I'm a Maker / Scott is a Maker

Today I'd like to share a pattern I bought as part of the May is for Makers campaign started by Lindsay of LR Stitched.

Painted Forest by Scott of Blue Nickel Studios . . .

I've had my eye on this pattern for some time. I love trees. I love large scale prints. I love how Scott has brought the two together in a fun, funky style. I'm thinking of making a single row of trees in a long horizontal format. I need something colorful to hang above my couch and this seems like a great fit for the space.

I first met Scott when I submitted block designs to him for Generation Q Magazine's Block Builder series. Those block submissions led to having two patterns published in the magazine. You can learn more about Generation Q Magazine here.

Flash Card was the first quilt published in the magazine. My new kitties really loved it.

Kite Tails was the second quilt published. I'm hoping to turn this one into a stand alone pattern later this year.

Scott calls himself a mad color scientist and describes his style as "urban folk - modern design".  You can see what Scott is up to on his blog, Blue Nickel Studios and on Intsagram @bluenickelstudios

Have you bought any great new patterns this month? Anything in particular that you're planning to sew this summer? Do tell.

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Stitch 'n Swap Blog Party and Giveaway

Welcome to the Stitch 'N Swap Blog Party. My friends at Generation Q Magazine have a wonderful new book coming out next month that's all about sharing. The GenQ folks are all about community. That's how they got started and that's what they believe in . . . community helping build community. And what better way to encourage community than through a swap. Bringing people together to share their talents and skills by making and then giving. It's a win win scenario and wonderful experience.

Stitch 'N Swap is loaded with 25 fun projects that include a variety of themes. All are meant to be doable in a day. Some are small . . . some are more involved. There's something for everyone including kids. One of my favorites is the Interchangeable Monster by Linda Hansen. Linda made these really fun little monsters with arms and legs that can be swapped out for different ones. Very clever and creative. Another favorite, and one I just might need to make for myself, is the Tea Cozy by Karen Cunagin. I'm a big tea drinker and my tea is always cold.

In addition to all the projects, lots of tips and advice are included on how to organize a successful swap. How do you get started? Who do ask to play along? What projects do you use? Everything you might encounter if you're running a swap so you'll have a smooth and fun filled event. This would be a great book for guilds to add to their library too.

I was really honored and super excited when Jake asked me to contribute a project. This is the first book I've had the pleasure of being published in and I couldn't be in better company. WaHoo!!! My project is in the Home Swap chapter and called Heartbeat Couch Scarf. It's a small quilt meant to be a decorative runner to dress up your couch. It easily can be used as a table runner or wall hanging too. Super simple to make, it uses a quilt-as-you-go method so it really comes together quickly.

Of course every good party includes a giveaway. Generation Q Magazine will be giving away 3 copies of Stitch 'N Swap on their blog. US winners will get a paper copy and international winners will receive a digital copy.

So how does the giveaway work? I'm glad you asked. All you need to do is comment on the original Generation Q Stitch 'N Swap blog post here. Let them know if you've ever participated in a swap and the coolest thing you've gotten in a swap. That's it! All winners will be chosen from the GenQ post Wednesday May 7th and posted on their blog May 8th.

You can also get your very own copy directly from Generation Q beginning May 1st or pre-order now through C&T Publishing.

Hop over to today's other blog party participants and see what they have to say.

• Melissa Maher at Generation Q Magazine
• Jeni Baker of In Color Order
• Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies
• Sam Hunter of Hunter's Design Studio
• Lynn Kraus of Fiber Flies

On a side note, if you saw this post yesterday, it was accidentally published after being accidentally deleted. Needless to say, Blogger and I were definitely not on speaking terms . . . at least not with any words I'd care to share here . . . but alas all is good in the Quilting Universe now . . .   : )

Kite Tails

How many of you are TIRED of winter and ready for spring? Me too!!!

The warmer, brighter days are definitely stirring feelings of spring and summer so I thought it was about time I shared a summery fresh project with you. This quilt was part of the January/February issue of Generation Q magazine. Since it's now March and their new issue is coming out it's about time I catch up and share.

