My grandmother always loved telling the story about when we went to Marie Calendar’s for my seventh birthday and offered to split a piece of cherry pie with me. When it came, she put it in front of me and told me to eat what I wanted and she will finish up. She continued to talk to my mom who was also out with us. I wasn’t very hungry after eating a big meal, so I just took a few cherries and gave it back to her. Before I knew it, she was laughing and exclaiming loudly that I took every cherry out of the pie and didn’t touch anything else. She was so amazed that I didn’t disturbed the pie filling or the crust. Until her death about 8 years ago, she thought that was the funniest thing and would tell the story to all who would listen. Looking back at it, I am glad it brought her so much pleasure even though I knew that there wasn’t much to the effort of eating them ALL since I only had 3 or 4. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her favorite restaurant just gipped us on the cherries.

If pie is your thing, be sure to visit our website to find three “pie day” buttons. Click on the button and not only get a great pattern for a pie quilt but also get a yummy recipe. The recipes at our shop are: Banana Rum Cream Pie, Chocolate Pecan Chess Pie, and Buttermilk Shoofly Pie.

How Pie Days Works:

Celebrate FabShop Pie Days with us by visiting each of the participating online retailers who are offering specials on their websites in honor of National Peach Pie Day.

Visit each website during the 5-day promotional period and look for the page with our exclusive block design for a full pie or a slice of pie. When you find it, click to open a PDF download with a pie recipe and the directions for making the block.

There is a different pie recipe at each participating site so be sure visit them all to compile your very own pie cookbook!

FabShop August Pie Days

Saturday through Wednesday, August 21-25

Pies and Quilting – Both Yummy Treats! Contemplating the Creative Spirit Ronna Ross

Pies and Quilting – Both Yummy Treats! originally appeared on Contemplating the Creative Spirit on August 19, 2010.

I don’t know if you noticed, but if you are a Mark Lipinski fan you have missed his mug and pug on the last few issues of Quilter’s Home Magazine. Back in September, he resigned as the editor. He promises that he will be having many new projects as well as signing on for several new episodes of Quilt Out Loud™.

Mark Lipinski was elected to the Board of Directors for The Alliance for American Quilts. The Alliance for American Quilts is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to document, preserve, and share our American quilt heritage by collecting the rich stories that historic and contemporary quilts, and their makers, tell about our nation’s diverse peoples and their communities.

Mark Lipinski Joins All American Crafts, Inc. as Creative Director

All American Crafts, Inc., announced in a press release that Mark Lipinski, has been named Creative Director of All American Crafts combined print and online content.

In this newly created position, Lipinski will serve as Executive Editor for the Fall 2010 debut of his new concept, Mark Lipinski’s Create (. . .when one craft just isn’t enough). Create is a highly entertaining quarterly magazine devoted to the crafter and the crafting lifestyle. It’s a magazine written in the first person by Mark Lipinski and infused with his off the cuff, no holds barred humor and love of the creative spirit. Create is bursting with updated and trendsetting traditional arts and crafts projects, the latest techniques, new ideas and products, honest reviews, edgy editorial, and interesting and engaging interviews with the leaders of today’s DIY movement. Mark Lipinski’s Create is fearless inspiration for real people who love to create!

Lipinski will also take over the reigns of an existing All American Crafts title, Fabric Trends, starting with the Fall 2010 issue. Renamed, Mark Lipinski’s Fabric Trends, the content of this quarterly magazine will be greatly expanded to include quilts, as well as home dec projects and fashionable wearables. With the focus on introducing the latest fabric designs and contemporary fabric and project designers, the expanded title will be an entertaining, twist on the traditional pattern magazines.

Additionally, Lipinski has been named the newly appointed Executive Editor of, Christmas 365 magazine, beginning with the Fall 2010 issue. Christmas 365 is a quarterly publication and is the most recent addition in the All American Crafts publication lineup, debuting the first issue in the Fall of 2009.

As Creative Director, Lipinski will be responsible for the creation, development and production of various special interest publications for the company. Additionally, he will partner with All American Crafts, Inc., in the development of a more significant online presence for the company.

An internationally recognized quilting and lifestyle personality who was most recently the creator and Executive Editor of Mark Lipinski’s Quilter’s Home magazine, Lipinski changed the face of the quilt publishing industry with his take- no-hostages approach to a quilting lifestyle magazine.

In addition to his new position at All American Crafts, Lipinski is the designer of Mark Lipinski’s Home for Northcott fabric collections (www.northcott.com), designer and owner of Pickle Road Studios, is the co-host of QNNtv.com’s, Quilt Out Loud internet- based video show, the face of 3 thread collections for Aurifil thread (www.aurifil.com), sits on the Board of Directors of The Alliance for American Quilts (www.allianceforamericanquilts.org) and has recently signed with Berwick Offay ribbon (www.offray.com) as the designer for the development of special projects.

Way to go Mark!

Where in the World is Mark? Contemplating the Creative Spirit Ronna Ross

Where in the World is Mark? originally appeared on Contemplating the Creative Spirit on April 8, 2010.

In this day and age of social media everyone can get aquainted and stay connected to old friends through Facebook™, Twitter™, or Linkedin®. The internet brings us education, business, shopping, and multitude of news and information. But even more importantly the internet brings to us quilters, the most important people that matter , entertainment geared just for our tastes.

I was randomly searching the web, I came across several Online Quilting games. I was amazed that theses games existed. Keep in mind, I visited these sites only for a brief time. Some of the games might ask you to join their site or download a program. I did not see or have any problems with the sites being unsafe, but as with everything on the web, use your own judgement as you surf along.

Crazy Quilt Solitaire

This is probably the one that is the least like “quilting”, but as a solitare lover I had to include it. The purpose is to get all of your cards onto the home piles in the proper order. The cards are laided out in a crazy quilt fashion. But there is a trick…you must have a short end free to be able to use the card. The rules are tricky, but the game maker did a great job to give tutorials as you are playing so you can see an example immediately. You can play Crazy Quilt Solitare by following this link.

Quilting Time

Quilting Time seems to be the most accessible game on the net. I found it in several gaming sites. You can play online or download it. You can play online as a guest.

The purpose of the game is to build the puzzles (quilt blocks). You get points for building the block correctly and in a timely manner. As your blocks are made, you get to assemble the quilt. It is a great little game to test how well you know various blocks. It also would be a great teaching tool for anyone just beginning to quilt to see how patchwork is made. To play follow this link.

Patchworkz

Patchworkz is another puzzle building game, but does not have the traditional style blocks like Quilting Time. It is challenging but not too brain taxing. It also is kind of fun because you complete against another player. The thrill of trying not being beat makes up for the simplicity. It reminds me of the a game called Perfection that I played as a kid. You had to get all the shapes in the proper place before the timer went off. Did I mention that the patterns get harder with each level? You will have a lot of fun challenging yourself to get quilcker and quicker. To play follow the link.

Quilting Fun Online! Contemplating the Creative Spirit Ronna Ross

Quilting Fun Online! originally appeared on Contemplating the Creative Spirit on April 3, 2010.