Back to batiks...

My artist friend, Morian, got married last month. She's been such a great inspiration to me since I first saw her lively and colorful pet portraits. I think I first met her at the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar a few years ago. And it turns out she also works where I used to work back in the late 1990s.

Once I discovered her wedding date, I knew I wanted to make her a quilt. I also wanted to use batiks because they are so painterly in tone and they'd be a natural for her. If nothing else, it would go with the batik fabric bowl i made for her a year ago.

Adapted from Villa Rosa Designs' Tulsa Town pattern, I jogged the centerline to minimize matching seams. The rusty red background was a repurchase of a batik I loved from and used a couple of years ago in the Garden Gate quilt I started at Quilt Camp 2011.

The back wound up being large expanses of even more of my favorite batiks.

One of the little details I worked into the front was a Dr. Who TARDIS. When Tom first saw the top's layout, he thought a TARDIS would make itself right at home. I chose these swirls and he later told me it was just the right choice because apparently there was a Dr. Who episode/image pairing Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and the TARDIS. I have to take his word for this because I just have not been able to sit through an entire episode.

Charity quilt tops...

At my local quilt shop, Quiltworks, there are bags filled with charm squares to be put together for Infant Crisis Services here in the Oklahoma City area. Volunteers share the tasks for all phases of quilt making. While groups of quilters get together to share the work, they also let us sign out bags to be sewn at home and returned. I picked up a couple of bags in the summer.

The first one was pretty straight-forward and went together without much ado. It's a big part of my process to build my quilt tops/backs on the computer first. This means photographing one of each color/pattern, then building the top digitally in Illustrator or Photoshop. They're both apps I use in my professional world (graphic design) so using them is second-nature to me.



The second packet presented more of a challenge. The theme was dogs and it even had a few Snoopy squares. So I got busy playing around with what I had. I was amused by just this many iterations of the same 48 squares.

This is the 'winner.'


These got returned within a few days. Other volunteers will handle the quilting and binding. I also have a couple of Christmas packets and although they're photographed, I have not 'built' the tops (digitally) yet. Santa's gonna be making that list soon, so I'd better get in gear!

This Bento Box variation top is a charity quilt our guild is working on. It got started at a Sew Day in September and I volunteered to finish piecing the top together by assembling the last three 16-block rows. The batting and backing are lined up and it's heading to the quilter soon. It'll make a bright and happy addition to someone's life.

Herringbone...

In mid-July, a pal in my quilting guild posted a photo of a herringbone-patterned quilt made with half-square triangles. It got me to thinking I'd like to make one. So I checked out a few more online and started laying out my own. The design evolved through a couple of different color palettes and I finally decided to use those two moda Comma charm packs I had on hand. (Little did I know 
when I bought the second one that I already had the first.) I also had a few fat quarters in the same line. What I think I really 'made' this design was using the solid yellow gold and lime green diagonally in the background.

I started cutting and piecing the top together within a couple of days. As I joined the squares to later split diagonally, I dangled them from a wire grid like fish on stringers. What a great catch!

I also came up with an easy way to accurately trim my HSTs by modifying one of my square templates.
Over the next week or so, I finished the top and started planning the backing. I used up some of the last remaining charm squares and finished with big lime commas.

I knew I wanted its quilting to be special. I strongly considered my usual choice of stitched patterns but wasn't 100% over the moon about any of them. In mid-August, I was in Quiltworks (who am I fooling, I'm in there lots!) and came across so perfect quilting on one of their samples. I made arrangements to meet Wendy Wells and delivered my quilt to her on August 20. By September 5th, I had it back in hand.

I finished binding it (more orange!) by September 20.

I think it's my favorite so far!

Consolation prize...

Back in May, before giving this quilt to a friend (she was right, it DOES go with the colors in her new house!), I decided to make this next one for myself. It's one of the first times I saw a quilt top at Quiltworks and immediately bought the pattern and the fabric on the spot. The pattern is Off Track, and the fabric is combined lines from Parson Gray (Curious Nature and Seven Wonders). Oddly enough, I'd bought a few fat quarters of these lines in December 2012 and more in March 2013. I'd certainly say the look grew on me.

Once I got the top pulled together, I had the thought that it would be perfect for another friend of mine who has a real appreciation for great color and texture. Wait! This is the one to take the place of the last one I just gave away. I've still got it but it may find itself heading west, someday.

Wanda also quilted this one for me. I am just loving having someone do the quilting. By the time I get to that point, I am ready to have it done and am happy to let someone who knows what they're doing and can get it done quickly, for not too much expense, finish it off. I am a bit on a kick of using orange-red for binding these days.

What's next? Kelsey's Birthday Quilt!

Trifecta...

(Forgot to post this on August 22nd!)

