Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap

Quilting Gallery Newsletter – Issue #10 – April 2009

Welcome to the latest issue of the Quilting Gallery Newsletter.

Spring has sprung in Ottawa, and it’s going to look a lot like Summer this weekend. We have had gorgeous weather lately, and I’m loving the beautiful blue skies and the warmth of the sunshine. Next weekend marks the start of the Ottawa Tulip Festival and it’s sure to be a feast of glorious colours.

To celebrate the arrival of Spring here, I’m hosting a Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap (see below for info). Instead of Spring cleaning my apartment (who wants to do that!), I opted to do some Spring cleaning of the Quilting Gallery web site. It’s colourful and much easier to navigate and find things. There’s better promotion for members of the Quilt Shop Locator and some new advertising spots. (Mention this newsletter, and you’ll get 20% off any advertising spot for the month of May.)

Preparations are well underway for vending at the International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Judy Laquidara from Patchwork Times will be working my booth with me (I’m very excited to meet her!). My booth number is 1353. Please drop by and say "Hi" to us.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy quilting!

Michele (aka Mishka)
Quilting Gallery
michele@quiltinggallery.com

News from the Quilting Gallery

I’m thrilled to host the first-ever swap on the Quilting Gallery, Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap. Registration closes May 4, 2009 and partner information will be sent by May 10, 2009. The deadline to mail your mini quilt is June 21, 2009. Read the guidelines, register and see the list of participants.
What do you SEX, FART, PIGS and SABLE have to do with quilting? Check out the Quilters’ Acronyms. (I could use a FART about now!)
Take a virtual quilt shop tour with the Quilt Shop Locator featuring shops from four countries and 20 states. Find shops in your area or where you plan to travel. Have a quilt shop or other quilting-related business? Join our unique network of quilting retailers from around the world!
The Quilting Bloggers directory has 2,740 bloggers from 58 different countries.

Mishka’s Picks

Here are some tutorials featured on the Quilting Gallery web site recently:

From Geta Grama is this fabulous tutorial on making a large quilted fabric basket. (See the ones I made for my niece Lucy’s 3rd birthday.)
Fabric storage thoughts from Benita Skinner includes some great tips on managing and storing our fabric stash.
Check out Deb Geyer’s tips for adding borders to a quilt.
Ebony Love teaches us how to incorporate silk flowers into quilts with stunning results.

Around the Web

The Moda Bake Shop has amazing tutorials for using their pre-cut fabrics. They include step-by-step instructions with lots of photos. This is a dangerous place to visit.
Join the Snickerdoodle Dreams Community – Creating a crafting & social community where all quilters/crafters feel welcomed, encouraged, creatively-inspired and most of all surrounded by friendship! You’ll find: community forums, personal & community blogging, projects, swaps, give-aways, gallery (photos and videos) and guest spotlights.
The Quilter’s Alphabet