The Dump is No Place for a Quilt

Would you throw this quilt away? Someone did, but luckily it was spotted by someone else who understands the work and skill that went into creating it! For the rest of the story check out this article which was posted on our team thread today: Dump Quilts

I've seen lots of quilts in very poor condition, but would never, ever advise anyone to just throw one away! There are lots of projects you can make out of even the most worn and shabby quilt. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for preserving what can be preserved, but a threadbare and worn quilt can live a second or third life in another form also. They can be made into pillows, vests, teddy bears, coasters, the sky is the limit. If all else fails, I'm sure there is a crafter or quilter who would be more than happy to take that quilt and love it for the love that was put into it in the first place!

November Quiltsy Promotion Theme - Holiday Decor

Back at the end of summer we decided to promote holiday themed items in our shops this month. Lucky for us, etsy has decided to kick off their own Holiday Decor promotion this week. The timing is great for us!

This promotion can highlight stockings, ornaments, table runners, candle mats, quilts, pillows... really anything in holiday fabric. Remember, it includes any holiday between November 1 and December 31st.

Tag your items with holidayquiltsy.

Team members will search the tag holidayquiltsy to search for treasury items. Anyone can make a promotional thread about searching holidayquiltsy to find great holiday items. Please post a link to your promotional threads back in the main weekly chat thread so we can all help bump it. We're experimenting with having a bunch of promotional threads this month rather than one or two.

As always, we'd like your input in the main chat thread if you think these promotions are helping bring more traffic to your shop.

Quiltsy Bra Quilt

Here is our first Quiltsy group project - a bra quilt. We designed and made our own blocks and they were put together by Barbara of JabaroDesigns. We still haven't decided exactly how to raise money from our creation, but we are sure pleased with the results so far! Right now the quilt is waiting at Michelle of DragonflyStitches where it will be quilted - I'm sure she will do a fabulous job with it!

This has been a fun project and very exciting for all involved. In some way it seems that Breast Cancer has touched the lives of many of us and we all eager to help with raising funds to support research.

Quiltsy Member Shows at International Quilt Festival 2008!

Quiltsy member Sue Andrus of Andrus Gardens Quilts had a quilt displayed at this year's International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.



Entitled "Iris on the Rocks" it is part of an exhibit of Journal Quilts called "Elements Earth, Water, Air and Fire." It will be traveling to at least 2 more shows - Chicago in the spring, and Long Beach CA next summer.

The International Quilt Festival is the largest event of its kind in the world, where the Best of the Best are showcased and feted during nearly two weeks of exhibits, classes, shows, meetings and shopping.

To see more detailed pictures of and Sue's narrative about Iris on the Rocks, visit Sue's Blog.

Congratulations Sue on your achievement!

International Quilt Festival 2008

Autumn in Houston, Texas means one thing to the fiber arts community: Quilt Festival! For 29 years the quilting industry and afficiandos have been making a pilgrimage to Houston to enjoy together in one place, all the varied factions of the quilt world. Quilt collectors, teachers, artists, retailers, suppliers, and just plain quilt lovers descend to create and participate in a Disneyland of quilts!

It's hard to describe how LARGE this show is. It's held at the George R. Brown Convention Center on the edge of downtown Houston. The International Quilt Show (Market and Festival parts) takes over the entire 1.2 million sq ft of meeting and exhibit space for about 10 days. The 2nd and 3rd floors are used for tons of classes and lectures during, and between, the two shows. It's unbelievably BIG!



Being a Houstonian, I'm very blessed to have this event at my doorstep. People come from all over the world to this Mother-of-ALL-Quilt-Shows and I just have to walk past 3 houses to my local bus to get there. This week I attended Quilt Market, the trade show held before the Festival -- where quilt businesses go to see and purchase their new inventory for the upcoming season. Anyone who's anyone in the fabric, design and notion industries attends. My favorite part is getting an early look at colors and trends that we'll all being seeing everywhere in a few months.



Two things I noticed this time: texture is big. I saw many examples of creative use of jumbo ric-rac and/or chenille mixed with fabric in fun quilts. I also saw a lot of embellishment to quilts: hot-fix sparklies, silk ribbon and beaded embellishment. To see my photos of some of my days at Market and Festival, view the slide shows:

Market

MORE Market

Festival

Half of the exhibit space is set up for vendors, with the other half set up for the Quilt Exhibits. Set up this year around "Quilts - a World of Beauty" (the main exhibit of the show organizing body, the Int'l Quilt Assn.) were: 19th Century Patchwork Divas; Country Living Classics; Master Piece Work: Joyce Gross History Collection; Festival Gallery of Quilt Art: Town and Country; The Sky's the Limit 2008; winners from Quilt National 2007; SAGA Masters Quilt Art and A Sense of Time; Celebrate Spring 2008; Quilt Week Yokohama; Band of Hands; Hands All Around Int'l Quilts; In Full Bloom V Floral Quilts; Journal Quilt Project 8; the Hoffman Challenge winners; West Coast Wonders; In the American Tradition VII; Patchwork Politics and a very special exhibit this year - The Daughters of the American Revolution Collection: Quilts of a Young Country.

No matter your interest, talent or skill level, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the International Quilt Festival. Next year's Festival will be Oct. 15-18, 2009. I hope to see you there!

~Robin