Friday, October 6, 2017

Longarm Quilting Workbook by Teresa Silva


Blog Hop  - DAY 5

Hi Everyone!

I’m Teresa Silva and Quilting is My Bliss.  Really it is my bliss but also my business. I’ve been a longarm quilter for almost 7 years now and I totally love what I do; so much I decided to write a book and share some of my thoughts with you.  My new book is called Longarm Quilting Workbook, printed by F+W Media.  It’s geared for the beginner longarm, midarm, or domestic quilter all the way up to advanced quilters.  It’s a hardcover, spiral bound book so it makes it so easy to open it up and practice designs on paper or actually quilting them out. It includes information to help you make a decision in buying a longarm, learning new motifs, to creating beautiful whole cloth quilts.  Plus a bonus chapter of “Eye Candy” quilts.  


If you have been following along with me at all, you probably know I’m a huge Quilters Dream fan so it’s my honor to be allowed to post on their blog today.  It’s my number one go to batting choice.  My favorites are Quilters Dream Poly Select, Dream Blend 70/30 and Dream Wool.  I used their batting in all my quilts in this book. Here are a couple whole cloth quilts I did for my book.  I used a layer of Dream Blend 70/30 and Dream Wool for these.
This first quilt – Medallion Stars – Lap Quilt has such beautiful texture.  It is actually my most favorite quilt out of the book. I’m so glad to finally have it home with me.



This second quilt is Scalloped Center table runner.  It’s a small project and works great to practice some of your newly learned motifs.  There is a grid running behind the design to give the illusion of a zig zag running through it.



As you can see it makes the quilting really pop! I have lots of inspiration for you in Chapter 3 – Doodling & Drawing.  Please take the time to check it out and most of all I hope you find something that makes your heart happy and inspires you to create something awesome for yourself!


Please continue to follow along our blog hop and make sure and come back to my blog quiltingismybliss.com on October 17, 2017 and leave me a comment before Friday, 10/20/17 at 4:00 p.m. pacific time when I will choose two winners!  I have some fantastic prizes I will be giving away thanks to some very generous donations.




Make sure to check out Kristen McVane (Stashquilts on Instagram) on Monday, October 9 when she will be posting about my new book.  She doesn’t have a blog but she posts a lot of fun stuff and she has new patterns available and one is featured in my book called “Friendship”.  Check it out!


Monday, October 2, 2017
Teresa Silva – Quilting is My Bliss – http://www.quiltingismybliss.com

Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Nancy Jewell – Free Spirit Fabric - http://freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Leslie Meltzer – 50 sq ft studios - http://www.50sqftstudios.com/

Thursday, October 5, 2017
Carrie Nelson – Moda Fabrics - http://blog.modafabrics.com/

Friday, October 6, 2017
Jane Kinzie – Quilter’s Dream Batting - http://quiltersdreambatting.blogspot.com/

Monday, October 9, 2017
Kristen McVane – Instagram: Stashquilts  (Please leave her a comment and come back tomorrow to our blog hop.)  She will be giving away a Longarm Quilting Workbook.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Carl Hentsch – 3 Dog Design - http://3dogdesignco.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Helen Ernst Longarm Quilting - http://www.helenernstlongarmquilting.com/

Thursday, October 12, 2017
Julie Herman – Jaybird Quilts - http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Friday, October 13, 2017
Karen Miller – Redbird Quilt Co. - http://karensquiltscrowscardinals.blogspot.com/

Monday, October 16, 2017
Linda and Carl Sullivan – Colourwerx - https://colourwerx.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Teresa Silva – Quilting is My Bliss - http://www.quiltingismybliss.com


You can purchase the Longarm Quilting Workbooks at the following sites:

http://www.quiltingismybliss.com  (For an autographed copy)




Thanks so much for visiting! Have a fantastic day.

Teresa Silva

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Congratulations to the Winners of our Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS!

