Every Little Bit Counts: Supporting Local Quilt Stores

With the economy the way it is right now, it's only understandable that we are looking for supplies that are as affordable as possible. Money is tight, and it's not going as far these days. I shop for my fabrics and quilting supplies at places such as Joann's and Mill End Textiles, and I've no shame in that. However, I do try to get to my local quilt shops at least one a month or so, to buy some fabrics or other notions that I need.

Yes, the fabrics will cost more, on average my local quilt store fabrics are about $10 per yard. However, I can not generally find those fabrics at Joann's or other chain stores. My work as late has really been lending itself to being better done with batiks than commercial fabrics, so when I'm at the quilt stores I focus on batiks.

I definitely remember a day when I would rarely buy from quilt stores, just because of the price. However, I one day came upon a quilt store (that sadly is no longer in business due to the owner retiring to work on books and her art career), that I found myself purchasing fabrics there on a fairly regular basis. I started building a stash that was so different than the fabrics I would find at commercial chain stores. The owner very definitely catered to the fiber artist quilters! I fell in love!

I started seeing quilt stores in a whole new light. These weren't women that were trying to "get rich off" the fabrics we bought. Hardly! Owning a quilt store is a very challenging and risky business. The owners are responsible for deciding what fabrics to order, trying to foresee what customers are going to be attracted to and want to buy. They travel to Quilt Markets (which is NOT a cheap endeaver if you don't live close) in search of the latest fabrics lines, and gadgets and surface design elements that we fiber fiends will be clamoring for after hearing about them. They make attempts at keeping in touch with the likes of Quilting Arts magazine, and try to carry products written about in there.

This is what they are doing for YOU, and for me. They provide me with the tools that I want and/or need for my art. However, their servitude does not end there!

Think about it. They are offering us products, services and classes that we want/need. More importantly however, they are a resource for designers, authors, teachers, designers, etc. Teachers have a place to teach. Authors and designers have places to sell their books and patterns. Dyers have chance to sell their hand dyed or hand painted fabrics via the local quilt stores. They are quite honestly a very much needed cornerstone in our fiber art community.

They are also a birthplace of people we admire - plenty of the fiber artists that we buy books and patterns and fabrics from started out in small local quilt stores. That next author or artist featured in Quilting Arts magazine could be you, thanks to your local quilt store.

These days, I don't think of the fabrics as "expensive" necessarily. Rather than thinking of the fabrics I'm purchasing at the local quilt shop as more expensive, I remind myself that I am actually getting a lot more than just the fabric from my quilt store. I'm making connections, getting inspiration, learning new things, and being subjected to different fabrics and products than I would in a chain store. I am also directly affecting the life of a fellow sister/brother in cloth. They depend on the quilting and fiber community for their living. This is not much different than my aspiring to rely on art lovers to purchase my pieces to help me advance myself in the artistic world.

My local quilt stores enrich my life in ways that I didn't realize until the one nearest and dearest to my heart closed. A new one has opened that is very similar, and though it is further for me than I might like (30+ minutes), I will make a point of going there as often as I can to support the store. I encourage you all to do the same in your local area. Every little bit counts, whether it's a five yard purchase or a fat quarter - keep that in mind!

Have a great day! And to you small local shop owners out there, my deepest thanks for the long hours, worry and hard work you put into enriching the lives of us fabric junkies!



*** And a tip for those want to support their local stores, but save some money: Buy some or most of your top fabrics from the local store, and then buy the backing at a chain store - The back is where you can sink a lot of money, and for the most part it usually doesn't have much of an impact on the over all design of the piece in most cases! ***

A Superior Threads Overview

While I was at Quilt Market, I had the opportunity to fill a basket at the Superior Threads booth! I had recently switched to using Superior's pre-wound Super Bobs bobbins, and decided to try some of their other lines!

I have been making the switch to higher quality threads, after finally realizing the "cheap" threads I was buying, simply were NOT working in my machine. I will say, you certainly get what you pay for!

Here are a few of the threads they offer, that I picked up.

Razzle Dazzle by Ricky Tims:

First of all, these threads are meant for bobbin work. Meaning, you mark the backside of your quilt, and you use these thick chunky threads in your bobbin.

I did find that it's best to avoid winding the bobbin too full, or it wont' fit properly into the bobbin casing. I also found that my winder on my Bernina 1260 would click off before the bobbin was properly full, so I left it on the winder and hand wound after the auto shut off.

