Hi,
I'm back! Just wanted to keep you updated on Open Gate news. First, we just came back from Portland, Oregon Quilt Market and it went very well. The good news is that other designers are starting to use my rulers and recommending them in their patterns and books. It makes me very happy because even though I think they are great, I hope that others do too. Sue and I designed another Block of the Month book. The book uses 12 blocks with completely different settings. The book was inspired by our trip to Ireland and is called Circle of Friends. Our friends, Denise, Joyce, Kim, Kelly, Polly, Ruth and my mom, Noreen, chose one of the versions and made a sample for us. Every one is different and beautiful!
We also just got back from our first quilt retreat at Bridge Creek Cottage. It is hard to describe how beautiful the setting is. It is situated on a creek that the sewing room overlooks. It is very serene. Everyone arrived Friday and got set up in their rooms and sewing room. We had a meet and greet Friday night with a meal and got to know each other. We were all anxious to get sewing so everyone went to the sewing room to get started. Saturday morning was breakfast then class officially stared. (Some started early to get a jump on the quilt) By the end of the weekend, several had their tops pieced and some were even working on other projects! On Saturday afternoon, we all took a break and visited the local quilt shops that generously offered a discount. Saturday night was dinner and more sewing. Sunday was sewing, relaxing, and more eating! Monday was a brunch, show and tell and then off home. Several people signed up for the next retreat in September. This retreat will be held at Homestead Cabin in Hillpoint, Wisconsin. Information for this retreat will be going out this weekend so if you want information, make sure that you sign up by e-mailing me at info@opengatequilts.com. Space is limited.
Glory and Maple are doing well. The weather has turned pretty hot and humid and although they are shaved for the summer, (picture on my website www.opengatequilts.com) it is still too hot to walk. The humidity in the Midwest is tough on all of us. As most of my friends know, summer is not my favorite time of year so I live for the fall. I love the crisp air and fall smells!
Don't forget our retail website www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com which offers all my patterns, books, rulers and kits for several of my patterns. We are also going to be adding other patterns and books from designers that use my rulers. Sign up for the e-mail list to receive updates.
Finally, here is your tip. If you have the Fit to be Geese ruler or the Mini Fit to be Geese ruler, this is for you. When trimming the 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" size on the Fit to be Geese and the 2" x 3 1/2" size on the Mini Fit to be Geese, you can trim two sides at once. One side and then the top. Rotate the piece 180 degrees and trim the other side and the bottom. It makes it alot quicker for trimming.
That's it for now, thanks for listening to my ramblings!
Monique
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Open Gate Tip #5
Hi Everyone!
Sue and I just came back from having our first booth at the Rosemont Quilt Festival. We are so pleased with the turnout and the results! We now have kits for alot of my patterns through http://www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com/ and the newest kits will be up in the next few days.
While I was at the show, someone mentioned that she wanted me to continue the tips on the blog. I guess I didn't realize that people read them. (Thanks for letting me know, Victoria!)
I have been thinking about what the next tip should be and all I have to do is think of the last few e-mails from my mom. This was the latest question: "Are you up to solving a "quilt crisis"? I'm working on the fourth block of the BOM and don't quite know how to finish those four patches. What does it mean when it says "float' them? I have tried just cutting them with the fit to be square ruler, but they are too small in the end." This was my answer: "I'm always up for a quilt crisis! Instead of cutting a 1/4" from the seam, you use a bit larger seam so that the 4-patch is "floating". So, move the ruler up so that the 1/4" is away from the seam. I hope this helps!"
My mom will continue to ask questions and I will try to answer them. If you ever have any tips or questions that you want me to address, you can e-mail me at info@opengatequilts.com or comment on the blog.
Monique
Sue and I just came back from having our first booth at the Rosemont Quilt Festival. We are so pleased with the turnout and the results! We now have kits for alot of my patterns through http://www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com/ and the newest kits will be up in the next few days.
While I was at the show, someone mentioned that she wanted me to continue the tips on the blog. I guess I didn't realize that people read them. (Thanks for letting me know, Victoria!)
I have been thinking about what the next tip should be and all I have to do is think of the last few e-mails from my mom. This was the latest question: "Are you up to solving a "quilt crisis"? I'm working on the fourth block of the BOM and don't quite know how to finish those four patches. What does it mean when it says "float' them? I have tried just cutting them with the fit to be square ruler, but they are too small in the end." This was my answer: "I'm always up for a quilt crisis! Instead of cutting a 1/4" from the seam, you use a bit larger seam so that the 4-patch is "floating". So, move the ruler up so that the 1/4" is away from the seam. I hope this helps!"
My mom will continue to ask questions and I will try to answer them. If you ever have any tips or questions that you want me to address, you can e-mail me at info@opengatequilts.com or comment on the blog.
