Broken Cogs

I haven't been sewing much lately, just writing, writing and more writing. I finished this awhile ago. It was planned for one of the quilts in the book, but it didn't fit. Good for me! I adore this quilt and when I have a free minute or two it's going to be a pattern. This is the Broken Cogs quilt. Most of the fabrics are Daisy Janie's Geo Grand. So bold, so graphic...simply perfect for this quilt.
The design was inspired the parts of an old meat grinder that we use to grind cranberries at Thanksgiving. (I know, a food processor would be faster, but it's tradition in our house!)
It's taken me so long to post it because taking a good picture of it was nearly impossible. It's big, it's dark, and it's been either freezing cold, snowy or wet. I finally moved all the living room furniture and threw it on the floor. Don't you LOVE the back? I do.
I collaborated on the quilting with Miss Angela again. I love the way she emphasized the sharp edges of the cogs. There are straight lines in the arms of the cogs to give it a bit of a raw, industrial feel and then the curves to give the background an amazing texture.
I'm so happy with the whole thing.
Just is case you wanted to look at it some more!
Oh, by the way, Angela is celebrating a little anniversary this week. You should pop over and say hi and congratulations!

It's a Gem!

I'm starting the week introducing the second sponsor of my blog. It's another local gal and this time it's not only an online store, but brick and mortar as well. bon bon atelier is a Kansas City gem. Run by sisters Betsy and Emily, bon bon has evolved from a shop that showcased handmade items, into a store to support artists who are the makers. These gals have exquisite taste and are the definition of good things come in small packages.
Betsy and Emily's goal for their store is not only to showcase the handmade, but to bring artistic and handcrafted fulfillment to folks in a fast-paced technology driven world. (Kinda sounds like me, doesn't it?) Stepping into bon bon is like slowing the world for me. The store invites browsing, fondling of fabric, perusing books and is always an inspirational experience. If you're anywhere near Kansas City, it's a must stop. I do my Christmas shopping at bon bon. It's never too early to start, you know!
Bonbon is also unique in that you will never see these gals carry an entire fabric line. They only buy what they love (fabric buying is a deeply personal experience for them!) and they work with their customers to put together one of a kind fabric combinations. I love a place where I can find what no one else seems to have. It's always a treat to see what Betsy and Emily have on the shelf.
And Liberty....ohh the Liberty. If you've never seen or touched Liberty of London fabrics, it's an experience you need to have. I buy Liberty for very special projects. It's a joy to work with and simply gorgeous. I made scarves for some very special friends with Liberty this Christmas.
Betsy and Emily want all their customers to have the bonbon experience. They strive to do that both in person and online. Check out bonbon. It's not your average fabric store. They've got free patterns too. Betsy and Emily are offering a coupon for my readers, 10% off online with the promo code tallgrassprairie.

Put bon bon on your list of places to visit when you come to quilt market in the spring of 2012. It's going to be in Kansas City, you know! We have the welcome mat out for you!!

The Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild....

...changed my life. Right, Lauren? Lauren said it first, but we all feel the same way.

As much I as love the online modern quilting community, there's not much better than connecting with real people who quilt, and even better, people who love modern quilting as much as I do. I didn't know what I was missing.

It was one year ago today that we held our organizational meeting. Today, those of us who started our KC MQG are celebrating with a blog post-a-palooza...or as Shea, our VP says...a giant love letter to our guildy friends!

First, I have to thank my LA guild friends, Alissa and Latifah for just doing it and kicking off the first MQG. Couldn't have done it without you! Next, Shea, who emailed me and asked me to meet her to talk about getting it going in our neck of the woods. Who knew that a couple of cups of coffee later we'd be on the road to something fabulous. We now have an official guild, with 96 members and growing every meeting. We thought maybe we'd get 10 folks sitting around a table chatting it up. Little did we know.

Something like that doesn't happen without a lot of work and some really talented, dedicated people behind the scenes. I have the most amazing officer team, Shea, Jamie, Jenny and Lauren who put up with my wacky leadership style and work like dogs to make our guild, organized, informative and most importantly FUN! Jamie has a head for money. Thank goodness, because I don't. Jamie is also full of ideas and willing to step in on a moment's notice. She's also a bit of a Bernina wizard, making sure one by one that the members of our guild have great sewing machines. Shea is a stickler for details, reminders and organization. Shea keeps us on our toes and always does it with a smile. Lauren handles our tech needs and keeps us in stitches with her creative mind and free thinking attitude. Lauren simply makes things happen. It's magic! Jenny is our quiet, level headed one. She always seems to be there with an idea or an offer to help. She's the kind of officer that you know has your back. Jenny exudes style and brings a bit of class to our team. How could we not be successful with a team like that?

