Sew On

This is true.

2011-05-05T07:25:00.001-07:00

'Nuff said.

via my friends Paula and Andy

24 hours later

2011-04-16T17:40:00.001-07:00

Last night Sew On Studio hosted the Quilts for Quake survivors bee.
So much fun.
So many awesome quilters.
So many completed quilts.
So many treats to eat.
So many new friends.

These quilts are all done!

These just need binding!

This is Irene, who came to the QfQ event with these beautiful blocks.
Irene, who is 85 years young used to live in Japan.

Today, I swept the studio floor, reorganized a bit and and marveled at
all the quilty goodness! Then I sat down and created this block for the
upcoming PMQG swap.

All in 24 hours.

How do you get Denyse Schmidt fabric for 50% off?

2011-04-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

By now most of Quiltdom knows that Denyse Schmidt's collection Fabric Traditions can be found at Joanns Fabrics. The fabric retails for about $10 per yard. Also at Joann's, you will find this booklet selling for $2.99.

On the back cover are 8 coupons that can be used on regular priced fabric. Four are for 50% off a cut and the others are for 40% off. My 8 yards of fabric came to $44.00 instead of $80.00. Total score!

In other news my birthday quilt is done.....I did have a challenge with it though....originally I had a wide red voile border on the lap size quilt. Unfortunately, the voile got stretched during the quilting process as I did not stabilize it. After quilting, it was too wavy...what to do, what to do?

I cut off the border and now have a sweet baby quilt! Here's a picture of the back. I am totally loving the voile. (note to self- stabilize the borders)

Dangling Threads

2011-03-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

The truth is with most new endeavors, there is a steep learning curve. So much to learn, so little time! To speed up the process, I am attending the week long Machine Quilters Showcase in Overland Park, Kansas this May. I will probably be the least experienced quilter in attendance! This conference will provide me with important information and actual practice on long arm machines with accomplished teachers. Quilting tools and techniques, background fills, feathers, and line designs are all on the agenda. In preparation for this amazing opportunity, I decided to have business cards made. I figure, I am in the "business of learning"...hence the cards. I left a lot of room on the card so I can sew on each and every one! Check it out!

In other Sew On studio news, I pieced and finished 2 quilts.

A sweet baby quilt complete with swirly quilting and a yellow and gray nap size log cabin.

My friend and long arm guru, Rachel says to think about what your personal doodle is and incorporate that design into your free motion quilting. I must doodle a lot of
ocean waves and swirls because that's what comes out onto the quilt top. I have filled many journals and the back of every used envelope in the house with possible quilting designs.

There is not a paper surface insight without pencil quilting on it!

Swirls and ocean wave quilting.

Currently on the long arm, I have a multicolor courthouse steps pattern featuring Lush paint dots....I am determined to try something besides swirls. I hope to share it at the next Portland Modern Quilt Guild meeting.

My friend Kaci, made these three quilts out of solids using the amazing improv skills learned at her annual workshops with Nancy Crow at the big barn. Aren't they simply marvelous? They are hanging above the fabric storage area at the studio.

Upcoming events include:

Pics of Mendocino yardage being cut up into somewhat random strips.....gasp!

Dates of the Quilts for Japan sewing events at Sew On in April.....

Vintage sheet and vintage feed sack love.....

Stay tuned!

Whatcha'makin?

2011-02-14T17:37:00.001-08:00

I spent today sewing with some silky, cotton voiles from Anna Marie Horner. I cut the fabrics into 5 inch strips and then recut into charm squares. I also cut charms of Essex linen blend.

The two fabrics were layered and then cut in wonky fashion to make each block. Part voile, part linen.

The resulting blocks were trimmed to 4 1/2 inches.

The blocks created this quilt.....ready for final sewing and borders.

I am calling it "Spiraling Into Control"

Location:Sew On Studio

It's All I have to Bring Today

2011-02-10T06:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Sew On Studio
and one of my very favorite poets.

It's all I have to bring today --
This, and my heart beside --
This, and my heart, and all the fields --
And all the meadows wide --
Be sure you count -- should I forget
Some one the sum could tell --
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.

Emily Dickinson

I hope you have a LOVELY DAY of fabric, thread, sewing and quilting.

Location:Sew On Studio Portland OR

Warm Cookies and Milk

2011-01-22T15:48:00.001-08:00

There are few things better than warm cookies and milk. Very few.

