Maria Michaels Designs

Note: Our earliest newsletters were sent as email messages. This is a copy of the text. Unfortunately, the pictures that went with them have disappeared. When and if possible, the images will be replaced at a later date. - Maria

Maria Michaels Designs

July Newsletter

We hope you enjoy our newsletters. They are scheduled to arrive in your mailbox during the first week of every month, with announcement issues emailed whenever new patterns become available on our website. Please feel free to pass them on to your quilting, needlepointing, and cross-stitching friends. Your suggestions, wishes, and recommendations are welcomed.

Due to deadlines and software problems, we were unable to offer our Santa’s Visit Block of the Month in mid June as stated on our website. We are working on it and will have it ready as soon as possible.

New sections have been added this month. We hope you will find them interesting and helpful.

If you have any problems receiving or reading this newsletter, let us know and you will be sent a plain text version.

Book Reviews

Correction:

Last month I heartily recommended Jennifer Chiaverini’s heartwarming Elm Creek series. I told you that there were three books in print only to find out a week later that there are four. I didn’t know about the third one. The first is The Quilter’s Apprentice; the second is Round Robin; the third is The Cross-Country Quilters; the fourth is The Runaway Quilt.

Fool’s Puzzle by Earlene Fowler

If you like mystery and mayhem, you will enjoy this series. Every title is the name of a quilt block and quilts are a part of every book though, not as extensively as in Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek series.

There are 9 books in the Benni Harper series. Fool’s Puzzle is the first, followed by: Irish Chain, Kansas Trouble, Goose in the Pond, Dove in the Window, Mariner’s Compass, Seven Sisters, Arkansas Traveler, Steps to the Altar. They are best read in order.

You can learn more about both authors and their series at http://www.earlenefowler.com/ and http://www.elmcreek.net/ where you will find free patterns for the quilts used in the titles and mentioned in the books.

The Art of Classic Quiltmaking – by Harriet Hargrave & Sharon Craig

Each chapter in this book focuses on a basic quiltmaking technique and shows you how to achieve the effects you want. It includes projects which are fun to make so that you can reinforce your new skills.

The Secret Garden in Cross Stitch – by Thea Gouverneur

Tulips, roses, and many other beautiful flowers can be found in this book which is full of lovely, full-colour photos and cross stitch projects.

Remember to support your local library!

Computer Tips

Spyware is a serious problem on our computers. It is often added to our hard drives when we download items from sites, and sometimes even without downloading. Ad-Aware is a freeware program that enables us to check our computers for spyware. You may be quite surprised the first time you run it. You will find it at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/index.html.

Our Monthly Draw for A Free Pattern

Every month subscribers to our newsletter have an opportunity to win a free pattern. Dinosaur Fantasy is this month’s prize.

Our winner for the month of July is “grannybrat1@……..”. Sorry, I don’t have a name to go with it, but I’m sure she’ll recognize herself.

Congratulations “Granny!” Please send us your mailing address and your pattern will be on its way.

Each winner has a month to request the prize won. This month's must be claimed before the August issue of our newsletter is sent out.

[Please note that names, email addresses, and postal addresses will be kept strictly private. They will not be shared. Their only use is for our newsletters and mailing prizes.]

Questions?

This month we are adding a new section to our newsletter: Questions and Answers.

Send in your questions about quilting, needlepoint, and cross stitch and I will answer them or find an expert who can.

Q: What is the value of a fabric?

A: Value is the degree of lightness or darkness of a colour and is very important to the success of a quilt pattern. Designs change depending upon the placement of different values and the use of a mixture of light, medium and dark values. Values can appear to change depending upon the fabrics around them as can be seen in this diagram.

Thesmall square in the centre of each quilt block is the same value of grey. Youcan see how it appears to be darker on the light backgrounds and lighter on the dark backgrounds.

Quilting Sites

The World Wide Quilting Page is a very popular website and most of you have likely been visiting it at http://ttsw.com/MainQuiltingPage.html, but did you know about the section on how to use Easy Piecing Triangle Templates?

You will find not only the instructions for an easy way to make these half-square and quarter-square triangles, but also how to use them, along with a free download of Easy Piecing Triangle templates at http://ttsw.com/Blocks/TrianglePapers/Triangles.html.

Quilting Tools

Clear Plastic Fabric Grippers can be found at your local quilt stores and some office supply stores. They are small, clear, round pieces of plastic with one sticky side. They can be placed on the backside of quilting rulers where they prevent the ruler from slipping on the fabric as you cut without obstructing your view of the ruler’s grid lines. They are very handy!

Something to Smile About

[By the way - this section won’t always be about Moms.] :-)

POSITION: Mom

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities.

Travel expenses not reimbursed.

Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills, such as nose-blowing and shoe-tying.

Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management.

Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus.

Must be able to think outside of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project.

Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life.

Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above-mentioned skills in conflict resolution.

Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns.

Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything."

Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices.

Also, must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name.

Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions such as "What makes the wind move?" on the fly.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION:

Virtually none.

Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required, unfortunately.

On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses.

A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, the job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

Remember:

You are invited to send in your questions, suggestions, hints and tips.

Ø Visit our website at www.mariamichaelsdesigns.com .

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