FABRICS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

To prepare for future class proposals I made a few new Class Samples using different styles of fabrics from the primary sample. 

I find people can't often picture a project made in very different fabrics from the published sample.

Here you can see how different a quilt can look when you change colors/fabrics.

WESTERN SUN:

1800's Reproduction Fabrics, 110" square

                                                         WILD WESTERN SUN:

Bright Contemporary Fabrics, 40" square

CHARMING SAMPLER:

Old timey Fabrics, 33" square

Kaffe Charming, 29" x 33"

DISAPPEARING PATCHWORK: 

Bright Sample Block

Neutral Quilt, 62" square

ANTIQUE ROSE STAR: 

1800's Reproduction Fabrics, 66" x 74"

Student work, Bright Contemporary Fabrics

HEXAGON DIAMOND STARS:

Bright Contemporary Fabrics, 13" x 14"

1800's Reproduction Fabrics, 39" x 41"

FEATHERED STARS: 

Holly R's finished quilt, Contemporary fabrics

Mine in progress, Old Timey feeling fabrics

Pam R's finished quilt, Fussy Cut centers of William Morris fabrics

If you see a quilt you like but don't love the colors or fabric choices, consider making a "test block" with different fabrics. Good design is good design, it just takes the right fabrics to make a quilt one you will love. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

Quilters and Color

Yesterday I had a small group of lady shoppers who were looking for fabric to make pillowcases for pediatric patients at a local hospital--a church project.  Patients range in age from very young to teens.

I made several suggestions, pulling 3 fabrics from the large yardage stacks for sale, and the woman who was clearly in charge turned them all down.  She said repeatedly "I am not a quilter" and "our church ladies wouldn't like that".  Ummm, I thought these were gifts for youngsters, not people somewhat older than me...

This morning I thought about this while doing my 39 minutes on the elliptical trainer.  When done I am a hot, sweaty mess so as I cooled down, I set a timer for 5 minutes and pulled as many sets of 3 fabrics as I could that would make good pillowcases, using only fabric for sale, not opening the closets.  In less than those 5 minutes I had these 8 sets:

Now pillowcases are easy because they only require 3 fabrics, the body, the cuff, and a small accent strip.  I am good at selecting fabric for quilts and I love doing it.  I believe I have gotten good at it because I have taught beginning quiltmakers for almost 30 years--our first class involves helping each student select at least 12 fabrics for the quilt they will make, from the thousands of bolts they see in the shop. My job is to help them find a palette they like, not one I necessarily want to take home.

Over the years I have found the two most difficult things for quiltmakers to learn is:

1. how to pick fabrics that will make a pleasing quilt

2. how to master the dreaded 1/4" seam allowance--I'll discuss that in a later blog post on Perfect Piecing

My nice church lady shopper yesterday was making the two biggest mistakes in selecting fabric:

1. Everything had to MATCH
2. Using the preferences of the maker over that of the recipient

Fabrics that MATCH perfectly in a quilt are, in my opinion, boring.  Fabrics simply have to  "coordinate" or, in layman's terms "go with", the basic "focus" or "theme" fabric, in this case, the body of the pillowcase.   That is why I don't make quilts with only one line of fabric from one designer--new quilters are somehow being taught this is the only "acceptable" way to select fabric.  I am out to change that idea.

Since these pillowcases are intended for children, it is much more important the fabrics appeal to younger people, not those somewhat older than me.  Keep the recipient's desires/preferences in mind when making a fabric gift for someone.  The most difficult commission quilts I've made have been when I didn't like the fabrics.  But it's not about me when I'm making a quilt for someone else, it's about them.

The ladies finally settled on a few pieces, when the one quilter in the group finally had a say in what was selected.  The one in charge was not so sure about those selections.  I, however, am sure they will make great pillowcases...

And these 8 sets?  They will sit out the rest of this week on the "Pillowcase" table and if they don't sell, I'll make pillowcases to donate--win, win!

My advice:  when you see a quilt in a magazine, at a show, online, that you REALLY like, study it to find out what it is that appeals to you most--the colors, the fabric styles, the pattern?  That will help you develop an eye for what YOU like (or the recipient) and you can go forth and make great quilts.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Yellow

Yellow is a color I don't use very much, in quilts, in clothing or in decorating.  But when I do use it, I really like it:

Forsythia!  One of those easy-to-grow plants that reminds me of my childhood, we had a couple large bushes in my backyard in Philadelphia.  In 1981 we received a bush from our babysitter as a gift for the baptism of our youngest son, Andy.  I have moved pots of it with us to every house since then and this is the grove we have of it now.  My husband did a major cut-back of it last Spring and this is the result this past week.  Our son has two plants of it at his home in St. Louis--it is a gift that keeps on giving.

I am eager to get back to this quilt:

Parts

Center

Ruffled Roses by Sue Garman for The Quilt Show BOM 2011

The quilt was the 2011 BOM for www.thequiltshow.com and the pattern is still available at Sue Garman's website.  I have more parts for baskets and the border sections ready to be sewn together, it just needs to become a priority.  Soon, very soon.