You are invited! Please come!

Sew On Studio Warming and Open House

Saturday, January 29
2 to 4 PM
6635 North Baltimore
Suite 263
Portland, Oregon 97203

Parking is free in the covered garage or in the lot on the street. The 2 story building is a bit of orangey goodness redone in 1960's architecture. It is located under the St. John's Bridge at the edge of Cathedral Park, and right across the street from the Moonstruck Chocolate factory building.

Please come to try out the Handiquilter Fusion long arm machine, visit with your quilter friends, see the transformation of a former ugly office space into a creative studio space. Husbands, partners and kids welcome.

And warm cookies and milk will be served! I hope you will come....it won't be a party without you.

Please call me 503 720 1753 or leave a message at the end of this blog post if you want more information.

The 2011 Paying It Forward Challenge and I Can't Believe It's the Same Space

2011-01-15T19:27:00.001-08:00

I'm in!

I first saw this challenge on Facebook.It was posted by Jen Carlton-Bailly

"Pay it Forward in 2011: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must in turn post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status." The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011."

What a great idea! And what a fun sewing project for my new studio space. So in betwixt organizing fabric, learning about long arm quilting, and assembling the last of the IKEA furniture, I will sew for the first 5 people who are also willing to pay it forward. Just leave a comment at the end of this post. And then.....when you least expect it, something handmade will arrive in your mailbox! But the absolute best part is that you get the opportunity to PAY IT FORWARD too!
Here are a few more pics of the sew on studio.....we are hoping to have everything done by next week.

Here's the soon to be cozy seating area. The far end of the space will be used for the long arm machine which should be delivered next week. Hmmmm, looks like some patchwork pillows are needed!

A place for coats.

And messages and notes.

Storage

Design walls.

Display.

And of course sewing. Lots of sewing.

The next 5 pictures belong in the believe it or not category. This is how the studio space looked the first day we saw it. Complete with portable cubicle dividers, baby blue paint, computer parts and metal shelving. Looking back now, I can't believe all the changes!

Change is good. The only thing that would make it any better....is a comment or visit from you!

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday, Happy Valentine's Day Happy Mother's Day, Happy Halloween and all the other Happy Days in the Whole Wide World

2011-01-06T17:12:00.001-08:00

Whew!
What a title......but it is a well deserved one as we just signed the lease on a big, bright and new studio space and within a week or so the Handiquilter truck will be stopping by with something special for me! Yes people, you heard me right! Lookee, lookee......right here.....

Fantastic, is it not? So I have a big learning curve ahead! Exciting beyond belief! I have 6 quilt tops ready, at least 6 more almost ready, and 6 million in my head waiting for the long arm machine adventure!

The new studio space is in the former Columbia Woolen Mills under the St. John's Bridge. A few years ago, this whole mega structure was converted to artist and small business rental spaces. There are many different unit sizes available....clean, bright, safe, utilities included, free parking, cafe and "soon to open" brew pub onsite. Another plus factor is that it is within walking distance of our house. The new space is about 1000 square feet of delicious emptiness right now but it will soon be filled with thread, fabric, comfy chairs, music, stocked mini frig, cutting table, design walls, sewing machine and of course my new
Handiquilter Fusion long arm quilting machine.

I am so jazzed!
I am so excited!
And.....
I want to invite all my friends and the Portland Modern Quilt Guild members to come by for a visit! Bring your latest quilt in process and sew on my spare sewing machine which will be waiting just for you. Really!

Here's to a Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!

Time to get your sew on!

Wonky Argyle

2011-01-01T14:59:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you want to machine quilt a complicated, preplanned, precise, technically challenging, ever so accurate, intricate pattern.

This is not that time.

Welcome to the world of wonky argyle quilting!
Grab 3 or 4 colors of thread that contrast or match with your pieced fabric top. Leave you feed dogs up. Yes, up! Thread your machine with your featured color and go!

Place your quilt sandwich under the presser foot, insert the needle near the corner of your fabric. You will be sewing a gently wavy line diagonally across your top. If you have a dial on your machine to lessen the foot pressure, use it now. This will make it easier for you to "drive" your fabric from corner to corner.

Pretend you are driving an expensive sports car on a wavy, winding road. The fabric is your steering wheel. The foot pedal is your accelerator.

