Penny Halgren asked:


In Iowa, quilt blocks on barns create community cooperation and tourism dollars.

These aren’t your common quilt blocks. The Iowa quilt blocks on barns are created with paint instead of fabric scraps, but they replicate many traditional quilt patterns - something all quilting enthusiasts can appreciate as true works of art.

Iowa quilt blocks on barns range in size, but are generally 8×8-foot wooden squares painted in quilt block motifs. The colorful quilt blocks are hard to miss and they’re addictive - once you spot your first, you’ll want to keep searching for more of them!

The project began in Grundy County Iowa and spread to other communities. One very popular area is Sac County, Iowa. There are 55 barn quilts and 19 community quilts across Sac County, located in west-central Iowa. The museum honoring the birthplace of crooner Andy Williams hosts one of Sac County’s community quilts. The quilt block there, “Mother’s Choice,” was painted by Jackson’s 4-H club.

That’s what makes the Iowa quilt blocks on barns and at community locations so great. It became a project for the entire community. Kevin Peyton started the Sac County, Iowa quilt blocks on barns project in 2005 for a 4H project. He knew he needed to get a lot of people involved if it was going to be successful. With the help of his family, Peyton started asking for community involvement.
Quilting enthusiasts advised to use primary and secondary colors for the Iowa quilt blocks on barns and to use simple lines. They selected quilt block patterns that depicted aspects of their community’s heritage - agriculture, horticulture and family. Some of the quilt patterns you’ll see on your Iowa barn quilt tour include classics like “Turkey in the Straw” and “Hovering Hawks”.” To see photos of the Iowa quilt blocks on barns, take a look at http://www.barnquilts.com/2359.html. You can see actual photos of the proudly displayed barn quilts. A map of participating barns and community buildings is also provided in case you are planning a trip to the area.

Volunteers painted the blocks and the community’s rural electric co-operative volunteered its boom trucks to help hang the large Iowa quilt blocks on barns.

Volunteers also helped Peyton’s Iowa quilt blocks on barns project by suggesting barn criteria. The volunteers recommended that the barns or corncribs be at least 50 years old and sit on farms that were active and attractive to passers-by. The barns were also required to be on hard surface roads and visible from both directions, making the tour easy and enjoyable for tourists.

Barns play an important role in Iowan heritage. The Iowa Barn Foundation (http://www.iowabarnfoundation.org/) makes grant money available to restore barns to help preserve the state’s agricultural heritage. Quilting is another part of Iowan heritage, so in Iowa, quilt blocks on barns go hand in hand.

Peyton says his idea was not an original one. He was inspired to start the barn quilt project in his own community after reading a newspaper article about a barn quilt project in Grundy County, Iowa. The Grundy, Iowa quilt blocks on barns project started with an idea that an extension agent brought back from a conference. She’d heard about a similar project in Ohio.

If you are planning a trip to Iowa and want to drive through barn quilt country, U.S. Highway 20 is a good road to drive. Sac County starts the big barn quilt display from the west and Grundy County kicks off the display from the east.

The idea has spread to quilters and tourism leaders in other states. In addition to Iowa and Ohio, parts of Kentucky and Tennessee have also jumped on the barn quilt wagon. On your tour of Iowa barn quilt country, make sure to take time to stop at the quilting and souvenier shops to explore more local treasures. By making a little time to stop, you’ll get to meet the people who made the barn quilts a reality - and those people are as priceless as the community art they created.



LARRY

Karen Lincoln asked:


Quilting has been an age old tradition. In days gone by, women used to gather around and do quilting work together. This was quite exciting for them, as they would get to meet one another, as well as do things that they enjoy together. Quilting has also passed down to generations, and is still carried out by many. Quilters love to spend their time, sewing and patching different pieces of fabrics together and seeing their designs taking shape.

In the olden days, quilts were made by hand, as no machines were available then, and this was quite a time consuming process. If the quilt was small, then it would not take much time. However for larger quilts, time taken to complete was much longer, and these were quite tough to handle. Can you picture, a group of women, all sitting together, making a large quilt, and constantly having to get up and move, in order to cover each part of the quilt. Sounds tiresome doesn’t it?

