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Rhythm & Blues was originally made as an entry for the first QuiltCon Quilt Show in 2013 where I was honored to win third place in the Use of Negative Space category.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 Since it wasn't originally made to be a pattern, I hadn't written any sewing instructions, but thankfully I did have good notes.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.   : )

Modern Patchwork Summer 2014

Have you seen the summer issue of Modern Patchwork?  I think it's the best one so far!

One of the things that makes it extra special for me is that my pillows made the front cover. WaHoo!!!
It's so exciting to see things I design get published and making the cover is like a cherry on top!

These two pillows were fun to make and really quite easy. Rather than my usual envelope enclosure, I opted for zippers that became a part of the finished design on the back. In the magazine you can't really see the back well enough to appreciate how it looks but in the photo below you can see how the zipper tape is aligned with the design on the pillow front and the color matches the lattice of the front patchwork. I love how they turned out and the zippers really were easy so don't let the idea of a sewing a zipper scare you off. Give it a try and find out for yourself. They aren't hard. Promise.

My issue just arrived today so the first order of business after my morning walk was settling in with a cup of tea and browsing through the magazine. There are several projects that I really like including one by my friend and bee mate Cindy Wiens of Live a Colorful Life. Her design is a modern take on the traditional churn dash block shown below. Way to go Cindy.  : )

The issue is full of projects for the home, the table, your bed . . .  even a few accessory items. There are several great quilts from full sized ones for the bed to smaller ones for your wall or snuggling on the couch. There are also some good articles including ones by Jacquie Gering and Cheryl Arkison so I've got more reading in store for this evening.  : )

Look for Modern Patchwork Summer 2014 at your local shop or go here to buy direct.

What's your favorite quilting magazine(s)? Are you a subscriber or do you prefer to pick them up at the newsstand when they catch your eye or feature a project you want to make? Do tell . . . I'd love to know.

Stitch 'n Swap Blog Party and Giveaway

Welcome to the Stitch 'N Swap Blog Party. My friends at Generation Q Magazine have a wonderful new book coming out next month that's all about sharing. The GenQ folks are all about community. That's how they got started and that's what they believe in . . . community helping build community. And what better way to encourage community than through a swap. Bringing people together to share their talents and skills by making and then giving. It's a win win scenario and wonderful experience.

Stitch 'N Swap is loaded with 25 fun projects that include a variety of themes. All are meant to be doable in a day. Some are small . . . some are more involved. There's something for everyone including kids. One of my favorites is the Interchangeable Monster by Linda Hansen. Linda made these really fun little monsters with arms and legs that can be swapped out for different ones. Very clever and creative. Another favorite, and one I just might need to make for myself, is the Tea Cozy by Karen Cunagin. I'm a big tea drinker and my tea is always cold.

In addition to all the projects, lots of tips and advice are included on how to organize a successful swap. How do you get started? Who do ask to play along? What projects do you use? Everything you might encounter if you're running a swap so you'll have a smooth and fun filled event. This would be a great book for guilds to add to their library too.

I was really honored and super excited when Jake asked me to contribute a project. This is the first book I've had the pleasure of being published in and I couldn't be in better company. WaHoo!!! My project is in the Home Swap chapter and called Heartbeat Couch Scarf. It's a small quilt meant to be a decorative runner to dress up your couch. It easily can be used as a table runner or wall hanging too. Super simple to make, it uses a quilt-as-you-go method so it really comes together quickly.

Of course every good party includes a giveaway. Generation Q Magazine will be giving away 3 copies of Stitch 'N Swap on their blog. US winners will get a paper copy and international winners will receive a digital copy.

So how does the giveaway work? I'm glad you asked. All you need to do is comment on the original Generation Q Stitch 'N Swap blog post here. Let them know if you've ever participated in a swap and the coolest thing you've gotten in a swap. That's it! All winners will be chosen from the GenQ post Wednesday May 7th and posted on their blog May 8th.

You can also get your very own copy directly from Generation Q beginning May 1st or pre-order now through C&T Publishing.

Hop over to today's other blog party participants and see what they have to say.

• Melissa Maher at Generation Q Magazine
• Jeni Baker of In Color Order
• Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies
• Sam Hunter of Hunter's Design Studio
• Lynn Kraus of Fiber Flies

On a side note, if you saw this post yesterday, it was accidentally published after being accidentally deleted. Needless to say, Blogger and I were definitely not on speaking terms . . . at least not with any words I'd care to share here . . . but alas all is good in the Quilting Universe now . . .   : )

Springtime Circle Trivet

It's snowing. Again.

