Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Blog Around the World Tour

Hi friends!

If you're coming here from my friend Cheryl's blog, welcome! Cheryl is a friend of mine from the Baltimore Modern Quilt guild. She's a super talented long arm quilter and overall fun gal! We're cooking up plans for a fun collaboration in 2015! Stay tuned for that.

A little about me: I've been quilting for the past 25 years, on and off. Mostly "on" lately. I'm from Central New York (go 'Cuse!) and have lived in Houston (sadly, before I was a quilter), then Los Angeles, then Virginia Beach and now Baltimore for the past 4 years. I founded the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild 4 years ago. In the past year, I've started teaching and lecturing both locally and regionally and I love it! I hope to do more of it in 2015. 

When I'm not quilting, I love to read, write, cook and occasionally kayak. But really, it's mostly about quilting around here!

My husband Harvey and I have two children, Kyle and Katie, both in college, plus two cats and a rescue dog, Chase.



Ty and Chase getting in on a photo shoot!





What am I working on?

I'm just finishing up some sample quilts for new classes in 2015. After that, I'm writing a new book with my friend John. All the projects need to be finished by the end of December, so I'm sure that will keep me occupied!





How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, if I could figure out my genre, I'd tell you. I think my work is a blend of Traditional and Modern Quilting. I lean towards simple shapes, sometimes over-sized. I like to start with traditional blocks (I'm addicted to old quilting books) and give them an updated style. One thing I'm trying to do is edit my quilts, leaving some elements out, so I can put more quilting in. 

Why do I write/create what I do?




I need to make something every day. I get antsy if I don't. I work a full time job, so in order to get some sewing time in, I'll get up at 5:30. Yup, you heard me. 5:30 AM just to sew! I get a nice big cup of coffee, go down to my studio (in the finished basement) and sew for a bit. Sometimes just a few minutes. Sometimes an hour. I usually have a project set up in advance, so it's just simple straight lines. No cutting, no involved piecing. Just shoving fabric under the needle. It's my way to ease into the day.

How does my writing/creative process work?

If I'm designing a quilt, I'll typically start with a block or a shape for inspiration (again, those old quilting books!) Once I get an idea, I'll sketch it on graph paper, work on the measurements (I LOVE quilt math!) and then do a test block. After I have a block done, I'll bring it into Photoshop and play around with settings. I'll work on things until I'm happy with a look, then I'll go make the quilt. Because I do all the math ahead of time, the actual patterns come together pretty easily. 

The bloggers I've nominated are my friend Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie Tammie and I have been on line friends for years, and finally met at quilt market last fall. We each have a project in the book Classic Modern Quilts.




I'm also nominating my friend John Kubiniec (see above!) of Big Rig Quilting. He's also in Classic Modern Quilts.


John, Me and Tammie

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to follow me in your favorite social media way!  Links all on the sidebar! 

Thanks to Cheryl for nominating me! It was fun!
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Thursday, September 4, 2014

TBT/Obligatory First Day of School Pictures

I still make them take pictures!

Here they are, first day of school 2001.


Third Grader!



Kindergarten Girl



Here's Kyle's last first day of school. He's a Senior at Virginia Commonwealth this year. Since he left for school about a week before he started, I asked him to send me a selfie.



And here's Katie, a freshman at Towson University.


One of the funniest things for me is that the sofa in the "before" Katie picture is now in Kyle's college apartment. Can't stop them from growing up, can we?
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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

My Last Brown Quilt

When I first started quilting, waaay before the internet, way before blogs, instagram, face book, etc. this is how I'd choose a quilting project:

I'd go to my local LQS. I'd look at the samples on the walls. I'd pick one out, buy the kit and go home and make it. Lather rinse repeat. I made about a dozen quilts (some big, some small) that way. The shop I frequented (sadly, no longer around) was very primitive/traditional with lots of Thimbleberries, lots of Kansas Troubles, Civil War reproductions, home spuns...you get the idea.

So back in 2000, Thimbleberries came out with a BOM. (I'm sure they come out with then all the time. This is just the first one that caught my eye.) It was a big quilt, with birdhouses, big blocks and lots of brown. I asked for it to be part of my birthday gift, and so it was.  I started out strong, and kept up for the most part, for the first 6 months or so. Then it got shelved for a few years, but picked back up again in about 2004. I made all the blocks. And it sat again. The ultimate UFO. I think I was just so intimidated by the thought of having to quilt it, that it was easier to just hide it away (which I did, in the closet.)

Then came blogs, flickr, the Modern Quilt Guild, and I said goodbye Brown Quilts. Hello Color!

But my little secret was still in the closet.

Then we moved. And I moved the BOM. Once I got my sewing space set up in the new house, the BOM went on the top of my to do list. Every single year. And still didn't get done.

Then, last year, I did a quilt for Classic Modern Quilts. And I did something I had never done before ~ I had it long arm quilted. Oh my! Once I gave myself permission to have other people (thanks Maria!) quilt my quilts, it opened up a new world for me.

I got to thinking, maybe I don't have to quilt the bird quilt. Hmmm.

So early this, I finally finished piecing the top (which took only a day or two ~ including 4 rows of borders!) and sent it out to Maria.

She did a fabulous job. And here it is (held sideways by my guys!)



Here is it is with the Kyle and Harvey (and Oreo!) sideways.


And here are some blocks close up. I'd love to do some these again in more contemporary fabrics!

I like the flower in the star! I think those are 1" hsts.


lots of triangles in this quilt!


quilted bird


Am I happy that this is finished? Absolutely! Do I love it? Eh, it's okay. But at least it's done. And I can confidently  perhaps say I've made my last brown quilt.
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