finishes quilting events and conferences
Blogger Bundle With Needle & Foot Fabrics and a Giveaway!
Posted on July 16, 2018
Browsing Category
quilting events and conferences
quilting events and conferences
Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century
Posted on January 18, 2018
Hi, and welcome! Today is my stop on the Modern Quilts blog tour, and I am so excited to tell you all about this beautiful new book, Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century!
First off, I just can’t say it enough — I am so excited to have my work included in a book — let alone a gorgeous one!!! Have you had the chance to get your hands on a copy yet? If not, let me tell you more about it!
Modern Quilts is the Modern Quilt Guild‘s brand new coffee-table book showcasing over 200 works by modern quilters. The photographs are full-color and some of the quilts are full-page, which makes it chockfull of inspiration and eye candy!
The book traces the history of modern quilts, explores the characteristics and influences that make a quilt “modern”, and honors the O.G. members of the modern quilting movement. I feel so honored that my Lincoln quilt was included in the gallery section of the book.
Modern Quilts is published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, and was curated by Riane Menardi, Alissa Haight Carlton and Heather Grant of the MQG. All proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Modern Quilt Guild, a 501(c)(3) organization.
Many of the makers featured in the book have participated in the blog hop. And there are still a few days left! If you would like to check out their posts, I’ve included a full list of blog participants below:
| Amber Corcoran | 12/13/2017 | Fancy Tiger Crafts |
| Heidi Parkes | 12/14/2017 | Heidi Parkes Art |
| Melissa Cory | 12/15/2017 | Happy Quilting |
| Penny Gold | 12/16/2017 | Studio Notes |
| Shruti Dandekar | 12/18/2017 | 13 Wood House Road |
| Amy Friend | 12/19/2017 | During Quiet Time |
| Paige Alexander | 12/20/2017 | Quilted Blooms |
| Angela Bowman | 12/21/2017 | Angela Bowman Design |
| Lysa Flower | 12/22/2017 | Lisa Flower |
| Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill | 12/27/2017 | Whole Circle Studio |
| Jacquie Gering | 12/28/2017 | Tall Grass Prairie Studio |
| Christa Watson | 12/29/2017 | Christa Quilts |
| Heather Black | 12/30/2017 | Quiltachusetts |
| Kristin Shields | 1/2/2018 | Kristin Shields Art |
| Krista Hennebury | 1/3/2018 | Poppy Print Creates |
| Cinzia Allocca | 1/4/2018 | Deux Petites Souris |
| Suzanne Paquette | 1/5/2018 | Atelier Six Design |
| Yvonne Fuchs | 1/6/2018 | Quilting Jetgirl |
| Ben Darby | 1/9/2018 | Hunts Patch Quilts |
| Nicole Daksiewicz | 1/10/2018 | Modern Handcraft |
| Kristi Schroeder | 1/11/2018 | Initial K Studio |
| Kathy York | 1/12/2018 | Art Quilts by Kathy York |
| Marla Varner | 1/13/2018 | Penny Lane Quilts |
| Brigette Heitland | 1/15/2018 | Zen Chic |
| Stacey Sharman | 1/16/2018 | Hello Stitch Studio |
| Stacey O’Malley | 1/17/2018 | SLO Studio |
| Kim Soper | 1/18/2018 | Leland Ave Studios |
| Steph Skardal | 1/19/2018 | Steph Skardal Quilts |
| Cheryl Brickey | 1/20/2018 | Meadow Mist Designs |
| Shea Henderson | 1/22/2018 | Empty Bobbin Sewing |
| Katie Larson | 1/23/2018 | Katie Larson Studio |
| Katie Pedersen | 1/24/2018 | Sew Katie Did |
I hope you do get the chance to explore the book. It really is incredible to have so much inspiration at your fingertips, and to see what immense talent exists in the MQG community! I feel extremely grateful to have been an individual member of the MQG for the past three years, and to say that I am now a founding member and the president of my local chapter, the Long Island Modern Quilt Guild. It’s been an incredible opportunity to meet other modern quilters, to learn from their experience, bounce ideas off of them, and share our work with each other. This book is just another example of the sharing this community fosters, and I’m so proud to be a small part!