This kid's quilt came about when I sent some designs to Generation Q for their block builder series way last spring. For this challenge they provide a square with a few lines . . . you design a quilt block based on the starter. If you haven't tried this, I definitely urge you to give it a go. They'd love it if you did. Plus it's a great prompt to get the creative juices flowing. Learn more about it here.

Below you can see the starter block they provided on the top left and the block I designed next to it on the right. When I send in my block builder ideas I always include a layout of how it would look in a quilt. The folks at GenQ liked it so much they asked me to make it into a quilt for the magazine!

We went with a different color scheme of scrappy black and white prints with bright color accents in shades of orange, pink, blue and green. I think it would look great in lots of different color schemes. Some of my early sketches included the all blue one above and also a scrappy one with loads of color. You could use just about anything. It's a basic string quilt with a twist. A perfect place for all those leftover strips.

Kite Tails was made way last summer when the grass was green and there were leaves on the trees. It was a breezy day when we took the picutres so we tried hard to get her to fly but no such luck. Perhaps if my hubbie had gotten on the roof?

Karen Dovala of The Quilted Moose did the quilting using a swirly cloud design that was just perfect. It added wonderful texture and movement plus a hint of color as the thread was a very light blue.

As a bonus, I made a little kite complete with a tail from a leftover block. I think this would be so cute hanging on the wall in a nursery or kid's room. Alas, my kids are way way too big for this but someday I'll find just the right reason to make another one for someone special.

I used a cloud print and solid scraps for the back.

When I went to Quilt Market last fall, GenQ had my quilt hanging in their booth. A wonderful unexpected surprise! It added to the pleasure of getting to meet them in person. Thanks guys.

For anyone who hasn't seen Generation Q magazine, please take a look. They are so nice to work with. I seriously suggest you give their Block Builder a try. It's fun and you never know what might come of your ideas. It could lead to being published.    : )

Shortly after GenQ came out, so did the spring issue of Stitch which I also have a small project in. I'll share that little project later this week.

These things happen so far in advance that they always seems so out of season at the time you're making them. Now they seem just right. Spring is on the way . . .  wahoo !!!

Quilt Market; the People

It's been exactly 2 weeks since getting home from Quilt Market. And exactly 2 weeks since getting the crummy cold that drained me of all energy. The cold is still lingering but so are the wonderful memories of Market so I'm finally posting about my experience.

This was my very first time attending and it has taken me days to process it all. What can I say? Quilt Market was AMAZING and very very overwhelming. A visual overload of the most colorful creative variety imaginable. At the beginning of this year I never imagined I would even go to Quilt Market. Now I can hardly wait to go again. : )

The convention center is HUGE. Can't even get a photo of the entire building.

The main reason I decided to go was this . . .

I entered "Rhythm & Blues" into the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase and was honored to have it selected as one of seventeen quilts chosen to represent the modern movement in quilting at both Market and Quilt Festival. It even made it into the Market brochure listing all the classes and exhibits going on.
Needless to say this was our first stop when we entered the show. I'll show some of the fabulous quilts from the exhibit in another post.

Once I saw my quilt, we headed into the exhibition hall in search of the Generation Q Magazine and Interweave Press. I've been fortunate to work with both of these publishers and hoped to meet the editors in real life. We came across the Interweave booth first where I was excited to see the issue with my project on the cover being displayed.

Met some of the great sales people and in talking with them found out Marlene lives just blocks from me in small town Louisville. Couldn't believe that one. Amber is the editor I have worked with and we saw her several times on the floor in deep conversion with various people. In retrospect I wish I had interrupted because I never got to meet her in person. Hi Amber . . . I saw you!

Next up was GenerationQ Magazine where I was very surprised to see a quilt I made for them hanging in their booth. It hasn't been published yet and I didn't expect to see it there so that was a thrill. When I introduced myself to Vickie who was manning the booth she jumped right up and gave me the biggest hug. I had not had any direct contact with her before and yet she instantly made me feel so welcome. Thanks Vicki, you were just what I needed to start my Market experience. Eventually I was able to meet the rest of the GenQ team and there were lots more hugs all around. They truly were all just so nice that I feel blessed to know people like Jake and Scott in the industry. Go buy one of their magazines and help this great start-up. They're on a roll now publishing 6 times a year.

