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Hello Everyone! I hope you are all well and are having a great summer. Have you managed to have a barbecue or two this summer? Here in Ireland, a barbecue is almost a last-minute idea. It's hard to plan ahead sometimes because of the weather. If the weather looks like it's going to cooperate on the day, then drag out all the equipment, rush to the supermarket for the supplies, fire up the grill and enjoy the relaxing day.
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I hope you are enjoying the new News & More format on the website. If you haven't had an opportunity to look at it yet, please do and let me know what you think. All the posts are listed in a continuously loading format. This way the reader is able to scroll through them and choose any that might be of interest.
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Since having the replacement tablet installed on my longarm machine, I have been very busy trying to catch up. It seems no matter what, I am always trying to catch up! It didn't help that we left on holiday the day after the tablet arrived. Back home again and still trying to finish all sorts of jobs.
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Did you know that August is designated Craft Month in Ireland? Every year designers and craftspeople have this opportunity to show and demonstrate their work. There's something for everyone and many venues throughout the month at which to take it all in. It is all organised by the Design & Crafts Council Ireland. You can find more information and plan your visit here.
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Do you live in England or will you be visiting there over the weekend? If so, then head to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. Starting yesterday (31st July) and continuing through Sunday (3rd August) Europe's premier patchwork and quilting event will be taking place. The Festival of Quilts is the largest event of its kind in Europe. Hundreds of amazingly beautiful quilts will be on display. Workshops and talks by world-renowned quilters will be available. Hundreds of stalls will be displaying their wares offering everything one can think of to do with patchwork and quilting. Find out more about it on RBQ's Events page.
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As a reminder, Red Bridge Quilts offers free standard postage to anywhere within the island of Ireland. So those of you lucky enough to live on this beautiful Emerald Isle always have this advantage should you choose to order anything. All other destinations will incur the normal postage charge unless the total reaches the 'free postage' amount. We also offer a free local pick-up service for everyone.
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FEATURED CONTENT THIS MONTH
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Quilting news and tips
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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 and articles from the world of quilting. I hope you find them of interest.
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1
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Time for another Grandma story. Step into Grandma's Corner and read about the very sad memory this Grandma never wanted to speak about or be reminded of. It had to do with a crazy quilt that she made many years previously from scraps she had received when she worked as a dressmaker's apprentice in a town in the "new west" of America. The scraps were given to her by one of the "fancy ladies" of the town.
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2
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Quilting can be challenging at times, especially for the beginner. You try your best, but your quilt doesn't come out right. Your blocks are not the correct size, or your thread keeps breaking, or your quilt top doesn't look good so you give up without finishing. Give quilting a chance, especially if you are a beginner. Before giving up, let's look at how to fix some common quilting problems.
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3
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Amy Smart from Diary of a Quilter has an amazing story to tell about a pioneer quilt from 1857 in Utah and how a serendipitous discovery connected her directly to it. It's always fascinating to make new discoveries about our ancestors. Even more so when we find more similarities other than those we see on an ancestral family tree or in the family photo album. Does this prove that quilting is in the blood?
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This is a simpler version of the "Full of Flowers Floral Table Runner" which sold recently. The same quality fabrics (from Spain) were used to make this. However, the quilting design is different. This one is quilted using the "stitch in the ditch" method. This means that the quilting stitches were made along the seam lines and are visible only on the back. It is available in the Shop.
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This isn't quite finished yet, but it will be by tomorrow. It's the sweetest dinosaur quilt, and it's so colourful. It's on my longarm machine at the moment while I quilt a dinosaur pattern all over it. As soon as it's finished, it will be up in the Shop. So check the RBQ website over the weekend if you are interested in it.
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This baby quilt is not in the Shop. A very good friend recently asked me to make a baby quilt for a special niece's new baby girl. Since they live in Ireland, I decided to make this Irish Chain quilt and quilted it with a pattern of swirling hearts. I hope to have a similar one in the Shop in the next few months.
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This is what's known as the Single Irish Chain pattern. Believe it or not, there are patterns for a double and a triple Irish Chain. There is an interesting debate over whether this pattern originated in Ireland or in America. You can read about that here.
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Hand Tying Your Quilt
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Did you know that there is another method for assembling your quilt sandwich together? Perhaps you don't want to take the time to hand-quilt it, or perhaps you are a beginner quilter and you are not very accomplished yet at machine quilting. Or maybe you just don't want to pay to have a longarmer do the job. Have you thought about hand-tying your quilt? Hand-tying is a great starting out point for a beginner quilter.
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My very first quilt back in 1986 was hand-tied. It was a small quilt made using the Trip Around the World pattern. You can see from the photos that the fabrics have faded and some of the yarn ties are missing, but it was the quilt that started me on my long quilting journey. It has been stored in an old chest for many years now, and with its polyester wadding, there was no question of being able to iron it for these photos. But I think you'll get the idea. I used the traditional square knot at the various intersections of my patchwork to hold the quilt sandwich together.
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Wadding
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I have received several emails recently from bloggers describing the different types of wadding/batting and how to choose the one you should use for your quilt. I've chosen one of these blogs to share with you. Leslie from The Seasoned Homemaker writes about "How to Choose the Perfect Quilt Batting".
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Under my needle
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Under my needle this month is the first of the throw quilts that I had hoped to finish by now. But then a holiday got in the way. However, I did work on one while I was away. The fabrics are bright and happy, and I can't wait to finish it. It will soon be available in the Shop.
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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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Red Bridge Quilts offers a Longarm Quilting Service. This means that if you are a quilter, and either don't have the time, are afraid of doing the quilting yourself, or you would like to have a professionally finished look to your quilt, then you might have a "longarmer" do the job for you. Contact Red Bridge Quilts for more information.
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Here are two photos of a recent longarm job for a customer. The beautiful and complicated piecing work done by this customer, which also included some intricate appliqué work, is enhanced by the quilting in a linen-coloured thread.
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I hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter. Please feel free to forward it on to anyone you think might like to read it. As always, thank you very much for being here.
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Vectors designed by Freepik and/or Vecteezy
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