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Half-Square-Triangle LOVE pillows

December 15, 2016 By Katie

Well the half-square-triangle left-overs from the patchwork box pouches I made a few weeks ago just kept getting moved around the studio, so I decided to take them with me to my monthly Seattle Quiltie Beeings get together so that I could get some pillow tops together for my step outs in December’s invisible zipper workshops.

Years ago they started out in this lovely layout (other color ways here). Sometimes random is the right answer to getting something done. So into a bag they went and I started drawing them out and piecing them into pairs as I did when I made the first HST LOVE quilt.

Finished off with invisible zippers. Tutorial for invisible zippers here.

I just love the mix of colors and textures. To finish it didn’t need anything beyond a grid of straight line quilting. I had a problem with skipped stitches that was so frustrating and something I haven’t dealt with before. I tried everything to eliminate the issue, but it remained unresolved. Considering the use these would get on the couch I spent a lot of time with my seam ripper.

There is no lack of soft couch lounging happening lately, so the addition is welcomed.

I’m doing my usual end of the year round up and can’t wrap my brain around how many unfinished projects are laying around here, so I’ve decided to dedicate making them all into some small projects for refining new skills. I’m sure there will be some quilts too.

I think I’ll say that this is the last post of the 2016 year:) Our family has a daily practice communicating what we are thankful for and of course this time of year it takes on even more meaning.

The other night I was beyond grateful to have a pile of warm quilts to stack on top of my family when our heating oil ran out. Considering some of the extremely disturbing humanitarian issues our world is facing I feel so lucky to live a life where heat is a a pile of quilts and a phone call away.

The privilege of being able to teach and share a utilitarian skill that involves artistic creation is honestly something I truly treasure.

Thanks for sharing that journey with me this year Peeps.

I wish you all peace, kindness, love AND craftiness in the new year.

New Tricked Additions In Pillow Form

October 15, 2016 By Katie

Seattle’s got Halloween kind of weather going on. We’re currently enjoying the light things up and warmth that electricity provides, but I have definitely put some thought into a list of backup chores for if it goes. My fabric shelves and scrap bins are due a serious clear out and that alone could easily eat a few days.

I’ve been joyfully moving stuff around all week. Decorations are up, and in their true place. Each year I love the hunt of a few well sought out additions, like these awesome lit pumpkins from Target for the top of my fridge.

And just like Christmas I allow myself a few new Halloween prints. Novelty print generally means pillows. You already know I’m seriously not lacking in pillows and nothing stops me from making more. I believe I’ve added five to the rotation this year for Halloween alone;). Last year my splurge was this zombie fabric by Riley Blake. A huge spiderweb pillow (more here) has become Roan’s perch when waiting for his morning carpool. Playing with this block ignited some new ideas.

Since it needed something matchie-matchie and I had left over test blocks I made a couple more.

These pillows I made last year are still my favorites. So in the Ghastlies print I made a couple long lumbars which are my favorite shape for comfortable couch lounging.

I generally buy the forms from Garnet Hill, though IKEA does carry a nice rectangle shape. They’re down-filled and puff out to the corners nicely. You don’t need tons of forms. Under Halloween lives the Christmas ones, and quite possibly another layer under that.

All have invisible zippers following my tutorial of course.

My favorite made addition of the year is the hanging candy bucket I created using this paper pieced pattern. I’ve collected a few new patterns for next year. There are so many more projects I’d like to do, but I think I might be considered borderline something at this point. I’ve been collecting them all on a Pinboard.

It’s probably time to think of a costume.

Happy week Peeps;)

New York Beauty Pillow

February 16, 2015 By Katie

Paper piecing workshop development and sample made, CHECK! And totally drool worthy if I don’t say so myself.

The Foundations of Paper Piecing Workshop is listed if you find yourself with some spare time on March 14th.

A New York Beauty block has been on the bucket list F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

I bought just enough new make me happy fabrics and combined them with some old to create a new to me color way. It seemed to just come together on the design wall so effortlessly. As usual it matches nothing in my house.

The white/creams I pulled from the scrap bins. There’s even some flannel in there.

It ended up that neither the shot cotton and the flannel on the front, nor the voile on the back created the headaches I imagined.

I crosshatched it in a lightly variegated lilac thread. This easy off the edge quilting design has the kind of impact makes me happy. Off course all quilting minds of Seattle that I saw last week were consulted;)

I almost put the voile back into the stash.

It’s one of those fabrics I have to force myself to cut into if I had curtains in mind five years ago. There’s still that hope of getting to that alive;) The decision was a good one, it pairs perfectly with the front.

If you’re headed to Quiltcon please go say hi to my quilts. There are two on exhibit and I just finished up this one here for display there in Island Quilter’s booth.

It will look a little bit more lively than it does it this taken at midnight photo.

This quilt thoroughly falls under the “it doesn’t have to be perfect to love it” category and I considered not sending it due to some obvious struggles I had quilting it, but then I reminded myself that perfection isn’t what it’s all about.

Happy week peeps. I hope it’s a good one;)

::Somewhat Circular Hex::

January 15, 2015 By Katie

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.

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.

