“Lots-o-Links”

“Link-o-the-Month”:   (current)   (previous months)
Local Quilt Guilds  ***PA guilds updated: Colonial Quilters, Crazy Quilters, Heartstrings***
Local Quilt Shops
Recent Speakers' Sites
Other Quilting Sites

If you know of a guild or shop in the Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, or Maryland area that is not on this site, or if you have a favorite quilting site you would like us to feature, or if you have a quilting-related site and would like to link to us, and have us link to you, please contact our webmaster. We welcome your comments and suggestions!

Please note: We try to keep our site content current; however, with the ever-changing Internet, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of all of the information on this page. If you find any errors, broken links, etc., please report them to the webmaster. Thank you for your assistance!

Local Quilt Guilds

(Alphabetized by City)

Delaware   Maryland   New Jersey   Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

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Delaware

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Maryland

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New Jersey

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Local Quilt Shops

(Alphabetized by City)

Delaware   Maryland   New Jersey   Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

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Delaware

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Maryland

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New Jersey

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Sites of recent speakers

(Alphabetized by last name)

Apologies from the BVQ webmaster! This section will be updated eventually. Meanwhile, visit our Speakers and Programs page for a list of our speakers from 2006 to the present, including links to their websites, if available. Thank you for your patience!

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Other Quilt-Related Websites

Here are just a few quilting sites we've visited over the years. We've tried to organize them a little better, for your convenience. Another work in progress...thanks for your patience!

Link-o-the-Month

Educational
Sites		   Fabric
Manufacturers		   Local Studios,
Art Centers		   Online
Shopping		   Organizations   Publishers   Quilting
Personalities		   Quilts for Soldiers   9-11 Memorials
 
Free Quilt
Patterns		   Other Sites
of Interest		  

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“Link-o-the-Month”

Here are our featured links for the current and 5 previous months. (Featured links prior to that will be moved into the appropriate category.) If you know of a super quilting-related website that you'd like to see featured here, send it to the BVQ Webmaster. Thank you!

Current LOTM   Previous LOTMs

Blogcritics Culture: The Creative Energy of Quilts

Our featured link for August 2010 is http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/the-creative-energy-of-quilts/. BVQ member Donna Curtis’ husband accompanied her to the Quilt Show in Hershey (gotta love him!) and - as an art educator, “retired” university professor, and author about culture-related things - was so impressed and inspired that he wrote a blog which was published on “blogcritics” and featured by the editor. A must read! It is nice to know that those other than quilters appreciate our endeavors!
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CompuQuilt

Our featured link for June 2010 was www.compuquilt.com.
Your Webmaster's recent search for a teacup block pattern turned up this cool website! This site has lots of books, DVDs, patterns and supplies geared toward using your computer to design quilts and print images on fabric. In addition, you will find free patterns, a gallery of quilts to inspire you, links to quilt guilds, shops, teachers, and more.

Love to Sew

We featured another site in June, 2010 - www.lovetosew.com.
Check out this site filled with girls age 8 to adult learning to sew. They have a studio in Chadds Ford, PA, where they learn basic sewing, crafting, quilting, knitting and fashion design. Free patterns and pictures of the girls in the outfits they have made are included. You will find sewing, pattern and sewing machine tips as well. They are very creative and love to sew at a young age.
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Finish Those UFOs!

In April, 2010, we featured www.ufo-rphanage.com. Here you'll find a wealth of quilting tips, links, how-to's, and a variety of projects, ideas, and information on quilt related topics. Based in Cincinnati, site owner Niki Roberts accepts donations of quilting and needlework items - visit the site for details.

Need more motivation to finish some UFOs? Check out these sites (or just Google finishing ufos quilting projects):
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The Quilter's Message Board

Also featured in April, 2010, was www.quiltingboard.com. There are plenty of topics to keep you reading and chatting at this quilting forum! Post pictures of your quilts, make a Block of the Month, study quilting tutorials, buy/sell/trade/, participate in swaps and round robins, find some yummy recipes (because quilters also cook!), and much more!

