Quilting Modern techniques and projects for improvisational quilts

:: Fractured Hearts Pillows ::

September 19, 2017 By Katie

I don’t know what it is about these crazy pieced blocks I call Split Personality, but I’ve got to say they’re nothing short of addictive. In talking with a few students in Saturday’s workshop, I’ve realized I’m not alone in this addiction. After learning the technique they’ve created more than a few sets and let them marinate on their design walls until the perfect quilt design idea came to them for their placement.

I had some left over blocks from my Split Crumbs Quilt top, so I placed them into one of my favorite shapes, the heart. I used the improvisational stitch and flip triangle technique we teach in Quilting Modern for the tops of the heart, and a good ole half square triangle for the bottom.

I’ve been wanting to play with a binding/sashing for pillows, but will have to start teaching myself another zipper or closing technique besides an invisible zip.

The variegated thread stitched up a lovely line. I was thinking a grid, but it didn’t need it.

In the Studio’s evening Open Studio for September and October we’ll focus on installing an invisible zipper into a pillow. I know it sounds complicated and scary, but I actually know 12- year olds that do it without calling their mommy and trust me, making pillows is addictive in a good way. You are welcome to bring any project though.

Of course if you don’t need the hand holding, but just a good tutorial for installing your own at home you can check my invisible zipper pillow tutorial out here.

The Seattle Modern Quilt Guild will be hosting me to teach the Split Personality Quilt Block November 4th. They’ll open up the workshop here soon, so save the date! Not sure but there might be some spots left at Quiltcon too.

Happy Week Peeps:)

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Merry Moderns (Split Personality) Christmas Quilt

December 7, 2015 By Katie

This quilt is a long time coming, as in years…

Alexander Henry’s Merry Moderns fabric was THE Christmas quilt fabric for me. I just fell hard for it the minute I saw it.

The fabric seemed a perfect merge for an improvisational technique I’d been brainstorming about. A block that was a faster way to produce ‘crazy pieced’ looking fabric. So I started playing with the block construction concept that became what I now call the Split Personality Quilt Block. The method quickly produces multiple blocks allowing you instant playtime with it in endless design concepts.

Fabrics from the stash that would coordinate with a Christmas theme were pulled, auditioned and sewn. Some favorites were eaten up in the process.

And so, all these happy fabrics have been living together as blocks for a few years, waiting for the perfect pattern to show itself.

My friend Laurel showed up at an open studio to finish up an Arkansas Crossroads quilt. I instantly envisioned my blocks in that design and the production began…last year;)

The essex linen in a cross weave black stabilized the scrappiness.

Merging traditional quilt designs with improvisational techniques has really become where my process leads me. I love the secondary designs traditional set blocks create.

When it came to quilting I lived and breathed this quilt for days. For once I didn’t overthink it and went with straight lines that ran off the edge and echoed the ‘Xs’ the secondary design created.

I dreaded the thought that I’d have to add another horizontal and vertical line because my body was done with quilting, but in the end I dismissed the addition. It has the perfect drape and isn’t over quilted into the luscious feel of cardboard.

Here’s a peek at the back. Leftovers and flannel of course.

The binding is the small scale print in the Merry Moderns line. It worked out that some faces landed on the front and back of the quilt’s edge.

You can see more designs and concepts with this block in my Instagram feed and I’ve added this block onto my January calendar as a daytime, nighttime and weekend workshop.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and then of course there is spring!

Happy Happy Peeps;)

::Progression::

May 18, 2015 By Katie

This quilt, Pantone Pop and its color way set off some sort of quilt making chain reaction that has been ongoing for years.

Pantone Pop was suppose to be a wedding quilt and as I was in the final stages of binding it I visited my friends. In the year it took me to work on it they had 360’ed their bedroom colors and this quilt would be the clown in the room. I learned after that from my friend Sandie that’s it’s better to categorize this type of quilt under ‘marriage quilt’ rather than ‘wedding quilt’ because that buys you quilt making the time in the best case senarios. Regardless, I made another and kept Pantone Pop for myself:)

I started crazing piecing with Pantone Pop’s leftovers and pretty soon I was forming up the lovely middle squares of the quilt above. I really was in love with this log cabin layout that we had in Quilting Modern and decided that the crazy pieced blocks where perfect for the block’s centers. Seam Ripper IPA remains to the day one of my favorite quilts in design, color, softness and process.

