PatchWork Twins

EW LA LA - A FRENCH REVIEW!!!

2008-10-17T11:47:00.005-05:00

We were sent the following review from Mary Burns, Marketing Coordinator at Martingale & Co. The review ran in the latest issue of France's Quiltmania, Le Magazine du Patchwork. Mary attached a translation in the top right corner. Review to follow shortly....I am having trouble uploading it. Sorry!

COVER GIRL - QUILTER'S HOME MAGAZINE

2008-04-09T08:32:00.003-05:00

We have two quilts in the May-June issue of Quilter's Home Magazine. And, Ann's quilt made it on the Cover. Check out Mark Lipinski's tie!!

Ann's quilt "Tropical Holiday" was made using her son Eric's blue jeans and a beautiful batik.

Amy's quilt "Embers in the Snow" was made using an army jacket that she picked up at an Army Surplus Store. It is reported in the magazine that the jacket belonged to Amy's God Son Christopher. Amy wants to set the record straight. The jacket did not belong to him, but the quilt was made to honor him and his service in Iraq.

Finally.....Finding Time to be Creative!

2008-01-29T20:40:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has been September since I last posted to this blog. Where does the time go? I finished all of the quilts for my siblings using my Mom's, Dad's and Grandmother's clothing. They were given out at Christmas time and everyone loved them. I then took a long break away from any sewing/quilting/crafting. In January I finally felt the urge to be creative again. When one of the postcards groups I am in offered a Thread Painting swap I decided to join in. I was surprised that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. But, I'm happy with the results. I do believe that the painting and shadowing with colored pencils helps to hide the fact that the thread painting isn't the greatest. I guess a lot more practice will take care of that. So, here is a photo of my first attempt at thread painting. I used Nancy Prince's thread painting book for help with the actual thread painting. My inspiration came from Alison Holt's book titled "Machine Embroidered Landscapes." This postcard is one of Alison's designs.

COMFORT QUILTS

2007-09-15T16:15:00.001-05:00

When our Mom passed away last year all our siblings asked us to make them each a quilt using Mom's clothing. Of course we said "Yes." After all, we wrote the book! The only drawback....there are eight of us. That meant making eight quilts. We needed to make them identical. And, because we had to make so many we wanted to pick a simple pattern. What could be easier than a one patch? We decided to put sashing inbetween each block to break up the colors. We had quite a bit of fabric left over from our Grandmother's dresses, and one of our brothers called offering us our Dad's ties for the project. All the blocks that have Dad's ties in them were made into four patches because the fabric pieces were smaller. These quilts now have Mom's, Dad's and Grandma's clothing. We have three already completed and five to go.

IT'S TIME TO VOTE!!

2007-09-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

It's time to vote for your favorite fiber-art postcard on ArtCardIdeas.

Their website is:

http://www.artcardideas.com/index.asp

Here is a photo of our favorite postcard in the contest.

We hope you will vote for it.

Summer fun in Oly

2007-08-19T13:24:00.001-05:00

Ann and her family visited my husband and me in Olympia, WA recently. One of our favorite things to do is to kayak on the Puget Sound, then eat clam chowder at our favorite restaurant, Tugboat Annie's, after we've worked up an appetite. I'm in the bottom picture (I think my life jacket is trying to strangle me) with a view of some pretty impressive homes behind me, and Ann is in the top picture with a view of Boston Harbor/Priest Point Park behind her.

HARRY POTTER NIGHT

2007-07-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last night the Main Street of my little town shut down from 9:00-Midnight for Harry Potter Night. It was a lot of fun! They had all kinds of Harry Potter games and crafts set up for the kids. My son works at the bookstore on Main Street and he agreed to read Tarot Cards and tell people's fortunes. It was all in good fun and he had a long line at his booth the entire evening. At Midnight he even had to turn people away. The young lady in the photo having her cards read(who looks to me like she is quite impressed with his reading) is my daughter, Kate. Kyle's good friend, Maureen, did Palm Reading. Aren't their costume's great? They bought them at the Salvation Army for a few bucks each!

