Excess versus Necessity

Nikki Giovanni once told me that the largest issue that we needed to confront was that of excess versus necessity. Every economic system has it flaws, but capitalism relies on excessive waste to thrive. In order to maintain our social expectations we need to consume products quickly and appreciate the rationale behind built-in obsolescence and the quick paced creeping featurism of technology.
Bernard London coined the phrase planned obsolescence in his pamphlet, Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence. In the 1950s the amazing industrial designer, Brooks Stevens, reintroduced this concept to the public with his interpretation of planned obsolescence , "Instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary."
Capitalism was taken by surprise in 1960 when Vance Packard wrote his pivotal book, The Waste Makers, where he exposed "the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals." Nikki Giovanni said that we need to think about necessity and what re really need to be happy. Are our lives defined by possessing that latest gadget?
HA Schult is an artist forcing us to think about much larger issues than his "Trash People" sculptures. It is the conversation that artists start that reflects a society and its time. What do you think about the HA Schult's Trash People? Where do you stand in regards to the argument of Necessity versus Excess?

Liz and I have been fond supporters of recycling! This is especially true in our quilting studio. When we started quilting Liz and I were still in college and we could not really afford fabric, so we bought our first stash at an auction. Our bag of scraps from another quilter helped us begin our enriching journey. Then we started combing the thrift stores for wool skirts to make a vest for Liz, and blouses for interesting fabrics to use in our quilts. We still have some of those fabrics that we use from time to time.
Over the years we have made dozens of scrap quilts and in the Twirling Sunflower Quilt you can see the great use of scraps!
Gather up your scraps and stitch this colorful portrait of a dazzling sunflower. You can use your scrap collection as we have, or limit your palette by choosing just one or two fabrics. Either way, this delightful wall hanging is sure to add a touch of fall's splendor to your home.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars in difficulty (Easy/Moderate)
Finished Size: 18" × 21"
Designer(s): Liz Schwartz & Stephen Seifert
Technique(s): Foundation Paper Piecing

http://www.equiltpatterns.com/quiltpattern.php?products_id=744

Give Peace A Chance!

President Obama is trying to assist in finding an amicable resolution to the Mideast conflict again. I wish him luck and I will dream of world peace! The headline on MSNBC.MSN.com reads "Netanyahu calls Abbas his 'partner in peace',"which could be the beginning of something this world really needs, peace.

Clay Bennett truly sums up the issue with his cartoon ; )

http://www.claybennett.com/pages/israel_palestine.html

Liz and I designed this block in support of world unity! World Unity quilt block is a simple foundation paper pieced quilt block.

http://www.quiltswithstyle.com/main/Projects/World_Unity.html

Mecca Hits The Big Time For Islam!

The world's largest three billion dollar clock is a skyscraper over Mecca! The clock has four faces that are 141 feet across! This is huge! We may have to rename Big Ben in London. This amazingly ornate clock sides are decorated with more than 90 million glass mosaic pieces.

The construction of this clock was to mark the beginning of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, which is about a month of restraint from eating, drinking, and sexual activities from dawn to dusk. Fasting teaches Muslims the importance of patience, humility, and a deeper understanding of their spirituality. During this month Muslims set out to read the entire Qur'an through Tarawih.

Time will tell if this clock can hold this position of being the biggest clock in the world, as every nation wants to make the biggest everything! Maybe this clock will start the enlightenment of all humanity and wake us up to the fact that we share far more than the minor differences we have in belief. I will meditate over this as I quilt today ; )



Five Pillars of Islam
Designers: Liz Schwartz & Stephen Seifert
Finished Size: 90" × 102"
Rotary Cutting & Machine Piecing

Life for most Muslims is guided by a set of five core principals, or pillars. This quilt honors our Muslim friends with a design ghat symbolizes the relationship between the pillars and its people — a set of interlocked links that inextricably linked.

http://www.quiltswithstyle.com/main/Projects/Five_Pillars_of_Islam.html

Rings of Praise

Quilters love no more than an ordinary person, but they are loved for generations! ~ Stephen Seifert ~

Rings of Praise
Designers: Liz Schwartz & Stephen Seifert
Finished Size: 84" × 96"
Foundation Piecing
Ramadan, the most venerated month of the Islamic year is a time for renewal. During this time, muslims study the Qur'an and put those teachings into action. Colorful rings interlock and spread out, like prayers, to make this striking quilt.

Ramadan begins around August 11, 2010 and will finish on or around September 10, 2010.

Top 10 Reasons 2 Become a Quilter

Top 10 Reasons 2 Become a Quilter

Why do you quilt? Liz and I started because we were bored! Now we are quiltaholics! How about you? Over the years at our quilt lectures and classes we have heard many unique and fun reasons. It really doesn't matter why you started as long as you have fun doing it! So slow down and take some time for yourself!

10. Fabric scraps work great to clean up spills and beverage rings after a business party!

9. Get praise for being a talented stripper!

8. Confirm the existence of UFOs!

7. Learn to appreciate the joy of solitude!

6. Master the fine art of self defense while using extremely sharp objects!

5. Meet new people who share your passion for life!

4. Influence friends and family home decor with a stunning quilt or wall hanging!

3. Constant reminder of how important you are to others!

2. You alone can make a single scrap of fabric special!

1. Fabric, fabric, and more fabric!

Quilting is an art form for passionate people who love color and fabric. We find quilting to be an excellent way to express ourselves, especially our love!



