"Balinese" Selvage Quilt by Diane Springer!

Look at this stunning selvage quilt by Diane Springer of http://www.quiltinacup.com/ fame! She went to Bali in the spring and bought so much beautiful hand-woven, hand-dyed fabric that she had to buy a new suitcase! (We dedicated quilters just do what we have to do!)

These selvages don't have any writing on them; the pattern continues right up to the edge. I love these gorgeous deep colors. I wonder what the Balinese fabric makers would think to see what she made. What a great souvenir of her trip to Bali!

Stunning Quilt by Ellen Johnson!

The gorgeous fabric in this quilt was given to Ellen as a gift. I was delighted to see that she included the selvage. I think it adds a very nice touch. I love how the Dimples fabric looks next to her "Real Java Print." Nice job, Ellen!

This Selvage is a World Traveler!

My friend Jane Prole from Bay of Plenty, New Zealand sent me this selvage. It has traveled from China to NZ to New York, and now through Cyberspace! If you know what the writing on this selvage says, please post a Comment below or email me at karengriska@selvagequilts.com.

Jane also sent me the selvage pictured in "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" that reads: "Villas of New Zealand." Thanks, Jane!

Selvage Ornament by Helen Wolf

Are you looking for a handmade Christmas gift idea for your quilting friends? Look at what Helen Wolf came up with! Yes, she is the one who made the selvage socks. (see Archives)

This little stocking measures about 4 1/2" from the red stitch holding the ribbon in place, to the tip of the toe. The sock doesn't open at the top. The backing is green. How cute is this?

I think this ornament would be a great quilt studio decoration year-round:)

Diane Springer Sent All These Selvages!

If you have been reading your quilt magazines, including the ads in the back, you will recognize the name "Quilt in a Cup." Now there is also "Quilt in a Clock," and "Quilt in a Mousepad." (The name of the website is still: http://www.quiltinacup.com/)

Diane Springer and I became friends via Internet, and she harvested all these selvages from her stash and sent them to me! (You know how long it takes to cut all that!) My selvage stash was getting kind of "picked over," so these selvages really livened things up. They are so pretty!

Guaranteed What?

Here is one of the more interesting selvages I've seen. It says "Guaranteed Angel Wax!" Maybe that refers to the method of printing, like batik? But even so, "angel?" If you know what this means, please post a comment.

This is a detail photo of my selvage quilt "Red Zinger" which you can see in the Sept-Oct "08 issue of Quilter's Home magazine.

Gifts for Quilters - Elena's Pot-holders

When Elena made these great pot-holders, her quilting friends in NC threatened to stop giving her their selvages unless she made some for them! They will just have to wait until Christmas...which isn't that far away if you are thinking of handmade gifts. Other cool ideas are: selvage pin-cushions (see Archives) and selvage pillows (see http://www.selvagequilts.com/ workshops).

Email photos of what you make so we can all be inspired.

P.S. Did you notice that (like Elvis and Oprah) Elena needs no last name when it comes to selvage quilting? Way to go Elena!

Easy Selvage Vest!

Using a purchased pattern (McCalls 1-hour vest, pattern #2260, $12.50), cut the two front pieces and the back of the vest from muslin. Cover with selvages, starting from the bottom and working upward. Attach the fronts to the back by sewing the two shoulder seams. I didn't bother with facings, but fully lined the vest instead.

Cut the lining fabric from the same pattern pieces used for the outside of the vest. Attach the fronts to the back at the shoulders.

Putting right sides of the vest and the lining together, sew the long neckline seam and the armhole seams. Trim seams, and clip around curves. Turn the vest right side out by pulling the fronts through the shoulders, toward the back of the vest. Then sew the side seams. There is a diagram of this in the pattern. A picture is worth a thousand words if you haven't done this before!

You may want to add some buttons or other closure, but I left it open.

This is definitely an attention-grabber at a quilt show!

Newest Creation by Elena McDowell!

Yes, Elena McDowell just whipped up this stunning selvage purse! Isn't it a beauty? I love how the selvages stand out against the black, and the gathers near the top are truly elegant.

Take a look at the beautiful fabric she chose for the lining.

I think Elena is the Vera Wang of the selvage world!

Selvage Pot-holders for My Sister Lynne

I made these 4 pot-holders for my sister Lynne yesterday. She will definitely be surprised because her birthday was in May! The backing fabrics by Martha Negley are just right, I think. I love black and white striped binding on selvage quilts. The loops were crocheted with acrylic yarn.

When we were little, my sisters and I used to make each other gifts for Christmas and birthdays, so this project made me smile. Lynne is a great cook, so I hope she uses these up!

(Click to ENLARGE)

Elena's Quilted Triangle Carry-All Bag!

You can buy this stunning bag on etsy! Visit: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13985121 From the "Selvage Collection," this Quilted Triangle carry-all bag measures 9" x 9" x 9." It is lined, quilted, and fitted with a 9" vintage zipper (recycled). And of course it has a handle, although you can't see it in this photo.

These are made by superstar selvage quilter Elena McDowell. I received mine today and I love it!

