February1, 2024 Penn Oaks Newsletter
President's Note
I hope everyone enjoyed our last zoom meeting with Julie Sefton I, also, enjoyed the interaction of everyone after our last month’s presentation. The order has been placed for those interested in her book.
February and March will also be zoom meetings and are listed below. Rachel Daisy Dodd will be zooming with us from Australia in February! In March, David Owen Hasting will be joining us from the Pacific NW in Washington. I have been following David and he is teaching classes in several quilt shows here on the east coast in the next few months. I hope to meet him at Quilt Con in February. Hope to see everyone at our upcoming winter time zoom meetings.
February 2/12/2024
- Rachel Dodd
- Creative Adventures with Racheldaisy
- Virtual Presentation
Rachael Daisy Dodd will present “Creative Adventures of RachaelDaisy”.
Aussie quilter Rachaeldaisy Dodd has been fondly described as a “kangaroo on a
pogo stick” in regards to her style, but the common theme throughout her quilts
is finding fresh ways to interpret conventional designs. She uses many 3D
elements such as Yo-Yos, Prairie Points, wool felt, appliqued denim, doilies
and trims. In this trunk show Rachaeldaisy shares a variety of her quilts in
different styles from pretty to modern, and their inspiration stories. Her book
Whizz Bang! Adventures in Folded Fabric, published with Quiltmania, has
inspired quilters around the world. As the name suggests it covers all the
techniques needed to inspire award winning folded fabric quilts.
March 3/11/2024
- David Owen Hasting
- Quilt Labels to Love
- Virtual
David Owen Hasting will present Quilt Labels to Love. He describes
his lecture as “ A simple and beautiful quilt label is like a signature on a
piece of art, and I truly believe quilts are art! Learn my techniques for
creating labels that preserve the important details of your creations. I
combine computer-printed custom labels with a woven logo label on my quilts to
give them a professional finish, and to record important details for posterity
(or for the recipient). Quilts are a wonderful art form, and you should sign
your work with a distinctive label. It’s a great opportunity for you to
consistently brand your quilts, especially those you gift to others at holidays
or other special occasions. It’s also an opportunity to weave in the story of
your quilt, so the story doesn’t get lost. Was the quilt made for a special
occasion? Was it made from a pattern, based on tradition, or is it a unique
design? Who were the makers, and where was it made? Are there special fabrics
used that require particular care? Imagine someone seeing your creation in the
future: what would you want them to know? I will walk participants through the
steps to create these beautiful labels and will share alternate labeling
methods that draw from my graphic design background.” https://davidowenhastings.com/
Debora Houck
The Challenge: Lets hear it for Barbie!
If you would like to participate, unleash you inner Barbie with at least a baby sized quilt to keep or donate. Go with a riot of pinks or pick your (or your daughters or nieces) favorite Barbie outfit to use as inspiration. We’re looking forward to seeing what you can come up with!
Rikki and Kathy
2023 Board
President - Carolyn Davis
Program Chair - Deb Houck
Assistant to Programs - Elaine Mayer
Treasurer - Rita Marie Smith
Recording Secretary - Kelly Meanix
Corresponding Secretary - Ellen McMillen
Membership - Denise Blake-Elaine Egan
Ways & Means - Jen Burke
Scraps and Pieces From The Textile World
With so much everything available everywhere, all the time, finding content worth your time and attention can be a struggle. To quote marketing guru Seth Godin, “Where we choose to direct our gaze determines not only what we learn or believe, but how we choose to see the world.” To help you narrow down the options, we’ve identified 10 Substacks that provide information, inspiration, and community for creative entrepreneurs.
What is a Substack?
Founded in 2017, Substack is an easy-to-use platform for the publication, distribution, and monetization of content. This content can take just about any form: text, images, audio, or video. A Substack can be a newsletter, a blog, a podcast, a digital magazine, a serialized novel, or a community conversation. The creator of each Substack retains ownership and control of the content and the subscriber list. Each creator decides whether to offer paid subscriptions and which (if any) content lives behind the paywall. Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue.
