Memorial Day in the USA

Today we honor those who gave their lives in the service of our country. And we pray for their families. God bless America.

Optical Illusion Leggings

I'm diligent about reporting every quirky sighting to you in the pursuit of joy and creativity. I took this photo in New York City a while back. I was very discreet, but I don't think she would have minded. She knew she'd attract a little attention, right?

So, do you have an outfit like this?

Selvage Book Cover from Oman!

This colorful selvage book cover was made by Alia from Oman! Okay, I still get excited about hearing from quilters from exotic far-away places. We even have some of the same fabrics. The world is getting smaller and smaller!

Above is the left sleeve with her label attached. Below see the right sleeve. I like the big leaf.

Alia likes to add red grosgrain ribbon for her bookmark. She says that may become her signature style; her "thing." Nice idea.

Alia says there is a quilt shop in Dubai called Classic Quilts and Quilting. They buy top name quilt fabrics for only $2.60/yard! Needless to say, visitors from the UK, US and Europe stock up when they can! She says Dubai is wonderful for shopping. Maybe we should visit!

Alia is friendly and funny, and you'll feel like you've visited with a quilting friend from far away. Visit: http://coffeebeansdailies.blogspot.com.

Jen Duncan's Blue Zinger

This is Jen Duncan's Blue Zinger. Isn't it beautiful? She has it hanging in her quilt studio. Jen showed us the first block a while back, so I emailed her to see if we could have a look at the finished quilt. She sent this photo right away. I think a selvage quilt is a very inspirational quilt studio decoration. I particularly like her little diagonal corner blocks. Thanks, Jen.

Jen lives in Eureka, California. Her blog is: http://jenduncan.typepad.com.

New Quilt Challenge: If you were a quilt, what would you look like?

"Waverunner" by Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Bumble Beans, Copyright 2010.

This is the first Quilt Challenge at the Online Quilt Museum. It's open to all quilters everywhere. "If you were a quilt, what would you look like?" It's something to think about! Would you be a fancy Baltimore Album or more improvisational, like Victoria's "Waverunner" above?

.

You have until the end of October to email 2 photos of your entry. Click here to get all the details: http://quiltersmuse.blogspot.com/. All entries will be featured in an OQM Exhibit by the same name. (No quilts will be physically mailed. Photos only.)

Selvage Pin Cushion from Spain!

Sylvia Reguero of Malaga, Spain made this creative selvage pin cushion. It looks like the ends are tied tighter in the top photo, and looser in the bottom photo. I wonder if she ties it around her wrist sometimes. Very nice job, Sylvia! Muchisimi! (Sylvia taught me that word via email; it means very very nice.)

My grandmother from Lithuania used to like to tie fabrics (scarves, packages, clothes etc). I think Sylvia and Grandma would have been on the same page. :) I used to watch her sew and cook and garden. I hope you grandmothers out there have lots of fun with your grandkids this summer. Awww. What memories.

Selvage Dresden Plate

Isn't this a creative and colorful Dresden plate selvage quilt? Ronit was experimenting with making the Dresden plate block. She says it easy once you read the directions. Funny how that works. I should try it more often. I love how she put this all together. Nice job, Ronit!

Read all about it at: http://www.2hippos.blogspot.com/. Thanks to Setphanie at: http://www.loftcreations.blogspot.com/ for sending me the link to this great little quilt.

Nellie's Beautiful Blue Lake Series

This stunning quilt is part of "The Lake," a series of 25 panels by Nellie of Tennessee and Michigan. She's working on a 9' x 7' installation with the beach in the foreground and the sky above. To see more of this work, click on "The Lake" in Nellie's sidebar at http://nelliedurand.blogspot.com.
.
Do you see Elvis on the far right-hand edge? And I see a selvage, front and center! Nellie uses scraps from her projects (and her friend's scraps) to create these amazing quilts.

Domestic Bliss

This awesome little selvage quilt "Domestic Bliss" was made by Barb Vedder from New Jersey. It will be auctioned at the Quilt Show in Columbus to benefit the National Quilting Association. Barb has more close-up photos of this quilt on her blog. It's definitely worth it just to see the header at the top of her blog! But there are lots of great quilt photos: www.funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com.

