Show 1613 - A Quilter’s Journey

Posts On: June 22, 2015

Renae Haddadin recounts an amazing quilting journey, which took her from hand appliqué and hand quilting in this country, through Jordan and back again, and then on a new odyssey of long arm quilting.  She bought her first machine without knowing how to use it, but now drives it like a pro.  She demonstrates her unique “road map” for designing quilting patterns by dividing them into grid-marked sections, making what looks complex become much more manageable.  She shows her quilts, her quilting, and the gorgeous wedding dress she created based on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.   We then journey to Arizona, where Barbara Polston shares her love of miniature quilts and vintage linens.  Let’s get going!

Show 1612 - Quilting the Wild West

Posts On: June 8, 2015

Textile Artist Carol Ann Sinnreich shares her love of the West, and talks about the extensive research she conducts prior to creating her quilts.  Carol has developed an appliqué technique for perfecting tricky intersections with multiple pieces of fabric.  She also discusses her approach to commission work, from which offers to choose, how to discuss and price a project, to proper documentation before and after making the piece.  Next, if dyeing your own fabric has seemed daunting and expensive, this is the episode for you!  Ricky shows Alex an approach that needs only basic tools and simple methods.  He folds and dyes fabrics, creating beautiful striped designs.   Last but not least, Cristy Fincher has a new trick to teach – paper piecing without paper!  Who knew??

Show 1611 - New Methods & Old Ways

Posts On: May 25, 2015

Is there something about piano playing and quilting? Ricky and quilter Karen Stone are both amazing pianists as well as quilters! (They’re both Texans, too.) Karen’s background includes classical training and being surrounded by engineers, which might explain her incredible precision and love of complex work. Her latest technique is an adaptation of English Paper Piecing that doesn’t require hand piecing and includes curves! Karen demonstrates her fascinating style, which combines pinning, gluing and zigzag stitching. You will be amazed, and so was the studio audience, which had loads of questions for her. Karen mentioned a quilt that inspired her, owned by quilt curator Julie Silber, so we went in search of Julie, and were rewarded with a tour of her antique quilt collection. You’ll love it!

Show 1610 - Words of Art

Posts On: May 11, 2015

Joanne Sharpe’s quilts and fiber art pieces are filled with vibrant colors and joyous words. Her love of philosophy and her life work as an art teacher for all grade levels brings a special joie de vive to her work, which started on canvas and paper, and is now incorporating fabric. Joanne demonstrates how to use your own hand-written word to make a simple but unique small quilt. She also shows Ricky how to use Dyna-Flow dye to create a flower with a few easy brush strokes. Earlier in her career she designed holiday outdoor flags, and shares some of her products. On a field trip to Portland, TQS visits with Jennifer Murche, who creates incredible bowls with just fabric and thread. Learn her secrets and try it yourself!

Show 1609 - Transforming Quilts from Real Life

Posts On: April 27, 2015

Fiber Artist, Teacher and Author Lea McComas shows how she transforms her love of travel, faces and historical images into works of art. Her photo images are transformed via cropping, manipulating value and color, and even using gray scale. From designing, constructing, and on through intricate stitch work, Lea changes plain fabrics into realistic and vivid images. She also shares some of the antique textiles she picked up in her travels. Plus, bonus! Alex offers a clever method for facing a quilt while adding a built-in sleeve. This is a great technique for smaller quilts, when a common binding is too much.

Show 1608 - Creating Unique Collage Quilts & Quilts with Meaning

Posts On: April 13, 2015

From corporate businesswoman to trained pastry chef to wonky skyline collage quilter, Sue Bleiweiss has done a bit of everything! Here she shares her fabric collage techniques, walking us through the process layer by layer. She also demonstrates using dye magnets to create wonderful tone-on-tone fabrics. We tour Sue’s studio and uncover her artistic inspirations. Next, Textile and Quilt Designer Thomas Knauer presents a trunk show to illustrate how he infuses his quilts with meaning via stories and messages.

Show 1606 - Stencil Magic, from Heirloom to Today’s Quilts

Posts On: March 16, 2015

It’s amazing what happens over the course of 200+ TQS episodes! Designer and Teacher Cindy Needham was a guest on Episode 202 and she returns to show us how her work has developed. She reviews her past quilts, which incorporate and highlight the handwork of antique linens, and then she shares her most recent projects. She also creates stencils, and demonstrates how they can help you fill whatever design space you need. She offers tips for turning simple quilting designs into stunning works of art. Lastly, Cindy gives expert advice on selecting threads to match antique linens. Traveling to warmer climes, TQS visits with whimsical quilter Bari Ackerman, in her Scottsdale AZ studio. Bari is a fabric designer, author and designer of home décor wall stencils. She will demonstrate her creation of fabric collages.

