by Amy Milne | Feb 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
RespiteSuzanne Porcella Byrd200916″x16″Honorable Mention Award, Quilt Alliance Crazy for Quilts Contest Materials: Cotton fabric, machine pieced and quilted, muslin batting, jonestones metallic paint and a pin from “California Milk”. Decorative stitching done on a Bernina. Design from strip piecing technique with appliqued flowers. Artist’s Statement: Sometimes life just seems to be overwhelming. Being pulled in so many different directions by family, friends, pets, jobs, autos and household appliances that keep breaking down, yard work, etc. can all leave little time for entering a quilt contest! But, I managed to get one done and realized that it gave to me a little bit of rest and complete satisfaction and I realized the importance of taking a break from daily challenges.
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by Emma Parker | Apr 13, 2023 | BOM, Uncategorized
Birthday Block of the Month #1: Ricky Tims
Welcome to the first month of the Quilt Alliance Birthday Block of the Month! We are so happy that you are following along and joining our party! We’re kicking things off with one of the most beloved quilters we know — Ricky Tims. One of the many things Ricky is known for is his easy-to-follow, beginner-friendly quilt pattern instructions. For all the beginner quilters following along, we couldn’t have asked for a better block to kick things off! And for experienced quilters, you’ll love the ease of sewing this block. It’s so quick that you’ll want to make more.
Meet Ricky Tims A best-selling author, enthusiastic and encouraging teacher, an award-winning quilter, fabric designer, talented speaker, and novelist, Ricky’s entertaining presentations feature live music and humor combined with scholarly insights and motivational anecdotes. Ricky began designing and making quilts in 1991 and was named one of The Thirty Most Distinguished Quilters in the World. In 2009 he was selected (in a three-way tie) by the readers of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine as The Most Influential Person in the Quilting Industry. He is the co-founder and co-host of The Quilt Show. You can follow Ricky on his website, on Facebook, and on Instagram. We recommend all three! One of the Quilt Alliance’s signature projects is the Go Tell It video documentation project which anyone can do. Watch the video below to see Ricky talk about his block, and keep reading this blog post to learn about how you can create your own Go Tell It video about one of your quilts!
Ricky’s Top BOM Tips Each month, our Birthday Block of the Month Designers will share their top tips for making the block they designed. Here are three great tips for making this block straight from Ricky himself. Ricky’s Tip 1: Avoid Distortion When sewing the strips, sew the seams in opposite directions to avoid distortion — sew the first seam from the top of the strip to the bottom, then the second seam bottom to top, the third seam top to bottom, etc. Ricky’s Tip 2: Double-Check Cuts Cutting accuracy is critical so make sure the ruler doesn’t slip and double-check every cut before cutting. Ricky’s Tip 3: Handle Bias Edges with Care There will be bias edges on two sides of each triangle (fabric cut on an angle, which is stretchy). Be extra cautious not to tug those bias edges when handling or sewing the four triangles together.
Quilt Alliance BOM Tips If you want even more tips for making this block, we’ve got you covered! Here are even more tips to help you kick off our Birthday Block of the Month with the best block you can make. Sew with a Scant Quarter Inch Seam We love this block for its trademark Ricky Tims ease. If this is your first time picking up a rotary cutter, you can make this block! The biggest thing you’ll have to focus on besides Ricky’s tips above is the accuracy of your seam allowance. If you are not yet confident in the accuracy of your quarter inch seam, consider sewing with a scant quarter inch, which is a seam that is very slightly smaller than a quarter inch. This will give you a little bit of wiggle room and may make the difference in your sewn strips ending up the correct width. Finger Press Before Using an Iron Some quilters find pressing tedious, and others love it. Regardless of how you feel about pressing, good pressing technique can increase your quilting accuracy. Before pressing your block with your iron, give it a good finger press to make sure you aren’t losing valuable fabric in your seams. Begin with the sewn strips facing right side up (seam side down). Gently press your fingers along the sewn seam to make sure the seam is completely open. For this pattern, we are pressing each strip seam to the side, so be sure that as you finger press, the seam and going in the correct direction. Finger press for about 12″ at a time and then give it a quick heat set with your iron. When you flip your strips over, your seams will be ready for an accurate iron pressing! Keep Seams Flat With a Tailor’s Clapper If you haven’t used a tailor’s clapper before, you’re in for a treat. This little piece of wood works big wonders and locks seams into place, keeping them flat as you piece. Using a spray bottle or continuous mist bottle (these bottles help distribute water more evenly than the spray setting on most irons), spray a small amount of water onto a seam. Press the damp seam with your iron. Immediately lay a tailor’s clapper on the seam. As the seam dries and cools, the tailor’s clapper keeps the fibers in your seam in place. Once cool, the seam is locked into place! Having flat seams will help with the next tip. Cutting at a 45-Degree Angle If you haven’t cut fabric at an angle before, here are some pictures that can help you make the strip triangles that form this block. Start with your sewn strips laying with Color 5 at the top as shown above. Lay your ruler on the sewn strips with the 45-degree mark across the top of Color 5. The right side of the ruler should be in the lower left corner of the sewn strips. Make your first cut and discard the half triangle. Keeping the sewn strips facing the same way (Color 5 up), flip your ruler for each subsequent cut, aligning the 45-degree angle mark with the bottom or top edge of the sewn strips. In the second picture above, you can see that the 45-degree mark is now aligned with the bottom, or Color 2. The top of the ruler is lined up with the point of the triangle. Make your cut along the right side of the ruler, and you’ll have your first triangle! Nest the Seams When sewing the strip triangles together, nest your seams to get perfect points. Once you feel the bumps of your seams nesting together as shown in the picture above, pin the seams in place so they do not stretch as you move your triangle strip blocks or sew them together. As Ricky notes, the bias edges of the triangle strip blocks are very delicate. If they are stretched, your finished block may be wavy or less accurate than you’d like.
