Peacemakers/Piecemakers

"Mom? Who was the lady on the bus again?"

We're driving down the road to get to swimming. I've felt busy all day long with wonderfully middle class privileges of baking snacks from scratch, walking the dog, and trying to get some work done at home. The kids, picked up from school and play dates, are in the back of our large wagon and we are chatting about their days. The Monster is telling me about the unit they are doing on Peacemakers. There is Craig Kielburger from Free the Children, Malala, and the lady on the bus. She just can't remember her name. Or, frankly, why she is a peacemaker.

This one bit of information is all she gives me but I know exactly who she is speaking of: Rosa Parks.

For the rest of the drive we talk about segregation, racism, The Civil Rights movement, the role of children, all their friends of many colours, and just why Rosa Parks is a peacemaker. The girls thought about their school and imagined life without some of their friends, without learning about the places we've all come from. I thought about the same thing. We were all very sad. I had to explain that despite all the work that there are still ugly people doing ugly things to people just because of the way they look or who they love. Again, we were sad.

But then we talked about the peacemakers. The people who were willing to stand up for the good and the right and the just. The people who fought for those who couldn't fight. And I was proud. Proud of them for understanding the importance of that action, for getting exactly what injustices they were/are fighting, and for wanting to fight themselves.

A quilt can be a statement. It isn't a call to arms nor is it going to change the world. It really might only be for me to process and remember the peacemakers. Regardless, it needs to be made. I need to make it. And I will share it with my kids and you, for the lady on the bus.

... I went back to these blocks a few weeks ago, on the anniversary of the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham. I added skirts, I changed directions. Now I think I know where I will take it. There will be, appropriately, a Courthouse Steps final layout. There will be some peace with my piecing.

Sanity Sewing

Sometimes you just have to get 'er done.

This quilt has been in the works for a few years now... And I got on top of finishing it a few months ago (well, finishing the top). I was making good progress with some commitment when I hit a snag. I'd made a mistake. My very last block in the very last row was the wrong one. There are two block styles in this quilt and I used the wrong one in this spot. And all I had to do at that point was sew the rows together to finish the top. Annoyed with myself and frustrated, the quilt top sat for weeks at that juncture. Because all I had to do was make a slab, draw a foundation, sew a new block, remove the old one, attach it, and then sew the rows together. It sounds like a lot of work, but it wasn't. I was just in a mood about it.

This week I found myself in a real need to sew. After a few weeks of a bad cold that wouldn't go away I longed to get to the machine. Those are the moments when I usually start something new or default to random improv. Instead I forced myself to make that last block. And it took me about 30 minutes, if that. Not counting a break for Hot Wheels with my boy.

Then I was struggling to get the rows sewn together. With all those slabs, the angles, and some skinny bits on the edges each row is bulky and lining things up was tough. Not to mention that I kept the freezer paper foundation on each block because of the crazy amount of bias edges. Then I caught Bari J. Ackerman on a Periscope broadcast extolling the virtues of glue basting (a la Christie Fincher). Bingo!

I've used glue basting before for Paperless Paper Piecing in a class with Christie. And I've heard of other people glue basting for regular piecing. It did not occur to me to use it this way. I'm so happy I saw that Scope because it totally made it easy to get this top together. A thin line of glue in the seam allowance instead of pinning (or hoping for the best) holds the fabric in place, once heat set. Then you can go ahead and sew your seam.

And get the quilt top done.

Right now this top has the temporary name of Shh....

Diamonds, not Squares. Plus, a new Improv Log Cabin Class

There has been a jelly roll of Doe fabric and a stack of screen prints patiently waiting their turn to be used. Every time I opened up my stash closet they taunted me, asking to be used. But I needed to clear space - mentally and physically - before I starting something new. I finally felt prepared to do just that this week.

A few hours of play and experimenting with a new shape and I'm very happy.

Diamonds. Not squares turned on their sides like a certain cereal marketing campaign of a few years back. Actual diamonds. It all comes down to the first shape you start with. Just a slight change in the angles on the corners and a whole new world opens up.



Playing with basic techniques in new ways is a wonderful way to explore improv. Log cabins are one of the oldest techniques in the quilting handbook, but that doesn't mean your log cabins quilts have to look old.

I'll be teaching Improv Log Cabin Variations at the Wonderfil Threaducation Centre next week. Come out to play, explore shapes, and dip your toes into the improv pool.

