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:: February 10, 2008 Modern Quilt-Along: It (Still) Lives!
I am honored that my Paletas quilt (aka Plain Spoken) was the Quilt of the Day over at Sew Mama Sew earlier this week! That reminds me to give a long-awaited Modern Quilt-Along update. The MQA mostly lives over at Flickr now, and I think that is a better place for it in general (no having to rely on me for updates, etc.)
This is sure to re-ignite the MQA fire: New patterns from Bill and Weeks! There are three patterns developed using RJR's new line of solids, RJR Cotton Supreme. You know I love me some solids, so I look forward to getting my hands on these. As it is now, I only have the color card, which is fun to stare at ...
Bill and Weeks sent the color card and patterns to me long ago (thanks!) before they were released. I don't know exactly when they were made available to the public, sorry! That's the baby tunnel for you. The patterns and kits can be purchased at the Funquilts site. Which one are you going to make first? I'm thinking Leaves.
posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (5) :: link :: January 25, 2007 Modern Quilt-Along 2007
Activity in the Modern Quilt-Along has slowed down, and so have I. But there is still plenty of catching up to do, starting with the latest Funquilts happenings ... First off, their Prism Mendhi line for FreeSpirit has finally made it to the stores!
Why this fabric line is awesome: 1. So many of the subtle, tonal, graphic prints out there on the market either have an unappealing pattern or have that mottled thing going on. If you're like me and refuse to buy fabric you don't like individually -- even if the color is exactly what your quilt or other project needs -- this line should fill quite a void! 2. There is wide variety of colors -- you can pick and choose and create your own palette within the line or by mixing with your current stash. 3. It's not your typical fabric line with the typical stripes/floral/large-scale vs. small-scale. None of the prints, in fact, are large-scale. None of them are attention hogs. Overall, the line really reflects the FunQuilts design philosophy. The entire line is available through the Funquilts site. (Along with the books, if you haven't got them yet!) Z&S Fabrics also sells the whole line. I have seen bits and pieces of the line in a number of other shops, too many to list here. Now this is going way back, but in case you missed it, Weeks Ringle did an in-depth interview on the Craftsanity podcast. Its take-away message: live your dreams! I know that may sound trite, but seriously. You can't not be inspired by their story.
A new, free Funquilts pattern, "Between the Lines," was released as a companion to the podcast. The pattern is now also available through Freespirit (PDF link). I'm really sorry I missed out on publicizing this, but Craftsanity also ran a contest, and gave away copies of the Color Harmony for Quilters book to three random people who submitted photos of their quilt projects. I LOVE the cloud quilt by Beth Howard (seventh down) and there are also some fresh Plain Spokens and a Love Beads quilt in there to gander. And now for the Modern Quilt-Along progress ...
It's official: Plain Spokens look great with a couple of patterned fabrics thrown in amongst the solids. Witness Paisley has created a different variation on the PS: she uses blocks of different heights ... very cool. It is immaculately hand quilted, and More w.i.p.s and f.o.s: Golly G's Plain Spoken in pinks/oranges/yellows (detail w/quilting) Pampkin-girl's Love Beads top Momma Pajama completed her baby-sized "kinda Treehouse." I LOVE the colors. Tammie joined shortly after the last update (again, sorry for the lag!) ... making a Once Upon a Time. As always, let me know if I've missed anything, or if you'd like to join the list of quilters (or just join the Flickr group and I'll catch you there!) posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (10) :: link :: July 5, 2006 Modern Quilt-Along Update
Here is the latest in the Modern Quilt-Along, which just turned a year old! • I caught up to the times and started a Modern Quilt-Along pool on Flickr. Please join if you're in the quilt-along, or even if you're not.
• You probably already know that Weeks has joined the fray at Whip-up and has been posting some great tutorials and thoughts quilting. • Whipup queen and MQA member Kathreen was interviewed for episode 17 of the Craftsanity podcast. She even mentioned the quilt-along, and it was magical to hear "Dioramarama" spoken with an Australian accent! • Speaking of, MQA member Pixie has hit the big time with her Pixie Purls Podcast. She talks mostly about knitting and the yarn arts, but I guess that's OK. • And you can look forward to a new Funquilts fabric line in the fall! And on to progress!
