I just discovered that a quilter whom I know and love, Frances Arnold, was interviewed in November 2020 by Bonnie Browning (of the American Quilt Society) about her guild.
You can learn more about Frances and her quilts at her website.
Jun30
Category Archives: Quilting
Jun28
More Wonderful Quilting Blogs and Sites
Way back in 2018 I posted a list of my 12 favorite quilting sites. I still stand by my choices. Some have not been active lately, but you can still find lots of awesome articles and quilt photos on them.
But, four years later, I’ve come across at least eight other blogs and websites that I love just as much. Have you seen these?
- Quilting Is My Therapy. Angela Walters believes even you can do free motion quilting. In fact, she has designed multiple challenges and produced many video tutorials to help you become the quilter of your dreams.
- All People Quilt is the website of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. You can sign up for their email newsletter, which contains links to hundreds of quilt patterns, most of which are free.
- Frances Quilts. I’ve posted about Frances Arnold in the past, and if you follow my Creative Juice feature on Fridays, you’ve seen much of Frances’ work over the last few years. She has also created free quilting challenges and quilt patterns.
- Quilty Folk. Audrey always has a bunch of quilts in-progress. I love seeing them at different stages, and I am always blown away by the finishes.
- Crazy Quilter on a Bike. As you can tell from the name of this chock full o’ beautiful quilts blog, Elaine, the author, is also whimsical.
- From My Carolina Home. Carole is a girl after my own heart. She not only quilts, but she loves other creative pastimes as well.
- Chopin—A Passionate Quilter From Texas. Nanette makes lots of beautiful quilts.
- Quilting Daily. I’ve just signed up to follow this website, and I haven’t fully explored it yet. Much of the content requires a subscription, but there is a lot to see.
Quilters, now it’s your turn. Do you like a quilting blog or website that is not on either of my lists? Or do you blog about quilting? Leave a link in the comments below.
Jun24
Creative Juice #300
If you like quilts and trees, you’ve hit the jackpot this week.
- Sketching trees.
- Beautiful quilts on Instagram.
- Another stroll with Nathalie through Jersey City.
- Challenge blocks and quilts. These always inspire me.
- Charming vintage photographs.
- The story of Zippy the raccoon.
- Learn about the Lake County California Quilt Trail.
- An artist describes her process and her journey toward becoming a children’s book illustrator.
- Plein air sketching. I have been wanting to do this for years. Maybe someday soon. Those little clamps look very handy.
- Do you like to cross stitch? Here are some free patterns. (Click on the titles under each design.)
- Unusual trees. Maybe we could sketch these? (If you do, post them on your blog or social media and leave a link in the comments below.)
- The Adoration of the Magi. I’ve always loved this painting. One year I sent out Met Christmas cards with a detail from this painting. I never realized it was painted by Hieronymus Bosch.
Jun17
Creative Juice # 299
Read and muse this weekend.
- How to look great in pictures. I’m going to reread this article often.
- More about dragonflies than I would ever have known to ask.
- Is it just me, or is this a little dark for a children’s book?
- She learned how to find incomparable treasures at thrift shops. She took her time and adhered to the same principles to find her true love.
- Pretty quilts-in-progress.
- Interesting sculptures.
- Gorgeous antiquities.
- A quilter categorizes her work according to design styles.
- I used to ride the New York City subways in the 70s and 80s. These photos capture them the way I remember them.
- Lovely photographs.
- A man buys a painting for $15.3 million and promptly lends it to a museum.
- Lovely quilts and thoughts on the quilting.
Jun10
Creative Juice #298
Lots of good stuff here.
- The grand opening of your novel.
- Enhancing photographs in Photoshop.
- Sewers and quilters, storage idea for threads.
- The best article I’ve ever read about productivity.
- The story of my life, summarized in a poem.
- Fiction writers: Having trouble outlining your plot? Start from the ending and work backwards to figure out how to get to your destination.
- Three tips for fiction writers.
- How to draw a dog.
- A watercolor artist and instructor talks about her process and favorite products.
- I love this artist’s storypaintings on Instagram.
- Sketching in Mumbai.
- Books written by teens. I was surprised by some of these. Oprah recently announced that the last one is her latest choice for her book club.
