Getting around to updating my class calendar should be on the top of my list, I know, but I always seem to focusing on doing the scheduling and the actual teaching and prep-work. So here I am (at least it’s still January) getting to the Updated Calendar!
So far I’ve input classes for January through April, and locations in Salem, OR; Vancouver, WA; Snohomish, WA; Portland, OR; Fairfield, WA; and Roseburg, OR! Still to come, later in the year, are multiple classes in Sisters, OR; Snohomish, WA; Portland, OR; and more still to be confirmed! Stay tuned, there’s always more exciting dates and classes to come.
Illuminated!Mid-day progress.Lots of paint colors to choose from!Showtime!Skyline Grange, PDXBeautiful Blues
Lots of new classes are on the upcoming schedule! Both Barn Quilt Painting classes and a Color Wheel Footstool class will happen this Spring.
I’m excited to be on the road again, and you know I love a project! So, putting together these classes with the supplies needed, and organizing the classes in a way that everyone can be successful is what I do best.
Just a glimpse of what’s coming up: (See my event page for further details)
Barn Quilt Painting Class! Saturday March 5: Snohomish, WA Quilting Mayhem
2. Color Wheel Footstool Class! Friday March 25 and Tuesday March 29: Salem, OR Mid Valley Quilt Guild
3. Lecture, “Perfect Fit Pieced Borders”. Tuesday March 29: Salem OR Mid Valley Quilt Guild
4. 2 Barn Quilt Painting Classes! Friday April 1 and Saturday April 2: Sisters, OR The Stitchin’ Post
5. Barn Quilt Painting Class! Saturday April 9: Portland, OR The Cotton Cure
My absolutely MOST requested Barn Quilt pattern is the Barn Chicks! With four repeated chicks to choose colors for, you can easily imagine it in your favorite colors, natural chick colors, or something more artsy! They’re ALL my favorite, and in fact I think I need another one every time I see a student’s color choices.
Now you can get it –for a great price — as a DOWNLOADABLE file! So easy and instant, well isn’t instant gratification what we all want? Click over to my shop to see it and many other products. You might want to pair it with a DIY Barn Quilt Kit or a License To Quilt Mug!
The Spirit of Winter makes me thing of many cozy things, like a burning fireplace, a fuzzy robe, flannel pj’s, and yes, a good hot drink as I’m watching a movie, or having family time with a puzzle or a deck of cards. To celebrate those ideas, I’m introducing today for the first time my License To Quilt mugs. Fill it with your favorite hot beverage–maybe you love coffee!? I’m a tea drinker myself, but I can also go for a good hot chocolate, and just about any Christmas drink you could name!
Earned your License To Quilt!?
No doubt you have earned the equivalent of a License To Quilt after all the hours of cutting, sewing, pressing, quilting and binding–not to mention the shopping!!! Now you will have proof, in a 12 oz. mug! Choose your favorite color and fill it up with your favorite drink. Wouldn’t your Mom love one? How about your girlfriends, the retreat organizer or your secret pal? Everyone already knows you have a great sense of humor, and you can add to your whimsical collection of quilting toys with this “Class Q” License To Quilt mug.
Hot Caramel Apple Cider (Adults only)
Start by heating Apple Cider, or use a favorite powdered mix, in your License To Quilt mug. Add a shot of Butterscotch Schnapps. Stir and enjoy! This is a very smooth drink with lots of flavor and a bit of a kick! If you have a sweet tooth, you will love it.
Just a lovely finish!
Used with permission. Quilts & More. 2019 Meredith Corp. All rights reserved.
Fat 8ths and strips.
Using it all!
All that’s left!
Fellow Stash Busters! There’s a story behind every quilt, some are planned and some are spontaneous, and this one definitely falls is the last category. You may remember a fun quilt I did a couple years ago which was published in Quilts and More, (photo used with permission). Well, that fabric collection was from MODA, called “Walk About”. They were very generous and had sent more fabric than was needed. I gave some away as door prizes when I was speaking, etc, but had some opened bundles and strips left from that first quilt.
Something Old is New Again!
I happened to need the box that remaining fabric was stored in, and not wanting to put those precious pieces into a cupboard to be forgotten, I decided to use them in a new project. I was looking for something fast and easy, so not cutting them more than needed allowed me to finish the quilt top in a few hours–less than my normal day sewing. BUT THEN, there was still a bit of fabric left, so, onto piecing the back! That took two days, as I did not have a plan from the beginning except to use ALL the fabric. So, a little sewing and pressing, a little deciding what to so next, and a little making it all fit yielded a fun backing, perfect for a scrappy quilt. I did need to add the blue fat quarters, which also made the binding. You can see how much of the “Walk About” fabric is left; just a tiny pile.
No Pattern Needed
I’m so happy I worked this project in, and used that fabric to make a companion quilt/throw to the original quilt! I haven’t decided where it’s home will be, they seem perfect for camping quilts and that does spark an idea for a recipient! For me, the satisfaction of using up some of my stash is enough, I’m happy for this one to find a new home.
My Color Wheel Footstool design has gotten a lot of attention this year! We are all looking for a fun project to keep our minds and hands creating something pretty and useful. The Color Wheel Footstool is exactly that, and I can ship a pattern and kit right to your door. There is even an instructional tutorial for making the foundation pieced panels, so no question that you can finish this project. When we think of making a quilt of 20-30 or more blocks, we rarely hesitate. Well, the Color Wheel footstool has essentially 8 blocks, easy-peasy!
