I’ve never worried much about thread color unless it’s patchwork on a pillow or an object that will cause some tension on the piecing.  When piecing dark and light fabrics together what thread colors do you all go for?

And while you have your thinking cap on…some suggestions on hand quilting resources would be great.

I knew you all would know.

I’ve fallen in love with this Alexander Henry fabric called Whispering Wing.  It has such luscious depth.  I think it has found its quilt design too.

I made myself a note yesterday as I was changing my needle to spread the word of an awesome product I’ve used for years,  Organ needles.  These sewing machine needles are super affordable, even less expensive than Joann’s with a coupon and generally free shipping. To boot they come in the cutest little package like chewing gum.

And then I actually did some sewing!

I’m sure it’s inspired by Cathrineholm designs, or maybe a coffee bean…  I own a few myself (Cathrineholm that is) and as a lover of Mid-Century design I am constantly keeping an affordable eye out for it.  Besides the design, the colors are great.  So I sketched out a quilt design and picked the fabric.  Now time to learn some curved technique.  I’m up for the challenge.

We’ve celebrated some little boys birthdays this month.  I tend to make pillows, above is the new batch. Cousin Sam got the pillow case with the robots in the back.  I tried just a simple encasement on one side to keep the pillow in, so easy!  It’s serged and lined, perfect for little boy pillowfights.  I kinda squeaked when I saw that I had used the same robots in the one last year.

We had a little learning moment when one of the boys made fun of Roan bringing a pillow as a gift (#!>*##! boy!).  Roan was a bit sad until I pointed out that Cousin Sam still sleeps every night with his gift and has long forgotten what his other friend gifted him.

The decorative one goes to our little Space boy Friend Gavin.  Roan and Gavin play hours of Star Wars together.  I got out the scrap bins and pulled mostly boy bits in primary.  Little bit of purple thrown in.

Off to sew and it seems High Fidelity is on the tube.  Perfect Sunday!

P.S.  For those that might be interested The Quilting Loft and I added on another Value Quilt Class.  I believe there is one space left.

I have a difficult time articulating what “modern quilting” means to me.

Jacquie said to me recently, “I can’t always explain it.   I just know it when I see it.”  I knew what she meant.

To me, “modern quilting” means fresh… current. It’s executed with wonderful fabric, unexpected design, and an intuitive process, all wrapped together with the inspired artists out there creating it.

My first “modern quilting moment” happened when I stumbled upon fabric that spoke to my creative side.  I’d found my artist’s medium.  Fabric’s my modern quilting muse.  Modern quilting wouldn’t exist for me with out the designer fabrics being produced today.  Surface design makes me giddy.

I’ve come to rely on some unexpected design element when it comes to the composition of a modern quilt.  Maybe some tweak of a color, shape, or proportion.  Often it’s something that makes the piece signature to the creator.

Undeniably, I see modern quilting as an adaptive, intuitive process.  Most of my quilting is a menagerie of technique.  Whether improvisational or more static, it evolves itself differently each time in its process of construction.  This process works well for me.  It allows me to execute my ideas, be adaptable to change when an issue in design’s construction arises, and forces me to take on learning new skills.

I love how personable the process is and look forward to the guild’s evolution.  How about you?

Improvisation doesn’t always work out.  The values aren’t jiving,   sometimes you can’t place the problem, maybe the fabric has the wrong feel… or you’re just trying out a new technique.  I was asked in my Improvisational Class if I ever just cut things off?

“Oh Yes!”  Here’s a general a week in review for me.

This pinwheel is was a star.  A very stuffy old school looking star made with DS Hope Valley.  I started with vision and giddy delight.  It showed me that new fabric doesn’t translate to modern look, even when you add wonk.

Hmmm…this just needs something.  I love the fabrics, they were the inspiration.  It’s not quite ready for the box, up on the board it waits.

Then my Sideways Sun.  I was practicing free cutting/piecing curves for an idea I have, but didn’t have the foresight that I would want this to go vertical.  That rain has a strong westerly wind driving it I guess.

