I'm a big fan of Jittery Wings Quilt Co. I have been wanting to try a few of Mitzi's patterns and was delighted and inspired when she announced that she would be offering a quiltalong to make her awesome pattern called "Charade". I instantly bought the pattern, selected my fabrics and cut all my pieces beforehand for this one-block quilt and waited for the quiltalong to begin. Well, I couldn't wait and sped ahead and completed my quilt quickly so I could move on to the next one. 60" x 72 For the backing I used a print from Zen Chic Modern Background Color Box. I free motion quilted using Aurifil 40# colour 1148, light jade on the bottom and Aurifil 40# colour 2835 Med. Mint in the needle. I had recently purchased an Aurifil Colour Builder called Blue-Throated Macaw with these colours included which were a perfect match. Thanks to my thread dealer, SewKarenlyCreated for always having a great selection and just what I need in Aurifil thread, my fave! For the quilting, I wanted something that would give texture and not compete with the design and I didn't want straight or organic lines. I wanted something curvy, something different, so after a few days of thinking and trying out, I came up with using my Circle Cut curved ruler like a stencil and I pounced the design on with a chalk pouncer, like back in my handquilting days. It worked wonderfully. I love how it turned out. I pounced and quilted each curvy design over two blocks, one at a time, so not to smudge or erase the chalk as I worked. The chalk removes easily with brushing or ironing and also in the wash. Took me 6 hours over 2 days to finish. Another one off my list! I hope you had time to work on your project today. 😊

Quilts! Sewing! Books! Life!

Just had to show you the two amazing mini-quilts I received from my lovely little guild's swap with the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild in B.C. Click on the above link to see all the little lovlies. I made two to swap so I received two in return. The first one was made by Kate Davies. It is just so darn cute! Love the little umbrella girl with her fancy puddle boots. The free motion quilting is so creative, just perfect. Thanks so much to Kate. The second one was made by Phyllis Janzen. Such beautiful hand applique and hand stitched binding. My favourite text print for the background. Thanks, Phyllis, so glad I received your little creation. Here's the two minis that I made for the swap It's just about to start raining, so I am off to my sewing room to finish the last block in my "Paper Shredder Quilt" Hope to have it all sewn up into a top in the next few days. Hope you have a quilty day!

I queried "modern quilt guilds" in Pinterest this afternoon and discovered that 30 guilds have Pinterest sites. Each of those sites have various board and many pins. There are a few guilds who are just starting their sites and fewer than 15 pins, but some have as many several hundred to a thousand. If you are interested in modern quilts, fabrics and guilds, you might consider using Pinterest. One of the themes I noticed as I looked through several of the guild sites is the use of circles. If you want to easily go to the Pinterest site with all 30 modern guilds, click this link.

23"x24" BeeSewcial November 2017 When I read the description for November's #BeeSewcial block : Maximalism, fun, happy, all color, no rules, no rulers proposed by Leanne @shecanquilt let's just say I was thrilled. "Time to laugh and play" how cool is that for prompt?! building parts My scrap basket was a perfect place to pull shapes that were already partially cut into bits of inspiration as a starting point. I also dipped into my fat quarter stash to find the right color and larger pieces when needed. It was a weekend of scissors, freehand rotary and stitching with no pins. Definitely my kind of fun. composing with "chunks" I've worked this method enough to know not to get too attached to what I see mid-way on the design board. Things change and evolve as I sew parts together and I try to remind myself of that. Although it may look random, in the moment, when I'm in the zone, there are a ton of composition decisions being made. The photo above shows the the left and right quadrant on the design wall separated and the photo below showed them overlapped and pinned in place. With gentle curves I can get away with no pins which I prefer to help keep the momentum going but there are steps near the end where pinning in place to position the key visual "connections" is helpful. rare pinning in place before the glue Excess is left until after I've sewn the joint as seen below in this underside process shot. The split egg shape has become a favorite thing to include and something I'd like to explore in a series. underside before trimmed Here's a link to see the blocks Leanne has received from my other mates HERE. There is something so satisfying when they are all together and also a huge relief to see proof that it didn't get lost in the mail. Split Egg - a Future Series Maximalist Circles for Leanne November 2016 Waves Depth Flow block for Felicity March 2017 Block for Di 2015 One of my fist BeeSewcial blocks and a design that I'd love to super size into a quilt is this one for Di. I think that subconsciously it sparked the "Reflections" theme that I chose when it was my turn back in 2015.

