Table of contents for August 2021 in American Patchwork & Quilting

I have always enjoyed making things. As a member of the Storm Lake (Iowa) Lucky Lakers 4–H Club in the 1970s, I learned to cook, refinish furniture, correctly set a table, and sew my own clothes. I had to write step-by-step descriptions of what I had done and verbally explain my processes to the judges at the county fair. At the time, I had no idea I’d use those skills later in my job as an editor! I did cross-stitch in the 1980s and recently found a box of my floss wrapped by color on paper holders emblazoned with DMC color numbers. I have beaded jewelry, knitted scarves, and tried scrapbooking and card making. The constant since 1989, however, has been quilting. While I have dabbled in many crafts,…

Q: I’m interested in collecting antique quilts but don’t know how to get started. Any tips? A: There are a lot of factors to consider before you buy antique quilts. These tips will help you add beautiful treasures to your quilt collection. 1. EDUCATE YOURSELF Join organizations, guilds, or online groups that specialize in antique quilts. Many groups offer lectures, research, or study topics to help you learn. For suggestions of groups to join, see “Resources,” opposite. Visit quilt museums to learn about time periods and regional uses of color and patterns. If a museum allows, take photos of the quilts and their descriptions to refer to later. If you’re on Instagram, follow the hashtags #antiquequilt and #vintagquilt to connect with other collectors. 2. THINK ABOUT DISPLAY Consider where…

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT DO YOU DO? I am a designer, an artist, and a crafter. I design vintage-theme products for other creatives of all skill levels. Also, on social media I share original projects, fun studio ideas, and images. HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? I was a career graphic designer who discovered like-minded, crafty creatives in the forums section of Etsy in its early days. It inspired me to share my crafty ideas in a blog I called Just Something I Made. I featured do-it-yourself craft projects, free digital graphics downloads, and distinctive studio storage ideas. Over the years, I phased out the name of the blog for my own name, moved into a new studio space I call Inspired Barn, began to spend…

I opened my public studio, Aaron Sanders Head Studio, in October 2020. It contains my personal work space where I do all my dyeing and sewing, a shop featuring regional and local makers, and a gallery featuring the work of visiting and local artists. We also have local pop-up bakeries and artists. The goal is to invigorate a local creative economy and to create a space for interesting, challenging work to be displayed. I also offer workshops, led by me or by visiting artists, in the space. I’ve been teaching across the country for about five years now, and it is one of my favorite things to do. My primary focus has been indigo and shibori resist-dyeing techniques, hand stitching, and quiltmaking.…

materials FINISHED QUILT: 80½" square FINISHED BLOCK: 16" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. To plan this quilt in a different colorway, use the Coloring Diagram on Pattern Sheet 3. □ ¾ yard cream-and-red print (binding) □ 15/8 yards solid cream (Churn Dash units, blocks) □ ¾ yard total assorted dark brown prints (Churn Dash units) □ 4½ yards total assorted light prints in cream and beige (blocks) □ 3¼ yards total assorted medium and dark prints in brown, tan, blue, red, pink, and green (blocks) □ 7½ yards backing fabric □ 89"-square batting CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. Designer Wendy Sheppard prefers to make triangle-squares larger than necessary and trim them to size. To use this method, cut…

materials FINISHED QUILT: 68½×80½" FINISHED BLOCK: 8" square Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. To plan this quilt in a different colorway, use the Coloring Diagram on Pattern Sheet 4. □ 5½ yards solid white (blocks, setting squares, border, binding) □ 15/8 yards blue print (blocks) □ 5 yards backing fabric □ 77×89" batting Get the Look of Vintage Indigo Re-create Blue & White Delight with reproduction indigo shirtings. CUT FABRICS Cut pieces in the following order. From solid white, cut: □ 12—2½×42" strips □ 40—8½" setting squares □ 240—27/8" squares □ 160—2½" squares From blue print, cut: □ 240—27/8" squares ASSEMBLE BLOCKS Measurements include ¼" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated. Press seams in directions indicated by arrows…

materials FINISHED QUILT: 74¾×89½" Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. To plan this quilt in a different colorway, use the Coloring Diagram on Pattern Sheet 4. □ 8 yards total assorted light, medium, and dark prints (quilt top) □ ¾ yard brown print (binding) □ 5½ yards backing fabric □ 83×98" batting □ Cardstock or sturdy paper □ Water-soluble glue stick MAKE TEMPLATES You will need a paper template for each elongated hexagon fabric piece. To make paper templates, trace the Elongated Hexagon Pattern on Pattern Sheet 1 onto cardstock or sturdy paper 432 times. Carefully and accurately cut out paper templates on traced lines. CUT FABRICS From assorted light, medium, and dark prints, cut: □ 432 of Elongated Hexagon Pattern, adding a…

CUT BIAS STRIPS Strips for curved applique pieces and binding curved edges should be cut on the bias (diagonally across the grain of a woven fabric), which runs at a 45° angle to the selvage, because it has the most stretch. To cut bias strips, begin with a fabric square or rectangle; if necessary, square up the left edge with an acrylic ruler. Make a cut at a 45° angle to the left edge (Bias Strip Diagram). Handle the diagonal edges carefully to avoid distorting the bias. To cut a strip, measure the desired width from the 45° cut edge; cut parallel to the edge. Cut enough strips to total the length needed. MAKE AND USE TEMPLATES MAKE TEMPLATES A template is a pattern made from extra-sturdy material so…

