value quilt

::The Livudio::

August 14, 2013 By Katie 28 Comments

I love touring studios, so when Jennifer of Ellison Lane and Heather of the Sewing Loft asked me to join their studio spotlight tour I jumped in. You can follow along too for prizes and other studio spotlights.

I think my fascination with others spaces started when I was little. Driving around town I would daydream that I could go into people’s houses, nose around AND then leave with just one item. Now it would probably be your finest fabric, but then it was some cool lamp, plate or piece of furniture. I liked decorating I guess.

‘Livudio’ is my family’s portmanteau for our living room/studio shared space. Ever watch, Cribs? Where that NBA player that might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, nor decorating genius says, “This is where the magic happens.” The Livudio is that creative place (not in that NBA magic way) and though small I’d take it over that NBA player’s tacky house. Inspiration happens here and on ocassion a game of softie soccer.

Good things can happen in small spaces.

I work in an efficient U-shape. Sewing machine in the middle, a swivel to the left is cutting and to the right ironing.

My design wall is my most important tool and has gone through several reincarnations. You can read about building your own like it in this post.

Since I have a deep appreciation for traditional design and a crush on modern there are generally a few designs happening.

Honestly, though this wall is permanent, it is not an eyesore, but more like a revolving art piece.

But before I had something permanent I needed walls I could roll up and take down. You can read about that system here if it is more fitting for your space, especially if you like to have multiple projects brewing…never right?

I store what’s rotating on the design wall here along with my sit and sew kit.

Our small home keeps us from buying unneeded things, though I can’t say that about fabric.

My stash has to live in closets in other rooms, but this is good because it keeps me from just staring at it and getting nothing done. I’m good at wasting my time without adding that in. I guess I could say that I can stare at it from bed if I want and my overactive brain helps me get up.

(photo by Chara Michele Photography)

Smaller cuts on one side and yardage on this side.

I like to stack fabric under the window until I remember I shouldn’t start another project, so I put it away and then immediately start another pile. It hides the crack in the wall too, maybe I should just patchwork that wall.

I use my stash for sure. I love finding places for the fabric people are afraid to cut into. It’s so much more fun to see it around the house. I make pillows constantly.

I use my invisible zipper pillow tutorial. It’s simple, quick and uses fabric, all good things. These with the red make the red wine stain on the couch look more like a reflection of their color.

My other tutorial is a Value Quilt tutorial. This is a great quilt for using ANYTHING in your stash.

In this wee space I cowrote Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts with Jacquie Gering and I plan and create for teaching quilting workshops so if you think it’s space that’s stopping you, then I think I hear your momma calling.

Here are my Flickr, Pinterest and Instagram, or you can have posts delivered to your email by following that little link in the sidebar up there if you want to follow along.

Thanks for stopping by! Studio continues with links on Jennifer and Heather blogs.

Thanks Heather and Jennifer!

::A Few Class Updates::

July 16, 2013 By Katie 5 Comments

A few updates for my local peeps. I’ve been in full swing summer and haven’t done as much marketing as I should.

Open Studio at Drygoods is TONIGHT (Tuesday), not Wednesday this month.

The class this Thursday at The Quilting Loft is Supernova or the stitch and flip triangle technique. I’ve actually been itching to get back to some blocks I produced before we settled on the large block version of Supernova for the book. This mock-up so far has small Supernovas and will be a repetitive block version of the quilt.

Due to a quilt finish what’s left of my Heather Ross Mendocino fabric is limited to two bags of scraps. I’ve moved on from hoarding to enjoying fabrics in quilts! I’ll of course add some other goodies, but the stitch and flip triangle is a fabulous technique for using up the most beloved scraps.

I’m also aiming to trim a huge pile of valued half square triangles for a Saturday Value Quilt Class at the Quilting Loft for students to play with.

Looking to refine some skills or become a quilter, than you can jump in with my Barn Star quilt class at Drygoods. I love this simple quilt and it can easily be translated to improv or repetitive blocks.

We’re also running one of my favorite classes on the 28th at Drygoods, Modern Crazy Piecing. This technique is super fun and can be added into all sorts of projects.

Ok, off to the lake!

::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.

::Quilted::

April 19, 2013 By Katie 20 Comments

The Stash Archive Value quilt just needs binding. TGIF!

::Value In, Value Out::

March 27, 2013 By Katie 9 Comments

Funny how my design wall has enlarged, yet I still need more room. My plan is to create four squares on-point for this quilt to take it to my Seeing Value Workshop on Tuesday as a new sample.

This quilt is a long overdue thank you gift.

I’m holding a lot of medium value fabrics in my stash which leads to a blended look. While I like the low contrast I still need to move some stuff around to make the corners of the squares a little more defined. Rectangular would be fun too, maybe just three long ones.

Value Tutorial is here and more examples if you can do without the drive.

Off to Open Quilting Studio for the day! Happy Wednesday.

