Sew and Tell – Contest Winners

December 21, 2012March 19, 20134 Comments

I enjoy sponsoring quite a few blogs, blog hops, weekly giveaways and quilt contests. It gives me an excuse to play and be inspired. This week for sew and tell, I thought I’d share a few of the gorgeous quilts from winners of contests I sponsored recently.

The first quilt was the winner of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival from the home-machine quilted category. Winner Amy Friend blogs at During Quiet Time. I love her quilt because it is so colorful and sew modern. You can read more about her winning quilt, Indie Vibrations.

Next, The Quilting Gallery hosts a weekly themed quilting contest and I sponsored a couple of those this fall.

Marjo B-W from Germany won the Star Quilt themed category with her gorgeous quilt, “Star for Peace.” Isn’t it gorgeous? Check out that fantastic echo quilting!

Bente who blogs at I like to Quilt is also from Germany. She won the paper piecing themed contest. Because I am getting more into paper piecing, that one was fun to sponsor!

Aren’t those fabulous quilts?

Finally, I think the The Quilt Pattern Magazine’s Quilt Kitty Photo Contest is one of the most fun I’ve sponsored yet. The rules are simple: post a picture of your adorable kitty on a quilt. I sponsored 4 winners, show below:

Sophie and Magglio

Sami

Baby

Kimba

Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen??

Sew and Tell QuiltCon Entries

December 7, 2012December 28, 201223 Comments

For Sew and Tell this week I thought I would share with you the quilts that I submitted for entry into QuiltCon. This was a scary step for me as I’ve never tried to enter a big show before. But it’s one of my quilting goals – so here’s hoping at least one of them gets in!

Charming Chevrons is the first quilt I knew I wanted to enter. After the time-consuming (but fun!) amount of quilting I did on it for my tutorial, I thought it deserves a shot. You can read the text I submitted with the entry below.

What is more traditional than a half square triangle? What is more modern than solid colored chevrons with irregular pebble quilting? My quilt, Charming Chevrons, is a marriage of both. Inspired by a couple of colorful Kona charm packs and the desire quilt the heck out of something, I experienced pure bliss in designing and making this quilt. I used 18 different colors of thread for the pebbles.

Next, I emailed them a picture of my Busy Hands quilt which I’ve already blogged about a few times before. But here it is in its entirety. (I didn’t even bother counting how long it took for the FMQ – I would probably need to declare myself insane if I did!!)

Although I’ve been a quilter for quite a few years, this is my first modern quilt. I discovered this eclectic style earlier this year and have been thoroughly smitten! “Busy Hands” embodies everything I love about modern quilts: bright clear colors, bold geometric shapes, and clean lines with lots of negative space for detailed quilting. Making modern quilts is a great way to keep my hands busy! I did all of the quilting my regular home sewing machine.

And finally, just for fun I included my Baby Bricks in pink. I was able to submit 3 quilts so I figured more quilts would increase my chance of at least one getting in! (Yes I will be sad if none make it into the show, but no matter what, it was an amazing experience to at least try.)

Baby Bricks

I designed Baby Bricks as a way to piece a quick modern quilt with simple shapes. I took a classic stacked bricks design and modernized it by adding negative space between the rows. This allowed me to showcase some fun fabrics while balancing the straight lines of the quilt with whimsical double loops. I love the way the batting poofs up in the areas that are not over-quilted. This gives some extra dimension to the piece.

Updated December 28th – I’m in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thrilled I can hardly speak (or type). I just found out that my Charming Chevrons quilt above got juried into QuiltCon. This is so exciting!!!!!! I’ll post more later in a separate followup post. Yay for me (giving myself a big hug and pat on the back….)!!

Weekend Workshops

October 22, 2012March 19, 201310 Comments

On Friday and Saturday several guild members and I took two fabulous classes from award-winning quilter Deb Karasik. From choosing fabrics to improving my paper piecing and binding skills, the entire weekend was a blast. The best part about it was no traveling!

Friday morning I headed off to class with these two stacks of fabric in tow, an assortment of Fossil Ferns from my stash and a stack of Kona Solid fat quarters, along with some grey.

For the first quilt, I finished 4 triangle segments which will form the quilt center.

I tried to mix in grey with the Fossil Ferns, but as you can see, they just didn’t work well together.

I’m going to take the grey out and swap it for either black or white.

Or I may remake these blocks with the Kona Solids and grey.

What do you think?

For the next quilt, I was feeling more confidant because it didn’t require the use of any backgrounds – just lots of great contrast.

I was originally going to use my solid fat quarters but I stuck with the fossil ferns instead.

I really wanted to modernize these quilts but I’m not sure the block designs have the right “look” for a modern quilt.

That’s ok – it was still a great learning experience anyway!

