5 Steps for Choosing Fabric for Your Next Project - Part 2

Hi everyone:

Another Monday - yay, March already - and time for the final episode with Diane McGregor of Castilleja Cotton. 

In the previous videos we had discussed fabric value - what it is and why it's important when choosing fabric. In this episode, Diane and I now use this information to explain the 5 steps you can use to choose fabric for a quilt project. 

I found this method very helpful and am using it when I choose fabrics for a new project. It definitely gives more interest and depth to my designs. 

I'm sure you'll find this video very information as well and would like to thank Diane for sharing her advice with me and my readers.

If you're having trouble viewing the video on the blog, you can always click to view it.

Have a great Monday!

Using Value to Choose Fabrics - Part 1

Hi everyone:

Last week I released "Chatting with Diane", the first in a series of videos that I recently did with Diane McGregor of Castilleja Cotton. It's a week later and that means ... another video release! 

In this second video, Diane and I discuss the importance of value in choosing fabrics for quilt projects. What is value, why is it important and other related subjects are presented in this second video. 

Tune in next week for the final episode in this video series where we'll be applying what we've learned about value to choosing fabrics for several quilt projects.

Chatting with Diane - Part 2

Hi everyone:

There seemed to be a problem with my previous post and I don't think that you could see the video. Sorry about that! 

If you couldn't see the video, just click here.

Have a great Tuesday!

Chatting with Diane

Hi everyone:

I recently spent a very long day shooting some video with Diane McGregor of Castilleja Cotton. Okay, Diane and I had a great time chatting about quilting while my hubby did most of the filming and post-production work, but it's not easy being the talent, you know! 

You may not initially recognize Diane's name, but I'm sure that you've seen her patterns in your local quilt shop. Or perhaps you've seen her designs in a quilting magazine. Or maybe you've been fortunate enough to take one of her classes. Diane is a prolific pattern designer with over 500 patterns. 

I appreciated her spending time with me filming the videos. This video series will be released over the next few weeks. 

In the first video Diane talks about her journey as a quilter and shows us her passion, art quilting. Diane has developed her own technique and has created beautiful art quilts based on photographs. Some of these quilts are available as patterns and include complete instructions for Diane's technique. 

I hope you enjoy getting to know about Diane and her quilting.

Scraps, stitcheries and what I've been doing

Hi everyone:

I'm writing this post today as a break from pattern designing and to catch you up on what I have been doing this past week. 

I've finally finished two stitchery patterns, which you'll soon see for sale as downloadable e-patterns on my new website soon - hopefully by next week-end or sooner if my IT guy (hubby) is able to upload them. These are perfect for Christmas gifts or ornaments, and can easily be stitched up in a couple of hours. 

Christmas Stitchery Set by Chatterbox Quilts

Winter Stitchery Set by Chatterbox Quilts

Speaking of my new website, thanks to one of my quilty friends for pointing out that I may have neglected to advise my readers how to find my new website. I guess it was obvious to me, but I forgot that not everyone can read my mind (I have a hard time doing this most days!), so I didn't really give you the website address. It's the same as my existing one - www.chatterboxquilts.com. The address is the same; only the contents have been changed (are you old enough to remember Dragnet?). 

I can't believe you forgot to give them the website address!

Now that you know where to find Chatterbox Quilts, let me tell you about my week.

Last week was busy, but productive. Lee of Lala's Lovelys was over on Monday to help me organize my fabric scraps - at least one bin of them! Lee loves to make scrap quilts and I've never made one, so I appreciated her help in getting me set up and pointing me towards some on-line resources with free scrap quilt patterns and helpful tips.

If you aren't familiar with Bonnie K. Hunter of Quiltville, you'll find lots of advice  on her website about cutting up and organizing your scraps to create magnificent quilts. Bonnie has many free patterns on her site and does a mystery quilt each year. She just started her 2012 mystery quilt, Easy Street, on November 23 (I'm sure Lee will be doing this one). 

Another website to help you use up your scraps is Heartstrings Quilt Project. This website represents a group of quilters who make string quilts for local charitable organizations. If you are interested in joining them, they have a yahoo group and welcome donations of quilt tops and backings. They have lots of free pattern instructions for string quilts and wonderful photos to inspire you.

On Wednesday, I met Diane McGregor of Castilleja Cotton for lunch. Diane and I usually get together every month or so to catch up and talk quilt business. As usual I came away with lots of new ideas and will be doing a video with Diane later this year, so keep your eyes pealed for this one. Diane is a prolific pattern designer and art quilter, whose advice and suggestions I appreciate. I'm sure you've seen Diane's designs in your local quilt shop or in some of your favourite magazines (Catching Hearts is on the front cover of McCall's Quick Quilts this month), but if not, you'll want to browse through some of her over 400 patterns (or is that 500 now?!). Yes, I did say prolific :)

Catching Hearts from Castilleja Cotton in
McCall's Quick Quilts December/January 2013
Photo courtesy of mccallsquilting.com

Well, that was last week. Check back with me tomorrow to see what I've got up my sleeve for this week. Some really exciting things happening and I can't wait to share them with you!

Have a great Sunday evening and go Stamps go!