This year’s issue from Quilting Arts is another good one, and I’m thrilled to say I have TWO projects in it and TWO recipes!  Yes, QA has joined the holiday mayhem with some recipes.   Editor Vivika DeNegre has kicked off a bloghop with her post to day, here!

This year’s issue of Quilting Arts Gifts. I’m thrilled to have two projects and two recipes included!  Please click here or use the Affiliate link on the left (which will get you a discount on some items) to order this issue!

I’ve been lucky to be on three episodes of Quilting Arts TV this season, sharing my tips about my Inside-Out bag, machine quilting, and sewing machine needles and thread.  The pattern for the bag and another pattern for a card carrier are in this year’s QA Holiday 2014 magazine as well. Read on to see some of the many variations on the theme that I’ve made!  I keep finding the need for “just another bag”!

Getting ready to roll tape for my first segment on Quilting Arts TV, Series 1400. I show you how to make my incredibly versatile Inside-Out Bag (lower right corner, in progress in front of me and on the left) so you can customize size, pockets, techniques for the outside (pieced, applique, surface design). The bag is quick and easy so it also makes a great special gift, and it is also included in the 2014 edition of Quilting Arts Gifts, so now you have two ways to learn how to make it.

Over the coming ten days or so, here’s where you can go to learn more about what’s in this issue.  Some of these folks I know, but others are new to me so I’m really looking forward to seeing their blogposts and blogs!

• Friday, September 12, Vivika Hansen DeNegre, http://quiltingdaily.com/
  Saturday, September 13, Lyric Kinard, http://lyrickinard.com/blog/
  Sunday, September 14, Claude Larson, http://randomactsofpiece.blogspot.com/
  Monday, September 15, Linda McLaughlin, http://notesfromstudiob.blogspot.com/ and Kathy Kerstetter, http://artndl.blogspot.com
  Tuesday, September 16, Lori Miller, http://lorimillerdesigns.wordpress.com/
  Wednesday, September 17, Melanie Testa, http://melanietesta.com/blog/, and Liz Kettle, http://www.textileevolution.com/index.php/our-journey
  Thursday, September 18, Susan Brubaker Knapp, http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
  Friday, September 19, Lisa Chin, http://somethingcleveraboutnothing.blogspot.com/
  Saturday, September 20, Sarah Ann Smith, https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog
  Sunday, September 21, Catherine Redford, http://catherineredford.com/

Check back here on the 20th for my part in the bloghop, but come back before then for other new posts!

Today is day one of the Quilting Arts TV Series 1400 Blog hop,

Woot! Still can hardly believe it happened–thank you so much Susan Brubaker Knapp for inviting me to be on the show!

and I’m thrilled to be a part of the bloghop and on the new series!  I can’t wait to see the episodes, and not just mine.  The overall themes for Quilting Arts TV Series 1400 were about finding your inner artist and creativity through inspiration,

Here’s the cover of the upcoming Season 1400 for Quilting Arts TV!

so I know this is going to be a great season. Please join in the bloghop by visiting the blogs below, starting with Vivika (editor of Quilting Arts) today and going on with other guests on the series including (who me???!!!) me!   If you’d like to order, click on the Save 15% Quilting Arts button on the left (or read on); if you’d like to check out the previews, look here.

Here’s a list of who is blogging and when:  keep coming back here to click on the appropriate link for each day.
July 18: Vivika DeNegre at  http://www.quiltingdaily.com/…/qatv-14-sneak-peek-…. and quiltingdaily.com
July 19: Luana Rubin (luanarubin.typepad.com)/Linda Friedman (lindasartquilts.blogspot.com)
July 20: Sarah Ann Smith (sarahannsmith.com/weblog)/Karen Gloeggler (Seminarandsew.com)
July 21: Carrie Bloomston (suchitysuch.blogspot.com/ Catherine Redford (catherineredford.com)
July 22: Sue Reno (suereno.blogspot.com)/ Rebekah Meier (rebekahmeier.com)
July 23: Lyric Kinard (lyrickinard.com/blog) / Margie Ullery (ribboncandyquilts.blogspot.com)
July 24: Cheryl Sleboda (muppin.com/wordpress/) / Jane Sassaman (janesassaman.com/weblog)
July 25: Susan Brubaker Knapp (bluemoonriver.blogspot.com)

