What I Learned from QuiltCon 2013

February 26, 2013February 14, 201814 Comments

My head is still reeling from all of the QuiltCon awesomeness over the weekend. I hope you are not tired of me blogging about it yet! You can read about many the awesome quilts here.

When I arrived at the Austin Airport, I knew I was for a treat. In fact, I met a couple of gals on the plane headed to QuiltCon who were so friendly, even though we had just met. This was just the beginning of a weekend full of fun and friendship. Most everyone who attended was meeting people for the first time, and I felt like we all finally found an excuse in this world to be nice to each other. If all the world quilted, it would be a peaceful world indeed!

Austin, Texas Airport

The first day there, I started running into people that I had only met online before. Here are Faith from Fresh Lemons and Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt. They were so sweet and fun to hang out with. In turn, they introduced me to several of their other blogger friends and we all had a wonderful dinner together Thursday night. When I asked how they all knew each other, they all responded the same, “from blogging, of course!” I knew right then and there that these were my peeps!

The next day I took a machine quilting class with Angela Walters. Angela is probably the most fun and enthusiastic quilting teacher I’ve ever met. I took lots of notes, not only on how to be a better machine quilter, but how to be a better quilt teacher, too! I asked her if she’d be my BFF and she said, yes!! (I think she says yes to everyone – but hey, I don’t care. I quilt-around, and I am not ashamed to admit it!)

Here’s Lee (from Freshly Pieced) and I next to the long-arm machines. While I prefer to quilt on my Bernina, the class was wonderful because Angela taught us techniques and design ideas that we could apply to any quilt. She gave me permission to share some of the designs in my quilts – so watch for that in my next quilt-along!

Friday night, I met up with a bunch of gals from Pile O’Fabric’s Skillbuilder Block of the Month. We talked quilting, discussed our BOM progress and had a pincushion swap. This is the one I received from Deirdre – isn’t it the cutest?? Thanks to Alyssa for putting this on!

In between socializing and viewing all of the lovely Quilts, I attended several of the informative lectures. I learned more about how to get my work published into books and magazines (keep doing what I’m doing, but save a few original ideas to debut professionally in print, not on the blog – sorry gals!)

Bill Gardner, Editor-in-Chief of Quilters Newsletter
Vicki Anderson, CEO & Publisher, Modern Quilts Unlimited

I also learned more about the history of modern quilting, and that we women are emotional and can cry at the drop of the hat when overcome by quilting awesomeness!

I learned what “alternate grid” design means. Instead of laying things out neatly in columns and rows, an alternate grid structure is used to create more randomness and I think, a more interesting aesthetic appeal.

Regular Grid Quilt

Alternate Grid Quilt

Modern quilting is definitely not art quilting; yet it is not constrained by traditional design.

It’s somewhere in between. In her lecture, Heather Grant said, “Art quilting is to fine art, as Modern quilting is to graphic art.” I also learned that making a quilt from “modern” fabric does not make it modern! (Well, I already thought that, but now it was confirmed.)

Ellen Rushman, Lecture on Modern Quilting Research

Some new areas of modern quilting that I would like to explore are making a low volume quilt (think lots of neutrals), and making quilts on an exaggerated scale (think pixelization but with clearer images). I also want to teach my own modern version of applique.

How will this all of this new knowledge influence me in the future? I now feel a little more focused in the direction that I want to take with my quilting, both personally and professionally. While my next quilt-along is set to launch tomorrow, the one after that will definitely be more modern!

Free Bag from Kaufman

Michael Miller Fabric Reps

I also have a better understanding for the kinds of modern fabrics I want to add to my store. I will definitely be adding more Kona Cotton Solids, and I will constantly be on the lookout for more cool collections (from Michael Miller and others!)

Watch for my next post on Celebrity Quilter encounters at QuiltCon, later in the week!

Additional Posts I wrote About QuiltCon 2013

BOM and WIP Blocks

February 5, 2013March 19, 201315 Comments

I am adding to my list of UFO’s with my BOM and WIP! What in the heck does all that mean?

It means I am starting some more quilts that are quickly becoming Unfinished Fabric Objects. My newest quilt is a Block Of the Month project where I make a couple of quilt blocks each month until it is done. As long as I work on my quilts on a regular basis, they become my Works-In-Progress.

Sound Wave

Magnum

Here are my two blocks that I just finished, following along with the Skillbuilder Block of the Month at PileOFabric.com.

I absolutely love these blocks. I think they are turning out very modern and I am gaining more color confidence in working with solids. I am using Kona Coal Grey as the background and am very pleased with how it looks against the solids.

Modern Block – Not!

