Sisterhood of Scraps

What a wonderful title for a quilting book.  As a community of quilters, we teach, learn from, share with, inspire, and encourage each other.  The quilting community is truly a sisterhood.  Lissa Alexander’s newest book, Sisterhood of Scraps (published by Martingale) conveys that message clearly.  Lissa reached out to a few quilters who each contributed a quilt based on an agreed shape, quilt block, or concept, with no other rules.  Lissa also made “sister” quilts.  The result is a fabulous variety of scrap quilts in all styles for all skill levels.  It's so interesting to see what two different quilters create with the same idea.  There’s even a Sisterhood of Scraps membership certificate in the back of the book for you to frame and hang in your sewing space.  It's an honor to have my project included in this book along with women whose work I admire so much -- Lissa, Laurie Simpson, Sandy Klop, Sheryl Johnson, Barbara Brackman, and Susan Ache (Instagram).  

Lissa and I agreed to use the LeMoyne Star block as a jumping off point for our quilts.  For my quilt, I dissected the LeMoyne Star block into quadrants and rearranged them.  I also split the background squares diagonally so that there are no set-in seams, making it super easy to construct.  You’re welcome.  :-)  Here's my quilt, "Divergence." 

I don't even know how to describe Lissa’s sister quilt, "Christmas All Year," except that it's brilliant!  She pieced the stars (also without set-in seams), then arranged the units in an octagonal layout in multiple rounds.  She set the center on point and pieced the low-volume background.  Isn't it the perfect Christmas quilt?  I'm itching to make this one with a blue background for a Fourth of July quilt.  This would make a beautiful "fireworks" quilt, don't you think?

A while back, I lost interest in quilting.  When Lissa approached me about her idea for this book, I was so excited about the concept, and had so much fun working on my project.  After I turned in the project directions and the sample quilt, I lost interest again, and have only worked on small projects in little bits of time.  When I received an advance copy of Sisterhood of Scraps, it almost magically sparked my enthusiasm for quilting again.  It's all I can think about these days.  There are at least five or six quilts in this book that I want to start working on yesterday.  It was hard to choose which project to make first, but I already had tons of strips from an abandoned project, so I started with Sandy Klop's "Forever Friends" quilt.  Yes, this one.  

To say I’m obsessed with this project is an understatement.  All day, I look forward to rushing home to cut scraps and add new blocks.  Here’s my progress so far. 

Strip-piecing makes this pattern less challenging, and keeping the pieced units organized helps as well.   

Here's another favorite that's been bouncing around in my head for a while -- "Pot o' Gold."  Isn't it fun?!  I love the polka dots scattered across the quilt.  

  
If you want to know more about the book and the stories behind the quilts, make sure you check Lissa's blog and Instagram account for more details.   And if you'd like to win your own copy of Sisterhood of Scraps, just leave a comment here and tell me who (or what) inspired you to begin quilting.  I'll draw a winner randomly and announce the winner on Monday, January 20.  See you then!  Update: Giveaway now closed.

Kim 

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Five

Welcome!  Today is the final day of the Scrap-Basket Bounty blog celebration.  I'm so grateful to all of you who have visited and left very encouraging comments.  For those of you who are just now finding your way over, I've been sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book published by Martingale and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  In case you missed Days 1, 2, 3, and 4, click the hyperlinks to visit those posts.  And you still have time to visit Martingale's blog, Stitch This!, where I was the guest writer, for another opportunity to win a copy.

Scrap-Basket Bounty has patterns for 16 single-block quilts with additional layout options -- a total of 48 different quilt designs!  That's a lot, right?  If you you're wondering if these designs just popped into my head, the answer is no.  That happens occasionally, but not very often.  I almost always begin a design on my computer using software from Electric Quilt Company.  (I recently upgraded to EQ8, which was a pretty major update that made the software even more user-friendly.)

The first thing I do is draw a block in the Block Worktable.  (I won't go into a lot of detail about these steps -- within the software, you can download a quick-start guide, reference manual, and printable lessons.  There are also video lessons and online support articles.)  I color the block gray and white so I can see the design clearly.  

Next, I choose a layout (usually either horizontal blocks or on point blocks). In the Quilt Worktable, I fill the quilt with blocks.  