Three quilts done, Done, DONE!

One was finished and delivered on July 12. Another given as a birthday present on July 14. And, for now, the third one's MINE!

I started the first one earlier this year. You've seen it here before. People on Facebook are probably sick of seeing it. What's really changed is that I decided to give it to a friend AND I found someone to do the machine quilting. I didn't realize what a huge difference this single factor would make in my output.

I met Wanda Pinkerton-Holley quite by accident. I was at Savage Quilter for some fabric and Wanda was in there offering to quilt some charity quilts shortly after the May 20th tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma. She recently moved her home and business, Expressions in Quilting, from the the Wichita area to be closer to her daughter and grandbaby. Because I'd only had one other quilt quilted by someone else (Stars over Bali Skies BOM), I was not first-hand experienced with edge-to-edge computer-generated quilting until I visited with Wanda in early June. Within only a few weeks, she did these three for me! If 'done is better than perfect,' nothing's better than DONE!

I've got another in the works, just delivered to the quilter. I'm trying Wendy Wells, who has done lots of the model quilts at Quiltworks. I saw one the other day, and the interlocking circles pattern was perfect for my herringbone top. That'll be my next post.

(I'll show some details of these three, plus the fourth, in my post.)

Stuff for OKCMQG...

Madrona Road Challenge mini-quilt

As I mentioned in my last post, OKCMQG was participating in the Michael Miller Madrona Road Challenge. While initially set up as a (national) Modern Quilt Guild challenge prior to QuiltCon, ours is an unofficial spin-off, and smaller—under 24" x 24". We were provided several fat eighths (9" x 22") of fabric from the line (and I bought a little additional yardage to complete my design). We were permitted to use matching solids, but only patterns from the line. To avoid inadvertently copying someone else design, I made it a point to NOT look at other challenge solutions online. (See note below.)

I decided on my design pretty quickly. The idea was to create a macro version of their Broken Herringbone pattern. I chose to use one pattern for each of the solids in the pattern. The 'big' detail I insisted upon was replicating the precise angles and proportions of the original. Most of the time, one would use 90-degree angles for this kind of layout, but THIS pattern was 95 degrees and I was determined to match it! After more work in Photoshop and Illustrator than I should probably admit, I discovered a big error in my layout and had to modify that. I was reminded how often our brains fill in what we think we see even when it's clearly different from what's there. Perception becomes reality, for sure.

Under the heading of 'save everything,' I used an old (bought it in college) adjustable triangle (once used for hand lettering and drafting) to cut my strips. Shown is how I substituted each solid for a pattern. Once I got all of the top pieced, I had a nice wide strip left over that I used for the backing. I did simple straight line quilting. As it worked out, the front and back layered nicely and, seen below, there's an interesting translucence. Yay!

After finishing the mini quilt and before showing it off at our April meeting, I finally looked at the other challenge solutions online. Here are three of its siblings. Even though there are just a few from hundreds created, maybe there's really nothing new under the sun. I enjoyed it all the same!

Here are some of the challenge pieces shown off the other night. Emily showed hers off in March, and Shana did TWO, but I don't have photos.

Cuppy cake!

One of the girls in the guild had her birthday last week. She loves cuppy cakes. I promised her a special treat because I couldn't get her a real cuppy cake for her birthday. It's mostly knitted, but the whipped cream was crocheted. I made a few adjustments to the pattern due to yarn thickness. Pearl-top pins make this an even cuter pincushion! Happy Birthday, Shana!

Next post—my foray into paper piecing my newest Block of the Month subscription!

Closer to done, and just beginning...

I'm happy to report Juggling Summer Shortcake quilt top is done! A couple of weeks ago, it was still a computer image. It went together pretty easily. Once all the blocks were done and I laid them out on the floor following my computer design, I knew I wanted to rearrange the single-pattern ones. I'm pretty pleased with it. I've no idea when I'll finish (back, quilt, and bind) it, or where it will find its home, but I'm glad to have this much done. I'm also liking the idea of photographing against a stockade fence. (This appears to be a popular option of which I just recently became aware. Thanks Amanda and others.) I've tried indoor options up until now—the hot tub cover, a folding screen, and a slide projector screen. So, weather permitting, I'm liking this option as long as I don't mind the wind. Hey, it's Oklahoma, folks!

For at least a couple of months, I've been wanting to check out the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild. They hold their monthly meetings the same night as another sewing group I've been considering. Last Monday evening, I held to my plans of attending an OKCMQG meeting and found it to be quite delightful. I knew a couple of the members in person and a couple others via their blogs or Facebook. Lucky me—it happened to be the night they were sharing the swag they brought back from QUILTCON in Austin, Texas, February 21-24. There were great stories from the event, and I'm already dreaming about the next one in 2015! (They spoke highly of the lectures which are now available for FREE on Craftsy!) Some brought some truly beautiful show-and-tell items. I also enjoyed that members spoke of their favorite fabric lines with the same glee and excitement I've been known to possess. (Posessed—that's me!) Within 24 hours, I signed up to become a member. Tah dah! 

