Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century

2018 is off to a very good beginning and I couldn't be happier.

Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century is finally out. It's a 200+ page book compiled by Riane Menardi, Alissa Haight Carlton and Heather Grant published by The Modern Quilt Guild and Stash Books. The publisher describes it this way, "a collectible, hardcover book that traces the history of modern quilts, explores hallmarks of the genre, and honors the genre's past, present, and future."

The book features a wonderful sampling of over 200 modern quilts and I'm happy to say one of mine, Rhythm & Blues, is in the book! WaHoo!!! It's an honor to be included along side the work of so many well known modern quilters. You can see Rhythm & Blues on page 24.

Several months ago I was contacted by TheMQG to see if they could include Rhythm & Blues in a new book they were putting together. Yes! Yes! Of course you can can I screamed at the email.

I designed and made Rhythm & Blues way back in 2012 specifically to enter in the QuiltCon 2013 quilt show. It was not only accepted into the show, but also won third place in the Use of Negative space category. That was an exciting moment for me as it was only the second time I had entered a quilt show. After QuiltCon it went on to hang as part of the first Modern Showcase at Quilt Market and Quilt Festival both in Houston and Chicago.

While showing in Chicago, the editor of Modern Quilts Unlimited saw it and contacted me about publishing the design as a pattern in their magazine. It appeared in the Winter 2015 issue. Back copies are still available here. Be sure to look for the Winter 2015 issue.

I'm happy to say Rhythm & Blues will also be making an appearance in another book by C&T Publishing coming out in May of this year. Modern Quilts Unlimited has compiled a book that features modern quilts from past issues. At this point I don't know any more than that but it's certainly exciting to see how one quilt is getting around in the world.

Whether you consider yourself a modern quilter or are simply interested in what modern quilting is all about, I highly recommend Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century. Give it a look see. Learn about the movement. Be inspired. I'm certainly finding wonderful inspiration in every page.

Read C&T's blog post and enter for a chance to win your own ebook copy.
It's available for purchase through TheMQG, C&T Publishing and of course places like Amazon and hopefully your local quilt shop.

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Disclaimer; I make no profits from the sale of this book. I am simply providing links to TheMQG and C&T Publishing for your convenience.

Feeling Blue

This month I'm Feeling Blue . . . a cool, clean, refreshing kind of blue. Blue is all around us if we just take the time to notice. We live on the Blue Planet after all. It's the color of the sea and the sky. In my opinion there's nothing better than seeing it all from the air . . .

Our trip to St. Thomas

These are my Colorado Blues . . . gorgeous blue skies and clear blue mountain lakes.

Distant blue mountain ridges . . . 

Cool blue winter skies from my backyard . . . 

Dark blue stormy summer skies . . . 

And blue twilight skies . . . 

I've always loved the evening mountains silhouetted against the Deep Blue twilight sky. It was the inspiration for my final mini art quilt in the Four-in-Art group last year.

Blue is symbolic of water as well as sky. It's cool and refreshing on a hot summer day, bringing back memories of trips to the beach and time spent at the pool.

Blue is often the color of cityscapes as the sky is reflected in the glass of tall buildings.

Blue is also often thought of as a country color. This gate photo was taken on a trip to Taos last year.

Blue can be found in nature. Maybe not so often in flowers but think bluejays like this sweet baby bluejay in our yard . . .

Or how about a quilted bluejay . . . 

I don't use a lot of blue in my quilting. I don't even have a lot of blue in my stash . . . not to worry though,  I'm working on it. That said, one of my more well known quilts is all blue. Rhythm & Blues was made with a variety of blue solids and won a third place at QuiltCon 2013.

And then there's this blue version of my newest pattern Matrix. 

 I also have a new concept in the works that uses some beautiful Kaffe Fassett blues.

Blue is not a color I think of in my home. I don't decorate with blue, but the more I looked, the more I found blue here and there around the house. Blue dishes in the form of berries in my collection.

Classic blue and white dishes, some belonging to my grandmother . . . 

And blue vases, a small part of my colored vase collection in my studio . . . 

While blue is not my favorite color, I wear it almost every single day. For that matter, people all over the world do too. Blue jeans. Denim. I will always associate blue denim with my mother-in-law Ellie. She often wore light blue oxford shirts, jeans and a denim hat. We still have her denim hat. It's a lovely reminder of her casual style. My mother also liked blue, but not in the form of denim. Her style was a bit dressier. More like gray blues or navy suits.

Blue symbolizes heaven, dignity, strength and honesty therefore a common corporate logo color. Dark blue is symbolic of authority and used for police and military uniforms. 

We describe Blue with words like baby blue, sky blue, navy blue, midnight blue, electric blue, cyan, cobalt, azure, periwinkle, turquoise, ultramarine, sapphire. These last few are the names of beautiful blue gemstones. My daughter says blue is a very popular color in her jewelry lines. See more at EmilyClaireStudio.

Emily's first car was even blue. Sadly she now calls it bruised blue after a few dents and dings.  : (

Emily challenged me to find leaf photos for all my color posts and I accepted. So here are my blue leaves . . .

