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September 2009 Newsletter From Carol Doak
The school bells will be ringing and children are heading back to the classroom. The weather is turning cooler (a welcome relief in some parts of the country!) and the colors in the northeast are going to change to blazing shades of red, orange and yellow very soon.I do love the fall, because the cooler weather seems to energize me as well. Long gone are the lazy days of sitting on the porch.
The block at the right is the September Scenic Block of the Month for the Carol Doak Yahoo Group. This is the final block of the month for this series so I expect to see pictures of the finished quilts showing up in the picture album soon.
The Web Store
I no longer have any of the Rotary Point Cutter tools available. I purchased 1200 pkgs of the refill blades for this tool, so I will have those available for those of you who own this cutter.I have been researching a replacement for the Rotary Point Cutter for months now and after trying lots of different cutters, I have concluded that the Precision Art Knife with the Curved Blade is simply the best. When you purchase the knife, you will get two point blades, one curved and one chisel. Although the other blades will work, the curved blade works best so I have included a package of 5 curved blades with the knife. I think you will agree this tool works as well as the Rotary Point Cutter to cut the stitches to remove any unwanted pieces.
Book of the Month
There are some really cool Autumn style blocks in the 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks book. You will find several leaves, pumpkin, witch and acorn in this book to make some fun quilts. It comes with the Foundation Factory CD to print the foundations in any size you like and multiples to a page. You can even print them as rectangles to create interesting borders and blocks. Take advantage of the on sale price to add this must have to your library this month.
What's New?
LOL, this is so new, that the information about its release just came to me in an email as I am writing this newsletter. Dancing With The Stars is a brand new Block of the Month being distributed by Stitchin` Heaven Quilt Shop in Quitman, Texas and it has just been announced on the web site.
"Dancing with the Stars spotlights 15 paper-pieced, 12" star blocks designed by Carol Doak exclusively for Stitchin' Heaven! You'll be amazed as you step onto the dance floor, and take a spin with this striking, stellar-inspired quilt. Each block is named for a gorgeous ballroom dance like, the Viennese Waltz, the Foxtrot, and even the Cha Cha, and proudly shows off the brilliance of Hoffman's batik fabrics. The setting, designed by Deb Luttrell, features a chain block, and two borders, framing this stunning quilt with simple elegance. Like stars on a dance floor, these beautiful, batik blocks will have you mesmerized, as they sparkle and shine with each step of the dance.
During this 14-month program, you will receive the patterns and fabrics needed to make the quilt top including borders and binding. The finished quilt measures 80" x 92".
The Carol Doak Yahoo Group
Sometimes we just have those spontaneous things happen. A member of the group asked if I had designed a paper-pieced crayon as she wanted to make something for back to school. It was easy to create one, so I did and soon others were asking for the same pattern. So, I uploaded the pattern to the group and issued a challenge for them to make something using the crayons. The results are so much fun...we have seen totes, quilts and other items made using this simple little crayon.The Scenic Block of the Month is winding down so I expect to see lots of quilts featuring the blocks soon.
The Red White and Blue Swap is also wrapping up and the monthly lotteries continue to be popular.
I have already started designing the next challenge so stand by...
Come and join the group by clicking on the link about.
On the Road Again
I will be traveling to Oregon next week to teach and lecture for three guilds and then I will be traveling to Illinois for a couple of guilds. I hope to meet some of you along the way. Until next time, happy paper piecing.
All the best,
Carol