A Chat with Pat (the Where's Poppyprint? edition)

Earlier this week I had another opportunity to chat with the one and only Pat Sloan on her weekly podcast. This is the third time that I've been a guest on Pat's show. She is such a supportive force in the quilting industry, always interested in what everyone is doing and sharing, sharing, sharing. I love that!

 2018 is whizzing by and I've hardly been home to tell you about it. You've likely noticed that I've seriously lost my blogging rhythm. I'm not sure I'll get it back anytime soon as it really takes discipline and hours of time at the computer (which are rare for me these days). If you want to hear a bit about what I've been doing in the first 4 months of the year as well as some upcoming excitement, tune in and listen to the my interview with Pat here.

A quick calculation tells me that I've been out of town 50 days since the first of the year.  This actually suits me just fine because I love to travel, do fun stuff and meet nice people. There was a once in a lifetime back country ski trip in the deep, deep bottomless powder of western Japan followed by a day at the Tokyo International Quilt Festival:

That's me! You can't see it, but there's a massive grin on my face, like this one (below)

If you listen to the podcast, this is what I was talking about! Elbows out!

After Japan, I flew down to Pasadena for QuiltCon, which was busy, fun and exciting. I didn't take any workshops this time as I delayed registration for too long and missed out, but I caught some great lectures, thoroughly enjoyed the show, volunteered 1 day, visited the Getty, the Arboretum and caught up with an old high school friend and many quilting buddies.

Having fun with Lorena Uriarte (as usual)!

All in all, I've taught 14 workshops and delivered 5 trunk shows in various places including Vancouver Island, North Vancouver, Edmonton and 5 locations in Scotland and England.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have these experiences and I don't take any of these opportunities for granted, but I do kind of miss my sewing machine (and my own bed...ok, and my husband) at times.

Somewhere in all of that, I was able to actually TAKE a workshop! I love spending the day with my guild-mates and trying new things. I made this quilt that I call Sakura Towers with teacher Barb Mortell in her "Door Jam" workshop.

Next up, a break from teaching and focus on volunteer activities for my 3 guilds. First, the Canadian Quilters Association is holding the National Juried Show right here in Vancouver (my quilt Pop Stars, pictured above in Pat's advert, is a finalist in the Modern category) on May 31 - June 2 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The following weekend (June 8-9), my  Lions Gate Quilter's Guild will present our bi-annual show at Capilano University Sportsplex. I just love this show because the talent in my guild is off the charts (traditional, contemporary, art and modern quilting style will all be very well-represented!). Plus, I coordinate our member's boutique, which is always beautifully stocked with fabulous handmade quilts and sewn items for sale.  Then finally at the end of summer, I'm coordinating the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild's second Modern Quilt Showcase, again featuring modern quilts in an industrial setting of a restored shipbuilding warehouse on the harbour in North Vancouver. Phew!  I'm starting to think it's time to take a little step back from all of this volunteering, but I do really enjoy being involved, especially when it involves sharing quilts with the public.

Click on any of the links in the above paragraph for more show information! I hope to see you at one or all 3 of the shows.

Level Two Tote Promotion

Hi all - 2018 is full on. I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Japan. I skied. I visited the Tokyo International Quilt Festival. I took photos.  Unfortunately, there will be a delay before I can post about that awesome stuff because now I'm headed to Pasadena, CA for QuiltCon 2018.  I feel very lucky to have two quilts hanging in the show: Pop Stars and What Apple? but truly I'm most excited to see everyone else's work at the show and meeting up with all of my pals. I'm volunteering one day, have a lecture pass for another and plan to walk the show completely this time. In 2015 I overdid it with workshops and lectures and realized later that I didn't even see all of the quilts.

You likely know by now that before I travel I typically make myself a new bag. Well, I'm already so well set up that this time I'm making a new tunic instead. However, I thought I'd offer everyone a deal on my Level Two Tote pattern just in case YOU want to make a bag if:

• you're heading to QuiltCon, or 
• you've got another fun trip planned, or
• you are hanging out at home waiting for photos of QuiltCon, or 
• you just need a fun new spring tote, or 
• your friend needs a fun new spring tote and you're going to make her one, or
• just because!!

