October 3, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 1
Welcome to the party! Come in and enjoy!
I’m so glad you stopped by to celebrate the release of my third book, Quilt Retro. It’s a fun book full of bright, cheerful quilts and projects that I hope you’ll want to make. Throughout the next two weeks, I’ll show you some of the projects in the book and talk about my thoughts on design, inspiration, quilting, color choices and more. I’ll also introduce you to some wonderful quilters you should get to know if you don’t already!
Quilt Retro is decidedly full of quilts and projects with a Modern sensibility, but its roots are planted deeply in the past. As a lover of all things retro, especially the fabrics of the 60s and 70s, I sprinkled the retro vibe throughout the quilts – it may be in its inspiration, color choices or its subject matter, but all these quilts are a contemporary spin on something old!
But, what makes Quilt Retro more than a just pattern book is that as you make each quilt, I not only provide the pattern, but give you lots of specific ideas to make each project truly your own. I encourage you to make each quilt a reflection of your personal choices and individuality, not just an exact copy of my quilt. And in turn, I hope you take these ideas with you as you create other quilts from patterns and eventually branch out into designing your own, meaningful quilts!
To start off the Launch Party, I’d like to give you a peek at one of my favorite quilts in the book called “Outside My Kitchen Window.” This quilt has very personal meaning for me, but yet has universal appeal! This actually is my husband’s quilt. He is an adamant feeder of birds, so we always have plenty to see looking out the window. One day last year, I counted 22 cardinals feeding and 26 blue jays waiting, not so patiently, up in the trees for their turn. It just struck me how odd all those birds waiting for one small feeder were and I knew the event had to be commemorated in a quilt!
As I was designing this, I knew I wanted lots of colors – and not necessarily colors seen in nature. I knew this wouldn’t be a traditional quilt with large open spaces and just a few appliquéd elements. But yet, you can easily get the point – cardinals, blue jays and trees!
Let me introduce to you my first guest, Alissa Haight Carlton at Handmade by Alissa. If you’ve never seen her blog before, you’ll be amazed at the beautiful things she creates. While you’re there, check out her finished quilts. If you are unsure of what Modern quilting is, you’ll get an eyeful of great examples there! Alissa will also show you the entire “Outside My Kitchen Window” quilt and tell you how you can win your own autographed copy of Quilt Retro!
To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links:
Pickledish OR Amazon
October 4, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 2
Scraps make the quilt world go ‘round!
Welcome to Day 2 of the Quilt Retro Launch Party! I'm so glad to have you back! Today’s featured quilt is “Linoleum Floors.” What started out as a simple chain quilt turned into a scrapfestlollapalooza! I have no idea how many different fabrics are in the quilt, but I know it grew exponentially from the original plan.
Let me back up. The inspiration for this quilt came from an old quilt book I saw one time. The topic of the book was quilts that survived WWII from Norway. In that book was a simple chain quilt. It was one of those old quilts that was faded badly from over-washing and use. What caught my eye, was that despite the poor condition, an incredible energy came from simple chains of colored squares strung together. I couldn’t shake it from my mind, so I knew I’d have to recreate it!
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| Linoleum Floors Detail. I used every light neutral I have in my stash - from rejected hand-dyes, outdated tone-on-tones to solids and prints. |
Originally, I wanted to use all white for the background. As I was playing with this on EQ, I realized that it was pretty stark done up that way. So I started throwing in random light neutrals here and there. Well that gave the background so much depth, I knew I was on to something. I kept adding in different shades of fabrics until I got what I wanted. Next, I looked at the chains of color – all running in the same direction. I wondered what would happen if I made some of the chains go in the opposite direction. With a few clicks of the mouse it was done, and so was the design! Perfect!
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| This is my EQ rendition of Linoleum Floors. I love EQ. I can plan out everything before the first fabric is cut! |
So where did the name come from? The fabrics used for the chains of color are from my retro collection. I believe I used fabrics from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and today – that’s 50 years of scraps if you’re counting! When it was all laid out, it reminded me of an old-fashioned linoleum floor – maybe because of all the old fabrics.
My guest today I’d like you to meet is the Scrap Queen herself, BonnieHunter of Quiltville!. I first met Bonnie in 2008 when I was chosen to be the editor of her first book, Scraps and Shirttails. We’ve been together ever since, and I’ve got to say she’s as delightful in person as she is on her blog! I look forward to every book I get to work with her on! Head to her blog to see the whole “Linoleum Floors” quilt and while you’re there, leave a comment to win your own autographed copy of Quilt Retro!
