A Good Screw Up Keeps You Humble

Sometimes you have to laugh, call yourself an idiot and then put on your big girl panties and fix your mistake. This is my peace sign quilt...well, almost. Notice something missing...we'll I didn't and neither did all the people who read this pattern for me. Nice to know at least I wasn't alone. Too bad the commenter who pointed out my mistake was anonymous. I'd like to thank her. She's got a great eye for seeing what's really there, or not there in this case! Yup, the bottom bar of the peace sign is missing. Yeah, I have to redo the pattern. Shouldn't be hard, just embarrassing.

Good thing is I still love the quilt and it'll make me smile every time I use it.
So off to eat my crow and fix my mistake. What colors should I use for the next one?
Too bad it's not April 1....I missed being an April Fool by only one day. I guess I only get to be a regular everyday fool.

Make It Modern and Spit to the Rescue...Again!

I wrote an article for the April issue of Quilter's World magazine. I love how they styled my quilts. Quilter's World seemed like a pretty traditional magazine to me, but they're moving to include more modern pieces and articles. I'm thrilled to share this issue with the likes of Jan, of Daisy Janie fame. Jan's got a cute quilt in this issue with her Shades of Grey fabrics. Jen, of Reannilily Designs has one of her signature bags in this issue. Jen is a Wichita gal. Pretty cool to have two Kansas girls in the issue.
Sewed and quilted a bunch over the weekend. Snow, yes, snow kept me out of the garden and from working outside.

Had a little stabbing incident quilting this quilt. I was quilting along and didn't even notice that one of the basting pins was stuck in my hand...just above my thumb....I don't even know how long it was there. I stopped to adjust the quilt, pulled my hand back and the pin popped out...blood was spurting everywhere. What a mess. I grabbed a scrap of batting and slapped it on my hand, but not before the quilt was covered in bright red dots.
Another opportunity to unleash the power of spit. Yes, I've done this before. Spit actually is the best method for removing blood when it needs to be done NOW and you don't have the traditional blood removal ingredients on hand. I had to rip out a section of quilting, but saved the quilt. Hoping to finish the quilting on this baby today...sore thumb and all.

Sewing for A Cause

I sewed late into the night last night. The KCMQG is taking on its next service project and I was doing some sewing to test fabric combinations for the fetal demise pouch project. I spent a day last week shopping for some additional materials...solids and ribbons so that we can put the kits together to distribute at the April meeting. Anna Maria Horner and Free Spirit/Westminster have been so supportive of our project by providing some of the fabrics which the hospital chose for the pouches. I will tell you it's some of the most difficult, but rewarding sewing I've ever done.

Having had a child born prematurely, it's not easy to make or hold one of these pouches. The pouches are offered to mothers who have miscarriages and lose babies very early in their pregnancy, in the more technical term, fetal demise. These babies are too tiny and fragile for clothing. The pouches are only about 4" x 7". I made 3 out of muslin before I made one that was perfect. Then I made them with the selected fabrics. It had to be perfect.

Andrea, one of our guild members and a nursing student, saw a need and suggested the project. Until Andrea shared with me I didn't know there was such a thing. They exist and something beautiful was needed. I'm so proud of our guild for tackling this. I'm excited to get the kits made and distributed so our talented group can start sewing.

Word for the Day Is...

Peace.
This is for the back of my "Give Peace a Chance Quilt". I hope I'll have it done to show you on Monday. The Metro Living prints arrived from Tammy at Marmalade and I couldn't wait to cut into them. They combine so nicely with my mingle prints and some special Daisy Janie fabric that I got in her etsy shop. Adore that big gray print!!
Found this at a resale store on Thursday. Isn't it great when your purse matches your quilt?

Happy Friday everyone! It's going to be cold and rainy here. Sounds like a weekend for sewing.

