Archive for the ‘quilts’ Category

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Communication Breakdown

Sunday, August 21st, 2011
I feel like I have just returned from the Twilight Zone. After the big power outage we have been hit with storm after storm. I love storms, but it seems that it can’t just “rain” anymore. Lightning hit our Internet tower and we were without a connection for over two weeks… not amusing when you are getting ready for a teaching trip. I really felt disconnected and discombobulated. Boo hoo! This is my apology for being absence for so long. The Internet was down again yesterday, too! So I rushed to get this posted today before something else happens.
It was also 100 degrees and humid during the communication breakdown and we had to begin taking photographs for the new book (more on that later). At this point, I have at least 50 quilts made with my fabrics that need recording and more on their way. So we soldiered on and prepared the studio for a photo shoot.
Greg set up a clever rigging for the lights and I was his assistant. Technology has changed since our last big shoot, so it was a bit nerve racking, especially since I couldn’t go on line to get any tips. All went well, however, and we have another batch to do this week. But the weather is cool and lovely, so the studio will be more comfortable and the routine is established.
Here is a stack of quilts awaiting their turn in the limelight. It has really been fun to dig through all these past projects and revisit some of my favorite fabric designs. The book will be a nice record of the past eleven years of designing for FreeSpirit.
I am also making some new pieces for this venture and this is the latest. I am a minimalist at heart, even though some of my quilts are over-the-top with pattern. I quite like the simplicity and starkness of this design. The quilting should be just as clean and clear as the top.
I appliqued the quarter circles to 12″ whole blocks and attached then with topstitching. The Willow Wands fabric is from the current Garden Divas collection and the rest of the fabrics are from various previous lines. This is a good design for mixing and matching from your stash. In this case, I used blues, green and pinks for a comforting and cool feeling. It also has huge graphic impact but is easy to put together… perfect for a dorm or baby quilt.
Here are some pillow cases that would be welcome in the dorm room, too. School started here this week and there were scrubbed and bright little kids and their parents on almost every corner waiting for the school bus… such memories.
Next week I’ll take you on a tour of the vegetable garden, beware of mosquitoes!

Posted in applique, flowers, Garden Divas, quilts, Studio | 4 Comments »

Back to Basics- Three Days Without POWER!

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Oh my, what a week! I had big plans and lots to accomplish, too. So I set out early Monday morning to hit the gym and begin the week energized. A good girl! As soon as I drove off our road and onto the highway the storm began. It was wild! The wind and rain came straight and hard from the west. Leaves were flying through the air. The screaming weather warning came over the radio. But I couldn’t turn around for home because the wind was blowing at my back… I would be driving right into the storm.

So I waited out the weather at the gym. Finally things tamed down enough to run a few errands. When I got to Starbucks it was packed. “What’s up?” I asked. I was told that all these people were without power. Too bad, I thought, not knowing that our house was without electricity, too.

So for three days we lived like the pioneers. Greg was quite enjoying himself… hauling water and ice, clearing the fridge, collecting flashlights, lighting candles. I’m afraid I wasn’t as enthusiastic… no computer, no sewing machine, not to mention the toilet situation. But I will admit it was nice to have a valid excuse to take a little technological break. But everything is up and running now, at least at our house and we’re getting back to business. Thank you to all the crews who worked around the clock to make it “light” again!!

So, this blog is brought to you with a little help from my friends. Melissa Peda comes to the rescue again! Here is a pretty little pastel bag made from the Garden Diva fabrics. She has cut the fabric to exploit the symmetrical design. But it is the covered button and closure loop that add the pizazz. It is lined with the same pink fabric as the strap and middle band. Please visit her Etsy shop to see more delightful creations.

This is another of Melissa’s recent Garden Diva projects. The kaleidoscope pillow is nicely trimmed with the refreshing green Willow Wand fabric. The simple checked baby quilt is so feminine. Notice the purple backing and the green dotted binding, both from the Sunshine and Shadow line. What a wonderful combination! Thanks, as always, Melissa for your energy and your style.

Hopefully, this week I can start again with that “to do” list!

Posted in accessories, flowers, Garden Divas, Purse, quilts | 3 Comments »

Back to Basics- Three Days Without POWER!

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Oh my, what a week! I had big plans and lots to accomplish, too. So I set out early Monday morning to hit the gym and begin the week energized. A good girl! As soon as I drove off our road and onto the highway the storm began. It was wild! The wind and rain came straight and hard from the west. Leaves were flying through the air. The screaming weather warning came over the radio. But I couldn’t turn around for home because the wind was blowing at my back… I would be driving right into the storm.

So I waited out the weather at the gym. Finally things tamed down enough to run a few errands. When I got to Starbucks it was packed. “What’s up?” I asked. I was told that all these people were without power. Too bad, I thought, not knowing that our house was without electricity, too.

