ZOOM Workshops

  

Moving forward from Fall 2023, my preference will be to book in-person workshops only.  Please do get in touch if Zoom is the only option and we can certainly discuss! I do offer a wider selection of workshops in person. The list below only includes my Zoom-adapted sessions.

For rates, availability and to book a workshop, please contact me directly via email (address in top left sidebar).

THREADPLAY POUCH

The Threadplay Pouch workshop is offered as a follow up addition to the Aurifilosophy Lecture described on the Zoom Lectures post, however I'm happy to teach this as a stand-alone workshop.

This half-day (3 .5 hour) workshop typically follows on the Aurifilosophy presentation so students may put into practice the technical information shared in the lecture. Students will make a Quilt-as-you-go zipper pouch along with Krista as they learn about managing machine tension, proper needle selection, stitch length, free motion or walking foot stitching strategies, hand appliqué, appropriate thread for decorative stitches and a lot more! The pouch is designed to show off stitch patterns in multiple weights of Aurifil thread. Participants may purchase custom Poppyprint Aurifil sample thread packs in advance that include 5 small spools of thread in weights 12, 28, 40, 50,  & 80 wt. A minimum of one month lead time is required to order and ship sample packs to the guild representative for local distribution to participants.

Pouch size: approximately 6˝ x 9˝

Class Time: 3.5 hours

Class Size: 20 students

SPEED DATE WITH IMPROV

#speeddatewithimprov

Think of this class as speed dating with improvisational piecing techniques that include curves and free-cutting.  It will be fast-paced and a lot of fun:  several techniques are introduced and demonstrated one after the other with very little time to second guess, stress or obsess over perfection. Every student will end up with a unique, original improv sampler quilt!  The focus here is to explore line, shape and happenstance in abstract design, so keep things simply graphic by using solid-coloured fabrics in black, white and one pop of colour.  In the afternoon, Krista will share design wall tips to jigsaw the improv elements together, seeking balance and creative design opportunities.  Some pre-cutting is required.

This Zoom class combines pre-recorded technique videos with live instruction/support from Krista throughout the class.

Quilt Size: without borders, approximately 20" x 20". Fabric required: 1/2 yard black, 1/2 yard white, FQ colour (all solids or reads-as-solids).

Class time: 6.5 hours with 30 minute offline break. 

2-day option: 6.5 hours on day one with 30 minute offline break, 3-hour day two for more support on puzzling together the improv elements into the sampler collage.

Class size: 20 students

COURTHOUSE COLOURPLAY

#courthousecolourplay

Explore the possibilities of colour expression and free-cutting while you create this wonky, nested Courthouse Step quilt (reminiscent of paper lanterns) in your own personal colour story. We’ll work intuitively from the centre out, creating a dynamic quilt with loads of personality. There will be no squaring up with this one -- instead Krista will show you how to “build out”, finding the fit between adjacent blocks and using up all of our scraps in the process. As in all of her workshops, Krista will share loads of tips while encouraging all students to find confidence in new techniques that will inform their pursuit of designing original quilts. Put your traditional quilting skills to work and explore improvisational design and piecing in a fun, supportive environment.

Quilt size: wall hanging to lap size depending on the amount of fabric you start with. A collection of 18-25 F8's for wall hanging or 18-25 FQ's for large lap to single size (solids or reads-as-solids) plus 1 FQ contrast colour for block centres is recommended.

Class time: 4 hours 

Class size: 20 students

What students are saying about these classes:

"For those of you who know me well, improv has not been one of my go to techniques. The fabric consumption was way too much for me. But Speed Date with Improv eliminates that concern with fabric waste" 

-Susan, @modernblendedquilts

"Speed Date is my number one technique class"

-Gillian, @sewgolly

"Thank you so much Krista for taking the fear out of improv cutting and piecing!"

