Spring Sewing Register Now!

We had a lot of fun in this winter's sewing class!

I am happy to report that we finished our snowflake pillows ahead of the last real snowflakes (as today's little flurry proved!)

My older girls made some fun messenger pouches.  Zippers and all!

For those interested in joining, sign-ups are going on now at Philipstown Recreation Department.

Beginner: a combo of hand and introductory machine sewing with assistance

Tuesdays, 3:45-5 p.m. beginning April 2

Advanced: Students with a familiarity with sewing basics.  Working primarily with machines. 

Tuesdays, 5-6:15 p.m. beginning April 2

Quilt Con 2013 Wrap-up

Hello Readers!! 

As those of you who follow me on FB know, I spent the last week in February in Austin, TX for the Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon where it was a balmy 75 degrees almost the whole time! It was an awesome time and I have already posted a bunch of pics here on the HVMQG site, so check 'em out. 

Just so's ya know, this is not your grandma's Quilt Show. There is a whole group on instagram #tattoosofquiltcon.  You can see one here. And I have recently discovered a new FB group: the Bad Ass Quilters Society. In my house, where we listen to Quiet Riot at breakfast, there is only one word for this: Awesome. 

For my personal experience of QuiltCon, here are a few more snapshots:

A very fun printing class with textile designer Lotta Jansdotter

The stencil I made for Miss Honeybee, who turned two (no, not ONE---you are TWO!) the day after I returned.  I think these will become pockets on a dress.  What do you think?

I saw a bunch of people with these excellent sewing kits.  Must make!

This is how much SWAG I came home with! Dear god.

All in all, it was a fantastic time.  We saw amazing quilts, met other quilters from all over the country, heard inspiring lectures from designers and quilters, took very helpful classes and just basked in the glow of a totally kick-ass community.  

And just a vignette, for which there are no photos:

Rounding a corner in the exhibition hall during set-up clad in my blue Volunteer shirt, I found a woman struggling to put up her booth display.  As I offered help, she (like many of us small business owners) tried to put me off---insisting she could do it on her own and anyway her assistant would be here soon.  Needless to say, I insisted and we ended up getting the panels put up together.  At one point as my new friend struggled to bend over, she admitted to me that she had a medical device due to a certain kind of cancer---in fact the very same cancer my mother is struggling with right now.  She stood up, raised her arms and said, "You were meant to help me---because I am here to tell you---it can all be OK!" As the tears streamed down my face, she gathered me up in a big hug and said, "It's going to be ok. I am living proof."  

It is often hard for me to put into words why I feel so drawn to quilting and the modern quilting movement.  But in that moment, supported and connected to someone I had just met, being seen and being real, it was all clear.  This kind of connection is what it is ALL about. Quilting just happens to be the one little corner of the world where I am finding that right now.  It could be anything though, right? As long as we are REAL and CLEAR.   That is the ultimate challenge.  

Anyway, my favorite take-away from the show:

 Made by the Austin MQG for one of its members. It was designed by Bobbi Brekke and Heather Scrimsher. This my bad iPhone photo.  Better photo here.

Great discussions of pushing the boundaries of what quilting is here and here. More on this later, but for now, suffice it to say, I am excited to see where the tide takes us. BAD ASS QUILTERS UNITE. 

A few inspiring favorites:

Don't Blink by Caro Sheridan

Bang! You're Dead by Jacquie Gehring

Just One More Slice by Patty Simmons

You Rule by Brigitte Heitland

Untitled by Lindsey Stead

Both Ways by Lauren Hawley

Rhythm and Blues by Anne Deister

I cannot wait to process all that I saw, heard and felt while at QuiltCon and work on adding my own unique voice to the mix. 

Paper Piecing Pinwheels

This is one of those happy accidents. And it's February in the Northeast---a dark and wet time, so I am telling you---I can use all the happy accidents I can get!! 

In searching for a pinwheel pattern I liked for my latest round of Flickr quilting bees, I came upon this pattern by Peggy Miller.  Turns out it was included in a Craftsy class that Peggy had done. As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of the Craftsy platform, so I hopped over there and got myself a whole class on paper piecing.  

