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:: 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;)

Droppin’ the ball, but it keeps rollin’

October 9, 2019 By Katie

I know I’ve dropped the ball on my blog posting lately and there’s a long list of excuses that I’d rather not bore you with, but I do want to share where I’ll be teaching nationally in the upcoming year.

:: Upcoming Events for 2019 ::

October 15th | Mukitleo, WA | Mukilteo Lighthouse Quilters | Lecture

October 27th- 29th 2019: Chicago, IL | Prairie Star Quilters Guild | Lectures and Workshop

:: Upcoming Events for 2020 ::

January 16th-17th 2020 | Craft Napa | More information to come

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 ::

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

I launched a new quilting workshop called Modern Quilting 101, but have some of the standards listed before the holiday. If you’re thinking of jump starting on your gifts, now’s the time for classes and open studios. Open studios are a good time for napkins, bags and invisible zipper pillows or to finish up projects in a social atmosphere. I’ll help ya;)

I’ve got the zip pouches, box pouches and straight line quilting workshops up. I find the buckets we make with our straight line quilting samples perfect for hostess gifts like napkins or cookies.

Well hopefully that isn’t it for blogging for me this year. Talk soon Peeps;)

:: Side Hustle Quilt ::

April 5, 2019 By Katie

I really wanted to call this quilt Avocado Kitchen.

There’s something about these colors together that I love, but I get the feeling 20 years from now the combo might be like an avocado colored kitchen appliance.

I thought while making the blocks that I would repeat either this or this layout, but came up with a new design by folding and playing with them on the design wall before slicing. I’ve got my sights set on another layout in a binary color scheme now.

This one just needed straight lines.

I’m still using up stash for backs. It’s interesting to look at them all finished and reflect on what I like or what I would have done differently.

I feel like I really haven’t been doing that much sewing lately and I’m not quite sure what happened to March. Looking at the calendar April is going to blow by too. The good news about this is I get to go on retreat with my girlfriends in May.

I’m already sorting though possible projects to take. I’m thinking of pulling the cast off blocks from this quilt from the design wall and taking them with me.

I’ve got two more samples in mind to make for this workshop and then I’m ready to move onto some new workshop development. I’ve so enjoyed making and teaching this block. I can credit all of the block layouts and quilt designs to my inability to make the same quilt twice.

I haven’t listed a date for this workshop, so if you’d ever like to take it you can email me, more information here.

Happy Making Peeps.

The Bainbridge MQG workshop on Double-Trouble is full, but there are still slots at the Everett Quilt Show on April 27th. I’ll be presenting my quilts in a lecture at night on Friday, April 26th.

BIG Tossed Hearts Quilt

March 27, 2019 By Katie

Seattle continuously delivers a good snow day per year. I enjoy it as a legit excuse to spend the time at home, watch the kids be kids and be generally lazy.

Plus those kids are useful to hold quilts;)

I’ve taught the Crushed It workshop around Puget Sound and the studio a bit this month, and I have three favorite parts of this workshop.

First is the excitement from students about how easily the blocks come together and the fun shapes they create.
Second, seeing what background fabrics make the piecing pop.
Students telling me they went home and couldn’t stop making them;)

I’ve got a little of it brewing up on my own design wall lately too.

My background audition started with a flax that quickly was restashed. The crimson dead on. I built the hearts into squarish blocks with the crimson and decided on this tumbling layout with the hearts.

From there I began paneling out the quilt top’s construction. When I ran out of that specific crimson I went to stash for more…and more…and more. The end result is a richly textured background and in my opinion way more interesting than had I stuck with one solid. Shot cottons, Kona, Cotton Couture, plus some others all live harmoniously together.

The binding spoke that it needed that color too, so it got an all most solid print, I didn’t want to distract from the hearts. I flanged this one too for a little frame. Backing is an old Erin McMorris from her first line Slope Park. I finished it off with vertical straight lines in lavender (some straighter than other ;).

