Quilt Canada 2015 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

I was so happy to hear that the CQA's Quilt Canada 2015 was going to be in Lethbridge, Alberta as this is a quick couple of hour drive south for me from Calgary. I managed to convince my hubby to come along with me (it was nice to have him driving so I'd be fresh for the show) for the day and to stay overnight to make it more of a holiday (isn't every day at a quilt show a holiday?).

The event was held at the University of Lethbridge and it was another perfect quilt show day. This was an indoor show featuring a juried show as well as special exhibits, such as the Trend Tex challenge, "Blowing in the Wind" (view all of the entries here) and SAQA exhibit. While we weren't allowed to take photos of the juried show, I did manage to get photos of the public displays.

While there I picked up a few (more) things from vendors. My hubby is such a sweetie - and a perfect quilter's husband - as he gives me carte blanche to purchase items when I'm at a show. I think it's safer for him than to try to rein me in :) 

He's an engineer, so fabric isn't really exciting for him, but technology is. While waiting for me to do some shopping at one of the vendors' booths, he was sitting by the EuroSteam Iron booth. After watching them demonstrate the iron numbers times, he thought that I should take a look at it. While I've seen these irons displayed at various quilt and trade shows, I've never really stopped to take a closer look as I wasn't in the market for a new iron. This time I was and Gary encouraged me to check it out. End result: I have a new EuroSteam iron and I love it! Even better, the show special was $100 off the regular retail price! 

I'll give you a complete review in a future blogpost, but I can tell you that having a quality iron makes such a difference when quilting. 

But back to the quilt show... below are just a small sampling of the quilts that were on display. I think I was spending more time chatting with fellow quilters and vendors than taking photos that day. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did when at the show.

The Nun's Quilt by Cindy Needham - if you've taken her Craftsy class, you'll know all about this one.

The name of the show was "Blown Away", appropriate as Lethbridge is know as the windy city in Alberta. Several of the pieces reflected the theme of this year's show.

Three layers to this quilt - here is the top layer.

Middle layer of the quilt

Bottom layer of the quilt - very ingenious!

Creatively,

Changes at Chatterbox Quilts

I've recently been re-evaluating some of the items that I do for my business as I'm finding there is more and more to do – and less and less time in which to do it! Something had to go and it wasn't going to be my sanity, so ... I have decided that I will no longer be publishing my newsletter, Chatterbox Times. The last issue went out on July 27, 2015.

If you were a subscriber to Chatterbox Times, I thank you for your support and hope that you'll subscribe to my blog, Facebook page and Youtube channel, if you haven't already done so. I will definitely be continuing to publish new content on all of these sites, with new videos posted every week on my Youtube channel, Chatterbox Quilts.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, I invite you to contact me at kim@chatterboxquilts.com. I love to receive and answer emails, so don't be shy about contacting me.

Creatively,

A Card Table for Featherweight Sewing Machines

I'd like to show you one of my recent acquisitions. No, I haven't taken up card playing - I lose too often against my son - but this is actually an accessory for one of my vintage Singer sewing machines. 

You may see this type of table at garage sales and it looks like a regular card table, but there is a slight difference: there's a cut-out in the top of it. 

Do you know what it's for? If you don't, watch the video below to find out.

I think this would be the perfect table to use with my Singer Featherweight 221 to do some outdoor sewing this summer. I just need to sand down the edge and refinish it with some black paint - sounds like another summer project.

If you're wondering about the acrylic piece screwed into the Featherweight bed, it's Nova Montgomery's Sew Straight guide. It's perfect to use as a fabric guide and can be easily adjusted for various seam widths. The best part is that it doesn't scratch the machine bed and I like that! Order one from Nova and tell her Kim sent you.

If you are thinking of buying a vintage sewing machine you may be interested in my eBooks for buyers (click here). If you are thinking of selling your machine you may be interested in my How To Sell a Vintage Sewing Machine eBook.

Telecast Thursday - Racing with Jelly Rolls

UPDATE: In the video I neglected to mention that you need to cut off 18" of fabric from the first strip before you begin piecing either of the jelly roll race variations.

It's Telecast Thursday again and this week I'm sharing another project that I've made. I love to buy pre-cuts: fat quarter bundles, charm parks and jelly roll strips. I have lots of these, in fact I would say that I have a collection of each of these. I decided that it was time to do something with one of my "collections", so I pulled out a jelly roll bundle and started to stitch.

I was inspired by another of the Missouri Star Quilt Company's Youtube videos. There are lots of variations on jelly roll race quilts and I have tried two of them - so far. These are easy to make and would be a perfect gift if you're pressed for time. The best part is that the fabric selection and cutting is already done for you!

You can watch the video below or on my Youtube channel.

Have you ever made a jelly roll race project? I'd love to see what you've created with these delicious bundles.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel to receive automatic notifications when new videos are posted. You can also click on the Chatterbox Quilts logo in the lower right corner on the video itself to subscribe. If you like what you see, please share my videos with your fellow creatives.

Telecast Thursday - Chicken Pincushion Project

Welcome to Telecast Thursday! This week I'm showing you a cute little pincushion project that got a little out of hand. I guess if you're going to make something, you might as well super-size it!

I love watching the Missouri Star Quilt Company's videos on creating easy quilts and other stitchy projects. This one caught my eye and I thought it would be perfect made with charm squares. I didn't realize how big this chicken would turn out to be!

You can watch the video below or on my Youtube channel.

If you're looking for a quick and cute pincushion project - or a stuffed toy in my case - check out their video. I'd love to see what you create.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel to receive automatic notifications when new videos are posted. You can also click on the Chatterbox Quilts logo in the lower right corner on the video itself to subscribe. If you like what you see, please share my videos with your fellow creatives.