Thanks to all the generous sponsors, we were able to award even more prizes this year than we anticipated!  I honestly feel that this year's prizes are better than ever.  Congratulations, to all the winners, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our 2016-2017 Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS!


Sew Creative Winners:

Winner #1: Anna Lee Turner in Brook Park, OH
Winner #2:  Nancy Kurlich in Erie, PA
Winner #3: Pultneyville Reformed Church in Williamson, NY



Sew Lovely Winners:

Winner #1:  Chris Milodrovich in Missoula, MT
Winner #2:  Michelle Schroder in Guthrie, OK
Winner #3: Helen Emmerich in Stony Brook, NY


Sew Generous Individual Winners:

1st Place:  Pat Stacy in Versailles, KY
2nd Place: Grace Bomarita in Venice FL


Sew Generous Quilt Guild Winners:

1st Place: Sew Happy Quilters in Dover, PA
2nd Place: Venice Area Quilters in Venice, FL
3rd Place: We Bee Sisters in Tracy, CA


Sew Generous Quilt Shop Winners:

1st Place:  Tiger Lily Quilts in Utica, NY
2nd Place:  Around the Block Quilt Shop in Minocqua, WI




Sew Generous Professional Quilter Winners:

Joe Filer in Galesburg, IL
Barbara Hutton in Carolina Shores, NC




Voting will begin soon to choose the winners for our Sew Popular Category! 




Presenting Sponsor:

J.N. Harper, Co.                www.jnharper.com


Grand Sponsors:

Baby Lock                                             www.babylock.com
Dragon Threads                                 www.dragonthreads.com
hang it dang it                                     www.hangitdangit.com
Judy Martin Books                           www.judymartin.com
Kimberbell Designs                          www.kimberbelldesigns.com
Marcus Fabrics                                   www.marcusfabrics.com
Minick and Simpson                        minickandsimpson.blogspot.com
Modern Quilts Unlimited               www.modernquilts.mqumag.com
Nestlings by Robin                            www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/
Perkins Dry Goods                            www.perkinsdrygoods.com
Prym Consumer USA                       www.prym-consumer-usa.com/
Quilters Dream Batting                   www.QuiltersDreamBatting.com
Quilters Travel Companion           www.quilterstravelcompanion.com/
Quilters World Magazine               www.quiltersworld.com
Raggedy Ruth Designs/ Forever in Stitches LLC     www.ForeverInStitches.com
Shannon Fabrics                                shannonfabrics.com
Siesta Silver Jewelry                        www.siestasilverjewelry.com
Straight Stitch Society                     straightstitchsociety.com
Suzn Quilts                                           www.SuznQuilts.com
The Wooden Bear                              www.thewoodenbear.com
THREADS printable inkjet fabrics www.printablefabrics.com
YLI Threads                                          www.ylicorp.com

Charm Sponsors:

Island BatiksIslandBatik.com
June TailorJuneTailor.com
May ChappellMayChappell.com
Paper PiecesPaperPieces.com
Quilting Creations InternationalQuiltingCreations.com
Robert Kaufman FabricsRobertKaufman.com
Tuanton TradeTaunton.com
Fox Chapel PublishingD-origianls.com
ClothworksClothworks.com
American Quilters SocietyAmericanQuilter.com
Dreamworld NW (Sew Steady)SewSteady.com
Quilters CornerQuiltersCorner-pa.com
Fabri-QuiltFabri-Quilt.com
Bo-NashBonash.com
Kenzie Mac & Co.KenzieMac.com
Henry Glass & Co.HenryGlassFabrics.com
Cherry BlossomsCherryBlossomsQuilting.com
Studio 180 DesignsStudio180design.net
The Gentle ArtTheGentleArt.com
Seams Like A DreamSeamsLikeADream.com
Weeks Dye WorksWeeksDyeWorks.com
Coats & Clarkww.MakeItCoats.com
Happy Hollow DesignsHappyHollowDesigns.com
McKenna Ryan DesignsPineNeedles.com
Direction PressNeedleTravel.com

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Hopes & Dream Quilt Challenge for ALS

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has helped to make our 2016-2017 Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge a wonderful success!