Awesome Kaffe String Quilt by Norma and Jackie

Jackie from www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com posted a gorgeous string quilt today. This is just a little sneek peek close-up view. It was made by her friend Norma; Jackie machine quilted it for her with variegated rayon thread. I really want to make one of these! Jackie will be offering kits, or if you prefer, stash enhancers (fat quarters of these delicious Kaffe prints). See more photos of this quilt on her blog. Nice job, ladies!

Selvage Postcard from the Yukon Territory!

This postcard was made by Janet in the Yukon Territory and she mailed it to me! It arrived just fine, Janet. Even the stamp is still attached. The postmark says "Whitehorse, YT." Wow, something from the wild Northern frontier in my little hands. Thank you very much.
.
Janet won a package of selvages from me a while back and she used some for this, her second selvage project. Her first project was a postcard for her sister, made from the selvages of old fabric their mother had before she died 8 years ago. Isn't that a sweet idea? Now Janet's planning her next selvage project, a quilt. I can't wait to see it.
.
Sometimes when I tell people I graduated from U Conn, they say "Way up there? Wasn't it cold?" "Not too bad," I say. "You get used to it." Haha. Yeah, I'm pretty rugged.

Blue Ribbon for Orange Zinger!

JoAnne in Keller, Texas won a blue ribbon at her guild show for this Orange Zinger! Just look at all those color windows! Doing that will deplete your selvage stash pretty fast! You can see the other winning quilts on her blog: http://www.nappinnanaquilts.blogspot.com/.

Now she's making another selvage quilt to enter in a show with her other guild. Go JoAnne!

Sew Bee it - in Ringgold, Georgia

After years of hearing about this wonderful quilt shop in Ringgold, GA (just minutes from Chattanooga, TN) I finally visited. And I wasn't disappointed! This is a wonderful shop, chock full of beautiful fabrics, books and notions. Many gorgeous finished quilts are hung all around the shop. The people are so friendly too. The owner, Gloria, takes time to chat then leaves you to browse to your heart's content.

They are located at 6103 Alabama Highway, Ringgold, Georgia, (706) 937-9142. Or you can visit their website at: http://www.sew-bee-it.com/.

They even have a husband's corner with a sofa and TV (below). Now that's a great idea!

Karen Jones' Selvage Bra - First Prize!

Karen Jones of New Zealand made this selvage bra/tote bag for a guild challenge. We see many unique selvage items on this blog, but this is the first selvage bra! Note the selvages were chosen for their appropriate messages.

Karen won First Prize at the Capital Quilters Exhibition in Wellington! Congratulation, Karen!

See more about it on her blog: http://myfatquarter.blogspot.com.

New Blog! Quilt du Jour!

Tired of looking at quilts? I didn't think so!

Visit my new blog: www.quiltdujour.blogspot.com,

then visit the Online Quilt Museum.

Have a great day.

Susan's Needlemagic - Zinger Variation

Susan from Berne, IN decided to do a demo for her local club showing how to create with selvages. These are some of her first projects. She made the purse in one afternoon. Pretty good!

I really like her blocks that look like a Red Zinger variation.

Susan is a long arm quilter, and she likes to knit wool socks for her husband. Her very interesting blog is: http://www.sneedlemagic.blogspot.com/.

And the Winners Are...

(Drumroll please.) Dr. Numbers from Random.org approaches the stage with 2 little envelopes:

1. Char from Hatfield, Pennsylvania


2. Vicki @ Dotty Jane in Middle Tennessee

Congratulations! Quiltmaker's Special Issue: "Small Quilts" will go out to you tomorrow, or as soon as I get your mailing addresses. I wish I had 120 copies to send to everybody!

Mayleen's Little Red Zinger

Mayleen in Kansas made this little Red Zinger. Each block is 3 1/2" square! There are four blocks in each X. Mayleen cut her selvages very narrow, so she added narrow strips of fabric to get some color. Didn't she do a beautiful job? See her blog for more about this quilt: www.qisforquilt.blogspot.com.

Quiltmaker's Small Quilts: Give-Away

Why 2 copies? Because I'm having a Give-Away! Leave a comment to enter. Two names will be chosen at random tomorrow to receive a copy of this new Special Issue of Quiltmaker's "Small Quilts."

The team at Quiltmaker magazine asked me to review "Small Quilts," and they provided the two copies to give away. They are very nice folks.

