More or Less Quilt

Way back, a long, long time ago, when the world was normal and all...I taught classes in person at UNM Continuing Education.  One of my favorite courses to teach, save free-motion, was Quick Quilts. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it scheduled again. In the mean time, I've quilted up this pastel sweetie on my new-to-me Innova. That was before I started snowballing into a mess of "newbie" foolishness. (Really, really, don't put the needle in backwards. And don't try to bend the thread guides, which it turns out are made of plastic. SNAP! And if you take off the tension knob, don't drop it into your bottomless bin of UFOs. And if you don't have an anti-backlash spring in the bobbin, that's an issue. And if your needle is going into the side of the hole instead of the middle, your head isn't on straight. Whether you consider the head to mean yours or your machine's---in my case, both apply.) Thankfully, I have a dealer close by, and a 24-7 technical help phone number. But isn't she a beauty?

I did a radiating floral meander as an overall design using Aurifil. I love the textured softness it creates.

I titled this one More or Less, since it uses Plus and Minus blocks. It's composed from strip sets, so it comes together quickly. You can pick up the More or Less Quilt Pattern here.

I picked up the fabrics at an Albuquerque Modern Quilt Guild destash sale. (The annual fundraiser garage sale that you swear you're going to utilize to free up sewing room space, and then you accumulate MORE stuff instead. Or is that just me?)

I planned to bind this one by machine. That was the case until I stitched the binding to the front first, rather than the back. Since  I didn't want a line of stitching next to the binding on the front of the quilt, I ended up hand stitching it onto the front. Do you guys stitch from this direction? Most tutorials I see show the reverse orientation, but having the binding nearest to me and the bulk of the quilt extending away feels more natural to me.

I used original, large-scale Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets in Peach for the binding and backing. There are some advantages to aging. For one, my fabrics have become collector's items. 😉

Project Linus: April 2021

I'm fully vaccinated now, and beyond grateful to be out among people again. The local chapter of Project Linus meets up monthly on a Saturday, outside a multigenerational center that is not yet allowing entry, to share their makes and pass along materials. While I'd been going to a small sewing group for Project Linus, I hadn't been to one of these meet-ups yet. Before the pandemic, Saturdays were overstocked with soccer games. Currently, I have no such scheduling conflicts. I knew I found my people when I rolled up and saw an accumulation of ladies schlepping large-scale bags, and trucks with the hatch down and rolls of batting on the tailgate. Anyhow, if you are not yet able to share in socializing and sunshine, I though you might enjoy the creativity of these altruistic women.

Virtual Quilt Market 2021

This year, Quilt Market has gone virtual, and I thought I'd catch you up on some highlights to tide you over on industry events until Market in Houston, TX in October. Affiliate links are present in case you want to snatch something up.

Premiere Schoolhouse was "Celebrating 100 Years: The Textile Industry and Andover Fabrics". Andover has a vast array of upcoming lines by some of my favorite designers. You can check out the lookbook online. Giucy Giuce has a trio of collections.  Deco, available in July, features 20's-inspired designs pigment printed on Century Solids. Pietra is a versatile blender collection. If you've been slathering every household surface with marble Cont-Tac paper, your heart's desire has arrived. Nonna, a tribute to his grandma and reminiscent of favorite items from her NY home, coordinates with Pietra. Alison Glass is releasing a new Sun Print collection, Luminance, with low volume rainbow colors printed on white, rainbow blenders, and coordinating Century Solids.

C&T Publishing gave a teaser about Heather Black's upcoming book, Design Make Quilt Modern, which you can pick up on the C&T website or Amazon.

Clover has come out with a magnetic pin sharpener that is as adorable as they come. What a fun way to stop storing needles in the arm of the couch! The Sweet 'n Sharp Macaron comes in raspberry and pistachio. Pair with a coordinating tape measure.

 

Robert Kaufman has glitzed out 27 shades of Kona Cottons with added metallic shimmer in the Kona Sheen collection. 

Michael Miller is adding 27 new Cotton Couture colors.

Barbara Brackman is the coolest quilt historian that ever was. Electric Quilt has produced a stand alone software program, Block Base +, containing the collection of blocks gathered in the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

Sassafras Lane Designs can be counted on to develop a modern BOM. This year, Graphic Jam, was unveiled.

The major trends I see this season are adorable notions, virtual instruction and shows, white pigment ink prints, and solids with a twist.