patchwork

:: Side Hustle Quilt ::

April 5, 2019 By Katie

I really wanted to call this quilt Avocado Kitchen.

There’s something about these colors together that I love, but I get the feeling 20 years from now the combo might be like an avocado colored kitchen appliance.

I thought while making the blocks that I would repeat either this or this layout, but came up with a new design by folding and playing with them on the design wall before slicing. I’ve got my sights set on another layout in a binary color scheme now.

This one just needed straight lines.

I’m still using up stash for backs. It’s interesting to look at them all finished and reflect on what I like or what I would have done differently.

I feel like I really haven’t been doing that much sewing lately and I’m not quite sure what happened to March. Looking at the calendar April is going to blow by too. The good news about this is I get to go on retreat with my girlfriends in May.

I’m already sorting though possible projects to take. I’m thinking of pulling the cast off blocks from this quilt from the design wall and taking them with me.

I’ve got two more samples in mind to make for this workshop and then I’m ready to move onto some new workshop development. I’ve so enjoyed making and teaching this block. I can credit all of the block layouts and quilt designs to my inability to make the same quilt twice.

I haven’t listed a date for this workshop, so if you’d ever like to take it you can email me, more information here.

Happy Making Peeps.

The Bainbridge MQG workshop on Double-Trouble is full, but there are still slots at the Everett Quilt Show on April 27th. I’ll be presenting my quilts in a lecture at night on Friday, April 26th.

Hearts Value Quilt

June 19, 2017 By Katie

I took my finished Heart Value quilt along on retreat. I like to have a quilt with me as a little reminder of home and knew I would have some helpers for photos. I think it was the only time I ventured outside and away from my sewing machine.

This is definitely the largest quilt I’ve ever quilted on the studio’s Berninas. It’s a little shy in width to a King. One of my Facebook readers asked when quilting if I go north to south, and then turn to go south to north? This quilt was too large to continually turn, so I just worked my way out from the middle. I started with a vertical quilting line ½” from the seams and then went back to fill in. It was the first time I’ve used the stitch in the ditch foot that came with my Bernina’s walking foot to tack down the seams. It turned out perfectly.

Oh, all that lovely color.

I combed through my stash to find just the right fabrics for each heart. Again a perfect sample of archiving all your lovely fabrics in one quilt. No matchy-matchy required.

I lack in low volumes except for an insane amount of light pink.

Side-Lined Quilt

February 8, 2017 By Katie

I told you I still quilt:)

I completed this lovely ages ago and have just needed a brighter Seattle day to photograph it.

I thought it time to share it with you.

| Inspiration |

The Land of Nod spring catalog supplied an inspirational color way and it just so happens I didn’t have to buy any fabric to create it. Truly unbelievable.

There are a mix of Konas, Cotton Couture, some of my go-to shot cotton orange, and a flannel. The whites are quite a cocktail including some flannel. Amazing how different whites can be.

One thing about teaching workshops is you always need blocks in all stages to demo a technique. Before I know it I have enough blocks to finish them up into a baby/lap quilt which is a more manageable size to travel with, and yes, I do pack one King for lectures.

Can you guess the other thing not so easy to travel with? Books😉

I’d go mad if I have to remake the same quilt, so my inspiration was another variation of what I call the Psychedelic Baby Block for my improvisational strip piecing workshop. Teaching a technique over a pattern has its benefits for the short attention spanned like me. It gives me the flexibility to design something new.

At 15″ square, using the technique I teach, these blocks come together fast.

| Quilting |

Straight lined and Grid Grid Grid went the quilting. I started with light blue thread, but ripped it out after a few lines and replaced it with white. I have to say I was not liking the line quilting design at all, but kept adding and adding until it came together. Enough quilting to please the eye and little enough to still have a soft drape. It has a great texture.

| Binding and Backing |

I really wanted to purchase some flannel that I’d fallen’ in love with, but I poked around my stash and as usual was glad I did. These older Heather Ross prints and flannel came together into a lovely minimal back. My leftovers from the top were grey or white. White as a binding sounds like it would become a Swifter, so I went with the grey and it frames it nicely.

I love the controlled chaos happening in it. I’m going to make a larger one for our bed once I finalize the color way. Decisions decisions. I am slow moving, but am working on a pattern for this quilt.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you get in some crafty time Peeps;)

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P.S. If you’re in the mood to hear about my quilts I’ll be doing a lecture tonight at the Seattle MQG and this Friday with the Frasier Valley Modern Quilt Guild (workshop sold out).

