Fabulous Fiber Food by Ed Bing Lee

Take a close look at this burger! Can you imagine? It's made with waxed linen, cotton and polyester, not beads. Made by Ed Bing Lee. Amazing. Visit his website: http://www.edbinglee.com/delectables.htm.

"Blue Hawaiian" Elvis Quilt Featured in Show

Barb Freese of Davenport, Iowa is a prolific selvage quilter and retired art teacher. Her beautiful quilt "Blue Hawaiian" was featured in the Quad City Times in their write up about the quilt exhibit at the Quad City Botanical Center. There were 57 quilts in the exhibit by members of the Mississippi Valley Quilter's Guild. I think it's great that they chose her selvage quilt to feature in the article.

Barb's New Year's resolution was to buy only fabrics that have Elvis in them. She puts him in all of her quilts. (I guess she'd have to!) I like all the polka dot fabrics in the quilt above.

ADVICE FROM BARB: Sew real close to the finished edge of your selvages if you plan to machine quilt. Otherwise you get that little flap going in all directions. Good idea.

Barb's Needlebook, Embellished with Baby Bracelet Beads!

Barb in northern NJ ("Fun with Barb and Mary" blog) has come up with a new way to enjoy those color windows on a selvage: baby bracelet beads! Take a close look at the photo above. You could also use them on the plain selvages, next to the color windows. I really like this idea! Thanks, Barb!

Above, the needlebook is half opened (you can see the snap). And below, TaDa! She has 5 pages of needles and pins. There is something so comforting about this level of organization! It's not attainable in most areas of life, but in the world of sewing needles it can be achieved!

To see more, visit Barb's blog: http://funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-on-pins-and-needles.html

Join Me at Harney & Sons Tea Shop

Doesn't this look inviting? My husband and I took a ride to Millerton, NY to visit the home of Harney & Sons. There is a tea tasting room (below) where you can sample some of their 200+ varieties including black teas, Oolongs, Darjeelings, Assams, Ceylons, Japanese and Chinese green teas, blends, and flavored teas. The staff is very friendly and they make this experience fun.

Regular readers will remember the photo of the tea harvester in Assam wearing the colorful turban that had the selvage showing. So, I was curious about Assam teas. One of the Harney tea people recommended that I try one of their new teas "Mangalam," and it was so delicious. You could taste a hint of honey flavor in this brisk black tea. I bought some Brigitte's Blend. ("Like her, this blend is perfect in many situations" according to the brochure.)

There is also a cafe (above, and the photo at the top of this post), and a store (shown below). If you live in the area or plan to visit, I recommend a stop here. For more info visit: http://www.harney.com/ or call 1-800-TEA-TIME for a catalog.

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

That's how I do it anyway. On Thanksgiving Eve I was looking online for napkin folding ideas, and I found this picture. It made me laugh, so I wanted to show you. I hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

"A Thanksgiving Prayer"

by Samuel F. Pugh
"O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer, And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency; bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help; By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen."

A Thousand Colors - Earthquake Quilt Update

Remember Roberta from Italy, and her project called A Thousand Colors? She's collecting quilts for the children of Abruzzo, Italy, the site of the big earthquake. She now has 350 quilts! For the whole story and lots of photos, see her blog: http://www.simplyninepatch.blogspot.com/

Also click on one of the tags below to see the original post that appeared here.
What fun it will be distributing these quilts! I want to hear about that. I'll keep you posted.

Teacup With Contemporary Fabric Design

This teacup is from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. When I saw it I thought it looked like the new fabric designs.

Be sure to visit the Selvage Blog the day after Thanksgiving to see a special post for tea lovers.

Got Fleece Selvages?

Susan McConnell in Wellsboro, PA found a use for her fleece selvages:

"Have you ever noticed how your fleece jammie pants attract every thread and pet hair within a 50 yard radius? Fleece is the logical material for dust mops, not those flimsy "specially treated" disposable dust cloths. This cover only took minutes to make and the rolled edges of the selvages are perfect for picking up and trapping those unruly dust bunnies! When you are finished cleaning the cover goes right into the washer and dryer and can be used over and over!"

You can read the whole post on her blog at:

http://hangingonbyaneedleandthread.blogspot.com/2009/11/use-for-those-fleece-selvages.html

Debbie in Jerusalem alerted me to this post! What a small world we quilters live in these days! Check out Debbie's blog at: http://debbiesfiberwork.blogspot.com/

I need one of these mops - a big one. And one for the quilt studio alone! The house we're building has all wood floors (not very forgiving when it comes to dust).

Send a Card to a Soldier

Would you like to send a Christmas card to one of our brave soldiers? Here's what you need to know. Send your card postmarked by Monday December 7th to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

DO sign your card, use "Dear Service Member, Family, or Veteran." Limit 15 cards from any one person, or 50 from any group. Bundle multiple cards in one envelope.