Love this technique and quilt. I’ve got the workshop on the studio schedule for Wednesday April 10th and Saturday April 13th. Sign up here.

FYI- I’ll also be at:

The Everett Quilt Show| Lecture Friday, April 26th 7pm and Double-Trouble Triangle Workshop Saturday, April 27th 9am.

Bainbridge MQG | Double-Trouble Triangles Workshop Saturday, May 4th 10am.

Gig Harbor, Mukiteo, Chicago, Omaha and Napa details soon.

:: Going Circular Quilt ::

February 11, 2019 By Katie

It’s still snowing in Seattle which makes for small helpers around and good light. Two futsal games and Super Bowl in a single day gave me some time to finish up the binding on a few quilts including this Free-Wheeling Girl.

I purchased the templates and pattern from Next Stitch.

The pattern I cast aside and went improv on creating the rings. I traced the inner ring template onto paper so that I could foundation piece the bits.

I mixed old and new for fabrics into a combo that started with my box pouch pattern and stuck. Playing with the same fabrics surrounded in different background colors on the design wall creates a dramatically different feel.

Sandie and I loaded it on her long arm and went straight line. I told her I was going to do horizontal lines at which she laughed when we took it off as it is square;)

It’s perfect.

This IKEA fabric I used for the backing has made its way into a few projects including a cover for my pressing station (tutorial here) and some sewing machine covers that I’ll show you soon along with a very easy pattern I’ve created.

A print made into flange finished the binding along with the Essex I used as the background. It was kind of random that I saw the purple on the stash shelf and thought to add it as a flange as there’s none of it in the quilt, but it works.

I realized only after I was done that I’d made the purple too wide and had to redo the whole thing. I cut mine at 7/8″ and I’m glad I redid. I use this easy technique all the time and Jaybird Quilts has a great tutorial.

I’ve added this workshop to the calendar so I can teach all the tricks and tips I learned improvisationally creating the rings and piecing the curves. Any curved ringed template or pattern will do, but I’ll have the curved templates available in the studio too for you to experiment.

My student Maureen has been working on similar in the studio but with the Single Girl Pattern and the templates I made for it years ago. I have to admit I’m a bit more in love with the larger rings, so I’ll be playing with some piecing and making the paper rings for the class and my next sample, be it most likely a pillow;) But you know how I love pillows.

Happy Snow Day from Seattle Peeps!

Hearts

February 3, 2019 By Katie

All the Christmas stuff is down in the basement still waiting to be put away, but the upstairs is rocking its Valentine. I’m sure Jefe is fully enjoying the amount of quilted heart patchwork in the house right now;)

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos of this shape that might have recently surpassed the amount of stars I’ve made. Above is a stash busting quilt made with my Value Quilt tutorial, which is the studio’s featured February workshop.

These Splintered Hearts pillows were left overs from making my Have a Heart Quilt.

If you make enough pillows they all start working together;)

My Improv Crazy Piecing workshop called Crushed It has become one of my favorite to teach. You can make different shapes of course but I love the look in the heart shape. I’ve got a Saturday workshop this month going on with this fun block.

My love of Crazy Piecing started with a bunch of leftovers that became this quilt. Someday I’ll get a good photo of it. The background is amazing.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some finished projects with this shape and I’ll spare you knowing the ‘in process’ amount.

When I can manage to steal some time alone in the studio I’ve been getting some new workshops together. You’ll find a little improv mixed with foundation piecing and the precision traditional curve piecing gives you in Round and Round.

Have a good Valentines Peeps. May your heart be happy. xo

:: ‘Cue It Up Quilt ::

December 29, 2018 By Katie

This quilt came together with blocks Sandie made while she was helping me test out my improv strip piecing workshop.

I’m always a fan of Sandie’s color ways, and the fabrics she picked from her stash were perfect. We’re kindred spirits when it comes to purging, so I was only too happy to accept her starts on her last round of clear outs. I only had to add a few blocks to finished it up.

