| CURRENT INTERNET SPECIAL |
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Fantastic Fabric Give-away
For every $10 you spend on fabric from Pacific Rim Quilt Company during March & April, your name will be automatically entered in 1 of 2 drawings for a chance to win 2 yards of hand-dyed fabric from Janice!
A drawing on April 1 for purchases in March, and a drawing on May 1 for purchases in April.
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| DESIGN YOUR HAWAIIAN QUILT |
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| Join us in Hawaii
Take advantage of a very rare opportunity to design your personal Hawaiian quilt with Nancy and Janice in Hawaii, May 2010.
No drawing or quilting experience is required. Just a desire to create your own personal Hawaiian quilt.
Take a needleturn applique class from Nancy in Hawaii, too. Check out the new lower price for the applique classes!
Click here to read all the details and discover the extra opportunities to view antique Hawaiian quilts seldom displayed. |
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| I HAVE A NOTION |
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| Introducing you to the notions Nancy and Janice use.
DVD - "2 Fabric Applique Quilts with Nancy Lee Chong"
You have seen us mention this video in past issues of our e-Newsletter. We figured it was time to tell you more about what you will learn from watching it. If you want to learn needleturn applique, or improve your skills while making one of our 2 Fabric Applique Quilts, this is the video you want.
Here are the chapter headings:
- Introduction
- Supplies
- Fabric & Pattern Preparation
- Needleturn Applique
- Basic Stitch
- Straight Edges
- Points
- Outside Curves
- Inside Curves
- Reverse Points & Slits
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Quilting Ideas
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Finishing the Quilt
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Squaring off the quilt
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Binding
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Sleeve
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Quilt Gallery
Run-time is approximately 2 hours. The close-ups are amazing, and you can play it over and over as you make your quilt and practice your stitching.
Did we mention that the paper pattern for the little dragonfly you see pictured on the cover is included? Well, it is! It makes up into an 11"x17" quilt, and we even give you the quilting lines on a separate page.
Available in DVD or VHS format.
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| WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: |
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"The quality and professionalism of the video is just wonderful, and Nancy is such a wonderful teacher. That video was worth every penny, and I'm sure I will refer to it again and again until I'm more experienced. My mind is already buzzing with future projects, like the Dragonfly wallhanging, and others."
"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful DVD. I had purchased 3 books on hand applique and they were completely useless. A picture cannot show what a moving hand does and had I known about your site I would have ordered first. Thank you for a wonderful DVD that has made hand applique more appealing and giving me the boost of confidence that I have needed."
"Your DVD on 2 Fabric Applique Quilts is excellent. Thank you for such a great production with such careful attention to detail. I can't wait to get started."
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| If you received this Newsletter from a friend, sign-up to receive future issues here: |
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| Aloha!
We think we have finally recovered from Sew Expo, a few weeks ago. Billed as the largest stitchery expo of its kind, it lived up to its billing. We met people from all over the western US and Canada. It was fun to bring our style of applique to needleworkers who, not all being quilters, had never seen our patterns before.
If you missed us at Sew Expo, or you just didn't get your fill, Janice will have our booth at the Quilters Anonymous Quilt Show in Monroe, WA, Mar, 19-21. Come to see the new quilt designs and to stock up on the patterns, fabric and notions you need to fuel your spring quilting projects.
Yes, there is still room in Hawaii, in May, for you to join in our Hawaiian quilt designing classes, or take an applique class with Nancy. We may never offer this experience again, so if you have been debating, hesitate no longer! Sign-up today. E komo mai!
Welcome!
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|
HAWAII'S STATE FLOWER |
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 This month we celebrate Hawaii's state flower, the hibiscus. A distinctive blossom, the one many of us visualize when we think of tropical flowers. The official state flower is a yellow, native species. The one pictured here is an ornamental hybrid.
The crepe-like petals of the flowers wilt after just a day, even when on the bush. So, while you may see a single blossom pinned behind the ear of a wahine (woman), you are far less likely to see a lei made from hibiscus. Perhaps this is one reason we are so eager to give it permanence by decorating all manner of arts and crafts with this delicate beauty.
The tea-drinkers among us probably already know that hibiscus tea has been shown to reduce blood pressure and normalize cholesterol in many people. Wow! Beautiful and healthy!
