It's a Mystery . . . . all of it!

Wow this title is so appropo . . .we are so happy to be back on our blog, spreading the joy and love of quilting with pretty FreeSpirit Fabrics.  First, a great big thank you to our soon-to-be owners Jaftex for keeping this brand alive and our artists and team together. For that we can all be eternally thankful!

Now onto the fun stuff . . . . if you have not heard, there is a mystery brewing.  It's sort of like the game of  Clue but instead of Professor Plum in the Library, it is none other than Kaffe Fassett with his beautiful Classic fabrics, in your local quilt shop.  

If you haven't already, visit our Kaffe Mystery Quilt Facebook Page and enter the Gallery where you can view the excitement of those participating as well as receive clues as to how this quilt will all come together.  If you are a Mystery-maker, post photos of your progress on our Kaffe Mystery Quilt Facebook page and hash tag it #KaffeMysteryQuilt. That # enters you to possibly win fabulous gifts and prizes each month!  You have to be in it to win it though, so post, post, post!

Exeter Sewing Machine Co. LTD. super excited to be a part of the Mystery!

Month One, March, is at your local retailers.  It's not too late to see if you can join in the fun. Until next time, they mystery is yours to solve!

The Artist UnSEWn Featuring English Garden by Snow Leopard Designs

"The English Garden Collection" from Snow Leopard designs is inspired by my deep love for English gardens and English garden plants. For the inspiration for the collection I drew on a number of sources including 19th century botanical illustrations from my archive, as well as antique seed packets and catalogues and antique floral fabrics also from my archives.

The design: "Vegetable Garden" was directly inspired by antique and vintage seed packets. I have always found the style of these designs so visually pleasing and I wanted to try to convey this rich fullness of form, texture and colour directly to fabric.

"Strawberry Fields" was inspired by an illustration of strawberries in an antique volume in my collection called "The Floral World". I had bought a whole set of these books in the late 1980s and had often thought how wonderfully the strawberry print would transfer to fabric to make a simple and striking design.

"Begonias" was developed from an antique English textile document in my archive that was first printed in the 1890s. I loved the crisp sharpness of the drawing and the outline so reminiscent of late Victorian England.

 

Pelargonium was also developed from a late 19th century textile document in my archive. I have always had a passion for Pelargoniums and geraniums with their amazingly patterned leaves and jump at any chance to include them in my designs. I also developed an all over pelargonium leaf pattern to lie under the different blooms as a background texture. This pattern was then also produced as a separate semi plain fabric: "Pelargonium Leaves" where it works as solid colour to co-ordinate with the other designs in the collection.

"Garden Peonies" was inspired by a selection of antique woodblock prints in my archive that I put together to create a dense and lush all over texture of exuberance. I just love painting up this type of design and the satisfaction I get as each new colour is added from my paintbrush to the paper is hard to describe.

"Rose Bower" is a lovely little classic English rose print that I found in the late 1980s in a large old leather bound volume of English fabrics from the 1850s. It`s the sort of "filler" design that works so well with the larger patterns in quilts and on it`s own for multiple other uses such as bags and clothing etc.

Finally to round the collection off I included "Cherry Tomatoes". It is based on a lovely little woodblock print from the 1920s that I found recently. I thought that it would work so well in quilts as another texture to both frame and complement the larger prints.

For the colourways. I wanted fresh and vibrant colours that were also naturalistic and where every design and colour would work well with every pattern in the collection. I see the collection being used for a number of craft and furnishing projects including full blown flamboyant quilts that are literally full of the perfume of English gardens, to clothing, bags and all manner of household furnishings including curtains, cushions and bedding. I just hope that you have as much fun working with them as I did painting them.

National Sewing Month Featuring Amy Butler

Amy Butler shares her sewing story for National Sewing Month!

