Ode To a Quilter's Husband

The husband of this quilter is a very special, patient guy—
Who doesn’t complain about how much fabric his wife may buy.

Through the years he’s picked up a lot of quilting lore—
Because on this subject his wife can get to be quite a bore.

He’s learned better than to throw away any old odd shaped scrap—
Because it’s likely that’s the one she’ll need to fill her design gap.

He know if he enters the quilting room his feet will get pins in—
And he’s learned there’s not just red, but brick, rust, scarlet and crimson.

He knows how she snorts when she sees an ordinary bedspread—
Cuz in HER house there’s only personally designed quilts instead.

He knows when she meets another quilter there’ll be fast and furious talkin’—
And at a quilt show there’ll be lots of scribbling and gawkin’.

He thinks of quilt-mania as a kind of creative affliction—
That can only be controlled by regular doses of stitchin’.

He knows she quilts for enjoyment, not for money,
Cuz she does quilts that are traditional, modern and some just plain funny!

And though all my cutting, designing, sewing and quilting through the years—
He’s always been interested, supportive, patient, and very, very dear.

Happy Quilting!

 ~The Dream Team

~Things I learned from my first quilt~

·    Save time and energy by just going to the quilt shop to get the quality fabric and supplies you want.  They are far more knowledgeable, helpful, and friendlier than discount stores, with better quality supplies, to boot (including Quilters Dream Batting, which is not sold in discount stores). They even gave me snacks while we visited- thank you Sarah’s Thimble!

·     If you have young children, you may need a locked safe to keep all your fabric pieces out of their hands.

·    Don’t even bother putting away the ironing board.

·    Buy three times as many pins as you think you will need, and there is a slight possibility that you will have enough.

·    Don’t leave the half pinned quilt on the dining room table with a cat in the house or it stands a good chance of getting a furball left on it.

·    If you tell a three year old to keep his snacks away from the half finished quilt, it will end up with a piece of American cheese stuck to it.

·    When free motion quilting words (thank you La Pierre Studio and their Free Motion Slider), write dark enough to be able to easily follow or the word “Faith” may end up saying “Faih.” 

·    Buy twice as much thread as you think you will need, and you may have enough

·    Don’t leave the binding to finish the day before it needs to be done, or you may just have to bind while suffering from strep throat.

·    The big hug and sincere “Thank you – I will keep it forever” you get when giving the quilt to a college bound graduate is well worth the effort!

      ~Quilted & written by Jane~

I love when the mailman comes!

The mailman has come today and brought yet another box that I just know is for the 3rd annual “Hopes & Dreams” Quilt Challenge for ALS. Those packages, all small, medium and large are very exciting to receive! It’s like a birthday every day here at Quilters Dream!!

You should see us when the box is about to be opened. We all stand around it huddled anxiously waiting for the tape to be removed. You would think there was an unheard of species or a magical treasure inside!

Sometimes the quilts are inside a plastic bag or pillow case to ensure they are protected inside the box and when removed all you hear is………….

 “OOOOH!!”

“I love the colors on this one.”

“Feel how soft this quilt is.”

“That is all hand stitched? WOW!! What amazing talent.”

Every quilt we have received has its own personality and uniqueness to it. Not to mention how touching some of the stories that have been attached to these quilts are. That is just as much a treat as it is to see the quilt.

Some stories are about a connection that someone had with ALS patient and how happy they were to make a quilt to be donated. Sometimes they are personal reasons why they chose a specific pattern, color scheme or technique to be associated with the quilt. And sometimes it’s just a simple “I hope you enjoy this quilt as much as I did making it!”

I am personally touched that quilters have come together and worked so hard on their quilts to be donated. It feels good to know that people do care and don’t expect anything back and are willing to share out of the goodness of their hearts!!

So thanks to all that have already sent in their quilts to the “Hopes and Dreams” challenge. Speaking for all of us here….we are certainly looking forward to when the mailman comes tomorrow !

Happy Quilting!

 ~The Dream Team

Happy New Year! Wishing that all of your hopes & dreams come true and that your new year will be filled with love, peace, happiness, friendship and the best of health.
This holiday, We went to see the movie 'New Years Eve' and the actress from Glee sang Auld Lang Syne beautifully and reverently. This year, the song has felt particularly poignant for me and it dawned on me.. That after more New Years eves than I care to count... I don't know what it means! In asking everyone I know "what does Auld Lang Syne mean" ...no one else knew either!! So I googled it and it really is a beautiful and meaningful song that we all sing - but don't know why:)! Auld Lang Syne translates to 'old times past' or 'times gone by'. So the song asks "should old acquaintances and old times past be forgotten? Then answers: no...old times past should not be forgotten as we will take a drink of kindness (in remembering) for old times gone by. This song is a part of many cultures and is sung all over the world in many languages and versions. According to my 'detective googling' more people don't know what the lyrics mean .. Than do know! So now you are part of a rare group that know the meaning of 'Auld Lang Syne'. Robert Burns version of this 1700's Scottish song goes as follows:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ? (old times gone by)
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear, (for old times gone by
, my dear)
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ; (dinner)
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught (toast)
for auld lang syne. (old times gone by)