CHAIN PIECE THREAD CUTTING GIZMO Separate chain-pieced units quickly with a thread cutter from The Gypsy Quilter. Its nonslip bottom ensures it will stay in place on any work surface. The tool has room to store four replacement blades so you always have a sharp blade available. $15.99; gypsyquilter.com DESKTOP VACUUM CLEANER Keep your work space clean with a rechargeable mini vacuum from ODISTAR that fits in the palm of your hand. The cordless device has brushes on the bottom to sweep small debris into an easy-to-empty bin. $14.98; amazon.com TOOLBOX Step up your storage with a 14×7×7" bin available in three colors. It has hidden handles and two inner pockets to hold smaller items. A grommet in each pocket lets you easily pull thread or floss lengths through…

Since opening a 1,000-squarefoot studio on our property, I’ve hosted many creative workshops, including paper crafting, mixed media collage, and fabric stitch collage. Most of the classes have been one-day events with lunch. Prior to the pandemic, I was beginning to host multiple-day workshops that included a field trip, dinner in our home, and, if the scheduling was right, a day trip to a local event like the Petaluma Antique Faire or Gravenstein Apple Fair. Most of my workshop projects are designed for crafters of any level. My goal is to make each attendee’s creative experience so enjoyable that the results of the projects are a lovely reflection of their time spent crafting with others. My favorite aspect of the Inspired Barn is what I call “creative keeping.” I…

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN QUILTING? My mom taught me to sew when I was young and in 4-H, but it didn’t stick. Though I remember making a dress and a few other things, I wasn’t the slightest bit interested. Shortly after I got married, which was in 1994, my husband asked me if I wanted a sewing machine. My answer was a clear no, but I had a feeling that’s what I would get for Christmas. Sure enough, I did. It sat in the closet for a few years before the ladies at our church talked me into coming to sew with them. When I finally did, I discovered quilting. That was in 1999 and I’ve been quilting ever since. I sometimes wonder what I would be doing…

materials FINISHED QUILT: 89¾×96¾" Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. Fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett Collective for FreeSpirit (freespiritfabrics.com). To plan this quilt in a different colorway, use the Coloring Diagram on Pattern Sheet 3. □ ¼ yard blue triangle print (units) □ ⅜ yard each blue feather print and blue squares print (units) □ 5/8 yard blue watermelon print (units) □ ¾ yard each blue paperweight print and green agate print (units) □ 7/8 yard each black spot print and green button print (units) □ 1 yard each green floral and green tone-on-tone (units) □ 31/8 yards blue floral (units, rows) □ 7/8 yard black-and-white print (binding) □ 8¼ yards backing fabric □ 98×105" batting TO ORDER A KIT of fabrics…

“My goal for this piece was to pull out the metallic gold accents in the fabric and fill the odd-shape blocks. I chose a gold metallic thread from Superior Threads and used a large stitch length to showcase the thread’s shine. I decided to use free-motion quilting to fill each block to the corners with an S-shape design. To bring out the quilting I used two battings—a cotton/polyester 80/20 and a wool.”KRISTINA WHITNEY, HANDI QUILTER STUDIO EDUCATOR Instead of cutting each All for One elongated hexagon from a different print, for the color option associate editor Diane Tomlinson cut four elongated hexagons from each print and grouped them by print into 14-sided shapes. This provided space for striking machine quilting. FABRICS are from the Niwa collection by P&B Textiles…

HAND SEWING Discover the joys of handwork. Author Becky Goldsmith shares step-by-step instructions, her best tips, and favorite tools for hand piecing, hand appliquéing, and English paper piecing. $28.95; ctpub.com MAKING A LIFE Author Melanie Falick takes readers across continents to explore why working with our hands remains relevant in the modern world. The book includes photos and stories from quilters, weavers, painters, woodworkers, and more. $31.50; barnesandnoble.com 99 MACHINE-QUILTING DESIGNS Learn to machine-quilt 35 walking-foot designs and 64 free-motion designs on your domestic machine. Author Christa Watson included a photo, description, and diagram for each design so you can have success quilting your next project. $28.99; shopmartingale.com…

WHO TAUGHT YOU TO SEW? I grew up surrounded by textiles because my mother and grandmother are both textile artists. So I’ve always been familiar with quilting, crochet, tatting, embroidery, and all of the terms and tools for textile work. However, it wasn’t until I started dyeing and hand stitching that I found my footing within that tradition. I’m primarily self-taught when it comes to quilting (though I’ve asked my mother many, many questions), which I’m happy about because it has led me to develop my own style and process. I don’t feel held back by conventional rules. I’m drawn to quilting because I firmly believe that quilting, more than any other medium, can be imbued with emotions. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DYEING FABRIC WITH PLANT-BASED DYES? It’s…

We started with pins and have added pendants, earrings, charms, scissor fobs, and needle minders. My husband does all the finishing work on our jewelry. Our top sellers are our scrappy 1½"- and 1¼"-square Pineapple and Log Cabin pendants. They’re colorful and can be worn with everything. Additionally, anything patriotic always goes over well We also make keepsake jewelry out of wedding dress trims. I think most of us box up our wedding dresses and rarely, if ever, look at them again. But if you snip a bit of the lace, we can make it into a pendant you can see and wear every day! The jewelry business tends to be seasonal. Wholesale orders usually increase in the spring and fall when quilt shops are gearing up for a…