Then comes the fun part!  To rotate a single block a quarter turn, within the Design/Block Tools tab, just select the Rotate button and click on the block you want to rotate.  I've rotated the block on the top left by the red arrow.  You can continue clicking the block to rotate a quarter turn until the block is in the position you like.  

My favorite feature of EQ8 is the Symmetry tool.  When you select the Symmetry tool and click on any block, all of the blocks rotate and flip to create a totally different design.  The Symmetry tool is capable of producing up to 16 variations of the quilt design! Here's a variation that appeared with only a click of the mouse.  How cool is that?

Once I choose a final design, I use the Fabric Tools to "color" the quilt with fabric swatches downloaded from Electric Quilt Company or from websites of fabric manufacturers.  This gives me a good idea of what my quilt will look like when it's sewn together with the fabrics I've chosen.  

You can also make all of your quilt blocks first and rotate them directly on your design wall if you don't have quilt design software -- it just takes a little longer to produce a variety of options before choosing a final layout.  I hope this has encouraged you to play with additional arrangements for your blocks, no matter what you're working on.  You might find that your own layout looks better to you than the pattern you're using.     

STARBURST
Photography by Brent Kane

I've shown you only a fraction of what you can do with EQ8.  If you're interested in creating your own designs using EQ8, you can see a brief video demonstration of EQ8's capabilities here.  

STAR PETALS
Photography by Brent Kane

Star Petals was made by Cena Harmon.  She chose a design that radiates from the center and is very striking.  Doesn't this make you want to see what happens when you arrange the blocks you're working on right now in this setting?      

I hope you've enjoyed seeing lots of quilts from Scrap-Basket Bounty.  Martingale has generously offered to send a print copy of the book to the winner of a random drawing.  Electric Quilt Company will also send you their spectacular quilt design software, Electric Quilt 8! If you'd like to win the book and software, simply leave a comment and tell me if you like to experiment with different quilt layouts, or if you're a go-by-the-pattern kind of quilter.  The giveaway will close on Tuesday, October 2, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week.  (And don't forgot to visit Martingale's blog for another opportunity to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty!) 

Thanks so much for visiting!

Kim  

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting. 

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Four

Welcome back!  It's Day 4 of the Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration!  Thank you to all who visited earlier.  If you missed Days 1, 2, and 3, just click on the hyperlinks to visit those posts.  I'm sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  Scrap-Basket Bounty has patterns for 16 single-block quilts with additional layout options -- a total of 48 different quilt designs!

Yesterday, I was the guest writer over at Stitch This!, Martingale's blog.  I encourage you to visit there to see more details about Scrap-Basket Bounty.  They're also hosting a give-away -- just answer the hysterically funny question, and you could win a copy of the book.  

The quilts I'm sharing today are a few that have a number of pieces.  Unless you have super-powers, you won't be able to make these in a weekend.  But they're not quite as time-consuming as they look.  If you cut your scraps into strips following the measurements in the cutting list, then crosscut the individual pieces, the cutting will go faster and you can chain-piece mindlessly while you're listening to an audio book or half paying attention to Netflix.  

FOUR PATCH SPEEDWAY
Photography by Brent Kane

Four Patch Speedway is made with a single block, but rotating the blocks in various directions will allow you to create more designs than you would imagine.  It was difficult to choose two optional layouts for the book because there are so many possibilities.  

SNIPPETS
Photography by Brent Kane

Snippets is a Log Cabin variation that can be arranged in a multitude of settings as well.  I originally designed this block a few years ago and had started piecing it from a fabric collection named "Snippets" by American Jane for Moda Fabrics. I always called it the Snippets quilt.  When the time came to name this one, I couldn't get that name out of my head long enough to think of anything else.  So here we are.  :-) 

HONEYSUCKLE
Photography by Brent Kane

Although there are a number of pieces in Honeysuckle, each block has only three fabrics, and chain-piecing will also make this one go together a little quicker.

