Quilts

:: 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

February 3, 2019 By Katie

All the Christmas stuff is down in the basement still waiting to be put away, but the upstairs is rocking its Valentine. I’m sure Jefe is fully enjoying the amount of quilted heart patchwork in the house right now;)

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos of this shape that might have recently surpassed the amount of stars I’ve made. Above is a stash busting quilt made with my Value Quilt tutorial, which is the studio’s featured February workshop.

These Splintered Hearts pillows were left overs from making my Have a Heart Quilt.

If you make enough pillows they all start working together;)

My Improv Crazy Piecing workshop called Crushed It has become one of my favorite to teach. You can make different shapes of course but I love the look in the heart shape. I’ve got a Saturday workshop this month going on with this fun block.

My love of Crazy Piecing started with a bunch of leftovers that became this quilt. Someday I’ll get a good photo of it. The background is amazing.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some finished projects with this shape and I’ll spare you knowing the ‘in process’ amount.

When I can manage to steal some time alone in the studio I’ve been getting some new workshops together. You’ll find a little improv mixed with foundation piecing and the precision traditional curve piecing gives you in Round and Round.

Have a good Valentines Peeps. May your heart be happy. xo

:: Seeing Stars ::

September 21, 2018 By Katie

I’m certainly feeling a new season coming on here in Seattle. Gardening and seasonal cooking seem like kindred spirits to quilting so I’m always torn between the studio, the yard and the kitchen. Luckily the weather has started cooperating by providing us inside time with a squall here and there, and peppering in some sunshine and those huge fluffy clouds I love so much. I want time to do it all, so the weather has been good at compromising.

If you’re living in Seattle during the winter it’s crucial to have indoor hobbies. My Seattle peeps must be feeling the same desire to shift back to the indoor sort and are coming out of the woodwork to cultivate new ideas in Open Studios and request workshop dates.

I’m picking up the bug myself. I’ve been traveling around for months to lectures with the binding half done on my Seeing Stars Quilt and finally caught some couch time to finish it up.

If you’ve taken my improv strip piecing workshop Psychedelic Baby the triangles in this quilt might look familiar. I made the large star from my triangle cast off blocks we create in Psychedelic Baby and now have enough samples for running the Part II workshop.

This in studio workshop will focus on improvisational or traditional layout and design using the blocks from the workshop’s first session.

Here’s the original quilt called Full Tilt that I made with the blocks from the first workshop.

Other quilt examples for this Part II workshop are,

the Intersected Quilt,

Skewed Symmetry Quilt,

and my No Know Quilt.

Some are more improvisational in design and some are simply triangles sewn into rows. Easy to choose a design that works at a skill level you’re comfortable with.

Somewhere along the way stumbled upon a large star layout and decided it was a perfect design for my triangles’ placement.

Keeping with my tradition at this point I pulled from stash for the back. I have a love affair with this Alexander Henry fabric and have some pillows around with it that are in the household rotation.

The binding is a double binding so that the quilt would have a little framing and the quilting is a grid of straight lines.

I really like how it turned out and there’s a bit of star twinkle in some of the fabrics that have silver threads running through them.

A new quilt is always a welcome addition to lectures and for feeding interest in workshops and I’ve got a few of those coming up. October has some opportunities to visit me outside the studio and even the state. I’ll be at Quilting Mayhem teaching my Improv 101 | Coin Quilt.

If you live in Oregon I’ll be at the Stitchin’ Post teaching Psychedelic Baby October 18th and Double-Trouble Triangles October 19th. My Thread Talk is at 6:30pm October 17th; classes are 9AM-4PM. I’d love to see you!

With October being pretty full I’ve stuck mostly to Open Studios, but as always if you see a workshop you’re interested in email me and we’ll find a date that works:) Happy Weekend Peeps!

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.

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;)

Double-Trouble Restitch Quilt

October 4, 2016 By Katie

So I kind of reincarnated this quilt. It really is the original Scrappalicious Double-Trouble quilt I finished up in 2013. I provided a blog post around the same time featuring only a few of the wonderful design layouts you can create with this improvisational quilt block. I am always amazed when I look around at the design walls in this workshop and see the amazing designs people create with such a simple block.

To remake this quilt I took out all the quilting, removed three seams, switched around some rows, and sewed it back together. I know, a little crazy. Some things take more then one try to deliver favorable results. It’s a little wonky around the edges and one row too long, but better in my opinion.

It just kept telling me it needed simple straight lines, but I guess almost all my quilts do now a days.

The thing about quilting or practicing any art is sometimes the finish is so satisfying, and sometimes…well, it’s just kind of ‘meh.’ But all these finishes lead to the next great idea. Besides discovering that I should never remove quilting ever ever ever again, I learned a couple of new things. One, I don’t think the imprint from the long arm quilting will ever really dissipate, and two, any quilting that has sharp points to it creates really tiny stitches at the turn that are strong and difficult to remove, even with my Quick Seam Ripper.