During the 2016-2017 Challenge, which lasted from Aug. 1, 2016, until July 31, 2017, we received 1112 quilts and quilted items generously donated by caring quilters who gave their time, talent, and supplies to provide love and support to the ALS community.




Most of the donated quilts have been hand delivered to ALS patients throughout the United States with the help of many chapters of the ALS Association.  The quilts provide not only warmth to patients, but wrap them in the love and comfort that a handmade quilt brings.

We often receive and publish on our Facebook page lovely notes and pictures from ALS patients who have received a Hopes & Dreams quilt, which touches our hearts and show just how much these quilts mean to patients and their families.




Select quilts and craft items are sold, auctioned, and raffled to raise funds with 100% of the money used for ALS research!  This year we attended Virginia Beach's Santa's Stocking Craft Show and the Aviation Museum's Air and Auto show and sale.  Quilts were also sold at Richard Stravitz Fine Arts Galleries. 

The Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS raised over $17,000 for research, supporting Emory University School of Medicine, The Packard Center for ALS Research, and the Felman Lab ALS Research in their fight to find a treatment and an eventual cure for ALS!



We will soon be announcing the winners of the Challenge, and posting pictures of select quilts to vote for your favorite in our "Sew Popular" division!



Thank you, to the following sponsors for providing 
wonderful and exciting prizes:

Presenting Sponsor:

J.N. Harper, Co.                www.jnharper.com


Grand Sponsors:

Baby Lock                                             www.babylock.com
Dragon Threads                                 www.dragonthreads.com
hang it dang it                                     www.hangitdangit.com
Judy Martin Books                           www.judymartin.com
Kimberbell Designs                          www.kimberbelldesigns.com
Marcus Fabrics                                   www.marcusfabrics.com
Minick and Simpson                        minickandsimpson.blogspot.com
Modern Quilts Unlimited               www.modernquilts.mqumag.com
Nestlings by Robin                            www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/
Perkins Dry Goods                            www.perkinsdrygoods.com
Prym Consumer USA                       www.prym-consumer-usa.com/
Quilters Dream Batting                   www.QuiltersDreamBatting.com
Quilters Travel Companion           www.quilterstravelcompanion.com/
Quilters World Magazine               www.quiltersworld.com
Raggedy Ruth Designs/ Forever in Stitches LLC     www.ForeverInStitches.com
Shannon Fabrics                                shannonfabrics.com
Siesta Silver Jewelry                        www.siestasilverjewelry.com
Straight Stitch Society                     straightstitchsociety.com
Suzn Quilts                                           www.SuznQuilts.com
The Wooden Bear                              www.thewoodenbear.com
THREADS printable inkjet fabrics www.printablefabrics.com
YLI Threads                                          www.ylicorp.com

Charm Sponsors:

Island BatiksIslandBatik.com
June TailorJuneTailor.com
May ChappellMayChappell.com
Paper PiecesPaperPieces.com
Quilting Creations InternationalQuiltingCreations.com
Robert Kaufman FabricsRobertKaufman.com
Tuanton TradeTaunton.com
Fox Chapel PublishingD-origianls.com
ClothworksClothworks.com
American Quilters SocietyAmericanQuilter.com
Dreamworld NW (Sew Steady)SewSteady.com
Quilters CornerQuiltersCorner-pa.com
Fabri-QuiltFabri-Quilt.com
Bo-NashBonash.com
Kenzie Mac & Co.KenzieMac.com
Henry Glass & Co.HenryGlassFabrics.com
Cherry BlossomsCherryBlossomsQuilting.com
Studio 180 DesignsStudio180design.net
The Gentle ArtTheGentleArt.com
Seams Like A DreamSeamsLikeADream.com
Weeks Dye WorksWeeksDyeWorks.com
Coats & Clarkww.MakeItCoats.com
Happy Hollow DesignsHappyHollowDesigns.com
McKenna Ryan DesignsPineNeedles.com
Direction PressNeedleTravel.com






Thursday, July 20, 2017

C&T Publishing Supports the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge

We are off to a great start for our 9th annual 
2017-2018 Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS.   
We are grateful to all of our sponsors who provide wonderful prizes each year, 
including our returning sponsor, C & T Publishing!