In each of the blog posts this week, I'm sharing about some of the "tools" I love to use when I make my own quilts.  One of my favorite tools is Aurifil 50-weight 100 percent cotton thread.  It's a really nice, high-quality thread that works beautifully for piecing as well as machine quilting.  The thread is strong, but it's thin, so it makes piecing more accurate, especially when sewing together lots of small pieces.  And since it's thinner than a lot of other threads, my bobbins don't run out as quickly.  

As much as I love piecing with Aurifil 50-weight thread, quilting with it is even better.  Because most of my quilts are really scrappy with a lot going on, I don't like to quilt with a heavy thread.  I like the quilting to blend into all the fabrics so that you notice the texture, and not the quilting lines.  And if there's any backtracking or close quilting, Aurifil 50-weight thread still blends into the quilt and doesn't create thread build-up.  I love using it in the top and the bobbin.  Since you won't be able to see the stitching on these quilts really well, here's a sample I quilted a few weeks ago using Aurifil 50-weight cotton on a solid fabric.  

I'm super excited about today's give-away.  Martingale has very generously offered to send a print copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty to the winner of a random drawing!  And (squeal!) Aurifil will also send the winner The Basics Collection curated by Mark Lipinski -- 12 spools of 50-weight, 100 percent cotton thread in the yummiest neutral colors!  They're perfect for piecing and quilting almost any project. 

If you'd like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty and Aurifil's The Basics Collection by Mark Lipinski, just leave a comment here and tell me which Scrap-Basket Bounty quilt is your favorite so far, and what you plan to do with all that  beautiful thread!  (And if you haven't already, don't forget to swing by Martingale's blog for another chance to win a copy of the book.)  The give-away here will close on Monday, October 1, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  Winner will be announced at the end of next week.  

Thank you so much for visiting.  Hope you'll stop by tomorrow when I'll be sharing a bit about creating different layouts using a single quilt block.

Kim 

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting.  

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Two

Welcome to Day 2 of the Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration!  Thanks to all who visited yesterday.  In case you missed that post, you can find it here.  To celebrate the release of Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale, I'll be sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  

Not everyone approaches scrap quilting the same way.  For some, grabbing random pieces of fabric from a paper bag and sewing them in an improvisational way works effectively for them.  Scrap quilting for others may involve working with a coordinating pre-cut fabric bundle.  Yesterday, I showed you three quilts that use many light background fabrics that contrast with darker main prints.  Today is all about using designer collections.  

If you’ve been quilting for even a short while, you may anticipate the release of a favorite designer's new collection each season, and make it a point to buy a bit of that collection (or every single print!) as soon as it's available.  Fabric designers typically have a signature style, and each collection likely has at least a color or two that blends nicely with previous collections.  As you collect these fabrics, you’ll notice over time that new colors are introduced and repeated.  Before long, you will have curated your designer stash with fabrics that represent your favorite designer’s style, and you’ll have lots of different prints that you can combine for a very scrappy, but also coordinated, look.

MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
Photography by Brent Kane

Magnolia Cottage was made with collections by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics.  I used at least two or three prints from each of their first 16 fabric collections.  Some of these fabrics are pretty light, and some are pretty dark.  Most, though, fall into what I consider to be medium in value, so I separated them into piles of light and dark prints, and paired a light and dark fabric in each block.  They contrasted well enough that the pattern emerges, but the quilt has a sweet, vintage look that I really love.  

LUMINOUS
Photography by Brent Kane

Luminous was made using several collections by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics.  I had fewer really light prints in my stash, so I chose a white solid background that contrasts really well with some of the lighter prints, as well as those nice larger-scale florals and geometric prints.  The more blocks I pieced, the more radiant the quilt became, and Luminous seemed an appropriate name for it. 

There are several more quilts in Scrap-Basket Bounty that would look just as lovely made with prints from your favorite fabric designer.  Martingale has generously offered to send a .pdf copy to the winner of a random drawing.  I’ll also send the winner these bits of Kate Spain fabrics cut from my stash to make your own Luminous quilt – you’ll just need a background and border fabrics.

So if you’d like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty and these amazing fabrics, just leave a comment here and let me know if you have a designer obsession, too.  And if so, I’d love to know the name of the designer if you don’t mind sharing.  I just may need another designer stash.  The giveaway will close on Saturday, September 29, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you’ll be back tomorrow!  

