September 25, 2013

A Fresh New Start

I let myself get sidetracked this week with a little diversion. As you may know from reading my blog, I love leaves. All the wonderful shades of greens . . . all the beautiful shapes . . . and of course all the many leafy fabrics. Over the years I've amassed quite a collection of leafy prints. Many are more traditional in nature although now I'm gathering more and more modern versions as well.

I've had a sketch for a leaf quilt for years and thought I'd break out the stash and start cutting this week. The main design consists of a checkerboard in the quilt center and the Scrappy Trip Along block tutorial was perfect for getting these blocks underway.

I broke out the leafy stash . . . this is only part of it!



I cut lots of strips to size, producing lots of little trimming scraps . . . love these little bits of color.


I started sewing a few blocks together . . . many more to come.



I know this is a form of procrastination for other things I should be working on but what the heck. I'm getting something done.

With all the terrible flooding that happened in Colorado recently I am feeling so very very grateful that the little creek behind our house didn't flood any worse than it did and feeling heartsick for all the people who are now without their homes and belongings. I'm thinking these leafy prints might be just the thing for a charity quilt. What better way to symbolize a fresh new start than green leaves representing new growth? I hope to turn these blocks into a charity quilt for flood victims.

If you are interested in helping, one option is Cover Colorado: Quilts For Flood Victims sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

eQuilter.com is also offering to distribute quilts to those in need. You can see what Luana of eQuilter had to say in this recent newsletter.

Linking up for WIP Wednesday with lee at Freshly Pieced. Take a look at what a few others are working on this week.

Hope you are making progress on your WIP's.


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September 19, 2013

Repurposing

Do you ever repurpose clothes and other fiber related items in ways that bring new life and new uses to old things? I've been intrigued with quilts made from vintage sheets and clothes remade into something new and fashionable. Even have a small collection of vintage sheets I've gathered with the intention of making a modern quilt one of these days.

When Stitch magazine issued a call for entries for their winter edition, I decided to give the sustainable, upcycled category for fashion and home a try. Each issue has a few different categories featuring a variety of sewing projects. Everything from clothing and home decor to quilts can be found within their pages.

Since the call for entries was for a winter issue, I decided to play with recycling old sweaters and woolen jackets into a home decor project.




Using the sleeves from a variety of sweaters and a couple of jackets, I created a series of 6 vase wraps. I think they give a warm cozy feeling to the vases. I used winter whites and grays for a soft subtle palette and filled them with twigs that had tiny berries still clinging to the branches.


These two use sleek ribbed sweaters.



Here I used a baggy tweed sweater and a delicate lacy one.



The final two used woolen jackets for a slightly more tailored look.


This has been a year of submissions for me as I try my hand at getting published and I've been fortunate to find success with two Interweave publications; Stitch and Modern Patchwork as well as GenerationQ Magazine. If you've ever considered submitting a quilt or other sewing project . . . do it!!!

  



Here's a link to the submissions page for Interweave. And here's a link for GenerationQ.
Now go submit something. You'll never know until you try. Maybe I'll be reading about your project in the next issue.  : )

I'm linking up with Cindy at Live a Colorful Life for a Really Random Thursday post. Hop on over to see what other random things have been happening in the quilting world.

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September 12, 2013

What's old . . . is new again

Lately I've been trying to get my studio under control a little at a time. The scrap piles have been sorted and a scrap system begun that I can honestly say is working and quite useful so far.

Of course, the problem with the "little at a time method" is that there are always unfinished areas still needing to be organized and then whole new messes develop as I work. I think I need to accept the fact that my studio will always be a work in progress just like my quilts.

First off came making room for a group of stripe fabrics I've been collecting here and there. I have lots of design ideas for stripe fabrics with more popping into my head every day.


Do you ever start a collection of fabrics by picking up a fat here and there and then realize you have way more than you thought, or dare I say even need, once you get them all in place? I had no idea I had this many stripes and must admit this is only half the collection.

The main area I've been tackling recently is sorting, organizing and disposing of old publications. I love magazines and books and over the years have accumulated quite a library. My style has changed over the years and some of the old publications just aren't where I'm at today. My new favorites are Generation Q, Stitch, Quilty and Modern Quilts Unlimited.

Some of these older issues will go back on the shelf, some into the donation bin at my library and some will go to the next modern guild meeting to giveaway.


As I sorted through pile after pile of magazines . . . some over 15 years old . . . what I discovered is how often what is old is new again. I can't tell you the number of times I came across a quilt design from years ago that was very much like a quilt I just recently saw on a blog or online somewhere. New fabrics, new spin on an established design. Thus what's old is new again.

Was the newer one simply copied? I'd like to think INSPIRATION is a much better word. In many cases I would bet the quilter who did the newer version never saw the earlier one. In this age of instant digital access it can be extremely hard if not nearly impossible to be completely original.

We are all inspired by something, somewhere we've seen. It might be lurking in the recesses of our brain from years ago. It might be something brand new we just saw or experienced that has nothing to do with quilting. The important thing is that it inspired us. It moved us. It awoke our creativity and the need to make. Bringing this creativity to life by making allows us to express ourselves and give meaning to our work. Rather than simply copying, I hope we are truly creating.

I encourage you to let the inspiration in your personal world bring new life to your work . . . create your own vision. If starting from scratch with a quilt design of your own is intimidating, try a pattern but put a spin on it to make it your own.

If you're not sure how this works, check out my patterns which offer many different options so you can bring your own personal creativity and style into play. I have three new designs in the works too so stay tuned for new pattern releases in the next few months.

I'm linking up with Cindy's Really Random Thursday for this post.
Have fun creating.  : )

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