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:: Wee Raindrops Quilt ::

September 9, 2020 By Katie

Though I never met a boot I didn’t like, I’m not somebody that craves fall. When people point out a wink of it at the end of August I jokingly tell them to shut up. September seems like this sweet spot in between, but things can really go either way in Seattle.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting and Sewing Studio | Wee Raindrop Quilt

Turning my attention back to the studio/office/school room and mentally embracing the grey and rain is something I’ve begun planning for by taking inventory of some hand sewing I’d like to do.

The Wee Raindrops quilt resurfaced. It was quilted and bound over 8 years ago, just missing its appliqué raindrops that had lived in my imagination long enough. Seemed an appropriate quilt to slowly start my adaptation.

It has a new home waiting for its person and the cooler weather to arrive. Perfect timing for all that lovely flannel on the back and binding.

One of the first quilty skills my mom taught me was how she creates appliqués making templates and that same technique is how I created the raindrops.

I started by freehand drawing and cutting the raindrop shape on a cereal box in a few sizes (or find the shape and print from the internet) An emery board for nails should smooth out any edginess to the curve.

Pick a scrap.

I go for one that’s at least a 1/4″ larger than my template.

Trace the template onto the wrong side of the scrap and trim a 1/4ish” from the line.

Starting at the bottom of the curve stitch just outside the drawn line with short stitches leaving a tail of thread at the beginning and end.

Pull the two tails to shape the fabric tightly around the template. At the raindrop’s point I sometimes clip a little of the extra bulk out or just fold one side over the other. Get your iron hot and if you have some starch give it a spray front and back.

Press and let cool. Once cooled I carefully pull the template out and place it face down on the ironing board to give it a final press from the front or clean up any issues.

From here I choose their placement and ladder stitched (invisible stitch, slip stitch, blind stitch) them down. Youtube has a worm hole of videos on this.

My thinking was that any free-motion quilting that wasn’t perfect could be covered up with an appliquéd raindrop and if they all fell off the quilt would still be structurally sound. It could be the perfect I-Spy or cute with some hand quilting stitches added around or on the appliqués.

It’s so happy and reminds me that rain is good;)

None of the appliqués are perfect and I was gifted a reminder that few things are, even in nature with one of my sunflowers this week. Yup;)

Ok, maybe tortes are perfect;), especially with a pile of billowy whipped cream;)

Plums from my alley are the star player right now. One of my favorite recipes is a plum torte with a third of the flour replaced by cornmeal.

Homegrown summer tomatoes and corn are also perfect.

I’ve gathered up three more unfinished projects that need either binding, mending, some appliqué and/or hand quilting and added them to the pile by the couch.

I’ve been able to subtly listen in on the remote learning that’s happening here while writing this and I’m hoping to add/delete the pile to keep busy and present if I’m needed. Yesterday it was a little sad on my walk to see kids through windows sitting alone at tables in front of computers, but I’ve been pretty impressed with the emotional support Roan’s teachers have been providing the students.

I hope you’re all etching out some sewing time or other good for you things too.

xoxo, Katie

:: Win Win ::

August 25, 2020 By Katie

Hey there;)

In my attempt to stay upbeat, I’m celebrating the small successes/wins in accomplishing literally anything.

Here’s why, I read that the word “anxiety” was trending on Twitter and it made me realize people in my small world were using the word more themselves in text and conversation. We were all feeling fatigued and unproductive. These are normal feelings when your world’s turned up-side-down, but I wondered if it was time to step away from the news a bit, and focus on small projects to mentally cope and gain some feeling of control in all this crazy.

Falling under the category of “if I only have time, I would do this” was to organize/or delete 7200+ photos into albums. I started it one morning rather impromptu, and it held my focus here and there through out the day. It was a small win, but filtering through the photos of our house reminded me that it’s so easy to forget all the big wins already made on its progress.

So this blog post isn’t the usual patchwork that you all signed up for and since design inspiration is something that circles through most of my obsessions I thought I’d share some of the house developments to celebrate the small and big wins.

