Nature's Blanket

Snow...
...silenced the woods...
who bowed in reverence...
and stood tall under the burden...
I walked quietly so as not to intrude.
Sometimes you have to give in to the power of nature and simply enjoy.

Atomic Connections....Finally Complete!

I'm embarrassed to say this quilt has been sitting in my studio with the binding pinned since September. It's so great to see it on a bed and ready to use!
The KC Modern Quilt guild had a hand sewing Saturday at Bon Bon Atelier in Westport on Saturday and this is one of the projects I brought to work on. Thanks for hosting us, Betsy. We had a ball! I didn't quite get it done on Saturday, but I pulled it out last night and finished it up. So glad I did!
I really love the simplicity and at the same time the complexity of this design. None of the atomic singles, pairs or triplets are the same. I also adore how it looks on the bed. I lucked out on that!Angela's quilting takes it to a new level....it's a bit like a Where's Waldo quilt...you need to cuddle in it and get close up to enjoy all the unique twists in the quilting.
I'm kinda smitten with the back too....this quilt nourishes my cravings for orange and nostalgia for the 70's.

Reality Bites!

After the euphoria of the KC Star article yesterday all I wanted to do was sew, sew and sew some more. That's a great feeling!My KC Modern Quilt Guild 'Robert Kaufman No Prints Allowed Challenge' quilt has been on the design wall for weeks so I tackled it. It was coming together pretty well until that row...that dang row that didn't look just right, but I ignored it. A couple of rows later, that row was on my mind, bugging me. My perfectionism took over and I grabbed the seam ripper and went at it.
Sometimes a little ripping is a good thing, sometimes it simply multiplies the problem. In my case, it was the latter. I'll leave out the colorful language, but it wasn't pretty.
It got so crooked, and then I tried to save it with pressing. It wasn't cooperating. Everything I did made it worse. So, instead of cease and desist I ripped some more. I'm stubborn.
It's a wake up call to go from an 'I can do anything I put my mind to' feeling, to being manhandled and bested by some 2" squares and some thread. Reality does bite sometimes. I guess that's why they call it a challenge.

We've Come a Long Way Baby!

Modern quilting and the Modern Quilt Guild take center stage in the Kansas City Star! Yippeee! I'm so happy and proud that the movement continues to have a voice and be recognized.

When Shane took this picture at the Star photo studio, I thought it would be a little picture in the corner of the House and Home Section, but wowsers, a full page color pic of the Life in Technicolor quilt. Dang!
Yup, that's my quilt on the cover of the House and Home section of the Star. I'm shaking and beaming all at the same time.
I'm grinning like a silly school girl in this shot, but quilts make me happy. Lauren, of My Aunt June fame, looks so serious and focused. Lauren, how did you become serious and focused all of the sudden? We are quite the contrast of modern quilters, young and hip, and experienced (aka old)....I think it's great that as modern quilters we're kind of a soup to nuts kinda group and we all have a place.
You can read the article online if you're not in the area...if you are, pop out and pick up a copy! I got quite the look from the clerk at my local convenience store when I bought a stack of papers about as tall as I am. He said I must be "into" news. I said, today I am!

I couldn't end this post without thanking the many folks who have inspired and supported me over the last three years, many of them are mentioned in the article. I never could have imagined something like this for me or modern quilting. We've come a long way in a short time!

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

Wall Art

My oldest son has moved from the posters pinned to the wall stage to I'd like my apartment to look more mature so I need some art stage. He's smitten with Daisy Janie's geo grand prints (I am too), so I made this for above his fireplace. It's about 32 x 34 and is stretched over a inexpensive frame. There is a layer of batting underneath, but I chose not to quilt it. I think it showcases the print and gives him a modern, yet masculine piece of art.
Kinda fits his hip looks, don't you think?
He also likes this ogee print (another Daisy Janie creation) and has asked for something with it. Both Marmalade and Bon Bon carry Daisy Janie fabrics if you feel the urge to add them to your stash.
Does my heart good that my boys want to showcase quilts and textiles. (without any motherly cajoling) Apparently it's even gotten some pretty good comments from friends.

Selvages in the House

It's finally done and hanging in the studio.

It's so inspiring to have it right in front of me when I'm at my desk. This is where I sit and sketch.

I'm working hard to get things done. I thought I had a free week, but now the calendar is packed again. How does that happen?

A Real Girl

It was a whirlwind week last week, with Alissa coming to Kansas City. Yup, Alissa, of Handmade by Alissa, came to town and I can report she's not just an internet sensation, she's a real girl! She spoke at the KC MQG on Thursday night and was such a hit. I heard from loads of folks after the meeting how inspired they were to sew. We learned more about her and of course got to see her quilts.
Alissa's first book will be coming out soon and it was so great to see the cover quilt in person as well as her new work. (No pictures of that...it's a secret!) I'm so proud to be a part of the Block Party book. I've seen the inside too and it's so great!