June 24
6:30-9:30 pm
Call 403-250-8262 or register here.

Even the trimmings are pretty. I have a friend who makes mixed media collage and she periodically takes my little trimmings. She's already got her eyes on these.

Lilac Lovely - Improv Curves

Not a spec of white in this quilt top! In fact, quite the opposite of low volume for me. It is so rich and saturated in its colour. I absolutely love it.

As much as I love a perfect circle, I adore improv curves. Then again, improv is my language. There is something absolutely freeing about cutting a random curve and making it work. It requires letting go of sewing expectations. Frankly, that is the best part, in my opinion.

This particular quilt top started with a stack of 20 fat quarters, a rotary cutter, and a large ruler for squaring up. It comes together much faster than you think it does.

If you are interested in learning more about this technique join me at My Sewing Room this summer. I'm scheduled to teach this a few times and would love to have you join me.

July 10 6-9 pm
August 9 1-4 pm

Call 403-252-3711 to register.

A lot of Snippets on Dates. A lot.

All the little bits. All together and everywhere at the same time.

Ages ago I started sewing snippets together. Just two little bits of fabric sewn together randomly. An evening of pressing and I could sew pairs together. And sew more together. Then I put it all aside so a rainy day. Rather, for the motivation to do more.

Motivation hit me last week. It is all due to Amanda Jean and her decision to plan a Scrap Vortex quilt along. I also needed to come down from Market and sew for the sake of sewing. So one day she and I spent some time sewing and chatting. There was a lot of chain piecing and a lot of pressing involved to get what feels like millions of pieces sewn together.



At the beginning the bits come together quite slowly. It feels like you are sewing forever and getting nowhere. Then suddenly you have these big chunks of fabric that look like something. Crazy, wild somethings filled with tiny pieces of fabric! You also have crazy wild somethings all over your sewing table, design wall, and floor. You are covered in threads, more so than at any other time, but deliriously happy.

Then you are not. Because you are covered in threads and there are bits of fabric everywhere. Everywhere. And the fun chaos that you gave order too only seems like chaos. You can square it up, sew them together and have something that looks like a quilt top. Order out of chaos. But there are still load of snippets (are they multiplying at night?).

After a week of sewing I've got a large baby size quilt top together (44'' x 50''), plus loads of slab sections that could be added, and still half a basket of snippets. Not to mention that every single other time I sew more snippets are added. I love the process, I love where I've gotten to, but I need this to go away for a little while. Sometimes the chaos is just a bit too much.



I adore improv, it is my default quilt language. I will never get tired of scraps. Surprisingly though, this past week has been a roller coaster of emotions with respect to this sewing. I got to the point where the mess drove me cranky, where I talked back to the errant threads, and nearly threw out all the scraps. It was just so messy. I'm okay with not knowing where it will go, but the storm before the calm really got to me.

All that being said, I know that this will get bigger, be more. All in good time.

Sarcasm and Orange

We are a sarcastic household. So much so that The Monster's third grade teacher has made a point to comment that most kids don't fully appreciate sarcasm until they are closer to twelve. Not our kids. (She was fully getting it when she was 3.) So when my husband constantly tells the kids "Orange is for nerds!" whenever they wear orange they all know that he is being a smart@ss, not serious. Especially when he says it wearing his own orange jacket.

Not surprisingly, my son's favourite colour is now orange.

After cleaning up my studio this week I set about to sorting out some storage. One of the bins I opened contained a few of these blocks - samples for the Scrapper's Delight class I sometimes teach. With our family conversations and my boy's recent birthday I felt totally inspired to combine everything into one bright quilt for him. I added more fabrics from my stash and the scrap bins to compliment the first few blocks. Each block is currently squared up to 12.5'' x 12.5'', just like the original pattern.

How fun is this quilt? I am having fun making more blocks. That's a good thing, because to get this up to bed size I need to make 49 of these in total. But the blocks are super easy and a great way to unwind at the end of the night.

Round and Round Update

It felt like months since I did any improv. In truth, it was only a few weeks, but it felt like months. After following clothing patterns and drafting quilt patterns my improv muscles were twitching. Not to mention I was having a pretty crappy day. So I cracked an afternoon beer and dove into my scraps.

