Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt - Tejas Row Begins!

One row in our Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt will come from a single state. With over 25 million residents, it stands to reason that our Quiltsy Team population also reflects many members from the Lone Star State.

The name Texas comes from the Spanish translation (Tejas) of a native Caddo Indian word that means "friends" -- therefore Texas is "the Friendly State."

It was not coincidence that Ann of QuiltingFrenzy begins our row with her beautiful block. She hails from San Antonio, a place that figures prominently in the early history of Texas. It is also where I was born and since Ann and my mother share the same name (first AND last names), it just all adds up to Ann starting out our Texas travelog.

Ann wanted very much to photograph her block in front of that most hallowed symbol of our state, the Alamo. Unfortunately she pulled her back out and was unable to get over for the photo shoot. We'll just have to pretend! :)

This Spring marks the

175th anniversary of Texas independence and many of San Antonio's special events will center around the famous Battle of the Alamo. Click here to learn more about them.

Ann has been sewing for over 30 years and quilting for nearly 20. She likes to let the fabric speak to her to guide toward the finished products. Recently Ann has been making a lot of custom quilts, including photo memory and memory quilts made from clothing.

Ann has pieced quilt tops for quilting icon Eleanor Burns of "Quilt in a Day" fame -- one of which was used in her Victory Quilts trunk show. Ann also tested a new quilt pattern by piecing a quilt top that was quilted by Judy Jackson and featured on page 52 of her "Lover's Knot" book.

Having had the privilege of participating in a holiday show with Ann, I can attest that she is a very accomplished and prolific quilter. Do check out Ann's shop Quilting Frenzy, and stay tuned for the next installment as the Tejas Row travels up I-35 to our lovely capital.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt - SW Row so far...

The gals in the SW Row have been busy working on their blocks!

The first block, made by Dede of PeppersAttic has already been received and added to by Gail of QuiltSewPieceful. Cindy of cindyrquilts has completed her block and mailed it to catch up with the row in Colorado.

Cindy lives in Beit Shemesh, Israel across from Kibbutz Tzora there. She is pictured standing in front of the ancient wall at Tel Tzora with her quilt block. The wall is just a few minutes from her house and is famous for Samson and Delilah. Samson is believed to have been buried in Tel Tzora overlooking the Sorek Valley. There reside two large gravestones of Samson and his father Manoah. Nearby stands Manoah's altar (referenced in Judges 13:19-24). It is located between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.

Cindy is known for color coordinating her wardrobe and accessories though she didn't realize (until I'd pointed it out) that she'd coordinated her hat with her block. :) Purple is her favorite color and it tickled her to know she'd subconsciously coordinated. Cindy has been quilting for 16 years and concentrates primarily on landscapes of Israel. She also makes lovely cosmetic bags, purses, housewares like trivets and hotplate covers and beautiful wearable art like vests and hats. Add cindyrquilts to your favorites!

Dede named her shop PeppersAttic in honor of a much-loved cat who kept her company in her attic studio back in Alaska. Sadly, Pepper the cat has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but his memory lives on in some of the quilts in Dede's home. Dede now lives in warmer Southern California where she continues a life-long love affair with fabric, quilts, vintage linens, textiles, yarn and fiber. She has been making wonderful creations for over 40 years and loves putting heirloom quality into all she makes. Dede does a lot of custom work and her Rag Bags are getting famous -- right now they are featured in 45 treasuries!

Gail of QuiltSewPieceful has been quilting for almost 20 years. (The second block above is Gail's) Gail specializes in beautiful pieced quilts that she finishes on her Gammil Classic long arm quilting machine. She also does machine embroidery on her Bernina 830, has a line of her quilt patterns (check them out!) and teaches quilting at a local quilt shop. In her spare time, Gail is Wonder Woman! j/k

Please check out these shops for some wonderful items!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project - Block No. 1!

The National Quilting Association (NQA) began sponsoring National Quilting Day with a resolution passed by members attending the 22nd annual Show in Lincoln, Nebraska in June 1991. The third Saturday in March is officially designated as National Quilting Day, but quilters are flexible and we love a celebration -- especially when fabric is involved. So over the years observance of National Quilting Day has unofficially been expanded to the whole month of March.

Every year the NQA designates a specific National Quilting Day theme. For 2011 the theme is "Build Your Own Log Cabin." The log cabin block is among the oldest in quilting. It symbolizes the warmth and belonging of hearth and home. The NQA encourages quilters this year to make log cabin quilt blocks to make charity quilts for those who may be struggling for warmth and comfort.

Hoping to repeat some of their successful participation of National Quilting Day last year, Team Quiltsy has many fun projects and promotions coming for this year's observation.

The first is a group effort titled "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt" project. Many members are making their particular take on a log cabin block. The participants have been assigned rows and are mailing their blocks to each other to build a beautiful community quilt.

Today we have our very first block - coming from KathyKinsella in British Columbia, Canada!
Kathy lives on the imposing Shuswap Lake (which looks a teensy bit cold right now). She is a fibre artist who designs her own fun art bags and greeting cards. Much of her work is influenced by her beautiful surroundings and you'll often find whimsy in her work. Kathy also designs and makes wonderful liturgical fibre artworks.

In the coming weeks we'll have fun seeing the Quiltsy members and their blocks as we build toward the finished Sisterhood quilt!

Beautiful job, Kathy! Thanks for taking the point and being first!

Etsy Banners go to Chicago!

Our beautifu quilted banners have been spotted in Chicago this week! This was a cooperative project and was worked on by many members of the team, and we are all so proud of them. They really are beautiful and it is wonderful to see how Etsy is putting them to use at different venues as well as serving as a room divider in their offices.