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Mary Lou Quilt Designs
This quote, “LAUGHTER BY DEFINITION IS HEALTHY-Doris Lessing”, on Mary Lou Weidman’s blog should give you a clue as to what kind of fun you’ll find by belonging to her quilting community. When you visit the web site for Mary Lou Quilt Designs, you are immediately surrounded by color and inspiration … and laughter, because that seems to be her secret ingredient!
Mary Lou was one of those lucky kids who was encouraged to paint and sew. Her Grandmother taught her to quilt, a hobby she put aside until a family crisis had her spending long hours waiting in a hospital room. That’s where she picked up needle and thread again and was drawn back into quilting. Her style developed into a look with a whimsical bend, still keeping its tie to her initial folk art look.
In addition to designing patterns and fabric, Mary Lou has written many books, some through Martingale and C&T, as well as those she’s self-published. Hoochy Mama Quilts and Flower Power are two popular books on her teaching circuit. She travels across the world sharing her quilting techniques.
In addition to her web site, Mary Lou’s blog, Mary Lou and Cherries Too is a visual candy shop filled with amazing photos for inspiration. Next time you’re stuck on a color combination, start there!
A wife, mom and grandma, Mary Lou leads an active and interesting life. Designing and teaching keep her busy, as does snapping photos of thing she runs across each day. Her favorite sayings are "Every event in life is a quilt waiting to happen" and " A happy quilt begins with a smile." What a great way to describe something you love to do!
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Exclusives™ 45mm Gerber Daisies Rotary Cutter (RTY-2/GP3) & Purple 12”x18” Self-Healing Rotary Mat (RM-CG/PR)
Happy Mother’s Day! Limited Edition - available just in time for Mother’s Day. OLFA has fashioned our most popular sized 45mm Rotary Cutter with a beautiful Gerber Daisies printed handle in purple, orange and white. Pair it up with a Purple 12”x18” Self-Healing Rotary Mat, designed to inspire and delight! Our OLFA Exclusives™ 45 mm Rotary Cutter, is offered in a rare gift box, promising to become a collector’s item for every loved one you choose. Buy them now at your local fabric or quilt shop or online at www.olfa.com.
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60mm Quick-Change Rotary Cutter: New, larger size now available! The 60mm Quick-Change Rotary Cutter (RTY-3/NS) has an easy blade change with just a single click, just like our 45mm Quick-Change Rotary Cutter. No more assembly with a washer and a nut. Just slide the locking mechanism and the blade immediately releases. The innovative spilt blade cover allows for switching hands effortlessly without reassembly and offers extra safety protection while cutting. This larger blade cuts through multiple layers of fabric easily. Perfect for when you want to cut a whole quilt quickly!
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45mm Rotary Pinking Blade, 1-pack (PIB45-1): Paper crafters love decorative blades for the interest they add to their pages. But decorative blades are also the easiest way to finish seams when making clothing or soft crafts, such as totes and pillowcases. And don’t forget to try them on wool or felt to give your penny rugs or ornaments a new look! Great for fleece, scrap booking, paper, and even cotton fabrics. Other decorative blades you might like are the Scallop/Peak Blade or the Wave Blade. Add a little pizzazz to your next project!
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My quilt blocks don’t always turn out right. What am I doing wrong?
A great looking quilt starts with good quilting skills. Here are some ways to insure that your blocks come out square when you sew the pieces together.
- Cut accurately. Double check your measurements before you cut your strips. Mark the measurement with a piece of tape on your ruler when cutting the same size repeatedly.
- Use a perfect ¼” seam allowance. If you struggle with this, purchase a ¼” foot for your machine. A small amount of variance in each seam can distort your block.
- Butt together seam intersections and then use a pin to hold them in place.
- Press your seams but don’t iron them. Pressing involves lifting the iron, not pushing it along.
Chain piece when sewing multiples of the same unit. Leave the presser foot in the down position and feed in the next unit, leaving a few stitches of thread between. When you’re done, simply cut the threads to separate the units.
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Retro Handyman’s Apron Gardening, quilting, crafting … your clothes need to be protected from your fun hobbies! Our handyman’s apron will act as a second pair of hands when you tuck your tools into the pockets. Use your favorite fabric to make a statement about you!
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Cutting Templates like a pro!
Terry Atkinson, Atkinson Designs uses OLFA tools when she cuts the acrylic templates for her Winner’s Bouquet pattern. For accuracy, the fabric is cut four layers at a time. Terry has found the 28mm Rotary Cutter is the best size for cutting along the curve of the templates, yet is able to cut through all the thicknesses easily. She has also found that the 12x12” Rotating Self-Healing Rotary Mat is a huge help. Turning the mat instead of the fabric makes it so much more accurate. It’s easy to turn the mat when cutting the fabric, and then turn it again when she realigns her template. Terry loves how the square mat has a good, firm surface. It fits in her tote bag when she goes out to teach or on a retreat. The 17x17” works great on her cutting table at home. One more tip from Terry – she always changes her blade when she begins a new project that has a lot of cutting, such as Winner’s Bouquet. It makes the job easier.
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Printing on fabric
A lot of focus is placed on remembering special moments or people. Scrap bookers are intent on filling books with photos to record the events in their lives. Quilters are embracing photo quilts to celebrate weddings, new babies and anniversaries, too. If you have a computer and a printer, you will be surprised at the wonderful projects you can make by printing your images on to printer fabric.
Printing on fabric is easy, especially now that you can purchase fabric that is treated, colorfast and works with home printers. Here are some steps to get you going.
- Scan or download the images you want to use. Create a layout using digital scrap booking software for a clever look.
- Do a test print on plain paper before you print on fabric. Use your ‘draft’ setting so you don’t waste ink.
- Flatten your printer fabric if it has curled, trimming loose threads with scissors. Resist the urge to pull them!
- Adjust your printer settings to plain paper, or use a thick paper option.
- Watch to see which way your printer prints so that you can place the printer fabric correctly.
- Remove all paper from the tray and only insert one sheet of printer fabric at a time.
- Let the ink dry for 15-20 minutes before you attempt to remove the backing sheet.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for care as they differ from brand to brand.
What can you make with printed images? Quilt labels are fun and very personal. Memory or photo quilts to celebrate an occasion are appreciated. How about a tote bag with a favorite photo on the front? Let your imagination run wild!
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Will you be attending the American Quilt Society’s show in Paducah, KY?
The show dates are April 23-26, 2008. Be sure to stop by the OLFA booth to see all our new tools!
Visit the AQS web site for more information.
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World Kitchen, LLC, OLFA – North America, 5500 N. Pearl Street, Suite 400 Rosemont, IL 60018; 1.800.962.OLFA
OLFA is a registered trademark of OLFA Corporation, Japan, under license for use by World Kitchen, LLC; and Best Made Cutting Tools in the World is a registered trademark of World Kitchen (GHC), LLC, used with permission by World Kitchen, LLC.
Copyright © 2008 World Kitchen, LLC. All Rights Reserved
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About World Kitchen, LLC
Headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, World Kitchen and its affiliates manufacture and market glass, glass ceramic and
metal cookware, bakeware, tabletop products and cutlery sold under well-known brands including Revere®, Ekco®, Baker’s Secret®, Magnalite®, Chicago Cutlery®, OLFA®, Corelle®, CorningWare®, and Pyrex®.
For more information, please visit www.worldkitchen.com.
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