• Kelly finished her Unfinished Business quilt. Yowza! I love it. It belongs in a show for sure, don't you think? I don't know if going from white to dark gray was harder or easier than using a color, but it's amazing how it's just as vibrant. • eCubed Arts has an orange Unfinished Business in progress. • Mel exhibited her Zipper quilt at the Lakeview Quilter's Guild show in May. Mel, did it win anything? It should have! • Ms. Spamantha has her Love Beads on her to-do list for Project Spectrum this month. Rock! And five count em five new joinees: • Shelina, making Once Upon a Time • Jenny, who has already finished her Plain Spoken! We are clearly hatched from the same nest, as she's now working on the same Denyse Schmidt quilt as me. • And fellow Austinite Happy Things says she's gonna make a Zipper. • Maggie made a Marquee, and was inspired to start her own internet quilt-along based on the book Quilter's Playtime by Diana S. Hire. I haven't seen the book but it definitely sounds interesting -- you build quilts based on games that you play with your fabric stash. Welcome new pals! As always, let me know if I've missed anything. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (8) :: link :: February 13, 2006 It's Finished!
Now this is why I've been so eager for my camera battery charger to get here. My plain spoken quilt, code-named "paletas," is finally finished! I picked it up from the machine quilters a few weeks ago.
I did the binding the old-school way, by machine sewing to the front than hand-sewing it to the back, a process that has also grown on me. It took a week with lots of time in front of the TV. I had a little scare when I put it through the wash the first time and found that the water-soluble marker that I used to number the blocks had not come out of the cheaper (non-Robert Kaufman Kona cotton) light orange fabric that I had used. I just put on some stain remover and put it through the wash a second time, and it was all gone, crisis averted.
The best part has to be taking it out of the dryer and seeing it in its textured, crinkled glory. All the pictures, from start to finish, are in one place now.
Elizabeth of e cubed arts has joined and has Karen whipped out a second MQA entry (making her a gold star member of the MQA), an awesome Once Upon a Time. Samantha has finished a Zipper quilt top in sultry purples. Blair has a finished quilt: Once Upon a Time. So cute. Read her humorous account of a harrowing moment there toward the end! Angela finished her Eclipse! The batiks look so warm and fantabulous with the quilted texture. Mel is headed toward the finish line with her sunny Zipper quilt top. Rose finished her beautiful Love-Beads-Turned-Christmas-Ornaments, which is her second MQA entry. The quilting sounds awesome. And will you get a load of the back? Hmmm ... I need to be in the gold star club too. Just kidding, there is no gold star club. Currently I'm getting Denyse Schmidt out of my system, but I'd also like to make another MQA entry. But which one? posted by in Finished Projects , Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (37) :: link :: December 5, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along: Electric Bugaloo
Sorry for the silence ... last week I got sick with a dumb cold, and today's the first day I've felt human enough to get a post together. So here it is, the long awaited, highly anticipated, Modern Quilt Along Update! "Non-batik person" Angela has started piecing her Eclipse from ... batiks! I'm with her on the batik thing -- they don't appeal to me and they do. I love the color play you can do with them but I don't like the marbley, tied-died look on its own. But, when you piece it, magical things happen. Mel has made progress on her pink-orange-yellow Zipper. Having completed her Halloween-themed Once Upon a Time, Rose is putting us all to shame by starting her SECOND modern quilt-along quilt, a Love Beads turned into Love-Christmas-ornaments! Stephanie is making Redwork, but is going to use this amazing quilting pattern she's calling "kelp" instead of the circles featured in the pattern. The kelp idea was inspired by this book, which I've never heard of and clearly need to get. Samantha is a new joinee and is making Zipper. Welcome Miss Samantha! Blair finished her spectacular Once Upon a Time quilt and is also thinking of a second project from the book. She joined and finished so fast (fast = a month or two in my world, apparently) that I neglected to add her to the sidebar over there. Go get to know her and her other inspiring projects over at Wisecraft! posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (1) :: link :: October 26, 2005 This Week in Modern Quilt-Along
