Chatterbox Quilts News for April 2024

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Welcome to the April Chatterbox Quilts’ newsletter!

It seems like April has just flown by with so many exciting things happening during this past month.

What happened this month

One of April’s highlights was Energize! 9.0. The Quilter’s Way members joined me in out ninth (!) Energize! 9.0 virtual retreat. This was a weekend of learning, sharing, and having lots of laughs. Energize! events always have a theme and this one was “The Groovy 60’s” so lots of tie dye happening.

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I created Mackenzie the Moose using the Mickey Moose pattern from Funky Friends Factory. I gave Mackenzie a Canadian twist and embroidered a maple leaf on his rump – just like the RCMP Musical Ride horses.

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I was so excited that the Canadian Quilter’s Association asked me to share my “Conquer Your Fear of Free Motion Quilting” presentation this month. It’s one of my favourite topics to share with other quilters to get them past that fear of this technique and actually free motion quilting.

If your guild is looking for speakers for meetings, I specialize in virtual presentations and would love to connect with you via email to discuss further. Reach out to me at help@chatterboxquilts.com.

If you’re a Janome person, you might’ve seen me live twice this past month on the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page and in the Continental Club group sharing the Janome love. More lives coming next month!

One of the non-highlights in April was that I injured a couple of my fingers on my right hand (of course!) in an altercation between myself and a hand mixer – guess who won? 😔 Thankfully no fingers were broken and I’m now back to normal but still a bit hesitant around the hand mixer. 😉

Tip

Clean your iron frequently! It’s much easier to clean your iron when it is only lightly soiled than to wait until it’s really gunked up (ask me how I know). There are different ways and products you can use to clean your iron. Click here for information on how to prevent build up on your iron sole as well as methods for cleaning my iron.

Recommended Tools

It might seem strange but a lint roller is a very handy tool to have in your studio, especially if you have pets who like to “help” you with your quilting! I use my lint roller to remove stray threads from my projects as I’m working, to go over my finished quilts to remove any thread I’ve missed, to pick up stray threads (and pet fur) from my pressing surface and, of course, to clean myself from batting fuzz and threads when I’m finished for the day.

YouTube Videos

Here are the new videos released in April for your viewing and learning pleasure (just click on the picture).

Coming Soon

In The Quilter’s Way, we’re finishing up our bookcase/bookshelf project and will then be moving on to shining the spotlight on accuracy tips and information to help in creating successful projects. I’ve got lots of tips to share and I now that my TQW members will have some as well (I always learn so much from them!).

I’ll be doing more live informational presentations to share the Janome love. Just a note: if you aren’t able to make the live presentations in the Facebook pages and groups, you can always watch the replays later.

I’m already working on my May project for Island Batik which uses paper piecing. I like to use the paperless paper piecing method (TQW members learned this technique a few months ago when we created a small project using paperless paper piecing), so I don’t have to rip paper off the back of my fabric nor do I waste paper. I’m excited to share this project with you so be sure that you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram so you can see the finished project.

Quilt show season is starting and I’ll be going to one of my favourite ones outside of Calgary in May. I love quilt show season where I get to admire the beautiful quilts, chat with friends and vendors, and maybe buy just a thing or two. 😉

Take care,

Kim

P.S. Unlock a world of quilting opportunities by joining the Chatterbox Quilts' Crew! This community of helpful and happy quilters is the perfect place to share your knowledge, learn from others, and connect with like-minded individuals. The best part? It's free to join! Don’t miss out: click here to join today!