Quilt Documentation Tip Each month, we’ll bring you a quilt documentation tip in these blog posts. These tips will help you not only learn more about the Quilt Alliance but also learn how to preserve your own quilt stories. Your quilts matter and we want to help you preserve and share their stories! Ricky’s block is focused on beginner quilters, and since this month is the first in our Block of the Month, we want to encourage you to document your very first quilt. The journeys we all take towards becoming quilters are all unique. Share yours in a DIY Go Tell It Video, just like the video Ricky made about this block. To learn how to make your own Go Tell It video, head to the Go Tell It! page here. You’ll see that documenting your own quilts is much easier than you might think!
Quilt Documentation Tip: Each month, we’ll bring you a quilt documentation tip in these blog posts. These tips will help you not only learn more about the Quilt Alliance but also learn how to preserve your own quilt stories. Your quilts matter and we want to help you preserve and share their stories! Ricky’s block is focused on beginner quilters, and since this month is the first in our Block of the Month, we want to encourage you to document your very first quilt. The journeys we all take towards becoming quilters are all unique. Share yours in a DIY Go Tell It Video, just like the video Ricky made about this block. To learn how to make your own Go Tell It video, head to the Go Tell It DIY page here. You’ll see that documenting your own quilts is much easier than you might…
by Amy Milne | May 9, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Quilt Alliance membership includes some of the most interesting people in the quilt world! This series introduces and documents the rich stories and talents of our members. In this episode, meet Connie Kincius Griner, a quiltmaker and retired OB/GYN living in Burlington, North Carolina. We first documented Connie’s work at the International Quilt Festival in 2016. She recorded a Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! video with her quilt “View from the Microscope: Pickled Paramecium.” And at the 2017 QuiltCon in Savannah, Georgia, Connie recorded a second Go Tell It! in our booth about her quilt “Wrinkly, Irony.” . Connie is busy caring for her grandchildren at home these days with not much time for quilting, so she decided to draw from her collection (she’s quite prolific) for an outdoor quilt show. Since March 27 Connie has displayed a quilt (or two) outside her home each non-rainy day for neighbors and passersby to enjoy. She shared #35 on May 7. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram to see updates to the outdoor show and more of her work. We hope you enjoy this virtual visit with Connie! Begin or renew your Quilt Alliance membership today. …
by Amy Milne | Mar 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Quilt Alliance membership includes some of the most interesting people in the quilt world! This series will introduce and document the rich stories and talents of our members. In this episode, meet Vicki Harrell, a quilt restorer and retired Home Economics teacher from Ayden, North Carolina. Vicki is not only a member of the Quilt Alliance, but is also a member of the Greenvile Quilters Guild, the American Quilt Study Group and the Carolina Textile Study Group. I met Vicki through Lynn Lancaster Gorges, a conservator based in New Bern, North Carolina who restores and studies textiles. I was meeting with Lynn about a quilt history matter, and I told her about a friend looking for the services of a quilt restorer. I confessed that after seeing the beautiful well-loved quilt made by my friend’s grandmother, I was tempted to try to repair it myself. Lynn was kindly encouraging, but also recommended fellow conservator Vicki Harrell, also located in Eastern N.C. I contacted Vicki and she was glad to work with my friend to restore his quilt. After the work was completed, my friend emailed me to say he was so pleased with the work Vicki had done, and he attached the restoration report she provided. Vicki’s careful restoration and thorough documentation show a real love of quilts and their makers, and I am eager to share her story with you. I hope you story-loving, quilt-loving folks enjoy my virtual visit with Vicki Harrell in our very first episode of our series, Meet a QA Member! Begin or renew your Quilt Alliance membership today. …
by Amy Milne | May 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
