Posted By Margaret on January 22, 2012

Thanks to everyone who attended Jackie Lynn’s Classes on Parade.  It was good seeing you all.  Classes are filling up fast this year!  Tuesday, January 24, from 4 – 7 pm, I’ll be have a second class sale at my home.  I live in Charlotte, right off Lake Avenue.  Call me or email me if you need directions.  I’ll have most of the samples for my upcoming classes at both Jackie Lynn’s and Scarlet Thread for you to check out.  If you sign up for 3 classes at either store or a combination of the two stores, you’ll get 25% off the lower priced class.  Also, for every class you sign up for, you’ll get an entry into the door prize drawing for one of four kits to make the Fast & Fabulous Friday Braid Runner.    So stop by after work for a glass of wine and a snack while browse through the samples for my upcoming winter and spring classes.  I can also answer any question you have about the classes.

One of the my new classes is the Twister Quilts class, where you will learn to make these intertwined pinwheels from simple squares using the L’il Twister acrylic ruler.  We’ll actually be making a runner and placemat in class.  Pictured is a quilt made using the same technique but with a larger template.  Although it looks complicated, it’s really easy enough for a beginner.  Hope to see you Tuesday.

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Posted By Margaret on January 17, 2012

January FFF - Road to Bali

I haven’t been out of my sewing room much this January.  There are lots of new classes coming up and I can’t wait for you to see all of the samples I’ve been making.  I shared a couple of the new SABLE quilts with you last week.  I’ve also got 4 new Fast & Fabulous Friday (FFF) quilts.  In this class, we meet monthly on a Friday and make a quilt from 2 1/2″ strips.  You get preliminary cutting instructions so you can spend the day sewing.  At the end of the day you’ll have a quilt top (or at least nearly a quilt top) pieced.  The January FFF is the pattern “Road to Bali.”  I love how fast this quilt went together.  And it works especially well with a batik Bali Pop.  I, however, chose to go through my stash of purple, blue and lime batiks and cut my own 2 1/2″ strips.  Two each from 18 different fabrics.

May FFF - Organized Chaos

In April we will be making a pattern called Organized Chaos, which is how I feel my sewing room looks now after a month of marathon quilting.  I used totally different colors from the pattern cover, earth tones instead of bright jewel tones.  Also, I made my quilt one row narrower so that it would be a rectangular instead of a square quilt.  And, instead of a pink/blue background fabric I used a neutral taupe and didn’t repeat it in the border.  I felt the contrast between the background fabric and the accent/frame fabric made the pattern much more obvious and organized.  I also wanted the quilt to be more of a lap size, so I eliminated the first border.  What do you think?  There’s always room for switching up a pattern to fit your needs.

Organized Chaos Pattern Cover

In the other two FFF (February & March) we will be learning a quilt-as-you-piece technique while completing a French Braid Runner and a Lap quilt, all from 2 1/2″ strips.  I think you’re going to love how fast these quilts go together.  You should have the runner done by the end of the day, and the lap quilt should be close to done.

February FFF - A Quilt-as-you-piece Lap Quilt

Now, you’re probably wondering “what about that class sale?”  Well, the Classes on Parade at Jackie Lynn’s will be this Saturday, January 21, from 10 am – 3 pm.  I’ll be there with samples of my classes and if you sign up for 3 classes, you’ll get the third lesser-priced class at 25% off.  Also, if you sign up for all 4 Fast & Fabulous Fridays, you’ll get the May class for free.  That’s a savings of $40!  Sign up for all 4 SABLE club classes and you’ll get the classes for $25 each instead of $30 each.  And, for every class you sign up for you get one entry into my winter door prize drawing.  There will  be 4 lucky winners.  We will do the drawing after Tuesday, January 24, which is the date of my second class sale from 4 -7 pm at my house.  I do this second sale so you have an opportunity to sign up for classes at the Scarlet Thread as well as Jackie Lynn’s.  At this sale you can combine classes from both stores to receive your “25% off the third class” discount.  I will have all of my samples and some refreshments at the Open House, so stop by on your way home from work and have some cheese  and a glass of wine while you check out the new class samples.  I live in Charlotte off of Lake Avenue.  Email me at qwm@rochester.rr.com or give me a call at 865-0823 to get directions.  Hope to see you in the next week!

