Captn' John's next inspirational bridge is the Henderson Waves Bridge in Singapore. What inspired this bridge? Nature of course. As with many of us, nature can spark our creativity and this bridge is no exception. It was inspired by the undulating shape of waves. And while this bridge provides a traditional method of a walkway in its basic sense, it has a modern presence that is a thing of beauty.
Congratulations are in order for Quilt Show Legend and three-time guest Katie Pasquini Masopust, who will be inducted into The Quilters Hall of Fame next year. Katie has done it all and she's got so much more to show us too. Congrats Katie on this most prestigious honor.
Continuing with a selection of Modern Bridges to inspire your quilting creativity, Captn' John has selected the magnificent Banpo Bridge in South Korea. The Banpo Bridge, also known as the Banpodaegyo Bridge, is a treasured landmark located in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. Captn' John feels this bridge celebrates color and embellishment. It also seems to highlight the contrast between traditional and modern quilting in that it was inspired by the harmony between nature and urban life.
As you know, anything can bring on sudden inspiration when it comes to creativity. Capt'n John believes every bridge has lines and shapes that can inspire every quilter. Here is the first of his Top Ten bridges, beginning with the enchanting Samuel Beckett Bridge in Ireland, AKA the Harp Bridge. This bridge was inspired by a symbol deeply rooted in Irish culture and history, do you know what it is?
WeAllSew and Amanda Murphy have come together to offer a tour of Amanda's own amazing studio in support of BERNINA's Dream Studio Sweepstakes. Amanda, who has been a guest on The Quilt Show a couple of times, shows some of her favorite things about her studio and talks about how it's never too late to have a space of your own (she only recently got one herself).
Victoria Stone of Okan Arts, whose mother and business partner Patricia Belyea was recently a featured guest on The Quilt Show, had the pleasure of visiting the 2023 Quilt Festival Long Beach in sunny Southern California this past week. Take a look at all the wonderful quilts and more that she saw as part of her write-up on the fun-filled event.
You've waited many weeks to find out, but now here it is! Capt'n John has discovered the Number One Most Expensive Fabric in the world. Have you figured out what it is yet? Click through to find out!
Just because something is expensive, or deemed to have value, doesn't always mean it should be something to be had. That's something Capt'n John learned in his research for the most expensive fabrics and brings us to fabric number two, Shahtoosh, which comes from the "wool of the Tibetan antelope, also known as the chiru." It has been illegal to harvest Shahtoosh since 1975. Why you may ask? Read on through to discover why this fabric is so valuable but is no longer allowed to be used or gathered.
If you've seen a llama before, you might recognize the animal that brings us the number three most expensive fabric. That animal is a Guanaco, which is, as you may have guessed already, related to the llama. Read what Capt'n John has discovered about this cuddly creature and how its wool becomes such pricey fabric.
Update (6/27/23): BERNINA made its big announcement on Tuesday and revealed its next great innovation in sewing tech. What did they reveal? Click through and find out!
Coming in at number four, Mulberry Silk is Capt'n John's next selection in the list of the most expensive fabrics. Where, you may ask, does this silk come from? Well, it happens to be from the little guy above. Do you happen to know what kind of animal it is? Click through and find out.
Some quilters get their quilting fix by working on a project one step at a time day after day. Karen Turner has taken that concept to the next level with her Intuitive Daily Stitching where she "marks the passage of time through embroidery stitches" and "adds thread marks to fabric to chronicle each day." Don't understand the concept? Click through and find out how Karen stitched on a single tapestry every day for a whole year to create an amazing embroidered work.
Capt'n John saw a plant called a "Ric Rac Cactus". He loved the plant and that it had that ric rac look so he ran to Alden Lane Nursery and got one. Alex has loved the plant and mentioned it on her LIVE recently. Then it turned out in the chat that the cactus has a lot of names. What other names does it have?
In his search for the most expensive fabric, Capt'n John discovered that the number six fabric came from Bison. During his research, he found that the number five fabric is Qiviut, which comes from the animal above that looks similar to a bison. Do you know what this animal is? Read on to learn more about both it and Qiviut fabric.
"The American Folk Art Museum is thrilled to present a free virtual program with artist Dindga McCannon, whose quilt-like piece Mary Lou Williams – Jazz Pianist is currently on view in the exhibition What That Quilt Knows About Me. McCannon will be joined by textile artist Aliyah Bonnette for an intergenerational conversation about the significance and history of quilting for African-American communities." Register today for FREE and get tickets to watch when it airs this Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 6 PM EDT.
Our most expensive fabric journey this week brings Capt'n John face-to-face with our number six fabric, Bison. What makes Bison such an expensive fabric to use? Click through and find out.
Capt'n John brings us the seventh most expensive fabric, Cashmere. We're probably all familiar with cashmere sweaters, but do you know where it comes from?
Where does our search for the ten most expensive fabrics take us this week? Capt'n John has discovered that Fabric #8 is Angora. Read on to find out how this rabbit is connected to this expensive fabric.
From Now This News, "A McDonald’s location in Ustroń, Poland, got a full cardigan makeover, with giant amounts of wool covering the entire building inside and out." Come and watch the video to get the full view and see how this McDonald's restaurant got a full makeover for Winter.
Capt'n John continues in his search for the ten most expensive fabrics and returns with Fabric #9. This week's fabric comes from the Alpaca. Read on through and find out why Alpaca breaks into the list.