Just Sew Something or Wisdom and Encouragement For the Process

I sat down to a quick brunch at one of the newer foodie places in town. I kinda like eating alone. It gives me time to people watch. To sit. To think. To be among people without having to be with them. Do any of you introverts know what I mean?  

Before brunch, I grabbed a copy of Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine. To my great delight, there's an article by Thomas Knauer. Quilter Extradordinaire. His work is beautiful, inspired and thoughtful. A lot of things I want my work to be. So I'm reading and I read: 

"Go make a lot of stuff. Let it be crappy, because it is going to be. Don't worry about screwing it up, and don't pretend you don't. Be proud of what you make, but don't be satisfied -- you can always do better and more. If you don't look back on what you made six months ago and think it is crap you are doing something wrong." - Thomas Knauer

and then my heart leaps. Not quite like baby John in the womb of Elizabeth upon coming to Mary and Jesus, but a wave of encouraged excitement washes over me. 

Because I relate. I make a lot of crap (in my opinion). I think some of it is pretty,  but it is often simple or my points don't line up or no one on IG likes it. (Wahhhhh -- not an actual problem, but more like one of the hashtag hobbyquilterprobelms).  Sometimes I make things I like, and other times, maybe even more often, I'm just glad the stitching part was fun or that I get to bind the dang thing, because the sewing is cathartic and good for me to get out of my own head even when the product isn't fabulous. 

But TK says this is okay.  That it is normal and that It's a crucial part of the design process.

So  I'm going to keep sewing "crap." I'm going to keep sewing to get better at the stitching and I'm going to play with color combinations that aren't my cup of joe to push myself and experiment.  I'm going to sew the crap, because eventually, maybe, I'll sew something I just LOVE. Something that is inspired and beautiful. Something that has a greater meaning. Something that touches someone else (and no in a blanket on the couch kind of way, although I see value in that, too).  

(Photos in this post are just some of the things I've made or am in the midst of making. Some may be crap (or have crappy parts), but I might like them, anyway). 

Ruby Dancing :: An Improv Curves Quilt inspired by Vintage Modern Quilts tutorial

The most fun day I've ever had sewing was a rainy afternoon, not long after QuiltCon, when I happened upon Vintage Modern Quilts' tutorial on Improv Curves. It was filmed at QuiltCon

Inspired and excited, I busted open a layer cake of Bonnie and Camille's famed line "Ruby" and got to work.After a couple hours and an entire bottle of Ellen's Best Press Starch alternative, I had all the blocks done and a top finished.

I racked my brain and just couldn't decide on the quilting, so the quilt sat and sat. Until one day when I saw a picture Abby Latimer of Latimer Lane Quilting posted of a feathered type of long arm pattern... and instantly I just knew that it would be perfect for my special Ruby quilt.

Off it went and soon enough it came back. I loved it, but couldn't quite decide on a binding, until I realized that the grey in their Vintage Modern line looked great with the grey in Ruby.

I still love this quilt and I really can't wait to make another Improv Curves quilt from a layer cake some day.

Back soon,

Katie

Old World Map Quilt. A Christmas Gift

{ The last two Christmases, I gave my parents the same quilt. The first year, it wasn't finished, but I wrapped it in its backing with the binding tied around it and promised it would be finished soon. It took the whole year, but I finally gave it to them Christmas this past year. And because everything about that quilt seemed to take a while, it's only fitting that I'm posting it now.  I recently went home to work on things and while I was there, I took this quilt off the wall and finally got photos of it so that I'd be able to blog about it! }

My parents looooves maps, especially old antique type ones. And my mom loooooves quilts. So after they finished a fabulous remodel and update of their home,

I googled map quilts and couldn't find anything that I loved, or actually anything at all, so I set off to find a map of the right size and use it as a guide. I found a World map at a teacher's store and used it as a guide for drawing the shapes that would be appliquéd onto the ocean.

I "twilled" along the edges of the continents and used different colors that reminded me of an old antique world map I'd seen once in a coffee shop. Then I embroidered the names of the continents and oceans.

I added a compass.