C&T Publishing 

Supports the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge




Hello Quilters Dream Batting Readers! We are the staff of C&T Publishing, a small quilting, sewing, and needle craft publisher based in Concord, California.

It all started with an impulsive promise back in 1983. When quilting teacher Roberta Horton told quilt-shop owner Carolie Hensley that she wanted to write a book on Amish quilts, but hadn't found a publisher yet, Carolie quickly said that she and her husband Tom would publish Roberta's book. The Hensleys launched C&T Publishing from their garage, with a catalog of exactly one book: Roberta Horton's An Amish Adventure



Jump ahead to today and Carolie and Tom Hensley have turned the business over to their sons Todd and Tony, who are assisted by a staff of more than 50 employees. We also have three imprints, Stash Books, FunStitch Studio, and Kansas City Star Quilts.

Now, in 2017, C&T Publishing has been in business for 35 years, and we continue to grow and evolve every day. One of our big projects this year is revamping our YouTube channel, adding more demos and tutorials from our best-selling and debut authors, constantly improving our video quality, creating eye-catching covers for the videos, and even filming a new video to introduce ourselves! If you’re curious, you can watch that video below.



We’re so pleased to be able to support the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS. As a small company mostly made up of quilters, sewists, and other crafters, we feel deeply connected to the quilting community, so when Quilter’s Dream Batting approached us with a request to sponsor the challenge, we never hesitated. In our opinion, one of the most beautiful aspects of the quilting community is how we can come together to support not only our own community but the community at large, whether we are auctioning off charity quilts, making quilts for people in need, donating our time and sewing skills, or coming up with other creative ways to help others. We look forward to supporting the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for many years to come!

Visit us on the web! http://www.ctpub.com/

YouTube: CandTPublishing


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

"Come Together" Quilt Winner!




Congratulations Susan!



Congratulations are also in order for our runner-up prize basket winners Michele and Julia!



Thank you to all who participated and supported this effort spearheaded by Victoria Finley Wolfe and Marcus Fabrics to raise funds for ALS research.

This quilt was created with the help and love of many quilters who attended QuiltCon 2016 at the booth of Marcus Fabrics.  It was a truly inspirational event where quilters came together to raise money for ALS patient services and research.  We are truly thankful for everyone who participated!



 Come Together quilt raffle on Raffle River

We surpassed our goal of $5000!








Many thanks to all the sponsors:













Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Forever In Stitches LLC / Raggedy Ruth Designs supports the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS


Forever In Stitches, LLC 

 Home of Raggedy Ruth Designs™
            &The Perfect Corner Ruler

Why Us?
Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge For ALS
We are participating in the 2016-2017 ALS Hopes & Dreams Challenge that was founded by Qu ilters Dream Batting. Forever In Stitches/Raggedy Ruth Designs has been a Grand Sponsor since we first heard of it.

We choose to support Hopes & Dreams because ALS [Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease] has hit home with me and also with friends.

We have gotten involved with several "crusades" involving quilts over the years and every time the crusade took on a life of its own, leaving the reason behind. But, that is not the case with Hopes & Dreams.



Hopes & Dreams has been unique in that they have stayed true to their cause and the donations go directly as quilts to ALS patients or to ALS research. The money raised by their activities goes directly, 100% to ALS research. However, some have chosen specifically to donate to support the administration [shipping, etc.].


Why You?


