SewKatieDid

Because thread is the best glue

robert kaufman

::Almost Done::

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A HUGE thanks to all friends, family, blog followers, students, fabric whores collectors and excited quilters that popped into the Quilting Loft for the book signing.  It made my day and I was one happy camper.  It wasn’t till I sat down for dinner that I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day.

I’ll get some photos collected from my friends for a future post of the fun day.

Now onto the final push to finish last-minute things before my Island Quilter exhibit reception on Friday!  I finished off the quilting on Psychedelic Baby this afternoon before I went to work.  I really wanted this quilt in the exhibit.

As always, I quilt faster in my head than in real life, so I had to set aside a few ambitious quilts and suppress those ‘I want to start a new quilt’ feelings.

Psychedelic Baby only needs a binding.

I’m thinking the red.

Whatcha think?

I feel a new class coming on.

::Modern Quilting Everywhere::

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First I found the modern block of the month that Handmade by Alissa is doing over at Sew Mama Sew.

July’s block finally gave me a mission for my Flea Market Fancy.

I always wanted to make a simple charm quilt out of it (which I cut for too), but this block seemed fitting.

So guess what I finally did?

That’s right, chopped it all up.  Eekkk…it was a little scary, but the reality is there will always be more fabric I want and this has been sitting for…oh about 7 years.

The quilt will likely loose its modern edge with the more country feel of the line, but I thought that might make it stand out from what others make.

I just need a background color now.  Suggestions?  I was thinking Kona Pond or Ice Frappe for a fresh, but more traditional look.

I’ve been trying to design a quilt based on this above and wasn’t getting results so the timing couldn’t be better.

Deciding on a layout adds to the fun.

On the same day Alissa Haight Carlton and Kirsten Lejiniek’s book Block Party landed on my doorstep.

And then my life became an info commercial, “but wait there’s more!”

I received this mail virtually from the Modern Quilt Guild.

Hop over and check out the guidelines for submissions.

Truthfully, the timing of all this couldn’t be better.  I’ve been feeling rather uninspired lately, struggling with anything coming together on my own.

Well, sometimes you just need a little juice from others to get you moving.

Last night in my improv triangle class the juice kicked in and I came up with an idea.  This morning I did some mock up blocks and think I figured out how to make the vision a reality.  So I think, yeah, I have a potential submission.

Are you joining in?

::A Little Rain, A Little Shine::

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The day started with rain and ended with a little sun.

It seems fitting this summer in Seattle to be appliqueing a raindrop here and there.

My Sheets of Rain whole cloth quilt has a few now and has become my companion as I sit on the sidelines at various kid summer lessons.

I have a puddle full of raindrops made to add.

I’ve enjoyed picking the scraps from my favorite long gone fabrics for each raindrop.

You can see the process I use to applique them here.

Those appliques come in handy for covering up the free-motion-quilting mistakes.

I love the little bit of shine the yellow flannel adds.

Here’s what it looks like so far.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the rain shower grows.

Though I’m far from ever teaching free-motion quilting I see this as an addition to my whole cloth quilt class with applique potential follow up.

My students and I had a load of fun in my whole cloth quilt class last month.  I made this chevron style one right along with the students to show them the various steps.

The orange stitches sunk into the pink flannel nicely.  I can’t recall the maker of this flannel, but it is super buttery and thick.

The stripe and binding fabric are old Amy Butler’s that had lost their appeal for making their way into a pieced project, I’d just had them too long I guess, but worked perfectly in this quilt.

Now I have another to add to this one as my class examples or for that next special baby.

 

I’ve enjoyed making these so much that I created a Whole Cloth Quilt Group to showcase them.  I hope if you make one you’ll add it.

Now I have plans for one on my bed!

 

::Modern Snippets Improvisational Coin Quilt::

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I added a coin quilt class to my teaching schedule and needed a sample for those that choose to go with a more modern or improvisational design.  An improvisational design will give students a chance to practice free piecing, angle piecing, strip piecing and design layout.

I still have a place in my heart for traditional design when it comes to this quilt and am going to raid my scrap bins to recreate my Colorway quilt too, but first things first.

I wanted to show you my original fabric picks for this quilt.  I think it’s important to audition snippets of fabric on your design wall when planning a quilt and I can’t think of a time when all the prints I pick in the beginning work their way into a finished project.

