Workshop in Progress

Lucky Lady


Check that out! Mama got a new sewing machine for Christmas. Hubby and the kids were very, very, very, very generous. And here I thought we were having a low-key, low budget holiday.

To be honest, I gave him grief for going all out like this. We are supposed to be in budget mode these days and a new machine wasn't in the cards. But he said he knew I needed a new machine and that I wouldn't spend the money myself. All true. So I will tighten the purse strings a bit more and thank him profusely for spoiling me.

Once I figure out how to use it.


Bernina refers to this machine as a sewing computer. That seems fairly accurate so far. I'm finding myself a bit frustrated with figuring out the commands, not to mention the knee lift. It's just because it is something new though. With some practice, play time, and a good class I will have this baby motoring. 

To break it in I thought some easy sewing was in order. And with my commitment to work through the Quilts Under Construction weekly I pulled out more Round and Round blocks. I feel like I need to really get into some chain piecing to maximize my time at the machine, so I hope to make a few more blocks this week. Right now I'm up to 12, including this one here.

I've got a few quilts I would like to get quilted as well, to test out the Bernina Stitch Regulator. To free motion at home again feels like such a luxury. And did you see the size of that throat? Almost makes me want to make a king size quilt. Almost.


Update on ALL the Quilts Under Construction

Periodically, I must take stock of all the quilts Under Construction. I actually find it quite freeing, not depressing. It's a good exercise for me - what have I been doing, am I still interested in what is here? The last time I did this was 18 months ago, so it was definitely time for a check-in. And yes, the list got bigger.

Check out Sew Mama Sew's Slow Sewing series for my post on embracing all the quilts under construction, no more UFOs versus WIPs!

 Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks - I initially thought I donated this for Quilts for Calgary, but it still sits in my closet.
2. Improv Sampler - still sitting there, waiting for it's turn on long arm rental day.
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts - again, nothing to see here...
4. Slaveship Quilt - nope, nothing here either...
5. Old Amy Butler quilt top - still sitting there...
6. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt - she wanted it big enough for her bed, but that was when she was getting a single bed. We recently got her a double, so we may have to add to this.
7. A low volume rainbow mini quilt that I've never shared with you.
8. Alturas - waiting for the floors to be cleaned for basting. Much harder with a dog in the house again.
9. Giant Hexagons - waiting for me to decide how to quilt it.
10. One intended for a magazine that I can't share

Quilts Being Quilted

11. Low Volume Circles - I'm plugging away on the hand quilting, slowly. Actually, I don't think I've touched this in 2 years. Maybe this winter?
12. QuiltCon Quilt - based on my work in Denyse Schmidt's Improv Class. Currently in line with Urban Quiltworks for her magic on the long arm.
13. All voile quilt - also at Urban Quiltworks
14. Antonio's Quilt - For some reason I've stalled on the quilting, yet I don't have much more to do.

Blocks and Process

 15. Mid Mod Bee - Blocks to be assembled into a top
16. Hand Pieced Diamonds - I think I'm done with these, but I would like to get it into a quilt top.
17. More Cosmic Burst blocks - I have a whole other set of blocks for a baby quilt
18. Name quilt for my daughter - still haven't done anything on this. It might become the back for a new bed quilt for her. Maybe.
19. Chandelier quilt - was so close, then discovered a big mistake and have never fixed it
20. Liberty Circles - These have sat, but I was recently thinking about them. Maybe this winter?
21. Blue and green Christmas Tree quilt - I cut the pieces, then promptly put them away
22. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
23. Pieced Stars - a BOM I started years ago when I wanted to do some precision piecing breaks when doing a lot of improv
24. The Water Quilt
25. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks
26. A values quilt in neutrals (Class sample, so I keep adding more blocks each time I teach the class)
27. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks (Class sample, so I keep adding more blocks each time I teach the class)
28. Sunday Morning in Solids
29. Edges/Studio Stash Play - I do hope to finish this for a friend. It requires a day or two with no deadlines/kids in the studio
30. One red/purple turquoise quilt intended for magazine publication
31. Sherbet, with more volume for my nephew - need to pull this out for my piecing without thinking as everything is cut and started
32. Beach Grass Take 2 - this would make a perfect bed quilt for the girls and their new beds. And it goes together so quickly...
33. Y2K quilt - slowly, slowly with this one as I piece it as leaders and enders
34. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
35. Round and Round blocks - these are addictive and I wish I could make them all day long
36. Snippets on Dates
37. Circle Lattice
38. Leftovers from Modern Paris
39. Orange Circles from Craftsy/Perfect Circles class samples
40. New Cirrus Solids from Cloud 9 Fabrics bundle is being cut now
41. Started some blocks after being so inspired on my trip to Alabama.

