March is National Craft Month. About 56 percent of U.S. households include a person with a passion for crafting, according to the Craft and Hobby Association. Here are five facts about crafting:
1. Woodworkers spent the most on their craft, about $3.3 billion in 2010, according to the Craft and Hobby Association's Attitude and Usage Survey.
2. A product called Kodak Shoe Art Film by a company called Shoe Attitude won the innovations showcase best-of-show competition at the Craft and Hobby Association winter show. The product allows people to customize shoes made of leather, canvas or synthetic material with ink-jet printed images.
3. Food crafting, which is ranked among the top pursuits, includes cake decorating, cupcake decorating, candy making, gingerbread house making and other edible crafts related to holidays, birthdays and celebrations.
4. 14 percent of U.S. households are home to at least one active quilter, according to Quilting in America 2010, a statistical report. The number of quilters is down from 2006, but spending on quilting is up.
5. Women are the majority of those pursuing four out of five of the top craft segments.
I plan on doing my crafting with this little goody bag that was dropped off at my house the other day. Yes, I get from little baggies right up to lawn/leaf bags of scraps. But this one is delightful! Alexander Henry, Windham, RJR, NorthCott, Prim wools, plaids, shirtings - oh, my heart flutters.
The first thing I pulled was some reproduction prints to use in the new mini by Temecula Quilt CO - the same ones who offered the 12 Days of Christmas sampler. I have the little basket button on my side bar. A block each Thursday thru the month of March, easy peasy. This could be used in Barbara's new Doll Quilt Swap.
I am putting the finishing touches on the Bust Yo Scraps quilt. I only had enough of this white (and we know not all whites are the same) and if you look close you can see where I pieced the one border to use what I had. I am browsing my stash to put another border and then ready for quilting. The original pattern used 8.5" snow balls and 2.5" squares - mine are 4.5" snowballs and 1.5" squares. **will link up to Patchwork Times design wall** and at some point it will be quilted with the new SewCalGal FMQ Challenge for the month.
More crafting on Cherry. I give you permission to knock me up side the head if I ever think of doing 1" cross hatch ever again!! Slow going, but almost done. Then the binding. Thank heavens I did this with smaller size squares - will be a 32" square wallhanging. I can't imagine doing a large quilt with this type of quilting!
My Pioneer Friendship Quilt is finished. I call it that, even though you folks will identify it as the 'granny block' - because it is not a granny block. I really had trouble with jumping in on this as I knew something was wrong. It is my nature to research history of fabric, patterns, and blocks and I knew I had seen this before. So to the best resource - my MOM. She knew immediately and we pulled 3 of her books and 2 of mine - it is an ALBUM block - sometimes called the Chimney Sweep Block or the Pioneer Friendship Block. It is usually made with a muslin center so a bible verse, prayer, or name can be added. The rest of the block uses little fabric so easy for adding what was on hand at the time. Then the community ladies would 'bee' to put the blocks together, tie off the quilt with 'prayer knots' and gift to a new family in the community. My resource book was 'Better Homes and Gardens' 501 quilt blocks (album blocks section) copyright 1995 - exact directions and cutting. As much as I love seeing a lot of quilters enjoying a process - please educate yourselves and give proper credit where due.
We are tickled pink to see Bingo Cards starting to pop up around the web. Kim at KimsCraftyApple gave me permission to link her post on her card. Just to give you some inspiration. I would be happy to link a post if any one would like to show their progress. And I have had some questions on not having novelty prints, what to do. Oh, go look over your fabrics my dears - with a much closer, loving eye. Polka dots, stripes, sure you have all kinds of florals (roses, daisies, tulips, pansies), circles, squares, maybe there's a hidden butterfly, look at those fall fabrics - leaves, acorns, christmas fabrics - candies, gingerbread men, deer, santa - just look with a different eye. This is meant to be fun - not stressful.
Quilt Gallery will be hosting a St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop. Go here for information and sign-up. I will be passing on this one - as a participant and hopper, as I have a lot on my March crafting plate.
CLOSING THOUGHT
Try not only to set some crafting time for yourself, but to share it with someone else. I plan on having some small craft items to share with my grandson when he visits - I love that he is now old enough for this kind of fun.
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon
34 comments:
You are my crafty guide for the month....grin.
Love your little basket.
I love the pioneer friendship quilt. Every block looks different depending on the fabric and placement of value! HaPPy MonTh oF CraFtinG! :)
LOL, never mind my email to you was just answered!
I am going to have to check out that mini.I really want to get into making doll quilts. I think they will be fun and something I can easily finish.
your quilt looks fantastic Sharon,well done.xx
I totally agree with you for Pioneer friendship quilt...and yours is beautiful. and your scrap quilt too !XXX
lol - I love your name for granny squares - didn't they get the name from the knitted squares though ? anyway love your facts and statistics in this post - can you tell me what 14% of american households is as I have NO idea - and I'm a bit concerned that its apparently down from 2006 - with all the blogs popping up I thought it would be on the increase ! love your post - thanks :)
I appreciate the background for the "granny block". Do you have information about the popular "swoon" block? I think that is an traditional block as well, isn't it? I like to know this kind of history about quilting. Thank you
Oh my...you have so many wonderful projects here. You totally inspire me and I love the history you provided. I find my "to do" list builds every day I read your blog! Thank you for the inspiration!