I quilted it on the latitude and longitude lines. And then went back and added islands by making twilling knots all throughtout the quilt. 

I'm quite pleased with it. I think they like it, too.


Katie

Details:

Quilt Started November 2012
Finished December 2013
Pattern: My own
Appliqued and twilled
Machine Quilted
Fabric: Random pieces?

(It's Black and) White and Red All Over!

So hey, it's me! And I'm crazy excited about this quilt I'm about to show you. It's black and white and red all over... except it's only black and white on one side and red and white on the other.

I made it especially for a local red and white quilt show that is happening in my area, that is being modeled after the big old show that had in NYC some years ago.  The local show was only announced about two months ago, and while that might not be a short deadline to make a little something, it also didn't leave ample time for pondering and wandering and procrastinating.

So I got busy on pinterest and came across this lovely post about an old vintage red and white quilt and I knew immediately that I wanted to model my quilt after it.

I could tell the blocks were a simple snowball and 9-patch, but couldn't find a pattern, so I just worked out the dimensions, did some calculations and got to work. Within a solid weekend (isn) of sewing at my mom's house, I had the top pieced.

(Oh dang, my finger is there on the screen, too. Good blogger.)

And because I loved the orange peel quilting on the antique I had my mind SET on getting orange peel on this quilt. A little googling and I came across the super talented and fabulous Jessica Toye's quilting blog. (If you want something custom quilted, CHOOSE Jessica! She's fabulous to work with!)

After a few emails back and forth we had a plan! And I was more than thrilled to send it to her. And BOY did she work some custom quilting magic.... She took my orange peel idea and made it even more fabulous. (Seriously, go check out the detail pics in her post about my quilt!) I'm so very pleased with it.

And honestly, because of the quilting and the awesome Britten Numbers fabric, I like the back as much as the front.

 (I lifted this picture from Jessica...)

This quilt will be on display for several weeks in May (if you're local and want to see it, contact me and I'll send you the info) and then it's coming back to live at my house. Woohoo!

Details:
Dimensions:
Pattern: Snowball and 9-patch
Fabric: Sandy Gervais (Flirt-related?) solid for the red, Not sure about the white...
Backing: IKEA Britten Numbers
Moda: White jelly roll strips for the binding
Finished: Easter Sunday

P.S. This is my first actual QUILT to finish this year! So...go me! (hashtag "it's April, nothing to brag about")

"Try To Love the Questions Themselves." A quilt from a modern upcycle challenge

{NOTE: There is a LOT of writing in this post. It is mostly for my own reference, so feel free to just check out the photos if you want!}

To finish out 2013, the modern guild I belong to issued an "Up-cycle" challenge where we were charged with making something new from something old. The only guideline that we were given was that 50% of the top needed to be from that "old" item.

I KNEW (once I decided I would participate) that I wanted to use my favorite sheet set. There was a hole in the fitted sheet from almost a decade of constant use and washings.

I debated with myself for a while about what to make. I considered a "whole cloth" quilt so that I could practice my quilting, but when I picked up Yoshiko Jinzengi's book "Quilting Line and Color" I started thinking about her amazing code quilts and her use of tons of white negative space and I knew I had to do something else.

The sheets have a very "lived in" quality... (imagine that?!) which led me to think about one of the most inspiring "life" quotes I have ever heard and that meant a great deal to me when I was in the midst of the life questions that come in one's 20s.

It's from Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" written in the early 20th c. to encourage a young writer in his journey in life.

{My favorite translation} reads:

Be patient towards all that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. The point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps someday, gradually without even realizing it, you will live along into the answers.

So I used the braille code to translate the letters that form the words "try to love the questions themselves."

Using Victoria Findlay Wolfe's 15 minute of play method, I pieced bits and bits of my favorite fabrics. Using those bits and a reverse appliqué method to I made the circles that when placed together form the letters of the braille code.

There are also twilling knots (almost like a french knot) that "write" out the other part of the quote.

I quilted in horizontal "organic" straight lines...partly because we read left to right and paper is lined horizontally,  but also because life has this linear quality to it. We keep moving forward, sometimes a little up or a little down, but always forward.  Sometimes we hit dead ends (and some of the lines stop). Sometimes new things and new life starts (so some of the lines just start in the middle), but we keep moving and living, amongst the questions.