-Linda, @myquilts

"hands down the best patchwork course I've ever been on. Krista is so organized and patient. I can't believe how much I learned in one day"

-Rachel, LondonMQG (UK)

"..this class was SO good!! it was awesome to learn these techniques and add some new things to my arsenal, such as the grading technique. I think the combination of videos and live feed is excellent. Krista is a gifted teacher.

-Cindy, @liveacolorfullife 

Local Courthouse Colourplay Workshop

The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild invites non-members to join us for my Courthouse Colourplay class on Sunday, April 28th at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver from 10 am to 5 pm. All of the info is here. The price for non-members is $80.

Explore the possibilities of colour expression and free-cutting without rulers while you create this wonky, nested Courthouse Step quilt (reminiscent of paper lanterns) in your own personal colour story.

I made this wallhanging for the MQG miniquilt swap at QuiltCon2018

We’ll work intuitively from the center out, creating a dynamic quilt with loads of personality. There will be no squaring up with this one — instead I'll show you how to “build out”, finding the fit between adjacent blocks and using up all of your scraps in the process.

This one is a baby or small lap quilt with 25 blocks.

As in all of my workshops, I'll share loads of tips while encouraging all students to find confidence in new techniques.  Put your patchwork and rotary cutting skills to work and explore improvisational design and piecing in a fun, supportive environment!  The supply list includes ideas, resources and tips for selecting your colours. Make a wall-hanging with F8's or a lap quilt with FQ's or 12" WOF cuts.  A layer cake of solids or tone on tones like grunge could even work with some prudent cutting ; ) 

This one, Emerald Court, has 16 blocks with slightly wider strips. It's about 40" square. It's made entirely of Northcott solids that I loved working with! No fraying and a lovely hand.  I'm currently hand-quilting it with Aurifil 12 wt and Aurifloss. 

To register, please email workshops@vancouvermodernquiltguild.ca 

Quarter Turn - Pattern Launch!

Hi Friends!! I'm excited to share my new pattern with you. It's called Quarter Turn. Can you guess why? No matter how many times you turn this quilt, it always looks the same. Handy! Also the vertical and horizontal bars in adjacent blocks are a quarter turned from each other. The quilt finishes up at 54" square, but if you prefer a rectangular quilt it would be super easy to simply add more rows to two opposite sides, just extending the gear-like arm thingy by one or two blocks in each direction. How's that for techy?

The cover version made with 4 colours, all luscious Oakshott shott cottons.

The idea for this quilt came to me immediately after I designed the Milltown block for the Sew Sisters Canadian Sampler, which you can read about here and here. I resized the block and it became the center of this quilt design. I wanted to have some fun negative space and get a sense of rotation in this design. I also like the bubble/curvy pattern that emerges in the semi-snowball blocks.

This 2-colour version is made with Moda solids.

Something I really like about it is that the design looks great made with just two colours, or with three colours or four colours like the cover version. I give fabric requirements and cutting instructions for all options in the pattern. This soft 2-colour version makes a great baby or toddler quilt, but different colour choices make it perfect for dudes, gearheads or geeks, too!

There's another thing about this layout if you want to quilt it yourself: the diagonal edges of the diamond shapes all line up (isn't geometry great?). This means that you can easily mark a diagonal grid by lining up your long ruler with the outside seams of all the little diamonds and marking with a fabric safe pencil, chalk or wax pen. I  quilted both of these quilts using my Juki walking foot and 40 wt. Aurifil thread. 

The pattern is available for instant .pdf download in my Craftsy shop right now. Print copies will be available to your LQS hopefully by April...and as always I'll have copies with me when I visit your guild to lecture or teach!

Courthouse Colourplay - LOCAL WORKSHOP

Hi all!

I'm back to tell you about an upcoming local workshop here in North Vancouver that has a few spaces open. Hot on the heels of a super fun debut class last weekend at the Dinkydoo warehouse, the Seymour Quilter's Guild is offering up some space in their class to non-members.

The workshop will take place in North Vancouver on Wednesday May 8, 2019 from 9:30 - 3:30 at a cost of only $55! Please email me directly for the guild contact information (my email address is just up there on the left side under my photo, use actual dots and the @ symbol when writing out the email address. I have it written funny that way on this page to automated avoid spam).