Thank you again for participating in my Love for Japan fundraiser for the Red Cross. With my donation we raised over $3000 dollars. Dang, that's a good thing! The winner of the quilt is Marjorie D. Marjorie lives a couple hours down the road from me. Hurts a little less sending the quilt away knowing that I could drop by for a visit. Congrats Marjorie! Thanks again!!

Roberto Capucci + Baby Romper =

...this 72" long chevron. Fabulous! Nothing is pressed, trimmed, or attached, just raw free piecing ready to become something.It all started with the baby romper that Nettie posted as the inspiration for her bee blocks. I made this free pieced chevron and have been thinking about the chevron thing ever since.
Then when I was in LA I came across this picture of this amazing Roberto Capucci dress in Marie Claire. Eeek! If that's not a color inspiration I don't know what is. So my brain has been ruminating about those colors and then it hit me today....why not? So I went oversized with this giant chevron. Now I need to do something with it...
I love the black background. I'm going to add black to the top and bottom at angles to complete the chevron look, but how to trim it? It could be straight and narrow like the chevron in Nettie's block. It could widen at the bottom like the silhouette of the dress. Or it could curve gently. What do you think?

Then I need to consider placement...hmmmm....lots to think about. Want to weigh in? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The "With Love for Japan" ends today. I'll give you till midnight central time and then I'm tallying up all the entries and doing the random number thing. Again, thanks for taking action.

PS....Happy Birthday, JON!!!!

I love you...and wish you weren't so far away!

Mom

Cogs and More Help for Japan

I'm so excited! I've been busy working with a couple of local shops to develop some classes and I'm ready and they're ready.
First up is a class to make the Broken Cogs quilt at Bon Bon Atelier in Westport. It's a 3 part class on April 9, 23, and May 7th. Cogs is an intermediate level quilt, but if you're a beginner, I'll help you tackle it! There will be homework with this class too. Space is limited, so contact Betsy at 816 756 0855 or pop over to her site to register.
I finished the top for the baby version of the Cogs quilt...I think I love it. I'm working on a full/queen size version too! Can't wait to show you that one!

Next up is a Improvised Modern Log Cabin class on April 30th at the Bernina Sewing Center in Overland Park. We'll experiment with all sorts of versions of the log cabin. You can pick one and make your own unique modern log cabin quilt. Call the shop at 913 341 6400 to reserve your space. We're gonna have a ball!

More classes coming later this spring and summer. Reserve your spot today!
June 4 at the Overland Park Bernina Sewing Center - Free Piecing
July 30 at Bon Bon Atelier - Free Piecing
August 13 and 14 at Bon Bon Atelier - Modern Baby quilt (Beginning quilting)

With Love to Japan!
Thank you so much for your support for Japan and the Red Cross. We're over $2000 in donations so far. I'll draw a random number on Wednesday to determine the winner of the quilt. There are many ways to help. Elizabeth is doing the same on her blog with her fabulous Tokyo Subway Map quilt and Merumo emailed me that she's gathered some friends and they are collaborating with their own effort. Check it out and help if you can!

With Love to Japan

It's difficult to watch the news these days. Images from the continuing nuclear crisis and the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan are repeating in my head. It's difficult to imagine the circumstances that the Japanese people are facing. I've had a few people email and ask about making quilts for the Japanese.

While quilts can provide comfort, right now I am donating to the International Relief fund of the American Red Cross. Now is the time for organizations with the resources and infrastructure to provide the help that is needed immediately. The Japan Red Cross has requested assistance from the American Red Cross. The ARC has set up a fund for the affected area. You can easily donate here. Skip the starbucks this week and make a donation or do what you can in your own way.

I'm also giving away the Be Still My Heart quilt shown in these pictures to a reader of my blog. All you have to do to enter is make your donation to the American Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund. For every $10 you donate, you get an entry.

Donate, come back and leave a comment with your donation amount and the tracking number on your receipt. Make sure I have a way to contact you too!

So, how much can we raise? Let's give it a week and see!

Thanks LA!

