::Market and Quilting Modern::

Jacquie and I will be hooking up today at 3pm for a book signing at the Interweave (F+W) booth here in Portland at Market.  I’ll hope to get an updated photo today.

I wanted to drop a late minute reminder to those of you thinking of attending our workshops at Island Quilter this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that there are a couple spots left.  Lodging is available (in fact Jacquie and I will be staying at Camp Burton too!)  Really hope you can come take in a class and some time on the island.
Quilting Modern Workshops at Island Quilter on Vashon Island May 20th, 21st and 22nd are up on the website!

Lodging at Camp Burton is available from Sunday May 19th through May 23rd. Choose from single, double and triple occupancy.  Please contact Island Quilter with any questions in regards to lodging.

Please be sure to check the current ferry schedule for departure times and which terminal location is best for you.

Here’s the line-up:

Slice and Dice Workshop/Slice and Insert Technique and Projects:

Monday, May 20th from 10am-5pm/snacks and light lunch included.

Join authors Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen for a full day workshop focusing on the improvisational Slice and Insert piecing technique from their book Quilting Modern:  Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts. Learn the basic technique and a new adaptation, a foolproof strategy for matching inserts, simple techniques for adding complexity to a design as well as how to work with even width and wedge shaped inserts.  Combine simple sewing with a new skill and create your own linear design.  Katie and Jacquie will share quilts from the book as well as new designs to inspire you.

All Hexagons All the Time Workshop:

Tuesday, May 21st from noon-6pm/snacks included

Love hexagons, but dread hand piecing?  Love sewing hexagons by machine, but find marking tedious?  Be prepared to love machine-piecing hexagons and master the dreaded Y-seam with ease.  Students will make the All Hexagons All the Time lap-sized quilt and sew all those hexagons with no marking.  In addition Katie and Jacquie will teach a quick and easy technique for cutting all those hexagons in no time.

Going Crazy Workshop/Modern Crazy Piecing:

Wednesday, May 22nd from 10am-5pm/snacks and light lunch included.

Step into the present with this modern version of crazy piecing from the Going Crazy Chapter in Quilting Modern:  Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts.  Katie and Jacquie’s free-flowing take on this technique will leave you inspired to find a place for crazy-piecing in every project!  Once you’ve mastered the technique, we’ll focus on finding a place for those crazy pieced sections in your quilt.  Jacquie and Katie will share multiple projects to spark your creativity and set you on the path to your own crazy-pieced design.

We’re really looking forward to these workshops!

::Echino::

Drygoods Designs had a lovely pillow made with this line of Echino in their spring window for awhile.  Keli always creates such showstopper windows.

I love the colors, the patchwork look and the different print designs of each square.  I got to thinking of the condition of our couch cushions, especially after Jefe’s wine glass got into a fight with that lego piece and peppered them in red.  I started formulating a pillow plan.

The Starfruit Michael Miller Cotton Couture might or might not become piping.  I plan on combining these with some other Echino in my stash.  The shop also carries an extra wide muslin that I like to line my pillows with.

Drygoods is celebrating their anniversary!  Here’s the details:

It starts on Monday and ends Friday night. Code is HAPPY30 – spend $30 on fabric (not other products) and receive 30% off. A lucky shopper who uses the code will be announced to receive their order on us (all purchases made with the code will be entered into a drawing).

Happy Shopping!  I’m having a great time at Quilt Market so far.

::Nine-Boxed Quilt::

Some quilts take time to finish.  Mostly because those other quilt ideas get in the way.  Sometimes even those quilts take awhile too.  I’m pretty sure I have a box of those “ideas.”

When I looked at the November date on this photo and the rainy blustery day I was thankful that it looked like this today.

Nine-Boxed’s original story and making details are here, but as I said it sat for awhile and on a quilting exhibition to Sandie’s for another quilt I thought why not just quilt it too.  She happen to have this design board already loaded so we went with it.

