Last Updated: 05/03/03	NEWSLeTTeR Vol. II, No. IX, September, 2002 (Updated monthly.  Not available by subscription)     GREETINGS!!!!....
Home Photo Gallery Free BOM Patterns Misc 4 Sale Long Arm Patterns Links Order Form Ask Granny

YES---I'm Back from Vacation!!

The fun's over!! --Actually now the fun begins!!

Like my own Simple Scrappy Pleasures quilt?  Just got it back from the quilters this week.  Put the binding on and tacked it up over the couch to photograph it, and decided it would stay there.  (I did drape it behind the couch later).  I was suppose to give it to my grandkid's babysitter, BUT, I just can't part with it.  Here's a close up of the quilting, meandering all over again.  Some quilts  are good for that, and others aren't.  They quilted this with a khaki-colored thread, so it blended well with all the plaid fabrics.

I think I used up every thread of homespun and plaids I had.  Almost didn't have enough left to bind it with.  For the backing, I used all the large pieces of leftover plaids that were in the quilt.  Really adds to have a scrappy back too.  Another "good thing" to do with the leftovers (if there are any) is make a storage bag for the quilt.  Just throw all the pieces together into a patchwork bag.  No need to make it an organized pattern, just make it about the size of a pillowcase, 20 x 45, and put a drawstring on the open end.  Store your quilt in it when not in use.  If you stack them in the top of the closet, you will know at a glance which one is in the bag.  

Oh, yes--I almost forgot until she called today.  A very nice lady from Alaska, named Sharon Caligan, is holding a quilting retreat up there in October, I believe.  She sent me a nice picture of her Simple Scrappy Quilt that she did herself and that they are going to do as a group on this retreat.  Here's her twist on my pattern.  She substituted blocks wherever she wanted to.  Like her log cabin block is a much more "challenging" one.  And for her house block, she used a schoolhouse block.  And her tree is one that is a little more intricate.  Here's her picture she sent.  Isn't that great?  Who says you have to follow a pattern exactly anyway??  She has some other "adjustments" she has made, too.  I'll bet they are going to have fun on that retreat!

Well, I have enjoyed my vacation, and Granny has too!! 

 First, in June, I made a homeland pride patriotic quilt for the 4th of July.  And all summer I have been in a swap with some ladies on a forum.  I usually can't do such luxuries thru the year, and still maintain a business that is.  Here's a picture of one of my basket swap blocks.  I have until Sept 7 to get all 12 done.  As of today I still have 3 left to do.  EEK!

The little flowers are English paper pieced.  And, of course, that's one of my Basket Beauties patterns for the basket.  

Next I have been playing with my new Electric Quilt 5 that came out June 1.  It's really super to work with.  But I feel like I'm going back to school trying to adjust and learn all over again how to use it.  It took me a while just to figure out how to transfer over all my block designs and put them in the new block libraries.  Some I managed to get transferred, but I'm still working on others.  I think the best part about the new EQ5 is the layout libraries and the fabric palette libraries.  I spend most of my designing time just trying to make decisions from all the vast choices of fabrics it now has.  It's like being in a really huge quilt shop with 100,000 bolts of fabrics to choose from!  

And finally, I have been doing some design work.  Have pieced my own Cobblestone quilt.  Also have a luncheon set pattern coming out in the next few weeks.  Here's the details:

What's New?

  NICKEL COBBLESTONES  

  This one is sooooo much fun to make!! The idea is that you can make this quilt from a stack of 5" squares, hence the "nickel" name.  Five 5" squares makes an 8" block of 4 "stones".  Simple enough for beginners, too.

   Also included are 3 horizontal layouts and 1 on-point layout, and 1 on-point baby-size layout.  I recently finished my own that looks almost exactly like this one on the right, and have started cutting out the baby size one using bright crayon colors. 

I'm planning to appliqué flowering vines on the dark gray borders as soon as I can find the time. 

 This time I think I will go back to using a fusible agent instead of hand appliqué.  Haven't done that in a long time, so I'll have to re-think it.  

Should look something like this when I get it done:

   Working on a luncheon set--table runner and 4 placemats with miniature basket blocks in them.  Hopefully, that will be next months free project.  We'll see.

Oh, yes---this month's free block of the month is the Kansas Troubles project.  This would be great for all you forum swappers out there.  10 Block patterns based on the "Oz" theme!  I just got mine back from the machine quilters, but don't have the binding on yet.  Had them quilt it with "Baptist Fans" using a rainbow-colored variegated thread.  (For those who don't know what that is, it's an old traditional semi-circle shaped quilting design frequently used on group church quilts, hence the name.  Some call them by other denominations too.)  Hope to post the picture on next month's newsletter.  