I set my top tension quilt loose, a 3 on my machine. I did not have to adjust my bobbin casings tension at all.

Here you can see the Razzle Dazzle on both white and black fabric.

When using these threads you will want to match the main color thread as closely as possible, or it tends to show.

Here are some close ups. I really like how it appears to almost be couched onto the fabric. It is a bit strange to work from the back of the quilt.


If you're doing something very detailed that needs to be perfectly lined up, I would recommend using a water soluble thread, stitching from the front the quilt lines. Then flip it over, and follow the lines from the back, using the Razzle Dazzle in the bobbin! It would give you a precise line to follow for the bobbin work.


One thing that would be really nice, would be to see pre-wound bobbins of Razzle Dazzle! Especially since it's so large you don't fit as much on a bobbin, as regular thread. This means more bobbin winding than when using regular weight thread.



Glitter threads:

These pretty Glitter threads quilted up really nicely! I did need to switch and use a thread stand (that I normally use for my cone threads.) I kept the top tension loose, and slowed down my free motion movements.

The light catches easily on these threads, and it "corners" well too! The only issue I found is that the thread does break now and then, if you are going back and forth over itself too much - I assume the thread may be a bit "sharp" on the edges.










The blues area beautiful!!











There is also a very nice gold available!






Rainbows:

The Rainbow threads are wonderful on both light and dark fabrics. These quickly became a favorite for variegated threads! I currently only have these four colorways, but I can't wait to get more!


The green you see on the bottom left of the black sample is perfect! The shade blend into one another so effortlessly.

I can't wait to use these threads in a larger piece!

There are a TON of color options available for these.

Look how nicely it looks in feathers!

Metallics:

The Metallic threads from Superior, are just that, Superior! This is honestly, the first metallic that I have been able to use, and not want to pull my hair out from frustration of thread breakage.

I did learn that with my machine, I need to use free standing thread holder with the thread, to prevent "pulling" that can often happen when using the thread on the machine's thread holding area.

It does not always like going back over itself however. I did have the needle break once, but I'm not sure if it was from that, or if the needle had simply gotten too dull.

Don't the stars look cute?

Those are the new threads I picked up from Superior Threads and tried! If you have any questions, or your own tips and hints I'd love to hear from you!

Stay tuned for more from The Fiber Nation!

This Little Quilter Went To Market

Armed with my business card in hand, my sweet (SWEET!) husband dropped me off in front of the Minneapolis Convention Center - QUILT MARKET!

This was my first quilt market, and I didn't really know what to expect. My wildest imagination could not have prepared me for what I walked into! The entire convention room was jammed with vendor booths! I have been to some big quilt shows, but this definitely took the cake!

I am an artist/teacher/writer, but I am not a quilt shop, so fabric buying was not on my shopping list. And market is not the place to buy fabric by the yard, but rather by the bolts. However, this did not stop me from looking and petting the fabrics! I saw the new lines and designs from Moda, Blank Quilting, David Textiles, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Michael Miller, Amy Butler (she was there!)
and so many more!

The Michael Miller display was stunning! 

 




Doesn't this entire display look like an edible wedding cake? Don't you also find yourself wanting to get at it with some fabric inks? The possibilities!






It's hard to describe the "style" coming out, I saw dusty purples, "plummy" pinks, yellows, and yellowy greens. Of course owls are apparently going to be all the rage! MANY booths either showcased fabric with owls in it, or patterns with owls.

I think we're going to be seeing some very exciting and interesting colors this season! I really like the blues and turquoises that are coming!

Save those pinks you have from the pink/brown phase of the last year or two - because it looks like we're going to be doing some monochromatic designs this spring and summer!

My heart is racing just thinking about the fabrics coming out! I'm pleased with the super cheerfulness of them!

Many of the prints brought to mind the 60's and 70's upholstery or men's dress shirts!

I hit a stencil/paintstick book, which I will be sharing the loot and info on in an upcoming article here at Fiber Nation - watch for some free project information, and the source of where to find these amazing stencils!

I also received some nice batting samples, which will allow me to quilt up some samples and review for you here!

One of my vices was fed at the Superior Threads booth! I came home with a whopping bag of threads to try - which will be featured in our next article! You will see how their different threads look on a quilt. Here are some of the lines we will investigate: Razzle Dazzle, Glitter, Rainbows, and Masterpiece.

