The Splendid Sampler Sew Along

Have you heard of The Splendid Sampler Sew Along yet? Don't worry if you haven't, I'm here to share all the details.

Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson put together a group of quilt designers to showcase their skills on some small blocks. Put all the blocks together and you have 100 blocks for a refreshing sampler! Every week for a year two block patterns will be released. You can make as few or as many as you want. Use any fabric you want.

Bonus - it is ALL FREE!

To the designers Pat and Jane asked us to design a block that reflected happiness in our quilting. Such sweet directions. And boy, does happiness in quilting mean different things to different people! For example, my block has some low volume, some improv, some appliqué. Other blocks have tiny piecing, some have paper piecing and embroidery. There is basically every technique under the sun in the sampler. I'm not sure the tiny piecing will make me happy, but I'll certainly try it!

Each block ends up at 6 1/2'' square. A manageable size to get two done a week, or a few in an afternoon. I've started making my blocks out of my scrap bins. So far I've stuck with yellows plus black and whites. We'll see if I stick with that. I'm totally open to seeing where this goes.

If you are interested in joining along, or even just following progress, the first block pattern releases this Sunday, on the 14th. And it is a perfect Valentine's Day block! You can get all the info on The Splendid Sampler website and join the fun on the Facebook page for the group. Loads of inspiration there!

I will keep you posted - like I do with all my quilts under construction - on my blocks as I go. I may not keep up, but I'm challenging myself to make all 100. This is definitely a year for working outside my comfort zone. Why not?!

Oh, and if you are wondering, my block is one of the last ones! So you are going to have to hang on for a while to see it.

Sewing Machine Quilt Pattern Launch!

Announcing my latest pattern - The Sewing Machine Quilt!

This one was a long time coming. But it is finally here and I'm excited to share it with you. It includes:

- Improv and Precision Piecing instructions

- Two blocks sizes: 10'' and 20'' (finished)

- Quilt layout suggestions

- Fabric requirements for quilts from Mini to King

It is available in print and PDF. Contact me for wholesale orders.

This was the quilt that brought me out of a big creative slump. I was struggling to get going and find joy in my piecing, I was burnt out. A teaching gig came along and changed everything. It was an Improv class at Quilt Canada, a most traditional of shows. My students came with open minds and a spirit of adventure. They completely changed everything for me. At one point in the class I always have them throw out ideas for shapes we could piece improvisationally. Just like an improv comedy show! Someone suggested sewing machine. Yes, a sewing machine. I got so excited by the idea that the day I came home I think I made a half dozen of them. It was game on after that. I got excited to create again. 

Buy the pattern here.

If you would like some guidance with Improv or more on the thought process on a pattern like this check out my Creative Live classes on Improv Basics and Translating Inspiration.

With piecing options and all the directions to get you going any which way you like this pattern acts like a guide. It is a love letter to the main tool in our quilting arsenal. 

Storing Quilts Under Construction

When you have almost 40 quilts on the go you have to find a way to store them before they become quilts. And my sewing room is far too small to let them take over. And I am not one to thrive in a messy work space. So here are my storage solutions.

 

My cutting table was purchased with all the storage in mind. The top shelf contains bins with active projects. If I need to grab something or only have a few minutes to play this is where I go.

The bottom shelf contains all my scraps, colour sorted in bins - the pattern is the quilted storage box from Sunday Morning Quilts.

On the floor (usually tucked under the shelf) are plastic bins with class samples and other projects. I recently labelled them and this was an awesome move on my part. No more guessing!

In front there, but usually tucked to the side are some straw bag my mom once picked up on a trip to Acapulco. They are perfect for storing projects. Plus, they look cool and can be moved around the room as necessary.

I am lucky enough to have two full size closets in the room. One has my stash. The other has batting (all those messy scraps on the bottom right), garment sewing stash, my patterns (not visible) and then projects. On the top shelf there are the quilt tops (with their backs or fabric for backs) folded. I have no hanging space otherwise I would hang them. Then it is all projects sorted into piles - for bigger and more active ones, bags, and bins. I recently sorted through them all and this is actually quite neat and organized, even if it may not appear so.

One little spot in the closet holds some particularly small scraps and a stack of Liberty circles. I keep them front and centre just because they are pretty. And hopefully will motivate me to play with them a bit more.

It's a small room, but it is all mine! I've had to get disciplined about storage or else I would never actually get anything done. And now, no matter the mood nor the time, I have easy access to anything I could want to work on.

Flying Geese for Small Wonders

Between studio clean up, the holidays, and obsession to finish and not start things I've managed to not start in on much. I made an exception - finally - for my Small Wonders fabric. You may recall that I was sent this fabric around Quilt Market in October to play with. I made a plan and now I'm going for it.

By going for it, I mean experimenting. Based on the sketch below you can see I was aiming for some flying geese of varying sizes. I've played around with it and not done much in the way of planning.

(There comes a point where that approach can bite you in the butt, but hey! That's the joy of improv.)

