Quilts Under Construction - 3Q Update

The quarterly check-in. I'll be honest, I had hopes of moving things through this list a lot more. I didn't really start any quilts. But there was summer, frustrations with my machine, a wasp nest, a new school year, and being sick. Excuses, excuses.

It is what it is.

We no longer have a babysitter two days a week. That is really making a difference. Not because I quilted when we had the babysitter, but because it meant I got all the other stuff done so I could quilt once the kids went to bed. Now that time is spent returning emails from the day and planning for the next one. Mornings are for the creative work and my one early riser.  We've also entered that time where the kids' activities take up a lot more time. And with a maniac for a 3 yo there is little sitting and watching time while the girls do their thing.

As I said, it is what it is.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt
5. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
7. Giant Hexagons
8. Lilac Lovely - hanging at My Sewing Room as a sample for my Improv Curves class.
9. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
10. Solid Sunday Morning
11. Oh Canada Quilt in Red
12. Circle Lattice
13. Low Volume Rainbow Mini - I don't think I've ever shared this, but I came across it this summer.

I'm really hoping to find a day or two on a long arm to get some of these done. Or a friend to help me baste because that holds me up more than anything.

Quilts Being Quilted

14. Low Volume Circles - Ugh, hand quilting holding me up. Maybe this winter?
15. Antonio's Quilt - So close, yet I don't finish it.
16. Smooch - on the machine right now and about half done.

Waiting for Binding

Nothing in this pile.

Blocks and Process

17. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks - So, so close on this one. I was all set to sew the last rows together and I saw a mistake I made. Just haven't been motivated to fix it.
18. A values quilt in neutrals - I know I said I wasn't counting class blocks, but I now have enough blocks to turn this into a quilt.
19. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks  - These have turned into an almost full set of blocks. About 8 more to go then I can put the top together.
20. Mid Mod Bee - Still wishing for a day or two to get this together.
21. Hand Pieced Diamonds - Is it crazy that I feel the whole top needs to be hand pieced together?
22. More Cosmic Burst blocks
23. Name quilt for my daughter - I think this become a backing more than anything...
24. Chandelier quilt - requires some unsewing and I'm just not motivated to do this.
25. Liberty Circles
26. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
27. Pieced Stars
28. The Water Quilt
29. Edges/Studio Stash Play
30. Beach Grass Take 2
31. Y2K quilt - Maybe up to 20 rows now.
32. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
33. Round and Round blocks - Up to 16 of these now. Still here.
34. Snippets on Dates - Haven't touched these since the last time, but I have sewn pairs together randomly..
35. Leftovers from Modern Paris
36. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama - I worked on a pile more of these blocks, but now debating final layout options before I make more.
37. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I think it needs to be the start of a medallion quilt.
38. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
39. Improv work with Cotton and Steel Fabrics that I started for my CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics class.
40. Blue Improv - pulled out some class sample I've used over the years and played with them for CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics. Now I think I have a plan for them.
42. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
43. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.

Finished

Glitter Pen - technically it was finished months and months ago, but it was just published in the summer issue of Modern Patchwork so I couldn't share it earlier.
Aloha Kakou - a fun baby and mama quilt that was a secret project finally finished and revealed.
One awesome pincushion.

I am pleased that I didn't start anything new, well nothing new that isn't a class sample. But I was hoping for some finishes. I want to get things done, but there just isn't enough time in the day. You can't beat yourself up over that though, just do what you can, when you can. As long as you are enjoying it when you do it then you need not want for anything else.

Quilts Under Construction - 2Q 2015

Time for the quarterly reality check. Let's look at the Quilts Under Construction list. Things have moved around a bit, although there weren't many quilt finishes.

I've decided to make one fundamental change to this list. If blocks are being used for class samples they are no longer counted. I will make and remake blocks many times in the course of teaching. As they are for demo purposes and not necessarily intended to be a finished quilt, I don't think it is right to include them in this particular list. Of course, that only took 2 things off the list... Hmm. I wonder if I wasn't counting them all before and I just cleaned that up? Oh well.

