Issue 4: The Joyful and Merry Quilting Newsletter

Your go-to source for quilting camaraderie, tips, and insights, as well as upcoming Joyful and Merry Quilting events and courses!

 

1. Patchwork Puzzlers!

How much quilting trivia do you know? Today's questions cover various quilting techniques. Answers are listed at the end of the newsletter!

1. Which of the following terms is a versatile Japanese stitching and embroidery technique primarily used to mend, reinforce, or embellish garments. Over time, these intricate patterns have evolved from a frugal necessity to a beautiful, decorative stitching style.
a) Kantha
b) Boutis
c) Sashiko
d) Trapunto

2. What is the technique called where the edges of fabric shapes are turned under and stitched to the background fabric, often by hand?
a) Needle-Turn Appliqué
b) Raw Edge Appliqué
c) Foundation Piecing
d) English Paper Piecing

3. What is the name of the quilting technique that creates a raised, three-dimensional effect by stuffing areas of the quilt?
a) Sashiko
b) Trapunto
c) Wholecloth Quilting
d) Tying

4. What is the term which refers to a wholecloth quilt stuffing technique, traditionally made in the South of France beginning in the 17th century, where two layers of fabric are quilted together with stuffing sandwiched between sections of the design, creating a raised effect?
a) Cutwork Quilting
b) Matelasse
c) Boutis
d) Broderie Perse

5. What is the name of the quilting method that involves stitching a design through all layers of the quilt and then cutting away the top fabric within certain areas to reveal the underlying fabric, creating a dimensional effect?
a) Wholecloth Quilting
b) Reverse Applique Quilting
c) Cutwork Quilting
d) Antique Quilting

2: Merry Moment

Recently, while working on a quilt, I found myself losing interest. I loved the pattern, the blocks, the size, and the border... BUT (there’s always a BUT), I just didn’t love the fabric. I chose the fabric in a hurry, and the selection available to me at the time was very limited.

As I was browsing the aisles of fabric, the feeling that I was looking for just wasn’t there. I was looking for fabrics that would take my breath away, fabrics that would give me a soft, settled feeling, fabrics that would warm my soul and calm my spirit. I just wasn’t finding it. So, rather than taking the extra time to look elsewhere, I settled. I settled for a collection of sweet fabrics that made me smile but didn’t leave me breathless.

I was a bit disappointed, but I was pretty sure that once I cut the pieces and began assembling the blocks, the fabrics would begin to speak to me, letting me know that I made a good choice. But I never got that feeling. Even when all the fabric pieces were cut out and ready to sew together, and even when I had completed one block, two blocks, a row of blocks, half the quilt... I still wasn’t feeling it, and I was so disappointed.

My first thought was: “I just can’t give up now. I have WAY TOO MUCH invested in this project!” But then I thought again and realized that when I quilt, I need to enjoy the journey. My hands AND my heart need to be in sync when creating my quilts. So, I went to my fabric closet, looking for inspiration, and lo and behold, I discovered the missing link! A beautiful fabric was right there in front of me, begging to be added to the fabrics I had already chosen. It matched perfectly with my original choices.

I cut the additional squares I needed, pulled the squares I was replacing, and made the second half of the blocks with the new fabric. I alternated the “old” blocks with the “new” blocks, and it was PERFECT! There are just too many times that we forge ahead when we may need to just take a minute to reassess and regroup. That’s what I did, and the merry moment (and beautiful quilt top) that came about as a result was totally worth it!

…I’m always trying to be joyful, but I will always be Mary!

3: Quilting Secrets, Fixes and Tips

(If you have a quilting tip you would like me to share in our newsletter, please email it to mary@joyfulandmerryquilting.com.)

The following tip was sent to my by Mary Sue D. She said:
“Just a little tip that you might or might not know. When using a jelly roll run your lint roller over the front and back several times to get a lot of the fuzzy off before you untie the roll.”
What a GREAT idea Mary Sue! Thank you for sharing!

4: Product Picks

I love a good pin. I want a pin that is sharp, goes in and out of my fabric with ease, and doesn’t distort the fabric when I’m pinning pieces together. One of my favorite pins (and I have a few) are the Clover Extra Fine Patchwork Pins #2507. They come in boxes of 100 and are available at your local quilt shop or on Amazon. I have found that these pins are the key to perfect points and intersections and I highly recommend them.

If you haven’t watched my free workshop on How To Make The Perfect Quilt Block Every Time, Tip #4 walks you through the pinning process. CLICK HERE to get the free workshop with step-by-step instructions. 

5: Merry Musings Mailbag

This section of our newsletter is a comment to a YouTube video made by one of our subscribers. @ellys5441 commented:

“On marking pens... I have tried many pens with unsatisfactory results. The Frixion pens actually took out the color of my fabric! Now I use Fons & Porter water soluble graphite pencils. I have used them for many years & never had ANY problems with them. I mark on the outside, all over and when the quilt is washed, ALL of the markings come out. I hope this helps other quilters.”

6: Ask the Quilter

This section of our newsletter is dedicated to the questions asked and comments made by our subscribers. If you have any additional positive suggestions to add to the conversation, please comment! We’d love to have your insight.

Comment by Anna L. "In one of your videos you showed a red tool that shows you the difference in light, medium and dark fabrics. Can you tell me how I can get that tool, where to find it?"