Seeing as these blocks are 16.5'' x 16.5'' and my scrap strips are anywhere from 1''-4'' wide, it takes a bit of time to get a block done. But in less than 2 hours yesterday I had 3 more blocks done. And my mood was infinitely better. (Of course the mood improvement may have also been because of a random text from a friend telling me that she saw alligator road kill in Florida and it made her think of me. Don't ask why, but that made me giggly.)

So now I am up to 16 of these blocks. I could stop now and have a good lap size quilt. I'm going to keep going though. I'm always thinking bed size now for the kids' beds, so I will make 9 more blocks. That will give me an 80'' finished quilt, perfect for their double beds.

And perfect for all mood improvements.

Playing With Pinwheels in Quilting - On CreativeLive

When was the last time you played? I don't mean get on the floor and play with the kids or grandkids? I don't mean kicking around the soccer ball either. No, I mean going into your fabric and making something for fun; quilting without a quilt a mind?

I'm going to venture a guess that it hasn't been lately. For all the things I start - and I do start a lot - they almost always are started with a finished quilt in mind. I'm not sewing for the sake of sewing. I don't experiment or play much. And this is so, so wrong.

That's because we learn so much when we play. Taking away the play instinct for a child isn't a good thing, we can all agree on that. So why do we think it is okay to do that for ourselves? By playing as quilters we get the chance to explore colour, construction techniques, shapes, lines, negative space, secondary designs, and our own challenges and joys. Instead of trying a new quilt pattern to experiment with just one or two of those things, just play. See what happens when you let go of the idea that everything has to be a quilt.

It is the move past this idea that everything has to be something that has to be tackled first. In this CreativeLive class, Playing with Pinwheels in Quilting, I want to help you do just that. We take a simple, common block - the Pinwheel - and turn it into so many different things. There is one basic way to do it, and then a million other ways. While I preparing for the class I had a hard time stopping. One idea begets another and another. Even while teaching the class on set I had even more ideas. 

Guess what? Playing is FUN!

Now I feel like I could take so many of the ideas from the class and turn them into quilts of their own. The blocks I made may or may not turn into a quilt as they are. I, frankly, don't care. They represent my own little quilty playground. Not to mention design opportunity. For now, they are on my design wall to remind me that play is fun, that exploring an idea or a shape is worthwhile, and that sometimes things are simply pretty.

If you have any questions about the CreativeLive class, don't hesitate to ask. And all feedback is welcome. They are new with quilting classes and constructive comments can only help. Did you know there are free previews of all the classes? 

Playing with Pinwheels for Quilters

Improv Quilting Basics

Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics

Translating Inspiration in Quilting

You can also share reviews and your inspired work with the CreativeLive community. I keep up with the course pages, so please share your work (in addition to blogs and social media if you are active there).

Improv Quilting Basics - On CreativeLive

Oh, Improv!

After years of teaching improv to quilters I know firsthand that it isn't something that comes instinctively or easy to many. I also know that it isn't as difficult as many believe either. It is a technique that can be taught and learned, if you embrace it and not fight it.

My latest CreativeLive class is all about Improv Quilting Basics. I walk you through all the steps from preparing fabric to turning blocks into a quilt top and even quilting tips. So often I see improv discussions that talk about the process, but they never move beyond making a block. There is very little public discussion on how to actually turn those efforts into a quilt. That discussion is precisely the bulk of this class.

Whether you want to go with total improv, are looking for more structure, or just want to play and see what happens, you can get direction for all that from this class.

The studio students worked on two different projects in teams. You will see how they went from a pile of fabric to this small tops/start of big tops in just a few hours. The first group - Karen and Tracey - worked with some neutrals. It was a collection of solids and near solids that I put together with some fabrics from the Calligraphy challenge on Spoonflower, hosted by Uppercase Magazine. (In my head it was called the Ink quilt.) They worked from a pure improv standpoint - they cut up fabric, sewed it back together, then puzzled it to turn it into a quilt top.

Nicki and Michelle worked on a stack of low-volume fabrics (a nice follow-up to the Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class) with pops of red. The combination was from a student in Inuvik and I'd wanted to see it in action again. In their case they built up their improv blocks and we squared them up. In the class we talk all about the tips and tricks for building improv slabs this way and considerations when putting them together. And look, they've finished what they've started too!

The whole time the students were sewing I was playing myself. You get to see that too. I show yet another way to put a quilt top together and discuss more options. Not to mention a tiny trunk show of some of my favourite improv quilts.

