Virtual Quilt Issue 42: tvq42

The Virtual Quilt
August 2000
Issue 42
This issue:
New York City
&
Dallas, TX
Another double
dose of
The Traveling
Quilter!
Also:
Software Review:
Digital Nostalgia
in Red
and
Quilter Profile:
Jackie Robinson
O
ne day only, alone in New York City. What to do? Shopping, museums, tall buildings?
Come on, you know you’d rather go fabric shopping.
I knew in advance that the one store I had to go to was The City Quilter, but unfortunately they don’t open until 11 a.m. So first I set off for The Gazebo.
After buzzing to be let into The Gazebo, you’ll find yourself facing a wall filled with stacks of
finished quilts for sale. If that’s what you’re looking for, there are some very nice ones available, in
all kinds of patterns. Most appear to be hand quilted. They come from The Gazebo’s “factory” in the
Caribbean. A queen size quilt, I was told, will run you $495 and up, depending on the pattern.
Traveling Quilter
in the
City
Christina Holland
Outside the Gazebo.
Next you’ll notice an array of Gladys Boalt ornaments, filling the center of the store. They’re nice,
but not cheap.
Keep on going back. Pass the pillows and the baby quilts, back to the far back left corner, and
you’ll find the fabrics.
It’s a smallish fabric selection - one shelf of batiks, 5 shelves of color solids, and the remainder
sorted by color. There’s a decent selection of oriental fabrics. Most prints are between $7 and $11 per
yards. You’ll also find some thread, a small amount of batting, a
limited tool selection, and some books.
It’s immediately obvious that The Gazebo exists mainly to sell The Gazebo of New York
finished products, not materials. If you’re shopping along 5th
Avenue anyway, though, it’s probably worth your time to stop in 114 East 57th Street
New York, New York 10022
to browse.
To get there from 5th Avenue, just turn east (away from Central 1-800-998-7077
mailto:[email protected]
Park) at the giant Warner Brothers store.
http://www.TheGazebo.com/
This is mainly a shopping neighborhood, but there are places
to get a bite to eat nearby. The Palace restaurant is just down the
block, and Starbucks is right next door. After walking a mile or
two to get there, I was so focused on getting my iced tea fix at Starbucks that I walked right past The
Gazebo without even noticing. So much for being street savvy and aware of my surroundings!
Next, I hopped on the orange (D/Q) subway line to Brooklyn. After catching the occasional glimpse
of the Brooklyn bridge and the Manhattan skyline, I disembarked at the 7th Avenue station and
headed south to Sew Brooklyn.
The store is just past 3rd Street (if you’re heading south on 7th Avenue) on the right hand side. It’s
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2
in a fairly busy shopping area, so there are plenty
of places to eat just about any type of food you
desire. I recommend Ruby’s Chinese on Flatbrush
Avenue near the subway, for good portions at a
Sew Brooklyn
228 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11215
718-499-7383
and $10 per yard. There are other types of material to be found as well, including antique prints
on soft flannel.
If you’ll be in the area for a longer period,
you should check out the class schedule at Sew
Brooklyn. The current list is six pages long, ranging from beginning classes in sewing, knitting
and embroidery to a variety of quilting courses,
How to get there:
From Manhattan, take
the Orange (D/Q)
subway line to Brooklyn. Get off at the 7th
Avenue Station and go
south on 7th Ave to the
corner of 3rd Street.
good price. Many places appeared to be closed
until noon, though.
Sew Brooklyn is small, although it extends back
further than you’d first suppose. It’s a homey
place, and very friendly.
On the right hand side are the books, beads,
buttons, knitting needles, yarn, thread, tools,
and so on. There’s a large bin of “new and vintage buttons” for $1.50 per ounce. The fabric
lines the wall on the left hand side, along with
baskets of fat
The Fabric Alternative
quarters ($2.50
78 7th Avenue
apiece) scatBrooklyn, New York 11217
tered all
718-857-5482
around. Also in
the back is a
classroom.
The quilter’s fabric selection is moderate in
size, but varied enough to tempt you in one way
or another. Most bolts were marked between $9
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and even offering selections for kids.
On my way to Sew Brooklyn, my eye was
caught by The Fabric Alternative, on the southwest corner of 7th and Berkeley. I crossed the
street to investigate, but there was a hand-written
sign on the door promising that someone would
be “back in 5 minutes”. So I went on, but decided
to stop back by on my return.
The Fabric Alternative is a small and quiet
shop. It’s an all purpose fabric store, and mainly
specializes in home decoration fabric. In the
center of the shop, though, I found a fairly good
selection of 100% cotton prints suitable for quilting. There were two shelves of batiks, a shelf of
nice oriental prints, some celestial prints (moons
and stars), and some fun kid’s prints.
As a quilter, I wouldn’t make a special trip to
Brooklyn just to come to this store. But if you’re
in the area, or if like me you make the trip to Sew
Brooklyn, it’s worth your while to visit The Fabric
3
Alternative.
The highlight of my day of quilt shopping was without doubt The City Quilter. As far as I can tell,
it’s the only real quilt store, for quilters, to be found in Manhattan.
