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November 2, 2013
Greetings!,


Greetings!

As this newsletter is written, I'm watching the maple tree in front of the studio turn brilliant shades of orange and red. While most think of fall in terms of leaves changing color, for those in the quilt business, late October is the time to gather in Houston for the semi-annual Quilt Market. It was a wonderful show. I met many long time friends and we came back with a lot of exciting new products. I also had the opportunity to do something very special (see below).

Travel seems to be my middle name this year. I just recently returned from Ostersund, Sweden where I was one of the teachers at a conference put on by the Swedish Quilting Guild in celebration of their 25th anniversary. What a delightful city Ostersund is! It is in the very middle of the country right on the shores of one of the largest lakes in Sweden. The surrounding hills were dotted with color and the town itself was charming. I had great classes (color and diamonds) filled with wonderful quilters.

For a sewing project for the trip, I took the "Facets" wall hanging done with my new batik collection. After I had the central star sewn, I experimented with the next layer of diamonds. First, I arranged them in the way I had originally designed them (photo 2). Then I turned them 180 degrees (photo 1). It is amazing how different the design looks. Which do you like best? They look still different when the corners and borders are added.
Facets- 180 degrees (left), original (right)  

You can probably tell how excited I am about my Malam collection and my first opportunity to work with batiks. While at Market, I was interviewed by Alex Anderson from "The Quilt Show" about the batik-making process. You can see my interview with Alex along with several videos I took while in Indonesia.  
The Quilt Show's Daily Blog: http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog.php/blog_id/6061 

Helping Libby Lehman
As many of you have heard by now, fellow quilter Libby Lehman is battling the aftereffects of a brain aneurism and stroke she suffered last spring.  The absolute highlight of my trip to Houston was a visit to see Libby.  Her sister, Cathy Arnold picked me up and took me to the rehab facility. Libby has a long road to travel, but each day she takes baby steps in the right direction.  To raise funds to help pay for Libby's medical expenses, Sew Many Places has planned a wonderful weeklong cruise in the Caribbean departing January 26.  My teaching schedule has me out of the country then but following the cruise, February 1 -3, I will be in Fort Lauderdale to teach a color workshop and also offer my day and a half diamond class.   All of the proceeds from my classes will go to the fund for Libby's treatment.   For information on the "Soul of a Quilter Cruise" and my classes in Fort Lauderdale, visit  www.SewManyPlaces.com/trip-info/caribbean-libby-012014.php

Great Gift Ideas
It is about now that we start to think of the upcoming holidays and what gifts to give loved ones.  As quilters, something handmade sounds perfect but, oh, how we wish we had started sooner.  Here are some great ideas for projects which go together quickly.  We have a lovely selection of kits and patterns for stockings, Christmas quilts, a tree skirt and a new apron on our website here.  




My border print placemats and table runners have long been a "go to" project for enhancing your holiday table or someone else's table.  Each placemat requires just � yard of border print and it is a wonderful way to discover the magic you can create with these fabrics. Watch my video to see how much fun making them can be and download the free pattern.

New on our Website

We are always trying to improve our website to make it easier for you to navigate.   Now with each fabric collection, look for the tab of related products. Do you love the new Ashford collection? By simply clicking the "More Ashford Items" tab, you'll find more information on the log cabin style quilt, the free pattern download, and all the pre-cut fat quarters, strips and squares.

 

 


Solstice Compass Blocks 11 & 12

We are nearing the end of this year's Solstice! There are two blocks for you this month, another 32-point beauty and a star-like compass. In both of them, fussy cutting some of the star points really makes them special.  Enjoy these blocks -- just one more block and the finishing instructions are left!

If you missed last month's information, don't worry! The download page includes all the materials released so far.
[Download link available in subscriber email only]

And don't miss all the helpful sewing videos and reference information in the Solstice Classroom.

Kits are still available for the original and blue/red color options.
More info on Solstice Kits.

We've also created beautiful fat quarter bundles of the fabrics used in the two remaining Solstice colorways. If you love the colors in the quilt and would like to use them in a different project, this is the choice for you.
Solstice Inspiration Bundles
 


Happy Quilting!
 

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