Based on my sketch I picked five of the fabrics to work with and paired them with a pale blue Essex Linen. Then I drafted out and cut a few different sizes of rectangles. Just putting the rectangles on the design wall had me changing things. That's design on the fly!

At this point I'm realizing it isn't going to end up exactly like my sketch. My triangles are simply too big. There isn't going to be that much negative space. So be it. I will play a bit more and see what it can be.

See, improv doesn't just mean wonky and no measuring. This is precision piecing and I only started with a rough sketch. It is totally improvised because I really don't know what it will be in the end.

To see more about my process on this quilt make sure to follow along on Periscope. You can catch my previous scopes here on Katch.me.

Absolutely Legendary Sasquatch Quilt Top

This quilt is legend... wait for it... dary.

Based on Elizabeth Hartman's Legendary quilt pattern, launched recently, but totally supersized. The moment I saw the pattern on Instagram I knew I had to do this. The sasquatch itself originally finishes  at 18'' in the pattern. With a little quilt math I made it 5 times the size. Or, if you are so inclined to believe, life size. That made the sasquatch over 90'' tall and nearly 60'' wide.

The idea of trees on the side was improvised and added because we wanted this quilt to be big enough for the entire family. Now it comes in around 90'' square. Plus, the sasquatch has context now.

The making of this quilt was a family project over the holiday break. I knew that if I was going to get any sewing in I had to expect the kids in there with me. Rather than get frustrated by that, I decided to  invite them in for this group project.

You see, we are a family addicted to Bigfoot shows. None of us actually believe in the legend, but the shows are fun to watch and it's become a family joke to observe squatchy landscapes and conjecture about samsquanch (as we oddly refer to it).

So the kids were actually quite excited to make this quilt. After I did the match we sorted through my brown stash (small) and scrap bins (smaller) and whites/creams/greys for the right fabrics. I cut everything  - discovering that a transcription error was my only mistake!. As a team we sewed. 

It was the first time I let the girls use my Bernina. A bit confusing at first with no presser foot lever, but they were amazing. Can I just say? Thank goodness for adjustable speeds! We got into a rhythm with me prepping, one sewing, one pressing. Sure, there were times when their attention died out and wrestling matches were started - and quickly stopped because we were in the sewing room. Overall, I was pretty impressed with how engaged they were in the project.

My son sewed for the first time. You should have seen his excitement! He sat on my lap and covered my hands with his and we sewed together. He even admonished me if my fingers got too close to the presser foot. 

Unfortunately, my husband was quite sick the last week of the break. So his contribution, other than feeble encouragement, was to shout design ideas or selections from the sofa in the next room. That, and keeping us on a steady diet of Finding Bigfoot for the kiddos when their energy for sewing changed.

Everyone is on me to get this quilted ASAP. My Evil Genius voted for the backing to be a scrappy green one, which I think is a good idea. It will work with brown, white, and green thread on the front. I just hope I can get them all involved with floor washing and basting if they want it done quickly.

Quilts Under Construction - 2015 in Review

It seems I missed the last quarter's summary. Oops! Although, if I'm being honest, there wasn't much to report in terms of movement on this list in the 3rd quarter. But with a new year it is time to start fresh.

I cleaned out my one closet that stores a lot of the Quilts Under Construction. Only because I was looking for something specific and couldn't find it. It was a good thing to do. I resorted, reevaluated, and restocked the shelves. Some things are now off this list because I know I will NEVER get to them. So I started a pile for a quilty garage sale in the spring. Some quilt tops, sets of blocks, and fabric. It's good to let go.

The other difference is that I truly separated out class samples. In time they may make it on this list, but if they never make it out of the class bin then there is no point to them being here.

So, the number looks different. I am still totally okay with this number. In fact, I don't give a poop what the number is. I care that the projects are still interesting to me.

Quilts Being Quilted

1. Low Volume Circles
This might be the winter I embrace hand quilting. Maybe.
2. Antonio's Quilt
It is half done and I've pulled it out of the closet. It is the first one up for January. I swear.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

3. A giant version of the Legendary Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. We finished it yesterday so look for it here in the coming days.
4. Improv Sampler
5. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
6. Slaveship Quilt
7. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
8. Giant Hexagons
In a recent clean-up I found a block from my bee that missed getting in the quilt. So yes, I do plan on inserting it into the finished quilt.
9. Lilac Lovely
10. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
11. Solid Sunday Morning
12. Oh Canada Quilt in Red
13. Orange Is For Nerds
Just waiting for Carkai to be available in my LQS as I am stuck on a certain print being the backing for this quilt.
14.  A mini/small quilt in a low volume rainbow. Geez, get it done already!
15. Shh...
My low volume Shoeman's Puzzle quilt top. So excited about this one.
16. Circle Lattice
17. Mod Christmas Tree Take 2


