Texture Magic Thoughts

Greetings!

It's been too long since I've made time to blog. I've been so busy writing new patterns, making samples, and going to shows that blogging has had to take a back seat. I will try to do better in 2010.

Last week we began our 2010 show schedule with a great show at Road to California. After almost a year of playing with Texture Magic, it's become such a part of my life that I'm always a bit surprised to find someone who hasn't heard of it. However, I have to say, a good percentage of the folks stopping by the booth at Road had never seen or heard of Texture Magic.

It was fun to watch them stroll by the booth, catch our Celebrate quilt in the corner of their eye, do a double-take and come back to the booth to take a closer look and ask, "How did you do that?"





Texture Magic is a fabric that shrinks when exposed to hot steam. It shrinks about 20% in every direction, so the secret to producing texture is to sew the Texture Magic to a piece of fabric so that when the Texture Magic shrinks, the fabric goes along for the ride.

The amount of texture that you get when using Texture Magic depends on how much stitching you do. So, if you stitch in an all-over meander with lines about 1/2" apart, you will get more texture than if you stitch in a grid with lines 1" apart.

I usually recommend stitching no closer than 1/2" or further apart than 1-1/2", but what you choose to do is certainly up to you. Play with some different fabrics and stitches and see what you like.

The Little Charmers blankie and block are a great project for experimenting with Texture Magic. Designed to be made with a charm pack, the project can be quickly made with a pack of precut 5" squares. (The pattern does include instructions for cutting pieces if you prefer to use fabrics from your stash.)

Pick the squares that you want to texturize for the block and blankie. Then have fun trying a different stitch on each square as you sew the fabric to the Texture Magic. The best part? When you're done experimenting and playing, you've got a great, easy little project to assemble and a cute gift for a baby shower!





Another fun idea for a baby or toddler gift are the Baby Bibs that are accented with Texture Magic.


(Click on the link above to see more detailed images of each bib.)

Heather Purcell (aka Mother Superior) came up with the great idea of using decorative stitches to sew the Texture Magic to the fabric. That's what she did on my On the Town handbag and on the Little Miss Sunshine dress.










On the Serenity Shoulder Bag, I just followed the design printed on the fabric. Before stitching, I added a layer of wool batting between the fabric and Texture Magic. This makes the texture even more predominate.



One important note: It is very important to just use hot steam to shrink the Texture Magic -- not a hot iron. So, if you are using a steamer that doesn't get hot on the bottom, you can set it right down on the Texture Magic to make it shrink.

If you are using an iron with a hot sole plate, you either want to hold the iron a bit above the Texture Magic so that the hot sole plate doesn't touch the fabric or you want to steam from the fabric side.

You do not want the hot sole plate to touch the Texture Magic. It won't melt it or ruin it or make it stick to your iron, but it makes it stiff -- kind of "plasticy" feeling. It will stay very soft and supple if you just use steam.

That's why we are comfortable using Texture Magic to texturize fabric clothes and quilts that even a baby will enjoy. Wouldn't a little girl in your life love this cute little Tickled Pink ensemble?



If you are interested in taking a hands-on class to play with Texture Magic, please check back soon for my 2010 class schedule. I taught the Texture Magic Totes class at Road to California and am pleased to say that every person in the 3-hour class went home with a finished tote bag!

I'm hoping to get the new class/show schedule on the website soon. In the meantime, here is a quick list of upcoming Texture Magic classes:

February 6 - Serenity Shoulder Bag class - Fabric Arts Studio Retreat, Moab, Utah
February 7 - Textured Totes & Accessories class - Fabric Arts Studio Retreat, Moab, Utah
February 19 - Texture Magic class - Dixie Quilt Guild Retreat, Zion Park Inn, Springdale, Utah
February 27 - Texture Magic Totes Class - Sew Expo, Puyallup, Washington
March 29 - Texture Magic! class - Quilted Works, St. George, Utah
August 12 - 14 - Serenity Shoulder Bag, Architexture Table Runner, and Baby Bibs classes at Pacific West Quilt Show in Olympia, Washington

Please contact me for more info about any of these events. Thanks!

Happy stitching,

Annie

EQ6 Classes, Books, and Software

In September I will be teaching EQ6 classes at the Utah Quilt Guild's annual Quilt Festival in Layton, Utah. All the classes are full (with waiting lists).

