Quilters-Mechanic Falls area
*Chickadee Quilters-Bridgton Area
*Classic Quilters of Lewiston-Auburn Area
*Country Aire Quilters-Turner Area
*Country Square Quilters-North Jay/Wilton Area
*Cross Country Quilters-Bethel Area
*Grammy's Choice Quilters-Canton Area
*Ladies of the Lake Quilters-Peru/Rumford/Dixfield Area
*Lisbon Krazy Kwilters-Lisbon Area
*Pine Needle Quilters-Norway/South Paris Area
*Scraps and Patches Quilters-Poland Area
*Village Scrappers Quilters-Livermore Area


Saturday, September 5, 2015

Did You Know???

That I also have another blog, Hexagon Swap? I have been the hostess to 18 swaps in the past two years.

We swap out 1" hexies in various themes, such as fall colors, brights, TRUE 30's repros, Stashbusters, etc. If you are interested, we have sign ups now for the 18th swap for three themes: Summer prints, Stashbusters and TRUE 30's repros (no children's or novelty) prints.

You would need to sign up by Oct. 3rd to play and the swap is due in my hands no later than Nov. 28th. Check out the blog below and scroll down to the guidelines for more information. If you have any questions, you can email me at 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com

 http://hexagonswap.blogspot.com/

Quilters Academy for Quiltmaking

What is better than a full collection of books that take you from your "freshman" year to graduation and beyond? Each individual volume represents a year in "university" and a Masters year.

A perfect gift for a new quilter or one who would like to add to their skill set. 

"Freshman" year encompasses the basics of quilting:



 "Sophomore" year you master new techniques:


"Junior" year teaches you to design your own quilts:





"Senior" year guides you to perfect stars:




The "Masters" year delves into medallions, precision drafting and math



 Check out the books at Nancy's Notions or for the complete set, click on the Amazon link below:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aquilters%20academy

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Quilting Tip of the Week 9.3.15

Thanks to Fons and Porter for this tip!

Take an empty six-pack container and cover with contact paper or even Mod Podge with fabric scraps. This tote will be great for storing your spray adhesive, lint roller, scissors and other sewing notions.

I plan to make one to store all my quilt sandwiching material so all I need to do is grab and go to my pinning table. Now I'm thirsty....

Somerset Samplers Quilt Show In October



Somerset Samplers Quilt Show

Friday, October 2nd - 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 3rd - 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

United Methodist Church
103 Dr. Mann Rd.
Skowhegan, Maine

Admission:  $4:00

Quilt exhibit, lunch, vendors, members sale table.

Our raffle quilt will benefit the Skowhegan Redington-Fairview General Hospital Oncology Department.

 

Pattern used with permission adapted from Quilts from El’s Kitchen published by Eleanor Burns, Quilt in a Day.

For more information or to purchase quilt raffle tickets, contact Carmen Dickinson at SomersetSamplers@gmail.com or call (207) 612-6343.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Charm Pack Patchwork Placemats


Everyone has a charm pack--won at a quilting meeting or bought on sale at a local quilt shop. What will I ever use them for? Why not a set for four placemats?

A Quilting Life tutorial link is below. They are quick enough to make in a weekend and a wonderful project for a beginner. Check it out at:

http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2015/08/charm-pack-patchwork-placemats-tutorial.html#more

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Helpful Machine Applique and Binding Tips from Patrick Lose


I love Patrick Lose! From his impeccable machine appliques to his colorful fabric designs, he is the best. He especially likes to design for special holidays or any cause for celebration.

Imagine my delight when watching Fons and Porter this morning (series 2500) and saw he was the special guest. I'm in awe (and envy!) of his stunningly sharp machine applique skills. Click here to see how he really does it:

http://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/00384201111021016324448.pdf


Pay special attention to his stitch widths and lengths.

He also shared a great tip for fusing fabrics for applique--if you happen to get any fusible on your iron, iron onto a fabric softener sheet to remove it.

Speaking of fabric softener, did you know that you never should use fabric softener (liquid or sheets) on fabrics you plan on using fusibles on? Yep, the softeners keep your fabrics from getting a good hold. Probably why Patrick's machine applique is so sharp is using crisp, unwashed fabric.

Patrick also has some great tips on binding. I saw this tip a couple of years ago and have been using it ever since. It's the way to PERFECT corners on your binding (start at photo 11):
 
http://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/384/binding_feature.pdf

It's amazing how something this simple makes a world of difference!