::Design Wall Play Date::

February 16, 2013 By Katie 10 Comments

I woke up early this morning and finished the last few seams on my Star-Gazer Quilt top. It’s cute, simple and I love the colors. I really need to make it outside for some photos to bring out the baby blue.

But instead I opted to stay indoors and play with that bin of unfinished projects I was telling you about.

The values could use some rearranging, but I love seeing stash in one place. These blocks and eventual quilt will become a gift for someone who helped me out a few years ago. It might get some gray cut in like this. To be decided at a later date.

I only put it up to take it right down, but it was enough to get us reacquainted with one another.

And another kind of triangle is taking shape. I got a bit more of it up before the sun went down. It most definitly needs some more dark crimson to make it shine. I’m curious of its final outcome. It’s already quilted in my mind. This will be a quilt for me! All these favorite fabrics couldn’t possible leave my presence. Because Jefe might likely not go for sleeping under mermaids, it might have to be my couch quilt backed in flannel.

Then for good measure I cut this leftover starburst to bits. It might never turn into a thing, but sometimes when I don’t know what to do with something I think, “why the hell not?” Coin quilt popped into my head, but I just bagged it for now.

I also waxed every square inch of my body that needed less Alaskan in its life and got my brows done. I’m ready for Quiltcon.

Are you?

::Design Wall Awesomeness::

January 24, 2013 By Katie 35 Comments

Please ignore that large looming pile of laundry that’s engulfed my couch, I am.

Instead, focus on my new design wall!!!

It’s gray flannel. My friend Anja says it is the color that Kaffe Fassett requires on his design walls when he does workshops for her and heh, I wouldn’t question him. AND it blends in so well with my current gray walls.

I’ve been loving my dual design wall system (above) for years now, but the Livudio (living room/studio) needed some refinement.

I briefly mentioned using foam board a few months ago to Jefe and he was all over it. I love my husband.

Jacquie and I covered options for design walls in Quilting Modern including my dual system and how to create a foam board one too if you want to make one, or google it, there’s options out there.

We placed two insulation boards together, connecting them with Gorilla Tape. I wrapped the boards in flannel that I bought on sale (here) so there was no piecing with this large of a scale and again taped it to the back. I used the areas of tape to secure the staples, though this was probably overkill I wanted it to remain in place for sure.

We snipped holes for the screws in the flannel and drilled through the flannel and boards into the wall. Before its final placement we removed the whole thing, plus screws to place anchors in the wall. Secure and here to stay it is!

I wouldn’t have thought of these things on top of the screw heads on my own, what ever they are called. Thanks Jefe!

I’ve been playing with these blocks a bit for my Slice and Insert block Workshop coming up and need to settle on a baby quilt size design.

I’ve been noodling my way through taxes and with a due date of a week from today, I’m certain not to get much use out of this wall, but I can look at it. Even Jefe has commented on its good looks.

I highly recommend you go all ‘Parks and Rec‘ on a design wall and “Treat Yourself!” You’ll feel so good. And if you don’t know what I am referring to then you have a new show to watch while you sew.

Happy almost TGIF.

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—————————Open Studio Quilting Dates/Times—————————-

Need help with a quilting project? Open studio dates:

Wednesdays (2nd and 4th of every month), February 13th and 27th from 11am-3pm at Make*Do*Mend.

Friday (last Friday of every month), January 25th from 5-10pm at Island Quilter on Vashon Island (sign-up required).

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FULL!

~~::Magic Number Quilt Workshop::~~

~~$85 Saturday, January 26th from 10am to 4pm at the Island Quilter on Vashon Island.~~

Learn this system of using block sizes that fit together automatically for flexibility in quilt design. We’ll cover fabric selection and how to create a more traditional or improvisational looking quilt design. Great for all levels of sewists. 1/4″ foot required.

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::Split Decision Block Workshop::

$85/ Saturday February 2nd from 10am-4pm at Make*Do*Mend in Ballard.

Play with the slice and insert technique creating a modern quilt that features snippets of your favorite fabrics. This is a great class for all levels of sewists that want to explore a new technique and play with design. All levels welcome! Machines and tools provided.

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::Stepping Stone Block Workshop::

$85/Tuesdays, February 5th and 12th from 6-9pm at Make*Do*Mend in Ballard.

Two nights to explore the creation of your own quilt designs utilizing improvisational strip piecing in a log cabin quilt block. We’ll cover this improvisational patchwork technique while you construct blocks for your own quilt design! Please note this is a two-part class with attendance required for both sessions. A copy of Quilting Modern is required.

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::Half-Square Triangle LOVE Class::

$85/Saturday February 16th from 10am to 4pm at Island Quilter on Vashon Island.

This versatile quilt block lends itself to endless designs. We’ll cover quilting basics such as picking fabrics, matching seams and create perfect points. We’ll play with a layout that suites your style and you’ll walk away with ideas for a multitude of quilts. All level of sewists welcome.

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::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.

::Crawling Back into Bed::

November 20, 2012 By Katie 18 Comments

Too much going on, but all good. Just wanna crawl back into bed!

