Autumn Rose

Happy Autumn!

Flying Plaids is Quilted!

I've been quilting this puppy off and on all summer.

Wish I'd used brown thread for the back.  Oh well.

I got pretty good at this design.

I made the top last summer, all out of thrift store shirt plaids.

Yahoo!

I'm celebrating with a new toy, recommended by Kathy Doughty.

Very fun!

My Favorite Quilt

What is your favorite quilt?  Mary is asking this question and hosting a linky party.   

It's quite a show over there.  I hope you'll join the party.  I want to see your fave!

Here's the one I posted.  It's my favorite for many reasons, mostly because I worked on it with a friend.  We cut up a top I didn't like, added 1970's tablecloth fabric, and stitched it together one wild and crazy afternoon.  

Quilt-making doesn't get more fun than that! 

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