Intentions

42. A new quilt for one of my other nephews in yellow, orange, and turquoise


So close...

(43.) Mountain Meadows - Just finishing the hand stitching on the binding here. One side left to do.

Finished

Giant Dresdens
Playground
Modern Paris
Improv Sewing Machines
Oh Canada
One Day
Compose Yourself
Shimmer Table Runner
Indian Pillow
Mid-Century Circle Pillow
Gum on Concrete
Girlie Quilt

If you compare this list with the last one, you can see that some, only some, projects moved around. Some I gave away, some I finished. In looking at this I realize I haven't even posted a few finished quilts! And a few were for publication that I can't share yet.

Most of these were started, and finished in between now and the last update. That might be telling of my process and call to inspiration. Or, of my sewing machine that doesn't want to quilt anymore.

The Oldest UFO


Generally, I like to call my unfinished projects WIPS, or Works in Progress, not UFOs.  This is because I actually like having a catalogue of things to pick from when I get the chance to sew. It doesn't stress me out - usually.  But this, this project must definitely be called a UFO.

I've been quilting for 16 years now. This project is 15 years old.

Going again into the Way, Way Back Machine this project started in 1999, when people were all up in arms over Y2K. Quilters, of course, put their positive spin on it and started swaps. Put 25 mini charms in an envelope, repeat that 80 times, and swap them out. Bang, 2000 charms!

These days people call it Scrap Vomit. I call it a bag of envelopes I found buried in my garage.

(To find out what else I found in my garage check out my Instagram feed. Oh boy. #thingsifindinmygarage)



The smart people with their Y2K swaps took the charms as they came in and sewed together the 25 into one block. Then they were able to quickly put the quilt top together, and keep things manageable. I, of course, wanted to get all fancy. I have sketches and math on trying to figure out creative ways to put my top together. And that's why they are all still in envelopes.

Now it is time to move this into the WIP stack. But me, being me, I need to catalogue all of this first. Into my sketchbook will go the addresses as I unpack. And then I think this will become my next Leader/Ender project. Let's hope it doesn't take another 15 years to finish this!

Update: I found a book where I wrote down all the people I swapped with! Now to just get these organized in piles.



Did any of you participate in a Y2K swap?

Workshop in Progress - Inspired by a Little Boy Painting


Sometimes inspiration hits and you just have to run with it. Regardless of what the to-do list looks like. The moment I saw this photo I knew I would translate it into fabric. There was just something about the energy of his painting, the colours, the shape... It all combined into a flood of Must Make That Into a Quilt Now!

My friend here in Calgary, Katrina, is often inspired by an artist friend of hers, Shimon Kate, so I find it kind of interesting that I was inspired by art in her family. Overlapping circles formed everywhere.


Here's where I'm at now (thanks to a random afternoon with school/playdate and sick baby taking a long nap). When I first started I envisioned it with four blocks. Something about emphasizing the notion of a quadrant. Now that I see these together I still like that. But it needs to be sized up and filled in a bit. Right now this would only make a wall hanging. And I want those red strips to be floating between each other more.

Or, I could make more... or not have such a precise layout. (I am a bit worried about the defining lines that would be created when these become 4 actual blocks. I think I can manage that with judicious fabric placement, but maybe not.)

Any other thoughts? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

The Start of Mountain Meadows



Hmmm.... I'm not sure about these.

I had a chance to play with my green scraps recently and this is where I started. I did sort the scraps by value/colour to begin with. This is the first go around, with predominantly light greens. My overall concept is to have light and dark areas, to mimic the race of light across the mountain meadow. I don't want each area to be a solid block though, that's why there are some dark bits mixed in. The dark blocks will be the opposite.

This is also the beginning of adding in the idea of flowers in the meadow. In a real meadow the flowers are small and scattered across the hill, that's why there aren't many here. I've got some pink, yellow, orange, and white scraps set aside to make more flowers.

However, I'm not sure about these. Maybe the green chunks are too big? Maybe it is too random? Should I stop being so literal with my interpretation and make these blocks instead of one giant slab quilt? What I do know is that I need to play a little bit more before I make any more judgements.

Coming Along...

I will not complain about the noise. I will not complain about the mess. I will not complain about all the people in my house.

That was my mantra during a very loud, messy, and hectic month.

And I will not complain because it means that the electrical is so, so close to being done, the framing finished, and insulation has been sprayed in. Progress is being made.

Of course, it has been silent for 3 weeks now because Hubby is working out of town. And I will not complain about that.

Scrap Splatter?

Do you ever sign up blindly for things and then promptly forget? I could never be a sweepstakes player for this reason. I'm very forgetful these days.

So, it seems I signed up to be in a scrap challenge. Makes sense, with a scrap quilting book coming out! But I completely forgot and when the email came asking for my snail mail addy I almost backed out. But as forgetful as I am, I have a hard time backing down from a challenge.

