Saturday, August 12, 2017

Asian-Inspired Log Cabin Zipper Bag



JoAnn's New Quilt Fabric Department!

If you haven't dropped into your local JoAnn store in the past few weeks, expect a most pleasant surprise. They are moving in quilting fabric by the truck load! The stores will be carrying 1091 quilt fabrics when the shelves are finally full, but the first wave of these gorgeous new fabrics already whet this quilter's appetite. I was looking for some special fabric for a gift project, and knew it when I saw it.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Portable Quilt Frame & 2 Finished Quilts for Show



Moda Modern In Print
Finished and Delivered

Insomnia has taken over tonight. I adjusted my pillows too many times to try again, and a cup of herb tea seemed more welcoming. One side of my mind was stewing in the guilt of not posting in so long, but the other was running through the list of all the things I had accomplished through my blogging hiatus. We cannot be all things to all people, and this summer has belonged to me, and my idea of becoming more centered. Loose ends frustrate me, and my life has been feeling quite unraveled over the past many months. I thought a summer break would be relaxing, but I have never been busier. 

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Quilt National 2017 & Athens Dairy Barn Workshops



Days pass by, and I think to myself, "I should be writing a blog post instead of ____. I'm AWOL. It's been x days since the last one." And another little voice says, "You have nothing significant to say. Be still." So I keep working in silence. My reward is time to tackle those projects that need undivided attention. Something was a sticking point with each one. The studio is feeling lighter, but the mess is growing as I dig through stacks. Thankfully, I work best in chaos.

Monday, July 24, 2017

"A Walk In the Woods" Two Baby Quilts Done



Finished, Bound, Mailed & Delivered


Actually, the quilts are just on their way, but the babies themselves have arrived. I was told by another blogger that having the quilts there within the first year was a reasonable goal, but hitting the first week was remarkable. I was hoping for sooner, but later worked, too, since the twins' arrival was a bit early.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Twin Baby Girl Quilts




Twice as Nice


Oh, no, not twins for the same person, but my chance to do a second set of twin girl quilts this year! The first set was for 4 year olds, but this set is meant for soon-to-be's. While the first set was made-to-order and needed to be very close to identical, this set was a gift from Auntie Julie, and I could do whatever I wanted. I wanted them to be similar, but distinctly different.

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!" 

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Moda Modern Building Blocks Quilt Porn



"Moda Modern in Print"


The Moda Modern Building Blocks came off the frame nearly 2 weeks ago. I needed to assess and mark the areas requiring more quilting, turn it 90 degrees, and put it back on. While it seemed simple, I was researching behind the scenes. I'd run out of my standard blue fabric markers, and was fairly uncertain I wanted more. I'd had a run in with one that refused to come out in this Costa Maya project, and wondered if there was anything new on the market.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Inspirational Design for the Quilter


Wynn Las Vegas

There is no greater place under one roof than Wynn Las Vegas if you are a quilter looking for design inspiration. Of course, this is my humble opinion, but allow me to show you just one small part. 

The arrangement above was in the middle of a long promenade. Notice how it was tilted slightly off center. I thought to myself, 'It eliminated that centering issue we often have with a motif, and the eye naturally adjust to saying it's skewed on purpose rather than off. I can use that.'

Another quick lesson in breaking up negative space is the ceiling: outlining, cutaways, use of color to recede and pop alternating sections, layering, and lastly illumination. All are things we think about in quilt design. 

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Freefall Fix Up


Freefall Ã  la Art Gallery

My plate has been rather full lately. I have been working with blinders on to finish pieces intended for exhibits or show deadlines. I also knew I had one quick trip planned for last weekend, and by Thursday morning was was right on schedule. My good friend, Sandra from mmm! quilts, texted early that day to remind me to link up to the finish linky for Freefall. The button is on my sidebar if you want the pattern. I had pattern tested for her ahead of time so my blocks were all done by the time the actual QAL had started. Obviously, she assumed I had finished the whole assembly, but...

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Moda Modern Building Blocks Off the Frame


First Round Done


Yesterday was a challenge to get through the last pass on this Moda Modern Building Blocks. I was pretty excited to finally unpin, and evaluate its progress.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Summer Besides Quilting


Feels Like a Summer Quilt to Me

Summer is full-blown here in Ohio, and it's hard to believe how fast the year is flying. People are moving in every direction along with in and out of the house, and I feel like a flight director. A friend asked me about making plans for a September retreat, and when I glared at her incredulously she reminded me it was a few months away. No! I just started cleaning up the gardens! I need more summer, but how?