There was steady work on a number of quilts while others just sat and sat there. I think it might be time to make a booking on a long arm to get a few of those tops done. Or teach my kids to baste because that is the part I hate the most.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt 
5. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
7. Giant Hexagons
8. Lilac Lovely - hanging at My Sewing Room as a sample for my Improv Curves class.
9. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
10. Solid Sunday Morning
11. Oh Canada Quilt in Red

Quilts Being Quilted

12. Low Volume Circles - Ugh, hand quilting holding me up.
13. Antonio's Quilt - So close, yet I don't finish it.
14. Smooch -

Waiting for Binding

Nothing in this pile except for a few Just One Slab quilts for final donation.

Blocks and Process

15. Mid Mod Bee - Wishing for a single day or two this summer to get it done. I know what I want to do...
16. Hand Pieced Diamonds - Is it crazy that I feel the whole top needs to be hand pieced together?
17. More Cosmic Burst blocks
18. Name quilt for my daughter - I think this become a backing more than anything...
19. Chandelier quilt - requires some unsewing and I'm just not motivated to do this.
20. Liberty Circles
21. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
22. Pieced Stars - in recent weeks I've made a few more stars. Crazy precision piecing kick I've been on.
23. The Water Quilt
24. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks - This one has been on my mind lately. Made more low volume slabs while teaching and they could be added. Just need to make more templates.
25. A values quilt in neutrals - I know I said I wasn't counting class blocks, but I now have enough blocks to turn this into a quilt. Maybe very soon.
26. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks  - Part of these are being kept as class samples, but a big chunk of them are now turning into a quilt for my son.
27. Edges/Studio Stash Play
28. Beach Grass Take 2
29. Y2K quilt - Up to 16 rows now. Out of 50.
30. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
31. Round and Round blocks - Up to 16 of these now.
32. Snippets on Dates - These are coming together. When I am in the mood for the mess again I will finish it. So, so close.
33. Circle Lattice - Finished three blocks now, and started the fourth.
34. Leftovers from Modern Paris - These may come into play soon as the couple I made the quilt for are now expecting a baby.
35. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama - I made up the small blocks into 1 large block, but now I think it needs more.
36. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I think it needs to be the start of a medallion quilt.
37. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
38. Improv work with Cotton and Steel Fabrics that I started for my CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics class.
39. Blue Improv - pulled out some class sample I've used over the years and played with them for CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics. Now I think I have a plan for them.
40. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
41. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.

Finished

Precious - an all voile quilt
A Vintage Spin quilt that hasn't been gifted yet, so I can't share it.

Two magazine projects are now published, but I've only shared one so far.
Argyle (Version I and II)
Watch for the other one to be posted in the next week or two. Both are in the latest issue of Modern Patchwork.

Plus, I made some clothes. A dress, 3 Lindens, 2 skirts for my girls.

A Year of Talking Quilts - Choosing the Pattern

You sit staring at the pile of fabric you just picked up, the pretty colours swirling in a kaleidoscope in front of you. You love them so much yet you can't move. You are paralyzed with indecision, overwhelmed with options, stuck with opportunity.

You have the inspiration, you have the fabric, now you need the pattern.

There are the times when we know exactly what we want to make, when the quilt pattern dictates the fabric selection. Those times are, admittedly, a bit easier. Picking fabric can still be a challenge, but having a starting point goes a long way to providing the necessary focus to get started.

Then there are the times that you need to start a new quilt or simply want to turn a beautiful stack of fabric into a quilt and you have no idea where to start. What quilt to make? Pinterest boards full of options, a drawer full of patterns, a shelf of books with pages marked all give us great ideas. They don't, however, answer the tough question.

In my early years of quilting the way I looked for a quilt design was by searching for just the right block. For example, because my brother proposed to my SIL on top of the Empire State Building I knew I wanted to make a New York Beauty based quilt as their wedding present. Often I would stroll through the block designs on a site like Quilter's Cache. Then I would make up a bunch of blocks, still not knowing what the final quilt would look like. After some sewing I would try to make it all come together. I could pick a block based on its name or what it looked like and how that referenced the recipient. It was actually a really good step towards design because it allowed for personal creativity while working within the confines of a block pattern.

Now, with so many quilts on the go I am often - if I'm being honest - not stuck for ideas. I generally have a problem NOT starting a new quilt, a new pattern. There comes that time when a baby is being born, a friend is getting married, a book is being written and I need to decide on demand what exactly I am going to make. In those moments I do one of two things, some times both.