At the end of the day I want my students in Improv Quilting Basics to feel totally comfortable working improvisationally. That means different things to different people. But having improv in your skill set can mean so many things. It doesn't just have to mean that you make slabs or totally improvised quilt tops. It is about embracing a spirit that means you don't freak out when you run out of background fabric, or gives a you language to translate your inspiration. Improv means trusting the process.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I let the studio students keep the work they made. I only asked that when they finished that these quilts be donated to charity.

Solid Sunday Morning Top

The nice thing about so many Quilts Under Construction is that I can work on nearly anything, depending on the mood I'm in. Last week I folded up all the quilts in the house. It made me realize just how many low volume options there are here. It made me want to play on something decidedly NOT low volume. Variety is the spice of life.

Not to mention that I want some quilts on the girls' beds that are not light and show every spec of spring mud and dog hair.

That meant I pulled out my all solids version of Sunday Morning. It was also the kind of mindless sewing I needed after tackling some garment sewing.

One night I made a few more sets of blocks. After counting I realized I was only 5 blocks short of making this a full size quilt. Rather than dig out my old machine for the girls I set them to laying out the quilt. They LOVE this part of the process. After bed I got the last blocks made and started assembly.

While they were at school yesterday I finished the top (and back!). It was a lovely nearly spring day that saw us stay at the park for 2 hours after school. Needless to say, it was perfect for photographing the finished quilt. A handful of kids took a break from their play to help us snap the picture. I love that their friends have a tiny hand in the finished quilt now and they got to show it off for them. (Although we couldn't necessarily remember who made what block.)

Working with solids is a challenge, for sure, for me. I adore prints. It is also, however, a welcome break. Exercising my visual cortex in a new way was like trying a new workout or different dish at your favourite Italian place. It's good to break out of the norm once in a while.

I am ever thankful for my Calgary Modern Quilt Guild friends for donating scraps to this project. There is no way I could have collected that variety of solid fabrics. There was no rhyme or reason to the colours chosen or the order they were sewn together. Just grab and sew kind of piecing. I did slow down and become intentional with layout. After the girls did their thing we moved a few things around together, but then I just made sure there were no bars of the same colour next to each other or all the whites or blacks bunched together. I needed to make sure it had a bit of balance.

Now, let's see if I can get them to help we wash the dining room floor so we can baste it together this weekend...

What I Made At QuiltCon

QuiltCon was an awesome, eye opening, and super friendly experience for me. I think many people feel the same. My classes and students were wonderful. (I can say that Saturday night was a bit of a rough night for a class, everyone was pretty tired.) Thank you to everyone who came to sew, to laugh, to eat my chocolate, use my fabric, and push themselves. You made my experience for sure.

I did, however, get a little bit of time to sew myself. Taking a few classes was a welcome respite in my busy schedule. To be honest, I felt kind of sneaky being in a classroom. Or maybe it was more indulgent? Either way, I'm glad I made some time to do it.

I spent one morning with the Gees Bend quilters. After my time in Alabama in the fall I was eager for the chance to visit and sew more. The entire class was more of some playtime and visiting, punctuated with gospel singing and laughter. There was minimal direction, if any, so it would have been tough if you were totally new to improv play. But the 4 women made sure each student was acknowledged, helped, and guided. My neighbour spent a lot of time with them as they kept making her redo and redo a certain seam of her piece until it was just right. And when we saw the final seam the effort was totally worth it. Improv can be careful and calculating too.

My choice of fabric for the class were some old clothes of the girls. I cut up two pairs of pants, a dress, and a blouse. It was a miss mash of fabrics and textures. But having seen the original Gees Bend quilts it was a good push for me. And wow, was it liberating to cut up old clothes! I decided to go with their influence to the extreme and based my work on the Housetop pattern so many in Gees Bend have used. That block is all of the clothes, with only a few small pieces leftover. I didn't cut away grass stains that never came out of the knees or the tiny mustard spot. Initially I thought I might keep going with the technique and framing it with more neutrals. Now that I'm home, we'll see. Although, I do see that as a fun family marker.

The other class I took, and my first choice going into QuiltCon registration, was Cristy Flincher's Paperless Paper Piecing. I've been fascinated by this process and what she makes. It is so outside of my comfort zone and usual style. Yes, I like precision and do enjoy paper piecing, but this is a refreshing way to approach the style. Not to mention that Cristy is a great teacher. Seriously, she's good.

