by Mary Beth Krapil

I was at the Road to California Quilter’s Conference and Showcase in January and of course I enjoyed looking at all the spectacular quilts. As is usually the case, something about the quilts grabs my attention and this time the show was all eyes. Many of the quilts were looking back at me! Of course I have to share that unique experience with you.

This quilt by Inger Blood of Camino California was the one that started the adventure. Inger really captured those pleading eyes in fabric.

Play With Me!
by Inger Blood
Camino, CA

Here is another sweet pooch, with eyes that cannot be denied.

Toxic Beauty
by Diane E. Mitchell
Avery California

The intense colors of this quilt are amazing. Roxanne thought the expression of the parrot seems to say, “Can we talk?”. That intense eye surely captivates your attention.

Technicolor Dream Parrot
by Roxanne Nelson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

This  grey wolf was watching me! Christina says OR-7 is the first confirmed grey wolf in Oregon since 1947. He left his pack wondering into California, the first since 1924. He found his mate and settled in southern Oregon.

OR-7
by Christina McCann
Depoe Bay, Oregon

I only have eyes for you! This great raw edge applique collage quilt really depicts the affection of these two Asian elephants.

Sisters, Best Freinds
by Sandra Mollon
Valley Springs, CA

This beautiful bird was watching me too, and he looks like he’s saying “I’m trying to take a nap here”.

Tickled Pink
by Debra Crine
Marco Island, FL

All these eyes are a great reminder to look both ways!

Rubberneckin’
by Elly Dyson
Annandale, VA

So many animal eyes! But, there were some human eyes as well. At least I think this one is human? Ann created this for the theme of Silence in her art group. Ann says, “What speaks more to silence than a librarian? With a finger to the lips and a soulful stare, this well known figure shushes all who dare to break her rules.”  This just made me smile.

Shh
by Ann Turley
Fallbrook, CA

And part of the Cherrywood Challenge quilts, these eyes are just intense. It always amazes me how quilters can convey emotion with simple pieces of fabric. And the quilted rain! Perfect!

Purple Rain
by Joanne Powell
Bellport, NY

So the eyes have it.

by Mary Beth Krapil

We are so lucky at Handi Quilter to be surrounded by quilts every day. We have a special display area, that we call the Gallery, where we hang collections of quilts by various artists. Right now the Gallery is filled with quilts by Lea McComas. They are spectacular. Lea uses thread and fabric to create realistic pictorial works.

Lea’s art has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions, including Geneva, Vienna, Johannesburg, New York, Houston, Kansas City, and Denver. Her work has won awards at various national and international festivals.

We’d like to invite you to come see it, up close and personal. Come visit Handi Quilter any day the offices are open. Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm Mountain time. You can call 877-697-8458 first to make sure there is not a special event scheduled. The collection will remain in the Gallery until early May.

For those of you who cannot make it in person, here’s the next best thing! Enjoy these photos of Lea’s quilts and let us know what you think of them.

And my personal favorite, a portrait of our very own, Vice President of Marketing and Education, Brenda Groelz.

by Mary Beth Krapil

Last week I had the pleasure of teaching classes at Road to California Quilter’s Conference and Showcase. I can highly recommend this wonderful quilt show. If you have never been, be sure to add it to your bucket list! Fabulous award winning quilts, huge selection of great classes, lectures and a wide variety of vendors make this one of the best shows in the country. And it’s California, in January. You’ve got to like that!

I was able to take a quick peek at some of the quilts during lunch and I wanted to share them with you. These were all I had time for. My apologies to the winners I did not get to photograph.

Here is the winner of the $5000 Outstanding Artistry award sponsored by Handi Quilter.

Maria’s Tree
by Linda Anderson
LaMesa, CA

Linda shared this about her quilt, “In this village in Oaxaca, Mexico, the traditional dress, huipils, are decorated with stylized red geometric trees, a unique design for each of the 4 stages a girl goes through until marriage. Maria’s tree is a sprawling, wildly branching sapling, characterizing a child running about and stretching upwards day by day, like a fast growing plant.”

I love to read about the quilts that I see in shows. It really enriches the experience of viewing the quilts, getting to know what the maker was thinking or perhaps a bit about the technique. Do you read the placards?

This next quilt won the $2500 Outstanding Modern Quilt award.

Ohio Snowball
by Christine Perrigo
Erie, CO

Christine started with a blown-up Flowering Snowball block and created a secondary pattern with Ohio Star blocks. As you can see from these detail shots the quilting is simple, but amazing with great use of different threads.

detail of Ohio Snowball

detail of Ohio Snowball

Hand quilted quilts always amaze me! The time that goes into them is astounding. This quilt won the $2500 Best Hand Quilting Award.