Thanks to technology, all this has changed. Though there are many, who still prefer to make hand made quilts. Nowadays, you have machines to help you with your quilting. These days, women don’t have the patience, nor the time to sit and hand make quilts, more so if its a large quilt. In today’s age, you’ll find mostly machine made quilts, as hand made quilts have become extremely rare. Machines make the quilting process much quicker, and a lot easier. You can either use a regular sewing machine, which has quilting capabilities or you can use a long arm quilting machine, which is exclusively meant for quilting.
The long arm quilting machine is extremely popular. These machines are specifically meant for quilting larger quilts. Its arm is around 18 inches. These machines are electronic, and make the process of quilting rather quick, as it covers a wider area in a short span of time. Moreover, its much more comfortable as you don’t have to keep getting up and changing your position or the quilt’s position. This long arm machine makes the quilting process much more efficient, and is time saving as well. You can now make a quilt with a long arm quilting machine in a short period of time, and with not too much of effort.

A regular sewing machine can also be used for your quilting purpose. However the main draw back with a regular machine is that, its arm is just seven inches in length. And so the person who’s making the quilt, can focus only on a portion of the quilt, at a time. Moreover, you have to keep shifting your position, along with the quilt, so that it fits into the sewing machine. This lands up being as uncomfortable and uneasy as making your quilts with hand, where you have to keep moving.

You can purchase a long arm quilting machine at various prices. The difference in prices is mainly due to the quality of the machine. Machines of well known brands, are naturally much more higher than the lesser known brands. It all depends on you, your budget and how much your going to be using your long arm quilting machine. You rather spend a little more than compromise on quality. Alternatively you can wait for sales or discounts.



RYAN

Simon Rand asked:


I’ve always been stubborn. When I was a young child, my favorite phrase was “Me do it,” and I’ve only become more determined with age.

I’m also a former scholar. So when I decided to seriously play with fiber, I set out to read everything I could find about it. I started out with teddy bears, moved on to quilts and then crazy quilts, then to embroidery and needlepoint, then to Kaffe Fassett, then to knitting, and then to crochet.

I fell madly in love with crochet for three years, until my wrist gave out. (But, fortunately, it’s finally starting to recover.) By then I was spinning wild yarn on a drop spindle, and since spinning is usually discussed with weaving, I found myself playing on simple frame looms. Although I’m not promiscuous, I now love spinning and weaving as much as I love crochet.

I couldn’t have done any of this without my beloved books and magazines. Except for a few needlepoint classes and a crochet conference, I’ve learned just about everything I know from print and three videotapes.

About being taught…Before falling in love with yarn, I was an impassioned schoolteacher. I’ve spent some of the best times of my life in a classroom, usually as a teacher and occasionally as a student.

But the trouble with schools and classrooms is that they are inherently conservative. They exist to pass on previous knowledge, and they are also used, sometimes quite viciously, to socialize students. Unless the teacher is truly remarkable, students learn either to think like the teacher or to rebel like the other rebels.

The same holds true for less formal fiber classes. The woman who taught those needlepoint classes taught to make us dependent. We each bought a different painted canvas, and then she would choose the fiber and tell us what stitch to put in what place. No stitch guides, no discussion of design, not even a mention of needlepoint’s glorious history–just “Do this here.”

The crochet conference was a lot more fun. What could be better than spending a three-day weekend with hundreds of other people who share your obsession? I also had the very great pleasure of spending all of my class time with the brilliant British crocheters, Sylvia Cosh and James Walters. They are two of the remarkable teachers I talked about earlier–although they teach the techniques they’ve developed, they also gently encourage individual experimentation. Just looking at their work up close was enough to send me home inspired!

But this was a conference sponsored by a guild, and the officers held tightly to their party line. They wanted to quickly move crochet into professional and artistic territory, but since I’m a populist at heart, I wanted to decrease the competition and increase the celebration of everyone’s work. When I dared to say so publicly, I earned the president’s undying enmity.

Don’t get me wrong–I think professionalism is admirable and artistic growth is sublime. But I also think competition is brutal, and I’d hoped that a modern guild would want to encourage and celebrate all of its members.

I should have known better. Groups are also inherently conservative and exist to further the interests of the people who run them.

