12 July, 2010

City Quilts - Welcome to the Blog Tour


Welcome to the first stop on the City Quilts Blog Tour! And welcome to Naptime Quilter for all you new visitors. I am extremely pleased to be joining the rest of the blog tour crew. And I am very excited to share this book with you.

If you haven't had a chance to pick up City Quilts yet, make sure you enter here and everywhere else on the tour for your chance to win a copy. One copy at every stop, courtesy of C&T Publishing! And fabric too, courtesy of Robert Kauffman!

City Quilts is a really interesting book. Cherri House takes her hometown, Houston, as the main inspiration for the projects in the book. But with her work being exclusively in solid fabrics, there is a distinct Amish/Gees Bend influence. City Quilts is a fantastic example of modern quilting with a very strong grounding in tradition.

To be honest, I expected it to be a book of patterns only, but I was more than pleasantly surpised to read so much more. Incredible discussions on inspiration, colour, process, and the melding of traditional and modern/contemporary. I found these discussions detailed and informative. And when it came to the patterns, I loved reading about Cherri's original inspiration and how she translated it into the pattern. Finally, Cherri encourages her readers to play, to try new things and adapt her patterns into their own ideas. As someone who doesn't follow patterns (much) I appreciated this encouragement. And now I have more than a few ideas percolating based on Cherri and her inspiration.

Cherri and I had the opportunity for a little interview. I'd love to share that with you.

What marked the transition for you from a hobby quilter to a professional quilter?
It wasn't a particular accomplishment, it was my work, City News to be exact. It was hanging in Robert Kaufman's booth at Portland Spring Market 2008, and I knew I had done it, I knew the quality of my work surpassed anything I had done before, and that I was in new territory. It was a game changer for me.

Do you think you would be the quilter you are without the internet and blogging?
Yes, absolutely. I had been quilting since the early 80's, always trying to push myself, and improve my skills. What the internet and blogging has brought to me is the quilting community. I'm a pretty solitary person in terms of my quilt work, the term social butterfly would never apply to me. So, having the internet and blogging has given me a group globally that I haven't cultivated locally.
My LQS carries my patterns, and my book. Plus, I have taught locally for years, mostly privately, but I have started teaching at my LQS, which has been really exciting! Yes, having an online pattern business has been wonderful... the other night I filled orders for customers in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Canada (!), everywhere... Through the internet having a worldwide audience is possible, and attainable for my book and patterns.

City Quilts is great at documenting your inspiration. Once you have your inspiration, what is your process for translating that into a quilt?
After I have the inspiration, it is a matter of finding or creating a quilt pattern that will translate and mesh with the inspiration. the quilt City Circles was inspired by city traffic, but in a quilt book based on squares and rectangles, an actual circular quilt pattern wouldn't do. The Shoo-fly quilt block is made with squares and rectangles but appears circular, so it was the perfect fit. The actual block patterns are the vehicle to translate inspiration into a quilt.

When does the colour scheme/picking fabric come into the process?
There isn't just one answer for me - it's kind of a 'chicken or the egg thing'. Sometimes I want to make a green quilt, so the color/fabric will come first, everything else will follow. Other times I will design what I think is a great quilt, and with EQ6 I'll try different colorways to determine what looks best. If I'm working with a manufacturer or magazine, I may have very little say in the matter, and I create something within the parameters someone else has set.

Have you ever considered sharing that process or profiling it on the blog, a la the Process Pledge?
I've read about the pledge process and I've thought about participating, but then I think, "would someone care, would someone be interested in why I chose orange over red?" I'm happy to share whatever is going on with my work, mistakes and all. Holy crap - as embarrasing as it was, I freely admitted to falling in the lake trying to take a freakin' photo of a quilt. A core belief I've always had, is that I'm not competing with anyone but myself. I'll never be able to knock out as many quilts as ________, my machine quilting with never match ______. All I can do is better than the quilt before, the pattern before, the book before - it is a journey and through blogging I am able to share that journey.