She gave us the template for the block so we were all working from the same foundation. But there were so many different fabrics at play that each block looked different. It took all day to make the one block, but that had a lot to do with a steep learning curve and not enough irons. (And for me, having to duck out for a book signing.) Now that I know the technique, though, I can see it being a very handy skill. It won't take nearly as long next time. Bonus: Cristy even told me how to add improv to this so my soul was touched a bit more.

I definitely want to make at least 3 more of these blocks for a small medallion.

Announcing My CreativeLive Experience

It's been a few weeks since I filmed my CreativeLive classes. It was such an intense experience prepping and filming. I wanted to deliver classes that you've not seen from me before. Some are an extension of things that I do and have done, but with more details or a different twist. Some are totally brand new. That's what made the prep so much work. Totally worth it though, I think these classes are awesome. If I may say so myself.

If you've ever met me or taken a class from me you know that I can talk. But wow, filling two straight days of airtime was tough. That means you get a lot of stories from me throughout each class, on top of my direction, tips, and lessons.

CreativeLive is a well oiled machine. They know what they are doing in filming and delivering classes. It was quite phenomenal to work with them. Commitment, enthusiasm, and professionalism. From my producers to the camera operators to the assistants who kept me in tea and my voice cracked, everyone was wonderful.

If you've not heard of CreativeLive before I think you will be very pleasantly surprised by what they have to offer. Most of their classes are first broadcast live. And when they are live they are free to watch. You can then purchase from their catalog if you want to hold on to the class. 

And the catalog is filled with some amazing classes. Their Craft and Maker section is growing, but don't hesitate to check out the Photography and Money & Life sections (my favourites) too.

Oh, make-up! I'm a mascara and lip gloss kind of girl, when I do get dressed up. So having my hair and make up did was quite the treat, if not adventure. But I had a great make-up artist who made me look just a little bit more so. Such a simple thing, but it was nice to know I didn't have to worry about my looks when being immortalized like this. Such vanity, but definitely a part of the stress. I won't lie about that. Much thanks to my best friend here at home for helping me pick my outfits.

One of the really fun things about CreativeLive is the studio audience aspect. As a quilt teacher it can be really difficult to teach without the response from students. For my classes I had 4 incredible women join me in the studio. Karen, Michelle, Nicki, and Tracey were all from the Bay Area and took time off work and their family schedules to join me in the studio. I had so much fun with them! Such enthusiasm and they really embraced what I was trying to do both in the studio and for everyone watching at home. 

The other great thing about having an audience is that all the concepts I teach get demonstrated different ways. So it isn't just my work that you see. I really find that we feed off of each other in a classroom environment, so getting to see their work helps everyone who watches.

(And that is Kris with us up there. He was a lovely director!)

Aren't these lovely? Michelle made a crane for each class we filmed. It was such a lovely feature on the set. While I didn't get a chance to take many pictures throughout, I couldn't resist snapping this pic before everything got packed up at the end. A perfect end to our time together. A perfect reminder to let your creativity take flight.

In the coming weeks I will talk more about the classes in detail, but you can still check them out now.

Quiltcon Quilt Keeping Me Warm

 Quiltcon Quilt

103'' x 94''

It takes a long time to finish the binding on a king sized quilt. That was a lot of Top Gear and random Discovery Channel shows sitting on the sofa by my husband. But I'm not complaining one bit because it was totally worth it for this quilt.

Started 2 years ago at the first QuiltCon in an Improv class with Denyse Schmidt, this quilt is a new favourite for me. I know improv, I'm very comfortable with it. Taking cues and following the process of someone else was refreshing. I may not use the brown paper bags Denyse starts with, but that go where you may and trusting your intuition is very similar to my approach a lot of the time. And she totally taught me to embrace the small pieces, the tiny, right alongside the large.

A year after QuiltCon I took out my initial blocks again and made more. Many, many more. Then I spent some time puzzling it together. For me, that part is probably the most fun. It is a challenge, for sure, but so much fun.

(Confused about that puzzling it together part? Check out my new class on CreativeLive all about that!)

A few days of work to get it all together and I was thrilled with the completed top. I was not thrilled with the prospect of quilting another king size quilt on my home machine, however. Especially because I wanted something more than straight lines on this. So I convinced my friend Andrea at Urban Quiltworks to play.