Creative independence is partly conservative, too, because we all draw on the past to learn skills. Many of us also delve into the histories of the crafts we love to discover the work of our foremothers.

But we become creatively independent when we absorb as much as we can and then move on to develop our own ways of working. In the Spring, l998, issue of Interweave Knits, Linda Ligon writes about Peruvian and Bolivian knitters. In her wonderfully witty way, she says she’s mystified by how the women knit so creatively, using virtually every known knitting technique to make strikingly beautiful and original pieces.

There’s really no mystery, of course. These women are so thoroughly at home with knitting, so thoroughly skilled and confident, that it’s second nature for them to knit the way they do.

Think about the great cooks you know. At one time they followed recipes, like the rest of us, and for many of them, reading cookbooks is a way of life. But they’re so experienced that they’re able to take a little of this and a little of that and come up with a delicious meal with very little effort.

Or so it seems…Because what we don’t see is all the thinking that goes on. And this is the key–first we become so skilled that our technique is almost automatic, so we can then put most of our effort into thinking.

When I say “thinking,” I’m actually talking about the creative process. It can be as quick as stir-frying a meal from leftovers or as complex as designing and sewing a quilt. What matters is not that we become Martha Stewart or Nancy Crow, but that we find an authentic way to express ourselves.

This is the joy of creative independence.

This is also a joy of being alive.



GONZALO

Jake Saab asked:


Quilts are often made up of quality fabrics. The fabrics include cotton, which polyester is often avoided. Once you purchase top-quality cotton fabrics, you will need to consider style.

How to choose style:

Quilts are crafted in the Feminine, Cottage, Victorian, Country, Scrappy, Lodge, and Conventional Amish, Modern, or Juvenile style.

The female and Victorian often has a mixture of flowery and smaller scales of coordinating patterns and colors. Cottage quilts have brighter pastels and prints on a smaller to average scale with off-white solids, such as beige, manila, fawn, or camel. The Country quilts include the reminiscent of dusty shades that stretch along scales of solid shades. The colors are solid and a couple of colors, such as off-whites, or flag colors integrate to make a fashionable quilt.

Lodge style quilts are made up of reticent, or silent shaded prints, or reminiscent of woody colors that are deeply imprinted in the quilt. The colors are offset by shades of plaid, and the variations combine green, brown, rust, orchra, red, navy blue, tan, black, etc, blending it to make the Lodge quilt.

The scraps means you can create any type of quilt you choose, as well as shades, tones, colors, etc. Conventional Amish quilts combine the penetrating shades of gemstones on a solid background with a mixture of black.

Modern quilts include the colorful novelties whereas simple lines are used to make up its squares.

Juvenile quilts is often made up of brilliant pastel, or crayon shades, colors, tones, etc, and includes prints as well as a solid background.

Once you choose your style, you will need to purchase your materials and measure your fabric. The fabric should be machine washable. Sometimes however, the fabric will bleed, which in this case you will need to continue wash, rinse, and continue until the dye remains in tact.

Once you purchase your yard bolt, or fabric you will need to learn steps to cutting your parts “On the grain.” This is a common phrase used by quilt makers. In addition to cutting, you will need to purchase fillers and learn how to craft them so they blend into your quilt. In quilt maker terms, “batting,” is choosing your style so to speak. For instance, if you wanted to create a traditional quilt you would choose ‘flatters” that match your material. When choosing batting it is ok to purchase polyester. You will have a choice of wools, cotton, and so on available as well. To help you make a decision consider the following questions.

How to choose:

Do you intend to craft your quilt on a sewing machine, or by hand?

What is the size?

How much time can you invest in making your quilt?

Do you intend to wash your quilt regularly, or design a fashionable quilt for your showcase?

Do you plan to make a quality quilt?

Asking the questions can help you choose your materials. You can find additional help by visiting craft shops and reading recommendations by the manufactured written on the batting label. In the meantime, visit the Internet to choose your patterns.

You also have the pre-packaged options, which you can purchase your batting, including the yard of batting. If you choose the pre-packaged, you will have convenience, such as elimination of cutting. The pre-packages are already cut to fit the average beds.