What I do know is that I still love myself a scrap quilt. Every little bitty one;) You can see more of this block if you want, I’ve collected some of those images here.

Happy week Peeps!

:: Psychedelic Baby Quilt Top | Improv Strip Piecing ::

September 13, 2016 By Katie

Regardless of the pile of quilts in need of quilting, I’ve got a finished quilt top to show you! Another using what I call the Psychedelic Baby Quilt Block. It has just the right amount of improvisational technique mixed with a traditional on-point layout. I can’t seem to get enough of this string block, so after teaching this workshop for a bit now I’m trying to wrap my head around fabric amounts to make a quilt pattern.

Where I get my color way inspiration for my quilts is a common question. Since I’ve had a languishing half-written post about the various avenues I take for gathering it, I’ll just share a bit here and there as quilts come together. Like my last quilts of this nature, this color way was out of my comfort zone (step away from the purple Katie;).

For this version I found inspiration in a Land of Nod catalog. I often go this route because it gives me an opportunity to work with color combos that are trending or not on my radar. I’d recommend subscribing to catalogs that lean towards modern design (or traditional for that matter) and just like the endless bucket list of quilt ideas, you’ll never lack for a mixology of color. I generally rip out what catches my eye and pin it to either my quilt design wall or my Color Way Pinboard stocked with art, quilts and randomness, all inspiring.

Once I’ve got a color way solidified I try to shop from my fabric stash as much as possible and fill in the holes from there. I try to think of it as a good challenge when I run out of fabric and mix something I have in (even a shade or tint lighter or darker). Though not as drastic as some, this quilt had that going on when it came to the white. I supplemented some white flannel and off-white adding some texture and depth.

These blocks are BIG (15″ x 15″), and come together so quickly. The fun really is in seeing this block represented in each student’s fabrics and how excited they get about what’s happening on the design wall as the blocks are created.

This month I’ve got out of town students coming to take the workshop while on vacation in Seattle. Because I needed new step-outs to teach, them coming provided me with the perfect excuse to play with another color way. This time around the colors actually work with something in my home. I tease I get my color out when it comes to making things. You’ll be seeing this block here soon with a little twist and a binary scheme.

Because of the method in the workshop we actually can create two quilts (like my No/Know Quilts) at once. These blocks are great for teaching paneling and free-piecing. I hope to show you them soon as a finished quilt.

You can see more of the Psychedelic Baby block in use here, here, here and here😉 and I’ve added one more Saturday workshop to the website.

Happy week 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;)

Merry Moderns (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;)

#Bestofflickr

September 23, 2015 By Katie

My trip to Walla Walla to be the featured artist in their yearly quilt festival was amazing thanks to these lovely ladies. The show was one of the best I’ve seen as far as creativity and talent. Their guild will certainly be hard to beat for most friendly and easy going. Must be all the wine;) Thanks also to all the students from past workshops in the area that stopped by to say “hi” and share their finished work;)

I don’t generally take my computer when I travel so I spent some time on Instagram here and there. The hashtag #bestofflickr seemed to be trending and made me think of posting some of the quilt photos shared on Flickr over the years. It also made me a little nostalgic for the time when social media seemed a bit less vast and Flickr wasn’t trying to be so flashy.

I browsed through this morning and here’s my top ten.

One of the first quilt tops I ever made was What a Bunch of Squares by Denyse Schmidt. I quickly figured out that templates were a waste of time, but the quilt remains one of my favorites as does the photo. A wedding gift that is likely falling apart do to so little quilting on it.

This pillow and photo are just so sunny and cheerful. One of the first attempts at improvisational patchwork I ever did. My niece still has it.

Funny that I went back to making pillows for samples for my improvisational workshops because it’s where I started. This was one of the first.

Pantone Pop quilt made Flickr’s explore page. That was a load of snow for Seattle.

Riding the ferry home and binding a quilt after teaching in Victoria.

The lushness of our old backyard in this picture is lovely with the red and purple of my Seam Ripper IPA quilt. Softest quilt ever.

Roan as a wee guy rolling around on my favorite magic numbers quilt I call Scrappy Sunshine.

Love these detail shots.

Psychedelic Baby quilt front and back.

Remake of Shattered from Quilting Modern. Quilting by Krista Withers.

I love how Value Quilts photograph and they remind me of my quilting beginnings.

Seattle Lone Star, also quilted by Krista up on my old neighbors carriage house doors. Those doors made a great backdrop and it’s likely my favorite Flickr photo.

AND that actually makes the top eleven.

I’ve got this week to catch up, next week to teach some classes in the studio and then I hit the road for the San Juans to lecture and teach. I’m hoping to get some weekday classes up too. Look for them next week or drop me an email if you want to schedule something.

Happy Week Peeps;)

Night Owl Quilt Finish

March 30, 2015 By Katie

I’m here to show you today is my Night Owl Quilt.

