Just Stick with the Candy!

I hope you will forgive me, but this really cracked me up! Tomorrow we'll be back to selvages!

String Zinger - Created by Jean Lee

This lovely string quilt was made by Jean Lee of NJ. She saw the pattern for the Red Zinger selvage quilt in Quilter's Home magazine and decided to make a string quilt version. (By the way, that means she used the "stitch and flip" method of attaching a huge variety of scaps to her foundation fabric. And narrow strips they are!) The result is just beautiful. Nice work, Jean:)

Jean and her friend Silvia get together regularly to quilt. Now we want to know what they are going to do with their selvages!

Possibly the Strangest Fabric Ever!

I guess you could call this "shirting," if you think anyone would want to sport a shirt decorated with skewered grasshoppers. (Well, I do know some guys who would like that, come to think of it!) I don't know what this image has to do with 1870-1890. If you know, please post a comment!

This selvage photo was contributed by Elena McDowell from Raleigh, NC. She sees a lot of selvages, and she's keeping a keen eye out for the "good ones" for us. Thanks, Elena:)

It makes you want to check out her work at: www.quiltsbyelena.com and www.carolinasquirrel.etsy.com.

Selvage Block Makes Me Smile:)

Here is a lighthearted little selvage surprise! I keep a seperate stash of interesting selvages to spice up the less interesting ones. Remember to email photos of your selvage creations to me at karengriska@selvagequilts.com. We want to see what you are up to!

"That's Close Enough...I guess!"

Someone was having a hard day at work when they printed this fabric, or I should say, "tried to print this fabric." These color windows and registration marks are all over the place! Do you think it was a machine malfunction or a three-martini lunch?

This great photo is from Brenda in Manitoba, Canada. You recently saw her house blocks with words on them. Visit her blog at: http://www.scrapsandstrings.blogspot.com/. She is one creative lady!

Selvage Quilt Juried into AQS Des Moines Show!

This selvage quilt was made by Alice Weickelt of Fall Creek, WI. She calls it "Salvaging Selvedges III." It was part of the AQS Show in Des Moines this month! And it is quite a beauty.

Doris, a quilter and blogger in Des Moines took this photo (visit: http://www.threadsofconversation.blogspot.com/). She thought she didn't much like selvage quilts until she saw this one. Now Doris says she is collecting selvages. That's how it all starts, Doris!

New Class Starting: "Go Green With Selvage Quilts"

Take a look at this stunning selvage quilt from Chris Dahl of Quilting Weekly! If you want to try your hand at making a quilt like this one, or one of 3 other beautiful projects, visit http://www.quiltingweekly.com/. Classes are starting soon, and they're held online so you don't even have to leave your sewing room! And you won't be lonesome; there is a live forum so you can interact with others while you work at your own pace, when it's convenient for you.

I've spent some time browsing this site, and I highly recommend it. The ideas are fresh and creative. Even experienced quilters are bound to get some great ideas. The best part is that you can take a free class to see how you like it first. Then there's a small fee for additional classes, like this one. Get free weekly quilting tips, monthly newsletters, participate in weekly discussions and more.

If you have any questions just email Chris at chris@quiltingweekly.com.

Remember to email photos to the Selvage Blog so we can all see what you made!

Behind the Scenes at Quilting Weekly

These are some of the arrangements that Chris considered before settling on the one shown in the post above. The bold fabric that she used with the selvages looks great! Nice job, Chris :)

Liberated Selvage Quilt by Margie Fisher!

This charming selvage quilt was made by Margie Fisher of Thousand Oaks, CA. She made it in the style of Gwen Marston's liberated quilts: carefree and improvisational. This quilt is not all selvages, just a touch. So pretty, Margie!

Lots of Text on this Quilt!

This is the front of Ellen Johnson's French themed quilt. You can see the fantastic backing in yesterday's post. She made this quilt for her daughter who collected the panels. But first it will be exhibited at the Mercer Museum (Doylestown, PA) as part of the Friendly Quilters' Quilt Show, January-March 1, 2009. The center panel started out as a dish towel. I like how she added red in the center, and the sashing fabric is perfect. The chat noir in the lower right corner is keeping an eye on things!

This quilt was beautifully machine quilted by Ruth Stoneseifer.

Talk About Quilts With Words!

It seems we selvage quilters are also getting interested in using fabrics with the printed word on them. This is the back of a quilt made by my friend Ellen Johnson of Chalfont, PA. The fabric is completely covered with French text! It's perfect as backing because this started out as a bed sheet (from a catalog), so there is no seam interrupting the text! I love quilts with writing. Even if I don't know what it says! I'm better at "See Jane run. Run. Run. Run." That's not redundant; it's reassuring!

This quilt was beautifully machine quilted by Ruth Stoneseifer.

Fonts on Quilts

This month we have been looking at fabrics with nice fonts, and quilts with writing on them (and not just selvages). I remember learning to read in first grade using the "Dick, Jane and Sally" readers, so this quilt block really spoke to my heart:) I love the color combination too.

This block was made by Brenda in Manitoba, Canada. She is making nine house blocks for a quilting class. You can check out her blog at: www.scrapsandstrings.blogspot.com. She has some great quilts on her blog.

I See a Monkey!