I really like scarves. I especially like the light airy scarves of sheer fabrics. I have outside duty for about 45 minutes during our noon break and the wind can be brutal. So when our winter turns freezing cold, I'll take a nice heavy scarf with enough length and width to cover my head and my shoulders. While I have never found scarves for this price, I do have a nice collection. That doesn't mean that I've stopped looking, though. So with good humor, I thought I'd curate a pretty grouping of scarves to inspire a pretty grouping of quilts. Quilts Happy Quilting,

I really like scarves. I especially like the light airy scarves of sheer fabrics. I have outside duty for about 45 minutes during our noon break and the wind can be brutal. So when our winter turns freezing cold, I'll take a nice heavy scarf with enough length and width to cover my head and my shoulders. While I have never found scarves for this price, I do have a nice collection. That doesn't mean that I've stopped looking, though. So with good humor, I thought I'd curate a pretty grouping of scarves to inspire a pretty grouping of quilts. Quilts Happy Quilting,

Here is "Tokyo Subway Map Quilt", a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.. I sewed it up last August and just got around to quilting it this past week. Only took me two afternoons so I don't know why I procrastinated for nearly a year! It consists of 1,600 x 2 1/2" squares. so ends up approx. 80" x 80". A fun project. I loved picking out all the colours, a lot from the scrap basket.. The background is Kona White . I pieced the backing using my precious "Nummers" along with some "Simultaneous" by Katarina Roccella and a bit of Kona. I free motion quilted on my Pfaff Powerquilter 16.0 using Aurifil 40# in colour 2024 White. Hope all is well with you and that you are getting some things knocked off your list. 😊

II hope everyone is having a nice holiday break this week! One of the things I think we are losing is the ability to relax and take a few days off every now and then. I managed to squeeze in one more foreclosure quilt before taking this week off and wrapping up a phenomenal year. There has been a sudden jump in foreclosures in the Southwest so my next few pieces will be focused on this region. This piece is of a newer neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque Foreclosure Quilt, 2011. 35" x 47" This is one of my larger pieces at 35" x 47". I chose to zoom out of the neighborhood a bit so you could see the large scale of foreclosures. You can find neighborhoods that look like this in pretty much any town in the United States these days. Clearly something is wrong but not much is being done about it. Albuquerque Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2011. 35" x 47" Most of the newer developments of Alburquerque are comprised of large scale arterial roads set up in a grid with smaller neighborhood streets curving around within them. Not the most pedestrian friendly way to live with those busy roads everywhere. The blue areas are either civic (schools, libraries, etc.) or unbuilt right of way (culverts, creeks, etc). Albuquerque Foreclosure Quilt detail, 2011. 35" x 47" All of the materials I used on this piece were scraps I had lying around in the studio. My next piece, Phoenix, is well under way and should be finished early next month. You might have seen a sneak peek in a recent post. I feel a sudden burst to make more quilts after reading all the news lately around the mortgage crisis. Thank you Lari for pointing out this recent 60 Minutes segment on Cleveland, Ohio. One of my recent pieces was on Cleveland. Jim Rokakis has spearheaded so many projects there, he's an unsung hero in my book.

I hate to pick favs but this one is my Favorite of the Trio. Thread - Iris Mint Batting - Hobbs 80/20 Tools - A ton of templates w...

Fifty easy quilt patterns and simple tutorials are perfect for new quilters. Learn how to make a quilt. Free beginner quilt patterns.