Guys,
Its been a long time. A really long time. I have had no way to post about QuiltCon without feeling just the slightest bit embarrassed — like I was tooting my own horn or something. Every time I started to write about what really was amazing about QuiltCon — the quilts, the people, meeting my dear friend Michelle in person, getting to hear lectures and attend classes with teachers I’ve admired for ages, touring the SCAD fiber department, exploring a beautiful, historical city that I’ve never been to before, having lunch at The Olde Pink House, sew-lebrity stalking, taking a vacation by myself!!! — every time I started to write, I would get caught up in having to address. . . the ribbons. And then I felt like I was bragging. So I would stop writing. And then I never did.
So, after months have passed, I realize that that was kind of stupid. Like anyone cares! Everyone that reads my blog is so nice!! What am I worried about anyway?? Why let my blog sit idle because of fear. What a waste. of. time.
And that’s why I’m going to share some of my favorite moments about QuiltCon with you. And if you were there, you probably already shared some of these same favorite things (months ago, because YOU, unlike moi, are timely!). And if you weren’t there, then you probably saw all of this on other people’s blogs and you are so over it. But I’m gonna show ya anyway!
So without further ado, here is a play-by-play of my first ever QuiltCon. . .
8am that first morning. THIS HAPPENED! And yes, I am epically dorking out because Jacquie Gering hugged me and then handed me a handwritten note– from her!
(Let’s just pretend that the humidity in Savannah wasn’t atrocious for my hair — and that I look adorable holding my name tag with my little ribbon — instead of like Donald Trump on an airport runway.)
Immediately following the awards ceremony, I went straight into a 9 hour class with Heidi Parkes. (Secret: The class was awesome, but I didn’t do my best focusing in that class because I was really, really excited!!!!).
So the next morning when I woke up, it really sank in. I AM ON VACATION! I didn’t have to tie anyone’s shoes or ask anyone to go to the bathroom before I left the room! It was incredible!
Michelle and I took a trolley tour of the city, and, as I’m sure you’ve heard. Savannah’s architecture is amazing.
In the afternoon I took a guided tour of the Savannah College of Art and Design. This is a total highlight of the trip. Not only was the fiber department so inspiring (read: I was so jealous and wanted to go back to school for art so badly!) but I had an awesome group to tour SCAD with! I met so many awesome people on the tour: Hillary @entropyalwayswins, Laura @sonicstitches, Laura @laurahartrich, Valerie @valbetweenquilts, Betsy @betsy.vinegrad and so many others. Seriously, if you aren’t following these ladies already, then you need to be.
This exhibit by Chiharu Shiota called Infinity Lines was nothing short of incredible. It was like walking through the womb — and entirely made of red yarn!
After touring SCAD’s art museum and the fiber exhibit, we viewed the Pamela Wiley show and, HUGE BONUS, Pamela happened to be there!
That’s Pamela talking to Hillary — double sewlebrity experience — head explodes.
Here’s a view of the hotel from the other side of the river. Because, vacation.
Me with my quilt.
Here’s Michelle with her quilt in the show, Mix and Mingle. (p.s. – i’m convinced she totally color-coordinated her outfit to the quilt so that she’d look even cuter in this pic! Don’t you??)
Later that afternoon, I finally toured the vendor booths. I really love this quilt by Jen Kingwell.
And this paper airplane quilt in the Windham Fabrics booth.
Here’s a stalker photo I took of Anna Maria Horner, because I am a wimp and wouldn’t actually go up and meet her.
Adorable pincushions from the French General booth. I purchased an embroidery piece and some hand-dyed sashiko threads – my only real purchase of the trip.
Here’s a picture of QuiltCon volunteer and sewlebrity himself Dan Rouse @dsrouse showing the back of my quilt to someone.
The Olde Pink House is a legendary institution in Savannah and I was adamant I was eating there at least once. It did not disappoint.
Allow me to detail this awesomeness for you: Thats a BLT salad made with a fried green tomato, buttermilk dressing and chicken added on. It rocked my world.