Occasionally I receive a picture and comments from folks who have completed their footstool. I like to highlight them here and love seeing the color and fabric choices of each one. The Color Wheel Footstools shown here are from all over the country. They each have their own personality, and I am so proud of Becky, Linda and Cindi for their wonderful workmanship and for finding the finish line on this project.
Christmas is coming!
There is still plenty of time to make a Color Wheel Footstool (or a few) as gifts for some special people, and don’t forget YOURSELF! I have seen so many unique fabric collections work for this project, almost anything goes, and that includes pulling it all from your stash, or using a variety of fabric types such as cotton, flannel, corduroy, fleece, silk–as in silk ties, etc. Use your imagination to create your one of a kind family heirloom! Click HERE to get yours!
I love giving quilts to family and friends! There are some occasions that just seem to call for a warm cozy hug from home, and going off to college feels like a perfect moment to let someone know you are thinking of them, hoping for good things to come their way and celebrating the new paths they will take. This quilt is going off to college with a great-niece soon, meaning not yet! She is starting her college career with on line classes, but I have a feeling that won’t slow her down a bit. She is smart and insightful, already in contact with room mates and dorm mates anticipating when they can be on campus.
So, the QUILT!
My co-ed gave me a color scheme of gray and lavender, which I thought was very sophisticated and would make a spectacular quilt. I chose a pattern designed by a dear friend, Lisa Bee Wilson of Towerhouse Quilts, called “Mountain Top Quilt”. It is available at her Etsy shop, and believe me, this is a pattern you will use more than once. It really does lend itself to using any simple color scheme, and lots of stash fabrics. Since we are in a pandemic, I did need to ask my quilting buddies for some lavender fat quarters, and even so, did end up getting more from my favorite shop, Jean Marie’s Fabrics. I was lucky to have just enough of this fabulous Tula Pink backing fabric in a complimentary color way! Seeing these stacks of blocks grow and putting it on the design wall was pure enjoyment for this textile junkie! I loved adding a variety of grays and blacks to the full spectrum lavender fabrics, and I do love the controlled scrappy effect of the layout with darker blocks framing the quilt.
Look closely, and you will see the quilting I chose, called “Topographic”. It is featured in my Get Addicted To Free Motion Quilting book. It’s a design I like as an all-over, on a contemporary or earthy quilt. It is fast and easy, giving the quilt a relaxed drape, perfect for a bed quilt.
Aside from making piles of face masks, I was able to work on some projects over the last months of the pandemic. These are the smaller ones that have been finished. I enjoyed each one! Snuggling in for some stitching and a movie in the evenings was therapy from the news! Notice they are a bit smaller than my usually more ambitious projects! It seemed hard to settle on a big project being so distracted with the news, but I was able to focus on these small pieces even during a pandemic, and feel like some progress was being made. Another, larger project will be featured in a separate post, and two others are in process (one on the design wall and one on the floor)!
And now the forest fires! Oregon is engulfed. So many friends have been evacuated, some have lost their homes, and all of us are experiencing unbelievably poor air quality which will last for weeks. I’ve made my home available to friends in evacuation areas, donated food and toiletries, and today dropped off some quilts. There are many changes to deal with on a daily basis, but I’m feeling grateful that our family is safe and our home is not at risk.
So, let me tell you about the projects shown above! The filming was for a promotional video done with QuiltFolk as they featured my DIY Barn Quilt Kits in August. You may even recognise Michael McCormack, publisher and vidoegrapher, and Bre who handles logistics, media, shipping and photography! We spent a fun morning together.
Project #1 was a Row by Row quilt designed by my friend Tracy Hickey and available at Piece By Piece as a pattern or kit.
Project #2 is a fun embroidery project by another friend Laura Wasilowski, of the Chicago School of Fusing! Great all-around person, awesome sense of humor and just plain fun and talented! This was a free pattern she offered early on in the pandemic.
Projects #3 & 4 are little Sue Spargo wool/embroidery kits I ordered on line from The Stitchin Post. I think I will frame them. The colors suit my sensibility and I will find the perfect spot to show them off.
Project #5 is a covered/wrapped clothes line table mat. I’ve made a few of these and just love the scrappy way the colors work together. The print of each fabric ends up being hidden, but the color comes through. You might notice that I’ve started leaving the tail ends of the rope exposed, and frayed! It gives it a fun whimsical look that I enjoyed, so I will definitely do that again.
I’m so excited to tell you about the new DIY Barn Quilt Kit I have available on my site now! It is special because it is prepared for an exterior application, perfectly water-proof and weather-resistant, it will last for years! Best of all, you get to choose your favorite block, and have the fun of making it yourself! They are available in onsies, and twosies–that’s as a single, or as a pair.
Included in each kit is a pre-primed 24″ x 24 board, a sample foam brush and a set of 4 stainless steel mounting screws, as well as the downloadable instruction booklet, sample patterns and access to a video tutorial coming soon! Doesn’t that sound fun? Who wouldn’t want to dive into this fun project? Go to mySHOP page to see these two great offers!