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I guess my call to finish up those quilt tops was needed and the classes filled! I’ve added two new sessions (evening and next Wednesday) to the straight line quilting workshop if anyone wants to come learn the tips and tricks that work for me. We’ll be making our practice pieces into useful nesting baskets.

Patchwork Box Pouches

November 17, 2016 By Katie

For workshops this season I thought it would be fun to refine our zipper skills with projects that utilize invisible AND regular zippers.

An Invisible Zipper Pillow workshop was a no-brainer. Pillows as you know are my go-to, and an easy way to add a little sparkle to home decor. Students satisfy the sewing bug by walking away with a finished pair or more in the daytime class, wine dependent in an evening workshop;)

For regular zippers I wanted a project that was utilitarian. I thought boxed pouches could be a stand alone gift or a more personalized ‘wrap’ for something special. It’s also a ‘two birds, one stone’ thing for me since I can have samples and gifts made while on the clock. For last season’s box pouches I upcycled some patchwork pillows and a QAYG tote that I’d grown tired of. So this year when I dug through the drawers of unfinished projects I came up with these three beauties waiting to come to their full potential.

I’m drawn in again to the colorway of these half-square-triangles, and since they’ve made multiple rounds on the design wall here and here it’s nice to see them find their place. The panels came together quickly and I decided on quilting them horizontally and vertically along the seams.

I’m keeping this improvisational one for myself. I’ve found with these pouches you really don’t have to overthink the blocks that become the panels. They just seem to come together without much effort. I simply cut and pieced some of the half-square-triangles to bits, made strips and sliced them into this deliciously textured Mochi Chartreuse linen.

Simple lines again was all it needed. I love the easy detail.

The yarn dyed Essex was already sandwiched up for a never completed fabric bucket and offered a blank slate for some straight line quilting in a matching thread palette. It completes the trio, but sure makes it hard to break up as a set.

I replaced the batting in them all with Soft and Stable. For backing the panel’s quilt sandwich I use a lighter duck cloth that I get at Joann’s. It’s lighter weight than most and pretty pliable.

Happy 37 days until Christmas Peeps!

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Box Pouch Workshop-

~~Saturday, December 3rd 10am-3pm~~ FULL

~~Sunday, December 4th 10am-3pm~~ FULL

Wednesday, December 14th 10am-3pm

Invisible Zippers Workshop-

Tuesday, December 6th 10am-3pm | one spot

~~Sunday, December 11th 10am-3pm~~ FULL

Thursday, December 15th 6-9pm

Alignment Optional Pillows

November 6, 2016 By Katie

I’m still rolling with concept inspiration from my psychedelic baby block workshop and ended up with these fabulous pillows made with a block I’m calling Alignment Optional.

Back in September I thought I’d revisit a color way we used in Quilting Modern for the Shattered Quilt, replacing the Carolina Chambray with yarn dyed Essex as my light and Michael Miller Cotton Couture for the black.

I made some blocks, and well…they just didn’t look good. I packed them into a zip-lock and added them to the bureau in the basement where I collect marinating ideas. This approach is making the drawers a bit harder to open, but we all know the importance of play when it comes to creativity, which sometimes just means yielding your rotary cutter and making the cut. So that’s exactly what I did.

Though it was fun to try two different straight-line quilting styles, when it comes to a pair so similar in design I’d like the quilting to be identical. Problem is I’m not sure which design I like best.

These are only the second project I’ve personally quilted with a lot of solid black fabric. When I did my first quilt with black I didn’t know about black batting and small fibers of the white batting became visible on the quilt top. The term in quilting for this is ‘bearding’ and I won’t go into all the reasons it can happen, but the right color batting and a new sharp needle can generally prevent this issue. Too bad I didn’t remember black batting for these pillows;)

Here’s an Instagram photo showing my starts of the Alignment Optional pillows at the top. Sharing this hopefully gives you an idea of the secondary design multiple blocks would create, very similar to the Psychedelic Baby Block. Though I was planning on making a coordinating pillow with the blocks at the bottom, they actually became a quilt. I’m hoping to get some photos of it today. And this time I used black batting;)

All finished off with my invisible zipper tutorial and this awesome Alexander Henry Ghastlies Clover.

Interested in creating some pillow tops yourself? I have three dates listed for the Alignment Optional Pillows AND since I taught myself how to create coupon codes let’s celebrate with $10 off classes (sorry, not open studios) until the 24th with the code ‘meagain.’