And then there are our members. They have ideas, they participate, they're willing to do things differently. I'm floored every meeting by their talent and creativity. They inspire. They come from near and far....from Nebraska, no less. They are the Kansas City Modern quilt guild and I'm proud to be a part of them. We celebrate our official one year anniversary as a guild in March with the reveal of our new challenge and then on to year two...who knows where we'll go from there.

A Friend in Need

Since starting this blog I've made friends all over the world. Many of them are in Australia. Last year at this time it was Haiti and this year the floods in Australia have devastated so many. There are so many ways to help. Amber, of One Shabby Chick is auctioning one of her quilts.

Photo from One Shabby Chick

My friend Jodie of RicRac is doing a raffle for her amazing softies for only a $5 donation. I know other bloggers are doing all sorts of things. Check out what Toni has organized to find all the ways you can help.

Photos shamelessly lifted from Jodie's blog!

And check out Jenny's beautiful quilts. She's put up two of them and I can tell you she is an amazing seamstress! (Thanks Linda for the heads up!)

I'm bidding. If you can't bid, think about making a donation. Even a few dollars will make a difference. I've found this community to be generous and caring. If you can't give, do what you can to spread the word.

Kona Love

I love Robert Kaufman's kona cotton solids. This is my new stack which came to me courtesy of Tammy at Marmalade Fabrics. Tammy carries a great selection and is planning on carrying even more, a girl after my fabric heart!
Some of you may remember Tammy's opening was a little shaky, but I can tell you she is up and running full steam and making quite a splash with her fabulous selection of modern fabrics. Tammy has amazing taste and searches for unique fabric lines, Daisy Janie for one. Marmalade is the first sponsor of this little blog and I'm so glad to promote her store.

I shop there for a couple of reasons. First the fabric. Next, she has a rewards program...for frequent shoppers like me that's a plus. $10 of free fabric for every $100 spent. You can order single fat quarters, how convenient. She puts together amazing bundles with prints and coordinating solids. She's also committed to offering organic fabric as well as eco-friendly cotton and soy batting. She has free shipping on orders over $25.

Need another reason to check her out? She's a great person and is all about customer service. My kind of store.

Check out the Geo Grand. I can't make enough with this line by Daisy Janie. Her new line Shades of Gray is to die for. This line will be arriving soon. Better get there before I do, though!

Thanks Tammy! It's great to have you as a fabric partner!

Head over to Marmalade and tell her Jacquie sent you.

A Nice Way to Start the Week!

I finally got my hands on the new Stitch. I'm pretty excited about this issue.
There's my quilt on page 53.
This one was inspired by my San Diego earthquake scare last summer. Definitely a 'Shake, Rattle and Roll" experience.
I have the girly version still waiting to be quilted. I love it in pink!
Bruno made the magazine too. He's so proud!
I'm in there again with my quilting New Year's resolution. It's a great issue. Alissa and Malka have projects in the magazine too. It's pretty nice to be in such great company.

Spamalot

Dear Svetlana,

I'm sure you are a lovely person, but I'm not interested.

To Mr. Viagra,

You seem to want to make a wonky log cabin block. Wonky may not be your style. I'm thinking something a little stiffer and straighter may be more up your alley.

Dear Men's Health,

What an interesting concept, raise my testosterone levels and turn my fat into muscle. It's pretty presumptuous of you to assume I have fat that needs transformation, don't you think?

A free ipad...ahhhh, how sweet of you to offer. Maybe your mother never taught you...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You should listen to my mother.

I crack myself up.

Spam, however makes me angry. It burns my butt to know that some people make their living spamming others.

Sometimes it feels better to say what you're feeling.

Have a spam free weekend!

