Stitch On!

Have you picked up the latest Stitch magazine?

These are my Ornament Tree placemats. I'm making a couple more so I can have them for the whole family. There are loads of great projects. Trisch's bag is so cute and Lisa's towels have inspired me to make some Christmas towels for my kitchen.  Be sure to check it out!

I have a couple of extra copies to give away.  Would you like one?  Leave a comment and let me know what you're sewing for the holidays.
Winners have been chosen!  Thanks for sharing your holiday project lists!

He's #1

I just had to share...Jon's got the #1 Remix. Yes, that's my boy. Super talented and he's an awesome kid too. Give it a listen if you'd like. Over a million other people have! Way to go Jon!!

Tin Ceiling Quilt Comes Home

This quilt has been away since early this summer. I've missed it even though I was so proud to have it in the Scrap Art Exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. I breathed a sigh of relief when the Fed Ex man brought it home.

Since it was ready to hang, I hung it right out of the box in my hallway gallery.  It's a great place for it.  I walk by it all day long and it's protected from direct sunlight.  I may have to watch Bruno to make sure he doesn't rub up against it though.

A few more pictures in case you're like me and can't stop looking at it.

Temporary Rock Star

My youngest son Jon is filling in for the regular keyboard player of The Devil Wears Prada during their Australian tour. He's fulfilling his dream of being a rock star. My oldest is on the crew for the band. They're in Australia together. I'm so proud of both of them. Wish I could be there. Sigh!

 Jon is the one in the hat.









Photos taken by BeAsT #1 from Flickr
October 23rd at The Devil Wears Prada Melbourne show
Used with permission

Roberto Capucci Maquette becomes a Tornado

It all started with a Roberto Capucci dress. I made this giant chevron inspired by that dress and didn't have a clue what to do next. Sometimes when that happens I make a maquette (a small version) to play with and see what happens. This playing happened right after the devastating tornado in Joplin and a tornado in our backyard. I guess I had tornados on the brain.  I bound it this weekend and hung it in my hallway gallery.

The quilting is spectacular and there's a story to go with that too.  It has an Arkansas connection.  Karen took my class in Arkansas and I was talking with her about a quilt she brought to show and tell.  I loved her quilting and we got to chatting.  I happened to have this top with me to use as a teaching example, and before I knew it I was handing it to her and saying, "have fun with it!"

Sometimes you just have a feeling that another person gets it.  Karen is in to color and she asked if I minded her going a bit crazy....no problem and look what she did.  The quilting is beautiful, colorful, but doesn't overwhelm the piecing.  It adds movement and just a bit of sparkle to the piece.

The quilting flows from the top left to the bottom right corner and the density of the quilting opens as it flows to the bottom of the quilt.

The thread colors also flow across the quilt echoing the colors in the piecing.

I think I've found another quilting gem.  This won't be the last time we work together.  Thanks Karen!

I still have the large chevron hanging in my closet. I wonder where I'll go with that?

Sew It All TV...The Inside Scoop

Welcome to the set of Sew It All TV with your host Ellen March and her fabulous crew.

As soon as I walked into the studio I felt at home.  Can you see why?  Orange, orange and more orange. Orange everywhere and touches of lime green. Ellen even has the same orange totes I have in my studio. After a few seconds of gawking, it was right to work unpacking, prepping step outs.

I was looking forward to this magic chair, hoping it would transport me to the place where there are no bags under eyes, long sexy eyelashes, and flawless complexions, but alas there were no disappearing wrinkle creams or magic potions, so I had to appear as myself.

Angela was great and with a light touch she coiffed my hair and fixed my face (as much as this face can be fixed) and sent me on my way.

Kim, who is the go to gal for everything on set, helped me prep.  She threaded the machine and changed the needle (which I BROKE!) and showed me the ropes.  I spent a bit of time at the machine practicing.  You wouldn't think I would have to practice, but I am a creature of habit...sewing on my machine...no problem...someone else's...it's like I'm a teenage boy who took home ec just to meet girls and has never sewn a stitch.

The set was dressed with some inspiration from me.  Amazing that the sewing machine cover worked perfectly on the set!

Behind this table is where all the action happens.  Did you know that on TV you have to work upside down?  All the practicing I did at home, the step outs were facing me like I was watching TV...well, on set it was just the opposite.  Of course, makes total sense when you're there...at home, not so much.  Ellen was a terrific host, so at ease and supportive.  It's all a blur to me.  I think I did fine.  I guess we'll all be able to judge when the show airs.  Want to come over and have a watch party?  I think wine and salt and vinegar chips will be served! Or maybe I'll let you all watch it and you can tell me about it.