Although it is a bit of a mash up, I wanted to show you some of the student work from last weekend's class. There were several very experienced quilters who had never tried free-cutting without rulers or done any improv piecing before and they had such fun creating their quilt tops and playing with solid coloured fabrics. Two people attending were brand new quilters and this was only their second or third quilt project!

You'll learn how to freely cut your fabric with confidence, how to manage wonky strips and blocks in construction, how to puzzle a collection of oddly shaped blocks together using my building-out technique (instead of 'squaring up'), the secret of hiding the block boundaries in your final layout and how to let go and allow your fabrics to guide your progress throughout block construction.

I hope that you'll join us!  If North Vancouver is too far away for you, I'll also be teaching this class (along with 3 others) at QuiltCanada in Ottawa this June. Registration for members and non-members is currently open HERE.

Looking for a Hot Date in 2019?

Hey Locals (and anyone looking for a great reason to visit the Lower Mainland):

On Tuesday, February 19th, I'll be teaching my popular Speed Date with Improv class for the Abbotsford Quilter's Guild. This guild is full of lovely people, many of whom are what I like to refer to as "modern curious" quilters.  I love teaching this class to groups like this because I feel it really is a non-intimidating way for traditional quilters to experience the fun of improvisational quilting, working with solids and making a small, original quilt with about $20 worth of supplies.  I take away many of the stresses commonly felt  by improv newbies: you only have to choose one colour, you'll hardly waste any fabric and you won't have enough time to obsess about perfection!

Just look at these two happy Speed Daters with their classwork in Charlottetown, PEI!

The quilters who have signed up are super keen and they really want this class to run, but we need a few more people to join in to make it viable. It has been offered many times in the area already, so I thought I'd post on the blog to see if there are any folks interested who may not see my Instagram or FB posts. FYI, there are several adorable B&B's as well as reasonable hotels in and around Abbotsford.

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This one is my "Improv Untitled" that hung at QuiltCanada in 2017.

The cost is only $55 for non-members, which quite frankly is a smokin' deal! I promise a super fun day. This democratic class sees students move forward together as everyone learns the piecing techniques at the same time.  I give lots of 1 to 1 support during the day and am confident that you'll leave the class feeling fired up about designing your own original quilts with the skills you've learned.

"What Apple?" This appeared at QuiltCon 2018 in the small quilts category.

If you're interested in joining us, please email me directly at poppyprintcreates@gmail.com. I don't receive comment alerts from the blog anymore, so please email!

If you can't make it this time, don't worry, there will be more chances.....like at a big quilting event happening in Ottawa in June, for instance ; )

Courthouse Colourplay - a new workshop

I'm so pleased to introduce my latest workshop sample, Courthouse Colourplay. Creating this quilt in a completely (somewhat planned) improvisational style was so much fun for me and I hope that my future workshops will have the same effect for students. I love log cabin variations and it is no secret that the Courthouse Step block is one of my favourites.

This quilt is actually deceptively small at just over 40" square. When I showed it at the last Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting, that was the first thing most people said, "It's way smaller than I expected!". Ah, the beauty of social media photography. Wouldn't it be a fun playmat for a baby/toddler? Or a cheerful wallhanging outside your bedroom door to wake you up in the morning? It is made almost entirely of Free Spirit solids, giving the quilt a fun paper lantern look.

This is my first attempt at free-motion ruler work. I still need lots of practice, but I enjoyed it! Lots of colour changes, making my way through my Aurifil 40 wt collection.

I decided to make this second version after creating a mini for my MQG swap partner at QuiltCon last February. I pieced the blocks at a retreat last spring in the company of mostly traditional quilters. They watched with wide eyes as I free cut (rotary cutter, no ruler) all of the strips from fat quarters and started piecing blocks from the middle of the quilt out. Nothing is squared up....rather the blocks are "built out" with filler strips (pictured below) made from trimmings. This is the fun part for me! Bonus: there is very little waste in creating this design.

