Time to shop

My wonderful husband researched how to add a shopping cart feature to my website and helped me set it up, so I now have a way of selling my patterns online, in addition to the shops and distributors who offer them. Hooray! He is my favorite IT (Information Technology) guy.

First block done!

Here's the first (center) block of my new Mystery Block-of-the-Month quilt, Bohemian Bouquet, finished.

Quilters Loft Company, the quilt shop where I teach in Mooresville, N.C., will be offering this quilt as a kit (with the patten and fabric) each month. The starting session will be a class on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon. The price for the pattern with the fabric kit will be $19.99 per month (January through November). Quilters Loft will also have the patterns available on their own, in case you want to choose your own fabrics.

If you live farther away and want to order fabric kits, please call Quilters Loft Company at (704) 662-8660. If you just want the patterns, they are now available for preorder on my website, www.bluemoonriver.com. The price is $5 per block, or $55 for the entire set (plus shipping). The first block pattern will ship by Jan. 15, 2008.

I am doing my blocks using needleturn appliqué, but if you want something faster and easier, you could do fusible appliqué with satin or blanket stitch around the appliqué pieces. This center block is 20 inches square, so even though it looks intricate in the photo, the shapes are actually large, and the corners rounded. I do recommend that you have some experience with appliqué if you want to do it as needleturn. These patterns will be rated intermediate to challenging.

To see the layout for the entire quilt, see my October 13 post. The colors and fabrics shown in this photo are representative of the fabrics and colors I'll be using in the rest of the quilt. I'm planning to use a lot more fabrics, and it will be quite "scrappy," with some additional colors (blues and purples).

Punchneedle madness!

I must admit that I have been quite entranced … okay, obsessed … with punchneedle embroidery lately. I've completed these two designs in the past week! They only take a few hours, are very easy, and the finished result is really charming.

The design at the top is “Fraidy Cat” by Brenda Gervais/With thy Needle & Thread Punchneedle Designs. I dyed the background fabric with instant coffee granules to make it look old and spooky.

The design below is “Angel with White Wings” (although I changed the wings to gold and the background to green) by M. Shaw/Hooked on Rugs.

If you want to try punchneedle embroidery, my best advice to you is to buy the Cameo punch needle and threaders, and the Cameo hoop designed specifically for punchneedle embroidery. When I tried this craft for the first time, I used a regular embroidery hoop and it didn't hold the fabric tight enough, and I was very disappointed in the results. With the right equipment and a little practice, it is really easy and fun to do.

You can use regular embroidery floss you buy at the craft store, but the hand-dyed flosses (mostly available online) create wonderful irregularities in the color that really look wonderful in folk art and primitive designs.

I also love and highly recommend the book Punchneedle Embroidery: 40 Folk Art Designs by Barbara Kemp and Margaret Shaw (a Lark/Chapelle book, 2006). It is a great resource for those new to the craft, plus you get 40 fantastic designs to use, and complete descriptions of how to display and frame the designs once they are done.

Wool bead bracelet

Just made this fun bracelet from beads I felted from wool roving. I strung them on stretchy bead string, then tied on bits of batik fabric and wool yarn. My friend, Vickie Clontz of Annie's Keepsakes (www.annieskeepsakes.com) gave me the instructions for making the beads.

Cell Phone pouch

A free “use me and share me!” pattern by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Check out all the other great free patterns for hand-made last minute holiday gifts offered through Cotton Spice this November at www.cottonspice.com/CSblog/

If you’d like to print out a copy of this pattern, click here to download the PDF.



MATERIALS:
- Scraps of fabric for outside
- Piece of fabric for backing approximately 10″ square
- button or charm
- perle cotton or thread (to tie button or charm)
- 1″square Velcro
- thread for piecing and quilting
- batting, approximately 10″ square
- caribeener clip

DIRECTIONS:
Please read all the directions before you begin!

1. Measure your cell phone. Use this formula to determine how big to make the outside of your pouch:
Width: (cell phone width x 3) + 1″
Length: cell phone length + 2-1/2″
For example, my phone is 2″ wide so I needed a piece 2″wide by 3-1/2″long, so I needed a piece for the outside that was 7″x 6″.



2. Sew your scraps together to create a piece for the outside of your pouch. Cut a piece of batting 1/2″longer and wider than your outside piece. Cut or piece a backing piece 1/2″longer and wider than your batting piece. Layer in this order: backing piece (face down); batting; pieced outside (face up).



3. Pin and quilt. An overall quilting motif that is fairly small is best. I used a square spiral on one pouch, and a pebble design on the other. Trim this piece for the outside of your pouch, using this formula:
Width: (cell phone width x 2) + 2-1/2″
Length: cell phone length + 1-3/4″
For my phone, I needed to trim my outside piece to 6-1/2″ wide by 5-1/4″ long.





