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When you think of applique, think of us!
Newsletter
Applique - We share your passion!
Issue: #35

August 2012

In This Issue
LESS-THAN-PERFECT FABRIC SELECTIONS? Salvage That Quilt!
CHRISTMAS SOCKS: Hung with care
SEA TURTLES & DOLPHINS: When collaboration works
COMING EVENTS
Quick Links
Visit Our Website
Patterns

FABRIC SELECTION TIPS

Choosing 2 fabrics

 

When selecting two fabrics for making our patterns keep these tips in mind:
  • Choose two fabrics that contrast strongly with each other. Contrast is created either with value (light and dark) or colors that are far from each other on the color wheel (blue and gold, for example).
  • Solid or near-solid fabrics are always a good choice. The beauty of solids (which quilters seldom use anymore) is that your quilting will show really well.
  • Prints can be used if they are subtle - meaning not a lot of dark and light contrast in the print.
  • In the fabric industry the terms backgrounds and blenders are used to classify fabrics that are real workhorses, the ones that go with and fill in around the busy prints. These backgrounds and blenders generally are good choices to use with our patterns.

TIP: We stock the fabrics that work well with our patterns. Look at the fabrics on our Fabric Finder page for examples. To see good combinations together, look at our Fabric Packs.
 

CURRENT

INTERNET SPECIAL

Sock mat 3
Christmas Socks
placemat option

Now is the time to start this quilt to it have finished for the holidays!

 

Sale Price: $10.00

(Regular Price: $12.00)

click here

 

 Postage image

I HAVE A NOTION

Introducing you to the notions Nancy and Janice use.

  

Desktop Needle Threader by Clover:

Desk Needlethreader 

 

If you are struggling to thread your needles, for any reason, this is the tool for you! This needle threader will bring the joy of hand-sewing back, easily threading size 10 and 11 straw/milliner needles for applique. We each have several to make sure one is always nearby as we are stitching.

 

$16.00, and worth every penny of it! Get yours now.

  

TIP: Read the instructions that come with the threader. We find that it works best if you hold the thread very gently against the side of the threader as you press the lever.

BIG ISLAND QUILT SHOP HOP

Fifth annual - don't miss it!


February 1-23, 2013

Passports available beginning January 15, 2013

 

If you want to ride, two buses are going around the island visiting all eight quilt shops - one bus from Kona and one from Hilo.

 

Lots of prizes and other events going on at the same time:

  • Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Waimea
  • Hawaiian Quilt Show in Waimea
  • Quilting on the Beach in Kona, sponsored by Quilt Passions (one of our favorite Big Island quilt stores!)

If you are going to be on the Big Island in February, or if you can island-hop from one of the other islands, or are making your vacation plans - you definitely want to be on the Big Island to take advantage of all the fun in February!

 

Contact Karen at Quilt Passions or Mary at Kilauea Kreations II for more details.

 

Go here for their Facebook page.

PHOTO GALLERIES

New quilts added

  

As promised, Janice added several new quilts to the Gallery pages on our website. Watch for this little label New  

While you are there look around in all the Galleries.  

 

 

Seeing quilts done in different color combinations, set in different ways, or uniquely embellished is great inspiration.  Have fun looking!

 
Mahalo to everyone who has shared their photos.

 
To find the Galleries when you are on our website, hold your cursor over the blue LOOK tab at the top of the page, then select the Gallery you want to view.    

 

 

We will be starting a new Gallery for the quilts you are designing with the help of our new book and DVD (Design Your Personal Hawaiian Quilt). Please send us photos of your paper cut-outs, or your basted applique top so we can show those off, too! 

 

 

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 Greetings!      
  
Both of us have made more than one quilt that turned out to be disappointing because of (among other things), poor fabric selections. We suspect you may have one or two disappointments as well. What can be done with these less-than-stellar quilts -- short of tossing them out, or passing them off to someone else? We have a few suggestions for you this month, so keep reading.

PRQC vendor booth
Pacific Rim Quilt Company booth
As summer winds down there are still two opportunities to make a trip out to the northern-most coast of California, or the southern-most coast of Oregon for quilt shows. Nancy will have our quilts, patterns, videos, book, and fabric (including Janice's hand-dyed fabrics) at both these shows for your shopping pleasure.  Please come visit.
  • August 18 & 19 in Crescent City, California
    (Note: Quilt Passions, from the Big Island of Hawaii, will have their booth at this show, too. Aloha, Robert!)
  • Sept 15 & 16 in Gold Beach, Oregon 
E komo mai,
Welcome, 

Nancy & Janice 

LESS-THAN-PERFECT FABRIC SELECTIONS? Salvage That Quilt!
Overcome poor fabric selections

With our quilt patterns it seems easy enough: pick two contrasting fabrics, follow the instructions, and in the end you have a beautiful quilt! While that is easy, there are times when you discover that the two fabrics you chose did not give you the expected stunning finish. What to do?
Kimono B, original
Kimono, oops fabric

We speak from experience on this one! Believe us when we say: You are not alone if you selected fabrics that disappointed you in the end.

Take for example these two Kimono quilts. Do you even see the Kimonos? Or does your eye dart around the one at right, following the flight of the distracting dark blue birds? On the one below, are you so drawn to the large, pale flower blossoms that you don't even realize there is a kimono hidden here?


Kimono A, original
Another Kimono with oops fabric



To see the Before and After photos, and to read about what Janice did to salvage these two quilts, click here.

