Monday 2 May 2016

Main Crush Monday

     I have a lot of things quilting wise to be happy about lately so it's a bit difficult to share one main crush so today I will share two.  I think both of them are related in that they involve the generosity and kindness of members of the online quilting community.
     
     I'm the Queen Bee for Hive Eight of the Stash Bee this month.  I had a hard time picking a block until I saw this post at Smiles from Kate.  I asked Kate the name of the block so that I could look it up.  Kate in her kindness not only gave me the name of the block  Circle of Squares  but she gave me a link to the creator of the block Janeth of Toefeather and she gave me a link to a pdf download of instructions which lead me to this tutorial where the block had been renamed Circle Of Friends.   These two tutorials give instructions for a 12 1/2 inch block.





      I made my block at 15 1/2 inches and posted the tutorial for that size here.  So if you would like to make this block you have several options.

     The other thing I'm crushing on is this lovely mini quilt and card that came in the mail last week.



     These came from the wonderful Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl.  I am one of Yvonne's patrons and I'd like to take this opportunity to share why I chose to support her.

     I think it's really important to support each other as artists and artisans...I also feel that quilting which is primarily a women's art/craft is undervalued....so even though I am not any where near wealthy I think its important to help out people as they are building up their business.  We have all done this in other ways, by buying the quilter's planner and by buying patterns and by testing patterns for people.


     Yvonne offers an incredible service to the online quilting community.  She visits oodles of us and leaves us valuable and encouraging comments.  She also writes the most thoughtful blog posts and shares resources which help us to really think about what we are doing and where we are going as quilters.  To me this is a valuable resource which deserves compensation.

     I didn't do this for the perks like this beautiful mini quilt, or the pdf patterns I receive for her tutorials.  I did this because Yvonne was already providing me with an invaluable service,  which is sharing intelligent insightful articles that help me to think and to grow as a quilter, a designer and a person.  Thanks Yvonne.

     I'm linking up to Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts
where she shares a new pattern release.  Beth also supports the online community by providing a place to link up, so thanks to you also Beth.

10 comments:

Tish Stemple said...

How cool that Kate was able to help you track your block down. I think it will make for a really great bee block. Yvonne does really provide a lot of information and inspiration to the blogging quilting community. I love the beautiful blues she chose for your mini mini.

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I hope you have a great month as queen in the Stash Bee. I really like the block you picked and it will be great to see a quilt come together for you. And thank you, so much, for your support.

Paige said...

Beth, enlarging the block was a great idea! Thank you for the tutorial. And you are so right about Yvonne. She is so generous with sharing her knowledge with the community!

Vicki in MN said...

You block is wonderful, love the bright cheery colors!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

I love this block!! I may have to "borrow" it when it's my turn to be Queen Bee. Hmmm..... The mini mini that Yvonne sent is awesome.

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

We made this block in the first bee I took part in, I loved it.

Pamela said...

Wonderful post!

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

This is such a thoughtful post Lisa, thank you for sharing with us. Yvonne offers the online quilting community so much, she was one of the first people I connected with when I started blogging. Having a collection of mini quilts is so fun, and this blue one is a gorgeous mini. Thanks for the shout out, and thanks so much for participating in Main Crush Monday.

Diana @ Red Delicious Life said...

Such a great post Lisa! When I saw your stash bee block I loved it. Those bright colors against the white are going to be beautiful. Your sentiments about supporting each other as artists/artisans couldn't be more true. And yes, Yvonne really does contribute so much to our online community.

June D said...

Looking forward to deciding what fabrics to pick for your block!