One of the projects OKCMQG is doing their own Madrona Road Challenge—theirs a mini-quilt using several fat eighths from the line supplied by Michael Miller Fabrics. I picked up my bundle of fabrics last Friday and came up with what I wanted to do pretty quickly. As usual, I worked out my design on the computer first—Illustrator and Photoshop. I took three good stabs at it, refining details along the way, and I am finally happy with my layout. I have some of the fabric cut and still need to go buy some solid white to use as a background. We're all bringing our submissions to the April meeting. I can't wait to see what everyone else has done! I expect to get it put together in the next few days but may wait to post it until after April 8th. I'm pretty excited about it!

OH, and I almost forgot to mention it—I signed up for The Local Quilt Block of the Month at Quiltworks. It's that wonky piece with those fabrics I love from Carolyn Friedlander. So, starting in April, I'll have another something to keep me company for nine months. (I'm still thinking about creating some blocks based on my own homes over time.) It's lots of paper piecing and I've only had limited experience with that process in a class I took in May 2011. Here's to jumping into the deep end—head first!

In the works...

This is the Photoshop layout of the quilt I'm working on right now. The pattern is Shortcake and it's made for jelly rolls. I am using the Zen Chic Juggling Summer jelly roll I bought about five weeks ago. I discovered/fell in love with the fabric line just before this past Christmas and used it it two of my favorite pieces.

Quiltworks offered a class in this quilt pattern but I decided to download the pattern online and set out on my own. I wanted a 'modern' vibe, so opted for using a medium gray as my neutral—new concept for me. This is the second quilt top in a row in which I've used significant areas of solid color(s).

Although I've managed to streamline the process a little, it's a bit more tedious than quick-go strip piecing. Yesterday, when Savage Quilter (moved two doors north into far more spacious and better lit space) had its 5th Birthday sale, I bought the fabric for the binding. I haven't really thought about the backing yet. I've only done a dozen blocks so far. I'll keep you posted as it comes together.

<— Oh, and here is the original pattern. It's a much different and daintier look.

I'm in love...

There's a new line of fabric in my life. It first crossed my path when I saw the upcoming Quiltworks BOM. I liked the quilt pattern but didn't really NOTICE the print until a week or so ago. Since then, I've fallen hard.

After a hard search, I have some in my hot little hands. I found a jelly roll on Etsy and it arrived today.


It's called Architextures, designed by Carolyn Friedlander. Of course, I love the architectural elements, but even more so, it reminds me of the old textures we used to use in graphic design—Formatt, Chartpak, Letraset, and prestype—and all the old art board mechanicals we did in the dark ages, before computers/desktop publishing. Nostalgia!

The new BOM program does not start until April, and I haven't yet committed. Instead of standard piecing techniques, it uses paper piecing and I wouldn't mind learning more about that. When I first saw this quilt pattern, before I really looked at the fabric print, I was thinking about designing my own using this as a theme. Mine would have representations of homes in which I've lived over the years. I sketched out a couple and think it's all doable. So, do I buy their BOM and do it their way; customize it; or buy the fabric on my own and do my own thing?

Right now there appears to be a scarcity of this line fabric. Quiltworks is getting theirs in soon and says they're getting extra bolts to accommodate backing yardages. What shall I do? Ah, decisions, decisions.

It's a bird, it's a frog, it's a cat, it's a bat...

It's Super Houndstooth! I came across this mega-format look back in January and knew I wanted to make it someday. It's much easier to discern when looking at the whole quilt (below).

My inspiration for this was a pattern by V and Co. The pattern was available to purchase via download, but I opted to work it out for myself. An though it's quite dramatic in high contrast colors or black and white, I've seen it done in a multi-color palette of bright prints as done by Kim Lapacek, from her pattern by StudioCherie. She has used hand-dyed and batik fabrics. Be sure to check it out—it's a completely different 'vibe' and is quite striking! It reminds me of a beautiful watercolor painting.

At the right is my Photoshop-generated planning image. I think I've mentioned before that, so far, all my quilts start out as a digital Photoshop file comprised of scanned or photographed fabric. It helps me to work out different issues and processes long before I start rotary cutting my fabric.

This wound up being 9 x 9 blocks of 5-inch (finished) squares. There are 25 solid brown; 16 solid pink; and 41 diagonal 4-piece blocks. I was delighted to discover the 4-piece blocks are identical, only rotated 180˚ to work on a brown or pink row. Tah dah!