Details:

Pattern and methods: My own using a braille code, reverse appliqué, 15 minutes of play, and negative space
Materials: Old white sheet for background and backing fabric. Circles made with tons of small bits including, Architextures, Glimma, Denyse Schmidt fabric, Oakshott cottons,
Inspirations: Rainer Maria Rilke, my Mamaw Lois who was blind, Yoshiko Jinzengi, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, and Luke Haynes.
Quilted: Organic straight lines with Mettler No. 002 cotton thread with a silk finish
Bound: with a modern facing technique and Moda Bella Solids White

Civil War Sampler Block of the Week : Week 1 : The White House

I spent a good bit of 2013 sewing, but I mostly sewed things that were FAST and sort of pattern-less. One of my (unspoken) goals for this year, is to spend some time making some more complex quilts. Things that require following a pattern and don't become a finished top in an afternoon or a week. It's because I want to expand my skills and grow as a quilter...

So late in the fall, I started thinking about this and realized a good way to do this would be to do some type of quilt-a-long or block-of-the week. I got really excited about it and mentioned it to my mom and we did some investigating and have decided to quilt-a-long to Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler as a BOW.

She chose her fabrics and I chose mine.

I'm going to use Dowry, AMH True Colors, Florence and Botanics.  I love mixy scrappy things, and all of these lines, so I'm excited to see how they'll look all together.

We've set out to sew this really cool sampler quilt, in fabrics we love (even though they aren't "civil war" fabrics).

Here's my block #1 :: The White House

Moving Forward! Exciting 2014 Plans

So we're about a month into 2014 (crazy, right?), and I think it's high time that I talk about the rest of the coming year. I'm so excited about the months to come and what this year means for my quilting journey. I have a number of quilts in my brain that I want to work on and some tops in my closet that must be dealt with, ehem... finished. Yay for the possibility of finished quilts!

I'm pretty excited about all the quilts I made and finished this year...and the fact that in the last month I have become increasingly confident about quilting on my domestic machine. (Yes, only straightish-type lines, but I happen to love lines, so that's a good step forward). BUT, I'm even more excited about what's on the horizon.

So let's talk about what's to come::

Category 1: Ready for quilting

1. Etchings Pluses
2. Ruby Curves
3. Scrappy Trip Along
4. A couple Santas I made

Category 2: Tops to Finish

1. A low volume
2. A quilt made with Happy-Go-Lucky and Simply Color
3. The X and PLUS along. (I only made one block for this one, so I'm kind of on the fence about moving it forward).

Category 3: Brand New Projects

1. QuiltCon 2013 inspired
2. Giant Star x 2 or 3 (?)
3. A super Swoon
4. Civil War Sampler BOW with G

Category 4: Surprises

1. Something of a curious nature
2. Something simple and sweet

I'm going to update this list quarterly... To stay accountable. I'm hoping to get Category 1 finished by the end of March. And have some of Category 2 moved into Category 1 by that time!

I'm in no rush on Category 3 (they are just like somethings I want to prioritize before 2015!) , and Category 4 has a definite finish date, but I can't share that or I might be giving away the surprise.

I'm going to try and be better at posting pictures of some WIPs.... BUT we'll see. :-)

Perhaps in the next year I can also tackle some more free motion quilting at home and maybe even take a long-arm certification course, for those extra large quilts, but let's just wait it out and see.

Christmas Gifts Quilt

Today I'm back and I'm sharing a quilt that was a long time in the finishing....

I made the top as a shop sample last year. I didn't have it back until after Christmas, so there wasn't a big rush in finishing it.   I had it quilted over the summer and the it sat and sat. And sat and waited to be bound.

And finally, when the snow came an it was December and we still had no other Christmas decorations up, I decided it was time to just get it done. Now we can theoretically snuggle under it and watch all the Christmas movies. (Which we always say we will do, but never really do).

