::Quilted::

The Stash Archive Value quilt just needs binding.  TGIF!

Read Full Post »

::Stash Archive Value Quilt::

Another fun sample for the Color Value Workshop tomorrow.  It’s huge!

Hoping to show this one quilted by the end of the week.

Read Full Post »

::Spring To Stash::

Sunday Stash time!  I toured through the arboretum to take photos of Nicquelle’s Quilt last week and then made the most of my venture by heading to Stash in Columbia City.

Any excuse to head to a fabric store right?  I love the feel of fabric boutiques and Stephanie’s picks never disappoint.

I’ve been slowly collecting the Tula Pink Swallow fabric.  In my fabric quest I’ve been seeking out more ‘active solids.’ This tone on tone print is one of those that helps in binding all of my novelty prints together when digging through the stash with a project idea.

I felt the same when I discovered the Hexagon dots.  This citron color is climbing close to the top of the color list.  I love the brightness it brings when paired with lavender, aquas or crimson.

If you’re in the market for a great low volume fabric I would suggest nabbing some of this Dear Stella Paris Tower.  I am now thinking I should have bought more.

The Tula Pink Little Bits just seemed to jive with the whole stack.

So I actually got around to using some fabric this week.  This weekend I finished up the binding on this quilt that is currently in the wash.

I also am halfway through my new Value Quilt.  I am loving the on-point design.

And I picked new fabrics to make another Triangle pillow.  Looks like I could use a whole batch of spring pillows.

Happy Sunday!

Read Full Post »

::Spring To Seattle::

Niquelle’s Quilt is finished.  My intension now is to make a larger one that her family can lovingly use in her memory.

Since Seattle is in full bloom I detoured through the arboretum on my trip to Columbia City to visit Stash.  I knew the blossoms on the trees would fully compliment the soft colors in this quilt.

This tree and its low branch had photo shoot written all over it.

I love everything about this quilt.  Not only does it have some favorite prints thrown in there, but I included a mix of fabric types as well.

Flannel, double gauze, linen blends and quilting cottons are all present.  So sad to see the Amy Butler Wallflower in mustard and the Heather Ross Moons go, but so happy to see them in a quilt!  The tactile effect is hard to explain.  It is somewhat heavier than most quilts, but also light and soft.

I spent some time with my friend Sandie quilting it on her long arm.  I mentally struggle sometimes with not home machine quilting all my quilts, but quickly got over it on this one!  We quilted it with purple, pink and white variegated thread.

The swirl pattern is perfect and when I finish my mermaid one I will likely do the same.  Then I will do this design again and again and again… The pattern shows well from the back on the solids.

The side triangles that I cut in half (or actually in half plus a quarter-inch to make them an actual half triangle with binding on) to create the edges of the quilt went into the backing.  Some angle piecing went into its construction and some other scraps made their way in to create the panel.  I always seem to go vertical with back panels.

I finished it off with the Erin McMorris Weekends fabric that was included in the front.  Sorry, that’s a load of photos…can you tell I love it?!

Keli at Make*Do*Mend and I just added this class to the calendar.  If you wanna combine some fun fabrics together and learn some mad skills join us on Saturday, May 4th from 10am-4pm at the studio.

We’ve got some space in the value class tonight too.

Psychedelic Baby Block on the schedule for Saturday!

Read Full Post »

::Value In, Value Out::

Funny how my design wall has enlarged, yet I still need more room.  My plan is to create four squares on-point for this quilt to take it to my Seeing Value Workshop on Tuesday as a new sample.

This quilt is a long overdue thank you gift.

I’m holding a lot of medium value fabrics in my stash which leads to a blended look.  While I like the low contrast I still need to move some stuff around to make the corners of the squares a little more defined.  Rectangular would be fun too, maybe just three long ones.

Value Tutorial is here and more examples if you can do without the drive.

Off to Open Quilting Studio for the day!  Happy Wednesday.

Read Full Post »

::Design Wall Play Date::

I woke up early this morning and finished the last few seams on my Star-Gazer Quilt top.  It’s cute, simple and I love the colors.  I really need to make it outside for some photos to bring out the baby blue.

But instead I opted to stay indoors and play with that bin of unfinished projects I was telling you about.

The values could use some rearranging, but I love seeing stash in one place.  These blocks and eventual quilt will become a gift for someone who helped me out a few years ago.  It might get some gray cut in like this.  To be decided at a later date.

I only put it up to take it right down, but it was enough to get us reacquainted with one another.

And another kind of triangle is taking shape.  I got a bit more of it up before the sun went down.  It most definitly needs some more dark crimson to make it shine.  I’m curious of its final outcome.  It’s already quilted in my mind.  This will be a quilt for me!  All these favorite fabrics couldn’t possible leave my presence.  Because Jefe might likely not go for sleeping under mermaids, it might have to be my couch quilt backed in flannel.

Then for good measure I cut this leftover starburst to bits.  It might never turn into a thing, but sometimes when I don’t know what to do with something I think, “why the hell not?”  Coin quilt popped into my head, but I just bagged it for now.

I also waxed every square inch of my body that needed less Alaskan in its life and got my brows done.  I’m ready for Quiltcon.

Are you?

Read Full Post »

::Shattered Again::

Pulling sample fabrics for my Shattered Quilt Starter Workshop tonight.  Wanna join us?  There are spots!

(Photo by Rendy Tucker)

I loved playing with the recreation of this quilt in Carolina Chambray and Osnaburg.  The texture is fabulous with the velveteen on the back.

But now it’s time to try something new.