Happy Mother’s Day! We are so proud to conclude our week-long Mother’s Day StoryShare with these special messages today, including a beautiful tribute from two of our founders. May all who mother, know they are appreciated, and all who miss their mothers, take comfort in memories. We’re planning to repeat this special project next year, so start scanning those photos! Join the Quilt Alliance today to ensure that stories like these will be preserved for future generations to come! Karey Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes Nancy and I are two of the founders of the Alliance, but we probably would never have gotten involved with quilts or helped to build the quilting industry or helped to found any non-profit quilt organization—much less four!—if it were not for the two ladies pictured here with us. Our mothers were sisters and wonderful quilters in their own right. My mama, Jewel Pearce Patterson, is on Nancy’s left and Nancy’s mother, Helen Pearce O’Bryant, is on Jewel’s left. Together the four of us founded the International Quilt Association (IQA). The mothers were there at the family quilting bee when we learned to quilt from their mother, our Granny, Ella Glaeser Pearce. The quilt was my wedding quilt, the top of which was pieced by Granny’s mother, our Great Grandmother Karoline Uttech Glaeser, and four of her daughters came together that weekend. It was a wonderful introduction to quilting. The mothers (and much of the time that, collectively, was exactly the way we thought of them) taught us that when “the ox was in the ditch,” everybody in the family was expected to pitch in and get him out! So we learned to pitch in, and pitch in we did, every time it seemed that quilts and quilting needed help. With the mothers’ encouragement, we even took quilts to Congress and testified when American-made quilts seemed in danger. When we did the Texas Quilt Search, the mothers often flew with us to the next city where we were holding a Quilt Day and were wonderful help. The mothers were often surprised at the projects we undertook, but they never once failed to support us with unfailing love and appreciation. We were lucky girls who knew the joy of growing into friends with their mothers. Bradley Mitchell, QA Board Member My mother, Irene Elizabeth Mitchell… first of her name and fierce mother of 4 dragons ???? . Irene resides in Yorkshire, England… approximately 3270 miles from my current home in Chicago, IL. I have learnt so much from this strong lady, but the jewel of her imparted wisdom is empathy and unconditional love. This photograph was captured in 2016, on a trip to Milano, Italy ????????. Happy Mother’s day to you boo, and to all mothers out there raising and supporting children to be the change they want to see in the world. QA Board Member and Treasurer, Lisa Brehm Ellis My mom has a generous heart, is always upbeat, and never has a negative thing to say about another person. She taught me to always see the positive, dream big, and make the world a better place by building others up….
by Amy Milne | May 11, 2018 | Uncategorized
Only two days until Mother’s Day, and we have more special women to honor today. If you are a QA member, it’s not too late to send your images and text. Nonmembers can join or make a $30+ donation to participate. More info here. Susan Brubaker Nash, QA Member My mother, Ellie Brubaker, was trained as a home economics teacher and was a great traditional quilter and garment sewer. This photo shows us in 1995, working on her 1958 Singer, which she gave me when I got interested in sewing. Mom taught me how to make a perfect double binding, and enthusiastically supported my quilting career. Both of my grandmothers and at least one of my great-grandmothers were also quilters, and I have several of their quilts! Visit Susan online. Marin Hanson, QA Board Alumnus My mom wasn’t much of a seamstress; in fact, she never wanted me to be forced to take Home Economics classes because she resented the fact that she had to when she was young. She did, however, have the most amazing scarf collection and I remember digging through it regularly as a little girl, admiring the various patterns and textures. And she sure knew how to dress my brother and me in some natty 70s duds! Visit Marin online. Janneken Smucker, Past QA Board President My mom taught me about the bias. The bias is the diagonal grain of the cloth. I remember cutting a doll’s dress out of this green fabric and I cut it wrong, on the bias, instead of on the grain. My mom showed me how to look carefully at the fabric and see the weave, and to cut across it. Ironically, I chose a senior prom dress in an emerald green that had to be cut on the bias. My mother, who I should have realized by that point, made my prom dress, probably against her better judgement, now that I realize what it takes to raise a daughter. I remain against the bias, in most things. Visit Janneken…