If you wanted to take the class but didn't get in, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter. I am planning to teach the classes here in St. George at Quilted Works in January or February.

Or, if you have a group and want to schedule your own class, contact me and we'll see what we can work out.

I use EQ6 quilt design software for all my patterns and designs. I love being able to play "what-if" as I design a quilt, changing the size of blocks, sashing, borders, fabrics, etc. until I get just the quilt that I want to make.

It's great to be able to import my own fabrics and really get an idea of what a quilt will look like before I cut a single piece of fabric.

Being able to print a block in any size is another really useful feature of EQ. I use EQ to figure out cutting layouts, produce instructional drawings and even to make pattern pieces for my various patterns. It is amazing software!

If you are interested in EQ6 software or any of the companion books, please contact me. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is shown below. Please note that I offer special discounted prices on all EQ products. (Because of EQ6 rules, I can't advertise the prices on my website or in a blog, so you need to email me for more info. It will be worth your while!)

Here are the books and software that I recommend:

Software:


EQ6 Software
MSRP: $149.95 (Email me for special prices)


Quiltmaker Quilting Designs software
MSRP: $24.95 each (Volumes 1 through 6 available now)
Stand-alone software with lots and lots of great quilting designs, including many continuous line designs. Play with them when designing your quilt and then print them in any size.

Books:

EQ6 Simplified
MSRP: $21.95
Fran Gonzalez provides step-by-step instructions for eight fun projects. It's like taking classes right in your home!


EQ6 Pieced Drawing
MSRP: $21.95
Patti Andersen gives lots of great lessons to teach you to design unique blocks for any quilting need.


EQ6 Appliqué Drawing
MSRP: $21.95
This book by Angie Padilla teaches you how to draw and edit appliqué patches to create spectacular blocks.


EQ6 Block Book
MSRP: $19.95
An illustrated guide to the 4300 blocks in the EQ6 libraries. Not a necessary item, but I find it much easier to page through a book to find a block than to work through all the libraries on screen.


EQ5 Quilt Design
MSRP: $19.95
This wonderful book by Barb Vlack is out of print, but I have a few copies left. It is probably my favorite EQ book and every lesson in it can be translated into EQ6. This book taught me to really take advantage of the power of Electric Quilt.

The Electric Quilt Company offers lots and lots of wonderful products, from software and books to printable fabric sheets and software by lots of talented designers.

Again, I offer special prices on all EQ products. So, if there is something you'd like, please email me.

Happy EQ-ing,

Annie

New patterns at www.byannie.com

The kids in my neighborhood went back to school today. Goodness, they must feel that the summer flew by! Between trips to Alaska, Montana, and California, I think my summer went as fast.



In July I enjoyed demonstrating Texture Magic at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach.

We had several new Texture Magic patterns to share:



Café Vienna is made with fabrics from the Vienna line from Timeless Treasures.



We texturized the nutmeg fabric in the background of the star blocks to add an eye-catching accent to these rich, bold quilts.



Judi Madsen of Green Fairy Quilts machine quilted Café Vienna. She did a marvelous job!

I especially enjoyed designing and making Little Charmers. The engaging little block and matching blankie are made using a charm pack and Texture Magic. One package will make more than one set.



Babies will love the textured blocks on front and the soft, plush back. Colorful, playing, textured ribbons and trims around the edge will give baby something to grab, chew, and explore.

I have to confess that I'd never worked with a charm pack before. I liked it! In one little pack I had over 40 different fabrics, all precut into 5" squares. That really made things go fast.

I separated the fabrics into lights, mediums, and darks. Then I texturized some of the squares using Texture Magic, cut a few into various shapes, and quickly assembled the block and the blankie.



Little Charmers will stimulate babies with textures, colors, patterns, and sounds. (There's a jingle bell inside the block.) Wouldn't this set make a great shower gift?

We introduced another new quilt and pattern at Long Beach. Wild Game Chase was made by Heather Purcell (aka Mother Superior) using her great collection of animal print fabrics.

What's fun about this quilt is that the sashing does the work. Flying Geese blocks in the sashing surround plain blocks. How easy is that?



