Etsy QUILTS QUILTS QUILTS TEAM'S NEWSLETTER!

YES! This will be the first of many news letters written for the Quilt Quilt Quilt team. I haven't much to put into this one but I'm hoping that in time things will develop and grow. I'm looking forward to writing about the lovely people who make up our team. We are a happy bunch who always seem to be trying our best to create a better place in the world for our families and friends. Some of us in the team have become cyber friends and I feel that this is a great thing to have happened. It's great to have a central point to go to where you can ask a question and have genuine answers come back to you. Some wonderful answers, so helpful and creative. To be able to write in about an achievement and have everyone rally around to congratulate you, pat you on the back. Sometimes it's just what one needs, that affirmation, and really... only another woman / quilter can fully understand. For example; A triumph over a difficult quilting problem, something that's driven you bananas for a few days and now it's sorted! ONLY another quilter can really understand that! Or colour matching! Oh how that can delay the creative juices!
I'd like to congratulate everyone in the team for hanging in there, persevering day by day, dealing with family crises and problems that our various projects bring us. We as creative artists are challenged daily to achieve things that others would never even consider trying, SO!... good on you!

Don't give up!

The voted BEST QUILT of the month is :

Me and Mom Quilt!   who will have their quilt displayed as the teams logo for the next month. If you look to the left of  this post you will see a scrolling advert of their shop.

Valentine Chain quilt 'Here's my Heart'.

This is the winning quilt! --------->
Me and Mom Quilt is a partnership of me, Rachel Cook and my mom Carol Carlson. This all began from our love of quilting and the slow stock piling of fabric stashes and piles of finished quilts. We were strongly encouraged by our husbands to share our talents with the world.
My name is Rachel Cook and I live in St. Paul, MN. I have been quilting since kindergarten and I owe all my talents to my mother. She began teaching me to sew at the age of 5 and has been a patient teacher as I am always learning new things from her! I am married to William Cook a local Potter, ( He has an etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/williamcookpottery ) and we have a wonderful goldendoodle named Josie.  (what's a goldendoodle?)
My mom is Carol Carlson. She has been quilting since before rotary cutters and the invention of machine quilting! She is a fabulous quilter and my inspiration! She teaches at local quilt shops and sells locally as well. She is the wife of my father, the mother of 4, and the grandma of 6! 
Well done to this energetic enterprising team! long may they prosper!

The next subject on my list is Being Organised. Yeah one of our team leaders asked this question of us earlier this month.
What is one of your tips to get organized?? We can all learn from each other... she said
The Home Spun Loft

A Crate Mat

One of mine -that just works- is I have an old bedroom dresser in my sewing room -There are 10 drawers in it and they are shallow (about 6" deep)- I took all my scrap fabrics -anything less than about 1/3 of a yard, some times just a FQ and folded them on end and stacked them in the drawer- so I can open the drawer & look down and just see what I have. Then I took blue painters tape and wrote things like "Christmas" or "Prim" or "floral" and taped it on the outside of the drawers. My scraps are all organized now.

 The Butterfly Quilter says:

Wall Hanging.

I have lots and lots of threads of different colors. I took a 1 x 6 or 1x8 and drilled holes 1/2 way through and glued dowel pieces in it (small enough dowel to fit spool on. I spaced them so I could get as many spools as I could on one piece of wood. I also made the dowel height high enough to fit 2 to 3 spools on it.
My back row holds three spools of thread high the next row hold 2 spools high and my front row hold one spool of thread each. I am able to colorize by spools of thread this way. I can see what I have and if I need to get a certain color or not. Also easy enough to grab when I need them!
Freckle Dots has this to say:

I just finished re-organizing ALL of my supplies. Everything from fabric, to books, yarn, jewelry supplies and notions. Having an actual craft room helped, but I think my favorite part is that I took 3 peg boards and condensed them into one. I did this using little containers that fit inside the desk I use for my sewing machine. I can't afford the fancy desks and organizers that they sell for sewing rooms, but I try to take ideas from them and decide how I can do it with a Dollar Tree run! :) Here is a post from my blog on what I just finished, showing some of the techniques I used. eclectictechnique.blogspot.com/2012/01/step-in-right-direction.html
From the Heart of Autumn we hear:

Spring Tree Art quilt.

I got a rolling cart with 10 drawers in different colors to keep my current works in progress in. I work on about five projects at a time, bouncing back and forth between projects depending on what mood I'm in, and needed a mobile system to organize them. I now have my works in progress and all of their supplies - thread, embellishments, patterns - in one place instead of them in piles on the craft table. Because of this, my cutting and sewing tables are still clean! Wonders never cease, lol.

A good idea from Quilt Wear:

Valentine little Sweetheart.

I went to the dollar tree and bought small containers in different colors, red, yellow, green, blue, white etc. and put scraps of the same color in each. When I need a small piece of a color I go to my containers.
Works real well and it cost very little. :-D





And now for She Cave Quilts & Crafts:
I have all my fabrics folded and sorted by cut size (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, more than 1 yard are all in the same area) then by color. I also save the salvage edge strips. I use them to tie together "kits". When I buy fabric for a quilt, I bring it home fold it the way I like, tie the fabrics together with a salvage strip and safety pin a piece of paper to the top fabric with the pattern name I plan to use. Then I organize the kits by pattern.

As I'm on the subject of She Cave Quilts & Crafts, I feel I should tell you that this shop is still being created. Yup we have been lucky enough to get a sneak preview of what it will be selling! Check these 4 quilts out!