In time for Halloween, Rose has finished her Once Upon a Time top. Who has the wherewithall to piece all those little X's together? Rose does, that's who. And Blair! Blair is our latest joinee, is also making Once Upon a Time and has all the squares ready to go. Meanwhile, Kathreen is rocking her Unfinished Business. Mine has finally left the house! It is with Over the Top quilting studio in Austin. These ladies were so nice, they were in tune with the quilting I wanted and took great interest in the FunQuilts aesthetic, PLUS the price was right, so I didn't search further for a DIY opportunity. I got to see their longarm machine up close and personal, though -- it was very impressive and intimidating. p.s. I find I'm sometimes missing people's MQA progress for various reasons ... posts scrolling of the front page before I catch them ... pictureless entries that I glaze over because of my apparent need for bright shiny colors to attract my attention ... at any rate it's my own fault and nothing personal whatsoever so if you have progress to share, feel free to send an email alert! kmel at excitementmachine dot org. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (6) :: link :: October 9, 2005 MQA Action
Pixie Purls has a beautiful gray and orange not-red Redwork quilt in progress -- the colors are very much in the modern quilt aesthetic. Same for Jen, who says her not-red Redwork will be pink and espresso brown. I can't wait to see the pictures. Kath has chosen Unfinished Business in a boudoir-inspired palette of red wine and chocolate. I hope she doesn't mind a bunch of people borrowing her gorgeous losing candidate palettes! Caro is in search of the perfect chocolate brown to go with her turquoises. Any leads? Update: (Slaps self in head) I knew I forgot something, and that is that Claire joined! She'll be making Marquee for her Month of Softies "personal challenge" theme. When ____-Alongs Collide! My quilt top is still serving as camouflage for our folded-up ping pong table, awaiting futher instructions. I've decided to stick with solids for the backing. I've priced professional longarm quilting services and ... hmmm ... maybe I will be quilting this one myself. Two or three cents per square inch doesn't sound like a lot, until you multiply by 8,245! There are less expensive services out there but I'm not sure the simple-but-nontraditional quilting pattern in the book will be a one-cent-per-square-inch kind of design. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (3) :: link :: September 26, 2005 MQA and Other Updates
Modern Quilt-Along Update, in alphabetical order! Hillary has her fabrics picked out for Book Group. Karen has finished her skiing-inspired Treehouse and feels kinda "meh" about the results, but I think it's purty. Kelly is working on her gray-toned Unfinished Business top and has lots of advice to share for those attempting this advanced quilt. Mel has some blocks done for her Zipper quilt in pinks, oranges, and yellows. Rowr! And someday our blocks will lay as flat and nice as hers. Rose has a great Once Upon a Time quilt working. Her blog is brand new and all her stuff is completely amazing -- check it! And thank you EVERYONE who commented on my quilt top. I'm sorry I'm so bad at emailing back. I have a lousy excuse, and that is that I can't send mail from my mac mail program -- every time I wanted to answer an email I had to log in to webmail. It sounds stupid but it was a pain in the ass. The mac mail program finally got some bug that (mercifully) killed it off, so I've switched over to gmail. I LOVE how there's a reply box right below messages that people send to you. That will improve things around the world communications HQ immensely. I have some podcasts to add to the list below ... Thrift Store Vinyl ... I've found most "pod-safe" music to be kinda sucky. This show might be toeing the legality line, but I love them for it. The 'cast has a companion Flickr site. And if you want the mind-rot of television to extend further into your day, check out ... Armchair Survivor, by the very funny Marjorie and Michael Carrino (they also do Armchair Apprentice but there is no room in my heart for that show this season) The Transmission, a short but good podcast devoted to ABC's Lost. Your hosts live in Hawaii and occasionally stumble upon the show being filmed. Finally, I subscribed to a reality show podcast called "Keepin' It Real" which has a savory "we watch lots of crappy reality shows so you don't have to" vibe -- search for it through iTunes because I can't seem to find a direct link that works. Soon, I will talk about knitting, and show you my Katrina quilt square ... posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (8) :: link :: September 10, 2005 Finished Top