Selfie on the bridge with Michelle (@frombolttobeauty) and Megan (@sweetfeetstitches)
And a shot of the ginormous freight ships that would pass our hotel window at least once, if not twice, a day.
Finally, it was time to head home. Here’s me looking like a goober bawling my eyes out when my kids ran to greet me at the airport.
And here’s me looking like a goober again when Elizabeth Dackson called to tell me that at that moment, Windham Fabrics was pinning the People’s Choice Award ribbon on my quilt.
Unreal. It was probably one of the most amazing moments of my life — you know, aside from all those other amazing milestones like getting married, becoming a mom, etc. Truly.
And there you have it. My version of QuiltCon 2017 only 1,000 months after it happened!
Since QuiltCon, Lincoln has been a part of the Best of QuiltCon 2017 Traveling Show. He’s already been to a few US shows and to Australia(!) and is next headed to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon.
I’m also excited to share that Lincoln will be a part of the Modern Quilt Guild’s first book Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century to be released in December 2017 but available for pre-order now.
He also has been featured in two magazines: QuiltCon Magazine (2017) and Modern Patchwork (May/June 2017) which also features an interview with yours truly and is available on newsstands now!
The Blogger’s Quilt Festival is back! I love this festival, because it provides an opportunity to learn about new bloggers AND get inspired by tons of quilty eye-candy! Win-win!
This year, I am entering my quilt, Neon Nova, into the Modern Category.
Neon Nova is the quilt I created for my son’s new room when we moved into our new house last year.
The design of the quilt is based on a quilt I had seen on the Urban Outfitters website a few years ago. There is really no record of it online except for this Pin. I played with the proportions and changed some of the colors, but overall, that photo was the inspiration that I worked from. The finished quilt measures approximately 63×90 (a generous size for a twin). The entire quilt is straight line quilted with 3/4″ apart lines.
The quilt-front is is made using solid Kona cottons — celestial, ash, white, indigo, and (of course) highlight. The back is a mix of the fabrics used on the front with mostly Carkai in Navy by Carolyn Friedlander.
I just love the way that it turned out! My son adores the quilt, too, and he especially loves when it gets love from the online community! He thinks his quilt is famous!
Thanks so much for stopping by! And for other recent projects, you can check out my Finished Quilts, Other Projects and Tutorials!
Enjoy the Festival!
finishes quilting events and conferences work in progress
2015 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop
Posted on July 20, 2015
Hi, there! A big hello to all who are visiting because of the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop! I’m Kim, and I’m not quite sure how to introduce myself — if I’m being completely honest!
To give you a little bit of history about me, I am a former attorney, who is now a stay-at-home mom to my three boys ages (as of this week) 7, 4 and 3. I am obsessed with the idea of a quilt as both a functional object AND art. I guess because of my background, I know that in the eyes of the law (copyright in particular), quilts are considered utilitarian objects. However, when a quilt is hung on a wall, it is really a piece of art. In most of those cases, however, art quilts are usually not washable, usable quilts. I am on a mission to blend the two concepts into one — a functional piece of art. It’s not really something that I see happening tomorrow. But I feel that it’s the goal that I’m working toward as a quilter and an artist. Creating something that exists in that gap between art and function.
My mom began quilting when I was a teenager. It was something that I considered old-fashioned and dorky (at the time). When I was pregnant with my second son, my mom gave me a sewing machine for Valentine’s Day. I decided to make a quilt for my baby boy-to-be, and as you can guess, I became hooked! From there, I made a few more baby quilts before moving on to bags, makeup brush holders, and ultimately the quilts that I’ve started making today.
Long Island Modern Sampler
One of my favorite quilts that I’ve made to date is the Long Island Modern Sampler. It’s my own interpretation of blocks that were shared through tutorials on various quilting blogs. My guild picked the blocks as its “block of the month”, and when it was time to assemble, I added various blocks that I liked, in order to create an outside-the-grid arrangement. It even won a ribbon at QuiltCon 2015! (I know, crazy, right?!?)