I clicked a link on the site labeled “Making Doll Quilts” and found a great little tutorial with pictures that might inspire some ideas for a donation quilt for the Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt project!
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Free-Motion Quilting Tips by Quilting Arts

In February, 2010, we featured a link to an eBook by Quilting Arts which gives tips on machine quilting by two well-known quilt artists, Frieda Anderson and Robbi Joy Eklow. For makers of custom quilts and people who want to learn how to make a quilt, this is an invaluable resource on free-motion stitching. Go to http://www.quiltingarts.com/Free-Motion-Quilting/ to download your free copy. Compliments of “BERNINA eNews” subscribed to by Jody.
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Christine Brown's Blog

Our featured link for January, 2010, was http://www.americanquiltermagazine.blogspot.com/, the blog of Christine Brown, the Editor-in-Chief of American Quilter magazine. Among other tidbits, Christine shares great quilting tips and how-to’s (American Quilter pattern editor Marje Rhine’s pieced batting method, featured in Christine’s blog in November, 2009, is our tip of the month!). Some of the more recent blog entries include easy fabric dyeing, making a sleeve for a round quilt, AND, on December 9, 2009, Christine highlighted BVQ’s UFO Challenge! BVQ's Webmaster and resident Scrap Bag Lady cringed when she read the blog entry for Thursday, January 28, 2010, “A flock of blocks”. In this blog entry, Marje admitted that she had so many scraps that she threw out many 2" squares! Oh no!!! But Marje had a great way to use up a lot of scraps to make flying geese units and a Flying Dutchman block (if it looks familiar, it's our 2010 BOM pattern!). Check it out!

Be sure to also visit the American Quilter website, www.americanquilter.com, for lots of news about the American Quilter's Society's shows, magazines, books and much more.
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Day Style Designs

Our featured link for November, 2009, was www.daystyledesigns.com. We thank Calico Cutters of West Chester, PA, for this link, which was featured in their November, 2009, newsletter.

Leah Day’s awesome site features free articles and videos on many aspects of quiltmaking, a free-motion quilting blog, and a gallery of her quilts. This is must-visit site for anyone who is phobic about free-motion quilting or who is ready to branch out beyond stippling!

Click the Free Motion Quilting picture on the home page to go the Free Motion Page for FMQ tips and links to articles and videos demystifying free-motion quilting.

Click on the Free Motion Quilting Blog link on the left side of the web page to read about Leah’s 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Designs Project, featuring an ever-growing series of free-motion filler designs, complete with short video demos, as well as suggestions for using the designs to quilt your tops.

From the site’s online quilt shop, you can order a DVD and downloadable workbook of the first 20 designs from the 365 Days of FMQ Designs Project, including extended length videos of most designs, more tips, and loads of helpful suggestions for making free motion quilting easy to master. A TESTIMONIAL!! BVQ Webmaster Lil Koster purchased the video and workbook and has viewed the video. Each of the 20 designs are clearly demonstrated and described, and Leah includes lots of great hints for successful free-motion quilting. Lil is feeling more confident and is eager to try free-motion quilting again!
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In October, 2009, we featured three more links...
Quilt National '09: www.dairybarn.org/quilt/. Quilt National '09 is the sixteenth in the series of biennial international juried competitions dedicated to promoting the contemporary quilt as an art form. For more than 30 years, Quilt National has showcased the most exciting and innovative trends in the medium. The jurors will select approximately 85 works that represent unique approaches to the medium and that demonstrate the breadth and diversity of contemporary expressions. These works were displayed at the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, from May 23 through to September 7, 2009, after which time portions of the collection will circulate to other venues through December 2011.

Facebook: www.facebook.com. BVQ member Maureen Bonnes has set up an unofficial page called “Brandywine Valley Quilters.” (Thank you, Maureen!) If you have a facebook account, you can sign on to www.facebook.com and search for “Brandywine Valley Quilters” to find our group page.

Thread Art: www.threadart.com. Threadart is your source for embroidery designs, thread, stabilizers, rhinestones, ribbon, and more! BVQ member Donna Ricchuiti recommends this site. She says, “I have ordered from them. I got the hot fix stones and studs for Mom to use on her doll clothes. The prices were SO much better than Michael's, A.C. Moore and JoAnn's and the quality was very good - good selection on sizes and colors. As I recall, prompt shipping. We did not get thread from them yet but prices seemed good to me on that as well.” Check it out!
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We featured three links in September, 2009. Happy surfing!
Judy Topkis Hand Printed Fabrics: www.judytopkis.com. Based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Judy creates original silk screen designs hand printed to order on sumptuous fabrics of your choice including dupioni silk, rayon velvet, cotton blends, etc. Click the fabric swatch on her home page to see samples of her designs and for information on ordering yardage.