The shop was relatively busy when I arrived, but everyone was extremely friendly, even chatty. I
couldn’t help but notice one of the other customers while I was there. She was evidently a newcomer
to quilting, afraid to touch anything and looking rather bewildered by all the fabric bolts. I remember
The City Quilter
157 West 24th Street
New York, New York
10011
212-807-0390
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.cityquilter.com/
that feeling. The staff, I noticed, was very helpful to her, putting her at ease and answering every
question graciously. After a day in the city, The City Quilter was a breath of fresh air.
The fabric selection is large, making good use of the limited floor space of a Manhattan store. There
are two full rooms, plus a classroom. The back room houses the tools, books, and the batik fabrics (a
full wall). The main fabric area is in the front, with several little nooks to maximize the available shelf
space. Bolts start at about $7 per yard and go up from there.
I was tempted to spend a lot of money at The City Quilter, but I was (mostly) able to restrain myself.
I found a lovely panda print, though. I was also unable to resist buying the fat quarter ($2.50 apiece,
except for a few marked at 5 for $5) of Siamese cats lounging on blue quilts, since I’d found and
purchased the same fabric with red at Sew Brooklyn earlier in the day.
All too soon, it was time to meet my husband after his day at the computer conference (MacWorld
Expo). I had a wonderful time quilt shopping in New York, and I’ll be sure to stop back in to visit The
City Quilter and Sew Brooklyn the next time I’m in town.
Quiltchannel needs you!
Submit your favorite web site to
www.quiltchannel.com today!
The Virtual Quilt
4
PCQuilt for Windows
PCQuilt for Windows is easy to learn and
easy to use quilting software. The block and
the quilt are on the same screen so you can
see your quilt emerge as you design and
color your blocks. Combine blocks in a variety of ways to see endless new designs. The
program includes all the features that have
always made PCQuilt easy and fun to use.
Now with the new Windows version,
PCQuilt will help you estimate your yardage, print templates, quilts and blocks, and
has a friendly Windows interface with easy
to use toolbars. PCQuilt comes with a
extensive library of blocks, border, quilts,
palettes and fabric patterns.
PCQuilt is also available for the Macintosh. Look for PCQuilt at your local Husqvarna VIKING
Dealer or visit our website at
http://www.pcquilt.com
Nina Antze 7061 Lynch Road Sebastopol, CA 95472 707-823-8494 1-800-731-8886
POPPIES FABRIC
Poppies Fabric, located on Orcas Island in Washington, carries fabric, patterns
and books, as well as some locally spun yarns. Browse our internet site,
www.poppiesfabric.com, where you can find some of the widest selections of Moda
Marbles, Benartex Fossil Ferns, Hoffman Batiks, and great deals on fat quarter packages of coordinating fabrics, kits and notions.
Our Photo board displays quilts made by some of the finest quilters in the Pacific
Northwest, some of which are for sale. Come get ideas at our site, and while you’re
there, visit our free pattern section!
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5
Software Review
Digital Nostalgia in
T
Red
he Redwork Revival is a remarkable phenomenon that
has spawned dozens of new books of patterns for this
traditional style of needlework. Designs can range from the simplicity of just a few lines
to relatively complicated patterns, but the style overall is generally primitive, or at least
unsophisticated. Typically the pictures rendered in redwork are nostalgic, reminding us of an earlier,
and perhaps simpler, time.
Redwork’s simplicity doesn’t mean it can’t be treated digitally, however, and Martingale’s new
Redwork CD, edited by Nancy Martin (Redwork and Beyond: 201 Redwork Designs on CD-ROM,
That Patchwork Place, 2000, $19.95) is a great way to have a versatile collection of designs that can
be adapted for your use.
Like Redwork itself, the program is pretty simple. Installation from the CD takes just a few
seconds and the program interface with the user is straightforward. A window forms in the middle
of the screen (it can’t be maximized or minimized, though it can
be sent to background if you pull up another program) with a list
of categories on the left and images of the available patterns in the
Redwork and Beyond: 201 Redwork Designs
Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT
Mac OS 7.5.3 or higher
suggested retail: $19.95
selected category on the right.
The categories include such traditional subjects as children’s toys,
animals, flowers, tea sets, cowboys, and no fewer than three sections
featuring Sunbonnet Sue. There are also two alphabets included in
the program, one illustrated and the other suitable for monograms.
Christmas is represented with a generous selection of both religious
and secular images. There are fifteen pattern groups and 201 designs
in all.
By pointing and clicking on one of the patterns, a box is brought up with a larger rendition of the
pattern and a selection of images sizes for the printout. Sizes range from as small as 2 inches to about
9 inches, though most of the images run from about 3 to 8 inches. Printouts are crisp and clear, with
lines thick and dark enough for easy tracing or transfer.
The accompanying packaging (a large format tri-fold booklet) contains basic instructions on transferring the designs and a beginning embroidery lesson. Fabric selection is treated for quilt squares
and dishtowels, another traditional use of redwork. The bookley also contains hard copy of all of the
available designs so you can look at them when not at your computer.