Leftovers from Pantone Pop were far from done , so those half square triangles that didn’t make it in ended up transformed into Psychedelic Baby. I sold this one at the first Quiltcon and missed it, but guess what? I had left overs;)

So I ran with them, did some slight modifications and made On Target. This quilt was a pain in the ass to quilt, but I love it’s design.

Done yet? Not quite. Boxed-In happened next and I’m keeping this one as my new couch quilt and workshop sample for my now favorite block to teach.

But I’m done with this color way now.

There’s a few pillows around that I’ll spare you;)

I’m off on retreat with the girlfriends. So good. I’m sure Jefe has made some behind the scenes studio work in my absence that I’ll be excited about and will share soon.

Hope your week includes a big holiday vacation at the end of it. I might not see you next Monday if I can help myself. Hope you make the most of it too;)

Mod Pinwheel Quilt

May 4, 2015 By Katie

I’m continuing my documentation of projects that haven’t yet made it to my Quilts Page for one reason or another.

Mod Pinwheel is another quilt pattern Jacquie and I created for Quilting Modern that didn’t make the cut, but is available as a free e-book.

The adjective Mod is a little off for this quilt in my opinion, but we named it years ago. When I look at it now it speaks to the traditional side of quilting that I love, with a taste of something a little different.

It’s these ‘eyes’ that are the twist, removing it one step from a traditional straight set layout.

Hanging this quilt up gave me a new appreciation for it.

As always, I have a love/hate relationship going on with this quilt. A little more thought with the value and color placement might have elevated the design, but truly I think this is a pattern that speaks to going scrappy, something we stayed away from in the book, but where my heart really is in quilting.

I see myself playing with this foundation pieced block again with a bin of scraps to see if my vision is true. What a great baby quilt it would make.

Teal dot for the binding and a delicious red dot flannel for the back.

If I had to pull one component that I love most in this quilt it would be the quilting by Angela Walters combined with the flannel backing. Oh wait, that’s two.

I pulled out some sample blocks to dream up something new with, but ‘been there done that’ set in and cutting seemed necessary.

You can make your own Mod Pinwheel with the instructions posted here.

I went ahead and ordered the flooring on the right for the studio. We’ll hopefully install it and paint in the next few weeks. Three Berninas have arrived for student use and tool kits are collected.

Things are coming together;)

Have a great week peeps!

Stepping Stone Quilt

April 20, 2015 By Katie

I’m still working through finished quilts I’ve never posted to the blog. There’s still a few.

Out of all we made for Quilting Modern Stepping Stone was the one quilt I couldn’t wait to get back.

I am a firm believer in utilitarian quilts and prefer quilts that are soft, not cardboard stiff with quilting. Stepping Stone finished very supple. Large expanses of shot cotton on the front and an all flannel back was likely the largest contributor, but the batting (most likely Quilter’s Dream) and the thread Angela Walters used to quilt this one helped as well.

The flat shot from the book really shows the texture shot cotton’s cross weave can create when its turned in different directions. I often get asked in lectures and truck shows if the fabric surrounding the blocks is a different fabric from the rest of the background.

Think mossy Seattle path with stone pavers;)

We ended up placing this quilt in the Strip Tease chapter of the book, but it can easily be created building the frames with scraps. There are a lot of favorite fabrics in the logs surrounding each stone as I grabbed from my green and blue scrap bins for the analogous color scheme when creating this quilt.

When Island Quilter hung my show I was “helping” Anja. I noticed that it looked like it was hung crooked only to tilt my head and realize it wasn’t a square quilt;) This makes it even better in my mind. Who can tell when your all happy under it?

Now that the drywall is finished up in the studio, paint and flooring has been purchased. Hoping things will be rolling by the end of May.

Happy Week Peeps.

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I’m teaching my last classes this week at The Quilting Loft as they finish up their liquidation and close;( I’ve been teaching there since 2007 and am sad to see them go. There are two spots still in Amebas. Please call the shop if you’d like to join in. There might be a spot left in Tuesday’s night class and Thursday’s day class, but I’m not a 100% sure.

Improv Fresh Cut Quilt

April 6, 2015 By Katie

I realized I have several quilts I haven’t blogged about and they deserve their little spot here.

Like Fresh Cut.

Fresh Cut was a quilt I made to be published as a pattern in Quilting Modern and would have landed in the Slice and Insert chapter as an example of inserting consistent width strips perpendicular to one another.

Since books only have so many pages we have a few projects that didn’t make it and Fresh Cut was instead marketed as a preview for Quilting Modern in American Patchworks and Quilting’s June 2012 issue.