Isn't this a great selvage arrangement? I like how the monkey is peeking out from the center of this block. (That was not an accident!) This is the equivalent of an "I Spy" selvage quilt.

African Star Selvage Quilt!

This stunning quilt was made by Ellen Johnson of Chalfont, PA. She is a member of the Charm Girls Guild, the Friendly Quilters, and County Line Quilters. This photo was taken at a quilt show, which explains the white card attached to the quilt. I love how she puts it all together; her quilts are exquisite!

Beautiful Blue Postcards

Check out these stunning selvage postcards made by Elena McDowell of NC. I love how she adds a splash of red in the sea of blue selvages. Notice the "shaggy" selvages on both postcards. And I like the big flowers too. She has such a killer selvage stash! Look at those selvages: Califon, Westminster, American Folk Art Museum, and even one that says "Happy Holidays." Bravo, Elena!

Quilter Finds New Obsession!

Quilter Elizabeth Hartman has a new obsession, selvages. Well, we understand, Elizabeth! She was particularly inspired by Jodie's selvage dress. So she cut this big pile of selvages and is now pondering the possibilities. I see she likes the selvages arranged tightly together (showing little or none of the fabric's print) like June Calender and May Britt. Stay tuned to see what develops:)

Visit Elizabeth's blog at www.ohfransson.com.

Delightful Selvage Bucket

How does she do it? It seems Elena McDowell of Raleigh, NC can make a selvage version of anything! Next thing you know, she'll be making selvage shoes! I love the black and white batik fabric; it looks like bobbins.

This would make a stunning quilt studio decoration!

Take a look at her website and etsy page (like eBay, but for artsy things) to see more of her amazing selvage and quilty creations: http://www.quiltsbyelena.com/ and http://www.carolinasquirrel.etsy.com/.

See Genius/Artist/Quilter Jodie Carleton's Creation!!

Genius/artist/quilter, Jodie Carleton of Australia, created this breathtaking selvage dress! I am speechless with wonder and joyous admiration, so go directly to her blog for more photos and info at:

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-selvedge-project.html

Last Chance to See the Red Zinger Selvage Quilt!

The pattern for this "Red Zinger" selvage quilt is in the current September/October issue of "Quilter's Home" magazine. The next issue will be arriving on the shelves soon, so if you haven't seen this yet, better get moving!

This quilt is not as hard to make as it looks. Give it a try. If you make one, email a photo to karengriska@selvagequilts.com so I can post it here on the blog. This is one of my favorite selvage quilts.

Join Me on this Trip to NYC!

On Saturday I went to NYC for my Empire Quilters Guild meeting. While riding the train I decided to take some photos to share with you. There are always many interesting things to see along the way.

There are 6 individual posts for today. Please don't ask me to explain why:)

At Grand Central there was an exhibit featuring Italian design. This amazing gown was made for Queen Elizabeth by Italian designer Katia Ricciarelli.

In this close-up you can see huge pearls in the skirt. There is an excellent book that shows how to gather fabric into patterns like this (and much more), called "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolf.
Stepping outside of Grand Central onto 42nd Street the city looked so pretty in the morning light.

NYC - Part 2

This is the outside of Grand Central; you can see the big arched windows that are so well-known from the inside. Light is reflecting off a nearby building.
Did you know that taxi cabs have tv screens now? The left hand side of the screen has a map of the city with a little red "You Are Here" marker that moves as you ride along. You can push a button for News, Weather, etc. They also accept credit cards (see the thingy above and to the left of the tv screen). I guess you can close the sliding window between the front and back seats if you want to have a private conversation.
I thought it was interesting to see the Manhattan version of Staples.
Visitors take photos from these open-air sight-seeing busses. Little do they know that the locals are taking their picture!

It seems everyone had a camera Saturday!

NYC - Part 3

Have you ever seen a parking lot like this? I like the name of this place, "Park Fast." I don't think so! And if you notice the "$25" sign, don't assume that's for a whole day! That's for the first half hour. Seriously.
I thought this was an interesting scene. The giant tv screen kept changing scenes and nobody on the sidewalk seemed to notice:)
The buildings looked so shiny and clean in Times Square.
When I saw this lady in Times Square, I said "Oh! Can I take your picture?" And she sportingly said, "Of course!" Check out the red, blue, and shocking neon yellow hair. (Like you didn't notice that.) I don't know if she was in a show and just left to get some coffee or what.

NYC - Part 4

These ladies were waiting to cross the street when I noticed this stunning shawl. The flowers are all embroidered, and there is some nice long crocheted fringe along the bottom. She is carrying a pretty fancy bag, too.




















Back at the Grand Central Dining Concourse I noticed another very interesting hair-do. I was very discreet taking my photo from a distance (while appearing to concentrate on ther things). Believe me, your computer monitor is not capable of conveying the intensity of this orange. Quite stunning, in it's own way.

NYC - Part 5, My Crazy Quilt

This is my crazy quilt that I shared at Show-n-Tell at the Empirre Quilters guild meeting. You'll see more of this quilt in a new website for quilters that I will be telling you about soon. The quilt was made from silk and cotton fabrics; it's machine pieced, and hand embroidered and beaded. (The butterflies are part of the purchased brocade fabric.) I love the fans in the corners.