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6
The CD contains software for both
Windows (95 and above, including NT
and 2000) and Macintosh (Mac OS 7.5.3
or later). On either platform it requires
a minimum of 12 MB RAM and a
CD-ROM drive.
At $19.95 this program is very reasonably priced and is really handy if you’re
a redwork fan, or think you might like
to be.
The Redwork and Beyond CD-ROM
is available at a discount at the
Planet Patchwork store.
NEW ENGLAND FABRIC LOFT
WE NOW CARRY AURIFIL COTTON THREAD!
Home of the wide width fabrics. Specializing in one piece quilt backings. All fabrics are 90” to
120” wide, 100% cotton.
Imagine no more seams on the back of your quilt! End the frustration of piecing your quilt back.
Make that large tablecloth you need for Holiday dinners.
We are now the Distributor in US for “Aurifil” mako cotton thread. Made in Italy with the best
Egpytian cotton. Three different weights. Made for machine embroidery, quilting, and all of your
sewing needs. 154 colors (9 are variegated), high sheen and reliable strength, and colorfast. The 50
wt is the most common for quilting and most sewing needs. 50 wt has 1422 yards on it’s spool for
$6.25! See website for colors available and more information on other new products.
Come and visit our website.
http://www.fabricloft.com
Secure online ordering. Samples available
CHECK OUT AND COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES WHERE YOUR MONEY BUYS MORE FOR
LESS!
Looking into Quilting Software?
Look no further than The Quilt Software Network
http://www.quiltsoftware.net/
Reviews, advice, and demos of the latest quilting software. Find out what’s right for you!
The Virtual Quilt
7
SCHOOLHOUSEENTERPRISES
Amazing but true!
Gridded Geese(c) is a unique paper foundation method for massproducing Flying Geese units up to 24 at once (no kidding!).
Schoolhouse Enterprises, inventors and manufacturers of this revolutionary product, offers both a printed version of their catalog,
and an on-line (http://www.planetpatchwork.com/store/) shopping cart service in conjunction with Planet Patchwork. You can
safely order online through Planet Patchwork’s secure server with
your credit card!
The folks at Schoolhouse Enterprises and Planet Patchwork search for items for quilters (and
friends of quilters) which are unique and often overlooked by other catalogs you might connect with.
Check out their on-line catalog, which offers such interesting items as Photos-to-Fabric(tm) photo
transfer paper, Ott Lights, beautiful embossed note cards, kaleidoscope pendants, and much more!
And while you’re visiting, be sure to check out the current Monthly $pecial!!
Schoolhouse carries the complete line of Electric Quilt products, including EQ4 design software,
and Sew Precise! and Sew Precise with Shirley Liby. We also carry the popular Quilt-Pro program. We
offer the best prices on quilt design software you’ll find anywhere, guaranteed. EQ4 is only $86.88 and
Quilt-Pro is an unbelievable $76.88! We also offer some great package deals for even bigger savings. If
you find a lower advertised price, we’ll match it and give you another 5% discount.
If you’re having trouble deciding which program is best for you, call our toll-free QuiltSoftware
Hotlineat877-558-3660.
We also offer a large selection of INSPECTOR CLUESEW’s Mystery Quilts. If you missed any of the
Cases which were previously online, you’ll find them here!
If you’re not able to access the web page, just e-mail Schoolhouse Enterprises
(mailto:[email protected]) with your “snail mail” (post office) address for your FREE CATALOG
and Sample of Gridded Geese(c)! (Sorry, but Samples are only available in the printed catalogs.)
DREAMHORSE WORKSHOP
18” pillows for sale: free-form patchwork bordered by canvas duck on front
and backed with burlap ($50), or patches of traditional knit or crochet patterns in
off-white cotton yarn bordered and backed with upholstery fabric in natural shades
($75). All covers removable and should be drycleaned. Include $7 for shipping and
handling. [email protected] for questions. (530) 675-2899. Linda Gyulassy at P.O.
Box 42, Brownsville, CA 95919.
The Virtual Quilt
8
SEAGULL QUILTS
72 ELMWOOD AVENUE
EAST AURORA, NY 14052
http://users.aol.com/seagullq/seagullq.htm
Quilt patterns include many lighthouses
(North Carolina, Montauk, Barnegat, Buffalo,
West Quoddy, 30 Mile Point and miniature)
nurse, teacher, musical instrument, Christmas
paper pieced blocks, holly wreath, starry
snowman, paper-pieced borders, miniature
star and pinwheel. See web page for pictures.
Patterns $6.75 ppd.
THE SEAGULL QUILTS TRADING NEWS
(FOR QUILT BLOCK & CHARM
EXCHANGE) Quarterly newsletter for quilters who wish to exchange quality, 100%
cotton fabric and finished blocks with other
quilters. Send LSASE for sample issue.
BREAKING
TRADITIONS
HEARTLAND
QUILTWORKS
Heartland Quiltworks asks:
Are you tired of basting your quilts?
Would you like a space friendly quilting frame?
Would you like to quilt and still be in the same
room with your family?
Does quilting aggravate your neck and shoulders or bother your carpal tunnel syndrome?
Would your like to be able to put a quilt in the
frame by yourself?
