CURRENT

INTERNET SPECIAL

INSPIRATION 

WHAT'S NEW! 

LEARNING SAVES TIME! 

Aloha!  

You are a quilter. By definition that means you have piles of unfinished projects. Whether you call those projects UFOs (Unfinished Objects) or WIPs (Works in Progress) they are symptomatic of a common dilemma - not enough time. Time is a strange and wonderful phenomenon. We all have 24 hours in a day, to use as we choose. Some of you turn out copious amounts of whatever you put your hands to, while others of us not so much. If you have dreams of being more productive with your time, we have some keys that might just unlock your secret potential. Keep reading. 

Nancy has a full Calendar this summer including stops in Redwood City (CA), Sandy (OR), Redmond (OR), Seattle, Issaquah and Shelton (WA), then Portland (OR). Be sure to check the complete list of her up-coming events further down in this newsletter. Even more details are on the Calendar page of our website. She would love to see each and every one of you this summer! 

E komo mai,

Welcome,

Nancy & Janice

Make it a Mini!  

It was four years ago (May 17, 2009) that we sent our first e-Newsletter. Many of you have been here from the beginning. If you are like us, it is always difficult to comprehend the passage of time, marked by such milestones. Where does the time go!?

In our first issue we introduced you to our little hummingbird friend and told you the story behind this quilt.*

Today we want to share with you a variation using this pattern made by Sandra of Nevada, Missouri. Speaking of time-savers, why not follow Sandra's lead and make yours a Mini! 

Sandra's Mini Hummer

Sandra had made quilts from three of our patterns, when she found herself with a beautiful red batik fat quarter. Thinking, "I should be able to do something with that," she looked through our patterns and decided this little hummer and fuchsia blossom would look really nice. She was right! Using the pattern, just the way it comes, without any reducing, and a fat quarter for the applique, you can see the result.

"A friend spent the winter in Florida and took a class there to make one of these 2 Fabric Applique Quilts. She came back talking about it and showed us how to do it. We are a small town, with a small group of women. It has really mushroomed here. There seems to be something for everyone looking at your patterns. Everyone finds something they like."

Sandra also confessed that she had never cared for, or bought batiks until she discovered our patterns. Now she says, "I have yards of batiks and I don't know where it is going to stop! It is addictive. After doing one I wanted to do another, then another, and another. I have done four already, and have patterns to do two more."  

Many of our patterns provide opportunities for Minis. As Sandra pointed out, "You can use the baby Giraffe from Giraffe Family, or use one flower from several of the floral patterns, or one turtle from Herd of Turtles." What can you find to make your Mini?

Hummingbird, 24" x 36", normally $12.00, for a short time this pattern is our Internet Special for only $10.00.   

For more pictures of this quilt, and others, visit our  Gallery of 2 Fabric Applique Quilts, then go here to pick your Fabric Pack.    

How To: To find a portion of a pattern that will look good as a Mini, cut a corner, approximately 2" x 3", from two pieces of paper. Position the two cut-outs to form a window. Move the window around on the cover photo of the pattern you are considering. Expand or contract the window to view different areas of the pattern until you find one you like. Of course, you can leave out extraneous portions of the pattern that intrude on your window, or reposition elements to make your composition more pleasing.

* Remember: you can go back to read any of our previous e-newsletters stored in our Archive. "Click here to read our past e-Newsletters" is a button you will find at the bottom of the left navigation bar on our website, or from the Quick Links at the top of the navigation bar in every one of our e-Newsletters. You can be inspired and learn a lot from perusing this valuable resource. 

LEI KUKUI - Hawaiian Quilt

Lei Kukui, 84" square option.

The time you have available often determines the size of your next project. If time is short, make it small; if time is no object, go big! With this one pattern you can make quilts that are 21", 30", 52", 84", even up to 108" square. How can that be?!

Here's the secret: the size of this Hawaiian quilt is determined by the size of the background fabric you begin with. Be careful that the applique pattern fits easily on your background, with at least 3" of background fabric all the way around for a small quilt and up to 6"-8" all the way around for a bed-sized quilt.

Here are your options with our Lei Kukui pattern:

Lei Kukui block option

• Use the block pattern for a 21" quilt.
• Turn the block pattern on point for a 30" quilt.
• Use only the center medallion for a 52" quilt.
• Use the center medallion and the lei border on a minimum 84" background; or
• Use the center medallion and the lei border on a background  up to 108" square, or larger!  

No need to alter the pattern in any way. Just choose the look you want, the size you want, and make sure the background is larger than the space your chosen applique will occupy.

To read a lot more about this pattern, and the Kukui tree that inspired it, click here to read our May 2011 e-Newsletter. 

Lei Kukui, bed pattern with various size options, $15.00.

Do more with what you have 

Quilts come together when you have inspiration, tools, materials, and time. The perfect blending of these four ingredients result in complete satisfaction. But, what happens when you find you have inspiration, tools and materials - but no time? Frustration, that is what happens. So, here are our tips for squeezing moments of productivity from your already too busy day.  

1. Whether you use a pillow case, a zip-close plastic bag, a shoe box or a pizza box...keep everything you need for a project in one bag or box. (Yes, even the special notions, thread and tools you need.) Having everything together in one place means that when you are ready to work on that project no time is wasted hunting for anything. (Janice uses the space-saving plastic bags found in the closet organizing section of a department store.) 
2. Leave a hand-stitching project in an open basket, or attractive box, where it is visible and ready to be picked up and worked on if only for a few minutes at a time.
3. Thread up a new needle before you stop stitching. Always having a needle threaded and ready to go invites you to stitch. Nancy always does before she sets a project down. Most often she then forgets to stop once the needle is threaded, so actually gets even more done.
   

   Use a bell to help find your needle

4. If you are appliqueing a large project, pin a little bell next to where your needle is. Now, when you have only a few minutes to stitch you won't waste any of them hunting for your needle. Instead, you will hear the bell and find your needle quickly, making the most of those few minutes.
5. If you are afraid to pick up your project for fear that you will become absorbed and lose track of time, set a kitchen-style timer for the 10 or 15 minutes you have to stitch. When the bell goes off you know it is time to stop.
6. Do not stop working on a project when you encounter a problem or make a mistake. Fix it or undo it before you put it down. You may never pick up a project again if you know that a problem is waiting for you.
7. Get rid of projects you know you will never finish. They rob you of energy and creativity, and they take up valuable space. So just release them for the next person to enjoy.

We hope that by squeezing in a few minutes of productive stitching whenever you can means your quilt projects actually move from the To-Do pile to the TAH DAH! list. The satisfaction that comes with a completed project is a wonderful reward for time well-spent.