Wink Wink

Wink Wink

34" by 44''

Special Techniques: Improvised Curved Piecing

Bloggers' Quilt Festival Category: Baby Quilt

Made with and completely inspired by Mark Cesarik's Cosmic Burst line. It came out months ago, but I've been playing with these blocks and this quilt since March. That whole baby, new book, working, summer thing got in the way of finishing this top though. The last stitches in the binding finally went in over the weekend.

Check out all the process posts here:
The Fabric
Making Blocks
Layout Options 1
Layout Options 2
Finished Top
I absolutely love sharing the process like this. I don't always do it in such an intense burst (minus the finished quilt) because I'm always working on a million things at once. Or nothing at all.

And, as much as my little girl would love to keep this quilt for snuggles and fort building it is on its way to a baby boy. My husband actually commissioned the quilt for a friend and we'll be delivering it shortly.

Sharing this as part of the Blogger's Quilt Festival that Amy Ellis does twice a year. She is an awesome lady! And make sure to check out all the other quilts.

Lucky Penny Stripes

With no discredit to the designer, whenever I write the words in this post title I automatically default to Lucky Stripe. Blame it on Mad Men or a lack of sleep. I can say, however, that this fabric is a helluva lot nicer than a pack of cigarettes.

The colours are incredibly rich in the Lucky Penny line. I fell in love with these wavy, dotty stripes as soon as Allison Glass previewed them. The rest of the line is gorgeous, but I was definitely smitten with these. So much so that Allison sent me this stack of fat quarters. I've been fondling them since they arrived, a little too much like Gollum and his precious ring.

Those of you who know my work can recognize that the colours are a bit earthy compared to my usual choices. Sometimes, however, you can't explain the love you feel for something. It might be the arrival of winter, it might be that the richness is tempered by the amazing grey and that awesome chartreuse, it might just be because the fabrics are so damn pretty.

I'm not entirely sure what will become of these. Perhaps something that does indeed connote a lucky stripe, or some curves or, or, or...

Green Scraps

Much to my dismay, I'm still not getting much time to quilt. I would love to sit at the dining room table and make a giant mess with this gorgeous fabric. Alas, the mess being made in my house is from the painters and tilers working away in the basement. This, of course, is a very good thing. But between that and this, all I can manage on my mountain meadow quilt is a little organization by value.

Cosmos Blocks

 

Isn't this fabric loverly? It is the new Cosmos Collection by Laura Gunn, produced by Michael Miller. Paired with her awesome Painter's Canvas.

I must admit that while I've always loved Laura's fabric and have purchased bits and pieces before, I've never used it. It is just so different from the rest of my stash that I felt unsure what to do with it. There is a clear painterly quality to the prints that set them apart. Not surprising considering Laura is an artist! So this time, when Laura sent me a charm pack of her latest collection, I decided to stop fighting my stash and use Laura's fabrics with Laura's fabric. And what a smart decision it was.

Such a simple quilt. The charms, in both the Painter's Canvas and Cosmos Collection, paired with big chunks of Painters' Canvas in vibrant colours. I think it is a rather modern bit of piecing that really does highlight Laura's fabrics. Admittedly, it felt kind of lazy to do something so simple. But I don't care. I love the big blocks of colour, the texture of all the prints, and the final result.

Once quilted, this one will also be destined for Camp Kindle through the 100 Quilts for Kids blog drive.

Laura graciously shared the charms with me. I purchased the additional Painter's Canvas from Hawthorne Threads.

Pretty Thing

 

Pretty Thing

42'' by 54''

For my latest niece, the pretty thing in question. Modelling her quilt with her 12 days younger cousin, my babe. A summer night just chillin' on the lawn at Baba's house.

Inspired entirely by Malka Dubrawsky's Whirligig quilt from her book Fresh Quilting, only made on a much smaller scale.

Random fabrics including solids (yes, solids for me!), some Lotta Jansdotter, some Amy Butler dots, and a bunch of other loverly greens, greys, yellows, and light turquoise. I mixed up the scale of prints, as well as the intensity of the colours. It was great shopping in the stash for this one.

Quilted with Aurifil 50wt thread with some straight lines 1 1/2'' apart.

Friday Favourites - Sympatico

In my entire quilting career (14 years now) I've only ever purchased an entire quilt line twice. It never so happens that every print, every colour in a line grabs me and makes me excited to create. I've been rather impatiently waiting for Sympatico from Cloud 9 Fabrics to arrive ever since Michelle and Gina posted the previews of the line.

