This week for Part 2 of our Virtual Quilting Bee, we’re going to talk about choosing fabric.

Are you ready to sew your first quilt? Congratulations, that is wonderful news! Nothing beats a warm, cozy, handmade quilt. They are wonderful for the home and make incredibly personal gifts for loved ones. Not only are they treasured goods, they are so much fun to make. Every step of the way can be embraced and enjoyed. That begins with choosing fabric.

With the right fabric, your clothes can help beat the heat.

Most of us are accustomed to the comfort of an air-conditioned or heated shelter, providing temporary relief from an outdoor climate that's often less than desirable. Such heating and cooling actually dominates residential and commercial energy consumption, accounting for a whopping 12.3 percent of total US energy use. As a result, emissions from maintaining our indoor environment affect the global climate outdoors.

Imagine this: it’s a sweltering hot day, the sun is blaring down at you, and beads of sweat have already begun to form on your face, the back of your neck, and your arms. You’re really trying to push yourself but as your body begins to warm up you can feel yourself slowing down.  Our cooling shirts can really bring relief – and then some!

I hope you’re excited to play along with our new Block of the Month series here on the Polka Dot Chair Blog. Whether you get your fabric online, on sale, or in a shop, buy yards at a time or just a fat quarter, you’re going to need to know how to pick quilt fabrics that coordinate with each other.  Today we are going to chat a bit about how to choose what fabric (and what colors of fabric) to use in your quilt.

What is Sustainable Living?
Today, sustainable living is a hot topic. Many people may have heard about sustainable living and are not sure exactly what it means. At its most basic, sustainable living means living a lifestyle that uses as few resources as possible and causes the least amount of environmental damage for future generations to deal with. There are many different forms of sustainable living, since the concept can apply to almost every part of daily life.

Antimicrobial products have long been used in healthcare environments – from curtain rails, wall claddingand furniture – to medical products such as breathing devices and communication systems.