::Scrappalicious Double-Trouble Quilt::

Thanks to Sandie the Double-Trouble quilt is quilted and hopefully bound with Kei Dots (also Sandie’s suggestion) by the time I hit the Gig Harbor Guild tomorrow for a lecture on Quilting Modern.

You know I’ve got a thing for triangles right?

The double-trouble block originated from a quilt we designed for Quilting Modern called Swirling Medallion.

This quilt went through some morphs before ending here with the triple diamonds.  Here’s just examples of what you can do with this block.

Chevrons or zig-zags.

Multiple diamonds.

Blocks on point.

Alternating side blocks,

and my favorite, the big radiating diamond medallion.

I have a bunch of leftovers that I’m hoping will make it into something soon.

Looking at these photos makes me so happy to have a large grey design wall now.

Happy Tuesday!

Read Full Post »

::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!

Read Full Post »

::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!

———————————————

Read Full Post »

::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!

Read Full Post »

::Modern Crazy Piecing Play::

I’ve had two quilts in process for Jacquie’s and my crazy piecing class on May 22nd at Island Quilter.

I almost scratched this one, thinking it didn’t have enough dark values, but you know what?  No dark values=softer mellow feel and for a baby quilt that’s just perfect.  Everyone loves a mellow baby.

I had to confine myself with some masking tape on my wall to keep my size down.  My tendency is to get larger and larger.

With the floor freshly mopped I basted it this morning and didn’t even have to move the table out because of its wee size.

I have a HUGE tote full of neutral scraps and I crazy pieced a load of those into the background as well.  It just needed something in those zones.

I’m thinking sky blue vertical lines for quilting.  I want it to retain it’s soft drape and I only have cotton batting, so I’ll have to refrain from getting them too close together.

Then I couldn’t resist putting this up on the blank design wall.  All of it except the four rows that won’t fit.  Triangles are Saturdays class.  Large it will be.  My original plan was a lap quilt, but dreamt of it on our bed…then I thought, what the hell, what man wouldn’t want to sleep under mermaids with sea stars as pasties?

It needs some rearranging and those extra four rows, but I like it, all scrappy and such.

Roan’s been on the couch for three days with a virus, so my sewing time and catching up with him on Dr. Who has been steady.  If you’re an Instagrammer then I have also been destashing.  I’m here.

——————————————————————————

The Flip Triangle is a day-long workshop where we’ll get you off to a great start in creating a modern quilt with sharp points and design.  Choosing fabrics for high impact, proper technique for cutting and successful piecing of triangle blocks will be covered.  Great class for beginners, but all levels of sewists welcome.

Experience: all levels welcome; great for beginners

Date: Saturday, May 4th 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Drygoods Designs in Ballard

 

Read Full Post »

::Scattered Quilt::

Scattered has been finished for a bit, but the Seattle spring weather is rather temperamental, so photos haven’t really been an option.  The times between the hail, rain and sunshine I’ve snapped some photos, but they’ve provided this quilt no justice when it comes to showcasing its true colors.  The yarn dyed denim in person makes the crimson bits appear extremely saturated.

Nice of them to build that blue building in front of my view of downtown Seattle eh?

Yarn dyed Essex linen eats thread, and by that I mean you really can’t see it, but creates the best quilted texture!  I started with an off-centered rectangle in lavender thread and went round and round.

As I got further from the center the rectangle naturally became more curved.  I love the effect.  I got the idea from this amazing quilt by Karen.  I gravitate towards any quilting design that is continuous or runs off the edge, I’m not a stay-stitch or burying threads kinda quilter.

I’ve certainly dug through the stash on this one.  Really old Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Erin McMorris Park Slope (one of my favorite lines ever), Echino, and Denyse Schmidt.

I self bound it in the same linen.  I thought an addition of bits into the binding would have been a great effect, but got lazy. Backing by Echino polishes off this quilt nicely.  The drape is amazing combined with the linen.

And it matches my lilacs.

Scattered is a remake of my Split Decision quilt that I use as a class sample for teaching Slice and Insert.  I wanted to create another layout using the slice and insert technique to showcase the design potential of this technique.  Jacquie and I will be teaching Slice and Insert on Monday, May 20th at Island Quilter and I will hold another workshop on Saturday, June 29th at the Quilting Loft under the name Split Decision.

Happy Monday and first day of Spring Break for use public school people in Seattle.

Read Full Post »

::Weekend Recap::

I headed over to Island Quilter for Friday and Saturday open quilting studio and two classes this weekend.  I spent some time Friday night producing some crazy piecing that looks very Easter eggy once I got it up.  It still needs a plan.

Anja and I also did some brainstorming about the space for the upcoming May workshops that Jacquie is coming out for (Check them out here.)

I did one of those random fabric shops.  Island Quilter carries a huge amount of Alexander Henry.  They have bolts from older collections that I won’t name because I want them for myself later and not at $25 yard from some ebayer.  The Modern Mecca line is my current favorite.

