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January 2008 Carol Doak Newsletter
Happy New Year everyone! The new year marks new beginnings and new adventures. I decided to make "New" the theme of my January newsletter. I have added lots of new things on my web page to celebrate January so let's get started....
New Free Pattern
It never ceases to amaze me how many people have not yet discovered the magic of paper foundation piecing. So I have added a new Beginner block to the free patterns. This is a quick and easy little flower and should be just the ticket to start you down the happy paper piecing road. These blocks in the photo were made by Mary Dorchak, an active member of the Carol Doak Yahoo Group.New Quilts in the Student Show and Tell Section
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I've added several new pictures to the Show and Tell Portion of the web page of projects made from my books. This quilt was made by Phillip Gould, who took the Fire and Ice workshop in December. Phillip came to the class with the corner paper-pieced sections and brought in the completed quilt top the next day. Just gorgeous!!!New Updated Travel Schedule
2008 will be a busy year for me. I have updated my travel schedule through the end of the year. I might just be in your area, so stop by and check out the new schedule.
New Store Items
I've added a bundled item of the Rotary Point Cutter and a package of refills to offer a huge savings of buying both items at the same time. I have also bundled two packages of blade refills at a reduced amount. It is always most economical to purchase the bundled items because they are offered at a reduced price from buying each item separately. Check out the bundles first when shopping in the web store.
The Carol Doak Quilting Group
The group continues to be quite active and as one who prides herself on being in control, I was quite surprised to receive a gorgeous signature quilt made by several members. I'm still amazed they were able to pull this off without me knowing about it. The quilt arrived on my door step just before Christmas and is such a treasure.
Members have been busy making the Block of the Month designs that I upload each month. The December block of the month was very popular. Joyce made this striking block. The idea each month is for me to upload the block design with a fabric cutting list. It is up to each member to decide what fabrics to use where and the resulting blocks are just amazingly creative. For January, not only did I upload the design, but I created the block from three foundations. The members have the opportunity to use the foundations differently to create different blocks. January block results should be really exciting! If you would like to join in the fun, please do. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CarolDoakQuiltingGroup/
New Book of the Month
I chose the Simply Sensational 9-Patch Stars book as the book of the month for January. This book comes with the Foundation Factory CD to print the foundations in any size you would like. Even I didn't realize how creative that could be until we had a challenge in the Carol Doak Quilting group. Members used foundations in this book to make something that was NOT a 9 Patch Star. The resulting quilts were so varied and just amazing. The foundations in this book are quite simple which is probably why they offer so many creative options. Take advantage of adding this book to your library this month while it is on sale in the store.The quilt on the left is yet another fabulous quilt added to the Show and Tell Section and is made from several blocks in this book.
New Tip of the Month
Before beginning a project, take the time to organize your work space and environment. Clean up so there are no distractions and organize your fabric and foundations to make the sewing time more efficient. Turn on some enjoyable music while you sew or a book on tape to keep you company. Remember...slow music means slow sewing and fast music means fast sewing!
New Share A Quilt Picture and Story -
I often have the opportunity to see wonderful quilts that have been made from my patterns. I thought it would be fun to share some of those pictures in my monthly newsletter. If you would like to share a picture and your story about making the quilt, please send me a jpeg image and a bit about your quilt to qcarol@comcast.netEach month, I will choose a quilt to share in my newsletter. if I choose your quilt and story, you will WIN a free book from me! So send those pictures and stories!!!
On the Road Again
I leave soon for my first trip in 2008. This has been one of the snowiest Decembers on record here so I am eagerly looking forward to spending a couple of weeks in California. Until next time, do keep smiling...
All the best,
Carol