DON'T send letters, include your personal info, use glitter or include inserts.

(This is a corrected post. The previous Walter Reed address won't work. Thanks for your feedback about the first post!)

Meet the Empire BOM Squad

We are the Empire Quilter's Block of the Month Committee. Left to right: me, Lisa Belle, Lisa Kehrle, Helen Beall and Shirley Clark. We are standing in front of a beautiful quilt by David Taylor who presented the program at the September meeting in NYC at the Fashion Institute. There is so much going on in this friendly guild: lots of talent and energy, special interest groups like the Elm Creek Quilters block of the month, trips, charity projects, workshops, free fabric swap table, vendors, library, quilter of the month, raffles, shows, and a huge show-and-tell.

Take a look at our BOM projects: http://www.empirebom.blogspot.com/. Do you live near NYC? Come join: http://www.empirequilters.net/. Or visit us when you're in town. See website for details.

My View

Temporarily, anyway. My husband and I are building a house that will be ready in the spring. In the meantime we are staying nearby and this is the view from the window where I sew and use my computer. This is Litchfield, CT, taken in September. Now all the trees are bare. It's windy here, but nice and quiet. Quite a change from New York. All is well.

Postcard from Germany

Simone from Germany made this very creative postcard. Here's what she had to say:

"I like to use mixed media, like paper and fabric together. The rubberstamp is from Tim Holtz, the fabric of the background is old, I used a piece of dishtowel too."

Thank you Simone. I really like how it all came together. See more of her creations on her blog:
http://nadelstiche.blogspot.com/ (You can click on "Translate" and read it in English.)

Kathleen Connors Donates Selvage Items

Kathleen Connors of Torrington, CT made this pretty selvage pot-holder, inspired by the work of Martina Odenthal of Germany. (See recent post.) Here's what she had to say:

"I found that a pot holder is a good way to practice my beginner machine quilting skills. I'll donate this to a holiday sale to benefit the Harwinton Public Library, along with my selvage pincushions and other stitched items."

Nice job, Kathleen! I live so close to Harwinton, I'm going to check out the event and see what else you're making.

Question: Rotary Blade Sharpeners

Joan Jordan asks: "I seem to go through a lot of rotary cutter blades, and I wondered if the blade-sharpeners I’ve seen actually work. Are they worth it?"

I've never tried them so I thought I'd ask you. Do you have any advice for Joan?

Pat's Humbug Bag

Pat is a quilter and former 4th and 5th grade teacher from Florida and Michigan. She made this clever Humbug Bag, her first selvage project. Here's what she says:

"They are called Humbug Bags because they are shaped like the British treat, humbug. Or, humbug also means nonsense, and the tricky shape of the bag is nonsensical. Or the little things you store in it are nonsense. Or, or..."

Very clever, Pat! Nice handle too. Visit her blog at: http://patspattering.blogspot.com/ You can get info there about contributing blocks for quilts for families of the Ft. Hood victims too.

Dog Selvages Needed!

Quilt Diva Julie of Memphis, TN needs selvages that have a dog theme. She's making a Charcoal Gray Zinger (in-progress photo above) for her son. I'm going to check my selvage stash for anything with dogs on it. Do you have any? If so, click on over to her blog to let her know and get her mailing address. She will be delighted! www.quiltdivajulie.blogspot.com

Is this a narrow slice of the quilt world or what? A dog-themed selvage quilt! It will be fun to be part of her project. I'll show you the finished quilt soon. (Julie doesn't dilly-dally.)

Spoon Art

A new restaurant in Avon, Connecticut called "Dish 'n Dat" has this delightful spoon art a big curved wall. My server said it was fun to watch it under construction. Another example of seeing an ordinary item in an unusual way! I like to see things that fill my creativity tank. :)

Sarah London Will Teach You How to Crochet Now

If you've always wanted to know how to crochet granny squares or these little stars, take a look at Sarah London's blog: http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/ You are only 10 minutes away from knowing how! Her instructional photos are the best I've ever seen. You'll say ah-haa!

I'm on a crocheting/knitting binge right now. I'll post photos soon. I'm making prayer shawls and small blankets. The blankets are really crazy. :)

Martina's Pot-Holders

Rremember Martina Odenthal of Cologne, Germany? She made these pretty pot-holders. It seems to be her trademark to add a bit of tape measure/ruler fabric to her selvage creations. Very nice, Martina! "Trademark" is a little pun since she is a lawyer too.

Isn't that great apple fabric on the back? Red delicious with water droplets. Very kitchen-appropriate. I think selvage pot-holders make a nice Christmas gift for quilting friends. I'd better get on the stick!

Visit Martina's blog at: http://stufenzumgericht.blogspot.com/

Unusual and Creative Tableware Design

When you can only have one cup, this is the one to choose: the "stacked" cup. I like it.

