Hi From Salt Lake City

My favorite was this Kinetic art piece.

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC has an estimated population of 191,180. The city was founded in 1847 by Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868.

We took the opportunity to do an assortment of different things:
The award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. Four gallery spaces provide an opportunity for the community to explore the contemporary cultural landscape through UMOCA’s exhibitions, films, events, classes, and presentations.

To round out our day, we visited a boot store. Watched George block cowboy hats. Blocking is the hand process by which a hat is given its shape. The Stetson hat, recognized as the American cowboy hat, is a high crown, wide brimmed, fur felt hat. Some consider the design to be a modified sombrero. Today a Stetson type of hat can be made out of straw, leather or felt. But the original Stetson hat was, and still is, made from a highly complex felting process using the fur of domestic rabbits, mink, chinchilla, wild hare and beaver.

Retreat List

Retreat means different things to different people. For some it is the opportunity to learn from a teacher. For many it is a time to sew. For me it is time spent with friends.We sew, eat, talk and sew some more. Over the years I have developed a list of must haves:


sewing machine
extension plate for machine, foot pedal and power cord for my sewing machine  (I put these on the list because I may or may not have forgotten to bring one or more of them once or twice in my life…
light
extension cord
paper sack for garbage

sewing kit
seam ripper
extra needles and bobbins
extra thread – which usually means I’ll bring 6 or 7 spools  (I have a tendency over-estimate how much I’ll actually get done.)
rulers – I always bring a 8 1/2" square and a 6″ x 12″ rectangle
rotary cutter and extra blades
small rotary cutting mat
seam ripper
snips and scissors
pins
one or two pens, graph paper and some scratch paper
re-fillable water bottle
camera

projects! Lots of them, I like choices AND the directions to complete them!

A Workshop with Thom Atkins

I'm all for supporting my local quilt guild, Evergreen Piecemakers.  They had Thom Atkins present a beading workshop. What fun!

The Quilt Show

While I was filming at the quilt show, we filmed this 2 minute video!

Inspiration

Wonderful subtle colors

I'm thinking about starting a new competition quilt. Looking through my 'scrap book' (pictures in my computer) looking for colors that inspire me. Here's what I found:

Bright bold colors

Both examples a beautiful, I think I'll go with the big, bold, colors!

Classes Scheduled at QuiltWorks Northwest, Bellevue

I don't teach very many workshops locally, QuiltWorks is the exception.

I have two scheduled next month.

Finishing School
12:30-4:30 May 31
Discover the joy of transforming unfinished projects into amazing quilts. We will explore construction techniques and setting blocks and delve into designing and sewing the perfect border, all while engaging in a lively problem-solving session that will convert challenges into marvelous, artistic solutions!

Thread Toppings
10:30-2:30 May 30
Thread is no longer a 'Plain Jane' necessity - it's now available in many luscious colors and types. Steering your way through the sea of threads out there can be a bit daunting. Experiment while you learn how to match thread to the appropriate needle, make the tension setting your best friend and troubleshoot your way to fun and fancy sewing.
Melody is the author of Quilt Toppings; Fun and Fancy Embellishment Techniques, Breckling Press.

Color Your World

For insight on your color preferences think about the color you associate with the following:

1.     Your favorite fabric

2.     Geometric fabric

3.     Focus fabric

4.     Going to bed

5.     Polishing your nails

6.     Novelty fabric

7.     Picking field flowers

8.     A bouquet of your flowers

9.     Your favorite quilt, one you made

10. Coloring your hair

11. Setting the table

12. Putting up the patio umbrella

13. Floral fabric

14. Placing a wreath on your door

15. Daydreaming

16. Ethnic fabric

17. Arranging a bowl of fruit

18. The color of the cover of your favorite quilt book

19. Abstract fabric

20. Solid fabric

 Scoring

Designate each of your color choices according to three basic categories of association—warm, cool and neutral. First, find your colors in the following category list:

Warm Colors: red, orange, pink, yellow

Cool Colors: blue, green, purple

Neutral Colors: black, brown, white, gray, beige, taupe

Next assign an “A” whenever you have listed a warm color, a “B” for all you cool color choices, and a “C” for neutral colors. Count how many you listed in each category.