The leaf shapes remind me of this cool blue Chihuly glass at the Denver Botanic Garden exhibit last summer . . .

I'll leave you with this beautiful cloudy blue sky. Pretend you're laying in the grass, staring up at the clouds. Tell me . . . what do you see?

When I started this color series, my intention was to really look for the color in my own personal world. To see the color around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want this series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me. You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog.

I challenge you to look around your home, your neighborhood, your work and really see the colors in your world. 

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Rhythm & Blues

Remember my Rhythm & Blues quilt? 

Now you can make your very own version of my award winning quilt.

Toward the end of last summer, I received an unexpected email from the editor of Modern Quilts Unlimited who had seen Rhythm & Blues at the Chicago Quilt Festival. She wanted to include it in the winter 2015 edition of the magazine. I have been a subscriber to the magazine for a couple of years so it was a thrill to be asked.

Rhythm & Blues was originally made as an entry for the first QuiltCon Quilt Show in 2013 where I was honored to win third place in the Use of Negative Space category. You can read more about it here. Since it wasn't originally made to be a pattern, I hadn't written any sewing instructions, but thankfully I did have good notes. Directions and calculations were written and off the quilt went to Illinois for a photo shoot.

The magazine is on the newsstands now and includes many wonderful quilts. Here's one of my favorites called Global Threads by Laura Gilvin. Check out Modern Quilts Unlimited's Facebook page to get a sneak peek at other projects in this issue.

I'm also happy to report that I will have a quilt in the 2015 QuiltCon Quilt Show. It's called Matrix Blooming. I'll tell you more on that next week. I wasn't able to see Rhythm & Blues in person but this time I will be there and I can't wait. QuiltCon here I come.   : )

Sew Solid Sunday, Working With Solids

I had the pleasure of meeting Debbie Grifka of Esch House Quilts at Quilt Market in Houston last fall. She has a very bold graphic design sense which is reflected in her quilt patterns. One of my favorites is her pattern A New View. Since then I have started following her blog and today I'm linking up with her new series entitled Sew Solid Sunday with one of my first all solid quilts . . . "Rhythm & Blues".

Many of you have already seen this quilt as I previously blogged about about it here and here.

Today I'd like to talk just a bit about my experience working with all solids. My background is in graphic design and I have an affinity for strong, bold graphics. Solids work wonderfully in expressing this graphic style. They strip away the added layer and complexity that a print fabric brings to a quilt design pairing it down to the most basic elements . . . the shapes and colors in context to one another. It's this aspect of solids that I find so pleasing and interesting to play with when designing. Pure form, color and composition.

When working with all solids, you have a wonderful opportunity to really explore basic elements of design. Ask yourself these things when you are designing a solid quilt.

• color;  how do the colors relate in context to one another.
• shape;  how do the different shapes relate and play off of one another.
• composition;  how do things like balance, rhythm and line effect the composition and lead the eye around the quilt.

These are just a few of the things that I find fun to explore when designing any quilt but most especially when working with solids. I'm even working on a pattern based on the design elements from "Rhythm & Blues" which I hope will be out later this year.

However making all solid quilts has led me to realized that after awhile I miss the absence of prints. I actually crave the riot of color and pattern that can only be found in a complete abandon of solids in favor of prints, prints and more prints. This is who I am.

I love both solids and prints for their unique qualities. Solids have the ability to express bold, graphic, even simple concepts with such clarity and strength. Prints have the ability to stimulate the eye and interact with each other on another, more complex level.

If you haven't tried solids, I recommend giving it a go. You can visit my Pinterest board of all solid quilts for some inspiration. It's so much fun to see what creative work others are doing with solids. There are sooo many fabulous solid quilts out there!

Hopefully I'll have a new solid piece to share on one of Debbie's future installments.
Please hop over to Sew Solid Sunday for a little solid inspiration from the other links. : )

On a final note I'd like to give a nod to Debbie's wonderful Mondrian quilt, by leaving you with my version of a Mondrian inspired quilt made mostly with solids entitled "Mondrian Unleashed".

Looking Back . . . Looking Forward

It's that time of year  . . .
Time when many of us make plans and resolutions for the New Year. With my husband, my daughter and myself all exploring various creative businesses, we have been meeting and talking about our goals for 2014. It's been fun to share and support one another. Part of the plan is to hold each other accountable throughout the new year so we stay on track. I really can't wait to see what each of us accomplishes and creates this year.  : )

Looking back . . .
I started 2013 with the goal of publishing more patterns, exploring submission possibilities and posting more regularly here on my blog. I can say 2013 turned out to be the year of submissions. It was fun and flattering to find success by having some of my projects published. You can read a few submission tips here. I also managed to write more posts and make a few other changes to my blog. The downside was that my pattern publishing just didn't happen. Lots and lots of ideas and designs. Lots of quilts in various stages of completion. But no new patterns.  : (

But even though the patterns didn't happen, there were lots of other good things that took me in new directions. Things I couldn't even have imagined at the beginning of the year. Things like winning an award at QuiltCon and going to Quilt Market for the very first time!   : )

Westminster Fibers booth . . . one of my favorites.