Joy of Spring
by Jackie Perry
Marion, VA

Jackie says her quilt was inspired by an adult coloring book. It includes hand stippling, ruched flowers and crystals. Stunning!

detail of Joy of Spring

back of Joy of Spring

Check out this amazing applique! This quilt won the $1500 Best Applique Award. Happy Trails machine quilted by Diane Beauchamp.

Happy Trails
by Catherine DuCharme
San Clemente, CA

Catherine says she spent 6 months just gathering the fabrics she used in the quilt. Then 6 more months to complete the quilt and it was the most intricate applique quilt she has ever attempted. Well done Catherine!

The Best Longarm Machine Quilting Award went to this fantastic quilt.

Summer Christmas
by Mariya Waters
quilted by Gina Perkes-Tidwell
Payson, AZ

The quilt was designed to celebrate Christmas in the hot Southern climates where gardens are in full bloom during the holidays. The makers drew inspiration from large scale Victorian stencils and the Tudor Rose. It took 4 years to applique and 1 year to quilt!

detail of Summer Christmas

detail of Summer Christmas

The $7500 Marie White Masterpiece Award went to another collaborative quilt.

Spangled
by Gail Stepanik
quilted by Jan Hutchison
New Lenox, IL

Gail used background fabric in some of the petals to soften the look of this Dahlia block variation. She used an unusual material, fusible glitter vinyl for the swag border and the tiny black dots in the sashing. It truly is a masterpiece! Check out the fantastic quilting too.

back of Spangled

detail of Spangled

detail of Spangled

detail of Spangled

Hope you enjoyed this mini Winner’s Circle!

What is your favorite quilt show?

by Mary Beth Krapil

Have you heard about the Ruler of the Month Club? We are on round 4 starting this month (January 2019)! The HQ Ruler of the Month club is a great way to challenge your quilting skills and build ruler work confidence. Each month in the six-month series features a debut acrylic ruler paired with mentorship from your local shop, step-by-step video instruction and design ideas. You get exclusive access to a brand new ruler, and at a discounted price! And you will receive a special club member gift.

You can get involved at your local HQ retailer shop and learn along with fellow quilters, or if you don’t have a nearby retailer you can participate by mail. You can find a participating retailer here. Simply add your zip code and check the box for Ruler of the Month. If you are too far away or cannot visit the shop, simply call one of the retailers closest to you and inquire whether they provide a “by Mail” option. Many (but not all) do.

I am writing about the HQ ROTM4 because it is really special! These rulers are something you have never seen before. You can create amazing, perfect designs with this new technique. Handi Quilter has teamed up with Leonie West to create these new exciting rulers and this round you will get your club gift first thing, since it is a tool you can use along with the rulers.

Here’s a preview of the rulers:

They look a bit strange, but you won’t believe the amazing things you can do with them!  Here’s just one example of a design created with January’s Ruler:

So COOL! and So Easy to do. I wish I could show you more because each design is cooler than the last. But that’s for club members only.

So take my word for it, you do NOT want to miss this ROM Club 4!

by Mary Beth Krapil

They say that quilting makes the quilt. Sometimes, that is more true than others. Of course it’s very true in the case of a whole cloth quilt. After all, in a whole cloth quilt, quilting is all there is. A single piece of fabric for the quilt top, made fantastically beautiful by quilting.

At the 2018 Houston International Quilt Festival I saw some quilts that were technically not whole cloth quilts, there was some piecing and/or applique or painting or dying. However the quilting was certainly the star of the show on these quilts.

Pink Oyster Mushrooms was created with dyed and painted white cloth. The quilting created real depth and texture.

Pink Oyster Mushrooms by Sarah Ann Smith of Hope Maine

detail of Pink Oyster Mushrooms

This quilt is actually pieced! Karl used a single fabric, Quilter’s Linen. He carefully changed the direction of the fabric to provide subtle variation in color and texture. Quilted with silver circles and rays. The thread creates amazing highlights.

You’ve Got to Start Somewhere by Karl Burkett of Houston, Texas

detail of You’ve Got to Start Somewhere

There was a beautiful display of Cathy Wiggins lovely quilted leather made into saddles. Cathy uses paints and dyes after quilting the leather.

Red Roses of Texas by Cathy Wigginsnof North Carolina

Jackson’s Sunday-Go-to-Meeting Saddle by Cathy Wiggins of North Carolina

Bentley and Saddle by Cathy Wiggins of North Carolina

Stephanie used multi-colored threads to add depth and texture to this minimally pieced quilt.

Clyfford-Still Life by Stephanie Ruyle of Denver, Colorado

detail of Clyfford-Still Life

Cristina did not share what she used to create this adorable quilt. My guess is ink for the stripes on the bathing suit. What do you think?