My first sewing project was more of a gluing project, and so began the early makings of me as a sewist. My grandma would let me paw through her beautiful scrap bags of fabric for hours in her cozy attic sewing room. I loved being in that space. G’s house was older with charming dormers that let in just the right amount of warm light. Every summer I would get time with her just the two of us, for a whole week. She’d go out of her way to make me feel special; cutting my toast into triangles, giving me my own little pots of tea and letting me explore her craft room, art supplies and fabrics. When I turned 7, G taught me how to sew on one of her rougher machines. I’ll never forget that first time she let me play in her material. I spent hours making a full collection of summer clothes for my neighborhood friends by cutting, gluing and taping together some pretty stylish halter tops. Their clothes fell apart immediately but they appreciated my efforts, and I’ll always remember that outpouring of creativity and how good it felt. I created a photo collage here with 7 year old me and a pretty accurate photo of G from that era. The fabric scraps in the background are from my Grandfather’s silk ties. G made them into a gorgeous flying geese quilt after he passed and I’m lucky enough to be the keeper of that quilt.

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Verna Mosquera along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Verna Mosquera

Verna Mosquera shares her sewing story for National Sewing Month!

When I was a little girl my grandmother would come from Guatemala and spend about 6 months out of every year with my family. She was always sewing and doing handwork. She let me use her sewing machine a little. My mom realized I had a true interest in learning so one summer at the age of 9 she signed me up for a 6 week class at the Singer store in the local mall. 

I really loved the class and remember our summer project was to make a vest. At the end of the class there was a fashion show in the mall in which you would get to wear (show off) your creation. Well, even as a young girl I was a bit of an over achiever. I didn’t just make a vest I made a 3 piece suit! A jacket, pants, vest and a collared shirt. It was just lovely made of tan polyester and calico flowers. I mean it doesn’t get better than that. 

This past winter my mom passed away. As I was looking through some of her items I found the plaque from the trophy I had won. First place, no doubt. So funny because I had no recollection of winning any prize just the memory of proudly wearing that stunning 70’s creation. Thought it was pretty sweet of my mom to save it. That class changed my life and I thank my mom Vicky for recognizing my passions before I was able to. 

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Verna Mosquera along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!


ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Amy Reber

Amy Reber shares her sewing story for National Sewing Month!

I'm going back in time about seven years....as the wife of a United States Marine and mother to three young children, I found myself craving a creative - almost therapeutic - outlet to help get me through deployments, moves and just the day-to-day roller coaster of being a stay-at-home mom. Despite what might be going on during a particular day, I challenged myself to pick up a sketch pad daily and so my rhythm as an artist was born; I still strive to sketch at least ten minutes each day.....I tell people it's free therapy!

As my collection of sketches grew, I started to wonder what my work would look like on “product” and realized that I needed to teach myself some graphic design skills on the computer. I opened up Adobe Illustrator one day during summer vacation. I made my first "repeat” that day using one of my sketches and immediately I knew I had found what my gift of art was meant to be used for. Though fabric was not on my radar at that moment, my art organically involved into designs that work beautifully on fabric and that sewers and quilters are drawn to.

Every time I see a creation made with my FreeSpirit fabrics, I get a similar adrenaline rush from when I made my first repeat! To look at a particular fabric and reflect upon when I drew the flower or shape is truly satisfying, and then to share this with others is the cherry on top! When I saw the quilt that I commissioned to be made using my first FreeSpirit Fabrics line POSY for my daughter, it was such a beautiful moment because not only did I get to give the quilt to her, but I got to show her what her mom could do outside of “mom/wife duties.” It was a powerful moment I will never forget! And now, I get to see how sewers and quilters use my designs to create their own beautiful works of art using thread and needle. I am honored and humbled to play a role in their passion and and I love seeing how others interpret my designs, and that with their creations they breathe new life into the art I originally brought to life with my sketchpad!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Amy Reber along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Anna Maria Horner

Anna Maria Horner shares her earliest sewing memory for National Sewing Month!

I was so lucky that my mother let me at the sewing machine at the very young age of 7.  This was after standing next to her and watching her sew my clothes for as far back as I can remember.  I found the sewing machine to be a miracle and a bit dangerous, so I pleaded until she finally gave in.  Prior to that I was hand sewing dresses for my Barbie Doll, and I've since heard from so many others that they began the same way.  Perhaps Barbie's biggest contribution to future quilters is it got us thinking in scraps from day one!  So a big thanks to my mom for believing I was capable.  I haven't stopped trying to prove I can do it!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Anna Maria Horner along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Kathy Doughty

Kathy Doughty shares her earliest sewing memory for National Sewing Month!