The quilt top is finished! Unfortunately, I am feeling kind of neutral toward the results so far. I've spent a lot of time with this very loud color combination! Maybe I just need some distance from it. The plan from here is to find somewhere to rent a quilting machine, and if that's not possible, I'm going to send it off to be professionally quilted. (I hope that as the hostess of the Modern Quilt-Along I am not held to some higher DIY standard of quilt-finishing.) I want it quilted just like they have it in the book. I have a question: How do you square up the top and backing when they're so big? I learned a clever way once from a quilting show, but quickly forgot. posted by in Finished Projects , Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (29) :: link :: August 28, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along Update
Though it feels a little off given the news of the day, a Modern Quilt-Along Update is long overdue ... Karen has made some blocks for Treehouse. It looks amazing! Keri should not be apologetic for doing a quickie square-patch version of Unfinished Business. That still counts as improvisational piecing (doesn't it?!) and if not who cares because the color gradation works really well that way. Sarah finished her Love Beads top and it's freaking perfect. And a shout out to some new joiners! Hillary confessed to her mom that she was making Book Group for her, so she has outed herself as our not-all-that-secret participant ... Kathreen joined despite still being in the bookless, intentional stage. I'm sure whatever she settles on will be beautiful ... Mel, an actual real hardcore quilter, is making Zipper. I'd be interested in her take on the FunQuilts aesthetic and philosophy as someone who already knows tons about quilting ... Rose, who will be keeping us updated via Flickr (no link yet), is making a Halloween-themed Once Upon a Time ... And finally, I think Shanna joined -- so if you're Shanna, or a fence-sitter, or if I've overlooked an email or comment from you, please forgive my disorganization and let me know! posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (7) :: link :: August 7, 2005 Hitting a Design Wall
Design walls rule! I was skeptical that cotton would stick to felt stuck on a wall, but it does. A couple of blocks fell down after a few DAYS up there, but really, what more could you ask for? And maybe I should have gone for a neutral color rather than blue, but it cost all of $3 so I can change it if the whim strikes. Anyway, a design wall helps immensely in arranging blocks. I also highly recommend taking pictures along the way -- the one above is helping me spot some unsatisfying areas of color-pooling. Modern Quilt-Along Update: We have two new Modern Quilt-Alongers: Pixie, who is making the whole-cloth Redwork, and Stephanie, who hasn't yet decided on a quilt, but in the meanwhile check out her awesome fabric sushi! Other progress notes: Zhinka Dinka Doo Amanda has finished piecing her table runner version of Marquee, and Renee has started piecing her Love Beads, though she's having to take the seam ripper to it! Sarah changed her mind from Eclipse to Love Beads, and changed her color scheme too. Her process was much like mine in that we were going with colors-for-their-own-sake at first, and when that proved unsatisfying, the "Big Idea" idea helped guide and solidify the color scheme. I think Weeks and Ringle would agree that this is a valid way of going about the design process. Of course, having a Big Idea from the onset is cheaper -- you don't end up buying a bunch of fabric that ends up not working! We have almost all of the quilts in the book covered. Wouldn't it be cool if every quilt was represented in this quilt-along? If for some reason you want to adopt one of the orphans, there's Once Upon a Time (a storytelling quilt that provides an ingenious way to use novelty prints), Confetti (involving triangles in squares), Gamelan (for which you turn bilaterally symmetrical fabric into kaliedoscopic medallions), Boomerang (very 50s diner-looking), and XOXO (which looks like a softer, rounder version of argyle). Again, if you wish to join, just leave a comment or shoot me an email. (Of course, there's absolutely no obligation to choose one of the "unclaimed" designs.) posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (15) :: link :: August 1, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along - Paletas Palette
Turns out the sewing machine didn't need fixing. I brought in a piece of sewn-together fabric that clearly, I thought, demonstrated the current illness. Somehow, in the light of the shop, the seam looked perfect and I looked like a crazy anal lady. They said that my machine doesn't make the straightest straight stitch in the world, but a tune-up wasn't going to fix it. I bought some thread for their troubles. Above is my final palette for the Plain Spoken quilt. Click and go to the flickr page for zillions of notes explaining their role in the paletas theme. Speaking of, there is a newish Texas chain called La Paletera. There are three Austin locations. If you live in Texas (or bordering states), I highly recommend that you get your ass there are soon as humanly possible.