I'm not super into vintage anything, but for some reason I loooooved both the Cosmo Cricket line and the backing. And the Mr. at my house loooooooves anything Christmas, so it's already one of his favorites.

Details:

Fabric: The top is entirely from Cosmo Cricket's "Dear Mr. Claus" 2012 Christmas line. (Well, except the binding which is a Moda Bella Solids White).
            The backing is some awesome flannel that has the appearance of being pieced and has a bunch of gorgeous vintage images all meshed together. (Sorry, I don't know the manufacturer or designer of it).

Pattern:  It is from the free pattern Moda released with the line. I'm not a big pattern follower, so this doesn't really look like much of what I have done recently. But I love it anyway.

Size: 58" x 71"

Quilted: Snowflakes Motif (in cream on the top and a sage-y green on the back)

A Quilt For Comfort

Last month, I called my Mom, like I do almost every morning. I just called to check in and say hi and see what she had going on that day. Only, that morning, when she answered, she said she would need to call back later, because she was at the hospital with some very good family friends.

When she called back, she told me that our good friend was hospitalized. That he had been re-diagnosed with cancer and that he wasn't well enough that day for his second treatment of his second round of chemo.

I was driving when she called and immediately knew I wanted to make him a quilt that he could take to his chemotherapy treatments, so he wouldn't get cold. I stopped by a local fabric shop, and after sending a few photos to my mom, I purchased a few manly FQs and headed home with a plan. I combined the fabrics with some from my stash and settled on a very simple, but bright and cheery squares quilt.

I cut it the same day. Pieced it the following and started tying it soon after that.  I pieced some long white panels for the backing, so that their Sunday School class could write encouraging messages and prayers and notes to him on the back.  Less than a week after my mom told me about our friend's cancer, the quilt was tied, bound and fedex-ed back home.

The same evening that the quilt began its journey home, our friend went to his heavenly home, too.

I was heartbroken when I found out, but really hoped in my heart that it would bring his family some comfort. I honestly wasn't sure if it would be hurtful or helpful in their time of grief, but I was still glad I made it and that it was on its way to my Mom.

The quilt arrived the day before his funeral. She called his wife to let her know about it and his wife was so touched by it that she said she wanted it to be with the other things he loved on the alter during his service. {I'm completely choked up writing this}.  They displayed it during the service on Friday and on Sunday their Sunday School class started writing notes to and about him in those large signature panels.

Although this quilt won't bring our friend comfort and warmth during chemotherapy, I pray that it does bring comfort and joy about him and his amazing life to the heart of his wife.

Details:

Started and finished: May 2013

8 1/2" finished squares, tied with a navy pearl cotton thread.

Fabrics: Mostly a combination of Simply Color by V and Co., Simple Marks Summer by Malka Dombrowsky, and Fresh by Wyndham, but with a few prints from Stof, too, I believe.

Backing: Fresh by Wyndham with solid white and other 8 1/2" finished squares.

"Humanity Contained" A Quilt for Me!

Shortly after QuiltCon I got on a sewing spree and made a ton of (okay, like 5) quilt tops all using the same method.

At that time, I didn't know that deconstructed 9-patch blocks existed, but I sewed a bunch of charm squares together and cut them apart ever other row and then unpicked seams going the other direction and created what I now know is called a deconstructed 9-patch block. After the first top, when I used the unpicking method, I figured out that I could  actually just sew 9-patch blocks together and just cut those apart. I had so much fun doing it that I kept making more of them. And I just love them!

But I actually have only completely finished one of the tops (thus, far) and here it is:

One of the tops (that isn't finished yet) was made with the Asbury prints by Thomas Knauer. I started calling it Joy Contained, because the 9-patch blocks were all contained between the sashings and borders, but the colors are so dang pretty and joyful, that it just fit.


In this version, the bright joyful prints from Comma, like the asterisks and atoms and polka dots in bright yellow and orange and green, reminded me of everything good and "bright" (as in smart) and thoughtful about humans... But the greys and blacks, coupled with the blacks I used in sashing and border, darkened the whole quilt and the News print, reminded me of socialism  and communism  and Orwell's1984 and a world where everything is numbered and humanity is controlled by the government. So, combining all of those thoughts, I jokingly started referring to this version of my (not-so-clever) deconstructed 9-patch as Humanity Contained.  And now, that is its name.