Another work-in-progress that has slipped to the very back burner is this round robin piece I started in 2014:

My friends, Ellen and Sharon, and I often do a round-robin project, usually to commemorate a trip we've taken.  This was begun in Paducah 2013.  It's currently 35" square and I don't think this will become significantly bigger, not bed-size.  I just have to study it a bit to figure out what it needs next--so I'm letting it stay up on the design wall so I can ponder the next step.

As I look at these, one reminds me of Spring and one of Fall, so they need to get done so I can have seasonal quilts to hang.  I have a Christmas quilt that goes up December 1.   And for summer I will have this one, when it's done:

This is basted and ready for quilting, a task I will complete this week.

A few years ago we repainted the living room from a plain light beige to this golden yellow:

I still don't know why, since yellow isn't one of my usual colors, but it is the perfect color for this room. Bright in the morning, warm and inviting at night.  A-Round with My Friends looks like it was made for this space, though it wasn't. It has a soft, buttery yellow for the applique' background and an inner border.  Circle Play, above the mantel, was a piece from one of my artsy phases. It has a gold/yellow flange inserted in the black binding, a great pop of color.  I still have a large stash of Oriental prints that haven't seen the light of day in quite a while, guess I need to get back to those too.  So many quilts, so little time...

Do you have a favorite color you use a lot, and one you rarely use?  Do you even think about color?  Of course you do, if you're a quilter.

Let's Quilt!

Three Amigas Retreat

My two best quilting buddies and I get together each summer for 2 days of quilting, talking, laughing, some eating, and mostly reconnecting as one of us moved 125 miles away some years back.  We look forward to this time and have already decided next year HAS to be 3 days so there can be some retail therapy too.

A few weeks ago I cut the strips for this new class sample and got it made at our retreat:

Box of Wine  40" x 48"

 

It's from a great new book on Color:  The Quilter's Practical Guide to Color by Becky Goldsmith.  I first wrote about it here.  I will be using this book to teach four separate classes in a series I'm calling Color College.  This is for Fall Semester--it shows how clear and grayed fabrics can work well together.  This book is packed with practical, easy to understand information about color but you DO have to read it to get the most out of it.  My hope is that those who take all four classes will have read the entire book by the time they finish the fourth class and have a better grasp on using color in their quilts.  Now it's on to the quilting.

My other finish is this, a compilation of blocks from the Simple What Nots Clubs I led over the past year.  Rather than make a bunch of small quilts, I put the parts and sample bits together:

Simple What Nots Club Parts 1 and 2, approx. 60" square

 

Then Ellen surprised me with a birthday gift, a quilt for my grandchild (ren), called "Sleeping at BB's":

"Sleeping at BB's", 40" x 48"

 

I love how bright and cheerful and scrappy it is and the beautiful machine quilting Ellen put into it!

Here are a few shots of their work, except that Sharon won't let me post several of her pieces as they are class samples for our Quilt-In July  18:

Ellen--we do love our scrappy quilts!

Ellen--always uses her leftovers for another little quilt

Ellen--she makes big quilts too

Ellen--this looks familiar--her guild did a red and white swap block challenge

Ellen--had to make a little one too, great quilting!

Ellen--Snowballs and Nine Patches

Ellen--GREAT Quilt of Valor, she almost finished during our retreat

Sharon--after she bound 4 quilts for her upcoming class

 

Time spent with these two is always so special, particularly because it doesn't happen often enough and we really have to make time to be together.  The first night Sharon's husband, Rick, grilled chicken and we all shared a terrific dinner at her house, including my husband.  Great times!

Time to scour the closets and bookshelves again for more stuff for our guild Yard Sale.

And look who is one month old today:

Stella!
 

Let's quilt!

More Stash and Simple WhatNots Club

 

 

I learned about these wonderful fabric bundles recently on Lori's blog, Humble Quilts. They come from Two Thimbles Quilt shop in Bellingham, WA. There is 2 yards in each bundle, 12 strips, 6" wide by WOF, and the cost of $14.95 seems very reasonable to me. So I bought 3 of them.  I could have bought 4 and paid the same on shipping,  something I forgot to check before I placed the order.  The best part is there is only 1 fabric in the 36 pieces I already have so it was a great stash enhancement event! Their service was excellent--I placed the order on Wednesday and the Priority box arrived today, Saturday.  Thanks, Lori!

There was very little Civil War/1800's fabric at Spring Market.  Most lines are bright and clear and a lot of solids.  The new lines are pretty fabrics, but I still love 1800's repros a lot.  So that is how I justify adding to my collection.  I will use several of these in my Stars in a Time Warp quilt. 