At one of my lectures this week I got a bunch of questions from an attendee about my Night Owl Quilt. Typically I can send someone the link from my “Quilts” page where I post all of my finishes when they want photos.

Night Owl Quilt was MIA from that page.

So as I ran out the door for Roan’s field trip I thought to grab it and my camera for photos on the morning ferry commute and make use of my minions.

The design is a pattern called Supernova that is published in our book Quilting Modern.

I think quilters are drawn to reproducing this quilt pattern due to its simplicity of technique and construction. I come across its remake online more than any other quilt in the book.

The softness quality is exactly balanced for me on this quilt. Soft colors, soft Essex, wool batting, Osnaburgh on the back, and just enough density of an organic quilting pattern all add up to perfect.

The only thing I wish I would have added are the spin-offs into the background. There’s always something;)

I really love how the design allows you to play with just about any fabrics you’re in love with, including novelty if that’s your thing. I’ve always been drawn to this Alexander Henry owl print and used it as my starting point, layered fabrics from stash as I built out.

Quilting swirls=Starry Night.

I love these colors. For some reason I’m smitten with the binding pick on this one. Something about the small scale tone on tone and the color of this fabric attracts me to hoarding it. You can try to find it, but I’m pretty sure I bought it all so you couldn’t;)

There it is, Night Owl Quilt has landed on my Quilt page!

If anyone has suggestions of a graphic designer that does logos I’m in the market. Please only someone that has a real business, with a questionnaire to get us on the same page with design and fresh looking portfolio;)

Happy Monday Peeps!

::Week In Review::

March 17, 2015 By Katie

I was rather nostalgic traveling to Victoria last week to talk and explore all things quilty with my hosts the Victoria Quilters’ Guild and some members of the Victoria MQG. Jefe worked on the Coho ferry between Port Angeles and Victoria for many years and Roan and I would occasionally go see him on board.

When we docked in Victoria this image of Roan pretending he was waving to all the fine people of Victoria popped into my head.

And reading in the wheel house.

It was a happy image to start my trip with.

I can never say enough about the hospitality of guilds and The Victoria Quilters’ Guild was exceptional;) It was marked with wonderful conversations, amazing creativity in workshops, and learning experiences. All wrapped up with a little “quilt fluffing” at the border.

My Victoria friend Jo-Anne drew me this Zentangle as a souvenir of the trip. The hair, boots, quilts, the “A” and socks…the whole thing is perfect. This is getting framed and going in the studio.

Big thanks to my friend Marianne of The Quilting Edge and Jo-Anne for entertaining and feeding me. So fun to hang out away from home and feel so happy and comfortable with good friends.

I travelled home Friday, taught again Saturday and regrouped Sunday and today so I can start it all over again tomorrow.

While I was gone amazingness happened in the studio. Jefe completed the electric, as well as hung and wired the lights. He put in the windows quite some time ago. Hunting for a door with windows and flooring is next.

I didn’t really want a closet, just good functional storage, so he build me a nook that holds two of these shelves to house my fabric. I’ll try to keep my fabric collection limited to that;) Now that I think about the niche I wanted at the top, that will house fabric dust and hopefully some rolled quilts. Originally the side niches were going to be walled to hide some structural stuff, but he made storage room there for me too.

This whole wall will be design wall. Everyone needs a padded room;) I figure when students come I can roll laminated backed design walls down over whatever I’m working on to provide them with their own space.

Jefe thought of things I never would have thought of, like being able to open the door and step in onto a platform rather than straight down some stairs. This corner I envision a little food/tea/coffee station.

I’m finding that I need things complete before I can envision a practical and functional set up. Luckily I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work in unique spaces and know what works and doesn’t work for me.

Of course I’m collecting my Studio/Garudio Pinboard, but I would love suggestions if anyone has any in making the space more efficient, what they couldn’t live without, etc…

I’m loaded up again for my week.

Happy Monday Peeps. I managed to post.

Have a great week;)

—————————————————————————————–

Thursday’s Improvisational Curves class is full, but if you were wait listed or just interested you can contact me (sewkatiedid@gmail.com) to attend another workshop on Curves this Saturday with the Mukilteo Lighthouse Quilters’ Guild.

March Open Quilt Studio is full, but there are a couple spots in my monthly Medallion/Magic Numbers Workshop and one spot in my Strip Piecing Workshop on the 24th.

We’ll hold our last Open Quilt Studio at Island Quilter on Sunday, March 29th until they find their new space. Keep current by following their Facebook page.

:: Side Hustle Quilt ::

Hearts

:: Seeing Stars ::

Hearts Value Quilt

Alignment Optional Pillows

Double-Trouble Restitch Quilt

:: Psychedelic Baby Quilt Top | Improv Strip Piecing ::

No Know Quilt/s

Merry Moderns (Split Personality) Christmas Quilt

#Bestofflickr

Night Owl Quilt Finish

::Week In Review::

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