Industry Buzz

Barbara Brackman Co-Curates Quilt Exhibit at Spencer Museum of Art

"Flora Botanica," an exhibit of 30 historic floral quilts, co-curated by author Barbara Brackman, will be on view from July 12 to October 12 at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, Kansas. From the exhibit description: "Floral images have been among the most popular with America's quiltmakers. This view of approximately 30 quilts from the collection considers the sources for many of the classic patchwork designs."
Learn more about the exhibit: http://www.huliq.com/58359/quilts-flora-botanica-spencer-museum
Find out about Barbara Brackman's Underground Railroad Quilt Club.

Laura Wasilowski: Outstanding Art Quilter

The April/May issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion features our own fearless fuser, Laura Wasilowski. From the magazine: "Inspired by family, friends, and home, Laura Wasilowski creates stories in cloth. 'My narrative quilts begin with unique, hand-dyed fabrics that become whimsical wall pieces,' says the Elgin, Illinois, artist. She learned to sew as a child through the 4-H program and later honed those skills as a costume design major at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. 'That's where I learned to dye fabric,' she recalls. After earning a master's degree in studio art, she began selling her hand-dyed, stamped, silk-screened, and painted fabrics in boutiques. A neighbor introduced her to quilting. 'The quilts I make often document my own life,' she says. 'My current landscape series tells of the places I've lived and the colorful fields, rivers, and trees found there.' "Laura uses a technique called fusing, in which a dry glue is placed on the back of fabric and activated by the heat of an iron. 'It gives me the freedom to create any image I want.'"

Laura's book, Fusing Fun! Fast Fearless Art Quilts. Her new 75-minute DVD, Laura Wasilowski Teaches You to Create Fused Art Quilts, will be out in May.

Author Barbara Brackman Jumps Into Political Debate with New Fabrics

From the Lawrence, Kansas, Lawrence Journal-World & News, April 26: "When Barbara Brackman wanted to make her own statement on the Democratic presidential race, she turned to the medium she feels most comfortable with — quilting. Brackman, a member of the Kaw Valley Quilter's Guild, created two fabrics — one with the image of Barack Obama, the other with Hillary Clinton — that will be auctioned off as part of the guild's show that runs this weekend. Brackman, who says quilts featuring political subjects go back decades, created the Clinton quilt to have the female candidate surrounded by portraits of the founding fathers. "I am a Democrat," Brackman says. "I decided I would support Hillary for two reasons — I've always been impressed with her health and education policies, and it's a chance to vote for a woman — a viable woman candidate. I made the Obama fabric to make my Obama-supporting friends happy." The Obama quilt is based on a print from the Centennial in 1876 that commemorated George Washington and peace. "I thought Obama, peace and G.W. made a good trio," she says.

Barbara's most recent book, Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery, and her new online club, Barbara Brackman's Underground Railroad Quilt Club, offer photos, quilt patterns, and real-life stories of the extraordinary history of quilting in the days before the American Civil War.

Becky Goldsmith Wins at Paducah!

Congratulations to Becky Goldsmith for winning 3rd place in the Large Wall Appliqué category at the 2008 American Quilter's Society Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah, April 23 - 26. Becky won her for quilt, Tree O' Life. Check out another of Becky's beautiful creations, this one with Piece O' Cake partner Linda Jenkins, in Aunt Millie's Garden: 12 Flowering Blocks from Piece O' Cake Designs.

Make Decorator Pillows with Margrit Hall

Looking for a quick and elegant way to update your décor? Check out the May 2008 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts for Margrit's lovely geometric pillows using new microfiber suede, cotton/silk, and embossed cotton velveteen fabrics from Robert Kaufman.
Margaret's book with Earlene Fowler, Benni Harper's Quilt Album: A Scrapbook of Quilt Projects, Photos & Never-Before-Told Stories.

C&T Publishing to Sponsor Two Quilting Awards at 2008 Fall International Quilt Festival

We are proud to announce our sponsorship of the new $2000 Future of Quilting Award at the International Quilt Association's annual fall judged show: "Quilts: a World of Beauty." The new award will be presented to a quilter age 35 or under whose submitted quilt and overall quilting work show great promise for the future.

We will also sponsor the World of Beauty show's Digital Imagery category. Quilts in this category focus on images that are created with computers, digital cameras, or other digital technology.

To see some of the amazing work being done by digital quilters today, check out Innovative Fabric Imagery for Quilts, by Cyndy Lyle Rymer and Lynn Koolish.

Entry Deadlines
Entries for the World of Beauty show must be received at the IQA offices by June 12, 2008. Winners will be announced at the Fall International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, October 30-November 2.

"Patchwork Mojo": C&T Authors Have It!