Scrap Splatter, I accept.

Oh, and Thomas, I will get you for this in Houston.

Binding Choices...


On a roll now... I've got this almost whole cloth quilt finished up. I'm just stuck on binding choices. It seems like a no brainer when you only have two neutral fabrics on the front, but it is remarkably hard for me to narrow it down.

It is completely quilted with a vivid orange thread. The back is a combo of bold fabrics, so nearly any colour would work there.


What do you think?

And while you are helping me out, take a moment to check out some other WIP posts at the newly launched Needle and Thread Network. More Canadian love! It's great to see this out there as I've been unable to carry on with the Workshop in Progress.

Decisions Decisions

The versatility of the half square triangle is liberating. It can also be paralyzing when you actually examine the options for laying out a quilt from nothing but HSTs. If you are a person who has a hard time making decisions it is best not to play with layouts. Go with your gut the first time out.

If, however, you are like me and enjoy playing with layouts, then grab a beer or a tea and contemplate away.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

Option 7

Option 8

Option 9


This is just a small sample of blocks, the finished quilt will likely be 16 or 17 blocks across and down.

Now I'm not generally someone who has a tough time with decisions. I learned a long time ago that too much is wasted contemplating "what ifs". That being said, I've got no clue where I want to go with this one. I'm bringing you and Hubby into the fold. You, my readers, because you always point out interesting things I may not see. And Hubby, because this is now going to be a wedding present for friends and if he wants his name on the label then he has to help.

So... opinions?

Quilt Snob?

Am I a snob?

Okay, don't answer that right away.

There has been a lot of talk and entertaining posts lately about a lot of quilt arena issues - modern versus traditional, rants about designers, plain old rants, beginners feeling shamed, quilters being snobby, and more. I'm not going to repeat them all here, and I doubt I've even seen them all. But if you want some really interesting posts read them here, and make sure you read all the comments too. Note: I've included different opinions here, only this post is my own.

It is actually the comments I'm reading that are pushing me to write this post. Many folks are upset with "quilt snobs". Unfortunately, it isn't always clear to me what defines a snob.

The way I define a snob is someone who intentionally works to make someone else feel bad for the way they act, dress, define themselves, propping themself up higher on their already high horse in doing so. When it comes to quilting snobs, what does this mean?

... Disdain for one style of quilting over another?
... Talking smack about a fabric line you aren't a fan of, and by extension, the designers?
... Shooting down bloggers who maybe don't have a fancy camera or can only take their pictures late at night when they have a spare moment to work?
... Judging people who are trying to make a living at quilting?
... Being openly critical of bee participants?
... Just another name for the quilt police marking down missed points and skipped stitches?
... Big Name Bloggers refusing to comment on other blogs?
... Groups of friends that are collaborating/chatting and defined as cliques?

I've been critical of charm packs/pre-cuts and the reliance on them. I struggle with group projects where the simple quality of the workmanship is lacking (ie. no 1/4 seams, lack of pressing, and no squaring up of blocks). I'll admit that I'm tired of plain patchwork quilts. And stippling. (I've done more than my fair share of both)

All this, however, doesn't make me a snob. Anytime I think these things I keep my mouth shut (until today, obviously). If I visit a blog I like and see a quilt I don't then I move on to the next one in my Reader. I like to challenge myself so that's why you don't see me do many things twice, but that's me. I have no interest whatsoever in making someone feel bad or trying to make myself feel better with an off-putting or off-colour comment.

I will never condemn you for your pattern choice. I will never judge your fabric choice, but I will share my considered opinion if you ask. I will never shoot someone down in a public forum for their own creativity, work, family, or anything quilty related.

Rather, I want more people quilting. I want blogs to inspire. I want new or hopeful quilters to come to blogs and think "I can do that!" Or, if they are intimidated by the work (and not the quilter) think, "I can't wait until I can do that!" I don't think I'm alone with this goal. I want people to feel motivated to finish their quilts however they like, with the emphasis on finishing.

In pursuit of this goal I will continue to share my own inspiration, my work - both easy and difficult - tips and tutorials and yes, challenge the conventions. I will always encourage people to break free from patterns, charm packs, and single line quilts. I will always, always stress care in construction. I will always answer questions you send my way. I will push for people to be open with their process

This doesn't make me a snob.

Or does it? Be honest, I've got skin as thick as an elephant. But remember, my Dad just died.

(That was a joke.)

What makes a quilt snob? Have you had any run-ins? What's your strategy for dealing with the quilt snobs you encounter?