A few months ago I tried to make my first “modern” quilt block by adding grey to a paper pieced block I was making from bright mottled fabrics.

The block design was awesome, but it just didn’t work with the grey! I think my blocks above are much better.

In these last few months I have learned that it takes a lot more than simply adding grey to your quilt to make it modern. 🙂

While sewing my BOM blocks, I used lots of starch to keep the skinny strips nice and straight. I also cut the strips on the grain parallel to the selvedge (instead of cutting them WOF – the Width of Fabric). This grain has less stretch and give to it. While sewing, I also flipped my sewing direction on each successive strip so as not to distort the fabric.

It’s amazing how much this block shrinks up due to the seam allowances!

I pressed all of my seams open first with a wooden seam roller (loving this tool!) and then with a dry iron. They are nice and flat!

You can read my previous BOM post about picking fabrics. If you would like to join me, my friend Alyssa and a few (hundred) others making these fabulous blocks, just go to PileOFabric.com and check out her Skillbuilder Block of the Month.

Sew and Tell – Shopping My Stash

January 25, 2013March 19, 201315 Comments

I have a fabric pull that I’m excited to share with you and several “a-ha!” moments. First take a look at these lovely pretties:

I originally pulled these fat quarters from the shelves of my store for the Skillbuilder BOM I’m doing. I love the analagous color scheme of red, orange and yellow. It’s so warm and inviting. There are a few Kona Solids in there, some Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler pieces, a few older Lily Ashbury geometrics, some Laurel Burch Basics that blend surprisingly well, and of course a few Pearl Bracelets.

Then I started looking through my stash of backgrounds to decide on black or grey.

My mini “a-ha” moment came when I thought – why not all of them?

I could make each set of blocks with a different shade of black or grey and maybe even grab some shades I don’t have yet.

This led to another “a-ha” moment. I really liked the last completely solid quilt I made, so why not do another?

So I set aside my bundle of colorful print fabrics above and instead went with all solids in red, orange and yellow with a hint of turquoise.

This picture isn’t really great but the colors really do speak to me for this specific project.

And my final “a-ha” moment of the week: I gave myself permission to take the print fabric stack above out of my store’s inventory and keep them for myself. After all, they were my original inspiration, so that means means they belong in my stash, patiently waiting for the perfect project to use them in. 🙂

Vacation Postcard – Wish You Were Here!

January 21, 2013March 19, 20133 Comments

This week the whole family is on vacation in Florida touring Universal Studios and Disney World. It’s a much-needed break from our regular routine and a chance to hang out with the extended family in a fun environment. (This was our surprise Christmas present from my husband’s parents that I blogged about last month).

On Saturday we spent the entire day at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

The Spiderman ride was amazing with special 3 D Effects.

Jason and his sister with the kids.

My son Ryan is a Spidey fan!

They recreated Jurassic park complete with a fantastic water ride gone wrong. Thank goodness we escaped from the T-Rex. It really felt like we were in the world of movies!

We visited Seuss Landing, full of truffula trees and characters from all of the books.

Truffula Trees

Jason and I paused for a minute in front of this cute little store-front window. Hmm, maybe we could use this in a future advertisement for our Grinch fabric collection???

By far, our favorite area of the park was a re-creation of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (We are huge Harry Potter fans!) We visited Hogsmeade, downed some delicious Butter-beer and took a look at the famous Hogwarts Express.

The kids were thrilled to visit Ollivander’s to buy their own magic wands, and Ryan was chosen to act out a special “wand-finding ceremony” of his own at the famous shop. The best ride ever was a tour and intense motion ride inside of Hogwarts castle (sadly, no pictures!)

I was very pleased to see that the robe-maker’s sewing machine of choice was an antique singer featherweight. Because the individual robes were way out of our price-range (over $100 each!), my kids asked me if I could “quilt” them a Hogwarts robe. I had to patiently explain that quilt-making and clothing design are two entirely different things!

Our family motto is that “we work hard and we play hard.” Because I worked long and hard before we left, all of my regularly scheduled blog posts are coming up later this week: my quilt-along tutorial, sew and tell, and my favorite quilt-links. Thanks for stopping by!

Christa’s Show and Tell – Sewing Every Day

January 11, 2013May 15, 201415 Comments

One of the quilting goals I set for myself was to sew every day. To make this goal actually happen, I had to make sure it was realistic. In order to do that, I set a minimum time limit of just 10 minutes a day of sewing. I also broadened my definition of “sewing” to include designing quilts, reading quilt magazines and watching online quilting classes.