1. Ask myself: Am I improvising this one?

You see, if I am going to improvise I might just start with my fabric or my idea and let loose. Bring on the rotary cutter and the neutral thread because I am just going to play until something more concrete forms.

2. Flip through my sketchbooks.

I keep detailed sketchbooks, have done so for years. They are where I capture any and all ideas. Gone are the days of scratching a design on hotel stationary and receipts from my wallet. My sketchbook lives by my side. So when I need to make something new I can pull out the dozen or so stashed on the cutting table in my sewing room, make a pot of tea, and flip through the pages until an old idea seems so RIGHT NOW.

Even with all the books on my not quite bookshelf I will often transfer the idea to my sketchbook (with proper sourcing) so that I only have one thing to look through.

One thing I know I do, and I think many others do, is getting hung up on making just the right quilt. We have to tell ourselves though that the recipient, if there is one, is going to love anything we make; that the symbolism we are assigning to our choices is 80% of the time only visible to us, the maker. And if they do get the symbolism they don't need the explanation and it doesn't have to be evident in every single step of the quilt making.

 (Photo by Kate Inglis for You Inspire Me to Quilt, C&T Publishing 2015)

When there is no recipient and we are making for the sake of making then I firmly believe we should try the first idea we had. Our instincts are usually correct, for one. Just like when you go to a restaurant and talk yourself out of the pasta you really want but think you should try their signature chicken dish, then are sorely disappointed. Not because the dish is bad, but because it wasn't the pasta.

And two, no one says you have to make the whole quilt. Just try out a few blocks, or put some of the fabrics together in sewn form to make sure they work. Try, play, experiment. You can always change your mind. Just because you start the quilt, doesn't mean it has to become a quilt.

There are so many choices to make in quilt making and picking the quilt to make is the most challenging. But it is also the most exciting. We need to keep ourselves from getting overwhelmed by the choice. Keep a running selection. Or don't. My friend Rossie, for example, doesn't keep a sketchbook because she says the good ideas will surface when they need to. Also, we all need to accept that we will never make all the ideas we have, there are not enough years in our lives and there are lives that need to be lived, so we should make the quilts that get us the most excited at that moment.

This is the third post in a year long series on all the steps of making a quilt. Musings and thoughts on the process.

Quilts Under Construction - 1Q 2015

In the interest of staying on top of things, not to mention full disclosure, here is the current status of Quilts Under Construction in my studio. Except when deadlines take over, I think I'm doing well at tackling at least one of these projects once a week.

As I wrote the list I got excited and thought I'd made all sorts of progress as the numbers seemed lower. Then I got to the part where I added the projects I started. Oh well. I'm still happy! And, let's not forget my new obsession with garment sewing taking away some quilting time.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt  - I did buy some Valdani thread for some hand quilting on this and nearly started after watching the Book of Negroes miniseries.
5. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt - now that she has her own bed she wants this finished. But it is isn't big enough for her double bed. So she's picked out side borders and I just need to sew them on.
6. A low volume rainbow mini quilt that I've never shared with you.
7. Giant Hexagons - I did actually come with a plan for quilting this the other day and now I'm excited to move forward.
8. One red/purple turquoise quilt intended for magazine publication
9. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top
10. Solid Sunday Morning - I even have the back made already. Will be doing this one very soon.

Quilts Being Quilted

11. Low Volume Circles - I took this out and looked at it once.
12. Antonio's Quilt - Still waiting for me to come back to this.

Waiting for Binding

13. All voile quilt - just have the last side of the binding to finish, so I'm counting it here. Then I will photograph and share. So close to being done.