Also, the name inspired use of the old-school jail-like-black-and-white-stripe on the back and the news print as a portion of the binding... like a bar code for the quilt so it can be accounted for.

I think my quilt guild thought I was crazy when I presented it and explained all of this at Show and Tell, but everything reminds me of something else so I shared anyway.

Details:

Fabrics:
     Block fabric and middle border: Comma Layer Cake
     Sashing and first black border: An old black strip from Debbie Mumm
     Outer border: An old Jinny Beyer print
     Binding: Moda Bella Solid in Black and Comma News in White
     Backing: Something cool from my mom's stash mixed with a white and black stripe that resembles a jail print and Comma News in Black.

Blocks: Deconstructed 9-Patch with Sashing

Started: March 2013
Finished: May 2013

WIP Wednesday: Un-quilting (mostly)

Linking up again with Freshly Pieced.

 So I didn't make as much progress on as many WIPs last week as I wanted to, but I did successfully turn one WIP into a Finish!! It is the cutest little bright baby boy quilt! 

I also started the quilting on this little pretty, but am now, unfortunately, in the process of ripping it out.

 

The backing puckered! So thanks to the advice of IG and my mom, I'm going to re-baste it and try again. I thought I had it as taught as I needed, but apparently not.  See the damage:

Yikes! At least I can rip it out while sitting on the couch watching old One Tree Hill episodes.
Hopefully I'll have more progress on my x and plus blocks by next week! And maybe have another finish or brand new WIP to report as well.

Thanks for checking in! 

Any Way You Go :: A Little Man Baby Quilt for Jude

So in the vein of sewing baby quilts for old roommates, I bring you a new baby quilt story: version 3.

This one is for a former roomie who is a bright and wonderful woman! She is full of life and joy and I totally missed her wedding last May (and neglected to send a gift, too). Tacky me.  I know.  I'm totally embarrassed about that, but I really want to make it up to her.... so I wanted to sew a special quilt for her first baby, a little boy who should be here on or before next Saturday.

I'm so pleased that I actually finished this before he arrived. Now, I just hope it gets TO him, via the USPS, before he is born.  I started it Super Bowl Sunday. I had the top pieced the next morning. Had it basted and was quilting it the next Tuesday. I attempted FMQ for the first time (on a real quilt on it). My stippling was decent. My long loops were OK, too. But I got stumped after that, so the top sat in my closet, haunting me when I dug in my stash, for the next four weeks. Finally, a week or so ago, I pulled it out, ripped out the old quilting, and started quilting it from the back, simply following the chevron lines.

It is not perfect. Not even close. But I absolutely love it and how bright it turned out.  I really hope my friend and her first little one love it, too.

Details:

Pattern: Quick Triangles Baby Quilt Tutorial from Lindsay Sews (this is an awesome tutorial, with a TON of layout options. Not too mention that it is super speedy because the blocks are large.

Fabrics: A collection of bright prints from my stash with a large yellow and white chevron print for the back.

Quilting: By me, straight lines following the chevron backing.

Finished: April 13, 2013

WIP Wednesday: My first WIP link up

So for the first time, I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

I have a few too many projects going right now, so I'm making myself finish several before I start any more (not counting the x and plus quilt I started today by making my very first block).

This is a little mini quilt top that I need to quilt and bind and at the bottom of it is a picture of my first x and plus block. Loved making that block, so it is no wonder that it is such a big trend on Instagram and Flickr.

This baby quilt needs nine more quilting lines. My goal is to finish it tomorrow, because that mama will be induced a week from Friday. I am planning to bind it by machine (first timer here) and write the label. These are big steps for the sake of speed. I've only ever hand bound (hello, good movie watching time and I love handwork) and hand embroidered labels (because I don't like the look of written labels). But for the sake of expediency and because this quilt will not be an heirloom by any means, I'm just gonna forsake my normal routine and get a move on. #finishit2013 right?

