inspiration

Process on the Quilts in A Month of Sundays


It's another snowy morning. That means it is perfect to talk about quilts. Today to celebrate A Month of Sundays I want to share a bit about some of the quilts with you. As a blogger it is so hard not to share my work in progress when making the quilts for the book. So hard. I'm used to sharing everything from the initial inspiration to the fabric pull to the frustrations to the finished top to the end. Sharing that is part of my blogging style and I believe in the honesty of that. I did take photos along the way while making book quilts, so at least I can do it after the fact.




When I'm making quilts for publication my process is actually a bit different. If I were to go my normal way of sewing - starting without a definite plan, adapting and making changes along the way, and ending with something for the sake of it - I would have a lot of work to do reverse engineering to write a pattern. That is a recipe for disaster - for me and someone trying to make the quilt from that pattern.


Oh boy, was finding text prints at the time of doing this tough! 
Thankful for some screen prints dug up on Etsy.



Quilts destined for publication always start, for me, with the pattern. Not just a sketch, but the actual pattern. I like to draft the whole thing first. This lets me think about the best way to divvy up fabric requirements and calculate yardage as well the most efficient way to make the quilt. I consider myself the first pattern tester. As I work there is always going to be a sketchbook filled with numbers or a pad of graph paper next to me. That allows me to write down any notes or corrections as I go. A half an inch makes a difference.





From first fabric pull to second, after patter drafting, things changed a bit.







A good friend gave me advice when I was starting on the journey of this book. She told me to send out the quilts to be long armed. I'll admit, this was hard for me, but it was the best thing I could do. I was having another baby, after all. The deadlines may push forward because of the need to get the quilts to long armers, but the time saved for me was valuable. It meant a lot less stress and a lot more time with my family during the work. Not to mention the savings on my already taxed joints. So, thank-you to Angela Walters and Janet Madyski for getting me through the work.


I use a lot of binding tape in the book.


Coordinating my snacks and my quilts.




When I was looking through my photo library to pull these images I was struck by just how much the making of these quilts, these books, is intertwined in my life. On the same day I was cutting fabric there was a crew framing in the basement and I had a book launch for Sunday Morning Quilts! Same day. Other days will be pictures of my babies doing their thing - like finishing preschool - while I finish a quilt. And all while I had a newborn. So the quilts, and the book, are a true reflection of our life at a moment of time. And more than once I had to take my own advice that I was writing to slow down and sew, not just get caught up in the frenzy of making.





It is always a huge rush to get the quilts made, though. You think you have all this time but you end up doing everything at the end. Your fingers are sore from binding, your shoulders hurt, everyone in the house is cranky at the fabric everywhere... Then you send the quilts away and don't see them for months, or even a year! It kind of feels anticlimactic. Such an energy high from the moment of first sketches to the last stitch and you don't get a chance to even snuggle with the quilt. But now the quilts are home, living in rotation. Reminding me of the time spent in creation, the moments that happened then, and the concept to just chill out.


Not helping me when I needed to quilt.






So, on this Sunday filled with sunshine and a blanket of fresh snow I will do just that. Right after a birthday party and coffee date with my Hubby. But then, then I can pour some tea, wrap myself in a quilt, and attend to an afternoon of puzzles and paper crafts with my girls.

Remember, there will be giveaways at the end of this celebration. One comment on each post in the month enters you for the prizes.

Tell me, coffee or tea, or hot chocolate with marshmallows?

Ideas



She kept coming by the dining room table to finger the project. She would pick it up, feel the laminated fabric, flip it over, and then look at me.

"Seriously, who gave you this idea?"

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom.

My Mom is awesome. She is always happy to come and help us when I am overwhelmed with too much stuff (she is an expert purger), when I travel to teach she arrives here to watch the kids and clean my fridge, and when producing A Month of Sundays she came and kept us together during the photoshoot. She cleaned my house and watched the kids and fed us in the most Mommiest of ways, as Kate described it.

