Third Finish of 2013

With the deadline of the Tri-Cities Quilt Show looming…Rosie’s BOMb, my version of Sewn by Leila’s Quilt-a-long--We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler, is done!

Thanks to my sister who came into town and on two separate days was willing to do the driving for me so that I could be sewing on that binding while we were going to various destinations. It made all the difference.

Lots of nice comments were heard while loitering around it and from other friends who were there at different times as well. Always good to hear when you’ve put in that much work.

Don’t forget you can click on the Spoonflower link, on the top of the right side bar, to purchase the poster printed on fabric.

If interested in using this as a skill builder in your (or your local) shop and you’d like patterns to hand out, I have written instructions for these very traditional blocks and ideas for the improvisational blocks, along with 4 bonus blocks to give a few extra choices. i.e. an airplane instead of a butterfly in the lower right. Wdyt? ;-) Contact me for details. First 9 are available as of mid-March. Three to four additional patterns are being written each month.

 

 

Software Review & Giveaway - Karen K. Stone's More Quilts EQ add-on

So excited to be participating in Quilting Gallery's Beat the Winter Blues - Quilters' Blog Hop Party and Giveaway!

 

The Electric Quilt Company is sponsoring this giveaway. I had the opportunity to sit in on a class from Karen K. Stone back in 2009 at Jinny Beyer's last Hilton Head Seminar. What a fantastic week I had with my mom, just two weeks before my wedding. Karen's class talked specifically about bringing random fabrics together and creating a color palette that is pleasing, specifically in the context of scrappy quilts like Karen loves to make.

Let me tell you about the product, Karen K. Stone's "More Quilts". This is a follow-up to her Karen K. Stone Quilts CD and Book produced several years ago.  Karen is probably best known for her New York Beauty and related designs.

Included on the CD are her original instructions for piecing as well. Being able to have the projects already drawn in EQ7, means you can size them the way you'd like with very little effort. Each project has a colored version and a gray scale version. This makes it very easy to swap fabrics and create your own version within the colored version since it already has the scrappy effect, or if you want to just maintain the light/medium/dark values within the design and replace them with a single color and then let the piecing process generate the true result based on your own scrappy fabrics compiled for the project. By knowing the value quantities needed you can then assemble sufficient fabrics to create the project.

 

A huge bonus, is the fabrics that are also included in this software CD.  These are organized by color palettes (Warm, Cool, Tints and Neutrals, and Abstract) and then 17 colors within the first two palettes, 21 in the Tints and Neutrals and 12 pattern styles within the Abstract palette.

A fantastic collection to use in any project you are working on!

If you'd like a chance to win Karen K. Stone's More Quilt's software CD...an add-on to EQ7, then please be sure you're a 'follower' of my blog and comment below (with an ability to write you back) if you've ever made a New York Beauty styled quilt. If you haven't, does this inspire you to try? Comments received by the end of  March 14 Pacific Standard Time will be considered by a random # generator, the selected comment's owner will be contacted for address information and the Software will be sent upon receipt of mailing address.

 

My 'EQ Tutorials' page here on my blog and my entries in the EQ Artists and EQ's Lessons from Guru's pages have other ideas on how to use EQ to design you quilts. Happy Sewing!

 

If you'd like to head to the Blog Hop....here you go!

Edited March 19, 2013: This giveaway is now closed. Although some comments didn't indicate whether or not they had made a New York Beauty.....the eligible number drawn has been contacted.

March 25, 2013: Congratulations "Heather B."!

March Goals

The big goal for March is to get my Skill Builder Sampler blocked and bound! All while working through our move and getting it ready for a local quilt show near the end of the month.

Here is what it looks like currently in the new studio! Yes...the studio is almost ready. Inside painting got finished tonight. We decided to delay a Grand Opening celebration ....likely until sometime in May. Stay tuned for details. I can't paint the outside until the weather is above 48 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours. So....based on historical average minimum temperatures ...the painting will likely be in late April.

Most of the 'stuff' will get loaded in on 3/8/13.


Block patterns continue to be written for Rosie's BOMb....a block of the month (or 3 a month, creating up to 36 blocks and there 4 bonus blocks incorporated, so you even have choices within the skills you are learning) program featuring the Rosie panel now available at spoonflower.com. If you'd like to purchase it locally or participate in Rosie's BOMb...stop by Highland Quilts in Athena, Oregon or my new studio in Grand Coulee, WA (Midway Hwy and Main Street ....across Main St from the TeePee).

Design Wall Monday

Making progress on my QR code ....all solid color squares that can fit on the insulation board have been placed. Now making the two-tone squares. I'll then test to be sure it is reading properly...add the white squares and press it down. Then get the few columns that are not fitting on the board yet.

 

Bamboo flooring is complete in the new studio. Looks fabulous! Prepped for final coat of painting this morning. Looking forward to posting some exciting photos this week.

Design Wall / BOM's Away Monday

Nice to have something off the quilting table! This was a long-term project last year that is almost finished. The quilting...yes, it is done!

The poster printed on fabric is available from spoonflower.com

I'm also progressing on this 'puzzle'! That is what it feels like when placing these squares. Have you made a QR code quilt?

 

The underlayment is now finished in the new studio and we're progressing on the BAMBOO FLOORING!! So excited...it is looking fantastic.

 

 Enjoy the other Design Walls and BOM's Away Monday progress reports!

WIP

If you saw my Monday Design Wall...then you're back to see what happened!  Thank you to all who gave constructive feedback. I took it all under advisement and did more research as well. Are you familiar with Virginia Greaves work? She has done quite a few portrait type quilts and so I studied them this week and even reached out to her and she was kind enough to provide me with suggestions and advice.



wdyt?

I haven't taken it off the quilting table as of this morning. I was given the suggestion to quilt the shirt a bit more just to keep the density a bit more consistent. So might figure that out later today.























Here is the entire top without any quilting, but wanted you to see it in context. Everything else has been quilted, I am now just trying to finish up the centerpiece. Detailed photos of the block quilting were previously posted.

The poster is available on fabric at spoonflower.com. I've put together a repeating yard that has various sizes of the poster within the single yard. Put any number or type of blocks together with it and you've got a great wall hanging to inspire you or a full quilt. I think instead of a butterfly in the lower right, an 'airplane' block would be fantastic!

I'll be working on putting a starter kit together which would include the poster and a few critical skill building blocks with finishing instructions for several options. Let me know if you'd like to hear about it when it is ready.

Studio update--insulation going in between the new 'level' floor joists!

Design Wall Monday

Here I am again...still stumped with how to finish Rosie..... Here are some of my trials, I welcome all input!

My concerns...

1. the arm doesn't have enough quilting, but how to quilt it and keep it looking nice.

2. the face might be 'ok' but probably should get a bit more (her right cheek is slightly bigger than my fist...so thinking it needs a bit more some how to stabilize it)

Long lines                                                               Lines coming from the sides, but not in the shadow.

Lines coming from the sides in the shadow too.                                   Lines only from the outsides.

 Removed the contour lines in the lower arm

In the face, I'm afraid that stitching it down too much will make her look 'old'....but don't want to create weird shaping either.
This one stitches down around the eyes and a few contour lines between the nose and mouth.
The second one (right) adds more in teh shadowing around her chin.....makes it seem like she has a gotee or something.

 This tries to stitch even more on the shadows, would probably need to do the forehead too and her cheek looks weird with the spiral. And I'm feeling like the bottom is a 'beard'.

 

HELP!!!!!