There is a lot of discussion these days online and in print about the modern quilt movement. You are a member of the Modern Quilt Guild and City Quilts is undoubtedly considered a modern book.  Do you make this distinction yourself, between modern and traditional?
This is a touchy subject for me, which seems kind of silly. Yes, I am a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, I started the Houston chapter. Yes, City Quilts is considered a modern book - which is great! But where I get a little iffy is the "modern" thing - what is modern? If I'm asked to identify my quilting self, I say that I create 'contemporary' quilts. I don't say 'modern', and I don't say 'art', I state that I make contemporary quilts based on traditional patterns. Everything about what I do is traditional in the terms of piecing, and technique. Maybe I'm an orphan quilter, I don't belong with the traditional group, and I'm not sure if I belong with the modern group. Seems silly to be at such a loss for a definition but there it is.

As I mention in the book, my first appreciation of solids was through an exhibit of Amish quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. That a solid colored fabric could produce quilts that glowed was mind blowing to me. I also had a huge appreciation for the timelessness of Amish quilts. There are quilts from the 1800 and 1900's that look like contemporary works of art.

In regards to the simple block construction in the book, I have a passion for helping quilters to understand that simple doesn't mean boring. There are many books and patterns for beginning quilters that are a complete snoozefest! There is no need for that - we need to elevate quilting, and elevate our work. 

Thanks Cherri, for a very interesting and inspiring book, and a great interview.

To enter the draw for the prizes - a copy of City Quilts courtesy of C&T Publishing and a Fat Quarter Stack of Kona Solids from Robert Kaufman - please leave a comment on this post. Only comment once please, and make sure you have an email attached to your comment so I have a way to contact you. I'll keep the draw open until the end of the blog tour, that's on July 24, midnight MST.

Don't forget to visit the rest of the hosts for more from Cherri and more chances to win.

July 15  Pat Sloan
July 16  Spool 
July 17  Robert Kaufman
July 18  Fat Quarterly
July 20  Sewer/Sewist
July 21   Jaybird Quilts
July 22   Spun Sugar Quilt
July 23  Juicy Bits
July 24  Kim Kight

Enjoy the tour, and City Quilts!

507 comments:

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Mego said...

I've already bought three copies of the book! 2 for gifts and 1 just for ME! LOVE it. So happy you guys are doing the BLOG tour so everyone can see how fabulous this book is.

Lynda Milligan said...

Thanks to both of you. I love the book and I love visiting blogs that I am not familiar with. Lynda Milligan

mathea said...

I pre-ordered the books as soon as I heard about it, and it is just as great as I thought it would be. Now I just need to find me some solids...

dillpickle said...

I've just been looking at Cherri's flickr page, and wow! It's quite incredible what someone who has an eye for colour can do with solids in a quilt!

Great interview. Thanks x

Nanbon44 said...

love the book and fabric

jill redding said...

thanks for the chance to win I enjoyed reading your interview

Rustic Barnyard said...

I'm still so new to the online world of quilting so I had never heard of this book before. I'd love to have the chance to read it.

Heidi

mjb said...

I love the responses about modern and inspiration.

Pat Glass said...

Love the solids...

Kate said...

Thanks so much for this- your infomation definitely makes me want to get this book. And the fabric is lovely.I have always been a fan of solids- they are timeless and can be striking.

crummyd said...

I would be so thrilled to share this with other quilting friends. I am excited to try a couple of these!

Donna~~ said...

Enjoyed the interview--the quilts are so elegantly simple and beautiful, and the solids make me think of berries in the summer--delicious. Who wouldn't love them?

Suebee said...

I'm really enjoying this "Tour" and meeting new bloggers. I think this is the most fun I've had learning about any book! Robert Kauffman Kona has the best colors.

Micki said...

What an incredible book and fabric! I would love to win!
Thanks for the opportunity!
Micki

Darling Jill Quilts said...

Congrats on being the first for the tour!! Great interview!!

Dresden Quilter said...

Thanks for the great interview and the giveaway.

Ann said...

I have become increasingly fond of solids too. Such a good way to add some 'calm' to auilts, and I am espeically fond of the Kona Cotton, I must admit. Thank you for a lovely blog post and giveaway!!

Pauline said...

Loved the interview. I saw an Amish quilt display in May in San Francisco. The quilts glowed, like you said, and they looked like contemporary works of art. I would like to try using all solids in a quilt myself.

kdmade said...

Thanks for the giveaway!

Anonymous said...

The quilts in the book look amazing- the colour combinations are fabulous!

Darlene said...

