Hawaiian quilt array photo

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When you think of applique, think of us!
Newsletter
Applique - We share your passion!
Issue: #20

March 2011 

In This Issue
GINKGO: Profound Endurance
WATER LILY: What we will do for a good design!
WHAT SIZE A HAWAIIAN QUILT: Maximize Your Fabric
COMING EVENTS
Quick Links
Visit Our Website
Patterns

FANTASTIC FABRIC

GIVE-AWAY


Fantastic Fabric Give-away button
How can YOU WIN
2 yards of Janice's
hand-dyed fabric??? 
It is easy!
Just buy fabric from Pacific Rim Quilt Company during the months of March and April.  For every $10 in fabric you purchase, your name will be entered automatically in a drawing for the chance to win 2-yards of Janice's hand-dyed fabric.

 

There will be two drawings.  One on April 1 from all fabric purchases in March, and a second drawing on May 1 from all fabric purchases in April.  So if you don't win on April 1, just purchase more fabric in April for more chances to win on May 1.
  
New
New

 Postage image

 

CURRENT INTERNET SPECIAL
 
Ginkgo
Ginkgo
24" x 36"
Regular price: $12.00, for a limited time purchase this pattern for just $10.00


 Buy it now.


Postage image
 
READER QUESTION:
 

Q:  Do I cut away the background fabric from behind the applique before quilting?

 

A:  No.  While it seems tempting to think that you would have one less layer of fabric to quilt through, the truth is you will de-stabilize your entire quilt if you cut away the background fabric. 

 

Nancy tested this years ago on a Hawaiian baby quilt.  She discovered that when she put the quilt in a hoop to start the quilting, the top stretched and distorted.  "The applique thread and my stitches were all that held the quilt top together.  It was a miserable experience, and I was very unhappy with the finished quilt.  I have never been tempted to cut away the background fabric after that experience."

 

The background fabric provides a complete web that is a very strong support for your applique.  As soon as you begin to cut it away you weaken the whole structure of your quilt.

 

A REMINDER...
 

... or if you missed it in our last e-Newsletter:

 

Cotton prices have increased across the board this year.  In the long-term it will likely mean higher fabric prices everywhere.  It also means that Aurifil increased the price of their threads already.  We have held the price of thread below the suggested retail now for several years.  But, regrettably the time is coming for an increase.  Our price will  change near the end of March from $3.50 to $3.75 per spool for the 220 yard, 50 wt spools.  It is a small increase, and still well below the standard retail price of $4.20.

Buy thread now.

  

KONA BAY FABRICS

BOLT SALE

 

The sale continues... 

 

and the fabric selection changes regularly!  If you looked once, look again.  Selected 6-yard bolts of Kona Bay fabrics for just $6.00 per yard!  (Normally these fabrics sell for $9 to $10 per yard.)

 

To get your hands on these beautiful fabrics at this great price, visit www.konabaygifts.com and go to the Six Yard Bolts section.  IMPORTANT, be sure to use the coupon code 5107 when you check out, to get this special price and your FREE bonus gift!

 

Think about:

  • Hawaiian quilts
  • Quilt backs
  • Aloha attire
  • Room decor
  • Stash-building 

NOTE:  You are purchasing these fabrics direct from Kona Bay; they will be shipped to you direct from Kona Bay Fabrics, Redmond, WA, USA.  Their sale terms apply. 

 

ANOTHER NOTE:  Purchase of this fabric from Kona Bay does NOT enter you in our Fantastic Fabric Give-away drawing.

 

QUILTCHONG.COM
RETREAT TO THE OREGON COAST! 

Visit Nancy's studio in Gold Beach, Oregon, for private applique lessons with Nancy or for your quilting retreat.  Whether you come for one day or several, by yourself, or with friends, you deserve a place to relax while you stitch. 
Nancy's Studio
Nancy's Studio

Go to QuiltChong.com for more pictures and information, then call Nancy to book your retreat! 

 

  If you received this Newsletter from a friend, sign-up to receive future issues here:
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Aloha!
  
Have you ever thought about whether you are a process or a product person? Celtic Shamrock Not that it matters a lot.  But it can be fun to think about and could help you understand your quirks, and those of your friends, a little better.
  
What, you ask, is the difference?  To us it means that if you like projects that can be done quickly, so you can enjoy the completed product - then you are a product person.  You are focused on the goal, the finished product, and less on how you get there.  Because you want a completed product you give more thought to finding the quickest way to finish, and adjust your techniques accordingly.  You may be the quilter who must finish one project before you begin another.  You may also give away a lot of what you have made, because you probably make a lot, more than you need.
  