So for three days we lived like the pioneers. Greg was quite enjoying himself… hauling water and ice, clearing the fridge, collecting flashlights, lighting candles. I’m afraid I wasn’t as enthusiastic… no computer, no sewing machine, not to mention the toilet situation. But I will admit it was nice to have a valid excuse to take a little technological break. But everything is up and running now, at least at our house and we’re getting back to business. Thank you to all the crews who worked around the clock to make it “light” again!!

So, this blog is brought to you with a little help from my friends. Melissa Peda comes to the rescue again! Here is a pretty little pastel bag made from the Garden Diva fabrics. She has cut the fabric to exploit the symmetrical design. But it is the covered button and closure loop that add the pizazz. It is lined with the same pink fabric as the strap and middle band. Please visit her Etsy shop to see more delightful creations.

This is another of Melissa’s recent Garden Diva projects. The kaleidoscope pillow is nicely trimmed with the refreshing green Willow Wand fabric. The simple checked baby quilt is so feminine. Notice the purple backing and the green dotted binding, both from the Sunshine and Shadow line. What a wonderful combination! Thanks, as always, Melissa for your energy and your style.

Hopefully, this week I can start again with that “to do” list!

Posted in accessories, flowers, Garden Divas, Purse, quilts | 3 Comments »

July 4th Cloth Kaleidoscope Fireworks

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

We had our holiday bash on Saturday. The house was dressed for the occasion and Greg had the yard tidied and trim. The place was humming with conversation and pockets of activity. Our move to country was intended to be a refuge for ourselves and our friends and it certainly was the case this weekend with good friends, good food and good times.

So in honor of the 4th of July, I thought I would share some fireworks! But these explosions are fabric creations done in the computer by my quilting buddy, Susan Buckingham. She has a crazy wonderful
design program called Kaleidoscope Kreator. She took three fabrics from the Garden Diva’s collection and fed them into the kaleidscope software. The results are stunning.

This is the Exotic colorway of the Iris and Bleeding Hearts fabric. It is very symmetrical so it is a perfect subject for slicing and repeating. Susan applied a ten wedge template and added the blue background to match the background of the fabric. I combined then into a single composition. Look what happened!!

Next she took the Spring Wreath fabric, also in the Exotic colorway, and did her magic. This time, instead of circles, she has kept them in a square format and used an eight wedge template.

I added the black background which looks like sashing on a quilt and really makes the colors dance.
I especially like the way the daffodils and daisies interact and change the texture from one frame to the next. So many possibilities!

It’s hard to pick out a favorite block! The Zinnia fabric in the Peacock colorway was her next test. Also a symmetrical design, with a black background and lots of potential for play.

She really had fun with this one. She used an eight wedge template again and added color around the circular motifs. I put them into two groups so you could see all the variations.

Unbelievable! The graduated colors in the flower do some grand things. The whole group has such a fresh and lively energy. Now check out the turquoise collection, below.

My favorites are the ones that incorporate the stems and leaves because they create more variety and movement in the composition. Of course, the obvious application of these wonderful designs is for quilting. My brain is scheming and my fingers are itching to begin a new kaleidoscope project.Thank you, Susan, for your effort and inspiration. What a wonderful way to start the week!

Posted in Garden Divas, quilts | 4 Comments »

July 4th Cloth Kaleidoscope Fireworks

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

We had our holiday bash on Saturday. The house was dressed for the occasion and Greg had the yard tidied and trim. The place was humming with conversation and pockets of activity. Our move to country was intended to be a refuge for ourselves and our friends and it certainly was the case this weekend with good friends, good food and good times.

So in honor of the 4th of July, I thought I would share some fireworks! But these explosions are fabric creations done in the computer by my quilting buddy, Susan Buckingham. She has a crazy wonderful
design program called Kaleidoscope Kreator. She took three fabrics from the Garden Diva’s collection and fed them into the kaleidscope software. The results are stunning.

This is the Exotic colorway of the Iris and Bleeding Hearts fabric. It is very symmetrical so it is a perfect subject for slicing and repeating. Susan applied a ten wedge template and added the blue background to match the background of the fabric. I combined then into a single composition. Look what happened!!

Next she took the Spring Wreath fabric, also in the Exotic colorway, and did her magic. This time, instead of circles, she has kept them in a square format and used an eight wedge template.

I added the black background which looks like sashing on a quilt and really makes the colors dance.
I especially like the way the daffodils and daisies interact and change the texture from one frame to the next. So many possibilities!

It’s hard to pick out a favorite block! The Zinnia fabric in the Peacock colorway was her next test. Also a symmetrical design, with a black background and lots of potential for play.

She really had fun with this one. She used an eight wedge template again and added color around the circular motifs. I put them into two groups so you could see all the variations.

