Getting Your Quilt Entries Ready? Here Are Some Tips from the Pros!
Time is fast approaching, and we can't wait to see more of your wonderful JUST JUDIE Quilt Competition entries! As you work on your quilts and prepare your submissions, take note of
these helpful hints to show off your work to the best advantage. Good Luck!!
Be sure to add the 4" wide hanging sleeve as you finish the quilt -- it saves you the time & trouble of adding it later, should your quilt be selected as a
finalist!
When photographing, take a full, straight-on shot. If the quilt must be held by someone standing behind it, have them insert their hands into the hanging sleeve so that no
fingers appear on the front of the quilt. Do not distract the eye with additional props or background matter.
Also include one detail photo, to show off any special quilting, stitching or other techniques.
Use the Description area to include at least one detail that will make your entry stand out from the other entries.
Pay attention to the basics of construction: Does it hang straight? Are the edges even? Do the borders waver? Are all threads buried, trimmed or otherwise made invisible? Is any
stitching-in-the-ditch consistent?
Be sure the quilt is clean and free of any odors (including perfumes and air fresheners!) -- if it is selected as a finalist, you'll want it to be ready to ship!
We received this note from quilter & Aunt Grace aficionado, Amy DeCesare of Delmont, PA. Like Amy, we're amazed that ten years have passed so quickly... check out her recent blog
post & great photos! Thanks for your note, Amy!
I was just writing a new post for my blog, about a quilt I made 10 years ago using Aunt Grace Through the Year. {Ten years ago, already???} When I linked to the Marcus Brothers
website, I discovered your 25th Anniversary celebration is underway!
Here is one of the photos I used in the blog post. As I mentioned in the feature, I do a lot of modern sewing, but will always love vintage quilts and fabrics. I plan to make
another quilt soon from the prints I've got left from this line.
Congratulations on 25 years of beloved designs, Judie! I look forward to many more!
Regards, Amy DeCesare
DOWNLOAD the details of our current JUST JUDIE Quilt Competition -- entries are due July 31, 2013! You can win one of 25 great prizes, and even help your
favorite quilt shop to WIN a VISIT from Judie herself!!
Judie Discusses Her New Collection:
Romantic Olde Charleston
"The beautiful stripe Pattern #0786 an antique pattern I found is what started my mood for the ROMANTIC
OLDE CHARLESTON collection. It has the feel and elegance of the type of print that I can imagine in a plantation home on Charleston's Harbor. Maybe as wallpaper, or possibly
drapes. The second lead Pattern #0789 also gave me the feel for this time period in this romantic city. Maybe on a beautiful Chippendale sofa...
The coordinating prints that I chose seem to fall right into place, as I visualized what the very talented Charleston ladies would purchase to make one of
their masterpiece quilts. These ladies were especially known for their needlework skills. They would have loved these prints!
This line came easily to me, as these are the colors I happened to decorate my own bedroom with. I am looking forward to making a quilt with these prints
this summer. I do not think anyone could possibly go wrong with all of the prints in one beautiful Quilt! Enjoy..."
--- Judie
Have you seen Judie's new look online? The redesign of her SchoolhouseQuilts.com website is done, and we think it
looks great! Be sure to take a look, and subscribe for her updates, too...
Get ready for the "Just Judie" Quilt Competition, running from January through July 2013! We're celebrating Judie's 25th Anniversary with a
special collection, and a great new way for you to complete for valuable prizes from Marcus and our wonderful sponsors.
Plus, you could help your favorite quilt shop to win a visit from Judie Rothermel... because that's the special prize for the quilt shop that sponsors the most entries!
Begin by choosing at least 10 of the 26 prints from JUDIE'S 25th ANNIVERSARY collection. Then, add any other Judie
Rothermel prints you want, from your own stash favorites to designs from her other current collections, as long as it's "Just Judie." Learn all about the contest, and get
ready to create your own 25th Anniversary masterpiece!
Fabrics will be available in your local quilt shops now! In addition to the fabric on bolts, ask your quilt shop for the convenient Contest Packets, containing 8" x 8"
squares of all prints in the 25th Anniversary collection, a great way to begin your entry quilt!