4. Cut a strip of fabric 2″ long by the width of your piece. (In my case, this was a piece 2″ x 6-1/2″.) Fold it in half lengthwise, right sides out, and press. Pin it to the top edge of the outside, with raw edges aligned. Sew the strip to the outside with a 1/4″ seam.



5. Fold the binding around to the back of the outside and pin. From the front, sew right under the binding edge, catching the folded edge on the back side.



6. Fold the outside, right sides together, with the binding at the top. Pin along the raw edges, and sew a 1/4″seam.



Then zig-zag along the same raw edges. Take care and go slowly; you are sewing through many bulky layers.



7. Turn the pouch right side out.



Cut a 1″ piece of Velcro. Take one half and position it at the center of the inside back, just under the binding, and sew it down. Take the other half and position it at the center of the inside front, just under the binding, and sew it down.



8. For the loop, cut a piece 4×2″. Fold it in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Then fold in and press each side again. This leaves the raw edges inside the strip.



Topstitch very close along both long edges.



9. Sew the strip together in a circle by folding it in half, and then making a 1/4″ seam along the short raw edge. Turn right side out. Fold the loop in half, tucking the seam at one end. Pin the loop to the top of the back of the pouch, and sew it down so that this spot is trapped in the new seam and does not show. Take care and go slowly; you are sewing through many bulky layers.



10. On the front, hand sew on a button or charm at the top. This makes it easier to pull the pouch open when you need to get out your phone.



If you add a caribeener clip to the loop, you can clip your cell phone pouch to your purse strap, belt, or to a loop inside your purse. You are done! Enjoy!

What a show!

My local quilt group, Lake Norman Quilters, held its very first show this weekend, and it was a great success. We had nearly 500 attendees (not including group members) and more than 250 quilts displayed. I feel very proud of our group tonight. We have about 40 members in our group; some of them are in the group shot above. Our quilt show chairwoman, Liz McNabb (sitting in the photo above, wearing a green shirt) did an outstanding job organzing the event, and nearly everyone in the group pitched in and did a lot of work to make the show happen.

My latest art quilt, “Harbinger’s Hope,” took Best of Show, Best Amateur Machine Quilting, and a blue ribbon in the art quilt category!



Here's the full list of winners:

Best of Show: Harbinger’s Hope by Susan Brubaker Knapp
Best Hand Quilting: A Summer Night’s Dream by Eileen Brown
Best Amateur Machine Quilting - Harbinger’s Hope by Susan Brubaker Knapp
Best Professional Machine Quilting - Deb Sells Fast! By Sandy Palmer
Judges Choice (Scott Murkin) - A Study in Black and White by DeLane Rosenau
Judges Choice (Kathlyn Sullivan) - Fall in My Garden by Greta McCrea

Category 100 - Large Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Pieced)
1st - Twisted Bargello by Barbara Barrier
2nd - Sunrise, Sunset by Susan Brubaker Knapp
3rd - Centered by Jean Craig Long
HM - Raspberries & Peaches by Jean Craig Long

Category 100 - Large Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Applique)
1st place - American Virtues by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Category 100 - Large Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Mixed Technique)
1st - Good Morning Sunshine by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - A Summer Night's Dream by Eileen Brown
3rd - Polka Party by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Category 200 - Large Bed Quilt, Professional Quilted (Pieced)
1st - Deb Sells Fast! by Sandy Palmer
2nd - Have Fun by Kimberly Crawford
3rd - Fish by Jean Craig Long
HM - Spring Trail by Kimberly Crawford

Category 300 - Small Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Pieced)
1st - Paper Posies by Eileen Brown
2nd - Funny Valentine by Susan Brubaker Knapp
3rd - Follow Your Heart by Marianne McCormick
HM - Orange You Glad I'm Pink by Elizabeth McNabb

Category 300 - Small Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Applique)
1st - Amethyst Remembrance by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Category 300 - Small Bed Quilt, Quilted by Maker (Mixed Technique)
1st - Ducks in a Row by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - The Christmas Train is Coming by Eileen Brown
3rd - Spinning Colors by Elizabeth McNabb

Category 400 - Small Bed Quilt, Professionally Quilted (Pieced)
1st - Colourblocks by Grace Howes
2nd - Finally Finished by Alisan Royster
3rd - Blueberries & Mint Parfait by Grace Howes

Category 500 Large Wall Art (Pieced)
1st - Luminous Butterfly by Barbara Barrier
2nd - Look for the Bird by Barbara Barrier

Category 500 Large Wall Art (Applique)
1st - Now We Know Our ABCs by Greta McCrea