Quiltposium Magazine: www.quiltposium.com. This new online quilting magazine launched on September 1, 2009. Register for free, then enjoy articles by some of today's biggest names in the quilting industry. Educator, designer and author Kaye England is featured in the premiere issue as their “centerfold”! You'll also read about gardening, cooking, crafts and take a journey on the Sew Many Places cruises and tours as you learn more about the fun places quilters are going around the world. Note: the first issue is 166 pages so dial-up viewers will most likely experience long load times.

My Web Quilter: www.mywebquilter.com. This website was developed by a retired software designer who loves quilting, to provide fun and easy to use web-based quilting software. Select from numerous quilt block patterns; color, combine and arrange quilt blocks to quickly and easily see how they look. MyWebQuilter.com does the math and provides a pattern with cutting instructions and fabric requirements. You can design up to 3 of your own quilts for free, then there is an annual fee of only $10.00. View the site's blog for even more ideas.
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Real Women Quilt

Our featured link for August, 2009, was www.realwomenquilt.com.

This site is an on-line quilting magazine filled with humor, encouragement, tips, and stories about Real Women, their quilts, and their creative journey. There is an on-line store filled with great books, fabrics, gifts and fun stuff for quilters! The site contains a number of valuable quilting resources, too. Thanks to Deb Kelly for sharing this link.
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Quilters Newsletter

We featured a second link in August, 2009, since we missed featuring one in July! www.quiltersnewsletter.com is the website for one of the best-loved quilting magazines, Quilters Newsletter, which is celebrating its 40th year of publication! Founded by George and Bonnie Leman in 1969, the magazine has evolved into a coloful and informative wealth of information about all aspects of the quilting world. It is the longest-published, most widely-circulated, and perhaps most influential quilt magazine in the world. When Bonnie retired in 1996, her daughter, Mary Leman Austin, took over as executive director. The current editor-in-chief is Jan Magee. QN publisher CK Media was purchased in July, 2009, by New Track Media, LLC, which also publishes Love of Quilting (Fons and Porter) magazine.

Visit the QN website, where you can find QN Web Extras, get information about major quilt shows, purchase patterns and magazines, read the editors' blogs, subscribe to the Quilters Newsletter, and link to its sister publications McCall’s Quilting, Quiltmaker and Quilter’s Home, and other members of the New Track Media publishing family for their web bonuses, patterns, blogs and so on.

Sign up to become a member (it's free!) of the Quilters Newsletter community, where you can discuss hot topics or articles from Quilters Newsletter, share ideas and showcase your work to other community members. You can get quick and easy access to articles and galleries, share your artistic talents, showcase your most impressive and inspiring creations in organized galleries, share ideas and feedback with others, create groups for special projects or topics you're most fond of, and most importantly, find inspiration!

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Quilt Qua

Our featured link in June, 2009, was www.quiltqua.com. “Helping to Expand Your Creative Expression”

Connie Colten's website, Quilt Qua (definition of qua: In the character of or capacity of), features a directory of both physical and online shops, teachers, patterns, machines, travel and retreats, supplies, frames, quilts for sale, museums, quilting services, and wholesale fabric lines. Quilters can find lists of guilds by state (BVQ is listed!), shows, articles, blogs and a show and tell feature - resources for quilters and quilt businesses alike.

An article about Connie and the Quilt Qua story was featured on page 4 of the April 1, 2009, SUZGUZNUZLETTER (issue Volume II, Issue V), by SuzGuz Designs. While you're getting sidetracked reading the newsletter, see page 6 for “Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil & Potatoes with Peppers and Onions, a quick, delicious recipe”. (...well, I'm doubting the “quick” part - with 12 ingredients, I'd be half the night making it - but it sounds yummy!)
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Educational Sites

Quilters, Keep Learning!

Our featured link in July, 2008, was www.quilterskeeplearning.com.
Learn new quilting and fiber art techniques through Quilters Keep Learning! Take online classes from teachers around the world. Work on your class in your own schedule! Access class materials wherever you have Internet access, day or night.

Choose from a variety of course offerings, from basic techniques to computer courses (Electric Quilt, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Photoshop Elements, etc.), dollmaking, embellishment, designing quilts, machine quilting, dyeing techniques (did you know you can dye with rust??), and so much more. Examples of class projects are pictured on the home page, enticing you to sign up and expand your quilting skills.