The Jump by Cristina Arcenegui Bono of Alcala de Guadaira, Seville, Spain

detail of The Jump

This quilt definitely has some fantastic intricate piecing, but in my mind the star is Bethanne‘s wonderful pictorial quilting.

Into the Westward Sun by Bethanne Nemesh of Allentown, Pennsylvannia

detail of Into the Westward Sun

Another quilt with lovely piecing and over the top quilting. Sorry the detail photo I took was blurry.

Oh, My Bleeding Heart by Lisa H Calle of Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Vicki manipulated a photo of a Bird of Paradise bloom and then had it professionally printed on silk charmeuse. Her quilting creates the detail of the leaves and bloom.

Dancing Bird by Vicki Bohnhoff of Culver City, California

detail of Dancing Bird

This quilt was machine pieced and hand appliqued, but the dramatic use of contrasting thread really steals the show.

Blue Moon by Mary Lorenz of Austin, Texas

detail of Blue Moon

Here is one of my own. It was a challenge issued to the Handi Quilter Educators in 2015. It is a single friendship star block and I added quilting in a contrasting thread color along with some couched yarn.

Friendship star challenge by Mary Beth Krapil of Duncan, NC

You should add this to your list of quilts you want to make: a minimally pieced or appliqued quilt where quilting makes the quilt. Are you game?

by Mary Beth Krapil

This is the season of New Year’s resolutions and self-help advice. The time when we take stock and resolve to improve some area of our lives. The first step is to eliminate habits that are holding you back and quilting is no different. We can sometimes fall into bad habits that steal our success and joy in our quilting endeavors.

Here’s a fast 5 things to avoid while quilting, to improve your results and your quilting happiness.

No.1 – Looking at the needle when free motion quilting. You will get much smoother quilting lines and prettier designs if you look ahead to your goal rather than looking at the needle. It’s learning where to look that takes some thought and practice. Here’s some ideas to get you started. If you are quilting a zig zag design like this:

You start your line of stitching at 1, right away your eye should be on 2. When you reach 2, your eye goes to 3 etc……..

Or quilting clamshells.

Same thing. You start your line of stitching at 1, right away your eye should be on 2, the top of your clam, your goal. Your brain knows you are quilting a curve and you will quilt a nice smooth curve. If you look at the needle you try too hard and you will end up with wiggles. When you reach 2, your eye goes to 3 etc…….. To apply this to any design, break the design down into basic shapes, straight line, curve, S-shape, etc. Start at one end of that shape and the other end will be your goal.  Keep your eye on the goal!

No.2 – Putting items (scissors, marking tools, rulers, chocolate….) on the quilt. Or on the little area between the top pole and the belly bar (backing pole). This will distort your quilt. This is especially bad if you are a Pro-Stitcher user. Placing items on the little shelf between the top bar and the belly bar can be very dangerous! Those things can be forgotten and will slip between the layers of the quilt when you advance your fabric. It’s not fun to hit a pair of small scissors that are hidden beneath the top fabric. Or, as once happened to me, I managed to miss hitting the scissors only to discover them while applying the binding to the quilt! Get a tool tray to keep all those things handy, but off the quilt!

N0.3 – Using the wrong thread for the project at hand. There are so many threads to choose from. Why not take advantage of the one that will make your quilting be its best? The best tool for the job, as they say. For instance, stitch in the ditch on a quilt with high contrast between the fabrics.

Think, if you will, of a black and white checker board. What color thread would you choose to make your stitch in the ditch sink into the ditch? White will show on the black fabric, and black will show on the white fabric. Gray will show on both black and white. Give monofilament thread a try, it’s nearly invisible (which you will find when you try to thread your needle) (Small tip: take a sharpie marker and color the end of the thread, then you will be able to see it when you are threading the needle.)

That’s just one example. Take a bit of time to visit the Superior Threads website. There is a ton of information for you to learn about thread and you can see all the yummy thread possibilities. I’m sure you will get some ideas for your next project.

No.4 – Leaning on the poles while using Pro-Stitcher. When you lean against the poles of your frame you distort the fabric. So when you are creating an area for positioning your design or when you are doing your stitch-out, stay away from the poles. That slight movement of fabric can cause designs to not line up as perfectly as they should. Teach your family to never touch the frame while they watch your Pro-Stitcher at work too!

No.5 – Being overly critical of your work. We are all at different places in our quilting journey, beginner to advanced. When you finish a quilt, you can take a good look at your quilting and decide where you want to improve. Once you have set that goal, celebrate that you made the time to quilt (something you enjoy). Celebrate that the quilt is finished! Congratulate your self on small improvements.

