Free Motion Quilting with Cindy Needham

My number one quilting goal this past year was to improve my free-motion quilting (FMQ) skills.  And today I'd like to share insights with you about a someone I met along this journey, whom has inspired me to continue to improve and have fun with FMQ.

Cindy Needham, is an amazing woman and talented quilter who is a passionate collector of old linens.  She can take an old tablecloth and turn it into an amazing wholecloth quilt.   She has been teaching since 1997 and is also a national educator for Superior Threads.  In addition, she has many inspirational and educational videos on youtube, including a three part trunk show of her spectacular quilts.


Cindy has taught at Asilomar, Road to California, Machine Quilting Expo, Houston International Quilt Festival and Sisters Quilt Show. And she has been on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson (Episode #202),  and she is the author of Whole cloth Linen Quilts published by AQS. She has also published many articles in  Quilters Newsletter Magazine and is the creator of exclusive stencil designs produced by Quilting Creations, Inc. .  And to think this is not a complete list of her contributions to our wonderful world of quilting!

I had the pleasure of meeting Cindy in person, while attending a FMQ class taught by Diane Gaudynski, at Empty Spools (Asilomar) retreat, earlier this year.  Prior to this class I had exchanged emails with Cindy and realized we were both registered for Diane's class.  When I learned Cindy was in Diane's class, I was concerned that I had signed up for a class that was way over my head.  But Cindy quickly calmed my fears, making me realize that quilters of all levels can benefit from taking FMQ classes from a variety of teachers, where they always pick up new tips & tricks, and continually improve their skills. 

While I thorougly enjoyed my class with Diane Gaudynski, and I will share insights with you later on this class,  I felt very lucky to have Cindy in the class as a student with me.  It was amazing to see how fast she absorbed Diane's techniques, and in many cases quickly adapted some of Diane's designs to be unique to her own. 

The more I watched Cindy doing such elegant free-motion quilting, I realized I wanted to continue down this journey of learning free-motion quilting. 

I fell in love with the designs Cindy created in her sample quilt that she made in Diane's class.

And I've enjoyed seeing photos of her quilts on her site and her blog too.  And look at what one of her students (Debbie D'Ewart  of One Stitch Off) created with an old napkin.  I think it is a spectacular quilt, beautifully quilted, and so very cheerful.  Love it!

In addition to Cindy's teaching at quilt shows, quilt guilds, Superior Threads "School of Threadology, she also hosts her own retreats and workshops in Northern California.  Her "My Time" retreats allow quilters to work on their own projects, be pampered with good food and fun (including opportunities to win prizes that have been known to sometimes include one of her wholecloth quilts, or a free quilt retreat).  She also shares her stencil stash, so you can mark your quilts for free-motion quilting.  Prices are reasonable and her retreats sell out quickly.  There is a current list of dates for these retreats in McCloud, Ca., along with recently added retreats scheduled in Rancho Cordova, Ca..

Superior Thread holds their "School of Threadology" in St. George, Utah, at the Road to California Quilt Show, Quilt Hawaii, and various other locations. Cindy is one of their teachers and currently scheduled to teach at the School of Threadology in St. George on March 20-23, 2012.

Cindy also hosts "My Designs" workshops in Rancho Cordova,  California that are 5-day sessions currently scheduled for February 22-26, 2012 and September 19-23, 2012.  These workshops are for the "confident beginner" up to experienced free-motion quilter.  I have signed up for the September '12 retreat and hope you'll come join me!

And, this very talented woman is highly organized and enjoys traveling around the world.  As such, you may want to talk to your quilt guild, local quilt shop, or mention to the coordinators of your local quilt show to have Cindy come teach in your area.  If you want to schedule such an activity, you can email her directly at linenqltr@comcast.net

http://www.cindyneedham.com/

http://blog.cindyneedham.com

Beam N Read Blog Hop: Giveaway closed

The IHAN Beam n Read Blog hop started this past Monday and you can visit two blogs each day, for fun & insights on the cool Beam n Read light, and a chance to win one of your own.  And, today, SewCalGal is able to share insights and host a giveaway too, thanks to Kelly of I Have A Notion and Beam n Read.    

