Utah Quilt Guild

  Todays post is from Lorrie Ryther Hall who writes great quilting articles for the Beeline Newsletter.  We also like to include these in our blogs each month.  Lorrie does a great job teaching us different techniques for quilting.  Thank you, Lorrie.  EIGHT-POINT STARS (“Y” or not to “Y” see below)   There are several stars that have eight points to include the Lemoyne, Lone Star, Morning Star, Blazing Star, Star of Bethlehem, etc. The star is an important symbol in Native American mythology and art. The story of the morning star describes how an old medicine man became the morning star after his death. The morning star was considered to have more power than the sun or moon because of the experience the medicine man gained from living on earth. Consequently, the morning star was a symbol for wisdom and understanding. Now, the eight points represent the four stages of life–infancy, youth, maturity, and old age; along with the directions, north, south, e...

 Weights are not just for Muscles!  Quilters love strip-piecing those long, skinny strips that are cut from a width of fabric. It makes piecing blocks, like a 9-Patch, more quick, efficient, and accurate. However, you need to cut the strips first. Cutting accuracy is ensured when you take some key steps before you make any cuts. I like to make sure that my cutting ruler and mat grid line up “one on top of the other. “I know that there are many quilters who do not use a quilt cutting mat which has a one-inch, incremental measurement grid printed on one or both sides. Some quilters rely solely on where the fabric’s cut edge is in relation to the cutting ruler. Their cutting mat is actually just a solid-colored mat. No measurements are shown. These are sometimes referred to as “craft” or “art” mats. Many professional quilters cut without this handy measurement grid. I can’t do it. I must use my cutting ruler with my quilt cutting mat for the best accuracy....