What Sticks ...

I've been meaning to do a post on what sticks with me after hearing several of the great lectures at Guild meetings the last few months. So here it goes ...

In March, Joen Wolfrom was the speaker at Darting Needles. Here's what's memorable from her talk :
* Do what you want, not what you should. Unfinished projects are okay.
* It's important to clear stuff out periodically. Give away those old unfinished projects that you never intend to return to.

This has been LIBERATING advice! Now I don't have to keep all those unfinished projects that didn't seem to work out, or that just lost interest for me ... I have more than enough to do with the things I DO want to finish!


In March, Mickey Dupre spoke at Lakeside Quilt Guild (She's an art quilter from Chicago) :
* When you need to jump-start your creativity, do a few small quilts (8"x10") to get unstuck.
* Scan your patterns and sketches into your computer to get the date-stamp on it for copyright protection.
* Use Dura-Pellon as a stabilizer for wallhangings (It's normally sold for pillows.)

In May, Harriet Hargrave did a lecture on batting for DNQG. You wouldn't think that would be at all interesting, but it was absolutely fascinating! Her philosophy is that it's the batting that makes the quilt. Choose the batting that is most appropriate for the person receiving the quilt (silk, wool, cotton, poly, etc). Who knew there were so many choices!

Last week, local quilter Laura MaGee did a bed-turning where people brought in their antique quilts, and Laura talked about their history and even aged the quilts by the fabirics, blocks and techniques used. What sticks :
* Don't use polyester batting if you want the quilt to be an heirloom. The poly fibers are stronger than cotton, and the poly batting will rub away and damage the cotton top (We saw some of these on dispaly). Stick with natural fibers for batting.
Other tips on preservation quilting :
*Don't store quilts in contact with wood (shelves, or cedar chests, etc.) Oils from the wood can migrate to your quilt and can stain it. These are permanent. [Just when I was thinking about making the cedar chest a blanket box!]
* Don't hang quilts where they may be light damaged. Sunlight will cause the colors to fade.

Straight Talk About Quilt Care is a great source that can help with textile preservation questions. It is used in teaching venues and museums and in the quilt world. This is what the professionals do ...