tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54448291243294504002024-03-21T18:39:50.962-05:00Quilt Addicts AnonymousStephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-24225080250618610322011-09-30T09:36:00.000-05:002011-09-30T09:36:24.779-05:00This blog has a new home<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
When I started blogging, it was to drum up interest in a quilting business I was starting. But over time I've scaled back on the quilts I make to sell, mostly because it takes a lot of time to make something really special and most people just don't understand that and think they can get a hand-made quilt for $50 like they're picking up a bed-in-a-bag at a big box store.</div>
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So I'm turning my focus to selling a few, well-crafted items in a high end artisan shop, taking custom orders and making more quilts for myself and my friends and family. But I don't want to stop blogging. Quilting has a reputation for being a hobby old women have and that's not true at all. There's a growing number of young quilters and there are many of us who create works of art, not just bed coverings. I'd like to help change the perception of quilting through this blog.</div>
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To that end, I've moved the blog to <a href="http://quiltaddictsanonymous.com/">http://quiltaddictsanonymous.com/</a>. You can follow along there to see what I'm working on, attend virtual shop hops, get quilting tutorials and join a quilting challenge (I've got a good one planned for 2012).</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for following and I hope to see you all at the new location.</span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-1384176597876538902011-09-16T08:52:00.001-05:002011-09-16T08:57:33.798-05:00Baby quilt number one is done<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRH5sL3Fy6Gl8lzs3XSFWJBRMBiJ24WZ5GW4C96-so0OCq5pD_8To5_EpZQWipxZmPrM88dlreWXVfUqc5HL_GCcg4TEhPdOieJw-f6H8DCT6kmMlFV0ZhVsNckEda5blc8q9XDMwNK4/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRH5sL3Fy6Gl8lzs3XSFWJBRMBiJ24WZ5GW4C96-so0OCq5pD_8To5_EpZQWipxZmPrM88dlreWXVfUqc5HL_GCcg4TEhPdOieJw-f6H8DCT6kmMlFV0ZhVsNckEda5blc8q9XDMwNK4/" width="240" /></a></div>
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The first quilt I'm making for babies that are due next month is done. The shower is Sunday, so I'll post more photos that show more detail later, but here's a sneak peak at the finished quilt.</div>
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Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-39979864227470242812011-09-08T08:33:00.000-05:002011-09-08T08:33:39.978-05:00Gender-neutral baby quilts are not easy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCQFXO5EjriWkPvEvz25LAJyk-GYUlaXzr-80OKVayrbdaeZnL9Ybfw2r9ZaNkBBFf4LUbPdE0BsJoB_1fR0kOFv6iJcVq9SJQvKkGj0gGk6ZhC38l4WZc5NwmobyKCfkLAOYAIbNkJE/s1600/20110908081536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCQFXO5EjriWkPvEvz25LAJyk-GYUlaXzr-80OKVayrbdaeZnL9Ybfw2r9ZaNkBBFf4LUbPdE0BsJoB_1fR0kOFv6iJcVq9SJQvKkGj0gGk6ZhC38l4WZc5NwmobyKCfkLAOYAIbNkJE/s320/20110908081536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It seems like everyone I know is having a baby in October, which means I have three baby quilts to make this month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I already shared <a href="http://stephaniesoebbing.blogspot.com/2011/08/baby-quilt-preview.html" target="_blank">one preview</a>, now it's time for a second. This mom isn't going to find out the sex of the baby until the little one arrives, that means I need to make a gender-neutral baby quilt.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4P4of22-oNTgzH6vI_b3U6k0wZ-Ge_O5ZNdhyn8xSxqllLDXYX5L-h4sJJczCrM5OJ9oe82nTft5zO0bhR55imiw7hLYKoDh17B7JacDfALaEmhD3PgvzoufBQ8qeB1To-zdKm1akjM/s1600/20110908081632.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4P4of22-oNTgzH6vI_b3U6k0wZ-Ge_O5ZNdhyn8xSxqllLDXYX5L-h4sJJczCrM5OJ9oe82nTft5zO0bhR55imiw7hLYKoDh17B7JacDfALaEmhD3PgvzoufBQ8qeB1To-zdKm1akjM/s320/20110908081632.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW5CRymvasjzo6QX9AcHufaSnaeLLZbymJB4KHKqM-E2SrfwvtyjPiBaSXG0g_kCc854eMPLQ-ZDnMhs_fpNnTJySuRz9E_wHsmVOQzDeff6oPiEh011_524VZ_jGzqt5FCJQGpkOwAs/s1600/20110908081619.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW5CRymvasjzo6QX9AcHufaSnaeLLZbymJB4KHKqM-E2SrfwvtyjPiBaSXG0g_kCc854eMPLQ-ZDnMhs_fpNnTJySuRz9E_wHsmVOQzDeff6oPiEh011_524VZ_jGzqt5FCJQGpkOwAs/s320/20110908081619.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've started one in pastel oranges, blues and browns from a charm pack and matching jelly roll I had in my stash, but now I'm not so sure it's going to work. Although the colors could work for a boy or girl, I'm worried the flower prints put it in the girl category. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Ai7wNcwGAKSEmqzvJZiZlKVH8WfeI010wpf23amcL9M6-WI3OmkuYkC_wu7AT0eJFHo7M7eEIeIChnJ4mc_JY1aRQx0rfSWC7xtbw0FhitC22FMV-SFk_mbORmiDuxEvu1EGXgNwcs/s1600/20110908081656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Ai7wNcwGAKSEmqzvJZiZlKVH8WfeI010wpf23amcL9M6-WI3OmkuYkC_wu7AT0eJFHo7M7eEIeIChnJ4mc_JY1aRQx0rfSWC7xtbw0FhitC22FMV-SFk_mbORmiDuxEvu1EGXgNwcs/s320/20110908081656.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwO8oyZBLNsubtxbb9vKp7NuRchQA_osybWt58pSykf5vR3IgSBpUDvnCS7iPYYIEQ4oT97phY4EaHO3rhF6a8H40ptjatEtmFDE9WB6M-nXrrlfA-6VSzJnanq93h4kGXX6WyPEAzOk/s1600/20110908081648.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwO8oyZBLNsubtxbb9vKp7NuRchQA_osybWt58pSykf5vR3IgSBpUDvnCS7iPYYIEQ4oT97phY4EaHO3rhF6a8H40ptjatEtmFDE9WB6M-nXrrlfA-6VSzJnanq93h4kGXX6WyPEAzOk/s320/20110908081648.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do you think? Could this quilt work for a boy or a girl or should I go back to the drawing board? </span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-73179654664515058532011-09-06T18:00:00.000-05:002011-09-06T18:00:06.599-05:00Quilting with the Donnas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigap5SAok9VqQ5CS4-hl4PXjiG7CzNQx3gavDa2fPK26I1ZvDDTnq5EwXtF6LrPlkrEQVzEOTmyuEiN9KkFsbhXJ12yvuOHleK9U5mBxww555IcrQ817AK20X3IFgnCWL7MngNstGEweM/s1600/20110905144955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigap5SAok9VqQ5CS4-hl4PXjiG7CzNQx3gavDa2fPK26I1ZvDDTnq5EwXtF6LrPlkrEQVzEOTmyuEiN9KkFsbhXJ12yvuOHleK9U5mBxww555IcrQ817AK20X3IFgnCWL7MngNstGEweM/s320/20110905144955.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent the weekend volunteering at the Fall Festival at <a href="http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/conservation/walnut.php" target="_blank">Walnut Grove Pioneer Village</a>. It was a cross roads settlement in Scott County, Iowa, in the 1860s and 18 period buildings have been preserved on the site so visitors can get an up close look at history.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_SuDWSHAok8MgHzoj-nigPg_SOp-wdJ64u5wLbJfp25yxTfRarRCgSSXSIqudiByxasz10HBDLRe4rzEJ8r6NFKteBebYQzCje8xpMm_VQlSLNkzm_gwOzuNz43hmEo21NerAwjQD34/s1600/Pioneer+Village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_SuDWSHAok8MgHzoj-nigPg_SOp-wdJ64u5wLbJfp25yxTfRarRCgSSXSIqudiByxasz10HBDLRe4rzEJ8r6NFKteBebYQzCje8xpMm_VQlSLNkzm_gwOzuNz43hmEo21NerAwjQD34/s320/Pioneer+Village.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of times each summer the <a href="http://mvqg.org/" target="_blank">Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> volunteers at Walnut Grove events to demonstrate hand sewing techniques that were essential parts of everyday living in the not so distant past. We also dress up in period costumes. Yes, that is me in the above photo.