Big-name authors, such as Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Nick Offerman enjoy the freedom to write what they like and communicate directly with fans without the mediation of a publisher or a social media algorithm. The subscription model eliminates infiltration by trolls. Because the platform is easy and free to use, there are Substacks on just about any subject you could name, no matter how niche.
Our choices focus on well-produced, regularly published content on craft and craft-adjacent topics. All offer a free subscription option, so you can see if a Substack is a good fit for your interests without any financial commitment.
Austin Kleon
The best-selling author of Steal Like an Artist publishes two newsletter-style posts each week: one for all subscribers and one for paid subscribers only. His content is focused on living a creative life and keeping the artistic fires burning. The weekly free newsletter centers around a list of 10 Things Worth Sharing—links to all sorts of interesting things. Paid subscribers have access to his content archive.
The Gusset
Sarah C. Swett is a fine-art tapestry weaver and cartoonist. Her delightful weekly newsletter is richly illustrated with her cartoons about life as a maker. Swett’s work is whimsical and peppered with nuggets of technique, from building your own pipe loom to spinning yarn from used coffee filters. None of the posts are hidden behind a paywall, but paid subscriptions are welcomed.
The Handmade Garden newsletter is from Lorene Edwards Forkner, a Pacific Northwest gardener who makes gorgeous watercolor studies of natural elements.
The Art of Fiber
Jodie Morgan is an Australian knitter and crocheter. The focus of her Substack is curation of products and technique resources. Her weekly newsletters for all subscribers are packed with yarn store tours, trivia, updates on her works-in-progress, and product recommendations. Paid subscribers have access to the Ask Jodie advice column, full content archive, and tutorial extras.
The Craft of Clothes
Australian clothing designer Liz Haywood writes about sustainable clothing and zero-waste sewing. Her monthly newsletters for all subscribers include information about her patterns, updates on ongoing projects, and links to other zero-waste fashion resources. At the time of writing, there is no option for paid subscriptions; all content is free.
Subversive Substack
Julie Jackson is the creator of Subversive Cross Stitch, a brand known for its cheeky take on this traditional craft. A free subscription will get you a twice weekly newsletter with info on promotions and new products. Paid subscribers receive a free pattern each month, along with the ability to comment, enter giveaways, and access the archives.
The Sewing Machine Newsletter
California sewing machine technician Cale Schoenberg publishes a more-or-less weekly newsletter with everything you never knew you wanted to know about sewing machines. This well-written newsletter is an enjoyable read even for those with only a passing interest in sewing. The regular newsletter is free; paid subscribers get exclusive posts, access to the archive, and can post comments.
Everyday Knitter
Knitting designer Louise Tilbrook publishes a weekly newsletter about knitting and life. Tilbrook has built a lovely community on Substack; the comments on her posts are friendly, warm, and supportive. Paid subscribers get a second weekly email and the ability to participate in a virtual book club and access the archive.
The Gusset is a weekly newsletter richly illustrated with Sarah C. Swett’s cartoons about life as a maker.
A Handmade Garden
Lorene Edwards Forkner is a Pacific Northwest gardener who makes gorgeous watercolor studies of natural elements. Her free weekly newsletter is a compilation of her daily color studies and a wellspring of color inspiration for any artist or designer. Paid subscribers get exclusive posts and access to the archives.
SoulSpace Notes
Weaver Christine Jablonski writes a more-or-less monthly newsletter about her weaving projects and patterns. Her newsletters are full of technical information and lots of enticing photos. Current newsletters are free to subscribers, but the archives are behind a paywall.
Breakfast of Champignons
The title of this Substack tells you a lot about the sly humor on display in this newsletter from English printmaker Deb Champion. Her weekly newsletter includes watercolors from her sketchbook, process photos of her printmaking, and hilariously told stories. None of the content is behind a paywall.
We hope one or more of these Substacks enriches your creative practice. While all these authors make at least some of their content available for free, most consider their Substack part of their income stream. If you have the means and find yourself eagerly anticipating the next newsletter to land in your inbox, upgrade to a paid subscription. Creative work deserves compensation!
Interested in creating a Substack of your own? Check out our article. Want to Make Money with Your Newsletter? Try Substack, for tips on getting started.
