PennyBentley

Since I picked my word of the year, Grace, I have noticed how many times people say that word! One of the most common phrases is “Saving Grace”.

Vocabulary.com says: A saving grace is something positive in an otherwise bad situation. The saving grace is the good thing that redeems, or saves, a negative experience. 

YOU have been my Saving Grace! This definition could not be more appropriate for this year! You, my applique sisters, are the good thing that gives me positive energy during an otherwise challenging situation!  

So today I want to THANK YOU! Thank you for letting me come into your world each week and share my love of all things APPLIQUE and QUILTING! 

I have shared with you before that the textile tradition runs through my veins. My Grandmothers were professional seamstresses, my Dad worked in a boot factory and my Mom and I owned and operated a quilt shop. I trained and worked in the textile industry, and I continue to be fascinated with Textile History in the Blackstone Valley of Massachusetts where I live. 

  

This Singer Sewing Machine was my mother’s. She found it at an antique store in Texas during one of her winters there. She brought it home to MA, then left it with me when she moved to Texas full time.  

I have always loved this machine and just decided to research it a bit. I found that it truly belongs here in UPTON, MA, and this is why.

I live just down the street from the Knowlton Hat Factory (now senior housing). By 1872 This factory had become the biggest women’s hat factory in the world. They made felt, fur, and straw hats. A cottage industry grew around the women in my town who supported themselves by braiding straw at home to supply the factory. The braided straw was sewn into hats on a machine just like the one I have.

 

The singer machine that I have came from Texas. Do you think it was used to sew Ten Gallon Cowboy hats? No matter what it was used for, it is a treasure for me, and it feels right at home here in my studio.  

Do you have an antique sewing item you would like to share? If you do, please post it to the SPD Facebook page or the Rotary Cut Applique group!  

This week, please remember that you are my Saving Grace! I hope that puts a smile on your face all week long.

When Netflix gets old…there are some wonderful lectures and presentations from the International Quilt Museum. To get to all the museum’s online resources, go to the website: internationalquiltmuseum.org, then follow the Visit tab, then Virtual Experiences. There are many wonderful programs to discover!  

My favorite virtual resources are the “Textile Talks” from The Quilt Alliance, SAQA, Surface Design Association and the International Quilt Museum, and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

I just loved the Textile Talk: Cultivating Culture: Botany, Gardening and Nineteenth-Century Quilts. Click on this link to watch the presentation! 

This lecture is especially appropriate for the start of our Magical Garden Quilts! I particularly like the symbolism of the flowers and I added to the “Forget Me Not” block in “My Magical Garden”.  I made this block in memory of my Grandmothers, who both had the “sewing genes” that I inherited! 

  

Are you into Podcasts?  I love listening to podcasts while I sew! One of my favorite podcasts is “Happier”, with Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft. Liz and Gretchen challenge us to find ways to be Happier and offer hacks and thoughts on bringing joy into your life. 

Liz and Gretchen have challenged listeners to read for 21 minutes a day in 2021.  Does reading make you happier? I have taken up that challenge, and have already read a number of books in January. I just finished “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo, and I am currently reading “Exponential Living”. I also love Historical Fiction and I’m addicted to audiobooks. What are you reading? 

So I have decided to also challenge you in 2021 with a goal that will make you Happier! Let’s commit to sewing for 21 minutes a day in 2021. It is amazing how much you can get done in 21 minutes…day in and day out. With short spurts of daily effort, your quilts will get finished without feeling like you are chained to your sewing machine!   

I have a great little project that you can get done in just one or two 21 minute sessions. 

My latest pattern, Love Letters, uses Hearts and More template D to make a great big heart-shaped letter that can be folded up into an envelope to send to your sweetheart. 

It is close to Valentine’s Day and it is time to send
a love note to your special someone!

   

Love Letters is now available as a PDF pattern.  

I hope this makes you and someone you love a little Happier this Valentine’s Day!!  