Judi Madsen also quilted Wild Game Chase. You can see pictures of the process on her blog. Great job, Judi!

One last "new" pattern has been available for a while but I just got it on the website. Sweet Little Buttercup is a simple quilt to make. It uses three different 6" blocks and features time-saving techniques for cutting and piecing.



We're busy working on other new patterns to have ready for Market and Festival in Houston in October. Watch for more info soon!

Until then, happy stitching,

Annie

Summer R and R

Every so often we catch a high tide, jump in the boat, and head into Sitka for water, fuel, groceries and supplies.



One of my favorite spots to visit when we get to town is Sitka's busy public library, the Kettleson Memorial Library.



My hat is off to this library! First, they provide free internet access (and a number of public computers) to lots of visitors. When there are three cruise ships in town, the place is packed.

But, even better, they have the very best collection of books on quilting and needle arts that I have ever seen in a library. One entire stack of shelves is devoted to quilt and needlework books!



I understand that the local quilt guild, Oceanwave Quilters, makes a monetary donation each year for the library to purchase quilt books. Thank you, Oceanwave Quilters and Kettleson Memorial Library.

Because a number of these books are no longer available, it is wonderful that there is a place where all this information is stored. I appreciate the fact that this library is hanging on to this tremendous reference. Though I know space is always a consideration, I often feel it is a shame when people donate books to a library and those books get put in the monthly book sale.

I have added a lot of books to my personal library after checking them out at the Kettleson library. It was there that I found Ruth B. McDowell's full collection of books (which I now own) and where I initially discovered Jane Sassaman's The Quilted Garden: Design and Make Nature Inspired Quilts.

I love this quilt of Jane's (shown with her permission):



She said she was inspired by seed pods. It says "Starfish and Sea Urchins" to me!

Gwen Martson's Liberated Quiltmaking and Liberated String Quilts have given me many hours of intent studying. I love her free-form, funky style! (I'd love to have Liberated Quiltmaking in my personal library. Does anyone have a copy they'd part with?)

Each time we go to town, I come home with a pile of books to devour. Here are some of the treasures I've found (and purchased!) this summer:

The Art of Fabric Collage: An Easy Introduction to Creative Sewing
by Rosemary Eichorn
I can't wait to get home to my sewing machine to try some of Rosemary's techniques. This is a beautiful book full of great inspiration!

Encyclopedia of Designs for Quilting
by Phyllis D. Miller
This is a terrific, comprehensive reference of traditional designs for quilting and how to draft them. It's out-of-print, but used copies are available. It sold for about $30 originally; I paid $40 for one last year and feel it's worth every penny.

The Embroiderer's Workbook (Color Craft Workbooks)
by Jan Messent
This little book is full of exercises for embroiderers and has some good info about color and design which would be applicable to any artist. I especially enjoyed the chapter on "destructing fabric." Here's an interesting article about the author, too.

I like this quote from the book: "Exercises for their own sake are as necessary to embroiderers as to writers, artists, and musicians. Imagine a writer who never learnt any grammer, an artist who never practiced figure-drawing, or a musician who never practiced any scales. Emphasis has been placed on the need to keep a notebook or file of exercises as a reference for the future."

That sounds like great advice for quilters, too!

Stitching Free: Easy Machine Pictures
by Shirley Nilsson
Shirley has a very good chapter on the elements of design including a great little chart to use for assessing whether a quilt has balance, rhythm, contrast, unity, proportion and scale, and mood in its use of color, line, form, area, and texture. As Shirley says, one doesn't have to reach the top in each. She says, "Just one 'ah-hah' is a victory!"

Show Me How to Create Quilting Designs: 70 Ready-To-Use
by Kathy Sandbach
Kathy has some great ideas for free-motion quilting. I love the designs for vegetables, fruits, and flowers. I practiced drawing some and actually think I could quilt them. Yay!

Living With Quilts: Fifty Great American Quilts
by Phyllis George
Former Miss America Phyllis George is a quilt lover and this beautiful book is full of inspiration with quilts both old and new. It is a feast for the eyes!

Scraps of Time: Quilting With Treasured Fabrics (That Patchwork Place)
by Ann Frischkorn and Amy Sandrin
If you'd like to make a memory quilt with grandma's calico dresses, Dad's silk ties, or your collection of prom and bridesmaid's dresses, you will love this book written by talented twin sisters.

