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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

May 16, 2019

Live Q & A next Friday, May 24

Live Q & A

 

Updated 5/27/19– Thank you to all who tuned in! If you are a member of our group and would like to watch the replay, go to the Wise Craft Quilts Facebook group page, click on “Video” and if is the video from May 24th.

Facebook groups have been incredibly helpful to me over the past couple of years. I’ve gotten business guidance, help finding things in my community, found out about a newly released social media feature, you name it. I started the Wise Craft Quilts Facebook Group when my last book, Wise Craft Quilts, was published. Facebook Groups were emerging as a new resource for those of us who wanted to reach our audience online where they were at already. Since my group began, we have remade some of the projects in my book, live and in the group with others participating live. We have shared advice and projects, and have formed community around quilting. Its been a real source of support and enthusiasm for my work and I am so very grateful.

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