We knew this house was “The One” when its listing popped up late on a Friday night. We were the first in Saturday morning and to place an offer. After 9 months of looking we knew it was a star player. We saw past the carpet and bars on the windows to see the house was well loved and had good bones.

Bye bye to sparkle paint and flowered carpet. Off with the 80s prom dress curtains and the Renoir Parisian cafe border wall paper. Yes, that actually ~~exists~~ existed.

We knew once we took up the carpet that there wasn’t any wood flooring at the front of the living room. We’re guessing this was once the porch and the old couple had absorbed it to make the living room larger. There was zero insulation down there as well.

There were different stains through out so having them match really gave the house more cohesion.

The previous owner, “Old Man Joe” as we call him had a wood shop in the basement. In my opinion, this is a horrible idea, but a testament to how much his wife loved him, for sawdust magically appears there, no matter how much I’ve vacuumed.

He made wood EVERYTHING for the house including the fireplace mantel. See those tiles? I’m sure there’s a story behind those and we still have a matching bathroom sink that has to go. A signature design for sure.

Since the brick was sanded in spots we decided to just paint it all. I’d like to restretch the wood print in the second photo to fit the opening, but that might be a small project that never sees a win.

The fireplace isn’t up to code and maybe on the list to come down next summer. The brickwork inside and out needs help, and we don’t exhaust an oil furnace through the chimney anymore. Once it’s gone and the new hearth set back we’ll gain space, light, and a better walkway flow to the adjacent little room. I’ve got all sorts of free-standing fireplace dreams on my pinboard.

The dining room windows I have to admit grew on me, especially once the bars were gone.

The mustard tint was dated, they were single paned, but the morning light through them was cheery and they opened. Plus there was a ledge for plants.

It was hard to decide, but we went with a lined obscured glass on all the east side windows in the living and little room. Our neighbors on that side are so close that the privacy is welcome. Someday we’ll finish patching the drywall surround.

The grid front window isn’t missed.

I love the front windows. We’re a total fishbowl from the street, so though I enjoy waving to people I know and don’t know from my couch we’re messing with the idea of panels and plants for privacy instead of a solid fence.

Here’s a little more realistic photo of what it all looks like in the morning and after I’ve moved the cookbooks out. At some point we want a front door with windows and be gone security gate.

There’s that pass through next to the fireplace to what was likely in the past a third bedroom. We call it the little room, Claudia’s or Chris’s room. There’s a small couch with storage that can be made into a bed.

Again with the wood, carpet and bars.

When we took the closet doors off to do the floors we discovered that the backs were modge podged with old posters and magazines, including the World’s Fair when it was in Seattle. There was an unconvincing conversation about them being art pieces in the living room, but I thought they should be hung and displayed where they belonged. Looks like I can count that under ‘win.’

My small win for the weekend was getting my cookbook collection into its new and expanded home. I think this storage will be temporary, but I’m excited to organize them in one place. The artwork and some houseplant rearranging will likely be the next win.

When we received the keys to the house we hosted a ‘post it party’ which basically meant we provided a keg, post it notes and sharpies and requested people post their ideas for what we should do to areas of the house. If you’d like to see the post about that it’s here. I highly recommend doing this if you find yourself with a fixer, it was really fun and we wouldn’t have thought of some of the perspectives.

Like these for above the mantel.

And for the walls.

We’re likely to welcome you to our 10 year remodel still in progress 40 years from now, but we’ve enjoyed the process and creative outlet, especially as a focus now. We’re so grateful.

I guess I’m mentally preparing myself and my family for the long hail in this current state and I want our home to be a visually/functional/happy place to help make that easier., especially with remote learning happening here soon.

Whether it’s sewing, cooking, gardening… I hope you’re all finding an outlet and focus for energy that’s beneficial to your mental health.

Keep it up. xo Katie

p.s. I made you lemon sour cream pie;)

:: Much to do about Nothing ::

August 7, 2020 By Katie

It’s been amazing out, so once I finished quilting my spiderweb last week I abandoned the studio again except for some clean up.

The light was so nice coming in the other morning that I thought I’d snap some photos of what I’ve been working on in rotation to share.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

Several individuals have emailed me with interest about making their own Magic Number/ Star Quilt, so I thought I’d start working on a simple pdf pattern. It was hard to decide what color way to go with so I just started two at one time.