I really shouldn't complain because we haven't had that much snow here compared to other parts of the country. Although they say March is our snowiest month so I guess there's still plenty of time to catch up. On the other hand, temps are supposed to be close to 70 on Sunday. Colorado weather . . . what can I say. Wait a minute and it might change.

So here's to wishing and waiting for spring. I have another spring project to share with you today. A small tabletop trivet made for Stitch Magazine's Spring 2014 issue on newsstands now.

The design was based on what is sometimes referred to as a mock orange peel or cathedral window technique. Two circles of fabric plus the batting are sewn together and then turned right side out through a slit cut into the top fabric. Once the circles are sewn together and the edges folded back, the slit is enclosed. Fun and easy!

The issue is packed with lots of fun, colorful projects. Some of the categories include Shapes, Mixing Prints and Chevrons, Dots and Stripes. These cute little Monster Lunch Bags in the Playful Patterns category are one of my personal favorites. Aren't they adorable? If only I still had little kids.

My project was part of the Electric Pastel category. I used Michael Miller Flight Patterns Glee fabric by Tamara Kate as the feature print along with Kona solids in really bright pastel colors. Papaya, Candy Pink, Candy Green and Chartreuse. 

I happen to like the idea of using my trivet as a special placemat for a vase of spring flowers.
Now if only someone would go buy me some real flowers. hint hint . . .  : )

Kite Tails

How many of you are TIRED of winter and ready for spring? Me too!!!

The warmer, brighter days are definitely stirring feelings of spring and summer so I thought it was about time I shared a summery fresh project with you. This quilt was part of the January/February issue of Generation Q magazine. Since it's now March and their new issue is coming out it's about time I catch up and share.

This kid's quilt came about when I sent some designs to Generation Q for their block builder series way last spring. For this challenge they provide a square with a few lines . . . you design a quilt block based on the starter. If you haven't tried this, I definitely urge you to give it a go. They'd love it if you did. Plus it's a great prompt to get the creative juices flowing. Learn more about it here.

Below you can see the starter block they provided on the top left and the block I designed next to it on the right. When I send in my block builder ideas I always include a layout of how it would look in a quilt. The folks at GenQ liked it so much they asked me to make it into a quilt for the magazine!

We went with a different color scheme of scrappy black and white prints with bright color accents in shades of orange, pink, blue and green. I think it would look great in lots of different color schemes. Some of my early sketches included the all blue one above and also a scrappy one with loads of color. You could use just about anything. It's a basic string quilt with a twist. A perfect place for all those leftover strips.

Kite Tails was made way last summer when the grass was green and there were leaves on the trees. It was a breezy day when we took the picutres so we tried hard to get her to fly but no such luck. Perhaps if my hubbie had gotten on the roof?

Karen Dovala of The Quilted Moose did the quilting using a swirly cloud design that was just perfect. It added wonderful texture and movement plus a hint of color as the thread was a very light blue.

As a bonus, I made a little kite complete with a tail from a leftover block. I think this would be so cute hanging on the wall in a nursery or kid's room. Alas, my kids are way way too big for this but someday I'll find just the right reason to make another one for someone special.

I used a cloud print and solid scraps for the back.

When I went to Quilt Market last fall, GenQ had my quilt hanging in their booth. A wonderful unexpected surprise! It added to the pleasure of getting to meet them in person. Thanks guys.

For anyone who hasn't seen Generation Q magazine, please take a look. They are so nice to work with. I seriously suggest you give their Block Builder a try. It's fun and you never know what might come of your ideas. It could lead to being published.    : )

Shortly after GenQ came out, so did the spring issue of Stitch which I also have a small project in. I'll share that little project later this week.

These things happen so far in advance that they always seems so out of season at the time you're making them. Now they seem just right. Spring is on the way . . .  wahoo !!!

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.

Generation Q Magazine, Me, a Giveaway

I'm excited to share my first ever published quilt with you. It's called Flash Card and it's in the June/July issue of Generation Q Magazine.

Flash Card came about when I designed a block as part of Generation Q's Block Builder series. Each issue features a block starter which consists of a few lines. The idea is to take it from there and design a quilt block. The designer in me just can't resist playing along with these challenges. Below left is the starter block that gave birth to the Flash Card block and quilt.

The Block Builder challenge usually gets me thinking outside the normal quilt block approach and as a result, I end up with some pretty interesting ideas. Through the process,  I've also discovered that it's often the simple looking blocks that have the potential to turn into very dynamic quilts. I've had 3 of my blocks make the cut in previous issues so you can see I love to play along. When submitting for this round of Block Builder, the folks at GenQ asked me to make up my block into a quilt for their Spring Market issue. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I highly recommend giving the Block Builder challenge a try. Maybe your block will become a quilt in one of their upcoming issues too.

