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?

Modern Insta Bee & February and March Bee Blocks

One thing I haven't mentioned on le blog, is that I joined an Instagram Bee {the #moderninstabee} with 12 new friends. Each month, one queen bee gets to choose her color and block options and I get to try out new fabric combinations, use scraps, and have fun sewing with women from all over North America. Pretty cool, huh? If you're on IG, I'm in Hive 3... and you can see what my hive is up to my checking out #instabee2014hive3

We are using this awesome book called Modern Bee by Lindsay Conner. There's a baker's dozen of pretty cool quilts in this book! Get yourself one!

And so far, I've gotten two months finished and shipped off!


Emily (@elephantgrace) chose this cool lattice for her for February block. She asked for bright scrappy colors with a white background!

And for March, another Emily (@emilykimlee), chose this cool triple star and she requested yellow for the bitty star, aqua-y blues for the middle star, and greys for the biggest star. Due to some traveling and not LOVING stars, I totally procrastinated making this block. Right until the very end, but once I got to the sewing HSTs into 8 pointed stars, I started having fun and ended up LOVING this block!

I'll keep posting these every few months, so you can see all the wonderful bee quilts being made!

Katie

Project Mania :: A WIP Wednesday Post

{Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced}

So it seems I have a bit of start-iris or project mania or fabric petting ADD right now. There is so much fun to be had sewing when the weather is brisk, err freezing! (And below freezing).

I have a baby quilt going for a new niece using In Color Order's Warm Cool HST quilt.

I'm finally joining in the #swoonalong and making Swoon blocks!

I have fabric washed for several more of THESE quilts (including two matching for me and my mom... because we need matching quilts like BFFs need matching necklaces).

I mean, come ON... how fun is the idea of a buddy quilt? Here's the fabric for those.

I have this fun top almost completely together... And I think I'm sending it to the quilter, so that means it is practically a finish, right?

I'm still working on a couple blocks for the Civil War Sampler QAL BOW that she and I are making. (I got a week or two behind in January---good start to the year, huh?). Here's Block 2...

And lastly, I just finished my first bee block ever for the Instragram (IG) #moderninstabee #moderninstabeehive3  It's from the book Modern Bee and is the Trellis Crossroads block. #loveit

See what I mean about project mania? I guess if I'm going to be a little crazy, at least it's a colorful fun quilty type of crazy, right? 

Katie

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

"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

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

Tag-a-long with bloglovin'!

 <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6007755/?claim=6bzumxfvf9x">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

So by now you have probably heard that Google Reader is shutting down and therefore, you won't be able to follow my blog that way.

The good news is there are other options!

One is bloglovin and you can follow me by clicking on the little bloglovin' followers button on the side of the page.... then you will be re-directed to bloglovin' and can either sign up or just sign up to follow.

OR

You can tag-a-long by email  by entering it into the little widget on the side that is under the title "Tag-a-long by Email" Then latest words from Sage Sews will appear in your inbox shortly after I post.

Your choice! And both are really a lot easier than I realized! So don't be intimidated... Just SIGN UP!

Katie