After much chain-piecing, the squares are all sewn up now and about half of them are ironed. I got myself a huge piece of felt to make myself a design wall -- that's the next step, arranging ... In other news, we have two new Modern Quilt-Alongers: Renee, who is joining the Love Beaders, and Tina, who has just ordered the book and so is as-yet-undecided. And we have a secret joiner who is making Book Group, but wants to keep it on the down-low since her quilt is destined to be a gift. Welcome, ladies! posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (8) :: link :: July 25, 2005 Plain Speaking
Here I have taken over the ping pong table (as usual) to fiddle with colors for my Modern Quilt-Along quilt. Apparently I'm going with Plain Spoken! I cut about 300 of each rectangle size ... to get up to that amount I had to add some colors, and they're just not right, so I have to figure out what to do. I kind of went about it bass-ackwards, but AFTER I gathered my fabric my Big Idea coalesced: paletas! Mexican popsicles come in the most beautiful colors and flavors. They're ubiquitous in Austin, especially East Austin where dudes canvas the streets all nine-months-of-summer with carts like these. Bryan and I went to Mexico a few years ago, and the most memorable moments were scenes of unbelieveable color: the signage, rows of aguas frescas in their glass barrels, the markets, the racks of sodas. On the marathon bus ride home, we stopped in a small town in front of a busy paleteria in some small town just as it was getting dark. It was probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, save the nuclear sunset out in the middle of nowhere that I had just witnessed not an hour earlier. So that is my inspiration. Sorry for getting all J.Peterman on you. Anyway, I'm still figuring out what will work; I'll use the discards for smaller plain spokens. I'll have plenty of time to work it out because I have to take my sewing maching in for adjustments. I can't fix the slight but annoying tension problems and I can't keep the straight stitches turn out somewhat diagonal. The thing has never had a tune-up, so hopefully that will fix the problem(s). Other Modern Quilt-Along news: - Anita joined even though she felt bad for being mostly done with her quilt top before she'd heard of the quilt-along. But I don't care, do you? Check out her Zipper quilt in purples, pinks, and reds. She offers some good tips for anyone considering this pattern. - Jordana has settled on Love Beads, and her Big Idea is her favorite necklaces from the lovely frecklewonder. - Kelly is in the throes of gray fabric collecting for her Unfinished Business quilt. - Keri has also taken on Unfinished Business, but will be using yellows! If I missed any progress, or if you want to join the fun, leave a comment or email me. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (8) :: link :: July 14, 2005 MQA for Short
Roll-call for the Modern Quilt-Along: We have three Amandas (!), and four and a half decisions on which quilt to make. Caro of Split Yarn is going to make Love Beads, and Mrs. R of Stitch Witch is going to make Eclipse. Meaning they are the brave ones who will be letting us know what it's like to piece curves. Or does Kelly of Buzzville win in the courage department for tackling Unfinished Business, the most advanced quilt in the book? Or is it Lisa of Daria Unplugged, who will be making her first quilt ever with Out of the Box? Ah heck, we're all winners. Except me of course, who is still being wishy washy about which pattern to use. My phone-book-thick package of solids arrived from Hancock's of Paducah today, and I thought I'd Just Know once I saw the fabric, but no such luck. (This is what happens when you only have a Little Idea.) posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (10) :: link :: July 10, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along: Big Ideas
First off, here is a button, wahoooo!
It should be used to link to this page. I have half-decided on the pattern I'll use: either Plain Spoken or Zipper (the one on the book cover). I spent hours yesterday in the quilt store trying to get fabrics together based on one working Big Idea. I was going off this wrapping paper:
But I had a really hard time. I'm slowly coming around to seeing fabrics as a part of the whole rather than individually, but I still hate investing in fabrics whose patterns I dislike just because the color works well in the scheme of things. This was particularly true trying to find a yellowish-green. Eventually I dropped the Kazam idea and went home empty-handed. The Hancock's of Paducah catalog has pages of Robert Kaufman solid Kona Cottons which I found myself staring at a lot. At only $4 a yard, they're hard to pass up. So I'm staying firmly inside my comfort zone and going with the current colorway of my life: Brown and ivory, reds, pinks, and oranges, light blue and yellow. They were the colors of my wedding, they're the colors I use on my website, they're represented in many of the textiles I buy. So I took some scissors to the catalog, a representative scarf, and figured out what to order.