Classes are reasonably priced: $40 for a 4-week classes are $40 and $65 for a 6-week class.

Paper Piecing Site

Our featured link in March, 2008, was www.paperpanache.com.
Do you love foundation piecing? Do you want to love it? (or even want to try?) Well then - this is the site for you!

There are fabulous paper pieced designs, both for sale and freebies, an entire how-to section (including how to design paper pieced patterns!), and even a page for UFO Maniacs (maybe you have ones you want to get rid of, or maybe you want to adopt one)! There are links to guilds, blogs, and other quilting sites of interest.

Be prepared to spend some time surfing this site! Have fun!

Fletcher Farm School

If your travel plans take you to New England, check out the Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts. Located in Ludlow, Vermont, the school offers classes in quilting, basketry, decorative art, fiber art, fine art, photography, glass, jewelry, needle arts, woodworking, and numerous other handcrafts. In addition, visitors can shop at their craft shop and attend a weekly auction. Their commitment is to quality arts and crafts education, to keep alive old traditions, and to teach new techniques in a nurturing environment at a reasonable cost to the student.

Quilt University

Expand your quilting horizons from the comfort of your own home! Quilt University offers more than 120 online classes, from basic quilting to graduate design work. No tests! No grades! No pressure! New classes open every weekend from January until the end of October. Students receive a password to an online classroom with a teacher-led Discussion Forum and Student Gallery. A typical class consists of three or four lessons. Lessons open on Friday evening. For more information, a list of upcoming classes and to sign up for a sample class, visit Quilt University at quiltuniversity.com.

Superior Threads' Educational Website

Superior Threads website contains a ton of education information, including information about: Selecting the proper backing, bobbin tension, bobbin threads, color facts, metallic thread, needles, needle tension setting, thread characterstics, thread facts, thread labels, and a plethora of additional information.
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Fabric Manufacturers

Michael Miller Fabrics, LLC

BVQ thanks Michael Miller Fabrics for supporting our recent quilt shows. Visit www.michaelmillerfabrics.com to view their exciting new product lines, download free patterns and check out their blog, with even more free patterns and tutorials.

Clothworks

Visit www.clothworkstextiles.com to peruse their current collections, download free patterns and meet their designers. Click the “Where to Buy” link at the top of their webpage to find shops that carry their fabrics.
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Local Studios and Art Centers

Wayne Art Center

Our featured link in April, 2008, was www.wayneart.org.
Located on Philadelphia's Main Line in the suburb of Wayne, Pennsylvania, the Wayne Art Center offers instruction for all ages in the visual arts, crafts, music and drama. Their gallery presents several exhibits each year, highlighting local, regional and national artists.

ArtQuilt Elements, formerly ArtQuilts at the Sedgwick, is now a biennial juried exhibition celebrating its eighth show. From April 4 through May 10, 2008, the Wayne Art Center presented ArtQuilt Elements 2008, featuring contemporary quilts that reflect or embrace original, unique and innovative methods incorporating impressive craftsmanship and technical prowess.

Lonni Rossi Fabrics

Lonni is a graphic designer, fabric designer and quilt artist. She designs commercial quilting fabrics for Andover Fabrics, Inc. of New York, and hand-painted, multi-processed, one-of-a-kind fabrics for interior designers and decorators. Her work has appeared in national and international trade publications, hardcover books, international quilt exhibits and fiber art galleries, as well as in the collections of private individuals and museums.

Her studio and retail store are located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Visit her website, www.lonnirossi.com, for hours and location, plus online shopping, workshop information and a list of links to numerous fiber artists and sources for surface design organizations, supplies, and so on.
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Online Shopping

Quilter's Warehouse

Our featured link in December, 2008, was www.quilterswarehouse.com. This online quilt shop has a huge selection of fabrics, quilting supplies, books and patterns. You could spend hours surfing through this site! Search for fabric by collection, theme, designer or color; supplies, tools and threads by brand or type; books and patterns by brand, theme and type. The site accepts PayPal as well as major credit cards. Click on “quilting links” in the top right corner of the home page to go to an extensive list of links to other quilting-related sites.

Quilters Quarter

Quilters Quarter is an internet company located in the beautiful town of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania. Featuring quilting fabrics, threads, patterns, kits, books, magazines; sewing notions, punchneedle embroidery books, patterns and accessories; hand dyed and mill dyed wool, knitting supplies; gifts and more! They frequently offer specials to their very best customers, so visit their site and sign up on their mailing list for notification of sales.