My weekend with family in California started early with a quick side trip to LA, and I'm so glad I did! I had a chance to attend a meeting of the LAMQG. They actually rescheduled their meeting to coincide with my visit. I got to see the reveal of their Robert Kaufman solids challenge and shared a few of my quilts. I met so many nice people. I can't thank Alissa enough for inviting me and their great officer team for having me! Best side trip I've ever taken!

As you can see, talking quilts is simply a happy experience for me.
This is a peek at Sew Modern, the shop where the LA guild meets. Oh my I wish you could all go there and check it out. Such a wonderful layout and great fabric! Being surrounded by fabric makes me smile too. Next time, I'm spending some quality time at Sew Modern!
This is a glimpse of the folks who were there...so many talented quilters in this group! It was so inspiring to see their work and talk quilts with them.

Thanks for having me LA...I'll be back!

I'm Making Blocks...I Really Am!

Three more to go and then I'm caught up. I think I've said that before. Will I ever catch up? My bee friends have been so patient. I keep expecting that angry email saying, "so...are you making my block, or what?" It hasn't come yet, but I deserve it!
Here are the latest that are in the mail.
Nettie's is an free pieced chevron. Her inspiration photo was the cutest baby in this little striped outfit with a strip of ROYGBIV fabric. This is my interpretation. It's going to be one cute quilt!
Heather wanted mini improv blocks. Love her fabrics. These are teeny tiny blocks!
Finally for Cheryl...geese, geese and more geese. Don't you love all the configurations you can make with flying geese!

I can't celebrate too much, have to stay motivated to finish those last three!

Have a happy Friday! See you when I get back from LA!

Night Forest

It feels so good to finish this! Definitely out of my comfort zone, but that's what made it a challenge.I found a place for it over the bed. Looks like it was made for it.
It may move later, and now it's getting packed up to go with me to LA.
The quilting is only done in the background...makes the trees pop forward and kinda ups the creepiness factor. It's sort of spooky looking in person.

Have a happy hump day!

A Little Shopping

The first weekend of the month is vintage shopping time in Kansas City. My oldest son and I went together. We were looking for some unique, cheap, decor items. My kind of shopping! We hit Good JuJu, Liberty Bell and Urban Mining and came home with some great finds. I wasn't planning to shop for myself until I found this. I am totally smitten with vintage TV's, but I don't have room for one in my house.This art piece is made from the parts of an old TV. The knobs even turn!
The inside of the screen showcases the old test pattern....I remember those filling the screen when there was no programming available. Better than infomercials, don't you think?
It's an old motorola...I'm hanging it at the bottom of the stairs so I'll see it as I enter my studio. Reminds me of simpler times.
Speaking of shopping, I did a little fabric shopping at Marmalade this weekend. Did you know Tammy is now up to 80 colors of Kona cotton solids. Yum! So I stocked up on a few that I was low on. She's also carrying one of my favorite basics, essex linen/cotton blends in 5 colors. Did you know that essex comes in orange? Be still my heart! These make great background fabric!

Have you seen RK's Metro Living? Love these prints!
And the fabric I've been pining for...waiting for...wanting...wishing... (Shades of Grey!) should be arriving the end of March. Is it ok to wish a whole month away, just to get fabric? Check out Tammy's other great collections.

My tasks for today...quilt Night Forest! I'm so excited. I also need to decide what quilts to bring to LA. It's going to be a wonderful week! Have a great one!

Oh, I almost forgot, the winners of Shea's patterns...The playhouse goes to Anne and Nichole and the quilt pattern to Valerie and highwaycottage. I've contacted everyone, but Valerie....no contact info in your comment. Valerie said, "I would love that quilt pattern! So pretty!! My pet peeve would be not including various sizes/fabric requirements. I like to have options!" Please drop me an email with your address. If I don't hear from you by tomorrow I'll draw another name.