I was a Girl Scout sewing badge flunky!  I hated the sewing machine as a young girl and never dreamed I’d ever sew anything.  My life shifted dramatically when I moved to Australia and left behind all of the defining people, places and things in my life.  I met a few friends at my first son’s playgroup.  One of them, Bronwyn and her daughter Lucy, made me a quilt for my second baby Noah.  I remember quite clearly on that day, standing in the sun in my front yard as she handed me a quilt made with scraps in a quarter square pattern and tied with a ribbon. 

I looked at it and gasped at the full realization of the sharing that had gone into making it.  I could see the decisions made as they considered together what fabrics went where.  Visions of possibilities swarmed through my mind, I looked up at Bronwyn and said, “Teach me how to do this right now!”

I did not know a thing about sewing but I have spent the last 24 years learning by doing.  Don’t let anyone fool you, patience has nothing to do with making a quilt!  It’s all about learning in the moment, experimenting with color, design and pattern.  The best part is the community of willing quilters that will happily share what they know.  My quilting friends quickly became family.  Opening Material Obsession was an exciting opportunity that simply allowed me to learn faster from my customers and teachers as well as the groups and guilds I have encountered along the way.  It has become my voice and the place where I am most me.

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from the Kathy Doughty along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

The Artist UnSEWn presents Love & Friendship by Verna Mosquera

20 years ago I began two romances. One was my love with my husband, Miguel and the other my love of quilting. They both started at the same time. I took my first quilting class the month I got married back in 1996. It seemed only fitting that in 2016, which marked the 20 year anniversary of both I’d commemorate my journey through a fabric collection. These romances both inspired LOVE & FRIENDSHIP.

I truly believe that one thing cannot exist with out the other. You find a certain friendship in those you love and often a love for those you are friends with. Miguel and quilting were no exception. With both, it started as an interest, then soon became a friendship and not long after a love to last the ages.

I met Miguel walking down the street in a beautiful place called Punta Del Este, Uruguay. We became fast friends sharing stories of our childhoods, the places we had visited and those we longed to discover. For years we corresponded through letters until I returned to Uruguay in the early nineties and lived there for over a year. Our friendship consisted of walks on the beach, dinners at outdoor cafes on hot summer nights and winter afternoons watching foreign films. He was very well read, so articulate, quite brilliant, extremely witty and pretty darn handsome too! It was not a wonder after a year our friendship turned to love, one that has endured. I was so lucky to marry my best friend.

My romance with Miguel brought tremendous travel. The places we longed to discover became reality as we began to travel the world together. We visited so many cities in Europe, Canada, South America and eventually the United States. With each trip our love and friendship grew and I gathered artistic inspirations in color and design.

Just a few of my favorite moments:

Indulging in flan on a rainy afternoon on the beaches of Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay

Renting and riding bikes through the trails in Whistler, Canada

Sight seeing and enjoying tea in the Cotswalds, England

Summer evenings eating gelato as we crossed the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy

Enjoying tapas and taking pictures in beautiful San Sebastian, Spain

Not long after we returned to the US, I took a quilting class as a New Years resolution to learn something new in my artistic life. What began as a curiosity, quickly turned to passion and the creative fire has never stopped. It led me to work in a quilting store, teach classes & eventually start my own pattern company, The Vintage Spool. When I attended my first quilt market I met Donna Wilder, founder of FreeSpirit and have been designing fabric for FreeSpirit Fabrics ever since.

With Miguel by my side I have had the opportunity to work as an artist while we raise our two boys Milo, 15 & Nico, 12. Starting my own business with Miguel as my partner has allowed me to be with my children every step of their young lives. Days can often get crazy as I wear many hats but my friendship with Miguel has endured and without him it could have never happened. He’s always been supportive in any way I needed. Doing everything from the books for The Vintage Spool, to loading vans for trade shows, to being Mr. Mom while I have traveled to teach.

While our recent journeys are closer to home we still often enjoy a day out antiquing together. He gets a kick out of old tools and I go crazy over vintage quilts, French ribbon and unique glass buttons. Our home is an eclectic mix of treasures usually up-cycled that we have found and spruced into something fresh and new. We never tire of being together. He is usually sitting alongside me on the couch as I stitch my newest designs in the evening. 