I last posted 5 quilt tops that need quilting, only to walk into the studio and realize I forgot this one on the design wall. I could probably count on one hand the number of quilts I’ve made from a pattern, but I was smitten enough with Modern Handcraft’s rendition of the Merry Gifts quilt by Sherri Falls from her book Holiday Wishes (affiliate link) that I intended to make my own someday. On a whim I decided the day had come and started pulling my solids from stash.

I don’t know why it always works for me this way, but there always seems to be limited quantities of the colors I want and no color card match, so lots of digging in scraps and Frankenstitching happened to pull together a few of the blocks.

Since I delightfully finished quilting Tangled Webs I guess I’m sticking to that number 5 of unquilted tops. I am dwelling over a faced binding for it and have another one in the hand binding stage, so I’ve got time to think it over. I split the 8 sections up and quilting them with “v”s. I really thought it was going to start buckling as the the “v”s got smaller, but reversing directions kept things in place.

My big push to piece Merry Gifts was to free up the larger design wall for a bunch of hearts I’ve got made, but no space for. I’ve doubled down on those as well, making one set with a mix of super white background so that I can play around with an additional improv stitch and flip triangle heart in the negative space and another set using Value to create the light and dark hearts. It’s been fun to try to get the colors tight.

The houses were an idea I had at the beginning of the healthy at home orders. Thinking goes that I would make one a day through out quarantine. As you can see things dragged on longer than my interest, but I’ve been finishing one here and there for a baby quilt and will pull some black into it for some breathing room. You can find the free pattern here (I might have one hand full now) and there is a peek-a-boo template to help fussy cut the doors. Digging through stash for that is the best part;)

That’s it peeps. If I can get some help with holding up some quilts here soon I’ll have some finishes to share next time.

xoxo, Katie

:: Quilting the Stack ::

July 27, 2020 By Katie

I’m officially burned-out on gardening, the kitchen was torn apart limiting the cooking (thank god), and I couldn’t face cleaning the basement. Just like the week before, I found myself spending most of last week in the studio. The summer light, windows open, and every wall full of inspiration has been good for my mood and spirit. All of us need a padded room, especially now.

So that my students have space I usually limit myself to one of the studio’s design walls, but being that I’m solo I’m taking over. An opportunity to focus on piecing the ridiculous amount of long forgotten quilt tops (and maybe start a few new ones;).

Since we weren’t going to be road tripping anytime soon I saw no need in getting to the binding for a hand-quilting project. I was stopping at the piecing or basting phase. Of course this also gives me time to overthink the quilting design;)

But I came to realize we’ve been spending a great deal of time in our back yard ~~socially~~ physically distancing with a few friends and family so my thought process shifted back to hand binding as another opportunity to get some work in on these visits and keep my hands busy.

So I thought I’d show you the stack.

Two contenders for quilting and binding are quilts I finished at a 2019 retreat with my Camp Run Amuck group. My first ‘world turned upside down’ finish was their triplet sister quilt here. All made with the same improvisational strip-piecing technique.

I love both of these way more than the first in the series. Their quilting will be an easy straight line grid of some sort.

After quilting my king size Hearts Value Quilt, I said I’d never do it again, but I’ve talked myself into quilting my Magic Numbers Star quilt myself. That one will get vertical lines.

Then there’s this problem child, I’m sick of trying to figure out what I need to change, so I’m just going to quilt it. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the perfect picnic quilt, the kind you feel are smiling at you when you pull them from the car:)

What else?… awful timing with the warm weather, but I seem to have mastered Hot and Sour Soup. To get some practice Roan drives me around in circles in parking lots, to which we joke is an analogy for our current lives. All but one of my indoor plants have new soil, the kitchen has a new subfloor and walls again, I’ve gotten back into an exercise routine and 100% remote learning was announced…

I’m trying real hard to fight Anna Kendrick’s sentiment, “I guess I’ll never be able to lie to myself again about all the shit I would do if I just had the time,” but also trying to be grateful that for once all I have is time, there’s no hurry.

