modern quilt

:: 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;)

Intersected Quilt

August 8, 2018 By Katie

I’ve had my sights set on running a Part II Psychedelic Baby workshop. We create secondary or cast off blocks in the Psychedelic Baby workshop that can be simply used on the back, but why not make another quilt?

I’ve been focusing my studio time on finishing up a variety of samples for this new workshop and now have enough to start rolling them out here. I’ve popped some sessions of Part II on the calendar for those of you that have already taken the first session or are signed up.

Here’s the quilt I made using the secondary blocks. I’ll call Intersected.

Here’s the Cross-Roads Quilt I shared last week with blocks from the first session workshop. You can read more about it here. I’ve added one more session since the two I had up filled last week.

My past samples using the secondary blocks have been more improvisational in design, so I was aiming for a ‘traditional’ layout with Intersected. We’ll cover how to size our blocks into geometric shapes, study the construction of several more traditional designs and learn how to build out improvisational designs like I did here and here.

I’d like students to also bring with them several inspirational quilt designs from books, patterns or photos so we can talk about their potential construction using the blocks as a group.

A few details about this quilt… I’ve straight line quilted vertical random lines at different widths in white thread. The binding could really have been any of the fabrics in the quilt, but I went with the neutral Essex to have more flexibility in picking the backing fabric from stash.

The backing is a fabric that you’ve seen before if you follow the blog. I have a 70s love for this Smitten Kitten.

As always, if you’re looking for a specific workshop to fit your schedule let me know;)

Back in the 90s here in Seattle, but looking at a cooler weekend for our workshop. Enjoy Peeps!

P.S. Big thanks to Curated Quilts for featuring my quilt in their triangle issue.

:: Split Crumbs Quilt Top ::

October 4, 2017 By Katie

Loving this finish.

This Split Personality crazy piecing technique that I’ve been teaching is so fast and satisfying. I can’t stop making the blocks in all my favorite color ways.

I’ve made several sets and they’re waiting for their own quilt designs to come to me. I’ve also had a little personal challenge going on to make quilt tops come together with fabric I already have, a task that takes a little more design time.

I used traditional block techniques like half squares and quarter squares and randomly placed them up on the design wall filling in here and there with solid fabrics. For the quilting I off set it a bit, diagonally coming together somewhat in the center. It was enough without distracting.

Alexander Henry from stash for the back.

I love this Notorious line by Cotton and Steel for the binding.

This turned out to be an easy baby quilt and I love the heart pillows I made with the left over blocks even more.

I wish I could have both of these in two places at once so that I could show them at my lectures in Ashland next week and at the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild as samples for the November 4th workshop.

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:: 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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On Point Scrappy Double-Trouble Quilt

July 19, 2017 By Katie

Where to start? We’re pretty much being spoiled brats around here right now.

Our Northern Irish have invaded and it sure doesn’t seem 2 years ago since we parted at the steps of a cafe in Spain. It’s only like we saw them yesterday. The calendar has been filled with the usual Seattle summer adventures we do together as a family. We’ve spoiled ourselves with full menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner and shared our love of margaritas. We’ve jumped off the raft in Lake Washington, shivered in the Sound and added floating down the Yakima River, laughing that we were eating quiche and that our cans of Rainer were chilled by the river just like our butts.

Many a birthday to celebrate in July. John’s passed with a raised glass to him, who knew our last goodbye would happen on those same steps in Spain.

Jefe celebrated another anniversary of his 21st,

and in the keeping it real department, my brother in law Jeremy’s 50th is at the end of the month. Living 4+ years with ALS he is still bossing us around. Everything’s different, yet everything’s the same he says.

His partner of 20+ years, Hallie is our hero and his rock.

Oh yeah, and quilting has happened here and there too. This quilt is an oldie.

I remember moving into the house and piecing this double-trouble quilt top in the little room that is now the kid domain. The crumbs that started the quilt are half square triangles from Roan’s quilt. I simply added improv stitch and flip triangles (you can find the technique in Quilting Modern) on the neutral side of each hst.

The scrap bins got a sifting through for the perfect fussy cuts of kid prints.

I placed and pieced the blocks on point to form the squares rather than diamonds. And then it sat patiently;)

I used the top as a template for building quilt backs in my class a few months ago. I figured when I was cleaning up the design walls after class that I might as well just sew together its back. One stage done and onto the next.

I ran the quilting a quarter inch along the seams vertically and horizontally first, before deciding to fill in more with the diagonal. I used a light blue Metler thread.

This quilt is a perfect eye spy with its bits and pieces from clothing I made Roan as an infant and the receiving blankets that my mom sewed.

Of course there’s fabric from stash on the back, some favorites in fact, all pieced willy-nilly together. It screamed green or orange for binding and the last of the Flea Market Fancy went towards that.

It looks kind of summery and cheerful.

Since I love having quilts in all various stages, I’ve got 2 more basted and a finished top up on the design wall, not to mention all sorts of play with the Split Personality block drifting around. It’s hard to say it but I’m trying to wrap my head around a few classes for fall coming up here. I’m excited to get to the samples, something new and fun.