It’s amazing how far we have come in our romantic and creative journey. Miguel still makes me laugh, his shoulder is always there to lean on when times are tough and I haven’t gotten tired of looking at his handsome face. The love and friendship we have shared has been the most amazing gift in my life. It has been with his support that I have grown into the artist that I am today. Because of our love I am empowered to share my creativity with others through my Vintage Spool patterns and my collections for FreeSpirit.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is available from your favorite local quilt shop or online retailer in eight different prints and three color ways. I hope it will inspire the romantic in all of you.

View Love & Friendship HERE. Download our free Quilt Pattern HERE.

The Artist UnSEWn- FreeSpirit presents Celebrate by Kathy Doughty

Greetings!  I am Kathy Doughty, an American living in Australia and an obsessive quilter since my first stitch.   So great is my passion that in 2003 I opened Material Obsession, a patchwork shop that is a treasure trove of dynamic, colourful fabrics curated to create a new mix for all quilters.  My motivation is to stimulate the imagination of quilters with quilt designs and techniques that have a familiar idea with a point of difference.  Designing fabric for Free Spirit is a natural extension of this approach !

One afternoon I was sketching with a fabric range in mind.  Ideas come from everywhere but this day my mind was full of stash treasures that my customers were mixing with contemporary fabrics for applique and Broderie Perse in our classes.  In the pile were a variety of remnants that included home dec, upholstery and antique chintz fabrics.  I noted that the cherished fabrics my customers were carefully cutting up often had exotic animals like giraffes and camels…monkeys and elephants.  A bit of research revealed that when patchwork first started women would wait on the docks in England for the delivery of the extraordinary prints from India that often featured unimaginable colours and images.  I liked this nod to history and an idea was born….what if  these animals were party favours sitting in a jug instead of flowers????  Celebrate, my latest collection is all about that twist…and maybe a bit of shout!

It is so much fun to be able to celebrate the release of  Celebrate! with all of you now!

Party Favours is the feature print.  The decorative pots and characters can be cut from the borders and used in a feature block.   I like the structure of traditional quilts and am always looking for prints that can hold space with interest in a quilt.  It is also possible to isolate the characters for fussy cutting in pieced quilts or into large hexagons.  It’s a versatile print that can also be cut beautifully into dynamic directional sashing strips.  This particular print would also be darling for curtains in a child’s room!

Once I had my party favours the idea of a party celebration was on fire!

It started with the invited characters that make a gathering interesting.  But before the guests arrive we need to decorate so….

Setting the table with a colourful floral table cloth makes for a festive event. In Australia we often plan our parties outside in the garden so we always want good weather!  Weather Permitting is a vibrant floral print that hopes for good weather but if it rains, we’ll just put up a colourful umbrella!  This is a fun print for cutting large or small.  It has enough energy to be used as a palette starter, for alternate blocks or borders.



It is also perfect for a shirt…for that special guy Dave the DJ!

Party Land was a nod to a tropical theme.  Palm trees, pineapples (the flavour of the month!) and beach huts are images that bring good times to mind!  Again the print has features for random or fussy cutting.

For the last few years party banners have been popular so I thought they would make an interesting graphic print with a variety of lines and patterns.  These three prints are an interesting option for block spacers or even applique backgrounds.

To top off any party a bit of fizzy bubbly doesn’t go astray so Bubbles were added in three colours for backgrounds and light.  The happy colors and that intense acid yellow make this print right on trend.

When I design a fabric range and am deciding on the colors I am always thinking about my customers and quilting friends.  I tend to group them in three categories, which are:

Pretty – those that like comfortable, low contrast prints that are in a word, pretty.  Traditional – those that have a love of more reproduction style prints and colors.  Contemporary – those that like to combine the bright colors.

No matter what kind of color combinations you like to use the palette for Celebrate will work into the mix as a high or low light.  Use it together or mix it in with other collections you are using. 

Argyle Style – the collection works used all together or mixed with other designs

Although quilts are my main focus it was fun to make up these carry all bags using Celebrate!





Mixing textures as well as collections is a popular trend at MO.  Wendy Williams of Flying Fish Kits made this quilt called Pick of the Bunch using celebrate and our colourful wool felt collection.