I hope to show you some progress next week on the stack. Take care Peeps.

xoxo Katie

:: Run-In Quilt ::

July 16, 2020 By Katie

Since last week the neighbor’s chickens and I are up around 5:30am. About midweek I found myself wandering into the studio instead of the garden or behind the computer. I puttered around with a couple of quilts and soon I’d filled ALL of the design walls, mostly with new projects, because, why not?

My routine has been to piece one block for each of the quilts daily. You’d think that wouldn’t take long, but I swear, I sew much faster in my head and before I know it I’ve ended up spending a full day in the studio. Rotating through each quilt has been a good improvisational process for developing the color ways and holding my attention. I’m hoping to show you one of those in the next post if my momentum continues.

Today I’ve got another oldie that has traveled all around the world with one of the first Modern Quilt Guild shows, but never made it to some good photos. It deserves a remake, but reminds me of how far modern quilting’s evolution has come in design and artistry.

I can’t recall much about my creative process in making this quilt, but I remember having played with the improvisational Slice & Insert technique from our book Quilting Modern in the same way early on in this quilt here and wanted to apply it to a different layout.

Run-In has been my best example in my straight line quilting workshop of a more organic 90ish degree turn using a walking foot. Quilting it this way was pretty carefree. I don’t think I’d do it differently in a remake.

I like a generously sized baby quilt and for backing went for a wider Echino fabric intended for some pillows that never got made, no piecing required. Linen on the front and linen on the back gave it fabulous drape. Washed up it’s super soft and finally ready for a new home with a neighbor baby.

I finished the ironing station I mentioned last week. I was trying to be all precise with measuring to make a top (here’s the old one and the tutorial) and somewhat achieved a satisfying cover. It will do and certainly needs some use to lose the puffiness three layers of batting gives it.

Luckily I’ll be looking at it from the top most of the time so the off-set of the print on the side will only bother me when I’m walking down the stairs.

One of the quilts on the design wall is a scrappy mix between my Value Hearts and Splintered Hearts Quilts with a plan of adding improvisational triangles. Not sure how it will develop, but having my scraps handy is pretty convenient and inspirational.

The timing was perfect. With the subfloor in the kitchen leveled/replaced yesterday my old pressing station became a mobile unit for some of my cookbooks and a few plants. We’ll move everything back in as we figure out floor plans for altering the break your neck basement stairs and the impact that will have on the kitchen layout. At least now things won’t magically roll north.

To answer a few questions I’ve been getting:

-No, it’s not you, I turned off comments since I was getting spammed too much for Viagra.

-My website contact form isn’t working for some people, but the email address is there on the page.

-Thanks for the inquiries, but I decided not to teach at Quiltcon next year. I’m still contemplating Craft Napa and some sort of live on-line guild/workshop things. If you’d like to be notified when just shoot me an email and I’ll add you to the list and/or will announce here.

The good news of no kitchen is take out for lunch AND dinner, freeing up the whole day for the studio. Hope you’re all finding some creative ways to embrace all this change.

xo Katie

:: Leftovers ::

July 9, 2020 By Katie

It seems ridiculous to me that it’s July 9th and I’m freezing, all wrapped up in a quilt on my couch;)

I guess we got spoiled in May.

But snuggling up in a quilt isn’t all bad, so I thought I’d use this lounging moment as an opportunity to share some projects I’ve posted on Instagram, but have yet to make it here.

My Mom use to tell me jokingly that her favorite part of quilt making was buying the fabrics. I can’t argue with that fun, but second best for me is always picking the color way. It’s super hard for me to limit my palette and/or not throw a print in, so even this one felt minimalistic.

The color way was inspired by this creative lady’s quilt. I added a little texture to the mix via a yarn-dye fabric in gray.

sew katie did |Seattle Modern Sewing & Quilting Studio | Side-Hustle Quilt

Obviously, I needed more pillows AND I had leftovers from the my Side Hustle Quilt above.

The backing is the softest fabric IKEA ever sold. I wish I had more.

Quilted it out in these easy Vs.

I want to make everything out of this color way.

