Blair Stocker, Author at Wise Craft Handmade

July 26, 2019

Facebook Live interview with Timna Tarr, Monday, July 29th

Updated: This video can be watched on the Wise Craft Youtube Channel

Join us in the Wise Craft Quilts Facebook Group for a special FB Live interview with Timna Tarr, this month’s featured Ruby Ruler™ Ambassador, on Monday, 7/29 at 11:00 PDT. I love Timna’s thinking-out-of-the-box, no nonsense approach to quilting. It is sure to be an enlightening interview!

If you are not a member of the Wise Craft Quilts FB Group, be sure to join before Monday morning so you can tune in (only members of the group can see the interview). Its free, fun, and full of inspiration!

Have a question you’d like me to ask Timna? Leave a comment on this post or in the Facebook Group and I will collect them all before the interview.

July 1, 2019

Olfa Quiltalong- 40 years of the Rotary Cutter

Did you know that 2019 is the 40 year anniversary of the invention of the Olfa rotary cutter?

Oh, how I love my rotary cutters! It is the most frequently used quilting tool on my work table. I constantly switch between different rulers and templates, but I always use my rotary cutter.

July 1, 2019

Ruby Ambassador Timna Tarr

Today I am excited to launch a brand new series that I have been working on for a couple of months. I have partnered up with a group of amazingly talented artisans, quilters, embroiderers, and sewists to launch the Ruby Ambassador series. I’m kicking off this series with one of my favorite quilting artists- Timna Tarr!

June 20, 2019

Join me at Quiltcon 2020

I will be joining the faculty of amazing instructors at Quiltcon 2020 in Austin, Texas! Happening Wednesday, February 19- Sunday, February 23.

June 12, 2019

Block of the Month and Color Value Survey

Sensory Quilt

Sensory Quilt from Wise Craft Quilts book

I am working behind the scenes on brand new online classes and would love to hear from you! Completing this 5 minute survey will help me determine what kind of content you all would be most interested in learning from me. At the end, you can add your name to my email list to be notified when these classes are ready. Thank you so much!READ MORE

June 10, 2019

Not all “light” colored fabrics are light values

I am currently making a basic thousand pyramid quilt design for our bed, and cutting lots of ” equilateral triangles. I plan to pull all of the lighter fabrics from my stash to build this design. A king sized bed takes up lots of visual room in any bedroom and I don’t want this to be an overwhelming presence. So nothing crazy. Plus, if I use all my light colored fabrics in my stash, I will have the perfect excuse to buy more, right?

When building a scrappy quilt design using the power of color value, as I plan to do, understanding that not all light colored fabrics are light in value can take your quilt to new levels. (This also applies to dark fabrics too.) Let me explain what I mean.

June 6, 2019

New #wisecraftfoundandforaged pincushions added to the shop tomorrow

Oh my! Handstitching, how I’ve missed you!

The early part of 2019 was spent being sick, Konmari’ing, and finishing up deadlines in between. I just didn’t have energy in the evenings to do any stitching at all. Once bigger projects were done, I was really happy to be able to settle into some new handwork and finish off a batch of Wise Craft Found and Foraged Pincushions.

May 31, 2019

Sasquatch Festival Quilt

I recently finished a really fun quilt commission, which has now been given to its new owner. Who is actually the founder of the Sasquatch Music Festival.

May 29, 2019

How Much Fabric Do We Need to Stash?

organized fabric stash

stash, noun: a store or supply of something, typically one that is kept hidden or secret.

We sewers usually have some sort of a fabric stash. A literal stockpile of cloth to be used for making quilts or other projects. We sketch designs on scraps of paper or we start with a pattern. We form a plan, with a sincere hope to start soon. There’s comfort in knowing that when we are ready to start, there’s a pile(s) of pretty fabric, right at our fingertips, to pull from. A fabric stash represents hope in our lives, a future of creativity! The promise of quilts.

May 24, 2019

Caroline’s Story of Just One Quilt

This video really made my day today. Jenni Smith sent me this video tale from her “Just One Quilt” video series. This is an interview with Caroline, and in it she discusses the craft of making her second quilt. Don’t you love her version of the quilt “Value” from Wise Craft Quilts. Caroline really got the essence of what his project was meant to be about. This quilt was about me wanting to create a beautiful piece of patchwork that didn’t require us to go out and buy loads of new fabrics (that’s what swapping with friends, and getting creative with our stash, is for).

It is truly not necessary to follow a pattern to the letter to create beautiful patchwork, or feel you must be super precise or exact. As Caroline says, its a lot like baking. You gain some basic skills. Get an understanding of the basic ingredients. And for goodness sake stop trying to achieve a level of perfectionism that is unrealistic (and frustrating). Begin a quilt project with this mindset and you will find success.

You just start!

Find more lovely “Just One Quilt” stories and inspiration, subscribe to Jenni’s YouTube Channel.