Pickledish OR Amazon
Tomorrow’s guest: TammieSchaffer of Crafty Tammie.
If you missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
October 5, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 3
What do you do with old quilt block patterns?
Welcome back to Day 3 of the Quilt Retro Launch Party! Today’s featured quilt from my new book, Quilt Retro, is “First Aid Kit”. This quilt uses 4 blue gradations. I hand-dyed the blues so I could get the gradations just right. (If you’re not a dyer, you can find gradations in commercial fabrics, you might just have to look around for a while first.) This quilt started with no red at all, just the four blues. It was nice that way, but a little ho-hum. I added in the one red block (which looks just like the Red Cross emblem, hence the name!) and it turned from ho-hum to WOW!
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| See, it's nice like this, but... (You'll have to go to Tammie's blog to see the whole quilt!) |
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| The hand-dyed gradations |
This is the most traditional quilt in the book, but yet it’s very fresh and contemporary at the same time! It’s based on an old block called Greek Cross. It was so fun to take this old block and revive it in ways our quilting grandmothers would have never done! To me, that’s the best part of quiltmaking today – reviving the old into something new!
Today's guest is Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie. I happened to sit next to her at the KC Modern Guild a few months ago and we hit if off right away. I had no idea she blogged and she had no idea I wrote books, so we were both a little amused when we found out about each other after the meeting! Her blog is just a wonderful place to read about her rural Kansas life (I grew up in rural Missouri!) and her beautiful quilts. I hope you like her blog as much as I do. While you’re there you’ll get to see the entire “First Aid Kit” quilt and get a chance to win your own autographed copy of Quilt Retro!
To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links:
Pickledish OR Amazon
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Tuesday: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
October 6, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 4
What didn’t get in the book (but it means a freebie for you!)
Welcome to Day 4 of the Launch Party! When quilting turned into a fulltime job for me, I had to find a new hobby to fill in the evening hours and carpool downtimes. Because, let’s face it – as much as I love quilting, I do need a break from it occasionally! When I first proposed this book to my publisher, I had two or three embroidery projects in it as well. But like all endeavors, sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t work, and in the end and the embroidery was eliminated from the book. So today, I thought I’d show you two of the projects!
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| This never was finished once I knew it would be cut from the book. I changed this version from the original to say "Queen of so many things." I think I was the cocky queen that day! I also did another version - a companion to this that says: "King of Nothing" for my husband (his idea - I guess he was feeling under appreciated next to my cockiness!) |
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| Here's the original drawing. Remember I work messy, so there's a lot of notes and ideas all on one master plan. If it would have progressed to the book, I would have cleaned this up to reflect what I did on the final project. See how this one says "Queen of the Kitchen"? That's the version that would have gone in the book! |
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| And this is my favorite! It's only about 8" x 10" but it says it all doesn't it? The 1" finished pieced blocks on the left and bottom are the Broken Dishes pattern. (Get it?!) I was very funny that day! |
As a freebie to you, I have provided complete instructions for the "I don't do dishes" project. Click here to access the pattern. If you choose to make this project, please send me a photo of it. I'd love to see your work! Enjoy!
Thanks for coming today! To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links: Pickledish OR Amazon
Tomorrow’s guest: AngelaWalters of Quilting is My Therapy
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Tuesday: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday: TammieSchaffer of Crafty Tammie.
October 7, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 5
It’s not a quilt till it’s quilted
My Modern quilts often have a lot of negative space – which is just a way to say there are a lot of open places with nothing visual on the quilt top going on. This part of the quilt can go flat fast if it’s not filled with something to look at or feel. Quilting is what fills those spaces. It adds both visual and tactile texture, which in turn adds interest. Quilting can also help tell the story of the quilt. If you’re quilt has sky and grass, the quilting can help define those areas by replicating wind blowing and blades of grass.
I also tend to use a lot of solid fabrics in my quilts. They also can go flat if used in large areas, like I did in the quilt, “Handyman.” I told Angela (quilter extraordinaire, meet her below) I wanted each color band to have its own fill and to make it tight (the more quilting, the strong the quilt will be and longer it will last). This quilt turned out amazing! It is anything but flat visually and texturally! It’s one you want to snuggle up with while watching TV!