If you purchase yards of batting, be ware that it has not been pre-shrunk. This means, you will have bulks of batting to carry to your home. You want to keep in mind that yards of batting is suitable for smaller projects only, and is difficult to cut your patterns.



FRANCISCO

Jake Saab asked:


You have created flowers, basket, handles, etc, so now it’s time to assemble your crafty quilt. Let’s get started.

How to Assemble:

You are assembling the crown of your quilt at this point. If you haven’t started your craft project to create the Spring Basket, leave this work to those who are at the crown. To collect your crown use your threads that counterpart and begin blind stitching across your fabric, sewing your flower onto the fabric, as well as two of your foliages. Sew to the center bloom as well, and stitch en route for the wrong side (left) of your created 3-block baskets. Stitch to the right and finish your final blocks. (3)

At the lower region of your basket, affix your blooms so that they join with the handles. Now, snip your lighter shades of filaments/strands, and shades of pink (6) silkworm fibers (Floss), cutting lengthwise so that it is corresponding with the measurements lengthwise of your arm. You want to create strands (3) on each section of fiber. Divide and use needle and thread (large eye needle) along with the length of your three filaments and stitch so that it forms a circle. You are making your granny knots, to create the French version that will stretch about your center flower and the dark flowers you have created.

Again, trim your darker shades of six-pink, filaments, and silkworm fibers, cutting it along the length so that it is equivalent to your arm span. Generate 3-filaments on each section of your fibers. Partition and make use of hand used needle and filament, stitching the length the three threads. Stitch until it shapes a loop. Starting at the shades of green, snip the narrow sash pieces and cut the pieces into 1 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches. You are making your D-block. Snip another three narrow pieces until you achieve measured parts at 1 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches. You will use these parts to make your E-block. Alternatively, snip your D-block, cutting three from your pattern and form 4-D narrow pieces. You want your ducks in a row. (I.e. Blocks) Use only 2-blocks to form a row at this time and begin stitching the blocks forming 3-E narrow pieces. This is the middle region of your coverlet, or quilt. Use the variety of floral prints and snip the inside borders of your narrow pieces. Snip at least two narrow parts at 1 x 23 1/2 inches. Use the parts to create the F-borders at the side. Now, snip another one x 29 1/2-inch narrow pieces to create G-borders at the lower and upper region of your quilt.

Continuing, sew the border sides to the center of your coverlet. Continue to sew the drop and greater borders. Begin at the floral region, i.e. the print textile press with your iron. DO NOT IRON rather gently press? Lift; relocate, etc.

Now, you are ready to craft your binds for your quilt. Use your floral materials and sew the greater, drop, and sides of your borders. Now fill it in with the center of your quilt patterns.

You have done a great job, so now it is time to finish your work. Use your backing cloth, batting, and crown of your coverlet and coat. To prepare your coverlet, pin baste to layer, followed by hand sewing or machine sewing your quilt. Use your machine at the crown to sew the untreated edges. If you have extra batting, cut it. Do the same for backing cloth. Now bind and snip your satin, yellow ribbon to form your bow. Cut six even parts. Finish by tying your ribbon, forming a bow and stitch by hand your bows, one for each side of your handles on your basket.



KENNETH

Penny Halgren asked:


Like many other crafts and hobbies, quilting has survived the test of time. Some quilt historians date the beginning of quilting back to the middle ages, when quilted clothes were made for warriors sent to battle in cold climates. According to history, fabrics were layered and stitched in the same quilting method used today to keep the layers intact and keep the warriors warm.

You might note several differences:

· The quilting was done by hand (as was the construction of the clothes)

· There were no fancy designs of either the quilting pattern or the clothes

· Probably this clothing was made by local tailors (who generally were men)

Quilting today is much more fun and includes both men and women! Because there are more than 20 million quilters in the US, fabric stores have dedicated sections of their shops to quilting fabric. In many communities, it is easy to find a quilting store or two (or three) - a shop that caters just to quilters. And finding quilting fabric online is getting easier by the day.

With a wide selection of resources, the next question is whether you will enjoy quilting. The art of quilting has something for almost everyone.