(Interesting side note: the only other line I've gathered in its entirety was another organic line: Shades of Grey from Daisy Janie.)

I waited until I finished a bucketload of work this summer to treat myself to these fabrics. 1/2 yard of each print. I think I need even more of the stripes because they would make such wonderful bindings. Now I impatiently wait for some solids to match so I can get sewing. No hoarding going on here, I'm desperate to cut into those prints!

Not being able to sew myself with the fabric didn't stop me from buying something made from Sympatico. After 10 years with a decent camera I finally picked up a camera strap. It's thick and padded and looks like a little too much for a camera strap, but it is perfect because the girls are constantly borrowing the camera now. This big strap makes me less nervous when they are around. I picked this up from Sew Fantastic. Another Friday Favourite.

For the love of textiles

I can't resist sharing this.

Quilts are wonderful things.

Cosmic Burst Top 1

In the midst of radio interviews, a wicked head cold, and now 12 days of false labour I've been quilting and sewing.

Here is the first of my Cosmic Burst baby quilt tops. This was Hubby's favourite layout. Considering he commissioned the quilt he got the final say on layout. Interesting thing though, many of you loved this one too.

Not sure when this one will get done, but a burst of energy might get it at least basted before baby. Provided false labour stays false.

Cosmic Burst by Mark Cesarik ships in April

Cosmic Burst Play Part 2

A little more play. This round includes the options that come from using only one type of block.

Seven

Eight

Nine

Now, just to get a top or two together. Hubby has expressed his preference. I have mine. Now, let's see what I can do.

What do you guys think? Part 1 of the options here.

Cosmic Burst Play Part 1

So, let's play, shall we?

This first round of layout options comes from an even amount of the two different types of blocks. Opposite corners make for a dearth of layout options.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

All the blocks are made from Cosmic Burst by Mark Cesarik and some friends playing along. See the first two posts in the series here and here.

Cosmic Burst Blocks

This week I'm playing with the charm pack of Cosmic Burst by Mark Cesarik.

Inspired by my improv curves on the bee blocks, I decided to make some Drunkard's Path inspired blocks.

I started with a rectangle of plain white (Kona White) cut to roughly 13'' by 7''. My hope was to trim the blocks down to 12.5'' by 6.5'' when I was done. I placed the charm over one corner and freehand cut a quarter circle through both the charm and the white. Remove the white fabric and sew the charm into the gap. Press towards the white and trim the block to size.

It all went surprisingly quickly. And easily. And it was the exact kind of block I wanted to make.

I alternated which corners I sewed the charm into. Just for fun.

When I started I had no clue what kind of final design I would end up doing. After I'd made about half the blocks I did some sketching. I learned two things:

1. For most of the designs I was sketching I could have put all the charms in the same corner. Oh well.

2. To make anything but a baby quilt I needed to make more blocks.

That meant I went shopping in my stash. Turns out I don't have a lot of the bright florals that we've been seeing for years. I could think of tonnes of fabrics I've seen that would work really well with Cosmic Burst, like anything from Jennifer Paganelli, Amy Butler, Tula Pink, and Kaffe Fassett. The colours are quite rich so they wanted to play well with Lizzy House and Kate Spain. But it seems I haven't stashed much of those fabrics! Hmm...

But I did have a charm pack of Lizzy House's Outfoxed which has some deep colours and then dug through all my fabrics for perhaps some unconventional matches. But once I cut charms I could see that Cosmic Burst was going to play well with lots of different friends.

Oh, and once I got all the blocks done my Hubby asked me to make a baby quilt for a friend of his and could I please use these blocks. So it looks like there will be two baby quilts out of this week of play, instead of the lap quilt I'd planned.

Tomorrow I'll show you some of the layout options for these blocks.

(Cosmic Burst ships in April)

Cosmic Burst Charms

Look at me, playing with a charm pack!

I couldn't resist when Mark Cesarik, an incredibly funny designer I met at Market in the fall (along with his smart, creative, and equally funny wife, Cara) asked if I wanted the chance to play with his upcoming line, Cosmic Burst. I love Calyspo Swing, his first line, for all those greys punctuated with pink. And having the chance to work with such bright colours when winter is still surrounding us was worth any charm pack reservations I always have.

Besides, Mark and his wife Cara live in NYC and I like to bank contacts there for my one-day-soon-again trip to NYC.

Cosmic Burst is a line of bright, bold, prints. My favourites are the oranges/pinks, but there is a huge depth of colour in the line. It's been fun to play. Stay tuned all week as I document my play with this little pack of charms.