A little bit of handquilting using Aurifil 12 wt thread in the softest pink.

Based on the comments of my fellow retreaters (how are you going to put this together?? You haven't drawn it out first?? How do you know what colour to use next?? Will it end up square??) I realized that this could be a wonderful addition to my workshop roster. Yet another class for the Improv Curious quilter.  This is rapidly becoming my specialty and I LOVE THAT. Sharing the freedom of improv quilting with folks ready to move on from the constraints of making other people's patterns is incredibly exciting for me.  

The workshop debut takes place Saturday, February 23, 2019 at a modern "staycation" retreat put on by the super fun team at Dinkydoo . We'll be sewing at their fancy new warehouse location about an hour outside of Vancouver and local accommodation is available about 5 minutes from the venue. For those of us who can't make it to QuiltCon2019, this is a great alternative! I can hardly wait. I know it's going to be a weekend full of laughs and creativity. 

I'm also booked to teach this (and 3 other workshops) at QuiltCanada 2019 in Ottawa from June 12-15. That will be a super exciting weekend with a killer workshop line-up. The classes haven't been announced yet, but the faculty is introduced here.  I'm so happy to have this opportunity and look forward to seeing many friends in Ottawa next spring!  If your guild might be interested in trying this class, feel free to email me for availability - I'm booking into fall of 2019 now, but I still have some spring dates available, too.

To further explore the construction techniques I used for Courthouse Colourplay, I'm recreating the quilt in a queen-sized version using upcycled men's shirts and jeans. I'm going to call this one Casual Fridays. The swishiness (highly technical term) of woven shirts is proving a bit challenging, but I am taking a very liberated approach and not worrying if the final quilt is exactly square or not. Here's a snapshot from the clothesline. I will be adding two more rows to one side of what you see here to bring it up to about 90" square.

What fun new things are you working on lately?

What Apple?

Here's my latest Speed Date with Improv class sample. When I teach the workshop (which as been very popular with traditional and modern guilds alike, yay!), I demo each technique for students. When I travel, I use student fabric (no one minds because it gives them a little head start on each "date"), but at local classes I use my own machine and fabrics.  The result is lots of improv units on my home design wall.

I was recently interviewed by CBC radio for a local weekend program called North by Northwest. A producer came to interview me working in my studio, so I decide to piece this together because it was a fairly small, manageable project.  I'll write more about that fun afternoon once I get the word on the day the interview will air (it might be mid-December).

So, here is What Apple?  A fun mini-quilt improv sampler that finished up at 24" x 28".

There are a few more units making up this quilt than in my previous Speed Date samples because I used the same mustard fabric for demos in two workshops, so I had extras to play with. I also had some more chunks of mustard leftover, so decided to insert that strip on the right side and balance it with black on the bottom and white on the top to extend the piece. These chunkier strips coupled with the 1/4 circle curves at each corner give the piece boundaries, but jaggedy, imperfect boundaries where like colours meet. I prefer this on an improv quilt as opposed to a straight and defined traditional border.

I chose to quilt in the "wonky waffle" with my walking foot again. This is random straight-ish vertical and horizontal lines that I really like on top of this busy quilt. I score a few lines with a long ruler and Hera marker, then fill in by eye at random intervals in between.

Like the two that came before, Mojito and Night and Day, this one has faced edges.

This workshop continues to take me places...in the new year, I'll be teaching on Vancouver Island, in Scotland, England, Alberta and for a couple of outlying modern guilds in BC as well. I can't tell you how happy that makes me!!  I've had several students create completely new improv work informed by what they learned in this class; that's incredibly exciting for me because that is the exact intent of teaching these techniques as a sampler. Bring on 2018! 

GIVEAWAY - 24 FAT QUARTERS!