I also received some sample bobbins from Fil-tec, they have what seems to be a brilliant idea - a tiny magnet in the prewound bobbins, to prevent it from falling out of the bobbin case while reloading! Longarmers and domestic machine quilters should both be intrigued by this concept!





I found some really neat water soluble needle felting stabilizer at Art Felt! I can't wait to try this product, the samples they had in their booth were amazing! (Photo from Art Felt's website.)





Famous quilter sitings? You bet! Ricky Tims, Alex Anderson, Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Andrea Bishop (she's on Quilting Arts TV often), Ami Sims, Bob (from Superior), Rob Appell.

 Here are some pictures of Alex, Ricky and Ami doing a drawing for a huge door prize:

I mustered up the courage to introduce myself to Ricky and Alex (as though they needed another person bothering them!) It was surreal to meet them. It's so strange to introduce yourself to two "strangers", when you feel like you already know them from watching their shows and reading their books and magazines!

A local author and fellow guildie and SAQA member,  Susan Stein, was there promoting her new book with Creative Publishing International. The book is The Complete Photo Guide to Textile Art and it is beautiful! I can't wait to start on several of the techniques covered in this book! Check it out!

The goal now, is to try these new products I got at market, and share the results with you! Stay tuned for reviews and projects using: threads, battings, stencils and more!

The Fiber Nation Introduction

Welcome to The Fiber Nation! Some of you may know me from my personal blog Journey of a Fiber Artist which follows my personal quilt journey. For some time now, I have wanted to be able to offer a less personal, but more technical industry/art blog for fiber artists and quilters.

Recently, I was writing a post for Journey of a Fiber Artist and the phrase “the fiber nation” leapt off my fingertips. In the end, I took that phrase out of the article as I realized I had the name for my technical blog/site!

Who is The Fiber Nation for? Anyone that works with fibers as their medium for art!

What does The Fiber Nation plan to offer? What you want! I took a poll on my personal site, and you told me that you're looking for pictures and tips/techniques. I plan on giving that, and more!

I know that you're going to want to see pictures of fiber art, but I am also going to be sharing my personal photography with you, a “tool” that I often use as inspiration for my fiber art. My hope is to alternate articles and inspirational photos.

The Fiber Nation also intends to bring to you interviews of fiber/quilt artists that you're interested in. This is another aspect where you're opinions are needed. Just who DO you want to know more about? What would you most like to ask them? You can email me at thefibernation@gmail.com. I will do my best to try and get interesting and important artists in our field for you to get to know better!

Here is a quick overview of what The Fiber Nation will be bringing to you!

Techniques:
Here are just a few techniques I have planned to share with you..

Paint sticks – How to use them, what you can do with them, different brands, etc.

Fabric markers – Using them in your fiber art, and how they can enhance your quilts and quilting

Tsukineko Inks – Using inks to create a project, or enhance a project

Dover Books – How to use Dover images in your pieces and really make them look like “your own”

Pictures:

There will be two different types of photographs that I'll be sharing with you here at The Fiber Nation:

1.Project Photos: Photographs of finished pieces, pieces in progress, and photos of other pieces I have done using the technique we're discussing.
2.Inspirational photographs: photographs meant to be used as inspiration in your art, these will be photos that I take, that you are free to interpret into a piece if you wish or to just simply take inspiration from, whether it be the content, the colors, or the overall design.

Design Concepts:

I have a degree in graphic design, and have realized I can finally put it to use helping other people, instead of just using it for my own fiber arts! I am by no means a “design goddess”, but I think I have some hints and tips I can share that you may find helpful. Expect to see information about design elements, color choice, etc.

Fiber News:

From time to time, I may share articles or blog postings from others that are relevant and noteworthy to the fiber art community. If you see an article or have one on your blog that you think might be very useful to the community, Email TheFiberNation@gmail.com, and it may end up mentioned on the site here!

Another goal, is to eventually have leaders in the fiber arts nation do guest blogging from time to time – one way to make that happen is for you, the community, to keep reading the blog and mention it to others!

The Big Goal:

I think most of us will agree that being an artist can be hard, and being a fiber artist can make it even harder! Historically the fiber art category has not grown at the same rate as other arts out there – hopefully if we continue to get the word and information out, and share what we do with others, then maybe the fiber arts will begin to get more notoriety!

Stay tuned for more from The Fiber Nation! 
Up next: International Quilt Market Spring 2010