Last week I celebrated my 55th birthday, and I want to thank everyone for the e-mails, cards and personal messages on Facebook and Instagram. I am feeling loved!  

This morning I got this card from Donna, Penny and Joanne who work with me here at Sue Pelland Designs. Many of you know my amazing team of Suzettes, but if you don’t, here is the crew…celebrating with a margarita toast, then in Nashville on our way to a Paducah Quilt Show and then in NYC gazing at Christmas lights through Magic Glasses! From left to right with cowboy hats are Sue, Penny, Joanne and Donna.  

It  has been a trend in the last few years for people to choose a word of the year. I have neglected to do so knowing that I have a hard time sticking to just about anything for an entire year! 

Yet, this word keeps popping into my mind, Grace. I have found that working primarily with women that we are all so hard on ourselves. We demand so much of ourselves whether at work, with family, our community, even our craft, we are often perfectionist and our own worst critics. We all need to give ourselves and those around us more Grace.  

Notice that we are already three weeks into 2021…and I am just choosing now? That is me…always late to the party! I can’t get this word out of my head and its positive vibe is really inspiring me. So, you may see my word of the year pop up in e-mails, newsletters and in my workshops and presentations. 

Grace has so many meanings…

It can be God’s Grace, which is the freely given and unmerited love of God for every human. Also, the Spirit of God which gives every person strength. By the Grace of God, we are all here together enjoying the sisterhood of quilting!   

Grace can be a blessing before meals when we express how thankful we are for the abundance of food and company of those we eat with.   

It can mean Courtesy. Give yourself the GRACE to make mistakes, to learn, to experiment and to play! 

It can mean charm, elegance and poise. As in, the tulip leaves curved gracefully around the flower. I aspire to make all my applique flowers appear graceful!

Let 2021 be a year of Grace for all of you in every meaning of the word!    

 

Sue Pelland

 

 

Big Daddy Clam Shells is finished and quilted!  I just love what Pam at the Quilted Seahorse did with this quilt!  The quilting pattern is perfect.  

Big Daddy uses a TON of fusible web to make this large scale clamshell quilt in the fastest, easiest way possible.  The clamshells are fused, cut and fused again to a lightweight muslin.  The alternative is curved piecing, YUCK!  I will take the fused version any day.  With Mistyfuse the quilt is still soft and beautiful.  

Ready to give it a go?  Get the Big Daddy Clamshell pattern instantly with  our first ever PDF pattern.  Then, use the Rings and Things tools to MAKE A BIG SPLASH  with Big Daddy Clamshells!  

 

Once you wrap your head around Free Motion Quilting (like we did in the Inner Circle Workshop) it is easy to transfer that skill to Free Motion Monogramming like I did on My Grand Nephew Liam’s stocking. I use Iron Off Marking Chalk in a Clover Marking Tool, then write the name in cursive on the project. The wheel on the tool is directional so it takes a bit of practice to get it to write cleanly.

Once the name is written, I put my free motion foot on my sewing machine, change the straight stitch to a Zig-Zag stitch and start the cursive writing. I used Rayon thread to add a little extra shine.  

The side to side Zig-Zag stitch acts like a calligraphy pen. When you move up and down the Zig-Zag is wide, but when you move side to side, the lines are thin. This gives a very elegant look to my standard cursive handwriting. It takes a little practice to follow the written lines, just as it does to follow the marked lines in machine quilting. 

You can monogram on cork to make a cork notebook cover, or monogram your next baby quilt with the baby’s name and birth date. This is an easy skill to learn if you already machine quilt and there is no special embroidery machine needed!  

Give it a go! 

It’s still the Christmas season, even though the big day is over.  It was a little odd having Christmas alone at home this year, but I did my best to bring on the spirit of the Holidays. We got a real tree, covered it with lights and baubles. I truly wish I could bottle up the scent and share it with all of you. The scent alone is making me MERRY! 