Monique
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
B&B Quilting Retreat
Hi Everyone,
Sue and I have been busy piecing our quilt for our B&B Quilting Retreat. The retreat will be held on the 30th, 31st of May and the 1st and 2nd of June, 2008. It will be held south of Eau Claire, WI in Augusta. It is an Amish area with wonderful scenery and several great quilt stores near by. A new quilt shop will be opening very close to the retreat house. The owner and I have discussed the doing something the weekend of our retreat. More details to follow.
Our websites, http://www.opengatequilts.com/id68.html and http://www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com/contents/en-us/d20.html
have more information about the retreat and you can e-mail me at info@opengatequilts.com for a registration form.
We decided to make the quilt in a new line from Windham called, Old Glory III. It is fantastic line that I want to make lots of quilts out of! I have already designed another quilt using this line and it is perfect for our retreat quilt. It is very scrappy and beautiful.
Monique
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Open Gate Tip #4
Hi,
I'm finally back. It has been a really busy time the last few weeks. I taught at a retreat for Patches and Prints in Oakbrook, Illinois. We had such a fun time! The girls are funny and very creative. We laughed alot and sewed alot.
In the mean time, my friend Sue and I have just launched a retail website with kits, fabric, patterns and rulers. The address is: www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com and we are both very excited about it! The website will feature Open Gate patterns and kits as well as Block of the Month programs. Please visit and sign up for our e-mail list. We are planning on vending at several shows this year and are hosting 2 retreats. So...that has kept me very busy!!
Ok, tip #4, to steam or not to steam? When I was taught to quilt, my instructor told me never to use steam. So, for the longest time, I didn't. I felt that my quilts and pieces didn't lay very flat. I decided to try it and now I use steam all the time. The only thing that you need to be careful of is distorting your fabric with the steam. I don't push the pieces too hard when I am ironing with steam. As long as you are careful, steam works great.
Hope these tips are helping.
Monique
Open Gate
I'm finally back. It has been a really busy time the last few weeks. I taught at a retreat for Patches and Prints in Oakbrook, Illinois. We had such a fun time! The girls are funny and very creative. We laughed alot and sewed alot.
In the mean time, my friend Sue and I have just launched a retail website with kits, fabric, patterns and rulers. The address is: www.bundlesandboltsquiltco.com and we are both very excited about it! The website will feature Open Gate patterns and kits as well as Block of the Month programs. Please visit and sign up for our e-mail list. We are planning on vending at several shows this year and are hosting 2 retreats. So...that has kept me very busy!!
Ok, tip #4, to steam or not to steam? When I was taught to quilt, my instructor told me never to use steam. So, for the longest time, I didn't. I felt that my quilts and pieces didn't lay very flat. I decided to try it and now I use steam all the time. The only thing that you need to be careful of is distorting your fabric with the steam. I don't push the pieces too hard when I am ironing with steam. As long as you are careful, steam works great.
Hope these tips are helping.
Monique
Open Gate
Monday, January 14, 2008
Open Gate Tips #3
Hope all is well for everyone this week. Life has been very busy these days. I am getting ready for retreats, classes and shows that are coming up.
Glory and Maple are wondering why I'm always on the computer and my husband asked if I dream quilt patterns. I answered him that I sure do! As long as the dreams keep coming, I will keep designing.
When I taught beginning quilting, one of the most frequent questions was how do you keep your long ruler from slipping when cutting. I like to use the 6" x 24" ruler because I only have to fold the fabric once, just like it comes off the bolt. This prevents getting a bow in the fabric when you fold the fabric twice and cut 4 thicknesses. There are a few ways to keep the ruler from slipping. The first one, which is the one I use, is that I walk my hand up the ruler when I'm half way through cutting my strip. Another way is to apply either sand paper grips or Invisigrip to the back of your ruler. If I were to use either, I would use the Invisigrip because it is clear and will not grab the fabric when you move your ruler.
Hope these tips help!
Monique
Glory and Maple are wondering why I'm always on the computer and my husband asked if I dream quilt patterns. I answered him that I sure do! As long as the dreams keep coming, I will keep designing.
When I taught beginning quilting, one of the most frequent questions was how do you keep your long ruler from slipping when cutting. I like to use the 6" x 24" ruler because I only have to fold the fabric once, just like it comes off the bolt. This prevents getting a bow in the fabric when you fold the fabric twice and cut 4 thicknesses. There are a few ways to keep the ruler from slipping. The first one, which is the one I use, is that I walk my hand up the ruler when I'm half way through cutting my strip. Another way is to apply either sand paper grips or Invisigrip to the back of your ruler. If I were to use either, I would use the Invisigrip because it is clear and will not grab the fabric when you move your ruler.
Hope these tips help!
Monique
Monday, January 7, 2008
Open Gate Tips #2
Hi everyone!
I'm new at this blogging thing and my friend Katie told me that I need to do more blogs and get more personal.