Traditional patchwork quilts are still very popular. They provide a framework for design while allowing the quilter to use fabric selection to vary the overall look of the quilt. Contemporary quilts, or art quilts, are also popular, and provide a canvas for designing quilts that has no bounds.

Many quiltmakers still rely on hand sewing which makes quilts portable. Your quilt project easily goes into the waiting room of doctors and dance classes, travels with you in the car on long trips, and turns idle time into productive time.

Other quilters complete their entire quilt project on the machine - from piecing blocks to machine quilting and finishing the binding.

Whether your quilt is made by hand or machine, the sense of pride you feel when your quilt is finished is at least equal to the feeling of love, admiration and appreciation that the person who uses or receives the quilt feels.

And you become a thread in the history of time - linking past generations with the future.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

www.How-to-Quilt.com

Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com

Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts



DYLAN

abhay.jan2009 asked:


Many people have hobbies. Retirees and housewives often have hobbies to help keep them occupied during moments of relaxation or boredom. But not many people realize that you can make money from most hobbies. By taking your hobbies and turning them into cash at flea markets and swap meets, you can easily earn a modest income while having fun.

Crocheting is one of the highest paying hobbies. Crochet thread is often inexpensive while still being durable, washable, and delicate in appearance. Crocheted table cloths, curtains, for more details visit to www.positive-idea.com and bedspreads can be completed within a month by most experts in the craft, and can be sold for hundreds of dollars depending on size and pattern.

Other home decoration hobbies like wreath making, basket weaving, or wood working can also be turned into easy income. Quilting is also a great hobby to make money from. Since fewer and fewer people know how to quilt, a hand made quilt is hard to come by, and therefore valuable. You can often make at least a fifty percent profit on your completed quilts. Baby quilts are also very popular.

Sewing and knitting of any kind can be very profitable hobbies. Knit sweaters, baby hats, booties, mittens, and other items can be big sellers at flea markets and swap meets. Clothing items can also be sold at these locations very easily. Well made home sewn clothing is often stronger than the cheap clothes that you can get at the local department store, but can be sold for the same price or for more details visit to www.profit-pulling-niches.com less while still earning the seamstress quite a bit of money. Wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and prom dresses can be huge income earners for the expert seamstress.

One of the best hobbies to make money from is gift baskets. Decorating jars and other containers using appliqué, ribbons, and paint can be combined with the creative mixture of perfumes, bath oils, and bubble baths to make very pretty, country style gift baskets. These bath baskets are great for gifts all season round, including mother’s day, birthdays, and Christmas, making them a very profitable hobby.

Gardening is also one of the more profitable hobbies. If you like to garden but don’t really need everything you plant, you can take the left over to a farmer’s market. You can also simply set up a stand on the side of the road in some communities. Fresh produce is a great commodity, and can earn you a hefty income in the spring.

www.activities-little-fingers.com

www.arts-crafts-for-all.com





OTTO

Jake Saab asked:


Quilts include the crib sizes, twin, and full, double fit, queen, and king. The standard crib fit is around 45-inches time’s 60. Twin fits are 72 x 90, full and the double are 81 x 96, queen fits are 90 x 108, and the king fits are around 120 x 120.

To choose your materials you must consider batting quilt fibers. Once you choose your batting make sure that, you unfold the cotton material and let it set a couple of days before you start crafting. The batting will relax and inflate. You want to space your batting closely to avoid bunching also when crafting your quilt. Some materials require pre-washes before you can use the fabric. Read your labels.

You have options in battings, including the traditional, which is often made of cotton and the polyesters. The blends of polyester and cotton will shrink sometimes. To stitch the cotton you will need to create intervals of larger stitches, yet if you combine polyester with your cotton, you can minimize the stitches.

The line of battings, include polyester, silk, wool, etc as well. If you choose the polyester, you can create a non-shrinking quilt with intervals of larger stitches. In addition, you can create intervals of wider expansions, which you can craft your quick at a speedier pace. Polyester is the choice of battings, since crafters can design a quick, machine washable, and non-shrinking quilt. As well, the crafter can design a thinner quilt verses the thicker, since polyester is a batting made of “high loft.”

My favorite is silk, yet if you are creating a traditional style quilt, the silk may not be suitable. You can still make a quilt of silk, yet you will pay top-dollar and spend a length of undesired time to finish your project. In fact, most crafters do not recommend silk for creating quilts.