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But my favorite part of the weekend was sewing and chatting with Donna Lanman, my quilting mentor, and Donna Furrow, who knows quite a bit about sewing history. Plus they're fun to spend time with. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always learn something new from Donna Lanman every time I see her. This weekend it was about a simple, but stunning border quilting pattern. And I love watching Donna Furrow explain how the treadle sewing machine works to the kids who pass by, getting them interested in sewing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who inspires you to quilt?</span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com018817 290th St, Long Grove, IA 52756, USA41.726733 -90.53283741.725251500000006 -90.5353045 41.7282145 -90.5303695tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-13209788455029573402011-08-31T08:57:00.000-05:002011-08-31T08:57:11.700-05:00Baby quilt preview<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg2qoYBDJQVdqM7e3IsNU8Fd5PnkR0tASW2UzPFJgBOWdKbKT7SuOAtmiaCOSN4AdtoQ82lGpc-VnU4mCq51dftFp4kYgnQLjAuuHJg4k0tzC5fU4cR4HqKWrB9i3OWS0hW3CD4CY960/s1600/20110831082035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg2qoYBDJQVdqM7e3IsNU8Fd5PnkR0tASW2UzPFJgBOWdKbKT7SuOAtmiaCOSN4AdtoQ82lGpc-VnU4mCq51dftFp4kYgnQLjAuuHJg4k0tzC5fU4cR4HqKWrB9i3OWS0hW3CD4CY960/s320/20110831082035.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've got a nephew due to arrive in October so I started a quilt for him. His parents are big Illini fans so it will be made of blue, orange and white solids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can't share too many photos j</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ust in case my sister-in-law looks at this post, but I can tell you that it's made of 1 1/2-inch squares and I'm going to need a design wall to put it together. </span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-81180069657860602742011-08-29T09:06:00.001-05:002011-08-29T11:28:36.654-05:00Sewing room redo<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent all day yesterday in my sewing room, but I didn't sew a thing. I was cleaning and reorganizing <i>everything</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The closet, all my tubs and storage bins, even the bookshelf. I still have a little work to do before the transformation is complete and right now there are several piles of laundry on the floor that need to be finished before I can take photos.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXdLuODxJG7TzV6c1uaJPEQMariUXY9SZSYjjOF-RHn_HGDrEcfxSxMQyjy_kl2SiA-so5V8pye2H5kyMtlSqMUZKLToUZW_qBDbZr0GZRij69YbJ9MpIX9FazBtVDnjV9fD9R9Mc9sw/s1600/Sewing+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXdLuODxJG7TzV6c1uaJPEQMariUXY9SZSYjjOF-RHn_HGDrEcfxSxMQyjy_kl2SiA-so5V8pye2H5kyMtlSqMUZKLToUZW_qBDbZr0GZRij69YbJ9MpIX9FazBtVDnjV9fD9R9Mc9sw/s320/Sewing+room.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I will share one very cute part that I added to create a place to display some of the antique notions and pin cushions I've collected. I found this shelf at Goodwill for $9. It wasn't in the best of shape, but a little dusting and elbow grease had it looking good as new.</span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-83979683652650130482011-08-26T09:03:00.000-05:002011-08-26T09:03:39.828-05:00Paper piecing is great for beginner quilters<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qHJvjyUUQBY5RbcSOOaG9pbdllUUZub5sTIe8QmGRg0Pt_9cfBNTCfPS_vfhOXBhDOZD5ogSy_-SPoIkUNhUwsH3raNztPZnULH57ZZkBfDfF-FCIk_VM29xOyZOzh80qBYwcMPQTzQ/s1600/20110818175754%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qHJvjyUUQBY5RbcSOOaG9pbdllUUZub5sTIe8QmGRg0Pt_9cfBNTCfPS_vfhOXBhDOZD5ogSy_-SPoIkUNhUwsH3raNztPZnULH57ZZkBfDfF-FCIk_VM29xOyZOzh80qBYwcMPQTzQ/s320/20110818175754%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I taught my first quilt class last Saturday on paper piecing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love this quilting method because it allows you to get really sharp points without templates or insanely accurate quarter-inch seams. It's kind of like sewing by numbers and its really easy once you get the hang of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was teaching the class because I'm in charge of designing a tree for the Festival of Trees. It's going to be filled with ornaments made from fabric. The hope is that if more people know how to make paper pieced Christmas ornaments, hopefully I won't have to make them all myself this November.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the blocks my students came up with. They did a great job for beginners.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53uZ4G627apHXGNX3xsmEPfit7veu8xQgKcUAOaZR7XFi2rf1_Keh4n0wqzhvRBJe3OHrDVcARy9Yi7rhOA-p0pTofroXnC4lHAwA4_O3JTSWl1KcoYURZRdIt48Hjqcy_e89z6VhOL8/s1600/20110820131612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53uZ4G627apHXGNX3xsmEPfit7veu8xQgKcUAOaZR7XFi2rf1_Keh4n0wqzhvRBJe3OHrDVcARy9Yi7rhOA-p0pTofroXnC4lHAwA4_O3JTSWl1KcoYURZRdIt48Hjqcy_e89z6VhOL8/s320/20110820131612.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbfNqt27OC7bV2hKAJyl52zo01yB0z-0jcQ19O2IszJ7A3cKsvx2KVibU0InRkqJaq3EG_380wLRq1FpbEk33t5DspeLndEczQN0dkB8_65btDNnWvW-eoTod3KDlPXj0Ou6IXDXdUNs/s1600/20110820131638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbfNqt27OC7bV2hKAJyl52zo01yB0z-0jcQ19O2IszJ7A3cKsvx2KVibU0InRkqJaq3EG_380wLRq1FpbEk33t5DspeLndEczQN0dkB8_65btDNnWvW-eoTod3KDlPXj0Ou6IXDXdUNs/s320/20110820131638.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0rWmuEm9YmOhfdIDgV076sFBIJurEy_bT-38ZPUNLN8Xmr9eXjWcTltz1m-t08dqzZCD9-JVq_7g8lz9mqNL_UG1gPrLjRpzTE8ryShfwnGrV-ZA0GboCc91e8CTbpzO9HaUWUhFe3c/s1600/20110820133637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0rWmuEm9YmOhfdIDgV076sFBIJurEy_bT-38ZPUNLN8Xmr9eXjWcTltz1m-t08dqzZCD9-JVq_7g8lz9mqNL_UG1gPrLjRpzTE8ryShfwnGrV-ZA0GboCc91e8CTbpzO9HaUWUhFe3c/s320/20110820133637.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS0uL509mv04HZngEy8e43lYV285ysSv7JISQ6GNXzQVdv8OtZvfPl3lzM3nM7Lmy5ty3rUe_siQZlvMXKkgkjcJdPdQWdo6v_m4S9HjFOF14-MnqvUqH4eQ9clYkTniG5GLpdPgKRq4/s1600/20110820133812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS0uL509mv04HZngEy8e43lYV285ysSv7JISQ6GNXzQVdv8OtZvfPl3lzM3nM7Lmy5ty3rUe_siQZlvMXKkgkjcJdPdQWdo6v_m4S9HjFOF14-MnqvUqH4eQ9clYkTniG5GLpdPgKRq4/s320/20110820133812.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-49724725417165964782011-08-24T17:30:00.001-05:002011-08-24T17:30:00.623-05:00How to use saved searches on ebay<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love ebay. It's a great place to find just about anything you're looking for including antique quilts and sewing notions.<br />
<br />
But what I don't love is browsing through pages of listings for items that may, or may not meet my criteria. Enter the saved search, which sends new listings directly to your e-mail in a daily digest so you'll never miss out on an awesome purchase.<br />
<br />
Here's how to set one up: Search for the item you're dying to have. Make it as specific or general as you want. Then hit the "Save search" link, which is circled in red on the image below.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7ocXD0mEVUtpuLSQbvatNtx4umKQKdLqWk-t8jXNY7Po7HrdQCpxVEETmcYBL1ats4QQONXC3UNr8bu_RrTKlHY7t6z_uhbHtHhSY46rXAt-w2aSgqPy7oDYS0cwB75yLgbt7-tN8nc/s1600/Saved+search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7ocXD0mEVUtpuLSQbvatNtx4umKQKdLqWk-t8jXNY7Po7HrdQCpxVEETmcYBL1ats4QQONXC3UNr8bu_RrTKlHY7t6z_uhbHtHhSY46rXAt-w2aSgqPy7oDYS0cwB75yLgbt7-tN8nc/s320/Saved+search.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
