SewKatieDid

Because thread is the best glue

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:: Reoriented Quilt ::

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It was on a whim, but we ran away to the Oregon coast at the end of August. For a whole weekend we were able to blank out 2020’s deluge of crap. Adding fires and the death of RBG to the mix dropped the year to one star for me. I feel this quote from Ironman sums up the break we all need, “Sorry, Earth is closed today.”

It’s all overwhelming and hard to process.

The good news, or the bad news depending how you look at it is none of us are unicorns. COVID has changed EVERYTHING FOR ALL OF US. I’m leaning hard on my friends and family, beyond grateful for what I have, and still embracing my mental health strategy of dealing by keeping on with celebrating the small wins.

Like binding a quilt that’s been around for years AND actually getting photos of it.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

So as to not waste all that precious van time for hand sewing, I made it a priority to add binding to two quilts before hitting the road. This in itself is a feat since the studio hasn’t held my attention in months.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

Reoriented is one of those quilts I might have looked at in the early days of the word ‘modern’ being put in front of everything, including quilting, and thought someone pretty quickly got sick of making blocks and just decided to fill the rest with ‘negative space,’ but I’ve gotta say I actually like it.

I ran out of the shot cotton I was using to surround the blocks and expanded and filled in with a yarn dyed Essex linen. I like the effect it created through all that negative space.

The blocks are a smaller version of how I teach my improvisational strip piecing workshop. My mom taught me how to do my binding corners a bit differently and if you’re interested I have a little tutorial on that here.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

I can’t help but think that during our time in Manzanita things seemed kind of… well… normal. Reflecting on this photo from the perspective of a quilt maker reminds me that I love how quilts can place us in certain time/events of our lives.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

I’m still pulling fabric for quilt backs from stash. Even though I’ve been bulldozing through stash for them for years it doesn’t seem to be creating a hole or dent.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

This quilt got an all over of vertical straight lines.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

I finally bought a raised lap hoop. I haven’t gotten beyond placing the quilt in it and I’m not sure I’m so impressed with it for the cost. I’ll let ya know. I also have no idea what design I’ll be quilting yet;)

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Reoriented Quilt

And actually a quilt finish really is a BIG win;)

We have a saying we use in our house from rafting days, “Take part in your own rescue.” Please, if you need help reach out to your people, talk to yourself like you would talk to those you love, celebrate your small wins, wear your mask (over your nose please), and check your voter’s registration here 🙂 In some states you only have two more weeks to make sure you’re registered, so today’s the day.

xoxo Katie

:: Win Win ::

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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 ::

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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
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.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

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.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

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.

sew Katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

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 ::

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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

:: Brighter Skies Quilt ::

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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.

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.

|| Heart Shaped ||

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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 ::

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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’

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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;)

:: Going Circular Quilt ::

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sew katie did | Seattle Modern Sewing & Quilting Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

 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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt

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.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Free-Wheeling Girl Quilt by Maureen

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!

:: Quilter’s Pressing Station Cover ::

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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;)

 

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post contains affiliate links;)

:: Spring Has Sprung ::

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I’m fresh back from my annual spring retreat with my quilty friends.  We’re all having some sort of issue with reentry;)  Treat yourself peeps, anytime you can.

I finished up the instructions for my Southwest Highways block for this year’s Summer Sampler.  A follower on IG commented they’re going to use the block as the border on their’s.  What a great idea.

 Sunday is the last day to get the discounted price.  Read all about it on this post.    You can purchase here.  I’ll teach the block paper pieced block above in Open Studio on June 8th for those interested.

A few new classes on the schedule.  Modern Quilt 101 is an improv spin on a Chinese Coin Quilt.  For my working peeps I’ve got a Memorial Day and weekend option on the schedule.

It was about time for a project workshop and students have been asking about the thread catchers for awhile.  I never leave for a workshop or retreat without mine.  I’ve got you covered on some of the specialty supplies needed, you’ll just need to bring yourself and some fabric to customize your own.

Looking at the calendar I honestly don’t even know where to put classes this summer.  Vacation, soccer tournaments, family around…I swear I’m going to blink and it will be August.  Open Studios will continue and anyone interested in a workshop can contact me to schedule.

I’ll be teaching my improv string block class, Psychedelic Baby June 24th at The San Juan Museum of Arts.  This class is part of the many activities around the exhibition Conversations With Gee’s Bend at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend.  Sign up is here. If you are on island come visit.

And finally, if you get a moment and you love looking at amazing traditional quilts, check out this wonderful video of The Quilts of Ken Burns.

Have a great weekend and Mother’s Day peeps!

Destash

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The time has come to move out some of my most coveted stash.  So listen up, here’s how it works.  My friend @crftychikdestash will be handling the destash over on Instagram.  Follow her to see what goodies you can add to your stash like out of print Heather Ross, Alexander Henry, Denyse Schmidt, Tula Pink, Echino…

Some of the listings expire tonight at 7pm and others will continue.

Happy Hunting!