Blocks and Process

18. Beach Grass Take 2
19. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
20. Hand Pieced Diamonds
21. A values quilt in neutrals
There are more than enough blocks after teaching this class a half dozen times that it needs to be turned into a quilt now.
22. Edges/Studio Stash Play
This is one that has been on my mind lately... It may be a few months before I get to it though.
23. A found quilt top that I would like to overdye in Indigo as an experiment.
Risky? Absolutely. When the weather is warm enough to try it outside I have it on the agenda. So, in 6 months.
24. Mid Mod Bee
25. Snippets on Dates
Technically this could be a finished quilt top, but the snippets never end. And I have that issue with not making small quilts.
26. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
Periodically I pull out fabric and make one more. I like the break of precision piecing.
27. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
28. Chandelier quilt
This one might get some attention this year. It was always one with a certain recipient in mind and she could probably use it one of these days.
29. Name quilt for my daughter
30. Park blocks
Up to 10 right now. Again, could finish at a decent size, but I will likely make many more.
31. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.
32. Piecemakers/Peacemakers 
My Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama are coming together, slowly. Definitely a project for the right kind of time.
33. Small Wonders
Some test panels of Flying Geese are made and I've shared a few Periscope broadcasts on this project.
34. Liberty Circles
35. Pieced Stars - in recent weeks I've made a few more stars. Crazy precision piecing kick I've been on.
27. The Water Quilt
I know I said I wasn't counting class blocks, but I now have enough blocks to turn this into a quilt. Maybe very soon.
30. Y2K quilt
31. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
32. Round and Round blocks - Up to 16 of these now.
34. Leftovers from Modern Paris
These almost got put into the garage sale pile. They may still end up there.
36. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I once thought it needed to be the start of a medallion quilt, but I've dug into my solids stash and the same colours are long gone. So, we'll see what happens.

+ one bit of secret sewing that is in the quilting phase.

2015 Finishes

Vintage French Quilt
Alturas
Caterpillar
QuiltCon Quilt
Values Plus
Precious
Argyle I and II
Glitter Pen
Aloha Kakou
Smooch

+ two more bits of secret sewing that will be revealed in a month or so.

Most of those finishes were in the early part of the year. Not much sewing over the summer and fall as the family demanded more time. I feel more in control of my time and reactions to time. And I am committed to some more finishes before more starts. Although really, I didn't start much last year either!

This year, like all others will be busy. There will be more secret sewing (!!), unexpected inspiration that HAS to be acted on, and a very indelicate balance between life, work, and fun. I'm glad you are along for the ride.

Mod Christmas Tree Take 2 - In Modern Patchwork

It's that time of year! Snow and Christmas trees and frenzied making. Cookies and cocoa and stress. It's all there. In the midst of it I hope everyone gets at least one moment to step back and appreciate their favourite parts.

My favourite part, as long time readers know, is the tree. Not so much the tree up and all sparkly and covered in handmade ornaments, but the getting of the tree. Last year I celebrated that with a quilt. A fun, modern quilt honouring the tree and my son's new found obsession with Christmas.  The obsession with Christmas and the quilt hasn't changed.

Modern Patchwork, a lovely magazine, asked me to contribute the quilt to their latest Winter issue. I was happy to oblige. I offered them an alternate colour way, but they chose the original. I still made the other colour way though. In this great line from Dear Stella, Mount Snow. Mittens and trees and bikes. It really is super sweet.



For this version I picked out the low volume, soft prints from the line and paired them with a few random, coordinating prints from my stash. Originally, my plan was to make the whole thing low volume, with soft contrast for the trees. But that felt too soft. So I grabbed the red Net print, also from Dear Stella, for the background. I love, love, love low volume paired with red.

The pattern itself is quite simple. The hardest part being the cutting of the angles for the background pieces around the trees. Last year I went from start to finish on this quilt in a few days. This year I have this top done but it won't get quilted, unfortunately.

Now is the time to slow down and celebrate, to make the cookies and take in special moments with the kids. I hope you have the chance to do the same.

Pick up a copy of Modern Patchwork at your local quilt shop, magazine rack, or online.

Smooch - Using Half Circles in Quilt Design

Smooch

74'' x 53''

Depending on how you look at, it is hearts or lips. I choose to see lips. Big, juicy lips heading towards a kiss. Whether that is the first kiss of a married couple, the slobbery attempts of a toddler attempting to kiss Mama, tentative lip locks of teenagers, a son kissing his mother goodbye.

This entire quilt started as a plan to show quilters that you can use half circles just as easily as two quarter circles. Just that, in a fun design. But now I have grand plans for this quilt. But first, the details.

I used only 5 fabrics in total. Absolutely shocking for me! The lips are Cloud 9 Cirrus Solids, the background is a print from Cotton and Steel. The backing fabric is a gorgeous voile designed by Bari J. for Art Gallery. Finally, the binding is an older one I found in my stash, I think it is from Birch Organics.

Quilting was done on my Bernina 820. My Stitch Regulator is not working properly so I turned it off and just free motioned the hearts inside the lips. I used a variegated pink, then a red from Wonderful for the lips. The background is quilted with straight lines using Aurifil. There was a lot of stopping and starting on those lines, but it was totally worth it for the finished impact and texture.



