Weekend Abstraction - Week 6

I'm continuing with this simple block and finding it intriguing to work with.  I created another design and buckled down in the studio and almost finished a top.  I'm pleased with the colors and the graphic impact of this quilt.  I also love the combo of flat solids and shot cottons.  A few more seams and it'll be done. I think I'll call it Whirl-a-way!

Weekend Abstraction - Week 5 Part II

Sometimes I fall in love with a block and can't stop thinking about it.  I'm sitting in a different airport this time and again playing with blocks.  Could airports come with sewing lounges?  Would definitely work for me!

Same block, different layout, new color.  Enjoy!

Weekend Abstraction - Week 5

Gee, I know I missed the whole weekend, but I had a less than 48 hour turnaround between teaching gigs and I know I would look funny teaching without clean clothes and the materials I need for my classes.  I need to get better at scheduling (How many times have I said that before?).

I am sitting in O'hare playing on the computer and I have 30 minutes of free wifi, so I thought I'd share what I'm playing around with.  This is the possible quilt. It is made up of four blocks, two large and two small.  I like the simplicity and the interesting spaces in this one. I also like the action and movement created by the diagonal lines and weird angles.  Should be pretty fun to make.  Sure wish I was home to do just that.  Have a great week! 

Quilter's Take Manhattan Winner!

The magic random number generator chose Julie as the winner!  Congrats!  I've emailed you, so please send me your contact information so you can claim your prize.  Thanks to everyone for supporting this event and the Quilt Alliance.  If you want to be a part of the event, there's still time to purchase your own home ticket!  If I don't hear from Julie by Wednesday a.m., I'll draw another winner!

Weekend Distraction

No Weekend Abstraction this week, sorry.  Too busy getting ready for a long week of traveling and teaching.  Many of you reminded me that I sprung Sideways on you without an introduction.  Sorry about that.  Lots of you remember my dear Bruno.  He is truly missed and no dog takes another's place, they just take up a new place in your heart and Sideways has done that.  

Sideways joined our family in December and was a co-adoption from a local shelter.  My two sons and my youngest son's girlfriend adopted him with my hubby and I so that he's a family dog.  When we're on the road working, he is with the boys.  It's too hard for me to travel and know my dog is with strangers.  It's the perfect situation for us.  We won the dog lottery.  He's smart, lovable and is learning to be obedient and have manners.  He also has the softest coat I've ever had the pleasure to snuggle.

I'll let the pictures help you get to know him.  All the good photos were taken by the talented Lauren Hunt!

Quilters Take Manhattan!

Today is my stop on the Quilters Take Manhattan blog hop.  I'm excited to be a part of letting everyone know about this great event in the quilting community and there's a giveaway too, so be sure to look for that on the bottom of the post!  The sixth annual Quilters Take Manhattan is coming up later this month on September 23rd-25th.  It's a spectacular celebration of quilting and fundraiser for the Quilt Alliance.  The highlight of the event will be talks by Kaffe Fassett and Dr. Carolyn L. Mazioomi.  The emcee will be the always entertaining Mary Fons.  You won't want to miss it!

Quilters Take Manhattan supports the important work of the Quilt Alliance. The Quilt Alliance is a nonprofit 501c3 organization established in 1993  with a mission to document, preserve, and share the stories of quilts and their makers. QA core projects include: Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories (QSOS), Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! and National Quilting Day.

Now in it’s 6^th year in the Big Apple, Quilters Take Manhattan is a hybrid, weekend-long series featuring a full-day event at FIT and evening cocktail party on Saturday, as well as Friday and Sunday tours of the Garment District, area museums, workshops and a Broadway outing. 

The Main Event at FIT includes a full day of lectures, interviews, vendors, an exhibition of quilts, trunk shows, and the Quilt Match Manhattan quilt design challenge and speakers Kaffe Fassett and Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, and emcee Mary Fons.  There's something for everyone and it's a great way to support the preservation, documentation and promotion of quilting.

There are still tickets available for some of the events this month, and you can order them on the Quilt Alliance website.  If you're not able to make it to the event in person, the Quilt Alliance offers home tickets that allows you to participate in events from the comfort of your own home.  How great is that!  I hope you'll order a ticket and join me participating in the event at home!

Just for you...

The Quilt Alliance is giving away one of the Quilters Take Manhattan Moda Home Tickets.  It's valued at $35 and you'll receive a QTM Goody Bag stuffed full of samples and treats from the event sponsors by mail, and email links to footage of the Sunday with Sponsors event, the Quilt Match Manhattan challenge and more. To enter, leave a comment below and be sure to include your email address so you can be contacted if you're the winner.  The giveaway is open until Saturday September 10 at 5 p.m. CT.  The giveaway is open to US residents only. I'll use that great random number generator to pick a winner.

Be sure to visit the other stops on the hop for more chances to win and to support the work of the Quilt Alliance.