Show 1605 - Contemporary Stitching Artistry

Posts On: March 2, 2015

Alex opens this stimulating show with tips for quilting on Dupioni silk. This gorgeous fabric requires additional TLC, but the results can be stunning! Contemporary Fiber Artist Barbara Shapel then joins the show, to share her quilting odyssey. She too uses silk, spending as much time on piecing as she does on threadwork. Barbara works with themes of motherhood, nature and words, and her work reflects all of these elements.  She will share how she approaches her work, and will offer tips to improve your quilting and threadwork. She demonstrates a dense, free-motion stitch she calls “Herky Jerky,” which blends thread colors. While she discusses keeping your quilt stable and keeping your shoulders healthy, Ricky will show how Barbara creates an invisible sleeve, which she uses on her numerous two-sided quilts. To round out the show, Barbara discusses how her family’s stamp collection is like a miniature art gallery!

Show 1604 - Taking the Fear Out of Math for Quilters

Posts On: February 16, 2015

Do you find that the mathematics of quilting make you run screaming from the room? Fear no more! Designer, teacher and lecturer Lynn Wilder has found a way to make “Patchwork Math” palatable for all of us. While visiting at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, Lynn explains her system for breaking down quilt designs into smaller components, making complex projects much more manageable and accessible. With a combination of grid units and various tools, she makes the daunting become doable. She also discusses her unique methods for auditioning fabrics and for creating order – with a pasta dryer! You’ll also meet Aussies Helen Stubbings and Tracey Browning, who share a smart and cool method for making iron-on hexagons. Bring it on!

Show 1603 - Quilters and Friends for Life

Posts On: February 2, 2015

It is with bittersweet feelings that we share this episode.  We were ecstatic to welcome world-class artist and quilter Sharon Schamber to the Quilt Show.  Sharon's good friend and fellow quilter Tom Russell is also a part of this episode, and we are grateful that we had a chance to talk to him before his passing.  His contributions to the world of quilting are tremendous, and he will be sorely missed.  We hope you will watch the show with a glad heart, knowing that you also are privileged to share these moments with him.

Sharon presents her secrets about no-fuss appliqué, pin-free binding, and mitering corners. There’s even a free pattern for an iron cover used for delicate fabrics.  She shares many tips, tricks and techniques, including some that are being revealed for the first time anywhere. A free download of the pattern is available on her website.

Sharon began her fabric career designing high-end clothing, dance costumes and pageantry wear. Many of her quilt ideas were woven from these initial threads. Because she uses so many delicate specialty fabrics, Sharon invented a sleeve for her iron, which she uses to protect fabrics from the heat.

Tom offers his color theory ideas, which he manifests with embroidery threads and simple stitches. We hope you will cherish his lessons as much as we do.

Show 1602 - Secrets for Precision Piecing and Template Tips

Posts On: January 19, 2015

Teacher, author and award-winning quilter Sally Collins has been sewing for a long time – long enough to develop the exacting methods that result in her stunning and technically flawless pieces. From her first quilt to her latest projects, you’ll enjoy the evolution of a detail-oriented quilter. Sally shares her secrets for creating perfect templates, including those you’ll need for unusually sized pieces and shapes. She also shares tips for precision chain piecing and perfectly ironed seams. We finish with a tour of the day’s location, Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore, CA, where Alex hosts the annual Quilting in the Garden event every September…and where Sally also receives an unexpected sweet surprise!

Show 1601 - Trunk Show, Travel Talk, and Tools & Techniques

Posts On: January 5, 2015

Alex and Ricky start off Series 1600 with guest Artist Lynette Anderson who shares her quilts, techniques, tools, travels and tricks. Her whimsical quilts come with humorous stories about her life, pets (including a shaggy dog story), and family. Lynette is not only a quilter and fabric designer for RJR, she is the creator of the TQS BOM for 2015. And you don’t want to miss Ricky’s Top Quilting Tips, which you can add to your quilter’s tool belt.  In this information packed show you’ll get to hear it all!