Flash Card is an easy quilt to sew and great for using scraps. I used Kaffe Fassett scraps for the block centers. Karen Dovala of the Quilted Moose did the quilting and I just love how the overall floral pattern turned out echoing the floral prints. A light gray thread was just right to show up equally well on both the black and white solids and yet not distract from all the color centers.

As I worked on the quilt, I pondered what to do with the little left over HST. Couldn't let cute little scraps go to waste so I turned them into bean bags and sewed up a pouch to hold them all. Now you can use the quilt as a throw and a game too! The bean bags and pouch became a bonus project that was featured on Generation Q's blog. You can see that project here. My new kittens seemed to love the bag the most. I think it was the drawstrings.

Don't you think those scrap HST made cute little bean bags? I backed them up with 4 different fabrics from the quilt so 4 people could play at a time. 

There are so many different ways this quilt could be made and used. Here's just a few other ideas.

• Use novelty prints in pairs and turn the quilt into a matching/tossing game.
• Use different solid colors in place of the prints and have each player try to land their bean bags on a given color.
• Make the matching even more challenging by changing up both the block center colors and the triangle colors for multiple color combinations.
• Come up with your very own game plan.

If you don't know about GenQ or haven't seen an issue yet you don't know what you're missing. It's a great small format magazine loaded with quilty information. Here's a sample of what you'll find in this issue:

• Victoria Findlay Wolfe talks vintage poly quilts.
• At home profile with Melody Miller, designer of Ruby Star.
• Test drive basting sprays.
• Paper piecing basics.
• The next Block Builder . . . why not give it a try.
• Plus lots more including Flash Card by yours truly.

Starting with the June/July issue they are now publishing bi-monthly. Head over to their website to find out more and order your own copy. I think you'll like what you see. They are just the nicest people and have been most encouraging to me.

To celebrate my first ever quilt being published I'm giving away a copy. All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me what quilting magazine is your favorite and why. Become a blog follower for a second chance.

Comments are closed. The winner is Rachel at The Life of Riley. Congrats Rachel.

Modern Patchwork

I'm quite excited to share the Spring 2013 edition of Modern Patchwork with you. This issue is full of all kinds of modern quilty goodness. If you haven't seen this specialty magazine yet, you really need to check it out. It's published by the great folks at Interweave Press who also publish Quilting Arts.

Here's what they have to say about this issue:
"Featuring contemporary projects of every type, Modern Patchwork is chock-full of fabulous gift ideas, a variety of quilt designs, exciting home-décor projects, items to enhance your cooking and dining experiences, plus totes and bags of all sorts! The quilts range from beginner to intermediate level, and include all types of piecing and patchwork. Clear step-by step instructions are provided for each project, with clear illustrations and step-by-step photography."

For me, the really exciting part was to see the cover today and find out that my project made the cover! See those circles in the background? That's my quilted room divider made from Kona solids with a touch of Amy Butler. I love the color scheme they went with for the cover. It seems very fresh and clean.

This project is a fabric version of a room divider I first made for my daughter's room a few years ago. At that time, the first thing you saw at the top of our stairs was the side of her desk. No privacy for one thing, but also a messy desktop. Don't we all have messy desks?

The solution then was a circle divider that matched the circles of her comforter. It was made from plastic plates in bright colors that matched her room. Quick and easy to do and a fun splash of color for her room. This is the only picture I could find.

Fast forward a few years, and I made one from fabric to match her DIY fantastic black and white chair. The pic on the left shows one side. Don't think I'd use such busy fabric again. The pic on the right shows the reverse side. Solid black and a black/white stripe. Much better.

I proposed the idea to Modern Patchwork in a different set of colors that match my daughter's newest color scheme of aquas and greens.

This is the type of project that has a variety of uses. While the original was made to screen a messy desk, it can also be used next to your favorite comfy chair to create a reading nook or in the bathroom as a privacy screen next to your tub. You could even change the dimensions, pair it with a shower curtain and dress up your bathroom. I took this shot just to see how it would look.

I can't wait to see the issue in person. Getting a project published will always be a thrill for me. If you've never submitted anything, I really urge you to give it a try. Lots of publications seek submissions from ordinary folks like me.  : )

Look for Modern Patchwork Spring 2013 on newsstands in late April. Better yet, go here to learn more about Modern Patchwork and pre-order your own copy.