triangle quilt

::Throwing Star Pillow::

February 2, 2015 By Katie 22 Comments

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::

January 26, 2015 By Katie 26 Comments

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 Quilt ::

January 26, 2015 By Katie 26 Comments

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!

::Swim Sister Quilt::

January 22, 2014 By Katie 33 Comments

I said I was going to catch up on posting finished quilts this year and here’s the start. It does help in finding the extra time when you’re wide awake at 4:30am.

My intension was to use the Heather Ross Mendocino line and make a quilt for myself.

I cut the line all up into BIG 60 degree triangles after seeing a quilt made by Patchwork Notes (her blog is private now) and placed it on the design wall. Mine didn’t have the same appeal at all. So I started again by pulling the blue and brown prints from the mix.

The beauty of stash building is a successful quilt is achievable without leaving home and sometimes it’s happy hour:) I collected my potential pile and cut a few to place. A little Amy Butler, Kaffe, Violet Craft, Alexander and some yummy crimson, orange and mustard prints. As usual I have some prints that didn’t work, so I see another scrappy quilt in my future.

As I cut my quilt kept growing until I found my design wall loaded with a queen size. I bypassed Jefe and made a solo household decision to go for a bed quilt. I figured what man wouldn’t want to sleep under mermaids with starfish as pasties?

Sandie and I quilted it with swirls, which I knew from experience on Nicquelle’s quilt would be amazing. I don’t go outside in winter unless I have to, so this is the only photo of the back I have, but it is a mix of flannel and a selvedge to selvedge of the large mermaid print running the length. It feels good to use it up!

The seaweed just seemed right for finishing it off with binding.

There you have it, the first of my finished quilts from 2013 that have remained unposted. Only five more finished quilts to post, one zillion unfinished projects to finish and two closets of fabric to use up and I’ll have accomplished my 2014 resolutions. I clearly won’t have time to work out.

I’ll have to plan another with the blues and browns that I have cut and waiting.

If you follow me on Instagram, I’m still destashing 6″ square sets. Currently I’ve got sets of green available with black next, then I’ll start all over again with pink. If you’re interested email me at sewkatiedid@gmail.com. I can also put you on a list for a certain color when they become available.

::Stash Archive Value Quilt::

June 16, 2013 By Katie 25 Comments

I’ve been busy cutting and trading charm squares. The Seattle Modern Quilt Guild conducted a charm square exchange and then I’ve been exchanging with friends to add some print variety to my charm collection for an upcoming Value Quilt Workshop.

We’ve been pulling a single color and cutting 6″ squares for the trade. Red, pink, orange, yellow and purple have been covered. Grey tomorrow. I’ve been destashing some extra sets here and there on my Instagram if you are looking to bulk up on some extra of a certain color.

Some of those charms have made their way into this stash quilt. How delightful to see all the fabrics from my stash and others in a single quilt, no control on color, just value.

Now that I have a few of these value quilts, it’s nice to gaze at them and see the fabrics that have disappeared from my stash. A Value Quilt is really a great tool to archive a fabric stash.

Since it kept growing and growing, finally finishing off queen size I decided that an all over quilt design was the way to go and made a date with Sandie to use her long arm. I’m not even sure what this design is called, but it seemed so fitting.

This was my first foray with wool batting. I like it’s loft. It has little grip on the quilt top like cotton, so it will take some practice like all new things.

I considered serging the edge before applying the binding to help with the shifting, but ended up just going the regular route with little trouble. This Aneela Hoey print was stuck in my head as the binding.

This Alexander Henry Smitten Kitten print has been hiding out in the stash for ages. I picked it up for $6 yard on Ebay ages ago. I’m still stashing the blue color way for another back.

It’s actually a print that I would have happily used solo if the yardage was ample, but it needed some width, so I added the blocks.

With the nights in Seattle still being comfortably cool we’ve already gotten some use out of this quilt.

Happy Father’s Day everyone! I’m going back to bed, because I got up way too early.

::Modern Crazy Piecing Play::

May 3, 2013 By Katie 23 Comments

I’ve had two quilts in process for Jacquie’s and my crazy piecing class on May 22nd at Island Quilter.

I almost scratched this one, thinking it didn’t have enough dark values, but you know what? No dark values=softer mellow feel and for a baby quilt that’s just perfect. Everyone loves a mellow baby.

I had to confine myself with some masking tape on my wall to keep my size down. My tendency is to get larger and larger.

With the floor freshly mopped I basted it this morning and didn’t even have to move the table out because of its wee size.