Good thing I have like a gazillion blocks leftover from making that first quilt.

They’ve been up on the design wall in a couple layouts and then folded up and put away for another day.

I’ve got quite a pile of unfinished tops now, so more focus should probably be applied to quilting, but with zero road trips planned I’m not really feeling the pressure to have quilts in binding stage.

After I talk myself out from under this quilt and off the couch this afternoon’s project is going to be Frankenbatting large batting scraps together to make a new ironing station for this lovely.

I almost talked myself into the ease of ordering a piece of batting large enough to cover it with the 3 layers it needs, but I’ve got so many large pieces of batting leftover from quilts it seemed frivolous. It will take some time to measure and give them some straight edges, but then I can simply butt those pieces together and connect them with a zig zag stitch to get the sizes I need. I could use one less tote of something in the basement anyway.

I’ll have to remember to snap a photo of its peek-a-boo drawers full of scraps I sorted by color. Its usefulness for organization makes me so happy.

Since we don’t have enough projects started, we demolished the kitchen after the dishwasher started leaking and the rest of everything had exhausted itself. My original station might go back to being a cookbook shelf as it would be a functional mobile unit to shuffle around.

So I guess I’m also crossing my fingers for better grilling weather.

Having some faith in our future here, the Denver Metro Modern Quilt Guild and I are going to hang out in 2021 for a workshop, they join the Kenai Peninsula Quilting Guild and the Beach Cities Quilters Guild on the calendar. I love that we’re looking to the future of being in person again even if it seems far off.

Take Care Peeps. xo Katie

:: Deep Freeze Pillows ::

June 29, 2020 By Katie

I often mention cooking and gardening being kindred spirits to sewing for me. The other day as I cleaned out the freezer and tidied up the studio it got me thinking that quilting projects and frozen food live somewhat parallel lives and that the same phenomenon occurs in both spaces.

Surely I’ll remember my meal plan for that unlabeled jar, and similarly, there must have been an intention for those strips boxed in the studio? A photo might have been snapped or a cookbook inspiration dog-eared, but why not just start from scratch, just make something?

I don’t think the strips were originally destined to become pillows, just like that apple cider I thought was chicken broth wasn’t meant to be added to the sauce, but in the end I liked the finish.

Same block, but two different designs depending how you slice it. As you likely have figured out, I’ve got a thing for this yarn dyed Essex. The grey and white play so nicely together with my million other pillows.

Reality is, the more pillows you make, the more you have that go together;)

I quilted straight lines in white.

Unlike quilts, pillows require so little backing. This Alexander Henry found its home.

I finished them both with my invisible zipper tutorial.

Of course there’s still an abundance of strips left. We’ll see what recipe these unlabeled left overs cook up into at a later date. I’m sure several times over they’ll transform, it’s in the air lately.

I’ve had inquiries about online teaching for guilds and yearly events since the world has been turned upside-down. This move will happen at some point, but altering my business model is going to take some time, especially since it’s looking like schooling will be at home this fall. I’m slowly considering my angles, rewriting contracts and consulting my peers about what’s working best for them. But I’ve gotta say that virtual teaching isn’t where my heart or mind currently are. Of course I’d much rather be with you all.

After a great deal of thought I cancelled with an online teaching event announced last week. On the day classes were announced Instagram was lit up with teacher’s studios transformed into recording studios, lights and equipment galore. While I’m so excited for my peers, I’m beyond words relieved that my studio remains a sewing studio, its design walls full of the stuff that comes out of my brain and continues to transform and inspire. I don’t think I would feel the same about it had I done what is referred to now as the “pivot.”

Things have a way of working out. Just like when you think that unlabeled jar of apple cider is chicken broth and you add it to the pan. You don’t always have to follow the recipe, the pattern or the crowd.

That’s it peeps, hope you’re getting some clean out time and sewing/cooking/gardening/happy time too;)

xoxo katie

:: Throwing Stars Quilt ::

June 15, 2020 By Katie

I cracked up finding photos I have of Throwing Stars. This little quilt really gets around 🙂 There’s photos of its prestudio starts in the little sewing room in the house and Birch Bay, as a quilt top on Vashon Island, and all finished at the front and back of our house, some during a snowstorm, Whidbey Island, Quiltcon…

Lately, you’ll mostly find it keeping me company on my couch. For always thinking it was oddly sized, it’s become my go-to lounging quilt since the day I laid it upon my lap to bind it.