Kim   

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting.  

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration

In connection with the release of my fifth book, Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale, I'll be sharing a lot more every day this week about the quilts in the book as well as a few products I love to use for designing, piecing and quilting. And in addition to giving away a copy of my book each day, there will be more prizes that you won't want to miss! I hope you'll stop by for a visit tomorrow. 

Kim

Celebrate Christmas With That Patchwork Place

You probably know that Martingale publishes the greatest quilting, knitting, sewing, crochet, and other craft books.  Did you know that the people who work there are also very talented quilters, knitters, needleworkers, rug-hookers, and crafters?  They're all so good at their jobs as book publishers that I sometimes forget they're passionate about their hobbies like you and me.  And when they put their heads together and collaborate on a book, you just know it's going to be spectacular.  Here's their latest collaboration, Celebrate Christmas With That Patchwork Place. 

This book really gets me in the mood for Christmas. There are 22 quilting and sewing projects that you can make to decorate your home or use for special gifts.  The projects can be made quickly, so if you start now, you'll have a house full of beautiful Christmas quilts, table runners, wall hangings, pillows, decorations, and gifts to enjoy long before the Christmas rush.  Adrienne made this "O Christmas Tree Wall Hanging" to serve as her Christmas tree.  Pretty clever, right?

Full-size templates are provided for all the projects, including Jenny's "Snowflakes" quilt.

 The instructions are very clear and easy to follow.  Each step is illustrated to help guide you along.  And, as always, the book is full of inspiration and lovely photographs by Brent Kane.  

This is Mary Green's "Paper Chains" runner that reminds me of the all the times my brothers and I made garland for our tree using colored construction paper.  Mom never complained about the mess we made because it kept us quiet for a long time.  (She probably wishes we still made paper chains during our get-togethers!)  

Karen Johnson's "Dotty for Christmas" tree skirt is so fun!  She used a fusible applique' method that I'm anxious to try.  

And here's a quick and beautiful "Holiday Delight" table runner that Cathy made using a charm pack of a really cute collection of Christmas fabrics.  

I'm smitten with Mary Burns' "Christmas Cookie Apron."  Every Christmas season, I envision myself wearing a fancy apron like this, baking cookies, drinking cider, and listening to Christmas music.  It has never, ever happened, but maybe if I had the fancy apron . . . ? 

I was blown away when I saw Karen Soltys' "Naturally Neutral" Christmas stocking.  I'll let you read about how she made it over at Martingale's blog.  While you do that, I'll be at the thrift store.  

I won't show you all the projects here, but you can hop on over to Martingale's blog to see all the projects, get the stories behind them, and find out how to enter the drawing to win a copy of the eBook.  They're also giving away a fat quarter bundle of Riley Blake's Home for the Holidays fabric so you'll have everything you need to get a jump on your Christmas projects!

Here's the schedule for all the stops on the Blog Hop.  Don't forget to visit Pat, too, because she has another surprise for you!

Thursday, June 26 - Stitch This!

Friday, June 27 - Pat Wys at Silver Thimble Talk

Saturday, June 28 - You're here!

Monday, June 30 - Rebecca Silbaugh at Ruby Blue Quilts

Tuesday, July 1 - SewCalGal

Wednesday, July 2 - Cindy Lammon at Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Thursday, July 3 - Generation Q

Saturday, July 5 - Cheryl Brown at Quilter Chic

Monday, July 7 - Jen Eskridge at Reanna Lily Designs

Tuesday, July 8 - Kathy Brown at The Teacher's Pet

Wednesday, July 9 - Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side

While I typed this post, my favorite Christmas song was playing in my head -- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  If you'll leave a comment here and tell me your favorite Christmas song, you'll have a chance to win your own copy of the Celebrate Christmas with That Patchwork Place eBook.  I'll randomly choose a winner next Saturday, July 5.  

Thank you for visiting.  Make sure you visit all the stops on the Blog Hop to see the rest of the projects and enter for more opportunities to win your own copy.     