If your answer was yes to any of these questions-The Heartland Quilting Frame Is the only
frame you will ever need!
Call or write for more information Heartland
Quiltworks 100 Cherry St. Cherokee, OK 73728
1-800-441-8112 www.heartlandquiltworks.com
Cathedral Windows Quick Method Quilt
This book will instruct even the novice sewer
how to create an heirloom quality quilt, entirely
by sewing machine, in a fraction of the time it
would take to sew by hand. Full color cover, clear
concise illustrations, yardage charts and many
tips.
The possibilities are endless!
$8.95 per book plus $1.95 s&h Please make
check payable to ‘Kimberly Nappier’ and mail to:
Kimberly Nappier 6827 Sparkman St. Dept. tvq
Tampa, FL 33616
MOTHER HEN’S
QUILT
EMBROIDERIES
Quick, easy, machine embroidered quilt
blocks to embellish vests and jackets, towels,
pillows, wallhangings or create a quilt. Come
and visit Mother Hen’s Quilt Embroideries
and view the goodies!
http://www.accn.org/~lildozer
E-mail inquiries to: [email protected]
The Virtual Quilt
9
The Traveling Quilter
Quilt Shops in Dallas
I
knew I had only one day to visit quilt
stores in the Ft. Worth-Dallas “metroplex,”
so I tried to carefully plan my time and not
venture too far afield. As it turned out, I
wandered farther than I intended, but the serendipitous discoveries I made were more than
worth it.
While consulting my trusty Quilters’ Travel
Companion, I noticed a string of stores that
extended up highway 75 north of Dallas, and
decided that I would head out for Sharon’s
Quilt Depot
in McKinney, Carriage House Quilt Shoppe
about a half- 204 E. Jefferson
Van Alstyne, TX 75495
hour from
(903) 482-5023
town. It
wasn’t the
farthest of the shops, but it seemed a comfortable
place to start and then head back toward downtown. And they had a full-page listing in the QTC
that made it seem quite enticing.
Oops! I didn’t follow my own cardinal rule
and call first. I went tooling up the freeway in
my rented car to a charming little Texas town
with a courthouse square and quaint streets
filled with little shops. But there was no Sharon’s Quilt Depot to be found. OK, so NOW
I decide to call. Maybe they moved. Nope,
the number had been disconnected. I called
information to see if there was a new number,
but they had no listing for the Quilt Depot.
I found out later that the store had closed a
few months before after more than 20 years
in business.
So now what? I was out in the north Texas
countryside with a decision to make. I could
head back into town or drive another 12 miles
out through increasing sparseness of development to the tiny town of Van Alstyne, Texas,
to visit The Carriage House Quilt Shoppe.
What the heck, I’d driven this far, what’s
another few miles?
Van Alstyne is a town that looks like it came
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straight out of the “The Last Picture Show.” There are some shops
and houses, and the distinction between
residential and commercial not particularly
well-defined. There wasn’t much traffic on the
morning I was there, and few people in the
streets. In fact, there weren’t many streets! I wondered for a few moments whether the town might
have been abandoned. But then I found the quilt
shop, on a corner, in a grouping of stores that
might now be called a strip mall. Except that
it looked too much like Mayberry to be called
that. I wondered, as I have many another time
in seemingly desolate places, how quilt stores can
possibly survive this far from “civilization.”
As soon as I walked inside, I had my answer.
The Carriage House Quilt Shoppe creates its
own civilization! Owned and operated by Roxanne Rentzel and Joyce Kislack, this shop completely captures you when you enter the door.
The emphasis is on country, with a specialty in
reproduction fabrics, and the store carries more
than 2,000 bolts from the major manufacturers,
including a great many flannels. Cozy but not
overstuffed, the interior has what I call a “teadyed” feel to it. Books are scattered around in
10
casual arrangements, and there are lots of cut fat
the sureness of his technique was a wonder to
quarters for $2.00 apiece.
behold. He was working on a big commission
Roxanne and Joyce were more than welcomquilt and doing creative patterns that compliing, and were excited to tell me about all the
mented the design of the quilt. Richard’s own
quilt activity around the Dallas area. They had
recently participated in a Shop Hop, and shared
with me the map to all the stores, suggesting
the best ones to visit with my limited time.
They had also recently opened a website (http:/
/www.chqshoppe.net) where they sell their wonderful fabrics online. They have a full listing of
classes, including a unique “Batter Up!” sports
quilt class, a chenille workshop, and a civil war
block of the month using their signature reproduction fabrics. One of the secrets of the shop’s
survival, according to the owners, was a billboard
they rent along busy highway 75. They get a lot of
traveling quilters as a result of that sign.
After I had my fill of Carriage House, it
was lunchtime, and I asked what the owners
recommended locally. They steered me around
the corner to the Yellow Rose Rexall Drugstore,
which was one of the most wonderful experiences of the entire trip. The Yellow Rose has an
old-fashioned lunch counter with unique sandwiches, and the owner has preserved, and added
to, the old-timey drugstore feel of the place with
vintage accessories and posters that he has resThe only thing this wonderful old drugstore fountain
cued from closing drugstores all over Texas. I
lacked was Cybill Shepherd sitting at the counter!
hope the Yellow Rose doesn’t go the way of all
work tends toward the fanciful, with metallic
the others -- I was the only patron for lunch
threads in mythical dragon and other designs
during the time I was there!