So I made a cup of tea and took a look. They've come up with a nice variety of quilts, some traditional like the two quilts above, and some modern "light and airy" designs that would be very quick to make. There's even a nice Amish style quilt with bright colors on a black background. They always show the quilts in an alternate color arrangement to help get the creativity going. They'd all be great done in scraps too.

If you have some baby quilts to make this summer, you're sure to find some good ideas to get you started. I find that it always recharges my battery to browse and study the clever quilts that these quilters come up with. So, I say take a look at this issue. It could be the start of some summer fun!

Show this to someone you love! Poison ivy.

Doesn't this photo give you the creeps? Poison ivy! "Leaves of 3, let it be."
Maybe you know someone who could learn to avoid it the easy way. Show them this pohto!

Meet Barb from Houston

Barb Paliatsos of Houston, Texas made this colorful selvage bag for a "Green" challenge with her guild. Note the "Bag Lady" selvage at the top of the bag. I like the way the selvages make concentric diamonds too.

This is Barb's selvage stash of over 800 selvages! I think she's headed for a major selvage quilt!

Quilters who live in Houston are so lucky. Just drive downtown for the show. Easy as that. :)

Anya's Selvage Sewing Roll

What a delightful selvage creation by Anya of Pennsylvania. Now she can travel in style when she takes her sewing on the road. Nice job, Anya! Visit her blog at: http://www.hillscreekquilter.blogspot.com/ and www.randomactsofstitching.blogspot.com.

Visit Kate & Co. in OZ

Yesterday while exchanging links, I met a lovely quilter/blogger: Kate in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She takes photos of things that inspire her creativity and posts them on her blog, of course. :) These were taken at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Look at the size of that trumpet vine!

Visit Kate's blog at: http://kateoz.blogspot.com/.

Exchange Links?

If you'd link to the Online Quilt Museum on your blog, let me know and I'll put your blog (or quilt shop) on the Links page on the Museum. Thanks!

Use the logo above. Just right click on the logo and click on "Save As." You know this, right? The link is: http://www.onlinequiltmuseum.com.

Selvage Bag from Norway

I sent some selvages to my friend May Britt from Norway recently, and she made this charming purse for on-the-go projects. What a nice job she did! I like the red zippered opening and her mostly-white selvage layout.

Check out her blog: http://www.abyquilt.blogspot.com/. Have you ever wanted to attend a gathering of quilters in Norway? Well you can take a virtual trip on her blog.

Grand Opening Today: Online Quilt Museum!

Welcome to the new Online Quilt Museum!

Virtual luncheon. Please choose a seat.

This is a brand new cyber venue which not only features quilting Exhibits, but it's a place where you can have your own Gallery to feature your quilts. You'll also find free online Workshops, a Big Quilt Glossary for newbies, and there's a Quilt Challenge going on already.

When you have your own Gallery, you log in and enter as many quilt photos and as much text as you like. It's very user friendly. It may energize your creative journey to see all your quilts in one place. Friends and relatives can easily view them too. You may find that it draws traffic to your blog, website, Etsy or eBay sites. You may indicate if a quilt is available for sale. Include your email so people can contact you. This elegant worldwide quilt show is open 24/7. Free to visit; $4.95/month via PayPal to have a Gallery.

So I invite you to get a big cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy your first of many visits to the Online Quilt Museum: http://www.onlinequiltmuseum.com/. For the companion newspage and Quilter's Lounge visit: http://www.quiltersmuse.blogspot.com/.

There are 678 photos for starters. Yes, I've been working on this for years.

Comment here or in the Lounge. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Do you know what this is?

This is the "Quilter's Lounge." Come back tomorrow for a visit. Don't forget. Big surprise waiting for you!

Lizzy House Has Made Just One Selvage Project, So Far!

Lizzy House of Texas made this charming little woven selvage purse! You can see more photos and read what she has to say about making this on her blog: http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com . This idea is so creative!

I love her blog, and I bought her e-book. I had to smile when I read that she doesn't have the time or inclination to make stuff with selvages. (Of course, Lizzy.) She says, "It's not gonna happen." (Right. We hear you.) Then she goes on to describe the clever way she made this and how much fun it was to make. Just sewing for fun. Hey, that's great Lizzy! :)

But if you do make something else, send us a photo.

Thank you to Viki in Australia who alerted me to this great project.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope your day is a sweet one. Maybe you can treat yourself to some good quilting time!