The May/June issue of Quilter's Home lists 26 of "the most influential people in the quilt world." It's no surprise to us that several of them are our authors:

Ricky Tims
"Sure, he's won major prizes for his quilts, but it's sheer entrepreneurial daring that sets Tims apart. He could have just continued to sell out guild gigs forever, but he gambled that hundreds of people would pay hundreds of dollars to watch him talk (and play piano) for a whole weekend. They did, and they still do. Then he pushed another envelope—creating an Internet TV show (in partnership with Alex Anderson) that people have to pay to watch."

See Ricky's latest book: Feathers & Urns—Rhapsody Quilts

Alex Anderson
"Nobody in the quilt world is better known today than Alex. When HGTV pulled the plug on her show "Simply Quilts," she quickly moved to offering podcasts on her website, then partnered with Ricky Tims to create The Quilt Show, a cutting-edge online show filmed before a live audience. She continues to write books and appear widely as Bernina's spokesperson to the quilt world. Simply Quilts developed a huge national following for her, but the newer media are showcasing her silly, fun-loving side and winning her even more fans."

See Alex's latest book: Super-Simple Quilts #1 with Alex Anderson & Liz Aneloski

Barbara Brackman
"This Kansas-based historian continually blows off the belief that quilters don't care about history. Barbara creates compelling books that wed history with projects. Her diligence is astounding! Because she spent more than a decade trying to track down every known quilt block for her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, quilt scholars and apparaisers all identify quilts by their "Brackman number." (Barbara, we are not worthy…)"

See Barbara's latest book: Facts & Fabrications—Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery
Find out about the Underground Railroad Quilt Club.

Jean Wells
"Owner of the Stitchin' Post quilt shop in Sister, OR, Wells has taught hundreds of quilt shop owners to be more businesslike. She teaches quilt shops how to make more money, partly by making sure their customers have more fun. But Wells isn't always obsessed with the bottom line. She founded the annual outdoor quilt show in Sisters in 1975 and has insisted that the much-copied event remain free to all comers. A right and true thing, sister!"

See Jean's latest book: Oh Sew Easy® Table Toppers

Quick and Easy Quilt from Make it You® in Sew News

Looking for a quick quilt pattern to make for a gift? Check out the super-easy Make It You design featured in the April 2008 issue of Sew News. From the magazine: "Stitch this quick-and-easy quilt for or a baby shower gift or a wall-art display. Use some great fabric scraps, a flat bed sheet and eco-friendly batting to make this project easy on the wallet and the environment."

Make it You: Your Space, the latest book from Make It You™, features 17 quick and easy home accessories to spice up your surroundings.

See Gloria's Glorious Australian Landscapes in Quilter's Newsletter

The May 2008 issue devotes a whole spread to photos of Gloria Loughman's amazing landscape quilts. From the article: "The Australian Bush—rugged undeveloped wilderness boasting incredible vistas and exotic vegetation—offers endless inspiration for Gloria Loughman of Kerang, a town in northern Victoria. Of textile artists, she muses, 'I believe we see things of beauty that others pass by. How lucky we are to have such a wonderful life.' Gloria often uses paint to define parts of her landscapes, but her pieces always recall their roots in quilting.

Jean Wells Shows off Sunflowers

Look for Jean's charming and easy new art quilt project, Sunflower Snapshots, in Better Homes & Gardens' current issue of Fast & Fabulous Quilting Ideas. If you like sunflowers, you'll love the flowers, leaves, and garden motifs in Jean's book, Portraits from Nature: 35 Studies for Dimensional Quilts.

Two C&T Books Chosen as Finalists in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards

Fresh Felt Flowers, by Lynne Farris, and Make it You – Your Space, by Shannon Mullen, were both named as finalists in the annual book competition. Congratulations to Lynne and Shannon!

See Ricky Tims on CBS Sunday Morning

The nationwide TV news magazine profiled quilting superstar and C&T Publishing author Ricky Tims on March 16. Click here to see the segment.

Ricky's latest book, Feathers & Urns—Rhapsody Quilts, will be available by the end of March

Anna Faustino's Quilt Wins "Best Use of Embellishment"

Anna's quilt, Three Graces, was a winner in the 2008 Quilt Fest of New Jersey, held in early March. Anna's new book, Simply Stunning Woven Quilts: 11 Techniques, Great Results, was just published this month. Congratulations, Anna!

American Quilt Retailer Features Piece O' Cake Designs

The cover of the March 2008 issue of American Quilt Retailer features a quilt from the latest book by our own authors Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins, also known as Piece O' Cake Designs. From the magazine: "Our cover quilt, "Playful Pinwheels," made by Becky Goldsmith and machine quilted by Mary Covey, is one of 15 refreshing-looking quilts in Becky Goldsmith's and Linda Jenkins' Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way. Becky and Linda want to teach piecing basics that will equip any student to tackle any quilt. Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way should become your new "beginning quilt" book standard. C&T even offers a lesson plan to help you teach and sell this book. It's one of the best "how-to" books I've seen in a long time with up-to-date graphics, layout and colors that will appeal to all age groups." Learn more about Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way.