Life in Technicolor

I'm so happy to be able to show this quilt. It started out many months ago when I had an inkling to make a colorwheel quilt. I thought I was going to make Jovelle Hoverson's giant colorwheel, but then I put an arc on the design wall and it took me a different direction. I started playing with those graceful arcs of color and Life in Technicolor was born. It's a queen sized baby and fits in my guest bedroom just perfectly. This one will put a smile on your face on the dreariest winter day.
Angela worked with me on the quilting. As you can see...simply stunning.
Can you say, breathtaking!
My favorite part probably doesn't show in these pictures, but I love the rainbow colored binding. Have a happy weekend everyone! Another new quilt on Monday!

Music is Life...Music is Art!

Look what I made!
If you look closer you'll see my new art is made from drumsticks. My son brought these home after his last tour. The drummer of the band he works for was changing sticks and these would have been thrown away. My son is a drummer as well and I thought, "I can do something with those." I used some old shelves from a cabinet as the background.

So I got out my drill and hammer and went to it. The original intent was to make art for his townhome, but I'm thinking I'm wanting to keep them. What do you think, Ben?
If you look even closer you'll see the sticks are the signature sticks for the Devil Wears Prada. I think my house is a bit more hip simply because of that!

Top Done!

The top of my selvage spools is done! I changed it a bit...there was too much space in it...I squished the spools together more. Makes it more colorful and fun. I overestimated the wall space available to hang it, so it had to get a little smaller. The good news is that I have 5 spools left over. Maybe a little gift for someone?
I had to post all three pictures just to show how nutty I am to get a picture of a quilt. Neither wind nor snow can stop me!
Isn't it cute blowing in the wind? Wouldn't a bunch of quilts brighten up the woods at this time of year? I digress.
One more bee block complete. This one is for Cheryl. I adore this block. Cheryl wanted curved shaped blocks. So mid-century modern. I think I hit her inspiration target, at least I hope so. For those of you who are asking how I made this. The orange and brown curved sections are pieced into the background. The philco tv shape is fused and attached with raw edge applique. Then I cut the final curved shape of the block.

Three Down...Three to Go!

Three bee blocks that is....still working, but making progress. It's going to feel so good to be caught up.
This is Alissa's block. Her inspiration was a woven wall hanging. I think this block should be a whole quilt. I love it.
Nettie wanted a log cabin house block and sent wonderful prints with a fairytale print as the focus fabric. I made mine with a big picture window so you can see the owl and the pussycat in their living room!
Personally, I love their eclectic decor...a boat sofa and such deep orange shag carpet that the kitty can dip her paw in it!
Lastly, Rita wanted a traditional log cabin. I played with value and did it up with the traditional dark and light sides of the cabin.

Sewing, sewing sewing....yipeee!

Savor Every Stitch

This is the first project I'm tackling from the "closet of shame", now renamed the "closet of overflowing creativity!" Since a studio sprucing is first on my list, this is going on one of my walls and I'd love to have it finished. It's so bright and cheery and says sewing studio to me. Before I get going on my own projects, I have bee blocks to make. To my quilting bee buddies: by the end of the weekend your blocks will be on the way. Scouts honor.
I was reminded while working on the projects for the book, to savor every stitch, every opportunity to sew. That sounds a bit silly, but when I asked my blog readers why they choose handmade (in this post); it was the most inspiring set of comments I've ever had. No one, not one person said they make things because it's fast or easy. They said things like they are compelled to, it fills their soul. Words like accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy filled the comments. That "quick and easy" culture slips into the world of quilting. It's not quick or easy for me. Sometimes its damn hard, but I savor each stitch I put in or tear out. Many people tell me I work quickly, but I don't, I just work a lot.

All that pent up sewing will have to wait a few more days. My hubby decided to break his shoulder over the holidays (cute story, but if I want to keep my good wife status I'm keeping it to myself!) Since his work requires him to travel and being the one armed man doesn't work very well I get to be the spouse valet. There's always an up side. I get to be with my hubby instead of home alone. I'll take my sketchbook, and pencils and be a happy camper.

Oh Happy Day!

Oh happy day is right! The quilts for the book are done and in a box ready to head to Colorado. I will say it's tough to let them go. Twenty-six projects and 7 months of work. Katie and I are so proud of them. It's been hard not showing you and now we all have to wait.
It's a new year and time for new things. I have to say I'm excited to get things back to normal around here. I have so many unfinished projects and so many ideas. It's hard to know where to start. First up for me will be a thorough studio cleaning and then a project organization. I'm not even sure what's in that closet of shame.

I'm sure those projects will be happy to see the light of day again.

Happy New Year everyone!