I’m already envisioning my next pillows being fabulous in red and white for the season.

Happy Week Peeps;)

Split Personality Christmas Quilt

December 7, 2015 By Katie

This quilt is a long time coming, as in years…

Alexander Henry’s Merry Moderns fabric was THE Christmas quilt fabric for me. I just fell hard for it the minute I saw it.

The fabric seemed a perfect merge for an improvisational technique I’d been brainstorming about. A block that was a faster way to produce ‘crazy pieced’ looking fabric. So I started playing with the block construction concept that became what I now call the Split Personality Quilt Block. The method quickly produces multiple blocks allowing you instant playtime with it in endless design concepts.

Fabrics from the stash that would coordinate with a Christmas theme were pulled, auditioned and sewn. Some favorites were eaten up in the process.

And so, all these happy fabrics have been living together as blocks for a few years, waiting for the perfect pattern to show itself.

My friend Laurel showed up at an open studio to finish up an Arkansas Crossroads quilt. I instantly envisioned my blocks in that design and the production began…last year;)

The essex linen in a cross weave black stabilized the scrappiness.

Merging traditional quilt designs with improvisational techniques has really become where my process leads me. I love the secondary designs traditional set blocks create.

When it came to quilting I lived and breathed this quilt for days. For once I didn’t overthink it and went with straight lines that ran off the edge and echoed the ‘Xs’ the secondary design created.

I dreaded the thought that I’d have to add another horizontal and vertical line because my body was done with quilting, but in the end I dismissed the addition. It has the perfect drape and isn’t over quilted into the luscious feel of cardboard.

Here’s a peek at the back. Leftovers and flannel of course.

The binding is the small scale print in the Merry Moderns line. It worked out that some faces landed on the front and back of the quilt’s edge.

You can see more designs and concepts with this block in my Instagram feed and I’ve added this block onto my January calendar as a daytime, nighttime and weekend workshop.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and then of course there is spring!

Happy Happy Peeps;)

Diving Geese Quilt

March 9, 2015 By Katie

This year was a skip year for me at Quiltcon, but several of my quilts made the show.

Including Diving Geese. It was a last minute thought to enter it.

The process of designing and piecing the quilt seemed easy compared to the task of quilting all that negative space.

My thought was a sun-like concentric circle starting up in the top right corner, but actually sitting down to do it was, well…not happening.

So when in doubt consult a friend and a professional;)

Enter Krista Withers.

Amazing artist, long arm quilter, teacher, and FRIEND (MG;). Krista and I share a lot in common besides quilting and are even jokingly the only two members of our own secret society, which obviously I can’t tell you about:)

Krista brings a quilt top to a whole new level with her signature style of quilting.

AND she won 1st place in Machine Quilting!

It’s no surprise. It’s amazing.

My only request was some ‘ghost geese,’

and we had good laugh over the unintentional (or maybe) subliminal Star Trek symbol.

I polished it off with a narrow faux binding to give it a little bit of a frame with out the distraction of a colored binding or the flat edge of additional background fabric. It’s soft and lovely.

This is not our first collaboration merging design and quilting. When it comes to negative space I call on Krista.

(photo by Rendy Tucker Photography)

Krista quilted my Scattered Remake.

Plus the first,

and second Opposing Triangles.

And my Seattle Lone Star Quilt.

You can see more detail of Krista’s quilting in our other work together by following the links.

I’m off to lecture and teach this week in Victoria B.C. for The Victoria Quilter’s Guild (information on that here if you want to join in). I really enjoyed looking through their event lists and seeing how open they are too inviting ALL types of quilters into their world. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot in the days I spend with them.

Have a great week peeps;)

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~~Full FYI (1) spots in Saturday’s paper piecing workshop.~~

On-Target Quilt

March 2, 2015 By Katie

Remember this quilt?

I showed and sold Psychedelic Baby at Quiltcon 2013. It is still one of my favorite quilts and block workshops to teach. I love blocks that provide so much design potential.

I instantly wanted to recreate Psychedelic Baby a little differently, so I upcycled the leftover bits into a new quilt with a little different take.

I’ll call it On Target.

Just as with any quilting I learned some things.

