Quilter Studio Robin Brisson

Trends

	The color red, in all shades, bright red for Christmas, traditional red for Americana décor (flags, painted furniture and tin, candles, wall décor like baskets, wooden hearts, etc.), apple or cherry themed kitchens, kitchen towels. Country Living magazine even has an article on the power of red in the September issue.
	Primitive, still strong across the country but with regional differences, lots of architectural inspired accents with muted colors and less distressed appearance. Starting to see more pastel colors and a move toward a clean, fresher look (ivory and buttermilk) but the Northeast and Midwest still love primitive folk art
	Scotty Dogs / Country French themes/Raggedy Ann
	Shabby chic has been popular on the West coast for a while. You'll see a lot more large-scale floral fabrics and paisleys for home décor and even some baby items.
	For fall decorating traditional colors (gold, orange, deep shades of green) but fabric will have fruit (grapes, pears) along with the leaves, trees and vines accented with a touch of gold outlining the leaves or whatever.
	Halloween has turned into "Falloween" as the season gets longer and longer. More people are decorating their homes for September and October and more adults are going to parties. Children no longer have Halloween parties at school because of the religious connotation but instead have "Harvest Parties. They don't dress in costume but do play games and have snacks. Schools decorate with pumpkins, apples, corn stalks, pilgrims, etc. but no graveyards or skeletons.

Sewing Tips

Tape a small lunch bag to the side of your sewing machine cabinet or table. Use two pieces of painters tape perpendicular to the opening. If you don't have painters tape, use masking tape. Be sure to run the sticky side across some fabric first so the glue isn't as strong. It might damage the finish when you remove it. We all know we should cover our sewing machine and keep our fabric out of direct sunlight but do we ever think about our thread! I have a three level lazy susan type thread holder. I use a large cloth mixer cover to keep dust and sunlight out. I use soft inexpensive paintbrushes to clean many things including the inside of the machine where the bobbin rests. Use some long tweezers to loosen any tangles threads. I was told to never use "canned" air. It blew things in instead of out and could cause rust from the moisture. Be sure to use genuine sewing machine oil, not a general-purpose lubricant, for maintenance. If you don't have a computerized machine try placing sticky backed magnetic strip on the machine to hold pins as you sew. It helps to keep them off the floor. If you don't have a pincushion handy, pin them to your cuff. I also placed a piece of rubber shelf liner under my presser foot so it doesn't move around so much. Mouse pads work well too.

Quilt Ideas

Try using your scraps of fabric to make cloth covers for canning jars lids. Just cut a circle about 2 inches larger than the top of your jar. Sew lace around the edge or use pinking shears to cut out. Place them on the top of the jar and secure with a rubber band. Wrap some ribbon or jute around the rubber band and tie in a bow. Gingham, small prints and even homespun look very nice. If you don't can, try filling a small jar with wrapped candy or potpourri. It makes a nice gift when you just need a little something for visiting, a get-well gift or for the teacher on the first day of school.

If you don't have time to make a quilted wall hanging for your front door for fall, try this idea. Gather your fall colored scraps (dark green, orange, gold, tan) of various sizes. Layer the fabric with wrong sides together and a piece of fusible web in between and fuse. Using several leaves from outside as a pattern, or have a child draw a leaf, cut out various shapes and sizes. Decide on a pleasing placement and glue them to a grape vine or straw wreath. You can glue them all around; cluster them on a side or the bottom. Add a ribbon or cloth bow and you have a wonderful fall wreath for your door, classroom, over the mantle or office. Feel free to add some picks of grapes or dried apple slices.

Quilt History

Yo-yo quilts are one of my favorites. It was one of the first things I learned to sew. Just use scrap fabric, use any circle as a pattern and cut out. Sew a running stitch, around the edge as you turn under, and draw closed. You can make them from any fabric and any size. We used to insert a bottle cap, sew several together and make a hot pad. If you used all purple fabric they looked like a bunch of grapes. I used to make tons of them and sew them to my jeans, shorts, tops and tote bags. Today they come ready made for you. You can even glue them to lampshades, baskets and other home décor items.

I have also heard yo-yo referred to as puffs and even Marguerites. This technique dates back to before the Victorian era but was really popular from 1925 through the 1950's. They are never quilted, just tacked together. Some wonderful patterns and designs can be achieved using different colors. Ladies would place a sheet or solid color light summer on the bed and lay the yo-yo quilt on top. The solid backing would shine through giving a lacy effect. Newspapers and ladies magazines would offer ideas for layouts. I have seen them made in many colors but pastels are prominent. I also have some using gingham.

Shop Talk

Fall fabrics arrive everyday and they are gorgeous, but fall is my favorite time of year so I might be bias. Many fabrics have a trace of gold in them to add sparkle. Lots of new patterns for quick and easy projects and will have a lot more kits and neat things for Christmas. I even have facial tissues with quilt designs coming in. Be sure to bookmark the website and check back often as it changes frequently. We add new items and try to remove the out of stock items as quickly as possible. I will be posting free patterns too! I hope to see many of you at the shows. Please stop by our booth and say hello. I love to hear how you like the newsletter and your suggestions.