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Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt

Serendipity and the Art of the Quilt

Creating with Brenda Gael Smith

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Quilting Revolutions Giveaway

17 December 2012 Filed Under: Gadgets & Notions, Modern Quilts, Published Projects, Technique: Design - Creating with Solids 33 Comments

Revolutions is the project featured on my new DVD with Quilters Companion – Modern Quilts: Improvising with Stacks of Solids. (To purchase the magazine and DVD, look in local newsagents or contact Universal www.universalshop.com.au Tel: 1300 303 414.)
Modern Quilts: Improvising Using Stacks of Solids
Revolutions is a modern spin on a traditional block and I chose a circle quilting motif to complement the propeller-like design. I have been known to trace around dinner plates to draw large circles on my quilts but this time I purchased some nested circle templates from Westalee which made the task MUCH easier!
Quilting Circle Templates

RevolutionsQuilting

To celebrate the release of my DVD, Westalee have kindly donated a set of nested circle templates that I have bundled with the DVD and magazine for another giveaway. To enter into the Quilting Revolutions Giveaway, leave a comment on this post before 5pm 24 December (Sydney time), letting my know what gadget (real or imagined) would revolutionise your quiltmaking.THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Annie Andrew says

    17 December 2012 at 11:22 AM

    A new Bernina 7 series would be wonderful but dies it qualify as a gadget I wonder?
    My little Elna portable is getting very tired.

    Reply
  2. Joy V says

    17 December 2012 at 12:02 PM

    I would love an Acuquilt (sp?) cutting machine. It would save my wrists and hands from cutting hexie after hexie and a multitude of triangles that I like to use.

    Reply
  3. Al Christensen says

    17 December 2012 at 12:07 PM

    A gadget that can prod me to utilize every minute of the day effectively so I can squeeze in time for blocks of time to do my quiltmaking 🙂

    Reply
  4. Munaiba says

    17 December 2012 at 12:45 PM

    I wish someone would invent an easy way to baste quilts. It’s the hardest part of the process and the most critical to being able to quilt nicely.

    Reply
  5. deb says

    17 December 2012 at 1:17 PM

    a gadget that can make days …. i would really love an eighth day of the week..

    Reply
  6. Fran Cox says

    17 December 2012 at 3:13 PM

    The gadget that would revolutionize my quilting would be a clone of myself. The clone could do all the mundane tasks like housework, appointments and cooking leaving me free to be in my sewing room creating.

    Reply
  7. Debbie M says

    17 December 2012 at 3:37 PM

    An Accuquilt cutter would be a big help! But, these circle templates look really useful. So many things can be done using the different sizes in one project. Happy holidays!

    Reply
  8. Candy Walker says

    17 December 2012 at 3:49 PM

    A Time Machine….and/or a Gadget person to cook, clean, fetch & carry – some lucky friends already have this one.

    Reply
  9. Cathy Smith says

    17 December 2012 at 4:29 PM

    The simple gadget I would like would be a marking pen that
    1. Disappears forever , rather than returning as a brown line when it is ironed or gets old
    2. Doesn’t disappear when it’s humid or my hands are sweaty
    3. Shows up really well on any color

    The slightly more complex one would be a housework robot!

    Reply
  10. Amy (badskirt) says

    17 December 2012 at 4:32 PM

    Those circles would be quite helpful, but I really love is a personal basting frame. Something that starts out so small it fits in a suitcase but inspector gagdet’s itself into a frame that autobastes for me!

    Reply
  11. Helena Merrick says

    17 December 2012 at 5:39 PM

    I have just purchased a gadget which has made such a difference to my quilting. It is a TrueSharp Power Rotary Blade Sharpener. It is electric and sharpens the blades nice and sharp in .30sec. I can now “slice” through my fabric which saves me so much time and effort. Think of the money I will save in the long run.

    Reply
  12. Chris Rolinson says

    17 December 2012 at 5:56 PM

    I would like a little elf to sit on the top on my sewing machine to kick start my imagination when it is lacking, boost my confidence, and rev up my motivation when I have one of those ‘nothing is happening at the sewing machine’ type of moment (and there are lots of those!! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Ms Lottie says

    17 December 2012 at 6:08 PM

    An automatic ego-stroker. My husband gets all huffy when I spend too much time in the studio and not enough time talking to him!

    Reply
  14. Lisa says

    18 December 2012 at 1:42 AM

    My ideal imagined gadget is the one that allows a constant thread feed through the bobbin area of any sewing machine – and I dream on…!

    Reply
  15. Marlene says

    18 December 2012 at 5:13 AM

    A little elf to clean my studio everyday

    Reply
  16. Gill says

    18 December 2012 at 6:37 AM

    I need a gadget who would keep a constant supply of filled bobbins ready for me when I’m sewing!

    Reply
  17. Leonie Gittins says

    18 December 2012 at 7:47 AM

    A gadget to massage my sore shoulders as I sew. And a robotic vacuum cleaner to clean up after me.

    Reply
  18. Pip says

    18 December 2012 at 7:55 AM

    My gadget isn’t really a gadget but I would love an extra pair arms (with hands) they would be so useful, not just for quilting but in everyday life, and when I didn’t need them, they would retract until next time 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      18 December 2012 at 1:15 PM

      Brilliant idea Pip!

      Reply
  19. Lisa says

    18 December 2012 at 1:16 PM

    I keep thinking I would love to get a Silhouette so that I can design shapes and images on my computer and then cut them out perfectly with the machine. 😀

    Reply
  20. Kerry says

    18 December 2012 at 4:47 PM

    Hmmm, I would really love a gadget that allows bobbins to contain as much thread as a cone of thread. I hate sewing only to find out that I ran out of bobbin thread 10 pieces ago.

    Reply
  21. linda says

    19 December 2012 at 4:49 AM

    I am generally not a Gadget Girl … but I’d like an old-world Brownie to clean my house and keep things tidy while I sew.

    🙂 Linda

    Reply
  22. Shari says

    19 December 2012 at 9:10 AM

    It would be great to have a gadget that would accurately pin seams and later turn and iron them.

    Reply
    • Shari says

      19 December 2012 at 9:12 AM

      I should have written “press” the seams. 🙂

      Reply
  23. Tina Short says

    19 December 2012 at 6:12 PM

    I’d love a gadget that prodded me to get out of the computer chair and into my sewing room.
    I spend far too much valuable sewing time reading blogs about other peoples sewing… not good

    Reply
  24. Wil says

    20 December 2012 at 12:26 AM

    A time machine would be really nice 🙂

    Reply
  25. Evelyn says

    20 December 2012 at 4:03 PM

    I’d like a mangle to make ironing large pieces of fabric easier and faster. I really wish my mom hadn’t given hers away.

    Reply
  26. quilary says

    20 December 2012 at 9:44 PM

    I’d like a foot for my sewing machine that would perfectly and evenly bind my quilts in one go!

    Reply
  27. Helen says

    21 December 2012 at 8:38 PM

    I’d like one of those retracting pair of scissors that clip onto my shirt. I have at least ten pairs of scissors and they are always in the “wrong” place!

    Reply
  28. Annette says

    22 December 2012 at 2:14 PM

    I’d love an automatic stash replenisher, so I am not missing that exact piece of fabric I need for my next quilt!

    Reply
  29. Carolyn Dawson says

    23 December 2012 at 2:21 PM

    Those circles look fantstic they look like my kind of gadget

    Reply
  30. Marion Caspers says

    24 December 2012 at 6:47 PM

    Those circles would be great instead of freezer paper I am currently using.

    Reply

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