Would love to win a copy of the book. If I don't, it will go on my shopping list! The fat quarter bundle would make a great addition to my stash!

Caron said...

nice interview! the lqs i work at has made many shop samples of cherri's patterns - they have been so fun to create and sell!

Anonymous said...

Great interview for a fantastic quilter. I've been interested in this book since she first mentioned it on her blog.

Nathalie said...

thanks for the chance to win with your blog. Great information learned through your interview.

Annmarie said...

Wow - this is my first introduction to Cherri House Quilts - AWESOME!!! Thanks for the chance to win!

Sandy said...

I would love to win City Quilts and that lovely bundle of solids...I need solids really bad!!

Karen said...

Absolutely gorgeous quilts!

Karen said...

I would love to win a copy - so beautiful!

Heather said...

Which to make first? ('cause I need them all!) Thanks for the chance to win!)

Wendy said...

I love Cherri's quilts!
Thank you so much for this opportunity.
=-)
lupansgirl(at)gmail(dot)com

WandaFish said...

Great interview! I'd love to win a copy of the book and some yummy fabric - thanks for the opportunity.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed Cherri's answers regarding the "process pledge" and being a "modern" quilter. Food for thought. I also loved the story about falling into the lake trying to take a pic, glad it all ended ok.

highwaycottage@paradise.net.nz

Kim said...

Great interview. Thanks for the opportunity to win.

Penne said...

That's an awesome book, I really like your style, it's fresh and modern to blend with the homes of today. Thanks for the great interview.

Claire said...

What a great interview and such inspiring quilts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

Helen said...

what a beautiful work. I love the theme of this book.

Molly Vetter said...

Thanks for the interview and the give-away!

Just Sew Sue said...

That bundle of kona solids is absolutley gorgeous.

Lynn said...

I have never done a quilt tour like this, what a neat idea. I love your quilts, I am excited to see more.
Thanks again for your inspiration!

Lynn said...

I have never done a quilt tour like this, what a neat idea. I love your quilts, I am excited to see more.
Thanks again for your inspiration!

Lynn said...

I have never done a quilt tour like this, how fun. Your work is incredible, thanks for the inspiration!

beth said...

what a great lady - i saw a design of her city quilt about a year ago - i love this kind of modern quilt and love the solids.

Jessica said...

amazing artist! i love learning about different peoples creative process!

Denise :) said...

This is a great giveaway! The book looks like it'd be an *awesome* addition to my library; not to mention the fabric to my stash!! :)

Robin said...

I'm really excited about this book. I love the contemporary style but have a lot of trouble achieving it for myself-- this book looks like it has lots of great designs and ideas!

renae said...

Just gorgeous! Love it all (colors/lines/inspiration)!

Xandi said...

Of course we want to hear about the process! How else can we learn?

Kaki said...

Beautiful quilts! Thanks for the chance to enter and win.

Katherine

merrily row said...

still great questions on second read, thanks for the tour

Vesuviusmama said...

Thanks for the chance to win!

Angie from Dear Spring Green said...

I can't wait to get ahold of this book. I saw it at the bookstore and drooled all over it.

Kami said...

I would love this book and those gorgeous fabrics. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Kami
skookyd(at)cox(dot)net

Kelly said...

Love simplicity. Thanks for the article.

maschmidt121 said...

What a great book and giveaway! Big thanks to Cherri for sharing her thoughts with all of us!

paulette said...

I love the book and I love this fabric!! Thanks for the chance to win!
Paulette

Victoria said...

So interesting to read Cherri's thoughts about Modern vs Contemporary quilting. The comments echo discussions I have had with my owm MQG members.

Katie said...

This book looks great! I love the use of solids.

Nicole Gendy said...

I am just dying to get my hands on cherri's book! i love the simplicity and timelessness of her work.

Barb said...

I would love to win this book! Thank you so much for the opportunity! I love everything that I am seeing and reading about this book!

GeeGee said...

Solids add such a soothing touch to a quilt. The book looks really interesting, thanks for a chance to win.

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

What a great interview! Thank you for the chance!!

Grace said...

This book is full of so many inspiring quilts. I would love to give it a home and to work with those solid fabrics.

Carmen said...

Thanks for the chance to win! City Quilts looks like a terrific book to get my hands on.

Judy G said...

