Telecast Thursday - Quilting When You're Ready

Welcome to another episode of Telecast Thursday! Today's video is for those of you who, like me, have a few WIP's in the house. You know, those quilt tops that you were so excited to create, but then got distracted by another project before you could quilt them. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who has more than 10 quilt tops waiting in the queue to be quilted (although I doubt it!).

A few Easter quilts waiting for quilting - still.

Pumpkin table runner needs a bit of quilting.

Hearts Abloom still not quilted, but will be soon!

While I used to feel guilty about all these not-quite-quilts-yet that are stacked up in my studio, I realized that there is a good reason why these haven't yet been quilted. Watch the video to find out what this reason is.

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

I hope this video has made you feel better about the UFO's in your studio! Drop me a note to let me know how many you currently have.

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.

Creatively, 

Quilt Show Season 2015

Recently I've been attending quilt shows - it is that time of year, isn't it? 

In case you couldn't tell there was a quilt show on that day

Every year I look forward to going to Heritage Park Festival of Quilts held at Heritage Park here in Calgary. The best part is that it is so close to home, that it allows me more time for viewing the marvellous quilts there - and to pick up some items from the many vendors!

Quilt at the gates of Heritage Park welcomed you to the show.

As this venue is outdoors, the weather can make or break the show. This year the weather was stellar - blue skies and warm temperatures - a perfect quilt show day!

I attended the show with my daughter and we both enjoyed the day (Sarah even fitting in some of the rides while we were there, and the bakery, of course!).

The Merchants' Mall - always my first stop at this show!

Some of the quilts are displayed outside under cover of tents (please excuse the colour quality of these photos), while others are arranged inside the historic homes. 

I hope you enjoy viewing some of the many quilts that were on display that day. 

If you see one of your quilts on display, please let me know and thank you for contributing to a wonderful day at the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts.

Creatively,

Changes to the Chatterbox Quilts' Blog

I've recently made a few additions to my blog and website of which I wanted you to be aware. No major changes, just a few additions that I hope will be helpful for my readers.

I'm still getting used to blogging on Squarespace and realized that there isn't an easy way to find blog posts on a certain subject, for example, quilting. I've added a block to the blog sidebar where you can now find all of the blog posts on a specific subject. You'll now see "Click to Display Blog Categories" at the top of the right sidebar.

This is what you'll now see at the top of the blog sidebar on the right side.

You can now click this and a dropdown menu will appear with various subjects in it. You'll also find the number of blog posts on each subject in brackets next to the category. You can click on the desired category and all of the posts on that subject will appear. Just like magic!

When you click on the down arrow, you'll see the various subject categories as well as the number of blogposts about those subjects.

There is another way to find blog posts in a specific category if you are reading a blog post. You'll note that there is a date and a category under each blog post title, such as "July 1, 2015 in Quilting". If you click on the category (Quilting, in this case), it will bring up all of the blog posts on quilting.

You'll see the category next to the date that the blogpost was published. Go ahead and click on it to bring up all the blogposts in this category.

You'll see "Articles in Quilting" at the top of the list of blog posts, so you'll know which category in which these blog posts appear.

You'll see "Articles in ..." whatever subject you've clicked on.

I hope that you'll find this feature helpful and that it makes it easier to search for blog posts on a specific subject.

I've also made a few changes in the "Free Stuff" area of the website (if you can come up with a better name for this page, please let me know). I now have Embroidery Tutorials and Fabric-y Tutorials (which is anything other than embroidery tutorials) in this section of the website. I've added videos to the content on these pages and will continue to update them with the most recent videos in these areas.

Check out the Store page while you're looking through the website as I've recently added a few more new patterns to it.

If you have any suggestions for my website, please let me know. 

Creatively,

Telecast Thursday - Crazy Strips Quilt

It's Telecast Thursday! Join me this week for some modern, wonky quilting. 

I was recently going through the modern quilting books in my library and found a pattern in Quilting Happiness by Diane Gilliland and Christina Lane, that I wanted to make. 

I never completely follow the instructions on any pattern, and this one was no exception. Rather than making the quilt in two fabrics as it is in the book, I decided to use two background fabrics and then throw in some fat quarters that I had recently purchased. 

Two fabrics - a light and dark - for the background fabrics

Here are the fat quarters that I used - fun and happy prints!

I used fabrics that I already had in my stash for the entire quilt top - and gave myself a pat on the back! Find out how my version will look and some tips about the construction process in the video.

You can watch it below or on my Youtube channel.

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. I hope you enjoy my videos and will share them with your fellow creatives.

Creatively,

Quilter on Fire Podcast with Brandy Maslowski

I recently attended Quilt Canada 2015 in Lethbridge, AB and was thrilled to finally meet Brandy Maslowski, the Quilter on Fire. I did a podcast interview with Brandy a few months ago, but had never met her in person. At Quilt Canada I had that opportunity! We had a chance to chat about quilting, technology and business. Brandy was a vendor at Quilt Canada and I purchased her Inksations pattern and the supplies to create the tablerunner.

Yup, I bought the whole kit - Inksations pattern, silk screen, squeegee and fabric paint!

I've been wanting to try printing on fabric for some time and was pleased that I could purchase everything I needed to get started in one kit. Brandy also has a video with instructions on how to use the Inksations kit, so this makes it even easier! You can view the video below or on Brandy's Youtube channel.

During our discussions, I mentioned to Brandy that I had recently released a new course on Curious about vintage sewing machines and she was excited to discuss this with me, so… you can listen to Quilter on Fire podcast #78 to learn more about The Joy of Vintage Sewing Machines. 

One lucky podcast listener will win their choice of three (3) PDF patterns from Chatterbox Quilts.

Everyone who listens to the podcast will receive a 20% off subscription code for Curious.com  where you can enjoy all of the courses and lessons offered on Curious. The Joy of Vintage Sewing Machines is the perfect course for someone who has always admired these classic sewing machines, but doesn't know how to evaluate and buy one for themselves. I'll walk you through the selection and evaluation process, and then teach you how to rejuvenate and repair your machine 4 you'll be sewing in no time. You'll also get a peek at some of the vintage sewing machines that I have in my collection. Two patterns are included in this class, so you can get started creating with your vintage sewing machine right away.

To take advantage of the 20% discount, just click here and start learning and creating.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and will subscribe to Brandy's channel so you can listen to all of her upcoming podcasts.

Creatively,