23"x24" BeeSewcial November 2017 When I read the description for November's #BeeSewcial block : Maximalism, fun, happy, all color, no rules, no rulers proposed by Leanne @shecanquilt let's just say I was thrilled. "Time to laugh and play" how cool is that for prompt?! building parts My scrap basket was a perfect place to pull shapes that were already partially cut into bits of inspiration as a starting point. I also dipped into my fat quarter stash to find the right color and larger pieces when needed. It was a weekend of scissors, freehand rotary and stitching with no pins. Definitely my kind of fun. composing with "chunks" I've worked this method enough to know not to get too attached to what I see mid-way on the design board. Things change and evolve as I sew parts together and I try to remind myself of that. Although it may look random, in the moment, when I'm in the zone, there are a ton of composition decisions being made. The photo above shows the the left and right quadrant on the design wall separated and the photo below showed them overlapped and pinned in place. With gentle curves I can get away with no pins which I prefer to help keep the momentum going but there are steps near the end where pinning in place to position the key visual "connections" is helpful. rare pinning in place before the glue Excess is left until after I've sewn the joint as seen below in this underside process shot. The split egg shape has become a favorite thing to include and something I'd like to explore in a series. underside before trimmed Here's a link to see the blocks Leanne has received from my other mates HERE. There is something so satisfying when they are all together and also a huge relief to see proof that it didn't get lost in the mail. Split Egg - a Future Series Maximalist Circles for Leanne November 2016 Waves Depth Flow block for Felicity March 2017 Block for Di 2015 One of my fist BeeSewcial blocks and a design that I'd love to super size into a quilt is this one for Di. I think that subconsciously it sparked the "Reflections" theme that I chose when it was my turn back in 2015.

And now for something different....I made a quilt with colours I don't care for. I was attracted to the design mostly and decided to chal...

I’ve had these two stencils ready to go for a long time, and I was happy to finally be able to put them to use. I’ve done a wall hanging with Baby Yoda and with BB8, so it was time to t…

I've made 3 quilts in my life. One is kind of un-usable, I call it a crazy quilt, one was a gift to Andy: the grey scale quilt, and one was a small t-shirt quilt. Both the Andy quilt and the tiny t-shirt quilt, I paid someone else to quilt them for me. I want

Two of my foreclosure quilts will be included in an upcoming exhibition at SMINK Fine Art in Dallas, Texas entitled City Grid/Urban Patterns. The exhibition opens Saturday, May 17th with a reception from 5-8 pm. The exhibit will run through August 2nd. Although I won't be at the opening, if you're near, I do hope you can stop by. My Albuquerque and Riverside Foreclosure Quilts have been framed for the exhibition and from what I've seen of the photos, the shadowboxes look amazing. Curated by Jennifer Smink, it will be quite a beautiful show, with work by Dennis Ekstedt, Timothy Hearsum, Diane McGregor and Thel. For more information, visit SMINK here.

S e c r e t S a n t a S e w A l o n g S t e p O n e + + + + + Cutting from a variety of green prints, cut: 48 squares, 2" x 2" from a variety of brown prints, cut: 12 squares, 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" from a variety of light prints, cut: 48 strips, 1-1/4" x 2" Assembly Arrange one brown square, 4 green squares and 4 light strips as laid out above. Sew the units in each row together. Sew the rows together to make one block. The block should measure 4-1/4" square, including seam allowances. Repeat to make 12 blocks. + + + + + If you missed any details you can find them here.

And now for something different....I made a quilt with colours I don't care for. I was attracted to the design mostly and decided to challenge myself to work with the Kona colours suggested by the pattern Elements by Ariga Mahmoudlou, a free pattern by Robert Kaufman. I now kinda like it since adding the striped binding and so I will probably love it once it comes out of the dryer. I had a lot of tension issues while free motion quilting which resulted in some thread nests on the back (which I may or may not pick out) because my machine needs servicing, but I kept plugging on to get it finished even though my stitching is not the best in areas. My machine will be dropped off soon to get a check up. 56" x 69" I used fabrics from the front to make the improv backing Hope you had a great day and got some quilting done. On to the next project! 😊

Musings on the creative process of a modern fiber artist.

