Our Emotional Connection To Quilts
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Have you ever noticed that everybody has a quilt story? Even non-quilters. If you bring up the subject in a group of people or if you’re working on a block somewhere in public, people start telling you about quilts they’ve known and loved.
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Cousin Carol’s Heirloom Quilts
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Does your family have heirloom quilts? My husband’s cousin Carol does, and I was recently lucky enough to see them and learn about their history. Now I have Carol’s permission to share these two quilts with you.
Carol, who has an interest in genealogy, actually knows where and when these quilts were made, and which ancestors they belonged to – a real rarity for quilts over 150 years old which have passed through many hands. These stories tend to get lost as time passes, but Carol knows these quilts were made by Quaker ancestors in Pennsylvania.
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Donation Quilts Needed for Colorado Flood Victims
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
If you’ve been wondering how to donate a quilt to help and comfort those affected by the recent flooding in Colorado, you’ll be glad to know that the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum has announced that it will be accepting and distributing quilts for the flood victims beginning immediately and continuing until April 30, 2014.
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Follow-Up on Donation Quilts for West, TX and Moore, OK
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
When the fertilizer plant in West, Texas exploded on April 17, 2013, injuring 160, killing at least 15, and destroying or damaging more than 150 buildings, quilter and author Judy Laquidara sent word through her Patchwork Times blog that she would be willing to accept any donation quilts for the victims of this tragedy and see that they were delivered to those who needed them.
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Finding Time to Quilt
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
If you’re not quilting as much as you’d like because your life has gotten hectic and you just don’t seem to have the time, keep in mind that you can still make great progress on your quilts by snatching 5 minutes here and 20 minutes there.
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New York Beauty Quilts at San José Quilt Museum
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Approximately 30 stunning New York Beauty quilts are on display in a new exhibition at the San José Museum of Quilts and Textiles, Collecting New York Beauty Quilts: Bill Volckening’s Passion, running from now through Oct. 27, 2013. If you have the chance to attend, you should – these quilts are the kind of masterpieces we very rarely get to see in person.
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Making Long-Lasting Kids’ Quilts
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Kids love their quilts. They sleep with them, snuggle with them, play pretend with them and drag them everywhere. As a quilter, you can be proud you’ve made a quilt that’s so well-loved, but it’s an unavoidable fact that this kind of love wears quilts out.
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“Quilts for Boston” Update from Modern Quilt Guild
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
The Modern Quilt Guild has posted an interesting article on their website detailing the progress the Boston Modern Quilt Guild is making on “Quilts for Boston,” their quilt-making in support of the Boston Marathon bombing victims.
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Changing Quilts in Mid-Stream
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
It occurred to me the other day that very few of my quilts have ended up the way I planned them when I started out, and that the ones I’m most proud of are the ones that veered most from their intended plan.
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Making Quilts Kids Will Love
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Quilters make a lot of quilts for kids, whether those kids are members of their own family, the child of a friend, or a total stranger. No one loves a quilt more than a child does, but by using these tips you can increase the kid-appeal of your next kid’s quilt.
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10 Ways Quilts Are Like Babies
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
- They’re all beautiful.
- They come in all colors and sizes.
- They’re irresistibly soft and cuddly.
If You Quilt It They Will Come
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Have you noticed the unique phenomenon that happens whenever you have a quilt nearly finished? The perfect owner comes forward for it.
I’m a quilter. I’ve been a quilter for many years, but I don’t have a quilt on my own bed; I blame the “if you quilt it, they will come” factor for that.
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The Best Quilt I Ever Gave
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
My dad has always been difficult to read. Growing up, I could never really tell if he liked his gifts or not; every year, for every gift, he reacted just the same, thanked the giver just the same and moved on.
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Label Idea for Comfort Quilt
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
It can be hard to decide what to put on the label of a comfort quilt. If you’re like me, you want it to be loving, comforting but not depressing, not religious, and not reminding the recipient of the specific reason the gift is being given.
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How to Attach a Quilt Label
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
One of the quilting forums I visit regularly recently had a discussion of the various ways we attach quilt labels.
Some of the concern is because rumor says labels are often removed from stolen quilts before the quilt is sold, so many quilters want to make that more difficult for any thief. Even if you’re not concerned about theft, labeling your quilts is a good practice in case they’re ever lost or just for your own information. (“What year did I make that one?”)
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2013 AQS-Lancaster Show Winners Announced
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
The American Quilter’s Society has announced the winning quilts in the 2013 AQS QuiltWeek show in Lancaster, PA.
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Quilters’ Pressing Guidelines
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Pressing is an important part of quilt-making and following a few guidelines can make a real difference in the way your quilt turns out.
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How Long Did It Take?
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
This is a question many crafters dread. I know I do, but it seems I’m asked it almost every time I give someone a quilt.
“How long did it take?”
If you want to answer it seriously, do you include the years spent perfecting your skills, or the weeks or months you may have spent considering the pattern and gathering just the right materials? Do you add in the months or even years it may have spent as a UFO while you worked on other projects instead? Do you estimate the number of weeks or months you were actively working on it?
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What Makes a Modern Quilt?
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Modern quilting’s fresh approach to a traditional craft has led to a rapidly-growing international movement with over 100 guilds and thousands of enthusiastic modern quilters worldwide. As I enjoyed the quilts on display at QuiltCon, I pondered what made them so different, appealing and “modern”.
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Road to California 2013 Winners Now Online
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Those of us who weren’t lucky enough to attend this year’s Road to California quilt show in January can at least see the winning quilts now online at the Road to California website. Just click on the photos to see larger images of these beautiful quilts.
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A Label Poem for Baby Quilts
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Every baby needs a quilt,
something soft and warm and cuddly
to snuggle with, drag everywhere,
play peek-a-boo, make into tents
and capes and parachutes,
a quilt to inspire sweet dreams
and flights of imagination,
a quilt to love and grow with and treasure.
May this quilt be all that for you.
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Documenting Your Quilts
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
How many of your quilts or other craft projects have you given away without even keeping a photo? Have you ever wished you could remember what kind of batting you used or where the pattern came from?
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A Tax Deduction for Charity Quilting
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Quilters are generous people. We give our time and quilting talents not only to friends and family but to total strangers who need the warmth of a quilty hug in times of need.
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Quilts of Valor
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Quilts of Valor is a national effort to award quilts to our wounded and returning soldiers as a token of gratitude and appreciation for their service and sacrifice.
The idea originated in 2003 with Catherine Roberts, when her son Nathan was deployed in Iraq. So far, almost 70,000 Quilts of Valor have been made to honor and comfort returning veterans.
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A Visit to the International Quilt Festival, Houston
By Janelle Cahoon, Quiltcentric
Wow! I just got back from an exhilarating, exhausting day at the 2012 International Quilt Festival in Houston, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. I’m still feeling overwhelmed and visually over-stimulated after experiencing these world-class quilts up close and personal. This is the first time I’ve attended the IQF, and I have to say that all the good things I’ve heard about it are true!
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