SewKatieDid

Because thread is the best glue

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::Somewhat Circular Hex::

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sewkatiedid/somewhat circular hexagon quilt

Regardless of my best intentions posting anything here gets pushed to the back.

I have a new season of lectures and workshops coming up and am always hoping to finish up at least one more sample for design options.  I love this practice as it allows me to reacquaint myself with a technique. Often I’ll gain perspective to share with my students that I didn’t originally think of.  Design wall time is invaluable to my process and a main focus of my workshops.  Leftovers from the original project are generally my go to, but more often than not, one project’s scraps merge into another project.

But it’s that desire for a finish that keeps me from here.  What I need to get over is always wishing to post that finished project.  Especially since I sew way faster in my head than real life.

So I think my intention for blogging this year is to focus on process AND post about it.

Marketing workshops is at the forefront of posting too and I wanna say I’m lucky that my classes fill as if late, but I also have to give myself credit that I’ve been working hard to figure out what people are inspired by, it’s not an accident.

sew katie did/somewhat circular hex

But if there’s a spot I like to make sure that I’m working on a sample. And that’s just what happened with this hex quilt.

There’s some quilting that needs to come out here and there, but I’m pretty happy with it. The trend and my love for dense quilting however isn’t fitting for the utilitarian use of baby quilts in my opinion, cardboard comes to mind, but we’ll see how it washes out.  I probably could have helped it out by selecting a type of batting that would be more supple instead of just grabbing a scrap that fit.

sewkatiedid/throwing stars

My To the Point workshop is full, but I’m working on a sample from the hex scraps for it.  They’re wee and currently being quilted.  Hoping for that finish today along with hanging sleeves/labels for Quiltcon quilts and squaring or at least picking out binding for the hex.

Thanks for reading, I’ve obviously got things to do;)

::Close to Finished::

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I’ve made some major progress on two quilts in the past few days.

Anything Goes is quilted.  The vertical lines you all gave me the go on look awesome!  I didn’t go organic in their nature, but stick straight.

There are a few blocks that float off the edge of the quilt.  I created a binding with the same strip piecing as the blocks to complete the missing side.  I used the same technique showcased in Fresh Cut.

The front is mostly linen and the back a flannel in deep green.  I used a load of leftover strip piecing and one lonely block to finish it off.  It was a bear to square up in the end and I was happy I’m an over baster, because linen and flannel married like to move around a lot.

My only regret is not going a little further between lines.  The drape of the quilt with these two fabrics was so lovely and next time I’ll give those lines a little more breathing room to keep the softness.

This afternoon with the back door open and that robin singing, I had time to baste Psychedelic Baby.

I’ve got a quilting plan AND the day off tomorrow.

Life is good!

::Twin Value Quilts::

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Twins.

One Value Quilt in a Zig Zag design for Baby Boy.

One Value Quilt in an off-set diamond design for Baby Girl.

Free-motioned zig zags are fun.

So is echoing a single flower.

Loads of medium, low contrast and a few spots that kinda lose it.  I like that.

All goodness.

Except for needing that picture of them together.

Go make yourself a Value Quilt with that overwhelming amount of fabric you’ve been hoarding.

Took these pictures a few weeks ago, and although the weather hasn’t been great, it looks a hell of a lot less dreary around here.

::Solstice Quilt Done::

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I had a cramp in my right calf for two days after quilting the Solstice Quilt, seriously.

It seemed I spent as much time ripping out quilting as putting it in.  Either it was the free-motion design I didn’t like or the color of thread, but it is D-O-N-E and ready for its first picnic, parade or beach run.

I was thinking simple and then went crazy with the quilting.  I free-motioned squares onto the postage stamp blocks.

Went loopy on all the sashing around the postage stamps.

On the black sashing I free-motioned triangles.  Where they cross created a cool secondary design.

I hadn’t really given thought to what the back would look like with all the different stitching and I gotta say it’s a little crazy, but what-ever, it’s about to eat urban dirt anyway.

We have the family represented, Aquarius, Gemini and Cancer.

I did add pockets to the back corners to weight it down with stones as instructed by Erin at House on Hill Road.

I just love all the color.

A BIG thanks to my Cottage Quilting Bee friends for bringing it together for me!

I apologize if you don’t see your block.  Some where hidden under some fabric I was cutting for sashing and I sadly sliced right through them.

And in case that isn’t enough photos for you, then there’s the pulled from the dryer quilt love.

I added a little rainbow edge to the binding too.