Party, party, party….we can dream of a party land filled with colorful flowers and treats!  This collection considers not only where but how we decorate to celebrate any occasion.  Banners, good weather and a sense of irreverence dominate the scene but don’t forget the bubbles!!!  I hope you enjoy Celebrate and find your own ideas on how to use it.

If you want to see how we use it follow me:

instagram @matobsgirl, on my blog

blog mailto:http://www.materialobsession.typepad.com/

website: mailto:http://www.materialobsession.com.au/

Or join me in person as I travel and teach in the USA this July.  Check the website for tour date details and lets get together!!!

The Artist UnSEWn - FreeSpirit Presents Erin McMorris' Intermix

I always dread it when someone asks where I got my inspiration. I know, I know, it sounds strange—I mean, the question should be easy, right? After all, I designed it! I was there when I put pencil to paper for that first sketch. Yet for some reason, it is SO hard for me to articulate. I guess it’s because I get my inspiration from…everywhere!

Intermix by Erin McMorris

Perhaps I’m just embarrassed to admit that many times an idea just pops into my head as I’m watching cat videos. But typically, collections are a snapshot of what was happening in my life: what vacations I drew inspiration from, what trend was interesting to me in the design world, or even what colors I was missing in my own stash. My new collection, Intermix, is one of my favorites so far is drawn from all of the above. Here’s how it started…

Intermix by Erin McMorris

I was hiking in the Arizona mountains with my sister, and while she was probably feigning interest in my work, I explained to her that cacti and succulents are a big print trend in both home dec and fashion. That got me thinking. While enjoying the scenic view of the crazy-shaped cacti, I thought about doing an eclectic scenic leafy print that is more in line with the Pacific Northwest, where I live. Using different brushes and textures as well as solid line work, I drew Britta, where I tried to show the textural qualities of the plants, and making it as packed as a landscape would be. And then to co-ordinate, I decided to show those textured leaves and plants in rows of potted plants. My latest obsession is ceramics, and I’ve been making a ton of vessels for my own plants, so I thought it would be nice to make it more personal and draw the pots as some of the shapes I’ve been throwing on the wheel. 

Intermix by Erin McMorris

Finn is a slight homage to the Memphis Milano Group whose graphic style has made a return as a print trend (yay...hello 80’s!!)  and is yet another reference to a pattern I’ve painted on my ceramics. No collection would be complete with some sort of dotted pattern, and Quimby is a raindrop allover is covered by the gridded dot.  I love blending structured and organic patterns.  Helix is a pattern which started out as a doodle probably while watching an aforementioned cat video (see, I wasn’t joking!). Because my doodles looked like crazy colorful crystals, I started thinking of geology and the hard and soft of natural elements, and decided to make a blender print of Granite.  Granite is a marble-type pattern that I drew by hand, which took forever while binge-watching the entire mini-series “Making of a Murderer”on Netflix.  It’s weird how some prints become cemented with whatever podcast, or tv show I was listening to at the time. The show is very bleak and takes place in Wisconsin and got me thinking about icy, stark contrasts and winter landscapes as I was drawing tiny gray lines. So I used a lot of black and white and some icy or earthy colors with my usual aqua/pink (to make me happy again).  I’m always going to try and make a collection look happy regardless of my viewing preferences and think the quilt that I designed looks like shears of a springtime mountain cliff.  

Intermix by Erin McMorris

Which sort of brings us full circle!

Intermix by Erin McMorris

So you can see that answering the “where do you get your inspiration from” question isn’t necessarily going to result in an exotic answer.  It might just come from items I come across in my everyday life, a bleak TV mini-series or even a baby goat video!

Erin McMorris

The Artist UnSEWn - FreeSpirit Presents Tanya Whelan's Rambling Rose

"Hygge is in the Air"

Tanya Whelan's Rambling Rose

You may have heard the term "hygge" a lot lately. It seems to be everywhere this year and especially this time of year. Hygge is a Danish concept that is often translated as coziness in English. From what I understand it basically just describes a feeling or atmosphere where the small, simple things in life like warmth, good food, family and friends are appreciated and celebrated. Though the Scandinavians undoubtedly do coziness incredibly well, I think every culture and perhaps even every person has their own version of what makes for coziness and warmth in a home. Maybe it's a New England cottage by the sea on a snowy day with a roaring fire, or a little log cabin in the mountains with pot belly stove, or even a walk up brownstone apartment in New York City with a perfect little Christmas tree with it's twinkling lights that represents a refuge of warmth and coziness to you.