If you’re like me, instead of waiting you can order the series directly from Interweave and (a) not wait and (b) not have to deal with the fact that you don’t get the TV show on your local TV or cable/satellite service!  To order, click here or (even better) use the badge in the sidebar of this blog to get you there–that does good stuff for both Quilting Arts and me! Now go check out Vivika’s blog today, then come back and see the posts every day!

The end of the year insanity began with States in Cross Country. Here’s Eli receiving the baton in the 4 x 800 m. relay

Good thing my blog allows me to write posts then schedule them out into the future!   It has been insanely busy.  Here’s a smattering of the early June busy-ness!

The kid in mid-stride, airborne! The team was happy to not finish last at States, as the fast runners were doing other races and not the relays.

And Eli passing TWO other teams/kids in the final lap!

Then the Track and Field team end-of-season picnic and awards at a waterfront park in Rockport, Maine.

Eli with teammates Melissa K. and her sister Emily K.

Then there’s the garden. I need to see if I can get the weed whacker working (ugh, I am NOT mechanical), but here I hacked out the dead rugosa rose stuff. Fortunately, there are a lot of “runners” that are growing well.

And here’s my hilarious helper, tethered to the pine tree so he can wander but not wander off!

And my beloveds, Sven (the gnome)  and Phineas (the phlamingo):

Whimsy in your life is a good thing. Thanks so much to Joshua and Ashley for the best mother’s day gift EVER! I keep moving the pair about. TOTALLY LOVE THIS!

Then on the final day of school, after Eli’s last exam, we attended a memorial service for one of his Cross Country teammates, Forest P., who died a week ago from a brain tumor at the age of 18.  His parents got him a tutor, though, and he was able to graduate along with his class (though of course he was way too ill to attend the ceremony, he died just a few days after).   His father wanted the teammates to come do his practice run route near their home where the reception after was held.  When Forest and a friend would come in (usually within 10 feet of each other), everyone would shout “Run, Forest, run!”  so we did.  Sigh.  So impossibly sad:

Members of the team including the coach head out to run for Forest–kids are to the right of the lady in the rose suit

And Friday night was the delayed Wrestling potluck and awards. Eli received a new award, the Chris Remsen award named after a legendary Camden high school athlete. Given the description, I’d call it an all-around best award: best athlete, scholar and teammate. [We postponed the dinner/awards because asst. coach True’s house burned down two nights before the original date.  Luckily though they lost their dog, they and infant son are fine.]

the 2013-14 Camden Hills Regional High School Wrestling team, champions yet again

Let the summer begin…it looks to be as busy for Eli and me as this past week!

Mistyfuse is by FAR my favorite fusible!  I’d been thinking (for years, sigh) of doing a good long post about using this wonderful product, when what should appear in my in-box on May 6th but this post, which is reprinted in its entirety with permission.  If you’re interested in the Mistyfuse Kit click here or, even better, click on the Interweave button on the sidebar to the left (just below my book/dvd/print):  type “fabric fusing fun” into the search box, then use the code in the button on the left to get a discount!    Here’s the fused collage I demonstrate in my DVD, which of course uses Mistyfuse:

Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic, No. 1, the start of what I will call my Quilting the Good Life series!

In the copied post below, the things that appear to be links in the text below did not all copy.  To read more of Vivika’s blog, click  you can read the post below on Vivika’s blog, here.   To order Mistyfuse direct from the source, find Pigwidgeon, our pug, in the left column (where it says Sarah Ann Smith Mistyfuser) and click on him to go straight to the Mistyfuse site. And to see Jamie Fingal’s blog, visit her at Twisted Sister blog.  Jamie is also half of the Dinner@8 Artists who have curated some great exhibits for the past five plus years, and I’ve been quite lucky to have been part of the past four.  Check out Dinner@8 here.