So far so good. Here is what I have been able to accomplish “sew” far this month:

I’ve signed up for several Craftsy quilting classes. I just finished watching Elizabeth Hartman’s free “Creative Quilt Backs Class” and am currently viewing Cindy Needham’s “Design It, Quilt It” class. They are both excellent!

I pulled these lovely fabrics to participate in the Skillbuilder Block of the Month over at PileOFabrics.com. I decided to go with all Kona Solids for this quilt. I haven’t decided on my background fabric yet. I’ll probably choose a shade of Grey.

I used the color wheel when choosing colors and went with an “accented analagous” color scheme. That means I chose red, orange and yellow which are next to each other on the color wheel, then threw in a bit of complementary teal just for fun. I can’t wait to get started!

Today, I paper-pieced this sewing themed block as part of Quiet Play’s And Sew On year-long block-of-the-month series. January’s block is called “Measure Twice” and is available as a free download this month.

Measure Twice, Cut Once!

I also made this block designed by Amy Friend of During Quiet Time. I love the sewing theme so I may have to incorporate it into the same quilt!

Next, I designed this quilt in EQ7 which will be the basis for my next quilt-along as soon as the current one finishes. I found out how to download Moda’s fabric swatches directly into the design program so I can design quilts using the actual fabrics from the quilt. Very cool!

Hugs and Kisses

When I don’t feel up to sewing, or when I’m traveling, and bringing along sewing supplies is impractical, I have a stack of quilting magazines that I am thoroughly enjoying reading.

My favorite magazines are Machine Quilting Unlimited, along with their brand new sister publication Modern Quilts Unlimited. I’ve also been a long-time subscriber of Quilter’s Newsletter, the best source of news for what’s hot and happening in the quilting world.

I think that’s a great start for January! How about you? How are you coming along with your quilting goals?

Holiday Highlights and a Happy New (Quilt) Year!

December 31, 2012March 19, 20132 Comments

We had a fantastic Christmas this year with family and friends. I finally felt like I was ahead of the game so I was able to be a bit more relaxed and indulge in a little creative fun.

Each year, one of our family’s traditions is to dress up on Christmas day and go on a scavenger hunt for our gifts. This year we went as superheros and villains. Our “grand prize” is a trip to Universal Studios in Florida with the in-laws. We just may go dressed this way…..

For a link to past holiday silliness, click here.

We also had a wonderful visit with two sets of friends that came to town. We usually make friends with couples who then move! I guess absence makes the friendship grow stronger…

Janice has a crafty side and she loves jewelry and cross-stitch. I was very happy when she told me that now she wants to make a quilt! Being the good friend that I am, I let her raid my stash as an extra little holiday treat. We have the same taste in fabric, so that was pretty fun.

Jessica is the friend that I credit for turning me on to Modern Quilting.

She’s very trendy and hip and has been making and enjoying modern quilts even before she knew that’s what they were called.

Jessica talked me into ordering the entire Pearl Bracelets line so she could get some of every color for Christmas.

You just can’t put a price on a smile like that – well actually her husband could when he got the bill, LOL!!

(Thank goodness I gave them a pretty hefty discount. 🙂 )

Playing with all of this wonderful fabric makes me really excited for the new year.

I have loads of ideas for quilts I want to make, as I’m sure you do, too.

Here’s to a happy new year of quilts!

You can read my list of quilting goals for 2013 here.

Final Giveaway of the Year – Pearl Bracelets Fabric Winner

December 24, 2012March 19, 2013144 Comments

I am excited to announce my final giveaway of the year! Lizzy House’s fantastic Pearl Bracelets collection has finally arrived – in 26 colorful hues.

I was so happy to get them. I had only seen them previously on random blogs and in books here and there. The scale is a little larger than I imagined – each complete pearl measures about 3.25 inches across – but that just makes them more interesting!

One lucky winner will receive a gift certificate for my store, good for any 8 Pearl Bracelet fat quarters of your choice. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me which color is your favorite.

Thank goodness Lizzy gave them all fun names – their color names are listed next to each fabric picture on my website.

This contest runs through the end of the year, Monday December 31, 2012 at 9 PM Pacific time, Midnight Eastern. I will post the winner’s name here on my blog. Good luck!

Updated 12/31/2012 – We have a winner!

Congratulations to Mara who said,

“Grape Jelly, sounds yummy and looks yummy!”

Well, Mara, you have a lot of yumminess coming your way! I will email you separately so you can pick out your favorite pearl bracelet fat quarters.

Thank you all for your comments and look forward to more giveaways to come in the new year!

Laurel Burch Fabric Giveaway Winners

December 17, 2012March 19, 201370 Comments

I’m continuing my giveaway frenzy through the end of the month! It started at the end of November when I found out about all these great blogs hosting fun giveaway blog hops. The last one ended last week and I was sort of going through withdrawals so I decided to host 2 more through the end of the year.

