Giveaway at Quiltmaker!

Diane Harris at Quiltmaker magazine is having a giveaway. Click over here: http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2009/06/26/selvage-obsession-giveaway/ to win the quilt block above (made by me for Quiltmaker magazine) and a copy of my selvage book. All you have to do is post a Comment on her site today. Good luck. :)

I really like that block. Click on the photo in the sidebar here at the Selvage Blog to see how easy it is to make fast flying geese (in case you don't win).

Another Quilter Takes the Plunge!

Kerry Leslie in Alberta, Canada is a quilter who especially likes crazy quilts and embroidery. She decided to give selvages a try and she really likes it. This pot-holder is her first project. She made it for an exchange, so now I guess she'll have to make another one to keep. That's how these things go; you start small, then before long you need to buy selvages!

Take a look at Kerry's blog at: http://kerrykatiecakes2.blogspot.com/ She and her husband spend summers at the lake, so you'll see some nature photos too. If you click on her "Complete Profile," you'll see that she follows a huge list of interesting blogs!

Best Selvages Anywhere!

Bunny's Designs is the U.S. Distributor for Cosmo Textile Co., Ltd. This is a Japanese company whose fabrics have the best selvages I have ever seen! Instead of simple color-window dots they use interesting shapes like ice cream cones and rockets. I like that little sewing machine image (below). Now this can really spice up a selvage quilt!

"Thank you" to Angela Milliman, owner of Bunny's Designs for these awesome selvages! They will go front and center in a special project.

Visit Angela's website to see more: www.bunnysdesigns.com.

Selvage Snack Bags from Kathi Price

Kathi Price of Texas is making earth-friendly bags for sandwiches and snacks. These are so pretty I would actually use these! Isn't that binding fabric perfect? And I like the "Dick, Jane and Sally" fabric in the top photo. Nice job, Kathi!

Check out her sites below:

http://kathiskreations.blogspot.com/
http://kathip22.etsy.com/
http://twitter.com/kathip22
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathis-Kreations/48640534442?ref=mf

Package Arrived from the Fabric Square Shop

Don't you love to get a package of fabrics in the mail? (Or by any other method?) These pre-cut collections arrived today from the Fabric Square Shop.

Below is "Oh-Cherry-Oh" by Me & My Sister Designs from Moda. I have lots of 1940-1950's-ish fabrics in my stash, and I'll add these to the mix to make some string quilts. That's the original plan anyway. We'll see what happens!

And I love all the Westminster/Rowan fabrics by Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, Martha Negley and those folks in the UK. All the colors and huge cabbage roses make me happy. I might just use these 6 1/2" squares "as is" for a simple one-patch quilt.

The 1930's style collection below is "Hello Betty" from Chloe's Closet by Moda. This is a layer cake (40 squares measuring 10" x 10"). I'm thinking about making some fast half-square triangles to create a baby quilt for the arrival of a friend's grand-daughter. The pinks and greens are a little brighter in real life than they appear in the photo.

Do you think my husband can expect a home-cooked meal tonight? Not likely! Happy quilting.

Take a look at Laura Sampsel's pre-cut quilt fabric collections. She'll be restocking her selvage strip packages for sale too.

Website
http://www.fabricsquareshop.com/shop/

eBay Store
http://stores.ebay.com/Materialgirlchic-Fabric-Square-Shop

Etsy Shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5616898

Selvage Inchies from Canada

Canadian textile artist Jill Buckley has been making tiny quilts that she calls "inchies," using a variety of techniques. Take a look at her blog: http://www.thequiltrat.blogspot.com/. You can click on her photos to zoom in for a better look. See the selvage inchies? Perfect!

Jill says this goes to show that a small selvage stash is no excuse for not making a selvage quilt.

Here is a sample of the eclectic stuff you can see on her blog: (above) some amazing junk yard art that she photographed, and (below) one of her toy sewing machines. Also see her swirl quilt blocks. Her blog is lots of fun!

Personalized Cell Phone

Jocelyn customized her cell phone case so she and her husband wouldn't get their cell phones mixed up. I think this is going to work, don't you?

Did you visit Jocelyn's blog yesterday? (She made that pretty doll apron on the dressmaker stand.) Her blog is: http://happycottagequilter.blogspot.com/

Tiny Doll Apron from Selvages!