One place it hasn’t been in all this time is here. Time to share.

I love scrap quilts. Scraps are an opportunity to play with ideas. They’re almost magical in the way that they bring back memories of past projects, people and special or not so special times. I even love watching people dig through the studio’s scrap bins to see the look of joy it brings to their faces. I feel the same. Sometimes they’ve found just the right scrap for their master plan, or a bit of a fabric they’ve always admired.

Those are the kind of scraps that made it into the improv triangles in this quilt along with a couple colors of yarn dyed Essex linen as background. The Essex, or something similar like a Carolina Chambray with all that soft texture really allows scraps to show their true character, giving them all a place to shine.

I sorta merged the block size system from my Magic Numbers Workshop (online tutorial here) with the pieced improv triangle (you can find the triangle technique in Quilting Modern).

I placed my blocks into the throwing stars shape as a layout example. I think I had to stop at about 12 block examples for the workshop, but I certainly could have continued as the layout ideas just wouldn’t stop.

Above are just a few block layouts repeated in the Layout app. The designs a few of my friends and I came up with during a little workshop run through were, like I said, endless. Repeating the block designs certainly isn’t necessarily and could create an improvisational design.

Of course, playing with color can only add another layer.

I debated going with swirls on this one with the quilting, but didn’t diverge from my straight lines. Initially I was a little unhappy with some of the quilting creating puffiness possibly due to poor basting, but as they say, it all came out in the wash.

I pulled from the stash for a backing. That might never end.

I’m guessing this won’t be the last example you’ll see from me merging these two techniques and you’ll for sure be seeing this class on-line in the next year, so hope to ‘meet you’ there;)

:: Brighter Skies Quilt ::

May 24, 2020 By Katie

I know, this photo has nothing to do with quilting and I’m not even wrapped in a quilt, but truth be told, there has been very little sewing. During all of this crazy Seattle has been delivered a gift of mild weather. I’ve taken advantage of it by spending the majority of my time outside.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Brighter Skies Quilt

Any studio time has been purely spent in mask making production mode with the exception of a two week binge in the beginning of shelter in place. I shared my Coin Quilt probably a month ago now and Brighter Skies I finished right after.

Elizabeth Hartman’s Sparkle Punch caught my attention several years ago, and like most new starts I got a wild hair one day and just started pulling from stash for each star as I went along.

The improv stitch and flip triangle technique is one Jacquie and I covered in our Quilting Modern book and I’ve applied it to all sorts of designs over the years.

It didn’t need anything special with the quilting and I have a box of Metler spools in white so that was its finish. Of course I picked a fabric that I had very little left of for the binding AND I wanted the stripes to be adjacent to the edge, so there’s probably way too much piecing involved, but I love it.

A few stars that didn’t fit in the front of the quilt created their own constellation at the back. What a great go-to baby quilt design.

If you’re looking to start something from stash this would be a great way to use up scraps and the background blocks a good exercise in practicing color value.

I’m often conflicted on a regular day of showing my personal life on social media, especially now when so many aren’t experiencing all the gardening, baking and cooking, or sitting by a fire, but these hobbies are kindred spirits to sewing for me and I’m grateful for their distractions and the happiness they bring me right now.

Though Seattle is where I’ve grown roots, my hometown in Michigan is experiencing another catastrophe on top of all this. People need help, please make sure to reach out to your friends, family and neighbors. I’ve been asking those I’ve made masks for to please donate to any food bank. We can all help in small ways and it adds up.

I’m not sure why or what all of you are doing in your spare computer time, but the bots and spammers that leave comments here seem to think quilters are super interested in Viagra, gambling and sports t-shirts, so I’ve disabled comments on my site. If you need to get ahold of me for any reason go ahead and use the contact form on my site and I’ll get back to you.