Did you catch my Facebook Live and IGTV segment a few weeks ago on making fabric roses?  These are not applique roses but a craft project using fabric to make realistic, fabric roses! I started this project to say Happy Birthday to my Mom! December 9th was Mom’s 85^th birthday. Although the roses are in the mail, there is not telling how long they will take to get to her!  Happy Late Birthday MOM!  I’m disappointed that they did not arrive in time for Christmas!

While it is time to take down the brittle tree, the Christmas village will stay up for a bit longer.  We added a Barber shop this year in honor of Jason’s training as a barber…and of course there is a quilt shop!  

We were blessed to have my three kids and the pup home with us for Christmas. There weree a few traditions that remained the same like decorating this sad, bare tree. On Christmas morning we will gathered around the tree with cinnamon rolls and steaming hot coffee. 

I’d love to hear about your favorite holiday traditions. What were you able to keep the same and what new traditions did you start this season? My newest holiday tradition was having  a party with the “AOC” members on our last Tuesday gathering of the year. That happend yesterday with all the new members joining our wonderful community of quilters!

This group has has brought some much needed fun and friendship into a dark year!

Thank you all my Applique Friends who made 2020 bearable!  Looking forward to 2021!   

 

Last week we had a snowstorm and I snapped this photo as I was writing my newsletter.  As I took this photo outside my front door, I thought to myself:  

“It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!” 

This quote from Mr. Rogers brought me back to my childhood. I am not embarrassed to say that I grew up watching Mr. Rogers. Looking through the jaded eyes of an adult…his shows were boring and his puppets were creepy, but through the eyes of a child, his show was a bit of MAGIC. Fred Rogers was the Grandpa that I never had! And like all grandfathers, he had words of wisdom that resonated with me even at 5 years old.  

Look up “words of wisdom by Mr. Rogers” on the internet you will be treated to a couple dozen gems!   

“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors–in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.  ~ Fred Rogers  

In this giving season, we often talk about Giving and Receiving presents. Mr. Rogers words go so much deeper than that. Fred is talking about the things that connect us…not material “things” but giving of ourselves in a much more profound way. I for one, have been on the receiving end just yesterday. 

During a ZOOM workshop yesterday, I goofed and removed one of our participants from the meeting. I scurried around for almost half an hour and couldn’t get her back into the workshop, so I called her and explained the problem. Brenda sweetly said, “No problem Sue, I was just going to watch you today anyway!  I can watch the replay on the video instead!” 

The other workshop participants patiently waited for me to try to solve the problem. They all chimed in, “Don’t worry Sue! If it were me, I would want you to take the time to figure this out!” “Ditto” said the other dozen voices! 

We went on to have a fabulous creative workshop, Making Waves with Fabrics .  In Facebook this week there have been several fabulous Finishes using this technique!  After the workshop, I received several e-mails reassuring me that it was one of the best workshops ever, to spite the rocky start. There YOU were again, giving me more support, and more kindness.   

I have found that this community that we have formed since the beginning of the pandemic is the most kind and caring group of quilters I have ever encountered. 

I am so proud to be part of this Neighborhood and I know that Mr. Rogers would be pleased too! 

 Won’t you be my neighbor?  

Tip #1

What is the best way to transfer an applique design to the background fabric when you can’t see through the fabric? I like using Transdoodle but Mistyfuse discontinued Transdoodle Jr. in blue, yellow and white. What is a quilter to do?

I have just discovered that we can get four big sheets that are 18” x 24” and they are now available on the website. ​

When will I use these sheets? These are perfect for projects like Belle en Rouge and My Magical Garden when I want to transfer the applique placement diagram to the background fabric.

Tip #2

What If you don’t have the big Transdoodle sheets? Try using the paper pattern on top of your background fabric and run your chalk wheel over the lines two or more times. The first pass will create perforations in the paper. The second pass will let a little chalk sift through the perforations. This will not leave as dark a line as the Transdoodle, but it will work in a pinch!​

So you want to learn applique?