This is what you see as a guest on the show.  The crew, the camera guy, sound guy, etc.  The guys were terrific and turns out everyone of them had a Kansas connection.  They were either from Kansas, went to school in Kansas, or worked in TV stations in Kansas.  I couldn't have been more at home.  I got to know the sound guy the best.  You get to know someone fast when they have to put wires down your shirt and battery packs on your pants. Turns out that well endowed women are a sound guy's worst nightmare. Cords tend to shift more and don't lay flat like they should.  Double stick tape however, is a sound guy's best friend.

What you don't see is the director.  She is the voice behind the curtain, sort of like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz.  Most of the time when you hear from her, you've messed up in some way.  I heard from her.  Thank goodness I met her earlier so I could picture her smiling face as I heard the words in the headset tell me where to start over.

In a flash it was over and I was grabbing my suitcase and running for the Super Shuttle to take me to the airport and back to my everyday workaday world and out of the stunningly orange world of Sew It All TV.
The show is currently airing season two. My episode will be in season 3. Stay tuned and be sure to contact your local PBS station and ask them to carry the show!

Modern Vintage

Some of my friends have called my style vintage modern. Though I think I'm evolving a bit, it seems to describe my work. I have a quilt to show you today that I call modern vintage. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron, but read on.

When I was speaking and teaching down in Arkansas this summer I had the pleasure of viewing the show and tell of the Q.U.I.L.T. Guild of NW Arkansas in Springdale.  When this quilt came up, I gasped out loud.  I couldn't help myself.  I was taken with it from the moment I saw it.  I cheekily asked if it was for sale, but alas the answer was no.  A few weeks later I got an email letting me know that the quilt was available and that it would be in Kansas City for me to see.  Well, we got together and I took the quilt home with me.  It has a few condition issues, but they don't detract from the design and it's so unique I felt it belonged with me!

I don't know the history of this quilt, but it's probably from the 40's, definitely made from feedsacks and clothing, and is a great example of minimalism (at least for me).  It may have been a patriotic quilt made during WW II.  I like to imagine who the maker might have been and the story behind the quilt. I was reading a bit about quilts from this mid-century period and found it enlightening.

The fabric used for the giant circle is this beautiful starlike print.  The quilt is tied in red about every two inches and tied well.  Very few are missing and that's pretty rare.  I love how the ties become part of the design of the quilt.

The center circle appears to be some type of clothing, possibly a shirt or a dress.

This quilt is such a good example of what's old is new again. It's bold, graphic, stunning and totally modern.  I'm happy to give it a home.

PS....I forgot to share this with you.  Generation Q, a new online mag, did an article on me.  Thanks to Melissa and Jake for including me.  If you'd like to know a bit more about me, check it out.

Yikes...Slam!

It seems these days that if you have an opinion, it entitles you to slam others.  Yikes.  Why can't we state our opinions politely?  Be nice.
I think this is simply rude (link gone, picture removed, issue over!) and I don't appreciate her taking a picture of my quilt without permission and using it to illustrate her point.
Enough said.

I had to add this...from Kaye Prince...you are a classy and fab person to have sent this...you made me giggle (actually i almost spewed my diet coke right thru my nose!) when i was seething inside.  Go to this link instead of the one above!


Comments are now closed.  Please, let's end this.  

Stepping Back

For me, a design wall is so important to my process.  My new studio has two 4x8 sheets of foam insul-board covered and it's great for putting pieces up, but stepping back is also important.  What I mean by stepping back is being able to move back from your design wall, to see value, shapes, and layout.  In my studio, if I scrunch myself back in the corner I can only get about 5 feet away and today I learned that it's not enough.

I worked all weekend to get this top put together and I thought I had the layout nailed.  After it was all sewn together and hung in the living room I noticed some problems.  It doesn't flow from bottom right to top left like I wanted and one of the orange strips isn't right at all.  Closer up, it worked.  Stepping back, not so much.

It won't take much to fix it, but I learned a lesson today.  I may need to rearrange again.

I'll admit, I was hurrying a bit too...I wanted that quilt off the design wall so I could get the bridges quilt up.  I have three sections completed and I'm itching to keep building!

Have a great week!

The Bruno Chronicles - The Many Lives of Bruno

Guest Blogger: Bruno

As many of you know two years ago Jacquie and Steve adopted me in Kansas City.  I was a kennel dog.  I didn't know much about country life, but I trusted these two and learned to swim and hunt and how to chase deer.  Little did I know that I had more learning to do.

