::Stash Archive Value Quilt::

I’ve been busy cutting and trading charm squares.  The Seattle Modern Quilt Guild conducted a charm square exchange and then I’ve been exchanging with friends to add some print variety to my charm collection for an upcoming Value Quilt Workshop.

We’ve been pulling a single color and cutting 6″ squares for the trade.  Red, pink, orange, yellow and purple have been covered.  Grey tomorrow.  I’ve been destashing some extra sets here and there on my Instagram if you are looking to bulk up on some extra of a certain color.

Some of those charms have made their way into this stash quilt.  How delightful to see all the fabrics from my stash and others in a single quilt, no control on color, just value.

Now that I have a few of these value quilts, it’s nice to gaze at them and see the fabrics that have disappeared from my stash.  A Value Quilt is really a great tool to archive a fabric stash.

Since it kept growing and growing, finally finishing off queen size I decided that an all over quilt design was the way to go and made a date with Sandie to use her long arm.  I’m not even sure what this design is called, but it seemed so fitting.

This was my first foray with wool batting.  I like it’s loft.  It has little grip on the quilt top like cotton, so it will take some practice like all new things.

I considered serging the edge before applying the binding to help with the shifting, but ended up just going the regular route with little trouble.  This Aneela Hoey print was stuck in my head as the binding.

This Alexander Henry Smitten Kitten print has been hiding out in the stash for ages.  I picked it up for $6 yard on Ebay ages ago.  I’m still stashing the blue color way for another back.

It’s actually a print that I would have happily used solo if the yardage was ample, but it needed some width, so I added the blocks.

With the nights in Seattle still being comfortably cool we’ve already gotten some use out of this quilt.

Happy Father’s Day everyone!  I’m going back to bed, because I got up way too early.

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::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!

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::Hexying::

Officially a verb.

Only one more row to sew by machine.

Inspired by this fantastic load of laundry that is actually fun to fold.

This sample will be hanging soon for the machine quilting hexagon workshop in July.

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::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!

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::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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::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!

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::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.

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::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.

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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

 

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::Opposing Triangles Remake::

This is the second Opposing Triangles that I’ve pieced and my long arm quilter friend Krista Withers has quilted.  The first has been traveling with the modern quilts in the International Quilt Market and Festival Exhibit for about a year.  When Krista’s exhibit at Island Quilter came up she asked me if I would make another top for her to quilt and have as her own.

Because I just plain L-O-V-E this quilt I’ve been itching to get some photos before the quilt went back to Krista.  We’ve never managed to find the time until yesterday’s gorgeous Seattle day.

There’s quite a mix of fabrics for the triangles.  Echino, Kona, Alexander Henry Heath and Mirror Ball all surrounded by white Kona and placed into an Osnaburgh background.  I aligned them so that they travel one into another for a zig zagged effect.

Krista’s quilting on it is stellar of course and sinks into the Osnaburgh and wool batting nicely.  My favorite of the quilting are the subtle moons quilted in here and there.  There’s a balanced of straight line quilting with the outlined triangles and more whimsical quilting in the background.

Fremont was hopping and we made use of the park area under the Aurora Bridge by the lake.

It makes me itch to get mine back, though I must admit I think I like it better the second time around!

It’s not looking like the weekend weather will be as nice.  I’m off for a run before the rain comes and then a day of sewing.  Tomorrow I’m a spoiled brat and will be hanging out and teaching a Psychedelic Baby Block workshop with some of my favorite students.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

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::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.

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