Quilt for Jane
Another quilt that I still adore is this quilt I made for a friend’s little girl. It was a baby quilt using exclusively Chicopee fabrics from Denyse Schmidt, assembled in a courthouse steps log cabin.
Most recently, I revisited the concept of the log cabin, but this time with hand-dyed fabrics from Kim Eichler-Messmer. I decided to hand-stitch the quilt to achieve a folk-type aesthetic, and to echo the quilts of Maura Ambrose, who is a huge inspiration for me. I used 12 wt. Auriful cotton to hand-stitch the quilt. It is obviously imperfect, but in a perfect sort of way. I am seriously proud of this quilt, and it is newly hanging in my sewing room as a testament to my love for it!
One thing I have to suggest, as a quilting tip, is that patterns are merely suggestions. I love to pull inspiration from patterns. But I have found that patterns can sometimes be construed as rules. And when it comes to quilting, rules are meant to be broken. Patterns are a great guideline. But if you look at a pattern and think to yourself, “I can do this better”, then by all means, do it!! All you need to tell people is that you were inspired, and give the pattern-writer due credit. But you are free to embellish, stray, and break the rules as you see fit to make yourself happy! Quilting is both a craft AND an art. Which affords you creative license to express yourself through your work. There is no right way. Just YOUR way.
As far as a blogging tip goes, I’m not sure I’m expert enough to even share one! I guess my mantra when it comes to blogging is the age-old adage that content is king. Blogging is not always easy. There are lots of guidelines that tell you how to build readership, SEO, and how consistently you should post. But life is messy, and real, and there’s lots of times that blogging has to take a back seat. Readers are mostly forgiving and kind. Deep down, I believe, that if what you are sharing is quality content, then people will read what you have to say and they will come back to your blog, even if it’s not perfect.
Some other facts about me:
I am an only child.
I was a studio art minor in college (with a major in english).
I think podcasts are the best invention ever.
My love for avocado and egg on toast knows no bounds.
I married my college sweetheart.
Our second son was born on our 7th wedding anniversary.
My favorite genre of movie is documentary.
I belong to a CSA, which I love, but have yet to find a good use for gooseberries.
I dream of the day that I can have my own backyard with an organic vegetable garden and chickens.
So, now that I’ve shared some trivia about myself, tell me, what’s an interesting, random fact about you? Anything at all. A secret dream, a silly fact, or any juicy tidbit that you’d like to share!
Oh, and of course you know I’m not the only person participating in this blog hop today! So, please, give some love to the other members of my hive!
Cassandra @ http://thenotsodramaticlife.com
Deb @ newcreativestate.wordpress.com
Colleen @ https://colleenscustomquilting.com
And last but not least, a huge thank you to our hosts. This has been a great experience, and you guys have done a terrific job! Thanks so much Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, Yvonne @Quilting Jet Girl, Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination, and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter.
quilting events and conferences
blogger’s quilt festival: exodus :: modern category.
Posted on May 20, 2015
There’s a reeeeeeally good chance you already know that the Blogger’s Quilt Festival is happening over at Amy’s Creative Side. This year, I’ve decided to enter my quilt “Exodus” into the Modern Category.
The idea for Exodus came to me when I viewed a piece of art in which it seemed that small pixelated fragments were moving away from the whole. I wish I could tell you what piece I was looking at — I’ve since tried to find it a number of times — unsuccessfully. But it inspired me (thank you, whoever you are!) and I thought it would be fun to apply the concept to a traditional nine-patch.
I created eight blocks, each of which had a different “escaping” square. In the final block, the middle square is missing, but if you turn the quilt around. . .
ta da!
If you’re visiting here from the festival and feeling so inclined, you can read more about Exodus (and my sad scorching mishap) here. Or, you can check out my last entry to the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. Orrrrrrr, feel free to take a peek around at some of my other finished quilts (winky-smiley face)!
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me! Be sure to check out all of the awesome entries on display at the Bloggers Quilt Festival! I believe voting will open on May 22nd and will remain open until the 29th, so, still lots of time to soak up inspiration and show love to quilters from around the globe!
