Study Shows Quilting is Good For Us

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Gina

in the CQA Quilting News

The Daily Telegraph, UK

by Judith Woods, June 22, 2011

Quilting Helps Cognitive, Emotional and Physical Well Being

Apparently, quilting helps cognitive, creative and emotional wellbeing, especially among older people. According to researchers at the University of Glasgow, quilting is “uniquely” good for us, offering an outlet for creativity and bringing benefits that mere physical and outdoor pursuits can’t provide.

It is all there; bright colours to uplift, geometry to engage the frontal lobe and a boost in social confidence. Quilters have an inner glow that comes from a pride in their intricate craft – or does it? A closer look at this traditional handicraft reveals it to have a dark underbelly.

While quilting may typically be an act of contemplative creativity, quilts have been used for centuries as a covert method of illicit communication; a forum for domestic anarchy or a mischievous platform for venting spleen.

Last year, the Victoria & Albert Museum mounted a major quilt exhibition, including a cot quilt from Deal Castle in Kent, circa 1690. Made from silk and ribbon, it featured the seamstress’s diary written in code. Other examples included informative quilts showing Biblical scenes and a primer for conduct between the sexes, maker unknown, c 1880. Continue reading →

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Fine Cell Work – rehab through sewing

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Gina

“The sewing helped me to think about where I’d gone wrong in my life…”

Behind the door you cry

The prison term “behind the door” refers to time spent in the cell. Convicted prisoners spend an average of 17 hours a day in their cells. On weekends and holidays it can be as much as 23 hours a day. Here are the words of Karl, ex-offender:

I served 7 years, just under. I was doing Fine Cell Work for 6 ½. I thought people would laugh and then I thought, well you get paid for it. I saved a few pennies and was able to talk to the children and send them some money for Christmases and birthdays. You got a choice, you either sit there for 3 or 4 hours and earn a couple of quid at the end of the month, or sit there for 3 or 4 hours and earn nothing.

That’s all I did…I sewed and sewed… You can’t show any weakness inside. So it just gets more and more built up and then you get angry. Sewing made me stop and think about how things could have been different, and what I could have done differently. It helped me change the way I was, cos I used to be quite an angry fella when I went inside. I was quite moody and aggressive and people said I was defensive. I never knew I was but when I was sewing I used to go back over my life and thought…perhaps I am. It gave me the space I needed.

When I came out the kids thought that it was big and clever that I’d been in prison. My son’s friends go in for a couple of months and they think it’s all clever and it’s not. Cos they don’t really do prison, they just do 2 months.

I can explain to them now that it’s not big and clever. It’s just stupid. But you can work through. All through one word: sorry. The only way I got to that was through sewing. That’s why I changed my life.

teacher and student

 

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Amazing Spiral Quilts

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Gina

Spiral Quilts Galore!

Since the publication of RaNae Merrill’s two books about making spiral quilts, there has been an outpouring of interest in “spiralling”. Spirals allow the quilt artist tremendous opportunity to showcase terrific printed and color shaded fabrics. Blending and contrast create a lot of interest when applied to the geometry of spirals, by making a spiral zig zag and zing!

Read my earlier blog post about spirals focusing on Fibonacci’s principle. I have recently reduced the pricing for my Spiral Patterns downloadable files.

Capturing a great deal of attention right now are RaNae’s books, Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts and Magnificent Spiral Mandala Quilts. RaNae’s quilts have been widely featured in quilt publications and exhibits, including multiple times in Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine (in the current June/July issue).

 

EQ featured RaNae’s quilt art in one of its advertising campaigns, plus articles in American Quilter, American Patchwork and Quilting, Quilt Magazine, Quilt Life, and the Israeli  Quilters Association and numerous quilt shows have honoured RaNae’s quilts.

 

RaNae has a lot going on at her website RaNaeMerrillquilts.com as well as two blogs, each blog dedicated to enhancing our enjoyment with her two quilt instruction books. When you register at her site, you will receive a free pattern.