Into the bin with it!

What do you all do with the inspirational cast offs?  Just curious.

March 4th, 6-9pm I will hold my Values Class at The Quilting Loft in Ballard.  We’ll study the importance of values in your patchwork by piecing half square triangles.  This is a great class if you struggle with fabric choices.

My two week Improvisational Patchwork Class will also be at The Quilting Loft in Ballard on March 11th and 18th from 6-9pm.  This class is super fun and all sorts of “thinking outside the box” technique will be studied.  The second class generally consists of making a pillow or more blocks for a future quilt, but I really am led by those that attend.  I’ve loved this class because of its free flow evolution, and always look forward to it.

April brings many changes to our life and some new classes will be listed at Fabric Crush.  Please feel free to email me if you wish to be added to the class emails.

Don’t forget about the Seattle Modern Quilting Guilds first meeting February 20th.  We’ve had amazing response and can’t wait to get acquainted with some other fine sewers!

I did manage this week to finish a wee pillow (12×12).  I left it in the hands of my wonderful coworker as a possible gift for a birthday party she’s attending.  The owls are from the Pottery Barn bedding called Brooke.  I was gifted a FQ and am always tempted to buy some.

Like all my pillows, it’s lined in muslin and the seams are serged.  I have some of the bits left so I am sure there will be some more in the making.  I LOVE the Alexander Henry Arvika and am always looking for it online.  If you run across the black and white let me know!

I did an invisible zip and the back is this sweet flannel that is almost gone.

Some other projects have been on the front burner.  In a shocking display of my perfectionist personality, I took the seam ripper to the quilt back I had completed AND basted to Roan’s quilt front.  I’m so happy I did, it wasn’t sitting right with me.

I’ve had the Alexander Henry fabric forever.  This won’t date me at all, but it reminds me of the Ah-Ha video, “Take On Me.”  Remember when you actually watched videos on MTV?

The dots are a flannel old school Amy Butler score on Ebay.  I have some of the blue left that I’ll stick up on Etsy when I get my act together.

Many other sticks in the fire of course, including a simple tied quilt like this.  Run out and buy yourself some of that Country Fair that’s at crazy discount all over!

This doesn’t happen much for me, but ALL this week, I couldn’t get my design idea down.

My HST blocks were sewn, but my very simple layout (something like this) wasn’t sitting right with me on the design wall.  I knew I wanted the colors, and the white downy flannel.  I went pin wheel, zig zag,  rearranged to on-point singles,  you know…the hst menagerie.  Concluding with deserving satisfaction on this.  I love flannel, I love matching points, I love the blockie color goodness.

Even if I was annoyed with my lack of inspiration this past week, my cup is now overflowing from the massive amount of left over blocks.  Acting on a small idea and seeing where it takes you can result in a few scraps.

Grandma Moses (Sew Mama Sew had this picture up, Love it.)

I’ve had thoughts of hand quilting this one, and am hoping to meet up with some awesome people to learn it with.  I’m happy to say The Seattle Modern Quilting Guild has received an incredibly enthusiastic response!

So a big call out to any crafty peeps out there wanting to be part of getting the Seattle Modern Quilting Guild off the ground.  You can now check us out/join HERE.  It will be giddy fun to talk sewing to others who want to do the same!  Sew Mama Sew’s forum also has a thread for getting a Sewing Circle together.  Go find yourself some stitchy friends.

Monday I have a few spaces available in my Nine Patch Workshop at Fabric Crush in Magnolia.  The workshop runs for two consecutive Mondays (January 25th and February 1st) from 12:30-2:30.

Like all of my classes, a traditional skill will be taught, but improvisational technique will be mixed in if a more modern/free pieced look appeals to you.  Proper value placement is all that is needed to make a simple quilt like this shine.

One of the best things about teaching quilting is the abundance of techniques available that belong to all of us.  Most of them require just a tweak to make a quilt of your own design.

Exaggerate them, block them in wonky, turn them on the diagonal, make them scrappy and uneven, anything goes.