A new window will pop up that will allow you to name the search and have new listings sent to your e-mail once a day.<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMZZAODgSqoH1shY-uLlTJDrCE-ZOgH-Jm8svyEI8Yx2lPCJqGjT_UaqFEYSLioPTp1N417f3FGvege09XVcgBnWMY2zPAjXVqEC8WtU82hGA38ba9lfJgnUdYRxhJ6TWzjWJDDNCvxE/s1600/Saved+search2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMZZAODgSqoH1shY-uLlTJDrCE-ZOgH-Jm8svyEI8Yx2lPCJqGjT_UaqFEYSLioPTp1N417f3FGvege09XVcgBnWMY2zPAjXVqEC8WtU82hGA38ba9lfJgnUdYRxhJ6TWzjWJDDNCvxE/s320/Saved+search2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
If you ever need to edit your saved search preferences, just go to the saved searches portion in "My ebay." That's all there is to it.<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq_1EJUUuqCvIkznzEqvD2mdNyKAa-xBNCnLYao02gjxnBgfTuZcVqx-0pJL5mgfPlHwcHoLu8bq3neY2vlLAfQEFizUoBSI6B6NMK4yLl1GkYGUpW-n-iJRRf50uoN60Ovu9TAy9zug/s1600/Saved+search3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq_1EJUUuqCvIkznzEqvD2mdNyKAa-xBNCnLYao02gjxnBgfTuZcVqx-0pJL5mgfPlHwcHoLu8bq3neY2vlLAfQEFizUoBSI6B6NMK4yLl1GkYGUpW-n-iJRRf50uoN60Ovu9TAy9zug/s320/Saved+search3.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-88068221743701529652011-08-22T06:00:00.008-05:002011-08-22T06:00:07.405-05:00Quilted placemat tutorial - Part 2<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IYQCyIdVnCE" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>This video was originally produced for the <a href="http://qctimes.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/homeowner-rookies/" target="_blank">Home Rookies</a> blog, which Stephanie writes for her day job at a daily newspaper.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For fabric requirements and part 1, <a href="http://stephaniesoebbing.blogspot.com/2011/08/quilted-placemat-tutorial-part-1.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></div>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-5638986043116557432011-08-19T06:00:00.012-05:002011-08-19T13:51:25.669-05:00Quilted placemat tutorial - Part 1<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GiElQTqWlFk" width="420"></iframe></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This video was originally produced for the <a href="http://qctimes.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/homeowner-rookies/" target="_blank">Home Rookies</a> blog, which Stephanie writes for her day job at a daily newspaper.</i></span></span><br />
<div style="font-style: inherit;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="font-style: inherit;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabric requirements</span></strong></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 fabric panel with square images measuring at least 6 1/2 inches wide for the placemat center*</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/4 yards of white fireworks fabric*</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 of a yard of dark blue and red star fabric*</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 3/4 yards of flag stripe fabric*</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-by-4-foot piece of batting*</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* Makes four placemats</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For each placemat, cut:</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - 6 1/2-inch square from the panel</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 3-by-6 1/2-inch rectangles of white fireworks fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 3-by-11 1/2-inch rectangles of white fireworks fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 1 1/2-by-10-inch strips of blue and red star fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 3 1/2-by-10 inch strips from flag stripe fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - 2 1/2-inch strip by the width of the blue and red star fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 1 1/2-by-14-inch strips of blue and red star fabric</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - 18-by-24-inch piece of batting</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - 18-by-24-inch piece of flag stripe fabric<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - 2 1/2-inch strips by the width of the white fireworks fabric</span></div>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-67910709158063319552011-08-18T07:55:00.002-05:002011-08-18T08:02:18.164-05:00Looking for a quilt shop? There's an app for that<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vJiICbu1bUIcFA_yu2Y_zzl-s-IB7ePzp00GuiOjuq0eJBJqyHRXl3q-ZFNlD4_VpqW3YtT3pkdKObnvwoTxd031VDNljQwxcgA4Svzku1mp-FVb50FObCjjQ8Zf2zyGtSfrphgxOts/s1600/app_4064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vJiICbu1bUIcFA_yu2Y_zzl-s-IB7ePzp00GuiOjuq0eJBJqyHRXl3q-ZFNlD4_VpqW3YtT3pkdKObnvwoTxd031VDNljQwxcgA4Svzku1mp-FVb50FObCjjQ8Zf2zyGtSfrphgxOts/s1600/app_4064.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fonsandporter.com/quiltshopapp.html" target="_blank">Quilter's Club of America and Fons and Porter</a> have released a new app that helps you find quilt shops based on your location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've tested it out around home and when I was on vacation last week and I love it. I used to spend time researching quilt shops on the Internet before going on vacation. I'd bring detailed notes with me about their hours, locations and directions from my hotel to the quilt shop. Now I can find out all that information on my phone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's how the app works: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In theory, the app senses your location using GPS technology. I say "in theory" because the feature has never worked on my phone. But you can search by city and state or zip code as well, which is what I use. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The app then takes you to a map of the area with the quilt shops highlighted with a dot. When you touch the dot, the name, location and phone number appears. You can also view the quilt shops in a list organized by distance from your location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are a few bugs in the app besides the GPS sensor not working properly on my Andriod phone. Normally you can call a telephone number listed in an app or online just by touching it, but this app reads it as a web page and you get an error message. Also, you're not able to get directions from your current location to the quilt shop you want to go to within the app, but you can follow the map in the app the old fashioned way. Finally, while more than 2,500 quilt shops are listed with the app, not every quilt shop in the US is in the system. So far I've found two that are not in the areas I've visited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But bugs aside, this is a great app for the traveling quilter and it's free. So make sure to download it before your next trip.