I have a HUGE tote full of neutral scraps and I crazy pieced a load of those into the background as well. It just needed something in those zones.

I’m thinking sky blue vertical lines for quilting. I want it to retain it’s soft drape and I only have cotton batting, so I’ll have to refrain from getting them too close together.

Then I couldn’t resist putting this up on the blank design wall. All of it except the four rows that won’t fit. Triangles are Saturdays class. Large it will be. My original plan was a lap quilt, but dreamt of it on our bed…then I thought, what the hell, what man wouldn’t want to sleep under mermaids with sea stars as pasties?

It needs some rearranging and those extra four rows, but I like it, all scrappy and such.

Roan’s been on the couch for three days with a virus, so my sewing time and catching up with him on Dr. Who has been steady. If you’re an Instagrammer then I have also been destashing. I’m here.

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The Flip Triangle is a day-long workshop where we’ll get you off to a great start in creating a modern quilt with sharp points and design. Choosing fabrics for high impact, proper technique for cutting and successful piecing of triangle blocks will be covered. Great class for beginners, but all levels of sewists welcome.

Experience: all levels welcome; great for beginners

Date: Saturday, May 4th 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Drygoods Designs in Ballard

::Like A Mix Tape::

January 17, 2013 By Katie 15 Comments

This morning as I was pulling out samples for my Seeing Value Class on Saturday I was listening to KUOW. They were covering the closing of Easy Street Records on lower Queen Anne. At age 15 I got a work permit so I could work at my local record store, so their expose brought back a lot of memories.

I don’t remember my first 45, but in my rural Michigan town, taking our allowances and riding our bikes to the pharmacy to buy candy was slowly replaced with picking out something from the top 40. Sadly, dancing to 65 Love Affair sticks in my head (but was better than Jolly Ranchers on my teeth) and that the purchase of my first album “Thriller” came much later.

I figured out the last actual album I bought was Bebel Gilberto’s Tanto Tempo, maybe 9 years ago. Since my marriage and move to Seattle, KEXP and my husband have become my music libraries and I don’t think I have to fill you all in on where my mad cash goes.

So what does this have to do with quilting?

Remember the mix-tape (some of you might not)? The idea was to create a play-list of your favorite songs, and if you were good at it, you could fit all your favorites within the 45 minutes each side of the cassette allowed while creating a flow to the music at the same time.

Really not unlike a value quilt in many ways.

You have a certain amount of space you want to fill or a certain size to your finished quilt. Luck would have it that unlike a cassette you can choose your length.

In the case of a value quilt you have many genres of fabric that you love and you need to create a flow to make all those personalities blend.

The common theme, instead of being music is fabric and when the value of the fabrics is precisely placed a flow is created, just like a good mix-tape.

Sometimes, just like a mix-tape, you forget to hit pause in time or in the quilt’s case, you didn’t step back to check in on how values were blending and you lose the flow. That’s what happened in the middle of this zig-zag and I just decided to leave it.

Of course mix-tapes were made for different people and the design layout of Value quilts can reflect the receiver too. Zig Zags aren’t for everyone, just like Pearl Jam.

I won’t even get into low volume, that would be just too metaphoric.
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::Seeing Value Workshop:: $85 Saturday, January 19th from 10am-4pm at the West Seattle Stitch and Sew Studio.

Learn how color value can transform your quilt making design process. Create multiple designs with your newfound knowledge of value and simple half square triangles. All levels of sewists welcome.

::Whole Cloth Quilt Finishing Class:: $85/Tuesdays, January 22nd and 29th at Make*Do*Mend in Ballard. Quilt top, batting, and a backing…baste, quilt, and bind! Learn the essential basics of finishing a quilt without piecing a thing! Create a simple crisp modern baby quilt while learning the process. Quilting designs with a walking foot will be a covered. Walking foot required.

::Christmas Shopping::

December 4, 2012 By Katie 6 Comments

So fun to hear everyone’s memorable stocking stuffers on the last post! Thanks for sharing.

This year in our house if you leave Santa the traditional gifts of a Guinness, cookie and a nicely printed note you might get:

Life savers Book
Project to keep little hands busy
Jar of Marshmallow Fluff and Nutella
Pecans

Sunday I spent an awesome afternoon perusing and buying handcrafted gifts at the Urban Craft Uprising. There are a few vendors I like to support yearly. I also ran into a few Seattle Modern Quilt Guild people.

I then bee-lined it to Drygoods Sunday. For fabric of course, but the plan is to gift it as wonderfully crafted gifts.