Happy New Year!

by Mary Beth Krapil

I saw quite a few quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston this year that were strikingly geometric. I know from my teaching travels and interacting with thousands of quilters all over the world, that quilters are not fond of math. But there is no getting around it. Math and Geometry play a huge part in quilts. Math is how we arrive at the beauty. Maybe you remember my post from a while back, Math or Art?  The more you know about the math behind the quilt, the better your quilts might become. There is a great post on the Quilt Pro blog about 3D quilts and understanding the concept of three dimensions (a little more math).

Or, maybe you just want to enjoy making and viewing quilts and let someone else worry about the math. So here are some markedly geometric quilts that I enjoyed. Maybe you will too. Many come from a Retrospective of Classical Quilts in a Modern Style by Brigitte Morgenroth.

The first quilt is a favorite tessellation. The name, Never Again – Or Maybe?, stems from Brigitte’s struggle with working with seven layers of fabric.

Nie Wieder – oder doch?
(Never Again – Or Maybe?)
by Brigitte Morgenroth of Kassel, Germany

detail of Nie Wieder – oder doch?

In the next example, I love how Brigitte used different sized triangles together. The same simple shape but differing sizes created motion in this piece.

Flammenmeer (Sea of Flames) by Brigitte Morgenroth of Kassel, Germany

Ocean Waves is another great tessellation quilt with palpable motion.

Meereswogen (Ocean Waves) by Brigitte Morgenroth of Kassel, Germany

detail of Meereswogen

This simple geometric shape, some call orange peel, used with the unique fabric and color gradations creates a soothing pleasing quilt.

Blauer Pfad (Blue Path) by Brigitte Morgenroth of Kassel, Germany

Can you feel the Autumn wind blowing these leaves? All created with triangles.

Wirbelwind (Whirlwind) by Brigitte Morgenroth of Kassel, Germany

detail of Wirbelwind

This quilt by Lisa-Marie Sanders has a striking 3 dimensional appearance with simple circles and only 2 colors.

Internal Combustion by Lisa-Marie Sanders of Cocoa Beach, Florida

This quilt by my friend, Jenny Bowker of Australia, creates depth and drama with simple triangles and expert color choices.

After the Last Sky by Jennifer Bowker of Garran, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

detail of After the Last Sky

You may not love math, but you gotta love the quilts! Which is your favorite?

by Mary Beth Krapil

However you celebrate at this time of year, we at Handi Quilter want to wish you all the best times.

We are looking forward to another great year of serving you. We love providing you what you need to finish more quilts; and it is our goal to equip, educate and inspire you in even better and more innovative ways in 2019. Thanks for making us a part of your creative life. Together we can make magic.

CEO Darren Denning with another guy whose job it is to make dreams come true

by Mary Beth Krapil

Autumn is a really busy season for a quilter. Lots of shows and quilting events happen in the Fall before the Holiday Season takes up all our time. I’m done with my travels for 2018, so I finally got time to share some of the quilts I saw at Houston.

These portrait quilts were amazing! And I found it interesting to see the varied techniques used in creating the quilts. This first quilt, Ruby by Roxanne Nelson of Calgary, Alberta Canada was likely my favorite of the entire show. The colors were vibrant and Roxanne captured the inner light of her subject, Ruby.  She used raw edge, fusible applique.

Ruby by Roxanne Nelson of Calgary, Alberta Canada

detail of Ruby

In contrast to the vibrant colors of Ruby, is A Bright Idea by Lynn Czaban of Eugene, Oregon. Lynn expertly used value in this monochromatic quilt that was created with fused applique and enhanced with thread, ink and water color pencil.

A Bright Idea by Lynn Czaban of Eugene Oregon

detail of A Bright Idea

Carol Morrissey of Double Oak, Texas created Kora with fused applique of hand dyed cottons, using simple circles of differing sizes, multiple colors and values. It reminded me of the tests that optometrists use to check for color-blindness, but much more fun!

Kora by Carol Morrissey of Double Oak, Texas

detail of Kora

Our very own Handi Quilter International Ambassador, Helen Godden, created this portrait, Lindsey, completely with couched yarn! Helen developed the couching foot for Handi Quilter. She sure put it to great use stitching the yarn in directional layers as if it were paint for this amazing portrait.

Lindsey by Helen Godden of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

detail of Lindsey

Heidi Proffitty of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, created Is She Ready Yet? with a mosaic technique using a photograph.  There are over 5000 digitally cut and fused pieces on this quilt.

Is She Ready Yet? by Heidi Proffetty of Bridgewater, Massachusetts

detail of Is She Ready Yet?

Portraits don’t always have to be of people. It’s so easy to feel the emotion of Eternal Expectation. Lioudmila used machine applique, paint and thread painting to create the realistic depth in the fur.

Eternal Expectation by Lioudmila Malchow of Fort Laramie, Wyoming

Stay tuned for more quilts from the Houston International Quilt Festival!