It is fairly densely quilted, but with the voile backing and Quilters' Dream Cotton batting it is quite soft. Gloriously soft.

Perfect for snuggles. Because if there ever was a quilt that invited snuggles...

Peacemakers/Piecemakers

"Mom? Who was the lady on the bus again?"

We're driving down the road to get to swimming. I've felt busy all day long with wonderfully middle class privileges of baking snacks from scratch, walking the dog, and trying to get some work done at home. The kids, picked up from school and play dates, are in the back of our large wagon and we are chatting about their days. The Monster is telling me about the unit they are doing on Peacemakers. There is Craig Kielburger from Free the Children, Malala, and the lady on the bus. She just can't remember her name. Or, frankly, why she is a peacemaker.

This one bit of information is all she gives me but I know exactly who she is speaking of: Rosa Parks.

For the rest of the drive we talk about segregation, racism, The Civil Rights movement, the role of children, all their friends of many colours, and just why Rosa Parks is a peacemaker. The girls thought about their school and imagined life without some of their friends, without learning about the places we've all come from. I thought about the same thing. We were all very sad. I had to explain that despite all the work that there are still ugly people doing ugly things to people just because of the way they look or who they love. Again, we were sad.

But then we talked about the peacemakers. The people who were willing to stand up for the good and the right and the just. The people who fought for those who couldn't fight. And I was proud. Proud of them for understanding the importance of that action, for getting exactly what injustices they were/are fighting, and for wanting to fight themselves.

A quilt can be a statement. It isn't a call to arms nor is it going to change the world. It really might only be for me to process and remember the peacemakers. Regardless, it needs to be made. I need to make it. And I will share it with my kids and you, for the lady on the bus.

... I went back to these blocks a few weeks ago, on the anniversary of the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham. I added skirts, I changed directions. Now I think I know where I will take it. There will be, appropriately, a Courthouse Steps final layout. There will be some peace with my piecing.

Sanity Sewing

Sometimes you just have to get 'er done.

This quilt has been in the works for a few years now... And I got on top of finishing it a few months ago (well, finishing the top). I was making good progress with some commitment when I hit a snag. I'd made a mistake. My very last block in the very last row was the wrong one. There are two block styles in this quilt and I used the wrong one in this spot. And all I had to do at that point was sew the rows together to finish the top. Annoyed with myself and frustrated, the quilt top sat for weeks at that juncture. Because all I had to do was make a slab, draw a foundation, sew a new block, remove the old one, attach it, and then sew the rows together. It sounds like a lot of work, but it wasn't. I was just in a mood about it.

This week I found myself in a real need to sew. After a few weeks of a bad cold that wouldn't go away I longed to get to the machine. Those are the moments when I usually start something new or default to random improv. Instead I forced myself to make that last block. And it took me about 30 minutes, if that. Not counting a break for Hot Wheels with my boy.

Then I was struggling to get the rows sewn together. With all those slabs, the angles, and some skinny bits on the edges each row is bulky and lining things up was tough. Not to mention that I kept the freezer paper foundation on each block because of the crazy amount of bias edges. Then I caught Bari J. Ackerman on a Periscope broadcast extolling the virtues of glue basting (a la Christie Fincher). Bingo!

I've used glue basting before for Paperless Paper Piecing in a class with Christie. And I've heard of other people glue basting for regular piecing. It did not occur to me to use it this way. I'm so happy I saw that Scope because it totally made it easy to get this top together. A thin line of glue in the seam allowance instead of pinning (or hoping for the best) holds the fabric in place, once heat set. Then you can go ahead and sew your seam.

And get the quilt top done.

Right now this top has the temporary name of Shh....

Quilts Under Construction - 3Q Update

The quarterly check-in. I'll be honest, I had hopes of moving things through this list a lot more. I didn't really start any quilts. But there was summer, frustrations with my machine, a wasp nest, a new school year, and being sick. Excuses, excuses.

It is what it is.

We no longer have a babysitter two days a week. That is really making a difference. Not because I quilted when we had the babysitter, but because it meant I got all the other stuff done so I could quilt once the kids went to bed. Now that time is spent returning emails from the day and planning for the next one. Mornings are for the creative work and my one early riser.  We've also entered that time where the kids' activities take up a lot more time. And with a maniac for a 3 yo there is little sitting and watching time while the girls do their thing.

As I said, it is what it is.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt
5. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
7. Giant Hexagons
8. Lilac Lovely - hanging at My Sewing Room as a sample for my Improv Curves class.
9. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
10. Solid Sunday Morning
11. Oh Canada Quilt in Red
12. Circle Lattice
13. Low Volume Rainbow Mini - I don't think I've ever shared this, but I came across it this summer.

I'm really hoping to find a day or two on a long arm to get some of these done. Or a friend to help me baste because that holds me up more than anything.

Quilts Being Quilted

14. Low Volume Circles - Ugh, hand quilting holding me up. Maybe this winter?
15. Antonio's Quilt - So close, yet I don't finish it.
16. Smooch - on the machine right now and about half done.