When you get to the opposite corner, move the needle over about 2 inches and "drive back on a wavy road that is somewhat parallel to your first road. Do not aim for precise parallel perfection.

Continue driving...err....I mean quilting until your top is covered with wavy lines of stitching. Now, go from the other corner with the same pattern to make a cross hatched, wonky, wavy line diagonal grid.

Change thread colors and echo stitch about 1/4 inch from the original wavy lines. generally I use one color from the left top corner to the bottom right corner and a second color going the other direction. These added lines and colors are what make wonky argyle quilting look so much more difficult than it is. Use your presser foot to help you sew this new stitching line so that it is parallel to the original line.

You are done! And doesn't it look great? Colorful, sturdy, artful.

Welcome 2011

2010-12-31T21:35:00.001-08:00

My Happy New Year exploding fireworks quilt....a Karen K. stone pattern.

Each of the 4 blocks is composed of identical quadrants. Each of the 16 quadrants has the same general color scheme. And a lot of those spiky points...all made easy and exact by paper piecing.

Here's the same pattern but done with different color placement.

Hope you have a happy new year filled with lots of fun, fabric, and finished quilts!

simple mathematics

2010-12-30T09:24:00.001-08:00

The whole really is equal to more than the sum of it's parts.

One bunch of green fabrics from my stash, mostly Lizzy House Castle Peeps and Deynse Schmidt Hope Valley.

Plus
A few hours of sewing

Plus
the fantastic New Wave Quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Plus
the New Wave template from Jill's Tabslot Etsy store

Plus
great machine quilting by Christina, the Sometimes Crafter

Equals one Christmas quilt and

One happy, happy kid !

What to do, what to do....

2010-12-29T13:00:00.001-08:00

What to do, what to do.......

It's a long drive from my sister's house in eastern Washington to my house in Portland, Oregon.
I am easily bored.

What to do, what to do.......

I decided to make a colored pencil quilt.

This cover of American Patchwork and Quilting was my inspiration. The quilt is by one of my favorite designers, Sandy Klop of American Jane fame.

I only had the on line picture of the cover, but I figured out the pattern, and came up with this drawing.

It's a beautiful, graphic yet charming quilt and could be made with cut up jelly roll strips. But after counting all those 2 1/2 inch rows and corresponding corner intersections that would need to be matched, I decided to try a different approach.

What to do, what to do......

Think of the quilt as a 2 block quilt composed of one 6 and 1/2 inch square sewn to a nine patch block that would also measure 6 and 1/2 inches. Here's the drawing for this new construction method.

Block one is simply a 6 1/2 inch square.
Block two is a nine patch made of 2 1/2 inch squares. Color placement is crucial here.
The overall effect will be the same, I think, as the marvelous cover on the Feb issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.

What to do, what to do.....

Guess I will clear off the table in my studio and try this out as soon as I get home.
Only 85 miles to go.

Late night shopping

2010-12-27T21:58:00.001-08:00

Something happens late at night.
The keys on my computer morph into something mysterious and all knowing.
New buttons are added to the keyboard.
One of these is the BUY IT NOW button.
This button is located where the delete key used to be.
And it definitely has a mind of it's own.
It is curious.
This new key has unusual and delayed side effects.
In a week, a package arrives on my doorstep.
I have absolutely no idea how it got here. None.
A case in point. This arrived today.

These are Alexander Henry fabrics from the Larkspur collection.
Fresh and springy birds, dots, wiggly stripes.

Later tonight I hope to locate the keyboard button entitled KONA SOLID COLORS.
In a week, I will have all the fabrics for a new quilt.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Quilt Love

2010-12-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Subway Map

I love the design created by Elizabeth Hartman.
I love the inspiration is a real map.
I love the whimsy, the blocks of color.
I love each and every fussy cut 2 inch square.
I love the swirly quilting done by Nancy Stovall.
I love that is is all done.
I love that it is in the mail to some very special people.

I am a blog virgin

2010-12-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

I am from the colored pencil generation.
Not the electronic computer graphic generation.
But I am willing to give this blog thing a try.
Even tho it hurts to type while clutching a bunch of Prismacolors.

Welcome, welcome to a few of my ramblings, rantings, and ravings.
Mostly quilt related.
Mostly true.
Mostly inspired by my free annual trip around the sun.

And sew on and sew on....