Fat Quarter Factory

Find premium cotton fabrics for the creative sewer and quilter at www.fatquarterfactory.com. Subscribe to their newletter to receive great project ideas, news on upcoming collections, and special offers for Fat Quarter Factory customers.

This-n-thatfabrics.com

This-n-thatfabrics.com has a home base in Exton, PA. Their goal is to offer quality fabric at reasonable prices, in addition to providing the best customer service in the area. They specialize in quilting materials, and also carry, wool, patterns, kits and books. They also have a free pattern section on their website which contains several original designs complete with instructions that are available for download. Any questions can be emailed to Linda and Sandy. For those who do not feel comfortable placing credit card orders over the Internet, please call (610) 283-2902 or (610) 721-9292.

Fabric.com

Fabric.com has been selling quilting fabric online since 1999, and has over 200,000 yards of quilt fabric from discount to designer with large discounts off of the suggested retail price. Any questions can be emailed to Mike Bradbury. Their phone number is (770) 792-8590 ext. 209.
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Fatquarterquilters.com

“The Web's Friendliest Home for Fat Quarter Quilting”!

Artfortheneedle.com

Quilting and sewing theme gifts, quilt patterns, cross stitch kits, and needlepoint kits. Enter code G1212 for the guild discount.

Craftgard.com

Quilt racks, acid-free boxes, tissue, Quiltwash, and Quiltgard. Enter code G1212 for the guild discount.
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Quilting with a Cat Motif

Cats Who Quilt is totally dedicated to quilting books about cats!

Sew Thankful

Sew Thankful specializes in threads and wearable art patterns.

The Thrifty Needle

Check out The Thrifty Needle, an online only quilt shop where every day is a sale day. Quality fabrics and a great selection!
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Attention Quilt Embellishers!

www.mjtrim.com has all kinds of trims and stuff - great for embellishers! Buttons, ribbons, Swarovski crystals, buckles, appliqués, amd more!

African Folklore Embroidery

African Folklore Embroidery has creative and colorful needlecraft kits –- over seventy different designs designed by South African artists -- with easy following instructions! If you’re an adult or child (6 years and older), beginner, or experienced stitcher you will be stunned by the results! This is the perfect take-along hobby! Completed kits can be made into quilts, pillows, purses, wearable art and much more.

Fab Shop Hop

fabshophop.com -- the shopping trip that takes you across North America in your PJ's! Visit dozens of your favorite online independent quilt and fabric shops and become eligible to win prizes! By visiting the sites on the hop, you'll have an opportunity to explore your “soon to be favorite” fabric/quilt shops and design studios as you qualify for drawings for prizes worth thousands of dollars! Let's go hoppin and shoppin! (No purchase necessary to win.)
The FabShopHop bunny will guide you from store to store, and when you get there, find another bunny hidden somewhere on the site. Click on the bunny, sign in to show you've been there, and continue on your journey.
Sign up today to join the latest FabShopHop.
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Organizations

National Quilting Association

American Quilter's Society

The Alliance for American Quilts
Our featured link in March, 2009, was www.allianceforamericanquilts.org. The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) is a nonprofit 501c3 organization established in 1993 whose mission is to document, preserve, and share our American quilt heritage by collecting the rich stories that historic and contemporary quilts, and their makers, tell about our nation's diverse peoples and their communities. Visit the Alliance's website to read about their core projects, Boxes Under the Bed™, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories (Q.S.O.S.), The Quilt Index, and Quilt Treasures. Other features on the AAQ website include the Quilt Query, which provides expert answers to frequently-asked questions about quilts; video special features; and much more.

The AAC's 2009 Crazy for Quilts contest entries were on display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, on October 15-18. An eBay auction of the quilts begins on October 26, 2009. For details and to view the quilts, visit www.quiltindex.org.
Embroiderers' Guild of America (EGA)
The Philadelphia Chapter of the EGA meets in King of Prussia. Visit their website, www.philaega.org for details.
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Book Publishers and Magazines

That Patchwork Place

Martingale & Company calls itself the “home of America's best loved craft and hobby books”. If you are a quilter, chances are you have at least one book from their quilting division, That Patchwork Place. Visit their website to see new releases, read about their authors, and shop their online store, with downloads of some of their out-of-print books and Web Specials of 25% off numerous craft titles. Free shipping when you purchase three books!