A Good Foundation

I could talk all day about batting, and if you have called Quilters Dream Batting with a question, you might already know this.  I just got off the phone with a customer who was trying to decide which batting to choose, and it was quite a discussion.  The choice of which batting to use is pretty darn important, as the batting is the foundation of your quilt.  And since there are so many batts to choose from, it is best if you can make an informed decision.  Batting has come a long way, baby!  Here are some things to consider when making this critical decision:

·       Dream Cotton Batting – Dream Cotton continues to be the most popular batting of all! Dream Cotton is incredibly drapeable, beautifully soft, 100% natural, and quilts like butter! Available in four lofts, Dream Cotton is exceptional for all your quilting needs. Because of the natural, traditional fiber, Dream Cotton is recommended by the Restoration Society, but it is also great for today's modern quilts. We use a very high grade of USA cotton and the longest fibers in the industry. This is important because longer fibers mean minimal shrinkage, less bearding, and virtually no lint on your machine. The longer the fibers, the more places the fibers will intersect, making the batting so strong that you can stitch up to 8 inches apart! With our unique processing using no scrim, glues or binders, Quilters Dream Cotton remains soft, huggable, and beautifully drapey.  Choose Request weight for hand quilting, Select for hand or machine quilting, Deluxe for machine quilting a heavy quilt, Supreme for machine quilting a very heavy quilt or craft projects.

·       Dream Poly Batting -  Available in Request, Select, and Deluxe weights, Dream Poly is made 100% from polyester microfibers. The poly microfibers mimic the cotton so you get the same look and feel of the cotton.  However, it has the benefit of no shrinkage, so it is perfect if you want to keep that “just quilted” look, even after multiple washings.  Dream Poly does not hold a crease, so you can fold it and store it (or ship it to a show) and not worry about lines or wrinkles when you take it out.  The request and select lofts are light, breathable, and drape beautifully.  The high loft, deluxe, is perfect for wall hangings that you want to lay flat without curling corners, and will shows off your stitches wonderfully.

·       Dream Blend for Machines – Note here that this batting is “for machines” – it has a light scrim, so you won’t want to hand quilt this batting.  However, because of the scrim, it is very easy to handle and work with, so it has become an all time favorite for the long arm machine quilters.  You can tug it into place without worrying about stretching or leaving hand prints.  It is slightly heavier than the cotton or poly, but the scrim is so light that it still has a very nice drape.

·       Dream Angel – If you are concerned about flame retardancy for your quilt, this is the batting for you, and as a bonus, this batting is wonderfully soft and drapey!  Unlike most flame retardant products, this batting was NOT chemically dipped or treated – the batting fibers were specially engineered to be flame retardant.  The fibers are inherently flame retardant so the flame retardant quality will never wash off.  An excellent choice for baby quilts, dorm quilts, nursing home quilts, etc. (It is available in both Request and Select loft)

·       Dream Wool – This is a very soft wool that is very breathable and light weight with a nice loft of about 1/3 - 1/2” to emphasize the stitches (or hide those slight piecing imperfections).  It is thermally bonded, so can be machine washed and dried (on cool settings) without much shrinkage at all. More and more people are telling me that this is their favorite, both for hand or machine quilting; they’ve convinced me – I’m going to give it a try on my next quilt.

·       Dream Puff – This is another batting with a very nice 1/3-1/2" loft - just enough for a slightly "puffy" quilt.  It is made 100% from poly microfibers, and, like the Dream Wool, it is thermally bonded to hold the loft without being scratchy or stiff. It is soft, breathable, and very affordable.  Dream Puff is a great all around snuggly modern style batting for quilts. Layer the Dream Puff with a Dream Cotton for a perfect  faux trapunto - the cotton will shrink slightly when washed making the Dream Puff really "pop"!

·       Dream Green – Could a batting from recycled bottles be soft and snuggly?  I was skeptical, but Dream Green proved me wrong.  This batting is exactly the same as Dream Poly select, with the exception that the fibers were once soda bottles, and it has a green tint of color!  If you are eco-conscious and going green, this is the batting for you - each pound of Dream Green batting rescues 10 bottles from our landfills.  You won't believe anything this soft, cozy, and breathable could come from recycled bottles, but it is true!

·       Dream Orient – This is the softest and silkiest batting available.  It is made from a blend of silk, bamboo, cotton, and botanic tencel that is simply scrumptious to work with.  Your finished quilt will absolutely hug you.  Beware – this batting is highly addictive!  
 

Okay, now you have an overview – if you need more info, please check out our website:  www.QuiltersDreamBatting.com