I’m hoping to make it to finishing a back for this Magic Number version of the stars tomorrow since it’s looking like rain. Crossing fingers for motivation;)

xoxo Katie

P.S. and please please please wear your mask.

:: Pony Up Quilt | Design Potential ::

May 3, 2020 By Katie

In our current state it’s rather dreamy to think about packing up and going on a sewing retreat, but that’s where this quilt started and where my mind was as I finished it here one sunny morning.

This will be the first year in many my little tribe won’t go sew, eat, drink and walk the beach so it seemed the most appropriate pull from the growing pile of UFOs.

Because I sew faster in my head than in real life, I tend to have an unrealistic vision of what I can complete in four days + days of retreat, same goes for the cooking.

A no boundaries approach would lead to the entire studio being loaded, so I tend to look for something double or triple duty in tools and material. Under those guidelines there’s no technique full of more potential than improvisational strip piecing. Half hatched ideas using that technique made the cut this past trip.

I enjoy teaching what I call an Improv Coin Quilt as my beginning improv class and wanted to take my teaching samples to make another example quilt for layout options.

In my workshops there always tends to be student or two that have taken a beginning quilting class with a more traditional scope. All those important skills like precise cutting and matching points have been covered, but what I love the most is how they just light up when they come to discover that quilting doesn’t always have to be that way.

You’d never guess from it’s simplicity how much I messed with the layout.

As far as the quilting I went with straight lines which is a divergence from the quilting design I used on my first quilt sample for this class back in 2011.

I’m a lazy quilter and like to run off the edge of my quilts. My process wasn’t any different for this one, starting with quilting a quarter inch from the seams to tack them down and working in lines here and there until it seemed visually pleasing;).

I tease at my trunk shows that I bought all of the Anna Maria Horner flannel out there so no one else can have it and I’m still using it for my quilt backs. I love the weight and drape.

I went with faced binding, a first for me. The jury is still out on whether I like it or not. I can see its appeal on an art quilt or wall hanging, but I make utilitarian quilts and I think the cuteness factor of a baby quilt would have held better had it had a binding.

You’ll be seeing more of this fabric combo and improv strip piecing in the two other quilt tops I finished at the retreat last May. They all match my box pouch. I love the color way and the pony fabric.

I’m calling Pony Up my second quilt finish of 2020.

I haven’t been in the studio much since the initial order to physically distance ourselves with the exceptions of finishing these two quilts and have just let that be. Jefe has etched out a corner of the studio for an office and our dining room table is now a school.

For me, gardening and cooking are sewing’s kindred spirits and with the weather playing so nicely my garden has been where my head space seems best. I got back to my running routine this past week after more than a few weeks of pure laziness. I’m amazed not only with how quickly things grow and bloom this time of year in Seattle, but also how quickly the muscles atrophy;)

We have rain this weekend so a little studio clean up happened yesterday with hopes of making it in there today.

Hope you are all well. xoxo

xoxo

|| Heart Shaped ||

February 10, 2020 By Katie

When I look at all the things I’ve created, it’s pretty obvious I like heart shaped blocks mixed with a little improvisational technique.

I’ve been putting my heart shaped projects up on Instagram, but thought it might be fun to share here too.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | BIG Tossed Hearts Quilt

The Crusted Heart pillow and the BIG Tossed Hearts quilt above are two of my favorites. These crazy pieced blocks are a little addictive to make. I combine them with half square triangles and an improv triangle to come up with their shape.

I know most of you are probably running out of fabric, but if you aren’t cut a square from all your yardage and make a Value Quilt. I’ve got a new layout in my head for my Value Quilt workshop that creates light and dark hearts. That will have to wait until retreat, but I’ve got my squares all cut.

I think it’s safe to say that strip piecing is my go-to technique. My friend Sandie at Sleepy Owl Studio and I put together the tutorial for the Heart Strings quilt a few years ago.

I’ve made this Fractured Heart quilt twice over now, and of course matching pillows. They’re all made with blocks created in the workshop Double-Trouble. I’ve gotten way more comfortable teaching the heart shape thanks to students requesting it as a specific workshop.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Splintered Hearts

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Have a Heart Quilt

The colors in these pillows work so awesome with some of my other non heart ones. That could be a whole blog post in itself.