Waiting for Binding

Nothing in this pile.

Blocks and Process

17. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks - So, so close on this one. I was all set to sew the last rows together and I saw a mistake I made. Just haven't been motivated to fix it.
18. A values quilt in neutrals - I know I said I wasn't counting class blocks, but I now have enough blocks to turn this into a quilt.
19. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks  - These have turned into an almost full set of blocks. About 8 more to go then I can put the top together.
20. Mid Mod Bee - Still wishing for a day or two to get this together.
21. Hand Pieced Diamonds - Is it crazy that I feel the whole top needs to be hand pieced together?
22. More Cosmic Burst blocks
23. Name quilt for my daughter - I think this become a backing more than anything...
24. Chandelier quilt - requires some unsewing and I'm just not motivated to do this.
25. Liberty Circles
26. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
27. Pieced Stars
28. The Water Quilt
29. Edges/Studio Stash Play
30. Beach Grass Take 2
31. Y2K quilt - Maybe up to 20 rows now.
32. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
33. Round and Round blocks - Up to 16 of these now. Still here.
34. Snippets on Dates - Haven't touched these since the last time, but I have sewn pairs together randomly..
35. Leftovers from Modern Paris
36. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama - I worked on a pile more of these blocks, but now debating final layout options before I make more.
37. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I think it needs to be the start of a medallion quilt.
38. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
39. Improv work with Cotton and Steel Fabrics that I started for my CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics class.
40. Blue Improv - pulled out some class sample I've used over the years and played with them for CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics. Now I think I have a plan for them.
42. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
43. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.

Finished

Glitter Pen - technically it was finished months and months ago, but it was just published in the summer issue of Modern Patchwork so I couldn't share it earlier.
Aloha Kakou - a fun baby and mama quilt that was a secret project finally finished and revealed.
One awesome pincushion.

I am pleased that I didn't start anything new, well nothing new that isn't a class sample. But I was hoping for some finishes. I want to get things done, but there just isn't enough time in the day. You can't beat yourself up over that though, just do what you can, when you can. As long as you are enjoying it when you do it then you need not want for anything else.

Circle Lattice Quilt Top Complete

It seems that big appliqué projects take me about a year to complete. My Circle Lattice quilt is no different. 

I looked back and realized that I started my first block in late September last year. When I cut that first block I only had the intention of making that single block. It finishes large at 34'' (if you cut it properly) so there is a lot of appliqué involved. But I completely fell in love with the fabric and the block. Quite early on I made the commitment to make four blocks.

Now the quilt top is done. These blocks have been to Alabama, Montreal, Las Vegas, Jasper, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Minneapolis, Austin, Drumheller, and many more places. Seriously, that's the best part about appliqué, the portability. I would spend weekend mornings stitching and drinking tea while the rest of the family caught up on TV. It was my respite, even though I find the process of the block coming together quite exciting.

One of the most entertaining things - to me - is that this quilt top only has 5 fabrics in it. I don't think I've ever made a quilt top with so few fabrics!

There is a mistake in my blocks. Somehow I cut the first block wrong, starting with a 33'' piece of fabric instead of 34''. It only meant that the straight bits on the side were cut off. So I ended up making the rest of them that size as well.



There was some definite lessons learned with basting these blocks as well. Look for a post coming on that.

Now to quilt it...

Aloha Kakou - a Tropical Version of Vintage Spin

Aloha Kakou 

52'' x 52''

A precious gift, finally delivered. I feel that way about so many things with this quilt and the reason behind it.



This is the baby boy of a dear friend. A woman who started out simply as a roommate in a creepy rental. That was 16 years ago and we're still friends, still laughing, still rolling our eyes at each other, still slightly wondering just how we got to where we are. Back in January baby S joined her life, our lives. Crazy munchkin.

When she was pregnant she chose to keep the baby's gender a surprise until birth. I love when people do that still, even if it does present an extra challenge to making a quilt. Then again, who says fabric has to live up to gender norms?!

My fabric selections started with some treats she brought me back from a trip to Hawaii a couple of years ago. I must admit, when she brought the fabrics I hesitated. Batiks and prints best suited to a middle aged man's Hawaiian shirt. But cut up? Perfect! I combined them with various prints and even batiks from my stash. Some of Malka Dubrawsky's original batiks, a Yoshiko Jinjenzi print, screen prints from Karen Lewis, as many organic prints as I had from Daisy Janie, Birch, and Cloud 9 (including the Lisa Congdon print for the centre squares), an old Denyse Schmidt, and quite a few more. It is an eclectic mix and totally perfect.

The pattern is Vintage Spin from Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession fame. It comes from her book, Adding Layers. It was the perfect choice to showcase the fabrics yet still benefit from the crazy combinations I put together. It does use a template to cut the fabric, and there are big scraps leftover after piecing. But I've gathered those and maybe they will turn into something else? The one change I did make was the use a square for the centre of the block, instead of a circle. A conversation with Rachel at 2nd Avenue Studio led me to try it and it works so well!

