Spring Plaid Cape ;-)

Just finished this afternoon with my new cape using McCall's pattern # 7477 view B.  And here it is:  ta da!!!!

Improv ... re-posted

Here is my Welcome to Improv top measuring 34" x 34" at the moment.  It will need a huge border if I decide to make it into a lap quilt.  Fun making most definitely because I started out with working with three colors to a block and then proceeded to do things in sets of threes.  After a bit though, the block sizes and number of colors per block went out the window so to speak.  An afternoon's work, happy and cheerful to make on a gloomy overcast day.

Welcome to Improv

Picnic Quilt, a work in progress

Picnic season is coming and this is the quilt I intend to use for them.  Twenty-five large squares consisting of 36 mini-squares of about 2" each making this quilt so far about 60 1/2" square.  I intend to add a large border or several borders and maybe some applique.  Photos show several fabric possibilities for borders and backing.  As easy as this quilt looks to make, it wasn't because notice the mixture and balance of each individual color ... that balancing act took some time to achieve.  I am super happy with how this came out so far and sorta letting it be on the back burner simmering while I figure out how I want to finish it.  :-)

Mod Spring Trees

Mod Spring Trees was done from the Painted Forest pattern featured in Simply Moderne magazine issue #6 pp. 46-53 by Scott Hansen for Blue Nickel Studios.  I had a blast working on this. The challenge is to keep the branches of each tree prominent so that you whatever busy fabric you use, you can still see the contrast and the trees pop and are distinct from each other.   

Improv

Here is my Welcome to Improv top measuring 34" x 34" at the moment.  It will need a huge border if I decide to make it into a lap quilt.  Fun making because I started out with working with three colors to a block and then proceeded to do things in sets of threes.  After a bit though, the block sizes and number of colors per block went out the window so to speak.  An afternoon's work, happy and cheerful to make on a gloomy overcast day.

Welcome to Improv

daily painting #4

daily painting #3

daily painting#3 sandwich

Modern Teapots

My Modern Teapots quilt started from asking a quilt store owner what she was working on.  She was applying fusible applique teapots using an adorable pattern called Teapot Legacy by Love Quilt Patterns.  I purchased the pattern and then waited for some time to start it, admiring it but always having other things to do.  Then one day this past fall I decided to do it ... got tired of it sitting there drawing me to make it.  Flipping through Kaffe Fassett's Museum Quilts book, the Wedding Snowball Quilt on pages 32-33 and 84-85 captured my attention.  I loved how he used the wall and floor tile to display his quilt. I took that as inspiration to put my own spin on the teapot pattern mentioned above and voila here it is. Ta da!!

Modern Teapots

Each teapot is hand appliqued, which I immensely enjoyed doing.  I love the bright colorful teapots. The border is composed of 228 small 2" finished sized blocks surrounding 16 blocks each 8" finished size.  The quilt measures approximately 44" x 44" without the binding.  I think it would be fun to maybe later come back and applique or embroidery further embellishment on some or all of the teapots.  Right now I think they are pretty just as they are. This quilt definitely makes me smile. 
 
  

Sapphires and Rubies Quilt

Sapphires and Rubies

This is my Sapphires and Rubies quilt which measures approximately 60" x 60" without binding.  I used the pickle dish quilt pattern from Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance book, pp.68-72,122-123 and color contrast inspiration from Material Obsession 2 book by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke pp.139.  On the back I experimented with exaggerated block sizes and an enlarged applique pattern from Elegant Garden Block 21 pocket-sized patterns from Laundry Basket Quilts.  Using the same size as four of the pickle dish blocks combined to determine the size of my nine patch blocks on the back, basically 20 1/2"blocks.  I had so much fun with that over-sized applique!!!  Definitely wanna do more of that.  It's my firm belief that the back of quilts are often forgotten; a lot of opportunity for a little love in the design department, if you ask me. :-)

Status:  In line to be quilted, needs binding. 

Uppercase submittal!!!

UPPERCASE SUBMITTAL ...I DID IT!!

I am pleased to announced that I have officially submitted an entry to Uppercase for the Q volume of their incredible craft encyclopedias.  The call was for personal and professional submissions, which touched me because, yes, I am an at-home quilter and artist.  I quilt because I love love love fabrics and because creating gives me a sense of purpose and calm.  It's taken a lot for me to settle down and do my work, that being to create, without any plans of becoming someone in the quilting world, without anyone reading this blog, without any other reason than taking care of myself and being me.  Like a wise person once told me, "first you have to be a friend to yourself before friends will come".  And that's what it's taken; me focusing on doing my craft not because there's a paycheck or somebody needs this (good reasons mind you) but to find out who I really am when you strip away all the "taking care of everybody else" stuff.  I'm happy to report I am emerging slowly but surely, coming up for air, buoying up to the top of the water's surface, taking a risk (recent submittal to Uppercase).

