Split Personality Quilt block

:: Split Crumbs Quilt Top ::

October 4, 2017 By Katie 4 Comments

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 6 Comments

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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:: Spilt Crumbs Quilt Top ::

June 12, 2017 By Katie 9 Comments

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I take organization to a serious level. So I was teased for showing up to retreat with two cart loads and no real project plan. Clothes are easy to pack for this type of vacation, but my time management for planning projects just didn’t exist.

SEW KATIE DID | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | No Foul Quilt

Along with a lot of other random stuff, into the car went some blocks a few of my lovely students and I created last month. They helped me test drive a crazy piecing technique I call Split Personality as a three hour workshop at Quiltcon. It’s an easy technique that creates multiple blocks with ‘crumbs’ of each fabric in all sorts of fun linear shapes.

I’ll be teaching this block as a full day workshop in the studio this month.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting Studio

I started with the blocks we had made in colors I honestly didn’t like much together. I figured I didn’t have anything to lose by cutting them up. If I didn’t like what was happening I’d trash them and move onto the next set.

SEW KATIE DID | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio | Crumb Quilt

I loved what happened.

I aimed for an easy design. Nearly everyone with some quilting experience has trimmed many a half square triangle, so merging one with the crazy piecing seemed ideal as a sample. Some time with the design wall led to this layout.

I love to have loads of examples of how to use a technique and/or block and students appreciate the inspiration, so I played with one of my favorite shapes that utilizes half square triangles AND improv stitch and flip triangles with the Split Personality blocks with my leftovers.

SEW KATIE DID | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

I think these will be pillows, just have to decide whether they need sashing, piping or another colorful background. Stay tuned, I have 3 more sets of these blocks in a range of color ways left.

SEW KATIE DID | Weekend Retreat

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting Studio

As far as sewing at retreat, here’s what I walked away with. I find with the studio I don’t have as much time to sew and even though I needed to stick with making samples, I was also much more relaxed and organized on my walk out;) It might have been the inspiration, awesome company, good sleep or the margaritas…really doesn’t matter.

I highly recommend retreats.

SEW KATIE DID | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio

I’m pretty much smitten with this block. I love that you could fit it into just about any improv or traditional quilt design as a ‘made’ fabric. It just seems now that I find inspirational quilt designs I want to put it into everywhere.

I’ve got a weekend and weekday workshop on the studio schedule for this block.

sew katie did | Seattle Modern Quilting Studio

And Seattle’s got nothing but clouds in our future this week, so I’ve picked out a backing and am ready for some quality quilting time if I pay my time management cards right;)

SEW KATIE DID | Seattle Modern Quilting & Sewing Studio And of course there’s Quiltcon. I’ve never been to Pasadena, so if anyone has some hot tips they’re willing to share about eating & where the best margarita is I’m all ears.