Alex Anderson Wins 2008 Silver Star Award For Making A Positive Impact In The Field Of Quilting

We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the International Quilt Festival's 2008 Silver Star Award is our own longtime author, Alex Anderson.

From the Quilts Inc. press release: "The award is given annually to living persons who have made a lasting and positive impact on the field of quilting and textile art over their careers.

"An artist, author, teacher, and multi-media host, Anderson was chosen for many reasons, including her stint hosting nearly 500 episodes of the national TV series Simply Quilts. The show was integral in introducing and promoting the art form to a large audience. More...

Carol Doak Talks DVDs with Professional Quilter

From the Winter 2008 edition: "C&T Publishing recently introduced a new DVD series called "At Home with the Experts. The "experts" are popular teachers and C&T authors, including Carol Doak. Carol's title, "Carol Doak Teaches You to Paper Piece," was filmed in her home studio. She notes that it wasn't as time consuming as writing a book, "but it did take a couple of months doing the preparation work for the outline of material to be presented, a dry run myself to organize and estimate the time needed to cover the information, creating the mock-ups and so on.
'I find the DVD is a great complement to my books and a great way to actually show quilters how to use tools and so forth correctly,' says Carol. 'Many quilters just like to be shown rather than read about a technique. The DVD is a great substitute for quilters who would not have the opportunity to take a class. Many have commented that they felt like they had just taken a one-on-one class with me. I also use a few segments from the DVD during my workshops to present information that gives the student a close-up view of a process or a technique that I would not otherwise be able to present in a workshop but did on the DVD.'" Check out a video promo of Carol's DVD, Carol Doak Teaches You to Paper Piece.

Author Jake Finch Explains Bead Embellishment by Machine in American Quilter

Jake's article on machine-sewing beaded embellishments appears in the March 2008 issue of American Quilter. Jake's book, Fast, Fun & Easy® Book Cover Art, features five projects that make a perfect foundation for her embellishing techniques.

Mary Stori Launches Quilting Blog

For a lighthearted look at quilting and embellishing, visit Mary Stori's new blog, "The Inside Stori." How many other blogs have enough creative scope to cover both wool felt penny rugs and car races at Daytona Speedway? Mari's latest book, Embellishing with Felted Wool, came out in January.

McCall's Quilting Features Carol Armstrong's New Project, "Fairy Rings"

Look for the April 2008 issue of McCall's Quilting, where Carol introduces a new Quick Turn appliqué technique that makes rounded appliqué of any size or shape faster and easier than ever before. If you like appliqué, you'll love Carol's books: Butterflies in Bloom, Carol Armstrong's Patches & Posies, A Gathered Garden, Kitty Capers, and Quilting with Carol Armstrong.

Quiltmania Names Ricky Tims an "Exceptional Man"

Issue No. 63 of Quiltmania profiles Ricky as one of 9 "Exceptional Men" in the quilting world:
"Coming from the Texas plains where there are more tobacco-chewing cowboys than ballet dancers, where there is only red earth, and cattle and cactus stretch to the horizon, Ricky has, like many Americans, a family affair with quilting. In his case, it took the shape of the sewing machine he inherited from his grandmother and which he enjoyed watching her use when he was little. Ricky made his first quilts in 1991 and has just entered the Top 30 of the best quilters in the world! What a lovely development for this artist who never goes without his Stetson, whom thousands of fans worship and who brings his music to numerous quilt shows across the USA. There is no need to choose between his talent for music (his first love as he writes and performs his own pieces) or his quilting. He plays the piano and works with a needle with equal brio and enthusiasm!"

Ricky has created quilts in many different styles over his career. See his latest creative ideas in his book, Ricky Tims' Rhapsody Quilts.

Author Rayna Gillman Shows Off Her Style of Surface Design

Rayna, the author of the upcoming Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth (June 2008), will be exhibiting her quilt, "Lost," in Form not Function, a juried exhibit that runs from January 11 to March 8 at the Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany, Indiana.

Also look for Rayna's guest appearance this summer on Pokey Bolton's PBS series, Quilting Arts TV. You can contact Rayna at www.studio78.net or read her fabulous blog on surface design and creativity at http://studio78notes.blogspot.com/.

We've Gone Green! C&T Publishing Receives Certification as a California Green Business

We have been working hard all during 2007 to make our operations more friendly to the environment. We made changes ranging from replacing all the incandescent light bulbs in our facility with compact fluorescent bulbs to stepping up our use of recycled paper. Now C&T Publishing is proud to be a certified California Green Business.