Tanya Whelan's Rambling Rose

For me, where ever I happen to be, quilts have always brought home the feeling of coziness. I loved the quilts I would see in antique stores when I was growing up. I loved the bright colours and floral patterns pieced into intricate designs. But I especially loved the idea that these beautiful quilts were put together over time using leftover fabric from worn clothing or feedsacks out of necessity and that they were made by hard working women to keep their families warm and safe. I loved the quilt that my mom made in the seventies out of leftover fabric from sewing projects. Though she always intended to, my mom never got around to actually quilting it. The top was pieced and tied to keep the batting in place but it made no difference to me as a little kid. It simply made me feel safe and warm. Years later I wrapped my own baby boy in that same quilt. Similarly the baby quilts my mom made for each of my children still bring me that sense of warmth and love. As does the perfect pink, expertly hand quilted quilt my grandmother made me which kept me warm in my first apartment New York City as a young adult.

Tnaya Whelan's Rambling Rose

I think all of my fabric collections are inspired by my love of homeyness, of coziness, of hygge and this newest collection, Rambling Rose, is no exception. So, at this coldest time of year I just want to wish you lots of hygge and lots of snuggling under that perfect quilt.

xoxo

Tanya

Quilters Take Manhattan

Are you a Quilter who wants to take Manhattan?
Education, fun and some top notch talent to inspire all quilters September 23 – 25

The heart of quilting lives in Manhattan, especially the weekend of September 23 – 25 at the Quilter’s Take Manhattan event sponsored by the Quilter’s Alliance.  This weekend serves as the perfect opportunity to learn from some of the best and tour some of the mainstays that make Manhattan the hub of the world.  Who would not want to wander the Garment District with Paula Nadelstern and see fabric through her eyes?  Or take a peek behind the scenes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s renowned Textile Center. Or how about an After Dinner Pizza Party at Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s loft home and studio? Your friends will be pea-green with envy.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Kaffe Fassett

Best part, on Saturday you can hear from the master himself, Kaffe Fassett with Brandon Mably.  Come hear Kaffe talk of the inspirations behind his work and glean from his color and design genius.  You will hang on his every word and you could walk away with signed copies of his brand new books for purchase; Bold Blooms, a stunning guide and vibrant pattern collection of 25 new patchwork and needlepoint projects, from renowned color expert and quilt and fabric designer Kaffe Fassett, and Quilts In Italy, 20 designs from Kaffe Fassett and his team in striking color combinations including both classic and contemporary blocks.

Brandon Mably

In addition, Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi will also speak at QTM. As founder of Women of Color Quilters Network, Historian and curator, Mazloomi, is in a unique position to bring together quilts for critically successful exhibitions.  Mazloomi discusses the genesis of her latest touring exhibit, And Still We Rise. The exhibition reflects upon significant historical events from the 17th century into the 21st century which affected African American culture.

Even better, the stories continue with the Quilter’s Alliance SOS, Save Our Stories campaign.  Every quilt has a story, one to be shared and to inspire.  The documentation of these stories is paramount to creating an oral and well-archived history of what quilting means to one and all, especially the quilter.  Mark Lapinski will be interviewed by Marie Bostwick as part of Quilter’s SOS, followed by Marianne Fons, who will share one of her quilts to demonstrate another Quilt Alliance project, “Go Tell It at the Quilt Show!" Do you have a quilt story you’d like to share?

For more information and complete schedule of events, click here and for goodness sakes, get out there and take Manhattan with your love for all things quilting!

As part of our sponsorship of Quilters Take Manhattan, we are giving away a QTM Home Ticket. The Home Ticket provides a chance for those who can’t make it to the Big Apple to experience their own home slice of the event. Value of $35 ($30 for QA members). Winners of the QTM Home Ticket will receive in the mail (in late September) a QTM Goody Bag stuffed full of samples and treats from our sponsors, and email links to footage of the Sunday with Sponsors event, the Quilt Match Manhattan challenge and more (emailed in late September).  Comment below for a chance to win! 

Congrats to Havplenty for being chosen as the winner of the QTM goodie bag! Thanks to everyone who participated!