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| Really fun pebbles. They feel so nice when you run your hands over them. |
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| Hard to see, but these are swirly "things." They blend well with the pebbles. You can see a bit of the pieced block at the top. |
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| The Carpenter Block, another old pattern is the main block in "Handyman." |
Unfortunately, I never learned to quilt well – I’m a piecer and appliquér. Fortunately, I surround myself with very talented people who do know how to quilt and “get” me! One such quilter is Angela Walters. During show and tell at my very first KC Modern Guild meeting, people kept saying Angela quilted their quilt. Well, based on the brilliant quilting I was seeing I knew that this “Angela” was someone I needed to meet! I found her at break and begged her to quilt some of my quilts for Quilt Retro! Happily she said yes, and I know the book is all the better for it with her talent running through it.
Head over to Angela’s blog to see “Handyman” and look for a chance to win two potholders from the book!
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| You won't win this exact potholder, but two very similar to this! |
Thanks for coming today! To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links: Pickledish OR Amazon
Monday’s guest: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studio
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Tuesday: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday: TammieSchaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Thursday: Me!
October 10, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 6
Where do all the ideas come from?
Welcome to Day 6 of the Quilt Retro Launch Party! Today I want to talk to you about that allusive subject: inspiration!
I’m often asked about the inspiration for a certain quilt or another. Usually it’s hard to say what sparks an idea. It could be the wall paper in the background of a TV show I’m watching, or the front porch of a house I’m driving by. More often than not, I just can’t say – it seems like sometimes inspiration just drops in my lap. This quilt was kind of like that even though it started with an old quilt pattern called Chinese Gong. Let me back up…
Chinese Gong is a really cool, art deco kind of pattern. I’ve admired it for a long time, but never figured out to do with it. It seemed like the more I played with it the less I could think of a design that was appealing. That’s when I usually have to walk away from a project, but I really, really wanted to make this pattern!
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| Chinese Gong block - very Art Deco! |
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| This is my first try at this quilt. Not inspiring at all to me! (Love the b/w polka dots though!) Back to the drawing board... |
So I did something I don’t usually do, I decided to plow on and see where the process took me. The first decision was to go ahead and prepare the semi-circles for the appliqué (even though I had no plan for what to do after that!). I did know I wanted to make them in shades of gray with black. As I got each shape done, I stacked them in a pile with the largest on the bottom, the medium in the middle and the smallest on the top. There they were, finished and all stacked like this on my ironing board – later, I actually did a double-take as I walked passed all the stacks! They looked so interesting that way. Very retro, too! So, why not stack them instead of placing them side-by-side!? That was the spark that I needed to turn this ho hum quilt into a brilliant one! That one brainwave broke the flood gate of possibilities open.
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| Just a hint of the final version. You can get a glimpse of the difference stacking the semi-circles makes! |
Next I experimented with color – updated harvest gold and avocado green! Perfect! Why not add in orange to balance out all the cool colors with a warm one? Great! How many blocks? And odd number for sure – why not 5? Wonderful! The ideas literally came faster than I could implement them! When all was done, I had this really intriguing quilt that I just couldn’t take my eyes off! It’s by far my favorite quilt in the book! In the end, what I learned from designing this quilt was to not give up on something that I really want to do and keep my eyes open for that spark that can come at any time in any way - even if it's sitting on my ironing board!
Today I want to introduce you to Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios. She is another one of those quilters who probably can’t define inspiration, but her quilts are definitely inspired! She is the author of the new book: Quilting Modern: Techniques and projects for improvisational quilts. I can’t wait to get my copy! I met Jacquie at the KC Modern Quilt Guild and she was so nice and supportive from the second she met me. I couldn’t believe how gracious and generous one person could be! Check out her blog to see the whole Dinner Bell quilt!
Thanks for coming today! To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links: Pickledish OR Amazon
Tomorrow’s guest: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa
Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Friday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
October 11, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 7
Go with the flow – or how I learned to stop worrying and love improv quilting
It’s no secret that I’m a control freak (just ask my husband and kids!). And that of course translates down to my quilting style as well. I love precision piecing and take great pride in making my corners match and points show. About a year ago, I started wondering about all this Improv Quilting I’d been hearing about. And what I learned astonished me! I like it! It's fun cutting loose and working with out a plan for a change.