There are several ways you can get involved:

  • Submit a quilt to the challenge;
  • Submit prizes, as we do for the challenge winners; and,
  • Donate money to the Hopes & Dreams challenge.  This will go 100% to research unless you specify that it can be used for other purposes (such as administration).

You can Click Here  to find more information about ALS Hopes & Dreams from their web-site.

Submit A Quilt
Submit a quilt to the challenge by July 31, 2017. Submitted quilts will be given to ALS patients or used to raise awareness and research money for ALS by being photographed, displayed, auctioned, or raffled. Click Here for more information on submission. 

The Challenge
The staff will choose according to their judgement the best quilts by July 31. These are then shown on their web-site to be judged by the quilters-at-large who visit their site and vote.
Prizes are then awarded at the end of September to those shown on the web-site for judging.Click Here for more information on the challenge, size limitations, and other requirements. Click Here for information regarding prizes. 

Submit Prizes
You can also provide prizes for the quilters that have been elected for the challenge. These can be sent to 888.268.8664 

Donate Money
If you would like to donate money for research or for the event, please send checks to  Hopes & Dreams, Inc.,589 Central Drive, Virginia Beach, VA or call 888.268.8664. The organization is a 501(c) and the donation is tax deductible. 

Why Me?
But why is ALS important to me? Because it has stricken one of my best friends and the brother of another of my friends. Both of these stories I will share here.
Both stories are unusual in a very particular way: the friends and family, not just the "caregivers" end up in positions of helping others in ways they had never envisioned. It seems strange to think that there may be a "good" side effect from such a horrible disease, but I think that learning to go beyond what you thought you would be willing to do is one of the basic lessons in this life. A friend once said "The reason you are here when there are so many other people in the world is that you are the one, right here, right now, in this situation: so act!"

Dave Alderman
Twenty-four years ago I was talking to Dave, one of my best friends and president of my company, Executive Insights. Dave Alderman asked me to raise my hands above my head. He wanted to see how difficult it was for me, which it was not. It turned out that he could not raise his left arm higher than his shoulder. Being a stout, strong man, the situation troubled him.
Shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with ALS [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - Lou Gehrig's disease]. He rapidly deteriorated physically to using a wheelchair. He resigned his position to seek ways to make his mark on the world before he died.
As Dave moved from one level to the next, always lower, his cheerful, gregarious nature remained. Dave was fortunate that his wife, Helen, was a nurse.
When you have a friend with ALS, you do things you did not think you would normally do. This is because ALS "disconnects" all of the nerves from the muscles. This makes it almost impossible to function in a normal fashion.
These disconnects also include the muscles needed for breathing. One basically suffocates.
Fortunately for Helen, David died in his sleep, even though he was using a breathing machine.

Phil Kingsley
Phil Kingsley assisted with the Fall Festival, where I came to know him. He was the brother of my friend Mitch Kingsley and a professor at Bluffton University.
According to Mitch, when Phil could no longer type or speak he was provided with a communication device by a foundation that works to meet the needs of persons with ALS. With his "WinSlate" (as it was called) Phil could type words, sentences and entire paragraphs through blinking his left eye. In this way he communicated with his caregivers and visitors, followed email, searched the Internet, and turned on his TV and radio through the "wink of an eye."

The WinSlate support had named Phil "Fast Talker Kingsley". Those of you with whom he exchanged email messages may have seen this description of Phil pop up on your own computer screens. Some read his series of "Adventures in ALS" - some humorous, others more serious - all written on his eye gaze machine.

I would like to share a few excerpts from one of Phil's longer and more serious reflections, "Adventures in ALS: Losses and Gains."


"I am entering a new phase of my progression with ALS, a phase marked by almost total dependency on others for my physical well-being. I have been wheelchair bound for over four months, for about two months incapable of standing even with help. My right hand has been of very little use for most tasks for two or three months. But I always had my left hand for grasping and holding things, pointing, scratching, rubbing, lifting, poking, pecking out words on the iPad. Now my left hand is not much better than my right and I have largely lost those capabilities. ...