Before I share my insights on the Beam n Read light, I want to emphasize that I was introduced to this light from Kelly of IHAN.  She  has always given me great recommendations to products that are perfect for me.  And, she'll also let me know when she thinks a product isn't a good fit for my interests.  Thus, I respect her opinion 100%. When I first learned of the Bean n Read from Kelly's blog, I thought this was a great light. I was even more excited when Kelly invited me to particpate in this blog hop and share my perspective on this light.

As a quilting, sewing and embroidery enthusiat for many years, I've certainly used many well known brands of lights.  Thus, I can truly say that the Beam n Read light is the great product.  It has a bright LED light, yet soft on the eyes.  To clarify, it is much easier on the eyes than any other bright light sewing light I've ever used previously. 

The Beam n Read light is perfect for those doing handwork such as knitting, hand applique, cross stitch, etc..  I've also found that I prefer this light for when I'm doing reverse sewing (ripping out).   Unlike any other lights that I've used, it comes with filters that provide great versatility in different light settings (e.g. outside bright lights, etc), and also comes with a magnifier that is helpful.  And the retail price is quite reasonable.

I asked my friends to try the Beam n Read so that I could also share their perspective with you.

My friend Mario definitely agreed that the Beam n Read light with magnifier helped his eyes.

My friend Olivia loved the elegant lighting, and ability to read menus in restaurants.  She even said it was helpful to find her lipstick that fell out of her purse, while dancing.

Larry the Lion liked the Beam n Read for these ease of reading books while in the dark forest,  late at night.

And my friend Ely the Elephant really loved the Beam n Read for doing hand work, when good lighting is very important to create beautiful stitches.

I, found I enjoyed the Beam n Read for these easy feeling it left on my eyes. Truly it has become one of my favorite lights.  And I love the portability. Great, great light and a very reasonable price.  I has six LED lights and is designed to be a hands free light, as the device allows you to easily angle it to direct the light where you need it.  It uses 4 standard alkaline AA batteries (not included) that last 48 hours at Full Brightness.  There are also 2 clip-on filters:  Red for maintaining night vision, orange for a softer light.  Plus, it comes with a 4"x5" acryllic Fresnel Magnifier for detail work that can be attached to the light in either vertical or horizontal position.

I hope you will check out this light at Kelly's IHAN store.    I do think if you do much handwork you'd really fall in love with this light quickly.

Now, time to learn about how you can win a Bean n Read of your own. You can leave a comment on this post to be entered.  Quite simple.  As Kelly is the mastermind of this bloghop and giveaway she has also made arrangements to ensure that anyone, in any place of the world, can enter and win.  The ultimate winner will simply need to pay shipping costs.  And you can specify what shipment method you want (e.g. UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc). 

SewCalGal will randomly select the winner, from all the comments on this post, on Saturday., July 2nd.  This post will be updated to show the winner on the 3rd of July. 

Here is a list of all the blogs that are participating in this blog hop.  I hope you will take time to visit each of these blogs, as they will be sharing their insights on the Beam n Read Light, as well as hosting a giveaway for this light. Ten chances to win a Beam n Read light of your own, and each chance can have different terms & deadlines.

• June 27:
  • Sew I Quilt
  • Amy's Creative Side
• June 28:
  • Irish Muses
  • Happy Cottage Quilter
• June 29:
  • Insights from SewCalGal
  • Jane's Fabric and Quilts
• June 30:
• Bejeweled Quilts By Barb
• Hanging On by a Needle and Thread
• July 1:
• Patsy Thompson Designs
• I Have A Notion

Visit the website for the Beam N Read light too, for more info on this cool product.

www.readinglight.com



WINNER:  NinaLise Moen (Mrs. Moen)

This road is paved with creativity, inspiration, and amazing classes: Road to California 2012

The classes for the Road to California 2012 Quilt Show are absolutely amazing. This is always a spectacular quilt show, that also has an exceptional offering of classes from many award winning instructors. 

Class information is now available on-line and registration will open on  Saturday, July 10th.  There are many classes to help longarm quilters, traditional quilters, art quilters and quilters with other intersts be inspired and learn. Even  machine embroidery enthusiasts can find spectacular classes.  Classes are offered for beginners thru advanced quilters, along with very interesting lectures.  Here are some highlights of classes at Road to California 2012:

#1008 Scoop it Up, by Angie Steveson, Lunchbox Quilts, will be teaching a fun class for machine embroidery enthusiasts.

