Meet Joanne Baeth - Excellence in Machine Quilting
Joanne Baeth was the winner of the Excellence in Machine Quilting category at Road to California this year.  She was kind enough to talk to TQS about how she created her quilt, Great Blue Herons, including some of her quilting, painting, and blocking techniques.

Get some tips, from one of the best...

Joanne is no stranger when it comes to awards.  Her quilt was also the Thread Artistry Award winner in Houston and another of her quilts, Sunset and Sandhill Cranes was Best of Show in Denver 2010.

"Painting" with Thread On the Set with Nancy Prince
Nancy came to TQS to share her secrets for "painting" with thread in Episode 1004.  She showed Alex and Ricky how to create an off-the-quilt thread painting: what stitches to use, how to size them, shade them, highlight and blend them. With Nancy's guidance,they learned to "pump up" a commercially printed fabric with thread and how to use their computer to convert a personal photo into a pattern.

Nancy also has a TQS classroom so you can learn more.  Click here to visit Nancy's classroom.

"Moo"velous Cow Parade
Come and watch the "Moo"velous Cow Parade which recently stampeded through Road To California 2012. This exhibit was curated by Mary Lou Weidman & Melanie McFarland. Mary Lou and Mel challenged their friends to use the "Purple Cow" pattern from "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks" to create a "Moo"velous quilt.

Share the Love Contest Reminder
Don't forget to send your creative Valentine ideas to Captain John. He needs all the help he can get to give Alex a Happy Valentine's Day.

The ideas do not need to be expensive, but creative. Also, we want to know what was the best Valentine gift you received?

Three winners will be selected at random to receive one of those Super Goodie bags from a recent studio taping.

Some come Share the Love and give us your ideas.

I love you more...by TQS divaquilts

TQS Member's Heart Quilts - Happy Valentine's Day
TQS loves and appreciates all of its members and wanted to share a few of its lovely member's "heart" quilts to celebrate Valentine's Day.

There are paper-pieced, appliqued, bargello, watercolor, pieced, raggedy, reproduction, and hand-dyed hearts to satisfy all!

Is your quilt one of them?

Why Quilts Matter - Episode 4 - What is Art?

This Friday, February 10, will introduce Episode 4 - What is Art? from the exciting 9-part series, Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics from producer and host, Shelly Zegart. If you missed any previous episodes they will remain available for viewing until March 31, 2012.  

This episode discusses, the art vs. craft debate: As a domestic object made by women for a practical purpose, the quilt falls squarely into the ‘craft' category, and a humble one, at that. But do some quilts become ‘art' when exhibited, like paintings, on a museum wall? Who decides "What is art?"

This episode  is available free to all Star Members through March 31, 2012. This is a gift for Star Members so make sure to be signed in.

Each week a new episode will be presented:

Episode 1 - Quilts 101 - Antique and Contemporary Quilts
Episode 2 - Quilts Bring History Alive
Episode 3 - The Quilt Marketplace
Episode 4 - What is Art?
Episode 5 - Gee's Bend: "The Most Famous Quilts in America?"
Episode 6 - How Quilts have been Viewed and Collected
Episode 7 - Empowering Women One Quilt at a Time
Episode 8 - Quilt Nation - 20,000,000 and Counting!
Episode 9 - Quilt Scholarship: Romance and Real

You can purchase your own copy of the DVD containing all nine episodes by clicking on the button below.

TQS Puzzle - Sunset and Sandhill Cranes - Joanne Baeth
Joanne Baeth's quilt, Sunset and Sandhill Cranes has won a number of awards including: AQS DesMoines 2009, Best Machine Workmanship, Denver Quilt Festival 2010, Best of Show, IQA Houston 2010, Best Pictoral, Road to California 2011, Masterpiece and Pacific West Quilt Show 2011, Best of Show. Her quilts are influenced by her environment.