Category 500 Large Wall Art (Mixed Technique)
1st - Crown Points by Jean Craig Long
2nd - It is Good to Be Queen by Elizabeth McNabb
3rd - Snow Folks (Starry, Starry Night) by Dolores Fobare
HM - Celebrating Debra by Elizabeth McNabb

Category 600 - Small Wall Art (Pieced)
1st - Snowdrop in Spring by Judy Whitehead
2nd - Wholecloth I by Judy Whitehead
3rd - Shoot for the Stars by Kimberly Crawford
HM - My Christmas Tree by Jean Sherrill
HM - Remembering Italy - Jean Newman

Category 600 - Small Wall Art (Mixed Technique)
1st - Celestial by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - From Flower to Flower We Go by Elizabeth McNabb
3rd - What’s the Buzz? by Elizabeth McNabb
HM - Sparkle and Shine by Elizabeth McNabb

Category 600 - Small Wall Art (Applique)
1st - Black Sampler by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - Flower Power by Greta McCrea
3rd - Beach Vacation by Susan Brubaker Knapp
HM - Grandmother's Flowers by DeLane Rosenau

Category 700 - Novelty
1st - Pinked by Jan Savu
2nd - Gingerbread Countdown Advent Calendar by Susan Brubaker Knapp
3rd - Happy Faces by Elizabeth McNabb
HM - Hippity Hop by Sandy Palmer

Category 800 - Wearables
1st - Artisan Purse by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - Jacket by DeLane Rosenau
3rd - A Little Blue Christmas by Donna Loebs
HM - Nice Kitty by Eileen Brown

Category 900 - Art/Pictoral
1st - Harbinger’s Hope by Susan Brubaker Knapp
2nd - Gossamer by Susan Brubaker Knapp
3rd - Snow Queen by Judy Whitehead
HM - The Bluest Eye by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Getting ready for the quilt show

My local quilt guild, Lake Norman Quilters, will have its first quilt show this weekend. We will have more than 200 quilts exhibited! And we will also have 13 vendors selling great stuff for quilters.

In the photo above, National Quilting Association-accredited judges Kathy Sullivan and Scott Murkin examine and judge a quilt for the show.

Here are the details:

Sail Into Quilting
Friday, Nov. 2 and and Saturday, Nov. 3
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
East Mooresville Intermediate School
Mooresville, NC

Go to http://www.bluemoonriver.com/LNQ.html for map and directions.

SAQA conference

I had a wonderful time this weekend meeting some talented fiber and quilt artists at the regional SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) conference in Charlotte, NC. Nancy Cook and I co-chaired this event, which was held for SAQA’s Virginia/North Carolina/South Carolina region, but open to other artists in the area. We had about 30 attendees (only some of them are in the group shot above).

We started out at the McColl Center for Visual Art. Ce Scott, director of residencies and exhibitions, (in the black top and khaki skirt) gave us a tour of the facility and answered our questions about artists residencies. The McColl Center's residency program is ranked among the top 3 percent in the country, and among the top 10 percent internationally. The McColl Center is located in what used to be a burned-out church in the middle of Charlotte’s "uptown” and is a spectacular facility.




On Friday evening, South Carolina artist Ellen Kochansky talked about her experience producing work on commission for public and private clients. We also had a slideshow of conference participants' work.

Early Saturday morning, we hung some of our work on the staircase outside our classroom at Central Piedmont Community College's Levine Campus in Matthews. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see these artists' work up-close and talk with them about it. Here are Dottie Moore and Lucy Lustig hanging one of Dottie's pieces.





Dorothy Moye of Davis-Moye & Associates talked with us about how she represents artists to her clients. Joie Lassiter of Joie Lassiter Gallery talked about working with artists, and what she thinks about when selecting works for exhibitions for corporate clients. And Christie Taylor of Hodges Taylor Galleries gave us her perspective on building public and private collections, and gave us insight into the gallery owner-artist relationship.

After this, artists Ginny Boyd, Nancy Cook and Dottie Moore described their experiences with artists' residency programs.

Then most of us headed for the Mint Museum of Craft + Design for Fiberart International 2007, a fantastic exhibit of cutting-edge fiber art. On Tyron Street, outside the museum, we got to see the quarter-mile long string of fiber constructed as part of the McColl Center's "Threads of the Community event." It stretched between the McColl Center and the museum. A friend, local artist Janet Lasher, helped on this project.

The event was set up to coincide with Fiberart International 2007, on view at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design through Feb. 24. It was very cool to see all the different kinds of fiber in this string.



A docent walked us through the museum. Here are some photos of our tour (unfortunately, photos of the Fiberart International exhibit were not permitted).




All in all, a very educational and inspiring weekend.

Free pattern available Nov. 6!