The Navy Essex and the Kaffe print really pop the rest of the colors. ‘Cue It Up offers another example of how the layout of the blocks can change the quilt’s design.

I was saving this apple print for some grocery bags, but they were perfect for the back.

A grid of straight line quilting as well as a simple binding finished it off.

I think it turned out to be a very sweet baby quilt. I’ll be teaching this technique at Quilting Mayhem Saturday January 19th if you’re thinking of learning a new skill for the new year.

It’s been a good holiday and I’ve added a few Saturday Open Studios to the schedule. We’ll be making simple zip pouches, grocery bags, invisible zipper pillows or working on individual projects.

In honor of Valentine’s Day I’ve switched up some classes. I’ll be offering two classes that make heart shaped blocks, if that’s not your cuppa tea we’ll also be exploring other geometric block shapes.

Crushed It | Improv Crazy Piecing (photo above) and Quilting with Color Value Workshop (photo below) will be the studio’s January workshops. We’ll cover zippers with some cute Zip Pouches and practice some new skills in Free Motion Quilting, each have one space left.

February’s studio workshops are Splintered Hearts and Quilt Binding.

I’m looking forward to the new year, and as always hope to make it to this space a bit more. I’ve got more finished quilts to show once I get some better light here in Seattle to photograph them. I’m still dwelling on what I might do as my little resolution.

Happy Merry Peeps.

:: One Week ::

October 25, 2018 By Katie

One of my sweet little peep students exclaimed that everything in my house was sewn for Halloween and another student told me she had to close her eyes or she’d get too many ideas before the others were done when she walked through.

It’s a little over the top, but Halloween’s my favorite holiday.

I actually refrained from making anything new this year and honestly I would have if I’d found the time.

I also cut the purse strings and didn’t even look at the newest Halloween novelty fabric of the year. That’s a first for me. I know there’s some new Ghastlies out there.

There’s certainly no lack of pillows with invisible zippers in this house at any season.

I’ve done a lot of small projects for Halloween and some of the paper piecing patterns out there are favorites.

I’ve got Skully here by Twiddletails printed out big for another floor pillow someday, but until then I’ve got a little doorknob caddy for handing out candy to my trick or treaters. It’s one of my fav projects, especially if it’s full of 3 musketeers;).

Quilt-As-You-Go is a perfect technique for making unique bags with prints from stash. It’s also good practice in picking fabrics that compliment each other in a log cabin block style. I’m not a very nostalgic person when it comes to keepsakes, but Roan’s Halloween bag has been packed away with a few other heart-felt gifts.

Straight line or free motion quilting? Yup, practice is the best teacher and a small project a perfect palette. Baskets are great for nurseries, studios and candy!

Supplement it all with scouted out decor. My pumpkin heads from Safeway always make me happy and I’m pretty sure I funded Target alone last year with their lite pumpkins.

Outside isn’t so great due to our lack of plugs;(

And the memories of the kids in costumes are what makes it so fun right? Fourteen year old photo next.

Happy Halloween peeps!

:: Two For One ::

October 22, 2018 By Katie

Seattle has had the most amazing autumn, but today the fog has got me in the mood to get into the studio and sew. I can procrastinate garden clean up and cooking that I had scheduled into the day a little longer.

I’m fresh off a fun trip from teaching and lecturing in Sisters and promised my students a post with all the Psychedelic Baby quilts I’ve ever made, from the original workshop and the follow up. Here goes.

sew katie did | seattle modern quilting and sewing studio

sew katie did | No Know Quilt/s

I finished up one quilt with the technique and since I had the cast off blocks they got a ‘matching’ one after I found out they’d had twins. Easy peasy done.

sew katie did seeing stars 1

Then I started playing with layouts and moving the colors and strata around. Color inspiration came from a dress in a catalog. Make this,

sew katie did| Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | seeing stars

and then this with the cast off blocks.

One quilt,

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Intersected Quilt Workshop

two quilt. Both block based but improv in technique. This one might be my favorite.