I’ll admit this quilt has grown on me a bit.  I wasn’t so sure I liked it at first and am now kinda wishing as I look at the photo that maybe I could have at the very least thrown it in the dryer for a bit to decrease it, poor thing has been rolled up in the closet for a month or longer.

In person it is really the Carolina Chambray that makes all those bits shine.  The blocks consist of a simple nine-patch made improvisationally.  Links to a few tutorials on the technique are also available on the original post about this quilt.

My twist was adding in a block when creating the nine-patch block that was entirely made of strip-piecing.  I’ve got a whole tote that contains scraps that are strips and they were calling me.  There are some goodies in there.

I also added a block of background fabric into the nine-patch construction here and there.  I always like that “floating” look.

Backing I bought ages ago on sale when Drygoods first opened and for the binding I revisited that scrap strip tote for scraps of binding left over from other quilts.

It has no home yet.

I’m off to market tomorrow and then teaching workshops with Jacquie on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Come join us if you can!

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::Happy Mother’s Day::

We’re lying low for Mother’s Day.  We have a family dinner planned and the rest of the day is designated for cleaning out the new old Vanagon we just purchased. I’m promised a new hoodie from our neighborhood brewery once they are back in stock, but only on the condition that I retire my old Tractor Tavern one.  It said so in the card.

I treated myself to a spree at Stash in Columbia City.  Happy Mother’s Day to me!

The summer like weather in Seattle has gotten the best of me and I put together this combo while I was in the shop.  Stash is carrying a load of the Michael Miller Cotton Couture.  The quality and softness of these solids is incredible. I narrowed it down to these four and the prints.

I think I’ll splash in some dusty purple from my stash to pull in the Alexander Henry.  I’m so drawn to the colors of this print.

I’ve purchased this Tula Pink in another color way at Stash.  This is just another example of an good active solid.  Something to help meld other prints together in a quilt.

Roan, always such a serious child, gave me this for Mother’s Day.  I’m off to be as nice as a ninja, though I might skip being like a hippo and go for a run instead considering the amount of bacon and pancakes I just ate.

Happy Mother’s Day to you all.

::Binding Line-Up::

Ok, I’m going to go finish sewing the binding down on this quilt,

so I can start sewing the binding down on this one.  I’ve certainly had my fair share of quilt tops in need of quilting, but this is a first when it comes to a line up for binding!

::Splintered Quilt Starts::

I only have an Iphone photo, but after days of contemplating and practicing various designs the quilting has begun.

Simple and all over in design.  I like it, a lot.  Might be stiff as a board when I’m done however.

::Sunday Stash::

Sunshine in Seattle!  We might take a trip to Vashon today and that of course will involve a trip to Island Quilter.  Emily Cier has her quilts on exhibit there all month, so a trip is needed.  I love sewing in their windows on sunny days, but today will be a family trip.

I did some replacement shopping.  You know that feeling when you are running low on a favorite fabric and the panic sets in?  That’s how I was feeling with the red circled Aneela Hoey and the Wild Thyme in the dark green.  I love to have a dark value green in the stash, they are hard to come by.  The darker green has become a replacement for Amy Butler’s Wallflower in green that I still can’t believe they didn’t reprint along with the mustard yellow and pink.

A few of my stash additions from Island Quilter actually had purpose!

Out of print Alexander Henry Smitten Kitten is finally making an appearance in a quilt back and I needed the Aneela Hoey Circle Stripes to complete the binding.

The poppy red was a perfect match.  I’m so going to enjoy this fabric on the back and now am left with the blue color way for another.  I’ve got one more side to sew down and this quilt will be up for show.  Handling the wool batting takes a little getting use to.  I might create a little stability next time by serging the edge of the quilt before sewing the first side of the binding on.  But all is fine with a little wacky binding!

My other project was another ironing board cover.  I was excited to have the wider board, but Jefe didn’t like it for ironing his pants, so we went back to the old one.  I love this Dandy Lion home decor print.  It even looks pretty on the back of my bedroom door.

Island Quilter just got a restock of some new Alexander Henry fabrics, so off I go to get ready!  To me that’s like being a kid in a candy store.