Use the information below to see what your choices may say about you and your quiltmaking.

Your tally:     warm ____________ cool ____________ neutral ____________

How do you compare?

Mostly “A”s? You come alive with energizing colors.

Mostly “B”s? You respond to soothing colors.

Mostly “C”s? You like to play it safe.

Tie with two or all categories? Evenly distribute color ‘temperatures’ throughout your stash.

To wash or not to wash

Although some quilters never pre-wash their fabrics, I nearly always do. I don't want any surprises

when I wash a finished quilt. Some cotton fabrics bleed, particularly reds, purples and other vivid colors.

My story: Assuming that wall hanging will never be washed isn't safe. I had a sample hanging in a store, there was a fire down the way in the strip mall. My quilt was smoke damaged. The conservator they consulted told them to dry clean everything, so they did!



What if your quilt contains several different unwashed fabrics--and some of them shrink more than others? Uneven shrinkage could cause puckers and distortions the first time the quilt is washed.
Some quilters intentionally use unwashed fabrics to assemble a quilt because the puckers left over after the first wash give the quilt a vintage appearance. If vintage isn't the look you're going for it's best to pre-wash your fabrics.
I use a laundry additive called Synthropol. (What is Synthrapol? It is a special detergent used in pre-scouring fibers before dyeing, and in washing out excess dye.)  Add a capful  to each load of fabric keeps loose dyes from depositing on other fabrics during the wash.

I press everything before I fold and put it away, I like them ready to cut when I'm ready to use them.

I Love Thread!!!

Thread shelf, not shown in picture is blackout curtain.

I love thread – the different types and sizes of spools, the different weights and textures of threads, and all those amazing luscious colors.  I buy lots of it, some to use and some just because I couldn’t resist it’s loveliness. I think I have more invested in thread than fabric!

Be aware that thread does go 'bad'. And no, it shouldn’t be stored in the freezer because it slowly removes the moisture. 

So, the principal enemies of thread (and fabric) are light, variations in temperature, humidity and dust.  Direct sunlight as well as strong artificial light will eventually create fading and drying.  To maintain it’s optimum strength, threads need to retain a degree of moisture, a balance.

I now have five of these boxes!

Any kind of box or container will also work so long as it protects the thread from dust, minimizes exposure to light, humidity and temperature variations, and keeps the spools separated and the threads from tangling is recommended.



Melody Crust  
Author of: Quilt Toppings; Fun and Fancy Embellishments
A Fine Line; Techniques and Inspirations for Creating the Quilting Design
Check out my blog at http://melodycrust.blogspot.com/
melody@melodycrust.com
www.melodycrust.com
26530 Lk Fenwick Rd S
Kent WA 98032
p 253.859.0446
f 253.859.6450
I  am proud to be participating in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt
Initiative. www.AlzQuilts.org

Aunt Janie

Someone asked me the other day, where did I learn to quilt? The answer isn't simple. I did not learn to quilt from my mother or grandmother. My mother taught me to embroider at age five. (Something I still love). She tried to teach me to crochet but I did not have the manual dexterity to work the crochet hook. But quilting was all my own

When I started there were few books about quilting. I thought you needed a pattern.  I got my first real pattern from Aunt Janie. We went to visit her one day, she was piecing a quilt. The only paper she had was old grocery bags. I traced her templates  onto that grocery bag. She even gave me a sample block! I was in heaven!

I never made a quilt from any of the patterns she shared with me that day, but I remember many of the details very fondly.

Oh the Flowers!

Seattle’s Original Farmers Market   

Pike Place Market was founded in 1907 to provide a place for farmers and customers to meet directly. Farmers continue to sell their locally grown produce and products to shoppers seven days a week, 362 days a year.

And lots of other stuff too!