(Cosmic Burst ships in April)

For Peanut

This pretty stack NEEDED to be pulled last week. Not for a deadline, although there is that. Not for secret project, although I can't fully share it yet for reasons which will become shortly evident. Mostly, just because I had to. I've been overwhelmed and swamped with things that HAVE to be done. That meant I wasn't playing, I wasn't sewing just because. And I could tell. I was getting cranky, antsy, and frankly a bit bored with the necessary bits of life.

So I decided to pull a pretty pile of fabric and play. Look at all those solids! Well, for me they are a lot of solids. I pressed, I cut, I sewed, I played, I sewed, I pressed, and in my spare moments of time over two days I had a baby quilt.

And I felt so much better!

Not a moment too soon, either. It helped my sanity as our reno kicks into a very mess part and the pregnancy gets closer and closer to the end. Oh, and because this is destined to be a baby quilt for a new niece or nephew due to arrive any day now. See, there is a deadline and a sort of need for secrecy.

Look at us, my sister and I, getting SO CLOSE to the end we're giddy. Yeah, that's it.

Shades of Grey Giveaway!

Okay, two little bits for you today. You may or may not know about either of them. If you do, then consider this more treats. If you don't, then consider yourself informed and treated.

First off, let's have a giveaway! Jan from Daisy Janie is donating a fat quarter bundle of her gorgeous, organic Shades of Grey line to one lucky reader. And I'm contributing a free Kinda Herringbone pattern (PDF to your mailbox) that was completely inspired by Shades of Grey.

This giveaway is a direct result of Jan and the lovely Cara from Cara Quilts. Have you heard of Talkin' Tuesdays? It is a Twitter chat held on Tuesday nights. (It was that obvious, wasn't it?). Cara hosts and is joined in leading the discussions by the weekly sponsors. Sponsors mean prizes!

So, a few weeks ago I won this bundle from Jan when she sponsored Talkin' Tuesday. Seeing as I've made a quilt, and pattern, from Shades of Grey already I talked to Jan and decided to pay it forward. One lucky reader will get the fat quarter bundle and the pattern.

Jan and I are curious, what are your thoughts on using grey in your sewing? Do you combine it with other colours? What ones? Have you ever used grey by itself? Or, just tell us about your love for grey. To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post between now and Thursday 8 pm MST.

Pretty, Pretty Voiles

When voiles burst on to the scene a few years ago, thanks to Anna Maria Horner, I wasn't all that interested. My style may be modern, but I generally prefer the traditional materials like plain old quilting cotton. Then somehow, somewhere someone gave me a piece of voile. I was seduced by the airiness of the fabric, the silky feel, the soft drape.

So, I made a scarf.

And then I started shopping. Just adding one or two pieces onto an order from nearly any on-line store. Only my favourites. Never concerned with collecting from an entire line. I've got more Anna Maria Horner, some Tula Pink, Joel Dewberry, Valori Wells, and Denyse Schmidt.

Then last week I received a few more and thought I better count how many I had. 29. 29 fat quarters or 1/2 yard pieces! It was time to stop collecting and start cutting.

It is going to take me a long time to get through the cutting. Each 1/2 yard piece yields 18 triangles plus 12 side triangles. There is no layering when you cut the voiles because that desired silkiness means the rulers slip. I'd rather take my time and cut properly than risk losing some of my fabric. Oh, and I'm cutting all of this for what I hope will be a king sized quilt.

In my head this pretty, ultra-soft quilt will drape on our bed in the summer months. For when you still want the hint of covers but not the weight of anything over you. Maybe this summer? Probably next.

Indian Cottons

My MIL went to India and all she brought me was some fabric.

Well, that's not true. She also brought me some lovely tea and spices. But oh, that fabric! Over 1 meter pieces of each of these. Endless possibilities. Paralyzing inspiration.

Pretty Things Too

Yes, Market is all about work, but there are pretty things too. You didn't think I'd not post some of my favourites, did you?

The Rise of Organics

Daisy Janie, Cloud 9, Birch, and some of the major manufacturers, including a line by Betz White with Robert Kaufman are all producing organics. The lines are varied, the colours have a great range and with the solids from Kaufman and the stripes and dots from Birch it is pretty much impossible not to build a solid stash now of just organics. And after seeing the video from Jan during her schoolhouse it makes me want to seek these out even more.

Favourite Fabrics

In two totally different corners I've got my four favourite lines that I saw there. Marcia Derse and Malka Dubrowsky have these intense, rich commercial prints based off of their own hand-dye and batiks. On their own or playing together these are exciting. Very exciting.