As you can see, we didn’t get a ton of blocks done, but I did learn that starch is my friend and I’m not afraid of paper piecing.

Deb even did a excellent demo about applying binding with glue first before sewing it down. You can see a wonderful binding tutorial on her website.

Below is a photo of some fellow quilt guild members with a finished block from Friday’s class. They are standing in front of Deb Karasik’s class sample for the day.

And here is a picture from Saturday’s class. I’m the shortest and I get the least done in class, but I still think I have the most fun!! There were about 20 students in each class each day and a few of us took both classes. It will be fun to see everyone’s finished quilts!

A couple of gals laid their blocks down next to each other just for fun. Don’t they look great?

This pattern looks amazing in any colors. Thanks for the great weekend, Deb!

A Visit with Deb Karasik

October 19, 2012March 19, 20133 Comments

Last night, Deb Karasik visited my local quilting guild (Desert Quilters of Nevada) for a lecture and trunk show. Her work is absolutely amazing, and she was the most entertaining quilt speaker I’ve ever seen. She told us stories of her rise to quilt fame, with a smile on her face and the funniest stories I’ve ever heard. I can’t even begin to rephrase them!

Click on these photos for a larger view to see the look on her face.

She was so priceless!

Of course, she showed us many award-winning beautiful quilts, and with the assistance of her husband, “Mr. Deb” we got to see them all.

Deb is staying in town for the weekend offering two classes, today and tomorrow. I am taking both of them. Today’s class is called “Look Ma, No Curves!” Saturday’s class is called, “Batik Wheels.”

Deb Karasik – Look Ma, No Curves

Deb designs her original quilts using Electric Quilt software, and she uses paper piecing techniques to create her beautiful one-of-a-kind creations. You can see more of her lovely work on her website as well as find products that make the process easier.

Deb Karasik – Batik Wheels

I am excited to take Deb’s classes and will be sure to post an update with pictures from my fun-filled weekend!

Mini Quilt Market Shopping Spree

October 9, 2012October 9, 20123 Comments

Today Jason and I went to a local fabric trade show, sort of like a mini “quilt market” (as opposed to a mini-quilt market, LOL!!)

Anyway, we got to meet with many of our fabric vendors to preview the upcoming fall lines and order oodles of fabric! Here I am with one of my favorite sales people, Katie M. from Quilting Treasures.

She’s showing me all the cool Loralie fabric that’s coming out along with the latest Peanuts collections.

The hardest thing about attending Market is having to wait for the fabrics to actually arrive. For example, I ordered Charlie Brown’s “The Great Pumpkin” line, but it’s not even coming out until next Spring! At least that will be in plenty time for next Halloween. In the meantime I’m expecting a delivery of more Happiness is Peanuts & Project Linus fabric any day now…

So what else did we order today?

I’ve been dying to get my hands on some Pearl Bracelets ever since I saw one of the prints in a Modern quilting book. Lizzy House is releasing her brand-new 26 piece line in November, so I bought it all!

Along with fabulous shopping, I got a sneak peak of some upcoming Batik Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, and Jelly Rolls. Hoffman calls them Bali Snaps, Crackers, and Pops. Too cute!

Utah Quilt Fest

September 24, 2012March 19, 20133 Comments

While my friend Stacy and I attended our weekend quilting retreat in Mesquite, Nevada, the timing coincided with the Utah Quilt Guild Show, so of course we had to check it out! Here are just a few of the fabulous quilts we were drooling over:

Karen Andrus’ Indian Pueblo

Helen Butler’s Applique

Pat Peters’ Halloween Baltimore

I have a thing for applique, don’t ya think??

We had the best laugh over these adorable signs posted throughout the show. Clever girls!

Quilting Retreat and UFO’s

September 22, 2012March 19, 20138 Comments

I am having a blast this weekend hanging out with my “quilty ladies” at my quilt guild’s weekend retreat. I am getting a lot of quilting done as well as renewing friendships and making new ones. There are about 100 ladies (out of our 400 member group) attending!

I brought along two UFO’s (Unfinished Fabric Objects) to work on: My Busy Hands quilt that is taking forever to quilt, and my Baby Bricks quilt.

It’s been super fun giving spontaneous quilting demos to whomever walks by and I am feeling very productive. I finished all of the straight line quilting on Baby Bricks and now all I have left to do is the binding. Whoo hoo!

I am attending the retreat with my BQF (best-quilting-friend) Stacy of Farm Road Quilts. We met about 12 years ago when we were both pregnant with our sons and have been attending the retreat together ever since. She’s getting quite a few projects done, too!

Our whole weekend consists of sewing, eating, talking and sewing some more. There are no dishes to do, meals to prepare or loved ones to care for. Our food has been catered and our retreat committee has decorated each table with quilts and bouquets that will serve as door prizes at the end. I hope I win this one!!