May27
Creative Juice #296
So many of these articles touch my heart.
- He knew his mom died in a fire on September 11, 2001, but he didn’t understand what that meant.
- Young piano prodigy.
- This artist does an amazing job of hand-lettering Bible verses.
- A creative approach to environmental and homelessness activism.
- Simplify, and enjoy better quality of life.
- That time Beethoven was arrested by cops who didn’t believe he was who he said he was. Oh, and the Ode to Joy.
- The story of a quilt. I love how Frances journeyed from inspiration to completion.
- A stroll in Jersey City, complete with murals and art.
- Visit to a quilt show.
- From photography to watercolor.
- I love to watch Kelly draw.
- Sketching on location.
May20
Creative Juice #295
Beautiful. Creative. Uplifting.
- The Lucas Brothers are standup comedians with philosophy and law degrees. And they wrote the script for Judas and the Black Messiah.
- It’s hard to get started sometimes. But, butt in chair. Daydream. Doodle. Do something to engage your subconscious. And then, suddenly, the magic happens.
- Writing routines.
- Six words to say to your child. I wish I’d done this more.
- You’d like to make a quilt, but don’t have the energy for a full-sized project. How about a pillow instead? 63 free patterns.
- For the novelists: your character must experience failure.
- I am amazed this artist finds on-site such a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes of rocks to make his art.
- Sculptures springing out of books.
- Artist Robin Seiz shares her work, her journey, and her studio.
- A children’s book illustrator shares her process.
- What being in a coma is like.
- Ancient art of Iran.
May13
Creative Juice #294
Lots of articles for writers this week. And for non-writers as well.
- Kids say the darnedest things. LOL
- What one author does to get in the mood to write.
- Beautiful photographs of children on this Instagram page.
- Free quilt patterns! (I want to make Flock Party.)
- Interesting modern sculptures.
- Why representation in children’s literature is important.
- How to create habits and routines that support your creativity.
- Tips for revising your novel.
- Jami Gold’s writing worksheets. Invaluable helpers.
- How to give each of your characters a unique voice.
- Have you wanted to do street photography, but aren’t sure what you are legally allowed to shoot?
- If you’re an author, here’s how you can utilize Medium to market your book.
May6
Creative Juice #293
Things to amaze you. Things you can do yourself.
- Excellent advice.
- Do you like star quilts? Maybe you’ll like these wall quilts. Many of the patterns are free.
- How to get your short story published.
- Do you wish you understood the ins and outs of copyright law? Harvard Law School has put its Copyright Law class on YouTube FOR FREE!
- I love this quilter’s Instragram page.
- A man in Brazil has worked at the same company for 84 years.
- Adorable felted animals.
- Typography in Bracque’s and Picasso’s work.
- Broadacre City, envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Sketch artist uses her sketchbook to understand another artist’s art.
- Gorgeous watercolors.
- Hold a tie-dye party!
Apr29
Creative Juice #292
Beautiful quilts. Articles on writing. Bluegrass music. Photography. And more.
- Pets trying to hide.
- Wildlife in Botswana.
- Pretty quilts.
- Round robin quilts.
- For most of my life, I’ve been conservative in my beliefs. Conservatives resist change. However, now that the world is so insane, I see the need for change. . .
- Prizewinning quilts.
- Like bluegrass? Listen to some wonderful covers. The Petersens.
- Journaling for fiction writers.
- I had Scrivener (writing software) on my previous laptop, and I was thinking about buying it again for my new one. On the one hand, I like some of the features, but on the other hand, do I really want to spend the money? I never understood the full functionality of Scrivener anyway. Now I see there is another software, Plottr, with a free trial, and is in some ways superior to Scrivener (although I realize that’s a subjective judgment). See this comparison of Scrivener and Plottr.
- What do Ukranian refugees need. Quilts, of course. (You had to ask?)
- There was a wisteria tree in our front yard when I was a little girl. My dad loved flowers, and he loved that tree. Here are some beautiful ones in Japan.
- Kehinde Wiley first appeared on my radar when his official portrait of President Barack Obama was unveiled. But did you know he’s also an accomplished sculptor?
ARHtistic License 