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The April Newsletter
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Happy Easter Monday! Spring has definitely arrived in Ireland with a mixture of rain and sunshine. But that's what makes everything so green! The daffodils, tulips and camellias are blooming, and many other plants are in bud. I only wish it were a bit warmer!
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I took a little break away since my last newsletter. It was lovely and relaxing, but it slowed down my quilting quite a bit. I've managed to complete only one new product for the Shop, which you can see below. It also paused the reorganisation of my sewing room, but I'm very happy with what I've accomplished so far. I've posted a few photos further down in the newsletter.
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Spring marks the start of many beginnings. For Red Bridge Quilts, it's the start of the craft fair season. I'm back at the Burren Arts & Craft Fair in Ballyvaughan (Clare) held on Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the local parish hall. I won't be there every Sunday, but if you have time you can check my Facebook page every week to find out. There's a great group of vendors participating every week with beautiful handmade products. You can find out more information on the Events page of my website. I am also very excited to announce that I'll be teaching a Beginners' Quilting Course locally here in Oughterard. It starts on 3 April, and will run weekly for eight weeks.
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Just a reminder that Red Bridge Quilts offers free standard postage to anywhere within the island of Ireland, as well as a free local pick-up service.
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New this month
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Following are the new posts up on the website this month. They are a gathering of various topics from the world of quilting. I hope you find them of interest.
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FEATURED CONTENT THIS MONTH
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Quilting news and tips
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1
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Traditional style Amish quilts began to appear in the U.S. in the 1870's. They were practical and usually made with the same fabrics used to make the family's clothing. After the American Bicentennial in 1976, their popularity soared, and they began to take on a new look.
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2
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The Underground Railroad was a network of abolitionists who helped slaves escape to free states and Canada during the early to mid-19th century. But what were the Underground Railroad quilt blocks? Did they really exist or were they just an interesting fairy tale?
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3
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Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along, a story of the humble but very important sewing machine bobbin. Its job is more than just holding the bottom thread in your machine. What do you know about the bobbin and how it works? Find out what this important machine part really does.
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In last month's newsletter, I posted a photo of a charm square pack from a fabric collection called "Wanderlust". Charm square packs are simply coordinating 5" fabric squares. I paired up these squares with a solid Kona cotton fabric in bone to make this "on point" lattice baby quilt. It will be in the Shop very soon. You can read about the "on point" technique below.
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"On Point" is simply a different way of placing the squares when setting up your quilt. The blocks are placed on one of the points, like a diamond, rather than straight. In other words, the quilt squares are laid out diagonally instead of in a straight row. This method gives the quilt a completely different look, a much more dynamic look.
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Because the quilt blocks are set on point like a diamond, the edges all around the quilt will not be squared. So what can we do about this? Adding "corner-setting triangles" and "side-setting triangles" all around the edges will allow for the squaring up of the quilt. There is no trick to this. It is done easily as you assemble each row of blocks, but it does take a bit of extra thinking. You can see in the photo that I've also added lattice strips. The quilt is then quilted and bound in the usual way.
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If you are trying "on point" for the first time, you might be a little confused at first by having to place the rows diagonally instead of in a straight line. However, the more quilts you make using this method, the easier it will become.
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Under my needle
I have quite a good stock of vintage 100% cotton Laura Ashley fabrics that I have been wanting to use for quite some time now. I've decided that time has come! I'm going to choose a coordinating combination of these fabrics to use in a throw quilt, perhaps even two quilts. I think these lovely vintage fabrics will make a beautiful quilted throw with a much sought-after old-fashioned look.
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Update on my sewing room
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I've made good progress so far with the re-organisation of the sewing room and am happy to say that I am nearly finished. I still have several stacks of fabric to re-fold, but so far it's all looking so much neater. You may remember the photos from last month's newsletter showing my dining room completely filled with everything taken out of the sewing room. So you might be surprised to see how neat everything looks. I love the new method I am using for folding and storing my stock of fabric. It seems to save a lot of space on the shelves. Hopefully, I can keep it looking this way.. That's going to require some discipline! There's also a new method for storing rulers. They are hanging on the sides of the fabric storage units which makes them easy to locate.
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Looking for a Gift?
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Do you know someone who loves quilts? Or someone who appreciates a handmade item for the home? A Gift Card from Red Bridge Quilts takes away the hassle of trying to choose just the right gift. You won't have to worry if they will like what you choose or will want to return it or exchange it. Let them decide what they'd really like!! See RBQ's Gift Card options.
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Did you know?
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With every online order from Red Bridge Quilts you will receive a free quilted glasses case. These sturdy 100% cotton cases will protect reading glasses as well as sunglasses. The photo shows a few of the cases from the current selection.
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I hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter. Thank you very much for being here.
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