If, on the other hand, you just love doing the activity no matter how long it takes (whether it be applique, beading, knitting, or baking) - then you are a process person.  You don't particularly care if it will take you a long time to make this applique quilt.  After all, if you are not appliqueing on this, you will be appliqueing on something else anyway.  You just want to be doing it (whatever it is).  You may have lots of projects in process at any given time, and give little consideration to when any of them will be finished.  Because you spend a lot of time on the process you love, you may also be very productive and generous with your output.  
  
We have both decided that we are process people.  To Janice being a process person means that she is not afraid to start a project that could take quite a long time to complete.  She finds it to be both enjoyable and very efficient.  Once she has planned a project and gathered the supplies she can just immerse herself in the making.  And having a stockpile of finished products is not her goal.
  
Nancy is definitely a process person when it comes to hand applique!  She has several projects started that have no intended end.  Just having the fabric, needle and thread in her hands is the end in itself.  However, she is a product person in the garden and in the kitchen.  So, you can be both, and you can change.
  
Isn't it wonderful that we have both types of people in the world?  People who actually finish projects, and people who can get lost in a project forever?  Bless you all.
  
If you are in Western Washington this coming weekend, please stop by our booth at the Quilters Anonymous Quilt Show at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Monroe.  Janice will be there and would love to see you!
  
E komo mai!
Welcome! 

Nancy & Janice 

 GINKGO

Profound Endurance

 

Ginkgo
Ginkgo
We present our Ginkgo quilt pattern this month to pay tribute to Japan, in their time of need following the recent earthquake and tsunami.  The Ginkgo tree symbolizes longevity and profound endurance; traits exhibited by Japanese for centuries, and needed now more than ever.
  
If you are fearful of outside points, this is the pattern for you!  Just a few outside points around the frame, none very drastic.  These graceful bi-lobed leaves create a distinctive image for your quilt.  So, though the quilt symbolizes endurance, no endurance is required for this easy quilt!
  
At one time, Ginkgo trees were believed by Europeans to be extinct, only visible in fossil records.  But in China the Ginkgo survived and in modern times has been reintroduced into landscapes around the world.  The foliage of the Ginkgo tree ranges from a rich green in the summer, to brilliant gold and copper colors in the fall.  To appreciate the range of colors just do an Image Search in either Google or Bing.  Then pick your fabric pack and get started on your Ginkgo quilt!
  
Ginkgo, 24" x 36" pattern.  Regular price:  $12.00
Internet Special:  For a limited time this pattern is available for just $10.00 Buy it now.
  
Our Ginkgo Fabric Packs each use subtle ginkgo batik fabrics that repeat the motif, in a variety of colors.  But, as always, you can pick any Fabric Pack to go with any pattern.  The choice is yours!  Click here to view our Ginkgo Fabric Packs.  
  
And, remember to look in the 2FAQ Gallery to see the stunning Ginkgo quilts made by our customers.
  
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If you are looking for a way to help with the relief effort in Japan, consider the International Medical Corps.
International Medical Corp logo
Click on their logo to learn more, or to donate.  Mahalo
  

WATER LILY

What we will do for a good design!

  

Water Lily

Lilia Lana I Ka Wai

"Lily Floating on the Water" 

The birth of some quilt designs requires more effort than others.  To capture the design for this quilt, Janice donned mask and snorkel, and braved the chilly waters of the small lake near her house.  She wanted to see just how this plant grows below the surface of the water.  To her amazement the plant is a bulb that anchors multiple stems, each with a single leaf or blossom.  On the water's surface all you see is the lily pad leaf and blossom, but in this quilt you see above and below the water surface to appreciate the graceful stems, too.
  
Water Lily close-upTIP:   Quilting lines that mimic the veins in the leaves and flower petals create added interest.  The use of a contrasting quilt thread draws even more attention to your quilting efforts.
    
See one other example of the Water Lily quilt in the Hawaiian Quilt Gallery on our website. 
   
Water Lily-lilac
  
Water Lily:  Lilia Lana I Ka Wai,  42" square.  $12.00
  
Click here for a page full of Fabric Packs suitable for our Hawaiian Quilt patterns.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
WHAT SIZE A HAWAIIAN QUILT?
Maximize your fabric

 

Writing pattern instructions is not easy.  Instructions need to be accurate, concise and complete.  Providing information about a specific size for a Hawaiian quilt pattern introduces a number of variables.  What we have done on our wall-quilt patterns is to assume that most suitable cotton fabrics average about 42" wide.  Since Hawaiian quilts are square (with exceptions, of course) we state that the quilt is 42" square.  We have designed the pattern to fit on a piece of fabric that is at least 42" square, but the fabric could be larger.
  