Marcus Fabrics thanks its sponsor partners for their participation. And here's a sneak peek at the prizes...
25 Winners will receive these deluxe Gift Packs (left), a wonderful selection of sewing and quilting supplies made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and partners...
All of us at Marcus Fabrics congratulate Judie Rothermel on her 25th Anniversary as a quilt fabric designer! From her first Centennial fabric collection
in 1987 until today, we've enjoyed a wonderful creative collaboration with Judie, the originator of 1930's and reproduction fabrics for quilters.
January 2012 - Jeanneke Lambriex-Liebregts, the Netherlands
For August 2012, we welcome back Cheryl Lussman of Muscatine, IA and her second submission, entitled "Rick Rack Baskets"
by Cheryl Lussman
"I made this quilt using the Aunt Grace through the Year collection. The 12 inner blocks represent the 12 months of the year. The blocks are then repeated in the outer border. I
enjoyed incorporating some earlier prints, like the Little Boy Blue print used for the November basket and the candy corn in the October basket. The yellow border and binding are the
little dog print from the Aunt Grace Scrapbag 2006."
Dear Cheryl --
I love your color combinations -- they make the brights really stand out -- and your clever use of the rick-rack trim for the handles. Yours is a perfect example of how prints
collected over a long period of time can still look fresh and complementary when used together in one quilt. It's beautiful! --- Sincerely, Judie
Aunt Grace's Garden Party
This month, many of you will be completing your AUNT GRACE'S GARDEN PARTY BOM quilts, and we'd love to see them -- why not post your photos to our Facebook
page!
If you have a Judie Rothermel fabric project to show off, send us a photo and you might also be featured here. Judie can't wait to see
your creations, and neither can we! This is your chance to share it with the world, and WIN FREE FABRIC in the process!
Each month, one lucky winner will receive a Judie Rothermel fabric pack and have their piece shown here, along with your name, city and state, along with a personal
note from Judie herself! Just send us one (1) JPEG photo* of your handiwork and a brief description, along with your name, phone number and email address to allaboutjudie@marcusfabrics.com.
*Or send a print photo to All About Judie, Marcus Fabrics, 980 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018.
Photos will NOT be returned.
Judie Rothermel's newest Aunt Grace collection, KEEPSAKES, draws inspiration from her aunt's collection of charming novelty motifs. If you're looking for the perfect fabrics for a
very special baby quilt, consider this collection's animal theme, a wonderful choice for blankets and related nursery items, sweet little dresses, baby accessories and more... here
Judie discusses the inspiration for her new line:
When I went to visit my Aunt Grace and to get piecing and quilting tips from her, she told me she always kept pieces of her favorite fabrics over the years in her
special bag. These were mostly novelty type prints, which she called "keepers", thus I created Aunt Grace Keepsakes. The last time I visited her before she was placed in a
nursing home, she took me into her bedroom, opened her cedar chest and pulled out this bag. She said, "Here, this is for you, Judie. I know you will appreciate what you find in
this bag." I never used the fabrics but have taken care of her bag. I now have a keeper bag of my own.
Judie is a true innovator in the quilting industry, as the first designer to develop reproduction fabrics for quilters worldwide. Judie marks her 25th year as a quilt fabric designer
in 2012, and her following continues to grow! She is probably best known for introducing quilters to the beauty of 1930's reproduction fabrics through her well-loved Aunt Grace series,
the original (and still the most popular) brand in the category today.
Long before she designed fabrics for Marcus, Judie's background as an antique quilt historian, collector, designer and shop owner had already given her a unique insight into the
most traditional segments of the market. And she continues to educate and inspire quilters today, as the designer of our growing family of Civil War series, and our museum-inspired
fabric collections, including collaborations with Old Sturbridge Village, the New England Quilt Museum, and the American Textile History Museum.
We at Marcus Fabrics are extremely proud of our long-standing design relationship with Judie, and we congratulate her for her 25 years as a fabric design icon.