They styled it super cute for a nursery wall hanging.

As with any quilt there are things I love and things I learned and Fresh Cut is no exception.

Granted I’m looking at a quilt I made in 2012, so the things I would do differently are multiply as I write this.

If it weren’t for the binding having a few tricks I would take the simple quilting out and after over thinking it for a long time I would redo it in a simple grid of straight lines.

And if I was going to bother with that then I would add some blocks to change the bizarre size of this quilt. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I’d love to see an additional row of three blocks making it a big nine-patch. Hmmmm…

What I do love?

-The added bits sliced into the sashing of the blocks.

-The fabric colors.

-The quilting thread color change out.

-The variety of the inserts.

I really need to write a post on mixing up binding. I’ve got quite a few examples that I need to put in one place.

It really is a fun quilt and a simple intro to the Slice and Insert technique within a block structure. You can find the pattern here.

Just out of marketing curiosity, did anyone have exposure to this quilt when it came out? How about the other quilts that didn’t make the book that are free patterns? I’m guessing since I never see them in the virtual world that I need a blog post on how to find them.

The studio is in the process of being drywalled and I’m off to look at flooring.

Happy Monday Peeps;)

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There are two spots in my Improvisational Curved Shapes Workshop (beginners welcome) on April 23rd from 6pm-9pm at the Quilting Loft (call to sign up). This will be our last workshop there as they are closing their retail shop at the end of the month. 30% off sale starts Tuesday (7th). Stay tuned for details here.

Night Owl Quilt Finish

March 30, 2015 By Katie

I’m here to show you today is my Night Owl Quilt.

At one of my lectures this week I got a bunch of questions from an attendee about my Night Owl Quilt. Typically I can send someone the link from my “Quilts” page where I post all of my finishes when they want photos.

Night Owl Quilt was MIA from that page.

So as I ran out the door for Roan’s field trip I thought to grab it and my camera for photos on the morning ferry commute and make use of my minions.

The design is a pattern called Supernova that is published in our book Quilting Modern.

I think quilters are drawn to reproducing this quilt pattern due to its simplicity of technique and construction. I come across its remake online more than any other quilt in the book.

The softness quality is exactly balanced for me on this quilt. Soft colors, soft Essex, wool batting, Osnaburgh on the back, and just enough density of an organic quilting pattern all add up to perfect.

The only thing I wish I would have added are the spin-offs into the background. There’s always something;)

I really love how the design allows you to play with just about any fabrics you’re in love with, including novelty if that’s your thing. I’ve always been drawn to this Alexander Henry owl print and used it as my starting point, layered fabrics from stash as I built out.

Quilting swirls=Starry Night.

I love these colors. For some reason I’m smitten with the binding pick on this one. Something about the small scale tone on tone and the color of this fabric attracts me to hoarding it. You can try to find it, but I’m pretty sure I bought it all so you couldn’t;)

There it is, Night Owl Quilt has landed on my Quilt page!

If anyone has suggestions of a graphic designer that does logos I’m in the market. Please only someone that has a real business, with a questionnaire to get us on the same page with design and fresh looking portfolio;)

Happy Monday Peeps!

Blueberry Stains and All Quilt

March 23, 2015 By Katie

(Thanks Bell and Allison for holding my quilt and attending my workshop;)

In a world where it seems everything has to be labelled ‘Modern’ or ‘Layered Preppie Bohemian’ (I actually read that this morning;), I bring you an ‘As Traditional As It Gets’ quilt.

It is one of the first quilts I ever made.

It’s prints are collected fat quarters, fabric from clothing I made Roan, or cut from my mom’s endless supply of receiving blankets. All just seemed silly to tuck away in a box for years.

But finished it had issues, the crappy sewing machine with no pressure foot tension type of issues. The quilting was tucked and awful.

Then two people in two days told me about The Quick Ripper and within minutes of having it in my hands those nasty stitches and tucks were buzz cut and eliminated, leaving me with a clean palette.

After over thinking how I should quilt it on my home machine for a couple years I came back to my senses and made a long arm date with Sandie.

This type of simple quilt is really perfectly suited for an all over quilting pattern. I’m sorry to those of you that were curious about the pattern’s name, anyone know?

It worked wonderfully.

I backed it with some older Amy Butler flannel and an out of print Alexander Henry that reminds me of Speed Racer.