Next is our Quilting tip of the month!
The answers are from Gabby's Quilts  and Twisted Sticks respectively:
Q : I have been making appliqued place mats for some customers (offline) and the center of the place mat is cut out and I applique animals and trees on a lighter fabric then join it to the outside of the placemat. 
My problem is the outside fabric has really stretched since the center oval was cut out, does anyone know how to fix it? It makes it very hard to quilt it too. The fabric is South Seas, I didn't know the fabric stretched so easily.

A : You might have mistakenly cut it on the bias. Spray some starch on it, let it set a few minutes to soak in, then lightly press. I do a lot of custom panel quilt orders and the panels usually stretch and that is how I control them.

A :  I agree with the spray starch idea. Spray the piece before you do any cutting. This really helps when working with bias triangles. If I have to cut quarter square triangles, I spray with starch and press the piece dry, then cut it into triangles. This really helps to keep it from distorting. And press, which means do not move the iron around. Press and lift. Moving the iron, like we are used to do when ironing clothes stretches the fabric.

I for one did not know this trick! So thank you for that!

Now it's time for THHHHEEEEEE NEWBIES!
Yeah! Who are the newbies on our Team.. and new or maybe not new to Etsy.com ?
They are :
Keeps Us In Stitches Our Newest Quilting member to Etsy!

AND !!! she joined us right away.. Thanks Sheryl!

Sheryl, hasn't filled in her profile but I had a look at her work and it's great. 

She opened her shop on the 2nd of January 2012. 

So go and have a look folks. :-) 

Needles 'n Pins Stitchery.    Happy Anniversary!  One year old!

I am from the frozen land of Alaska where winters are cold and dark and summers are beautiful with 24 hours of light! With the dark winters I get lots of sewing done and with the light summers I get lots of fishing done. :) 
I have been sewing and crafting for many years and have a spot in my heart for quilting. I worked for many years, but now I am able to devote most of my time to my sewing. 
I am excited to bring you items that I enjoy making. All of my items that you see in my shop are made by myself or my husband in our smoke free home. 
As not everyone's tastes are the same, I try to bring a variety of different decors to my shop such as lodge, primitive, country, etc. I hope everyone one of you will find something you like. Most of the designs you find here are my own. I try to think of what people would like in their homes. In todays world where many things are mass produced I feel it is nice to have something handmade and one of a kind.              Shop opened 25th January 2011.
Sandy O

Sandy is a girl that used to dream about how her life would be when she grew up. 
However, when she got there life and other people's expectations got in the way and took her off her path. 
But her true destiny never left her and always tried to get her back on the right track. Or maybe she was on it all along and everything she experienced made her grow into this new wonderful place in her life.
This place is filled with creativity, excitement, passion and happiness. And now she wishes to share all of this with you. Sandy Own is the outcome of that intent.         Shop opened 26 October 2010
Sewing Chicks    Happy Anniversary ! One year old!

I believe the sewing machine is a tool that facilitates a creative vision. Like any tool you need to know how to use it and the creativity is endless… It’s a Labor Of Love! 
Shop opened 08 January 2011
The Little Quilt Shoppe

My Mom was the best seamstress I ever met - she could sew anything! As a child, I was always gathering scraps from her cutting table and making little clothes and quilts for my dolls. I am happiest when I am creating something - I enjoy making quilts, table toppers and 1:12 scale miniature quilts and pillows. 
I have a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art, and split my time between drawing, painting and sewing.  
Shop opened 21st May 2011.
Treasures By Tree

Theresa resides in Golden, CO and has been making jewelry for 14+ years. Theresa grew up in Saint Paul, MN and learned her creative talents from her mother who was always sewing or crafting. In addition to making jewelry, papercrafts, and quilting, Theresa enjoys reading, gardening and the great outdoors. Shop opened 26 November 2011.
Some of our very first Members to the Quilt Quilt Quilt Team are:
North Woods Cottage.    Happy Anniversary! 4 years old now!

My mother comes from a family with years of experience involving sewing and quilting. What makes her products unique is a true love for what she does and the pleasure she gets from making something meaningful that will leave lasting memories in your household. The story behind our name "North Woods Cottage" comes from the time spent "Up North" in Northern Wisconsin at a summer cabin on the lake. Many inspirations could be found there such as the wilderness and animal inspired items. It was a cozy place with many good memories.    Shop opened 13th Jan 2008.
Cat Song Stitchery     Happy Anniversary !  3 years old now! 

Married, mom of two wonderful kids. I love the great outdoors, animals, dancing, making things, and teaching. I have been sewing since 1973 and teaching creative endeavors since 1994. I love inspiring others! This lead me to create pdf sewing patterns and instruction booklets that allow me to share and teach even outside the classroom. 
I have sewn for dance troops, retail stores, a museum, and lots of individuals. I have made everything from swimsuits to wedding gowns and I love making my own jeans!       Shop opened 30 Jan 2009
Alpaca Flats   

I am a stay-at-home mom who has always filled my spare time with quilting, sewing, cross-stitch and crochet. Two years ago we expanded our little 4-H goat farm with four young alpaca males. I fell in love with them at first sight! My husband found me an antique spinning wheel and now I'm spinning and knitting. 
My very first passion in all my years of handcrafting experience was quilting. Now that my children are older, I've decided to turn my passion into my business! Alpaca Flats was started when we acquired the alpacas, but I'm hoping it will grow into a business that will encompass all of my favorite things...
FABRIC, FIBER & FLOSS!         Shop opened 14th April 2011


Next month we'll have more of the same and maybe a few surprises too. :-D