Quilting with a Modern Slant: My Feature

Quilting with a Modern Slant is a book written by my friend Rachel May.  She was there with me and the others in the early days of the New England Modern Quilt Guild (which soon became the Boston MQG).  She was brave enough to host the first sew-in at her Arlington home and she was part of the excitement that we all experienced together: it was so awesome to finally meet a bunch of local people who liked the same fabrics, blogs, and quilts as I did.  

I was psyched for Rachel when the opportunity to write this book arose.  She has the perfect kind of knowledge and experience for this type of project and she loves quilts and their makers.  Her sense of community is especially refreshing and you can get a perfect feel for this throughout the book. 

The book is a collection of profiles of big names and not-so-famous names of quilters throughout the world.  Tutorials, patterns, and directions on quilting are also included.  The book is aesthetically pleasing- the photography is gorgeous and I love the cover: I really want that Lizzy House Scrappy Trips quilt!

I know I am biased because Rachel is my friend and I am in her book: but I really think there is something to be said for the value of a quilting book that is not the typical collection of patterns.  It's so nice to have material that goes beyond the "how to" and shares stories and background of the creators.  Her strong voice of inclusion and heart-felt passion for the power of creating and creativity are nothing short of inspirational and I think it's an important book for our time.  For a really nice, informative review of the book, please see this post written by Thomas Knauer.

I had the opportunity to submit a quilt for the book and I also helped Rachel recruit interviews and fabric sponsors at Quilt Market in 2011.  She surprised me by including a picture of the pincushion I made her for as a hostess gift for that first sew-in (pg. 11).

My profile is towards the end of the book and I am happy that I can finally share the quilt that I had made for the feature:

I used some fabric from my time in Uganda as the central focus of the quilt.  I used a lot of DS Joann's fabrics and other stash pieces to do the "stack and wack" technique for wonky stripey blocks that run down both sides of the quilt.

I am proud of this unique design and the unusual color combination.  It's a relatively "quick" quilt.  The most difficult aspect is probably getting the courage to make that long cut down the focus fabric and hoping it comes out straight.

I did very minimal quilting on the quilt, employing vertical wavy lines down the whole quilt.  The fabrics are so busy, anything more intricate would have been lost anyway.

It measures 80 x 90.

Rachel came to Denver this week for some publishing events and I went to her book signing at Fancy Tiger on Tuesday night.  I forgot my camera, so I can only show you the fabric I came home with (the Liberty on the far left was half off!):

(A lot of you know I professed that I would go on a fabric diet but obviously this was a big relapse- oh well, I have been through so much lately, I don't even feel bad!)

We had dinner afterwards and started to snow a bit.  I wasn't too worried- I should be used to driving in snow, right?!  Well, after white-knuckling the drive for 10 miles, I ended up meeting her at her hotel and we had even more time to chat and I came home on Wednesday morning.  It was fun and I am glad I didn't continue that crazy drive all the way to the Springs.

If you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there. If you are interested in what today's quilters are creating, I encourage you to check out Rachel's book!  (Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of the book because I was featured, but I am not receiving any compensation for this blog post).

Front Range Modern Guild Retreat 2014

The retreat last weekend was perfection.  It was fun, relaxing, productive, and I enjoyed getting to know the other guild members.  We stayed at The Hideaway:

The scenery was gorgeous and I didn't want to leave.

There were 22 of us from the Springs/Denver areas.  So many different styles of quilting and stages of life but we all got along and had a great time together.

A bunch of ladies decided to do a sew-along of a stuffed owl pincushion/organizer.  They all did a great job.
I decided not to participate because I had already made owls for the kids recently.



On Friday night, I decided to work on a queen sized Penny Sampler with my stash of Flower Sugar fabrics and black and whites.  I made all of the four patches that I will need for the quilt.  But I wasn't loving the project- the piecing was a bit redundant and I knew I wouldn't be able to work on the project for the whole weekend because the available design wall was too small.