Rush Hour Quilt Pattern is a fun way to use up those scraps that you can't part with. This tessellating pattern if fast and fun! Download the pattern today:

http://www.equiltpatterns.com/quiltpattern.php?cPath=15&products_id=312#LRG

A Quilter's Heart

Do quilters care? Do you care? There are many families that struggle to express their true affection for each other. Sometimes the approval of a father or mother can change a child's life when they need it most.
Whether words don't come easily or if they are unconsciously repressed, a quilter knows a transcendent language that touches the hearts of those that they love most without words. A quilt that we stitch for another person we love is not an heirloom, but a milestone in expressing our love. Intimate and timeless, quilts give the people we love a manifestation of our love, which will comfort and protect our loved ones without us being present, especially when they need us most. I am proud to be a quilter and your friend!

Quilter's Heart was in the January/February 2005 (Issue 50) of Quilts With Style magazine. Liz designed this splendid wall hanging for me! Eight hearts are cleverly hidden in this interlocking star. Soft and sweet, this quilt makes a lovely display for Valentine's day or for your favorite quilting friend. With so few foundation paper piecing foundations and the large pieces, this quilt can easily be made in a day. Treat yourself to a day of sewing with this tempting calorie free wall hanging and share the love.

Garden Gate Daisy Mum

Check out the latest addition to our Garden Gate quilt pattern collection, Garden Gate Daisy Mum, this foundation paper pieced pattern is moderately challenging, but well worth the work! This quilt inspired me and I wrote a little poem below.


To My Quilting Mistress

When you, gifted quilter
full of joy and love, awaken
The bounty of bliss and a welcome family
will open hearts and mind to me,
and unravel my quilt to be.

Fine fabric and your inspiration
will stitch a patchwork pieced with warm affection,
A quilt embodying purity
bound by the hand of love,
together we glow with pride.

Beauty that makes me weep, laugh, and share
a quilt, together we are one;
Humility grows in the heart
as my pride wanes, and you come to life
warming souls for generations to come.

Hot Embroidery Digitizing by Louis Saha

What a great father's day surprise, a new truck! Through the unique marriage of computer technology and embroidery machines you can get anything digitized for your embroidery pleasure.

This accordion embroidery is so detailed that you can almost hear music! Whether you love a lively polka by Myron Floren or John Mellencamp's The Lonesome Jubilee or Mexican cumbia of Policarpo Calle's La Porra Caimanera.


Custom embroidery digitizing is really getting to be awesome! It is amazing how vector artists have mastered the art of illustration with that of the home embroidery machine. Louis Saha is a Vector artist and he is available to do custom embroidery designs of any complexity. Check out his work!

If you are looking for any custom embroidery digitizing contact Louis Saha:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000946331037&v=photos#!/profile.php?id=100000946331037&v=info


You may want to incorporate a few custom embroidery motifs in your next quilt! If you know of other embroidery digitizing artists let me know and I will check them out!

Endless Knot Quilt

Liz and I have been busy in the sewing room and through the support of our friends and fans Liz and I have decided to call our latest pattern the Endless Knot Quilt. This knot pattern looks simple, but it was really difficult to design. We wanted to make it as easy as possible and after about 32 hours of designing the pattern we knew that we had succeeded. The Endless Knot Quilt pattern is based on the more than three thousand year old Shrivatsa knot design found in the endless knot of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism.
Liz and I were able to stitch this beauty in about 8 hours and it was really fun! The foundation paper pieced pattern gives you the accuracy and precision we all have come to expect from this technique, which saves quite a bit of time.
This traditional Tibetan Shrivatsa Knot geometric design symbolizes the nature of reality. According to Buddhism everything is interrelated, interconnected, and interdependent and only exists as part of a web of dharma and karma. This knot has no beginning or end and it represents the infinite wisdom of the Buddha, and the union of compassion and wisdom. The knot reflects the relativity of time and the continuity of life as it is endless. The Endless Knot is one of the design motifs found in the Buddhist Eight Auspicious Symbols which represents the different forms of the Buddha.
Robert Beer points out in his book, The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, on page 171 that the Auspicious Symbols dates back to the Vedic Period (c.1500–c.800 B.C.). The endless knot is popular because if shares many similarities with Celtic designs.
The endless knot has inspired many designers and will continue to ignite creative designs well into the future.

Refracted Light Quilt

Refracted Light Quilt
designed by Liz Schwartz and Stephen Seifert

I absolutely love Modern art, especially the work of Josef Albers. As a passionate quilter I can appreciate his words, "Color is like cooking. The cook puts in more or less salt, that's the difference." Fabric is our choice of spice which leaves impressions so deep that they touch our hearts.
In our Refracted Light Quilt Liz used scraps of fabric for this projects. We love using fabric scraps and this project screamed for them. Liz and I choose to use black as the background fabric for this quilt to give the color wheel a stained glass effect, but a white background would have been nice too.

Fashion a quilted color wheel for your sewing studio to help you create winning color schemes every time. This wall hanging is as beautiful as it is practical! Stitch a striking blossom, Giant Dahlia, by using bright florals to make this amazing alternative quilt that resembles a blossoming flower.
Some quilters have a difficult time picking fabric for quilts and if you need an instant expert you should consider asking your local quilt shop owner or an employee to assist you in choosing the right fabrics next time you visit your local quilt shop. Trial and error will help you improve your color eye and confidence.
Color is a quilters most powerful tool to convey mood, relationship, and style. Have fun with your color wheel and trust your instincts!

Quick Quilt Tip — Ask quilt shop employees for fabric color help when in doubt ; )