Improv Abstraction meets Log Cabin - Photo Credit Sue Quijano I am so thrilled to be a small part of the latest quarterly publication of Curated Quilts. It's real. Holding the beautifully weighted pages in my own two hands - oh, the feeling. The fact that I really love the mini, the creative journey involved in making it and that I have the honor of being included alongside so many makers that I admire is a bit overwhelming. Log Cabin Edition Eye Candy Table of Contents Definitely check it out if you haven't already on their website HERE. Copies are shipping now and digital subscriptions available as well. Signing up for the newsletter also makes it easy to find out about future themes. Next issue will be filled with Minimal quilts, a new found favorite style of mine. Fabric Auditioning Creating with a given palette in a specific theme is right in my wheelhouse. I missed finishing the linear mini for the first publication (shared HERE) and there wasn't any way that was going to happen again. Playing with Parts Working in a series and exploring the same shape seemed like a natural progression. I had just finished teaching a "Improv Abstraction" workshop for the Bay Area Modern guild in September and was excited for the opportunity to explore how to translate it into a Log Cabin. Improv Abstraction Workshop Because of the a size restraint, I decided to make the curve more gently sloped and extend the straight tail as needed. The contrast of pieced parts on one side and mostly single parts on the other was one way to distinguish them. More obvious, is the high and low contrast of colors. Rolling Seams open Retaining a traditional, recognizable Log Cabin design was my goal. Having a consistent width throughout and keeping the arch similar was key. Trying to find the balance within the design layout while giving it a personal touch was challenging but ultimately rewarding. Squaring Up as I go Those who know me have heard me describe my style as "perfectly imperfect' . Sewing specifally for an entry that I hoped would be chosen brought with it a little more precision and yet I made sure to stay true to my aesthetics. Auditioning Thread Quilting on my domestic was kind of nice to tell the truth. I've gotten so spoiled using my friends longarm I was nervous and a bit insecure when I began but quickly warmed up and enjoyed myself. Opting for Texture In the end, I opted for texture rather than too many different thread colors to minimize the destruction from the design itself. On the first side I went with somewhat random improv echo and the second side I kept intentionally minimal and controlled, stitching to outline the dark. Thank you Amy and Christine for the opportunity to show my work and to discover other makers in the process.

Musings on the creative process of a modern fiber artist.

これがあたしのおきにいり。 あったかい！ポンポコ　リーン！！(お正月。たべすぎないでね。) *****************************...

This listing is for a 1/2 Yard cut. Multiple quantities will be cut in one long continuous piece. SHIPS SAME DAY or NEXT BUSINESS DAY. Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cottons solid fabric is a premium quilting cotton that has a soft hand. Use it in your traditional or modern quilts, or on their own for a contemporary quilt style. Item Number: C120-PUTTY Fiber Content: 100% Cotton Width: 43"/44" Designer: The RBD Designers Collection: Confetti Cottons Washing Instructions: Machine Wash Cold/Tumble Dry Low Check out some other great solids, blenders and background fabrics here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/magnoliaquilting?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=29330973 Fabric is cut straight from the bolt in my clean, smoke-free, longarm studio. I am happy to cut fat quarters and I can put together a custom, personalized bundle just for you! Please message me for details.

Just had to show you the two amazing mini-quilts I received from my lovely little guild's swap with the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild in B.C. Click on the above link to see all the little lovlies. I made two to swap so I received two in return. The first one was made by Kate Davies. It is just so darn cute! Love the little umbrella girl with her fancy puddle boots. The free motion quilting is so creative, just perfect. Thanks so much to Kate. The second one was made by Phyllis Janzen. Such beautiful hand applique and hand stitched binding. My favourite text print for the background. Thanks, Phyllis, so glad I received your little creation. Here's the two minis that I made for the swap It's just about to start raining, so I am off to my sewing room to finish the last block in my "Paper Shredder Quilt" Hope to have it all sewn up into a top in the next few days. Hope you have a quilty day!

Here is "Tokyo Subway Map Quilt", a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.. I sewed it up last August and just got around to quilting it this past week. Only took me two afternoons so I don't know why I procrastinated for nearly a year! It consists of 1,600 x 2 1/2" squares. so ends up approx. 80" x 80". A fun project. I loved picking out all the colours, a lot from the scrap basket.. The background is Kona White . I pieced the backing using my precious "Nummers" along with some "Simultaneous" by Katarina Roccella and a bit of Kona. I free motion quilted on my Pfaff Powerquilter 16.0 using Aurifil 40# in colour 2024 White. Hope all is well with you and that you are getting some things knocked off your list. 😊

Celebrate your favorite shutter bug with this camera quilt block!

If you love Star Wars or are making a Star Wars themed quilt, home decor, or other sewing or craft project - you'll love this Star Wars Astro Pew Pew design with Star Wars Characters scattered on a white quilt cotton. 100% cotton fabric, sold by the yard.

