RE search vs index

I have used quiltshops.com several times but never the index part. I find it is better if you know the manufacturer rather than a general subject unless it is specific like cardinals or pumpkins or cats. Yes, if you put in a color adjective,you will get every fabric that color. But try defining your sky--how about cloudy sky or watery sky. Or try "blue marble" with the quote marks or "blue strata." There are a lot of fabrics meant as water that also make wonderful skies. Light tone on tone batiks might also be pretty.

Another source for fabrics is ebay. You don't have to buy there, but if you put in sky fabric on ebay you are more likely to find things you want and often the description will tell you the manufacturer or the fabric line.

Hancocks of Paducah also has their fabric linked to a keyword. Again, you don't have to buy there but you might find fabrics that would work that you can keyword in elsewhere.

Hope this helps!

IMHO, They Trashed Their Search Engine

dutchrose, IMHO the Quilt Shops people trashed their search engine a couple of years ago and I wrote to them about the problem you described. You wrote in "sky" as your search and you wrote that you got "OMG!!! 123 pages, 4427 hits" which made the search utterly useless, right? And probably some of your "hits" included something like a jack-o-lantern which had absolutely nothing to do with "sky", right??

That's because the gabby quilt shop owners are now allowed to write veritable essays about the piece of fabric in their shop listing that include a lot more than a simple basic description of the piece of fabric. So the jack-o-lantern fabric picture might have the words "in front of a midnight sky" included in the text with the grinning pumpkin face and so it will show up in your search for "sky" fabric.

In order to find what you are looking for you will probably have to make your search a lot more specific and use the actual search page, not the index page. The search page allows you to list words you do not want to be found (like "flannel" or "stars" or "rainbow") which helps rule out a lot of goofy hits. Then add extras to your search, something like "sky cloud" (no quote marks) and see if that helps. Never use quotation marks.

I'll go and try and see what I can find ...

Okay!! I made some progress for you ..... you go to the search page and type in "sky cloud" as your search. The under the "words to ignore" part you type in "flannel star floating bird rainbow tree balloon" (no commas and no quote marks) and then you will get a result of only 177 items from multiple shops, page 1 of 5


Judy

sky fabric

i just checked with the BB because i need help (again), and the current topic just happens to be what i was going to ask. i wanted input on some favorite fabrics that imitate the sky because i am in charge of our raffle quilt and need to find a great sky for the background in our blocks.

because of the post for quiltshops.com -- which i had forgotten about! -- i just typed in "sky" to begin my search. OMG!!! 123 pages, 4427 hits, and for the life of me i can't figure out what some of the examples are even doing on the search!!! i've gone thru about 15 pages so far looking at a couple of pictures on each page and i'm underwhelmed with the results.

so now i revert to my original intent... i'm looking for a nice background sky fabric to use with birdhouses. does anyone have a good recommendation for me? it can have a little bit of another color and i don't want it solid, just light and airy with good texture. any links, names, or style numbers appreciated.

thanx,
dutchrose ---{-@

Search Online quilt shops at this link

Perhaps you quilters who order fabrics online already know of this link but I just found it this morning. You can search 200 online shops for a particular kind of fabric.
JudyPete

http://www.quiltshops.com/index.html

Kansas Quilt Show

I know there are a few Kansas quilters here, so I'd like to share our upcoming quilt show.

Crossroads Quilt Guild Quilt Show
Sept. 27, 2008
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
St. Thomas Parish Center
Stockton, KS

Admission $2.00
Food stand provided.

Join us if you can!

Check out our beautiful raffle quilt at crossroadquilters.org

Happy Quilting!
Karen in KS

Hopefully a Better Picture of Fabric Needed

Here is a better picture of the blue fabric that I need.

Does anyone remember the website where you post
your request for fabrics with a picture that is scanned
by fabric stores?

Sandra from SC lightningsjATjunoDOTcom

Fabric Needed

If you happen to have this fabric in your stash (the blue fabric), please let me buy it from you. I need between 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 yards for a binding on my husband's quilt. The triangular border is all that I have left to hand quilt and then to attach the binding.

Thanks, Sandra from SC
Please email me at lightningsjATjunoDOTcom

Related to Judy's sash

When I saw Judy's sash photo, it reminded me of something I saw at a quilt show one time and thought I'd pose a question here. The guild members hosting the show had each made a sash similar to the girl scout sash except it draped in a V more like a necklace instead of a "beauty queen" style (I hope that makes sense). They used these to display pins from quilt shops, shows, clubs, etc. I had thought it would be simple to do the same but I've not come up with anything that looked as good as these. Does anybody have a pattern for such a sash or know if there's one floating around somewhere?

The Oddest Photo Ever Posted on The WWQP Blog

Well, now, here is a museum piece for you, an old Girl Scout badge sash from the late 1950s which I dug out from my box of high school memorabilia not too long ago. I had enjoyed viewing an online tour of Libby Lehman's studio in her home in Texas and along one wall in her studio design room she has an array of all of her many ribbons she has won over the years. At the beginning of her display of ribbons (1st place, Best of Show, etc.) is her Girl Scout badge sash. When I saw Libby's sash on display I thought to myself "Well, if Libby Lehman can display her badge sash in her sewing room, I can display mine, too!" And so I got mine out.

As I was tidying up my sewing room this afternoon I got to thinking about badge requirements of long ago and wondered if they were still as strict. (I doubt it.) I also began wondering what it would take to earn a Quilting badge .... a grown-up Quilting badge, not a kid's badge earned in a year.

Aren't I mean to think of such a thing? But wouldn't it be interesting to have some national or international standard (kind of like a driver's license) that would say "Now you are a Quilter".

Or have I been inhaling too much lint today? LOL

RAEANN L.

Raeann, please email me. I tried getting in touch with you, but my email bounced.
lightningsjATjunoDOTcom Thanks, Sandra from SC.