Day 1 - Monday, September 5

Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD

Pat Sloan

AccuQuilt

Day 2 - Tuesday, September 6

Victoria Findlay Wolfe @VFW Quilts

Erin Sampson - Aurifil @Auribuzz

Freespirit Fabric

Day 3 - Wednesday, September 7

Moda Fabrics @Moda Cutting Table

Denyse Schmidt on Instagram @dsquilts

Debbie Jeske @A Quilter's Table

Day 4 - Thursday, September 8

Jacquie Gering @tallgrass prairie studio You're Here!

Jessica Skultety @Quilty Habit

Gotham Quilts @Fabric Nerd

Day 5 - Friday, September 9

Kim Niedzwiecki @my go-go life

Leslie Tucker Jenison

John Kubiniec @Big Rig Quilting

Comments have been closed.  Thanks for entering and for supporting the Quilt Alliance!

The magic random number generator chose Julie as the winner!  Congrats!  I've emailed you, so please send me your contact information so you can claim your prize.  Thanks to everyone for supporting this event and the Quilt Alliance.  If you want to be a part of the event, there's still time to purchase your own home ticket!  If I don't hear from Julie by Wednesday morning, I'll draw another winner.

Weekend Abstractions Week 4

This week launched my Mighty Lucky challenge on negative space so I thought I'd share one of the blocks and a resulting quilt that I designed using the information and exercises in the challenge.  I haven't made this quilt yet, but it's definitely on my list of things to do.

I hope those of you who are involved in the challenge are having fun and learning something new. It's not too late to join. If you're interested check out the Mighty Lucky quilting club on the Lucky Spool site.  There have been loads of great challenges this year.

I am also hoping to get started quilting on this quilt which is also designed using the space block techniques in the September challenge.  This one is stumping me a bit on how to quilt it, but I have some ideas percolating.

Have a happy Labor Day weekend!

Weekend Abstractions - Week 3

I'm in beautiful northern Wisconsin on Perch Lake enjoying a little time away in the north woods.  It's good to get back to essentials and the simple things; my family, the beauty of nature and s'mores over a dwindling fire.  Worries seem to get absorbed in the breeze and I can spend the days filling my cup, remembering who I am, what I love and enjoy life in a way that hasn't come easy lately. The lake is like glass and I've been mesmerized by how the water moves and changes as it is disturbed by water bugs, jumping husbands and Sideways gliding through the water.  

Rings of water everywhere.  I don't have my usual materials with me so I'm a bit handicapped by only having a computer, but I wanted to keep up the routine and share a few things with you.  I love the ripples that float outward when a droplet of water drips from the end of my fishing rod and shatters the glassy surface and the rings multiply magically, though I think this looks more like an eight ball on a pool table or a giant scary eye.  I would like to play with a bit of bias tape to see what might happen with this idea.

Sideways loves to swim and as he moves through the water he makes a sort of wake behind him that looks a bit like these nested ovals.  

I like them when they're put together in pairs.  I think it forms cool shapes in the negative space and has this kind of groovy 70's feeling.

Kind of fun to think of how it might look in color.

Tomorrow I'll be on my way home, stronger, centered, and ready to tackle the regular routine.  Thanks for the kind words about the book.  I appreciate you joining me here.

Sideways Has a Secret!

Sideways has a secret.  Look at that face.  He's been trying to keep this info to himself, but he asked if he could spill the beans on the blog.  Why not!

Sideways and I are happy to announce that I have a new book coming out this fall on October 4th. He wanted desperately to be a part of the book so he sidled his way into a few of the photos, though he didn't make it into the book.  He thinks he enhances the quilting!

Yup, the book is all about quilting...walking foot quilting, that is.  I have to tell you that writing this book has ignited a new love for the quilting process.  I've been experimenting and creating new designs and techniques that I think all of you are going to love as much as I do.  It's a comprehensive book that I hope will be great for beginners, but also for those of you who are experienced and want to take your quilting to the next level.

Here are just a few of the over 40 designs that are in the book. Walk is available for pre-order on Amazon now.  I'll open pre-orders on my website soon so you can pre-order a signed copy or talk to your local shop owner and let them know about the book.  

Weekend Abstractions - Week 2

Here is my abstraction for this weekend.  Last week I used triangles to create the shapes that interested me.  Today it's half circles.  It's interesting how changing the positions of the circles or adding different shapes in different positions affects the design.  I think there is potential here.  I'm looking forward to more exploration with this one.  Sometimes I see a quilt top and sometimes I see blocks that could come together in interesting ways.

I liked last week's design so much, I decided to make a quilt top out of it.  I don't know if all of these will become tops, but it's good to have options.  My favorite part of this design is that tension in the connections between the black spaces.  I also find it interesting that so many of you didn't even see the white triangles the first time you looked at the design.  

Now I have to figure out how to quilt it....a continuing dilemma in my world.