And boy did she do a stellar job!

She embraced the spirit of improv with her quilting as well. We settled on a lovely yellow thread from Wonderfil, then I left her to her own devices. She did some all over work, some line work, some dense parts, left some spaces open. If your eye wasn't already moving constantly with the piecing, the quilting will get it going. There is just so much to see. And so much additional texture created.

To be honest, I feel totally spoiled and honoured to have her work on this quilt. It is absolutely perfect. The right compliment between the piecing and the quilting for sure.

A few people that have seen this quilt have commented on the colour scheme. I must say, that was entirely unintentional. In Denyse's class you start with your chosen feature fabric - the black and white in my case - and her bags of scraps. You also pick a solid. I must admit that my hand was directed a little by my friend Jules as it blindly searched in the paper bag for my solid selection. I never, ever would have picked this weird green/grey/sage colour. But I am happy she led me to it.

At home, when making more blocks I used the initial fabrics found in the classroom blocks as my guide. Just tiny bits of orange, yellow, and that magenta tones. A bit of brown and blue. More grey. Overall it feels cool. There is no bright pink and only snippets of purple. It feels like there is a bit of control, but mostly just randomness. 

Actually, it feels like home to me and it is wonderful to have this beauty finished and keeping us warm at night.

Marching Together

We don't celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in Canada. As I've said before, we frankly aren't taught much about the civil rights movement. Not because we aren't without our own shameful past (and present) of racism, but the marches and protests of the 50s and 60s aren't much of a topic in our history classes. Until my trip to Birmingham most of what I knew was from pop culture - hip hop, novels, and movies.

When I found myself with an hour of unexpected free time yesterday I couldn't help but pull out my march inspired blocks. It seemed appropriate on the day and all.

My blocks were pressed, trimmed, and a lay out determined. I filled in the blanks with more white. Now this large block measures about 30'' x 32''. It needs to be framed or made part of something larger. I'm just not entirely sure what that next step will be. Right now I'm thinking a Courthouse Steps kind of construction for framing it. But I've also thought of making 4 more similar large blocks and doing something with those.

For now, I will keep this up on the design wall to contemplate the options, and the precious and passionate sacrifices that inspired it.

Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle Update

This week's old project to work on was these Shoeman's Puzzle blocks. I was originally inspired by Denyse Schmidt's version in Modern Quilts Traditional Inspirations. Hers, however, is a two colour quilt.

The low volume prints mean the pattern is quite subtle, but it is there. That's because I used various shades of solid white for contrast. Print will always contrast with solid (as long as it isn't too tiny of a print) so the design still comes through.

I am so in love with these blocks. A lot of the quilts I've finished in the last while I've given away, or they are for teaching. This one, this quilt will be mine. With the slabs it captures the essence of my first book, especially because it is mostly made with the scraps from second book. Most of the slabs get made while I'm teaching - I use these as demo sewing. I feel it represents everything about my quilting as a career to this point. There is no way anyone else will get this quilt.

There are still more blocks to make. How many, however, is still up for debate. In my head I'd always pictured it 70'' x 70''. A generous lap quilt for me. For a brief moment I considered making it 80'' x 80'' so it could go on one of the girls' beds, but thought better of that. When the rows are an odd number the pattern is even. Normally I am all about the symmetry, but I kind of prefer the look with the uneven number. 50'' x 70'' is fine for a lap quilt, but I don't think that is enough to get the full effect of all the secondary patterns formed by this pattern.

So, I guess that means I have at least 21 more blocks to make. At least.

The Need for Bigger Quilts

#gokingorgohome

That's the hashtag I've been using on Instagram whenever someone asks if they should make a quilt bigger or not. I always default to go bigger.

Frankly, that's a bit of a problem. Sometimes I start quilts just to play, to try a technique. There is no good reason to make it a queen sized bit of play. Well, other than then it would be big enough to put on a bed instead of just over legs on the couch. But if I'm just trying something out why do I insist on making it so big? This MAY have something to do with having over 40 quilts under construction...



Take these blocks for example. They finish at 10''. I'd always pictured that I would make 49 of them, to make a 70'' square quilt. But now? I think I might have to go up to 64 or even 81 blocks. Looks like I have a lot more sewing to go as I only have 28 of them so far.

Much like some people find it tremendously difficult to work on more than one quilt at a time, I have a very hard time making a small quilt. Since I said that last week I've been thinking about why that is the case.