I actually cut into my fabrics and stand back from my design wall to see how they are mingling.  This is especially easy when working with one solid background color, I simply pin that up first.

If they don’t work the bits go into the scrap bin and I go back to my stash to try to find something new.  As I’m digging in my stash I think about leaning a bit more toward one color or another, eliminating distracting prints, do I need larger or smaller pieces to make the print work, or whether I have the values I need to create more or less contrast.  Then I cut some more.

In this instance only the elephants stayed and I went with a different color way of the spiral.  Sometimes I even sew up a block and end up with the rotary cutter or seam ripper.

As far as the design…that generally just evolves.

Don’t be scared to jump in and experiment!

That’s how this quilt came to be.

Little loops and circles meander along the quilt.  I let it develop rather organically and filled in where needed.

For the binding I went with a subtle print that reads solid from a distance.  I’ve had it in my stash for a while and since it is a sock monkey textured look it seemed to fit the elephant theme.

I loaded up on the Alexander Henry Entertaining Elephants from an Etsy seller at $5/yard for backings and easy whole cloth quilts.

Of course with improvisational piecing you general have some leftovers.

Those are nice for adding some interest to the back.

Yeah!  It’s so happy.  Off it goes to the shop as the sample.

I hope your day is sunny.  I’ve got a friend coming over for a visit to sew and going to try to quilt this quilt.

Happy Tuesday!

::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 Progress::

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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::

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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

::hst love::

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I wanted to diverge from the traditional half square triangle with one solid and one print for my half square triangle class.

Ara Jane  came along to guild with her hst quilt and I was hooked.

On my last trip to the island I stacked some bolts at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  Most are Kona with one shot cotton thrown in.  Purples, teal, light blue, light green, gray and white.  They play off one another perfectly.

If you are in the market for solids, Kathy Mack is my one stop shop.

I also scored this Lush for backing at half off.

After consulting my quilting expert (hee hee) I have a quilting plan.

I mopped and scheduled in some back/knee injury time,

also known as basting.

After removing the table from the kitchen for the process I’m also realizing that I need to schedule some repaint the baseboards and sew new curtains to replace those that are beyond faded.

One task will go on the honey-do list and the other will give me an excuse to buy fabric.

I hope I love the quilting as much as I adore the top!

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destash

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

::Sunday Stash/38::

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I was cleaning out the other day and ran across a stalled project made from  Robert Kaufman’s Hot Couture line.  I fell hard for the purple blue colorway and quickly leaped into this project with Denyse Schmidt’s quilt in mind.

This was just as I was discovering that making blocks of improvisational nature via a pattern was just too time consuming.  I started to branch out and just go with the shape and technique rather than the exact design.  Plus, this large print loans itself so well as a focus.

One block is missing, but a few more and this could easily be a baby quilt.  I’ve been pulling these little projects to work on at the Modern Quilt Guild meetings.

I wish I had yards of this, it would make some fine pillowcases for my periwinkle bedroom.

::A Zig and a Zag::

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My family shuffled by me at 6:30 am wrapped in quilts to watch Germany and Argentina play.  We are all piled on the couch, Me=Happy.

Elio’s quilt is done.

My Mom and I tag-teamed this one for a family friend.  Our first collaborative quilt.  How fun.  I did the piecing and sewed on the binding, she quilted it and sewed down the binding while I was in KC.

And the half square triangles are still piled from Roan’s quilt.  I am so happy with both of these that I think a large zig zag is in the future for Roan.

Since I lost all control on E-bay and “won” (insert my husband saying “purchased”) all the Amy Butler flannel dot at an insane price I’ve used it here again for binding.

Storybook was another E-bay auction score that I used for the back.  Added some flannel space people to widen it.  My Mom did a stitch in the ditch zig zag that shows nicely from the  back.

Hope you like it little Elio!

::Seattle Modern Quilt Guild::

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I have been trying to form a Modern Quilt Guild of good people to come together and quilt for some time.  Life has gotten in the way for many of us to make it happen.  Let’s try to connect!  Many thanks to Alissa for her leadership and spreading the word!

I formed a group for us to communicate.  If you would like to keep up to date with The Seattle Modern Quilt Guild and be an active member you may join HERE.

I have quite a few projects on my plate presently and would be more than happy for some people with some leadership skills to step up with this baby.  We could also brainstorm on a location that would be happy to hear the hum of machines.

Looking forward to the creative ideas!