Did you say pillows? Those work too.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting and Sewing Studio | Alignment Optional Pillows

My cast off blocks from the pillows made their way into a more improvisational design.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting and Sewing Studio | Alignment Optional Pillows

This quilt’s been traveling around for a show and I’ll look forward to having it back as a class sample.

I’m still getting around to making some of the second quilts for a few of the finished first.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting and Sewing Studio | Improvisational Strip Piecing Quilt Workshop

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Psychedelic Baby Strip Piecing Workshop

Maybe once the garden is done;)

I’ll be teaching the follow up workshop to Psychedelic Baby in studio or of course you can contact me to schedule;) If you live further north Quilting Mayhem in Snohomish has asked me to teach this workshop January 19th.

sewkatiedid | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Modern Quilt 101| Coin Quilt

But first, this Saturday at Quilting Mayhem we’ll be playing with basic improv techniques while making a Coin Quilt. See their website for details on the Coin Quilt and look for Psychedelic Baby being listed in the next few days.

I’ve got my eye on holiday gifts in studio, I’m thinking box pouches, invisible zipper pillows or setting the table with some double sided or mitered napkins and dish towels. I’ll be adding those soon, but if you’ve had your eye on something go ahead and email me and we’ll make it happen in an open studio. Several students gifted open studio time to themselves and a few friends so they would all have an excuse to sew and be together.

Happy week Peeps!

:: Seeing Stars ::

September 21, 2018 By Katie

I’m certainly feeling a new season coming on here in Seattle. Gardening and seasonal cooking seem like kindred spirits to quilting so I’m always torn between the studio, the yard and the kitchen. Luckily the weather has started cooperating by providing us inside time with a squall here and there, and peppering in some sunshine and those huge fluffy clouds I love so much. I want time to do it all, so the weather has been good at compromising.

If you’re living in Seattle during the winter it’s crucial to have indoor hobbies. My Seattle peeps must be feeling the same desire to shift back to the indoor sort and are coming out of the woodwork to cultivate new ideas in Open Studios and request workshop dates.

I’m picking up the bug myself. I’ve been traveling around for months to lectures with the binding half done on my Seeing Stars Quilt and finally caught some couch time to finish it up.

If you’ve taken my improv strip piecing workshop Psychedelic Baby the triangles in this quilt might look familiar. I made the large star from my triangle cast off blocks we create in Psychedelic Baby and now have enough samples for running the Part II workshop.

This in studio workshop will focus on improvisational or traditional layout and design using the blocks from the workshop’s first session.

Here’s the original quilt called Full Tilt that I made with the blocks from the first workshop.

Other quilt examples for this Part II workshop are,

the Intersected Quilt,

Skewed Symmetry Quilt,

and my No Know Quilt.

Some are more improvisational in design and some are simply triangles sewn into rows. Easy to choose a design that works at a skill level you’re comfortable with.

Somewhere along the way stumbled upon a large star layout and decided it was a perfect design for my triangles’ placement.

Keeping with my tradition at this point I pulled from stash for the back. I have a love affair with this Alexander Henry fabric and have some pillows around with it that are in the household rotation.

The binding is a double binding so that the quilt would have a little framing and the quilting is a grid of straight lines.

I really like how it turned out and there’s a bit of star twinkle in some of the fabrics that have silver threads running through them.

A new quilt is always a welcome addition to lectures and for feeding interest in workshops and I’ve got a few of those coming up. October has some opportunities to visit me outside the studio and even the state. I’ll be at Quilting Mayhem teaching my Improv 101 | Coin Quilt.

If you live in Oregon I’ll be at the Stitchin’ Post teaching Psychedelic Baby October 18th and Double-Trouble Triangles October 19th. My Thread Talk is at 6:30pm October 17th; classes are 9AM-4PM. I’d love to see you!

With October being pretty full I’ve stuck mostly to Open Studios, but as always if you see a workshop you’re interested in email me and we’ll find a date that works:) Happy Weekend Peeps!