Modern Quilt Musings and QuiltCon

September 3, 2012March 19, 2013Leave a comment

I have recently jumped on the Modern Quilting wagon big-time! I was trying to figure out why this latest quilting movement is so appealing to me and here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. I love all the negative space! Machine quilting is my first love (even more than piecing) and with modern quilts, there is more room to show off intricate FMQ. Plus, it’s easy to add texture with lots of simple geometric quilting.

2. Many modern quilts are based on traditional patterns with a twist. Have you seen wonky log cabins and not-your-grandmother’s flower garden hexagons? How about pinwheel remix? To me, modern quilting is different than abstract art quilting (though of course it can include that, too!) I love the traditional roots with an anything goes attitude of modern creativity.

3. Fresh, clear colors with simple designs are very appealing to me. Much of the modern aesthetic is inspired by fashion trends and home decorating. That means most modern quilts are made to be used and loved but that doesn’t mean they are just slapped together. Good workmanship is still an essential part of the quilt-making process.

4. Can we say solids??? There are so many tutorials and inspirational photos out there using solids by themselves or in tandem with other fabulous designer prints. And I love the flexibility of combining different lines of fabric from different manufacturers. Modern quilting is all about getting away from being too “matchy-matchy” and instead, pursuing more eclectic combinations that actually work.

These are just a few things I like about modern quilting; I’m sure I will discover many more.

This weekend I signed up to attend QuiltCon, the first international modern quilting conference, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild in Austin, Texas next February. It’s a little out of my comfort zone to travel that far by myself but I know it will be worth it.

I will be taking Angela Walters “Quilting Negative Space” class and am looking forward to lots of informative lectures like “Publishing Your First Book” and “Publishing Your Work in Magazines”. I am excited to meet many of the modern quilting “celebrities” that have made a name for themselves in this industry.

A Visit with Gail Garber

April 24, 2012March 19, 2013Leave a comment

My quilting guild is in the wonderful habit of bringing in nationally-known award-winning quiltmakers to come lecture and offer workshops. This last weekend, Gail Garber paid us a visit and shared her work in making beautiful circle star quilts with intricate borders and colorful flying geese. I was fortunate enough to take 2 of her classes on Friday and Saturday and will blog about how fantastic those were in future posts!

Gail is a wonderful lecturer and has an easy-going friendly personality. After just a few minutes with her, you really do want to be her best friend! Here are a few pictures of some of the quilts she brought to show us, posted here with her permission. All I can say is wow!This quilt, called “Wheel of Fortune” is my absolute favorite. I love the asymmetrical block placed into a symmetrical format with the gently curving binding.

Galactic Tango is amazing with streaks of flying geese and asymmetrical edges. We learned in class was how to make a radiating star, similar to the one above. Yes, it can be done!!In Quadrille, I love how she used a Paula Nadelstern fabric as the focus print in the diamonds, then utilized solid colors, hand dyes and tonals to match.

Dawn of the New Day was made to commemorate the events of 9/11. Her signature geese and wonderful color selection make this a hallmark of Gail Garber’s amazing work. These quilts were a feast for the eyes!

Be sure to visit Gail’s website at GailGarber.com. You’ll be glad you did!

Batik Double Wedding Ring Quilt

April 10, 2012March 19, 20134 Comments

Here is the double wedding quilt I made for my husband’s sister Cortney. (I blogged about the other sister’s wedding quilt last week). It was a learning curve for me in so many ways. It was the first quilt I sewed using curves! I also learned a ton about machine quilting and marking.

I think every quilter should make at least one double wedding ring quilt as a sort of right of passage. I made this quilt using a precut Quilt Kit from Benartex. This made the top go together easily. The pieces were notched so I could match the seams with lots of pins.

The blocks were sewn a few at a time in partial rows. Melon pieces filled in the edges.

For the machine quilting, I wanted to try a few new things. I stitched around all of the pieced blocks near the ditch with a decorative serpentine stitch. Then I used a washout marking pencil and a stencil to mark a heart motif in each of the block centers. I used a heavyweight variegated thread for the centers and filled in the backgrounds with black metallic thread from Superior Threads.

To get out all of my markings, I filled a small bowl with water and used a toothbrush to scrub them out. It worked pretty well I think. Because this fabric has so much black, the batting bearded a little and I had to use a lint roller on it (next time – black batting!!)

I named this quilt Los Novios (The Lovers) because of the backing fabric. My sister in-law loves the Alexander Henry Day of the Dead fabric so I thought it was a perfect match for the back! When I entered this quilt in a show recently, the quilt judge loved it until she saw the backing. She didn’t think it was appropriate for this quilt, but my sister-in-law absolutely loves it and that’s what’s most important!