Showing posts with label quilts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilts. Show all posts
The Carnival Quilt
It's finished! Just in time to post this on The Blogger's Quilt Festival, I finally finished and took some pictures of the quilt I made with Carol Van Zandt's super-fun fabric, Pop Rox. If you want to see some in process pictures, check out this post.
I love how that last photo makes my sewing room look so bright and clean. Ha!
Blogger's Quilt Festival 2014!
It' that time of year again! Time for Blogger's Quilt Festival! I love checking out all the beautiful quilts over at Amy's Creative Side, Amy Ellis's blog. Ages ago, I was a featured Blogger's Quilt Festival quilter
and I love to go back every season and check out what's happening in
quilt-land. It's open to everyone, so you get a really great,
international over-view of what people are making!
My first entry this fall is my latest finish, the X Quilt, created for the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles' show, Modern Muse. If you live in the area, you can see it there on November 15th! I already wrote a post all about making this quilt, so if you want to read more about it, check out my previous post.
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You can see my second entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival in the next post!
My first entry this fall is my latest finish, the X Quilt, created for the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles' show, Modern Muse. If you live in the area, you can see it there on November 15th! I already wrote a post all about making this quilt, so if you want to read more about it, check out my previous post.
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| The X Quilt |
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| I love the back of this quilt!! |
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You can see my second entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival in the next post!
Making: The Embers Quilt
Teaching: Improvisational Confetti Class
A couple of weeks ago, I taught my Improvisational Confetti Quilt class for the first time. Because I often work in an improvisational way, not planning before I cut, or worrying too much about how I sew it together, I forget about how hard it can be to step away from "perfection." I always have a great time in class telling people to "just cut it!" and yelling across the room, "put down that seam ripper!" (I promise, my classed ARE fun - not scary...right?!) Sometimes my students listen to me, but sometimes, they struggle with being afraid to go "off pattern" and letting wonderful things happen organically.
Ah well, I might be more comfortable with improvisational quilting, but I bet all you perfectionists that think ten steps ahead would kick my butt at chess.
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| Confetti Quilt Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop, October 2011 |
In this class, some may have had a bit of a struggle, but look how beautifully the work came out!
Ah well, I might be more comfortable with improvisational quilting, but I bet all you perfectionists that think ten steps ahead would kick my butt at chess.
Learning how to make a quilt. Please help!
Lately, I've been making some major changes to my sewing studio. But, I'll talk more about that later - I'm not finished with it yet! The reason I mention it, is that while re-organizing all of my things, I found this picture:
Pictures of the very first quilt I ever made! I didn't even remember that pictures of this quilt existed! I made it back in 1994, when I was in my last year of college. It was for the first friend my own age that was having a kid. (It took all my other friends a LONG TIME before they had any off-spring!)
I don't even remember who's sewing machine I used to make this, but I do remember that although I didn't have much trouble with the piecing (yes, I'm sure I cut this out with scissors!), I really struggled with the over-all quilting. I know I originally thought I would hand-quilt it, but decided on machine quilting, so I'd have it finished before the kid was in college himself. It almost didn't happen! The batting was a puffy polyester and I hadn't ever heard of a walking foot before. It was so frustrating and such a struggle to get it finished. The lines weren't straight at all and the stitch lengths were all over the place. I was annoyed and disappointed and I don't think I made another quilt for about 4 years. (The next one took years to finish as it was all hand-quilted!)
Now I quilt all the time. And I just wish that back then, I had someone telling me all the tips and tricks to make sewing and quilting more fun and not so frustrating. With that in mind, I'm starting a new class, held here in Berkeley (sorry, it's not web-based) called Home Ec 101 to help new quilters, or anyone struggling with sewing. It's also for anyone who just wants some dedicated quilting time and some fun peeps to hang out and quilt with! It starts next Tuesday, October 4th and will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at New Pieces Quilt Shop.
Here's where I need HELP!!!
What I'm wondering is, if you're a new quilter, what are you struggling with? And, if you're an experienced quilter, what are your words of wisdom? I would LOVE it if you would leave comments and let me know!
If you'd like more information on Home Ec 101, you can check it out here: http://onthedesignwall.blogspot.com/p/quilting-classes.html
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| My First Quilt! |
I don't even remember who's sewing machine I used to make this, but I do remember that although I didn't have much trouble with the piecing (yes, I'm sure I cut this out with scissors!), I really struggled with the over-all quilting. I know I originally thought I would hand-quilt it, but decided on machine quilting, so I'd have it finished before the kid was in college himself. It almost didn't happen! The batting was a puffy polyester and I hadn't ever heard of a walking foot before. It was so frustrating and such a struggle to get it finished. The lines weren't straight at all and the stitch lengths were all over the place. I was annoyed and disappointed and I don't think I made another quilt for about 4 years. (The next one took years to finish as it was all hand-quilted!)
