DONNA POSTER NEWSLETTER
                                                       July ‘07


Hope you all had a great celebration on the Fourth!  Mr. Donna and I like to go to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore.  It’s great fun and they put on a spectacular display.  This year we got our chairs all in place and, just as dusk arrived, the skies opened up and poured rain!!!  We ran back to our hotel and were quite happy listening to the fireworks, warm and dry in bed!  We still had a great time stuffing ourselves with seafood and visiting the aquarium!

We have a new nickname for Eliad --- Motormouth!!!  He is so fascinated with his newfound ability to communicate that he never stops!  We love to shop at Target and while there we each have a small bag of cookies.  This time we got a larger bag and, for the first time, shared it.  I happened to eat the last cookie and when he looked in the bag and found it empty, he looked at me, then in the bag again, then back at me, then announced to the world, “Granma ate two cookies”!!!  Now, this may not seem like much to you, but to me, it means I can’t get away with anything anymore!!  He does get cuter every day and Mr. Donna and I are totally besotted with him!!

My fingers are healing nicely and it even looks like I won’t need the joint replacements.  At least, not for now.  The doctor is so happy with my progress that he’s even skipping therapy.  What he doesn’t know is that scissors, irons and rotary cutters make great therapy equipment!

Mr. Donna here:  Just a few notes about improvements to our website

New Free Projects:   A new project was posted this month bringing the total of free projects to 19.  The new one is “Pinwheels” which is an interesting project because it uses both the Log Cabin and the Round Cabin designs.
      Remember, these projects are not under copyright so feel free to duplicate them for use anyway you wish.

Shopping Cart:  The shopping cart is now complete and running just great.  Use it to compose an order and then pick “credit card” or “Paypal” as your payment option.  Paypal is sometimes misunderstood.  They have their own credit card, true, however they will process any of the major credit cards without the buyer having to establish an account.  You can also print out the order form and send it with a check or money order, or supply your credit card information.  Non-USA customers please first email the content of your order and I will advise on how to proceed. 

Domain Names:  Our website can now be accessed by using any of the following domain names in your browser:
     Quiltwithdonna.com
     Donnaposter.com   (this was the original name)
     Foldystuff.com
Domain names are not case sensitive.


Deep sea divers aren’t the only ones who have a problem with “the bends.” So many beginning quilters get frustrated with a bend in the middle of a long strip.  Here are some of my hints:

1. Fold the fabric gently in half, till the selvage edges are even.  Lift the top half to reposition, if needed, being very careful not to force (or push) it into place.  The cut (or raggedy) edges will probably not be even.  It’s OK

Note:  If you’re working with a small ruler and mat you’ll have to fold the fabric over again.  Be very careful when doing this --- you now have three folds that can get “the bends”

2. Use a ruler that’s long enough to reach across the folded fabric.  Trim off that raggedy end by lining up the end of the ruler with the fold of the fabric.  (I  like to line it up at the one inch mark so I don’t have to start my cut at the end edge of the ruler)  When you line this up you create a ninety degree angle at the fold which is an absolute “must” for a straight strip

If you’re using the markings on the mat, get this ninety degree angle by being very careful to line up the fold with one of the markings.

3. Once you’ve trimmed this end you can just cut the strips as usual.  Do, however, re-trim the end every third or fourth strip just to make sure you still have that ninety degree angle

4. An extra note:  Most cotton fabric, today, is set with resin and will retain that set when laundered.  The old method of pulling it back to its woven state will actually distort the fabric.  If I’m going to wash my fabric before I cut it, I’ll use it exactly the way it comes out of the dryer.  That’s the way it wants to be and I have found it’s absolutely useless to fight with a piece of fabric!!!

Nostalgia:  The following letter brought back such fine memories that I’m sending it on to you just as it came to me.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

“Donna,
My grandmother always had a huge fabric stash. She passed away years ago and her daughters are finally giving it to my cousin and me.
The fabrics are all cotton and have been stored in an attic. The majority of the fabric is 50-75 yrs old.

I have such fond memories of going "to town" to shop with her. She always wore a hat and gloves and I wore a pretty dress with a big sash, puff sleeves, lace anklet socks, patent leather shoes and my little white cotton gloves.
Of course, there was never a shopping trip that didn't include at least a few yards of fabric. We would dig through the fabric, stacked high on tables, looking for bargains and bargains they were, 15 to 25 cents a yard
Wonder where I got my love for fabric!
Well, enough reminiscing.

My question is since this stash of fabric is 50-75 yrs old and was always stored in the attic (in brown paper sacks and shopping bags) how can we determine what the quality of the fabric is now?   Surely you have a trick up your sleeve to know if the fabric would be worth all the work to put it into quilt tops.”

Sandra,
I understand the memories that go with the fabric stash. I have a stack of Grandmothers Flower Garden rings that my mother, grandmother and aunt put together and I fondly remember playing with those fabrics while they cut and sewed. Those memories are as precious to me as yours are to you.
I have no idea how to tell if the fabrics are still in good condition. I'm going to put your question in my next newsletter and see if one of our quilting friends can help.


Enjoy your memories,

Donna
Does anyone have an answer to Sandra’s question?  We’d love to hear any ideas, too!

Annie wrote: I take care of a bedridden lady and playing with fabric helps us get through the bad days --- it’s wonderful therapy.

My Answer:  I hear this so often from my students.  Hand piecing and applique are so easy to take along and it brings color and purpose to both people.

We’re very excited about our new “Show And Tell” section!  (It can be accessed from the first page.)  Quilters love to share their ideas and show off their projects so this should be a lot of fun for everyone!  Keep the photos coming!

I have a request --- does anyone out there use paints on fabric?  I’d like to start doing this and there are so many brands that I don’t even know where to start.  Please write and let me know --- what have you tried? Thumbs up and thumbs down?  Problems? Whatever --- I’d like to know.  My email is
donnaposter@comcast.net <mailto:donna poster@comcast.net>

Hope you’re having a great summer and making lots of pretty quilts!

You quilting buddy,
Donna