Modern Designs for Classic Quilts

I am so completely thrilled and excited to announce that the book I wrote with Andrea Johnson is finally here! Modern Designs for Classic Quilts was a total labor of love, and I'm just so stinkin' proud that we did it, and grateful that we had the opportunity.

I want to tell you about the book, but I also want to tell you about what I love about this art form and why I do what I do.  I'm going to start with that stuff first.

I have been quilting since I was 7 years old. My lovely and sweet mom, Alice, taught me to sew when I was an itty bitty for a class project. I can't remember what the parameters of the assignment were, but I remember wanting to learn to sew like my mom. I remember using a ruler to draw a 1/4" seam on each square, and then carefully hand stitching on the pencil marks. I also remember getting bored from time to time but, hey, I was 7.

I learned how to sew using patterns - mostly very traditional because that's what was available. I used the fabric that was in local shops and in my mom's stash - lots of Civil Wars, repros, florals. The Modern Quilt Guild didn't exist, and I didn't know a single person within 10 years of my own age that enjoyed quilting. Not a one.

When the Modern Quilt Guild started up, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I attended the first meeting of the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild and was hooked. There were people my age who enjoyed quilting, liked the fabrics I did, and most importantly needed COMMUNITY like I did. And that's been the most amazing thing for me - the community of friends that have assembled around this art form, both in person and virtually. It's just . . . inspiring.

When I think about the MQG, blogging, writing a book, and all of the other amazing opportunities that I've had and the many more that are at all of our fingertips, the things that I always come back to as the most important are Community and Quilting. Being part of a group that loves what they do and supports each others' creative ability is phenomenal, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. And I want to do anything I can to make sure this wonderful group continues to grow and thrive over the years.

And here we are - 23 years after I made that first quilt, I've written a book about quilting. WHA...?

And I really do love the book. Andie and I, in my opinion, formed a really great team to write a book that tries to merge all of the things we love about quilting into one book: traditional blocks in modern settings and fabrics. There are 12 quilts, 6 small projects, and a whole bunch of techniques that are a little different from what you might normally see.

I do hope you will enjoy the book, and if you think it's something your friends might like, please share with your own communities. Andie and I are just two gals who like quilting, and our quilting empires are, well, in progress. We thank you in advance for any help you can give us in getting the word out there!

Lastly, thank you. I am extremely lucky to be part of such a fun, feisty group of people! Being part of this community means more than I can possibly say.

As always, happy stitching,

Kelly

Under the needle . . .

Here's what's under the needle this week, inspired by this post . . .
(but just a tiny sneak peak because it's a Christmas gift):

What are you working on this week?

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Kona Challenge Improv Quilt, Corner Hanging Pockets

Earlier this year, the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild accepted the Kona Charm Pack Challenge. Each participant received one charm pack. The challenge was to make anything we wanted using as much of the charm pack as we wanted, and adding only solids (no patterns/prints).

I decided to play with some improv piecing for my challenge. This quilt was built by sewing together charm squares and white background fabric at angled increments. Then, the column was straightened up, sliced at an angle, and sewn back together with white in the cut. And on from there. In some columns, I sewed white into multiple cuts.

front

Once the columns were sewn together, I sliced and sewed back together more and more times. Each time, the scrappy effect grows.

from the back

back detail

I quilted this on a longarm with a tight loopy meander. I wanted a lot of quilting on this to make sure all of the seam allowances were sewn down really well.

on the long arm

I added hanging corners to the back. See below for adding these corners.

All done!

Did you participate in a challenge like this in your own guild? What did you make? I'd love to know!

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Adding hanging pockets are sooper easy. Cut two squares from scraps, each about 5"x5". Press each square on the diagonal, wrong sides together. Before you bind the quilt,  place a square in each top back corner, aligning top and side raw edges with the raw edges of the folded triangle. Baste the triangles in place, using 1/8" seam allowance. Then, bind your quilt as normal. The binding holds the corners in place, and you shouldn't need to remove the basting. Just slide a dowel rod slightly shorter than the width of your quilt into the pockets, and hang.

Paducah - A Land of Wonder

So, a million years ago I went to the land of wonderment and amazingness, otherwise known as Paducah, Kentucky.

In Paducah, water is crisper, leaves are greener, the pizza always has extra cheese, the babies don't cry, the men look like George Clooney, and the air smells like peppermints.

Oh and also . . . there is FABRIC.

Shortly after this trip of wonder and amazement, I started packing up my home in order to move, and I never posted pictures about my haul. And ohhh, a haul it was.

I'm almost embarrassed to show the world the photos of the amount of fabric I bought, but honesty is key, right? And what you need to know is that all of this was about $4/yard. So, yeah. All good.

The shelves are officially restocked...

Happy stitching (and fabric hoarding)!