Wool has migrating fibers, yet you can sew through the material with ease. You will need to space closely when needling. The wool over time will loose its fibers however. Wool will also fuzz. You can use lightweight materials, or cloths to prevent fuzziness, as well as to prevent fiber loss. Wool is not suitable for machine wash; rather you should take your quilt to a professional cleaner, or wash it by hand and allow it to air dry.

Now choose your style:

If you want the antique or traditional quilt, you will need to use the “low loft” material. The quilts include the Fairfield, which is 100% bleached cotton, the poly-filled cottons, which is 80 % cotton; the “Mountain Mist/Blue Ribbon Stearns” are 100% cotton as well. You can also choose the 100% polyester, Morning Glory, or the Glory BEE I, which is also 100% polyester. Many other styles and varieties are available.

Once you decide which fibers, or fabrics you want to craft your quilt you can then consider your backing. You can purchase yards of backing. The backing today makes it easy to fill in the length and width of your quilt. Ultimately, if you choose backings that come up short or longer you can stitch a couple of pieces together to even your quilt. Still, you want to make sure that the backings work in harmony with your fabrics, or fibers.

Ultimately, if you want to spend time making a quilt you can choose blocks and patches. The pieces of material were frequently used by grandmas, or women of traditional days. The quilts are often sturdier than the modern quilts, yet you can still craft a strong quilt today.



ANGELO

Jake Saab asked:


Wall hangers are easy to create. The minute size quilts once created will make a nice gift and/or decoration for your home.

Once you have your parts together, as well as have your tools you can get started making a wall hanger. If you are new to quilting, do not worry since the hanger we are making is one of the easier groups of craft to create.

Do not forget to get your rotary cutters on hand, since throughout your quilting project you will need to cut 1/4-inch allowances for your seams. Now, assuming you have your green, tan, blue, yellow, and peach print in order we can get started making your top section of the quilt.

Briefly, I will go over the sections to help you prepare. You should have two, 2 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches of upper and lower borders in the green prints. You should have another two borders in green at the size of 2 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches. You should have the value of 36 for your D Square and the size at 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches. Tan print has six parts, i.e. A-strip, B piece, C-Strip, D-E square, and F-strip. Blue only has one part, while yellow has three and peach has one. The yellow is C-strip, D-square, and the last value of four is the cornerstone. C values eighteen, and measures at 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, while D values 12 and measures at 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches; F is the peach strip, Peach, which values four and its gauge is 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Peach has the G-strip, which values four and measures at 2 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. The rust prints include the value of six, which makes up the sashing #1 vertical at measures to 1 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches. The second sashing creates three and measures to 1 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches, while the last H strip values four and measures at 1 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches.

You will need to cut these pieces of your quilt out. Use the guide above to achieve a precise cut. Now you can crown your quilt. Start by creating a row and a block. Use your block, row, and begin stitching your D-Blue Square to attach to the A-Tan narrow pieces. (Strips)

Continue to the next color arrangement to complete the second block. Use the D-Yellow Square in the second block and create a couple of narrow pieces per color arrangement.

Now stitch two pieces of the tan print together to create a starting row two and in the first block. Use Tan B, a couple of Blue Cs, a Yellow C and overturn so that the yellow/blue has a gateway through the color arrangement at the second block. You want to create double narrow pieces.

In the third row, create a couple more rows and arrange the colors according in the blocks. In the fourth row, create another two rows so that you have a nine pattern in your color arrangement, which should extend crosswise. Alternating, add stitches to the blocks (2) and make your center by creating #2 sashing narrow pieces equaling three. Now press your fabric. Use an iron without ironing, rather pressing as you move along.

You are ready for your borders. Starting with the #2 border, stitch the narrow pieces so that it moves left to right, and to the sides at the right of your quilt, stitching toward the middle. Add 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches, by stitching the yellow print square. Stitch along the shorter ends linking it to your dual borders. (Strip #1) Moving along, at the edges along the top and bottom, stitch the narrow pieces, stitching along the middle. You are now ready to complete your project.



VALENTIN