I don't know why, it's just what I do. Possible reasons:

... bigger quilts are more functional.
... there aren't as many babies being born in my circle. Although, I think that isn't the case over the next few months.
... I'm a sucker for punishment.
... while I love hand binding, doing so on a small quilt feels silly.
... most of my ideas need to be big to be truly expressed.
... small quilts feel like a cop out on making.

What about you? What size do you tend to make? I'm not judging anyone else's choices, just trying to figure out my own crazy logic.

Lately I've been thinking of even bigger quilts. For my newsletter someone asked me the question about deciding what to make. In my answer I mentioned the need to make bigger quilts. I've noticed that many of my recent finishes fall into the twin/lap world. If they are square they tend to be 70''-76'' finished.

But, we just bought the kids beds for the first time and they all got double beds. Those 76'' square quilts don't quite have enough overhang for my liking. The kids are happy, but I want to see less of their sheets when the bed gets made. (Yes, I am that anal.) So now my brain is automatically going to 80'' square at a minimum.

What's a girl to do? Make more blocks. Make bigger blocks.

Values Plus

We've all seen a million half square triangle (HST) Values quilts. I, for one, don't get bored of them. I think that is because no two are the same - from the fabrics to the layout. However, I wanted to try something different. I was actually prepping for my upcoming class - Values Plus. In that class students will play with values and more than just HSTs. The class is about experimenting, not just creating a HST quilt.

So I dug into my jars of strips and strings. All random fabrics, random sizes, and only paired up by value. That is, as I grabbed strips I made sure that they had a value difference. Sometimes it was subtle, sometimes it was bold. That's generally how I approach pure value work. Subtlety makes it a bit more interesting.

After sewing the strips together I picked a size to trim to. It was mostly dictated by the width of most of the pairs. So 3 1/2'' square it was! And then I kept sewing, and sewing. And trimming and trimming.

I played with a number of layouts. More of a rail fence setting? Totally random? Strips of light/dark? After a long chat with Amanda Jean I went with this final set up. I also decided to create these little groupings on colour, a four patch.

No word of lie, it wasn't until I was posting these photos here that I realized that they looked like plus signs. For my Values Plus class. Get it?

I'm such a nerd.

There is Peace in Pattern

There is Peace in Pattern

53'' x 56''

It kind of says it all for us quilters, doesn't it? Well, it does for me. So, so perfectly. This might be a new contender for my most favourite quilt I've made ever.

This was actually the first quilt I made when I moved into my basement sewing studio. Well, the first quilt I started and the first top I finished. It all started with a bundle of Carolyn Friedlander's first line, Architextures. I pulled out the greens for another project and stared at the remaining fabrics for a bit. Then I picked and pulled from my stash some additional fabrics.

You know what I did next? I hacked it all up! Strips cut randomly from fat quarters, the scrap bin raided, chunks cut off of yardage. I created a giant pile of fabric pieces. One side had a few darker pieces in them, the remainder were all the low volume lovelies.

To make each letter I first sketched out the order of piecing. It was all improvised, but I needed a bit of direction. This is my Improv With Intention concept. Instead of choosing a single fabric for the background of each letter I went wild and grabbed randomly. As each letter, each word, came together I added more and more fabric.

And not a single one was a solid.

It didn't seem like it took a long time to get this top together, but it couldn't have been quick. If I recall I worked on it for a few weeks if not a month. That is, in snippets of time and a hour after bedtime or so. Once I got the words together there was a lot of extra piecing and puzzle work to get it all into a quilt top. When I do this kind of piecing I like to avoid totally distinctive grid lines so it gets fiddly at times. Just a personal preference of mine.

As soon as yardage of Architextures was available I ordered some for the backing and binding. But as the fabric and quilt top sat, I kept sneaking some of the fabric for other projects. In the end I was able to get my back together. And thankfully I'd made the binding already for a photo shoot. Phew. otherwise that awesome navy text print would have been long gone!

The quilting was done on the long arm, with Aurifil 2435. It is a great coral colour that worked wonderfully with all the fabrics. I free motioned a topography pattern. It fills the space wonderfully and totally echoes the main fabric on the back. Instead of doing any ditch work around the letters I actually just took the free motion pattern right to the letter edges, but not over. With the quilt washed the letters just pop now. Call it lazy trapunto. It works for me and I can see using this sort of pattern again.