Kelly

Stitch Craft Create Giveaway

Is there anything as delightful as flipping through a crisp new craft magazine with a matte cover and lovely design quality?

ummmm, delicious.

Yes.

It's flipping through that same magazine to find your own name and pattern published! I'm psyched, I'm not gonna' lie about it. Totally jazzed. This is bucket-list-quality stuff here, folks, and I've been giggling about it on and off for too long to go unnoticed by the general populace and my co-workers...  What're ya gonna' do, right?

oh. my. {!}

and another pic

I'm also in reallllly good company here - rubbing elbows with the glitterati of the craft world!  Here are some of the projects from this super beautiful magazine that I definitely will be trying:

lovely lace candles

If you know me, you know I love haunted houses...

This one is especially for my sis. We have a thing with Hootie Owls...

I know all of you want to get your hands on a copy of your own. I mean, who wouldn't - this thing is amaze-sauce!

I'm giving away 1 copy of this magazine between today and next Saturday (September 22, 2012). Between now and then, all you have to do is log in to the RaffleCopter widget and answer a question, and you'll be entered into the drawing. And if you don't win, you can buy a copy to call your very own at the Stitch Craft Create site.

Good luck, and happy stitching!

Kelly

Big Move!

Hello all,

I have to start by apologizing for my long and silent absence from quilt-land. There have been a lot of changes going on for me the past few months - all exciting, all good - but I've been a itsy bit preoccupied...

The biggest (and most time-sucking change) is that I moved from my lovely home in Cincinnati, Ohio to a new lovely home in Charleston, South Carolina. For those of you who know me well, you know that I fell in love with Charleston many moons ago. So when I had the opportunity to accept a job there, I jumped at the chance!

From Point A to Point B

Not only a physical move, the new job takes me back to my first love - theater. I'm back to working in the field I love, but with a more 9-to-5 type schedule. Which is good...really good!

But with all of that said, I'm back! The sewing machine is oiled and set up, the fabric is out of the boxes and back on the shelves, and I'm anxious to get back to sewing. I'm so, super sad to have had to leave my Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild friends, but I'll be back to visit! And I'm very excited to become a member of the new Charleston Modern Quilt Guild. First meeting's at the end of the month - woohoo!

Thanks for sticking with me!

xoxox

Kelly

Liberty of London Hexies

I received a package of pre-cut Liberty of London fabric hexagons for English paper piecing, and have since been stitching away with wild abandon!

And I love them all. Every. Single. One.

I'm going to be turning these into a table runner for my dining room. Probably some hand stitched quilting...yummmmm

What're y'all working on?

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Scrabble Tile Coaster Tutorial

Scrabble tile coasters are all over Pinterest these days, and I just had to make a set for a friend of mine as a wedding gift. Although I was not quite clever enough to make the letters work in all possible directions, I hid several words in each coaster for couple to find: their names, wedding-related words, etc. Some of them wrap the corner, some are diagonal, but whatevs. Hopefully the Scrabble police won't come after me!

These are pretty simple to make—just wooden Scrabble tiles, brush-on Super Glue, and adhesive felt furniture glides. 

Lay out the tiles in 4 rows of 4 tiles. 

Brush a thin layer of Super Glue along an adjoining edge.

Place the tiles together flat on a surface while allowing the glue to dry. Glue tiles together in rows, then glue rows together.

Once the coaster is dry, brush a thin layer of glue over the back of the coaster for additional security.

Stick 4 furniture glides to the back of each coaster.

Make as many as you'd like!

Bundle 'em up and give to someone special.

Happy crafting!

Kelly

Swoon Block #9

It's the last and final block in this one - woohoo!!!!


Here's Block #9 (of 9) of the Swoon Quilt (pattern by Camille Roskelley):

I think this is my least favorite fabric combo, but when I laid them all out, it worked well with the others, so I'm going to let it go...

Now to sash, quilt and bind . . . !!!  

Happy stitching,

Kelly

AQS Quilt Show in Paducah!!!

Yes folks, you heard it right . . . I was in Paducah this year for the American Quilter's Society Annual Quilt Show. It's difficult to put this into words, but the show is HUGE! Hundreds of award winning quilts are hung throughout multiple venues, including 2 floors of the Paducah Convention Center, an adjacent "bubble" building, and various other spaces throughout Paducah. Even the restaurants and hotels are decorated to the gills with staff quilts!

And there might be vendors selling boatloads of fabric, notions, tools and patterns for, well, let's call it a deep discount . . . .

 It is definitely quilter's DisneyLand!

I'm not allowed to post photos of the quilts, but here are some of my shots of beautiful downtown Paducah, as well as a few other highlights.... It's a great town, and it was certainly an inspiring place to be for a few days!

I had no idea, but the strawberry shortcake (sold by the Boy Scouts in what appeared to be truckloads!) was definitely as famous as Hancocks!

Who's going with me next year?


Happy Stitching!

Kelly