The amount of linen and shot cotton meant some stretching would occur and my choice of quilting didn’t help. As I reached the smaller outer edge with my “V” things started puckering. If I was to do it all over again I would stitch in the ditch between the blocks that create the “V” shape and then go back in between with the fill lines on the blocks. This likely would have stabilized it a bit more. I was also lazy on switching directions when quilting the same side and this certainly didn’t help.

But let’s not take things too seriously, it’s just a quilt.

On the back I showcased an Alexander Henry print that I love. This was all I had of it and I’m continuing on my path of using what I have to create quilt backs.

The binding I made twice. I wanted to reproduce the feel of the original quilt and selected the light blue with out auditioning it. Poor choice. This quilt needed the drama of the dark purple.

(Thanks Rachel of Wooden Spoon for the photo;)

I finished it up just in time for Anja and Paul of Island Quilter to take it with them to Quiltcon for their booth.

This year was Quiltnon for me, but three of my quilts made it;)

AND I have another layout in process to add to my Psychedelic Baby Quilt Block workshop samples.

I’d think it might never end, but I’m officially D-O-N-E with this color way.

Happy Week Peeps!

(p.s. thanks to my friend Krista for being my quilt holder;)

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;)

::Throwing Star Pillow::

February 2, 2015 By Katie

That leftovers thing happened again. Hexes turned into triangles, and now I have another shape to show as an example in my triangle workshop with a hexagon shape center to boot!

The stars turned out pretty wee by the time I cut them from the left over hexes.

The precision I’m pretty happy with, no paper piecing involved for those of you that asked, just 60 degree triangle piecing.

I floated them in Essex Linen.

These prints are favorites and deserved some limelight.

The diamond shape the quilting forms was simple enough to execute.

And it matches the pillows on my couch;)

Finished off with my Invisible Zipper Tutorial.

The weather couldn’t be any more perfect for quilting and if my child’s mood this morning is any indication of how most of Seattle is feeling today I think I’ll make the best of it and stay home to sew.

Chin up Seattle.

Happy Monday;)

:: Double-Trouble Take Two Quilt ::

January 26, 2015 By Katie

As I’m making one quilt I generally have block cast-offs and another design lay out evolves. That’s just what happened with the leftovers from the Scrappalicous Double-Trouble Quilt I made a while back.

What I call the Double-Trouble block is a half-square-triangle with an improv Stitch and Flip triangle on one side. Merging the two triangle techniques creates a block that is both controlled and chaotic. The Swirling Medallion quilt we made in Quilting Modern has the directions for the Stitch and Flips and my tutorial for hst is combined with my value quilt tutorial.

This time around I thought I’d try out the squares by turning what I had on point and giving them some space to breath. I love the scrappy controlled sets.

I tried my best to create the whole quilt, even the background with scraps. There’s a mix of flannel, muslin, and other neutrals that I used for landing the improv triangles. Anything goes for the triangles, voile, flannel, home decor and corduroy are all present.

I failed on using left overs for the binding. This small scale print from Alexander Henry’s Farmdale line was perfect.

I could have adjusted my neutral squares in some places with a larger size, but keeping everything to 3 1/2″ squares created more texture and depth.

The backing is another old Alexander Henry. Shocking I know.

One of my goals this year is to have my backings consume cast offs from the front and fabric from stash. This challenge so far has led to creating some backs that I’m rather smitten with. Unfortunately I don’t have a current full shot to show you what I’m talking about.

The quilt hangs at Island Quilter on Vashon Island for the month of January with other lovelies made by my peeps in the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild. Go take a ferry trip!

Happy Monday Peeps!

::Double-Trouble Take Two::

January 26, 2015 By Katie

This time around I thought I’d try out the squares by turning what I had on point and giving them some space to breath. I love the scrappy controlled sets.

I failed on using left overs for the binding. This small scale print from Alexander Henry’s Farmdale line was perfect.

I could have adjusted my neutral squares in some places with a larger size, but keeping everything to 3 1/2″ squares created more texture and depth.

The backing is another old Alexander Henry. Shocking I know.

The quilt hangs at Island Quilter on Vashon Island for the month of January with other lovelies made by my peeps in the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild. Go take a ferry trip!

Happy Monday Peeps!

:: Side Hustle Quilt ::

Hearts Value Quilt

Side-Lined Quilt

Patchwork Box Pouches

Alignment Optional Pillows

Split Personality Christmas Quilt

Diving Geese Quilt

On-Target Quilt

New York Beauty Pillow

::Throwing Star Pillow::

:: Double-Trouble Take Two Quilt ::

::Double-Trouble Take Two::

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