#1201 Embroidered Applique' for Beginners , by Sarah Vedeler, Sarah Vedeler Designs, will be teaching a two day class for beg-intermediate machine embroidery enthusiasts, using Sarah's recently released GO! Bloom Designs.  SewCalGal has stitched out many of Sarah's designs and they always stitch out beautiful and I've taken a prior class with her and have found her to be an amazing teacher.  I'm so inspired I'm signing up for this class and already looking forward to two days with Sarah! 

#1202 – Superior Threads School of Threadology,  will be a two day class where attendees will enjoy an open "thread bar", have fun with fusible thread, play with Texture Magic.  Not sure about you, but attending the Super Threads School of Threadology is high on my wish list for classes.  This is a great opportunity for those able to attend "Road".

#3003 - Radiant Star will be taught by Eleanor Burns (Quilt in a Day), where you'll learn an amazing & easy strip piecing technique that makes this beautiful quilt so easy to create.  I've seen Eleanor in action teaching this technique and give this class a high recommendation.

#3011 – Tea With Me is taught by the talented Sandra Leichner.   This class is perfect for any intermediate-advanced applique' quilter.

Sandra will also be teaching #4501 – Garden Bird

Sandra will also be teaching #6009 – Cupcake Fun.  I don't know about you, but I'm hungry for a class with Sandra.

#4001 – Bento Box and Beyond will be taught by the famous Tracey Brookshier.  This is such a fun quilt pattern that has an amazing 12 different designs, in 5 block sizes, that allow you to create your own unique style 

#5013 – Thread Painting  will be taugh by Nancy Prince is a perfect class for anyone that wants to have fun and be creative with threads.

#5035 – Painted Blocks taught by Laura Murray  will certainly be fun as students play with paintstiks, stamps, and fusible web to create unique and spectacular quilts.

There are so many amazing classes at Road, and all at great prices.  I hope you'll check out the complete list of classes at the Road to California site. And I hope  you'll come.  Road to California Quilt Show will be held January 19-22nd 2012 in Upland, Ca.  This location is a great location for those flying in, from around the world, or coming by car, or train.  This show is also near Disneyland, making it a great show to visit and bring the family.  And don't forget Southern California weather is wonderful in January, when many areas are packed with snow.    Yes, definitely check out the classes for Road to California Quilt Show.  And sign up early!


Website: http://www.road2ca.com
E-mail: info@roadtocalifornia.com
Blog: http://backroads2ca.blogspot.com

SewBiz: The Power of Facebook for Quilting, Sewing & Embroidery Enthusiasts and Businesses

There are a variety of reasons for businesses and individuals to be active on Facebook, as it is a social media tool that helps businesses and consumers build strong relationships and have fun.  Facebook can help quilting, sewing & embroidery businesses engage with their customers, and customers share insights with other customers too.  Ultimately, the goal for a business isn't to be good at Facebook, but to be good at business by using Facebook as a communication tool!  And the goal of a consumer is to have fun, be inspired, and share insights with their peers.

Quilt businesses can quickly and efficiently increase awareness of new products and/or sales with their customers, through Facebook.  They can also increase sales by special offers only shared with Facebook fans.  And they can conduct inexpensive Market Research with voting on polls, as well as engaging customers in questions.  Product giveaways on Facebook are also a good way to grow you fan base, along with sharing quilty tips, photographs and creating interesting discussions on your Facebook page. 

AccuQuilt has a giveaway every "Fun Friday" and everytime they reach another 1k level of Fans on their Facebook page.  Cozy Quilt Shop has Facebook Only Auctions for selected products.  Martingale & Company has frequent contests where winners receive free books.  And there are many more quilting, sewing & embroidery businesses that have an active Facebook page, and can show an increase in sales by way of connecting with customers thru this social media tool!

There is a "viral effect" where insights on Facebook can quickly be shared, reaching far more people faster than a traditional "word of mouth" insight.  If a quilting business is not on Facebook, they are missing an opportunity to connect with a larger customer base.

I haven't been able to find out exactly how many quilting enthusiasts are on Facebook, but the rate is growing rapidly.  When we look at the connection rate (aka Fans, Likes, Friends) it is easy to see that those in the business are able to reach far more customers.  We also need to remember that information can be shared faster on Facebook than traditional communication tools that are typically one way (e.g. Newsletters, emails, et).

