When needle-felting machines came out, I got one, and I love the effects I can create with scraps of fabric and fibers. 

I have to say that the most fun I've had at Quilting Arts so far--and I've had a lot of fun--is the parfait ice fabric dyeing party the QA team organized for everyone in our Sudbury office. Not only was it exciting to watch the ice-dyed fabrics blossom into spectacular, colorful surface design, but I enjoyed the reaction of my colleagues who've never dyed before when they saw the results

Hi Everyone! We just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being part of the community here and to let you know about some updates to our Community Rules and Guidelines. The social media landscape has changed a lot since we established our community here. You may have noticed the social sharing buttons at the top of all blogs and galleries to make it easier for you to engage in pinning, liking, tweeting, etc.

These days, in the quilting and sewing world it's hip to be square. The popularity of modern patchwork designs means that fiber artists are creating—and clamoring for—contemporary quilt block patterns for quilt designs and other patchwork projects.

'Dancing Trees' (detail) by Frieda Anderson. We choose to make art quilts (rather than traditional quilts) because we want to express our point of view with fabric and thread. With so many methods, tools, and techniques at our disposal, sometimes...

I usually have a variety of quilting designs kicking around in my head at any given time. But often, when I finally get around to actually designing a quilt, I draw a blank. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by fabric and surface design choices. Other times, I just don't know where to start.

What do you get when you challenge a bunch of mixed-media and fiber artists to create their own 9" x 9" fabric swatches to be swapped?

You get nearly 200 pieces of amazingly creative fabric and a whole lot of very happy artists.

That's just what happened when Quilting Arts' sister publication, Cloth Paper Scissors, held a fabric swap challenge earlier this year. The results are in the July/August issue, and I was so blown away by the textile artistry, I asked Editor Jenn Mason to share the details.

Just as the summer is winding down (sniff!), so is the celebration of 10 years of Quilting Arts Magazine. It's not a sad ending, though, because it's been really gratifying to revisit all the talented artists we've worked with and all the gorgeous artwork that has come through our offices and into our pages.