That's what I did on the back side of the Green Iced Tea quilt. I picked some fabrics that I thought would look good together, but not necessarily "go" together - both prints and solids. Then I cut wedges (long strips that are tapered on one end). I sewed them altogether and sliced that apart. I inserted another wedge and voila! A quilt appeared! I challenged myself to not really think about it too much as I went along. That is when the improv part falls apart for me - when I start thinking! For me it works best when I let loose, go with the flow and trust my eyes to tell me I'm doing it right! It really is a fun exercise if you're a control freak. It's good to learn a new style of quilting to have in your repertoire of skills. You never know when you might need it!
That's what I did on the back side of the Green Iced Tea quilt. I picked some fabrics that I thought would look good together, but not necessarily "go" together - both prints and solids. Then I cut wedges (long strips that are tapered on one end). I sewed them altogether and sliced that apart. I inserted another wedge and voila! A quilt appeared! I challenged myself to not really think about it too much as I went along. That is when the improv part falls apart for me - when I start thinking! For me it works best when I let loose, go with the flow and trust my eyes to tell me I'm doing it right! It really is a fun exercise if you're a control freak. It's good to learn a new style of quilting to have in your repertoire of skills. You never know when you might need it!
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| Detail of the back of Green Iced Tea. It should have a name of its own, it's so nice. Go to Deb's blog to see the whole quilt! |
There are not enough kind words to say everything about today’s guest, Deb Rowden. She was the editor of my first book, Grapefruit Juice and Sugar, and I learned almost everything I know about book publishing from her. I was thrilled when she was able to edit Quilt Retro as well. Her insight and guidance is always spot on! Thanks Deb! She is an author as well and produces one of the most interesting blogs in quilting: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts. She shares her extensive knowledge of quilting history along with her antique quilt collection she’s amassed over the years. And these are not the boring, perfect, show-quality quilts, these are the workhorses and quirky quilts (dare I say improv?!) that make you wonder just what the quiltmaker was thinking! It’s always entertaining there.
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa
Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Thursday 10/6: Me!Friday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
Monday 10/10: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios.
October 12, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 8
Solids! Solids! Solids!
Let me start by saying that I adore solids (in case you haven’t picked up on that by now)! And right now is a good time if you do – manufacturers are coming up with all kinds of interesting colors and even subtle weaves to give a plain solid a little spark. And of course there are all the near solids (those that have a little variation in the color but still look solid overall – like Moda Marbles) that blend in with prints to give your quilt top even more pizzazz.
But finding solids is tricky. Not all brick and mortar shops are carrying them and sometimes their colors are limited. That’s when I turn to online stores. One of those is Kathy Mack’s Pink Chalk Studio. She carries tons of Kona Solids (my favorite!), Free Spirit Designer Solids and Moda Bella among many others. Click here to see her complete selection.
The quilt, Olives, is a perfect representation of how I like to use solids best – with complementary colors. For some reason, I return to a complementary color scheme again and again. In this small quilt, I use red and green twice and my favorite – blue and orange. Any shade goes with any shade of its complement. Try experimenting with complements and see what you can come up with. Or maybe it will lead you to something else!
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| Complementary colors. Can you see them? |
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| I didn't want the olives to be a literal interpretation of a real olive, so I switched the colors - the pimento is green and the olive is red. But why are they in a row??? Some things are unknowable! |
Today’s guest is the wonderful Kathy Mack. I have been part of Pink Chalk Studio’s solids club since the beginning and have loved getting a package of fat quarter solids every month in the mail! Of course she has tons and tons of prints in the most gorgeous colors. The customer service there is top-notch as well. Head over to her blog to enter for a chance to win the book! And look around the store while you're there. I'm sure you'll find something you can't live without!
Thanks for coming today! To order your own copy of Quilt Retro, follow one of these links: Pickledish OR Amazon
If you didn't get a chance yesterday, please go visit Deb Rowden. She has a great opportunity to win two of my egg potholders!
Tomorrow's guest is Shea Henderson of Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio.
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa
Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Thursday 10/6: Me!Friday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
Monday 10/10: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios.
Tuesday 10/11: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts
October 13, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 9
What's all the fuss about applique?
Welcome to Day 9 of the Quilt Retro Launch Party! Today's topic: Applique! It seems like many quilters have a love-hate relationship with applique. They love the look of it, but hate what it takes to get it done! My challenge to you if you are one of those quilters is that if you truly want to learn, there is a method out there to match your style and skill set. For me it was to use the freezer paper method to prepare the shapes and to use invisible thread and a zigzag stitch to sew it down. I didn't invent this method, but I heavily modified many different ideas until I got the method that works for me consistently and perfectly.