Blocks and Process

14. Mid Mod Bee - This is moving up the list in my head. Some setting ideas are percolating...
15. Hand Pieced Diamonds - I found the first section I made, it had gone missing/got buried in the studio.
16. More Cosmic Burst blocks
17. Name quilt for my daughter
18. Chandelier quilt
19. Liberty Circles - I actually finished all the circles for this, playing with my new machine. If I could decide on a background fabric I would finish this top up.
20. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
21. Pieced Stars
22. The Water Quilt
23. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks - I made more blocks and plan to make at least another 21 more.
24. A values quilt in neutrals - After teaching this again at QuiltCon I have no more classes scheduled in the next few months. I've kept this out to try to get a new top together.
25. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks (Class sample, so I keep adding more blocks each time I teach the class) - My son's favourite colour is orange these days and his room is painted green, so these blocks are sitting at the front of my brain lately.
26. Edges/Studio Stash Play
27. Beach Grass Take 2
28. Y2K quilt - About 12 rows made. Of 50.
29. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
30. Round and Round blocks - Up to 13 of these now.
31. Snippets on Dates - Just pressed another round of these. I'm curious as to how big things would be if I spent a few hours getting them all together.
32. Circle Lattice - Finished two blocks now, and started the third.
33. Leftovers from Modern Paris - These may come into play soon as the couple I made the quilt for are now expecting a baby.
34. Orange Circles from Craftsy/Perfect Circles class samples - I think these will stay class samples. Or not.
35. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama - I made up the small blocks into 1 large block, but now I think it needs more.
36. Paperless paper piecing block from my class with Cristy Flincher. I think it needs to be the start of a medallion quilt.
37. The girls' clothes turned into a quilt with the Gee's Bend quilters.
38. A Victory Spin quilt in progress for a baby that is already a few months old!
39. Improv work with Cotton and Steel Fabrics that I started for my CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics class.
40. Blue Improv - pulled out some class sample I've used over the years and played with them for CreativeLive Improv Quilting Basics. Now I think I have a plan for them.
41. The X-Plus blocks I used in the Creative Live Quilting with Low Volume Fabrics class.
42. A stack of Doe from Carolyn Friedlander and some precious screen prints from all over to play with.
43. A whole bunch of pinwheels that I'm playing with. Started as prep for my CreativeLive Pinwheel Play class.

Finished or Moved out of the studio

Donated an Amy Butler store sample I bought years ago and never quilted.

Values Plus - This is finished, but I've yet to photograph and share it here.

Alturas
QuiltCon Quilt
Two magazine projects I can't share yet. Plus another one that is almost the same as the magazine project.
Caterpillar - technically finished this in 2014, but I hadn't shared it yet.
Ride the Waves -  technically finished this in 2014, but I hadn't shared it yet.

Two Linden sweatshirts and a dress.

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.

Talking Quilts... Picking Fabric

There was once a girl who only bought fabric as she made a quilt. She only bought the fabric she needed for that particular quilt. I know this to be true because I worked with her for ten years. At first I thought she was kidding. I mean, how is that even possible? But as I watched her make quilts I did not see her stash grow. It was amazing.

I am so not that girl.



Frankly, I was buying fabric at quilts shops long before I even quilted. I could sew and I would buy little fat quarters under the pre tense of making napkins with them. I did, once. They were really, really bad napkins in an odd shape because all I did was turn under the edges to hem the fat quarter. But oh, that fabric!

Fabric is probably the reason 95% of us quilt. Yes, there is the making aspect. But it is the fabric that brought us to our glorious making. And it is the fabric that gets us most excited, provides a level of frustration, and where most of our money gets spent. Fabric is awesome.

Pulling fabric for a new quilt is one of my top treats in the quilt making process. I've been known to pull fabric just because. A little shopping in my stash to create a random pile of fabric itching to become a quilt. Sometimes all its dreams are fulfilled. I find just the right inspiration, block, pattern, or concept and the quilt comes into being. Sometimes the fabric lingers or hovers on the edge of the scene (the closet shelves) slowly being picked through for other projects until I eventually return all the pieces to their rightful colour stacks.

Having a large stash makes this all possible. Never will I add up how much money I've spent on fabric, but I think it is safe to say that if I were to never buy fabric again and quilt for another 30 years I'd likely still have fabric left over. It means I always shop at home first. And usually only. Fabric buying involves getting something new that I love, just for the sake of loving it. Or picking up enough yardage for a backing or something specific for a binding. My stash fits in one normal size closet, with a tiny bit spilling over into scraps bins or the quilts under construction/batting closet. Gone are the days when it fit under a bed in a plastic bin.