Before requilting I had to enlarge the back. Had we tried we couldn’t have gotten the seam from the added piecing onto the edge, but of course we did. This made it extra fun to apply the binding to one side.

Roan chose the red Kai dot, which might be one I need to replace in the stash.

I was able to sit right in front on the ferry on my way from Victoria and sew it down.

I really enjoyed pulling this one from the dryer. It’s so crinkled and lovely. It also made me appreciate where my art has gone and where it started. I still embrace that diagonal line that a half square triangle has.

So there it is, blueberry stains already there and all. Roan’s particularly attached to the quilt his Great Grandmother Evelyn made, so this one might end up on the couch.

That’s 5 quilt tops from my pile done! Only a few more to go.

Happy Week Peeps!

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Full! ~~One spot left in Stripped Improv Workshop Tuesday night.~~

Full! ~~and two in Thursday afternoon’s Medallioned Magic Numbers Social. We’ll start our first technique that makes all sorts of angular shapes.~~

Sunday is Open Quilting Studio at Island Quilter. This will be our last one until Island Quilter is in their new space.

::Week In Review::

March 17, 2015 By Katie

I was rather nostalgic traveling to Victoria last week to talk and explore all things quilty with my hosts the Victoria Quilters’ Guild and some members of the Victoria MQG. Jefe worked on the Coho ferry between Port Angeles and Victoria for many years and Roan and I would occasionally go see him on board.

When we docked in Victoria this image of Roan pretending he was waving to all the fine people of Victoria popped into my head.

And reading in the wheel house.

It was a happy image to start my trip with.

I can never say enough about the hospitality of guilds and The Victoria Quilters’ Guild was exceptional;) It was marked with wonderful conversations, amazing creativity in workshops, and learning experiences. All wrapped up with a little “quilt fluffing” at the border.

My Victoria friend Jo-Anne drew me this Zentangle as a souvenir of the trip. The hair, boots, quilts, the “A” and socks…the whole thing is perfect. This is getting framed and going in the studio.

Big thanks to my friend Marianne of The Quilting Edge and Jo-Anne for entertaining and feeding me. So fun to hang out away from home and feel so happy and comfortable with good friends.

I travelled home Friday, taught again Saturday and regrouped Sunday and today so I can start it all over again tomorrow.

While I was gone amazingness happened in the studio. Jefe completed the electric, as well as hung and wired the lights. He put in the windows quite some time ago. Hunting for a door with windows and flooring is next.

I didn’t really want a closet, just good functional storage, so he build me a nook that holds two of these shelves to house my fabric. I’ll try to keep my fabric collection limited to that;) Now that I think about the niche I wanted at the top, that will house fabric dust and hopefully some rolled quilts. Originally the side niches were going to be walled to hide some structural stuff, but he made storage room there for me too.

This whole wall will be design wall. Everyone needs a padded room;) I figure when students come I can roll laminated backed design walls down over whatever I’m working on to provide them with their own space.

Jefe thought of things I never would have thought of, like being able to open the door and step in onto a platform rather than straight down some stairs. This corner I envision a little food/tea/coffee station.

I’m finding that I need things complete before I can envision a practical and functional set up. Luckily I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work in unique spaces and know what works and doesn’t work for me.

Of course I’m collecting my Studio/Garudio Pinboard, but I would love suggestions if anyone has any in making the space more efficient, what they couldn’t live without, etc…

I’m loaded up again for my week.

Happy Monday Peeps. I managed to post.

Have a great week;)

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Thursday’s Improvisational Curves class is full, but if you were wait listed or just interested you can contact me (sewkatiedid@gmail.com) to attend another workshop on Curves this Saturday with the Mukilteo Lighthouse Quilters’ Guild.

March Open Quilt Studio is full, but there are a couple spots in my monthly Medallion/Magic Numbers Workshop and one spot in my Strip Piecing Workshop on the 24th.

We’ll hold our last Open Quilt Studio at Island Quilter on Sunday, March 29th until they find their new space. Keep current by following their Facebook page.

On-Target Quilt

March 2, 2015 By Katie

Remember this quilt?

I showed and sold Psychedelic Baby at Quiltcon 2013. It is still one of my favorite quilts and block workshops to teach. I love blocks that provide so much design potential.

I instantly wanted to recreate Psychedelic Baby a little differently, so I upcycled the leftover bits into a new quilt with a little different take.

I’ll call it On Target.

Just as with any quilting I learned some things.