On November 6, you can get a free pattern for my cell phone pouch if you go to the Cotton Spice blog: http://www.cottonspice.com/CSblog/

It's all part of the ”Last Minute Gift Countdown,” an event organized by Cotton Spice, which will bring you free patterns for hand-made gifts you can whip up in a jiffy – just in time for the holidays!


Here's how Karen Gass, editor of Cotton Spice, describes her publication: “Cotton Spice Quilting Magazine is a newer publication exploring a niche in the quilting world called Contemporary Fresh. Every issue is packed with regular columns such as Color 101-exploring uses of color, Creativity-which encourages creative thinking, The Q Files-which tells the backstory of the Quilt Police in a hilarious continuing column, and a quick project designed by The Diva Of Quilts - Laura Kong. We regularly publish quilt fiction along with fresh new quilt designs complete with instructions and templates when needed. Cotton Spice Quilting Magazine publishes 4 times a year - March, June, September and December on CD. Our website is interactive with a bulletin board, contests, and all back issues of Cotton Spice in PDF files. We marketed our magazine to 'quilters looking for something else' and we've been providing it every time.”

Mystery block-of-the-month : “Bohemian Bouquet”

In 2008, I'll be launching something new and fun: a mystery block-of-the-month program called “Bohemian Bouquet.” The starting session will be Saturday, Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at Quilters Loft Company in Mooresville NC. If you think you might be interested in participating, please call the Quilters Loft Company and ask them to put you on the list to get more information. We will have more details and pricing information available soon.

If you don't live near Mooresville and would like to participate, please e-mail me and let me know to put you on the list to receive more information.

Here's a sneak peak at the first block and a look at how the rest of the 48x48" quilt will go together. You won't find out what the rest of the blocks look like until you pick up the kit each month. You could do this as needleturn appliqué or – if you want something really fast and easy — fusible appliqué with satin or blanket stitch around the appliqué pieces. The center block is 20 inches square, so even though it looks intricate in the photo, the shapes are actually large, and the corners rounded.

Winter class schedule

Once I get through a very busy fall, I'll be looking forward to teaching the following classes at Quilters Loft Company in Mooresville. As soon as we have prices and supply lists, I will post them here.

Beginning Machine Quilting
Wednesday, December 12, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you are a beginning quilter who wants to learn how to machine quilt your tops, this is the class for you. You'll learn the basics of how to prepare the quilt sandwich by layering and basting, how to free-motion quilt several motifs, and lots of tips to ensure good results. Pfaff sewing machines for this class will be provided by Quilters Loft Company, so even if you don't have a machine that can do free-motion quilting, you can learn more in class before deciding if it is your cup of tea.

Beginning Threadpainting
Tuesday, January 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is a freemotion machine embroidery class for those who want to learn how to “paint” with thread. Working on a dragonfly design (see photo below), you'll learn about stabilizers, thread choices, and how to adapt a design from a photo or copyright-free clipart. Pfaff sewing machines will be provided by Quilters Loft Company.


Creative Surface Design Workshop
Saturday, January 26
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Want to learn more about some of the exciting new materials you can use in (or on) your quilts? Come and play with Lumiere and Dye-na-Flow fabric paints, Shiva paintstiks, Angelina fibers, Tyvek (see photo below) and more. We will provide all the supplies; you'll pay a materials fee as part of the cost of the class. A fun, low stress way to try some new things.

Barnful of Quilts 2007

If you are in the Charlotte, NC area this Saturday, Oct. 13, don't miss the 2007 Barnful of Quilts! Several fiber and quilt artists in the area (including me, several SAQA members, and members of Fiber Art Options) will be displaying and selling their work in this benefit for Waxhaw Presbyterian Church. The event also features vendors, a bake sale and cafe, and other crafts. The show, held at Fox Farms in their spectacular horse barn in historic Waxhaw, NC, runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday only.

For directions and more information, please go to www.foxfamilyfarm.com and click on "2007 Barnful of Quilts."












Exhibitors and Vendors:
Fulvia Luciano, www.fulviastudio.homestead.com (featured artist)
Nancy G. Cook, www.nancygcook.com
Susan Brubaker Knapp, www.bluemoonriver.com
Janet Lasher, www.janetalasher.com
Willa McNeil, www.zoltanszabo.com
Overall Quilter, www.overallquilter.com
The Peace of Yarn, www.thepeaceofyarn.com
Quilters Haven, www.ncquilting.com
Random Arts, www.randomartsnow.com
Jan Smiley, www.jansmiley.com
Stewarts Village Gallery, www.stewartsvillagegallery.com
Susan Cowan Welch, www.cowanwelch.com

Also featuring quilts by
Hope Sims
Barb Castner
Nan Chandler
Robin Hawkins
Karen McWhorter
Elizabeth Miller
Linda Stegall
Joyce Walker
Sarah Woodring