When I started quilting nearly 17 years ago the advice du jour when picking a palette for your quilt was to find a large scale print you liked for the colours, then pick coordinating fabric for your blocks, add a little zinger of a border around your blocks, and make a big border of that large scale print. I still see that in action all the time. When I give trunk shows at guild meetings I will take a quilt in the room that I see made that way and fold away the large scale border to show quilters the difference in the quilt. Those large scale prints are often quite gorgeous, but they are doing nothing for the quilt. And all that piecing the quilter did is lost to the large scale border. So let them be your guide for picking fabrics, then set it aside or put it on the back. And if you are worried about the quilt being too small now, make more blocks. Or use whatever background fabric you have to be the border now.



Looking back on my childhood I've realized that I was destined to be a quilter. It wasn't the sewing of the barbie dresses or winning the Home Ec award in grade 8. It was my constant reorganization of my colouring supplies. One day it was rainbow, the next I was making colour combinations. I wrote my notes in colour order and obsessed over 4 colour pens. It was not acceptable to me to have a single box of jumbled up colours. This wasn't OCD, this was playing with colour.

Picking fabric is also playing with colour. Play being the key word there. No one is saying your piles of fabric have to become anything. Pick and repick, dig through your stash and challenge yourself to make a certain ugly fabric play nicely with others, get lost in interpreting a store window through your stash.



For some quilters picking fabric is stressful and hard. I feel for you. Getting to the point of fearlessness and confidence in fabric selection is no different than being comfortable with free motion quilting. It takes time. And practice.

The only way to gain confidence in fabric selection is to just do it. Read or take classes in colour theory, learn about value, stop obsessing over whether this particular green is the same as the green in that fabric, step away from the pre cuts. Pull fabric for the sake of pulling fabric. Leave the bundle be for a little while then put it all away and start again. Make practice blocks in your fabric pull before launching into a full quilt. Ask for advice and actually listen. It should never cause stress, only joy. It should bring excitement and possibly induce a little bit of drooling.

If you've got the inspiration, now you pick the fabric. Fabric is awesome and the root of what we quilters do.

This is the second post in a monthly series on all the steps of making a quilt. Musings and thoughts on the process.

Talking Quilts... Inspiration

Keep your eyes open.

Keep your spirit open.

Carry a phone, a sketchbook, a photographic memory.

Never stop dreaming.

Look up, down, and all around.

And then...

I can never think of such cool things.

There is no way I could turn that into a quilt.

My brain just doesn't work that way.

(The texture of these boards with the mix of colour has me thinking about the woodgrain fabrics I've been collecting.)

Today I'm talking about inspiration. Namely, the inspiration for quilts. The colour combinations, patterns, and ideas that get us buying fabric, cutting it up, and sewing it back together. All in the name of a warm end product.

Quite often I am asked just where I get my inspiration. Frankly, it is kind of a hard question to answer. That's because, for one, there isn't a single answer. And two, you really never know when you will be inspired. Inspiration isn't something you can teach. Translating it, yes, but not finding it.

That means I will answer that it can be anything like...

... a toddler's scribbles (Inspired Improvisation)

... a handful of crayons and some painful experiences (2+2=4)

... family property (Roots)

... the tool of my trade (Sewing Machine Quilt)

... a hike with the family (Mountain Meadows)

... my flag (Oh Canada!)

... a necklace (Austin Circle Sampler)

Among others. 

(I've never actually made a rainbow quilt, but the lines on this sidewalk art for Pride have me thinking of trying something a little different when I do feel motivated to do one.)

There have been bundles of fabric that get me excited, colour combinations dancing around and waiting for the right pattern. It can be a feeling I get that needs to come out and fabric is the way. It can be a tile floor, a comment or request by my husband. Frankly, it can come from anywhere and you never know when it will hit. 

Then there will be times where nothing comes, nothing seems exciting, nothing gets you wanting to sew. For a creative person those times are really, really awful. Burnout, stress, being overwhelmed. When there is too much other stuff crowding your heart and stealing away your energy then the inspiration doesn't find you. Rather, you don't see it.

That's because it is always there. As people who work in colour and shape on a regular basis it is impossible to not see quilts in so much around us. When people ask me about finding inspiration the answer is truly in being able to see it for yourself. I can't give you my inspiration and expect you to get jazzed about it. I can only encourage you to see it as something you can do for yourself. The inspiration is there.