In a slightly related note, I forgot to tell you something. Crystal from Two Little Aussie Birds interviewed me a few weeks ago. It was great to talk about modern quilting in a totally different way, and include a discussion of feminism in there. She is hosting a series of interviews called Modern Quilting Modern Women. Some great posts in there from some pretty spectacular and different quilters. I mentioned this quilt in my interview and that's what reminded me that I never photographed it. So, here is the quilt and here is the interview.

Corduroy Marching - Inspired by Gee's Bend

With the exception of the odd bit of linen or voile, I've never mixed my fabric when making a quilt. Pure quilting cottons. It wasn't a matter of being snobby, although, maybe? It's just what I was taught and what I'm comfortable with. But after seeing all the quilts in Gee's Bend and talking fabric with Mary Ann, China, and Nancy I was inspired.

Then, when wandering Birmingham on the same trip we came across a little quilt store called The Smocking Bird with quite the selection of corduroy. It was meant to be. I bought a few pieces, mostly blues. Honestly, I had no idea what I would do with it, but I wanted to play.

On the flight home I was writing some notes about my trip. A few sketches emerged too. I honestly thought that's all they would be. Then I was unpacking and realized my corduroy could be quite interesting here. So I pulled out a cotton/linen I had for some additional texture and set about to play.

No rhyme or reason to what I was doing. Just an attempt to mimic the shape I sketched out. I was inspired by the trip and our education on the Civil Rights Movement. The notion of a march as a means of process was front of mind when I set out. So these are legs, of all sizes, marching. I think they worked out quite well.

These blocks aren't even pressed, let alone squared up. I'm not entirely sure where they'll end up yet. They are fun, and poignant, to make. I will definitely make more.

Corduroy is a hot mess to work with though! It sews up fine, especially because most of this is a fine wale from Robert Kaufman. The mess, however, is rather annoying. Just a lot, a whole lot of lint. The softness and texture are totally worth it. I can see using it again.

Mary Ann Pettway was right. She told me it was great to work with and added something to the quilts. I should listen to other people more.

Modern Meadows Quilt

Inspiration to finished quilt. This is Mountain Meadows. Fully improvised, made with scraps from my own stash and shared by quilty friends and blog readers.

It started with a family hike. The wildflowers were in bloom all over the mountains. Little pops of colour dotting this hillsides. And so many greens. Not to mention the light and shadows dancing across the meadows. I wanted to capture the visual as much as the feeling. 

I think I did it.

Mountain Meadows

52'' x 68''

We went to Banff yesterday, a pleasant afternoon of brunch, a soak in the hot springs, and a little jaunt to take these pics. As you can see, I missed the window of opportunity for photographing this with the real inspiration. Snow has arrived!

But those grasses were still poking through the snow. And the sun played across the field. My kids threw snowballs at each other while Hubby helped me take the pics.

I quilted this one on the long arm. It isn't a big quilt but that quilting is dense. It took me nearly 5 hours straight. I wanted to mimic the movement of grasses. And here and there is a flower. Not difficult, but time consuming to execute. For thread I used Auriful 1147, a perfect olive green. It blends in parts and pops in others.

For binding I went with more green scraps. There was a moment where I thought about facing the quilt instead. I see this quilt, however, as the beginning of a series and part of me wanted it to be very, very clear that it is a quilt. So it needed a traditional binding. I did roughly match the binding with the top. If it was a dark section then there was dark binding, light got light. I didn't obsess about it perfectly matching, but made it work.

How I love a high contrast back! In this case the contrast comes thematically. This fabric is Jay McCarroll's Center City line. He was inspired by urban centres, so talk about contrast with my inspiration. But I had to have it and this quilt sat until I tracked down enough yardage. I'm thrilled with the result because of the contrast and because the quilting blends so nicely.

Remember, if you want to know more about this quilt you can listen to the Webinar I did with the Modern Quilt Guild on Improv With Intent. It's free to all Modern Quilt Guild Members.

In the Webinar I discuss the process of making the quilt - from inspiration to the final top. It isn't as straightforward as one might think. If you are a Modern Quilt Guild Member you can access the Webinar for free now, even if you didn't join me last week. To access it make sure you log in and join the Community site. Then click under Resources and there it is. Not only do you get to see more images and learn about my process, you get to hear my awesome Canadian accent.