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Posted By Margaret on January 7, 2012

SABLE (A Crooked Mile) - February 18

Now that the holidays are behind us it’s time to make those New Year’s resolutions.  One of mine is to blog more regularly.  I’m going to try to add a post once a week in 2012.  I’m optimistic about this new year.  I have lots of exciting events and surprises coming.  Right now I’m racing to finish samples for the new classes I’ll be offering this winter and spring.  The quilts you see here are two of the new S.A.B.L.E club samples that I just finished yesterday.  The Classes on Parade sale day at Jackie Lynn’s will be in a couple of weeks on Saturday, January 21, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.  I’ll be there for the day with all of my new samples and to answer your questions about my new and old classes.  Later today, I will be dropping off a huge stack of samples at Jackie Lynn’s, so you can stop in ahead of time to check them out.  The new class samples will follow, but I will be posting pictures here as I finish them.  This website will be updated in the next couple of weeks with photos of all of the class samples along with the dates and times.

On Tuesday, January 24, from 5 – 7 p.m. will be my Open House & Class Sale at my home for all of the classes at all of the stores where I will be teaching this winter and spring.  You can stop by after work to see the samples, have a glass of wine and sign up for your winter and spring classes.  I’ll post details of the sales nearer the dates.  I’m bringing back a lot of old favorites in addition to the new classes, so there should be something for everyone.

SABLE (Shadow Box) - April 21

I’m also working on the sample for the guided project for the 2012 Get-Away weekend which is scheduled for March 29 – April 1 at Bristol Harbour.  It’s an easy quilt to make and will be great to highlight a fun large scale print.  You can read the details about this weekend by clicking on the Get-Away link at the left of this page.  Soon I will be posting a photo of the sample for guided quilt project and announcing the guest speaker for Saturday afternoon.  Just about everyone from last year has signed up again for 2012 and plus we have several new first-timers.  But it’s not too late to get in on this exciting weekend.  You can download a sign-up brochure on the Get-Away Weekend page of this website.  New this year, we added an optional extra night (Thursday) and full day on Friday for anyone who wants a longer retreat.  Watch for more details on this fun weekend soon.

I know I’ve been promising an updated gallery page for a couple years now, but it is actually going to happen in 2012 before the summer.  I have my computer guru working on it right now.  So watch for this exciting unveiling.  Soon you will be able to see lots of photos of your quilts and your classmates’ quilts in my new and updated quilt gallery.  I also have some more surprise announcements coming this new year, so check back regularly.

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Posted By Margaret on December 6, 2011

Handmade Holiday Retreat 2011

Challenge Quilt Entries and Winner

This past Friday was my 10th annual Handmade Holiday Retreat, and it was the biggest one yet.  Forty quilters and crafters joined us at Jackie Lynn’s from 5 – 11pm to finish up projects for the holidays and make a quick and easy table runner.  We filled two classrooms and had a lovely sit down dinner catered by Mr. Dominic’s in the back classroom.  Everyone received patterns for lots of quick little gift and decorating ideas, cookie and appetizer recipes and a kit to make an easy dittie bag along with the instructions.  Congratulations to Fran Allen-Fintel who won the free gift basket for her holiday apron entry for the quilt challenge.  Of course the Show & Tell was the highlight of the evening, seeing all of the finished projects from past classes.  I’ll be sharing those photos with you soon on my newly updated gallery page of this website.

A few runners made at 2011 Holiday Retreat

If you missed the Holiday Retreat this winter, watch for the Sizzlin’ Summer Retreat in June.  And for an even bigger retreat, join us at Bristol Harbour the end of March for my Annual Get-Away Weekend.  This year you can opt for an extra night and day for even more fun.  Check out the Get-Away page on this website for more information and a signup brochure.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and check back in January for an update class schedule for the Winter/Spring session.  The Classes on Parade signup sale day at Jackie Lynn’s is scheduled for Saturday, January 21.

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Posted By Margaret on October 14, 2011

"Line Dancing" by Carol Taylor - Explosions in Color Exhibit at The ArtQuilt Gallery in NYC

If you are planning a trip to New York City, The ArtQuilt Gallery is a must see.  The gallery which is located in Chelsea at 133 W. 25th Street, is exclusively focused on a single art form: quilts, whose  aesthetic range, creative spirit, execution, and sheer beauty make this a compelling art.  The ArtQuilt Gallery opened on April 5, 2011. Currently running through October 29, is the exhibit “Explosions in Color” by Rochester’s quilt artist Carol Taylor who has won numerous awards and is notable for her striking use of color and value contrast.

