Come Fabric Shopping in Tokyo

There is a little fabric shop near Tokyo, Japan called Miss Matatabi. The shop specializes in modern Japanese fabrics and trims. If you have a minute, follow the link to the shop. Or just take a look at these picks. I'm enjoying reading the text in the fabric above. I was curious about the "jewelry casket." The basket fabric below has a little French text. What is it about fabrics that you can read that makes them so enticing?

The ad for the fabric above says these little animals are goats. They look more like lambs to me.

Haha, cute clcothesline image below!

Take a look at the little spoons in the selvage below. Or maybe they're flowers. I'd like to see more of the selvages in this collection.

If we were really in Tokyo, we'd ask Frances the shop owner to suggest a place for lunch. Too bad...virtual has it's limitations!

Something to Make You Smile

These delightful assemblages are offered for sale at Reclaim 2 Fame, a shop on Etsy run by a couple in Florida. Take a look at their steampunk items. Sure to jumpstart your creativity and make you smile today!

Gnome Teapot

This time of year I'm even more fond of tea than ususal. Isn't this an interesting teapot? It's listed on Etsy by Jeannine from Belgium.

Today I'm making the coolest selvage quilt! I'll show you soon. It has some raw edge applique on it. Yes!

Eye of the Storm Watch

Designed by Yiran Qian from China, this watch displays the time in the frame when you push a button. You can see a little more about it on Gadget Review or on Hypebeast. They say the inspiration for this watch is the calmness in the eye of a storm. This watch isn't in production, it's just a concept design at the moment. Pretty clever.

Design Wall Update

I decided that the Amish style Stairstep quilt needed a border. The piano keys have more dark colors than medium colors, drawing your attention to the middle of the quilt. When making the border I didn't distribute the mediums in an artistic way, I just let the chips fall where they may. Sometimes this works, but this time, meh. Maybe I'll just darken the rectangles in the lower left area. I do love all the colors.

Jen's Tile Block

Yesterday we took a look at the Hattie Burdick quilt and Jen from Massachusetts sent this link to a quilt that she made using the technique that Hattie used. Visit Jen's blog: A Quilting Jewel to see more photos of her quilt. Great fabrics for this block! Thanks, Jen.

The Hattie Burdick Quilt

This quilt is featured on WomenFolk as an example of a Tile quilt or Stone Wall quilt, a style popular in the late 1800's. Other names have to do with streets or pavement. This quilt has lots of images including flowers, cats, horses, etc. This would be a good travel project since each block is completely independent of the others (at least in this particular quilt).

Has anyone read "Tile Quilt Revival" by Jones and Finlay? Now I'm curious.

Surprise Virtual Field Trip Today!

Everybody on board! Even you quilters down under who are already having summer.

Feel that warm sand between your toes? After a lovely swim we're sharing a delicious lunch of your favorite salads and drinks. Don't you love virtual? As Bob Cratchit said to Tiny Tim, "We shall have the whole day!"

On My Design Wall Today

I must be trying to make up for the lack of color outside where everything is covered with snow. My design wall is a delicious blend of reds and purples. I call this a Stairstep quilt. Do you have another name? It's not really a Rail Fence because those have three strips in each block, not two. I don't want to call it a Zigzag quilt because to me that suggests a Log Cabin, Streak of Lightning variation. Not that it really matters so much.

It measures 43" x 50." The strips were cut 4" wide. I'm writing the pattern as I work.

I like the one pink rectangle. The arrangement needed a little spark so I made that block at the last minute before assembling the top. I wish you could all visit my quilt studio today because the color looks even better in person. And there's tea! Hugs to you. Have a great day.

Selvage Blog Group Quilt Coming Along

The first 5 blocks for our group quilt have arrived and here they are placed on the design wall (but not sewn together yet). Want to participate? Click here. And here. I'll finish the quilt and we'll have a giveaway. So stay tuned.


These blocks were made by: Carolyn Wenzel of Wisconsin, Carol Eskola or Michigan, Martina Odenthal of Germany, Susan White of Kansas, and Kim Brandt of New York. Thank you! I love all the variety in these blocks. This is going to be a very interesting quilt! Oops, I forgot to add my block to the wall. Next time.

Meet Modern Folk

Modern Folk is the Etsy shop of Jacob de Graaf of the UK. He sells "cross stitch patterns with a folk aesthetic influenced by traditional embroidery with a Scandinavian touch."

The pattern for the heart in the top photo comes in an email as a 4-page pdf file for $5.50. To open the file you need Adobe Reader which you can download for free here: http://get.adobe.com/reader. This is is a popular way to buy books and patterns these days. I'm getting to like it. No delivery charge, you have it in minutes, less $ than a paper copy, and I can always find it (in my Documents file). I have about 4 pdf patterns and books that I view on my computer (not my Kindle, that's different).

Enid's New Selvage Quilt

Enid Silva of Connecticut just finished her first selvage quilt. Isn't it a beauty? She even did some hand embroidery on the inner border. Nice job!

Enid is a member of Hearthside Quilters in Harwinton and she participated in the selvage workshop a few months ago. I'll be giving the same workshop in Bristol, CT this spring.

Happy selvage quilting!

Sofia's New Bag

This bag is the newest creation of Sofia of Athens, Greece. You can see more of her work here at Apopsis. And here's a photo of Athens. I think I see Sofia down there! I bet the food is delicious. Maybe it's time for a Selvage Blog field trip!

Carolyn Wenzel's Selvage Creations

Carolyn Wenzel from Menasha, Wisconsin made this pretty pillow, her first selvage project. Then she made this big selvage tote bag. It measures 15" x 17" x 7." It has pockets inside and out, and she says it's very useful for carrying quilts and supplies to meetings. Her next project is a jacket!