A needle book is in the works with some Storybook. BECAUSE, be still my Heart, Niece Ella is getting a sewing machine for Christmas!

I doubt she needs inspiration, but she certainly needs a place to store her tools. Sew She Sews has a great tutorial if you need some guidance.

sewkatiedid

I’ve been wanting to do the Everyday Bag from Heather Ross’s Weekend Sewing with this flowered corduroy for some time now.

Maybe the Tula Pink for the interior, or faux bois in dark green. Any tips from anyone who has made this? It seems pretty straight forward, but I’m thinking something weighty like Essex linen might drape better or adding a muslin lining.

Some infinity scarves are in the works, this flannel paired with some voile. Voile still to be researched and colormatched.

I fell in love with this Alexander Henry in my Modern Charm Quilt class. My friend Anne combined it with some fabulous fabrics. This one is just because I needed it for my stash.

I’ve got a few gifts done,

sewkatiedid

and a trivet nearly there, just some binding to sew down while I start my Arrested Development marathon tonight. It’s been awhile.

sewkatiedid

Today gifting must be put aside to finish a sample for my Double Trouble Quilt Block Workshop. As usual, my small baby quilt evolved and I am going to spend some time creating some more blocks. It needs some width.

sewkatiedid/double trouble

Hoping to have a photo tomorrow of a finished quilt top.

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flip triangle

::Flip Triangle Quilt::
$85/ Thursdays, December 6th and 13th from 6-9pm at the Quilting Loft in Ballard.

A modern quilt with sharp points and design. Learn the proper techniques for cutting and piecing this equilateral triangle block. Choosing fabrics will be covered. All levels of sewists welcome.

::Opposing Triangles Remake Quilt Top::

September 17, 2012 By Katie 8 Comments

Time for a remake of Opposing Triangles for Krista. I couldn’t procrastinate it any longer with her exhibit at Island Quilter right around the corner.

We collaborated on the fabric and I went with cutting a bit differently, but overall, the design remained the same.

Oh, and it took a load of pins to get the white outlines to align, plus some quality time with the seam ripper.

All of this was good practice for my improvisational elongated triangle class. I learned a ton and have a few other designs in the works. I don’t think I’m going to make it to that new coin quilt or magic number quilt before those classes start. Hope some of you will want to join me regardless.

There’s something about these triangles that I just love.

The colors are very similar to the first Opposing Triangles, so of course I love it.

I dropped it off on our way out of town to Portland. I hung out with Jefe for our anniversary.

We did what every happily married couple does for their anniversary, we went to see a soccer game. Last year Vancouver, and this year Portland.

The in-laws all came, because that’s how it works. My sister-in-law and I sat snuggly in a suite and the boys with the Sounders crowd. It’s fun to hear the stories of the former teams from my father-in-law and apparently in 1975 in a playoff between the Sounders and the Timbers there were people in the trees outside the stadium trying to catch a glimpse.

Then we ate and drank ourselves through Portland. The weather was *%#!ing brilliant to boot!

I have three full days of work and then a load of quilts to bind.

Seattle Star is almost there, it was my road trip project.

Sunspots.

Point A to Point B.

Hopefully, I will be displaying some of them here soon.

Have a great week.

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I got ~~three~~ two spots left in my Improvisational Coin Quilt Class!

::Improvisational Coin Quilt:: $85 Thursdays, September 20th and 27th from 6-9pm at the Quilting Loft in Ballard.

No two will be the same. Learn improvisational techniques like angle piecing and strip piecing while creating a modern coin quilt loosely based on a tradition Chinese Coin Quilt Design. A great quilt to feature your favorite prints. All levels of sewists welcome.

::Magic Number Quilt:: $85 Saturday, September 22nd from 10am to 4pm at theQuilting Loft in Ballard. Pick your favorite fabrics and learn this system of using block sizes that fit together automatically for flexibility in quilt design.

::Seeing Value Workshop:: $85 Sunday, September 23rd from 10am-4pm at Island Quilter on Vashon Island.

Learn how color value can transform your quilt making design process. Create multiple designs with your newfound knowledge of value and simple half square triangles. All levels of sewists welcome.

::Seattle Star Quilt Top::

July 30, 2012 By Katie 22 Comments

I’ve been obsessing a bit over star quilts lately. My Star Pinterest board is overflowing and I was having problems deciding which design to start with. I’ve also set myself a little goal of clearing out some unfinished projects. I had a pile of stitch and flip triangles left over from designing Blind Copilot for Quilting Modern and thought I could kill two birds with one stone.