My Mom, however, has not had the chance to live a creative life. She delivers babies and helps new moms. She is the woman who taught me to sew and I do vividly remember her sewing us clothes and herself a gorgeous winter coat. There may have also been some macrame lessons in there. But that was all a long time ago. So when she looked at this particular project she couldn't imagine how I could have imagined it.

She's not alone. I get that question quite frequently. Just where do you get your ideas?

There is no easy answer, no one spot to look when I need a project. It just isn't that simple.



The project my mom was talking about was the Floral Wrap from A Month of Sundays. Made from laminated cotton (or oilcloth, if you prefer) it is for all your floral needs when out shopping. The idea for it came to me as I loaded groceries one day. There I had all my reusable shopping bags filled with Market goods. Then I placed my paper and plastic wrapped flowers on top. One of these things is not like the other...

I immediately went home, sketched a bit, then drafted a pattern.

There in lies the first spot I get my ideas: NEED.

Identifying a need or a gap in the creative register is sometimes the spark. When looking for an answer to a frustration or struggle the solution may be found in your sewing room instead of a product that may or may not exist.

On the day of the photoshoot for the Floral Wrap I took my wrap into the florist and picked out the flowers. When I handed the Floral Wrap the florist she had the same reaction as my Mom. This may be my one moment of genius in life, I better run with it!

Other moments of inspiration come from shop windows, like the colours in Hugs and Kisses or the design of Sherbet. Sometimes it is from a need to just take something traditional and do something different, like in Pinwheel. It isn't always a visual that inspires either. I've been inspired by words, stories, or even concepts.

You won't always know the moment the idea hits. But if you leave yourself open to it and have a means to capture it - with a sketchbook, a camera, a scrap of paper, a cell phone - then you can hold on to it. In fact, there is even a section of A Month of Sundays that talks about capturing your inspiration.

So when it comes to getting ideas, I think the best advice I've got, and my answer when people ask me just where I got that idea, is that I was simply open to the inspiration. And you do this by embracing creativity and opportunity. It is so easy to get caught up in the minutia of daily life, of motherhood, and even of quilting. Take the time to play, to try something new, to slow down, and the ideas will flow.



What will you do today to open up for inspiration?



One Day - A Quilt


One Day
40'' x 50''

Made for Hubby's best friend's new baby boy. As soon as they announced they were expecting my Hubby informed - not asked - me that I would be making a quilt. Rather than take offence I gave myself a pat on the back that he appreciates this gift as much as a recipient. And this little quilt is now in the baby boy's hands.


The whole quilt came together quite fortuitously. I used the map fabric I had left from this quilt. The couple who are parents of this baby boy are world travellers. In my imagination I live vicariously through the adventures they've had. Hubby actually picked that fabric when I decided I would use this block as the basis of the quilt. In addition to the map fabric I used a variety of low volume prints in blue, green, yellow, gray, and orange. Some of the prints were even from the couple's wedding quilt!


The map fabric is a little odd as it isn't exactly geographically correct. This is not what Canada and the US look like! But the outside borders are there. If I cared to research things in the history books I'm sure I could find a year to associate with this geography. For now, we all get the idea.

The quilting is done with Aurifil 50W in white, as was the piecing. It is a combination of grid work and dot to dot curves around the map sections of each block. Together, it creates a wonderful texture.


This is Hubby's other contribution to the quilt. He insisted that one block with Australia be placed upside down. Sure, whatever.


Finally, when it came to selecting backing fabric Hubby stepped in. He and his best friend have always bonded over cars. And indeed, this guy works at a car dealership now. So the car print was the only choice! I guess it really is a travel themed kind of quilt.

One day the world will be his to explore.

Plus, a Quilt Top


Back when I was in Nova Scotia (oh, how it feels like it was last year, not last month) I managed to get a bit of sewing in for myself. I had such eager students that were going back to sew late into the night, after dinner. One night I decided to join them. I made great progress on these blocks while chatting about klutziness, motherhood, real estate, and more. I came home with just some final seams to sew.

I took a break from binding Just One Slab quilts and finishing a baby quilt to get this top together. And now I want to throw everything aside to finish it!