Unbelievable! The graduated colors in the flower do some grand things. The whole group has such a fresh and lively energy. Now check out the turquoise collection, below.

My favorites are the ones that incorporate the stems and leaves because they create more variety and movement in the composition. Of course, the obvious application of these wonderful designs is for quilting. My brain is scheming and my fingers are itching to begin a new kaleidoscope project.Thank you, Susan, for your effort and inspiration. What a wonderful way to start the week!

Posted in Garden Divas, quilts | 4 Comments »

Too Hot Outside-Cool Projects Inside

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

It has been way too hot for the first week of June! It is so hot that Gardner Greg is overwhelmed by noon, but tries his best to make slow progress. So much to do! I, however, head straight for the studio where it is nice and cool and enjoy the garden through the window.

I can see the first peony blossoms and the day lilies glowing through the dappled sunlight. I see the iris are very happy and the strawberries are claiming more space, as always. Ahhhh… the best of both world!

Since we have begun with a pink peony this week, let’s continue with the color pink. Here is an extremely pink beach bag designed and made by my friend, Melissa Peda, proprietor of 100billionstars,
an Etsy shop. Melissa has a great instinct for using “personality” prints and shares her talent with several fellow FreeSpirit designers. Since I design the fabric to be beautiful straight off the bolt, I am always happy to see it in “full flower”. Melissa has successfully combined several fabrics from the Garden Diva line (Dragonfly Moon and Willow Wands, above) in this cheerful project.

She even had fun with the lining of the bag. I like to have bright linings in my purses because it is so much easier to find things… but this lining will make you smile, too. It is just so much FUN! The main body of the lining is Spring Wreath, with a pink pocket of Lively Silhouette fabric and a key case in Willow Wands, again. Very refreshing on a hot afternoon!

My personal project this week had just a tiny bit of pink. Turquoise ruled in the studio. I have a heartfelt project to make as many simple, but dramatic quilts from the Garden Divas fabrics as possible. I am very fond of this line and feel it has some designs that are “pure Jane”, so I want to share it’s full potential with all of you.

As you know, I love very strong and graphic designs. This is probably one of the reasons I was so attracted to quilting, in the first place. And I love the rhythm and excitement created by hard edged repetitive motifs, as in Amish quilts. Plus BLACK is another favorite for creating drama in a composition. So this quilt has it all.

The main block is fussy cut from the Lively Silhouette (Aqua) and the supporting block is made with solid black and the Daisy Check in the peacock colorway. I think it is an elegant combination. I cut the Silhouette block so the black part of the design was concentrated at the bottom and would blend into the smaller black squares. But the Lively Silhouette comes in six colors and they would each made a fabulous version of this quilt, although the moods would be totally different.

Notice the tiny pink dot in the checked fabric above? So now we have come back to PINK. In fact, I think this quilt should be quilted with pink thread. YES!

Posted in accessories, Garden Divas, quilts | 7 Comments »

Too Hot Outside-Cool Projects Inside

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

It has been way too hot for the first week of June! It is so hot that Gardner Greg is overwhelmed by noon, but tries his best to make slow progress. So much to do! I, however, head straight for the studio where it is nice and cool and enjoy the garden through the window.

I can see the first peony blossoms and the day lilies glowing through the dappled sunlight. I see the iris are very happy and the strawberries are claiming more space, as always. Ahhhh… the best of both world!

Since we have begun with a pink peony this week, let’s continue with the color pink. Here is an extremely pink beach bag designed and made by my friend, Melissa Peda, proprietor of 100billionstars,
an Etsy shop. Melissa has a great instinct for using “personality” prints and shares her talent with several fellow FreeSpirit designers. Since I design the fabric to be beautiful straight off the bolt, I am always happy to see it in “full flower”. Melissa has successfully combined several fabrics from the Garden Diva line (Dragonfly Moon and Willow Wands, above) in this cheerful project.

She even had fun with the lining of the bag. I like to have bright linings in my purses because it is so much easier to find things… but this lining will make you smile, too. It is just so much FUN! The main body of the lining is Spring Wreath, with a pink pocket of Lively Silhouette fabric and a key case in Willow Wands, again. Very refreshing on a hot afternoon!

My personal project this week had just a tiny bit of pink. Turquoise ruled in the studio. I have a heartfelt project to make as many simple, but dramatic quilts from the Garden Divas fabrics as possible. I am very fond of this line and feel it has some designs that are “pure Jane”, so I want to share it’s full potential with all of you.

As you know, I love very strong and graphic designs. This is probably one of the reasons I was so attracted to quilting, in the first place. And I love the rhythm and excitement created by hard edged repetitive motifs, as in Amish quilts. Plus BLACK is another favorite for creating drama in a composition. So this quilt has it all.