These little Stitch and Flip Triangles are addictive and a great scrap buster. You can just sit down and chain piece a bunch if you have a pile of squares at hand. I’d recommend going with the triangles on the larger side for this design if you were to give it a go.

So Seattle Star came to be. It is not unusual in this city to see just one or two stars in the sky so I thought the name appropriate. Traditionally the design is made with half-square triangles and charm squares into a 16-patch block.

Anyone know its name? I’d like to remake it with solids someday.

It turned out a good size for a little boy and came together lickity-split. You can get a better idea of the size in this photo below.

I contemplated a pieced boarder, but I think it would be too distracting.

Yesterday I picked up the backing. Now onto the hard part, how the hell to quilt it? I’m up for suggestions.

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::Flip Triangle Quilt:: $45 Thursday, August 9th from 6-9pm at the Quilting Loftin Ballard.

A quilt with sharp points and design. Pick your favorite fabrics and come learn the ins and outs of this block. All level of sewists welcome.

Unknown Direction Quilt Take 2

July 26, 2012 By Katie 17 Comments

It must finally be summer in Seattle. There just isn’t much time for sewing and it’s too sunny for photos.

But with Roan’s birthday here and gone, that unfinished quilt was calling my name.

I went with the same triangle quilting I did on the original Unknown Direction, but used citron and blue thread. This time I spaced the quilt lines out a bit and was so happy I did since it took a load of time.

I stitched in the ditch to form the first large triangle in the middle and used masking tape to mark out from there. To make sure quilting lines didn’t get out of hand, I would restart my measuring from the next stitch in the ditch line.

I made two quilt backs for this quilt before settling with a solo print. I’m not sure where the lesson is in that, except maybe now I have two new quilt tops. I bought the Anna Maria Horner flannel with this quilt in mind and it has got to be the softest flannel I’ve ever purchased. Good thing since I went overboard when I found the line on sale.

Color inspiration came from these vicious little monsters that Roan sleeps under and the colors of the Sounders FC uniforms.

Have you found the pace of your sewing to slow in the summer? Maybe I’m not thinking so much of curling up on the couch under a quilt with a cuppa tea?

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Wanna learn flipped triangles?

::Baby Lotta Quilt::

July 8, 2012 By Katie 21 Comments

After finishing up the top for Roan’s birthday quilt with isosceles triangles, I’m excited to announce that equilaterals are a cinch in comparison! No finicky seams to line up, and there were no problems sewing on the bias. I thought I wouldn’t like the shape as much as the isosceles, but they are cute!

The mix of double gauze, flannel, linen and quilting weight fabrics effortlessly came together. This is good news since I will be teaching this quilt at the Quilting Loft on Thursday, August 9th from 6-9pm.

Instead of making my own template, I went with the Super60 Clearview Triangle. My Mom bought it for me on Mother’s Day at Island Quilter.

There certainly are some goodies from my stash in this quilt. I was happy to see the last of the Lotus Wallflower find a perfect home, as well as some Anna Maria Horner flannel and Chocolate Lollipop. I love the Heather Ross in here, especially the Purple Moons and the Crimson Unicorns. Those I nabbed from scrap packs at Pink Chalk Fabrics. There is a touch of Erin McMorris and Kei Dots in there as well.

At Island Quilter the other night, I found some of the Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop I had used in the quilt top. Anja has it in all the colors, along with most of the line, but this was my favorite and will go on the back. Can you believe it isn’t Alexander Henry or flannel? I’m really breaking out of my box.

Since I have triangle fever, I started cutting scraps for another triangle quilt last night.

But after coming up with this diamond shape using value I’m off to grab a diamond-shaped template. I’m addicted to this simple shape, and still can’t wait to make this quilt with my Mendocino and another with my Christmas-themed fabrics.

There also has been talk of a star-themed Quilt-A-Long among the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild, so I’ve been pinning to my new Star Pin Board. So many quilts, so little time. Happy Sunday!

triangle quilt

::Throwing Star Pillow::

::Double-Trouble Take Two::

:: Double-Trouble Take Two Quilt ::

::Swim Sister Quilt::

::Stash Archive Value Quilt::

::Modern Crazy Piecing Play::

::Like A Mix Tape::

::Christmas Shopping::

::Opposing Triangles Remake Quilt Top::

::Seattle Star Quilt Top::

Unknown Direction Quilt Take 2

::Baby Lotta Quilt::

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