The Amy Butler fell in because of the color.  I’m addicted to the coral color way.

They carry the full line of shot cottons, so I always tuck one of those into every purchase to expand the variety of solids in my stash.

I’m pretty thrilled that Anja said she is bringing in the whole line of Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet, but to top that off, she is also bringing in the full line of the jewels too.  To me the jewels are the best active solids.

The weather was fabulous here, so we ended the weekend down the street at the brewery with friends before ordering pizza and lazing on the couch with a few episodes of Arrested Development.

Today I have a friend to visit and this mamma mamma to start sewing.  It’s a good thing the weather has turned.

Hope you got some sewing in!

 

Read Full Post »

::Quilting Modern Workshops::

YEAH!

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!

Read Full Post »

::Go East::

It must have been about 9 months or so ago that Laurel from the Tri-Cities Guild contacted me to asked if I would come over the Cascades to be the featured artist at their annual show.

The day had finally come, so Sandie and I hit the road on Thursday in her new Suburu.  We certainly had packed a blanket or two.

My last trip over the pass was the day I arrived in Seattle nine years ago.  I was six months pregnant and had driven through a snowstorm at dusk the evening before only to wake up that morning and do it again under the same conditions.

I can say two things for sure, I don’t miss snow, but I do like hanging out with my awesome friend Sandie, especially when she drives me places in her car with heated seats.

Her car truly looked like it could be in a Subaru commercial when we got through.  Though it wasn’t bad for us, the pass was apparently closed right after we made it through.  

Just like Austin, we stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn.  They had a great lounge with a separate area on the other side of a fireplace in which we made ourselves instantly comfortable every night.  We cracked up because the second morning they moved in “our” new furniture.  I loved these lights in the lobby.

Those Tri-City ladies worked their butts off and every single one of them made Sandie and I feel nothing but welcome.

We set up a table to sew and demo the techniques from Quilting Modern, but most of the time we spent talking with the attendees who were really interested in trying some new designs.

This lady is Miz Millie.  She is 97 and a half and had a quilt design in the show.  Her tribe had recreated the design in many different color combos for the show.

She already owned a copy of Quilting Modern and brought it over for me to sign.  When I asked her how long she’s been quilting, she responded with a chuckle, “Awhile.”

I enjoyed my time there and thank them for being such gracious hosts.  With over 400 quilts on display it was a pretty amazing show.  I meet some wonderful guild members and shop owners that invited me to come do workshops and trunk shows around the state.

I even managed to stitch down the binding on a quilt and finish the hand-stitching on three infinity scarves on the way home.

Now back to business.  I’ve got a lot on the class books this week.  Open studio on Wednesday at Drygoods and Friday at Island Quilter.

I’m itching to get a Value Quilt together as another sample for a class next week and some binding on another quilt for my Whole Cloth Quilt Class this week.  Invisible zipper pillows and zip pouch are Saturday!

Hope you’re getting your sewing in, looks like it will be a full week for me!

Read Full Post »

::Night Owl Quilt::

Oh, “Hi Night Owl!”  Did anyone have a baby that was a night owl?

The blue colorway and theme of Lizzy House’s Constellations line was perfect for a remake of the Supernova quilt from the book.

I searched through the stash for the focus fabric to be placed in the center.

Since I sized down the squares to four and a half inches this fabric needed to be small scale and “Not purple,” Jefe said (I still snuck some in).  I went with this cute owl print that Alexander Henry came up with some years ago.  I thought it fit the night time theme.  From there I started thinking about the color development for the rest of the quilt.

I was inspired by the colorway in this encaustic piece by Christine Terrell of Tincaustics that I picked up while in Austin.  This citron or chartruse color has taken me over.  I certainly need more fabric right?  So I moved onto hunting for some more of this color for the quilt and my stash.  My excuse was that they would help blend the lighter greens.

I did a few block alterations from the original book pattern to make it a little less square and more explosive.  Pulling a multitude of fabrics from the stash for all the different rounds was a fun way to use up a few smaller pieces that have been around.

This pattern is loose, fun and FAST!  I pulled it together in a few days.

I’d love to have this quilted for class tomorrow night in a woodgrain pattern, but need to pack up and get my lecture fine tuned for the Tri-Cities show this weekend.

I hope to meet you Friday or Saturday if you are on the east side of the state!

——————————————————–

::Supernove Workshop::

Tuesdays, March 19th and 26th from 6-9pm at Drygood Designs in Ballard.

This class will be a great opportunity to learn new techniques without intimidation. Play will both the shape and value in this class where you’ll take wonky star blocks to a whole new level with the Supernova Block.  The Supernova Block adds an improvisational triangle onto a traditional square block to create its swirling effect.  Your block design can go Supernova by creating one large block or multiple small blocks can create your quilt.

Read Full Post »