The amount of linen and shot cotton meant some stretching would occur and my choice of quilting didn’t help. As I reached the smaller outer edge with my “V” things started puckering. If I was to do it all over again I would stitch in the ditch between the blocks that create the “V” shape and then go back in between with the fill lines on the blocks. This likely would have stabilized it a bit more. I was also lazy on switching directions when quilting the same side and this certainly didn’t help.

But let’s not take things too seriously, it’s just a quilt.

On the back I showcased an Alexander Henry print that I love. This was all I had of it and I’m continuing on my path of using what I have to create quilt backs.

The binding I made twice. I wanted to reproduce the feel of the original quilt and selected the light blue with out auditioning it. Poor choice. This quilt needed the drama of the dark purple.

(Thanks Rachel of Wooden Spoon for the photo;)

I finished it up just in time for Anja and Paul of Island Quilter to take it with them to Quiltcon for their booth.

This year was Quiltnon for me, but three of my quilts made it;)

AND I have another layout in process to add to my Psychedelic Baby Quilt Block workshop samples.

I’d think it might never end, but I’m officially D-O-N-E with this color way.

Happy Week Peeps!

(p.s. thanks to my friend Krista for being my quilt holder;)

Starry Owl Quilt

February 23, 2015 By Katie

Happy Monday Peeps and greetings from Palm Springs:)

It so turns out that I managed with some help to have a finished quilt to show you along with my obligatory palm tree photo. I’m happy I did because I haven’t been able to talk quilt all week with anyone;)

I can’t even tell you when I made it. I guess it’s what you would call an ‘Oldie but Goodie’ in the UFO pile.

It’s been folded, refolded and moved.

It must have come about around the time I made HST LOVE and Pantone Pop. Both very traditional quilts in block style, but I had fun mixing up the fabrics, picking the color way and giving them some random placement. It all breaths some fresh air into those simple half-square triangle blocks that you can do so much with.

I’ve got a huge bucket list of ideas built off knowing this block and how you can twist it or add to it.

Well anyway, babies need quilts and this quilt needed a baby.

It also needed a star center, because of course I wasn’t thrilled with what I originally picked AFTER I had sewn the whole thing together. With my friend Sandie’s help we decided to fill it in with a corduroy print.

Sandie quilted it up with the maze pattern and finished it with this lovely binding. The binding and the star points in the Alexander Henry Heath add some texture without too much print distraction.

I never alone would have thought to go with the maze she picked and we both were so happy with how it turned out. Collaborating on quilts for babies is so fun.

The color way was inspired by my suitcase.

The back turned out amazing. I’m still up for my challenge to myself of using fabric from my stash and left overs from the front.

It’s made up almost entirely of a fine wale corduroy and a few left over half square triangles. I’ve now made four backs with this goal and have loved them all.

Quilt is now with happy baby. So fun to gift.

The pile of finished quilt tops is getting smaller! I believe I have three complete quilt tops left to quilt and certainly a lot in pieces;)

Have a fun week.

::Working the Pile/2::

February 23, 2015 By Katie

Happy Monday Peeps and greetings from Palm Springs:)

I can’t even tell you when I made it. I guess it’s what you would call an ‘Oldie but Goodie’ in the UFO pile.

It’s been folded, refolded and moved.

I’ve got a huge bucket list of ideas built off knowing this block and how you can twist it or add to it.

Well anyway, babies need quilts and this quilt needed a baby.

Sandie quilted it up with the maze pattern and finished it with this lovely binding. The binding and the star points in the Alexander Henry Heath add some texture without too much print distraction.

I never alone would have thought to go with the maze she picked and we both were so happy with how it turned out. Collaborating on quilts for babies is so fun.

The color way was inspired by my suitcase.

The back turned out amazing. I’m still up for my challenge to myself of using fabric from my stash and left overs from the front.

It’s made up almost entirely of a fine wale corduroy and a few left over half square triangles. I’ve now made four backs with this goal and have loved them all.

Quilt is now with happy baby. So fun to gift.

The pile of finished quilt tops is getting smaller! I believe I have three complete quilt tops left to quilt and certainly a lot in pieces;)

Have a fun week.

:: Fractured Hearts Pillows ::

Merry Moderns (Split Personality) Christmas Quilt

::Progression::

Mod Pinwheel Quilt

Stepping Stone Quilt

Improv Fresh Cut Quilt

Night Owl Quilt Finish

Blueberry Stains and All Quilt

::Week In Review::

On-Target Quilt

Starry Owl Quilt

::Working the Pile/2::

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