Friends, the day is finally here! I have been working tirelessly behind the scenes like an elf preparing for Christmas Day! I am so thrilled to share that FeelGood Fibers will be launching in 2020!
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If you follow me on Instagram, then you may already know that I am requesting blocks made by women from across the world for a new quilt idea.
You probably also know that today is International Women’s Day. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is also a day that marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
In celebration of how *AMAZING* we are as women, I am asking for YOUR HELP in creating a quilt that acknowledges and honors ourselves and the equality we deserve. I’m calling it the In Our Own Words Quilt.
I am looking to collect blocks from as many women as possible with a hand-stitched word of empowerment that describes YOU as a woman. My word is RESILIENT. What will yours be? Continue Reading
Just a quick celebratory moment! After a year-plus of improv piecing, the lincoln quilt top is done — and has been basted! I cannot even get over the fabulous fabric I found for the back! I’m so excited to get it finished up! Once it is finished I am planning a big post to explain the history of the how this project came to be, the way I found the image that it is based on, and the reasons I’m choosing to finish it with straight line quilting. But, for now, I’m just looking to virtual high-five the world, because this WIP is almost finished!
Happy Monday!
If you follow me on Instagram, then you are probably familiar with The Long Island Modern Quilt Guild’s medallion quilt challenge. Each member was asked to make a medallion center, which we brought to our June meeting. At the meeting, all of the medallions were thrown into a large grab-bag. We each selected from the bag (if we pulled our own, we couldn’t keep it!). And then, over the summer, we were required to add 10″ of border to the piece we selected.
This is the medallion center I pulled (this photo shows it straight from the bag!):
I was immediately drawn to the pink and green tones of the Amy Butler fabrics, and knew that I wanted to stay away from the brown and orange of the Anna Maria Horner print. With that decision made, I started pulling fabric. I added in some yellow and grey, some red-orange and pinkish-purple and before I knew it, I pretty much included every color in my stash! The center blocks looked like arrow tails to me. I’m not sure if that was what they are intended to be? But that was what I saw, and so I went with it.
Thus, inspired by the arrow “theme”, I created a border using Carla at Grace & Favour’s Arrow Block combined with some colorful flying geese. If this block looks familiar to you, it should! A few years ago, I included this block in my Long Island Modern Sampler.
This first border, however, was only 4″ when finished. I still needed to add another border (or two) that totaled an additional 6″ in width. That was more of a challenge. I really loved the first border and wanted to enhance it, not distract from it.
My initial thought was to make a border of 6″ blocks that coordinated with one another, but were all different. However, it felt too busy to me.
I liked the crisp look of the small arrow tails in the upper-right hand corner, so I made a few more. And by a few? I mean, 45. But I still wasn’t sure it was quite right. I was stumped on how to pull it all together. So I put a call out to my friends on social media! Sarah (Smiles Too Loudly) suggested that the arrow tails needed room to breathe. Melanie (Mel in the Attic) agreed. Kirsty (Bonjour Quilts) suggested a strip of white between the two borders. So I auditioned not one, but all of those ideas. And some others, as well!
In the end, Kirsty’s suggestion aligned best with my original plan. . .well, my second original plan. . . so that is the one that I went with.
And I really, truly, love it! I wanted this quilt to fall in the category of “Modern Traditionalism”. I know that this quilt is going to another member of the guild that might not be as far along on the modern spectrum as others. I feel like this medallion quilt bridges the gap between modern and traditional quilters. I can’t wait to see what *direction* my guild friends take it next!
I’ve had a pile of WIPs in a basket in my sewing room for as long as I can remember. Not that this is a surprise, as most quilters do.
Every so often I would take these WIPs out. Mull over them. Possibly add something to them. And then quietly give up on them and stick them back in the basket.
The thing about these WIPs, unassuming as they are, is that they take up space. Both physical and mental clutter. And there is a certain amount of guilt associated with each one. The money spent on materials. The time spent on getting started. And the feeling that no work should be left incomplete.
And yet, there is a reason they remain endlessly “in-progress.” Perhaps the process became less interesting as the work progressed. Or the task of completing them required time or skill that we either don’t possess or we no longer want to dedicate to the project. And so they sit. Taking their toll, ever so silently, on our psyche.
The WIPs in this quilt were a little bit of all of the above. The improv pieced stars began in Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s 15 Minutes of Play class. I was too intimidated to finish the quilt we started that day, back in July 2013. So there they sat. I picked out the polka dot fabric with Victoria, specifically for that quilt, and I felt obligated to finish it just as we had planned.