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;)

::Lightening Speed::

January 7, 2015 By Katie

Happy New Year Peeps;)

That end of the year mosaic with all the quilts I made, well, that won’t be happening. Mostly because unlike past years I really didn’t have any quilt finishes, I made a crap load of awesome pillows and a few tops. Some of that has to do with using my current little studio space to its potential, but also gearing classes towards smaller projects.

So instead of a mosaic I’ll share with you my pillows pictured up there. I think they are probably my favorite creation from 2014.

I didn’t exactly hit the ground running this year, I got the flu right of the bat. Thankfully at the end of the year I had the time and did a thorough studio cleaning to take account of classes and unfinished projects.

From the quilt top pile I picked my hexagon quilt. With Hexagons By Machine and Equilateral Triangles workshops coming up I thought to get it quilted and play with piecing triangles as I made the back so I could have another sample for each workshop.

But of course as I was piecing these stars together for a back I realized it really should be a pillow. So, now apparently I still have a back to work on and a pillow I really want to make, so no mosaic making time anyway.

We obviously need more pillows, but you’ll definitely be seeing more finished quilts in 2015.

Happy Tuesday. I’m off to sew for two whole delicious hours;) Hope to see some of you locals on Monday at Open Studio.

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Almost forgot, I really enjoyed listening to what Ruth Ozeki has to share in her talk titled Modern Distraction and the Dark Waters of Creativity. Check it out.

::Summer Pop Quilt::

July 24, 2011 By Katie

The name changed on this quilt. I finished up the binding on Thursday during some waiting room time. I was calling it Summer Effervescence, but ‘effervescence’ has been replaced with ‘pop’.

Three reasons for this:

1) Bubble quilting. Super fun to do. Jeffrey said he thought I was going to loose my mind doing it, but it’s kind of addicting. Highly recommend it if you are a newbie to free motion.

2) Pop Music. The waiting room solidified my distaste for Pop Music, so the word ‘Pop’ stuck in my head.

3) Soda Pop. I actually drank not one, but two pops as we call it where I come from in one day. This is unusual for me, but we went all American and had pizza for lunch and cheeseburgers for dinner and pop is the libation of choice with these foods.

The bubbles worked wonderfully on the flannel. Pulling it out of the dryer was the most joyful experience.

I was concerned that the quilting canceled out the prints, but I actually ended up liking the effect.

By the end I certainly had my stitch length down, thank goodness for flannel, washing and drying to meld all those stitches together.

Plain ole solid binding worked out fabulously. I think this is Kona Ice Frappe.

Now I need to vacuum up the dust, and LOOK sunshine! Seattle has only had something like 74 minutes of 80 degree weather this year…polar opposite of the rest of the country eh?

I always like to do a little clean up before I move onto the next project. It might look something like this.

Pulling from the strips scrap bucket. It’s too balanced in its blue/orange. I like to go more one color or another if it’s not scrappy. Although, now that I’ve seen this wonderfulness I want to abandon it all together.

Do you have proportions of color you aim for or a formula that works for you when choosing prints?

::Twin Value Quilts::

June 14, 2011 By Katie

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::

June 9, 2011 By Katie

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 Progress::

June 3, 2011 By Katie

So the Little Blue Cottage Quilting Bee Blocks finally have a home in my Solstice Quilt. Finished up piecing the blocks together Wednesday, the back yesterday and basted today.

I just have to say that this is my favorite ugly quilt ever. Like one of those dogs you see, or the old, “only a mother could love” kinda thing.

It is so not me, but so fits its Solstice Parade inspiration don’t you think?

It will get dirty.

It will get LOVED.

It will not fear picnic, parade, fireworks or beach.

Especially since it’s back is DARK DARK DARK too.

Aquarius, Gemini and Cancer, that’s us.

Quilting this weekend and then bind.

Darker Purple thread, but not sure how. I’ll dwell on that tonight.

Have a good weekend. Suppose to break 70 here!

::Solstice Quilt::

May 31, 2011 By Katie

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

::HST LOVE Done::

May 28, 2011 By Katie

I’m so in LOVE with this quilt. Perfect for my half-square triangle class and value class coming up in a couple weeks.

One of my favorite quilts E-V-E-R for sure. Maybe a hair behind Split Decision.

I did remove some of my first quilting and went with horizontal lines at 1.25″ apart.

It really allows the design to shine. And while we are on the subject of design, I’ve been asked about the layout for this quilt. There was no plan, seriously. Make your half-square-triangles and then put them up on the design wall. Don’t over think it.

However, if you want to play with value you could come up with some stellar designs.

I think I’ve found my go-to wedding gift for sure and already have a bevy of color combos nestled on my pin-board.

I was happy I used the Lush print for the back, it added a softness that can disappear with denser line quilting. I finished it off with binding made from the same purple shot cotton that forms some of the triangles on the front.

Pretty plain Jane and pretty pretty.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. Don’t spend all your money on fabric sales.

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destash

quilting and sewing classes

Birthday Boys

May 21, 2011 By Katie

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!

Half-Square-Triangle LOVE pillows

New Tricked Additions In Pillow Form

New York Beauty Pillow

::Somewhat Circular Hex::

::Lightening Speed::

::Summer Pop Quilt::

::Twin Value Quilts::

::Solstice Quilt Done::

::Solstice Quilt Progress::

::Solstice Quilt::

::HST LOVE Done::

Birthday Boys

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