On Saturday morning, I decided to attempt the paper piecing arrow quilt.  I found that I wasn't monopolizing the ironing station(s) or cutting area (I brought my own mat)- as I had feared- so I just went for it.  By the end of the weekend, I had 8 of the 10 columns completed.  I think this is a great project for beginner paper piecers like me: it's just a bunch of angles and nothing like the amazing and complicated blocks paper piecers are known for.

Life has been a roller coaster lately.  I had an amazing, rejuvenating time at the retreat and was feeling good about my cross country move.  On Monday, I took the kids to the park and had an extremely unpleasant encounter with a self proclaimed "soldier" who effectively bullied my son and I.  I found an escape by meeting a friend in Denver last night for her book signing (more on that soon!) and ended up stuck in a bad snowstorm- which made me turn around and rejoin my friend at her hotel for the night.  I am going to take it easy today and I am going nowhere with the kids- and maybe, just maybe, I might be able to finish up my last two columns of the arrows quilt!  It will be the best stress reliever for sure.

Thanks for reading!

First World Problems

A spot opened up for me to attend the Front Range Modern guild retreat this weekend.  I am beyond thrilled to have this opportunity.  I think it will be a great way to get to know the other guild members, it will feel like a "break" after such a stressful move, and I get to sew non-stop for a whole weekend!  The only problem I have is this: I have no idea what to bring to work on.

In 2011, I went to my first BMQG retreat and I worked on this:

I had a baby in 2012 and missed the retreat.  In 2013, I conquered my nemesis: my oldest and most frustrating UFO:

In my opinion, retreat sewing is awesome for doing a project that you wouldn't finish at home: the clamshells were so time consuming and frustrating but I was able to persevere thanks to encouragement and distracting conversation with guild friends.  

I am in a good spot right now with my sewing in having a very blank slate ahead of me: I have very few UFO's and I have lots of fabric that I love, just waiting for me to finally cut into it.

I also believe that it is important to choose a retreat project carefully.  I don't want to bring too much stuff.  I don't want to monopolize a design wall or an iron.  I don't want to bring a project that requires a difficult technique that will make me feel frustrated, I need to bring something I am comfortable with.

I am slowly working on the Feathers quilt and you can see my progress below.  I think I will bring this project but I don't think it will be my primary focus- the way that I am approaching it's completion is difficult because I am not making identical block after identical block- I am trying to create a gradation of color that will make every block different- so I will constantly need to cut, press, and cut some more with minimal time at the sewing machine.

The Jacob's Ladder quilt from Blue Elephant Stitches has been on my "to do" list for a while now but I am not excited about the prospect of making 196 HST units.  I bought some "Thangles" at a LQS but bought the wrong size, I went back to buy the right size and they were out of stock.  Another LQS tried to help me but I was out of luck there too.  I ordered some online but I am quite sure they won't come in time for the retreat.

Last night I spent over an hour in my sewing room and on the computer looking at patterns, blogs, Pinterest, and my fabric stash.  The sewing room is kind of a mess now.

I am intrigued with the idea of doing another quilt with bright colors and black/white fabrics.  I am contemplating something like this Liberty Love quilt or maybe a Penny Patch with Flower Sugar as the main focus.  My only hesitation is that these patterns are easy and I have been itching for more of a challenge.

I know the BMQG retreat is coming soon- any ideas from my friends in MA?  If you've ever been to a retreat, what strategy have you used in planning your projects?

New Projects

Yesterday my mom and sister left and I spent the day with my children, alone, for the first time in several weeks.  The kids were great and we had a good day but I was a little down.  I am feeling much better today and have decided that a new sewing challenge might be a good distraction for me.  I am going to tackle the Allison Glass Feathers pattern.  It's something very different for me: it's mostly paper pieced, I am using all solids, and it's on the smaller side (55 x 66).  

I am in the process of printing the templates onto the foundation paper- but I am having trouble with my printer "eating" each printed paper- it's a 50/50 chance on whether the template will come out usable.  I have tried feeding a sheet one at a time, placing regular printer paper behind the foundation, and putting several foundation sheets in the tray.  Any tips, dear readers?  Is it just my crappy printer's fault?