Another positive step for me in 2013 was meeting other quilters and stepping out of my little isolated world. I became involved in the early stages of the Boulder Modern Quilt Guild and designed the logo.

And I joined my first online quilting bee, the Mid Century Modern Bee. Plus an online art quilt group, Four-in-Art. All these experiences have been so rewarding. It's easy to get into a rut when you're in your studio alone and don't realize how isolated you are. I'm a loner when it comes to working most of the time but I still need interaction and connections. If you don't have a group, I highly recommend joining at least one online group or real life guild that will teach, challenge and inspire you. It's definitely worth the commitment.  : )

Looking forward . . .
In 2014 I plan to refocus on pattern development and make it the year of patterns. I also want to expand my blog content to include tutorials as well as some type of design exploration lessons. The design process is what I truly love. Additional design options are a big part of what I include in my patterns. Now I'd like to share more of these design explorations with you here on my blog.

One other thing I need to do in 2014 is use my stash!  I probably have enough fabric to keep me sewing for years and yet much of it is not where my fabric tastes reside these days. What to do about that? Perhaps I'll open an Etsy shop just to destash. Perhaps I'll explore how this older fabric can be made into something more modern. Maybe it will even become part of a new blog series . . . traditional with a modern twist.

Here's a peak at some of the newer fabrics I plan to make good use of. I'm looking forward to stirring up some wonderful new things with some of these beauties.

Hope you'll join me and see where the new year takes SpringLeaf Studios.

What are your quilty goals for 2014?

I'll leave you with this quote seen recently on another blog. 

Apologies to which blog because I can't find the source.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Quilt Market: the Quilts

Today I'd like to share some of the quilts from Market that caught my eye for one reason or another. This show is so huge that it could literally take days to truly take in all the quilts, garments and other things being shown. I'm afraid I didn't do the show justice because there was just too much to see and not enough time. Enjoy.

First up is one of the quilts shown as part of the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase. My quilt "Rhythm & Blues" was also a part of this special exhibit. Go here to see all the modern quilts included in this special exhibit. They will also be shown at International Quilt Festival in Chicago June 19-24, 2014.

"Fireworks Quilt" by Tara Faughnan, Oakland, CA

I am always attracted to impressionist type quilts with floral and nature themes and have much admired Melinda Bula's work. Someday I'd love to make a floral quilt based on her style. In my dreams . . .

"Monet in Pasadena" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

detail of "Monet in Pasadena" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

detail of "Camellia" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

Another quilter whose worked I have long admired is Ruth Powers. Her work is similar to Ruth B. McDowell's in that they both often do fractured landscapes. Would like to try one of these some day too. In another dream . . .

"In the Bleak Midwinter" by Ruth Powers, Carbondale, KS
The lighting in this quilt is stunning.

For me, one of the show highlights was the 30 Quilts for 30 Years exhibit which featured 30 quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry.  2013 marks Caryl's 30th year of quilting so to celebrate she created 30 new quilts. Go here and scroll down to the show dates to learn where this special show will be appearing. If it's anywhere near you, I highly recommend going to see these fabulous quilts.

Seeing her work up close in person was stunning. I love the organic shapes she frequently uses in her designs and the texture created through her quilting is simply breathtaking.

"Bradford Fantasy"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Cosmic Feathers #1"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Feather Flower #3"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Feather Study #24"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

detail of "Feather Study #24"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

And here are a few of the other quilts that I found inspiring. I can't even imagine having the skill or patience to make most of these. They are so wonderfully executed.

"Extensions I" by Sylvia Weir, Beaumont, TX

detail of "Extensions I" by Sylvia Weir, Beaumont, TX
the ultimate pebble quilting!

detail of "Papa" by Jocelyne Leath, Australia
I was fascinated by the use of cheesecloth to create the face.

"Tuning Fork #11" by Heather Pregger, Fort Worth, TX
Love the color and improv look of this quilt.

"Cow Town" by Mary Lou Weidman
From a pattern in the book Out of the Box with Easy Blocks by Mary Lou.

"Teatime in My Yard" by Harumi Asada, Japan
An unbelievable applique based on a European dome roof design.

detail of "Teatime in My Yard" by Harumi Asada, Japan
Those brown lines were about 1/4" in width.

"Mediterranean Colors and Perfumes" by Sonia Bardella, Venice Italy

detail of "Mediterranean Colors and Perfumes" by Sonia Bardella, Venice Italy
Don't worry . . . I didn't touch it but I wanted to show the scale of those teeny tiny squares. Talk about patience.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of quilts in this show including many lovely traditional beauties. Gorgeous applique and stunning hand quilting was well represented. Even if traditional and art quilts are not your style, you can never go wrong attending a big quilt show. The caliber of work is beyond my imagination and very inspiring. It is so valuable to see the skill and creativity of a prize winning quilt up close and in person. As quilter's, I believe we should admire and appreciate ALL types of quilting and support one another in whatever style we aspire to.

Hope you've enjoyed the quilt show.