Fun Facts

From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "From dancing Christmas puddings, to a lobster snipping at a child, cats doing acrobatics and a dog postman with human hands – explore the wide selection of (sometimes unexpected) Victorian Christmas cards in the V&A's collection!"

From BERNINA: "Have you ever wondered what happens at night in the BERNINA assembly halls in Steckborn, Switzerland? When everyone’s asleep, the magic begins: the BERNINA presser feet come out of hiding, stir up some mischief, and give our machines the Magic Touch! Our new Christmas video takes you into this enchanting world, where our tiny heroes create magical moments."

On Friday we revealed the Kona Cotton Color of the Year for 2025. An now we present  to you Pantone's Color of the Year for 2025. Did you guess the Kona Color on Friday? Do you already know what Pantone's is? Their Color of the Year "nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities." Click through to find out what it is!

The end of the year brings us one of our favorite traditions, the choosing of next year's Color of the Year. The Kona Cotton Company has revealed its Color of the Year for 2025. Any guesses as to what it may be? We'll give you a hint, it'll make you think of nighttime.

BERNINA has many amazing sewing machines that perform an array of tasks to make quilting your next project easy. But which is the one you need? How will know what to ask for for Christmas if you don't know what you want in the first place? BERNINA is here to help with that by providing you with the 2024 BERNINA Wish Book, which is a guide to help you choose your next great sewing machine. Peruse the book and see what the best fit for you is.

Did you miss Ricky's recent LIVE with Libby Lehman, well we have it right here for you. Ricky dropped by Libby's house while he was in Texas just before her birthday. You'll be inspired as they chat about Libby's life since her stroke and her philosophy about moving forward in life.

Today marks the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. To commemorate the moment, we thought we'd squeeze in one more story related to the games as reported by the University of Wisconsin that we just loved. Grace Latz, a former Olympic rower and artist who was just featured in Monday's Textile Talk, "was chosen by the Olympic Museum to lead a workshop for senior citizens, transforming recycle sports materials into a piece of art. With the help of a BERNINA, they created this stunning quilt together!" Click through to see the full quilt and to learn more about how this heartwarming collaboration came to be.

The lovely folks at WeAllSew have shared a wonderful video of our very own Ricky Tims and his journey to finishing a quilt he started over THREE DECADES ago. Ricky says, "Join me on an exciting journey as I complete my Carnival Quilt, a project I began over thirty years ago, with the help of the BERNINA Q 24 and the Q-matic Longarm Quilting Automation System!"

The 2024 Olympics are in full swing in Paris, France and we love watching the world's top athletes performing at their peak for a chance at the gold. But while the events are a sight to behold, we can't take our eyes off of the astounding uniforms we've seen the participants wearing. The prime example being Team USA's gymnastics leotards​. Fortune magazine got an inside look at how these amazing uniforms were made and they are "adorned with thousands upon thousands of Swarovski crystals." Take a look and see all the work that was put into making Team USA sparkle!

The BERNINA 990 is BERNINA's latest and greatest sewing machine. With the largest embroidery field at 16.1" x 12", a BERNINA Integrated Stitch Regulator (BISR), a Camera & BERNINA Placement Scanner, and so much more, the BERNINA 990 embodies Swiss engineering excellence with its spacious design, intuitive technology, and versatility at it's best. Learn all about this magnificent new machine below and how to get one for yourself.

Julie Silber, a Quilt Show favorite, wanted to shared that Joe Cunningham, the very first guest on The Quilt Show and another favorite, has a pretty cool "quilting" project. What is it you may ask? Oh nothing, just wrapping the entire outside of a museum with a quilt! It's not a quilt made out of traditional fabric, but a rather unusual material.

​Leather is a glamorous and luxurious material to use when making clothing, handbags, car interior, and the like, but it can also be an expensive one. That's way the Desserto company has developed "a highly sustainable plant based material as an alternative to leather made from cactus, often distinguished by its great softness at touch while offering a great performance for a wide variety of applications and complying with the most rigorous quality and environmental standards." Watch this video and see how Desserto creates their leather alternative, which may soon be used in a product that you purchase.

Look who we spied in Woman's World Magazine this week - our own beloved Barbara Black! Pop on over to our blog and learn how Barbara got healthy by losing 110 lbs. We are so proud of her!

What is the Grand Prize for International Quilting Weekend 2024? Here's a Sneak Peek!

Last week we featured an exhibit of Gee's Bend quilts that were on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the same gallery was a collection of furniture covered with digitally reproduced designs of those quilts. Learn about this exclusive furniture collection celebrating the work of Mary Lee Bendolph, Delia Bennett, Annie E. Pettway, Loretta Petway, and Magdalene Wilson of Gee's Bend.

From C&T Publishing: "Take the survey for your chance to win an exciting prize! Your voice will be heard by the leaders who drive innovation in the quilting industry. Make your voice heard by taking the 2024 Quilter's Survey. Opt into the drawing at the end of the survey, and you will be eligible to win one of several $50 gift cards ($3,000 total) as a thank-you for sharing your time and opinion."