In my past books I have briefly outlined my method, but in Quilt Retro, for the first time I give you in-depth, step-by-step instructions including photos. I tried to give you enough detail so you can make the quilts in the book, but yet there's enough wiggle room for you to make your own modifications to suit your skill set and patience level! I hope you give it a go if you don't have a preferred method of applique.
If you already enjoy applique then you are in for a treat with the quilts in the book. Although I love traditional applique, I find it to be too fussy sometimes or too cutesy. You won't find that in Quilt Retro. My applique is graphic, unusual and I hope in some instances, funny! My style leans to the folk art genre, really because folk art doesn't have to be perfect, which suits me best. Perfection is stressful, folk art is relaxing. The quilt I want to talk about is one of the funny ones - but you be the judge of that. Fork & Spoon was the first quilt I made for this book. In fact, I made it before I knew I was even going to write this book. Can you guess the inspiration? Remember those big, wooden forks and spoons that hung in so many kitchens in the 70s? This is my tribute to them. (Fun link from Everybody Loves Raymond click here)
In my past books I have briefly outlined my method, but in Quilt Retro, for the first time I give you in-depth, step-by-step instructions including photos. I tried to give you enough detail so you can make the quilts in the book, but yet there's enough wiggle room for you to make your own modifications to suit your skill set and patience level! I hope you give it a go if you don't have a preferred method of applique.
If you already enjoy applique then you are in for a treat with the quilts in the book. Although I love traditional applique, I find it to be too fussy sometimes or too cutesy. You won't find that in Quilt Retro. My applique is graphic, unusual and I hope in some instances, funny! My style leans to the folk art genre, really because folk art doesn't have to be perfect, which suits me best. Perfection is stressful, folk art is relaxing. The quilt I want to talk about is one of the funny ones - but you be the judge of that. Fork & Spoon was the first quilt I made for this book. In fact, I made it before I knew I was even going to write this book. Can you guess the inspiration? Remember those big, wooden forks and spoons that hung in so many kitchens in the 70s? This is my tribute to them. (Fun link from Everybody Loves Raymond click here)
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| Detail of Fork & Spoon. Since this is a 60s tribute quilt, my quilter, Sheryl Schleicher, quilted it with a pattern reminiscent of the 60s. It's also a great way to use large-scale prints that you don't really know what do with. I threw in stripes, geometrics and dots to offset the large prints. Solids for the forks and spoons are a nice contrast. |
I'd like to introduce you to today's guest (and the last guest of the party), Shea Henderson. You may have seen her patterns under the Empty Bobbin name, but I know her as the most talented president of the KC Modern Quilt Guild! She seems to have an endless supply of ideas that make the meetings not only educational but just plain fun as well! If you're in KC, you are more than welcome to come to a meeting (or two)! So head on over to her blog to take a look at the entire Fork & Spoon quilt!
Tomorrow, meet me back here for the last day of the Party! (And there's one more contest!)
To purchase your own copy of Quilt Retro, go to Pickledish OR Amazon to order.
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa
Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Thursday 10/6: Jenifer Dick at 42 QuiltsFriday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
Monday 10/10: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios.
Tuesday 10/11: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts
Wednesday 10/12: Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio
October 14, 2011
Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 10
Buy my book - please!
So once all the contests are over (some are still open, check out the links below to find out which ones and enter there if you haven't already) and I've cleaned up the place after the party, I hope you like what you saw enough to order your own copy. You can go to Pickledish OR Amazon to order or certainly ask at your favorite brick and mortar store.
But before the party is over, there is one last contest you can enter for one last chance to win an autographed copy of Quilt Retro (and I have a bonus contest too!) Here's what you do: For one chance to win, leave a comment telling me your favorite quilt you saw over the last two weeks. If you are a follower, or join in the next 24 hours, you'll be entered twice (just mention in the comments if you are a follower).
There will be a bonus prize of one of the Fried Egg potholders to someone who enters, but I won't reveal the criteria that it takes to win the prize until after the contest closes Saturday (tomorrow) at 6:15 a.m. CST. (Mean aren't I?) But I will tell you it will help if you are a follower! I'll announce the winners on Saturday! Good luck!
If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:
Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa
Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!
Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie.
Thursday 10/6: Jenifer Dick at 42 QuiltsFriday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
Monday 10/10: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios.
Tuesday 10/11: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts
Wednesday 10/12: Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio
Thursday 10/13: Shea Henderson of Empty Bobbin