After lunch I headed back south toward Dallas, done entirely in stitches. He has won a number of
awards and told me of his plans to enter several
my next planned stop in Plano where Country
items in an upcoming national show. His other
Calicos was waiting for me. Plano is of course
point of pride was that he didn’t have a huge,
a close commercial suburb of Dallas, and the
months-long backlog of work. He attributed that
quilt store was ensconced in a strip mall that
to the fact that he spends eight hours a day doing
had none of the feel of Mayberry. Actually the
longarm quilting, and he loves
store had two names -- Silver
it.
Country Calicos Quilt Shop
Threads and Country Calicos,
The store is more eclectic
701 E. Plano Parkway #110
the product of a patchwork
than The Carriage House, with
Plano,TX 75074
of ownership over a period of
a wider variety of fabrics
time. The physical store is very (972) 423-2499
reflecting the taste of owner
large -- about 3500 square feet.
Linda Taylor. She was very
There are two big front rooms and two classinformative, telling me how she had driven up
rooms, plus a room in which there is a big
Gamill longarm where the store’s resident quilter, to McKinney to “claim” Richard, who had been
working out of the now defunct Quilt Depot. She
Richard Larson, does wonderful freeform work.
keeps about 2,000 bolts of fabric, a wall of books,
Richard was working while I was there and
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11
Club and Supply House,” and it definitely had
the feel of a hangout. 4,000 bolts of fabric were
artfully arranged throughout the generous space
on plain wood racks. Fabrics tended toward
brights (no tea-dye in evidence!) and there were
interesting shop samples of innovative techniques such as raw-edge piecing and blooming
ninepatch.
Adding to the friendly atmosphere was a children’s corner with a wonderful painted mural of
an outdoor scene, and a resident cat, Thomas,
who regularly retreated to the bathroom, where
his food and his catbox were kept. One of the
store’s specialties is its photo transfer
business. The folks tending the store
told me that it grew out of a need
the shop’s patrons had when the local
printers stopped doing photo transfers
onto fabric. In response to the need,
Quiltmakers provides the service for a
fee, or will help you do it yourself, selling their own line of transfer paper.
I could have lingered in the friendly
confines of Quiltmakers for hours, but
had to move on, so I bought Lynn a
Quiltmakers Social Club and Supply
House mousepad for her computer,
and said my farewell. There are more
than 20 quilts ships in the Dallas-Ft.
Richard Larson can make a longarm machine do all sorts of tricks.
Worth area, so I just barely scratched
the surface. I seem to find myself there
ited. Almost invisible behind a gas station, it was
with some frequency, and it’s good to know I left
in a homely building that belied that wonders
that were within. Quiltmakers calls itself a “Social plenty left for next time!
and a full complement of tools and threads in the
store, and it has an informal, welcoming feel to
it. There is a Teddy Bear
Quiltmakers
corner as well.
9658 Plano Road
It was now getting
Dallas, TX 75238
toward midafternoon, and
(214) 343-1440
I would soon have to
return my rental car, so I
chose one last store that had come highly recommended, Quiltmakers in Dallas proper. Just a
couple of miles from Country Calicos, Quiltmakers has the least curb appeal of the stores I vis-
MY FAVORITE THIMBLE
GREAT NEWS - The My Favorite Thimble RE-COATING KIT is now available.
If you have been pleased with My Favorite Thimble but wish the rubber coating would
last longer, we now have a solution. Each Kit contains enough material to repair your
thimble approximately 10 times. It’s quick and easy, and you could even use the Kit to add
a rubber coating to any brand of metal thimble.
Visit our web site at www.myfavoritethimble.com for details and receive a FREE gift with any
order. This month the gift is a sample pack of My Favorite Fabrics Note Cards.
This offer is being made only to TVQ subscribers, so be sure to mention TVQ in the Special
Instructions box on our Order Form.
Chris Hanner & Company 3687 Coldwater Lane Snellville, GA 30039v
http://www.myfavoritethimble.com/
Email: [email protected]
The Virtual Quilt
12
GREENHAVEN
Greenhaven, a bed and breakfast retreat especially for Quilters, on the Olympic Peninsula.
Visit Washington State and stay with a quilter, and her cat Oliver.
The Herbolds live just outside of Sunny Sequim. Their home, set in the tall trees, is warm,
pleasant, and affordable.
Norma can direct you to quilt shops in the area, plus the natural wonders located on the
Olympic Peninsula. For those in the Northwest, Norma can also plan a personal retreat for you
and your quilting friends.
You are invited to visit the website for Greenhaven, where you can check out Norma’s quilts,
learn more about Sequim, and of course, see Oliver. The address is: http://www.olypen.com/
normah
You may email Norma at [email protected] or call 360-681-0364 for more information.
THE CRAFT CONNECTION
The Craft Connection (http://www.craftconn.com/) is the most exciting place on the Internet if
you want to make or sell handcrafts. We sell quality cotton fabric, Mettler and Sulky thread, and
quilting notions, all at a discount. Fabrics are linked to coordinating fabrics, so you know your choices
will look great together. We try to find fabrics you won’t see anywhere else. And we’ll package them
into packets of fat eighths, fat quarters, or 5” squares, so you can get a good variety without a big
cash outlay. Among our fabric categories are florals, pictorials, and guy stuff, and you should see the
new Lost Fabrics of Atlantis collection.
Every month some items are for sale at 20 percent off our already discounted prices. You can use
your credit card online on our secure server to safely purchase our fabrics and also our crafters’
products. If you’re a crafter, you can sell here and take credit cards without having your own credit
card vendor account.
Check out our Free Stuff. Each month we offer a new pattern and a new lesson. We also have a
Calendar of upcoming Quilt Shows. Come by our website at http://www.craftconn.com.
THEQUILTBLOCK
We are a cottage industry located just outside of Yosemite National Park. We specialize in clothing
and patterns for quilters and for people who love quilts.
We offer t-shirts and sweatshirts in sizes from medium to xxx-large. All of our quilts are machine
pieced. Most of our patterns are easy enough for beginning quilters. Come see what we have to offer
at our website. We have a great sale page, and we now offer secure online shopping!
http://www.sierratel.com/thequiltblock/salepage1.htm
Or e-mail for more information to mailto:[email protected]
The Quilt Block P.O. Box 127 Midpines, CA 95345
(209) 742-5418 Fax: (209) 742-7662
The Virtual Quilt
13
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The Virtual Quilt
14
W
hen you talk to Jackie Robinson, even in the relatively “removed” medium of e-mail or
an online chat, what strikes you about her is her energy and enthusiasm for quilting.
In her nearly 30-year career, she has been involved in almost every conceivable aspect
of quilting -- as a quilter, a teacher, a designer, an author (and publisher!) and a quilt
shop owner. While only one or two of these commitments would be enough to wear out most of
us, Jackie draws energy from all aspects of quilting and returns that energy many fold through her
design work, books and teaching.
As for many quilters, there was a vestigial tradition in her family that she built upon: “My very
*FIRST* quilt was actually a completion in 1972 of a quilt started by my mother-in-law, her Mom,
and her sisters sometime in the ‘30s. I found it in her cedar chest, and finished it. Trust me - it is
NOT well done; in fact it’s downright awful! But, hey <g> everyone starts somewhere! That quilt
is presently possessed by my ‘former’ (and terrific!) sister-in-law,
and she has promised that it will end up with one of my children
some day.
“My paternal grandmother was a great quilter, and I have her
Dresden Plate. She passed away when I was 7, so I have only a
small memory of her, and no memory of ever seeing her quilt. I
also have a doll quilt she made for me when I was 4 or 5. It’s a
simple one-patch with no batting, and very special for the obvious
reasons.”
Jackie describes
Quilter Prole
herself as “primarily
a traditional piecer,
though I often put a
new ‘spin’ or ‘twist’
on an older idea,
either in the way it’s
assembled, the color choices, or by adding or subtracting a corner or side, or something which makes
it slightly different . . . . I never really change directions <g> though often take side trips.” Her
“side trips” have taken her in a number of creative directions which have led to major books and
classes she has taught.
“In 1984, I became interested in the art glass Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his Prairie Style
homes of 1900-1910. I developed several quilts based on that art glass, and 18 of them are in my
book, Quilts in the Tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright. The leading of the ‘glass’ is pieced in - not
appliqued, and the technique is one which applies to many other areas of patchwork. Therefore, it’s
a popular class which I teach.
“Additionally, my Wright lecture is quite well known, and numerous of
my teaching jobs are based around it. I literally ‘put him on’ as I tell his
life story, show a sampling of his work, and show and talk about the 18
quilts in the book.
“Following the Wright quilts, I dabbled for a while in Art Deco style,
applying the narrow strips - though this time to curves. I still make an
occasional Art Deco piece and Wright pieces, though those are for my OWN
pleasure or for show pieces.”
More recently, Jackie has become known for her development of a style
of three-dimensional piecing. “The Three-Dimensional patchwork started a
little over 4 years ago when a customer came into my shop carrying a 3-D
Bow Tie she had made that morning at a guild meeting. I admired it, and
she asked me how she’d made it! Of course, I didn’t have a ‘clue’ so we
Jackie Robinson
The Virtual Quilt
15
unstitched enough to figure it out. I found that
piece incredibly exciting, and within a few days
I’d devised lots of ways to handle folded fabric in
the seams. I quickly made some quilts using this
technique - just couldn’t stop. It was like Popcorn
- and I kept wanting more. Quilter’s Newsletter
Mag selected one, Quiltmaker took another, and
I printed 3 others as patterns right away. Then
started working on the Sampler idea, realizing it
was the most flexible way of playing with 3-D. It
became a workshop on my travel schedule, and
within a month or two I noticed I was teaching it
ALWAYS when I traveled, and the book was bo
rn. I very seldom teach somewhere without 3-D
being included.