(One of those aspirational magazines you find in expensive hotels, but I loved both the art and the layout of this article.)

Those platitudes about opening your eyes and your heart are true. When we are closed off and walking around with blinders on we can't see everything that is around us. (I'll admit, there are times when this is a good thing.) To see the inspiration we need to be open to it.

I truly believe that we all need a way to capture the inspiration. A dedicated sketchbook works for me, as do pictures. The main reason I believe in capturing everything is that when the darker times come, you have reference material. You can show yourself things that once got you excited. It is also handy when a deadline of a baby or magazine looms, you have something to call on. Inspiration on demand is a hard thing.

Not everyone tracks things this way. Some prefer to let the good ideas stick around as they need to while the others trickle away as less exciting. Whatever works for you.

(Inner tubes, for my circle obsession. Plus, who doesn't love the turquoise of summer pools and Caribbean beaches?)

Quilt stores try to do a lot of this work for you. So do magazines, books, and pattern designers. Inspiration doesn't mean you are creating your own unique designs all the time. It is still inspiration when you are drawn to the cover of a pattern or the bundle the store put together. Does it get you excited to quilt? Does it make you want to create? Then it is inspiring. 

Inspiration isn't magical or ephemeral. Bluntly, inspiration is something pretty that makes us want to create. How and what you create is up to you. So, yes, keep your eyes open. Then get your butt in the seat and sew.

This is the first post in a monthly series on all the steps of making a quilt. Musings and thoughts on the process. 

A Year in a Quilt - Alturas is Done

Alturas Quilt

60'' x 75''

A true labour of love and joy is finished! Almost a year to the date of starting my first major hand appliqué project the last stitches went in the binding and the last threads were buried. This is the Alturas pattern from Carolyn Friedlander. And when I started it I thought I would only make 9 blocks in an attempt to simply say that I tried hand appliqué!

I never got bored making these blocks. They were the perfect on the go project for me. Small, very portable, and easy to both prep and finish. Once I realized I was going to go beyond my original intention of a pillow it was easy to get caught up in the process. From picking fabrics to prepping the appliqué, from receiving fabric donations to round out the combinations to all the places they went with me. They always kept my attention. I must admit, I was a little bit sad when I finished them.

I'm not sad that I've finished the quilt, though. It makes me smile. There are so many memories in this quilt. Really, I should just call it 2014. And so many more will come in its enjoyment.

Initially, I thought the binding would be a coral print to bring out the colours of the appliqué. But when I put it up against the quilt I found that my eye was drawn out to the binding, not in to the appliqué. So I picked a pretty, but much more subtle fabric from my stash for the binding. This is a great print from Violet Craft's Brambleberry Ridge line with Michael Miller.

The binding does tie together the few bits of yellow I decided to add to the quilt. Just enough.

The quilting was super simple. While I'm not opposed to quilting over my hand stitching on all that appliqué, I wanted to go easy on the quilting with this one. It would be soft no matter what because of the Quilter's Dream batting, but I really wanted to emphasize the appliqué with minimal quilting. So I went in the ditch on all the patchwork. Around the borders I added additional lines. And each Alturas appliqué has a bar tack in the centre. Nothing fancy.

Let me tell you this though - that was a lot of threads to bury from 72 bar tacks!

Well now I think I will give this quilt away to a friend. This quilt was entirely about the making of it. Almost all of my joy and pleasure in this quilt is already there. Sometimes you get so excited to finish a quilt, the excitement builds and builds to a giddy little dance when you are done. This was different. I enjoyed all the appliqué, all the making so much that the finished quilt is not as exciting. Don't get me wrong, I love it! But my heart is already IN the quilt, I don't need to be under it to feel the love.

It's funny. I always talk about how Improv is about the process. Starting without much more than an inkling of where it might end up. While I started this quilt with little intention of a finished product, I never would have figured that appliqué, for me, would be ALL about the process. Seems silly, in retrospect, because slowing down in order to appliqué inherently makes it about the process. I just never clued into that before.

I sure am happy I've got that now.

Quilts Under Construction - December 2014

My finishing kick for December is still in full swing. So far I've finished 4 quilts - the Christmas Tree quilt and 3 others I still need to photograph and share. There are 2 more waiting for binding, but those won't get done before the end of the year. And if the kids cooperate I might get just one more done before midnight...

