Happy 4th of July, y’all!
A Nigerian woman named Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale created a business initiative she named Tosin’s Turn Trash to Treasure that employs women who’ve survived domestic abuse to create quilts, shopping bags and other products out of dressmakers’ scraps. ”I am a survivor of domestic violence [so] when I became emancipated, I decided to help willing women to transform their lives too. That’s why I started ‘Tosin’s Turn Trash to Treasure‘; [to] turn abused women to assets.”
www.upworthy.com
___________________________________
Students at a primary school in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, England took first place in the under 16 category at the Quilts UK 2016 National Quilt Competition for the third year in a row. The theme of their quilt for this year was “Then and Now” and looked at the differences between ways of life, toys and leisure from World War I to the present day. “The children love it, they’re very keen, they are already asking what we’re going to be doing next year,” said quilting teacher Jenny Kittos.
www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
___________________________________
As a general rule I don’t watch shows or movies about zombies or vampires, so I can’t say I’m terribly familiar with this actress’ work. But I may already love Alexandra Breckenridge (“The Walking Dead,” “True Blood”), who had a hand-stitching activity at her recent baby shower. According to People.com, “guests each contributed a square for Breckenridge to take home and make a quilt out of for her baby boy.” Looks like it will be a lovely hand-embroidered quilt!
celebritybabies.people.com
___________________________________
In honor of Indiana’s state bicentennial celebration, Indiana First Lady Karen Pence recently unveiled a quilt titled Migrations Over the Crossroads of America. Quiltmaker Gloria Klutzke was present at the ceremony and said the quilt incorporates her love for history and maps by displaying key historical sites and the state’s topography.
thestatehousefile.com
___________________________________
Founder of eQuilter Luana Rubin blogged about a third batch of quilts that were made for and recently delivered to survivors of Nepal’s massive 2015 earthquake. The delivery was made possible by the CU Boulder chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Click the link to see photos of some of the women and children who were made homeless by the earthquake posing in front of their new (beautiful) quilts.
blog/2016/06/creative-nudge-quilts-nepal.html
___________________________________
Bonnie Hunter is very well known in the quilt world for her wonderful scrappy designs and travels a lot to teach and lecture around the U.S. and abroad. I’ve never met her but based on her blog and Facebook posts, she seems like a very upbeat, positive person. That’s why it struck me as pretty brave of her to write so honestly about her reaction to essentially being scolded by a quilter upset that Bonnie had to cancel a guild appearance. Mind you, this was not a last-minute cancellation, but for something scheduled for over a year from now. In her blog post Bonnie wrote, “I have to live my life the way it works for me. And this means, that unfortunately I have had to let a couple of guild visits go.” She sounds exasperated. And tired. Finding balance in life is hard, even when you’re doing something you love.
quiltville.blogspot.com
___________________________________
A quilt made in Athens, Alabama, by a second-grade class in 1976 to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial was found in a Nashville consignment shop by a family member of Roy Patton, who was one of the students who participated. The quilt was included in last month’s Fiber Arts Exhibition presented by the Athens Art League. “It’s got a lot of attention,” Patton said.
www.enewscourier.com
___________________________________
The New England Quilt Museum is raising emergency funds to replace its 1970s-era climate control system, a necessity in a facility that houses antique textiles.
www.nequiltmuseum.org
Just in general, please consider supporting your quilt museum of choice when it comes to your charitable giving. They all seem to operate on shoestring budgets, and they do important work when it comes to preserving and protecting our cultural heritage. In no particular order, here’s a list of some of the other quilt museums in the U.S. that I try to keep up to date with; my apologies to anyone I’ve overlooked.
Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles in San Diego, CA www.visionsartmuseum.org
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in San Jose, CA www.sjquiltmuseum.org
La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum in La Conner, WA www.laconnerquilts.org
Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, WI wiquiltmuseum.com
Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, VA www.vaquiltmuseum.org
The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY www.quiltmuseum.org
International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, NE www.quiltstudy.org
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, CO www.rmqm.org
Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, IN www.quilterhalloffame.com
Great Lakes Quilt Center in East Lansing, MI www.museum.msu.edu
Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum in Kalona, IA www.kalonaiowa.org
Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, TX www.texasquiltmuseum.org
Quilt and Sew Shop is holding a 4th of July sale all weekend — just use promo code 4THSALE at checkout to get 15% off your purchase!
Red Rockets digital pattern
Perhaps you feel inspired to take advantage of the long weekend by making something in red-white-and-blue? Then be sure to check out all the patriotic patterns available as digital downloads, which will allow you to get started after just a few clicks of your mouse. Click here to see the patriotic digital patterns available from Quilt and Sew Shop (and don’t forget to use that promo code).
As always, to find out about Quilters Newsletter’s giveaways, quilting news, tips, techniques and more, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, QNNtv.com and our website. Plus, see Web Seminars on QuiltAndSewShop.com and classes, courses and workshops on Craft Daily.com and CraftOnlineUniversity.com.