Here's where you can see my submission in a public online gallery at: 
uppercase submittal for Cate Smart public gallery .

daily painting

Daily painting #2

The thought of painting faces is not my first choice or second or even third.  It's way down there on the list .... but here I approached it differently.  I just focused on the intensity of the shadows and shading.  I tried to get their features in the right places, and honestly they all look different from the magazine pages that I got these from.  However, they DO look like people.  Big improvement!!! Here Here!!!
I'll go with that. ;-)

Smaller projects

Here's a look at some of the smaller projects I've been working on lately. Tula Pink's fabrics Holiday Homies with Free Spirit's pattern. Scrap Happy Spools pattern by Cindi Edgerton and these adorable pincushions from Straight Stitch Society!!  These pincushions are rather addictive, I made 4!

Daily Painting

Yep, I started.  My daily painting.  Got a long ways to go but that's ok.  Point is to start and to broaden by skills.  And I am definitely rusty.  Haven't painted in a while ... but that's ok ... let's just see where this goes.  

Mod Nautical Quilt in Red --- horizontal over-sized blocks and backing

Mod Nautical in Red

Modern Quilt, Nautical in Red --- using horizontal over-sized blocks.

This is basically a quick quilt using 6" width strips any length you feel looks good and sewing them together.  Play with color balance, lengths of each block while keeping all the widths constant.  Putting a limit on what you are doing helps you concentrate on working through the quilt quickly.  Here I focused on two things:  nautical and the color red.  It's a great way to use some of those prints that you have no idea how to work with... like themed designs and still keep them looking fresh and interesting.  The companion quilt to this one is a vertical version that I did using navy as my focus color that I posted previously.

On the back, I like to take the opportunity to do something fun.  Whether it's using up the scraps from the front of the quilt or like in this one, doing something interesting for the sake of interesting.  Here I fell for the really large red and white print that reminded me of waves... and worked from there.  And look at the bold aqua blue with white polka dots fabric...how fun!!

3 LB. Lobster Dinner quilt update

4 Bird Quilt using Ruth B. McDowell's piecing method

Bird Quilt, piecing by the Ruth B. McDowell method

Right side of Bird Quilt

Teapot wall hanging ...

Here the pieces are laid out on my design wall board to check placement.  All the teapots will be hand appliqued.

Dear Jane Quilt update

This is my Dear Jane Quilt before adding the scalloped border.  I was concerned about the quilt being too rose/peach tones but then added the triangle border with some additional very bold triangle fillers helped to balance it for me.  This quilt is meant to be viewed up close.  There's a lot going on purposefully. :-)

Projects in various stages

First things first...Making a design wall

  In a studio space, first things first.  Get your equipment moved in where it works for you.  Set up your supporting things (quilt stash fabrics, paints, inks, pencils, pens, rulers, light table, ironing board, shelving for your resource and reference area, threads, threads, yarns, patterns, etc.).  Now for me, the absolute first thing I need before I really want to create is that I need a design wall.  These spaces are invaluable for laying out ideas, piecing parts, mulling over if I am achieving a desired effect.  So here's how you make one...easy-peasy:

Materials:

• flannel fabric, 44-45" or wider if available OR a flannel flat bedsheet (neutral color)
• Sewing machine to sew a seam(s)
• thread
• a stapler or staple gun with staples
• a stool or chair to stand in

Calucate the available space you have on the wall.  Try to get as large as possible.  Now calculate your yardage needed.  Note:  if you width is larger than 44-45" fabric or 54" fabric then you will need to sew widths together.  So double your length amount in calculating for the amount of fabric needed.  Here my wall space was 81" by 96".  I'm making my design wall space 78" by 74".  It doesn't really help me if it's taller than I can reach since I'm banned from ladder usage (due to my clumsiness recently) so go as high on the wall as you can comfortably reach.  The bottom edge can go to the baseboard or just above it.  My's about 4-6" above the top of the baseboard.  When preparing your flannel fabric, I tear the selvages OFF, because when you sew a seam with the selvages in place, the seam will bow and not lay flat.  So tear them off.  Next if you have to join pieces together, as I did, fold your fabric in half  from top to bottom.  Mark the center, snip a 1/2"cut and tear in half.  Now sew those two halves together side by side as I've done here.  Now use your stapler to attach to the wall.  Start with the middle top and work outwards on both sides keeping the fabric taut.  At some point after I have a few staples on the top I tack one on the center bottom, then start on the sides and work my way around until the whole thing is attached to the wall.  Some people like to cover a piece of insulation board with flannel since you could pin through it.  I have liked the idea of a felt surface ever since kindergarten when the teacher would tell stories using a portable felt board.  I don't necessarily want to pin things, although you can slip a pin to sorta fasten things temporarily, I just want to place things up there on my design wall and see if this goes with that, move things around...for me... i do so much moving and adjusting...that pins would get in the way.  I just keep it simple.  It works great for me.  Have fun.

An easy way to do all the above is to just staple a flannel flat bedsheet to the wall!!!  Whatever works and you can get your hands on easily... fabric or a sheet.  Point is you will have a great design wall . Happy dance:-)!!

 TA DA!!!!!!!!!!