What luck! RJR Fabrics has given me the opportunity to share a second fabric giveaway (they are also running the same giveaway on their Instagram account). You could win this gorgeous bundle of 24 Supreme Cotton Solids fat quarters. All of the colours that I used to make my Pop Stars quilt!

This giveaway is also running on my IG account, but I will add entries from both places. You can enter here by leaving one comment and you can also enter on IG by leaving one comment on the post - double your chances! If you enter here on the blog, you MUST have your email linked to your comment, or include your email address in your comment [go ahead and use the form bob(dot)smith(at)location(dot)com if you like]. Sorry, but if I can't contact you, I will chose another winner.

Giveaway open until 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time Wednesday, August 2, 2017. ETA: comments are now closed on the giveaway. After deleting duplicate comments, adding the 105 blog comments to the 372 IG comments, the Random Number Generator chose 306, which is @createthepoint on IG. Congratulations, Jo!!

Good luck!

Pop Stars - A New Quilt and Giveaway

In case you're all thinking that all I do in July is celebrate my birthday, I've got news for you. I've been working on a new project for RJR Fabrics' What Shade R U bloghop. You can read all about it on the RJR Quilt With Love blog here.  There's lots to know, so check out my guest post over there because there's a HUGE giveaway involved.

I can't resist sharing here because staring at this photo just makes me happy. I've wanted to make an 8-pointed star quilt for ages and finally figured out that I could use my Improv Under the Influence piecing technique to build the star diamonds. It's a riot of split complimentary colours and the outstanding quilting by Carol of Twin Creek Quilts is jaw-dropping. It's so much fun to look at!

There are lots of close-up detail pictures in the main blogpost and you'll be able to see how I avoided y-seams in the construction of this quilt, so check it out!

**GIVEAWAY ON INSTAGRAM** Keep an eye on the @rjrfabrics IG account for a full FQ bundle giveaway of every colour of Supreme Cotton Solids (25 of them) I used in this quilt. Over 6 yards of fabric! Woohoo!

Notes from the NJS Judges - Part 2

In this post (a continuation from my previous post) I share the comments from three CQA-certified judges on my Improv Untitled quilt. This wallhanging recently hung in the Canadian National Juried Show in Toronto in the Abstract Art category. I could have easily entered it into the Modern category along with Round Peg, Square Hole, but I thought my chances with the jury might improve if I tried two different categories.

I am happy to share these comments/critiques with you as a point of interest. I find them thoughtful, constructive and useful!

Judge 1

The variety and scale of the shapes add visual interest. The shapes shift between being positive shapes to being negative shapes. This is visually unsettling (oh dear). Was this the mood you were intending to portray? Grid quilting pattern is effective.

Judge 2

This well-constructed quilt works with the viewer's mind (thank you, exactly!) as the eye moves around searching for familiar and identifiable images. The bold border plays a secondary role - perhaps it could be slightly integrated into the central area. Take care when piecing dark against light and watch out for shadowing (curses, I tried my best).

Judge 3

Negative space might be emphasized with more or different quilting (hmmm, this is a good suggestion worth considering for the next one). The design draws me in to follow pathways like a game (mission accomplished!). The light-coloured motif floats off the black and is anchored by the black grid quilting lines.

I'd really like to thank the judges (in no particular order, because the comments are not directly attributed to any judge), Margie Davidson, Hilary Rice and Judy Villett. I am actually rather delighted with all of your thoughtful words and will take them into consideration for future work. For the first time (in 6 juried show experiences) I actually feel like I got some great value out of my entry fee with this feedback.  

Would you like to learn 7 improv piecing techniques and make your own quilt similar to this one in a fast-paced, fun and supportive environment? I teach this unique Speed Date with Improv workshop (as a 1- or 2-day class) and would be happy to visit your guild or shop. Email address at the top left sidebar for enquiries. I have some availability in late fall and am now booking into 2018.  Sadly, due to working visa restrictions, I cannot teach in the US, but all other international and Canadian travel is welcome.