Paper piecing by definition includes a LOT of paper! Each of these blocks comes with four quadrants.  So for 6 blocks I had to make 24 of these squares:

After I ripped off the paper---before assembling each block---my 5 year old decided to make a puzzle of the piles of paper on the dining room table and make me a Valentine! Love him.

The resulting block has two layout options: 

 I went with having more of the lighter layout and here is the finished result:

So the happy accident is this:  I meant this as a Bee block---I would do one for each person in the group.  However, I misread the pattern, thought I needed to resize it (which I didn't) and so this original block came out bigger than expected.  I liked it so much I decided to run with it and make a quilt I never intended to make.

What do you think?  Leave me a comment!

Eye of the Storm

In 2013, I am really looking forward to giving away some quilts.  I began this quilt the night that Hurricane Sandy rolled into the East Coast.  The devastation was massive.  

We were very lucky.  This tree fell AWAY from our house!

Many others were not so lucky. Many people in New York, in particular in Queens and Rockaway remain without power and heat---in the middle of February.  I finished this quilt top last week and I am calling it, "Eye of the Storm." I hope to quilt it this Friday with my guild and send it out into the world to warm someone still suffering the effects of the hurricane.

In with the New

I recently got interested in checking out the online quilting community that exists on Flickr.  I got accepted to a bee that asked us to do blocks that included some kind of hexagon.  Having done Amy Gibson's Block of the Month on Craftsy and with my local quilt guild, I had already experimented a little with English paper piecing and hand-sewing hexagons.  I looked for a way I could do this in an improv fashion and still get some hand-sewing in---great for doing while catching up on episodes of Mad Men...

Here is what I came up with:

We were given each person's color choices and then asked to make the same block in each palette.

This was my first block and I was a little bothered that the hexagons came out a little wonky, but then I decided to embrace the imperfections and run with it.  In the end, I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

What do you think?

Here is another little hexagon project that will become a baby quilt.

I look forward to sharing all the blocks I receive when I get them. Getting mail is such a rare treat these days!!

Out with the Old

I made a commitment at the end of 2012 to get some of my UFO's off my table---not all, mind you, but at least a couple!  How about you? Did you make any similar year-end resolutions?  I managed to get two quilts done and delivered!  

One, handed off to my sister as a house-warming gift for her new home as she hosted her first Thanksgiving (this is an un-bound pic!)

This quilt came out of a really awesome improv workshop I did with Denyse Schmidt in early 2012.  You can find a link to Denyse's workshops here.

The back:

And the second, a long time coming, a queen sized quilt I had finished ages ago and never could bring myself to quilt.  This one was for my mother and I was terribly intimidated by quilting something this big by myself, so I finally resigned myself to the fact that it was better to send it out!  And, I am so glad I did!  It came out gorgeous, and in time for the holidays!

Tell me about your completions!

Star Quilt with Spiderweb Blocks

Hi Sewing Enthusiasts!! 

I am finally ready to show off some progress, not completion mind you, but in my world, enough done to share!!  Remember back here when I posted about "a few of my favorite things"? Well, one of them was Craftsy, and the enormously fun Block of the Month (FREE, people, FREE) class taught my Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock.   

One of my favorite blocks I made so far was the "Spiderweb" block, but I didn't entirely get the "spiderweb" part until... 

It always helps to have more hands...and pins

I showed the four blocks I had made with my Denyse Schmidt charm squares at my quilt guild meeting and my friend, Leslie (check her out here) said, "Put them all together, next to each other..." and what do you know?  A SPIDERWEB!    

Ok, so with this choice of fabrics, it is the "stars" that pop and not the "spiderweb," but you get the idea. I think I will make more of the red and white ones to see what happens when those go together.  

Front---almost done quilting and then to bind!

Back (pre-quilting)

My basting helpers

I decided to quilt-in-the-ditch in the center panels and then free-motion around the outside.

The stars really show up on the blue flannel back, which will be soft for the intended baby recipient.

And, last but not least, this is what happens to my back when I squat down during photo session...*sigh*  :)

Do you have quilting assistants?

xoxo
Nell