Alissa stayed for the weekend and got a little taste of the Kansas countryside, Sarah's fabrics in Lawrence, and I got to know her better. We talked quilting and lots of other stuff late into the night, every night!
This weekend is one more example of how the Modern Quilt guild has changed my life. Thanks for coming, Alissa! It was a ball!!

A Gift of Time

I was supposed to be in Wichita today and tomorrow speaking to the Prairie Quilt guild and doing a full day workshop, but it was canceled due to snow. Bummer, but I'm choosing to make lemonade from that lemony situation, so with a gift of time I decided to do a little late night painting. I'm really into gray these days and I've had these four paint cards pasted to my living room wall for months, unable to decide on the right gray. So, I chose one and tested it in the guest room. I painted one wall and below the window a darker gray and the rest of the room a light gray. The light plays with those grays so much that sometimes they look the same and at other times the contrast is significant. Light is a fickle thing when it comes to color. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Still can't decide what to do in the living room though.

I've also got some time to work on my KC Modern quilt guild challenge. It's the Robert Kaufman, No Prints Allowed Challenge. It all starts with one charm pack. Here's a hint. I'm still in the design stage....it's changed significantly from my initial idea, but that's standard operating procedure around here. The reveal is at the March meeting. I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with.

In the interest of full disclosure...the ceiling in this room is still a mixture of the original beige and the light green I tested about 6 months ago...Makes for quite the kaleidoscope ceiling. One thing at a time. I'll be sure and put paint the ceiling on my list of things to do.

Exploring Minimalism

One of my goals for this year is to explore minimalism. Minimalist art makes me catch my breath a bit. I seem to be drawn to it and I'd like to explore it in quilts. I got Yoshiko Jinzenji's book a couple of weeks ago and have been pouring over it. She is the master of minimalist quilts. I was surprised to find out that she uses a lot of reverse applique. I was inspired by the internal complexity of her minimalist designs (how's that for an oxymoron?). I wondered what I could do with piecing. So I started cutting and sewing.
I gravitated right to my fav color combo right now...orange and gray. I know it's that in your face orange again, but I like it. I'm still exploring here, but it might turn into something.

I haven't sewn for me in a long time. It's so different that sewing for something commercial like a book or a magazine. You have to think about if it's too hard or if a instructions or a pattern can be developed.

I call this sewing for free. No strings attached. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
I also turned the sample spool from Wednesday's tutorial into a gift for someone special. I hope it will find a home in her livudio. (Living room studio). Katie turns 40 on Sunday. Head over and tell her happy birthday! Notice that little zipper tab on the bottom? My first invisible zipper thanks to Katie and her tutorial.

I've avoided zippers since my garment sewing days. Ripped out too many zippers in my time. Katie made me do it. That girl teaches me something every day. It's nice to have a friend like that.

I'm taking the weekend off to eat Hooter's wings and watch the Superbowl...yes, I love football. Go Packers!

Selvage Spools...The Tutorial!

As promised a little tutorial so you can make your own selvage spools quilt.
Start by sorting your selvages by color. Press them flat and trim so they have a nice straight raw edge. The wider you trim them the more fabric you'll be able to show. I cut mine from 1 to 2 1/2" wide. I like to show the fabric!
You'll need a paper foundation to make your spool. I made all sorts of different sizes. This one is 4" x 8". It's fun to have short, tall, skinny, and fat spools. Experiment with different sizes! I recycle paper from my computer for foundations.
Audition your selvages. Cut them a bit longer than the foundation. Start at the bottom with a non selvage piece. The cute part of the selvage will disappear in the seam allowance so there's no need to waste a selvage. Stack the selvages in the order you'd like them to appear and with about the amount of fabric you'd like to reveal.
Place the non-selvage strip on the bottom so it extends just a tish over the paper. Secure it with a dab of glue if you'd like.
Place the first selvage on top of that strip revealing some of that strip's fabric. Reduce your stitch length for paper piecing...about 1.5 on my machine and sew about 1/16th of an inch from the edge of the selvage. I run the inside edge of my 1/4" foot along the selvage edge and it works perfectly.
Continue adding selvages in the same way until the paper is covered.
It should look something like this.
Flip the foundation over so the paper is on top. Use the edges of the paper to trim the edges.
Remove the paper foundation from the back. Cut two 1 1/2" by 8" strips for the sides and sew one to each side and press.
Choose fabric for the top of the spools. I coordinated the tops with the selvage color. Cut two 2 1/2" x 6" strips and sew to the top and bottom. I cut angles into some of my tops just for fun, but that's my style. You can leave yours nice and straight if you'd like.
To put the spools together I simply lined up the bottoms and sewed background fabric to the tops of the spools so that they were the same height, arranged them like I wanted them and sewed them together. There are so many arrangements that could be done with these blocks. I'd sure love to see what you come up with.
One little note...for the shorter and wider spools I increased the width of the side strips so the spools would look proportional. Play with those kinds of things and make yours look like you want them to.

Any questions, just pop me an email.

Enjoy!