Enjoy some of the quilt art from RaNae Merrill’s books: in order L to R, top row first: Court Jester, Fruit Salad Spinner, Crimes of Passion, Easter Mandala, Exploding Rainbow, Infinite Rainbow, Sails and Waves, Sultana.

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the Sudoku loving quilter/blogger

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Gina

Now Self-Published-Advanced Sudoku Solving Techniques, by Gina Delorenzi

In addition to my fascination with all things quilt, I am also an avid fan of Sudoku. A few years ago I started to study advanced solving techniques to solve really hard puzzles and the result is now that there are only 3 or 4 known puzzles I have not been able to solve.

While teaching my sister-in-law some of these concepts, my husband said, why not start teaching others. The end result is that my new eBook, Sudoku Beyond the Basics is now available at its new website, learnsudoku.ca

For my regular readers, I am asking you to visit, to tweet and to forward the website’s URL to help get the book title noticed by more people and by search engines, via increased traffic. I can promise you that anyone will learn at least a few techniques and give themselves more solving fun and a sense of accomplishment. The tag line is Advanced Techniques Simply Explained.

Sudoku Beyond the Basics is 134 pages, 134 diagrams, 44 examples, and 24 puzzles in increasing difficulty levels with the solutions. The eBook uses several colours to highlight the teaching topics. Here’s a sample:

After buying the eBook, you can print a colour PDF version as well as view the eBook on your computer, on an iPad, iPhone or a Kindle. Obviously the larger the viewing screen, the easier it will be to see the puzzle grids and text.

Because of the plain english, clear explanation style of writing and carefully developed diagrams, just about anyone can follow the planed progression of topics and concepts. I believe Sudoku Beyond the Basics makes a wonderful gift for someone you know who is “into sudoku”. I think Sudoku lovers want to know and be able to advance to higher levels of success. It would be an appreciated gift.

I thank you in advance for helping me bring this valuable teaching system to a wider audience.

BTW -The hardest known puzzle is called the Easter Monster, because it was first published on an Easter weekend at an Australian website.There have been at least 2 spin offs of the Easter Monster, I admit I cannot solve any of them.

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Cancer Quilter’s Horoscope

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Gina

Cancer, June 22, July 22

Cancer, you are the most perplexing of all the signs. Your symbol, the crab, with its claws represents the dual nature of your personality – loyal, caring and energetic on the one hand versus overly emotional, reserved, even moody.

zodiac sign cancer zodiac sign, cancer zodiac sign, cancer
International postage stamps images by zeevveez, Flickr

Your love of quilting reflects your deep maternal, (or paternal instincts), for after all, making a quilt for a loved one is the ultimate symbol of sharing love, warmth and security. Continue reading →

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New England’s Oldest and Largest Quilt Event

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Gina

2011 Vermont Quilt Festival Event, June 24-26

quilt show raffle quilt

Besides the quilt displays, the Vendor’s , Gallery talks by curators of the Shelburne Museum, buying quilt raffle tickets, the display of approximately 75 quilts in the collection of the Vermont Historical Society will be seriously impressive.

 

 

I hope you can get to this amazing annual show. If you go, the address of the Champlain Valley Exposition is 105 Pearl St., Essex Junction, Vermont.

 

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“Superlatives: Contemporary Ohio Quilts”

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Gina

A Display of Technical Proficiency, Craft and Innovation

Kentum, Deborah Melton Anderson

With almost 50 works by seven artists, the impressive “Superlatives: Contemporary Ohio Quilts”  quilt show is strengthened by technical prowess and a diversity of approach. With artists submitting 6 art quilts each, viewers can more easily make a connection with each artist’s unique vision and imagination.

Ori-Kume #3, Sue Cavanaugh

Among the artists in the Zanesville Museum of Art exhibit, Sue Cavanaugh, Rebecca Cross and June O’Neil are masters at developing rich and complex textures. Hand-dyeing her fabric, Sue uses a shibori stitch-resist technique, creating a worn and weathered appearance.