Do you think it goes with its Solstice Parade inspiration?  Our neighborhood parade is right around the corner.

This quilt will see a ton of use before the end of summer for sure.  Now we just need some good weather in Seattle or I’m going to be wearing this quilt more then sitting on it.

I’ll hang it up tomorrow for a better shot.

::Solstice Quilt::

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Roan was born on Solstice weekend.  Around my neighborhood, which is home to the Fremont Arts Council, that means he gets a parade for his birthday, naked body painted bicyclists and all.

We always brunch and then walk to the end of the street to find our spot.

We’ve needed a Solstice Parade/Picnic quilt for ages now to stake out our territory.  So yesterday I pulled out the bee blocks from my Little Blue Cottage Bee and started sashing them.

In the evening I placed them on top of the black cross-hatch with some darker edging and called it a night.

This morning I decided that the Alexander Henry Heath fabric lost the drama of the squares.  I need more contrast.  Black it is.

For some unknown reason my brain says, “Go square.” on the finished size of the quilt. Not something I’m usually into.

I’ve got two backings in mind, both Alexander Henry of course.

I’m leaning towards the Star Sign though.  I wanna be able to put this down on a city street or a grassy lawn.  This one’s dark and fun.

The Star Sign is also one of Roan’s favorites.

I like the direction it took and it’s fitting bright colors, just like the parade.

At some point I’d like to make some postage stamp blocks with the traditional layout of all sewn together with no being or end.  I like the idea of on-point and cutting some into triangles to complete the square.

Because these were made by so many different people they just wouldn’t fit together properly and that just wouldn’t work for this perfectionist.

Do you all have dreams of a picnic quilt?

EDIT:

Three short of the finish with the black sashing.  Excuse to go buy fabric in the wash as I type.  I also might pull that red block with the yellow sashing and recut it.  It looks out of place.

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upcoming classes-zip pouches and quilt finishing

destash

Birthday Boys

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Brothers, and still young enough to be gifted a pillow, maybe even love it.

That little robot kills me.  He’s so stinkin’ cute.

On the flip side of the pillow, celebrating the 4th revolution around the sun.  I went with some corduroy that I’ve had around and never use.  This one I finished with an invisible zipper (I just redid my tutorial).

I popped this out of print Alexander Henry into my destash with some coordinates for making a pillow too.

For older brother, robots as well.  This print is flannel and I wish I had bought enough for a quilt back, just got scraps.

Big Boys dream in robot too.  Happy 6th revolution…

spinning on this lovely home.

Many smiles to you this year.

I know your Momma will like them too, because she gifted me some of the fabric.

I’m try to fit in some quilting today.

Happy Saturday!

::FaceLift::

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Our couch and my Add Zip to Your Pillow Invisible Zipper Tutorial both needed a facelift.

I think installing an invisible zipper just got easier than it already was.

Now that my couch is happy, I’m off to mop and baste.

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Destash

::Bloggers’ Quilt Festival 2011::

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Yeah, it’s that time of year again.  I enjoy looking through all the quilt inspiration that the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival offers.

My quilt idea all started with this fabric.

First, the idea became a pillow when the Hope Valley line came out.  I used Joelle Hoverson’s technique for her Little Bits quilt.  I designed it by stacking the blocks and liked the effect so much that I started a quilt.  It got pushed aside with the book quilts taking front stage.

My favorite quilts of the year are in the book, or not yet finished, but Split Decision is up there.

As I spread it out fresh from the dryer, I was in love.  It went straight to the shop for a class sample, but I’ll look forward to the day when I can lounge under it.

Especially because of its buttery flannel back.

I framed it out with the pink for binding.

I think the loops make it fun.

I’m hoping next year with the book likely being on the shelves to have a real reason to go to market.  

::Sheets of Rain Quilt::

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Ever since Crazy Mom Quilt’s Ticker Tape Quilt I’ve had a quilt idea in my head.  A quilt with “ticker taped’ raindrops.  So appropriate for Seattle.

However, over the year or so the quilt idea has evolved from a ‘quilt as you go’ quilt with appliqued raindrops to a free motion quilt with a continuous raindrop stitch AND raindrop appliques.

My plan is to not go through all three layers of the quilt when ladder stitching the raindrops down, so that the continuous raindrop stitching is all that shows through on the back.

The raindrop stitches are complete and the binding is stitched down, all that’s left are the appliqued raindrops.  I’m thinking mostly primary color here.

It’s like a thunder storm on the front (which rarely occur here in Seattle and I miss them) and a sunny day on the back.