I'm loving this tour and seeing the new (to me) websites. Thanks

J-me said...

i really really want one of these books :-)
Oboed@aol.com

Stephanie said...

Thanks so much for a chance to win this cool book!

carolph said...

Great interview. Thanks for the blog tour. City Quilts looks like a great book

Shannon said...

I would love to win this book and the Robert Kaufman solids!

shanlowe@me.com

Dayna said...

I find all the photos of the quilts that I've seen from this book quite engaging. Would love to win a copy!

Unknown said...

The book looks wonderful! Thanks for a great interview and chance to win!

Martina said...

Great interview! Thanks so much! I have to look out for that book!

dawson.tracy35 said...

I cant wait to get a copy of it! and the fabric is gorgeous!

Tracy
dawson.tracy35@yahoo.com

quiltnmaryf said...

Great stuff! Thanks for the opportunity to win!

cookie said...

I love this book and the quilts are to die for! Please enter me to win.
Thanks!
Leslie

Claudia said...

Wow, what a great prize to win.

Claudia said...

Wow, what a great prize to win.

Unknown said...

I enjoyed reading your interview!

hilary said...

What a great giveaway. I'd love to have either. hilary

Bink said...

What a great give-a-way! I would love to win a copy of this book.

Kathy C said...

The book looks great- I have never done a solid colour quilt. Great inspiration.

Sandy said...

I want this book! BAD!=) Would love to win a copy. Thanks for the opportunity!

Slowpoke said...

I'm late as usual getting in on the tour, but I would dearly love to win this book. Kona and Kaufman fabrics are always great. Thanks for a great giveaway.

Sarah said...

Ooo, pretty purple! Enter me. :)

girottih@yahoo.com

Kim said...

Such an amazing use of colour! I can't wait to read more about her process and inspiration.

Patoka Valley said...

LOVE your city quilts! Thanks for sharing :)

Renee G said...

I would love to be entered. I'm dreaming of the Pretty in Pink stack.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com

Angela D. said...

Love the book and all the quilts!

kay said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
baukje said...

Love to have the book and the fabric!!!

Iva said...

Wow! I stopped buying quilting books some time ago. But this is one makes me want to get to the bookstore right away.

kay said...

City Quilts and Kona solids are a perfect combination! Thanks!

kait. said...

I am surprised how many people have an aversion to purple, though I used to be one of them. But not anymore! I'd love to use those Kona solids to beef up my purple stash and that book looks amazing!

Ann said...

I've been eyeing this book for some time. I've been on a tiny quilting "break" after surgery... would love to have another great quilt book to read during my recoup. Love the "My Blue Heaven" FQ stack too! Thanks for the opportunity.

TxGal said...

Thanks for the great interview w Cherri - love the book, the fabrics too !!

Souper Artsea said...

What a great span of colors!
Cnw4z2@gmail.com
Chelsey F.

Laura said...

My three young ones are getting old enough that quilting time is possible again - this prize looks like a great new project! Thanks for the chance!

Anonymous said...

GREAT INTERVIEW!
LOVE THE GIVEAWAYS TOO!
THANKS FOR SHARING,LOVE,LINDA

jldouglas@wispwest.net

beckyh@rchconsulting.com said...

Thanks for adding so much depth to your post on the book. I'd love to win a copy, or those luscious fat quarters.

Katherine said...

Oh. My. I would love to have a copy of this book. Fingers crossed....

Aimee said...

Looks like a great boook & that fabric is lovely. Thanks for the interview!

gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

sshooey said...

Would love to win this book. These quilts are great and can't wait to start to make them!

elena said...

Eeeek!! What a wonderful giveaway. I loove Cherri's quilts she is very talented, her book has to be amazing.
If I won I would like to make a quilt with kona solids and one of her patterns. I never had make a solid quilt before. Fingers crossed
Thanks for sharing with us. :)

elena
lenarod8@yahoo.es

4throse said...

Thanks for a great interview. This book looks great and unlike anything else I have.

NT said...

Please include me in the drawing for the book & fabric!

domoshar /at yahoo.com/ said...

Not sure if the giveaway is still open.

I loved the interview!
Thank you!

71square said...

What a wonderful looking book. I can't wait to see it in person!

Weaveron Textile said...

every quilts is wonderful.

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