Recently, I received a lovely email from artist Tracy Potts. I immediately recognized her name from following her on Flikr over the years, and always loving her art. It had been awhile since I had been on Flikr so I was blown away by the images of her new work that I'd somehow missed. Something Told Me It Was Over, 2012. Mixed media on canvas, 94 cm x 64 cm. Tracy was so kind to tell me my work and the blog had inspired her. By seeing other people use craft in their work, she gained the confidence to jump in and explore the medium. She clearly nails it, don't you think? Yes ... I Want to Be Your Everything, 2012. Mixed media on canvas, 94 cm x 64 cm. Her work is intensely personal and highly charged. I think it's that rare ability to incorporate craft with painting that works so well here. 74 Brilliant Suggestions, 2012. Mixed media on canvas, 94 cm x 64 cm. And also that subtle hint, just a hint, of representational that grounds the highly charged crochet, knitting and sewing that she overlays onto canvas. The Soft Wall, 2012. Mixed media on canvas, 94 cm x 64 cm. Her email couldn't have come at a better time. You know how all of us artists go through those highs and lows in our work. I was at a dull thud that week, feeling a little helpless and wishing I could do more for artists to share their work. Thinking about reaching out more: curating, writing more articles, pushing craft further into the mainstream art world. I Am Your Exotic Bird, 2012. Mixed media on canvas, 147 cm x 128 cm. Well, this work truly would fit into the gallery scene and it does. She is represented by a wonderful gallery in Australia, Anita Traverso Gallery, in Melbourne. Her work inspires me and I hope it does you too.

Wrapping Traditions : Korean Textiles Now opens tomorrow at MOCFA in my very own city! I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to attend the opening of this show. As you know, I have fallen head over heels with Korean Bojagi in the past year. Bojagi is a traditional Korean handmade cloth used in formal ceremonies and for daily activities as seen here by local San Francisco fiber artist Barbara Shapiro's beautiful handmade baskets and wrappings. I've shared a few emails with Barbara over the past few weeks and am excited to finally see her work in person. Wrapping Memory Installation, 2010 by Barbara Shapiro. Plaited indigo dyed cane baskets, indigo dyed gauze. 5 to 7 forms, wrapped and unwrapped. This show, curated by none other than the bojagi master, Chunghie Lee, features some traditional versions of the cloth as well as contemporary takes on the subject. Harmony by Eun-Ji Lee. Silk, natural dyeing, 25.6in x 21.7in There are many contemporary Korean artists as well as artists from ten other countries that are inspired by this traditional folk art. It looks as if these pieces have taken this medium in a wonderful new direction. I can't wait to see Sung Soon Lee's piece below in person. It will remind me to have a little bit more patience in my sewing practice! Seon, 2010-11 by Sung Soon Lee. Printing and drawing on Ramie, patchwork, 216.5in x 22in I can't wait to see how this piece was assembled, simply stunning. Matrix 0909 by Yeon-Soon Chang. Abaca fiber, indigo dye, machine sewn, 13.4in x 13.2in x 5.3in The opening is Thursday, June 16th from 6-8 pm at The Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. The show runs from June 17th through October 23rd. If you're in town, perhaps I'll see you there.

S e c r e t S a n t a S e w A l o n g S t e p O n e + + + + + Cutting from a variety of green prints, cut: 48 squares, 2" x 2" from a variety of brown prints, cut: 12 squares, 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" from a variety of light prints, cut: 48 strips, 1-1/4" x 2" Assembly Arrange one brown square, 4 green squares and 4 light strips as laid out above. Sew the units in each row together. Sew the rows together to make one block. The block should measure 4-1/4" square, including seam allowances. Repeat to make 12 blocks. + + + + + If you missed any details you can find them here.

m o d e l DHI women's quilted patchwork vest in upcycled fine organic cotton handloom fabrics in natural dyes coconut shell buttoning side slits a garment with high finishing; each patch with top stitch and all seams hidden on the inside c o l o u r w a y s - indigo blues - multicolour s i z e s S chest 38'' I 96 cm length 30'' I M chest 40'' I 101 cm length '' I cm L chest 42'' I 106 cm length '' I cm XL chest 44'' I 112 cm length '' I cm*please note the measurements are of the garment w a s h c a r e gentle handwash or machinewash line dry in shade do NOT dryclean