Workshop in Progress - March 9

You would think after a week with Amanda Jean I would have something to share here. I do, but not yet. Sadly, I did not get any photos before it got dark today. I fear the end of the nap is about to come up and bite me on the butt. I guess it is time for me to regroup and listen to some of my own advice from the Little Feet, Pins and Needles discussions.

If you are new to the Workshop in Progress I encourage you to read the introductory post. Our goal is to not just post what you've got going on in your own studio, but to post your challenges, inspirations, and questions. Then invite readers and WIP participants to comment and help you out with your query. It's like being in a workshop room together and feeding off the energy and creativity of others.


Workshop in Progress - February 23

Been quilting a lot lately, in a lot of different colours. This has me thinking about thread storage.

I used to have a box, just a paper box, filled with thread. Actually, I still have it, but I don't use any of that thread anymore because my Pfaff really doesn't like to sew with Sulky. Since switching to Presencia thread I've only bought colours as needed. Until this rainbow showed up it was all content to sit in a vase in my dining room.

Now, however, the vase is overflowing and I've got bobbins a plenty filled with pretty colours. Before I jump in the car and drive to the store I wanted to ask you, my readers, for your thread storage ideas.

Do you store the bobbins with the corresponding thread?
If yes, how?
If no, how?
Is it better to have it in a box?

I welcome any tips you've got.



Workshop in Progress Feb 9

Another week and I've got nothing to share with you, sorry. Very busy, but nothing to show for it. But I can tell you that The Monster now knows how to turn and stop when she skis.

It looks like many have you have been busy, it's great to see. I'm really enjoying reading all the posts. I hope everyone is getting some good feedback on the work they are sharing. If any concerns are coming up for you with the process, don't hesitate to email me directly.

(On that note, if you've emailed me recently and I've not got back to you, my apologies. Including the person who emailed me for a specific recipe and I accidentally deleted the email before I sent the recipe.)




Workshop in Progress - January 26

It's another week in the Workshop.

Thank-you so much for your tips on marking tools. I'm really keen to get one of those Hera tools. For now, I'm still eyeballing things, but I do like the idea of it.

This week I'd actually love it if you could help me out by pointing me to some favourite quilts. I'm in a photography class right now and I'm working on translating the concept of negative space from quilts to my photos. I'd love it if you could share links/photos to quilts you think demonstrate this concept. I know it's a bit different than expected for the Workshop, but sharing ideas is sharing ideas.

Don't forget to share your links here, I'm excited to see what you've got.



Workshop in Progress - January 19



Another week in the Workshop. We have some new participants, so make sure you take the time to check them out!

My question this week has to do with marking quilt tops for quilting. I've done this three times in about 100 quilts. The first time it worked, but I don't remember what I used. It was on this quilt. The second time the blue marks didn't come out. The third time I used tape to mark straight lines because I was afraid the marks wouldn't come up. And that's why I love free motion quilting!

I do, however, need to think about marking some upcoming projects. So, what are your favourite marking implements?

Don't forget to check out what other folks have going on. Enter your post here:



Workshop in Progress - January 12

Welcome Back!

I am so glad to have all the returning and new folks back in the Workshop in Progress. This looks like it will be a good session.

Just a reminder to keep any of your comments constructive. It takes a lot for some people to put their process out there and ask for opinions, advice, and feedback. If you don't have anything nice to say then keep your mouth shut and your fingers down. If you genuinely see a spot for improvement, choose your words carefully and deliver the message kindly. Of course, if you love what you see or have a great answer to the question on deck then don't hesitate to share it.

If you've got a post for this week, feel free to add your link to the widget below. Every week you can add another post. I will, however, only keep the link widget open until Friday morning. And don't forget that you can add your photo and question to the Flickr group as well.

Please note that I've also updated the blogroll with participants new and old. If you are missing from this list, please let me know and I'll add you in.



Workshop in Progress Relaunch

It's time to welcome back the Workshop in Progress. We've had a long break now, but with the New Year brings new projects and new commitments. Part of my ongoing push to get more quilters to share their process means it is time to bring WIP back.

Starting next week I will host Workshop in Progress Wednesdays. On this day I invite you to post and share (through one of those clever linky thing-a-ma-bobs I'll put at the bottom of the post) your fabric selection challenges, design wall dilemmas, quilting struggles, and general questions.

We can't all be in the same studio space together (but wouldn't that be fun?) so let's use the power of the internet to create a studio environment. Ask for help, input, and constructive criticism. Share your works in progress and highlight how you got answers you wanted. Introduce others to your challenges and a ha moments. Nothing to share that week? Make sure you visit all the sites linked up throughout the week and offer an opinion.

If your site isn't on the link list to the right there and you would like it to be, leave a comment on this post or send me an email. I'll be happy to add you to the list. Feel free to link to a Flickr account as well. Remember we've got a group on Flickr too.

I'm looking forward to joining you all in the studio!