Notes From the NJS Judges - Part 1

My two quilts that hung at the Canadian National Juried Show in Toronto last weekend made it home today. For the first time in 3 shows, I found that the judge's critiques are very constructive, thoughtful and well-explained. I'm actually going to keep the pages with their thoughts this time. Usually I read judge's comments and then they head straight into paper recycling either due to a misunderstanding of the intention my quilt, or comments on elements of the work that aren't that relevant to me (but are very important for traditional judges).

I thought I'd share the comments with you here as a point of interest. This is what the three CQA-certified judges wrote about Round Peg, Square Hole, which was juried into the Modern category:

Judge 1
Unique optical illusion created in overall design (mission accomplished, thank you!). Value gradation in every other block is effective. Straight-line quilting is even but stitch length seems long. The white thread colour that contrasts with the solid coloured fabrics and then blends with the background white fabric is effective.

Judge 2
Fascinating visual play is achieved in this compelling design. Excellent understanding of balance using colour is shown (yay me!! Maybe I know more about colour than I give myself credit for). Some well-blended gradation of fabrics is noted. While the quilting stitch throughout is even, it would improve the construction and visual effect if the stitch length was shorter.

Judge 3
Accurate piecing (woohoo!) suports the creative circular design concept. The gradation in colour in some of the pieced units adds design interest. The quilting stitch is even and straight but extremely long - quilt stitch length could be shorter.

There is much for me to celebrate here. This quilt is my very own design and I chose the colours carefully (thanks to RJR Fabrics for supplying all of the fabric for the front of this quilt during their What Shade RU blog hop). The design compliments really make me proud!

I've always liked a long quilting stitch length and typically when walking foot quilting I increase the stitch to 4.0. I'm hearing loud and clear that quilting judges (at least at CQA) prefer a shorter stitch length...even on a wallhanging. I will keep this in mind when making a quilt that I'd consider entering in a show.

Would you like to try creating your own version of this fun log-cabin variation? The .pdf downloadable pattern is available in my Craftsy shop (link up there at the top of my right sidebar).

Tomorrow I'll let you know what they had to say about the last Speed Date with Improv sample I made and entered in the Abstract Design category.

New Work for Workshops

This weekend I'll be teaching in Nanaimo, B.C. for the brand new Nanaimo Modern Quilt Guild ! On Saturday (Feb.25), we're going to have some fun with Speed Date with Improv and on Sunday (Feb.26) it'll be time to play with my Quarter Round block and create some fun secondary patterning. There are still a few spots available in both workshops if you are on Vancouver Island and fancy a day in Nanaimo hanging out with modern quilting enthusiasts learning new skills playing with colour, shape and pattern. Contact & workshop info is on their blog.

Here are my latest creations using the versatile Quarter Round block. In the green pillow, I really changed things up by substituting electric lime green and green for the 'background' strips and ombre grey in the main strips. It turned out a little different from the the digital drawing I initially posted here due to mixing up my greens during cutting.  You can see that half square triangles are used instead of a solid corner square and I rotated the blocks so each half square triangle is in the centre, creating a pinwheel. This gives the composition a concentric square effect with the green background strips meeting along the central vertical and horizontal seams.

I used up my strippy scraps to make an improv backing for this pillow and quilted both the front and back with parallel lime green lines using Aurifil 40 wt. thread.

I installed an invisible zip along one edge of the pillow. You can see that even though this was a 20 1/2" block sewn together with a 3/8" seam allowance, a 20" commercial pillow form isn't quite enough to puff out the entire pillow cover. Before gifting this, I'll stuff a handful of polyfil into each corner of the pillow.

And this is my attempt at an abstract rose. Yes, this is the same block! In my Round Peg, Square Hole pattern (link to my Craftsy shop at the top of my right sidebar), this is referred to as the "Basic ombre Block". In this 20" mini quilt, I constructed 4 identical blocks, however 2 have reversed ombre strips. In this one, you can see that the blocks are rotated so that each corner square of "background" white fabric is on an outside corner of the quilt top and all of the widest strips meet along the central vertical and horizontal seams.