I'll be making my first queen-size quilt. I haven't decided on Plain Spoken vs. Zipper, but they have close to the same yardage requirements. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (2) :: link :: July 5, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along: We Have Blessings!
Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle added a comment to my post announcing the Modern Quilt-Along. They talk more about the "Big Idea" and clarify their position on professional machine quilting. Sorry if I caused any misunderstanding in my hastily-written overview of the book. But anyway -- yay! P.S. Question: Where is the web button thing? Answer: Working small is hard. I'm sorry, I'll get it done soon! posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: link :: July 1, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along: Go!
And here's all you need to know about the book! ... No surprise that I'm enthusiastic about The Modern Quilt Workshop since I wanted to start a quilt-along based on it. The book is divided into three sections: "Approach and Inspiration," which covers Ringle's and Kerr's quiltmaking philosophy; Patterns; and "Creating the Quilt," which covers all the basic tools and techniques needed to create the quilts. There are 15 patterns, divided into five levels of difficulty, from simple to advanced. Are you familiar with Hillary's quilt Plain Spoken? That pattern is in there, and it's one of the simple ones. Each pattern includes a section on variations so you get an idea of how the finished product will look in different palettes or different block configurations. The patterns are all regular ol' quilt quilts, no pouches or table runners or other small projects here. In many schools of thought, you pick a focus fabric (usually some novelty or larger-scale print) and then choose companion fabrics based on it. In the Fun Quilts school, there are no grandstanding fabrics. They use small-scale, subtle prints, the ones that never jump out at you in the store. All the fabric choices become more or less equal players that contribute to a "Big Idea." Ringle and Kerr's Big Ideas come from their intimate understanding of color theory and how colors combine to tell a story. In fact, I picture them as the color-worshipping family from A Mighty Wind. If you could use a little induction into the color cult, Ringle and Weeks' other book, Color Harmony For Quilts, would probably be a smart companion buy. This book goes in-depth into color theory as it applies to stash-building in general and coming up with a "Big Idea" for your quilt project. That said, I think TMQW gives sufficient guidance on making fabric choices, so Color Harmony (or another color theory book) isn't absolutely required. Their emphasis on color language is not unique in the world of quilting, of course, but combined with their simple, unfussy geometric designs, the whole process seems less intimidating. Just like every piece of fabric is an equal player, no part of the quiltmaking process takes the backseat. Weeks and Ringle stress quilting thread choice and the quilting itself as design layers that contribute to the Big Idea. One should never send a quilt away for professional machine quilting. Not that they're against machine quilting -- on the contrary, they're its biggest advocates. As self-proclaimed modernists, they eschew borders and symmetry characteristic of traditional quilting and "engage the edges." I should mention that you are under no obligation to follow Weeks' and Ringle's quiltmaking ethos to participate in the Modern Quilt-Along. You can hand-sew, you can hand-quilt, you can use prints where they suggest solids and solids where they suggest prints. You can clash your hues or use crazy novelty fabrics. You can pay a stranger to finish your work, you can even (gasp!) tie your quilt! The only obligation is to start with (not necessarily finish with!) a pattern from the book or one of the free patterns on the Funquilts website. Now I just have to decide on which one to make. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along :: Comments (8) :: link :: June 14, 2005 Modern Quilt-Along?
If you're interested, leave a comment or send an email. I think a quorum of five should do it! I'm working on a little review of the book, but if you want to know more about it, check out the authors' site Fun Quilts or follow the link above to the Amazon page. posted by in Modern Quilt-Along , Quilting , _____-Alongs :: Comments (8) :: link
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Ding ding ding ding! We have another finished quilt: Sarah has completed an "little bitty" version of 