Our sons like to use silverware as all-purpose tools, so this isn't a big stretch for us!

All this cleverness is from toxel.com.

"Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks" Giveaway Winner Announced!

And the winner is: (drumroll) Jean Etheridge of Huntsville, Alabama! Yayyy, Jean. She'll be receiving her copy of "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks" in the mail any day now.

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment during Quiltmaker's Blog Tour week. That was fun!

Martha MacGyver's Experiment

Well actually, her name's Wendy, but her blog is Martha MacGyver. I don't ask questions about stuff like this. :) She created this as she figured out her selvage quilt plans for "Waste Not, Want Not," a recent post here. I like how she added lots of buttons to go with the color windows. I can see using rows of colored buttons too. Wendy put snaps on this to wear as a cuff. Remember Martina Odenthal's selvage cuffs?

Visit Wendy's blog at: http://www.marthamacgyver.blogspot.com/

Iva McAdams Makes Her First Selvage Skirt

Iva McAdams of Kansas made her first selvage skirt - with a belt too! Here are her words:

"I finally did a selvage project. Paulette Carr's adorable little skirt was my inspiration and I just had to make one for my granddaughter. However, since gathering is not one of my favorite things to do, I opted for more of an a-line skirt. But the next one I make (yes, there will be another one) will definitely be gathered; it's a much cuter look."

Take a look at Iva's blog at: http://plainandfancypieces.blogspot.com/ especially if you want to see some great photos of Rome!

Selvage Quilts by Margaret Zenk

Margaret Zenk is a quilter from East Islip, New York. (I wonder if she lives near the Great Gatsby.) I love this spiky spinning star selvage quilt! Here's what she had to say about it:

"I've been quilting for almost 30 years. When I saw the book it unleashed something in me. I already had a sizeable stash, but now I see fabric in a totally different way. If I have to choose between two at the store, I buy the one with the nicer selvage. I look at FQs to see if they have selvages. I've asked my machine quilter to dig through her trash. I took apart an old apron because there was a selvage that I couldn't resist. I have a large box filled with selvages, even after making 4 quilts. The box weighs 9 lbs."

"I bought this pink striped homespun for $1 per yard and wanted to do something fun with it. I settled on a spinning stars design. Your blog devotees will appreciate that it doesn't take a lot of selvages to do this one. It's similar to the red zinger without the third edge. If you rotate the stripes like I did, you will get real movement. I saved some time by using a glue stick rather than pins to hold the selvages in place before stitching. Final size is 55 x 71. I haven't quilted it yet, but I made a 20" block for the back because I didn't have enough of the pink bubble fabric."

I love how it's a close relative of the Red Zinger! And I'm going to try using a glue stick too. I hope I remember to avoid sewing over the glue!

Below is Margaret's Gold Zinger. She chose gold to go with the rick rack that she wanted to use. It's perfect, don't you think? Did you know you can machine wash and dry a selvage quilt and nothing bad will happen? It's true. There are before and after photos showing this in the book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge."

Yayyy, Margaret! Great job.

Welcome "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks" Blog Tour!

This is the block that I made for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks; it's called "Candlestick." It's quick and easy to make, and I like it's lacy, airy style. Quilt blocks that have a stronog diagonal are particularly nice because there are so many ways to arrange them in the quilt top. Some of the many options are: barn-raising, on point, X's, and zig-zags. Then you could add sashing, or not.

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If you make a quilt using this block, I'd love to see a photo. We'll post them here on the Selvage Blog. I can see some selvages looking good in this block too!

GIVEAWAY: Scroll down to win a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks! Good luck.

Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily Nov. 9-13 at

www.quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore!

Look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop,

or purchase it at www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks

GIVEAWAY TODAY: Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

Simply add a comment to this post and you will be automatically entered to win a free copy.
No need to compose anything fancy since this is a random drawing. Good luck.

(I'll post the winner's name; then you can email me your address. No need to give your email now.)

I can't wait to see this issue. It should be on the stands any time now.

The Best of Selvage Blog (Selvage Stuff)

For those of you who are taking the "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour" today and are new to the Selvage Blog, here is a sampling of some selvage projects.

Above is a spider web selvage quilt made by Anne Marie Cowley of Oregon. Below is a log cabin selvage quilt made by me.

The selvage tote below was made by Fernanda Gomes of Portugal. All of these items are shown in more detail as you scroll through the older posts.

The amazing selvage frock below was made by Jodie Carleton of Ballarat, Australia. It's modeled by her daughter. See this and other fantastic projects by Jodie in the sidebar at right.

This pretty selvage shirt was made by Paulette Carr.

Come back and visit us often. Selvage quilters share lots of inspiration here. Sign up on our companion site: www.selvagequilts.com for occasional emails on special topics.