The quilters of The Modern Quilt Guild bring a bold new aesthetic to a craft dominated by traditional and art quilting. The clean lines and stylish color schemes prevalent in modern quilting appeal to fans of sophisticated modern design. Founded in Los Angeles, California in 2009, the Guild has attracted a new generation of design-conscious quilters “It became obvious to us that the next step for our Modern Quilt Guild members was offer an event that was custom tailored for them. ” said Latifah Saafir, Founder and Board Member of The Modern Quilt Guild.

With workshops and lectures by Denyse Schmidt, Malka Dubrawsky, Elizabeth Hartman, Anna Maria Horner, Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, no other quilt conference or show will offer such a complete experience for modern quilters. “We hope our conference attendees can learn new techniques and strengthen their quilting skills with the most influential and recognized modern quilters in the world.” said Alissa Haight Carlton, Founder and President of The Modern Quilt Guild.

Quilt by Alissa Haight Carlton

Entries for the juried quilt show will be accepted starting on July 1, 2012. “We’re so excited to see quilts from Modern Quilt Guild members in this show! We hope that people who see the show will get some new ideas about what quilt design can be, particularly that it can still be fresh and relevant today.” said Elizabeth Hartman, Modern Quilt Guild Board Member.

Jacquie Gering hexagon quilt

”C&T Publishing’s Stash Books is proud to be a sponsor of the first QuiltCon Modern Quilt Guild Conference. Stash Books has been a strong supporter and advocate of the modern quilting movement since its launch in late 2009. Stash Books is delighted to be a part of QuiltCon at the beginning and for many years to come.” said Amy Marson, Publisher of Stash Books.

“Janome America is very pleased to be a sponsor at the Modern Quilt Guild’s first QuiltCon. We have followed and been excited by the modern quilting movement, and are thankful for the inspiration they bring to an ever-growing community of quilters. We are very happy to support them and their efforts.” said Randy Thomas, VP of Sales and Marketing for Janome America.

“Robert Kaufman Fabrics is beyond thrilled to help the Modern Quilt Guild present the premiere modern quilting show. The modern quilt community is so immensely talented and utterly inspiring, not to mention, it includes some of our favorite people! We simply can’t wait to have them all together in celebration of the art they create – dazzling quilts, amazing people, sharing, invigorating, rubbing elbows and just having fun! Is it next February yet?” said Kyle Sanchez, Director of Strategic Marketing for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

QuiltCon, presented by The Modern Quilt Guild, will offer a unique quilt show experience that is influenced by modern design and the indie craft movement. No other quilt show offers this viewpoint on quilting. The Modern Quilt Guild is looking forward to welcoming the public and its members February 21-24, 2013, in Austin, Texas

For additional information contact: Heather Grant, QuiltCon Publicity Manager, 512-968-1914,
www.quiltcon.com

You’ll learn how to cut, re-sew, and re-shape clothing into cherished garments that resemble trendy, urban boutique findings with lessons in creative “upcycling” and stylish yet simple sewing. Plus, several of the garments in Cut-Up Couture are reversible or can be worn in several ways, such as a dolman-style top that transforms into a skirt, or a skirt/cape variation. Explore a wealth of innovative advice and inspiration for making each project inexpensive, and still very chic.

The stylish projects featured are for beginner and advanced sewists or for those simply interested in fashion design.

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From graphic designer–turned–fashion designer Natsuno Hiraiwa comes Shape Shape, an ingenious collection of signature vests, collars, blouses, tops, skirts, and shrugs that can all be worn in a variety of ways and that are created for sewists of all skill levels. Designs feature draping and fastening fabric cut from single flat cloth, artfully twisting fabric, and folding fabric in origami-like fashion.

You’ll find unique construction guidance, one-of-a-kind garments that are fit for all ages, as well as a pattern insert. Shape Shape offers everything you need to sew minimally constructed designs with maximum visual impact

Both books were recently released by Interweave and are available now.

Need’l Love quilt designers Becky Cogan, Gerry Kimmel-Carr and Carol Kirchhoff approach the log cabin block from a fresh perspective. The three designers chose one of the three colorways of “Farmhouse Retreat” fabrics. Freda Smith’s quilting adds another layer of creativity to the quilts.

The one-color quilt designs are striking in their original colorway, and would work beautifully in other colorways.

Do you have some wonderful floral designs to “fussy cut” and feature in the center of the log cabin blocks? These quilts are adaptable to so many possibilities! Marilyn Gash mixes wool and cotton with touches of embroidery for a fun and easy accent pillow.

Renee Nanneman’s fabric collection, also titled Farmhouse Retreat is now available. Contact your Andover Fabrics rep or your favorite distributor to for more information.

To commemorate this historic milestone, Coats & Clark launched a virtual history museum, www.CoatsandClark200Years.com, which chronicles the early days of the company coupled with the events of the era. From the early development of cotton threads to inventing thread for the first sewing machines, and engineering threads for the new millennium, the interactive site allows visitors to download their own thread trade cards and history book, listen to music and post their own stories about Coats & Clark.

Downloadable PDF featuring history of Coats & Clark

Share Your Memories

Join Coats & Clark in 2012 to celebrate and share stories of how thread has impacted your life with memories of sewing and quilting projects you have created. Through July 31, 2012 submit your sewing story at www.CoatsandClark200Years.com and be entered to win one of ten Coats & Clark 200th Anniversary prize package with a retail value of $200.

Compete to Win Design Challenge

To continue the celebration of this historic anniversary, Coats & Clark has joined SINGER®, and BurdaStyle, to sponsor Amy Barickman’s Vintage-Inspired, Modern Style Design Challenge. Amy invites sewing enthusiasts to design a wearable fashion project where winners will be evaluated on a list of criteria to show off their creative skills. Participants compete for a chance at winning cash and prizes.

Little Quilt‘s owner Mary Ellen says her cat, Gracie, is interested in FabShop News, too!