Until August Peeps;)

Full Tilt Quilt

March 14, 2017 By Katie

Well hi there;)

On my flight to teach in Jackson Hole I finished the binding on what I’ll call Full Tilt. I always love to have something new to share and this was just in time for a line up of winter-spring lectures and workshops teaching this block.

Traveling and spending time with my tribe is such a bonus of being in this industry and you quilters are the nicest people. The inspiration you pull from your own toolbox when given a few improv techniques and a little structure is quite energizing even when I feel a little exhausted. It all kind of kicks my brain and my wanderlust into overdrive.

Travel on top of the home front’s Open Studios and Workshops hasn’t allowed me a lot of time to get ideas out of my own head and into fabric. Good things take time I hear, and in the meantime I’ve been directing my sewing groove into quick projects we can explore in Open Studio like these reversible grocery bags and rope bowls.

| Inspiration |

I know, again with the Psychedelic Baby Block. You all might be sick of seeing this block, but I have yet to scratch the design surface with it and its secondary block that we make in this workshop. Full Tilt’s colorway was this sweet geometric dress I found in a catalog. Its layout is simple and inspired by another string quilt I made this year.

I noticed in lecturing this season that my solids have shifted over the years from a abundance of Osnaburgh to Essex. Solid fabric quilts can be so flat and the indigo here adds some much-needed texture. I went with 4 different blues, including some shot cotton and the Essex. The rest of the solids are a mix of Kona and Michael Miller Cotton Couture.

| Quilting |

I was asked in a lecture this month who was the favorite to quilt my quilts? I whole heartedly answered “Me.”

I didn’t always feel this way. Often it was where I stalled out on a finish. I didn’t feel I had the skills or vision to free-motion with the amount of precision I desired. I know, I know, ‘practice is the best teacher,’ and I did that, but I was just never feeling it with free-motion as I did with a straight line.

It took time for me, years actually, to figure out that my quilts really didn’t need the fancy quilting I thought they did. It often distracted or even clashed with the piecing, stealing the limelight. I think my patchwork holds its own quite well.

Once I just started quilting straight lines I lost the anxiousness AND actually started finishing quilts at a faster rate. Straight-line quilting felt intuitive to me. Another unexpected discovery was I liked my quilts more. Now they’re a 100% ME from start to finish.

The quilts I have with a variety of straight line quilting keeps building. As I was getting my Straight Line Quilting Workshop together, I first thought I would quilt some simple panels in a variety of designs until I realized how many samples of straight line quilting I already had. Actual quilts to demonstrate the tips and tricks, just like my other classes, duh.

That’s a long-winded way of saying Full Tilt got a simple grid in a light pink Metler thread and I like it;)

| Binding & Backing |

I went pieced. I considered the navy to frame, but regardless I had to order fabric for the finish. I thought it would carry the piecing of the blocks onto the edge for a detailed addition to the design.

My technique for this is to strip piece some panels and sub-cut them to the binding’s width. I sew it on until I’m about to turn a corner and then I’ll add a larger strip of one fabric that accommodates the turn so that I don’t have seams stuck in the miter. Once the corner is turned I reattach my pieced binding and continue until I come to the next corner.

I have a whole photo shoot of this process that some day I’ll get up here as a tutorial.

I haven’t bought backing fabric in ages, just pulling and piecing from stash, I don’t see a noticeable dent honestly. Apparently I bought up all of this flannel so that none of you could have any. I’ve used it to back several quilts. The vans have now made an appearance in the blue and pink. It all seemed to compliment the front and come together simple enough.

All in all I love it;)

I’ve added a few more dates for the straight line quilting workshop onto the schedule, including an evening slot as requested. I also have a reader coming to the studio from Germany that picked playing with the Psychedelic Baby Block if anyone would like to join us. Just follow the links;)

Happy week Peeps! I’m actually heading out to the studio;)

Skewed Symmetry Quilt

November 23, 2016 By Katie

| Inspiration |

I’m not quite sure where the inspirational starting point was for the Skewed Symmetry quilt. The blocks originally seemed destined to become matching pillows, but from the moment I stacked the blocks it just kind of developed on the design wall organically.

The mitered log cabin blocks were the cast-offs from making the Alignment Optional Pillows with my Psychedelic Baby Block technique. The color-way seemed best left alone and I liked the idea of the minimalist blocks partially floating depending on the background. I actually ran out of black fabric, so the planned symmetry of halfing the background eye-catchingly fell into the rule of 3rds instead.

Essex yarn dyed linen combined with Cotton Couture’s split personality of a dull and shiny side, offered multiple layers of texture.

Improvisationally pieced and designed. I love that.

| Quilting |

I went vertical with the quilting in a Metler black thread, subdividing the quilt with 1″ lines and then went back in for the fill. I didn’t really worry that they were evenly spaced, just eyed it up on the design wall here and there with distance as my assistant. Some are 1/4″ apart and others a little bit more or less.