</span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-10785850041847401782011-08-16T08:33:00.002-05:002011-08-16T08:38:01.590-05:00'True Love Quilting Club' makes quilts sexy<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061808903/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=bar08-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399377&creativeASIN=0061808903"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0061808903&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=bar08-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" width="121" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bar08-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061808903&camp=217145&creative=399377" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was not expecting such a steamy book when I picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061808903/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=bar08-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399377&creativeASIN=0061808903"target="_blank">"The True Love Quilting Club"</a> off of my grandmother's shelf. But once I started the book, I couldn't put it down until I finished it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While there is a decent amount of quilting in this book, it is primarily a love story, and a sexy one at that. Some of the scenes were so hot, they made me blush.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The story follows Trixie Lynn Parks, who has changed her name to Emma, and has found herself back in Twilight, Texas, to perform in a community play after she kneed a Broadway producer in the family jewels when he propositioned her with an inappropriate deal to jump start her career. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thinking her acting career, which had never amounted to much anyway, was effectively over, she runs into her high school sweetheart, Sam Cheek, who is recovering from the death of his wife and raising her son who hasn't spoken in a year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The courtship of Sam and Emma is just as sweet as it is sexy. Author Lori Wilde develops full characters that you find yourself rooting for. And while it takes 173 pages for them to kiss, the scene is so hot, that it's worth the wait. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Besides the romance, the book features a 30-year-old learning to quilt, a group of women who support each other through difficult times and celebrate the good ones, honoring veterans with war memorial quilts and a very touching scene that involves a memory quilt. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So while this book at its heart, is a romance novel, hopefully it also will teach women that quilting is both an art and a form of therapy not just for those who make the quilts, but also for the recipients. </span></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-81592471117691404432011-08-15T07:53:00.000-05:002011-08-15T07:53:48.117-05:00Virtual shop hop: Quilting Divas in Green Bay, Wisconsion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzV2d7q2NspaTWBeArQ_SqBQNzgcoWIo6eDLK6ioltkueRixdP3yPYdwyQWu6x2D9MKWx0nqkMmTgYFRraVrS3guhyphenhyphenqh4OsXJJlsE1p1E80q7OKUs2XQN6QjIbmPsGhiKCaWOWSM792Q/s1600/20110810163656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzV2d7q2NspaTWBeArQ_SqBQNzgcoWIo6eDLK6ioltkueRixdP3yPYdwyQWu6x2D9MKWx0nqkMmTgYFRraVrS3guhyphenhyphenqh4OsXJJlsE1p1E80q7OKUs2XQN6QjIbmPsGhiKCaWOWSM792Q/s320/20110810163656.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of my favorite things to do on vacation is visit quilt shops. I love seeing what's popular in other areas of the country.</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week I found <a href="http://quiltingdivassew.com/" target="_blank">Quilting Divas Sewing Boutique</a> in Green Bay, Wis., an amazing shop were sassy meets quilting. Take the store's mascot for example, a life-sized stick figure quilter made out of sewing notions. Yes, those are pin cushions for breasts.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKbhlgE-gR8ii7b8J9RDxhBcluE6yhCwNnuuUlEQKkNx9Vjyk-VcqZmoKFL5TeGCtlOXzWadPdq7xdU9Y1l6davEJKRpHgC7a4kgBeKbEUugchCDJMxRsAqi8WgnWiFlSKETA-n3m0_s/s1600/20110810164027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKbhlgE-gR8ii7b8J9RDxhBcluE6yhCwNnuuUlEQKkNx9Vjyk-VcqZmoKFL5TeGCtlOXzWadPdq7xdU9Y1l6davEJKRpHgC7a4kgBeKbEUugchCDJMxRsAqi8WgnWiFlSKETA-n3m0_s/s320/20110810164027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The store has a wide variety of fabric, including landscape prints that I've always heard about, but have never seen. The bolts are laid out nicely according to collection with space to stand back and see how the collection would work together in a quilt. You know, as opposed to the quilt shop that packs so much fabric into a small shop with low ceilings that you feel like you might suffocate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The shop, which opened last fall, features a new quilting diva each month in the form of a trunk show. This month the shop owner's parents </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bernice and Eugene Hermsen are the honorary shop diva and divo. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQJ2z1ynacXVpkxOWyPHehG4HX6gd5yjJVViftCtQ89C1nXS7w6aDIuC4D2zHM2LQnEX8-r6N2ObLXDUk7gsOx9TLniIeaMyr96JKX3_1hRYAuwwBiIHK6q8K7UNwB_NkOCifNwydZ-Q/s1600/20110810165051.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQJ2z1ynacXVpkxOWyPHehG4HX6gd5yjJVViftCtQ89C1nXS7w6aDIuC4D2zHM2LQnEX8-r6N2ObLXDUk7gsOx9TLniIeaMyr96JKX3_1hRYAuwwBiIHK6q8K7UNwB_NkOCifNwydZ-Q/s320/20110810165051.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNBJNeiLJh3WmBf_1xjcy49GSS9KHbEuENYma4RFkz_xvwEm4wMHPSioCFaoG2CGmQoDQE7CfhuumCBC1MiPaDs0zQgoh6DAvp6WZt-GTb5YaIeZCU2D8hBjgKIg6DvBX13vv3-_ssNo/s1600/20110810165101.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNBJNeiLJh3WmBf_1xjcy49GSS9KHbEuENYma4RFkz_xvwEm4wMHPSioCFaoG2CGmQoDQE7CfhuumCBC1MiPaDs0zQgoh6DAvp6WZt-GTb5YaIeZCU2D8hBjgKIg6DvBX13vv3-_ssNo/s320/20110810165101.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0vtFq75VBUNOr0QqZWxvo0wJooriwXmMf0mHiBuK75a835HyGbv9ptGgkmFCmmdBpbw57Uc-leG8FHH0C2hwiLTtAqCweWClitaLvmJoCUssZwyPuJ0qjSrS75WdCwUnyoDxjh4ccco/s1600/20110810165113.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0vtFq75VBUNOr0QqZWxvo0wJooriwXmMf0mHiBuK75a835HyGbv9ptGgkmFCmmdBpbw57Uc-leG8FHH0C2hwiLTtAqCweWClitaLvmJoCUssZwyPuJ0qjSrS75WdCwUnyoDxjh4ccco/s320/20110810165113.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They've made some impressive quilts for their seven children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, including a cathedral window and a grandmother's flower garden. Both patterns must be entirely hand pieced and often remain unfinished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I highly recommend checking out Quilting Divas the next time you're in Green Bay.</span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-69056737636394029052011-08-12T18:22:00.001-05:002011-08-12T18:22:57.447-05:00On the border<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMgN_x8ki0frm3A_y8y6MoDY20P-e22VIV5QBUr_hH40yZ2A89kbYmGdbQoGXZdXsVC-JZxaipfhP_nPXJYviZdTyJUgWwp8BL1KDqoYsI2pPggk1Klmc6e0z8sG2zZCPVKDjqzQwYVY/s1600/20110808180910-777448.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMgN_x8ki0frm3A_y8y6MoDY20P-e22VIV5QBUr_hH40yZ2A89kbYmGdbQoGXZdXsVC-JZxaipfhP_nPXJYviZdTyJUgWwp8BL1KDqoYsI2pPggk1Klmc6e0z8sG2zZCPVKDjqzQwYVY/s320/20110808180910-777448.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640114025396750258" /></a></p><p>I finished piecing the top of my sister's signature quilt from her wedding. I think it needs a border. I've got an idea about what I want to do, but would welcome suggestions. I have a lot of the white fabric left, a little of the light pink and not much of the dark pink.</p> Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-16686895878345699062011-08-11T06:15:00.002-05:002011-08-11T06:15:01.581-05:00Virtual shop hop: Willow Creek in Kalona, Iowa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3c0c2pH8S1oLRBiz284HKUHBjOZR9ZV7P7GJzxg7xpBDubg-7GU3cw74iNQp0jMzqX5SQ7HOh98SBC1CI4aVEjNd3V6Ny8HbbpZU0Yos3nitf9-ssvyjQy-ORASBALSLlvkpFS_yQ64/s1600/20110806150255.