Jocelyn at the Happy Cottage Quilter blog made this charming doll apron to display on her little dress-maker form. Isn't it creative? This would make such an artistic quilt studio decoration. I love how the four little pink buttons add a finishing touch. They're the same size as the color windows on the selvages. And that tiny ric-rac...perfect!

Visit her blog at: www.happycottagequilter.blogspot.com.

Custom Tape is Available!

Did you know that you can order your own custom tape on Etsy? You can choose the font, the spacing, and everything. Wouldn't this look good combined with selvages?

Sonya of Australia says this is her new favorite thing. It's worth going to her blog just to catch her enthusiasm about it: http://www.sagoontuesdays.blogspot.com/. Great find, Sonya! Thanks.

Here's the link to Lilla Lotta's Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5283204
The variety of her tape inventory is amazing. Take a look.

Art from Architectural Artifacts

I've been in Nashville, Tennessee tending to family needs. But I did take time to visit an arts and crafts show in Centennial Park. When I saw this vendor, I had to take some pictures to share with you. These little characters made from architectural artifacts make me smile. The torso above is an antique toaster. I like the socks too.

The vendors are Patti and Bob Stern of "The Perfect View." You can visit their website at: www.theperfectview.com. They are located in Moreland Hills, Ohio, and you can see them at shows like these around the country.

Then we visited the Cheesecake Factory, one of my all time favorite restaurants. Usually the entree is so wonderful that there's no room for dessert, but this time we went just for dessert. Our son ordered this "30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake," and it was even better than it looks. It probably has enough calories to fuel a whole soccer team for a day but that's okay now and then.

June Calender's Latest Selvage Quilt

June Calender is a member of Empire Quilters in NYC. She is always up to something interesting like traveling to Africa and creating beautiful things with selvages. She made a reversible selvage quilt, a pretty selvage jacket and a big series of selvage postcards. Click on "June Calender" in the Index to see all these projects, or visit her blog at www.calenderpages.blogspot.com. Nice job, June!

Classic Log Cabin Quilt - Selvage Variation

I made this quilt in 2005 for the book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge." With this project, I was happy to discover that selvages could be used to create a satisfying traditional style quilt.

This quilt is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Cut muslin foundation squares 12" x 12," or whatever size you like. Cut red squares 2 1/2." Place a red square in the center of a muslin square (by eye).

Cut the first selvage a little longer than the 2 1/2." For the first 4 logs, use selvages that have a white stripe so that it will be nice and sharp next to the red. Place it along one side of the red square, overlapping the red a quarter inch or so. Topstitch along the bound edge of the selvage. Moving in a clockwise direction, rotate around the center square placing and topstitching selvages.

It isn't necessary that the selvages be all the same width. Some blocks will have more or less "logs." The key is the placement of dark and light selvages. It might help to make a pile of darks and a pile of lights before starting. This is so relaxing.

Selvage quilts are machine washable and dryable, so this can be a useable quilt, not just a conversation throw. Have fun.

Mountain Laurel (aka: Spoonwood)

I love Mountain Laurel, and it's at it's peak right now in Connecticut. The buds have such a pretty star shape, and the flowers look like little cups with 10 indentations. Growing up in CT, I spent a lot of time playing with these flowers and watching them float in water like tiny boats.

This is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. I planted this little shrub a month ago on our building lot in CT, and took this photo to show you. I plan to plant tons of it.

Do you have a favorite flower from childhood?

Have You Seen These?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these "shoes!" I didn't try them on but the salesman said customers have told him they're comfortable. They look like they'd provide great traction. Very frog-like.

This doesn't have a thing to do with selvages, but people who would sit in the "Onion Chair" need to know about these things. (See sidebar if you don't know about the Onion Chair.)

Stefanie Roman's Mini Selvage Quilt

Stefanie Roman made her first selvage quilt using the selvage edges from a Moda jelly roll. What a nice coordinated look; not as scrappy as most selvage creations. Nice job, Stefanie!

Take a look at her blog: http://quiltbuddy.blogspot.com/

Selina's Softie has a Selvage Dress

Selina loves chenille. Everything she sees, she wonders how she can make it better with chenille! This is her first attempt at making a softie, and I love it. Especially the dress with those two bows at the shoulders. And the ears. Nice job!