What we don't explain in the pattern instructions, but most of you can figure out, is that if your fabric is wider than 42", you can just square up your piece of fabric according to its width, and that will be the size of your quilt.  If your fabric is 45" wide, then your quilt can be 45" square.  If your fabric is 52" wide, then your quilt can be 52" square (if you purchase enough yardage, of course).  The size of the applique does not change, but the amount of fabric extending out from the applique to the edge of the quilt gives you more opportunity to show off your echo quilting, beautiful fabric, or add more applique of your own design.
  
Breadfruit photo
Breadfruit
Here is something else to consider:  If the pattern you have chosen has an applique border that extends all the way to the edge of the quilt, like the Breadfruit at left, then it is your applique fabric that will determine the finished size of your quilt.  In this case your applique fabric can actually be a little larger than your background fabric and it will still all work.  Your background fabric needs to be the minimum size stated on the pattern, but the applique fabric can be larger.
  
Notice also, that we have a few Hawaiian quilt patterns that show a size of 36" square (Silversword is one example).  These can also be made larger, but we have designed these specifically to fit those very special pieces of fabric that you love, but you only have one yard.  A 42" pattern, in most cases, will not fit on a 36" square of fabric, but a 36" pattern will fit on anything larger than 36".
  
TIP:  Keep your background (or in some cases, as noted above, the applique fabric) as large as you can until after you have finished quilting.  Then cut just the minimum needed off the sides to square it up.  This is what we mean by maximizing your fabric.

 

The same principle holds true with large bed-sized patterns.  The size on the pattern indicates the minimum size for your fabric.  But you can make it as large as you want, and as large as your fabric allows.  Our DVD "Hawaiian Quilting with Nancy Lee Chong" has a good demonstration of how to sew the panels of fabric together to make your large bed quilt.  


COMING EVENTS

Nancy's Whereabouts: 

Spring is almost here.  Why not treat yourself to a class or retreat?  You deserve it!

  
Quilt Shows  
  • March 18-20, Quilters Anonymous, Monroe, WA.  Be sure to go into the second building (Display Hall, Building #500) to see more quilts and to shop.  That is where you will find Janice in our booth.  Just start in the second building, to avoid the crowds in the main building!
  • April 21-23, Mid-Valley Quilt Guild, Salem, OR.  A great opportunity to shop and meet Nancy in person.

 Classes - Presentations - Events 

  • March 19-20, Vereins Quilt Guild, Fredericksburg, TX
  • March 21-22, High Country Quilt Guild, Kerrville, TX
  • April 5-6, Cimarron Valley Quilters' Guild, Stillwater, OK
  • April 7, Sew Flakes Fabrics, Broken Arrow, OK
  • May 10, Oak Harbor Knit & Sew, Oak Harbor, WA
  • May 11, The Quilt Shop, Anacortes, WA
  • May 12 & 13, Quilters Junction, Centralia, WA
  • May 14, The Quilting Loft, Seattle, WA
  • May 24, Beaverton, OR
  • June 23-26, Vermont Quilt Festival, Essex Valley, VT
  • July 5-8, A Quilters' Affair, Sisters, OR

  Click CALENDAR for details and contact info

 
 Register early for classes, they can fill quickly, or be cancelled if not enough people register in advance.

Nancy is booking events in 2011, 2012 and beyond.  Remember to let your local quilt shop and guild know that you would like to take an applique class from Nancy Chong.  Give them our website, or print Nancy's brochure and give it to them.  Be sure to circle the classes you are interested in!  Nancy will travel anywhere she is invited to teach. 

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  QuiltUniversity.com

 

 "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 QuiltUniversity.com classes begin:  


April 8:   Make Your Own Hawaiian Quilt

May 13:  Hand Quilting

 

Janice's next QuiltUniversity.com class begins:

 

April 8:  Photographing Your Quilts


Go to QuiltUniversity.com for details.

 

 


Thank you for spending a little of your precious time with us, we really appreciate it.  Remember to send us your stories, pictures, questions, or suggestions.  We love to hear from you.

A hui hou,
Until next time,

Nancy & Janice