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3c0c2pH8S1oLRBiz284HKUHBjOZR9ZV7P7GJzxg7xpBDubg-7GU3cw74iNQp0jMzqX5SQ7HOh98SBC1CI4aVEjNd3V6Ny8HbbpZU0Yos3nitf9-ssvyjQy-ORASBALSLlvkpFS_yQ64/s320/20110806150255.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637980514497732050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />If you find yourself in Kalona, Iowa, you must visit Willow Creek Quilting and Gifts.<br /><br />This shop has hundreds of bolts of fabric that are all neatly organized so that shoppers won't get overwhelmed. The shop has the largest supply of Civil War and 1930 reproduction prints that I've ever seen in one location.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10JNXaPBTCLp-mVZ9ACgWbMV3J2Z_lGDP7H921f2YFxbn76SJQvalNHtg3Vk3Iv4Ienvk_W9FbIWNIKkqdD068E1if1KcwGiYrXcdyE0MKwrajiHE85HsZzU87jxzRGMg_3NonB-4UGw/s1600/20110806151026.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10JNXaPBTCLp-mVZ9ACgWbMV3J2Z_lGDP7H921f2YFxbn76SJQvalNHtg3Vk3Iv4Ienvk_W9FbIWNIKkqdD068E1if1KcwGiYrXcdyE0MKwrajiHE85HsZzU87jxzRGMg_3NonB-4UGw/s320/20110806151026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637980480218386578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwaz4q9XY38aVKFmzNf1NfpAFNlYTCEg2LlCF1E-bmWWF4y-Ig_FuUJhQ8vvYsr2Q33VbujFVBnzGMtGvfX-n62x4oqYtgdyIJdFjqvJ_EcugaJFoWHcBolkp1yV5nn9QwNEDsxyC0eM/s1600/20110806150508.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwaz4q9XY38aVKFmzNf1NfpAFNlYTCEg2LlCF1E-bmWWF4y-Ig_FuUJhQ8vvYsr2Q33VbujFVBnzGMtGvfX-n62x4oqYtgdyIJdFjqvJ_EcugaJFoWHcBolkp1yV5nn9QwNEDsxyC0eM/s320/20110806150508.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637980491490356530" border="0" /></a><br />There also is an entire room dedicated to baby quilts. And if modern fabric is your style, they've got that too, although most of the prints have a country feel.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi20UHmhpHpFQ_4RuLSrbRJ2UGQLpEHPKTfZ2VcjSisPSQXYuYyGnH_MebWXyn9X8jfvtVpMznN_QqmH2DK_HVygOu1yoq7ywgOEl-AqHF-0IbOKbmuqwHCDQ66En15yHUGFlk9iIpUg/s1600/20110806150419.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi20UHmhpHpFQ_4RuLSrbRJ2UGQLpEHPKTfZ2VcjSisPSQXYuYyGnH_MebWXyn9X8jfvtVpMznN_QqmH2DK_HVygOu1yoq7ywgOEl-AqHF-0IbOKbmuqwHCDQ66En15yHUGFlk9iIpUg/s320/20110806150419.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637980498459268194" border="0" /></a></span></span></span><br />Be sure to check out their supply of kits and vast collection of wool fabrics. It also is the only place I've been able to find a pair of Machinger quilting gloves, and I've been searching since last Christmas when the dog chewed a finger off of mine.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FeuQc7N2EvNU2_YJ59cqlZjXPV0b0anX84PVCPaNwNtzIsaN3umNKqvDr5IcrtobgQgdqHgob76Qmpk5TzOc8OYtzF-_b00HivSXAm6QNepjJK7-YUWDMS-KODy0cS9rqDgS2Yx8DIw/s1600/20110806150323.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FeuQc7N2EvNU2_YJ59cqlZjXPV0b0anX84PVCPaNwNtzIsaN3umNKqvDr5IcrtobgQgdqHgob76Qmpk5TzOc8OYtzF-_b00HivSXAm6QNepjJK7-YUWDMS-KODy0cS9rqDgS2Yx8DIw/s320/20110806150323.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637980507233335058" border="0" /></a>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-36405147052957398842011-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:002011-08-10T06:00:13.648-05:00Kalona quilts continued<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwDWO5eA-lat4k61ttyxhsvq-J5O_TG95_F3Bz6b63ln1YQB_wmhkwaMwSFjVnIE2-hYBonlGn1DPwUHYilJCArerz6KhQ5EEfBxr5vXmrSohc81kyLICa0n_tLkSojVBulPNwH-2-JM/s1600/20110806121540.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwDWO5eA-lat4k61ttyxhsvq-J5O_TG95_F3Bz6b63ln1YQB_wmhkwaMwSFjVnIE2-hYBonlGn1DPwUHYilJCArerz6KhQ5EEfBxr5vXmrSohc81kyLICa0n_tLkSojVBulPNwH-2-JM/s320/20110806121540.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637977440840310818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The <a href="http://www.kalonaiowa.org/KHV.htm" target="_blank">Kalona Historical Village</a> put together an exhibit just for the <a href="http://www.quilthistory.com/study/IIQSG.htm" target="_blank">Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group</a> that featured quilts with a family story. The quilts are absolutely remarkable and I'll them speak for themselves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUae4uFlxXuKursfwdk9NK1k6-JSUy-IEZA-4nCFGCaC9vAK9fGyFJYJMPBmBS90cxoxaq3OVtrelE_KthdPMH8V197wEPRz4SAwaxVSWNQRJnK-E5ZcJqlTpkRG6BoC4wLMAieOa1Y3Q/s1600/20110806121346.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUae4uFlxXuKursfwdk9NK1k6-JSUy-IEZA-4nCFGCaC9vAK9fGyFJYJMPBmBS90cxoxaq3OVtrelE_KthdPMH8V197wEPRz4SAwaxVSWNQRJnK-E5ZcJqlTpkRG6BoC4wLMAieOa1Y3Q/s320/20110806121346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637977433562711794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2P3cotzCzI3X5Dw4zRm1B-FIyIPdC4UD5ykcfGHKJ4F9uRtpn8HuJgO9pUAJrefDQQGNwP2NZZ_hmtIFn_c8c7T8MiX8sV0fpZOf4wAf4lnP4xYt39088OPUUiMYjdcutzPdkqCv6I0/s1600/20110806121101.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2P3cotzCzI3X5Dw4zRm1B-FIyIPdC4UD5ykcfGHKJ4F9uRtpn8HuJgO9pUAJrefDQQGNwP2NZZ_hmtIFn_c8c7T8MiX8sV0fpZOf4wAf4lnP4xYt39088OPUUiMYjdcutzPdkqCv6I0/s320/20110806121101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637977428513311218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxXd02_2oLvlcMZIWMaL1sL-Yvz4eP9qFkQaik0b2nFOckVFVrCIrhZ-XULtn7ANmK42IKWnaZYQkfMwtCg9RftkgK9Cqn9HdmRFl0JxrfVnVbGboAjHrAskmNR-POcTx_GjULRBX8jg/s1600/20110806121005.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxXd02_2oLvlcMZIWMaL1sL-Yvz4eP9qFkQaik0b2nFOckVFVrCIrhZ-XULtn7ANmK42IKWnaZYQkfMwtCg9RftkgK9Cqn9HdmRFl0JxrfVnVbGboAjHrAskmNR-POcTx_GjULRBX8jg/s320/20110806121005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637977415849347634" border="0" /></a></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-36644309955697745312011-08-09T06:00:00.000-05:002011-08-09T06:00:24.989-05:00Amish quilts: Striking solids<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqCUJwjxDnGDHYjZCwxhhuik5jsi7JuzsoCKQ6Iof09-ZGIb4TLewKDua2DRnY7dpF_dDU0U25OwKo5FRZ_wCgfebGmiSlKHhnCHTcSxrPn0mT44wmRBfoiYVSRUdtSEBpbvmdCMWYJY/s1600/20110806090444.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqCUJwjxDnGDHYjZCwxhhuik5jsi7JuzsoCKQ6Iof09-ZGIb4TLewKDua2DRnY7dpF_dDU0U25OwKo5FRZ_wCgfebGmiSlKHhnCHTcSxrPn0mT44wmRBfoiYVSRUdtSEBpbvmdCMWYJY/s320/20110806090444.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637974362972490322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group was held at the <a href="http://www.kalonaiowa.org/KHV.htm">Kalona Historic Village</a>, which features a nationally known quilt and textile museum.<br /><br />There also is an Amish population near Kalona, Iowa, so the museum has a gallery dedicated to traditional Amish quilts. I love the look of Amish quilts. The solid colors are so simple on their own, but when they're put together the quilts come alive.<br /><br />What is even more remarkable, is the women who made the antique Amish quilts didn't have an education past the eighth grade and no training in geometry.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfgHudpNNFgcWIS6ycXh7c5VgFZVcxCvzsWEqCi_Ac4GvYfM47qeWQ_xcZ5EGzwdavvqByi1dKVba81x64jFrME2j6ZUATNtR5xeT7ubGz0i8Effls-aFPJdg0c4ugCCi__1QmJKYti0/s1600/20110806120904.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfgHudpNNFgcWIS6ycXh7c5VgFZVcxCvzsWEqCi_Ac4GvYfM47qeWQ_xcZ5EGzwdavvqByi1dKVba81x64jFrME2j6ZUATNtR5xeT7ubGz0i8Effls-aFPJdg0c4ugCCi__1QmJKYti0/s320/20110806120904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637974395385858402" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid16C2W5uH1nUsx6njD-nigzUSGjw58V8Gq7v7_t9cLTrVwcIGiZU9XxXJx_3JKSUkn2Hbsw9UUTo5oB4zp62dNc4oQlqT_RK794jil0pReXfdpsMlYed5x7QSjFhHVgzEl1LwN-E9Op4/s1600/20110806120832.