If your travels take you to the Seattle area, be sure to visit Martingale's corporate offices. Their location in an industrial park in Woodinville, Washington (a half-hour northeast of Seattle), is not all that exciting, until you get inside and see the quilts on display. Martingale offers free one-hour tours of their office building every Monday and Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time). You'll be treated to an insider's look at original quilts and other projects from their books. You'll even get a unique preview of quilts from books not yet published! The tour concludes at the “Hurt Book Room,” where tour guests can purchase slightly damaged books at greatly reduced prices. Reservations are required and preferably made at least one month in advance. For more information on tours, and a map, go to www.martingale-pub.com/Information/Tour.htm. Call (425) 483-3313 to make a reservation.

And while you're in Seattle, you'll surely be visiting Pike Place Market on the waterfront. Stroll one block south and you'll find a Seattle's only and oldest quilt and fabric store, Undercover Quilts of the USA, featuring fine-quality quilts, fabrics, kits, notions, patterns, gift items and a friendly atmosphere. Visit their website, www.undercoverquilts.com, where you can buy original art quilts by Mary Downes, as well as Northwest- and Hawaiian-themed kits and patterns. That site also has links to local quilt museums, shows and guilds.

“The Quilter” Magazine

The Quilter Magazine -- site includes many free projects, shop directory, a comprehensive quilting links page, information about the current issue available at newsstands, back issue catalog, reader's exchange feature, and links to other craft-type magazines (woodwork, craftworks, knitting, painting, and crochet).
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Quilting Personalities

The Pieceful Quilter

Our featured link in May, 2009, was www.piecefulquilter.com.

Michele Scott of Philadelphia, PA, is an award-winning quilt artist who specializes in teaching, lecturing, designing, and one-of-a-kind hand painted fabrics. A quiltmaker since 1994, Michele teaches and lectures locally and nationally for quilt guilds and shows. Her goal is to conduct positive upbeat classes that teach sound techniques and give all levels of quilters new confidence. She is an also a faculty member of Quilt University, the online quilting community. Keep an eye out for her upcoming book, “Bobbinpalooza and Fusing Fun”, being published by AQS in the spring of 2010, in which Michele shares her tips and tricks of fusing and bobbin quilting.

Michele is fun and personable, as many of you who have met her at local guilds and shows will agree. She's a super teacher and lecturer and is always upbeat and cheerful. If you miss visiting her merchant booth at local shows, you can shop her online website for her patterns and kits, fabulous hand-painted fabrics, wide variety of threads, notions, Jeanette Pié's Talking Quilt Blocks, and much more.

On Michele's website, you can also view a gallery of her quilts, download free patterns, sign up for her newsletter, browse through an extensive list of quilting links, and so on.
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Marie Bostwick

Our featured link in November, 2008, was www.gonequilting.com. Gone Quilting opened its doors in Canton, Connecticut, in August of 2005, as a full-service quilt shop with over 2,500 bolts of fabric, quilting supplies, classes and workshops. When its owner, Deb, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, 2006, her plans of quitting her full time job and running the quilt shop abruptly ended and the uphill battle began. Deb closed the Gone Quilting retail shop and opened an on-line business, Deb's Sewing Room. Although Deb is now cancer-free, she closed her online shop on December 31st, 2008.

Connecticut quilter and author Marie Bostwick's first Cobbled Court Quilts novel, A SINGLE THREAD, was inspired by Deb's personal story. In A SINGLE THREAD, Evelyn Dixon leaves the Texas suburbs and her philandering ex-husband for a quaint Connecticut village. There she rediscovers her dream of owning a quilt shop - and meets three women (and one intriguing man) whose friendships sustain her through the challenge of a lifetime.

Released in May, 2009, Marie's fifth book and second Cobbled Court Quilts novel, A THREAD OF TRUTH, picks up where A SINGLE THREAD left off, with more about Evelyn, Abigail, Margot, Liza, and the rest of the residents of New Bern, including Ivy Peterman, whose story was just beginning to unfold as the last Cobbled Court novel drew to a close.

Visit Marie's website, http://mariebostwick.com/, to read about these books and others she has written. Marie's books are available from Amazon and other book retailers, and BVQ has a copy of A SINGLE THREAD in our library. Back to Quilting Personalities

Helen Kelley

Our featured link in October, 2008, was www.helenkelley-patchworks.com.
Helen Kelley, beloved quilter, teacher and author, passed away on September 1, 2008. Helen may have been best known for her “Loose Threads” column which she had been writing for Quilters Newsletter Magazine since 1983.