Unfortunately, I tugged out the top corner of the quilt when I hung it to photograph, but this is truly one of the squarest quilts to date with no waving at the edges. No blocking, so satisfying.

| Binding and Backing |

The binding switches out in value/fabric to oppose what’s in the quilt at the top and bottom vertical strips. Not only do I like the design interest it adds, but I was able to scab together enough scraps of black to make it happen.

After talking about white batting bearding in my Alignment Optional Pillows post, I actually did have the foresight to order some black batting. All said, done and basted I realized my backing fabric had white in it. I was a little concerned the opposite effect of black batting bearding through would happen, but all went well.

This quilt will be a great workshop sample to explain how I improvisationally panel out a quilt on the design wall.

I’ll be the visiting artist at the Arts Center of Jackson Hole teaching a two day Psychedelic Baby Block | Improv Strip Piecing Workshop January 21st and 22nd. I’m pretty excited to have two whole days in Jackson Hole to hang out with students and play with both of the blocks this technique creates!

I should mention that I’ll also be in B.C. Canada in February and a bunch of locations in Washington come winter-spring. All my locations are up on the Events page.

Happy be grateful weekend Peeps!

No Know Quilt/s

June 30, 2016 By Katie

Two quilts for welcoming babies.

My friends said they were going old-school and not finding out the baby’s gender. Their neutral color palette of grey and white was a challenge long overdue for me, but to stay interested I had to add one color at the very least. So all the mustardy yellows in my stash that didn’t nod towards girl or boy were thrown in. That turned out to be mostly Cloud9 fabrics and some older Heather Ross.

I called to acquire the guesstimated birthday and was given an exact date, so on the back the Taurus fabric went, plus a little dose of Katie neutral.

It was all quilted, bound and ready.

Well you might be wondering why there are two quilts?

A few days later I got word that the BABIES were here. That’s right, joke’s on us, a boy and a girl. I haven’t gotten the whole story yet, but they must have known.

It just so happens that when I made the first quilt I was experimenting with a method of teaching my modern improvisational strip piecing workshop that produces two unique styles of blocks at once. Not only was I covered in the quilt department when it came to the business of twins, but my quilts were matching. Just like I planned it or something;)

I finished up the last of my bolt of Carolina Chambray building out the blocks. It becomes so soft with use.

Both got the horizontal and vertical grid quilting treatment with a little variation.

The patch of Taurus fabric made it onto the back of each, but I pulled this old Alexander Henry from stash to complete the second.

Generally I would have given them different binding, but the same Kai dot seemed appropriate.

I’m not sure who gets which, I’ll let them figure that out.

I’ve got one workshop up for July teaching this fun and easy method, but these samples will be delivered so I’ve already got some new basted and ready. I’ll miss seeing these around the studio.

Hope all is well in your world. I’m pretty happy to be playing in the garden again and enjoying the slower pace of no school.

I’ll be here next week with another string quilt for Riley Blake’s Quilted Modern Blog Tour. Happy week Peeps;)

Boxed-In Quilt

May 11, 2015 By Katie

I swear no quilt in history has been put up and taken down from the design wall more.

I kept recycling the left over blocks that I call Psychedelic Baby Block into new design/layout ideas and now have an ample supply of samples for teaching the workshop.

I was in high gear to finish it for submission to the MQG’s Texas Museum Exhibit, but I realized that with the minimal quilting it would start to sag if hung for long. Like how I’ve already envisioned it as accepted for exhibit?

The softness is amazing. I don’t think I’ve even made a softer quilt.

Not only did I mix in leftover blocks, but my neutral scrap bin got dug into. Though no dent was made in that bin, texture was added through a mix of linens, flannels, and Osnaburg fabrics. Shockingly even with the shot cotton it quilted up lovely.

It was difficult to not throw in a print or two. It is one of the reasons I feel in love with quilting.

Here’s a little peek of the dot I added too.

Eleven year old boys are worthless at quilt holding for long, but good for showing scale.

I did it again and used a fabric from stash for the back. Twice I ran out of thread when quilting and of course both times I was smack dab in the middle of that red strip where it would show the most. I left it.

It’s a favorite Alexander Henry.

The binding I actually cut for my On Target Quilt before I changed my mind to something darker. I held onto it thinking it would work here.

It’s all perfect, just perfect;)

For Mother’s Day Jefe installed my flooring, cooked every meal and did the dishes while I went shopping.

I’m so thrilled with what I picked. That goes for guy and floor.

Happy Week Peeps!

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.

:: Throwing Stars Quilt ::

Intersected Quilt

:: Split Crumbs Quilt Top ::

:: Fractured Hearts Pillows ::

On Point Scrappy Double-Trouble Quilt

Full Tilt Quilt

Skewed Symmetry Quilt

No Know Quilt/s

Boxed-In Quilt

Mod Pinwheel Quilt

Stepping Stone Quilt

Improv Fresh Cut Quilt

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