I wanna stick with the textured fabric, so I’m going with the Essex Linen, but I have some ideas with all this Echino that I’ve collected over the years.

I won’t have time for this idea anytime soon, but it might jettison to the top of the list a little faster now that I have a fabric stack.

Maybe I will see you tonight.

Tomorrow I’ve got a quilt top to show you!

Read Full Post »

::Like A Mix Tape::

This morning as I was pulling out samples for my Seeing Value Class on Saturday I was listening to KUOW.  They were covering the closing of Easy Street Records on lower Queen Anne.  At age 15 I got a work permit so I could work at my local record store, so their expose brought back a lot of memories.

I don’t remember my first 45, but in my rural Michigan town, taking our allowances and riding our bikes to the pharmacy to buy candy was slowly replaced with picking out something from the top 40.  Sadly, dancing to 65 Love Affair sticks in my head (but was better than Jolly Ranchers on my teeth) and that the purchase of my first album “Thriller” came much later.

I figured out the last actual album I bought was Bebel Gilberto’s Tanto Tempo, maybe 9 years ago.  Since my marriage and move to Seattle, KEXP and my husband have become my music libraries and I don’t think I have to fill you all in on where my mad cash goes.

So what does this have to do with quilting?

Remember the mix-tape (some of you might not)?  The idea was to create a play-list of your favorite songs, and if you were good at it, you could fit all your favorites within the 45 minutes each side of the cassette allowed while creating a flow to the music at the same time.

Really not unlike a value quilt in many ways.

You have a certain amount of space you want to fill or a certain size to your finished quilt.  Luck would have it that unlike a cassette you can choose your length.

In the case of a value quilt you have many genres of fabric that you love and you need to create a flow to make all those personalities blend.

The common theme, instead of being music is fabric and when the value of the fabrics is precisely placed a flow is created, just like a good mix-tape.

Sometimes, just like a mix-tape, you forget to hit pause in time or in the quilt’s case, you didn’t step back to check in on how values were blending and you lose the flow.  That’s what happened in the middle of this zig-zag and I just decided to leave it.

Of course mix-tapes were made for different people and the design layout of Value quilts can reflect the receiver too.  Zig Zags aren’t for everyone, just like Pearl Jam.

I won’t even get into low volume, that would be just too metaphoric.
———————————————————–

::Seeing Value Workshop:: $85 Saturday, January 19th from 10am-4pm at the West Seattle Stitch and Sew Studio.

Learn how color value can transform your quilt making design process.  Create multiple designs with your newfound knowledge of value and simple half square triangles.  All levels of sewists welcome.

::Whole Cloth Quilt Finishing Class:: $85/Tuesdays, January 22nd and 29th at Make*Do*Mend in Ballard.  Quilt top, batting, and a backing…baste, quilt, and bind!  Learn the essential basics of finishing a quilt without piecing a thing!  Create a simple crisp modern baby quilt while learning the process.  Quilting designs with a walking foot will be a covered.  Walking foot required.

Read Full Post »

::Different Perspectives::

Wanted: Seattle Quickbooks for Mac expert willing to trade for fabric or instruction!

I feel like I’m spinning my wheels here.  I finally stepped up to getting Quickbooks.  This led to upgrading my operating system which caused Word and other programs to be incompatible.  It sadly doesn’t stop there…I seem to have something not quite right with my systems preferences, so my folders and documents won’t open and to boot, everything I created on Friday doesn’t exist.  Insert deep breath here and acknowledge that Rome wasn’t build in a day.  I wish I wasn’t such a neophyte when it comes to computers, but I’ve come a long way.

The drag is, I haven’t had an ounce of time to sew.  The good news is classes are going well.  I’m in catch-up mode to show you all what we’ve been doing since I myself have nothing.

Last weekend at Make*Do*Mend Studio we covered what you can do with the Double Trouble Block.  It was fun to have the class filled with students from other classes plus a newbie.

A full class in itself is the best teaching tool because you have multiple fabric combinations that you didn’t pick out that create different looks.

Lights, darks, prints and solids all look different when laid out.  The design layout that the students are drawn to give you more examples of what the block can do.

Petrina had completely revamped her design once she got home.

Allison changed up her fabrics last minute so she could include them all.

Noelle went all solids and for some reason I’m lacking a photo.

It was convenient to have Drygoods Designs right next door when the design needed something added.

And what’s a trip to a fabric shop without a purchase?  Check out these beauties.  I’m in love with this Cloud 9 and that Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet, well I want it in every color.  On the bottom there, flannel!  Already have a quilt that this will back.

Wish me luck with Quickbooks!

——————————————————-Next Class———————————-

::Seeing Value Workshop:: $85 Saturday, January 19th from 10am-4pm at the West Seattle Stitch and Sew Studio.

Learn how color value can transform your quilt making design process.  Create multiple designs with your newfound knowledge of value and simple half square triangles.  All levels of sewists welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

::Whole Cloth Quilt Finishing Class:: $85/Tuesdays, January 22nd and 29th at Make*Do*Mend in Ballard.  Quilt top, batting, and a backing…baste, quilt, and bind!  Learn the essential basics of finishing a quilt without piecing a thing!  Create a simple crisp modern baby quilt while learning the process.  Quilting designs with a walking foot will be a covered.  Walking foot required.

Read Full Post »

::Crawling Back into Bed::

Too much going on, but all good.  Just wanna crawl back into bed!

When things slow down next week I’ve got some quilts to show ya.

Sunshine today in Seattle!

Read Full Post »