Today’s giveaway will go through next Monday, Christmas Eve, and then I’ll do a final one through the end of the year. It will be a fun Christmas gift for whoever wins. 🙂

To celebrate the arrival of Laurel Burch’s brand new Fabulous Felines I will give 2 lucky blog followers one of her Fabulous Feline Panels!

They come in two colorways – bright or blue. When I first started quilting I wasn’t quite sure what to do with panels, but they are some of my best sellers because of their convenience and versatility.

Here’s how to enter: leave a comment on this post giving me some more ideas about what you like to make with panels, or any other Laurel Burch fabric for that matter.

I will be accepting comments until December 24th at 9 PM Pacific Time (Midnight Eastern). I will randomly pick a winner at that time and post the name here on this blog post.

And just so no one feels left out, everyone can use the special coupon code below to save 10% on ANY Laurel Burch fabric order from my store, good through 12/31/2012.

Enter code LAUREL12 in the coupon box at checkout for this one-time discount.

I love to see and read about everyone’s creativity!! (In fact if you email me pics of any project you make using Laurel Burch fabrics or any other fabric you got from me, I’ll probably want to share it for show and tell on my blog!)

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Updated 12/24/2012 10:30 PM

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments. It was so great to read all of your ideas and suggestions on what to do with these lovely panels. My mind is now full of ideas!!

We have our 2 panel winners!

Congratulations to Beulah who said,

“I’ve honestly never used a panel for a panel…they always end up cut apart. These panels would be used cut apart as well…many possibilities. 1 image would most certainly adorn the back of a denim jacket! Other options: book jackets or journal covers, travel pillows, tea cozy, placemats, reading buddies, wall hangings, gift bags, wall hangings, infinity scarves, art smocks…..”

and also to Barb N. who had this great idea,

“Oh goodness, I’d make a really bright lap quilt using each panel section as the focal fabric with coordinating bright colors all around. It would be a quilt to make you happy! Lots of possibilities with Laurel Burch.”

I will contact both of you immediately via email. I sure hope you make something fun and email me a finished picture of your project!

Artistic Pieced Quilt Backing Tutorial

November 23, 2012March 19, 20132 Comments

As promised, here is a mini-tutorial on how I made my pieced backing for my Charming Chevrons quilt-along. I like to call it “Back Art.”

First, I started with a rough sketch of what I want the backing to look like. I designed it EQ7, but paper and colored pencils work well, too. Next, I measured my finished quilt top and added three inches around the perimeter (six inches total to the length & width) to calculate how large the backing needed to be. I came up with a backing measurement of 54″ x 60.”

The thing I like about pieced quilt backs is that it’s almost like making another quilt top. I know how the pieces will fit together and it’s much easier to assemble from large scraps and chunks I have leftover in my stash.

For my backing above, I cut out three chunks of dark grey and one chunk of light grey, plus some assorted colored strips, all Kona Solids.

Going from left to right and top to bottom, we could label these sections 1-4. In this order, the cut measurements are:

19.5″ x 31.5″ (light grey)
33.5″ x 33.5″ (dark grey)
21.5″ x 27.5″ (dark grey)
31.5″ x 25.5″ (dark grey)

I then cut out several 2 1/2″ strips of color to add a touch of whimsy to the back.

I sewed them to the two opposite corners, log cabin style on either side of a light and dark grey piece.

I was working with some leftover fat quarters so I just pieced enough partial strips to get the length I needed.

Once the light grey chunk was pieced, I added a solid dark grey chunk (#2) to the right side.

I repeated the process for the bottom half of the quilt top also. I sewed 2 1/2″ strips of Kona colors to the left side of a dark grey chunk (#4) and then added the solid piece of grey (#3) to form bottom half. Then I joined the two halves to complete the backing.

While sewing, I made sure to press every seam open and use pins so that my pieces would line up correctly. Because I had a stripe roughly in the center of my quilt, this helped me line everything up straight when it came time to baste the quilt.

I like this technique so much I will probably sew a pieced back for every quilt I do in the future. One more idea I may try on my next quilt backing is to sew a colorful square somewhere on the back near the corner of the quit (but away from the edges). This could serve as a label ready to write on as soon as the quilt is finished!

If you were inspired to create some “back art” of your own, I’d love to see it! You can email your pictures to christa@christaquilts.com.

Yes I’m old school when it comes to technology. I don’t really use Facebook or Twitter very often and I haven’t gotten on the Flikr or Instagram bandwagon yet – sorry!!

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!