It thrills me to finally present this to my friend. I made it big enough to grow with S and for the two of them to snuggle together.

Glitter Pen - New Pattern in Modern Patchwork

Glitter Pen

85'' x 85''

 This is a fun quilt with a long back story.

Part 1
Looking to fill some weekend afternoons during our long winter I signed up for Creative Bug. While my son napped and Hubby chilled out the girls and I took a few classes. Their favourite was Lisa Condon's Line Drawing class. Months later they are still sketching based on her techniques.

Part 2
I agreed to submit some quilts to Modern Patchwork. Up until then I'd only submitted articles, not quilts. Working with the editor (hi Vivika!) I agreed to use some fabric they wanted. Well, the original fabric they thought of wasn't available. In the meantime I went to QuiltCon and picked up some Modern Country fabric from Windham, just in case the other fabric didn't arrive in time.

Part 3
Upon my return home from Austin I was greeted with the fabric sent to me by Red Rooster. Cool fabric, for sure, but not right for the pattern I was supposed to be making. Hmm... Then my daughters showed me the their sketchbooks and what they did while I was away. One of them immediately jumped out at me and this new fabric would be perfect for it. So I contacted the editor and asked if I could make two quilts! In just a few weeks.
(The Modern Country fabric went into the Argyle quilt also published in Modern Patchwork.)

Part 4
I also contacted Lisa Congdon. While my daughter's sketch was not a literal interpretation of Lisa's work, it was definitely iterative. And I took it another step with the quilt. Especially because this was for publication I wanted to make sure she was okay with it. She, graciously and thankfully, said yes.

Part 5
Sewing like mad, I designed the pattern and finished the quilt. It is designed to take advantage of simple sewing techniques  - it is just a lot of long strips sewn together then cut apart into blocks. I think the pops are colour are awesome. In the end I added the bright coral fabrics to the original bundle of a line called Steel. And that text print is awesome. It is literally a text print, covered in numbers and texting short hand. Comes in both the mustard and black/white. (Must get more.)

Part 6
She won't take it off her bed.

I purposely designed the pattern to fit her double bed with a generous overhang. Perfect for cozying up. The pattern is available in the summer issue of Modern Patchwork.

It is hard to see in the photos but it is rather simply quilted. I stitched in the ditch between all blocks, then I quilted a saying, one letter for each block (minus the punctuation).

"All that glitters, glows, sparkle, shines is not 

as bright as the light of your eyes, shimmering in sun."

All the Labels

At one point I used to be great about labelling my quilts. I planned and plotted my fancy label, carefully lettering and hand stitching it on. Then I got busier, faced deadlines and snotty noses, and frankly, got lazy. It is time to rectify the situation. I have a lot of quilts missing labels. Or, at most, they only have a name tag on them.

The label of the quilt needs to serve in place of you, the blog post, or the Instagram hashtag. If you've made the quilt well it could outlive you. If it is a gift it could travel to places you couldn't have imagined. The label should allow the story to move with the quilt.

What do you include on the label? Here are the basics I always have:

Quilt Name

Brief description of the why/how of the quilt. That is, who is it for? Why did you make it? Was it inspired by anything in particular?

Pattern credit or original design.

Materials in the quilt - batting and fabric and thread. (Are they 100% cotton or otherwise? Also brand of batting.)

Date the quilt was completed.

My name.

It may seem like a lot, but it isn't too bad. This is what one example looks like.

My preference is to print my label out on the special fabric that can go through the printer. That way I can have it smaller. At one point I used to print the label out on paper and trace it. That was a lot of work! Sometimes it is quick and easy, some notes on a piece of fabric and sewn down. My favourite product for labels is Printed Treasures. It isn't cheap, but I can get 3-4 labels on a sheet, making it more economical. And I've learned, the label looks better if you put it on before you wash the quilt because the Printed Treasures fabric shrinks differently than my quilts.

One thing I was taught early on in my career is to sign my quilts in a secret spot. This is especially a good idea when you are gifting a quilt. Labels can be removed and quilts stolen. For family in nursing homes, kids in dorms or camp, or anywhere there is common access having a secret little spot for a label is a way to identify the quilt if the label gets removed. I've seen people actually make their label before quilting and it is a permanent part of the quilt. Even silkscreening a panel with it and sewing it into the backing! If that isn't your speed, simple sign your name on the inside of the binding. Be consistent on which corner you do it, like lower left. If a label ever gets removed and ownership is contested you can undo a few stitches and your name is visible.

When I updated my goals the other day I should have added 'Making Labels for All the Quilts' to the list. Definitely need that on the list.

Circle Lattice Update

Wow, three blocks done. I'm pretty wowed myself. Even more amazing, I'm not bored with this block yet. Not at all. Considering the intensity of my time with it I find that surprising.

When I started with this particular block - from Carolyn Friedlander's amazing book Savor Each Stitch - I thought I would make one block. It was the one pattern from the book I was desperate to make right away. It was like Carolyn saw into my brain for the exact appliqué pattern I'd always wanted to make. One block was great, but I knew I couldn't stop there, the finished quilt would be far too small.

