Quilting, Shopping and a Giveaway

Here is Plus - she is just a top right now and is a good size - about 60" x 64". I was pressing some new Amy Butler fabrics one night and the next morning (last Saturday) I woke up wanting to make a giant plus quilt. I had wanted a pattern that would show off the larger prints and pluses fit the bill.

I checked my books and the internet and I could not find a pattern for a large size plus quilt. So I did the math, cut up my precious Amy Butler fabrics, played around with them on my design wall, instagramed and got approval, chose the background and pieced it all together - by early afternoon. This is a one day quilt top.



Instead of my usual solid for my background choice, I picked this Paris map print. I am trying to see how I feel with low volume instead of solids as the negative space.



I hope to make more of these quilts, they are fun and really fast. Let me know if you want me to make a free pattern for it - as I could not find a pattern maybe others want one too.

In other news, the lovely folks at the Fat Quarter Shop offered to sponsor this blog. So I am going to give that a try. I have some worries about the impact of sponsors on blog content but these folks are so nice, they have a great shop and they have steadfastly sponsored the Finish-A-Long every quarter. And they have not asked me to do anything except keep sewing and blogging what I like and mention them if I feel like it, when I feel like it.

In return for the sponsorship, they are giving me gift certificates and they gave me a whole quarter year's worth of gift certificates up front. So I went off to shop and I could not decide what to buy. I thought I would ask you for advice. When I asked the Fat Quarter Shop folks if I could have a gift certificate for one of you too, for the help, they said sure.

So, to win a $25 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop, all you have to do is make a suggestion for my purchase - do go and have a look at what they have available too. I will leave this draw open until midnight PST on Thursday, August 8, 2013 so I can shop on Friday. I will pick one winner randomly from the suggestions, please only one per person.



In the meantime, I am getting settled at my home on the island, I am here all month. The guys have been here all summer, and I found my quilts in a big pile on the sofa, clearly having been used for naps and TV watching.

Best,

Leanne

July and June 2013 - Fresh Sewing Day

The beginning of the month is a busy blogging time, what with Finish-A-Long business and the Four in Art group so I have not done a monthly recap post for a while. But the monthly Fresh Sewing Day posts are nice, I like to read them and have them on my blog to reflect on the year.

So that mosaic is two months, July and June - they were so full of other things besides sewing. Mostly bee blocks, one finished quilt, one top which I have yet to even tell you about but will soon, my retreat sample trivets and Elizabeth's name tag. I am linking up to Fresh Sewing Day where you can check out other lovely projects done last month and meet some new blogging friends.

Last night I arrived at the west coast of Canada, and brought a whole suitcase with just fabric and projects. I sure hope to have the chance to sew a lot here, despite time at the beach and in my garden, stay tuned.

Oh, and thank you to everyone for your kind words about Owl, I will have time later today to reply to you all individually - another habit that I am returning to now that I am less busy.

Best,

Leanne

Owl, a mini quilt (but not a cute one)

Owl is not cute.

She is a little 12" square mini quilt for this quarter's theme - owl - in my Four in Art group. I used a thread and fabric painting technique. I was inspired by the Orbit quilt by Jennifer Sampou in the We Love Color book.



I am very uncomfortable with Owl. She is far more of an art quilt and I don't see myself as an art quilt maker. But here she is.



I was going to toss her out - Owl feels threatening, she has the qualities of a powerful hunter, not a cute little owl. I was not sure that anyone would like her at all. I am still not sure how I feel exactly about this piece.



You can see I am easing you into her. I took her to lunch and Marianne said she liked her. She encouraged me to keep her and show her off. Since I value Marianne's opinion on art a great deal, I did not make a safer replacement. I have only Owl to show you.



I now understand just a little bit about how artists might feel as they share their work, wondering if people will really dislike it. Wondering if you even like it. Wondering if you need a vacation, perhaps.



The theme was hard for me. I had hoped to go through the projects each quarter in this group primarily improv piecing mini quilts that evoke the theme but are more abstract modern quilts, not particularly art quilts. But then I made Owl.



It was the eyes of the pictures of owls I saw when I googled owl images that I wanted to make, the eyes under that hunter's scowling brow. I used Oakshotts and Essex linen and a bunch of thread.

The rest of my  Four in Art group will have quilts to show off today too. You can see them by clicking their names: Elizabeth at OP Quilts, Rachel at The Life of Riley, and Betty on flickr.

In case you are worried, I am off on mostly vacation tomorrow and will soon be at the beach. Probably a very good thing.

Best,

Leanne

To London and Back - Fat Quarterly Retreat 2013

Mostly, the Fat Quarterly Retreat is about the people. I had the best time - these are truly 'my people'. That picture is of Cindy's quilt from the Modern Stitching Bee, and includes some of my bee mates too. From left to right, Susan, Cindy, me, Nicky, Emily and Di.

I've been back almost a week, and still awake and sleeping at the wrong times, but it was so worth it. I got to see so many of my friends and meet many new ones that I only knew via the internet, and happily meet more that I had never met at all before. I did not take a lot of pictures during the retreat, I talked and laughed and learned and just had fun instead.