Now I quilt all the time. And I just wish that back then, I had someone telling me all the tips and tricks to make sewing and quilting more fun and not so frustrating. With that in mind, I'm starting a new class, held here in Berkeley (sorry, it's not web-based) called Home Ec 101 to help new quilters, or anyone struggling with sewing. It's also for anyone who just wants some dedicated quilting time and some fun peeps to hang out and quilt with! It starts next Tuesday, October 4th and will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at New Pieces Quilt Shop.
Here's where I need HELP!!!
What I'm wondering is, if you're a new quilter, what are you struggling with? And, if you're an experienced quilter, what are your words of wisdom? I would LOVE it if you would leave comments and let me know!
If you'd like more information on Home Ec 101, you can check it out here: http://onthedesignwall.blogspot.com/p/quilting-classes.html
Antique Half Square Triangles
This is another antique quilt that lives at my Mom's house.
The fabrics in this one remind me of the calm, sepia tones that are popular in Japanese quilting right now. Right before I posted this, I found the cute brown fabric with the little colored red balls has been almost exactly reproduced by D's Selection fabrics from Japan. What a crazy coincidence that my friend, Mary, just happened to purchase some of it the day I was writing this post!
Anyone know what the name of this block is? I found one similar to it called "Birds in the Sky," but it only had 3 half-square triangle blocks. This one seems more like the entire flock of birds, not just a few... (I admit, I'm too lazy to look through hundreds of blocks to find the name, but I'd love to know!)
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| Another of my Mom's Lovely Quilts |
The fabrics in this one remind me of the calm, sepia tones that are popular in Japanese quilting right now. Right before I posted this, I found the cute brown fabric with the little colored red balls has been almost exactly reproduced by D's Selection fabrics from Japan. What a crazy coincidence that my friend, Mary, just happened to purchase some of it the day I was writing this post!
Anyone know what the name of this block is? I found one similar to it called "Birds in the Sky," but it only had 3 half-square triangle blocks. This one seems more like the entire flock of birds, not just a few... (I admit, I'm too lazy to look through hundreds of blocks to find the name, but I'd love to know!)
Completed: A Couple of Different Basketweave Quilts
I'm teaching a new class in June and made a few quilts to demonstrate the pattern.
Same blocks, mostly the same fabric, really different quilts!
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| A bright and springy green and white quilt |
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| A moodier green and white quilt |
Same blocks, mostly the same fabric, really different quilts!
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| Yeah Bloggers' Quilt Festival Time! |
A Visit to the American Folk Art Museum
After giving my 7 year old son the camera at the Met, I realized that was the key to keeping him interested and occupied at the museum while I'm looking at the exhibits. So, I let him take more pictures at the Folk Art Museum. He took these shots specifically for me to use as quilting designs. Great idea!
These are pen drawings by the outsider artist, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. Actually, a guard came over and explained that we weren't supposed to be photographing them. But the pictures were already taken, and I think they're neat, so I'm sharing.
A few other highlights of the museum:
I've also been a huge fan of Paula Nadelstern's work and I was excited to finally get to see one of her Kaleidoscope quilts in person. I've tried making one of these myself, and got as far as one block. Her process is so exact and intense. I like a challenge, but it's hard for me to see the big picture when working with such tiny bits.
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| Ball Point Pen Drawings by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein |
These are pen drawings by the outsider artist, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. Actually, a guard came over and explained that we weren't supposed to be photographing them. But the pictures were already taken, and I think they're neat, so I'm sharing.
A few other highlights of the museum:
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| Improvisational Quilts |
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| Cute strawberry applique |
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| Even cuter dog applique - Pugs, perhaps? |
I've also been a huge fan of Paula Nadelstern's work and I was excited to finally get to see one of her Kaleidoscope quilts in person. I've tried making one of these myself, and got as far as one block. Her process is so exact and intense. I like a challenge, but it's hard for me to see the big picture when working with such tiny bits.
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| Paula Nadelstern's Kaleidoscope quilt |
Inspiration: Amish Quilt Book
After listening to this podcast by Pat Sloan with Julie Silber, I rushed right over to Amazon and ordered the out of print book, Amish, The Art of the Quilt.
It's based on the Esprit Amish quilt collection that I've heard about for years, but never had the opportunity to see. Below are a couple of my favorites:
What an amazing (and amazingly heavy!) book!
It's based on the Esprit Amish quilt collection that I've heard about for years, but never had the opportunity to see. Below are a couple of my favorites:
Completed: Hand Quilted Crib Quilt
I had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas break. I ate lots of cookies and did lots of hand quilting.
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| Blue and White Diamond Crib Quilt |
I have made hand-quilted quilts before, but this is the first quilt I've made using such traditional quilting designs.
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| Hand quilting detail |
I think it turned out lovely!
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.
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!
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