I taught this workshop for the first time last weekend for my traditional guild and it is so fun to see how people work with colours and prints in this pattern. I can't wait to see some quilts come together!

Open To Interpretation

So, I am still having a great time playing with my Speed Date with Improv workshop samples. After debuting this new class with the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild before Christmas, I came home with more demo pieces that I played with on my design wall over the holidays. This is what I came up with.

Improv Untitled, 31" x 36"

One of my students, VMQG member Jaydeen, pieced her improv collage, then surrounded it with a lot of negative space to make it into a gorgeous lap quilt for a friend. After seeing her quilt, I thought about playing with borders for these pieces, so that the improv elements could float in a background of white, black, or the 'free colour'.  

I'm excited about the possibilities this brings up for the viewer. When I posted photos in instagram, one person commented that if she turned the composition, she saw a locomotive. Another person saw the shape in the lower right as a pendulum that had knocked all of the other pieces askew. That's so cool. It is exciting to think that every person seeing the quilt can interpret it in their own way.  The expansive background gives the improv shapes more room, opening them up to imaginative possibilities.  The magic of negative space.

See the pendulum? A wrecking ball? Chemistry lab glassware? A little black house or a blue arrow?

I'm teaching this class in Nanaimo in late February, in PEI and NS in May and in Ottawa in September. I know that every time I teach it I will learn more from my fellow quilters and each composition will tell a new story. When creating my first quilt with these techniques, jigsawing the improv elements together, I thought about the wooden blocks my son and daughter used to play with - you know the standard ones that have squares, rectangles, half circles, cylinders and little "bridges"(rectangles with the 1/2 circle arc cut out). I'm sure many of you have seen these blocks, or even built towns with them yourselves!

Arrows!

All of this improv play has really ignited my creativity but unfortunately, I'm sort of overwhelmed with ideas at the moment. I'm making sketches so that I don't lose any of the sparks. I just have to focus and start on something. My teaching/travel schedule is packed for the coming months (so exciting!), so there won't be tons of time for big projects.  Manageable improv to the rescue!

One permission I've given myself is to not obsess over quilting these compositions. I think that the 'wonky waffle' improv grid really works well without overwhelming the piecing. I mark the lines with a hera marker and then quilt them with my walking foot and a 4.0 stitch length. The quilting goes quickly and the piece is done. Result. My previous two were faced, but I bound this one with black.

You can tell with these photos that balancing colour in our winter light is a challenge for me. This minty blue proved difficult!

Mojito

Just popping in to share a proper photo of my newest little quilt, Mojito. I'm having such a fun time creating these little abstract improv quilts in preparation for my exciting new workshop Speed Date with Improv.   I took this little quilt out and about the other day during a rare couple of hours of dry weather.

It may be a small quilt (20" x 21 1/2"), but there are 7 different improv piecing techniques packed into it's making, plus the jigsaw puzzle piecing of the units together into a fun little composition using joining strips and leftover trimmings. Can you see all of the arrows? For me, the fun of the design wall work here is to find places where colours merge to create interesting shapes and add visual energy to the piece. I love the vessel shape created with the quarter circles in the upper right corner; it really reminds me of mid-century modern graphic design. The collage nature of this work really appeals to me. I'm really looking forward to debuting this class with the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild later this month.

We are into November, so that means my annual 5-day retreat to Loon Lake is upon us. Tomorrow I'm off to the woods with 27 other quilters to enjoy days of sewing, eating & laughter. Yippee!

Quarter Round Ombre

While creating this quilt for the RJR Fabrics What Shade RU blog tour, I did a little test on the ombre idea and made this Quarter Round version.

Like this one, I consulted my colour wheel for binding suggestions and since blue-green loves red-orange, I went for it! It's pretty zingy. I like it.