My Long Island Modern Sampler Quilt is home from Austin. And I only wish this quilt could talk! I would ask it about all of the amazing people that it met and things that it saw — just the fact that Carolyn Friedlander and Janine Vangool of UPPERCASE magazine touched it is so freaking amazing!!!
I have to tell you — I am so proud and so excited — to have been a part of such an amazing experience. And to have this ribbon that was handmade by Elizabeth Hartman, is the total icing on the cake! I told my husband that he is going to need to start sleeping on the floor, because the ribbon is going to sleep on the pillow next to me! Ha!
I felt so honored that this quilt was even accepted into Quilt Con. I had never entered a quilt in a show before. And to have it win first in its category is, well, it was just beyond my wildest dreams. I will treasure it always. I am so grateful that something I made with my own hands, and using my own intuition, was received with such enthusiasm by the quilting community. There were so many phenomenal quilts that were a part of the show. There were so many phenomenal quilts that weren’t a part of the show! So, I realize how unusual and fortunate I am to have had my quilt chosen. I am just so grateful!
So, thanks for bearing with me and letting me gush a little about it here! And if you haven’t had the chance to see all of the Quilt Con 2015 winners, you check them out on the MQG’s website here.
Linking up with Let’s Bee Social. Hope you are having a great week so far!
This week my local guild had a secret santa swap. Here’s how it worked: at last month’s meeting we anonymously chose a paper bag containing a fat quarter and the name of the person who provided the fabric. We then had to use that fat quarter to create a small gift for that member. I went into the meeting knowing that I wanted to make something inspired by the amazingly talented artist Lisa Congdon, in particular, her Sami Girl. I am a huge fan of her work, and have been ever since I was first introduced to her through The Jealous Curator’s blog. So once I knew who I was making my Secret Santa gift for, I snapped her photo at the end of the meeting under the pretense that I needed it for the guild’s blog.
Here’s what I did: I used an app to turn her photo into a sketch and printed the image on fabric. I improv pieced around the photo to get the pillow to 16×16 using assorted neutrals and pieces of the fat quarter from the brown bag. I glue-basted scraps of Liberty fabric mixed again with snippets of the fat quarter to build the “dress”. Finally, I straight line quilted the entire top to hold the whole thing together.
The pillow-back was made using this tutorial and then the entire pillow was bound using the rest of the fat quarter from the brown bag.
The entire project took me way out of my normal comfort zone — and I loved it! I wish we hadn’t been in the middle of a Nor’easter when I finished it, because the photos do not do it justice. But it really was a fun and unique present for our gift exchange.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about art, sources of inspiration, and how I want to expand my skills in other areas — in particular drawing and painting — because I think in the end it will make me a better quilter. I feel that line-drawing skills would easily translate into FMQ, and an understanding of basic painting skills would translate into a better appreciation for color value, help me with fabric pulls for new projects, and give me a new way to think about form and negative space.
To bring this whole post full circle, I recently found out that my Long Island Modern Sampler was accepted to Quilt Con 2015.
But my Diamonds in the Deep quilt was not.
Facing both acceptance and rejection, it has been bittersweet. I am thrilled and terrified that I have a quilt that will be on exhibit at Quilt Con. I don’t think I have even processed it yet. And part of the reason for that, is, I am bummed about the rejection; but in no way am I letting it take away from all of the pride that I have in my quilt’s completion. The quilt didn’t match the needs of this particular competition. But it is still a damn good quilt!
In a serendipitous occurrence, Lisa Congdon published this post about rejection — today. I think it’s an excellent reminder to us all that art (including quilts) is subjective. Rejection is part of the process of being an artist. And if we love what we do, and continue to challenge ourselves, then our own opinion is the only one that matters.
Hope you are all having a beautiful holiday season! Congratulations to all of us who entered the competition — #winners, #rejects alike – we are #risktakers. And that’s what it’s all about!
Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday and Finish it up Friday.