Thanks to everyone for sharing my joy in the new sewing room.  I have another quilt-related feature of our new home that I am really excited about: a quilt hanging wall.  My husband attached a heavy-duty curtain rod to one of the main walls in our front living room and we found rings with clips that hang the quilt.  It adds a lot of depth and drama to our home and I am sure my husband is excited about the simplicity it will add to our lives when I need a picture of a quilt.  I chose to hang this African Heart quilt first because it is my most favorite quilt I have made.  I plan to rotate a new quilt in every month or so.  Someone asked me if I was worried about light damage to my quilts: I don't think it's any worse than using the quilt on a bed (especially in sunny Colorado) and I firmly believe that quilts are meant to be used in spite of any damage/use they eventually acquire.

Thanks for reading!

We're here!

Hello friends!  I am in our new home in Colorado and slowly settling in to a whole new life with my family.  The last month or so has been so stressful and busy, I am glad that I am finally in a position to start establishing a routine for both myself and my kids.  The scenery is pretty different here: this is a picture of Pike's Peak and you can also see the Garden of the Gods in the bottom right corner:

Some "scenery" is a little tacky:

We've had some visitors in our backyard:



I have already setup my sewing room and I honestly feel like I need to pinch myself because I can hardly believe it's real.  I should have taken a picture at my previous setup in Massachusetts but I was literally sewing in our kitchen and placing a small ironing board on top of the high chair tray.

My design wall is on the right side of the room:

Towards the front of the room is an ironing station and there is a roomy closet next to the sewing desk that I have filled with fabric.  Does all of my fabric fit in there?  I plead the fifth.

I have plans for decorating my sewing room, so you will hear more about this in the future.

In Billerica, I was literally within a .5 mile of a Joann's store.  Here in Colorado Springs, there is only one giant Joann's and I am a five minute drive from it. SCORE!

I have already attended a Front Range Modern Guild meeting.  I was surprised at myself for how nervous I felt attending but it wasn't so bad. I found the group to be very warm and welcoming.  Here is a picture of Stephanie R. showing a quilt she made, an original design.  She's from Lowell, MA :)

I was SO nervous about this cross-country move and really wondered if we were making the right decision.  The "problem" with my husband is that he's so dang happy wherever he is and with whatever he's doing that we've loved wherever we've been together and made the best of every situation- he's the poster child for the saying, "Bloom where you're planted."  So even though we had some struggles in Massachusetts, I was very happy there.  But through this whole process, I have drawn comfort by knowing that even though a lot of things would change with the move, a lot of things were going to stay the same.  My faith and family are constant.  I am so happy to share this adventure with these little buggers:

and this guy:

And I am happy that I can continue to pursue my passion for sewing.  I have been reading blogs now and then through all of this chaos and it literally has been a major stress-reliever and helped to remind me of what I love and will return to once things settle down.  Speaking of which, shortly, I will be working on a tutorial for my bow pillows and if anyone would like to be a pattern tester/reviewer for me, I would really appreciate it!  Just make a comment on this post.  (The tutorial will be a freebie on Ann Kelle's site soon!).

Thanks for reading this mostly non-sewing related post.  I will be back soon with two completed quilts to share.

City Sampler Quilt Top Completed

My City Sampler quilt top is complete. Getting a picture of this 90" square quilt isn't the easiest thing but I think I managed to do okay.  I sashed my 100 City Sampler blocks in a no-name linen-like fabric I found at the Fabric Place Basement.  Deciding on the best fabric to sash these blocks was a real challenge: I didn't want to choose anything that would overcome or blend into any of the blocks and I was pretty determined to not redo any of the blocks. I am happy with my choice of this tan textured fabric that shouldn't give me any trouble when the quilt is washed, it is 100% cotton.

Sewing all of the blocks into the sashing was definitely tedious but I think I did well at lining it all up pretty neatly thanks to the tips contained in this video on row alignment from Fons and Porter.  I chose the gridlock pattern in the book because it does a great job of showing off the blocks- it's simple with no distractions.

When I layed out the blocks, I decided to not worry too much about orienting all of the awesome motifs to create a "top" to the quilt.  I love being able to put a quilt on my bed and not worrying that it is "upside down" or whatever.  I paid close attention to dispersing the colors as well as the shapes to achieve balance.

