::Random Happenings::

With little time between work, book stuff and teaching I’ve focused on finishing quick projects that are ‘needed’ around the house.

Like an extra curtain, to keep out that extra morning light daylight savings brought us.  Made with fabric from the wonderful Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Fabrics (blog here).  I think I bought all the yardage she had.

The extra yardage from the curtains with some help from Pink Chalk’s sale flannel went into a whole cloth quilt for a very special baby.  I did the double binding again.

I could probably fill my living room floor to ceiling with pillows, but with an invisible zipper pillow class on the 22nd I thought some new samples were in order.  I fell hard for this new Amy Butler when I went to see Keli of Drygoods Design.  She pulled it off the shelf and the next minute I was walking out with it.

And seeing as we finally got around to getting a new cover made for the ottoman it seemed fitting to have something matchie-matchie.  That’s my excuse at least.

Now I need to get that Kaleidoscoping God’s Eye Quilt off the design wall and make this wee man a Unknown Direction quilt of his own.

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::Birthday Boys::

Brothers, and still young enough to be gifted a pillow, maybe even love it.

That little robot kills me.  He’s so stinkin’ cute.

On the flip side of the pillow, celebrating the 4th revolution around the sun.  I went with some corduroy that I’ve had around and never use.  This one I finished with an invisible zipper (I just redid my tutorial).

I popped this out of print Alexander Henry into my destash with some coordinates for making a pillow too.

For older brother, robots as well.  This print is flannel and I wish I had bought enough for a quilt back, just got scraps.

Big Boys dream in robot too.  Happy 6th revolution…

spinning on this lovely home.

Many smiles to you this year.

I know your Momma will like them too, because she gifted me some of the fabric.

I’m try to fit in some quilting today.

Happy Saturday!

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::FaceLift::

Our couch and my Add Zip to Your Pillow Invisible Zipper Tutorial both needed a facelift.

I think installing an invisible zipper just got easier than it already was.

Now that my couch is happy, I’m off to mop and baste.

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Destash

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::Sheets of Rain Quilt::

Ever since Crazy Mom Quilt’s Ticker Tape Quilt I’ve had a quilt idea in my head.  A quilt with “ticker taped’ raindrops.  So appropriate for Seattle.

However, over the year or so the quilt idea has evolved from a ‘quilt as you go’ quilt with appliqued raindrops to a free motion quilt with a continuous raindrop stitch AND raindrop appliques.

My plan is to not go through all three layers of the quilt when ladder stitching the raindrops down, so that the continuous raindrop stitching is all that shows through on the back.

The raindrop stitches are complete and the binding is stitched down, all that’s left are the appliqued raindrops.  I’m thinking mostly primary color here.

It’s like a thunder storm on the front (which rarely occur here in Seattle and I miss them) and a sunny day on the back.

So today I made the raindrops.  Sorted through the scrap bins, picking out the favorites.

My Mom taught me how to make appliqued shapes with templates so you don’t have raw edges (which just didn’t seem practical for a baby quilt needing to be washed often).

If you haven’t done this before, draw your shape on paper or wax paper and glue it or iron it (if you use wax paper) to cardboard.  Cut it as cleanly as you can.  Use a nail file to smooth edges if needed.

Cut around your raindrop or other curved shape giving yourself about a 1/4″ seam, or trace around the shape on the wrong side of your fabric and cut a 1/4″ away from the line.

Baste stitch around your shape about an 1/8″ from the cut edge, starting and ending your thread tails on the curved end AND on the same side of fabric.

Pull on the strings.  I didn’t do it, but if you place the basting closer to the template when ironing it will help create a smoother curve (so “they” say).

I starch both sides and iron as I’m pulling those strings.  I give the strings one wrap around a finger when I pull so it’s taunt.  If you’ve glued paper on to your template then you might want to face it down or it mucks all off with the starch.

Traditionally or by what I’ve been taught at least, you iron the top tip or a point down the middle first and than cross over the sides…make sense?

As you can see, I don’t do that.  I just do a straight cross over.  I occasionally clip some of the fabric out to reduce bulk.

Whatever, they look fine.

Pull out the template and give them a final press right side up, giving a tuck to anything that’s come out of wack when removing the template.

Aren’t they delicious?

Then clip the threads and pin that sucker down.

I actually have a use for those pins that will make you blind.

When free motioning I would try to correct a raindrop ‘gone bad’ by adding an echo, but if that didn’t go so well I looked for those spots to add a raindrop applique.

Uh oh, looks like this quilt might have a load of raindrops.  It’s kinda been one of those rainy years.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

P.S.  The sun shone today.

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out of print destash

upcoming classes

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::Hers and His Pillows::

I needed to make demonstration samples last week for my Add Zip to Your Pillow Class and Roan needed a birthday gift for a classmate.  Two birds, one stone…

For Sofia’s new pink bedroom.  Little girls seem to still appreciate the handmade.  Little boys, not so much.

Last time I tried to make a pillow for a boy gift Roan’s response was, “Oh, a pillow?!  Can’t we just buy a toy?!”  Add a whining tone to that.

Skip the gift wrap, that’s what all those selvedges are saved for.

