bumper sticker

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Does your car sport a bumper sticker that reads “I Brake for Quilt Shops”?  If you’re like me, a road trip isn’t complete until you’ve visited all the quilt shops along the way! Whether it’s a day trip up to southwestern Washington, a weekend jaunt to Central Oregon, or a trek halfway across the country, we quilters love the challenge of discovering one-of-a-kind shops away from home. We are excited here at MPS to present our series of blog posts we are calling “The Traveling Quilter” to showcase unique shops both near and far. A recent visit to my daughter in Missouri brought the opportunityRead More →

B&W block

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Hello! Craftsy is an online platform based in Denver, Colorado that delivers crafts education, from quilting and knitting to cake decorating and paper craft, via high-definition interactive video tutorials and downloadable workshops.  (Wikipedia) I have been using Craftsy for several years and have enjoyed the format and the information.  They have a variety of quilt classes and instructors for all levels of experience.  The classes are available by monthly  subscription (all access) or you may purchase individual classes. Their classes are free this weekend!  You will need to create an account (free) and then log in to Unlimited.Craftsy.com to access the classes.  The access isRead More →

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The current Website Committee decided to change our name to better describe what we do.  So we are now officially the MPS Social Media Committee. We have a Facebook account and an Instagram account.  Just use “metropatchquilts” in the Search box for both accounts and you’ll see some of our latest postings.  You can choose to follow us and then you’ll never miss a thing. So who is this Social Media Committee?  Well, I’m glad you asked! Hopefully, you’ve noticed more activity on our MPS Blog.  That’s due to two new writers who are excited to bring you quilting information. Barbara S. is a fairlyRead More →

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Flowers + quilts = the perfect spring pairing! Quilters have long featured flowers in their quilts, such as the time-honored appliqued Baltimore Album and the English paper-pieced Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  Today, it’s hard not to include flowers in our quilting when the options include a wide variety of techniques as well as stunning floral fabrics and fun quilting motifs. Take note of how a couple of our guild members have highlighted flowers in their quilts: Candy F. created the original “In Full Bloom” which is pieced, appliqued, and painted. She used the border fabric as her inspiration. This simple patchwork is made extra special withRead More →

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What do you use to aid in your quilting process? How about blue painter’s tape?  I have used it for the following: Attaching a paper bag to my sewing table to collect clipped threads and fabric bits. To stabilize a pattern or fusible web while tracing the pattern. Guide for hand or machine quilting. Guide for half square triangles (HST). Attach LED lighting for different machines (versus permanently attaching to one machine). Use as a design function: define a perimeter for quilt design and fill in with improv blocks or blocks of multiple sizes.  Add additional blocks, fabric or sashing to complete the quilt. DisplayRead More →