From November 15 through January 7, 2012, the Material Witnesses:New Work from the Manhattan Quilters Guild exhibit will showcase 22 works from its 22 members, including Paula Nedelstern and Daphne Taylor.  For a complete list of scheduled exhibits and details, visit www.artquiltgallerynyc.com.

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Posted By Margaret on October 6, 2011

Hungerford Building, 1115 East Main Street

This Friday, October 7, I will be joining my friend Lucinda Storms at her studio at the Hungerford Building in Rochester for her First Friday Open House and Sale.  Lucinda makes beautiful glass beads and then makes them into one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.  She will be selling her loose beads (great for art quilting), jewelry and small paintings.  I will have a table of small craft items (like purses, totes, eyeglass/rotary cutter cases, dog collars and table  runners).  It’s a great time to get a jump on your holiday shopping.

If you’ve never been to a First Friday in Rochester, on the first Friday of each month local artists open their studios and sell some of their work.  It’s also a popular day for art openings at area galleries.  There’s always lots going on.  The Hungerford Building is located at 1115 East Main Street, just over the railroad tracks from downtown on the south side of Main Street.  It’s an old brick warehouse that now houses artist’s studios.  Lucinda’s studio is #402.  Just enter through Door #2 and take the elevator up to the fourth floor.  The sale will be from 6-9 p.m.  Stop by and say hi!

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Posted By Margaret on September 27, 2011

I always enjoy checking out new or new-to-me quilt shops.  And what better way than on a shop hop.  This weekend, Wednesday (September 28) – Saturday (October 1), is the Shoptober Fest shop hop in the Rochester/Buffalo area.  The theme is “with charms and chocolate” and each store will be handing out chocolate and a quilt related charm to participating hoppers.  There will be a grand prize, but you will have to have visited the “secret shop” in order to win.  The “secret shop” will be announced after the shop hop is finished…even the shops don’t know which shop it is.

If you want to visit and shop at the participating stores, they are:

Amelia’s Fabric & Yarn Shoppe, 7 Upton St., Hilton 585-392-1192

Chestnut Bay Quilting, 262 North St., Caledonia 585-538-4420

Country Treasures, 61 Main St., Brockport 585-637-5148

Creekside Fabrics, Quilts & Yarn, 237 Main St., Arcade 585-492-4226

Heartland Quilt Shop, 6817 Ridge Rd., Lockport 716-433-3188

Marie’s Sewing Center, 6322 Robinson Rd., Lockport 716-434-2583

Mt. Pleasant Quilting Company, 2877 Mt. Pleasant Rd., York 585-243-0767

The Quilter’s Daughter, 2817 Rt. 246, Perry Center 585-861-9474

The Scarlet Thread, 85 Donovan St., Webster 585-265-4910

Machine Quilting Made Easy, example of quilting by student Lucinda Storms

All of the stores will have extended hours (Wed., Thur. & Fri. 10 am – 7pm and Sat. 10am – 5pm).  In addition to these hours, The Scarlet Thread and Mt. Pleasant Quilting Company will stay open until 8pm on Wednesday.  And Marie’s Sewing Center will be open until 8 pm on Thursday.

On Saturday, October 1, I’ll be at The Scarlet Thread teaching my Machine Quilting Made Easy class.  It’s not too late to sign up and join us.  We’ll be learning machine quilting, mostly without marking and focusing on free motion quilting.  At the end of class, around 2pm, I’ll be doing a “bed turning” of quilts that feature the different machine quilting techniques I taught during class.

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Posted By Margaret on September 12, 2011

This past week were the sale sign-up days at my house and at Jackie Lynn’s.  Thanks to everyone who turned out.  It was good seeing everyone and I’m looking forward to getting back to teaching.  Congratulations to Fran Allen-Fintel, Paula Ange, Alicia Giroud and Terry Johnson for winning the drawings for the Handmade Holiday tablerunner kits.