Vicki Tymczyszyn and my daughter Emily and I in the GenerationQ booth

Jake Finch and Scott Hansen, my main GenerationQ contacts.

I have to say that one of the things that stood out about Market was the people. And I will admit to being a little (ok, A LOT) star struck by seeing people like Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner and Kaffe Fassett. For those of you who know my work, you know I'm a huge fan of Kaffe's fabrics so it was a thrill just to get my picture taken with him and be able to give him my business card with a pic of my pattern Cascade on the back which features his fabrics. He loved the quilt which was quite flattering.

Kaffe and I . . . I match his quilt.

If you ever get the chance to go to Market, GO!!  Just be prepared. I wish someone had given me a first-timers guide on how to do it all. Looking back now I realize I spent most of the time in complete awe and didn't do nearly as much as I could have/should have. It's such an overload of visual stimulation that I simply didn't take in all the details and didn't realize it till I was home.   : (  
But there's always next time right?   : )

Definitely one of the best things about the entire trip was that my lovely and talented daughter Emily came along for the adventure. Market wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without her and it certainly would have been more intimidating if it hadn't been for her. Thank you Emily for being such a strong supporter of my quilting.

Hop over to her Etsy shop Emily Claire Studio and see the fabulous jewelry she makes. She's wearing one of her pieces in the pic below. Isn't it great?

I'll be posting more about the booths, the quilts and other Market things in the coming days so stay tuned. Might even be a giveaway tucked in there somewhere.

Repurposing

Do you ever repurpose clothes and other fiber related items in ways that bring new life and new uses to old things? I've been intrigued with quilts made from vintage sheets and clothes remade into something new and fashionable. Even have a small collection of vintage sheets I've gathered with the intention of making a modern quilt one of these days.

When Stitch magazine issued a call for entries for their winter edition, I decided to give the sustainable, upcycled category for fashion and home a try. Each issue has a few different categories featuring a variety of sewing projects. Everything from clothing and home decor to quilts can be found within their pages.

Since the call for entries was for a winter issue, I decided to play with recycling old sweaters and woolen jackets into a home decor project.

Using the sleeves from a variety of sweaters and a couple of jackets, I created a series of 6 vase wraps. I think they give a warm cozy feeling to the vases. I used winter whites and grays for a soft subtle palette and filled them with twigs that had tiny berries still clinging to the branches.

These two use sleek ribbed sweaters.

Here I used a baggy tweed sweater and a delicate lacy one.

The final two used woolen jackets for a slightly more tailored look.

This has been a year of submissions for me as I try my hand at getting published and I've been fortunate to find success with two Interweave publications; Stitch and Modern Patchwork as well as GenerationQ Magazine. If you've ever considered submitting a quilt or other sewing project . . . do it!!!

  

Here's a link to the submissions page for Interweave. And here's a link for GenerationQ.
Now go submit something. You'll never know until you try. Maybe I'll be reading about your project in the next issue.  : )

I'm linking up with Cindy at Live a Colorful Life for a Really Random Thursday post. Hop on over to see what other random things have been happening in the quilting world.

The Winner Is . . .

Thanks to all who left comments regarding the magazine giveaway. It seems there are some who have not yet seen Generation Q Magazine. I hope that you will look them up and give GenQ a try. I learn something new with every issue I read.

The winner is Rachel of The Life of Riley who said:

Wow, congrats on being published. I really like the quilt pattern. My tried and true magazine subscription has always been Quilters Newsletter.

Congratulations Rachel!
Please email me with your address so I can get your magazine sent out.

Giveaway Reminder and My Winnings

Just a reminder that the giveaway for an issue of Generaton Q Magazine will close on Monday, July 29. Go to this post to leave a comment and enter to win. Don't forget to tell me what your favorite quilt magazine is and why.