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Pick Your One Favorite Quilt, Art Quilt, Piece of Art...


"If asked to pick your one 
favorite piece from everything you've 
ever done, what would it be, and why?"

I asked myself this question. I've been asking lots of tough questions in my quest for balance, but this one was easy. Hands down, the piece above was my all time favorite. 

This all came about as I debated about entering a show in which I would have to offer the piece for sale. A few days of careful thinking, and I decided it was one piece I would not part with. And that led me to consider some new ideas.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Longarm Quilting "Moda Modern in Print"


Loaded Lengthwise: The Starting Block


"Moda Modern in Print"

Long on my list to quilt, Moda Modern Building Blocks is finally in the frame. You can see above that I was all "anti-solid" fabrics, and substituted my beloved prints. 90% were from my stash, but a few odd ones were picked because they matched the shade in the pattern. You can read about individual block construction (and errata) below. This was a fun quilt, but shockingly begun nearly 2 years ago to the day!

Monday, May 29, 2017

Quilted Zombies: Heating Pad Cover & Body Pillow


Heat Seeking Zombies 

Years ago I made one of our sons a zombie quilt. One of our daughters fell in love with the fabric. Would I make her one, too, please? Sure, if I had enough fabric, but sadly there was not. So, I promised a smaller project, and we all know how those promises go. The shoemaker's children go barefoot! This week I kept my promise.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Stunning Circle for MQG Pt II Finish



Stunning Circle Quilt
Finish

I had a finish to this project early this week, but time and computer issues prevented me showing it. Part I will take you from the creation of the circle through the applique process, and at that point I kept telling myself to not overthink the quilting. 

Monday, May 22, 2017

Stunning Circle Quilt for MQG Challenge Pt 1



"Finding Center"

The Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge to all members for minis to display in the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in September 2017. (PNQE) For months I wracked my brain for a fun project, and then settled on a project from a Craftsy class I'd recently watched. It's based on a 25" 9 Degree Circle Ruler designed by Marilyn Doheny, though Andi Perejda presents the class. 

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Bigfoot Sighting In a Beer Mug Rug


Bigfoot Is Real!


One thing I would never have put to my name is a Bigfoot quilt, I thought, but I had a passionate request from someone close to me for a king size quilt with Bigfoot on it. This was a good time for me to practice how to talk someone/something down to size, and we continued until I knew it was manageable during this terribly busy season. 

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

A Vintage Singer Bender



1952 Singer BZ 9-8
Long Bobbin, Bullet Bobbin, 
or Shuttle Machine



Before anyone comments, I fully admit this post proves why I need to be concerned with balance. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of gal, and sewing tangents are my specialty! I don't believe I'd have confessed to the extent of my obsession or this bender with these gorgeous, vintage gals if it wasn't for Sandra at mmm! Quilts hinting in her latest, crazy must-read post WWJD, about our escapades through text messaging (outing me to the world), but now I shall do so without as much guilt. 

Monday, May 8, 2017

Seeking Balance: Quilting with Friends & Y Seams Simplified



Irene's Flying Geese

Note: The last two posts have been more thought provoking so I wanted to give you something lighter before I continued the second half. Here is some eye candy, a group tutorial on Y Seams without the aggravation, and the benefit of sewing with friends. I like to sew alone when I'm working creatively, but it's a treat to sew with friends. This particular group is amazing! Creating more of those moments, and sharing my studio space is helping me with balance. 

Friday, May 5, 2017

May: Positivity In Loss

Candle, Flame, Candlelight, Light

The Many Sides of Loss


I feel myself struggling to explain the sentiments of loss in all its wide definitions, but also how it affects our lives as quilters. No one's life is immune from loss, but some people manage better than others. It makes me wonder how the same experience is processed differently by people. Losses in our quilting life are much lighter in comparison to everyday life, but I think the psychology of things that trip us up is the same. We save certain fabrics and tiny scraps, form deep attachments to things we've created, and question if we really have to give that quilt away! But the process of making, completing, and gifting a quilt is full of decisions based on these concepts. Can we make some of them easier by changing our attitude about them?