Last night was the Simple WhatNots Club by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics that I am conducting at my local shop.  Here are 2 quilts completed from last month's pattern:

Michelle did 16 blocks, Anna did 9, both are great

The pattern is called Cloud Nine and those blocks are 3.75" finished.  I love how you get a little bitty Churn Dash/Monkey Wrench were the blocks come together at the corners. 

This is the pattern we are doing for May, called True Blue.  Each block is 6" finished.  I used one background fabric where the pattern uses several.  My tip for these small blocks is to use a small stitch, 2.0 or 12/inch, and press all the seams open.  These 2 blocks will become part of my WhatNots Sampler quilt, where I am combining the parts of many of these small quilts into one large quilt.  See my post about the parts on the design wall here.  There is only one month to go and I am working on that project now. 

Last night I also told the group about Becky Goldsmith's wonderful new book:

The Quilter's Practical Guide to Color, by Becky Goldsmith


 

I botch the title, I'm afraid.  Becky did a blog this morning about this, featuring a short video tutorial on color:  Color Tutorial.  She quoted my email to her about how much I like this book and think it will be so helpful to quilters.  I plan to teach 4 classes from this book and I'm calling it Color College.  We'll have Fall Semester this September, Winter Semester in January, Spring semester in May  and Summer School, in summer 2016.  Each class will be independent of each other.  The plan is to use 4 of the projects in the book to teach skills with color and by the end of the 4 classes, the students will have read the book.  I know many quilters buy great books, flip through them and don't read them.  You will get lots of out this book if you READ it!

May you all have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday and remember:  We are the Home of the Free, thanks to the Brave.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Stashing the Stash from Market

Somehow, my suitcase gained 20 pounds during its' week in Minneapolis for Quilt Market.  Fortunately, I did not gain that much but it's a whole new day here today--time to get back to eating smart.

And today is when I try to put all this stuff away:

 

Left side of the table...

Right side of the table...

 

 

How many tote bags does one girl need???

Shimmer by Jennifer Sampou for Robert Kaufman

Vintage Made Modern by Amy Barickman for RJR Fabrics

New titles

 

Does he look happy I'm home? 



 

Most of this stuff I bought, the books, thread, fabrics, etc.  Some was a gift, like the tote bags and the Bad Ass Quilter lanyard--thanks, Maddie Kertay of Spool in Chattanooga.

I love working the Market because I get to talk to so many friends in the industry--I've been going to Market since 1996, haven't missed a year.  This time I saw several of the fabric reps I used to work with as the Buyer for Patches & Stitches--they still remember me though it's been more than 10 years since I held that job.  And I love getting excited about new fabric and new ideas. 

Later this week I'll have more to say about the fabric bundles, and the book titles--but just have to say what a fantastic book Becky Goldsmith has written:  The Quilter's Practical Guide to Color, C&T Publishing.  I read every word yesterday as I traveled home on two planes and sat on the tarmac for an hour in ATL as we rode out a late afternoon thunderstorm.  It is full of practical knowledge for quilters.  I have 4 classes planned using this book, I'm calling the series of classes: Color College.

 Fall Semester features this beauty:

Time to put this stuff away and get my exercise in for the day.  I walked a lot at Market but I ate a lot too.  And I wrap up my Quiltmaking 101 class tonight with the 3rd group for this year.  Love teaching those beginners!

Let's Quilt!

Barbara



Simple What Nots Club

I am coordinating the Simple What Nots Club at my local quilt shop, Patches & Stitches.  It uses the latest fabric line designed by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass Fabrics.  There are 6 small quilts,  we meet once a month for 6 months and I do lecture/demo explaining tips and tricks for how to make that months' block.  We have a small classroom and it is packed with chairs for the 28 folks who signed up. 

The first quilt is called Laundry Basket and I used my own fabric since the collection had not arrived in time for me to get my first sample done:

Laundry Basket 18" x 18"



The second one I am teaching this week, Sunday Supper.  I added a dark border all the way around as I do not like to have my bindings have to hit perfectly on a sawtooth or pointed border.  It's my quilt, I can do what I want with it:

Sunday Supper 15" x 18"
 

The one I will be teaching in September is my favorite of the group, Idaho Lily.  I hand-appliqued' the stems and leaves but will teach several options for that step.  Those are 1" finished half-square triangles in the borders:


Idaho Lily 27" X 27"

It is always my intention to provide as much helpful information in class as I can so each person feels they are getting their money's worth.  We have a wide range of skill and experience levels in this group and I hope to educate and entertain them all.  I plan to have pictures from our class later this week.

My other fun project is the small version of Color in Black and White, made with 1.5" cut strips:

42" x 36" without borders, which I will probably add

 

I wrote about the BIG version here. At that time I was trying to decide if I'd be adding a border and ultimately, I did.  Here is the finished BIG version, currently hanging at the quilt shop as a class sample:

Color in Black and White, 84" x 88"
 

These are really fun to make and I enjoyed digging through my deep stash to find the best fabrics, saturated colored prints.  And who knew black on white prints could make such a terrific background?

Have a great week and let's quilt!

Barbara