So today I made the raindrops.  Sorted through the scrap bins, picking out the favorites.

My Mom taught me how to make appliqued shapes with templates so you don’t have raw edges (which just didn’t seem practical for a baby quilt needing to be washed often).

If you haven’t done this before, draw your shape on paper or wax paper and glue it or iron it (if you use wax paper) to cardboard.  Cut it as cleanly as you can.  Use a nail file to smooth edges if needed.

Cut around your raindrop or other curved shape giving yourself about a 1/4″ seam, or trace around the shape on the wrong side of your fabric and cut a 1/4″ away from the line.

Baste stitch around your shape about an 1/8″ from the cut edge, starting and ending your thread tails on the curved end AND on the same side of fabric.

Pull on the strings.  I didn’t do it, but if you place the basting closer to the template when ironing it will help create a smoother curve (so “they” say).

I starch both sides and iron as I’m pulling those strings.  I give the strings one wrap around a finger when I pull so it’s taunt.  If you’ve glued paper on to your template then you might want to face it down or it mucks all off with the starch.

Traditionally or by what I’ve been taught at least, you iron the top tip or a point down the middle first and than cross over the sides…make sense?

As you can see, I don’t do that.  I just do a straight cross over.  I occasionally clip some of the fabric out to reduce bulk.

Whatever, they look fine.

Pull out the template and give them a final press right side up, giving a tuck to anything that’s come out of wack when removing the template.

Aren’t they delicious?

Then clip the threads and pin that sucker down.

I actually have a use for those pins that will make you blind.

When free motioning I would try to correct a raindrop ‘gone bad’ by adding an echo, but if that didn’t go so well I looked for those spots to add a raindrop applique.

Uh oh, looks like this quilt might have a load of raindrops.  It’s kinda been one of those rainy years.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

P.S.  The sun shone today.

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out of print destash

upcoming classes

::Split Decision Quilt::

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I see lavender loops and I like them!  Right out of the wash and up for photos.  Only wish it was a brighter day in Seattle.

I didn’t want to remove Split Decision from my home, but I dropped it off as a class sample today.  It’s my favorite quilt to date besides a few in the book.

Wanna know a secret?

I was a free-motion quilting virgin until this quilt and now I have a new addiction. Since finishing this one I have three baby quilts under my belt.  Can’t stop.  Though my first love will be a straight line F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

Let’s back up, you don’t want to look at those loop’s stitch length too close.

The backing isn’t Alexander Henry.  So if it isn’t Alexander Henry than it must be flannel in the quilting world of Katie.

Right?

Knew the Folksy Flannel was it when I saw it on sale on Sew Mama Sew.  I loved the weight of it as I sat under it and stitched on the binding.

In fact, if anyone has a yard of the Hope Valley I used for binding I’m in the market.  I think I wanna make another just like it for my bed. Do you think my husband will repaint the bedroom walls AGAIN?

Eeekkk, I’m so excited to have this done.

Happy Monday!

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out of print destash here

::Hers and His Pillows::

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I needed to make demonstration samples last week for my Add Zip to Your Pillow Class and Roan needed a birthday gift for a classmate.  Two birds, one stone…

For Sofia’s new pink bedroom.  Little girls seem to still appreciate the handmade.  Little boys, not so much.

Last time I tried to make a pillow for a boy gift Roan’s response was, “Oh, a pillow?!  Can’t we just buy a toy?!”  Add a whining tone to that.

Skip the gift wrap, that’s what all those selvedges are saved for.

And that two bird thing?  Roan needed a new pillow cover and I had just a bit of this Alexander Henry fabric left from the back of his quilt.  Still reminds me of the A-ha video.

My couch is still in need and I’m waiting patiently for this fabric to arrive.

In the meantime the floor was washed and this was basted.

Now, off I go, I have a date with a quilt and I’m happy to report the sun is shining in Seattle.

Happy Wednesday!

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p.s. In light of the past few days, I found this video on Ted is worth a watch.

::Zip Pouches and Needlebooks::

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I’m still on the list.  Two class sample value quilts to quilt before I can manage the Split Decision Quilt.  I’m going to need those basting pins.

I did diverge for a small project required for travel.

A needle case, pretty much using this tutorial by Sew She Sews.  Handy for Hexis that I never made it to.

Love covered buttons!

I’d been eyeing the safety pin fabric and really had no reason to purchase any, so I made up an excuse.

Have scissors, will travel.

Onto quilting!

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Improvisational Patchwork Piecing class on Thursday.