Autumn Chains is in The Final Issue of QQ

For the past few years, I have been fortunate to write an article called "Does It Work?" for the Quilting Quarterly which is the member magazine for the National Quilting Association.  In addition, two of my quilt patterns have been featured.

Recently, the NQA announced that it is disbanding, so the Fall 2015 issue is the final one to be published.

For the first couple of years, the "Does It Work?" articles featured products that I tested and reported the results of the test.  It was fun and I learned a lot.  The last two years, I have worked with a panel of 6 quilters from across the United States to do the testing, reporting their results to me. Then I compiled the results of the 6 testers into an article combining the comments from the testers.  Some times they agreed and sometimes they did not which made it very interesting. It was fun to work with these 6 quilters and get to know them through our correspondence as I had only met one of them in person.

Barbara Polston, a talented quilter in her own right has been the editor of the QQ for several years and was a delight to work with. Click on her name to go to her web site and see the exciting things she is doing.

The final issue of the magazine contains the last "Does It Work?" article. Our testers reported on basting glues.

This final issue also features my pattern Autumn Chains.  This quilt is a scrap quilt as most of mine are and is based on Single Irish Chain, a traditional block.  This past weekend, Autumn Chains started living on my bed for the next couple of months for that Fall feeling in the room.

You may remember that I began this quilt at one of the mini retreats at my friend's cottage in the woods a while back. You can see some of the progress here.  You may notice a glimpse of the quilting here.  The back is pieced and I shared that with you here.

The blocks are on point, so the setting triangles to complete each row are made up of half blocks giving the illusion of a border before the final border.  It is a huge quilt -- 100" x 100" and was quilted on my Bernina.  Huge quilts seem to be my default and are not easy to quilt on a domestic machine!

This photo was taken when the quilt was on the guest room bed.

While I am sad to see the end of the National Quilting Association and the opportunity to write articles for the Quilting Quarterly, it does mean that I can pursue other avenues of quilting and writing.  I do plan to start sharing with you some "Does It Work?" articles.  Some may be things I've already tested and I'm thinking of some other products that I might like to test and report on to you.

It is finally cooler in Arizona this week, meaning it's under 100 degrees, so let the Autumn begin even if it's later than the rest of the country!

Until Next Time

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

Being Published

Life has been quite busy for a while -- sorry for the lack of posts.  I'm hoping things will slow down a bit after Easter.  I doubt it, but I can hope!

A lot of years ago, the first article about quilts with me in it was in the West Allis Star newspaper.  At the time, I certainly would never have classified myself as a quilter, but our ladies group at church decided to make a few charity quilts.  The newspaper somehow found out about it and decided to come take photos.  I was in my late teens or maybe 20 at the time and I appeared in the photos with my sewing machine working on piecing the quilt top.  I tried to find the article, but I've misplaced it.  We had fun and there were two lovely ladies who knew how to quilt and instructed the rest of us. I'd love to show you the article and I will if it turns up.

The next time was in this publication.

 

A group of us decided to do an Amish Challenge and the American Quilter's Society decided it worthy of publication in their magazine, The American Quilter.

 

 

I am the one on the left in the first row.  My quilt is on the right on the same page.  You might recognize a couple of people in the photo.  Bonnie Browning is in the upper left and several years later was hired as the Executive Show Director by the American Quilter's Society.  Also in the photo is Lorinda Lie who wrote Heartfelt Quilts.

 

Several of my quilts have been published in various magazines and books over the years.  It's a lot of fun to have someone call you to ask if it is okay to publish a photo of your quilt!

 

Lorinda isn't the only one who became an author out of our little group.  Bonnie has a number of books published and I also am the author of Pine Tree Quilts.

 

 

It was my intent to do another book shortly after this one, but we moved a couple of times across country and, though many of the quilts were made for the book, I just didn't get it written.

 

As a result of being an AQS author, I was asked to make a quilt to be published in honor of those who died on 9/11/2001.  The book was called United We Quilt.

 

 

I've shown you the quilt that I made to commemorate that day.

 

 

These quilts traveled for 3 years across the country as they were exhibited in galleries in remembrance of that fateful day.



 

Lately, though, I've had several articles published in the Quilting Quarterly which is the National Quilting Association magazine for it's members.

 

 

The first article was the pattern for my quilt Blue Skies and Sunshine, which appeared in the magazine on the left above.  The next 2 articles are a series I'm currently writing called "Does It Work".  In these articles I test various products to see if they live up to their promise.  The middle and right magazines above show the first two of those articles.  Number 3 is coming out any day and the editor has number 4.  I am also working on another quilt that will be published later in the year with it's pattern.  I showed you the beginnings of it, but now it's under wraps until the article comes out this Fall.

 

Deadlines keep us on our toes when we write!  I have 2 articles due the same week, so I will have to carve the time out to get both done, hopefully before the deadline gets too close!

 

Hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures in publishing. It is something I love to do and making the quilts or projects to go along with the articles is a lot of fun, too.

 

 

Until next time!

xoxoXOXOxoxo

 

Lois





 

Quilting Quarterly -- Summer Issue

I was all set to blog about the back art for Jeff's quilt, BUT, this came in the mail yesterday!

If you are a National Quilting Association member, you will recognize this as the cover of the Summer Issue of the Quilting Quarterly, the member magazine.  If you are not a member, please accept my invitation to go to the NQA web site at www.nqaquilts.org to see how to join!

The reason I was so excited to see this particular issue is that inside it is this.

This is my Blue Skies and Sunshine quilt and pattern in this issue of the QQ.  This quilt is based on the traditional Jacob's Ladder block with a 4-patch border in my favorite colors -- Blue and Yellow!  The name came from the fact that every time I worked on this quilt I kept humming the song about blue skies and sunshine which is what we normally have in Arizona!  To me, this is a happy quilt.

Here it is on my bed.  It makes me smile!

It looks nice draped over this old pew, too.  The old pew is from the church I grew up in.  I was lucky enough to get one when the church bought new ones.

This quilt has back art, too.  I'll show you that when I do blog about the back art on Jeff's quilt.

Next week I'll be at the 42nd NQA Quilt Show in Columbus, OH.  If you are going look for me in the Membership Booth or Registration Booth or on Friday morning demonstrating half square triangles in the Medley.  If you are a member, I will also be at the annual meeting.  If you are not a member, we can take care of that, too, since I'm the Member Services Chairperson for the NQA.  Hope to see you there -- I'm so excited I can hardly sit still!

Until next time,
Lois