Visit Helen's website to view her gallery of quilts and to peruse her blog.

Read a glowing tribute to Helen at the AQS website.

If you were a Helen Kelley fan, you can sign her guestbook on her website or at www.legacy.com.
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David Walker

Our featured link in September, 2008, was http://davidwalker.us/index.html.
Artist and quilter David Walker got his start in quilting in 1981 when he took a workshop and made an 8-pointed star pillow top. It's safe to say he's come a long way since then! Renowned art quilter, photographer and now also web designer, David also enjoys collecting interesting quotes. Visit his website to view his fabulous quilts and photographs and to read his blog.

If you are a visual artist who is interested in establishing a web presence for your work, David can create a personal, professional, entertaining and informative website for you. His basic web design package is reasonably priced. Visit the web design page of his site for details and to link to websites that he has created for many quilt artists, including BVQ's own BJ Titus and former BVQ member Pam Lowe.
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Jinny Beyer

Our featured link in August, 2008, was www.jinnybeyer.com.
Read all about Jinny and view her famous quilts, find free patterns, tons of tips, and shop her fabric collections as well as books and videos. Download her newsletter to see her class schedule at her studio in Great Falls, Virginia.

After 28 years of conducting the Hilton Head Seminar, Jinny decided that 2009 will be the last one. Scheduled for January 28 through February 1, 2009, the event included a huge party with lots of fun. Several guest speakers presented a wonderful array of classes and lectures to go along with the main Seminar theme which Jinny taught, as always.
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Easy as Pie Designs

Our featured link in June, 2008, was www.easyaspiedesigns.com.
This is the site of quilter, teacher and entrepreneur Jeanette Pié (pronounced “PEA-ay”), a super fun lady! Jeanette opened her first quilt shop, Creations Plus, with a partner in 1981, and then her second, Quilters Hive (both shops in Newark, Delaware), with several partners in 1999.

After retiring from the retail experience in 2002, Jeanette has actively worked her magic in yet another quilting arena - designing “Talking Quilts”, quotes screen-printed on top quality 100% muslin. If you have been to the AQS Show in Paducah, KY, or Quilter's Heritage Celebration and Spring Blossom Festivals in Lancaster, PA, you may have visited her vendor booths there.

In addition to her Talking Quilts, Jeanette has written several books and created patterns featuring her printed quotes, all of which can be ordered on her website.

Jeanette also organizes several quilting getaways each year and is planning, for the first time, a Bermuda Quilt Cruise for May, 2009! Click the Getaways link on her site for full details.
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Judy Martin's Website

Good Questions Deserve Good Answers! Our featured link in May, 2008, was www.judymartin.com/FAQs.cfm.
Well-known quilter Judy Martin shares numerous excellent tips on a variety of subjects related to quilting. Her Good Questions Deserve Good Answers continues with Part 2, at www.judymartin.com/faqs-page-2.cfm.

Visit Judy's home page at www.judymartin.com/index.cfm to view her workshop (click on Meet Judy and then Tour Judy's Sewing Room) and lots more!
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Nancy Rink Designs

Check out Nancyrinkdesigns.com. Nancy offers a free block of the month pattern, plus patterns, hand dyed fabric, a quilt gallery, tips, book reviews, and product reviews.
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Quilts for Soldiers

Quilts of Valor

“The mission of the QOV Foundation is to cover ALL war wounded and injured servicemembers and veterans from the War on Terror, whether physical or psychological wounds, with Wartime quilts called Quilts of Valor (QOVS).”

Executive Director and QOV Foundation Founder Catherine Roberts reports that over 22,000 quilts have been made and donated to the QOV Foundation since 2004.

This project is one of several supported by Brandywine Valley Quilters. Our members have contributed quilts for this worthy cause.

The very informative website, www.qovf.org, explains in detail how to make a QOV. You can make and donate a quilt top, a finished quilt, or provide longarm services to quilt a top. They also accept monetary and fabric donations.