Optical Illusions for Quilters
by Karen Combs
Unravel the mysteries of creating space, depth, motion, and perspective in your quilts with lots of examples and lessons in this book. It looks like this book is out of print, but check your library -- it's a good one. And, if anyone has a copy of this book that they'd like to sell (or trade for patterns), please let me know.

The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook
by Maggy Howarth
After hauling all that rock, this book was of special interest to me. AMAZING designs for floors and trails using pebbles. I was surprised to learn that if you make a pebble mosaic, you must insert the pebble in the ground vertically. That would take a LOT more rocks! This might be one of those books for just looking at. . . not actually doing!



Reading and relaxing, rejuvenating and recharging -- that's what real summer R 'n' R means to me.

I hope you're having a relaxing and rejuvenating summer, too!

Annie

Show & Tell

I love the internet. Being able to connect with quilters all over the world to share ideas and thoughts is such a thrill for me. It's always fun to know that someone has read my blog or to see what someone has made using one of my patterns.

Here are some of the recent emails that I've received:

Sallie Townsend-Hughes in Florida writes:

I am sending you pictures of a quilt I made using your pattern I've Been Framed. I am calling my version I've Been Framed in Red and it has been juried into the Knoxville AQS show for 2009.

I loved working with your design and you should know that I also found your instructions excellent.

The quilt was quilted on a Gammell by a very talented friend of mine,Natalie Carlton.

I love the red mixed with the neutrals. Being juried into an AQS show is a great accomplishment and real honor. Congratulations, Sallie and Natalie!

Sallie used the quick strip-piecing method to make her I've Been Framed quilt. Here is a version that I made with fussy-cut centers for each block. I used a terrific "Sitka" fabric, making a great Southeast Alaska quilt.



Abby's Reflection, the wonderful little quilt shop here in Sitka, has kits which include the pattern and all the fabrics (except backing) to make this quilt. Please contact Jill at 907-747-3510 or go to her website to order a kit. Wouldn't that make a great Christmas gift for an outdoorsman in your life?

Cynthia Marrs wrote:

I got my first two [Texture Magic Totes] done, (except for the beads/balls). These are addictive. Such great gifts. and I have so much fabric. These give me a chance to use some of it. . .

Love your patterns. I love my over the door wall hanging [made from the Hanging Organizer pattern]. I told you I was making one for my sister. I quilted the back part and did it all in lavender/purple. She'll love it.

Great job on all of those projects, Cynthia. Isn't that Texture Magic fun to play with? You've got one lucky sister! She is going to love having such a great streamlined place to store all her "stuff".

Brenda Miller of Among Brenda's Quilts had a great suggestion after seeing my recent blog, Mother Nature is a Quilter:

Thank you for your update and for suggesting a visit to your blog. I very much enjoyed your postings. Mother Nature is a Quilter could certainly be a great slide show course on the principals of design. Well done!

I think that is a great idea! I've been invited to present a lecture and teach a class to the Greater Quilt Guilds of Houston in June 2010. I've been working on a lot of other ideas, but perhaps this will fit in somewhere, too.

Nedra suggested making that blog post into a book which Jan (the photographer)and I had already been considering. So, who knows where this will go. . . thanks for your input and encouragement.

Nedra has been a busy girl. She came to an Annie's Play Day in May and worked on this cute laptop bag:



Nedra says:

I have always been a little intimidated about putting in zippers and making them look good. Annie taught me a technique that was so easy, and look at the results. Those instructions alone made the class worth it.

A lot of my patterns include zippers and inserting them really is as easy as pie. Watch for an upcoming blog post with pictures showing each step.

Nedra blogged about her experience making the bag. Here's her earlier blog with pictures of some of the other projects we played with that day. Oh, it makes me want to get home to my sewing machine!

Nedra is celebrating her one year "Blogiversary" this week and is having a great giveaway. This is Nedra's 307th post! She's had over 38,000 visits that have included 61,000+ page reviews. Congratulations, Nedra -- that is something to crow about! Be sure to stop by her blog and leave a comment. You might win something wonderful!

I hope you have a great day. I'm off to bake some muffins for breakfast.

Annie