In the other corner is Echo by Lotta Jansdotter and Summersville by Lucie Summers. Graphic but soft, quietly bold. I'm in love with both of them (designers and fabric). And Lucie is very lucky I didn't steal one of her mugs. Thankfully I made it out of Market with a bundle of Echo to keep me going.

Somewhere in the middle is Ty Pennington's new line. To be honest, it seems like his fabric doesn't get a lot of attention. He does. But I do like his fabric. I've used a few prints from the first line and I can definitely see myself using some from this one too. And when I stopped in his booth he seemed quite thrilled that I wanted to talk about the fabric and not snap a picture with him. He's quite enthusiastic.

Speaking of Men

It would have been obvious to take photos of the men at Market, but let me tell you, they are there. A lot of the booths are staffed by men and there are definitely a lot of buyers on the floor. This was my first big surprise of Market, the men. Then there are the designers and sherpas that are there. Ty, David Butler, Mark Cesarik (all were conveniently located within steps of each other) showcased very different but equally engaging lines.

And Patterns

There are patterns all over the place at Market. With the quilt stores seeking out the interesting, the pretty, and the sellable, the pattern booths are packed and filled with pretty things. All to different tastes. I neglected to take a picture of her work or booth, but my absolute favourite was Carolyn Friedlander. A former architect turned designer. Her patterns are intense, graphic, and so beautiful. It's almost enough to make this improv girl seek them out. You definitely should.

Finally

Houston itself, while monstrous, is a pretty city. I may have been blinded by weather that made me feel like summer when it was snowing back home. Or it might have been the colour, lights, and personalities of Market. But Houston's downtown was dynamic and captivating. I got a walk or two in. I can see why Cherri House loves her town so much.

Really?

My husband and I had another hot date basting a quilt the other day. This one is a wedding present for his best friend. So we're basting away, watching Machete (really?) and a Stephen Hawking documentary on alien life, when he says this:

You know, this quilt would have been even cooler if you've matched up all these grey circles on the background fabric.

Really?

Where to Start?

~~~repost because Blogger crashed and lost the original one~~~

Back in March I left Amanda Jean's place with a great friendship and a pile of challenges. My challenge really, is figuring out which one to do first?

This roll of fat quarters is so, so, so out of the realm of my usual. Hers to. We split it into fat eighths so we could each have some of everything. Of course we can add more too! I think it will be a great challenge to turn this rather subdued and traditional stack of fabrics in a very funky and bold way. I've already got a design in mind. My only hint is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

The fat quarter bundle was actually a treat from Bernadette at Traditional Pastimes. She got so exited while I was pulling fabric that she cut an identical bundle for herself. I'm quite intrigued to see what she does with her fabric.

Here is another bundle from Traditional Pastimes in a gorgeous colourway. Some fabrics are quite bright, some more subdued. It should make for a perfect blend in a simple pattern. I'm thinking a variation on half square triangles, but nothing is set in stone yet. There could also be pinwheels.

Then there are these two neutral fabrics. Just two fabrics. Nothing else. It's a quilting challenge. This one is very exciting to me. I actually got it sewn together and basted last weekend. It was my turn for a demo at guild so I used this as a sample for basting a quilt.

Finally, before I left she gave me this stack of fabric from Connecting Threads. It's the Canning Day line. I think it will blend perfectly with some vintage feedsack prints I've got. I already know that I'm going to make Amanda's quilt from Fresh Fabric Treats. I know, not me, right? But I love her pattern and I think the fabrics will be perfect for it.

Who knows when Amanda Jean and I will get a chance to see each other again? Thankfully we have the internet and our readers to keep us honest and open. Make sure you keep asking me about these projects. And don't worry, there are more...

More Grey

It might seem appropriate that I'm working with grey fabric these days, but I assure you that these Shades of Grey fabric are far from dreary and dull. Clear tones, loads of white, and some amazing graphics on the latest line from Jan at Daisy Janie. This line is also printed on certified organic cotton.

Jan sent me some of this new yardage a few months back. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to it until very recently. Now I have an exciting project underway using these great prints. For now, I've cut strips. And I'm drooling over this particular print and it just might have inspired the design of this quilt, much like the Ogee fabric from Geo Grand inspired my Ornamental Organic quilt.

As usual, I'll keep you posted on my progress.

If you are interested in Shades of Grey, I've seen them available for purchase so far at Fat Quarter Shop, Wondrous Wovens, Sew Mama Sew, and Marmalade Fabrics.