Quilts of Valor Across America Road Trip: At the beginning of 2009, the QOV Foundation made the decision to cover the deployed 3/8 Marine Battalion from Camp Lejeune, NC with our wartime Quilts of Valor.
“These 1,200 wartime Quilts of Valor are about giving our combat warriors a tangible reminder of the recognition, love and prayers for healing they merit. With postage so costly ($12/quilt = $14,400), we decided to go across country and pick up as many quilts as we can. Our trip will not only deliver the quilts but help publicize what we are doing: Quilting honor and comfort for our war wounded. Note for anti-war readers: It is not about politics but about people.”
Click here to read the article from the QOVF May 2009 newsletter describing this effort.
And those efforts paid off - 1,304 quilts were collected! Visit www.qovf.org to view the slideshow of the awarding of the quilts to the Marines at Camp Lejeune.

Home of the Brave Quilt Project

The Home of the Brave Quilt Project is a grass-roots, non-partisan group of dedicated volunteers providing a comfort quilt to grieving families and support to our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Projects include quilts, Christmas stockings, pillowcases and cuddle-ups.
 
Home of the Brave Quilt If you would like to make a quilt to honor a fallen Delaware service person, contact the Delaware Coordinator, Peg Parsons of Ladybug Quilt Guild, at redbird1217@juno.com so she may secure the organization's certificate and sympathy card to go with the quilt and help you with the specifics about the quilt.

The quilt is made of reproduction fabrics similar to those used during the Civil War. The finished size of each block is 12" and is the basic 9 patch block. Finished size of the quilt should be 48" by 84". The quilt sandwich is tied together instead of traditional quilting. Click here to download instructions to make the quilt, in .pdf format.

For more information about the Home of the Brave Quilt Project, including additional ways to support our service men and women and their families, visit the website at www.homeofthebravequilts.com.
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9-11 Memorials

America's 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization

America's 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization continues it commitment to preserve the memory, life and legacy of all the victims of 9-11 for decades to come. To do it with respect of the families and with dignity to the victims. As families work together through the Coalitions and support groups to ensure safety in the future for all citizens, proper burial for their loved ones at Ground Zero and financial support to those in need, we work to ensure the world pay proper tribute to the memory of their loved ones.. We offer our hand of friendship, hope and compassion along our journey of remembrance to say to each family, “We Will Not Forget”.

Ground Zero Quilt

A Lone-Star style 89 inch square quilt was conceived in the days following the events of September 11, 2001, by quilter Lois Jarvis of Madison, Wisconsin. The center of the quilt was composed using pictures, printed on fabric, of people who perished at the site of the World Trade Center. To view the quilt and read more about it, visit www.gzquilt.com.
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Free Quilt Patterns

Quilter's Cache

Our featured link in January, 2009, was www.quilterscache.com. Quilter's Cache is a great resource for free block patterns. The instructions are detailed and include easy to follow diagrams, plus ideas for block settings! Scroll down the home page and click the down arrow next to the “Where do you want to go today” box for a list of options, including quilting tips, how-tos, lessons, and Quilt Blocks Galore - Free Quilt Block Patterns, where you can browse block patterns by name or size or just scroll through the many pages of patterns. Have fun!
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Other Sites of Interest

Bra Art Challenges

In recent years, a number of bra art competitions have challenged quilt artists to decorate bras, which are then auctioned to raise funds to support breast cancer initiatives. In February, 2009, we featured two websites where you can find pictures of decorated bras from recent Bra Art challenges. You will be astounded by these fabulous creations!
Bra Art Cup of the Month Challenge:

Entries from the fourth annual Bra Art Cup of the Month Challenge were displayed at the Anne Arundel Community College Arnold Campus in January, 2009. Sponsored by Maryland's Anne Arundel County Department of Health and the Annapolis Quilt Guild, the Cup of the Month Challenge is a bra art competition in observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).

This annual competition, started in 2005, raises awareness about breast cancer and educates women about the importance of cancer screening. The decorated bras serve as a tribute to women's wellness and to friends, relatives and co-workers who have been a source of inspiration and support for breast cancer screening and treatment.

See pictures of the winning and other entries submitted by 63 participants in the 2008 challenge at http://www.aahealth.org/braartshowcase.asp.
Click on the following links to see entries from prior years: 2007 Challenge   2006 Challenge

The Artfull Bras Project: www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm

Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of forty-nine original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors.

This exhibit will tour South Carolina until October, 2009, at which time individual Artfull Bras will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the Best Chance Network, a program to provide care and treatment of uninsured women across the state who are diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer.
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