And for the gardeners among us, hibiscus hybrids can be quite cold-hardy, despite their showy, tropical-looking blossoms. If you love this plant, do your research, and you may just be able to introduce it to your garden as well as your quilts. With it's conspicuous stamen, five large petals, and ragged-edged leaves it makes a wonderful motif for quilt designs and a beautiful specimen shrub in your garden.
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| DELICATE BEAUTY |
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Special Meanings
During the Victorian-era (1837-1901) the symbolic meaning of flowers was raised to a whole new level. Flowers selected for a gift bouquet were chosen to convey a secret message to the recipient (for good or bad, apparently). Plants were arranged in a garden based on their powers. Flowers adorned nearly everything, and often the specific flower was  chosen because of the meaning it would convey. Dictionaries were compiled to decipher the language of flowers. Pity the poor hapless chap who just wanted to give something pretty to a young lady, if he did not know the meaning she would place on his simple bouquet!
It was during this Victorian-era that Hawaii became strongly aligned with Great Britain, and introduced many elements of British royalty, and Victorian style into their lives. We would think, with the abundance and significance of flowers in Hawaii that it was natural for Hawaiians and British to intertwine their special meanings for flowers. Among its many meanings Hibiscus came to symbolize consuming love and delicate beauty. Is there any question then, why we named this quilt "Delicate Beauty"?
Technique: Hawaiian quilts are most often designed so that they are radially symmetrical to the 1/8th. This quilt is a little different, it is symmetrical to the 1/4th. Meaning that if you imagine a vertical line straight down through the center of the quilt, and a horizontal line straight across the center, the portion of the quilt in each quadrant is identical, just rotated around the piko (center).
TIP: To make this quilt the applique fabric is folded in fourths (not eighths) to be cut, and the result is a rectangular quilt (not a square).
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| ART DECO STYLE |
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 Hibiscus
The bold, graphic nature of our 2 Fabric Applique Quilts brings this Hibiscus front and center.
Hibiscus blossoms range in color from white, to yellow, to deep purple, with every shade of red and orange in between. Choose the colors for your quilt that fit your decor. Make this one fast and easy with raw-edge applique; or fuse then machine-stitch it; or relax, take your time, and applique it by hand. No matter which method you choose, the written instructions in each pattern will walk you through the steps.
TIP: Read and follow the instructions when making a 2FAQ quilt. If you have never made one before, the approach may not be what you expect. It is easier than you expect!
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COMING EVENTS |
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Nancy's Whereabouts:
Here are opportunities to take a class from Nancy or catch a presentation at shows, shops and guilds. Most guilds welcome visitors, so don't be shy.
Make your plans now for one or more of these events:
- Mar 19-21, Quilters Anonymous Show, Monroe, WA (You will find us in the far corner of the 2nd building!)
- April 13-14, Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild, Folsom, CA
- June 3-5, Quilted Strait, Port Gamble, WA
- June 25-27, Sandy Historical Society Quilt Show, Sandy, OR
- August 6 & 7, Quilts by the Sea Quilt Show, Newport, OR
Later in the year we will be in Great Falls, MT; La Conner, WA; and Tampa, FL.
Register early for classes, they can fill quickly, or be cancelled if not enough people register in advance.
Don't hesitate, sign-up to join us in Hawaii in May Design your personal Hawaiian quilt, or take a needleturn applique class from Nancy:
- Maui applique class, May 20, 2010
- Maui design class, May 20-24, 2010
- Kauai design class, May 26-30, 2010
- Kauai applique class, May 31, 2010
"No tests. No grades. No pressure. New classes open every weekend from January until the end of October. Students receive a password to an online classroom with a teacher-led Discussion Forum and Student Gallery. A typical class consists of three or four lessons. Lessons open on Friday evening."
Nancy's next Quilt University.com classes begin:
- Mar 19, 2 Fabric Applique Quilts - NEW!
- Mar 26, Make Your Own Hawaiian Quilt
- April 9, Celtic Tablerunner
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April 23, Hand Quilting
Janice's Quilt University class:
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| QUILTCHONG.COM |
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 Ready for a break?
Nancy and Warren are waiting to welcome you to their new quilting retreat on the southern Oregon coast.
We have a hunch you are not able to get away very often, so when you do, you want to relax amidst beautiful scenery, and you want to be productive. That's all possible in Nancy's spacious new studio.
Go to her website to see pictures and for more information.
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Thank you for spending a little of your precious time with us, we really appreciate it. As always, we welcome your suggestions, comments or questions.
A hui hou,
Until next time,
Nancy & Janice | |
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