Modern Quilts the book!

Modern Quilts
the book!

see page 86!

I have finally received my copy of Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century by Riane Menardi, Alissa Haight Carlton, and Heather Grant.  The book is fantastic! And, I'm not just saying that because my quilt is in it!

It is a delightful visual feast full of incredible modern quilts.  Eye candy for the image junky! I love this book, and please don't laugh at the reason why, it doesn't have too many words.  I do love to read, but for quilts, I like looking at the pictures.  And this is one of those books that is full of fabulous pictures. I have been pouring over the pages, and adding new quilt artists to follow on Instagram, and then repeating.  Plus, all proceeds from the sales go towards helping the Modern Quilt Guild.  The authors did a wonderful job of curating images for this very special collection!  Kudos!

As for my quilt? I am incredibly honored and humbled to be included in this collection of talented artists.  You can read more about i Quilt here (when it won best in show)

or here, when I blogged about how it was made.

Mostly, I am just so excited to be part of the Modern Quilt movement.  The book discusses how the Modern Quilt Guild got started, which somehow escaped my radar.  I remember when I heard about the Austin Modern Quilt Guild and started attending meetings.  But the biggest impetus for me was when QuiltCon began in Austin.  Since I live here, it was easy to attend, and I did. I loved, loved, loved the quilts.  And, because I am old and slow, it took one of the younger generation to tell me about Instagram.  (Thank you so much for that, Heather Grant!!!).  Instagram was where I learned about hashtags and helped me connect in a much more efficient and daily way with other modern quilters.  It changed my world.

Meanwhile, I thought it might entertain you to see some never before shots of the i Quilt.  :)

i Quilt with my favorite Marimekko mug, and green IKEA couch

i Quilt, flying on the beach

i Quilt, posing on a lovely bay front cupola

Today is my day for the blog hop to promote Modern Quilts.  If you are interested in buying a copy you can get one here. You can also find a LOT of images from the book on Instagram, #modernquilts
If you are interested in seeing some of the other artists participating in the blog hop, please see below.

12/13/2017	Amber Corcoran
12/14/2017	Heidi Parkes
12/15/2017	Melissa Cory
12/16/2017	Penny Gold
12/18/2017	Shruti Dandekar
12/19/2017	Amy Friend
12/20/2017	Paige Alexander
12/21/2017	Angela Bowman
12/22/2017	Lysa Flower
12/27/2017	Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill
12/28/2017	Jacquie Gering
12/29/2017	Christa Watson
12/30/2017	Heather Black
1/2/2018	Kristin Shields
1/3/2018	Krista Hennebury
1/4/2018	Cinzia Allocca
1/5/2018	Suzanne Paquette
1/6/2018	Yvonne Fuchs
1/9/2018	Ben Darby
1/10/2018	Nicole Daksiewicz
1/11/2018	Kristi Schroeder
1/12/2018	Kathy York
1/13/2018	Marla Varner
1/15/2018	Brigette Heitland
1/16/2018	Stacey Sharman
1/17/2018	Stacey O'Malley
1/18/2018	Kim Soper
1/19/2018	Steph Skardal
1/20/2018	Cheryl Brickey
1/22/2018	Shea Henderson
1/23/2018	Katie Larson
1/24/2018	Katie Pedersen

Preparing a Quilt for Shipping

Preparing a Quilt for Shipping

Since it is almost time to ship quilts to California for QuiltCon2018, I thought I would write a post today about how to prepare a quilt for shipping.  It is important to follow the instructions sent from the organization.  This will generally include things like a hanging sleeve and a label.  It may also tell you to cover your label for judging, so that the judges only see your entry number and not your name. Next comes the part about actually putting your quilt in a box.  The quilt shown here is my i Quilt.  It is not going to QuiltCon, because, well, it has already been (in 2015).  But it was happy to volunteer for the purpose of this demonstration!  :)

Step one, find a clean place to lay out your quilt.  Put the back side up.

The next step is very important.  Get a tape roller and carefully look over the back.  Remove any stray threads or pet hair.

To minimize wrinkles in your quilt, scrunch up a bunch of long tissue paper into rolls.  Use one of these tissue rolls each time you fold your quilt.  It does not matter HOW you fold it.  You can fold it in half and in half again, or in thirds, but each time you fold it, support the fold line with a roll of tissue paper.

This is the first fold.

Bigger quilts require more folds.  Use your long arms to smooth the scrunch tissue paper as close to the inside of the fold as you can.  Now you can see half of the front side of your quilt.  Get the tape roller out, and check for loose thread again!

This is the second fold.

Each time I fold the quilt, and more of the front shows, I use the tape roller to clean it.

This is the third fold.

Check again for loose threads. Notice above, the tissue roll does not go all the way across the fold.  That is because there is already tissue rolls near the edges from the previous folds.  This is the first crosswise fold, and I use a smaller chunk of scrunched tissue. Be sure to rotate and flip and carefully check to make sure that any loose threads are removed.

The last fold.

Now, the quilt is folded to it's final shipping size. Place it in a plastic bag, along with any required forms.  Always include the shipping address and a return address inside the bag.

I always like to use a clear plastic bag, so that my quilt will not be accidentally mistaken for trash at it's arrival destination.  And, it is a good idea to close the plastic bag with tape, but do not over-tape it.  If you make it super difficult to unwrap, and a volunteer has to use scissors to open it, well, you are asking for trouble! This is a situation that is easy to avoid. 

Find a box for your very precious package.  If it doesn't fit into your box, do not squish and stuff it.  Either, find a bigger box, or refold your quilt. I like to have some room all the way around my folded quilt.  If there is extra room, be sure to stuff the empty space with more tissue paper.  Do not use packing peanuts for quilts.  Ever.  It irritates the stuffing out the receiver! Close up your box and then you can use a LOT of tape. 

Other notes:
*Packages are sometimes damaged in shipping.  Shipping tubes are worse than boxes as a general rule.  Also, don't leave any loose tape or torn edges on your box.  These can easy get caught up in the machinery used to transport packages and rip your package open.  Make sure the outside of your box is clean and smooth! I always cover the shipping address in packing tape.  I don't know if that's necessary or not, but it seems like a good idea. 

*YES, insure the value of your quilt while shipping. And consider requesting a signature for delivery.

*And, it is well advised not to write the word "quilt" on the outside of your box. 

And, may the odds be ever in your favor!