Site seeing, anyone?

http://www.beyondtherainbow2oz.com/sisters.html  Munchkin Land in Miniature! 

http://www.piecefulacrepatterns.com/items_quilters_use_not_purchased.htm  Very useful items everyone should use, and they don't come from quilt shops.  Good tips!

http://www.2sabroads.com/buy.html  How much does it cost to make a quilt?

http://spacefem.com/uselessquiz/index.shtml  The most useless quiz ever!  I am a fatigued lady bug resting on a tacky floral throw pillow!  This will be THE LAST QUIZ I post on here.  I hope.

http://www.jeannesquilting.com/guestgallery20.html  Jeanne Prue gave us a page on her guest gallery!

http://www.millan.net/funp/60/momdictionary.htm  A very clever resource for all mommy's out there!

Thank you all for being patient with me and allowing me the summer off.  I'm now well rested and all psyched up and ready to go!

May you always have a quilt in the hoop, I try to.                            

Cya,                                                       
Claudia
August 31, 2002

    ARCHIVES:
August, 2001- Premiere Issue:  Explanation of Website Categories, Picture of Author
September, 200l - Eden Mennonite Sewing Society, Oklahoma MCC Relief Sale Link, New House Hunting Pattern, New Ozark Mountain Night Pattern, Call for Guest Gallery
October, 2001 - Plett's Plot, Sewing Society Follow Up, New Quilter's Alphabet Pattern, New My Stars & Bars Pattern, Free Block of the Month Project - House Hunting
November, 2001 - HenryCat, My Stars & Bars Free Block of the Month, New Easy Eights Pattern, Granny's Tip of the Month
December, 2001 - MCC Relief Sale, Enid, Oklahoma; Quilter's Corner, Auction Bay, Featured Quilt, Other Quilts, 10,000 Villages, Twilling, Finished Simply Amish Quilt, Free Block of the Month - Easy 8's, New Heart Trio Pattern - Appliqué 
January, 2002 - New Year's Resolution;  Website Reviews: Bead Creative, Quilting with a Passion, Webshots, Lancaster Gen. Store, others; Quilters Mall Crawl; Free Block of the Month - Calendar Blocks
February, 2002 - Grandma's Buttons Lap Quilt, weather box, Quilt University.Com, Fran Iverson Gonzalez, Hawaiian Ice Breaker, Paypal Added, Connecting Threads, New Pattern - Proud Mamas, Free Block of the Month - Heart Trio Table Runner
March, 2002 - Twilling Quilt Update, Quilt Car, Worm Song, Alex Anderson's Chat Room, Out with Henry, In with Frosty, Free Block of the Month - Simple Scrappy Pleasures.
April, 2002 - Finished Shadow Quilt Top, Yoyo Site, equiltessence.com, Snoopy Dance, What Muppet are You?, Free Block of the Month - Proud Mamas, In the Works - Train Quilt & 9-Patch Wonders
May, 2002 - Nite-Nite Express Quilt & new pattern, Mr. Skunk, Frosty Update, End of the Internet Site, Sewing Genie Review, Ground Zero Quilt Site, Internet Bumper Stickers Site, What Simpson are You?, Crazy Horse Site, 9-Patch Wonders new pattern and free BOM, New Logo
June, 2002 - Eden Mennonite's Broken Star, Stack & Slash Tutorial, Gauge your Age, T-Shirt Quilts, What Storybook Character are You?, Holiday/Birthday List Link, Vacation Notice, Quilt Index. Com Mall Crawl
July, 2002 - Our mention in Quilters' Newsletter Magazine, Diana's 9-Patch Wonder Recipe #3, Diana's Simple Scrappy Wall Hanging, Fractal Quilts Link, What Vegetable R U?, Smiley Reference Link
August, 2002 - Homeland Pride Quilt, Winsome Wildflowers Quilt, Gag Gifts Link, What's Your Inner Flower?, Quilters' Survey, Fireworks Link, WWQP Pattern Search Link, Funny Valentine Link, Kansas Trouble Quilt Pattern

Return to current newsletter

(Copyright © 2001, 2002 Claudia E. Plett, all rights reserved)

home........free BOM.......tip of the month.........patterns........misc 4 sale........
long arm patterns........links........order form........ask granny........gallery