The triangles were from an entire quilt I had cut using the E-Z triangle ruler, long before it became a sponsor for QuiltCon West. Except, I hadn’t read the directions. So I cut them ALL WRONG. An Entire Quilt Worth. I tried to sew them together despite my mistake. And none of the points were matching up. Tips of triangles were getting cut off. Not so E-Z as planned. Sooooo I abandoned it; disappointed in myself and the wasted fabric.
The navy and polka dot stripe quilt was made because I was inspired by Maura Ambrose. I finally decided to use that fabric I had picked out with Victoria, and I thought for a noble cause. It was simple, it was pieced precisely, but it wasn’t really me. Because I was trying to be someone else — someone who makes perfectly simple quilts using perfectly simple hand-dyed organic fabrics. Of course it fell flat, as is bound to happen when being someone you’re not.
And finally, all of that glorious Doe fabric. Just waiting to become an Oodalolly quilt from Rachel Hauser’s Curves class. But I fell behind in the class, and with Oodalolly being the last project, well. . . it just never happened. I quit before I got past the second block, and moved on to other things.
You can see how bringing all of these perceived “failures” into one quilt that is utterly “me” has been cathartic. Not only am I clearing out the clutter from my sewing room, but I’m clearing out the guilt and the shame associated with each of these unfinished projects. It’s like a fresh start to move forward with new ideas that are entirely my own.
Will the WIP pile add up again some day? Probably. But for now, I’m starting 2016 with a clean slate, and it feels like the possibilities are endless!
Again, a very Happy New Year to you! My wish for us all: that the creative ideas from the universe find us and guide us to bring them to light in the new year ahead! Hooray 2016!
Linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday.
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.
These blocks will probably not make a lot of sense to you yet. To be honest, they barely make sense to me, and I sort of know where I am going with this! (Sort of). They are part of a larger plan to use improv piecing to create a finished image. I think there will be about 60 blocks total when I am done. Unfinished, they are 6.5″ and I’m hoping to have a finished quilt top by the end of the summer. (taking deep breath).
In addition, my guild is sponsoring an improv challenge over the summer. Inspired by a lecture on improv piecing by Jess@ Quilty Habit, we exchanged bags of our favorite scraps with a name inside. We have the summer months to make anything we’d like — using an improv piecing method — for the person whose bag of scraps we pulled. I have some lovely scraps to work with, but now I’m feeling the pressure to create something really lovely with those scraps!
And finally, I’m hoping to get my Charley Harper quilt basted and quilted before summer is over. Since I improv pieced the tree, I’m lumping it in with my “summer of improv” theme.
So, how about you? Have you been working on any improv projects? I’d love to hear about any inspiration that you’d like to share!
Hope you have a great weekend! Our middle guy is all set to graduate from pre-K tonight, so you *may* see a pic or two of him in my IG feed! Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction I’d like to take my quilting. I think as a new quilter it was important for me to stick to traditional ideas while trying to give them a modern twist, either through fabric selection or by altering block sizes.
But as I think about the types of quilts that I’m really attracted to, they are the quilts that scare me as a maker. Sometimes I think I’m so afraid of messing up or disappointing myself that I don’t try. And I make another quilt that is comfortable to me.
That’s where this quilt comes in. If you’ve followed this blog from the beginning (and not many have — except for you, Michelle!) you’d recognize this Charley Harper quilt and the many, many, many variations it’s had over the past year. I finally settled on this design after much trial and error.
I hope that this quilt marks a transition for me. It still has traditional blocks. But it forced me to really push myself, in order to improv piece the tree design. The tree is the symbol of where I’d like to go. I’m not sure how bumpy of a process it will be to get where I’m going. But I’m nervously excited about the things in my head that I’d like to create.
Do you feel like your techniques and aesthetic have evolved since you first started quilting? Please tell me I’m not alone in this quilter/maker identity crisis! Ha!
In other news, I’m participating in the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers blog hop. This year we’ve been broken down into four groups (“hives”). I’m a member of Cheryl@ Meadow Mist Designs‘ hive, and we are calling ourselves the New Bees (get it, newbies! ha!). I’m looking forward to learning more about all of these great new bloggers, and sharing a little about myself as well! Be sure to check ours and all of the other hives (hosted by Yvonne@ Quilting Jet Girl, Stephanie@ Late Night Quilter, and Teri Ann@ Childlike Fascination) out!
Linking up with Finish it Up Friday! Have a great weekend, everybody!