Helloooooooooo Chicago!  After a LONG ride in a cramped car I arrived in the windy city, a concrete jungle filled with sidewalks, bridges, more sidewalks, cars, smoky loud trains and dogs...lots of dogs and people....so many people.

I brought a few friends with me to make sure that my new home felt familiar.  At first I needed those friends to feel at home.  I had a lot to learn and not much time to learn it.  At first I stuck pretty close to my mom and was a little nervous.

Let me tell you it's quite a change.  I've had my first elevator ride, gotten to know and love the doormen, learned to cross streets and poop where and when the time is right.  I am bound and determined to meet, greet and politely slobber on each and every Chicago resident.  I've already gone swimming in Lake Michigan and every day I play fetch in my local dog park.  Sometimes I have to share my ball.

The balcony is one of my favorite places.  I can feel the wind, enjoy the outdoors, and look out on this beautiful city.  I'm out and about in the city all the time.  I even saw the Chicago marathon. (I wanted to run too!)

I got some new duds too.  I have a leash and a good supply of poop bags.  No more hiding poop in the woods.  It goes in these bags and we keep the city clean!

Got a new houndstooth collar too...pretty uptown don't you think?  City guys are well dressed and classy.  That's me!

I've learned that as long as I stay with my family, I can live anywhere and be happy.  Thanks to everyone who has been asking about me.  I'm good and learning to be a city boy!

Art Makes a House a Home

I'm slowly, but surely getting the apartment decorated. It takes me awhile to put things on walls and find just the right place and choose what I want to put there. Having an apartment makes it more of a challenge. The walls aren't mine to make as many holes as I please so again creativity comes into play.

As some of you know in my old house I had an old ladder that served as the railing to the basement.  That ladder was so long that to make it into a railing I had to cut off a section of the ladder.  I couldn't bring the railing with me, but the extra section went on to the truck and it's found a special place in the new home.

I finally finished sewing the binding on this quilt and I love how it looks hanging on the ladder.  I only have one bed now, so quilts on beds aren't an option.  I do have wall space though, so more quilts will find their way onto walls.  They're art whether they are on beds, walls, chairs, or hung on a ladder!

In order to hang quilts I need to make some sleeves.  I need to hand sew this and then on to the wall it goes.  I'm trying to create a hallway gallery.  We'll see how that goes.

One little tip today:  I've discovered the joy of Command hooks.  Easy peasy and no holes in the walls! Genius!  In my small space having things right where I need them helps me work.  I hung my scissors right above the ironing board.  Seems like a small thing, but they're right at hand, no searching and I use them at the ironing board all the time.  Command hooks are amazing for hanging everything!  Quilts too!!

Can't believe it's Friday.  Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to take a few minutes to take the Modern Quilt Guild survey.  Big things are in the works and we want you to be a part of it!

PS:  The winner of the Quilt Retro book is Carla G.  Send me your contact info and Jenifer will send you your book.  Congratulations!

Building Bridges

It's been such a long time since I could post something I've sewn. Feels pretty good. When I haven't been working on the TV stepouts I've been sewing on this, Bridges. The idea started when my son Jon sent a sketch for my new logo, very bridge, scaffold like. I sent that to Sarah and she worked her genius and came up with the logo, but that original sketch got me thinking. Then I moved to Chicago and started exploring the neighborhood. I didn't have a clue that in Chicago there are bridges everywhere...at least in my neighborhood. I walk under them, over them, around them, and I can see multiple bridges from my balcony. I started with the idea of making a couple of pillows, but it seems to be morphing into a quilt.  Bridges are pretty inspirational...so many lines, and shapes...it's fun to play with.

I also finished my swap items for the KC guild's swap with the Portland guild.  We were supposed to use Susan Beal's Modern Log Cabin book and her talk at our meeting as our inspiration.  Not a problem.  That girl is a walking log cabin encyclopedia.  If you ever have a chance to hear her talk log cabin, grab a seat and pay attention!

I used three different log cabin variations.  This is the most traditional with a traditional spiral and color placement.

I went more minimal on this one with just a touch of a pineapple log cabin added in.

And I went minimal with this one but spiced up the quilting on it.  I did some spying on my partner, so I hope these fit in her house.  Wrapping them up to send back to KC.

Don't forget to check out Jenifer's book in the last post....leave a comment for a chance to win a copy!