I can hardly wait to meet Miss Cairo and give her something she'll have as she grows up. The backing material is called Pine Boughs. I am also thinking I might want to get names embroidered by someone with that capability. My appliqué work is not what I'd like. By the way, these were all fabrics I bought on our May 21st stop at Prairie Quilt in Hennessey. We were up in Perry for the high school graduation of Luke Andrew, who is soon on is way to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs this month. We ambled our way back home via Enid and Hennessey for each of our shopportunities—Tom at a plastic model shop in Enid, and mine at Prairie Quilt. Compromise is good!

One of the things I've done with these past four quilts is make a 'mini' for each—maybe the size of a block or two—in this case about 11 x 5.5 inches. I use scraps of the same fabrics (top and backing) and batting. On each, I try out different stitching options; play with binding; adjusting tension; thread tests, etc. On this one, I even made some notes! It's great having a 'practice space' and have a keepsake memento, if it is a gift quilt. Of the five quilts I've completed this year, three left our house as gifts. I think that's a pretty good percentage! I love getting to share this creativity with my family and friends!

It's fortunate I finished the quilt when I did—this is what was left when I finished using a decorative stitch securing the binding. I'm still using Coats Cotton for most of my piecing and quilting. Occasionally I use some Gutermann or Mettler but I guess I'm a cheapskate. One of my Bernina teachers recommended using the those because they're made in Europe just like my machine, and are apparently twisted opposite of Coats & Clark. Maybe someday I'll take an up-close look at it.

It's been a busy day. Overnight, I signed up for a Freemotion Quilting class at Sooner Quilts in Guthrie. A friend of mine said she was taking it and it sounded like a good idea. I also discovered the teacher is someone I worked with 12–14 years ago. Today I had the chance to visit Quilter's Corner in Midwest City where I bought four new fat quarters. On the way home, we stopped by Oklahoma Quiltworks and they had my June BOM ready. And when we drove up, I saw my first online order from fabrics.com on my doorstep. Whew—what a day! 

Time to go play with my fabric!

A Big Quilt for a Little Lady...

It started with a need for a gift and an idea. I was browsing my favorite quilt fabric shop and got all the way to the wall of books and magazines this time. Up until now, the fabric entranced me so, I don't know if I noticed there were books and magazines along the back wall. Tunnel vision, no doubt. After several minutes of leafing through a dozen publications, I came across Quilts Made Modern. There were several of the 10 designs I liked, but the one that really got my attention was this one called Loft. I don't know if it was its graphical pattern, the colors they used, or the waves of stitching. Let's say it was all three.

Could this be the one I make for my special gift? Sure—why not!? So I bought the book—did I really spend THAT much for ONE instruction book? Oh. well, got it closer to filling in my frequent customer card.

After spending quite some time not finding just the fabric I wanted, I decided to check at Hobby Lobby for fabric. This was a mixed blessing. Yes, I finally found some fabrics that worked together just as I wished, and they cost a bit less, but I was soon to discover a bit of the disappointment in using less than high-end fabric. Live and learn!  Although pink and brown are the planned nursery colors, I decided to look a little farther down the road. What if I made a quilt that will last a little longer than infancy—something she can use after the crib.

I choose contemporary bright pinks and greens for the top and binding. For the backing, I found a darling pink and white toile of vintage Mother Goose rhyme characters. As before, I scanned some of the fabric and roughed out the design in Photoshop to use as guide. After some calculations and instruction edits and print outs, I started cutting the pieces. The process involved stitching together long strips in to blocks and then cross cutting the assembled pieces into blocks.

It went together pretty quickly, but needed a little custom touch. I used my Cricut/Gypsy to cut out fabric fused to Wonder Under to spell out her name; fused the letters to the bottom right corner's block; and satin stitched the raw edges. I also dotted the 'i' with a heart. How cutesie! Instead of using straight pins (albeit ones with flat heads), I tried safety-pinning together the top, batting, and backing this time. They worked great and kept the 'quilt sandwich' very stable through the contortions of my version of machine quilting. I also used an all-cotton batting. I was (just barely) able to stitch everything together on my ever-faithful Lady Kenmore. Instead of a fancy overall stitching pattern, I opted for stitching the ditch and it's all held together beautifully.

I am making more home-mades and I want to 'sign' my work. Hey, they may become someone's heirlooms some day! I came up with the idea (am certain many have done this before me) to use iron-on transfer paper printed off my inkjet printer. This is how I signed off Miss Cali's quilt.

All that's left is to give it to her momma. I can hardly wait! I'm pulling together this post beforehand and will publish after she has it in hand. Cali, you've got a great family waiting for you! Jamie, Jace, and Chris—we love you guys!