Until Monday, February 19th purchase the pattern as a .pdf download at my Craftsy shop right here for only $6 US, or $7.50 Cdn (that's 30% off). 

No code required.

SOLD!

Just wanted to share the happy news that I've sold my first ever quilt from a show (I've been paid for commissions before). It was a little moment of excitement when I received a notification on Instagram along with a photograph of the buyer sticking the "sold" sticker on my quilt description sheet at QuiltCon 2016!

"The Five"

You can read the full story of this tiny quilt (it's not much bigger than a piece of paper) and the inspiration behind it, here.

Even more exciting for me was the news that my quilt was purchased by an art collector. He was attending the show with his wife, who is a quilter.  I struggle with identifying myself as an artist and have always preferred Quilter as my descriptor. I believe this comes from my total lack of formal art training and not wanting to represent myself as something that I'm not.  I've never felt the need to refer to myself as an artist. I'm quite happy and proud to be a Quilter.  

A Quilter who made something that has artistic value to a stranger.

As always, there was some controversy surrounding quilts for sale, quilts that sold and the sale prices. Apparently, people were actually peeling the "sold" stickers off of the quilt labels to see what the prices were! Since I wasn't in attendance in Pasadena, I escaped any potential criticism over my $200 price tag. Frankly, I appreciate the opportunity to even try to sell a quilt that QuiltCon provides. I priced my little quilt at a comfortable place for me: enough that I'm satisfied my work has value, but not so little that I'd feel insulted by a stranger acquiring it for such a smokin' deal.  I feel great about selling this quilt and thrilled that someone appreciates it enough to hang it on their wall and enjoy.

The Light of May

Our bedroom window faces east.  In May, the sun rises early and a warm, pink light floods into our yellow bedroom. We've lived here for almost 15 years and yet there are no curtains covering our windows. Curtains that might allow us just a moment more to sleep. I love morning light and with the window right above our bed, I love that it feels like camping outdoors and waking to the warm sun.  Later in the evening, when the sun sets in the west and available light diminishes ever so slowly, the spring colours remain in the garden, but they gradually lose their clarity as the evening greys.  This quality of spring morning light/evening light is what I wanted to convey in my quilt

Light of May hanging at QuiltCon2015

The Modern Quilt Guild, with sponsors Michael Miller Fabrics, issued a quilting challenge for QuiltCon2015.   Interested MQG members received a F8 pack of Cotton Couture Spring pastel solids to work with. The rules stated you had to use ONLY Cotton Couture solids on the front of your quilt and the pastels had to be used in a recognizable amount. Any Michael Miller fabric could be used on the back of the quilt.

I rarely use pastel fabrics, let alone pastel solids! This was a real challenge.  I decided to play with my Improv Under the Influence piecing technique to create wonky border units similar to the ones I used here and here.  I also chose to limit myself to the fabrics in the F8 pack and only add grey.  After making some sketches in my notebook, I divided the pastels into warm and cool colours and set to work with the piecing.

It had been quite a while since I made mitred corners and this quilt has 16 of them (four in each corner). Getting a mitre just right is incredibly satisfying and I think the juxtaposition of the wonky strips with the very precise mitres adds interest to this design by creating sharp edges between the warm/cool borders.

The Cotton Couture solids have a very fine hand, the lightest colours are rather transparent and the fabric doesn't have a lot of body. For this reason I spray and pin-basted the quilt before I set to quilting the entire thing in a chevron pattern with straight lines 3/8" apart. I spent an entire guild sew day quilting for about 8 hours. I happily took the quilt off the machine and my heart sank. It was warped. It was SO warped. It was SO WARPED, I knew I wouldn't be able to block it flat no matter how much steam I applied.

In the middle of each side of the quilt, there was a 2 or 3" lump. Yikes.