Hubby bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas, so I see a lot more finished coming as I will be able to free motion quilt at home again! I've got ALL the motivation now. If only I had the time.

To keep me on top of things I've decided to update this list quarterly. I've also got a goal in mind for keeping moving on some of these longer term projects, more about that in my next post. So here is the list as it stands. Watch for the updates. And look, the number is below 40 now! It is exactly how old I am, how convenient.

Quilt Tops Ready for Quilting

1. Cosmos Blocks
2. Improv Sampler
3. Checkerboard from Sunday Morning Quilts
4. Slaveship Quilt -
5. Old Amy Butler quilt top
6. The Evil Genius' Triangle Quilt
7. A low volume rainbow mini quilt that I've never shared with you.
8. Giant Hexagons
9. Values Plus
10. One red/purple turquoise quilt intended for magazine publication
11. Cirrus Solids Pinwheel top

Quilts Being Quilted

12. 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?
13. Antonio's Quilt - For some reason I've stalled on the quilting, yet I don't have much more to do.

Waiting for Binding

14. Alturas
15. QuiltCon Quilt
16. All voile quilt

Blocks and Process

17. Mid Mod Bee - Blocks to be assembled into a top
18. Hand Pieced Diamonds - I think I'm done with these, but I would like to get it into a quilt top.
19. More Cosmic Burst blocks - I have a whole other set of blocks for a baby quilt
20. 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.
21. Chandelier quilt - was so close, then discovered a big mistake and have never fixed it
22. Liberty Circles - These have sat, but I was recently thinking about them. Maybe this winter?
23. Respite - a project started in a Bill Kerr design workshop
24. Pieced Stars - a BOM I started years ago when I wanted to do some precision piecing breaks when doing a lot of improv
25. The Water Quilt
26. Low Volume Shoeman's Puzzle/Slab blocks
27. A values quilt in neutrals (Class sample, so I keep adding more blocks each time I teach the class)
28. Green/Yellow/Orange Improv blocks (Class sample, so I keep adding more blocks each time I teach the class)
29. Sunday Morning in Solids
30. 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
31. Beach Grass Take 2 - this would make a perfect bed quilt for the girls and their new beds. And it goes together so quickly...
32. Y2K quilt - slowly, slowly with this one as I piece it as leaders and enders
33. Another leaders and enders project, intended to be like Up, Up, and Away from Sunday Morning Quilts
34. Round and Round blocks - these are addictive and I wish I could make them all day long
35. Snippets on Dates
36. Circle Lattice
37. Leftovers from Modern Paris
38. Orange Circles from Craftsy/Perfect Circles class samples
39. Gee's Bend inspired blocks after my trip to Alabama.

Finished

Improv Drunkard's Path - a gift, yet to photographed and shared.
French's Vintage Top - quilted, bound, and recently gifted back to the family it was made by/discovered.
Argyle - A gift for my nephew, but also a potential magazine publication, so I can't share it yet.
Caterpillar - I've shared the top before, but I need to share the finish quilt.
There is Peace in Pattern
Mountain Meadows
Giant Dresdens
Playground
Modern Paris
Improv Sewing Machines
Shimmer Table Runner
Equalizer - coming soon in You Inspire Me to Quilt

Playing with Stars

I'm chugging along and playing where I can. Working through this slump, pulling out old projects and trying new things. Last week, on my birthday, I got in the mood for some precision piecing. Rather than create any old random block I decided to add to my star collection.

Sitting in a bin was a little collection of 8 stars. I started them 7 years ago. Yup, that's how long ago. They were a Block of the Month from Planet Patchwork called Celestial Migraine. At the time I started them I did plan on keeping up - don't we always plan that with BOMs?! Then, as now, most of my sewing was improv based so taking a mental break to precision piece was nice. I also chose these soft colours and that provided a respite from the saturated colours I was using all the time too.

Well, I never downloaded all the patterns and the final quilt layout. It disappeared from the site and I could no longer find it. But, I did remember that is was a sampler of star blocks, with loads of Friendship Stars scattered among them. So last week I picked a star pattern (Pat's Star) off of Quilters' Cache to add to my collection. It was a spot of fun sewing and complemented the existing stars quite well.