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Rachel the Piggy Bank.... is the mascot of Pike Place Market and one of the best public fundraisers. She has been "Bringing Home the Bacon" for The Pike Place Market Foundation since 1986, (raising more than $200,000 and counting!) to support the low-income neighbors who live in and around the Market. Legend has it that if you rub Rachel's snout and make a donation, you'll have good luck

Undercover Quilts where racks of fabrics entice the eye with their multi-patterned, multi-hued beauty and draw the touch of hands eager to transform them.
STORE LOCATION
Inside 1411 First Avenue, Suite 106
Seattle, WA 98101

Monday thru Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 10am - 5pm

Taking a Day Off - A Visit to Pike Place Market

More than 85 local farmers keep the farm tables stocked year-round with seasonal Washington-grown fresh fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, herbs, flowers and honey.

 Created more than a century ago to connect the city’s citizens and farmers, Pike Place Market is a beloved Seattle landmark, welcoming more than 10 million visitors a year. Encompassing a nine-acre Market Historic District overlooking Elliott Bay, the Market remains the bustling center of farm fresh, locally sourced, artisanal and specialty foods.  It’s a place where you can “Meet the Producer”—the farmers, butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, bakers, winemakers and purveyors who bring their bounty to your table. The Market features one of the largest craft markets in the country, featuring all locally made handcrafted goods. And with more than 225 small independent businesses and a diverse array of restaurants, the Market offers endless opportunities for delight and discovery.

Scraps, again

My friends know about my obsession with scraps, this bag was left on my door step!
Thanks Linda.








All cut up! This variety make my collection so much richer.

I got a new tool!

I am not a gadget person.  Put these Wonder Clips have real possibilities. They easily pinch open to securely hold projects, fluorescent color makes them easy to see. They can be used in place of pins for holding binding strips, hems, piping, trims, yarn, leather, and more.


  

Santa Rosa Quilt Guild's 2015 Opportunity Quilt.

I love to receive these kinds of emails!

Cosmic Universe

Dear Melody,

If you will recall, in March 2014 you authorized the Santa Rosa Quilt Guild to utilize your Ping An pattern to make its 2015 Opportunity Quilt.

Cosmic Universe is completed and was unveiled at our April 2 Guild meeting.  I've attached pictures of the quilt and the label.  Of course the label, as well as the opportunity tickets, include the information that the quilt design is by Melody Crust. 

It was made by Lorna Fiori, Elizabeth McDonnell, Kathy Rathbun and Vivian Valencia and beautifully quilted by Betty Upchurch, all members of the Santa Rosa Quilt Guild.  The backing fabric, which coordinates beautifully with the top, was generously donated by Gery Rosemurgy of Broadway Quilts in Sonoma.

Thank you once again for your permission.  We think the quilt is beautiful and a gasp from our audience at the unveiling today confirmed just that.

Elizabeth McDonnell

(Contact Elizabeth, I bet she sell you a ticket!)
 

Here is Ping An. I think they did a remarkable job! Don't you?

Ping An

StashFest 2015 @ TheConner Quilt and Textile Museum

April 18, 10AM - 5PM La Conner Civic Garden Club 622 South 2nd Street La Conner WA 98257 (across the street from the Museum) This event is free and open to all!  Want to come in early?  There will be a limited number of pre-sale tickets available to purchase online beginning March 1 for $20 each.   This ticket will grant you entry to StashFest at 9AM -- a whole hour ahead of the crowd!  This is a great event with door prizes every hour and lots of wonderful unique fibers and fiber related things to add to your stash!

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Handwerks Textiles

2015 Featured StashFest Artists  Ann DarlingEclectic Global Fabrics and Designer Clothing Kimono Blossom, Ako Shimozato   Japanese Textiles Reinvented Margo MyersUnique Copper-Stamped Cotton Yardage Peggy JuveDigitally Printed Artists’ Fabrics and Clothing Meredith MacLeod  See more...Digitally Printed Fabric & Accessories From Hand-Stamped & -Painted Images Cameron MasonWhirlwind Hand Dyesand Accessories Contemporary QuiltArt AssociationCollectors’ Choice Fabrics Bonnie Bucknam, Handwerk Textiles   Bags, Totes, Hand-Dyed Vintage Linens & Textiles, Global Textiles

For more info: www.laconnerquilts.org

The Quilt Show

Check out their BLOG, I had a really good time! When will my show be available? I'll keep you posted.

My day of filming at The Quilt Show ended with the snow on the ground.