Japanese Yukata Cottons

My friend, Patricia Belyea, imports and sells beautiful vintage yukata cottons from Japan.

She has a long career as a graphic designer, and now uses her talent to make stunning quilts from yukata cottons and "found" fabrics.

She's been selling the fabrics online, at trunk shows, and at select quilt shops for a few years.  

This Thursday, she's hosting an open house for a brand new shop and class room in her home!

I thought she needed a friendship quilt to mark this milestone in her life, 

so I've made 103 signature blocks for guests to sign at the open house.

Aren't the fabrics just lovely?

The simple pattern is based on this silk quilt I found in an old Japanese quilt book.  

I can't tell you the author, because all the text, including the title, is in Japanese.

It's really a privilege to work with these vintage Japanese designs.  

They were made for Japanese summer kimonos.  

If you're in the Seattle area, drop by on Thursday evening and say "hi."  

I'll be there!

Visit with Marit!

This summer's finale was a visit with one of my favorite quilt-makers, Marit, from Norway!

She was in the area visiting her in-laws, but I got to steal her away for a weekend.  

First, we visited Buffy for show and tell.  Here's Marit showing her stunning self-portrait.  

She made it in a workshop with Bodil Gardner.

We visited some fabric shops, and then bought a heap of shirts from Goodwill.

The next morning, I awoke to find Marit's treasures beautifully organized and stacked on the couch.

Later, we got out my "orphans."  I didn't know what to do with these vintage churn dash blocks.

Right away, she noticed how well they went with my scrappy shirt stripe blocks.  Yea!

Then I got out my red and green blocks, and she was off and running.  

These are still on my design wall, getting their tweaks while I get back to quilting flimsies.

Thank you, Marit, for a totally fun and inspiring weekend!!

New Chapter

It's hard to believe it's been just three years since I started blogging with this photo.  

It shows my quilting room made into a "recording studio" for my son's band.  

They had the brilliant idea of using quilts on the walls and windows for sound quality.  

Since then, my son has moved out and left the remnants of his childhood.  

I decided I needed the room for guests and the closets for my supplies, so...

A bit of sorting...

A load to the Goodwill, and...  

Wa-la!

Plus an extra closet just for my quilts.

 

Some curtains,  

A few quilts,

And I'm ready to host a quilty friend from Norway!

Amish Modern Baby Quilt

I'm going to a baby shower today for a dear 30-something friend.  

The sex of the baby will be a surprise.

I looked at the gift registry to find her style.  Everything was very modern and minimal. 

Colors were white, gray and soft blue-green.  What to do?

Here's what I came up with, thanks to inspiration from the Amish.

This quilt is made between 1920 and 1940, but I think it looks very modern.

I love the odd setting for the double border.

It comes from this book, which I bought years ago on recommendation from Gwen Marston.  

It's packed with wonderful crib quilts, and has become one of my favorite inspiration books.

I made a version of this quilt for a neighbor baby a few years ago.  Can't find the photo of mine.  

Recently I noticed that the quilt was hanging on their living room wall.  

I know I should take that as flattery.  

Personally, I'd rather see my quilts well-used, stained and tattered. 

Ah, well.  We give our quilts away and we let go of what happens next.  

Flying Geese Feather Quilting

If you've been intimidated by free-motion quilting, as I have been, it helps to watch people do it. 

I'm no expert, but here's a 3-minute video of me quilting on my Flying Plaids quilt.
You can't see the stitching all that well, but you get a feel for the speed and motion--very meditative.

I hope it helps you know you can do it.  If I can fmq, anybody can!

Wordless Wednesday

Simple and Sweet

This weekend was a simple one, with time to catch up on projects and to visit with friends.

"Jacks for Althea" 36" x 48"

I quilted and delivered this crib quilt to a friend for her granddaughter.  

To save time, I tried a fusible batting.  

It worked very well for this small project. 

Then I went to my neighbor's backyard for some outdoor sewing--my FAVORITE summer activity.

That's my neighbor, Shannon, (left,) and her visitor, Deanna, from Portland.

While they sewed on their Bernina's, I made progress on my embroidery.  

I finished the red chain stitch all the way around the lone star.

A Day with Kathy Doughty and Friends in Portland

This weekend I got to spend a VERY fun day in Portland, Oregon, with Kathy Doughty and her crew from Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia!

Aren't they gorgeous?  Well, so are their quilts!  Their works are truly stand-outs in the international quilt-making scene.

Cath, Wendy, Kathy and Carolyn

They were on their way to Sisters, OR, to teach at Quilter's Affair.  

I hope many of you will be there taking Kathy's classes!

We started the day in their hotel room.  The minute I walked in and saw them working on their amazing creations, I felt like I was home.  I was so bowled over by all their works, that I took only a few photos.  

This quilt is called "Fractured."  The pattern is in Kathy's latest book, Making Quilts, the Promise of Joy.  She's teaching it at Sisters and in Syracuse, NY, at Quilting by the Lake in a few weeks.

NEWS FLASH--THE U.S. VERSION OF THE BOOK IS BEING RELEASED THIS WEEK!  

Their strong, deep friendship is so evident.  They clown around and laugh all the time.   

I gave them these little pin cushions to tie onto their sewing machines.  Immediately, they all began trying out ways to wear them.  Necklace?  Bracelet?  Headband? 

Then we went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills Store.  This company is very Oregon.  They began in 1909, weaving blankets to trade with the Native American people.  The store sells top quality wool yardage and blankets in original designs.  They have BINS of remnants and strips for sale by the pound, plus sale tables.

I found some woven plaid cottons on sale for $2.50 A YARD!  

I bought three quilt backs, plus some remnants.  

Next stop was the very cool Alberta Street for lunch and visits to 

Bolt Fabric Boutique and Modern Domestic, plus other cute shops and refreshments at a patio cafe.

Then off to Pittock Mansion for a view of the city and a walk through the gardens.  

It was a real joy to see Portland through their eyes.  They found inspiration everywhere--a green painted house, a patch of red flowers, the shape of a thistle...  

The day renewed my gratitude for this amazing quilting community that we all share, with friends in every corner of the globe, inspiring and shaping us as we express our lives through our quilts.

Template Fun

It was HOT this weekend, so I stayed in and made this crib quilt top for a friend's granddaughter.

"Jacks" 36" x 48"

I used this template, which I'd bought a few years ago.  

Funny how those things pop up at just the right moment!