~Ann~

STUDIO

2007-07-18T17:27:00.000-05:00

We love seeing photos of quilter's studios and thought it would be nice to share ours. These two photos are different views of Ann's sewing table, cutting table and design wall. Ann shares her studio/office with her husband who works out of the home about 4 days a week. You can click on each photo to get a close-up view.

CLASS SCHEDULE

2007-07-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

I will be teaching a "Flower Pounding" class at Prairie Shop Quilts in Batavia, Illinois. The class will be held on Saturday, August 11th from 1:00 to 4:00.

Prairie Shop Quilt's website is: http://www.prairieshopquilts.com/

I hope you can join me!

~Ann~

"ART CARD IDEAS" POSTCARD CONTEST

2007-07-12T07:21:00.000-05:00

Art Card Ideas is hosting a postcard contest. Ann entered five postcards and Amy entered three. Ann's daughter, Kate even entered two postcards.

They are accepting entries until August 15th and the polls will be open for voting from September 1st thru September 15th.

Check out their website at: http://www.artcardideas.com/index.asp

HAVE YOUR OLD FLOWER POUNDINGS FADED? YOU CAN FIX THEM!

2007-06-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

In going through all my old Flower Pounding quilts I noticed one thing....a lot of the colors have faded. I decided they were worth fixing. I used colored pencils. I have a set with 120 colors and had no problem finding the right shade to match. I lightly colored over the faded parts and to my delight they looked as good, if not better, then new.

The old, faded quilt is on the left and the new fixed quilt is on the right.

Ann

Revisiting Flower Pounding

2007-05-25T10:44:00.001-05:00

I have been asked....ok...begged...by a local quilt shop to teach a Flower Pounding class this summer. I finally caved and agreed. I am so happy I did. I haven't pounded in years and am having a blast putting the metal to the petal again.

I am taking a different approach this time though. I have discovered that after time the colors fade...some a little...some quite a bit. Also, some of the greens turn an ugly gray. So, instead of preparing the fabric for dying and then pounding, I just pound on regular muslin...then I scan them on my computer and print them on fabric. Now they won't fade at all....and they are washable!

Here is a photo of one of my latest poundings....a fern.

Ann

2007-05-10T07:33:00.000-05:00

"MARK LIPINSKI OF QUILTERS HOME MAGAZINE"

At the recent Quilt International in Chicago I had the pleasure of having lunch with Mark Lipinski and a group of his "Pickle Posse." Mark is just a hoot and it was such a pleasure to meet him in person. His magazine is the hottest thing out there.

FIBER ART POSTCARD!!

2007-04-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

I am a member of an Advanced Fiber Art Postcard group. I love making these little treasures. They are a great way to practice techniques on a small scale. When the group opened up a trade entitled "Glitter and Sparkles" I was all over it. I am a total magpie for anything sparkley.

I recreated this scene from a photograph I took in Palm Springs. The shadows on the mountain are created with colored pencils. It was the first time I had used this technique on fabric and I will definitely use it again. The colors were very easy to control. I would love to redo this on a much larger scale with even more detail. ~Ann~

BOOK SIGNINGS!!

2007-03-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

Ann will be signing "Scraps of Time" and "A Shortcut to Drunkard's Path" at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago/Rosemont in April.

She will be at the The Craftman's Touch-Books vendor booth (#1619-21).

Friday April 13th from 2:00-7:00 p.m.

Sunday April 15th from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

If you are attending the show, please stop by to say "Hello."

CREATIVE QUILT COLLECTION - VOLUME TWO

2007-03-23T10:49:00.000-05:00

Martingale/That Patchwork Place has just released "Creative Quilt Collection - Volume Two." One of our quilts from "Scraps of Time" is in this compilation. "You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello" made by Amy, is featured on page 73. This quilt was made using recycled flannel shirts.

