American Patchwork & Quilting October 2017

One year ago, Patricia Coleman Hudman became a quilting sensation when a photo of a memory quilt she made went viral. It was shared tens of thousands of times reaching people all over the world. Crafted from neckties, the quilt was to be a treasured memory of a client’s father. Since posting the picture, the business she first began with her family 15 years ago has boomed. Now, Patricia; her mother, Ann; and her sister, Melissa, have added staff and are looking to add additional machines and studio space. The introduction of memorabilia quilts, has paved the way to success for her business and completes projects that now find their homes across the country. “I began this dream close to home but with my Gammill, I know I can go…

What does scrappy mean to you? Do you ever make quilts using a limited number of fabrics, say four or five? Or are you like me and use as many different fabrics as possible? Even when I started quilting in 1989, I made quilts with as many fabrics as my limited budget could aff ord. While I like scrappy projects of all kinds—see my three current projects, right—charm quilts are my favorite to make. Charm quilts use a different fabric for each piece in the project and often are composed of a single pattern piece, such as a rectangle, hexagon, or tumbler shape. Originally quilters made charm quilts using leftovers or traded with fellow quilters to get more fabrics. Charm quilts have been popular at different times in the past 150 years,…

TRIANGLE-SQUARES MADE EASY We asked our Facebook fans … Do you dread making triangle-squares? 27% SAID “YES” A. Spin It Sue Daley’s 10" Rotating Cutting Mat turns 360? to make it easier to trim triangle-squares and cut small pieces, like those for English paper piecing. $39.60; busyfingerspatchwork.com B. Sew It Place Primitive Gatherings’ Triangle Paper on layered fabric pieces, then sew and cut on the paper’s marked lines to produce accurate triangle-squares. Papers are available for finished triangle-square sizes of 1? 2"–21? 2". (We bought the variety pack so we could try multiple sizes.) $10; primitivegatherings.us C. Cut It Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers by Kari Carr of New Leaf Stitches allow you to trim triangle-squares into 11 sizes (11? 2"–61? 2"). Slots in the sides let you easily remove dog-ears. $31.95; newleafstitches.com Triangle-Squares Made Easy Learn how to make eight triangle-squares…

CHALK IT UP When I remodeled my quilting room recently. I painted one wall with chalkboard paint. Now I write all the information about my current project on the wall. There is no more looking for that elusive pencil or scrap of paper. An added bonus: I use small scraps of batting as chalkboard erasers. CAROL METZ / GRASS LAKE, MICHIGAN ART OF STORAGE My favorite way to organize the rulers I use most often is to place them on a large picture easel near my cutting area. It makes them easy to see and grab while working on my projects. NANCY EVANS / MIDVALE, IDAHO SIZE MATTERS To remember which needle size I have in my sewing machine, I tape the package of extras to the side of the machine. If I have to replace…

S tacy West fondly remembers her early-1970s childhood in rural Roseau, Minnesota. She hauled water up the hill for her great-grandma, Lily. She washed her hands in a porcelain basin, and she helped stir buttermilk into homemade everything. These childhood memories—and her connection to three generations of sewing women—feed Stacy’s work as an adult and prompted her to name her pattern company, design studio, and shop Buttermilk Basin. “Those were simpler times,” Stacy says, “when people lived at a slower pace.” Today she expresses her family’s old-fashioned values in sentimental stitched designs of cotton, wool, hand-dyed fibers, and embellishments. “I’m not afraid to mix and match,” Stacy says of her signature projects, which are known for their simple, almost primitive look. While other designers work from computers, Stacy sketches and paints her designs…

buttermilkbasin.com FINISHED QUILT: 251?2" square MATERIALS Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width. 3×12" rectangle moss green felted wool (grass) 6" square black felted wool (truck tires, bird) 5" square slate blue felted wool (truck) 8" square brown plaid felted wool (truck) 8×11" rectangle gold felted wool (truck lights, cornstalk, leaves, basket trim, pumpkins) 3×10" rectangle gray felted wool (truck body, wing) 3×10" rectangle rust felted wool (truck body, pumpkins) 6×10" rectangle orange felted wool (leaf, pumpkins) 2×5" rectangle brown felted wool (acorn, corn husk) 5" square tan herringbone felted wool (acorn caps, basket) 2" square red check felted wool (apple) 2×6" rectangle red felted wool (apples) 2×5" rectangle green felted wool (leaves, stem) 2" square dark red felted wool (apple) 2×8" rectangle gold herringbone felted wool (corn cob, pumpkin) 6×9" rectangle dark green felted wool (stems, leaves) 3×4" rectangle orange plaid felted wool (pumpkin) 2×3"…