Saturday, June 27, 2020

E-Zine and Other Stuff

Do you read e-zines published by fabric companies? I recently discovered Modern by the Yard e-zine published by Benartex.

Issue #14 of Modern by the Yard, the free Benartex publication was released today. Inside are a couple of free patterns, and a closer look at several Benartex fabric collections. 

Along with two other quilters (Cheryl Brickey @meadowmistdesigns,and Laura Piland @sliceofpi), last month I was invited to peruse the Benartex online fabric collections to put together, and name, a fabric bundle for a section of the e-zine called "Mix & Match." 

On page 7 of the e-zine, you'll see the fabric bundle I put together and named "Tropical State of Mind." No surprise there, I'm sure. I was attracted to the palm frond print, and aquas, and sunny yellow... basically, beach colors. 


This is the screen shot I created to see what the fabrics look like together. That palm print! 😍 I think I need it for a face mask. 

I hope you'll enjoy looking through the e-zine, and past publications too! You'll find quite a few lovely, free quilt patterns. 

Last week I had the opportunity to join a Zoom presentation hosted by the Broward Quilt Expo (Boca Raton, Florida). About 80 of us attended to see and hear a program about Hobbs Batting, led by Stephanie. She sure knows her stuff! Being a Quilter's Dream fan myself, and assuming I knew everything about batting there is to know (Ha!) I learned how much I didn't know! Stephanie definitely knows her wadding, and provided information about different types (poly, cotton, wool, blends), uses (kids, charity, heirloom, quilt show entries), and how to work with them.

Since I often choose wool batting for a quilt I will enter in a show, I was interested to learn about Hobb's Tuscany 80/20 cotton/wool blend - a nice fiber combination with the stability of cotton and the loft of wool. Thinking I needed to try a batt, you can imagine my delight when the next morning I discovered that the daily batting sale (emailed to me) by www.battingsupersale.com was for Hobbs' Tuscany Cotton/Wool blend! This is the king-sized batt I'm looking forward to trying. Apparently it's a favorite of Edyta Sitar. 

In any case, should you know of a quilt guild that's looking for a educational program, and a free one at that, I suggest you get in touch with Stephanie at Hobbs Bonded Fibers

I've continued to work on the quilt I'm making for the upcoming release of Kristy Lea's @quietplay new "Create" fabric collection by Riley Blake. My design uses foundation paper-piecing. 

This week I tried the tutorial to make a 7" X 7" Nine Patch Wonder Block Potholder. It's easy to put together! Basically, start with a three-color nine-patch block using 4" X 4" patches; sew the block to itself along the sides; insert a double layer of Insul-Brite; hand-sew to close the opening; and run a few lines of walking foot quilting across it. I'm definitely making more of these. 
 

Mask-making was once again in my purview as my hair-stylist admired mine and asked me to make her a black one. I made her two, several for family, and more for us. Wanting to keep ours handy, I hung two 3M hooks on the laundry room wall: His and Hers. We'll be able to grab and go out through the garage, and then toss them in the washer when we return home. 

It certainly looks liking we'll be wearing masks for months to come! Florida COVID-19 cases are exponentially increasing - 8,900 new cases on Thursday alone!

Though the majority of new cases are in the Miami and Orlando areas, on Thursday, nine more people in The Villages tested positive.

This chart, from the Florida Department of Health, provides excellent information about cases, hospitalizations, and deaths reported until June 26. Note how each increases as age increases. 

Florida is heading the wrong direction! Re-opening our rec centers July 6? Reopening Disney World July 11? Starting school on August 6? Can these things safely happen? If they do, I'm pretty sure I'll be staying home. Yay me - and you! - for having a healthy hobby that keeps us contentedly occupied!

And yay for reading a very satisfying book!

Ordinary Grace
 by William Kent Krueger undeniably transported me to another time and place - New Bremen, Minnesota. Perhaps because that state has many similarities to Iowa, the author managed to evoked all the sensations of summer in the Midwest - the feeling of dirt under my feet; the oppression of hot, humid air; and the smell of creosote on railroad ties. The story belongs to 13 year-old Frank who, in the summer of 1961 is thrust into the world of adulthood, and looks at deaths. Frankie's 9 year-old brother stutters; his sister is a gifted musician and composer; dad is the Methodist church minister, and mother is an accomplished choir director and vocalist. The is the summer that will shape and change all their lives forever.

Linda's score: 4.7/5.0

Linda

10 comments:

  1. I love reading your blog Linda, as it's so full of good 'stuff.' Thanks for the info regarding the magazine. I was thinking of making a mask to wear to our first Guild meeting, but was concerned about the batting inside. Does it make them abit hot to wear? Do you use a cotton batting or a thin pellon? We are reasonably safe here now in NZ although we have let returning Kiwis in to our borders and some weren't tested, and now we have gone from none to about 11 positive.
    Your quilting has certainly changed over the years. You are so clever thinking up all the different designs you make!

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  2. Linda I meant to say your Tropical State of Mind is in my opinion the best collection. Well done. I was excited to hear about the Cotton/Wool batting, but unfortunately in these upset times, they don't ship worldwide. I checked out the book, but can't get it as an audio book. Alot of what I check, I can get but only as eread, and I don't have time to sit and read. Thats why I love the Audio books.

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  3. Congrats on being a featured artist in that e-zine. Fun!

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  4. I thoroughly enjoyed this blog post, happy to see what you are doing these days. Congratulations on being a featured artist in the e-zine! I do think you need that palm print for masks, for sure. I also enjoyed the batting discussion and seeing your charts for your state. I’ve watched everything blow up this past few days, and it makes me uncertain I’ll ever want to go anywhere again! Stay safe, stay well, and thanks for writing about one of my favorite books.

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  5. Thanks for the link- those fabrics together are a wonderful combo. Yes, a mask is in order. We might as well make a wardrobe of them- it's going to be awhile. Our son was in NY for business and it was masks everywhere- and they have done a good job containing the spread. Florida might take a cue! The batting conference sounds as if it was packed full of good info. A good way to stay in touch and get an education, too.

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  6. Thanks for sharing the links to the e-zine. I definitely liked your fabric bundle the best. I recently read Ordinary Grace and have requested another of his books from the library. Wish I could get back to the library for real. I love choosing my reads from the new release shelves. And with inter library loans on hold lots of the books on my list aren't available from my local library or are checked out. Stay safe.

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  7. Thanks for the heads up about e-zines. I've spent a good deal of time looking through them and feel like a kid in a candy shop. Woo hoo!

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  8. And congrats on being a featured artist!

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  9. I'm going to check out the ezine. Nice bundle. It suits your style. My guild is going virtual until January and I'll pass on the batting info. It could be a perfect meeting idea.

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  10. OK, I didn't know about that magazine, so I'm happy for that. Even more, I immediately posted your mask picture and sentiment on my facebook page. So true! Public health shouldn't be a political issue.

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