There was a wonderful bag of loot from fabulous sponsors.



Susan gave me that wonderful pouch with the embroidery on the side. For the sample swap, I received that beautiful mini quilt from Kris, the lovely zig zag pouch and round pincushion from Susan and the wonderful long skinny pincushion with tiny liberty hexagons from Justine. Thank you all, these are beautiful.



I had a great time with Krista, a long time Canadian internet friend who I finally met in person in London. She gave me that cute little Liberty print ring which I am wearing as I write this post. The Liberty print key fob was made by Hadley and the Comma pendant was Kerry's creation. The yarn is from the my Liberty shopping trip with Cindy and Marit, and a scarf was started on the plane ride home. The wallet is from my shopping trip to Cath Kidson with Shevvy and Krista.



There was a market too at the FQR. I bought this excellent hand printed fabric from Leanne Fanny. You can find it in her store here.



Here is the stack of Liberty scraps and strips I bought. Well, there are a few half yards at the bottom. I went to the Liberty store with Krista and again with Cindy and Marit. Krista and I also found a stack of scraps at Shaukat. (I might have also purchased some sample books there too, but those are for another day.)

Lest you think all I did was shop, I should mention that I also went to a real London play, which included heading out early to get the cheap same day tickets, popped into a couple of Museums, walked about Tralgar Square and Camden Gardens, and had several lovely meals with friends.



I took wonderful classes from excellent teachers. I made this improv mini in improv class with Lu and then I started the hand quilting in her hand quilting class. I also took photography with Judith who shared excellent tips, and paper piecing with the very talented Joanna and Julianna. I will share my typewriter as soon as I get it finished.



I came home with excellent books, by Lu Summers and Brioni Greenberg. They even autographed them for me, they are both such lovely women.



I stayed here, at the Radisson. It was so fun to return to the same hotel on the same street, to use the same subway station and get coffee at the same Starbucks and walk around the same neighbourhood. I do love London, and am already saving for next year.



Here are the trivets I made for the sample swap and Elisabeth's name tag (the "e" is from Diane's pattern which is here.)



I put the Octagonal Orb quilt in the hands of the Siblings Together folks. They loved it and told me they would aim to give it to a boy, as the Always Bee Learning women and I had planned. There were many other excellent quilts handed over that day too. You can see some of them here.



And I wore this fantastic name tag the whole time, made by the lovely Sarah - who I did get to meet as she was able to arrange things so that she could come.

So, that is my FQR 2013 recap post - you can read some other posts about the retreat by going here. It is hard to explain how much fun I had hanging out with my people - people who like to make things, especially quilts.

Thank you to the Fat Quarterly Team, the teachers, the sponsors, and especially to the participants. I expect I will be back next year.

Best,

Leanne

Octagonal Orb - Ta Da and on the way to London

There she is, the Octagonal Orb quilt. This quilt is about 60" x 76" or she was before she was washed. Now she is crinkly and soft. This block was designed by Elizabeth Hartman and the tutorial is here. The blocks for this quilt were made by my bee mates from the Always Bee Learning bee and me. It is going to be handed over to Siblings Together at the Fat Quarterly Retreat later this week, right now it is with me at the airport, soon to be in the air.



I am so proud of this quilt. The talented and generous women in Always Bee Learning each pulled out 80 pieces of fabric (that includes the various grey solids) and stitched them together for each single block. Some of them made two blocks. Many of them fussy cut fabrics. We all tried to keep a teenage boy in mind - it is colourful but not girly, and many of these fabrics will appeal especially to boys.



For the back, I pieced lots of Kona Charcoal and some long strips and then I just sliced and inserted them, hoping for the best. I am so happy with how this back turned out.



The quilting is not at all straight lines, two are about 1/2" apart, then one about 1/4" apart. The not straight lines gives it an organic, and urban feel, not sweet, or pretty or fancy. I consider this kind of quilting to be modern industrial.



After a wash and dry, the quilt is soft and cuddly. All this quilting did not make it stiff at all. And it has been washed and dried in warm water and warm dryer, it is clearly sturdy and fine for a teenager.



This quilt used 1000 metres of Aurafil 40 wt. grey thread. I will count the lines when I put on the label, a lot of quilting.



I bound it by machine, using Marianne's excellent tutorial which is here.  And look, I managed to get all four corners the first time round.



These last two photos were taken before she was washed.



So 80 pieces of fabric a block, 920 pieces in total plus the borders and the back. Many fussy cuts too. 1000 metres of quilting thread (half is in the bobbin so really the quilting stretches 500 metres). This quilt is full of love and care, and I hope that it will wrap a teenage boy in caring when he needs it, when he is lonely for his siblings. Quilters are really generous, and have sent lots of love with this quilt.



All packed, we are boarding in 5 minutes. A little sappy for a Tuesday night. Thank you to all my friends in Always Bee Learning, this project is one to be proud of.

Edited: I delivered this quilt into the hands of the Siblings Together representatives and it was a wonderful evening where many many beautiful quilts were donated. I am linking up to 100 Quilts for Kids.

Best,

Leanne