And that two bird thing?  Roan needed a new pillow cover and I had just a bit of this Alexander Henry fabric left from the back of his quilt.  Still reminds me of the A-ha video.

My couch is still in need and I’m waiting patiently for this fabric to arrive.

In the meantime the floor was washed and this was basted.

Now, off I go, I have a date with a quilt and I’m happy to report the sun is shining in Seattle.

Happy Wednesday!

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p.s. In light of the past few days, I found this video on Ted is worth a watch.

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::Split Decision Quilt::

I finished the Split Decision Quilt top except for a row right before we left town.  The bits had been tucked away and my goal in life is to not start ANY new projects until ‘the list of the unfinished’ is conquered.

I made a similar pillow when the Hope Valley Line came out last year.  I don’t think I’ve ever used this much of a single  line of fabric in a quilt, but I think the orange chambray helps it out.

My pillow was inspired by a pillow made with this fabric.

I discovered that Joelle Hoverson’s technique for her Wee Bits quilt was easily adaptable to an improvisational technique I used for the quilt.  I’ve taught the Slice and Insert Technique in my Improvisational Patchwork Classes here in Seattle.  I now have the Split Decision Quilt top on the class calendar.

I’m a little over the fabric, but still love it and have my quilting design in my head.  Just need to piece a back with this Anna Maria Horner (flannel yeah!) I scored on sale.

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::Whole Cloth Quilt and Quilt Finishing Class::

I’ve had this simple quilt sandwich basted and rolled up waiting for its addition of scraps and stitchin’ to make it into a ticker tape.  I got to thinking about our limited basting space in the class room and that a simple, modern AND most importantly small quilt could do the trick for teaching the basic threes to quilt finishing.

Stuff Three’s:

• Quilt Top
• Batting
• Quilt Back

Do Three’s:

• Baste
• Quilt
• Bind

The end result, this modern baby quilt!  We’ll cover the three’s in the class, and discuss what straight stitched quilting design to execute, plus centering and squaring a quilt and troubleshooting.

The design of the stitching is really seen from the solid front.  I think this is Kona Pond.  I straight stitched some gentle curves and left a space to straight stitch a third in.  I added a few lines of red.

 It’s bound in one of my favorite Cake Rock Beach dots.

And the backing is one of my stockpiled Alexander Henry Raindrop Stripe.

I think it will be a super fun class.

I’ve got Add Zip To Your Pillow class next Thursday if you need some new Spring flare.  I have my fabric all picked out.

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::Zip It Up::

This past week I’ve been working on getting samples done and Spring classes on the books.  I’ve made many a zip pouch and thought a class would be fun.

They make such great gifts that every sewist should know how to make a professional looking lined pouch.

I figured while I was at it, I would kill two birds with one stone and get the end of the year teacher gifts out of the way.

Last weekend digging through Kathy Mack’s scrap boxes at the Pink Chalk Studio I came up with the scraps to create these beauties!

The Lecien is a new favorite for sure and the trip to her studio inspired me to pull out the covered button bin.  Thanks Kathy!

Again, I dabbled in making Amy Butler’s Stash and Dash bags.  The pattern is just so finicky, or maybe it’s just me?

I actually took the large one apart and put it back together AGAIN before I was happy with it.  When using home decor they say, “no” to stabilizer, but I say, “yes.”

The set will go to my sister-in-law with Ethan and Ella’s quilts.

Off to sew.

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::Blogger’s Pillow Party::

I was late to the party last month, so here I am drink in hand.

There were projects made for the book that simply wouldn’t fit, or the technique wasn’t quite right.  The Opposing Triangle Pillow was one of those.

The colorway took some time, like everything in your closet tried on and thrown on the bed.

I love the quilting, it was like adding makeup and jewelry.

This pillow might be considered a bit of a wallflower compared to the other party dress pillows I’ve seen, but I would notice this one in a room full of pillows for sure.

Daisy Janie was so sweet and sent me the Shades of Grey fabric before it even hit the stores for the companion pillows and I think they dress it up a bit.  Kinda like a good looking date on your arm.

Invisible Zippers in all of them of course!  Consider invisible zippers your go to LBD (little black dress) to wear to the party, no envelope closure flip flops here.  Go dress yourself up for the pillow party with my add zip to your pillow invisible zipper tutorial and check out what all the other pillows are wearing.

A quilt like it is next.

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::Carolina Chambray::

So, what’s your favorite solid?  I’m talking beyond Kona here.  I’ve noticed all the new Freespirit solids and wondering if the price is justifiable?

I often get inquiries when I post a project with Robert Kaufman’s Carolina Chambray.  It’s my favorite solid.  We created quite a few quilts in the book with it.

Though I do love the softness of the cross weaves and the texture of the shot cottons, I find chambray a good weight and easy to work with when quilting.

When you place it in different directions you notice the weave.  This adds another dimension to the design of a quilt.

The natural is probably the one I get asked about the most, likely because I use it the most.  I’ve made several boy print hst quilts out of it and endless amounts of pillows.

All the colors are vivid and rich, but I love the orange.

I added a little to my Destash of the chambrays if you’re in the mood for something new.  You guys are quick, I even relisted.  I added some cross-weave at a good deal.

But I’d like your thoughts.

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New Classes

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