:: Quilter’s Pressing Station Cover ::

August 30, 2018 By Katie

A few students have enjoyed using the studio’s pressing stations so much that they followed my tutorial to build their own to use at home. We spent Monday’s Open Studio making covers for the pressing stations and since I was cutting and directing I thought it was time for the studio to have a new one of its own. Nothing like a demo that creates something new.

Last trip to IKEA this grey improv looking stripe caught my eye. I always seem to be jumping back and forth on whether I want neutral or I want bold color in my decor so I guess I’m going back to neutral on the pressing station. If you’re in the market for a fabric that washes up super soft I was really impressed with the drape on this and with my leftovers I’ll be mitering some new dishtowels.

Watch out IKEA PLUGGIS bins, I’m looking out for you on the thrift trail to match my new style. After years of my Target Oral Kiely bins I’m moving on;)

I get comments on how great my irons are in the studio all the time. If you’re a lover of steam (or not), flat seams and BOO at drippy irons than the T-Fal is for you.

I love that my design wall (tutorial here) allows me to audition fabric backgrounds without committing. Simply pin up your fabric picks, take a photo of each and scroll to see how the values of the colors are getting along. I’ve been playing with the Free-Wheeling Girl and other curve rulers like wedding rings in the studio and find my foundation construction and improv techniques way easier than a pattern. If you’re interested in learning my construction I’ll be available in any Open Studio to show you how to get started. I’ve got the Next Stitch and other curved templates available and tips galore to share.

Monday’s Open Studio has turned into a quilting session with two students finishing up with the quilting on their Psychedelic Baby quilts. If you’d like to quilt or just have some company sewing there’s one slot left.

Wishing you all a lazy & maybe productive long weekend Peeps;)

______________________________

post contains affiliate links;)

Embracing Your Curves

August 15, 2018 By Katie

I love quilting for so many reasons, but the ability to have crisp points or patchwork align perfectly is probably at the top. When I view the approach Jefe has to take with remodeling around the house I’m thankful for the ability and flexibility to manipulate my material. Of course it’s not like I’m running out of fabric or anything either 😉

Cutting it short? Add some more. Too large proportionally? Cut it down. Not lined up? Rip it apart. Run out of that fabric? Use another similar.

I find free-hand cut curves are a different animal compared with other improv techniques, NOT in the sense that you can’t add or subtract from them, but in that curves are a good lesson in letting go of knowing exactly how something’s going to turn out. A lesson that’s good for me as someone that practically catches leaves as they’re falling from the tree.

Not knowing their outcome exactly is part of their fun. An opportunity to flex creative muscles and open up to new ideas.

It’s easy to feel like you don’t know where to go next when playing with improvisational techniques and/or design, so we quadrant out our blocks in the Embrace Your Curves workshop. This allows us to focus on a design within a margined space and work with the design as a whole instead of one block at a time. I cover techniques for successful free-hand curves (and ‘bit’ curves), give you the structure and steps I use to get there and nudge you in your design when teaching. Something like the pillow above emerges.

I find improv curves are like going to your favorite restaurant, but you’re not allowed to order your favorite dish repetitively, forcing you to have a new experience. The outcome is new designs all the time.

A rabbit hole for sure;)

I finished up these free pieced curved blocks, quilting them and whipped them up into this box pouch serving triple duty for my boxed pouch pattern and some workshops on the schedule:

Straight line workshop (Yes, you can quilt straight line curves;)
Embrace Your Curves workshop
Box Pouch Pattern on sale though weekend!

As always, if there is a workshop or skill you’re interested in we can schedule it in studio.

Happy Week Peeps!

« Previous Page

:: Finishing It Up ::

Droppin’ the ball, but it keeps rollin’

:: Side Hustle Quilt ::

BIG Tossed Hearts Quilt

:: Going Circular Quilt ::

Hearts

:: ‘Cue It Up Quilt ::

:: One Week ::

:: Two For One ::

:: Seeing Stars ::

:: Quilter’s Pressing Station Cover ::

Embracing Your Curves

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