I lay awake all night rather unhappy with myself. I felt compelled to enter this quilt in the show since I had accepted the fabric. I was proud of this very modern, original design that I felt expressed my interpretation of the light at the beginning and ending of a clear May day in Vancouver.   I knew I could not be proud of this quilt in it's current state.

So I ripped out all the quilting. It took an entire day. By 10:00 p.m., even B had a seam ripper in his hands and was helping me. Despite all of the blocking advice and encouragement I received on Instagram, I knew it could not be saved in it's current state. Doing things right is worth the effort sometimes.  Ultimately the quilt lost quite a bit of the outermost borders (thank goodness I'd attached a full 10" in the first place!) due to my first attempts at squaring up prior to ripping all the quilting out.

Here we go again: basting attempt #2

I peeled the quilt off the batting.  I steamed it, then fused a lightweight woven interfacing to the entire back of the quilt top to give it extra body and stability. I cut a fresh piece of batting, spray and pin-basted and stabilized all of the border seams with stitch in the ditch.  I repeated the same quilting pattern and sewed more slowly and with extra care not to stretch out the quilt.  It still warped, but only about a third as much as the first time. I was able to block it flat by pinning it to a carpeted floor, soaking it with water spray bottle and steaming flat. Phew.  You can still see where the quilting pulled the borders out in the middle of each side, giving them a curved appearance.

I like the binding.

Hanging at QuiltCon 2015 photo credit: Felicity Ronaghan

Actually, I love the quilt and I'm really happy I took the time to create a better finished piece.  I was thrilled when it was juried into QuiltCon2015. Once it was all over for the second time, I spent a lot of time putting a Juki straight stitch machine in and out of my Amazon.com cart.  I just don't think the skinny little built in IDT on my Pfaff QE 4.0 is big enough to match the power of the 5 feed dogs on that machine and create good results for straight line quilting on larger projects.  Le sigh.

Don't you just love how the learning never stops with quilting?

Read All About It!

Greetings from Austin!! I wish you were here (and if you are, come find me so that I can pin a Retreats Rule! button on you).

If you want to know all about QuiltCon 2015 but weren't able to join us in person, the good folks at Interweave have prepared a special edition of Modern Patchwork magazine devoted to all things QuiltCon! You might just find a photograph of my Chess On The Steps quilt in there...

On news stands March 3, but you can order your copy right now, direct from the publisher, by clicking on the link above.  

Lots of stories coming soon, but in the mean time, follow along on Instagram under the #quiltcon hashtag.

Book Signing!

It is official! My book Make It, Take It: 16 Cute and Clever Projects to Sew With Friends will officially launch at QuiltCon!! I'm so excited for many reasons, but mostly because I'll be able to share it with friends from all over the blogosphere that I'll be meeting for the first time in person at QuiltCon. Many of the contributors to my book will be there as well, including Felicity, Krista W., Krista F., Leanne and Cindy!

Stepping Stones Table Runner by Krista Withers and me.

Photo: with permission by Brent Kane, Martingale 

The book officially releases February 10th (only 16 more sleeps). You'll be able to purchase a hard copy starting that day here. Your purchase directly from Martingale automatically includes a FREE digital copy so that you can take it along on your device to your next retreat, or to shop for supplies!

If you're headed to Austin for QuiltCon, you'll be able to purchase a copy in person there before it is available in any store, or shipping from Amazon!  Come see me on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in the Island Quilter Booth #109 or at 1:00 p.m. at Modern Cottons/The Quilt Haus Booth #306 (both of which are adjacent to the demo area). I'll sign your book and give you one of my awesome "Retreats Rule!" buttons.  If you've already pre-ordered your book (THANK YOU!), please stop by and say hello, I'll have a button & book plate to sign for you as well.  If all else fails, flag me down in the show hall or at the Moda party!

All of the contributors will participate in a blog tour in early April where you'll learn more about the inspiration behind each of their projects and have lots of chances to win your own copy of the book. Stay tuned for more details and a schedule coming later in March.