This one’s a work in progress. I’ve taken it apart twice and am still not thrilled so it’s marinating somewhere.

I know the heart shape isn’t for everyone, so we can dream up other designs in Crushed It and Double Trouble. Both workshops are on the studio’s March schedule along with a couple Modern Quilting 101 workshops. My Coin Quilt workshop teaches beginner improv piecing and design, while Improvisational Triangles angles a bit more towards building technical skills like cutting and precise piecing with an improv technique thrown in. I can’t help myself that way;)

As always, if you see something on the workshops page that you’d like to schedule just contact me and we’ll schedule.

Since it’s entirely possible I might now make it here until April I thought I’d share what 2020-21 is shaping up to look like. Maybe you’ll be in the neighborhood;)

xoxo

:: Upcoming Events for 2020 ::

February 20-23rd 2020| Austin, TX | Quiltcon

February 25th 2020 | Puyallup, WA | Comforter Quilt Guild | Lecture

April 9th, 10th and 11th 2020 | Vancouver, WA | Clark County Quilt Guild | Featured Artist, Quilt Walks and Workshops

May 11th 2020 | Northwest Quilters | Portland, OR | Lecture and Workshops

June 2nd 2020 | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha Modern Quilt Guild | Workshop and Lecture

:: Upcoming Events for 2021 ::

January 13th-17th | Craft Napa | More information to come

June 4th and 5th | Soldotna, AK | Kenai Peninsula Quilting Guild | Lecture and Workshops

August 12th-14th 2021 | Mission Viejo, CA |Beach Cities Quilters Guild | Lecture and Workshops

xoxo

:: Finishing It Up ::

January 20, 2020 By Katie

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting and Sewing Studio | Psychedelic Baby Quilt Block — Yes, as you can see, I like a straight line.

After finishing my king size Value Heart Quilt with straight lines, I said I’d never do it again, but I’m thinking my newest sample quilt for my Magic Numbers workshop is going to get the same treatment. I just loved the look so much. Never say never eh?

It was suppose to be a reasonable size for fitting in a suitcase for travel teaching, but I just couldn’t stop, and face it, if you have a Valentine’s Day quilt, then you obviously need a Christmas quilt;)

Other people are thinking of finishing quilts up for the new year, so I’ve added 3 dates for my Straight Line Quilting Workshop, Walk the Line. All have one slot left.

sew katie did | seattle modern quilting and sewing studio | straight line quilting workshop — When I was developing this workshop I didn’t want everyone to just walk away with a bunch of practice panels, but to also learn some additional sewing techniques and feel the joy of making something utilitarian. My friend Christina has this great nesting bucket pattern that makes a perfect canvas for our stitches.

On another note, travel has started for the year with a great kick off at Craft Napa. I feel like I don’t need to eat for a few weeks since I grazed my way through the region. A student in one of my workshops stated that if you’re eating bad food in Napa you’re doing something wrong and she certainly was right. I’ll be returning next year.

Besides workshops in my Seattle studio, here’s the line up so far for 2020. You can see into 2021 here.

February 20-23rd 2020| Austin, TX | Quiltcon
February 25th 2020 | Puyallup, WA | Comforter Quilt Guild | Lecture
April 9th, 10th and 11th 2020 | Vancouver, WA | Clark County Quilt Guild | Featured Artist, Quilt Walks and Workshops
May 11th 2020 | Northwest Quilters | Portland, OR | Lecture and Workshops
June 2nd 2020 | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha Modern Quilt Guild | Workshop and Lecture

Hope your new year has had a great kick off. I’m intending to make it to this little space more often;)

« Previous Page

:: Wee Raindrops Quilt ::

:: Win Win ::

:: Much to do about Nothing ::

:: Quilting the Stack ::

:: Run-In Quilt ::

:: Leftovers ::

:: Deep Freeze Pillows ::

:: Throwing Stars Quilt ::

:: Brighter Skies Quilt ::

:: Pony Up Quilt | Design Potential ::

|| Heart Shaped ||

:: Finishing It Up ::

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