The main block is fussy cut from the Lively Silhouette (Aqua) and the supporting block is made with solid black and the Daisy Check in the peacock colorway. I think it is an elegant combination. I cut the Silhouette block so the black part of the design was concentrated at the bottom and would blend into the smaller black squares. But the Lively Silhouette comes in six colors and they would each made a fabulous version of this quilt, although the moods would be totally different.

Notice the tiny pink dot in the checked fabric above? So now we have come back to PINK. In fact, I think this quilt should be quilted with pink thread. YES!

Posted in accessories, Garden Divas, quilts | 7 Comments »

Palouse Patchers

Monday, March 28th, 2011
I have just returned from a marvelous teaching trip in Moscow, Idaho for the Palouse Patchers Spring Fling. The Palouse is a stunningly dramatic area of the country of giant velvety hills and valleys. Trees on the Palouse are few and far between and the sky puts on a show all day long. 
The Patchers really made me feel special. At the opening event every place was set with a swatch of Garden Diva fabric and a lovingly crafted fabric flower brooch. The centerpiece on each table was a tiered plate filled with colorful cupcakes.
The next two days we had class in Moscow’s handsome community center. The girls in class were good sports and cut into their Sassaman fabrics, even though they didn’t know exactly what would happen. Here are the awesome results of Friday’s Kaleidoscope class.

I am delighted that they are all so different. Each one has a distinct personality. We didn’t have time enough to work on borders, but you can still see the beginnings of some exciting quilts.

                                                                                                  
Some students used 45 degree triangle templates, some used 60 degree ones and others did their own “thing”. I never get tired of the surprising relationships between the different fabrics, especially when they seem to blend in and out of one another.
It is also interesting what depth the black fabrics create. In many of these pieces there is an underlying  organizational principle like “mirror image”, “light to dark” or “alternating”. Keep scrolling down to see the rest. You may be inspired to try a “kaleidoscope” of your own!


Thanks, Palouse Patchers for your enthusiasm and your hospitality! I look forward to seeing your completed quilts one day soon… hint, hint!


Posted in Garden Divas, quilts | 8 Comments »

Palouse Patchers

Monday, March 28th, 2011
I have just returned from a marvelous teaching trip in Moscow, Idaho for the Palouse Patchers Spring Fling. The Palouse is a stunningly dramatic area of the country of giant velvety hills and valleys. Trees on the Palouse are few and far between and the sky puts on a show all day long. 
The Patchers really made me feel special. At the opening event every place was set with a swatch of Garden Diva fabric and a lovingly crafted fabric flower brooch. The centerpiece on each table was a tiered plate filled with colorful cupcakes.
The next two days we had class in Moscow’s handsome community center. The girls in class were good sports and cut into their Sassaman fabrics, even though they didn’t know exactly what would happen. Here are the awesome results of Friday’s Kaleidoscope class.

I am delighted that they are all so different. Each one has a distinct personality. We didn’t have time enough to work on borders, but you can still see the beginnings of some exciting quilts.

                                                                                                  
Some students used 45 degree triangle templates, some used 60 degree ones and others did their own “thing”. I never get tired of the surprising relationships between the different fabrics, especially when they seem to blend in and out of one another.
It is also interesting what depth the black fabrics create. In many of these pieces there is an underlying  organizational principle like “mirror image”, “light to dark” or “alternating”. Keep scrolling down to see the rest. You may be inspired to try a “kaleidoscope” of your own!


Thanks, Palouse Patchers for your enthusiasm and your hospitality! I look forward to seeing your completed quilts one day soon… hint, hint!


Posted in Garden Divas, quilts | 8 Comments »

One Pattern, Two Looks

Friday, March 11th, 2011

This time of year seems to inspire everyone to regroup and get organized and this was my direction this week, too. Greg varnished and installed the new studio shelves and I filled them with fabric. My helper, Susan, cut bolts of fabric for kits and bundles to take to class. I reorganized the studio space in to new task areas, including a zone for shipping and packing.

But during the whole time, the Garden Divas were competing for my attention. This was not the time to begin a large quilting project! But, hey, a “little” one would be OK, right? So I got out my favorite template, the Fast 2 Cut Fussy Cutter Diamond Ruler designed by Jan Krentz! This is the perfect ruler for symmetrical prints and that’s why I have used it for almost every collection. The results are always fabulous.

In the first quilt top the construction is obvious. You can see the diamond, the 9″ square, the half square triangle and border. The design is very clear despite the patterned fabric. The colors and simplicity remind my of Delftware ceramics.

The second top is exactly the same, except the squares and triangle have been substituted in another fabric. The effect is very different. Now we have a kaleidoscope that blends and flows through colors and textures. The pattern pieces totally disappear. The composition looks more sophisticated even though the piecing is exactly the same.

This is an exercise worth continuing. I think I will try it in some different colorways and see what happens.

Posted in Garden Divas, quilts | 6 Comments »

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