 

Oh, and this is actually the back that you can see. I'll post a picture of the top when I get finish! 

The next WIP is a way late baby quilt that needs to be quilted. This is a terrible picture of the top (colors are off) but I'm super excited about this one because my friend has no idea that it is coming and she waited a REALLY long time and through a very hard journey to get her sweet baby boy.  She did her nursery in a vintage circus theme, so I think Petite Odile by French General will compliment the little Big Top Nursery really well.

The color is much better in this picture below. It also shows the border detail that you can't see above.

I've got a few more projects going on, and I actually have some tops at the quilter, too, because the Lord knows I just can't do it all. Maybe by Friday I'll have some finishes and then I can show up here again next week with all new WIPs. (Except the x and plus blocks will not be finished or even close).

Have a great, and productive, week!

Katie

Oh, and p.s. you can follow me on bloglovin' now!

A Baby Quilt: "Annie's Cheer"

Last summer I made a quilt for the 1st birthday of a daughter of one of my absolute favorite friends. I still wasn't quilting much when little Annie was born, but I was a year later, so I figured that was as good of an opportunity as any to make a quilt.

Annie's mom is one of the brightest and cheeriest people I know. She is a real joy to be around and I laugh more with her than with almost anyone else. I wanted to represent Annie's mom, Kelley, in the quilt for her precious girl, so I knew I need rich girly colors and a bright white to make them pop!

This is the quilt that I call: Annie's Cheer!

[ IMAGE REMOVED ]

It turned out even better than I hoped that it would. It really reminded me of Kelley and her sweet family, so I hope little Annie treasures it for years. Also, my husband loved this quilt and pattern, so maybe I'll use it again someday if he ever has  a little girl. (*wink, wink*)

Details:
 
Fabric: All of the squares are Boutique by Chez Moi  which I had in my stash and I thought were absolutely perfect. The white was a just a bright white solid.

Pattern: "All Framed Up"  from the Moda Bake Shop and only made a few slight variations.

Backing: I backed it in the green and white polka dot from Bonnie and Camille's line "Vintage Modern"

Binding: I used a bubble gum pink solid.

Quilting: One of my favorite LQShops long armed it for me in a loopy pattern white a pretty pink thread.

Completed: July 2012 

QuiltCon 2013: Denyse Schmidt Lecture and Quilts

Well, I'm finally back with another QuiltCon 2013 post. I promised to show photos of her quilts and a few tidbits from her lecture, so without further ado...

my favorite quilts from the Denyse Schmidt exhibit at QuiltCon.

The Straight and Narrow #2.

Cotton, linen. 2011. Courtesy Ralph Pucci International.

(The Straight and Narrow #2, detail of fabrics and quilting)

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4 Crosses, steel.

Cotton, designed 2008, produced 2013.

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Glasshouse Shelves.

 Cotton. Designed 2008, produced 2013.

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Roots, ginger. 

Cotton. 1998. Collection of Wendy Marquardt.

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Hope as the Anchor of the Soul #2.

Mount Lebanon Series New.

New and vintage cotton and linen. 2010. Collection of Greg Couch.

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String Theory, red, from the Denyse Schmidt for Sarita Handa Collection.

Cotton, 2005.

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Pretty Square, fog, from the Denyse Schmidt for Sarita Handa Collection. 

Cotton, 2004-2005.

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Courthouse Steps. 

Cotton, 2009. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing these.

If you have a chance to see them in person, go! They are wonderful.

And if you can ever listen to Denyse speak, go! She's wonderful and hilarious.

Some highlights from her lecture:

She began her quilting journey when she moved to a new place (New Jersey I believe) to live with a boyfriend and needed to make friends. 

She took a stone carving class and for one assignment she carved the saying:

"My Mother Said Nothing Is Ever Written In Stone."

She created a font for text and showed us pictures of it being used on the backs of semi trailers (which she loves to take pictures of and look at because they are of similar size to quilts). One of those trailers was for a fish company with the slogan: Meat Without Feet!

Lastly, she said she designs and plans quilts for beds. So every quilt is designed to look good when draped over a bed. 

Katie