And if you’d like to see how I use Mistyfuse, click here to see a preview of my DVD (available on my store page and as a download through Interweave–use the Interweave button on the left to click through to Interweave to order with a discount).

Many art quilters find fusible web indispensable for quilt making. Fusible web is basically a sheet of glue that melts when you press fabric onto it with a hot iron, sticking the pieces of fabric together.

Quilt artist Jamie Fingal uses Mistyfuse fusible for all her quilt making.

Because art quilts are not meant to be washed, fusible web gives you the freedom to cut and press on small pieces of fabric without the fuss of turning under or satin-stitching the edges. You fuse your fabric, cut it as you wish, and make a quilt with little or no measuring or endless seaming.

Every quilter has his or her favorite fusible, depending on the types of fabrics they use, the kinds of quilts they make, and often personal preference.

On the sturdier end of the spectrum , fusible interfacing lends structure to quilts and 3-D fiber art projects that need more support.

Mid-weight fusibles that often come with a paper backing work well for general art quilting purposes. Fusible fleece provides lightweight loft and can be machine washed and dried.

When fusing sheer fabrics, fabric that you want to drape or shape on a quilt, or quilt art with many layers, many artists choose Mistyfuse®.  Mistyfuse is a gossamer fusible that virtually disappears when ironed onto fabric and doesn’t change the hand of the cloth.

It comes in white, black (good for dark fabrics) and ultraviolet. It comes in sheets or on a bolt, and there is no paper backing. You just cut the size you need, lay it on your fabric, cover with a silicone sheet (baking parchment or a specially made reusable “Goddess Sheet”) and press with a dry iron.

Jamie Fingal always uses Mistyfuse when creating her art quilts, because the product allows her a lot of versatility with her fabric choices, she says.

“It fuses beautifully to wool felt, other felts, silk, sheers, photo transfer fabric, cotton, metallics, and even leather and velvet,” she says.

	Mistyfuse fusible web is so sheer you can clearly see the silicone Goddess Sheet and a cutting mat below.

Jamie offers the following advice for using Mistyfuse to make a quilt:

1. Use the ultraviolet variety on sheers because it disappears when you layer the sheer fabric onto another piece of fabric

2. Save all your leftover snippets for future use. “I store all of my Mistyfuse scraps in a gallon zipper bag that I keep at the outer edge of my table-away from the iron-because you never know when you will need a small piece.”

3. Pre-fuse several pieces of fabric at a time and store them for later use so you are ready to go when you want to start creating. “I store all of the fabric that has been Mistyfused in bins by color, for easy retrieval.”

To teach you how to make quilts using fusibles–including Mistyfuse–we’ve put together a Fabric Fusing Fun: Complete MistyFuse Kit. It includes Mistyfuse, a Goddess Sheet, and three Quilting Arts Workshop^TM videos that teach you how to quilt with fusible web, by Jamie, Sue Bleiweiss, and the team of Laura Wasilowski and Frieda Anderson.

There are limited quantities, so be sure to order your Fabric Fusing Fun: Complete Mistyfuse Kit now.

WOOT!   My quilt for Joshua caught the eye of the Glorious Color Blogger, so of COURSE I said yes they could include it in a blogpost!  Glorious Color is the source of all things related to the Kaffe Fassett collective, so you can buy fabric (and more fabric), books, and all sorts of goodies.   Anyway, they’ve done an entire POST on diamonds, starting with Marilyn Monroe–check it out here (PS…you have to scroll down a LONG way to see the quilt!).  Here’s a photo I took and shared not long ago:

It’s a miracle…it’s not even a full year after Joshua graduated and got his GED and his quilt is DONE!

As you might guess by my silence, I’m madly working away on a quilt for a deadline.  As soon as I surface I’ll be back.

Thanks Glorious Color for liking my quilt enough to feature it on the blog!