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid16C2W5uH1nUsx6njD-nigzUSGjw58V8Gq7v7_t9cLTrVwcIGiZU9XxXJx_3JKSUkn2Hbsw9UUTo5oB4zp62dNc4oQlqT_RK794jil0pReXfdpsMlYed5x7QSjFhHVgzEl1LwN-E9Op4/s320/20110806120832.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637974387003035698" border="0" /></a></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k42nqtZXqhowrWAN2fZaX0AXcOTVHnzhLP6GCML802iicKc-YhDCu5mUmBi0F5yWzDDPx4-7qI9S_DfnjqsEw_o7uLi6mwt4Zf8MR5IuE14FZ_SKWSGXCnopzN_obu2hb8OLuZ1gDSw/s1600/20110806120816.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k42nqtZXqhowrWAN2fZaX0AXcOTVHnzhLP6GCML802iicKc-YhDCu5mUmBi0F5yWzDDPx4-7qI9S_DfnjqsEw_o7uLi6mwt4Zf8MR5IuE14FZ_SKWSGXCnopzN_obu2hb8OLuZ1gDSw/s320/20110806120816.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637974378633639442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkLUEVTcn1WyNNAvrq-X4UyECPPsEJXfd0QXI6FAvkMoG1n9fwGJBqnXOJMTTojS4imBfr4sPs4TVDCWNkMmQvZi2XOvz1xI-gDtlZrAedU7HUgjtkee2JrTGNvHiw4q3jAz-2dJk9iY/s1600/20110806120714.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkLUEVTcn1WyNNAvrq-X4UyECPPsEJXfd0QXI6FAvkMoG1n9fwGJBqnXOJMTTojS4imBfr4sPs4TVDCWNkMmQvZi2XOvz1xI-gDtlZrAedU7HUgjtkee2JrTGNvHiw4q3jAz-2dJk9iY/s320/20110806120714.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637974370029713314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-77665549299476240852011-08-08T06:00:00.001-05:002011-08-08T06:00:17.646-05:00Family stories in quilts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7ExktDMCT-IsLm3szxaHXfIU5PHiWVH6VTp57M6tS3eDrAyAtr3ffXFSYDz0FNiAleq2hEGHQdzKoZokAo_i9Q0nw9M7fOVk38waC-wAmPX6kHWw-w1FBGmwgCddUkQ3Z4Nr7T3WiFM/s1600/20110806100954.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7ExktDMCT-IsLm3szxaHXfIU5PHiWVH6VTp57M6tS3eDrAyAtr3ffXFSYDz0FNiAleq2hEGHQdzKoZokAo_i9Q0nw9M7fOVk38waC-wAmPX6kHWw-w1FBGmwgCddUkQ3Z4Nr7T3WiFM/s320/20110806100954.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637963937833134258" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I went the the <a href="http://www.quilthistory.com/study/IIQSG.htm" target="_blank">Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group</a> for the first time last weekend. The study topic was family quilts.<br /><br />The only family quilts I have are ones that I'll make and pass down to my children someday. And I hope that these hypothetical children will cherish these quilts so that they don't end up at an estate sale or on Ebay when I'm gone.<br /><br />That's where appraiser and lecturer Janette Dwyer purchased </span><span style="font-family:arial;">many of the baby quilts she brought to show as part of her lecture, "Baby Quilts: A blanket with a heartbeat."<br /><br />As you can imagine, antique baby quilts in good condition are rare since most of them received several washings and were used until they were worn out. Many of the surviving examples we have came from wealthy families who could afford to make more than one baby quilt.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStRyq_LP08ewCY5E6TVzL_5mG6GdXAutiKPeZCwJiqk7k50W5SDz4dViijI6xYjakPUPhX-sfxMvDdtTtTJ_oiNbHT6e2rz0W-Dp70xnV0Tz_8_LDLvoaVWmJwXwTzjC4kEEqm5iBRNM/s1600/20110806095631.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStRyq_LP08ewCY5E6TVzL_5mG6GdXAutiKPeZCwJiqk7k50W5SDz4dViijI6xYjakPUPhX-sfxMvDdtTtTJ_oiNbHT6e2rz0W-Dp70xnV0Tz_8_LDLvoaVWmJwXwTzjC4kEEqm5iBRNM/s320/20110806095631.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637963928519307634" border="0" /></a></span><br />Some of the most adorable quilts Janette brought with were quilt kits from the 1950s of embroidered scenes such as bears, babies and animals.<br /><br />Janette's advice for deciding when to buy an antique quilt is: "If I want it or I don't have it. ... Also if you touch it twice, then buy it."<br /><br />One thing that was emphasized over and over again was to get as much information as you possibly could about a quilt from the seller when you buy it. But take the provenance with a grain of salt, because sometimes oral histories are not correct and the information garnered from the fabric and pattern put it in a different time period than family history places it.<br /><br />I'll be writing more posts about the Study Group later this week. It was pretty neat, and I have lots of pictures of some really amazing quilts.<br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-34608658756352709912011-08-06T22:03:00.004-05:002011-08-06T22:22:32.813-05:00It's Christmas in my mailbox<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDjYEvajzomCZErdCqhhAz2hK4nNlwhkacVHuY16UgN1fJK16zw5dxEWhKs1Y1OoVHcxEZ_UpWmkTY-RPLnc_rFhch4AleW136zE804GaLlNn5p6hMW0I75f1KapgciMq4aQOzyH0qxA/s1600/202_image.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDjYEvajzomCZErdCqhhAz2hK4nNlwhkacVHuY16UgN1fJK16zw5dxEWhKs1Y1OoVHcxEZ_UpWmkTY-RPLnc_rFhch4AleW136zE804GaLlNn5p6hMW0I75f1KapgciMq4aQOzyH0qxA/s320/202_image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637948840951649522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm the lead designer for the <a href="http://mvqg.org/" target="_blank">Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild </a>Christmas tree for the <a href="http://www.quadcityarts.com/festoftrees.asp" target="_blank">Festival of Trees </a>this year.<br /><br />For those of you who aren't in the Quad-Cities, the Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Quad-City Arts in which artists design Christmas trees, stockings, wreaths, hearths and entire rooms with Christmas decorations of their own creation. Then the Christmas decorations are auctioned off to benefit arts programing in the Quad-Cities.<br /><br />Part of my duties include making a Christmas tree skirt. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilting-By-You/137961359571829?sk=wall#%21/pages/Quilting-By-You/137961359571829?sk=info" target="_blank">Quilting By-You, LLC.</a>, is the benefactor for the tree, and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">co-owner Charlene Thode</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> suggested <a href="http://www.quiltworx.com/?cat=63" target="_blank">Judy Niemeyer's Christmas Celebration Tree Skirt pattern</a>. I loved it and today it arrived in my mailbox.<br /><br />I'm so excited to dig into all these paper pieced points and curved seams. I know, I'm a gluten for punishment.<br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-37882430022149469712011-08-05T22:11:00.004-05:002011-08-05T22:22:45.106-05:00Blue ribbon quilts from the fair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrySzehpvj9UqW6AwH6drhRcM750Gqs-E0NgWfSJ2W980P2TmKkciIOAiPCBj7jK6_c5xmdmFO8dGD-2a3492dU2IzxIa5s3mmq57QzXhfNkFNwSeanthp5ncqBeMz2OEmAmYLpAkTJfA/s1600/20110804192741.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrySzehpvj9UqW6AwH6drhRcM750Gqs-E0NgWfSJ2W980P2TmKkciIOAiPCBj7jK6_c5xmdmFO8dGD-2a3492dU2IzxIa5s3mmq57QzXhfNkFNwSeanthp5ncqBeMz2OEmAmYLpAkTJfA/s320/20110804192741.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637577405633557330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I went to the Mississippi Valley Fair this week and spent some time looking at the quilts entered for judging. There were some beautiful quilts and for the first time, I felt like my skills are pretty comparable with some of the ones on display.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm good enough to win a blue ribbon. But I'm definitely good enough to enter and not feel embarrassment when my quilt is hung next to the other entries. So next year my goal is to enter a quilt in the fair. We'll see how I do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The fair is going on through Sunday in Davenport. Check it out if you want to see the quilts in person.