We think you will find help and encouragement to salvage one or more of your disappointing quilts.

See: "Less-Than-Perfect Fabric Selections? Salvage That Quilt!" on the How To and Ideas page of our website.

 
 
CHRISTMAS SOCKS - Hung with care

It's a border, it's a runner! 

 

It seems that most of us have a growing collection of favorite holiday fabrics, and are always searching for ways to use them. Our Christmas Socks pattern gives you an excuse to use up small pieces of your vast collection as you fashion each of the festive little socks on this runner. Then hang them from the mantel, or spread them on your table, or decorate your bed. 

Christmas Socks - 400
Christmas Socks, 13" x 72" version

For those of you who want to embellish, consider embroidering (by hand or machine) or painting the names of family members and pets on the cuff of each sock. Add tassels, trims, buttons, beads and sequins to make every sock extra special. How about a string of lights (real or faux) intertwined with the applique garland?  Or instead of the applique garland, stitch on a real tinsel or leafy garland, instead. 

 

BONUS #1: The pattern includes instructions for piecing the brick fireplace and mantel, or you can use a single piece of fabric behind your socks - your choice!

 

BONUS #2: The pattern includes instructions for making this quilt into a mantel runner, so you can hang it from your mantel quickly and easily. Shorten or lengthen your runner by using just the right number of socks you need.

 

And that's not all!

 

BONUS #3: The pattern also includes placemat and pillow case options! You choose which one, two, or three socks to put on each placemat or pillow. Make them all different, and personal, and let your kids and grandkids pick their favorite. Use these small pieces as wall-hangings, too.

 

Christmas Socks: 13" x 72", plus other options. Normally, $12.00, for a limited time this pattern is available for just $10.00. Buy It Now. Start it now and finish it in time for Christmas!

 

If your holiday fabric selection needs a little boost, click here for our Christmas Fabric Assortment, and other holiday fabrics.

Four of Mary Washer's fun family Socks
Four of Mary Washer's fun family Socks!
SEA TURTLES and DOLPHINS - Hawaiian wall quilt

When collaboration works

Sea Turtles & Dolphins quilt
Sea Turtles and Dolphins

 

We collaborate in different ways when designing new patterns. Usually Nancy starts a design, passes the line drawing, or paper cut-out on to Janice who makes changes and suggestions, then passes it back to Nancy. Sometimes it is done in one pass, others take several. But with our Sea Turtles and Dolphins quilt it was a little different.


For one thing, we were both in the same room at the same time while designing this one - a rare occurrence, now. We knew we wanted a quilt with both turtles (honu) and dolphins (nai'a). Nancy started with the turtles in the center, and Janice sketched her idea for the dolphins on a napkin (yes, a napkin!) and gave it to Nancy, "Here, like this. A mother and her baby playing in the water together." And that was it. Using Janice's sketch, Nancy completed the pattern you see here.


This particular collaboration then continued when Janice gave Nancy one of her hand-dyed fabrics for the background of this quilt.  Nancy added the dark blue from her stash and finished the quilt.

Sea Turtles and Dolphins: 42" square, $12.00. Buy It Now
 

Janice's Hand-dyed fabric:  While my selection of hand-dyed fabrics is a bit limited right now, I intend to do a lot of dyeing in the next month. The plan includes doing many more radiating pieces, like the background in the quilt above.  Fabrics that radiate are particularly striking as the background on a Hawaiian quilt.  You can order fabric like this, or in any color you want from me and I will be happy to make it up to order. Here is the link to Janice's Hand-dyed Fabrics. And keep watching as I continue to add new fabrics.

 

 

 

As promised, we added new photos to the Galleries on our website this month.  Take a look at the Hawaiian Quilt Gallery for more examples of Sea Turtles and Dolphins made by our customers.  You will be amazed!

 

COMING EVENTS

Nancy's Whereabouts:

Here are opportunities to take a class from, or enjoy a presentation by Nancy at a quilt show, guild or shop. Most guilds welcome visitors, so don't be shy.

 

Upcoming Shows, Classes, and Events:

  • August 18 & 19, Lighthouse Quilters Guild Show, Crescent City, CA - Come visit Nancy and shop at our booth for all your applique needs.
  • Sept 15 & 16, Gold Beach Quilters Quilt Show, Gold Beach, OR - One more opportunity to meet Nancy and shop at our booth.
  • Sept 20-21, Twin Rivers Quilters Guild, New Bern, NC
  • Oct 11-13, Oregon Coastal Quilters, Newport, OR
  • Nov 1-4, A Quilters Gathering, Manchester, NH - This is a popular event, register now for Nancy's classes!
  • Nov 10-11, Empire Quilters, New York City
Register early for classes.  They can fill quickly, or be canceled if not enough people register in advance.

 

Click CALENDAR for details and contact information.

 

Schedule Nancy now for your show or event in late 2012, 2013 and 2014. If you would like her to come to your area to teach, let your quilt shop, quilt guild, or show organizer know. Print Nancy's Brochure and pass it along. 

 

QuiltUniversity.com

If you do not live where you can take a class from Nancy in person, then perhaps a class at Quilt University would work for you.

"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."

 

Nancy's up-coming classes begin:

  • August 17, Two Fabric Applique
  • August 31, Baltimore Basics
  • September 14, Make Your Own Hawaiian Quilt
  • October 5, Hand Quilting

    Janice's up-coming class begins:
  • September 28, Photographing Your Quilts

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