Meet Ellen Johnson of Chalfont, PA

My friend Ellen Johnson is a talented and prolific quilter whose specialty is African style quilts. I love how she combined her selvages with African prints and some red fabric for a look that is uniquely Ellen. Nice job!

"Come Quilt With Me" Tumbler Template

One of my favorite quilt show vendors is Pat Yamin of "Come Quilt With Me." (She is also a founding member of my guild, Empire Quilters in Manhattan, and an AQS author.) I made this quilt for Pat using her new tumbler template. The template is about 7 inches tall and if you ask, she'll include the pattern that I wrote for this quilt.

Look for Pat at the AQS Quilt Show in Nashville this month. Her booth will be right across from the AQS booth. Stop and say hi. She will have this tumbler quilt on display.

The photo in the middle shows how you can add interest to a selvage quilt by including images like the gingerbread men and cupcakes. In the bottom photo, notice how the white dots on black add sparkle. That is not even a selvage; it's just a strip of fabric, folded along the bottom edge!

Selvage Tote with Good "Lines"

Barbara Harrison is a dear quilting friend of mine. Her art education supercharges her quilting and benefits all who share her joyful creative journey.

I love how she arranged the selvages at the base of this bag. She uses a lot of Provencal fabrics; you can see some here. The acid green (button) paired with raspberry fabrics is another of her trademarks.

Barbara and Helen Wolf co-founded the Charm Girls quilt group and they are active in the Doylestown, PA quilt scene. They have created some outstanding historical quilts for fundraising events.

Selvage socks? Now you've seen everything!

When I told Helen Wolf (Charm Girls co-founder) that I was making a selvage vest, she made these selvage socks and gave them to me for my birthday! We all laughed so hard! Helen is a dear friend who is full of energy, enthusiasm and great ideas. Her specialty at the moment is making quilts with Asian fabrics.

Helen also started the long-running Wolf Gang quilt group.

New "Quilter's Home" Features Red Zinger Selvage Quilt!

The new Sept/Oct issue is hot off the presses! It's full of good stuff, but take a look at page 48 first. It's my "Red Zinger" selvage quilt!

When Mark Lipinski spoke to the Empire Quilters, he said he didn't like it when quilt magazines "dumbed down" the quilt patterns. So, when he asked me to make a quilt and a pattern for his magazine, I pulled out all the stops. I challenged myself to come up with something above and beyond what I had already done. This quilt isn't hard to make, it just looks like it! That's because there is a bit of an optical illusion.

Take a look. If you make your version of this quilt, email a photo to this blog at karengriska@selvagequilts.com. Or maybe you will take it to the next level!

Mark Lipinski Visits Empire Quilters in NYC

I wanted to show you the whole "Selvage Basket" quilt that the Charm Girls are holding in a previous post (scroll down to July posts). This is the quilt that I gave to Mark Lipinski of Quilter's Home magazine.

Yes, I know he visited our guild back in January, but I really like that photo and I wanted to post it to this new blog. So here it is, out of sequence, but part of selvage quilt history:)

Mark certainly is a source of energy, encouragement and humor in the quilting world!

New Wall Quilt by Elena McDowell

Accomplished selvage quilter Elena McDowell has made this beautiful wall quilt measuring 15" x 37." See the June 2008 Archives for more photos of her selvage creations. She is also the "Mom" of Mr. Socks, whose portrait you can see in the right hand margin of this blog.

Elena has agreed to make a selvage item for the owner of her local quilt shop, Wish Upon a Quilt, in Raleigh, NC (http://www.wishuponaquilt.com/) in exchange for all the shop owner's selvages! Now that's what I call a "win-win" situation!

This quilt is for sale on etsy! Visit: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13900076

Meet June Calender of New York City!

June Calender and I are both members of the Empire Quilters guild. We meet at the Fashion Institute which I think is pretty cool. I like to see the live fashion show as I walk to and from the meetings. (I tried to share half of my chicken salad sandwich with a very thin model one day at Starbucks. No luck, but we had a nice chat.)

June has been saving selvages for a long time, and now she is making a reversible quilt with selvages on one side. She is quilting the blocks as she adds selvages. Each of the blocks in the photo already has batting and backing. I guess if it's reversible, you can't really call it "backing." I will be intrested to see how she attaches all the blocks. Notice how she uses only the white stripe; very little of the printed fabric shows. You can read about her quilting projects, travels, and thoughts on her blog: http://www.calenderpages.blogspot.com/.

Selvage Pillow for Gail Kessler

If you have been looking at selvages lately, you probably recognize the name Gail Kessler. She is with Andover Fabrics and designed the Dimples line which is printed in a gazillion pretty colors. She has many other designs to her name as well! PA quilters, check out her quilt shop called "Ladyfingers" in Oley, PA.

I had so many of her selvages that I made her a pillow featuring them. I like this arrangement of selvages. I started by sewing the short selvages along the top of the foundation fabric. Then, I added the long selvages horizontally, starting at the bottom. When I reached the short vertical selvages, I made sure their raw edges were covered by the last horizontal selvage. I folded the last long selvage over and top-stitched to finish the pillow top. The backing is a black and white print. She displays this pillow in her studio:)