It's Great to Have Talented Friends

Shea is just that. She's the VP of the KC Modern Quilt guild and my partner in running the guild. She's my right and left hand gal. Not only is she a good friend, but she's one of those people who doesn't simply talk about doing things, she does them. I remember when she first talked with me about writing patterns and starting her own business, and now she's gone and done it. Shea's new business is Empty Bobbin Sewing. Check her out. She's offering free domestic shipping and reduced international shipping until March 17th!

I'm so happy to share her first two patterns with you. They're so cute and they're quality. This girl knows how to write clear instructions with pictures for us visual learner. The first is this happy quilt, Seeing Squares! Eeek! Totally cute!
I love that she shows her patterns in multiple colorways and that the pattern contains directions for multiple sizes of quilts. Much more versatile pattern that way!
And, get ready for a blast from the past. Remember these Card Table Playhouses from back in the 70's? I would totally make one of these now, but back when my boys were this age I threw a blanket over the table and called it good. I have a feeling my grandkids might have it better (I'm not in any hurry, by the way!)
Who could resist sewing a little to get a happy face like this!
I'm so proud of Shea and she's offered 2 of each of these patterns to my readers. Just leave a comment and I'll draw winners on Monday. Here's what you need to tell me to enter.

1. Which pattern would you like? playhouse, quilt, or either one

2. What's your biggest pet peeve about patterns? (especially quilt patterns)

If you want a pattern and aren't feeling lucky, go to Shea's store and make a purchase!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Night Forest

I was so excited to get this top done and show it to you. I'm so happy with how it came together. In some ways it's not a typical quilt for me, but the improvisational piecing and freedom to design is so me. Thanks to Krista for the challenge! You can see the original challenge and inspiration in this post.
I love that the tree fabrics are all from my neutral scrap box. The blue in there was totally serendipity...stuck that piece of blue in that box by mistake, but I adore how it works.
So cool how the eye of a bird now becomes a scar in the birch bark. All of the cutting for joining the pieces was done freehand, no ruler! Cutting sans ruler creates curves and a more organic feel to the forest.
The top finished at 19" x 41". I hope I can find the perfect place to hang this when it's quilted and bound.

Is Quilting a Competitive Sport?

...or should it be? I've had several requests over the last few months to enter my work in shows, not exhibits, but judged shows where ribbons or prizes are awarded. I thought long and hard about these requests and in the end I said no.

I want to clarify that I love quilts to be exhibited, the more, the more often, the better. I believe that showing the general public and other quilters what we do, what we make, why we make our work and who we are can only support the growth and reputation of the art of quilting. I also don't have any problem with juried exhibits. Folks are welcome to look at work and choose what they want to show based on their venue, their clientele and their taste.

It's the judging and prize awarding that I'm not into. For me it's a little bit like sending a set of judges into the Museum of Modern Art and placing ribbons on the art with little feedback statements, such as, Mr. Monet, your brushstrokes are uneven, or what lovely colors you've chosen.

While I appreciate feedback on my craftsmanship, I'm not sure anyone would be any better pointing out the flaws in my work than I am. I know the mistakes I've made in a quilt intimately...the ones that show and the ones that are hidden. I seek out people I respect for feedback on my work. While praise feels good, it's not how I'll get better.

Competition and judging is a part of traditional quilting culture. It's something I'd like to see change. It's more interesting to me to hear from the quilter about the inspiration behind the quilt, the quilter's struggles and triumphs and what she/he might do differently if they could make the quilt again.

So why is it important to have prizes and determine winners of quilt shows? Is it what draws the public? Do quilters want and need recognition? Does it challenge and motivate non winners to do better work? Questions to ponder, I suppose.

What do you think?

Back On The Design Wall

Birch is back on the design wall.
While I'm taking breaks during the quilting of my Kaufman challenge quilt...I'm going to finish this baby. I'm excited to be back to it!

MQG Meet Up

Hey all! Are you going to market in Salt Lake? If so, the MQG is having a meet up. Let's get to know each other.

Friday, May 13th

Marriot Destination Lounge

8:00 P.M.

I'll be there! Can't wait to meet other MQG members from around the country...the world!