So...here goes. I was up in Winnipeg visiting my family for Christmas and then my parents came back for a visit so it has been very hectic. I enlisted my mom to help with piecing and my dad does alot of folding and stuffing for me. I wish they lived closer because I could keep them busy all the time! My dad SPOILS my dogs rotten and Glory wouldn't eat for a 1/2 day after he left. Glory doesn't miss many meals, as you could probably tell from her photos, so 1/2 a day is a long time! They are slowly getting back to normal now but are going into "grandpa" withdrawals!! I did call my dad and tell him that he has spoiled them rotten but he just laughed. Typical grandparent!!
Meanwhile, while I was visiting my family, my cousin asked me how I came up with the idea for the rulers. I simply told her that I saw a need that couldn't be filled by something that was on the market so I had to come up with it by myself. It sounds easy but it was a long process to find someone to help design and make them. Both my rulers are on my website. Fit to be Square is used to square up square-in-a-square blocks. I always had a hard time making these pieces the right size and I love the look of them so I had to come up with an easier way. It is also great for trimming pieces to a 1/4". There is a 1/4" line all the way around the ruler. Another good use for it is the 45 degrees. Some people have a hard time trimming at a 45 degree and with the ruler, the diagonal lines from corner to corner are 45 degrees. The Fit to be Geese ruler is a wonderful way to accurately square flying geese units. There are 4 different sizes and they are very precise. I found that no matter which method I used before, the pieces were off. With my method and ruler, there is very little waste and it is so accurate. As my friend, Denise says, this ruler "Rocks my quilting world!"
Both rulers come with a free pattern which are also pictured on my website.
New items to look for in future blogs and on my website: Mini Fit to be Geese ruler, several new patterns and a new Block of the Month book. I am very excited about them all and wish I had more time in the day to work on them.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them on my blog and I can try to answer them.
Monique
I'm new at this blogging thing and my friend Katie told me that I need to do more blogs and get more personal.
So...here goes. I was up in Winnipeg visiting my family for Christmas and then my parents came back for a visit so it has been very hectic. I enlisted my mom to help with piecing and my dad does alot of folding and stuffing for me. I wish they lived closer because I could keep them busy all the time! My dad SPOILS my dogs rotten and Glory wouldn't eat for a 1/2 day after he left. Glory doesn't miss many meals, as you could probably tell from her photos, so 1/2 a day is a long time! They are slowly getting back to normal now but are going into "grandpa" withdrawals!! I did call my dad and tell him that he has spoiled them rotten but he just laughed. Typical grandparent!!
Meanwhile, while I was visiting my family, my cousin asked me how I came up with the idea for the rulers. I simply told her that I saw a need that couldn't be filled by something that was on the market so I had to come up with it by myself. It sounds easy but it was a long process to find someone to help design and make them. Both my rulers are on my website. Fit to be Square is used to square up square-in-a-square blocks. I always had a hard time making these pieces the right size and I love the look of them so I had to come up with an easier way. It is also great for trimming pieces to a 1/4". There is a 1/4" line all the way around the ruler. Another good use for it is the 45 degrees. Some people have a hard time trimming at a 45 degree and with the ruler, the diagonal lines from corner to corner are 45 degrees. The Fit to be Geese ruler is a wonderful way to accurately square flying geese units. There are 4 different sizes and they are very precise. I found that no matter which method I used before, the pieces were off. With my method and ruler, there is very little waste and it is so accurate. As my friend, Denise says, this ruler "Rocks my quilting world!"
Both rulers come with a free pattern which are also pictured on my website.
New items to look for in future blogs and on my website: Mini Fit to be Geese ruler, several new patterns and a new Block of the Month book. I am very excited about them all and wish I had more time in the day to work on them.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them on my blog and I can try to answer them.
Monique
Monday, November 26, 2007
Open Gate Quilts Tip - Squaring up Quilt Blocks
I am the designer of Open Gate Quilts. I have been quilting for 18 years and teaching for 15. My website is www.opengatequilts.com
My mom is a new quilter and she has many questions to ask. One of her most recent question is: Is it important to square up your pieces and blocks? My answer: Yes. If you square up the pieces within the block, first of all, it is much easier to put the block together. What I mean by pieces within your block, they are 1/2 square triangles or flying geese, etc. Then, once you have the smaller pieces squared up, then square up the block. If the block ends up not being the right size, square all your blocks to the same size. Also, if they aren't the right size, you will need to check your 1/4" seam. I use a scant 1/4" seam.
Hope this helps!
Monique
My mom is a new quilter and she has many questions to ask. One of her most recent question is: Is it important to square up your pieces and blocks? My answer: Yes. If you square up the pieces within the block, first of all, it is much easier to put the block together. What I mean by pieces within your block, they are 1/2 square triangles or flying geese, etc. Then, once you have the smaller pieces squared up, then square up the block. If the block ends up not being the right size, square all your blocks to the same size. Also, if they aren't the right size, you will need to check your 1/4" seam. I use a scant 1/4" seam.
Hope this helps!
Monique
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