Isn't it exciting when you do win an online giveaway? I've actually won 2 myself in the last couple of months. First off, I won this wonderful assortment of books from the Fat Quarter Shop during their book giveaway related to Spring Quilt Market. And they are all autographed copies too.

All three of them are great books and I can tell you I love a good quilting book. I may not make too many quilts exactly following someone else's pattern since the design part is what I love to do myself, but there are some great quilts in these books that I could easily be persuaded to make. My favorite is probably Dessert Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.

Most recently, I also won this colorful charm pack of Laura Gunn's Edge fabric line from Michael Miller Fabrics.  I'm pondering what to use it for and have a couple of ideas percolating. I might see what I can make from just the charms or possibly get more and make something larger? Can't decide at the moment but I do know I LOVE these fabrics. Great textures and colors.

Aren't these all just gorgeous? I love the colors, the neutrals, the prints. Just writing this post makes me realize I most likely will buy more and make something bigger. They are just too good to pass up. I think my favorites are the canvas looking texture and the circles . . . well the stripes too.  : )

Have a nice weekend.

Generation Q Magazine, Me, a Giveaway

I'm excited to share my first ever published quilt with you. It's called Flash Card and it's in the June/July issue of Generation Q Magazine.

Flash Card came about when I designed a block as part of Generation Q's Block Builder series. Each issue features a block starter which consists of a few lines. The idea is to take it from there and design a quilt block. The designer in me just can't resist playing along with these challenges. Below left is the starter block that gave birth to the Flash Card block and quilt.

The Block Builder challenge usually gets me thinking outside the normal quilt block approach and as a result, I end up with some pretty interesting ideas. Through the process,  I've also discovered that it's often the simple looking blocks that have the potential to turn into very dynamic quilts. I've had 3 of my blocks make the cut in previous issues so you can see I love to play along. When submitting for this round of Block Builder, the folks at GenQ asked me to make up my block into a quilt for their Spring Market issue. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I highly recommend giving the Block Builder challenge a try. Maybe your block will become a quilt in one of their upcoming issues too.

Flash Card is an easy quilt to sew and great for using scraps. I used Kaffe Fassett scraps for the block centers. Karen Dovala of the Quilted Moose did the quilting and I just love how the overall floral pattern turned out echoing the floral prints. A light gray thread was just right to show up equally well on both the black and white solids and yet not distract from all the color centers.

As I worked on the quilt, I pondered what to do with the little left over HST. Couldn't let cute little scraps go to waste so I turned them into bean bags and sewed up a pouch to hold them all. Now you can use the quilt as a throw and a game too! The bean bags and pouch became a bonus project that was featured on Generation Q's blog. You can see that project here. My new kittens seemed to love the bag the most. I think it was the drawstrings.

Don't you think those scrap HST made cute little bean bags? I backed them up with 4 different fabrics from the quilt so 4 people could play at a time. 

There are so many different ways this quilt could be made and used. Here's just a few other ideas.

• Use novelty prints in pairs and turn the quilt into a matching/tossing game.
• Use different solid colors in place of the prints and have each player try to land their bean bags on a given color.
• Make the matching even more challenging by changing up both the block center colors and the triangle colors for multiple color combinations.
• Come up with your very own game plan.

If you don't know about GenQ or haven't seen an issue yet you don't know what you're missing. It's a great small format magazine loaded with quilty information. Here's a sample of what you'll find in this issue:

• Victoria Findlay Wolfe talks vintage poly quilts.
• At home profile with Melody Miller, designer of Ruby Star.
• Test drive basting sprays.
• Paper piecing basics.
• The next Block Builder . . . why not give it a try.
• Plus lots more including Flash Card by yours truly.

Starting with the June/July issue they are now publishing bi-monthly. Head over to their website to find out more and order your own copy. I think you'll like what you see. They are just the nicest people and have been most encouraging to me.

To celebrate my first ever quilt being published I'm giving away a copy. All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me what quilting magazine is your favorite and why. Become a blog follower for a second chance.

Comments are closed. The winner is Rachel at The Life of Riley. Congrats Rachel.