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa9AGHDnloq8u-nh2ogcYx7ykfY3_DpIm3s_a1o9x2g_hSSwTxH__BoOnThNOjMDepIVnrExi7bruK6F1e4_FgnkSnYLBbCJ1TsaAmSPdFo8SbVlrWyb3GWpkmXC_Bhn2GdVvBfRl2fU/s1600/20110804192805.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa9AGHDnloq8u-nh2ogcYx7ykfY3_DpIm3s_a1o9x2g_hSSwTxH__BoOnThNOjMDepIVnrExi7bruK6F1e4_FgnkSnYLBbCJ1TsaAmSPdFo8SbVlrWyb3GWpkmXC_Bhn2GdVvBfRl2fU/s320/20110804192805.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637577424357556130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvj3fyrPSRmDR-n6-rMjnw_taoz6CNxG-o7L3nPsHqZid5DT48QaQFRDvsKT3jzImxLQx-HfWrqolbRW-Bm4Wq2HLu9UEEwfsLwWm8Oe6QhAjMZeLayuMpVC1ScjpyIoaLsULaH_ObDo/s1600/20110804192854.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvj3fyrPSRmDR-n6-rMjnw_taoz6CNxG-o7L3nPsHqZid5DT48QaQFRDvsKT3jzImxLQx-HfWrqolbRW-Bm4Wq2HLu9UEEwfsLwWm8Oe6QhAjMZeLayuMpVC1ScjpyIoaLsULaH_ObDo/s320/20110804192854.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637577439779244466" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWELIB50gw068Knnk5SQsdQlJC70nzrWt55q9ra9Af2iTTij0ljmbbT3Hem_z78PpNORDwykAaxtAaCllN0-IF_En5ZJKssbLrRU-cz5eqRCWfNZUw5ETge-mvV_s8fgha86jqCMp5_g/s1600/20110804192756.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWELIB50gw068Knnk5SQsdQlJC70nzrWt55q9ra9Af2iTTij0ljmbbT3Hem_z78PpNORDwykAaxtAaCllN0-IF_En5ZJKssbLrRU-cz5eqRCWfNZUw5ETge-mvV_s8fgha86jqCMp5_g/s320/20110804192756.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637577417975725570" border="0" /></a>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-22840998445396842012011-04-06T17:09:00.008-05:002011-04-06T17:38:07.262-05:00Raffle quilt for K9 Kindness Rescue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_IPIjO6Chmrn8iZ_aag1MPeHscbkmcgnxCu3XvkhA7WQNFmNgsgQ3cmZ3lyaybTmDsi7YFmPlQTpJxkh5dgVd58NmMsw_Me8MASIiF59jZklxmWM3hyphenhyphenmNMyjc5UuaeZcLfXbyqENGmw/s1600/3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_IPIjO6Chmrn8iZ_aag1MPeHscbkmcgnxCu3XvkhA7WQNFmNgsgQ3cmZ3lyaybTmDsi7YFmPlQTpJxkh5dgVd58NmMsw_Me8MASIiF59jZklxmWM3hyphenhyphenmNMyjc5UuaeZcLfXbyqENGmw/s320/3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592599793540679858" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">I love my dogs. I have three of my own and a foster dog from K9 Kindness Rescue, Inc.</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">A few months ago K9 Kindness took in Rosie, a heartworm positive dog that was pregnant. Her delivery was very difficult and costly because of the heartworm, but because of K9 Kindness, Rosie and her pups are doing well and some have found forever homes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">When I heard about Rosie, I decided to make a raffle quilt for K9 Kindness Rescue to help pay for her veterinary costs which were about $1,000. The quilt guild I belong to makes raffle quilts for big events and they always make good fundraisers. Folks who wouldn't normally spend hundreds of dollars on a quilt are more than willing to spend a couple bucks for a chance to win one, especially when the money goes to a good cause.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">In less than two weeks, the quilt has raised close to $250, so I'm crossing my fingers that we'll reach the $1000 goal by the drawing in June.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfv5q_ZW4R1Uff-kx0cOvHcYbHI3giqIkDKqIRZ2aw7tbY1JV8XO73aFsLI2q8URgppT8NwqlRBImiO_DfzOR0OsYi98Fuah2cot-ZrmyL4DONlOMtfp-qll4EZH-FOlmfSojSeOQsgQ/s320/2.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592599784350834834" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Now here are some fun facts about the quilt. The Hidden Pinwheel pattern is of my own design and was inspired by a vintage quilt I saw. The blocks are set on point for effect. The first border is made with mitered corners and the second one is made from more than 100 hundred of flying geese circling the quilt.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The bright teals and turquoise fabrics remind me of a beach vacation every time I look at them. The quilt is quilted with variegated teal and white thread with designs inside every triangle. The backing is made from snugly flannel fabric for extra softness and warmth.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The quilt measures 56 inches by 84 inches and is large enough for a twin-sized bed. Although this size also makes a great couch throw because you can cover up with it completely while watching TV.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfx8H53vV21ceXPZGkpis4kaY_2n9wROPXS1gDgKp_GuVRscTuMFTzgNvfO9Tuhz6DXEirSuAJkXVvi3T669u0QLXEzQTMzCf9OuhTu67kaZf1xzjMnuq0ytw_M5EtZt4ck03GEvwt6I/s320/1.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592599790690164322" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The drawing for the raffle quilt is June 11, 2011, at the rescue's Dog Dayz of summer Beach Pawty and Dog Wash at the PETCO in Moline, IL. You do not need to be present to win.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I'll be at PETCO in Moline with the quilt and raffle tickets at a K9 Kindness Adoption event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. We're working on some other locations to display the quilt at. You can also purchase tickets at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/71112122/six-raffle-tickets-for-k9-kindness-quilt?ref=pr_shop" target="_blank">StephanieSoebbing.Etsy.com</a>. They are six for $5 or $1 each.</span></span></div>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-14606621967575484662011-03-25T10:07:00.000-05:002011-03-25T10:07:18.403-05:00Pillowcases for Japan's animals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO1ct4etpr4i3qZrLz31ULwW3ZHPss78VUabVvR6fdQvlaSzXvyt-JeXV0SVHiK37k2E50qu_zp-X1gFEAPfY_Ls40xYuauOXXqoiy7WhdOl83mEY1hK9h_FzJBaKqZ81qazfu8pXR30/s1600/DSC01820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO1ct4etpr4i3qZrLz31ULwW3ZHPss78VUabVvR6fdQvlaSzXvyt-JeXV0SVHiK37k2E50qu_zp-X1gFEAPfY_Ls40xYuauOXXqoiy7WhdOl83mEY1hK9h_FzJBaKqZ81qazfu8pXR30/s320/DSC01820.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm a huge dog lover. I have three cocker spaniels of my home and I also have a foster dog that will stay with us until she finds a forever home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So when the earthquake hit Japan, I wanted to do something for the animals affected by the devastation. I've made several novelty pillowcases that I'm selling to raise money for World Vets, an organization that is helping to rescue companion animals displaced during Japan's earthquake and keep them in no-kill shelters until they can be reunited with their owners.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEgG9fF_geP5ndfxZAn_iWdPCCloOI3WiYp8eaq9YZWA5p35cofDMkoiFCs1qDnXbPHqxy7WLseT_nORzZ1p4ygDsWWavGFQq9umtZ9PD93PDC-b2ulCTNkgaSJMeFVNwZVPDP74-KjY/s1600/Beach+Puppies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEgG9fF_geP5ndfxZAn_iWdPCCloOI3WiYp8eaq9YZWA5p35cofDMkoiFCs1qDnXbPHqxy7WLseT_nORzZ1p4ygDsWWavGFQq9umtZ9PD93PDC-b2ulCTNkgaSJMeFVNwZVPDP74-KjY/s320/Beach+Puppies2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm donating 50 percent of the pillowcase purchase price to World Vets relief efforts in Japan. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/StephanieSoebbing?section_id=7807445" target="_blank">Click here</a> to see the selection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or if you'd like to donate directly to World Vets, <a href="https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=worldvets&id=1" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310172646970465628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-21802228486798932032011-03-15T10:21:00.004-05:002011-03-15T10:56:06.811-05:00Gnomes, dogs and sewing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEI2zkhXL-QxnMYsvi2XCN-si2-NeYZqLXWll7jbfDGokqeplx5Vr3XLeHwEXeXGl4N96N14MTjE099KfwwK6R0CvS-durfPtS3h5ZxN4HsXOr9KtHiCLYTdq2TNHLyWOqjvaeQzCAuM/s1600/DSC01949.