This Tuesday will be my first class of the fall session, Shattered Quilts.  If you are not familiar with this technique, it’s an easy way to take a large scale print or panel and give it a contemporary and “shattered” look.  It is done by using four repeats of the exact same image and then cutting it into squares and then rearranging the squares.  There’s still room in the class if anyone is interested in learning this fun technique.  The class will be at Jackie Lynn’s on Tuesdays, September 13 – 27, 6-8 pm.  Stop by the store to see the sample and sign up.

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Posted By Margaret on September 5, 2011

Wonderful 1 Fabric Curves class, Tuesdays, 10-25-11/15 (no 11/8) at Jackie Lynn's

Jackie Robinson fabrics for Maywood Studios

Jackie Robinson fabrics for Maywood Studios

Remember the Wonderful 1 Fabric Quilt class?  Well, author Kay Nickols has come up with a new book, Wonderful 1 Fabric Curves. So naturally, I had to try making a Wonderful 1 Fabric Curve quilt.  This quilt, like the original one, uses wallpaper stripe fabric.  It works especially well with any of the Jackie Robinson fabrics for Maywood Studios. What’s fun about this quilt is you don’t have to spend time selecting lots of coordinating fabrics.  You just find an appropriate fabric in colors you like, and then the designing fun begins.

Afternoon Delight class, Mondays 10/17 - 10-24 at Scarlet Thread

I had great fun playing with the blocks and trying to decide how to lay them out.  Just like a log cabin quilt, drunkard path block layouts are endless.  I used the same 7 1/2″ templates that we used in the Afternoon Delight class.  But you can choose other sizes and make your own templates from the ones in the back of the book.  Remember, the larger your pieces…the easier the curve is to sew.  Also, larger blocks go together faster.  The book is filled with various layouts, some which mix various size blocks.  Most of the quilts in the book are large enough for a bed-sized quilt.  I chose to make less blocks for a lap-size quilt, which you should be able to get completed by the end of class.

If you missed the Afternoon Delight class last spring, I’ll be teaching it again at the Scarlet Thread.  The pattern includes various layouts, all made with just two different template sets for two different sized blocks.  A collection of 16 fat quarters in light and dark values is all you will need to make one of these fun drunkard path quilts.  Sewing curves can be easy and fun to make.  Join us to learn how.

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Posted By Margaret on August 27, 2011

Bamboo Stix Runner

I’m doing a Gutsy Geisha pattern for a tablerunner, Bamboo Stix runner. You may remember the other Gutsy Geisha class that I did several years ago called Kaleido Circles. This runner uses the same 7 1/4″ Kaleido circle templates from Gutsy Geshia and, like a Stack-N-Whack quilt, is made from a stack of 8 identical repeats that are layered on top of each other before cutting out the pieces.  I used some of my pre-stacked stacks that were leftovers from a previous Stack-N-Whack project.

If you don’t have any leftover stacks, you can purchase 8 repeats of a large scale print and you will have enough to make a runner and also a larger project like a lap quilt using this block or another pattern for 8-repeats.

Stack-N-Whack Pinwheel

Stack-N-Whack Irish Star

If you’ve never made a Stack-n-Whack quilt before, or have forgotten how, the Stack-n-Whack Basics class is a great review.  It’s a one-day class where you learn how to select the right fabric, stack the repeats in eight layers, cut the necessary pieces to make one of two optional patterns and then piece together a block or two.  You can choose between the Stack-n-Whack Pinwheel or the Stack-n-Whack Irish Star.   The Stack-n-Whack Pinwheel is made up of large pinwheel blocks set on point and is the easier of the two projects.  The Stack-n-Whack Irish Star consists of two alternate blocks, an eight-pointed star and a nine-patch Irish chain block where the center square is “fussy” cut from your main fabric.  The eight-pointed star is much easier to make than the traditional version since there are no set-in pieces.

Stack-N-Whackier Roundabout Stars

Also this fall, I will be repeating one of my favorite classes from the book Stack-n-Whackier Quilts by Bethany Reynolds, the Stack-n-Whackier Roundabout Stars.  In this class you will surround the Stack-n-Whack octagons with two toned stars.  If you choose a fabric where the design shows through to the back side of the fabric like I did you can reverse every other piece for a true kaleidoscope effect.

So if you’ve never made a Stack-n-Whack quilt, or would like a review of this exciting process, I have several choices for you to choose from this fall.

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