I must admit, I'm kind of excited about these now. I'm going to make a few Friendship Stars and float them in background fabric. The stars I have finish at 12'' square, so I'm going to finish my Friendship Stars at 6'' square. I'd like to have all my stars float on the background a bit more so I'm going to play with layout.

(Scroll through here to see a version of the original pattern.)

Who knows how long these will stay up on my wall and when I can play again? I am quite enjoying their sunny nature and it was exciting to shop my stash for fabric additions. Another step forward in reclaiming my creativity.

Giant Hexagons Update

In need of some mindless sewing and a real break from work - yes, even I go to quilting when I need a break from the work of quilting - I pulled out these old blocks. With a million (or 40) WIPs sitting in my sewing room it only made sense to grab one of those projects instead of starting something new. I'd always had it in my head to add a coral block to these giant hexagons so I went ahead and did it. Then I added that low volume grey, and a yellow one. 

You can see more of these in my interview with Alex Anderson.

When it came time to playing with layouts I tried something new. There is a lot of bias in these blocks and I didn't want to handle them that much. Plus, as you can see, there is also some other work on my design wall that a certain five year old is not ready to remove. Needless to say, I was quite excited to find some hexagon graph paper!

The internet is a wonderful thing. Sure you can make it yourself, but the chances are someone has probably already done it for you. That was the case when I typed in a few choice words into the search engine the other night. And up pops a PDF of graph paper that is exactly what I need. A little more digging and there are sites where you can create and print your own graph paper in many shapes and sizes. It is a quilter with a penchant for colouring's dream!

http://www.freeprintableonline.com/categories/graphs
http://www.printablepaper.net

Have fun!

Now, I'm only waiting for the rest of my perfect background fabric for these to arrive. Then I can add this to the pile of quilt tops ready for attention.

Good Times with Alex Anderson

Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Anderson about my books, quilts, non-obligation sewing and finding the pleasure in quilting and the craziness of life. This first bit includes a lot about how I like to slow down and sew, and how you can too. Not to mention some gorgeousness and advice from the book.

Check it out here! And stay tuned for the second part.

Alturas Update

So, I may have mentioned my new addiction before. At the time I said I would make at least nine blocks. Well, I've made nine and I'm already on to the next round. Maybe seven more? Maybe seventy?

It's slow going project, there is no doubt about that. It takes me about an hour and a half to make a block, sometimes 2 hours. It depends on how many interruptions I get from small children asking for food or cuddles, or how engrossing the conversation or movie is on TV. At that rate it is going to take me a very long time to make this a big quilt.

Just like improv quilting, appliqué seems to be so much more about the process than the finished project. Of course it will be gorgeous when it is done. Right now, however, I am just enjoying the process, with no real goal in mind. One block at a time.

At Home Retreat

Somehow, someway, this week is going to be a bit of a retreat. At least I hope it will be.

My SIL is here to sew, but so are two of my nieces and nephews. The four big kids are in camp, so The Garbage Truck is still home. He's getting into everything and being a teething, sucky, creature. I hope he'll let me sew. Fingers crossed.

On my list:
Slab quilts!!! (1630 slabs in my sewing room as of this moment.)
Finish my voile quilt top
Play with these colourful fabrics
Get that last hand stitching done on the binding of the anniversary beast.
Start a baby quilt

I predict only one or two things on that list will get tackled in between thrift store shopping, drinking gin and tonics after picking up the kids from camp, and that cuteness of a baby bothering me.

My SIL is hoping to get two baby quilts at least pieced. This is her fabric pull for the boy quilt. And, as I type, she is nearly done cutting things to make a shwack of half square triangles for the quilt.

Cut First

 Look at me! Cutting all in advance of sewing. That is a seriously big deal, folks. The vast majority of work that I do starts with me sewing, not planning. Even my book quilts generally start with a little bit of sewing before I stop and figure out what I'm actually doing. But this time I drew the pattern and cut everything before I sewed a stitch.

This is what is becoming of the necklace inspired fabric pull. It has a destination and pattern that will be available in not too long.  Pretty excited to share it with you. It's a rather cool quilt with a really awesome final destination. Soon.

What about you? Are you a cut everything first quilter? Or would you rather start then sew a little?