Whether you love applique, or you have had a bad applique experience, no one can deny the beauty of a traditional applique quilt!  If you would like to discover a faster way to applique,  you have come to the right place!  I’ve developed a simple method for fusing, cutting, and stitching applique that is fast, fun, and fabulous!  And there are so many ways to discover this unique process…

Grab your LEAVES GALORE templates or your Hearts & More tools: 

For those of you who do not yet have the tools, this article about Rotary Cut Applique will help to explain why Rotary Cut Applique is faster than traditional applique methods.  You will also find links to get the tools sets in bundles that will save you a bundle!  

• Sign up for a free Mini-Workshop Thursday, April 15 from 4-5 pm EST.  Make a mini orange peel mug rug or set of coasters that will show you all the steps needed to complete full-size orange peel quilts! Join Sue as she explains how Leaves Galore templates work to make applique easier! 
  
   

• Pick a pattern from our pattern line or books and use the printed instructions.  Are you a visual learner?  The books and patterns are loaded with full-color photos of each step.  The written instructions explain why applique is faster and easier when you do Rotary Cut Applique!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Ask Me to come to your quilt guild meeting!  Even though COVID-19 is causing guild meetings to be canceled, we can do a Live, interactive ZOOM meeting with your group or guild with a trunk show, demonstration, and show and tell!  Contact Penny@suepellanddesigns.com to get all the details.
• Register for a 6 week or 9-month video workshop featuring Gradations, My Magical Garden, or Belle en Rouge. These pre-recorded videos and PDF pattern courses are self-directed and not interactive. However, you do have access to a private Facebook Group for participants where you can ask questions and get answers! Work at your own pace and make an entire quilt using Rotary Cut Applique methods that I teach you through videos and printed instruction. 
   
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• Join the Membership Group, “Ahead of the Curve”.  Choose Silver, Gold, or Platinum Leaf Levels
  In the Member’s Only area of the website, AOC members gain access to a Video Techniques Library, a Workshop Library, and can register for Live ZOOM Workshops each month! Members get a discount on purchases and have a Private Facebook Community.  There are Q and A days twice a month, and Full Day open sew events quarterly.  There is a proven path to applique success by practicing with the two 30 minute technique videos each month until you feel confident in your skills!  

 

No matter how you learn most easily, there is a Rotary Cut Applique Plan for you!  Find out how you can make traditional applique quilts in a fast, fun, fabulous new way!  Let me show you how!

 

Hi Quilters! This is Penny Bentley, I work with Sue as her Event Coordinator.  I would like to share that I have been blessed and fortunate to share in Sue’s successes with her expanding quilting business.  Sue is an extremely creative and professional businesswoman who has Donna, Joanne, and I to assist her along the way, but, of course, it is her business sense and practices that has brought her to this time and place.

Sue has much confidence in her team and in her Certified Instructors to share her techniques and products at shows that she cannot find herself attending.  In January, Donna and Joanne will be vending at Mancuso’s Orlando show being held in none other than Orlando, Florida from January 18-20, 2018 as Sue embarks on personal travel to London.  

When Sue returns from London her first New Year lecture will be for the Soo-Nipi Quilt Guild in Newport, NH on Thursday, January 18, 2018.  Sue loves to teach, as many of you already know, and I just want to share that she has taught me so many practices over these seven years, she even tries to teach me to quilt and sew, not happening!!  If you have a minute to go to her website 2018 calendar, make note on your calendars, and try to attend a lecture or a workshop near you.  

I have been with Sue since the very beginning of her venture with her templates/tools and it seems like eons ago!  It continues to amaze and impress me that this quilting gadget has grown into the business that it is.  Little ole Penny, working at little ole Sue’s office, in little ole Upton, in this big ole world of quilters in the USA. Amazing and Wonderful!!

In closing this Blog and this year of 2017, I would like to wish all of you, quilter friends, a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!