Kim

Uncommonly Corduroy by Stephanie Dunphy

Please excuse the delay in sharing this delightful book with you.  Uncommonly Corduroy by Stephanie Dunphy.  You may have seen it by now, but in case you somehow missed it, I thought I would give you the scoop.  Stephanie at Loft Creations has published a really cool book of projects using -- you guessed it -- corduroy!  Until Stephanie told me what she was up to, I had no idea that using corduroy in quilts is actually a thing.  Apparently, I need to keep up a little better.  Stephanie will be at Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, so if you're there, stop by Martingale's booth (No. 618) to visit with her, and make sure you catch her Schoolhouse presentation. 

Photography by Brent Kane

In her book, Stephanie tells you everything you need to know about corduroy and how to work with it, as well as the best corduroy to use for quilts and for bags.  She also tells you about her favorite stabilizers and tricks for making bags.  Her bags always look so structured, and now I know why. 




Photography by Brent Kane

One of my favorite things about this book is that Stephanie provides cutting guides for various shapes instead of requiring the use of specialty rulers.  Even for the kaleidoscope-style quilt below, Saltwater Taffy. 



Photography by Brent Kane
 

There are patterns for sixteen projects, including quilts, bags, and even a scarf.  And a fun poem all about corduroy!  I love Stephanie's unique style, and the way she embellishes some of her projects with rickrack and buttons.  And, yes, Abby the dog makes an appearance in the book, along with her own special tote.



Photography by Brent Kane

 Some of the projects are made completely from corduroy; others are mixed with quilting cottons.  Quilting-weight corduroy is increasingly available.  If your local quilt shop doesn't stock it, ask them to try it.  Or look for online resources.  Stephanie provides a list of manufacturers and retailers to get you started. 

Photography by Brent Kane

   Just in case you're afraid to use corduroy in your sewing projects, every project in the book can be made with quilting cotton.  Stephanie's designs are unique, her directions are easy to follow, and each of the projects can be made with so many different styles of fabric.  Just check out her blog to see some examples. 

Photography by Brent Kane

 It was incredibly hard for me to choose a project from the book.  I decided to make this adorable bag, I Heart Dresdens.  That sounds like Stephanie.  Whenever I see a Dresden block, I always think of her. 

Photography by Brent Kane

I settled on a collection of fabrics I've been hoarding for a while, one that has a lot of polka dots (also a Stephanie thing).  Because I've never made a Dresden block this small, I made a test block using a mini charm pack of Sunnyside by Kate Spain.  Using the cutting guide in the book, it took me less than five minutes to cut all the little Dresden blades.  It was so much fun that I've decided to collect a lot more mini charms and make Dresden blocks out of each collection.  After I finish my bag.  Or maybe not. :-)

 

 

If you'd like to win your own e-copy of Uncommonly Corduroy, please leave a comment and let me know what you think about the projects.  (There's a gallery of all the projects in the book here.)  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, May 20.  Hope you enjoy the inspiration!  

 

 

Martingale's Quilt Calendar 2014

The sweet folks at Martingale told me a while back that one of my quilts would be featured in the 2014 Quilt Calendar.  I had completely forgotten about it until it came in the mail.  I stopped what I was doing (can't remember what that was now, but it probably wasn't important), and looked through it, admiring all the beautiful quilts.  The photography is so amazing.  You can see the stitches in most of these quilts. 

 

Each month, a different quilt is featured from one of Martingale's books.  You can visit Martingale's website and click on the gallery to see all the featured quilts.

 

 

Not only will you find lots of gorgeous quilts inside, you'll also find complete instructions for making all twelve quilts!  There are designs by Amy Ellis, Audrie Bidwell, Cheryl Brown, Darra Williamson, Jill Finley, Jolene Klassen, Julie Herman, Kim Diehl, Rebecca Silbaugh, Sally Schneider, and Sue Pfau.  And me.  You can find me in July. 

 

 

July's quilt is "Triple Star" from my book, Scrap-Basket Beauties. 

Don't forget to check out the gallery.  And while you're at it, you can find out more about the contributors by visiting their websites/blogs.

Hope you have a great week!

Kim

Scrap Quilting, Strip by Strip

You can get the scoop on my new book from Jenny over at Martingale's blog, Stitch This!  I'm a guest there today, so follow me over there, and don't forget to leave a comment with your answer to Jenny's question.  You just might win your own e-book copy.  See you there!