Get a taste of the best quilts from today's brightest designers! This inspiring collection of quilt patterns from That Patchwork Place®—18 specially selected designs from a bounty of our latest books—offers something for every quilter to enjoy. Find timeless tradition, fun trends, and new techniques in quilts from Nancy J. Martin, Judy Hopkins, Kim Diehl, Karla Alexander, and many more Choose from quick quilts for the wall, lap quilts for the couch, and big quilts for the bed, plus a brand-new bonus project Try strip and curved piecing, stunning appliqué, Stack the Deck techniques, and a range of other quiltmaking methods

Go to Martingale's website to place an order today..... http://www.martingale-pub.com/index.html

BOOK REVIEW

2007-02-21T08:22:00.000-06:00

The April issue of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine features a book review for "Scraps of Time." The review is on page 20. Check it out!

SIMPLY QUILTS EPISODE TO AIR AGAIN

2006-12-04T17:07:00.000-06:00

SIMPLY QUILTS EPISODE TO AIR AGAIN!! Our Flower Pounding episode is due to air on Simply Quilts on December 19th. Since Simply Quilts will soon be off the air, this will probably be the last time this episode airs.

AMY IS A COVER GIRL!!

2006-11-20T10:07:00.000-06:00

One of Amy's quilts made it on the cover of the December issue of Quilter's Home. Her quilt is the one on the top. We had no clue this was coming and were totally twitterpated when we saw it. Her quilt, entitled "Happy New Year" is shown on at least five pages of this issue. Way too cool!

OUR CLASS WAS FUN!

2006-11-13T16:17:00.000-06:00

We had a great time being together this weekend. Lots of laughing. The Chicago Quilt Exposition (in Schaumburg) was a good show. Turnout was rather light, but this was the first year at that site. Next year attendance should pick up! Our class on Friday was interesting. It is always good when you can walk away from a class and feel like you learned something. Here is a photo of Ann's 3D flower. Obviously, it is unfinished....it will look lots better with stamen, leaves and a stem. We really enjoyed the class and look forward to using this technique again. On Saturday we did a book signing for "Scraps of Time" and "A Shortcut to Drunkard's Path." We signed a total of six books. Considering the turnout was very light, we were pleased with that. The great part about the book signing was sitting next to USA Today Bestselling Author Emilie Richards, who was also autographing books. Emilie is the author of 61 books (with more on the way). She writes the Shenandoah Album series.....Wedding Ring, Endless Chain, and Lover's Knot. Of course, we forgot to bring our camera and don't have a photo to show of us with Emilie. We had such fun chatting with her that our time just flew by. We bought six of her books and had her autograph them for us.

GREATER CHICAGO QUILT EXPOSITION

2006-11-08T09:55:00.000-06:00

Amy is flying to Chicago this weekend and we are going to attend the Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition in Schaumburg. This show is put on by the Mancuso Brothers and this is the first time they have been in Schaumburg. I hope it is a big success. It is nice to have a huge show so close to home. We are taking an all-day class on Friday. It is called "Plantasy" and it is taught by Marjan Kluepfel. She will teach us how to create an original wall quilt with beautiful flowers using applique, free-motion machine embroidery, thread painting, embellishing with Angelina fiber and beads, couching and bobbin drawing. Can't wait to give it a try. We will post photos of our creations after the show. On Saturday, Amy and I will be signing our newest book "Scraps of Time" at Vendor booth #402 - The Craftman's Touch - Books. We hope to see you there. Ann

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH

2006-10-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

We are both the reverse of superstitious. We believe in luck, etc., etc., but we don't believe in bad luck. Black cats??? Bring them on. They can cross our path anytime. If they do, it's considered good luck. Friday the 13th?? A very lucky day. Something good is going to happen. Seven years bad luck if you break a mirror??? That's just too long and ridiculous to even consider, therefore that rule can't exist. Given all this....Happy Friday the 13th. Let us know if something wonderful happens to you today.

WINNER...WINNER...CHICKEN DINNER!!

2006-10-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

How cool is this? While at the quilt show/book signing I bought 12 raffle basket tickets for $5. And, I actually won a basket. I usually never win anything. Now that my luck has turned a corner for the better, I'm buying a lotto ticket!! Here is a photo of my booty! There was even a mini sewing machine in the basket. This was so much fun....everyone should win a baset!! Ann

THE BOOK SIGNING WAS A SUCCESS!