“As other 3-D designs came into being, I also
started playing with the rectangles that would
produce the long skinny diamonds in Storm At
Sea. They are definitely different than the patches
in the Sampler, and a bit ‘floppier’ which also
makes them ‘curvier’ and works great to show
the rollicking sea in Storm At Sea quilts.
“I still play in 3-D regularly. Recently added
a wonderful 3-D waving Flag, and brand new is
a 3-D Turkey with incredible tail feathers! It’s
just SUCH FUN that ideas pop up routinely!
(Some aren’t worth developing <g> but I think
the Turkey will be popular, and the Flag certainly
is!)”
As for where all these ideas come from, Jackie
has developed a few techniques of her own to
keep them flowing: “I’ve never been able to
‘force’ a design. That may be because I have no
training in art or design, but mainly I think that
‘forced’ things tend to look or feel contrived. (My
degree is in merchandising - I was a buyer for
dept stores when younger) I’ve had only one art
class, and that was in advertising art - doing ad
layouts, etc.
“Some days
ideas just ‘POP’
and they come
faster than I
can even get
them onto
paper (or in the
computer!)
Other days I
can’t make
something
work for the
life of me.
Though, I’ve
learned that getting OUT of my sewing room
and into the fresh air is the best way to get rid
of cobwebs in my head. We live in the country
(in Durango, Colorado) - on purpose! It took a
long time to move through the accumulated real
estate values until we could afford acreage and
big vistas. Jery designed and built our home 5
years ago. It took him a year to build it, and for
that year we were totally on my income - talk
about incentive to produce! <gg> I can lace up
the hiking boots and take off across country.
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Patterns have been written especially for PERFECT SQUARE and the necessary sheets to make
the quilt are included in the pattern.
The PERFECT SQUARE website has been updated to include information on all products and
patterns complete with pictures. Credit cards are accepted.
Also included are pictures of Monica’s art quilts and links to really cool quilt sites.
http://www.perfectsquare.net
The Virtual Quilt
16
“We also take long drives around here. That
makes for a really relaxing day, and by the end
of any of those, I’ve always had at least one new
idea - either for design or marketing or something which helps my business. So, taking a
total ‘day off’ - getting away - works well for
me. I’m certain it’s the relaxing that does the
trick - just letting go, and that
makes room for new ideas. . . .
Basically, all the design in this
world boils down to coming
from one source - Nature. So,
embrace it - see where it’ll lead
you!”
Somewhere along the line
Jackie’s merchandising background and interest drew her
into the ownership of a quilt
shop. She calls it “Eighteen &
one/half years of Quilt Shop
Heaven! I’ve owned and operated Two quilt shops, have
now sold both, and both are
alive and well.
“’In’ Stitches is in Ballwin, Missouri - a suburb
of St. Louis. It opened in March of 1982, and in
1988 we sold it to Pam & Garry Bryan. At that
time, Jery and I had chosen to move to Durango.
Within a month after the move, Animas Quilts
opened in the fall of 1988, and was eventually
sold, in 1999, to Pat and John Nicholas, when
Jackie’s teaching and writing career became too
demanding. Even though she is no longer doing
it, Jackie remembers it fondly:
“Owning and operating a quilt shop is more
than a full-time job. And, it’s serious business
<g>. Over the 18-1/2 years I spent in that business I watched many shops come and go. The
survivors are the ones who view it as a business
rather than a hobby.
“I loved absolutely every minute of it! Would
still be a shop owner if I hadn’t been so fortunate
to have this teaching career, The marketing and
merchandising of a quilt shop is a daily challenge, and that makes it a whirlwind of fun. The
customers are absolute ‘gems’, and my staff was
the ‘best’.
“With a degree in merchandising, in total I’ve
spent over 30 years in retail. GEE! Where has
The Virtual Quilt
it gone! While it’s a constant challenge, and I
found it very stimulating, the demands of always
having new samples, creative displays, etc. are
numerous. And the bottom line in retail - well it’s
just slim, that’s all there is to it. The only way a
retailer gets rich is by sheer volume, so quilt shop
owners work at a labor of love, and love it is. We
get a reasonable living from
it, and enjoy it so much we’re
willing to take home less than
we would in another industry.”
As if the challenges of
retail weren’t enough, Jackie
has also been a successful selfpublishing author for nearly
20 years. “It happened by
accident, because I came up
with Weaver Fever, and it was
tiny and not a candidate for
the big publishers. Once I
learned how to draw in the
graphics programs, how to
format the book in that program, and then that
the big distributors would buy from me - it just
simply made sense.
“I’d bought a small Macintosh while in St.
Louis, and have upgraded through the years to
the powerful Mac I run now. Desktop Publishing
has improved by leaps & bounds, and the programs I work in are fabulous.
“When I’m working on a new design, I draw
it completely in the graphics program. Then
math it out, and write simple instructions, including complete cutting details, etc. That all happens before I ever touch the fabric. Then, using
my sketchy instructions, I cut and start stitching,
bouncing back and forth between my sewing
machine and computer so the instructions are
expanded as I go. And, I get to proof the math
on the actual piece. Pretty groovy! Also, while
stitching, I’m creating the individual illustrations
to show how to make it. Timing is perfect - I have
all those small parts available to look at.
