Quilter Studio

Quilter Studio Newsletter

By

Robin Brisson

Summer 2004

Quilting Tips, Decorating Ideas, Trends, Quilt History, Shop Talk and more.

Thank you all for the kind words about the website, our products and our customer service. We try very hard to make the website easy to use, with a great variety of products at good prices and that is fun to visit with lots of good hints and tips. I know how much you all enjoy the newsletters and the free patterns.

You have probably noticed many new things and changes:

* A New Toll Free Phone Number for Easier Ordering

* A wider selection of fabrics, including fleece, more animal and baby prints

* An expanded sale page with terrific savings on fabrics, books, patterns and more

* The “News” section has been renamed to the “Free” section

* Great summer promotions!

Quilting/Decorating Ideas

I had a long list of things I wanted to do during the summer. I better hurry up because I am running out of summer. But I am going barefoot as much as possible.

Even though I don’t quilt as much in the summer I still find tons of uses for fabric around the house. Most use scraps left over from a project or the prints I call “What was I thinking when I bought this!” fabric. Here are a few I have thought of lately:

- Cover cushions for the outside or sunroom. No sewing, just tuck under the edges of the cushion. If they get faded or something spilled on them, no big deal. Use a new fabric next year. This also works to spruce up a pet’s bed, but fleece works better than cotton.

- Use around a clay pot or planter that you need to update the look of. Just set your pot in the middle of the square of fabric and bring the fabric to the inside. Use a liner or just set the potted geranium inside to hold the fabric in place. This idea works very nicely with fall colored fabrics and mums. You can add a ribbon, raffia or trim around the top of the planter for an extra sparkle.

- Use the fabric instead of a photo in a picture frame. I used a small one and set it on top of my dresser and set my perfume bottles on it to protect the dresser top. This works very well if you have a large frame and want to use it as a serving try to just to put condiments on during a family picnic. Use a fabric with a beach theme or rustic look; a bandana is extra cute. Add some old family photos under the glass. When guests pick up the ketchup bottle they might see a photo of their self from high school. These are sure to get a laugh. Dress it up for a wedding shower and use photos of the engaged couple. Lots of ideas here.

- Make a new band for your beach or garden hat.

- Use for napkins. Try to pick a theme for each guest and let them try to guess which is theirs. Let them bring it home with them as a favor. Kids love this.

- Use fabric to line a basket or cigar box or reline a sewing basket. Use double stick tape or spray adhesive. Use to line shelves instead of the usual shelf paper.

- Decorate jeans or a vest. Use them to lengthen a hem, patch the knees, add accents to pockets, etc. Reline a straw purse.

- Tie a colorful “scarf” around the handle of your purse, beach tote or luggage.

- Use to wrap soap, even if it isn’t homemade. Use a soft lilac print for lavender soap, a floral print for rose scented, etc. The soap look so much nicer in a basket this way, smells good and won’t dry out as fast.

- With school knocking on our door extra fabric makes great book covers. Any fabric will do but heavier fabrics like light weight denim or weavers cloth work best. The students can embellish them with markers, drawings, buttons, charms, and trims to give their own unique look.

- Make fabric lids for your canning jars. Leave plain or add lace around edge.

- f you have an old window frame, remove the glass and put a different fabric in each pane. This works really well if you have a preprinted panel, say a rooster for one pane and then complimentary farm prints of the remaining panes. This would look great in a country kitchen. Or pick several motifs from a toile print and center them in each pane for a bedroom. Use different sports motifs for a boy’s room. You get the picture. Put 2 eyehooks on each side and string a picture hanging wire or heavy string through for hanging.

- Use fabric accents in your scrapbook pages. Make bookmarks. Use old manila folders as a backing to give extra body. Just use adhesive spray or glue to bond.

Tea Towels-We have added several new styles of the popular Tea Towels. My creative customers continue to come up with new uses for them. The embroidery machine owners find them a dream to work on. The primitive folk art and traditional country folk love them to appliqué on. We have added many new patterns that use the tea towels. Just 2 towels make great café curtains, especially for a window over a kitchen sink that may get splashed a lot. Use 1 towels to make 2 placemats. Just cut in half so you have 2 pieces about 14 inches by 20 inches. Use your favorite fabric or purchased bias to finish the edges. They will be very durable and easy to wash, good for families. Tea towels look so nice lining a basket or draped over the edge of a basket, shelf or mantle. I have 2 house check in wheat/cream used a table runner on my side buffet. It really sets off the red dishes and basket I have on there. Something different than a doily for a change. They make great tote bags. You can cut them up and use them for a vest or patchwork pillow. We even sell have a pillow kit using a tea towel and a doily; a Quilter Studio exclusive!

Quilt History

I was very fortunate to be able to visit Washington D.C. recently. I had always wanted to visit the D.A.R. museum. There are 31 rooms representing states. Each state’s chapter is responsible for decorating and furnishing their own rooms, a parlor, bedroom, dining room, kitchen etc. The attic features children toys, games and dolls. The only rooms that have quilts are Texas and I am proud to say my home state of Vermont. I was lucky to have a tour given by a docent who escorted me so that I was able to see parts of the museum that generally are not open to the public. There is also a changing exhibit. When I visited it featured weddings customs and dresses entitled “Something Old, Something New; Inventing the American wedding”. Very interesting especially if you are interested in women’s history, textiles or fashion history. The museum is free and open to the public but you need a photo i.d. for entry. There is a small gift shop but no café. Allow 2 hours.

The only other museum I had time to visit was the American History Museum. There is a small textile exhibit, which I enjoyed very much. There were several quilts and other examples of needlework. On the wall there was a small quilt with the words, Rough Riders for Teddy, Fitchburg, MA”. Fitchburg is our neighboring town so Central Mass. is well represented. I especially wanted to visit that museum to see the exhibit of first ladies dresses. The history and preservation efforts were well documented so be sure to read all the signs when you go. One dress was in a case but in direct sunlight. You can see the visible damage sunlight has caused. The museum had photos of enlarged fibers before being washed, after dry cleaning, washing in plain water and washing with a mild detergent. It is amazing the difference. I was particularly surprised at the damage that dry cleaning caused. Another interesting thing to see was the restoration of “Old Glory”, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangles Banner. They built a table with a platform that moves over the flag especially for the work. Restorers discovered that regular make-up sponges worked best for cleaning the quilt. They used 46,000 of them! Visitors may see the work in progress behind large windows. Try to make the trip.

Shop Talk

Does your quilt talk? We are so excited about the many new products we will be offering through the website and at the shows. One is silk-screened panels with sayings on them to use in your quilt. There are some for babies, best friends, cat and dog lovers, sister and more. There are patterns and books featuring the panels too. Lots of new fabrics, some with the popular updated country feel, lots of new prints featuring cats (quilters love cats) and other animals (like cardinal birds), more baby prints, the latest Christmas prints, fabrics with sewing themes, and the usual ones like homespun and 1930’s and more of the popular panels. We have even added several new fleece fabrics including cardinals, cats, snowflakes and Hello Kitty. We still have a good supply of the Red Hat fabrics and have added teddy bears, t-shirts and other items to compliment the line. We have added lots more books, patterns, notions and gifts; all with one important person in mind...you