I'm so excited that this is National Craft Month!! That's right up my alley! Sharon, I *adore* the little basket block -- it's beautiful the way you've done it in blue and white with the brown border -- so very pretty! And you're Pioneer Friendship Quilt is very lovely, too! All such wonderful work -- I'm so glad you so freely share photos on your blog! :)
Love that little basket and your scraps quilt top. Now you can see why some blocks have so many different names - some quilters look at a pattern and see something different. It's fun to be able to look up all the names a block has and try to figure them out.
Love that little basket and your scraps quilt top. Now you can see why some blocks have so many different names - some quilters look at a pattern and see something different. It's fun to be able to look up all the names a block has and try to figure them out.
Love the Pioneer Friendship project...and thanks for setting us all straight! :) Sometimes I worry about trying to design my own stuff, for fear I will think I've come up with something original, and then find out it's an oldie but goodie!
Oh you're so right about that block. I found it in Jinny Beyer's book also.
I really love that "Bust yo' Scraps" quilt!
Love your Bust yo' Scraps quilt. looks like a fun one to make.
Thank you for posting the information about the album block, etc. One of the reasons for some of the older blocks becoming popular today with more modern names is because of copyright laws. Someone designs a pattern to appeal to a certain market and names it with a name that they then copyright.
Those not familiar enough with the history of quilting assume that person designed that block and named it when in fact it has been around for many, many years and has had several different names depending on the region it came from.
For those interested...check out Barbara Brackman's blog at http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com she is a wonderful textile historian and has written several books about block and fabric history.
Judy
Forgot to mention....I really like the Bust Yo Scraps quilt - great use of squares and triangles from the scrap pile!
Judy
I wish someone would drop of bags like that at my house......
Love your Snowball and square quilt... Bust Yo Staah? Very pretty and exciting.
Hugs!
I love your posts Sharon!! Always full to wonderful information not to mention peeks at the beautiful projects you have going on. You are an inspiration to us all!
Thank you for providing the correct info for the "granny squares" block. I find it annoying and unfair that many newer quilters believe that they have the right to say a traditional block is theirs and they deserve credit for its design. People need to do a little research outside of a few "modern quilter's" blogs.
I did 1" cross hatch quilting on a quilt for my parents. I hand quilted it. I think it was my 4th or 5th quilt. I had 36 needles going at once. It quilted up quickly.
I like all your projects, Miss Crafty Lady! Also, I'm glad to be in the 14%, yes!!!
1" cross hatch? Whew!!! So pretty then! Fabulous post girlfriend!
So is the Granny Squares Block and the Album Block the exact same? I'm a bit confused. I'd love some help understanding the difference, if there is a difference.
You scrap quilt is wonderful. I hadn't before seen any snowball block quilt that I liked but I do like this one.
You're so busy! (And focused on crafting -- I could learn a few things!)
Love those stats at the beginning of your post - I might have to "borrow" that! (If you don't mind?) I am waging an argument with the hubs about how prevalent quilting really is!
I'm so glad you set the record straight on the "Granny Squares" block. I too thought that I'd seen it before. Quilting has been around so long that there isn't much new that hasn't been done at some point (excepting the wonderful paper pieced blocks popping up). They may be set different, but when you come right down to it, there are only so many ways to join pieces of fabric. And so many blocks have different names. Most all blocks are in the public domain-it is the instructions that can be copyrighted-not the actual block itself. I think yours is lovely.
LOVE your pioneer quilt...it is a happy quilt!
Forgot to ask...i read your replies and I too am curious if you know the block everyone is SWOONing over. As for the one in blogland Granny Squares....I believe it was a fun quilters take of the crochet block for those who do not crochet. The quilting world has a whole new and younger generation...it is interesting to see the change up of naming quilt blocks for sure. That is why I am asking about Swoon. LOL
I adore the pioneer quilt. I'm doing the granny squares and I think I'll add the sashing like your quilt with the different color corner stones. Thanks for the history and the inspiration.
I was wondering about the name of those blocks! But I love the quilts I see popping up made out of them! I'm hoping to join in the Bingo fun if I can find a day to make the card - looks like fun! Good luck on your crosshatching! I did that on a small wall quilt and thought I'd never finish!
You get so much done! More in one month that I do in a Year!
Love everything, est the album block quilt. Very colorful. Bet you guessed I'd like that one.
Thanks for the BINGO reminders.
That must be so much fun to have little goody bags dropped off at your door! I'm sure you will make good use of them! Your album/granny blocks look great. I think the "new" name has really brought this block new popularity which is wonderful.
Love that Bust Yo Scraps snowball quilt! It is so pretty! And your Cherry star quilt is amazing.
Also, love the Friendship (aka Granny Squares) quilt. That is beautiful! I love the pretty fabrics you used.
xo -E
I really love your scrappy snowballs: may have to make something like that. And the Shoe Art is great. I can see making a quilted jacket and then taking a picture and putting it on the shoes. What an outfit that would make!
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