...
I should clarify that one of the reasons I always make larger quilts is that my husband really doesn't like quilts on a wall. I would rather have the opportunity to cuddle with a quilt then make a small one that languishes in a pile.
...

So now I am on to the 4th block. The fabrics for all the other blocks were easy decisions. I loved the contrast of the NYC print with the colours and patterns of the others. But I really hemmed and hawed on what to do here. Yellow seemed like a good choice, but I didn't have enough of any one print that I loved to use. Then I remembered some Stendig calendar fabric I picked up at QuiltCon. Just a little pop of yellow and much more subtle contrast. It is perfect. The calendar fabric, by Kokka, is a slightly heavier weight so it had to be the background, but that's totally fine.

Summer evenings, the rest of Le Tour, and car rides ahead of me. I will definitely be savouring each stitch as this last block comes together.

Quilts Under Construction - 2Q 2015

Time for the quarterly reality check. Let's look at the Quilts Under Construction list. Things have moved around a bit, although there weren't many quilt finishes.

I've decided to make one fundamental change to this list. If blocks are being used for class samples they are no longer counted. I will make and remake blocks many times in the course of teaching. As they are for demo purposes and not necessarily intended to be a finished quilt, I don't think it is right to include them in this particular list. Of course, that only took 2 things off the list... Hmm. I wonder if I wasn't counting them all before and I just cleaned that up? Oh well.

There was steady work on a number of quilts while others just sat and sat there. I think it might be time to make a booking on a long arm to get a few of those tops done. Or teach my kids to baste because that is the part I hate the most.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt 
5. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
7. Giant Hexagons
8. Lilac Lovely - hanging at My Sewing Room as a sample for my Improv Curves class.
9. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
10. Solid Sunday Morning
11. Oh Canada Quilt in Red

Quilts Being Quilted

12. Low Volume Circles - Ugh, hand quilting holding me up.
13. Antonio's Quilt - So close, yet I don't finish it.
14. Smooch -

Waiting for Binding

Nothing in this pile except for a few Just One Slab quilts for final donation.

Blocks and Process

15. Mid Mod Bee - Wishing for a single day or two this summer to get it done. I know what I want to do...
16. Hand Pieced Diamonds - Is it crazy that I feel the whole top needs to be hand pieced together?
17. More Cosmic Burst blocks
18. Name quilt for my daughter - I think this become a backing more than anything...
19. Chandelier quilt - requires some unsewing and I'm just not motivated to do this.
20. Liberty Circles
21. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
22. Pieced Stars - in recent weeks I've made a few more stars. Crazy precision piecing kick I've been on.
23. The Water Quilt
24. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks - This one has been on my mind lately. Made more low volume slabs while teaching and they could be added. Just need to make more templates.
25. A values quilt in neutrals - I know I said I wasn't counting class blocks, but I now have enough blocks to turn this into a quilt. Maybe very soon.
26. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks  - Part of these are being kept as class samples, but a big chunk of them are now turning into a quilt for my son.
27. Edges/Studio Stash Play
28. Beach Grass Take 2
29. Y2K quilt - Up to 16 rows now. Out of 50.
30. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
31. Round and Round blocks - Up to 16 of these now.
32. Snippets on Dates - These are coming together. When I am in the mood for the mess again I will finish it. So, so close.
33. Circle Lattice - Finished three blocks now, and started the fourth.
34. Leftovers from Modern Paris - These may come into play soon as the couple I made the quilt for are now expecting a baby.
35. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama - I made up the small blocks into 1 large block, but now I think it needs more.
36. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I think it needs to be the start of a medallion quilt.
37. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
38. Improv work with Cotton and Steel Fabrics that I started for my CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics class.
39. Blue Improv - pulled out some class sample I've used over the years and played with them for CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics. Now I think I have a plan for them.
40. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
41. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.

Finished

Precious - an all voile quilt
A Vintage Spin quilt that hasn't been gifted yet, so I can't share it.

Two magazine projects are now published, but I've only shared one so far.
Argyle (Version I and II)
Watch for the other one to be posted in the next week or two. Both are in the latest issue of Modern Patchwork.

Plus, I made some clothes. A dress, 3 Lindens, 2 skirts for my girls.

Argyle I and II

Argyle

12'' x 12'' blocks

It isn't often that I make a quilt twice. Beyond pattern testing, I have to really, really like the pattern to make it twice. Good thing this is my own pattern!

Introducing Argyle. Appropriately named, don't you think? I was searching for ideas for a quilt for my nephew (see below). At first I was just searching for string quilts or X quilts or any number of things. Then my Hubby suggested an Argyle quilt. I didn't like any of the patterns I found, none were what I had in mind, so I made up my own.

It is one of those techniques that involves a lot of cutting, sewing, then cutting apart before sewing back together again. Oh wait, isn't that all of quilting?