You can see lots of creative ideas on Selina's blog: http://selinasvintage.blogspot.com/ She lives in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Julie's Selvage Lanyard and Photo of Victoria, Aus.

Julie of Victoria, Australia made this pretty lanyard using ready made bias tape and bits of selvage with color windows. Some of the bias tape shows on the front because she didn't want to include the prints from all the fabrics, just the white stripe and the dots. Very nice, Julie.

See Julie's blog at: http://juliespp.blogspot.com/ It's full of interesting things to see.

Julie is a stay-at-home mom with a husband and two children (ages 5 and 1). They live on a small farm in rural Victoria. The photo below was on her blog and I thought you'd like to see it.

That sure looks different from where I live! Maybe we should have an exhibit of photos showing what it looks like in the areas of the world where we live! What do you think?

A Selvage Curiousity!

Selvage quilter Kathy Hart keeps a keen eye out when she's dealing with selvages! You know how we say that the maximum number of color windows on a fabric is 18? (That's how you know if you're a selvage nut, and now you all know it and are...well, back to the story). Kathy saw that this fabric seemed to have 24 color windows, but wait! There are six blank circles between 9 and 16, so we're back to 18!

Don't you just love a mystery? I will try to get to the bottom of this pressing question and report back to you. How many of us have been sewing merrily along using Moda's Funky Monkey fabric, not realizing that there was something strange going on! Thanks, Kathy!

Happy Tape by Shinzi Katou

This tape is by Shinzi Katou of Japan, a Zakka Designer. He creates happy and delightful things of everyday life.

The little Humpty-Dumpty character on this tape caught my eye at a Quilt Show. I think it's called "Egg Cup." It will be very compatible with selvages. There are lots more designs, all at $5/yard.

Vendor "fibernotion" of 849 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY had an excellent display of tempting merchandise. See their website at: http://www.fibernotion.com/ for fabrics, fibers, notions aand crafts.

Heather Bailey Does it Again

Heather Bailey is so creative, she just blows my socks off. She made several outfits for two daughters of a friend, using fabric that she designed called Rose Bouquet, a print from Pop Garden. She also made hats to go with the outfits! You can see all this on her blog at:
http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/.

But here's the best part: she says it's "easy-peasy" to create the shirts. Use fusible applique to apply a flower motif from the fabric to a store-bought tee-shirt. After fusing, she machine sewed around the edges using a ball-point needle so it wouldn't poke holes. Is that cool or what?

Artful Whales from Selvages!

Akiko Kunst of Massachusetts made this amazing whale, an incredible piece of selvage art indeed! The black button eyes are perfect, as are the color windows (they look bubbly).

Her friend Cathy, owner of the Charlton Sewing Center in Charlton, MA has been saving selvages for Akiko and she's wondering what Akiko is doing with them. Just wait 'til she sees this! Bravo, Akiko!

I'd love to see Akiko write a book showing how to make a variety of soft sculpture selvage creations, wouldn't you?

Debra's Selvage Bags

Debra Posthumus of Terre Haute, Indiana has been thinking about selvages for a while. She finally harvested the selvages from her stash and made this large tote bag and three small zippered selvage bags (one is for her daughter).

Note the selvage covered button in the top photo, and the embroidered chick on the little bag at the bottom of the last photo (on the blue patch). Nice touches! I like how she pieced the bag, using selvages just at the top. Nice work, Debra!

Debra has a brand new blog: http://www.quiltchicksrule.blogspot.com/.

Meet Sarah from New Zealand

Sarah is a stay-at-home mom with a husband and 4 young daughters in Auckland, NZ. She is also a quilter/blogger, and her "trademark" is red gingham. She made a crochet hook holder for her grandmother, then decided to make a selvage version for herself. Isn't this pretty? Notice how she added a bit of red gingham among all the selvages.

Sarah said her grandmother chuckled when she saw the selvage version. I think that's a good thing, but if you get a clarification on that, Sarah, let us know! You'll enjoy Sarah's blog: http://sarah-redgingham.blogspot.com/ She writes about scrapbooking, cupcake decorating, her daughters, crocheting, aprons, New Zealand,...it really is delightful.