“Once it’s completed, I place the text in the
page layout program and start adding the illustrations where they go, and it’s done! Then, it’s
time for proofing. I have two special people
doing this. One is an avid quilter, and great at
17
math, so she checks that and also lets me know
if the instructions don’t make sense. The other
has a MFA in English. She has only made 1 or 2
quilts and so knows the lingo, but isn’t fluent in
it. She makes certain my words are correct (So
I won’t sound foolish!) and also lets me know if
she understands what I’m describing. On top of
that, they are two of my favorite people, and I
genuinely trust their judgment.”
In addition to her book publication, Jackie has also been
published in all of the major
quilting magazines in the U.S.
and around the world. Her credits include Quilter’s Newsletter
Magazine, Patchwork Quilt Tsushin (Japan), Australian Patchwork and Quilting, and many
others!
Jackie was also one of the earliest quilters to establish a website, back in the early nineties.
First hosted by the World Wide
Quilting Page, Jackie has since
established her own domain at
http://www.animas.com. Of the influence of the
internet, she says that its primary contribution
has been “ACCESS ! The quilting world gets
information SO MUCH FASTER this way, and I
reach quilters who are not necessarily shop customers. Also, there is so much product available
these days, no shop can carry it all, so I have an
opportunity to show my wares to quilters whose
local shops don’t carry my books or patterns.
“We do a printed brochure on an annual basis,
but I can make changes on my website instantly,
and cherish that opportunity.”
For all of her enthusiastically pursued activities, Jackie gives a special measure of her devo-
tion to her teaching. Of its impact on her quilting,
she says, simply: “Gee. The teaching drives it.
It’s my contact with the real world of quilters.
Through those sessions with them I see what
they want, need, enjoy - and hopefully learn from
those experiences.
“My newest book, Favorites!, came directly
from the classroom experiences with lots of
guilds. I’ve discovered that jillions of quilters are basically
‘self-taught’ and in many cases,
they work way too hard at their
passion. Because they haven’t
taken many classes, lots haven’t
learned the shortcuts which
make our work not only more
efficient, but also cleaner. So,
I wrote a book designed to
show them how to efficiently
cut, piece, etc. It’s only been
available for a month and the
reorder activity is astounding especially since it’s summer and
quilting’s slow season.
“Another way the teaching
affects my quilting is simple DESIRE. <g> When
I spend several days in a classroom, I’m chomping at the bit to get back to my sewing machine.
It just always seems they are having sooo much
fun, and there I am, telling and showing them
how, but missing all the close encounters with my
Bernina. So, when I get home, I can hardly wait
to stitch something!”
Whether she is having close encounters with
her Bernina, her Macintosh, or the Colorado
mountain countryside, Jackie is a dynamo of creativity and enthusiasm, and quilting is the engine
that has driven that passion for so many years.
PINETREE QUILTWORKS, Ltd.
http://www.quiltworks.com
PineTree Quiltworks has been growing by leaps and bounds and has made a major commitment to keeping
certain “staples” in stock. These include the full lines of: Marbles by Patrick Lose for Hi Fashion, Basic
Realities (formerly called Palette) by Jinny Beyer for RJR, Fossil Fern (from Benartex), the 1895 series batiks
from Hoffman ...
Please stop by PineTree’s store at www.quiltworks.com, click on What’s New to see the latest additions,
and remember to make a bookmark!
The Virtual Quilt
18
COMMENTS, QUESTIONS,
NEWS, IDEAS, BRICKBATS?
Like any news publication, TVQ is always hungry for
information about new developments in the area we
are trying to cover. If you have an idea for a story, or
want to tell the world about something you are doing
which relates to computers and quilting, we’d like to
hear about it.
We’d like news of new classes starting up to teach
quilt design on computers, or new approaches to that
teaching. New products, maillists, World Wide Web
pages, etc., are all fair game, and we’d appreciate any
tips you can provide. Send your tips by e-mail to
[email protected].
If you have a comment about an article, a complaint
or a correction, we’re glad to hear that, too, and may
publish some comments as letters to the editor. Again,
these may be sent to [email protected].
The
Virtual Quilt
A Newsletter for
Computing Quilters
Editor and Publisher: Robert Holland, Decatur, GA
Copyright (c) 2000 by Robert Holland. All rights
reserved. This file may not be reproduced in any
form except to be printed out for the personal use
of the subscriber without the expressed, written
consent of the copyright holder.
Layout: C. Holland
HOW TO ADVERTISE IN TVQ
Our advertisers, both here in the newsletter and at the TVQ website, have found TVQ to be an effective and
economical way to reach thousands of online quilters. Ads in the newsletter are only $5 each (up to 100
words, inquire about longer ads) or 3 for $10, and there are also attractive packages available which combine
newsletter and website ads.
For more information e-mail [email protected] or visit
http://www.planetpatchwork. com/adcard.htm. We specialize in helping small quilting-related businesses gain
exposure on the internet.
The Virtual Quilt
19