Showing posts with label modern design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label modern design. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Modern Heart Quilt & Bluprint


Piece & Love Solids Day Dream Quilt

I was saddened by the recent news that Bluprint would be closing in the near future. I was pleased with, and well served by the Craftsy company that later became Bluprint. In the past years, they offered a way for indie, or independent designers, to get their foot in the door by selling patterns through the platform. I watched some of these quilters rise up to greater renown within the community, and it was exciting. Retail stores compete with online quilting supply websites, and some are happy to see Bluprint go. But I worry that with our unstable economy in the light of COVID-19, and the number of companies filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is this a sign of things to come for our smaller stores? Many have been in decline, and the number of closures over the past decade is alarming. I'm not sure I want to foresee that future.

Surely thinking about all this spurred me to dig out a kit I'd purchased this winter from Bluprint. The Piece & Love Solids Day Dream kit by Cloth Parcel was bought with the notion it would be a quick make. It was, but I will be very honest with you--I was not happy with the pattern. 

Saturday, September 15, 2018

UFO Prevention Plan



Tula Pink's City Sampler
100 Modern Quilt Blocks


Gnome Angel is one talented gal at running quilt alongs, and currently hosting 100 Days 100 Blocks. (Dang, I love the hype of them, picking the fabric, etc.!) Adamant not to join yet another, I was on vacation, I had the book, and was sucked in. But quilt alongs for me are like ordering an ice cream cone, size X-large, please, and never finishing. Still I jumped in, and completed 11%, and those 11 blocks hung on my wall for weeks. Sigh. You know the pattern yourself. It happened again.

Cleaning the studio and design walls meant taking the blocks down. This time I decided I would change my habit of packing them away only to become another UFO. Nope, no more! I'm a changed woman after a long year of cleaning up past quilt along indiscretions. I doubted I'd ever finish all 100 blocks so I made a decision on the spot.


UFO Prevention Intervention Time!



Friday, July 7, 2017

Dangerous Roads Quilting


"Dangerous Roads"


First things first, folks. I've been on 'blogcation', meaning I took a break from blogging. Unplanned, but it happened naturally. The rhythm of summer took over with holidays, friends, home projects, and keeping up with acres and acres of mowing. The heat and rain just keep coming here in the Midwest, with no end in sight. My current projects have been full marathons as opposed to when I could say, "Look at the pot holder I whipped up!" 

Friday, January 15, 2016

Uppsala Stars Goes Modern Is Quilted




 Uppsala Stars Goes Modern
in Mochi by Cotton+Steel 
from RJR Fabrics



This sweet little quilt is a modern version of Uppsala Stars that I published last month seen here. The pattern is available as a pdf download from Craftsy, and available by linking through my sidebar. 

Friday, September 11, 2015

E's Hexie Finish, CST, and Pet Project Show #37




If I said I was writing this quickly so I could go to bed, would you understand? It was a hard day in the studio, and I have so much to share over the next few days with you. But this is the big one. E's Hexie is completely finished. The binding is a Timeless Treasures print in a peachy-orange, and I couldn't be happier with it. It's girly yet modern, and sets off the quilt with a soft framing.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

A Soft Finish: E's Hexie Quilted



How I wish you could feel this quilt! 

If a finished pieced top is called a 'Flimsy Finish', I think a finished quilted top should aptly be named a 'Soft Finish'. Binding is all that's needed yet here.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

When to Ask for Help



Still hot off the ironing board!

I believe I write as often about struggling with projects as giving Pink Doxie readers help. Quilter bloggers don't wake up one day full of knowledge, and able to share expert tips and tutorials. We spend hours sewing, and figuring things out. I think I'm the Queen of Mistakes, but it's actually a quick way to learn if you aren't afraid. Sewing technique is more basic for me, while playing with design gets me really excited, and occassionally in over my head. I'm not shy to ask for help, and fellow bloggers are usually happy to help out. Thank you.



This was the real thing last night. No glamour shots here! This is how it looks when I'm trying to figure out if the whole idea is coming together or falling apart. I was more in the 'It's not working' camp earlier when I looked over just the blocks. Arranging them on the wall in as close to position as I could, it looked a little better. The additional fabrics are picks for the next blocks I'll make. I have the pattern turned below to reflect the design wall.


Solids aren't my first choice when I can use a print, and I thought this quilt would be fun to make in prints. I chose to use colors as close as possible to Moda's suggestion, but in a print that was mainly that one color. So a print that comes off as more a solid. I also decided it would be a stash only quilt, and I might have to modify my rules to make it work. That was the case in the large block where I used my Cotton+Steel kitties, and I'm running into more as I pull fabric for the next blocks. 

My biggest concern was whether the colors were all working together, but that may be more an issue with the mulit-colored pattern itself. You can see the how difficult it is to eye the chosen fabrics, and decide if they work. Today I made the top block, and the next two below. 



I'm more secure that it will work as I move on using additional colors. I've started with large blocks, and moved to medium next. The medium blocks are providing color across the spectrum to balance the large blocks with the slightly odd, unrelated colors. I'll plug away at this today, and hope to have it done by the end of the weekend to show you. Next week is going to be a doosey for new projects! (I have a BIG secret!)


The colors are given in Bella Solids, and I looked for a correspondence chart between Moda and Kona. I ran into Walnut Street Quilts blog, and a treasure trove of information about pressing, some errata to the cutting dimensions, and Moda to Kona colors! If you're making this pattern, she's your go-to resource. I'm so thankful to Patty for sharing so much solid information.

 Another thing that should be mentioned is there are no written directions in the pattern. There are diagrams for cutting and sewing order. You need to have some idea of how to do HST, Flying Geese, trimming up, and so on. A big help would have been the measurement of each finished section so it could be trimmed before sewing it to the next, but there is none. 



Heads Up: Mary at Strip Quilts has a sweet Giveaway for a table runner kit that runs until June 15th. This blog is a good visual resource for ideas using pre-cuts. It's easy to join, so check it out.