House Hunting and Modern Quilting...a Parallel

After we sold our house in Kansas I started cruising houses online.  I would open house even if I wasn't looking for a home.   I thrive on seeing how others decorate, organize and lay out their homes.  It's so great to not have to get dressed or get in a car and still see hundreds of homes. My favorite time to walk Bruno is at dusk when I can see inside people's homes.  It's dark enough to see inside, but right before they need to pull their curtains to get some privacy.  I'm a house peeper.

As I'm looking for a place to live, I have a picture in my mind of the perfect place.  It's modern, minimal, open, but with character.  The more I look, the more I've come to a place where a house carries an aesthetic with it.  Sure the decor makes a difference, but the bones of a house have an aesthetic as well.  Modern is not simply built today, it's a specific, definable aesthetic.

So what does looking for houses have to do with modern quilting?  Maybe it's a stretch, but I think about quilting all the time and there are a couple of things that I hear repeated often in the quilting community that I don't agree with and my house search has clarified a couple of those for me.

"There is nothing new in quilting."
I see this phrase all the time and I think the opposite.  There are new things in quilting all the time and I believe that modern quilting is contributing to the options available to us as quilters.  There are new designs, new techniques, new tools, and new ways to run a guild.  It's like in homes, there are sinks in every kitchen and bathroom, but new shapes, sizes, materials, variations and installations are fresh and add to the "sink culture." It's still a sink, but in its own way it's new.  In every art we borrow from or are inspired by the the past and reinvent, revise or tweek to make something new.  That new ideas are being added to the "culture of quilting" is a wonderful sign that the art and craft of quilting is vital and growing. Quilting has a rich and varied history and tradition and isn't is wonderful that we as modern quilters are a part of that.

"Modern simply means made today."
I looked at a house that is new construction, in fact it wasn't even finished yet, but there was nothing modern about it.  From the layout, to the choice of windows, trim and fixtures, it wasn't the modern aesthetic.  While I'm not sure we are finished defining the modern quilt movement and what a modern quilt is, I do believe modern is an aesthetic.  Some houses have elements of modern combined with elements from other styles.  I think it's the same with our quilts....I believe there is such a thing as a modern quilt.  That doesn't mean a modern quilt can't have a link with the past and that their aren't variations on modern.  It also doesn't mean that one is better than the other...they're different.  It's ok to be different.

Some folks tend to see defining a modern quilt as limiting, I see it as freeing, as an opportunity to push further and explore new ideas. Quilters don't have to identify themselves, I choose to, but that doesn't mean I reject other styles.  My hope is to see quilting continue to evolve and change and develop more styles.  When I read these words I see pictures of each in my mind: Amish quilting, crazy quilting, traditional quilting, modern quilting...the possibilities are endless.

The pictures have nothing to do with this post, but a post without pictures....boring!  I've been doing some experimenting with matchstick quilting trying to develop a method that will work with my home machine on large quilts.  I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

Big News from the MQG!

Your team at the MQG has been busy working behind the scenes and we're so excited to announce QUILTCON, the first Modern Quilt Guild conference and show February 2013.  It's going to be fabulous! Find out more at our new website! Austin here I come!! I wouldn't miss this for the world. Will you be there?

Red and White

I think it's done.

Sorry about the wrinkles but it got caught up in the mess that is my studio.

I sure can create chaos in no time flat. I feel like I spend more time cleaning than working. My mom's advice to always put away when you're done using something is echoing in my ears.  I still haven't mastered that skill.  Are you a neat sewer or a chaos creator like me?

Big news coming in the world of modern quilting today.  You won't want to miss it!  Stay tuned!!!

Sewing Hexagons by Machine Without Marking

A couple of things to remember before starting to machine piece hexagons with this method:

*Cut your hexagons accurately. Perfectly cut hexagons will help you achieve the precision required for this method.

*Sew consistent 1/4" seam allowances. A 1/4" foot or patchwork foot is helpful. I'm able to place my needle 1/4" in by lining up the edge of the fabric with the edge of the presser foot.

*You may want to reduce your stitch length to 2.0.  Smaller stitches will help you hit your stop points more accurately.

*Don't press until all hexagons are sewn.  I know this seems counter intuitive, but I found that it's easier to sweep seams out of the way when they aren't pressed down.

*Be sure not to backstitch into the seam allowance.  Even one stitch will make a difference!  It's better to stop a tish in front of the stitching line rather than stitch too far.

*The KEY TO THIS METHOD is your stitching lines.  Instead of marking those 1/4" points, the stitching lines will tell you where to start and where to stop sewing.

*This method works sewing individual hexagons onto a column or sewing two columns together.  For the purpose of this tutorial, we'll sew one column and then add one hexagon at a time.