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEI2zkhXL-QxnMYsvi2XCN-si2-NeYZqLXWll7jbfDGokqeplx5Vr3XLeHwEXeXGl4N96N14MTjE099KfwwK6R0CvS-durfPtS3h5ZxN4HsXOr9KtHiCLYTdq2TNHLyWOqjvaeQzCAuM/s320/DSC01949.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584332017045731826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you're wondering why I'm talking about gnomes and dogs on a quilting blog, I'll explain.<br /><br />I have a friend who love gnomes. She has a cute little set in her house. So when I found Michael Miller's Gnoming Around fabric collection I had to let her know about it. Soon a plan was hatched to make gnome pillowcases. And <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/70069756/custom-order-for-dragonflykellie" target="_blank">this is the result</a>.<br /><br />I've also been hard at work on a quilt that I'm donating to <a href="http://k9kindnessrescue.org/" target="_blank">K9 Kindness Rescue, Inc.</a>, to raise money to help homeless dogs. I got the top done at a quilt retreat I went on last weekend and started to quilt it. I've included a sneak peak in the photo at the top of the blog.<br /><br />What are you working on?<br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-13961618190083413582011-02-15T08:31:00.004-06:002011-02-15T08:49:17.752-06:00Sewing dilemmas<span style="font-family: arial;">I have a meeting of the Next Generation Quilters tonight and I'm not sure what to bring to work on.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The first option is a quilt I'm working on to donate to K9 Kindness Rescue to be auctioned off at the organization's trivia night next month. But it's a scrap quilt and all the pieces are arranged just so, which means carting my entire design wall to the sit-n-sew.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxr_iO_WOiarhmiMeo945Z5sxG78s_Zze7jUBlv1QUaJLtU3osW9J7eTijoqd4W-0mPOqrB9btmzCPwUxvge_Vy_iNIne-50E5Z_f36YHKFMM_HV18ax0sx89J9u5sIhJf9hjY9XuPmo/s1600/DSC01820.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxr_iO_WOiarhmiMeo945Z5sxG78s_Zze7jUBlv1QUaJLtU3osW9J7eTijoqd4W-0mPOqrB9btmzCPwUxvge_Vy_iNIne-50E5Z_f36YHKFMM_HV18ax0sx89J9u5sIhJf9hjY9XuPmo/s320/DSC01820.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573926224340217762" border="0" /></a></span><br />The next option are pillowcases. I've become slightly obsessed with making them recently. I have several that I'm going to sell on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/stephaniesoebbing" target="_blank">Etsy</a> and about a dozen more that I'm making as favors for my sister's bachelorette party. It's a slumber party and I think you can tell from the fabric why they're appropriate for that event. <a href="http://plixi.com/p/72920651" target="_blank">Here's a link</a> to a photo I shared on Twitter.<br /><br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5444829124329450400.post-5372139966747708042011-01-26T07:48:00.005-06:002011-01-26T08:15:56.913-06:00Happy New Year ... a little late<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello all. I took a break from the shop and quilting in general in January because my husband and I started remodeling our kitchen.<br /><br />Right now we're refinishing the cabinets which is a long, messy job, but the new stain is giving the almost 60-year-old built in cabinets new life. As we near the end of this phase of the project, it's time to get back to quilting and blogging.<br /><br />I plan to update the blog much more frequently this year. I've got a lot of fun projects planned, including one that will help the community. You'll hear more about that in a few days.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2UAS1CSN1txvlI_jSdeLCeMmqf6yLgfiupdoPkG-qOKoPdeIs4fEPAcx_kqXjoN1t_fJFLn_sKjtHHgKbfCos2tLiPryqXx9a10SMbKkoSpK-oz9JEHuIrQVOL2F2Xzf_0u_2BvfB1s/s1600/4d1e38e03de39.image.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2UAS1CSN1txvlI_jSdeLCeMmqf6yLgfiupdoPkG-qOKoPdeIs4fEPAcx_kqXjoN1t_fJFLn_sKjtHHgKbfCos2tLiPryqXx9a10SMbKkoSpK-oz9JEHuIrQVOL2F2Xzf_0u_2BvfB1s/s320/4d1e38e03de39.image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566496843426338002" border="0" /></a></span><br />In the meantime I wanted to share photos of the quilts I made for Christmas. The brown one you've seen before in various stages of completion. It was for my parents. And although it contains hundreds of triangles, I didn't cut a single one for this project. Someday I'll have to make a tutorial on how to make hourglass units and flying geese from squares.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXeNlm0aTgb7svw1301hKi3z8tJR9XNgOK0hMXK_C_WZzXiz4CEjJd2z8K4mF0DYg_bkibAS6DCoVZAlKC0yu27YDh4iHr4HVrwyNnWAWuLCKCIslVMug7iY0_Rq8QSjsj_6WEj86kC4/s1600/4d1e3c12f1d92.image.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuYJbPF9JIx8h8F6SvWxir7XtdR7sh7BP6s9emdndGbXYBE7xdwDJQs4oIBldY2ZrIkhGl70B_PBmCErrAkeldm-di4DrTzZAj_BdNstBZGbCK43-K-KnT8FAZa6XIZHxF3_u6Bkc-cs/s1600/4d1e395a79d80.image.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuYJbPF9JIx8h8F6SvWxir7XtdR7sh7BP6s9emdndGbXYBE7xdwDJQs4oIBldY2ZrIkhGl70B_PBmCErrAkeldm-di4DrTzZAj_BdNstBZGbCK43-K-KnT8FAZa6XIZHxF3_u6Bkc-cs/s320/4d1e395a79d80.image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566496844899239698" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXeNlm0aTgb7svw1301hKi3z8tJR9XNgOK0hMXK_C_WZzXiz4CEjJd2z8K4mF0DYg_bkibAS6DCoVZAlKC0yu27YDh4iHr4HVrwyNnWAWuLCKCIslVMug7iY0_Rq8QSjsj_6WEj86kC4/s1600/4d1e3c12f1d92.image.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXeNlm0aTgb7svw1301hKi3z8tJR9XNgOK0hMXK_C_WZzXiz4CEjJd2z8K4mF0DYg_bkibAS6DCoVZAlKC0yu27YDh4iHr4HVrwyNnWAWuLCKCIslVMug7iY0_Rq8QSjsj_6WEj86kC4/s320/4d1e3c12f1d92.image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566496835014144114" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />The second one is and Illini quilt for my brother- and sister-in-law. My husband found this pattern at <a href="http://www.sewsassyinc.com/">Sew Sassy</a> in Urbana, Ill., while I was stocking up on Illini fabric, which can be kind of hard to find when you live on the border of Iowa. I liked it because although it is definitely an Illini quilt, it doesn't contain one scrap of licensed Illini fabric.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHsd2eez42nbnag4cwNCEeC0fR5g2AjLnIGvx-IoqXBeR0hnUpCYipeTZsrJWxTABhp60QVToKMuGuQ2Y7KK7b_yZ91tIhNNEkjzTx6wnud8Kn1Mamwvge_hSpiEyRiqTuDctEee9AfE/s1600/4d1e3c9618185.image.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHsd2eez42nbnag4cwNCEeC0fR5g2AjLnIGvx-IoqXBeR0hnUpCYipeTZsrJWxTABhp60QVToKMuGuQ2Y7KK7b_yZ91tIhNNEkjzTx6wnud8Kn1Mamwvge_hSpiEyRiqTuDctEee9AfE/s320/4d1e3c9618185.image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566496839049323010" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span><br />If any of you get the pattern, buy a couple extra yards of backing fabric. I ran out when it came time to piece the back.<br /><br />I've got one more belated Christmas present still in the works, but I need to get my dinning room table back before I can finish quilting it. Right now it's filled with all the dishes and cookware that normally would be in the cabinets but have been removed for the refinishing process.<br /></span>Stephanie Soebbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09496528356120251594noreply@blogger.com0