"It's interesting to reflect on which losses hit hardest. For example, I adjusted rather easily to no longer eating; I smell food cooking, sit at the dinner table with others who are eating, and watch food ads and cooking shows on TV all without much sense of loss. (Of course, by the time I got the feeding tube, eating had become a joyless, time-consuming chore, so getting my nutrition without eating has really been a relief.) ...
"[Personal] ... grooming ... is pretty much out of my hands. If I look disheveled, my glasses are cocked at a crazy angle, my beard is uncombed or dripping saliva, it's generally not because of something I did or failed to do. This means I often don't look just the way I intend (sometimes I probably look better!), but I worry less about how I look since I can't do a whole lot about it and since my caretakers do a great job of making me look presentable considering what they have to work with. ...
"... loss of the ability to speak intelligibly... is by far the most devastating loss I've experienced. I don't think I have ever felt as alone and desperate as ... when I had my feeding tube put in. The staff were competent and provided good medical care. But most did not seem to understand my condition or the reason for the unintelligibility of my speech. ...

"I have also discovered the limitations of machine-based face-to-face communication. I am certainly extremely grateful for a machine that will generate audible and intelligible speech based on my selecting letters on a keyboard with blinks of my left eye. I use it quite a lot to "speak" words, phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs in dealing with concrete day-to-day problems of living. But when it comes to conversations and other social situations with much give and take, it is an unwieldy medium. ... What my speech machine offers me that I value really highly is access to a writing and long distance communication tool. It is only through email or other writing that I can express complex and subtle meanings, information, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. And I usually won't have the time to do that in face-to-face communication situations. ...
"On a more general note, with ALS there is a profound sense of loss of the future. I probably won't see my grandchildren grow up. How will the lives of my sons, Dan and Mike, and Judy my wife, and my seven siblings and their families unfold? How will things go on the farm I invested so much time and effort in developing organically? How will our natural environment fare over the longer haul? ... What will happen nationally and internationally; I won't see how things play out on a large number of fronts that I have taken a strong interest in - will we ever as a human race take strong enough action on global warming that we will have avoided the worst of the disaster for our children and grandchildren? Will the death penalty ever be abolished in this country? For me (and probably most people) a significant amount of thinking time was devoted to anticipating the future, and now I no longer have that luxury except on a much reduced scale.

"When I was first diagnosed with ALS I knew in the abstract about the losses I would experience. Now I am experiencing them in a concrete, day-to-day way. Despite the losses, I still feel I have a pretty good life. Two of the biggest factors in this are the wonderful people I have surrounding and helping me, and the assistive communication device/computer that I can use to express myself through both long distance communication and for face-to-face communication.

"So I have experienced gains as well as losses. At Frieda House, where the guiding philosophy is to create a family-like setting for the 10 residents, giving them as much independence and as little regimentation as possible, I have met some really wonderful people, who not only take care of me medically but also take the trouble to get to know me as a person and understand my habits and preferences. Without ALS I probably would never have got acquainted with some really good people.

"Another type of gain I've experienced is the learning about my disease and lots of medical information surrounding it. I've learned from many courageous PALS who participate in ALS forums online with information from their own experience of living with ALS.   So I have gained considerable new knowledge even though it is not the knowledge that I would have chosen to acquire a year and a half ago.

"Finally I have gained a new sense of closeness with my seven siblings. We have always been close, but my disease and their response have, for me, brought an even stronger feeling of closeness. They have been with me a lot and in many different ways, and it is born in upon me how fortunate I am to have as siblings each of the seven and their spouses."  

Phil Kingsley

                         


120 N. Main St., Suite B, Bluffton OH 45817  
{Entrance at the rear of the building} 



Telephone: 419.358.0656

Retail ~ Wholesale ~ Distribution
Hours Eastern Time: Monday-Friday: 10-5:30 [Lunch Closure 1-2] ~ Saturday: 10-1