While Hobby Lobby is focused on all sorts of crafty customers, they make a great example of what can be achieved through Facebook. Their connection rate of reaching 210k customers on Facebook is excellent.  And, they have already connected with several hundred more customers in a few hours since the graph below was created.  Amazing, having a couple hundred "new" customers come to you for information & fun on Facebook.  Wouldn't every business love to pick up hundreds of  new customers every few hours?

Adjusting the graph to exclude Hobby Lobby, and focus more on those in the quilty business, you can see Fons & Porter Love of Quilting (33k), Hancock Fabrics (31k), Quilters Club of America (22k), AccuQuilt (17k), and SewMamaSew (16k) are all great examples of businesses that have a great communication with customers on Facebook where they can quickly share insights on new products, sales, etc..  Customers also post photos of their projects, ask how to questions, and have fun networking on the pages of these businesses on a daily basis.

Note:  If the graphical images are too small to view, try double clicking on the graph to enlarge the image for a better view.

Some businesses may have an employee assigned as their Social Media Manager, whereby that person is responsible for facilitating the discussions and product information on their Facebook page. And other companies may have many employees share the responsibility for representing their company on Facebook. Either approach works, but the companies that have a Facebook page and ignore it tend to get hammered with spam on their wall. 

When a business gets spammed on Facebook the quality of their wall deminishes and they loose the ability to engage customers, thus they loose out on the opportunities that Facebook can bring to their business. Their Social Media Manager can and should be blocking such apps from their wall (click on upper right hand corner "x" where you'll see a "hide" app option).

If a business doesn't have the staffing to hire a Social Media Manager, they may want to consider hiring a part-time employee to help perform this service for them.  It really doesn't take much time to effectively manage the Facebook tool, as well as increase your customer base on Facebook.  And the benefits are well worth it for a business.  And if you can't find such a person in your area, remember this sort of responsibility can easily be done by someone working from home in another location.
Quilters have fun sharing insights and inspiration on Facebook with those that share a common interest.  But they also enjoy networking with Designers, Authors, Publishers, Stores and others that are "in the business".  To clarify, quilters on Facebook value the ability to get timely information, hearing about new designs, sales, products and more long before the general quilting world sees products in stores, magazines, or quilt shows. 

Clearly, not all SewBiz insights on Facebook are covered in this post. But for those that have additional insights and would like to share their thoughts, I hope you will leave a comment.  It would certainly be fun to hear insights from others on the topic of Facebook for quilting, sewing and embroidery enthusiats.  I'm also thinking it would be interesting to hear your insights on:

• Recommendations for how a business can grow their fan base on Facebook?
• How would you inspire other quilters to join Facebook?
• Would you be interested in a part-time position to help a business take advantage of social media Marketing?

22 free patterns for new AccuQuilt subscribers

You can get 22 free patterns from AccuQuilt by signing up for their newsletter.  This offer is good for new newsletter subscribers.  They also frequently offer free patterns to subscribers, but this is the first time I've seen them offer "22" free patterns.  You simply need to click on the image to get to the page to sign up, if this offer interests you.

Also, check out my page labeled "giveaways" as there are some AccuQuilt giveaways that you may want to enter, as well as some other great giveaways.

The Light is coming! A Beam-N-Read Blog Hop

Kelly of I Have A Notion has coordinated a  Beam-N-Read Blog hop that is scheduled for June 27th-July lst, with ten amazing blogs participating.  Each of these blogs will be sharing insights on this versatile light and holding a giveaway, where you could win one of your own.  To clarify, you'll have ten chances to win your very own Beam-N-Read light.  All this fun starts next Monday, so mark your calendar so you won't miss it.

The participating blogs posting about the quilting light are:

• June 27:
  • Sew I Quilt
  • Amy's Creative Side
• June 28:
  • Irish Muses
  • Happy Cottage Quilter
• June 29:
  • Insights from SewCalGal
  • Jane's Fabric and Quilts
• June 30:
  • Bejeweled Quilts By Barb
  • Hanging On by a Needle and Thread
• July 1:
  • Patsy Thompson Designs
  • I Have A Notion

Charity Quilt Block Challenge Deadline Extention

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Charity Quilt Block Challenge has been extended till June 25th.  So, you have a few more days to mail your blocks, quilt tops, or finished quilts to be entered to win prizes in this challenge.

