Forgiveness - A Word Quilt for Wednesday

Forgiveness.

One of the most difficult human actions. Especially when we need to forgive ourselves. And still with others. It is so much easier to be angry, to be scared, to hold a grudge. Recently I took that energy and channeled it into this quilt top. 

What a release. 

Don't ask me how many pieces are in here. Don't ask me how long it took. Don't ask me the personal details. Just know that it worked. That forgiveness is not only possible, but it does indeed feel better and require less energy than holding on to the anger, the frustration.

And bonus, my sewing room has a few less scraps in it.

With forgiveness in your heart you welcome the cute photobombers who draw on themselves and the reluctant quilt holders. Even the wind. 

Take a deep breath, get your butt in the seat and sew. Let the good stuff ride.

Morning Makes - The Australian Verson

If it wasn't for my morning make I would not be surviving summer. To clarify, I would not survive the kids being home and very limited time to sew or work. I'm doing my best to be a calm mom and the act of creating before I consume is making a huge difference in that goal.

This is just an exercise in improv. It's just play.

The first bits started as demos on my Australia trip. I grabbed two fat quarters fairly randomly to demo something on the fly. Then I used the fabric to demo something else. By the end of the trip I was rather in love with the combination so I bought the rest of those two fabrics. At home I added in bits of love from my stash, treats that Leslie at Maze and Vale gave me, scraps from my Kawasaki's Theorem screen printing, and some special fabrics also gifted on the trip. 

There are a million ways to approach improv and a million ways to play. I've decided to focus on shape to have some cohesion in the quilt. Triangles/diamonds, curves, little bits. This way, that way, any way. Scale provides some great interest and keeps me on my toes in the making.

So here and there, each morning, I make a little. Some days I can sneak in a whole hour. Most days I'm lucky if I get 20 minutes. All that counts is that I sit my butt in the chair and sew first thing in the morning. 

The Splendid Sampler Confession

So...

I'm totally behind in my Splendid Sampler blocks. This week marks the 50th block, halfway through. I've made 15.

Maybe you are in the same boat. You got really excited at the beginning and stayed on top of things. I did. Then I got bogged down by a couple of things. Life, just that motherhood/work/getting out of the house thing. Deadlines, just articles and patterns and trips out of the country. Then there was the embroidery. Oh, the embroidery.

For you it might be the paper piecing blocks, the few hexies, the applique or whatever. For many of us there may be one type of block or another that intimidates or frustrates. And it is pretty easy to lose steam when faced when one of those blocks.

I'm here to tell you that it is okay. Totally okay. The Splendid Sampler is supposed to be about fun. No one, absolutely no one is saying you need to make each and every block. Nor that you have to make them all within 48 hours of the pattern being released. Make the blocks you like when you like. Period.

If you, however, want to make all the blocks and find yourself feeling overwhelmed or totally behind here are a couple of tips to get back/stay on track.

• Cut your fabric in sets of 5 or 10 blocks. That way they are always ready when you find yourselves with a moment to sew. Also, it means you can work on the type of block you are in the mood for rather than a specific one you feel you HAVE to do.
• Swap techniques with a friend. If you have a friend who loves embroidery (anyone?!) but you love paper piecing do a little trade. Make hers and she finishes yours!
• Let it go. Fall in love with the blocks that speak to you and don't worry about the rest. Make multiples and run with it.
• Do what my husband always stresses to the kids (and me) when faced with something seemingly scary or extra challenging: calm down. We can do almost anything when we face it calmly.
• Put the blocks you have together in a setting. See what they look like. If they seem pretty awesome to you as a pillow or a baby blanket then so be it.
• Be inspired by Alyssa Thomas on Periscope. She posts every night with her blocks. And note, they can take her more than one night!

Our goal with The Splendid Sampler is for you to have fun, first and foremost. After that, the designers have included blocks that get them excited. That's why there is such a range of techniques and styles. We designed blocks that make us happy and hopefully shared that fun. So don't stress and try to have fun.

To celebrate this milestone a number of The Splendid Sampler designers are hosting a fun blog hop over the next few days. Make sure to check out the special milestone block and visit the blogs as there are a number of giveaways across the board. Including here.

I've got two patterns to share. Both may be techniques that you aren't necessarily familiar with - making slabs and improv piecing - or you are well versed. Either way, they are fun patterns! Enter your name in the comments below with the number of The Splendid Sampler blocks you've made so far. No shame here! The giveaway will be open until August 9th, midnight MST. The giveaway is now closed.

Screen Printing Lesson and Coincidences at Maze and Vale

On my Australia trip I got the opportunity to learn silk screening printing from the wonderful Leslie Keating at Maze and Vale. We were in Melbourne for 48 free hours in between the two retreats. Jules McMahon arranged for us to go meet Leslie one morning. I'd interviewed Leslie for a Modern Patchwork/Quilting Arts article before, but this would be a treat. We were in for far more than we expected!

Leslie invited us into her shared warehouse studio space. A number of different artists working on their painting, printing, sewing, and making in a sunny, crisp warehouse. Divided by plywood walls and mixed with creativity. The Maze and Vale space is long and narrow, perfect for a printing table. Perfect for Leslie's gorgeous drop cloths (which Jules and I really, really want), a cabinet with her base cloth, and shelves of inks. Not to mention the true value of her unique screens stacked under the window.

We, admittedly, thought we were going to have a cup of tea, a short tour, and a little chat. But no! Leslie gave us that and so much more. She gave us lessons, stencil papers, a blank screen, and access to her beautifully custom mixed inks. Before our tea was cold we were cutting stencils with an exacto knife.

To be put on the spot for this was momentarily disconcerting. Thank goodness for my nearly full sketchbook that I always carry with me! I flipped through the pages and came across these sketches. In an older issue of Uppercase Magazine there was mention of a paper folding technique called Kawasaki's Theorem. While me drawing it out has nothing to do with paper folding I loved the lines of the illustration. It screamed quilt block to me. And, on this day, I used it as my inspiration for a stencil.

Now, the last time I used an exacto knife I nearly sliced my thumb off and my brother had to practice his eventual doctoring on me. So, I was a little nervous. But with some good chit chat I calmly got through and got to the exciting part of the process - printing.

There is something wonderfully meditative and quite exciting about screen printing. You think you know what it is going to look like, how it will finish, but there is still some uncertainty at the beginning. I could see this being addictive for me. At least in the summer at home because I'm not sure I could appropriate the dining room table for this in the winter months!

My prints dried, we heat set them, and last week I put together a small quilt top with my fabric. We used Essex Linen as out base cloth. With a bit more of the blue colour and a paper piecing pattern drafted to take advantage of the prints themselves I made 4 blocks. The blocks themselves are the Kawasaki's Theorem on repeat. All very meta. I think I will continue that with the quilting.

Leslie was a wonderful host and teacher. If I lived in Melbourne I would hope we could hang out a lot more. If she lived back in her native Canada it is likely we would too. Then again, we may have in the past! It turns out that not only is she Canadian, she is from the same Prairie suburb as I am. We know mutual people and even now, her sister and my sister in law are friends! We discovered all this while chatting and printing. It was a crazy coincidence and I can't believe I had to go halfway around the world to discover the connections. My little quilt and my prints mean that much more now.

This day of printing was an excellent creative retreat for Jules and I. Working hard for others and doing all we could to nurture their creativity was decidedly fantastic. But getting a chance to play and nurture our own was such a welcome and needed break. Thank you to Leslie for providing the space, inspiration, and guidance to do so.