My response: The tool I used is called a Color Evaluator. They come in pairs - a green and a red. Hold up the Color Evaluator to your eyes to determine color value – light, medium, or dark. The Evaluator turns what you see into grayscale. Use the red lens for all colors except reds and the green lens for all colors except greens. It can be purchased online or at your local quilt shop.

7: Night Owl and Daytime Quilting Hangouts

Changes for May Night Owl Quilting and Daytime Quilting due to the Memorial Day Holiday.

Night Owl Quilting Schedule: 
Monday, June 10 at 10pmCDT
Monday, June 24 at 10pmCDT

Daytime Quilting Schedule:
Wednesday, June 5 at 11amCDT
Wednesday, June 19 at 11amCDT

8: Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild Corner

The Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild will open registration again soon - stay tuned! Here's what we're working on...

CALENDAR:
You may have noticed that we now have a downloadable Guild Calendar available on our Guild Resource Page. When you click on “May 2024 START HERE” it will take you to the resource page with the calendar download, zoom links for meetings, training videos, etc. The June calendar is now available with all of the dates and times listed for the month. 
Our next guild meeting is TONIGHT at 7pm CDT! The Zoom registration link has been emailed out and is also available HERE on the Guild Resource Page. 

JULY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:
Please note that our July 4th Guild meeting will be moved to Wednesday July 3rd at 7pmCT to accommodate for the Independence Day Holiday.

GUILD MEETING TIMES AND MISSED MEETINGS:  
TIME ZONES: Please keep in mind that our Guild Meeting Times are listed in CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. If you live in another time zone, make sure you double check (and triple check) the guild time and then adjust it to accommodate for your time zone. We continue to have members join our guild meetings an hour or two early or later and in the process, miss the actual meeting. The meetings are recorded, but if you want to join the meeting LIVE, please make sure you have the guild time adjusted to YOUR particular time zone.

CHAT SESSIONS: If you have time, please join us half an hour early for our Guild's Community Chat sessions: 6:30pm CDT for evenings and 10:30am CDT for daytime meetings. This is such a fun time getting to know each other and I hope you’ll join us when you can. Please note that entering before the designated time strains our recording time allotment, so we have instituted a waiting room where members will be admitted to the meeting once the host is there and the chat session opens.

SAMPLER BLOCKS OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE: 
There have been questions as to when the Sample Block(s) of the month training videos will be available. I will show a card and a finished block at each guild meeting. The pdf with the block instructions will be available in your Library on the website and will also be emailed to you, the day it is revealed. Our training session (on the second Thursday of the Month) will be a pre-recorded video which will walk you through the construction of the two blocks previously revealed.

For our May Training on May 9, the Broken Dishes Training Video was introduced (you can watch that HERE). For our June training meeting on June 13th, the training will include two blocks – the “Churn Dash Block” revealed at the May 16th meeting as well as the block that will be introduced at the June 6th meeting.

You are welcome to make the block using the pdf, but if you would like step-by-step instruction, you will need to wait until the 2nd Thursday of the month when the training videos are available.
 

JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER CHAT ROOM: 
Congratulations to all of our members who have been exploring the Community Chat Room! You may have noticed that the access graphics have been changed in your library, making it easier to differentiate between the Community section and the Resource Page. Here's how to get into the Community Chat (or you can click here):

1. Go to the joyfulandmerryquilting.com website 

2. Click on your “LIBRARY”
3. Click on the “JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY QUILT GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER”
4. Click on “FEED” and you will be taken to the Chat.  You can post pictures, questions, comments, etc.  It’s a great place to get to know our Founding Members and share our love of quilting!

JOYFUL AND MERRY QUILTING COMMUNITY CARE CORNER: 
This will be a spot in our newsletter for members to share their needs and concerns, whether they're related to health, personal challenges, celebrations, etc. It will be a place where we can support and care for one another, share joys and struggles, and provide encouragement to each other regardless of our beliefs or backgrounds. We want it to remain a place of inclusivity while still fostering a sense of community and support within the guild. In this spirit, let’s turn our attention to those in our community in need of some extra support right now:

• Donna G. will be having back surgery on June 17th

By coming together and offering our support, we can ensure that everyone feels valued and cared for within our guild. If you would like to offer Donna some personal support, please comment in the community “Feed” of our Joyful and Merry Quilting Guild Chat Forum. If you would like to post in our Community Care Corner, simply send your “Community Care Corner Request” (one sentence) to [email protected] and I will post it in the next newsletter. You can post anonymously or add your name - totally up to you.

NEWSFLASH: UPCOMING COURSES!

*NEW COURSE!*  “Aim for the Stars” Skill Level:  Confident Beginner 

Join the Waiting List Here
Course Description: 
In this course we will explore the benefits of mastering the Half Square Triangle, the Split Quarter Square Triangle, color value, accuracy when cutting, pressing, and sewing seams, as well as sashing for beginners.  You will walk through the process of constructing the Aim for the Stars quilt with written and video instruction as well as LIVE Zoom Chats. You will finish the course with a beautiful throw-sized quilt.  If you would like to be added to the waiting list, CLICK HERE. The course will begin in June. 

That's it for this week - I'll talk to you soon! Happy Quilting!

ANSWERS to this week’s PATCHWORK PUZZLERS:

1.  c) Sashiko
2. a) Needle-Turn Appliqué
3. b) Trapunto
4. c) Boutis
5. b) Reverse Appliqué Quilting