*Relax...this really does work.  It's going to feel odd at first, but you'll get the hang of it. Take a deep breath and grab some hexagons and let's get started.  I used black thread for the purpose of this tutorial, but you'll want to use matching thread.

Step 1 Sew a column
Start by sewing the hexagons together to make a column.

Sew from edge to edge as shown and backstitch at each end.  Don't press.  Repeat and make your column as long as you'd like.  For the pink quilt above I sewed 10 hexagons together to make my columns.

Step 2 - Sew Seam #1
Place a hexagon in the second column as shown.

Place the hexagons right sides together along seam #1 lining up edges and ends of the hexagons.  Notice how there is a stitching line on the left side and no stitching on the right.  (If you don't see a stitching line flip the entire piece over!) Make sure the seam on the left is swept away from the hexagon you are going to sew. Pin if desired.

Position the hexagon under the presser foot.  Drop the needle on the stitching line 1/4" from the edge.  Notice how the presser foot is lined up with the edge which will automatically place the needle 1/4" in.  I move the flywheel by hand to make sure the needle drops right on the stitching line.  Sew from this point a couple of stitches, backstitch the SAME number of stitches.  Continue sewing to the end and backstitch. You can sew to the end because there is no stitching line to stop you.

Step 3 - Sew the next adjacent seam (Seam #2)
Turn the hexagon right side up and the first seam is finished.  Time for seam 2!

Place the hexagons right sides together along seam #2 again lining up edges and ends of the hexagons.  Sweep any seams away from the hexagon so that the two hexagons lay flat and are aligned.  Pin if desired.  Notice again that there is stitching on one side and no stitching on the other side.  This time I decided to stitch from non stitching line side toward the stitching.

Start sewing at the end, sew forward a few stitches, backstitch and continue sewing until you reach the stitching line on the other side.  The stitching line means STOP!  The picture below also shows how the seams and the other hexagon is swept out of the way.

It is better to stop just in front of the stitching line rather than sew past it.  Notice how I stopped just before I reached the stitching.  Be sure to backstitch at this point.

This is how your intersection should look when sewn.

Step 4 Add a hexagon to column two
Place the next hexagon in sewing position in the second column.

Place this hexagon right sides together on the one above.  Notice in the picture below how no stitching lines are visible.  Don't be fooled.  There is a stitching line, but you need to flip the entire piece to see it.  Flip the piece over.  Feel for stitching lines...find them and make sure you can see them before you sew!

There is the stitching line. Make sure your hexagons are aligned and pin if desired.  Make sure the seam is swept away from the hexagon you're sewing.

Sew this seam just like Step 1.  Drop your needle on the stitching line, sew forward, backstitch, continue sewing to the end and backstitch.  Remember, you can sew all the way to the end because there is no stitching line to stop you.

Step 5 Continue sewing adjacent seams.
Flip the hexagon right side up.  The next step is to sew the next adjacent seam.

Place the hexagons right sides together along the seam making sure they are aligned.  Sweep the seams away on both ends.  Flip the entire piece over so that you can see the stitching lines.  Notice this time that there are stitching lines on both sides.  This means you have one START point and one STOP point.   Sweep the seams on both sides AWAY from the hexagon you are sewing.

Drop your needle on the stitching line 1/4" in, sew a couple of stitches, backstitch, continue sewing and stop on or just before the stitching line.  Backstitch.

These are the most difficult seams to sew.  Make sure your hexagons are aligned and lay flat.  I pin these seams to make sure everything stays aligned before I sew.

Continue sewing adjacent seams as shown above.  Be sure to check for stitching lines.  Repeat the process for each additional hexagon.

When all the hexagons are sewn in, turn the piece right side down and finger press the seams into position.  Trim threads at this point.

Place the piece right side down and press.

**Sweeping seams away from the hexagon you're sewing means sweep the seams and everything else too...in other words, any other hexagons need to be moved out of the way so that the two you are sewing lay flat and are aligned. You don't want to catch any other fabric in your seams.

**This tutorial demonstrates sewing one hexagon at a time. This method also works with two columns of hexagons. Sew as many columns as desired. You'll sew one seam at a time just like above except most of the seam will have a stitching line stop and start point and you'll have a floppy column of hexagons to keep out of the way.

I recommend you practice one at a time and when you feel comfortable with that, go for the column.

Many thanks to blogless Elaine for sharing this method with me! You're the best, my friend.

If you have questions, please ask in the comments or drop me an email. I'll do my best to help.

Time to Remember

This is the start of my quilt, "Time to Remember," for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild's project this month is to make a quilt to donate to the initiative. They have to be 9 x 12 or less.

I'm OK with it, but I'm going to play some more and maybe make another one.  I want to have at least one ready to bind at our February meeting.

The hexagon tutorial should be up this week.  I wanted to finish the quilt before I shared it...put a little pressure on myself to get it done!