Nice job, Carolyn!

I Heart Etsy

As you know, I heart Etsy. I think it's wonderful that artists, crafters and vintage pickers can have a nice easy-to-run store open 24/7 all over the world. Perfect for moms with little kids, retired people, kids saving for college, people with health problems who can't get out much, those who can't stop making things, budding photographers, people with fabulous ideas and talents...just about anybody! I've read all these stories in the Profiles. (I'm one of the ones who can't stop making things. You knew that.) So if you heart Etsy or if you know someone who'd like to buy 2 of these stickers, click here to see my listing.

The skinny string quilt blocks are starting to arrive in my mailbox and they look really good! I'll show you a photo of them soon. They'll go into a quilt that will be given away here to one of you lucky quilters. (Scroll down to see details.)

Meet Prudence Mapstone from Australia!

Can you believe this? Freeform knitting and crochet! Prudence is from Brisbane, Australia and she sells her books, e-books and tutorials in her Etsy store: Freeform by Prudence. She also has some things there that she has knitted and crocheted. Her website is Knot Just Knitting, and her blog is A Scrumble a Week. I am so excited to find this! I love ceating as you go - you don't know what you're going to get until you're finished. Yayyy, Prudence!

Knitted Chair from South Africa

This knitted chair cover was made by Lynn Garrett of Napier, (very South) South Africa. She sells this on her Etsy store Biscuit Scout for $690. She'll also knit one to your specifications. This all started for Lynn when she decided to knit a cover for her aging washing machine! Okaaay. I'd like to see her house, wouldn't you? I bet it's beautiful, and full of surprises. Thanks for the creative inspiration, Lynn!

Where Are All the Dresses?

I used to wear a dress every day to grammar school. (You 20-somethings can Google "grammar school.") Then in high school it was short skirts (only 1/2 yard needed to make one of those). Jeans in college. Suits at work. That was a long time ago. I don't know when I forgot about skirts and jumpers and dresses, but I can't remember an occasion in 2011 when I wore a dress. I like them though. People are generally much more casual now than in years past.

Are dresses still alive and well anyplace in the world? Let me know. (Of course, there are selvage dresses!!)

Fabulous Fabric by JacQue

These fabric panels are the work of JacQue Textile Designs of Minneapolis, MN. She's been in the textile business for 14 years in different capacities. She loves textile design and dyeing, and she sells her fabrics on Etsy (see link) and eBay. Aren't these fabrics too beautiful for words?

31 Spools in 2011!

Every time I finished off a spool of thread in 2011, it went into this green polka dotted bowl. It was a 31-spool year. This is the first year I've counted my spools, so I don't know if it was a "good" year or not. I'm saving them this year too.

Amber Spiegel's Elegant Cookies

The first photo I saw was of the pastel gold thread cookies and I thought it was embroidery! These are cookies! They are the elegant creation of Amber Spiegel of New York, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. To see more beautiful cookies visit SweetAmbs, her Etsy store.

Here's My Group Quilt Block - Skinny Strings

Here it is: 6" x 55." I cut the strips 1.25" and just sewed them together. Each time you sew a new strip onto your block, press the seam flat (still closed), then open the seam and press again. I like lots of steam.

Don't know about this group quilt? Read yesterday's post. Want to make one? You're invited. The fabric recipe is: anything goes! It's hard to stop once you get started.

Help Make the Selvage Blog Group Quilt!!

All I know about this quilt is that it was made by Jared. I found the photo floating around in Cyberspace. What a dazzling quilt! I'm thinking about making one of these...with 1.25" strips!

I tried one of these many years ago before I knew how to avoid ending up with a giant C-shaped thing! Haha.Now I'm patient enough to press each seam before adding the next strip. Also, sew in sections, then connect the sections. I still don't pin something like this. That's over-doing it!

This might be a cool group project where everyone sews a portion of the quilt top, say: 6" x 55." Six inches will be 7 strips. Do you want to make one and mail it to me? I'll turn it into a quilt and we'll have a Giveaway here. Wow, this whole idea developed as I wrote this post! Mail your "block" to me at 39 East Chestnut Hill Rd., Litchfield, CT 06759.

I'll show you my block tomorrow. Cut 1.25" strips x any length. You have to attach some to get to 55." No foundation necessary. These are not selvages, just regular fabric.

BREAKING NEWS! Julia Taylor's Selvage Frock!

When Julia Taylor of Utah saw Jodie Carleton's selvage frock she fell in love with it, like we all did. But Julia wrote to Jodie asking if she could make one for herself. Of course Jodie said yes; she even gave Julia some advice about how to make it. So here is the finished dress. Julia says it's her favorite. Oh yes!

Take a look at Julia's blog: Jules' Jewels to see more great photos and read her interesting story. And to say "Great job!" I signed up to Follow. I want to see what she does next!!

Ticker Tape Quilt Made by Second Graders

This quilt was made by a second grade class as part of their color wheel lesson. Their teacher is "I am Just One Mom" and you can see more photos of this project in progress on her blog: Fabric Fulfilling Its Destiny. An ineresting note, she washed the pieced blocks after the backing was added, but before the backing was added. I thought that the batting would fluff all over the place. I'm learning something new.

Selvage Bath Mat!

I'm guessing that you don't already have a selvage bath mat. Here's one made by Linda Hall, the Quilting Violinist from Florida. Didn't she do a nice job? It looks like colorful rain showers. She pieced the selvages onto a towel. This is so clever! It's for sale on Etsy where she offers an interesting collection of selvage items. Good thinking, Linda!