When things slow down next week I’ve got some quilts to show ya.

Sunshine today in Seattle!

::Stitch and Flipped Value Quilt::

October 21, 2012 By Katie 15 Comments

Value (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) is used in EVERY quilt, though not always successfully. You can play around all you want with color schemes (analogous, complementary…), and color temperature (warm and cool), but value is still going to be what you need to create design.

I wanted to play with value in a scrappy way that was different from my half-square-triangle Value Quilt Tutorial and thought of stitch and flip triangles as an easy place to start. The technique is one of my favorite in Quilting Modern.

Overall this quilt’s values ended up being very medium to light. The contrast created by the values was in no way extreme. The values created a softer, mellower look.

There are some places in this quilt where there isn’t enough value contrast. Giving myself some distance from the quilt would have been helpful to see that.

In the end though, I can embrace those learning mistakes and see that this quilt is perfect for a baby. And that little yellow rosebud fabric in there…I had those sheets as a kid.

This quilt also made me take a look at my overall stash building. Lights, I am deficient on lights. We all know how to take care of that little problem don’t we?

This little Value Quilt was thrown on the long-arm when I visited Sandie last week to quilt my Modern Charm Squared Quilts. The spiraling pattern was challenging to trace smoothly from the paper pattern I followed.

Sandie told me something she had heard that stuck in my head. “It doesn’t have to be a perfect line, just a pretty line.” All washed and crinkled, be it so.

The backing is from the stash. An older Alexander Henry that is just like sunshine.

The binding, a Cloud 9 flannel that I got from Drygoods here in Seattle.

This Value Quilt has already found a great home. Those babies keep coming.

I’ve now made about a million of these hst with stitch and flip triangles which I call double trouble. I’m not very enthusiastic about them up on the design wall, so I have some create thinking to do this week.

Happy Sunday!

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::Half-Square Triangle Class:: $85/Saturday October 27th from 10am to 4pm at the West Seattle Stitch and Sew Studio.

::Adding Stitch and Flip Triangles to Half Square Triangles::

September 4, 2012 By Katie 18 Comments

I had to take these off the design wall to focus on what really needed to be done.

I started fiddling with the idea of using scraps for half-square triangles with stitch and flip triangles during my Swirling Medallion class. This simple technique from the book lends itself to so many designs.

I went with a small sized square so I could use up even the smallest of favorite scrap fabrics.

They are ideal for chain piecing. Think of it as an ongoing project in between all those others. I simply have added a stack of white squares to my sewing table and as I produce scraps from other projects I add hsts to the mix.

I think on-point might be what I go with and I’ll mess with them more before I teach the Stitch and Flip Triangle class and the Psychedelic Baby Block Class that will cover this technique and more.

It would be fun to play with value a bit more, but the process itself is so gratifying as you watch it grow. Rather addictive I would say and always fun to see those out of print fabrics that you have miniscule amounts of on display in a quilt.

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::Improvisational Strip Piecing Workshop:: $85 Saturday, September 8th, 10am-4pm at Island Quilter on Vashon Island.

An all day workshop to explore the creation of your own quilt designs utilizing improvisational strip piecing. We’ll cover this improvisational patchwork technique while constructing blocks for your own quilt design. All level of sewists welcome. Quilting Modern Book required.

::New Homes::

August 6, 2012 By Katie 11 Comments

I’ve got quilts in closets, quilts under beds, quilts on beds, quilts hanging in stores as class samples and two bowls full of quilts that are used daily in the living room. Most made by me, some created by my Mom and a few tied quilts by Jeffrey’s Grandmother that he used as a kid.

I’m a true believer in quilts being used, so some of mine needed to find loving homes.

The baby cross quilt stayed somewhat local. Safely delivered to a new baby in Spokane. The new mother, a dear friend of mine is a true lover of fabric.

The free-motion orange peel quilting on this is so fun and the same that I used on the Leftovers Quilt below.

I don’t think I’ve ever meet a charm square quilt I didn’t like and all the extra 4.5″ squares from my Scrappy Sunshine magic number quilt needed a home. Leftovers will travel back home to Northern Ireland with my niece Ella this month.

My sister-in-law Allison scored HST LOVE for her living room. I’ve still got the similar Pantone Pop for myself.

The first Unknown Direction traveled to LA to live with Alissa’s new baby.

Roan’s remake of it now lives on his bed, so this quilt still is with me in a way.

I’m sure more will find homes as the pile increases again, but I do have a few that will live with me forever. What do you do with most of your quilts?

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Flip Triangle Quilt Class

« Previous Page

value quilt

::The Livudio::

::A Few Class Updates::

::Stash Archive Value Quilt::

::Quilted::

::Value In, Value Out::

::Design Wall Play Date::

::Design Wall Awesomeness::

::Like A Mix Tape::

::Crawling Back into Bed::

::Stitch and Flipped Value Quilt::

::Adding Stitch and Flip Triangles to Half Square Triangles::

::New Homes::

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