To all those that have entered this challenge, as well as those that help make quilts for QOV, thank you!

Winners will be announced on July 4th.

Sponsors for this Charity Quilt Block Challenge are:

Prizes for this challenge will be given away on July 4th.  Tink Linhart will randomly be selecting winners and notify SewCalGal, who will announce the respective winners and prizes.  The more entries the better your chances are of winning one of these great prizes:

• GO! Baby donated by AccuQuilt

• "Radiant Star Quilt Book, 2nd Edition", book by Quilt in a Day 

• "Simple Graces: Charming Quilts and Companion Projects", published by Martingale & Company, home of That Patchwork Place.

For more information on this challenge, please visit the original post.

Charity Quilt Block Challenge - I see STARS!

I'm definitely seeing STARS, patriotic stars!

Yes, I've been having fun making patriotic quilt blocks for the Charity Quilt Block Challenge, sponsored by AccuQuilt, Quilt in a Day, and Martingale & Company.  As this challenge helps QOV to give quilts to wounded Veterans and Soldiers, I wanted to make some blocks with stars.  I'm still busy making more quilt blocks, but wanted to share with you what I am up to.

The AccuQuilt GO! Stars collections, by Sarah Vedeler,

and Sarah's STARS machine embroidery design collection

work great together to make beautiful patriotic quilt blocks.  Well, they'd work great to make many wonderful quilt designs and other projects, but they definitely helped me quickly make some patriotic quilt blocks for QOV quilts. 

It is so fast to cut the stars with the AccuQuilt GO! and Sarah's ME designs do a beautiful job stitching out, as all of her designs to.

 I just love the detail that Sarah created with these designs.  While they each have a variety of thread change outs (to use different colors), I had fun using red, white & blue threads for only three thread changeouts. 

 

I do so enjoy stitching out Sarah Vedeler's machine embroidery designs and am happy to be able to make some blocks to help the QOV project too.  While I don't qualify to win a prize, there is still time for you to enter the Charity Quilt Block Challenge where you could win.  Your can enter by making a block, quilt top or finished quilt.  And it doesn't need to be a machine embroidered block, have stars on it, or be made with an AccuQuilt product.  But I must confess, if you use an AccuQuilt it will certainly be faster!

http://www.accuquilt.com/

http://sarahvedelerdesigns.com/

Book Review: Thanking Our Troops, by Judy Howard and Nationwide Quilt Arts (and a sponsored giveaway)

Thanking Our Troops

God Bless America Touring Quilts

By Judy Howard and Nationwide Quilt Artists

This book is a collection of short essays that pays tribute to all men and women Veterans and Troops, with photos of the beautiful quilts that are also part of a traveling quilt exhibit.  Every story shouts out a hug for our heroes.   

All profits from this book, along with profits from the traveling quilt exhibit, with which this book has photographs of 200 of these quilts, go to non-profit groups that provide quilts for wounded soldiers and the families of the fallen.

 “How do I love America—let me quilt the ways” is the theme of these 200 twenty-two" and larger patriotic quilts that are blanketing America for four years with “Hugs for our Heroes” and are featured in this full-color gift book along with their heart-warming stories of patriotism and gratitude.

This patriotic traveling quilt exhibit will travel for four years, with a $100 exhibit rental fee (free to military and veteran groups). It is a perfect exhibit for quilt guilds, churches, quilt shows, libraries,  and other groups to proudly display.  You can also view the online schedule for this exhibit, to see if it will be coming to your area.

You can order this book directly from the publisher for $14.95 each + $2.95 shipping ($19.95 suggested Retail Price).  Call 405-751-3885 for volume discounts for fundraising.

Dorcas Publishing

12101 N. MacArthur, Suite 137

Oklahoma City, OK  73162

405-751-3885

BuckboardQuilts@cox.net

www.HeavenlyPatchwork.com

www.BuckboardQuilts.com

Judy Howard has also generously donated one copy of this book for a giveaway for followers of SewCalGal.  To enter, followers simply need to leave a comment on this post. 

For those that are also participating in my Charity Quilt Block Challenge, that benefits QOV, you are welcome to leave an additional comment, for an extra entry. 

Winner will be selected and announced on July 4^th.