Eye of the Storm, June O'Neil

June O’Neil creates explosions of color. Her work seems to emit light. June’s Eye of the Storm is a vortex of passionate rhythm, created using raw-edged strips of fabric. Embers shimmers like hot coals, and Wide Windows suggests sunshine through a stained-glass window.

Martello #1, Sandra Palmer Ciolino

Sandra Palmer Ciolino’s Martello #1: Innuendo relies on a harmonious flow of earthy color. Like Sandra and Nancy Crow, also represented in the show), Deborah Melton Anderson’s Kentum, (shown at top left) engages the viewer with explorations of geometric patterning.

The exhibit shows until July 14, 2011 at Zanesville Museum of Art, Zanesville, Ohio

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Black and White with a Dash of Spice

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Gina

With Black and White It’s Value That Makes The Quilt

Value supplies a sense of texture to a quilt. Value is the relationship of one fabric to another fabric, and one group of fabrics to another in the quilt construction.


 

Shown below, first row left is Take Me To Your Leader, from a Flickr photo and quilter wowcarn. The quilt right, a New York Beauty style, was displayed at a quilt show in Manchester, England. Contemporary and traditional styles both effectively create impact and curiosity through the careful placement of the extremes of black and white fabric.

Second row below, left is T Lucky Numbers quilt, by Linda Miller. Linda chose accent color red to add intrigue to a traditional quilt block. Contrast this quilt with an all black Dear Jane quilt that was shown at the same Manchester quilt show. While we can appreciate the incredible amount work involved in the Dear Jane quilt, without some relief in the form of even a minor amount of third color, the result, while stunning, is still “flat”, as in no fizz.

In the row above, left is Yikes, Stripes!, in the collection of Lincoln University, Nebraska. Obviously an antique, this quilt blasts very positive energy at the viewer. While not strictly black and white, contrast value has been remarkably rendered. Above right is Which is Which, by mamacjt. Bold and graphic, it’s quite another approach to the challenge, “make a black, white and another color quilt”.

Kay M. Capps Cross is the author of several quilt books focussing on the effective use of black and white fabric in quilts and related quilting projects. She encourages the discerning use of a zinger color, or maybe even several supporting colors. Shown above are two quilts from Kay’s Black and White Quilts, by Design.

And finally, below glory in the incredible thumbnail of a full size Texas Star type quilt, entirely in black and white. It’s “zinger” is the simple uneven size placement of the ground fabrics, both of them plain white and black cloth.

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New Quilts from an Old Favorite – Editor’s Choice

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Gina

Annual Contest Recognizes Imagination and Design Excellence

Orange Peel, cover from 2011 book

Every year since 1994, the year of the Double Wedding Ring contest, the American Quilter’s Museum has presented a traditional pattern as the theme as inspiration to all quilters to help grow their talents and imaginations in quilt making. Then the winning quilts become part of a traveling exhibition for the next 12 months as well as a commemorative book.

the retrospective book of annual winners

A book entitled Editor’s Choice For New Quilts from an Old Favorite, published by the AQS is now available, and it includes the first place winners from the past 18 contest years. The 18 winners honoured in this collection share design tips, techniques and essays to help those who want to make traditional quilts with an artistic flair.

Upcoming challenges are Baskets for 2012 and Jacob’s Ladder for 2013. Sponsors include Janome, Moda and Clover. Continue reading →

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Beautiful Sudoku and Nine Patch Quilts

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Gina

Do U Do Su Do Ku?

3x3 grid by David Moore

The Sudoku craze has not diminished since it became popular in North America about 5-6 years ago. Not surprisingly, this addictive number puzzle game has generated interest and books for making Sudoku themed quilts.

This Flickr photo of Sudoku Quilt 60, by Melisande, with both front and back shown below, is not quite quite the standard Sudoku grid of 9×9=81 squares but look how it glows!

If you have ever tried three dimensional fold and tuck quilt assembly, you can not help but admire Melisande’s ingenious manipulation of fabric and tremendous visual impact.

Continue reading →

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