This weekend I hopped on the Long Island Railroad (or as we call in in these parts, the L.I.R.R.) with my mom, and we headed over to F.I.T. to attend The Quilt Alliance’s annual fundraiser Quilters Take Manhattan. Neither of us had attended before, and we weren’t really sure of what to expect — so we went into the day with an open mind and just enjoying the chance to hang out together and see how it went!
And now, I’m gonna give you the lowdown on the event using my scientifically-developed rating system of: “Meh” vs. “Awesome”. Lucky. You!
As we walked in the door, we were given the opportunity to buy raffle tickets (see my hand) for prizes that I can honestly say I would have loved to have won (spoiler alert: I didn’t). People won ginormous baskets of fabrics of all sorts — solids, Amy Butler prints, moda prints — there was a sewing machine, an AccuQuilt Go, every type of ruler you could imagine, a Rowenta iron. . . definitely some great loot. Alas, my mom and I left with nothing but the swag bag. But it was fun, nonetheless. The takeaway: Prizes from the event – Awesome.
Then as we made our way to our seats, I literally bumped into Amy Butler. She is every bit as amazing and lovely in person as I would have imagined her to be! She was the keynote speaker, and was seriously so inspiring! I can honestly say that my mind is still marinating all of the pieces of information that it took in from her lecture. Instead of her just telling her story of how she went from an art student named Amy Butler to being . . .AMY BUTLER household name and quilt fabric designer extraordinare, she relayed her struggles to maintain her inspiration for what she does AND gave us the tools she used to overcome our own mental blocks and fears. Her speech was very generous in the details that it gave, and her honesty in telling it made me even more of a fan. The takeaway: Keynote Speaker – Awesome.
The next speaker was Mark Dunn, the founder of Moda Fabrics. His lecture focused on the antique quilts that he collects and from which he then creates some of Moda’s reproduction fabric lines. The proceeds from these “Collections for a Cause” fabric lines are then used to support various charities. 
I fell in love with this quilt, which used a cheddar-colored sashing to separate the Ohio stars. What I loved most about it is the unfinished sash on either end. Whether it was intentional or not (maybe the quilter ran out of the chrome fabric?), it seemed modern and fresh. The takeaway: I didn’t expect to enjoy this part of the show as much as I did. While not Awesome, way better than a Meh.
The afternoon was less organized than the earlier half of the program. We walked around viewing the quilts that had been made as part of a contest sponsored by Quilt Alliance and Cherrywood Fabrics (have you seen these fabrics? they’re hand-dyed and feel like suede!) and previewing the cottons and voiles in Amy Butler’s new line “Glow”. I had a hand at the City Quilter’s long arm machine – a HandiQuilter HQ Sweet Sixteen — and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever done. I am truly in love with that long arm machine. I think I had a dream about it last night. The takeaway for me: I need a long arm machine ASAP.
There was also an introduction to the Quilt Alliance’s new initiative Quilters’ S.O.S., in which hundreds of quilt-makers are interviewed in a two-minute video which is then transcribed and uploaded with a photo of the quilt to a digital archive. The intention is to create an oral history surrounding the quilts that we make to have for future reference and research. The takeaway: we should all be doing this. I’m not particularly comfortable with myself on camera, so, You go first. I’ll follow.
(ps – I snapped this photo while Melanie Testa was giving her oral history. Unfortunately she didn’t make it into the picture. She hand-dyed all or most of those fabrics. Amazing, right??)
A few quilters then participated in a speed-quilt building contest, during which the raffle winners were announced. The takeaway: Speed Contest – Meh. I didn’t really see the point. Although Mark Lipinski’s emcee-ing of the event was Awesome.
My Conclusion: we only attended the main event at F.I.T. — though there were many add on events throughout the weekend that we could have enjoyed – if I didn’t have a house full of kids to get back to! There was a cocktail party at Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s loft (how cool is that?), tours of the fabric district with Mark Lipinski, and workshops at the City Quilter. I don’t know if the event is quite where it needs to be that I would recommend traveling from afar to attend, but it is only in its fourth year of existence, and from what I have heard, it’s getting better every year. I’d say it’s definitely worth checking out, and in a few more years, I’m sure it will be a hot ticket to get!