It is quilted with Aurifil 40 wt white and 50 wt teal thread. I'm still trying to decide if the rumours are true and a walking foot isn't necessary when quilting straight lines on the Juki. I tried this one without walking foot and there was some drag, even with the presser foot pressure on the lightest setting. This was spray basted and I stitched the ditch of the horizontal and vertical centre seams to stabilize before I started the closely spaced lines (which I did every third or fourth line, then went back and filled in the spaces between). I think I'm going to stick with using the walking foot in future.

Instructions for both Quarter Round and the larger 16-block Round Peg, Square Hole quilt are included in my pattern available on Craftsy (link up there in the upper right side bar). You'll also find a colouring page in the pattern that you can use to try out  your own colour blocking for secondary patterning.  If you're looking for some patterns to kick off your fall sewing, Craftsy has a promo on at the moment to save $5 on a $25 purchase using code FRESHLOOK25.

If you're celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend, have a wonderful time with family and friends! Pumpkin pie....mmmmmmm.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2016

Here's the first of my two entries to the latest Blogger's Quilt Festival. This one I'm proudly entering in the Original Design category. You can read more about this quilt, Round Peg, Square Hole in this previously published, detailed blogpost.

Made with 100% RJR Supreme Cotton Solids: 38" square

Round Peg, Square Hole hung recently in the VMQG Showcase and is now on it's way to RJR headquarters for display in their booth at Fall Quilt Market. I really wish I could accompany my quilts on their exciting trips!

I've had three generous friends pour over this pattern and test it out by making their own fantastic versions of Quarter Round (a 4-block mini quilt).  After incorporating their great suggestions, I have taken the plunge and opened a pattern shop on Craftsy! YES! You can now purchase a .pdf pattern that includes instructions for Quarter Round AND Round Peg, Square Hole.  I'm so excited because there are a gazillion possibilities for secondary patterning and fun colour play with this block and I'll never in my lifetime be able to make them all myself. I need all of you to try out it and show me what you can do with this pattern!

Find this (and four of my other patterns) for instant purchase and download here.

Quilted in spiral squares set on point with 40 wt. Aurifil thread

I love this effect: contrast cranked up and converted to grey scale!

Thanks for clicking through if you've come from the Festival linky. If you haven't, then check out the festival by clicking on the button below! It never fails to disappoint and it's a really fun way to discover new friends and enjoy quilts made in different styles and different countries all around the world. Perhaps you've got a quilt that you would like to share? Everyone is welcome to participate and win prizes, as long as you've got a blog. All of the information is on Amy's site. 

Blowing My Hair Back I

Just popping in with a little finish that you saw here before I added the big-stitch hand quilting. The name is explained in the original post, as is the source of inspiration for this 22" mini that I have grown to love despite the in-yer-face colour scheme.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to take and review Gwen Marston's Abstract Quilts in Solids class available on iquilt.com . They often have sales and specials on the site, so when they do, grab your chance to learn from the lovely Gwen. Her gently encouraging teaching style is my fav. This quilt is exactly modelled on one of her "string block" class sample quilts.

I love the fun details and shapes that emerge when they angled lines of the quilting meet!

I decided to quilt this in a large running stitch using 8wt. white perle cotton. Gwen often does free form zigzag quilting on her abstract work and it's super effective, so I thought I'd give it a try. I marked the lines with a 1" x 6" ruler and a Clover white wax pen so that they would be straight, but unmeasured. I'll definitely do this again as I love the effect. I quilted this whole piece over the course of our summer vacation on Hornby Island...mostly waiting for, and riding on, the ferries (it takes 3 boats to get there!).

I've made a start on a second abstract quilt based on other lessons in the class, but I think I'd like to grow it in a medallion-style like Gwen so often does. I may refer to her excellent book Liberated Medallion Quilts that is in my home library for some additional ideas. I have enough scraps of these fabrics, that's for sure!

I'm really enjoying working with solids and a limited palette at the moment. I've got another fun improv quilt to share next week that is a sample for an exciting new workshop I'll be teaching in the coming year.  Check back Monday for that one as part of the Blogger's Quilt Festival!