Getting Ready for Stitch Modern

I hang out with this great group of people who call themselves the East Bay Modern Quilt Guild.  Last year, we decided to have a little show where we could hang up our quilts and show our friends and family just how cool we are. We called the show, Stitch Modern.

Stitch Modern 2012

Everyone had lots of fun, so, we've decided to do it again!  Of course, even though we have had the past year to prepare, we all function much better under pressure, so we're still putting the finishing touches on the schedule...and on our quilts!  I just pulled mine off the longarm, so it still needs binding, and a proper photo shoot, but I'll give you a sneak peek.

The Stitch Modern opening will be on Saturday, February 2nd from 6 until 9.  If you live anywhere within driving distance, get there!  It's going to be a great time and the quilts are going to be amazing! (Don't believe me?  You can see pictures of some of the early entries on our Flickr page, as well as see all the fun we had last year.)

*Just a little post-script, because I don't want to make anyone jealous or anything, but congratulations to Margaret who won the Craft-A-Day book!  You'll be getting it soon, Margaret!!

I pulled an all-nighter!

Well, I didn't actually stay up all night, but it was close!  I'm a big fan of sleep, so you know it's important if I'm staying up late and waking up early.  I'll just come out and admit it, I went on vacation, over-committed myself, and fell a bit behind on my obligations. But, although I'm a bit sleepy today, I'm happy to say, I finished!!!

Confetti Quilt

Here's my new Confetti Quilt.  It's totally scrappy and lovely and I'll be teaching a class on how to make it in October!

You can see more pictures on Flickr!

Teaching: Classes, cake, and more classes!

This first official week of summer has been so busy! My son's out of school, so summer camp has begun, I have had great friends visiting from out of town, it was my birthday (I love yummy birthday treats!), I took a class, and I taught a class. Whew! Just typing that makes me tired. So, with all that going on, I haven't had much of a chance get any real sewing done...but the ladies in my latest Improvisational Basketweave class did!

Improvisational Basketweave Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop

I never get tired of watching people create.  It's wonderful to see the different color and fabric combinations that people bring to class.  This was a great group, and we had such a great time!  If you'd like to see the pictures in detail, click on over to my Flickr set!

Teaching: Student Success!

One of my quilting students brought in her completed Split Log Cabin quilt.  Isn't it great?  Can you guess where she might have gotten some inspiration?

Gail with her split log cabin quilt.

I love her quilting. She did this on her home machine!

Interested in making one of your own?  See my list of classes to see when I'm teaching next!

Inspiration: Martha Jane Pettway

This is the quilt that inspired me to make my green and white linen split log cabin quilt.  The original is in the Quilts of Gee's Bend collection. It is also made of corduroy, which I love in a quilt, but I cannot imagine hand quilting through corduroy.

Martha Jane Pettway, born 1898. "Housetop"--nine-block "Half-Logcabin" variation, ca. 1945, corduroy, 72 x 72 inches.

I think I remember from the show that the corduroy used was leftover scraps from home goods that women in the town were sewing up for a regional department store.  For my version, I used thrift store linen tablecloths and bits of old blue jeans.

PSsst - Click on the link below the Martha Jane Pettway quilt to see some A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. quilts.  You can also see loads of contemporary quilts by clicking on the Blogger's Quilt Festival button below!