I debated a number of ideas for layout. Contemplated more blocks. Thought it should be bigger. In the end, the idea of quadrants won out. I liked the echo of the quadrants in the blocks into the quilt top as a whole. And I wanted the plus signs to really float on that pieced, scrappy background.

So much fun. All improv fun. And all that grey, such lovely grey. Mostly made from scraps. Just wait for the texture from quilting.



Pillow For a Friend


The rumours started flying before Christmas. A new kid was joining the kindergarten class and he was moving from the other side of the world! When would he be here? Where was he coming from? What is his name? The kids were giddy at the thought of a new kid like a vampire would be of virgin blood. I too was excited for the potential of a new friend.

The first day of school came after the holidays and I immediately picked out the new dad. During hearty introductions I found out that they were expecting a baby, as I was at the time. With razor like focus I narrowed in on the mom the first time I saw her on the playground. I know, it sounds like I was stalking. Perhaps I was a lot like that vampire. But sometimes instinct takes over. Then really pays off.

We hit it off immediately, with a similar brand of sarcasm and humour. She is much kinder than I am though. And she lives a lifestyle that not even I can aspire to. On paper we shouldn't click, but in real life we have a great time. I trust her as a friend, as a mother. I know that she's looking out for my kids. I adore her boys and despite his vegetarian eating habits her husband is pretty great too.

It was her birthday earlier this week. Like most of us she deserves special treats. After we'd spent a morning rearranging furniture in her living room (Yeah, we go for long walks, drink tea, then redecorate each other's houses) I decided she needed something else in the room. Something cozy, something that worked with her momentos from travels in the East, something homemade.


I pulled out the Indian cottons and raided the stash. I also grabbed the bits of Carolyn Friedlander's new line, Botanics, that she'd sent me when I was working on something else. They all went together so well. With this quilt in mind from Quilting Happiness I started slashing and sewing. This is a colour combo I've been wanting to play with for a while and now I want to do more with it.

What I forgot is that my friend is on Instagram. So I posted my fabric pull and mentioned I was making a pillow for a dear friend. When I did not get the pillow done in time for her birthday she hid her disappointment. So when I shared the image of my stellar wrapping job she tried not to get too excited. I was happy to share the pillow with her on the playground yesterday (and not worry about keeping secrets from her).


With fabric from family and friends, inspiration from another quilty friend, sewing while chatting with a friend online, and making it for a friend this little pillow is full of love. But it is missing a zipper, I still lack that skill. So a quilted back with an envelope closure, highlighted with a contrasting fabric, is what it gets. And it works wonderfully.

Just like our friendship.


Workshop in Progress - Inspired by a Little Boy Painting


Sometimes inspiration hits and you just have to run with it. Regardless of what the to-do list looks like. The moment I saw this photo I knew I would translate it into fabric. There was just something about the energy of his painting, the colours, the shape... It all combined into a flood of Must Make That Into a Quilt Now!

My friend here in Calgary, Katrina, is often inspired by an artist friend of hers, Shimon Kate, so I find it kind of interesting that I was inspired by art in her family. Overlapping circles formed everywhere.


Here's where I'm at now (thanks to a random afternoon with school/playdate and sick baby taking a long nap). When I first started I envisioned it with four blocks. Something about emphasizing the notion of a quadrant. Now that I see these together I still like that. But it needs to be sized up and filled in a bit. Right now this would only make a wall hanging. And I want those red strips to be floating between each other more.

Or, I could make more... or not have such a precise layout. (I am a bit worried about the defining lines that would be created when these become 4 actual blocks. I think I can manage that with judicious fabric placement, but maybe not.)

Any other thoughts? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Necklace Inspired Fabric Pull


One of the most exciting parts of quilting for me is the fabric play. It is one of the excuses I maintain for having a ridiculously large stash - shopping at home. It really is lovely to be able to just open the closet, rummage through my bins and bins of fabric, and come up with something pretty to play with.

Here I am playing with fabric from the latest inspiration. This quilt is for a deadline, so once I found my inspiration I dove right in! Above is the initial fabric pull.

Below is the final fabric pull. I decided to edit out the fabrics to reflect the inspiration necklace in direct proportion. It remains to be seen which fabrics actually end up in the final quilt, I'm not sure I have enough of each of these for the planned pattern. We'll just have to see!


New Inspiration


With a million projects on the go I felt the need to start a new one. I bought this necklace in Austin, at this awesome store selling only products from Texas artisans called Parts and Labor. Oddly, this necklace came with no info. It didn't stop me from buying it. And it's become the jumping off point for a new quilt. Also oddly, I had the sketch and pattern written before I'd picked fabric.

Seriously, what's happening to me?

Peace


Peace.

Both a complex and simple thing. We all know we need it and it is about the hardest thing to create.

As a quilter, a creative soul, I find peace when I see, cut, play, sew, and even fold my fabric. I get inspired by the creations of the designers or other quilters. And when I get those moments - whether they are stolen in the early mornings, between naps and loads of laundry or I am luxuriating in an entire morning of hot tea and a pile of fabric - I find my peace.

Sure, there are many among us who love and adore solid fabrics and revel in the quiet energy they reveal in a quilt. I am not one of them. I love exploring the patterns and concepts that designers put out there. I love playing with the patterns, mixing it up and seeing who plays nicely together. I like creating order from that potential playground catastrophe.

there is peace in pattern


My jumping point for the fabric selection, and the inspiration for this piece definitely comes from this stack of Architextures from Carolyn Friedlander and a strong compulsion to create.

Free pieced letters, a la Unruly Quilter. Slabs upon slabs as we outline in Sunday Morning Quilts. A design wall to bring it together.

And there was peace.

Capturing Inspiration


Just because I was on vacation, it doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about quilts. 

Confession: I brought some hand sewing with me, but it never left the bag.

When you are open to it, inspiration is everywhere. Even my daughters were getting in on it. They pointed out textures and colours that would make a good quilt. 

I try to capture all inspiration one way or another when I see something interesting. Sometimes I sketch it out. Just a rough doodle and a few notes. I put date and location on the sketch that act as a trigger for my memory. Quite often I take a picture. It doesn't have to be a perfect picture, if the colour is what matters then who cares if the focus isn't perfect. My cell phone - which does not have a good camera on it - is filled with images that serve as inspiration scrap book.

It is pretty much impossible that I will make all the quilts that these inspiration images conjure, but it is nice to have a bank of concepts. You never know when the right fabric will appear for one idea, or you need a quick quilt and can't decide what to make. Then there are the times where you just HAVE to make something because the inspiration is too strong. I don't know anything about that...

Here are the images from my trip that may or may not get translated into a quilt one day.


Texture, all about texture.


Colour and stripes! Plus that age and fraying.


Light and texture. This is the sun through my hat.


My daughter loved the woven effect of this palm. Me too.


Blue.


Energy and colour contrasts.


This may be the start of a mild pink and white colour obsession.


Shape and line.


Curves. Simplicity.

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...

Mountain Meadows

I have this quilt in mind. In fact, I've had it in mind for a year. We went on our first family hike in the mountains near us. It was a gorgeous day, everyone had fun, and I was completely taken with the mountain meadows. One usually focuses on the view, but I couldn't stop staring at the little bits of colour in the flowers all around us.  And now I hope to capture some of that magic in a quilt.

The inspiration:




Gathering fabrics, courtesy of Modern Quilt Guild members who responded to a plea for solid green scraps. Yes, solids. I'm pushing myself here! Now, let's see where this goes.


Quilter-Artist Spectrum


Do you consider yourself a quilter or an artist or both? Or maybe somewhere in between?

The above image was taken from the Fabricate exhibit, held recently at the DaDe Gallery here in Calgary.  It is a quilt by Luke Haynes.

If you aren't familiar with Luke Haynes he a self described architect turned quilter. I adore his work. I don't think I'll ever make a portrait quilt myself, but his works are stunning. STUNNING. I jumped at the chance to see some of his work locally.

While I was pouring over the quilt and its details it got me to thinking about how I see myself as a quilter. Am I just a quilter? Is that a bad thing, to use the word just? Do I even come close to considering myself an artist? And frankly, what's the difference?

What is the difference?

I haven't a clue how to make any distinctions.

... showing quilts versus using quilts?
... heavy versus soft?
... designing for the wall versus the bed?
... making something pretty versus making a statement?
... exploring colour versus exploring themes?

In my opinion, I don't think there is a perfect or right answer. Maybe there is a spectrum and we all fall at different places on it at different times?

I do design my own work, I love to explore colour and inspiration, and sometimes I want my quilts to be seen and not necessarily always cuddled. For the most part though I do want my quilts to be used and used well, but it is a goal to hang in a gallery too. I sometimes design for up close and texture not the view from far away. I love to write and write about quilts. So, unlike my left leaning social and political views I think I maybe am somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

What about you? Do you think there is a difference? How would you define it? How do you identify yourself?

Reflections



I'm feeling a bit reflective, bear with me.

Being a quilter, for me, is intrinsically tied to being a mother. Sure, I quilted before I had my first baby. It wasn't until I had The Monster, however, that I became a quilter. As I became a mother, so I became a quilter.

It wasn't a SHAZAM! kind of moment where birthing a child suddenly gave me colour clarity or sewing skills. Nor was it a direct result of sewing cute little baby things. Rather, it was a gradual development of an inevitable compulsion.

This is why I say inevitable.




Long before I had kids I won the 8th grade Home Ec Award. All this really means is that I was the quickest to sew together my sweat pants and I'd mastered granola. The next year I lost out and suffered the indignity of crimped hair for the school fashion show. At the time I though I'd come a long, long way from the tube dresses I made for my Barbie dolls.

My first quilt was for my boyfriend's (now husband), first nephew. A simple yellow, white, and grey Irish Chain. I got bruises carrying the heavy old machine of my mom's to and from the train station. The bruises aren't my only injuries. I sliced my finger with a rotary cutter once - I'm now missing a tip. And my wrists and hands have more than a few iron burns. All for the love of quilting.

I shudder to think what I've spent in all my years of quilting. My stash is large, but not the biggest you'll ever see. It certainly doesn't reflect the fact that I've made about 100 quilts since that first quilt 14 years ago.



All that money and those injuries are fine. That's because I'm a quilter. Just like the sleepless nights, heartache, and stress of being a mother - it comes with the job. Hmm, those things come with being a quilter too.

In the first year of The Monster's life I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. She was an amazing napper and our house is only so big. It stayed as clean as it could and I was left with hours of free time every day. In time my two or three quilts a year became one a month.

That full year of mat leave produced about 10 quilts and a profound change in my being. I find it hard to describe it adequately, but becoming a mother led me to accept my true self.

After junior high I put away the sewing machine and laid down the pen I used to write stories. The focus for me was on training for swimming, then rowing. Once those were gone it was all about boys and beer. I tried to resurrect my creativity by going to journalism school, but it didn't stick. But the creative nature was there, lurking, but never gone.

That year after The Monster's birth changed all that. If I was going to be a good mama I needed full honesty with her and with myself. Not only did I have to put aside my hang-ups about my physical and creative self, I had to put my compulsions at the fore. I needed to create and I needed to embrace that. Complete honesty gave me the confidence to do that. Doing so made me a better mother, I have no doubt about that.

Now, another daughter and our son later, there is no less confidence and the compulsion grows. That's why it feels right to sew on the dining room table, to sketch quilts with the girls, to take my son to Quilt Market.

Without becoming a mother I would not be a quilter. And because I am both I am fiercely proud of it. No one will ever take that away, no matter how hard they try.

I am Cheryl Arkison, Mama to her babies and quilter to all.





Marimekko Memory Game

Full confession: I bought this Marimekko Memory Game long before the girls were in any shape to play Memory. Now they are almost beyond it. But we pull it out for the beauty and the colour. And, of course, the infinite sorting possibilities for my anal nature.

It is a regular memory game. Everything looking the same on one side and pairs of gorgeous on the other side. But it is the gorgeous that makes it all worthwhile.

Can anyone say polka dot Marimekko quilt?

I bought this game at Kit, a few years back. But it is available on line here, here, and here.

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.