2006-10-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

The booksigning this weekend was a huge success. I signed 12 books. Hey, I have been to some booksignings where NONE were signed...so I consider this awesome! The owners of Prairie Shop Quilts (Patrick and Bonita...located in Batavia, IL) who hosted my booksigning were awesome. We actually had a lot of fun and laughs. They are now going to be hosting a trunk show with several quilts from both "Scraps of Time" and "A Shortcut to Drunkard's Path."

Creative Quilt Collection - Volume Two

2006-09-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

We just received word from Martingale & Co. that one of our quilts from "Scraps of Time" was chosen to be included in their "Creative Quilt Collection - Volume Two." This is a fabulous honor and we are thrilled. Here is a photo of "Creative Quilt Collection - Volume One." Curious as to which quilt will be included??? Guess you'll have to purchase the book!

BOOK SIGNINGS SCHEDULED

2006-09-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

Ann will be signing "Scraps of Time" at the following locations: Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st Prairie Shop Quilts - Vendor Booth 10:00 - 1:00 Prairie Star Guild Quilt Show Prisco Community Center 150 W. Illinois Avenue Aurora, IL 60506 630-859-8606 Friday, October 13th 10:00 - 5:00 Pieceful Heart Fabrics 2723 Maple Ave. Lisle, Illinois 60532 Phone: 630-718-0112 Hop Around Towne! SHOP HOP This is the best hop we’ve ever done, complete with lots of prizes and fun. Each quilt shop participating will be posing as an old-fashioned shoppe in a small towne’s square. There will be a passport, but NO Fee. Mark your calendars, gather your friends. Thurs. Oct. 12th -Sun. Oct. 15th . Hours listed on passports, available at all participating shops: Pieceful Heart Fabrics, Prairie Stitches, QBU Prairie Shop, The Quilt Basket, quiltfabric.com, Roberts Sewing Center, Stitches ‘N Stuffing, Thimbles, and Windmill City Quilts. Plan now to join us!

There's a New Man in Town!

2006-09-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

We just discovered this wonderful new quilt magazine. The August issue, which is only the second to come out, recently hit the shelves. It's called Quilter's Home and is touted as a magazine for a new generation of quilters. It's clever, sassy, witty, funny...and already top of the list as one of our all time favorite quilt mags. The Editor-in-Chief is Mark Lipinski, an Emmy award winning producer who has worked on such shows as Oprah and The View, to name a few. We URGE you to run out and get this magazine immediately. We found it at our local grocery store. Help us help Quilter's Home stay around for a very long time. It's a refreshing change from the ordinary. You can find out more on-line at www.quiltershomemag.com. Enjoy the not so subtle difference. We know we will. ~ Amy & Ann

Ode to the long weekend

2006-08-31T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have every other Friday off, which is really nice when it falls on an already long weekend. Since Monday is a holiday, I have 4...count them...I said 4 days off in a row. I think I'm going to work on my king-sized bed quilt that I just started. What are you all going to do for this last weekend in summer? ~ Amy

New Review...Old Book

2006-08-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

Wow!! Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the latest Quilter's Newsletter magazine has a review of last summer's book, A Shortcut to Drunkards Path in it. Yea!!! You have to take moments like that and savor them.

ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF OUR 3RD BOOK!

2006-08-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

We are proud to announce the release of our 3rd book.....Scraps of Time. Those who have lost a loved one universally need comfort. When our Grandmother passed away in 1985, her oldest grandson (our cousin) wanted something tangible by which to remember her. He thought her dresses would be beautiful made into a quilt. Not knowing anyone who quilted, he held onto them for 14 years. At a family reunion, he learned about our interest in quilting and asked if we would consider making a quilt for him. Grandma''s dresses were old, well worn and of questionable fiber content. We knew this quilt would have to be handled differently than a quilt made with newer 100% cotton fabric. We weren't sure where to begin so we looked for books on the subject. There were none to be found. Without a guide, we had to start from scratch and learn many different techniques to allow us to work with these old clothes. We also wanted to combine these old fabrics with new fabrics. We knew there had to be many people like us who were looking for answers on how to use clothing in quilts, and we felt it was our destiny to help those people find the answers and receive the comfort they were seeking. We hope you enjoy Scraps of Time and find comfort between the pages. Amy and Ann