Here's a mosaic of some more of my favorite blocks.  I had a lot of fun mixing up Salt Water and Prince Charming with my stash.

This was the hardest one:

This was the easiest:

Here's my most favorite:

Here's an indoor shot of the top:

I usually don't do scrappy pieced backs but this quilt simply called for it.  It's fun to see the Tula motifs on the larger scale.  I also snuck in a scrappy slab made from scraps- I wish I had the time/patience to make the whole quilt back like that, but that's a project for another day.

Linking up with Sew Sweetness (check out the other City Sampler tops - they're all gorgeous!) and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday:

Free Stuff, a Fabric Fast, and Longarming

I am taking a break from the endless packing to say hello.  I thought it would be fun to share some recent giveaway winnings I have received.  From a Sew Mama Sew Giveaway at Gemini Stitches, I received these lovely texty fat quarters all the way from Australia:

On Sew Mama Sew, I won these three sewing books.  I don't think I am going to take up needle felting anytime soon- but those Wool Buddies are quite cute.  The other books are really lovely and I am psyched to add them to my collection:

I finally redeemed a Living Social deal at the Fabric Corner.  They hardly had anything new, so I chose four yards of Kona Pacific for the background for a Feathers quilt.  It was a really hard choice and I am not sure if I am thrilled with what I decided, but I want to continue exploring my interest in using saturated colors instead of neutrals as background/sashing in my quilts.  For my other two choices I couldn't resist the Ann Kelle elephants and a very small cut of a black and white Andover print.

Speaking of fabric, packing all of my fabric recently has been a wake-up call for my need to start a fabric fast (maybe not a diet so much because I really don't need any. more.)  I have tried this before and failed miserably.  Any tips?  I am considering making myself not buy any until the 2014 Christmas holidays- possibly letting myself purchase a modest amount when the new stuff I am craving now will be on super sale.  I am also considering not allowing myself any reward unless I finish 20 (or so) quilt tops..... so that I have something to focus on and work on using what I already have.

Last Friday my mom and I spent the day together at Laurena's longarm studio.  It was my mom's first time quilting on a longarm and she did a great job but it definitely tired her out.  I have only used a laser-led pantograph once and I hated it- it's so tedious!  She plans to use the Statler next time.

I used the Statler, choosing a pattern called "Dewdrops" for my queen sized New Wave quilt.  It was a fun day!  I am told that Colorado Springs does not have decent longarm rental options and it truly has had me worried.  Renting a longarm has been an awesome experience for me: I've been able to create large quilts and I really, really enjoy running the machines- both doing free motion longarming and operating the Statler.

I have a feeling that this year will entail doing a lot of piecing tops and not a lot of finishing things.  It will take me a while to figure out a good longarm rental option and it will be good to not spend the money for a while anyhow.

Thanks for reading!  I will be back on Friday with an exciting finish.

WIP Wednesday: New Wave Quilt Top

I am back from Colorado after an exhausting but successful house hunting trip.  We found a home and the most exciting news in relation to sewing is that I will have my own sewing room!  Right now, I have a little desk adjacent to the kitchen and there is fabric throughout the apartment so I am pretty psyched to keep everything in one place.  We have about 3 weeks to get out there, so the next month or so is going to be kind of crazy.  Sewing and blogging will definitely be a bit sporadic.

I have four free hours of longarm rental time at Laurena's- and there is no way I am moving without using it! That is why I decided to churn out this New Wave quilt top right now.  It is made out of stash fabrics - primarily the Amy Butler collection Lark.  Once everything was cut and a layout was decided upon, this took me five days to sew together - three of which were when my husband was home.  I was surprised, but I really think this is actually a quick quilt pattern.

I thought by using non-Lark/AB fabrics for the sashing strips, the quilt would have a mixed collection feel but I really think it's biggest weakness is that its look is too uniform- i.e. the fabrics I chose match too well.  But I am hoping that I will like it better once I quilt it this Friday.

And just for fun, here's a picture of the other New Wave quilt I made almost 3 years ago as a present for a guild member:

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced: