Alda Creates Her Own "Selvage Fabrics"

Alda of Germany started with her selvages in a box (above), and then created her own squares of selvage fabric. Notice how they have color themes? She's not saying these are quilt blocks; they're fabrics ready for future projects. She just increased the size of her fabric stash!

See what happens when a quilter gets a good idea? (below) I wonder how long it would have taken to build the pyramids in Egypt if quilters got the idea? It makes you stop and wonder!

See Alda's blog at: http://aldas-gepatchtes-und-gesticktes.blogspot.com/. She writes in English too so we know what she's up to! Thank you, Alda;)

Selvage Birds by Rachel Pantos

Rachel Pantos of Topeka, Kansas made these selvage birds for her mother for Mother's Day. She used a pattern from: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/. Her mother plans to display them in her sewing room. Aren't they creative? I really like the fabrics she chose too.

Visit Rachel's blog at: http://www.kitchengonetothedogs.blogspot.com/. She also likes dogs and the outdoors. Her sister Sara is in my guild. I'm going to find her. (It's a big guild.)

Help Make Quilts Featuring Words!

Tonya Ricucci is writing a book about quilts that feature words! She's asking quilters to help her by making blocks featuring happy 4-letter words. The blocks should be colorful and measure 6.5" x 12.5." That's my block above. Isn't that dot over the "i" perfect? I think the "G" needs some pearl bead embellishment, but I'll leave that decision up to Tonya.

Fabric selection was a peice of cake using Moda's "Happy Camper," part of the American Jane collection.

If you are a fan of improvisational piecing you know that it's just a matter of doodling with fabric, tweaking as you go. Check out her blog at http://www.lazygalquilting.blogspot.com/. She plans to use these blocks for a quilt to show at lectures. Maybe we'll see our blocks in her book. Who knows?

Good luck, Tonya!!

Christmas Stockings - With Selvages!

Kathi Price of Texas says it's never too early to think about Christmas, and I agree! Aren't these stockings beautiful? Colorful, crisp, light and airy. Very 21st century!

See more of Kathi's projects at: http://kathiskreations.blogspot.com/ and
http://kathip22.etsy.com/

Karen in NZ - Prizewinning Selvage Quilt

Karen Jones of New Zealand made the award-winning log cabin selvage quilt above. The theme was "Go Green," and she won First Prize in the Intermediate category, and Best Traditional quilt. The show was judged by Sandra Meech. Yayyy, Karen!

I really like this quilt! She made courthouse steps blocks, and then put them together in a barn-raising arrangement. And notice that there is just one red center square! I love that. (Nice balance with that red ribbon on the other side!) :)

Karen's friend Carol also made a selvage quilt (below) for the same event. You can't tell that she used selvages unless you can see it up close, because she used the printed selvages without writing. What a nice scrappy improvisational look. Good job, Carol!

Meet Veronica Santos of Spain!

Veronica Santos of Spain was inspired by a spider web quilt that she saw on http://www.quiltville.com/ so she made a beautiful one for herself. That's how quilters are, no matter what corner of the world we live in! We hear you, Veronica! And what a beautiful quilt it is!

She also made this clever selvage bag (shown open above, and shown folded closed below). What a good idea. I also like the use of the zig-zag stitch. You can see more of Veronica's quilting on her blog at: http://www.lascosasdevero.blogspot.com/. I can't read Spanish, but I enjoy the photos!

Imagine Using Your OWN Selvages!

I mean selvages from fabrics that you designed yourself! How cool is that? Read what Karen Snyder of Long Beach, WA has to say:

"When my first fabric line came out about three years ago, my friend Monica made a sample for me for Quilt Market. She carefully cut off all the selvages and gave them to me. I've had eight more fabric lines, and I'm still saving selvages--but the cup is the only thing I've made so far. The Washtub prints I used in the cup were by Andover. I now design for Timeless Treasures. I have a new line coming out next week at Market called Sweet Pea. I've also written four quilting books, published by Krause. You can see the fabrics and books on my web site, www.annalena.com."

Take a look at that site; it's really nice. Bravo, Karen!

Feedsack Selvages!

Did you know that feedsacks had selvages? I didn't! Where else can you learn so much about the lowly selvage?

Marydon of the Blushing Rose Boutique in Westminster, MD sent this photo, and she says:

"The entire fabric is the same right up to the edge/selvage ... only a rare few have writing about the textile mill. I have attached a pic of a rare one."

You can visit her boutique at: http://www.blushingroseboutique.com/. In addition to other merchandise, she and her husband offer vintage feedsacks for sale. Thank you, Marydon!

Meet Diane in Tampa, FL

Diane in Tampa, FL made this selvage bag. I like her diagonal selvage block arrangement, and the orange pocket on the side. She even covered a button with selvages.

Diane is originally from Las Vegas and now lives in Florida, but she loves snowmen! I guess they seem nice and cold to her. Makes sense to me. Visit her blog at:

http://sewmanmaniacquilter.blogspot.com/ Get it? Sewman = Snowman. I'm just showing off. :)

Meet Sharyn of Kalama Quilts

At the top of Sharyn's blog: http://www.kalamaquilts.blogspot.com/, it reads: "Where we eat to live, and live to quilt." So right off the bat, you know she has her priorities in order and you can relate to her. Her blog is thoughtful, hilarious and definitely worth the trip. Make a new cup of coffee or tea first. Seriously.

Take a look at the card that she made: it has paper selvages! I never saw that before. It even says "Cut Off Strip" right on it, in case we are wondering what to do. :)

Quilt Diva Julie's Stash

Here is Julie's selvage stash! (Julie lives in Memphis, TN) She says:

"When one of our local Walgreens stores closed (in order to open across the street where they could have a drive thru), my husband happened by on the day they were selling off store fixtures. He bought 4 of these 5-drawer units and the extended countertop (which is perfect for a cutting surface) for under $75.00!"

A very fine husband indeed, Julie! I mean "wonderful storage drawers!"

Take a look at Julie's blog: http://quiltdivajulie.blogspot.com/ She has the coolest stuff on her blog. I check in regularly!

Monika's Bag: Peace on Earth

Monika Schiffgen of Germany made this beautiful travel bag. She included a bit of the selvage which reads "Peace on Earth." She says, "Such a beautiful name and a very nice font." What pretty Moda fabrics. And such an elegant bag, Monika.

Seen Enough Selvage Stashes? I Didn't Think So!

Isn't Terri's selvage stash elegant? She says: "I just love the way the colors show through these beautiful glass apothecary jars and since my father and mother were pharmacists, it brings back memories of them at the same time."

Visit her blog "From Here to Quilternity" at: http://www.quilternity.com/


Nancy in Connecticut stores her selvages in the drawers above, according to length. Pretty fancy! Then, she stores her finished selvage blocks in plastic bags (below). Well, okay Nancy, but how about whipping them up into a nice quilt? They're really pretty. Show us what you make!
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Check out her blog at: http://quiltingquandry.blogspot.com/.

Kathy's stash (below) is small but growing. Kathy is a quilter and a firefighter! You don't hear that every day! She lives in Maine and enjoys the outdoors and gardening.
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Check out her blog at: http://beewitchinstitchin.wordpress.com/

When I saw this photo, I thought "Wow! She has a lot of the same fabrics as me!" I told her that in an email and she replied, "Well, that's because you sent me some!" Really? I don't remember that at all. Yikes. I wonder what else I'm up to (that I don't know about!).

Still more selvage stashes on the way! Stay tuned.

Time-Lapse Selvage Stash (Physics)

Lynne in New Hampshire sent three photos of her selvage stash. Above, see her stash as it looked in February. So neat and tidy.
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Below, in the March photo, you can see she's stocking up for a project. Super-Critical Mass!

Then Lynne made two pretty tote bags that you saw on this blog. She says she was eager to clean up after those projects, so she just stuffed her selvages back in the box (April photo, below).

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While that's true, according to the physics of selvage quilting her stash will never return to the neat state shown above, and she will never have a smaller selvage stash, no matter how many projects she does. Our knowledge of selvage physics is still in it's infancy, but these surprising principles are being verified every day. Does your experience agree with this?

Thanks, Lynne for your contribution to art and science.

Oops! Selvage Editor Needed!

Sophy's Roses just don't sound as pretty when pronounced "Soppy's Roses." When this typo was made, maybe they thought, "Oh well, who reads selvages?" Well we do! We're not the Quilt Police, we're just sayin.

Thanks to selvage quilter Joan Jordan who noticed these interesting selvages in her stash and emailed us a photo. (See her purse and postcard on this blog).

The Perfect Card

Joan Jordan made this very cute selvage postcard. Here's what she had to say about it:

"This is my first selvage postcard. It’s not perfect, but I made it for my mother for Mother’s Day, and she’ll think it’s perfect. We both love cats and chocolate, and my step-father’s name is Jack. I wouldn’t normally slap my name on the front of something, but I have three sisters, so I wanted to be sure that credit is received where credit is due."
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I think this is a card she'll remember for a while. (Even if it didn't have your whole name on it!)Hand-made Mother's Day cards are the best! Very clever, Joan!

Jen Duncan's Fast Blue Zinger

Jen Duncan had to have a selvage quilt yesterday! (She was in a hurry.) So necessity being the mother of invention, she came up with some ways to make a lightning-fast Blue Zinger! Take a look at the photos on her blog: http://www.jenduncan.typepad.com/ Her post is dated May 12th. You will really like her blog.

Doesn't she have the best selvages? Jen, where do you find those fabrics?

Britta's Pin Cushion and TaTuTa

What a pretty pin cushion Britta Eggenstein of Germany has made! Blue on one side, and red/gold/yellow on the other side. And such an elegant presentation on that beautiful antique sewing machine!

Britta also made a TaTuTa (I've never heard that word before, but it must mean something like "tisssue holder." Yes, I am very clever.) If you check out the selvage stash posts, you'll see Britta's stash.

Isn't it fun to have quilting buddies all over the world? I really enjoy that! Of course we are all buddies; we all hang out at the Selvage Blog together, right?

You can see Britta's blog at: http://quilt-girlie.blogspot.com/

Brenda Knight's Selvage Bag

Take a look at this stunning selvage bag made by Brenda Knight! Her signature style is so so beautiful. To see the photo, click on the link below:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=fv9uvjv.5w25j1lv&x=0&h=1&y=-5xl42o&localeid=en_US

Want to See More Selvage Stashes?

Rachel at the Second Avenue Studio in Oregon keeps her stash in a brown paper bag. It's stuffed pretty tight. I like what she says in her blog profile: "I'm a quilter. I have a quiet place to do my work. Lucky me. I married a great guy with muscles and brains." :)

See Rachel's blog at: http://2ndavenuestudio.blogspot.com/

Yes, Kelly Jackson has just one lonely selvage (above), but it is a pretty one. And you know, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step! Keep up with Kelly's projects at: http://www.ihaveanotion.blogspot.com/.

Is this a pretty selvage stash, or what? As you recall, Carrie P. was the winner of the package of selvages in the recent give-away by the Fabric Square Shop. So I think we're going to need an updated photo of her selvage stash sometime. She has a lovely blog at: http://apassionforapplique.blogspot.com/.

Caution: Her blog may make you want to drop everything and take up applique!

Coming up: More selvage stashes on May 19th.

Pretty Needlecase Available on Etsy

Akiko Kunst in Massachusetts wants to make a selvage jacket, so she decided to practice with a small project first. That makes sense, but I'd say she's ready to make the jacket! I love her soft light palette. And that lime green button with the leaves nearby is perfect. Nice job, Akiko!

You can see her beautiful quilts at: http://withhugsnstitches.com/Gallery.php

Her needlecase is for sale on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24456700

Elena's Tobacco Barn Quilt

Elena McDowell of NC made this wonderful "Tobacco Barns" selvage quilt. I love the roofs, the stones in the sashing and outer border, and the charming "school-house" quilt look. It's light and airy, just like those breezy barns. It's perfect. Great job, Elena!

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See more of Elena's stunning work at: http://www.quiltsbyelena.com/, and http://www.carolinasquirrel.etsy.com/.

Mona Norhave - A Quilter in Denmark

Mona Norhave in Denmark got a handfull of small selvages from her fabric shop (3-6" long) and her challenge was to make something with them. I like how she arranges her selvages, and the addition of the buttons and ribbons on the pin cushions is so nice. Good job, Mona! Now she's waiting for her package of selvages from the Fabric Square Shop. This should be interesting!

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Take a look at Mona's website http://www.monanorhave.dk/ especially if you like to look at lots of quilts. She has a huge collection of interesting quilts featured there.

Happy Mother's Day!

Selvage Cards from Germany!

Monika Schiffgen of Germany made these very creative selvage postcards. What a nice job she did piecing and embellishing! I think she and her quilting buddies are exchanging them, but I don't read German so I don't know for sure!

You can check out Monika's blog at: http://www.steppstiche.blogspot.com/. The photos are very interesting even if you can't read the text! :)

"Quilter's World" Riviews Selvage Book

I was so delighted to see "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" reviewed in "Quilter's World magazine." Who knows, maybe some new selvage quilters will be born.

I'm very curious to see the new book by Bonnie K. Hunter called "Scraps and Shirttails," also shown above. She was the Featured Quilter one time on www.realwomenquilt.com, so I feel like I know her a little bit. I guess all quilters know each other a little bit because we have a lot in common to start with.

Thank you to Debbie in Jerusalem for telling me about this book review! You can see her blog at: www.debbiesfiberwork.blogspot.com. She has been experimenting with stamping designs onto fabric. Very interesting results.

Selvage Quilt by Susan Holman

Susan Holman made this very clever selvage quilt called "Gone Fabric Shopping." It measures 67" x 67." This quilt was recently exhibited at the Friendship Star Quilters quilt show in Montgomery County, MD. This is what Susan had to say about her quilt:

"The book "Quilts from the Selvedge Edge" inspired me to make this quilt. I have always saved the selvedge edge that had writing or dots so I've got 17 years worth of fabric collecting to cut from. This quilt barely scratched the surface... Machine pieced. Machine quilted."

Thank you to Amy of the Calico Cat for sharing this quilt with us. You can see her beautiful baby and her quilting projects on her blog at: www.thecalicocat.blogspot.com.