The original quilt resides with my awesome nephew. The second quilt is now published, with the pattern, in the latest issue of Modern Patchwork. The original is 72'' by 96'', a very generous twin size. The one in Modern Patchwork is 72'' by 72''. (Just make more or less blocks to size up or down.)

Colours vary slightly between the two quilts. The original one is bolder, with a palette of blues, reds, oranges, and yellows chosen by my nephew. Some of the fabrics are from his baby quilt! To achieve the argyle effect you need the strips to be a dark, then you need mediums and lights. So I went to black and white fabrics for the mediums and white or tone on tone for the lights.



In the Modern Patchwork version I started with a bundle of fabric from Windham, the Modern Country line from Elizabeth Kinch. To this I added some stashed fabrics. Of note, there is some Karen Lewis Textiles screen prints, Carolyn Friedlander, Monica Solorio Snow, and Lu Summers. The white in this quilt is an Essex Linen. Overall, this is a softer quilt, more subtle in its design.

Both quilts were quilted with a squared off and overlapping meander. The original was done on a long arm and the second one on my domestic Bernina. Both were quilted with Aurifil 2600.

In addition to this quilt, I have another one plus an article on charity quilts in this issue of Modern Patchwork. With an extra copy of the magazine on my table I'm happy to give one away. On Monday I will pick a winner from the subscribers to my newsletter. Subscribe up top if you haven't already.

Oh Canada Quilt - In Red

This particular quilt was started after the shooting at Parliament Hill in the fall. A strong sense of patriotism came over me, and many others. I took solace from the news and this incomprehensible act in my studio. It was nice to reflect and find comfort in the act of sewing.

This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of our Maple Leaf flag. With Canada Day coming it got me inspired to finish this quilt. Such a fun holiday, everyone is in such a good mood, there are barbecues and fireworks, and we are reminded at what a diverse and great population we have. It all seemed to be good motivation to finish the quilt top.

Not only that, it was nice to finish the quilt with positive feelings, with joy in my heart not pain. Sewing can do that, turn your mood around. But the quilt can also hold your mood. Taking a break helps change that, if you want to do so. That was exactly why I took a break. The imagery of our flag is joyous to to me and while it gave me comfort to make the first few blocks, I wanted the final quilt to be happy.

This version is a bit different too. Instead of making slabs and using those for the reds, I collected a bunch of different red fabrics. From flowers to geometrics to hockey themed fabric, it is all there. And because no two reds are the same, each block still looks distinct. I made it exactly the same size as my original Oh Canada quilt, which is a really good lap size.

Remember, in honour of the Maple Leaf's birthday, the Oh Canada pattern is on sale in my shop. Free shipping for the printed pattern and only US$7 for the PDF version.

You Inspire Me To Quilt - Introduction (Part 2)

Welcome to the second look at You Inspire Me To Quilt. Today I want to let you in on the rest of the quilts and contributors. If you missed the first instalment, you can find it here.

Have you ever had someone in your life - not a quilter - who suggests some crazy idea for a quilt to you? An idea that you initially dismiss as ridiculous, difficult, or even impossible to translate into a quilt? Have you struggled to work out a design for an idea you wanted to try, for an inspiration that stopped you in your tracks? Well, you aren't alone. You Inspire Me To Quilt is all about that process - from inspiration to finished quilt, from Spark to Binding.

Each contributor to the book shared their process of design and making. That's on top of the pattern itself. We've also included insight from each quilter on a wide range of topics from teaching quilting, finding time for creativity, inspiration, and family. It was such a privilege for me to work with these amazing women, I am thrilled.

Dino Patch is a fun quilt, perfect for collaboration with the favourite littles in your life. You need to see what Carolyn Friedlander did when working with her nephew. Her process is fun for all parties involved and makes for this great quilt. By breaking out the process you can take it and completely make it your own.

Kisses was a labour of love for me. In response to a need for a large enough quilt for a king size bed - with us in it - I made this. Sometimes the inspiration is more functional than funny, but it is still there.

This quilt is a simple, stunning beauty. Straightforward in its construction, yet full of so much love and detail. Jen Carlton-Bailly did an incredible job capturing the phases of the moon and a mother's love for her daughter in one quilt. (I couldn't help but use two amazing mothers in the photo, from Shop Blest, and my dearest friend. Those are their boys/grandsons in the Dino Patch photo too.)

You never know when the SPARK is going to hit you. In Heather Jones' case it was when she and her husband, Jeffrey Cortland Jones, were leaving a parking lot.  In shooting the book I hemmed and hawed about the best way to shoot this quilt. In the end, a stark moment captured interestingly won out over literal interpretations with other signs.

It is totally appropriate that Blair Stocker made a quilt with her husband's request to tackle ski parkas. They are quilted already, after all! Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea for those of us with a surfeit of kids' parkas left with stains and ripped elbows from an active winter. Not to mention cold rinks to sit in and ski lunches to be had.

This was truly an incredible experience, from start to finish, from spark to binding, from first notes to book in hand.

Pick up You Inspire Me to Quilt on Amazon or request it at your local quilt store.